Shock Your Potential

Chase Your Calling - Wyman Winbush

“One of the things that is most important is not necessarily what you can see as physical attributes, but what you can't see with regards to one's mindset.” Wyman Winbush
In order to overcome adversity and live the best and fulfilling life, developing not only the physical, but the mental and spiritual aspects as well is crucial. Our guest today, Wyman Winbush has been able to overcome a lot of adversity in the course of his career and life, and attributes his success to having a resilient attitude and a strong grounding on his spiritual values.
Wyman Winbush, is a Multi-Disciplined Problem Solver  and self-professed polymath* who is known as "The Wisdom Broker."  He combines 31yrs in Corporate America with 30 yrs in the US Navy , and 30 yrs in ministry to direct individuals, and corporations towards the most direct path to sustained success.
After 31 years, Wyman left full-time employment at IBM and started a consulting/training company called WRW International, LLC with his wife Rosemary. WRW International, LLC is committed to educating, empowering, and inspiring businesses and individuals to reach their maximum and divine potential.  With over 40 years of combined business experience, corporate savvy, military leadership, community volunteerism, and spiritual insight, they are able to leverage their expertise to meet the needs of each client.
Wyman continues to educate and enable others as a professional speaker/trainer which includes working as a member of the DoD Yellow Ribbon Cadre of Speakers. He has also recently agreed to work in a consultant capacity as a Sales Advisor in IBM's Global Sales School.
 
In this episode, Wyman will discuss his time in the military and how it shaped his life post military. He will also talk about how he helps people and businesses reach their potential.
Listen in!
 
website:  www.wymanwinbush.com
website: wrwinternationalllc.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wwinbush/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wwinbush
 
I'm a graduate of the Naval Academy, and my journey started in the 10th grade when a teacher asked me whether I had ever heard of the Naval Academy. [4:08]
Needless to say that question change the trajectory of my life because I graduated from Naval Academy and became a helicopter Hilo pilot. [4:27]
You can't be in the military regardless of what service without knowing how to be resilient and so I applaud my brothers and sisters who served out there. [5:04]
When you get into a business situation, and you're up against the wall, there's a lot of things you can do but panic is not an option. [7:41]
I didn't have to go to business school to get that but I learnt those core precepts and principles during the military training. [7:57]
The faith element is as much part of me as any other of my physical attributes. [9:03]
One of the things that is most important is not necessarily what you can see as physical attributes, but what you can't see with regards to one's mindset. [9:10]
On my worst day, I find hope in that situation because I expect whatever this is, to work to my favor. [9:43]
A lot of times you'll find that to be true because a lot of the adversity that we encounter builds up our resilience to respond to it or similar circumstances in the future career. [10:00]
All else equal, the person that believes that someone bigger than him or her is with them, will go to the battle field more confident that they will win. [11:05]
On confidence, it's not confidence in me, but it's confidence in the God that I serve and that we're not in the boat by ourselves, God is with us. [12:11]
I believe God does his best work Monday through Friday on the battlefield and so I acknowledge his presence everywhere. [14:47]
The testimonies are birthed out of the tests on the battlefield Monday through Friday, on Saturday, and Sunday is when you testify about what he has brought you through. [15:21]
Commercial Break. [17:12]
The essence of business is you have a product or a service that your clients need. [18:31]
The sooner you have identified the true why, it is only then that you can chart a path that represents the most direct route to get there. [19:41
The purpose of college is not to obtain a diploma but rather to acquire a set of skills that allows you to bring the most value to the marketplace. [20:09]
You only get one chance to distinguish and separate yourself from the pack and if you do it correctly, you don't have to forego having fun as a freshman. [21:37]
Sometimes your clients don't know what they need and so by adopting a client centric approach you work on enabling them towards divine potential. [23:54]
Whatever your calling is, whatever your niche is there are always things you can do to maximize the value you bring to the community. [25:52]
To specifically those who have served, thank you for your service. [29:11]
One of the things that the world needs right now in the business community is people who are resilient, solid and sober thinker and so our business community and the world needs veterans. [29:29]
…………………………………….
Thank you to our November Sponsor: Entrepreneur’s Guide to Financial Well-Being or Wayne Titus
Imagine starting a long journey without a map…or even a clear idea of the obstacles ahead. That’s exactly what it’s like for entrepreneurs who start companies with a lot of passion, but without the financial expertise to grow and scale their businesses and create long-term wealth for their families.
 Wayne Titus shows you how to find a financial adviser who can help you map a better journey. In his book, The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Financial Well-Being.  With the right adviser at your side, you’ll have the freedom to focus on what really matters to you.
Get The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Financial Well-Being at Amazon.com and in the virtual bookstore on the Shock Your Potential app.
 

Constantly Learning and Adapting - Dr., Commander Mary Kelly

“We owe it to ourselves and the people around us to be as great as we can.” Mary Kelly
The brain is a central determinant of how people perform. Consequently, people can be able to improve their quality of life by altering their thinking and eliminating the negative beliefs and perspective that limit them. Our guest today, Mary Kelly has years of experiences educating and coaching people to reach their full potential and says that constant learning and adapting is key if we are to trust our brains to guide us effectively.
Dr. Mary Kelly is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and spent over 20 years on active duty in intelligence and logistics. She retired from the Navy as a commander. She has masters’ degrees in history and economics, and a PhD in economics. With over 20 years combined teaching experience at both the Naval Academy and at Hawaii Pacific University, she taught economics, finance, history, and management. She has extensive experience in business coaching, management, economics, finance, banking, insurance, real estate, government, organizational leadership, communication, business growth, teamwork, strategic planning, human resources, customer service, time management, and project development.
Mary has a track record for success as an organizational change agent. In her role as a human resources director, Dr. Kelly developed a business model for the computer and telecommunications organization for personnel hiring, training and retention that was adopted globally by the U. S. Navy. Managing culturally diverse teams, she orchestrated organizational changes for over 3,000 personnel for 2 military base closures. Her ability to problem-solve and provide innovative solutions enabled her to transform the Navy’s largest pay and personnel organization from the lowest in customer satisfaction to the highest in the nation in 18 months, with 23% fewer employees and a 19% budget decrease.
As an educator, Dr. Kelly created a mandatory curriculum for a college student body of 4,500 students. During her teaching career, she developed 31 university courses in the areas of business management, economics, history, management, geography, political science, human resources, and international relations. Mary taught remote course work for multiple colleges while creating 4 distance learning courses using online lectures, webinars, interactive exercises, and podcasting. In addition to standard curriculums, Dr. Kelly coached 450 students on life skills and time-management. She created and taught wealth building and personal finance to students at the United States Naval Academy, resulting in a student body educated on budgeting and retirement planning before graduation.
As a speaker and presenter, Mary Kelly pulls from her diverse experience to provide keynote presentations that are engaging and compelling, leaving the audience wanting more. With a warm and sincere style, Mary takes her vast knowledge and provides an educational presentation that holds the interest of her audience. She is a popular speaker on topics of leadership, communication, financial planning, and management. As a communicator, she has chaired academic and military panels for economics, political science and historical conferences, and she has conducted over 2,200 seminars on financial, business, management and leadership topics.
In today’s episode, Mary will talk about her experiences working in the military and how she is helping people achieve greatness through education and coaching.
Listen in!
 
Social Media Channels:
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/DrMaryKelly
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmarykelly/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/marykellyspeaks
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/productiveleaders
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/maryaloha/
 
Military services is a part of my family's heritage and my siblings and we all went to the Naval Academy. [3:03]
Things that the Naval Academy taught me early on was, you get it done and you don't waste time. [3:47
Time in our life is a finite number of unknown minutes and we cannot afford to waste it on things that don't matter. [3:57]
We have to value our time and we have to get things done now. [4:22]
If you think about something and you want to get things done, you have to take some kind of action because things just don't happen and this is where I think military training really helps. [4:27]
When we're thinking about doing something, we oftentimes go to our family and our friends and and ask them what they think and I think that's ridiculous and a little dumb. [5:19]
Your family remembers may not picture you as the CEO of your organization and friends often don't push you to be your best self. [5:28]
I have to do my best potential because otherwise to not do that is kind of misusing the gifts and the opportunities that we have. [5:55]
Some days are harder than others but we still have to keep each other accountable and hold each other to a higher standard. [6:07]
What I loved about being in the military was the constant learning, changing and [7:26]
I was never that kid who knew what they wanted to be when they grow up so the military gave me all of these great job opportunities and I got to travel and see different things and meet new people. [7:38]
I got to learn about that really helped me figure out what I want to be and what I was good at. [8:02]
Working in the military helps us identify what our natural strengths are and then we can focus on what we're great at. [8:55]
I love working with numbers and being in front of people talking and you and I both know for many people, that is terrifying for many people. [9:28]
I've been writing since I was a kid and while I was in the Navy, I co authored a couple books for leadership for the Naval Academy and some other groups. [11:16]
I had four books that I was participatory in before I launched my own which became the master World Book and is doing really well. [11:33]
One of the latest books, ‘The Five Minute Leadership Guide,’ is on how to improve your leadership, focus and your priorities and de stress and calm your brain in less than five minutes a day. [11:53]
I have learned to trust my brain and part of that is also knowing when i’m wrong and acknowledging that something isn't doing what I want it to and looking for a way to make it better. [12:52]
Commercial break. [13:19]
My company is called productive leaders, because who wants an unproductive leader and yet, when we look around the workforce, we've got a lot of people who are unproductive. [14:24]
Almost 80% of our workers are not fully engaged and yet, less than half of them have any intention of leaving and this is not good. [14:52]
One of the things I try to do with my audiences is help our leaders reengage, reignite and remotivate their teams so that they stay focused. [15:05]
I get to talk to conferences and also work as a corporate and the idea is to improve all the things that are important to your employees. [15:20]
Many of us in the military go weeks and weeks and months and months and months without a day off, and nobody's that worried about work life balance. [15:58]
You know what you're doing is really important, you've got such a high sense of purpose and mission and vision, that you're not too worried about your work life balance. [16:07]
For businesses, I focus on the bottom line and as an economist, if a business is not making profitability, then they're going to be out of business. [16:13]
We've got to make sure that our businesses are taking the right steps in order to move forward and be wildly successful. [16:29]
A major problem is that people can't get their brain to focus in one area and it's really critical to have that because our brain derive satisfaction out of crossing things off our list. [18:13]
Right now, people are not getting that sense of accomplishment because they don't feel like they have as much control over their time which leads to burnout and exhaustion. [18:41]
I like to focus on how we could alter our thinking and see how well equipped we are to deal with a crisis or changes around us. [19:43]
A lot of times when people say they are overwhelmed, it is just their brain that is disorganized. [21:28]
When I started my business, I created checklists for me, and then all of a sudden I realized people could use the lists. [21:49]
So I have these things I call the five minute business success solutions that are one page put together in a 12 month planner and that is available for your people totally free. [21:57]
Some people need a little revision of their business plan and these five-minute success plans can helps people get focused, stay focused, and get things done. [22:58]
It's not easy and if it was easy, everybody would do it. [25:41]
The way to be successful in running a business is to set a schedule and figure out what you have to do in order to take that next step forward. [25:46]
Don't get distracted by the little things but rather identify the important things and stay focused on what we've got to do next. [25:59]
…………………………………….
Thank you to our November Sponsor: Entrepreneur’s Guide to Financial Well-Being or Wayne Titus
Imagine starting a long journey without a map…or even a clear idea of the obstacles ahead. That’s exactly what it’s like for entrepreneurs who start companies with a lot of passion, but without the financial expertise to grow and scale their businesses and create long-term wealth for their families.
 Wayne Titus shows you how to find a financial adviser who can help you map a better journey. In his book, The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Financial Well-Being.  With the right adviser at your side, you’ll have the freedom to focus on what really matters to you.
Get The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Financial Well-Being at Amazon.com and in the virtual bookstore on the Shock Your Potential app.

Mission - Men - Self - Charles Read

“Business is not a sprint, it's a marathon, so stick with it and you'll be amazed what can happen over the years.“ Charles Read
After leaving the military, majority of servicemen and women find that all they have learnt and experienced is not valued and appreciated in the civilian world. This is according to our guest today, Charles Read, whose experienced while transitioning from the military to civilian life was not easy despite having the skills and expertise needed by majority of organizations. Charles believes that the service men and women have all they need and more to be successful in business, only if they believe in their abilities.
Charles J Read is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), U.S Tax Court Practitioner ( USTCP), member of Internal Revenue Service Advisory Council (IRSAC), and the Founder of GetPayroll. Mr. Read’s companies have provided full-service payroll services, payroll tax services, and other payroll-related services since 1991. Charles is an accomplished senior executive and entrepreneur with more than fifty years of financial leadership experience in a broad range of industries and the author of four books with the most recent one being, The Payroll Book: A Guide for Small Businesses and Startups.
In todays episode, our guest will discuss his life in the military as well as how he was able to successfully start and run his business after leaving the military. He will also talk how the military helped him become who he is today.
Listen in!
 
Social Media
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/GetPayroll/  
Twitter - https://twitter.com/getpayroll  
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/getpayroll  
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxs-_RwC9NgfUcqbwvEaMIQ
 
I grew up in Iowa, graduated from high school at 16 and worked because I wasn't ready for college for a number of years. [3:11]
We're a military family going back several 100 years and so we have always [3:24]
I joined the Marine Corps at 17 and enlisted for four years and so I was 21 when I got [4:08]
I started as an operator and later I was transferred to Okinawa to the third FSR support group there and was sent to IBM and became a computer programmer and systems engineer. [4:27]
I got myself transferred to Vietnam and I got myself reassigned to the local infantry company that was doing interdiction and ambushes. [4:55]
After six months being in the field I came back and was stationed in Kansas City Marine Corps automated service center. [5:22]
When I got out, I found that businesses did not value my military experience and at that point I realized I had to go get the civilian credentials. [6:15]
I went up to the local junior college and then to University of North Texas and in two and a half years, I had my MBA which got me [7:56]
One thing the military teaches you is, how to accomplish things, staying focused and the discipline necessary. [8:17]
One of the things I learned in management while in the Marine Corps is mission, men then self, and that you need to accomplish the mission and in business, that same mechanism works. [9:38]
You complete the mission, you take care of your men, whether it be your employees or your clients, then you take care of yourself. [11:04]
One of the biggest things I've seen that is destructive to businesses is ego. [11:12]
You don't want to be the smartest person in the room, you want to know how to hire the smartest person in the room. [11:33]
You learn to value your men because your employees are the most important thing you have. [12:03
My job as CEO was really not to do the work anymore rather my job is to make theirs easy and make them more efficient. [12:19]
Commercial break. [13:22]
When I was 14, I started doing security analysis because I was interested in the stock market and buying and selling stocks. [15:10]
Afterwards I worked in the corporate world for 15 years and I realized I was never going to get to the top of a major corporation because I lacked the political skills. [16:03]
Marines have a have a real aversion to sucking up to anybody and that did lead to problems at times, which I learned to just keep my mouth shut. [16:30]
I started my own business and 30 years later, we're here but about 10 years ago, I sold off the accounting side, because I'd gotten kind of bored with it. [16:50]
I finally realized one of my deficiencies here a few years ago, that I can't market my way out of a paper bag. [19:41]
We're continuing to grow and bringing in clients to take care of them and enjoying the business. [20:02]
I recently wrote my fourth book which Wiley published last year. It's the payroll book guide for small businesses and startups. [20:10]
It's a comprehensive book and we think the only thing similar to it is the payroll source from the American Payroll Association. [21:10]
For your listeners, if they'd like a copy of this, they will go to the payrollbook.com on the web, and enter the discount code for the podcast and we will ship them a free book. [21:24]
There are a lot of things I don't do that I outsource and payroll is one of those things you can outsource as a small business and an entrepreneur very inexpensively and get really good care. [23:15]
A person will overestimate what they can accomplish in a year and underestimate what they can accomplish in a decade. [25:53]
Business is not a sprint, it's a marathon, so Ssick with it and you'll be amazed what can happen over the years. [26:05]
…………………………………….
Thank you to our November Sponsor: Entrepreneur’s Guide to Financial Well-Being or Wayne Titus
Imagine starting a long journey without a map…or even a clear idea of the obstacles ahead. That’s exactly what it’s like for entrepreneurs who start companies with a lot of passion, but without the financial expertise to grow and scale their businesses and create long-term wealth for their families.
 Wayne Titus shows you how to find a financial adviser who can help you map a better journey. In his book, The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Financial Well-Being.  With the right adviser at your side, you’ll have the freedom to focus on what really matters to you.
Get The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Financial Well-Being at Amazon.com and in the virtual bookstore on the Shock Your Potential app.

Seek To Be Uncomfortable - David Armstrong

“No matter where you are or what you're doing in life, the core values that is integrity, service before self and excellence transcends into what your life is today.” Dave Armstrong
Regardless of the circumstances that face us, we always have a choice to determine what informs our actions. Furthermore, our actions always determine the kind of rewards that come our way. Adopting strong core values to inform our actions is therefore very important since the quality of the life we live depends on the values that we adopt. Our guest today, Dave Armstrong, uses his life experience to help people better their lives and says that seeking new knowledge and being grounded on good values is key to overcoming life obstacles.
Sensei Dave Armstrong is a motivational speaker, life coach and at-risk youth expert. He grew up as a product of a broken family, foster care, youth correction facilities and a deceased, only parent at the age of 13. After overcoming all of these obstacles in life and defying his destiny, he decided to serve humanity by dedicating 20+ years towards helping people better their lives and their relationships with their children or the children they work with. After Sensei Dave retired from 24-years of Active Duty Military Service he decided to open Unlimited Potential Network Academy Life Coaching and to publish his amazing motivational autobiography, ‘Why Me, My Fight For Life’ which is available on amazon and on http://www.whyme.world.
In today’s episode, Dave will discuss his journey to finding his ‘why’, his life in the military and how it has been instrumental in shaping his life after the military.
Listen in!
 
Social Media:
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/SenseiDaveArm
Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/senseidavearmstrong/
 
I'm retired in Greece after serving 24 years in the Air Force. [4:05]
I sold my martial arts schools because I thought that I didn't need to work anymore and moved to Greece. [4:13]
After about two years of that I felt that I wasn’t okay not working so I had to find a new why. [4:28]
I was lucky, I've been able to realize my why's because we're not just subject to have one. [5:12]
Early on in life I started developing myself, mind and my skill set out of necessity as I had to do that out of survival. [5:21]
After retiring from the Air force I, decided that I had to do something else and now I help parents and entrepreneurs just to crush life. [5:37]
After I retired, I wrote a book that is an auto biography where I tried to put so much knowledge and experience in there and that's doing so well. [7:15]
We all have to figure out how to overcome in our own way and it's incumbent upon you to learn how to overcome for you. [8:26]
We as biological beings like comfort but unfortunately, that doesn't work to our benefit all the time because in order to overcome you have to become uncomfortable. [9:24]
I tell my clients to seek to be uncomfortable and open up their schema just a little bit every day and seek new knowledge growth. [9:52]
I had a program where I was training women that were being battered by their spouses self-defence and I remember consistently seeing the same women repeating the same patterns. [11:25]
It is scary when you have no resources and can't see past the darkness and on the other side of that wall. [12:12]
I remember I had to move my martial arts school because I was silly enough to think that I was going to move it into a low-income neighborhood to try to give back but it did not work. [12:38
Sometimes it's really hard to see past the difficulties but you have to figure out how to look around that wall and get ready for whatever that is on the other side of that wall. [13:14]
Commercial break. [13:54]
I think everything, every failure and success one has in their life ties in to the next moment and so I use everything of my past to tie into my current and my future. [15:13]
No matter what your background is, you can always use your past knowledge and combine that with the current or whatever you're seeking. [16:00]
Consistently seek knowledge for your present, draw from your past, to secure your future so as to see that dream come to fruition. [16:55]
The Air Force prepared me to be an entrepreneur because of the core values that we have in the Air Force such as integrity, first service before self and excellence in all we do. [18:22]
That's a model that I've brought over to my current career and to everything I do but at the expense of myself. [18:36]
No matter where you are or what you're doing in life, these core values, integrity, first service before self and excellence in all we do transcends into what your life is today. [20:52]
If I could say something that creates an aha moment for someone, no matter where it is in your life, I'm so happy. [22:07]
My niche is parents of teenagers that are having some struggles with their kids where I have programs that they could buy and do one on one coaching. [22:21]
Some of these courses include goal setting and how to teach your teen how to properly set goals; cyber bullying and physical bullying and how to how to overcome. [22:42]
There are going to be times that it feels like what you're after isn't worth it and feel like you should just give up. [25:02]
If you have a thought-out dream, write a why and It's going to be hard but it's going to be worth it and you are going to seriously thank yourself for sticking to it. [25:23]
…………………………………….
Thank you to our November Sponsor: Entrepreneur’s Guide to Financial Well-Being or Wayne Titus
Imagine starting a long journey without a map…or even a clear idea of the obstacles ahead. That’s exactly what it’s like for entrepreneurs who start companies with a lot of passion, but without the financial expertise to grow and scale their businesses and create long-term wealth for their families.
 Wayne Titus shows you how to find a financial adviser who can help you map a better journey. In his book, The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Financial Well-Being.  With the right adviser at your side, you’ll have the freedom to focus on what really matters to you.
Get The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Financial Well-Being at Amazon.com and in the virtual bookstore on the Shock Your Potential app.

Grandma‘s Wealth Wisdom - Amanda Neely

“If you do not pay yourself first, you'll have to go do something else to sustain yourself.” Amanda Neely
When you are in the business of serving people, striking a balance between sustainability and serving is key to survival. This is according to our guest today, Amanda Neely, who having run a successful business for years, insists that business people need to get their financial status in order so as to ensure profitability and sustainability of their businesses.
Amanda Neely is a small business and financial professional. She founded and ran Overflow Coffee Bar, L3C from 2008 through 2018. Now, she shares her experiential knowledge through podcasting and through developing personalized financial strategies for individuals and couples and profitability strategies for businesses. Her goal is to work with people to take charge of their cash flow, leverage their assets, and increase their profitability in ways that would make their grandma proud.
In today’s episode, Amanda will discuss about her time in the military as well as in business. She will also talk about some of the important lessons she learnt while running her business and how she shares the wisdom with the world.
Listen in!
 
Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Grandmaswealthwisdom/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grandmaswealth/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/grandmaswealthwisdom?sub_confirmation=1
Linked-in: https://www.linkedin.com/company/11854079/admin/
 
I met my husband after he was done being in the Marine Corps so I don't have direct experience of being a spouse of someone who is actively serving. [2:40]
I wouldn't change anything about his experience with the Marines because it is what has gotten us through some of the worst times of entrepreneurship. [3:01]
The service mentality that also was part of my husband is what led us to start a business. [5:57]
I was working for a nonprofit trying to give back and make a difference when I realized that actually small businesses really change the world. [6:13]
That's what led us to start the coffee shop where we wanted to know the bean to cup story and make sure that the farmers are being paid well. [6:32]
We are a legitimate social enterprise, we are for a purpose prior to a profit and we had to always put that purpose first. [7:06]
We were a couple years into the coffee shop when we met a certified financial planner. [9:24]
We were doing documentary showings and he chose a documentary about how money really works and showed it as a documentary screening. [9:29]
When the credits rolled, I was mad that he had never told us this before and that we had put ourselves really where we were which was on the edge of bankruptcy. [9:36]
I forced him to sit down with us and a couple of years later, we'd paid off our business debt and our student debt and we had gotten the business to a stable place. [10:02]
I had also been introduced to this concept called profit first and we started instead of paying ourselves last we started paying ourselves first. [10:17]
We were able to sell the business to a nonprofit who continued that mission and were able to even add their own mission to it to be an incubator of small businesses on the Southside of Chicago. [10:43]
We decided that we had to continue being in service to others and being a voice of change. [10:59]
We decided to help people get their stories with money into a better place and help them by empowering them to make the difference they need in their financial stories. [11:17]
Commercial break. [11:41]
If you do not pay yourself first, you'll have to go do something else to sustain yourself and eventually it could come in time where you can't work because of burnout. [13:42]
We work a lot with entrepreneurs and small business owners who often get to the point where they realize the biggest risk they are taking financially is with their business. [14:08]
A lot of times in your active military you can get help with financial planning but afterwards, it's a little harder to know who to talk to. [17:30]
It is about having that connection with the military and with entrepreneurship, and trying to figure out how to manage all the different buckets to make sure you are doing what's best for you. [17:46]
Other military people have been really interested in real estate and I love to assist real estate investors to be able to figure out some of those big questions. [18:19]
To be able to have those conversations with people brings me a lot of joy and I think helps them get more clarity as well. [20:17]
When we think about grandma, we picture an old woman maybe just hanging out and doing nothing. [12:07]
I love talking about grandma when she was in the prime of her life and she had huge potential and she took advantage of it. [20:18]
If you picture the grandma how they were like when they were your age and what they were doing then, there's a lot that we can learn. [21:51]
…………………………………….
Thank you to our April Sponsor: Entrepreneur’s Guide to Financial Well-Being or Wayne Titus
Imagine starting a long journey without a map…or even a clear idea of the obstacles ahead. That’s exactly what it’s like for entrepreneurs who start companies with a lot of passion, but without the financial expertise to grow and scale their businesses and create long-term wealth for their families.
 Wayne Titus shows you how to find a financial adviser who can help you map a better journey. In his book, The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Financial Well-Being.  With the right adviser at your side, you’ll have the freedom to focus on what really matters to you.
Get The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Financial Well-Being at Amazon.com and in the virtual bookstore on the Shock Your Potential app.

Enjoy the Freedom you Fought For - Rob Campbell

“Book writing is very entrepreneurial and I believe more people have books inside of them, especially veterans.” Rob Campbell
Regardless of the context and nature of change, to have persistent optimism when facing change is not very easy. Nevertheless, being adaptable is an attribute that comes with many benefits to be gained. Our guest today Rob Campbell has extensive experience on handling change both at an individual and organizational level and says that it all entails embracing flexibility and being adaptable.
Rob Campbell is a husband, father, author, and entrepreneur.  Rob began a career in the Army as an infantry officer in 1990.  He served in a variety of command and staff positions in a career spanning 27 years.  His culminating assignment was command of an infantry brigade in the 101st Airborne Division.  Rob retired in 2016, wrote a book on leadership and founded his own speaking and consulting business. 
In today’s episode, Rob talks to us about his career, overcoming organizational challenges and bringing about change. His goal is to help people be optimistic and be positive about their lives.
Listen in as he walks us through his successes, failures, and lessons that he has learned along the way. 
 
Resources
It’s Personal, Not Personnel: Leadership Lessons For The Battlefield And The Boardroom (https://amzn.to/3dLzMLH)
At Ease: Enjoying The Freedom You Fought For -- A Soldier's Story And Perspectives On The Journey To An Encore Life And Career(https://amzn.to/3gdBQ0u)
Social handles;
https://www.facebook.com/robcampbellleadership/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-campbell-361757b6/
https://www.instagram.com/robcampbell_leadership/
Website: https://www.robcampbellleadership.com
 
I joined the National Guard in 1987 and found out I liked it so I got immersed in the military and chose to go on active duty in 1990. [2:50]
The military is a great place to shock your potential because they throw you into scenarios and training and of course combats that are shocking. [3:40]
It was a tremendous career growth for me which placed me in places I would not have thrust myself and so it did me wonders. [3:57]
Everything was a team effort and so our experience doing that over 27 years and 16 moves, I believe served us well. [5:27]
My children and my wife heard me talk about leadership and how it was all about the organization and not about me. [5:56]
It is tough for the spouses and they serve just as much as veterans and I believe in them so much because they are leaders in their own right. [6:09]
They learned a lot of the same values that are infused in me and bring the same kind of things into their own core life. [6:34]
Veterans are well equipped to be entrepreneurs and we're just not doing a very good job in military transition of exposing them to that and convincing them that they are. [7:30]
The military rule really helped hone many skills for me, which I think are very critical for running successful business. [7:58]
There are some obstacles to overcome but we can adapt quickly and so that's how it really helped me to be able to step in and be an entrepreneur. [8:06]
Commercial break. [9:51]
Book writing is very entrepreneurial and I believe more people have books inside of them, especially veterans. [11:43]
I coach a lot of folks to try and take that leap and get into book writing, because that wasn't my grand plan but I have managed to write two books with a third on the way. [11:50]
When I got out, I didn't know what I wanted to do and that's what a lot of veterans experience. [12:07]
In 2016, I had my blank sheet of paper, and I decided to take some time off and I kind of stumbled into book writing and I started my entrepreneurship journey there. [12:37]
I also the Executive Director for a non-profit, which is a live virtual entrepreneurship program that is taught by entrepreneurs who have decades of experience in business. [13:07]
Part of the problem with a lot of these entrepreneurs programs out there on the veteran side is they're taught by veterans, not entrepreneurs. [13:19]
We get an audience from across the world and they realize they still need to be schooled up on how to go through the entrepreneurial journey. So that's been a great journey. [13:33]
I do a wide variety of things which include consulting, teaching, coaching and speaking and coaching and speaking of the two things that I love to do most. [14:08]
What I do in those roles across the board is shining a light on something that an individual cannot see. [14:25]
The most ROI for me, is when the light bulb comes on and somebody sees that they have the potential to do something. [14:54]
You need a coach to be able to pull that out and kind of bring you up to that next level, even at the ripe old age. [15:09]
A lot of veterans get out and they don't know what they want to do and that's what my second book is all about. [15:53]
The title of the book is called At Ease, which is a term when said calmly means that it's going to be okay and that's what I was trying to say in the book. [16:11]
There's this weird sense of we don't have that complete freedom because we were always beholden to the bigger institution of the military and we had to seek that approval. [17:04]
That is the struggle that I address in the book and share that you're at ease and that transitioning is a journey that you're traveling. [17:30
One of the things that I discovered after the book was out last year, it speaks not only to veterans, but anybody making a major transition in life. [20:43]
One of the chapters in the book is about Be careful not to drop an anchor and what I mean by that is veterans and anybody making a big transition need to remain flexible. [21:17]
Many veterans are starting to question their service specifically to Afghanistan but reflecting back on those things that we provided for them, we all did the very best we could. [25:50]
I believe many of us are a shining example of service and sacrifice and will remain so especially the fallen. [27:12]
When you thank a veteran, you're still doing the right thing and it means a lot and so they need that and a friend going forward. [27:25]
We are at a really important time in our country and we as veterans and non-veterans can really come together, form of friendship and get to know each other better. [27:33]
…………………………………….
Thank you to our April Sponsor: Entrepreneur’s Guide to Financial Well-Being or Wayne Titus
Imagine starting a long journey without a map…or even a clear idea of the obstacles ahead. That’s exactly what it’s like for entrepreneurs who start companies with a lot of passion, but without the financial expertise to grow and scale their businesses and create long-term wealth for their families.
 Wayne Titus shows you how to find a financial adviser who can help you map a better journey. In his book, The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Financial Well-Being.  With the right adviser at your side, you’ll have the freedom to focus on what really matters to you.
Get The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Financial Well-Being at Amazon.com and in the virtual bookstore on the Shock Your Potential app.

What is Your Money Temperament- Ted McLyman

“Behavioural financial wellness means you understand what makes you tick with money, how you're naturally wired, and work for a one size fits you approach.” Ted McLyman
One of the major aspirations for individuals is financial security. In order to support the efforts towards achievement this goal, experts continue to improve the population’s financial capabilities by conducting programs that enhance individual financial knowledge and financial behavior. Ted McLyman has been in involved in numerous programs that deal with financial education and says that the concept of having a money coach should be normalized.
Ted McLyman is an entrepreneur, business owner, author, speaker, trainer, Lt Col, USMC (Ret), and Ironman All World age group triathlete. Ted has over 30 years of award-winning experience, helping individuals and organizations achieve peak performance. He has al BA Social Relations from Colgate University; a MA Public Administration from Pepperdine University; and MS Instructional and Performance Technology from Boise State University.
Ted is the founder of Apexx Behavioural Financial Group, Director of Behavioural Finance, DreamSmartAcademy.com, financial advisor/agent; economics instructor, US Naval Academy; Aide to the Under Secretary of the Navy for Financial Management; Head, Marine Corp Training Management Division; Commander, USMC Financial Management School; artillery officer; Executive Office, Battle Assessment Team, Operation Desert Storm.
He has authored three books on behavioral finance and has also created Quick Scan Money Temperament Assessment. He is a technical consultant for "Behind the Money" program at Impact television and Director for Behavioral Finance, and Advisory Board Member at DreamSmartAcademy.com.
In today’s episode, Ted will talk about his career in the military and the opportunities that helped him build knowledge and skills in financial management.
Listen in!
 
Social media handles
​Website: www.tedmclyman.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TedMcLyman/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tedmclyman/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TedMcLyman
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ted-mclyman/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/tedmclyman
 
I didn't know how important and consequential it would be to become a vet until I became one. [3:05]
I grew up in upstate New York in the Finger Lakes area and after University I decided to join the military. [3:39]
I served on several assignments and then put in a letter to get out of the Marine which wasn't accepted. [4:22]
I picked up my first graduate degree at Pepperdine and my payback was to teach economics at the Naval Academy which was incredible. [[5:00]
It was an opportunity to work with some of the future leaders of the country, the best and the brightest. [5:10]
I was teaching classical economics which led me to my career on money behavior. [5:16]
I picked up another master's degree in performance technology, worked more for the military and after retirement, I opened my first financial planning practice. [5:48]
I started realizing that my job as an entrepreneur was to build my business and take care of my clients. [6:33]
I also learned that I was in the business of managing behavior, not money and that became the basis of my writing where we are right now and It has been a great experience. [6:40]
The wrong decisions I witnessed being made by young people who had joined the military was absolutely the catalyst for me getting started in this. [8:22]
The institutional side was reactive rather than proactive and held marines accountable and the programs we had were never dealing with the behavior. [9:13]
We have to understand that money is a subset of modern culture and being human our brains are designed to keep us alive and pass on our genes and not planning. [10:32]
We talk about behavior and consequences, accountability and coaching in almost everything else in our life but nobody ever talks about a money coach. [11:30]
The question I always ask myself is how do you know if you're hardwired to do the things that we are expecting you to do. [11:54]
There's a money mindset and a wealth mindset where a money mindset is to spend while the wealth mindset is to build equity, pass it on and create true wealth. [12:47]
In the modern military you're trained to be resourceful, innovative, resilient, and get the job done. [14:38]
You are encouraged to think of all the scenarios to put together plans and alternatives and so I found the transitioning to entrepreneurship not that difficult. [15:07]
I had the opportunity to do all kinds of incredible things because I raised my hand and gave it a shot. [16:27]
Delegation means as an entrepreneur you focus on what you're good at, you become an expert, a professional, and then you build your team around you to compensate. [18:11]
A successful entrepreneur has a plan and if you've got a military background, all you've got to do is think of the planning cycle you went through for your first deployment. [19:01]
Commercial break. [21:30]
I help people understand their behavior with money because behavior is unique to everyone. [23:30]
I dropped all my licenses, sold my practice, and I'm working full time as an author, speaker and a coach, trying to change the dialogue about money. [23:54]
In our culture, particularly United States, we look at money as an independent entity. [24:04]
Our brains are wired to do things very differently than society wants them to do so our biology gets in the way of our feeling brain. [24:40]
Modern society demands some accountability which tasks our thinking brain to do things that are uncomfortable and that's usually money stuff and for most people, the default is do nothin [25:04]
What I am trying to do right now is launch a movement comprising of group of motivated people that are fed up with business as usual in the financial industry. [25:33]
If you want to know what your values are, take a look at your calendar and your bank statement. [26:24]
The next thing you've got to look at is your money temperament because you've got a unique spending pattern which is a function of where you grew. [27:32]
Culture is an incredible driver in our money perspective whose influences on our brain are putting us into a spending state that we've never had to deal with before. [27:49]
I am trying to get people to understand that we need to start moving to a behavioral approach to money. [29:37]
Behavioral financial wellness means you understand what makes you tick with money, how you're naturally wired, and work for a one size fits you approach. [29:44]
For the veterans out there, you stepped out and took a risk to join the military and worked out. It's the same thing would be an entrepreneur. [35:30]
You can be an entrepreneur within an organization by starting small. Take an assessment of who you are and find out what you're good at and step out. [35:55]
…………………………………….
Thank you to our April Sponsor: Entrepreneur’s Guide to Financial Well-Being or Wayne Titus
Imagine starting a long journey without a map…or even a clear idea of the obstacles ahead. That’s exactly what it’s like for entrepreneurs who start companies with a lot of passion, but without the financial expertise to grow and scale their businesses and create long-term wealth for their families.
 Wayne Titus shows you how to find a financial adviser who can help you map a better journey. In his book, The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Financial Well-Being.  With the right adviser at your side, you’ll have the freedom to focus on what really matters to you.
Get The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Financial Well-Being at Amazon.com and in the virtual bookstore on the Shock Your Potential app.

Disabled American Veterans- Rob Lougee

“When you learn what you have to do, and you understand how it works, the path of least resistance is laid before you to help move on.” Rob Lougee
Access to information is a primary factor to ensuring that veterans going through tough situations receive available assistance. Our guest today has been working with the disabled veterans for a long time to help them set up successful businesses and careers.
Rob E. Lougee, a service-connected disabled veteran of the Persian Gulf War, was appointed Assistant National Employment Director of the 1.3 million-member Disabled American Veterans (DAV) in March 21, 2016. From the DAV National Headquarters located in Cold Spring, Kentucky, Mr. Lougee manages special employment initiatives and works with private and public sector entities to develop and build partnerships to address joblessness and underemployment, as well as facilitate job fairs and lead efforts to connect veterans and transitioning service members to employers.
A Boston native, Mr. Lougee enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1983 and served until 1992 in the First Armored and First Calvary Divisions, attaining the rank of specialist. His awards included the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Southwest Asia Medal with three bronze stars and the Kuwait Liberation Medal.
Mr. Lougee joined DAV’s professional staff as a National Service Officer Trainee in 1993. Three years later, he was promoted to National Service Officer Supervisor and served as a National Area Supervisor from 2002 to 2008 until an appointment to serve as Adjutant and Executive Director for the DAV Department of Colorado. Mr. Lougee returned to serving as a National Service Officer Supervisor and National Area Supervisor following more than a year in the Department of Colorado’s top post. He is a life member of DAV Chapter 19 in Cold Spring, Kentucky. Mr. Lougee studied business at Central Texas College. He lives in Hebron, Kentucky. He has a daughter named Amanda living in Colorado.
In today’s episode, Rob will talk about his work caring for disabled veterans and the various resources that they can leverage for their good.
Listen in!
Social Media;
LinkedIn link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-lougee-9710526
Most of the males in my family all served in the military and I joined the military back in 83. [12:54]
I was blessed to be able to serve in outstanding military units and came back thankfully with all my appendages. [3:18]
The military taught me so much about my ability to endure the unknown and to think strategically, to understand what commitment is, and to think on my feet. [3:38]
I've been with the DAV now professionally for 26 years and I enjoy taking care of my fellow veterans and their families. [4:28]
We give disabled vets a chance and we try to take care of them through the many programs and services that we have. [5:05]
It is my pleasure to try to engage veterans and meaningful employment opportunities and provide them the tools and the information to get it. [5:27]
I always encourage all people who have served in the military to register with the VA, regardless of whether they need the assistance or not. [7:46]
Every veteran that wore the uniform, put their lives out there for their country, whether they actually went to war or not and so deserve all the benefits that they are entitled to. [8:49]
The DAV wants to engage with any entity that is interested in hiring veterans and here many companies that have hired veterans. [10:27]
I ask veterans to keep an open mind, not just think about what they did in the military but understand their capabilities and take a chance every now and then. [11:59]
You may not always get what you want or what you think you need, but you have to start somewhere. [12:17]
Predominantly, a lot of us join the military start right after our 18th birthday and often don't know what we want to do with our lives. [13:55]
During your military journey, you realize your capabilities and the different things about yourself, and you learn to grow like everybody else does. [14:14]
The military culture is a little more stringent where people are trained very specifically to do their [14:28]
You should volunteer for every school the military is willing to send you to because at the end of the day, that's going to help you when you get out of the military. [14:46]
Commercial Break. [15:22]
The proportion of service disabled veteran owned small businesses. versus civilian businesses how that we have a greater percentage of just under 9% are veteran owned. [19:56]
We are hoping that more veterans are engaged through entities such as SBA in different levels help them set up their business. [21:00]
45% of veterans that are leaving the military are more likely to think about beginning their own small business and one out of 10 small businesses in the US is veteran owned. [22:09]
The skill set of problem solving is probably the greatest attribute that a veteran entrepreneur possesses. [22:47]
We are working diligently through several government entities to try to level the playing field and get the privileges that minority groups are entitled to. [24:08]
One of the issues that you have in small business world is that you have small businesses that fail, because they don't understand the business concept of small business. [26:38]
We have a lot of resources out there to help veterans, whether disabled or not and even women veterans. [27:14]
I want to ensure that every veteran that has an idea and wants to explore it have the information they need to go down that path to see if it is for them or not. [27:42]
Regardless of whether you are a non-profit or for profit, to be in business for 100 years is an achievement. [29:53]
We are very excited to be able to finally celebrate our centennial celebration where September 26, and 27th will be the major dates. [30:36]
You always want to make sure that you're trying to do it better than the generation before you and da v has a track record of doing it better. [31:27]
We understand that you have to evolve and so we're very proud of the fact that we've been able to stand the test of time. [31:38]
We welcome all veterans out there that may want to become a part of our group, we can help find them find something to do within their capability level. [32:19]
We live in a technological age and we have to maximize the potential of that not only for our donors sake, but for reaching out to that veteran or a service member. [33:19]
When you learn what you have to do, and you understand how it works, the path of least resistance is laid before you to help move on. [33:38]
They'll always be issues with transitioning out of the military and so we try to put that in some type of context. [34:11]
Any veteran that is thinking about getting in or starting a business, there is a bunch of different resources available to help you push forward. [36:25]
The VA has the office of small and disadvantaged business utilization; SBA has the Veterans Bennet business development. [36:38]
The OVBV has an office that guides members through all the steps and starting a business; and the Institute of Veterans and Military Families which teach veterans and their families how to start and run a business. [37:00]
There is also entrepreneurship bootcamp for veterans and patriot bootcamp who assist military members to creators, innovators and entrepreneurs. [37:52]
We also have the Women Veteran Entrepreneurship for women veterans and the GSA who have a federal surplus for personal property donation program. [38:47]
Think outside the box because you are capable of doing much more than what the military ever taught you. [41:35]
…………………………………….
Thank you to our April Sponsor: Entrepreneur’s Guide to Financial Well-Being or Wayne Titus
Imagine starting a long journey without a map…or even a clear idea of the obstacles ahead. That’s exactly what it’s like for entrepreneurs who start companies with a lot of passion, but without the financial expertise to grow and scale their businesses and create long-term wealth for their families.
 Wayne Titus shows you how to find a financial adviser who can help you map a better journey. In his book, The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Financial Well-Being.  With the right adviser at your side, you’ll have the freedom to focus on what really matters to you.
Get The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Financial Well-Being at Amazon.com and in the virtual bookstore on the Shock Your Potential app.

Caring for the Caregiver - Nancy Poland

“Learning to mitigate a caregiving crisis in one’s personal life will help you be more effective and productive in your professional life.” Nancy Poland
As the demand for family caregivers increases, one of the biggest challenges that comes up is the unawareness of what to do and when due to the lack of preparedness. Our guest today Nancy Poland, has been a caregiver and says that planning for caregiving responsibilities ahead of time can go along way into helping people get through the challenges. 
Nancy Poland, owner of Nancy R Poland Connect, is a writer and speaker focusing on caregiving. As a volunteer educator for the Alzheimer’s Association, she brings her experience as a caregiver for her dad, who was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia. She published her first book, “Dancing With Lewy: A Father Daughter Dance Before and After Lewy Body Dementia Came to Live With Us”, narrating their experience. Her second book, “Remarkable Caregiving: The Care of Family and Friends” will be released in November 2021. “Remarkable Caregiving” is a collection of true stories from six caregivers thrust into unplanned circumstances as they emerge wiser and more resilient.
Nancy issues a monthly newsletter, “Caring for the Caregiver”, blogs about caregiving, and communicates to caregivers in social media and in person. She is looking forward to more group presentations as her business contacts grow, and COVID-19 subsides. A life-long resident of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, Nancy and her husband John raised two sons and continue to contribute to their communities.
Professionally Nancy is a Contracts and Compliance Manager where she utilizes her writing and negotiation skills to support the mission of a non-profit corporation. She is a trainer and mentor, both professionally, and in a volunteer capacity.
In today’s episode, Nancy will talk about her work of connecting caregivers to resources, teaching them how they can better the lives of their loved ones, as well as themselves.
Listen in!
 
Social Media
Website: https://nancyrpoland.com  
The caregiver resources: https://nancyrpoland.com/caregiver-resources/  
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-poland-a4632632/  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nancypoland  
Facebook (personal): https://www.facebook.com/nancy.poland  
Facebook (business): https://www.facebook.com/nancyrpoland  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nancypoland/
 
As my parents aged, they became more fragile and so we were balancing taking care of my parents, while working, travelling and raising our teenage son. [3:16]
I learned that it's really hard to be your full potential at work when you're also trying to balance all these other things. [4:36]
A lot of us don't plan for our parents aging and becoming fragile but it's really something that if we can think about ahead of time, it can help us get through those days. [4:48]
We tend as human beings to go into denial and don't want to think about our parents aging and getting fragile. [5:44]
One of my main goals is to educate future caregivers to help people face the reality that if we all live long enough, we will probably become medically fragile and therefore need to plan for it. [6:32]
I tried to provide a place in my website where I have resources for caregivers where seniors can get help to keep them safe, and to keep them functioning in those homes. [10:35]
Once my mom passed away, my dad couldn't live on his own so we moved him to a senior apartment building that had services you could buy up. [11:46]
People shouldn't feel guilty because you just have to deal with life too and also be your best at work. [12:26]
Commercial break. [13:00]
I think it's so important to be a functioning member of the community and fortunately, the work places have gotten more flexible, especially since COVID. [15:44]
If we can take care of our health and our well being, while we're taking care of our loved ones, it's just going to benefit everybody and us especially. [17:19]
There's not enough assisted living opportunities or nursing homes that take care of people, and it's hard to get some new nursing home unless you're willing to pay. [18:50]
One of the most important things I emphasize, is to get your legal paperwork in order to prevent a lot of heartache in case of anything. [19:07]
I have lots of links for caregiving resources and accounts of very practical things to do in different situations. [23:02]
One really exciting thing I have today is for the first 10 people who send me an email, I will send them a free copy an E copy of Dancing With Louie. [23:35]
Break yourself out of the denial mode and search for resources ahead of time if your parents or grandparents are starting to get frail. [25:02]
Try to plan ahead and to find resources s well as getting your legal paperwork in order. [25:33]
Take care of yourself, because that's the only way you're going to be able to take care of your loved ones, and you have to have a life after they pass away. [26:07]
…………………..…..
TopDog Learning Group, LLC is a leadership, change management, and diversity and inclusion consulting firm based in Orlando, FL, USA but with “TopDoggers” (aka consultants) throughout North America and beyond.
They focus on training programs (both virtual and face-to-face), keynotes and “lunch and learns,” group and 1:1 coaching, and off-the-shelf solutions.
One such solution is their Masterclass on The Top 3 Strategies to be Resilient in Times of Change.
This thoughtful self-paced online training will guide you through three tactics you can immediately use to—not just survive—but thrive when change comes at you.
Use the code RESIL50OFF for 50% off the program! Just go to https://bit.ly/3a5mIS6 and enter the code RESIL50OFF, in all capitals, to redeem your 50% off coupon. The link and code will be available in our show notes for easy access.

Creating Fresh Thoughts - Anita Bentata

“You can see things differently depending on how you interpret things and that influences how you respond to it.” Anita Bentata
The link between healing of trauma and neuroscience is something that has received considerable attention in practice. Our guest today, Anita Bentata, has spent most of her time researching and learning about trauma and the healing process in an effort to help people overcome their past and embody a better self.
Anita Bentata is a psychotherapist, author, online group facilitator, thought leader and speaker, specializing in trauma, abuse, stress, relationships and love. Anita is based in Melbourne, Australia and is the recipient of multi-international awards and national recognition for her approach and program for women impacted by trauma, isolation and abuse. Anita has spoken at conferences about her model and theories, as well as participated in numerous interviews and being involved as a consultant and primary interviewee for a documentary about domestic violence.
Anita’s focus is showing people they can feel free, resilient and resourced, in mind and body; no matter their past, or any current situation. So, people can embody wellbeing, healthy life energy and clarity in life choices, as opposed to passivity, repetition or reactions. After nearly 3 decades in the field, including 4 years of specialist training in trauma and defense systems, Anita came to realize why people get stuck in trauma or therapy for longer than is needed. This vital framework forms The Essentials Method™, based on neuroscience and the best of whole brain body Western and Eastern science and psychology; along with countless hours spent with clients. Combined, this led Anita to realize what was missing in personal and community life skill development, and within the field of psychology. This awareness of what was missing in the field and necessary for complete trauma resolution, and to face anything in life as well as to move forward free from the past, was also informed by the personal work Anita undertook prior to her qualification.
It was her journey as a client which led Anita to change careers from accounts and book-keeping, and into psychotherapy. Undertaking therapy to resolve trauma from a childhood of abuse and neglect, and from later escaping domestic violence with her two young children. Client journeys, parenting her children through trauma, and two significant life events led Anita to understand more of what is needed to fully resolve the unbearable and the uncomfortable.
Anita created the Living in Flow online, live, group or 1:1 program consisting of a series of modules to skill people to live life from The Essentials Method™. People are not taught now to take advantage of the brilliance of the brain and body and instead are held captive by old, learnt styles of coping. Coping methods which didn’t develop, along with other life skills, has meant people tend to know what they don’t want, and what they do want, but not know how to transition from the old to the new. People end up in with limited beliefs, behaviors and habits and perceive this is ‘normal’ not realizing what could be named as ‘normal’ and possible for healthy and vibrant living and relationships. Anita’s values are joy, ease and growth. This creates a life of love, flow and creativity.
Anita believes we’re all creators and life is about creative living, and when we don’t have access to the our whole brain and body we do keep creating, but we’re re-creating old patterns and worries, going over the past, maintaining, coping or managing through the use of any skills, including wonderful trauma techniques which of their own still do not provide the full map to move on in life and can end up deepening the connections to the past when there is not enough understanding about how the brain works and what it needs from us.
In today’s episode, Anita will discuss more about listening to their emotions and feelings rather than entirely depending on reason in healing trauma. She will also highlight on the importance of working in groups when going through the healing process.
Listen in!
Social media handles:
https://www.facebook.com/thewolfinasuit
https://www.facebook.com/targetingabetterwayinrelationships
 https://facebook.com/groups/BigHeartedWomenCommunity/
 https://www.instagram.com/anitabentata 
https://www.twitter.com/anitabentata 
https://au.linkedin.com/in/anita-bentata 
https://www.youtube.com/user/anidrb 
https://www.anitabentata.com 
https://anita-bentata.teachable.com
 
I've been working in the field 26 years and it's taken me on a huge journey that's highly influenced my personal life. [3:26]
I used to work in bookkeeping and accounts and I changed careers and became a therapist and did specialist studies on trauma and understanding what happens. [3:36]
I came to this work through my own personal journey and I went into therapy to make sure I didn't get into more abuse because I grew up with abuse and trauma. [4:46]
My passion is about assisting people to activate the brain and the body out of the trauma response, to be able to listen and to take action. [5:27]
My personal life experiences have given me such a gift of understanding my own journey by questioning things from a personal perspective and resonate as well as connect with my clients. [6:00]
After working many years, I started noticing patterns with people and I started creating my own theories because I felt like there wasn't adequate answers. [6:29]
My organization is all about being able to tap into the whole self, and into our life energy, to be able to make better decisions and to have greater emotional muscle to go beyond the repeat. [7:55]
I show people in my neuroscience backed program, how to have fresh thoughts and be mobilized into action that's aligned with our feelings and our thoughts so that there isn't an internal conflict. [8:38]
I'm really passionate about is teaching people about our brilliant brain, because there's nothing faulty from my perspective ever going on in our brain. [10:44]
Often people don't realize that it's feelings that changes neural pathways and so we need to find a way to be able to take care of the feeling. [11:02]
Along the way, I've discovered how people miss label things and I've created a neuroscience way of how we talk to ourselves based on how we talk to ourselves. [14:05]
The more we know how to use our own brain, the more then we can fire and wire because feelings is what activates the wiring together. [14:33]
I also found that people keep looping to what the brain does most recently and most frequently, not necessarily because of the trauma that's happened. [15:55]
People often don't have the skills on how to move forward in a genuine way that's not through willpower and not through positive thinking. [17:06]
It is a powerful thing to be able to label things so that our environment doesn't define how we are. [19:14]
You can see things differently depending on how you interpret things and that influences how you respond to it. [20:16]
Commercial break. [20:38]
The most important thing is to be able to tell yourself that there are more possibilities of how I can perceive what's going on or be able to talk to somebody that I feel like can connect with where I'm at. [23:13
Most traumas happen in relationship to people and so we get stuck more on a social or an interpersonal level. [23:51]
The most important thing is to be able to know there's always a new way of addressing something that we don't know about. [24:02]
From my perspective based on my experience, we notice things because we're conscious and we end up hooking into them and retelling the same story which loops us into those neural pathways. [25:40]
It is about how to find a way to not get hooked into those old patterns and those old stories so that our system can move on. [26:02]
We can start putting out energy and focus into firing and wiring the new map otherwise, we just keep re looping. [26:15]
A lot of my work is actually helping people to label and talk to themselves through the transition, and how to engineer things so that it gets in that optimal generative way. [28:13]
I also help people to trust the inner reality, and stop trusting the outer reality because the outer reality is just a momentum of what's been happening of the past. [28:27]
One of the most important things is, what you focus on is what keeps deepening in your system. [31:06]
It is about taking that step for ourselves and experimenting to find out whether it feels better. [31:58]
Just keep trying and following what feels better because if you keep following through the day, instead of following what you think you should be doing, everything will keep getting easier. [32:11]
Often, I find that people can create a faster change quicker when they do it in a group because they're motivated and inspired. [33:09]
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TopDog Learning Group, LLC is a leadership, change management, and diversity and inclusion consulting firm based in Orlando, FL, USA but with “TopDoggers” (aka consultants) throughout North America and beyond.
They focus on training programs (both virtual and face-to-face), keynotes and “lunch and learns,” group and 1:1 coaching, and off-the-shelf solutions.
One such solution is their Masterclass on The Top 3 Strategies to be Resilient in Times of Change.
This thoughtful self-paced online training will guide you through three tactics you can immediately use to—not just survive—but thrive when change comes at you.
Use the code RESIL50OFF for 50% off the program! Just go to https://bit.ly/3a5mIS6 and enter the code RESIL50OFF, in all capitals, to redeem your 50% off coupon. The link and code will be available in our show notes for easy access.