Shock Your Potential

Successful & Satisfied - Terry McDougall

“When we are outsourcing or asking somebody else to tell us what success looks like, we lose connection with who we are inside.” Terry McDougall
As often witnessed, success requires substantial sacrifice on many fronts. Considering the time and effort spent in order to be a high achiever, success can easily be a place of misery and frustration for many professionals. That is why our guest today, Terry McDougall insists that professionals define success according to their terms. According to Terry, doing this will enable high-achieving professionals to enjoy a balanced life that is happy and fulfilling.
Terry Boyle McDougall is an Executive & Career Coach and CEO of Terry B. McDougall Coaching. She helps high-achieving professionals remove obstacles that keep them stuck so they can enjoy more success and satisfaction in their lives and careers. Before becoming a coach, Terry was a long-time corporate marketing executive where she led teams, developed strategies, and advised senior leaders to drive business results. She is the author of Winning the Game of Work: Career Happiness and Success on Your Own Terms https://amzn.to/2XnMgq7. She is also the host of the Marketing Mambo podcast.
In today’s episode, our guest will tell us more about how to be in balance by being successful while at the same time enjoying fulfillment and happiness. She will also talk about the importance of being aware of what we want and defining what our success looks like.
Listen in!
Links:
Website: https://www.terrybmcdougall.com 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terrybmcdougall 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terrybmcdougall 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/i_am_coach_terry 
Book: https://www.tinyurl.com/gameofworkbook 
Podcast: https://www.marketingmambo.net
I work with people that I call high achievers who are successful but not satisfied. [3:00]
Very often people get into the trappings of success and pay a very high price for that in terms of stress, anxiety, burnout, health, and relationship problems. [3:18]
I truly believe that we can get things in balance, we can kind of get into a flow where not only can we be successful, but we can be happy as well. [3:36]
I help people to shift the mindset to, first of all, believe that's possible, and also to start to learn skills, so that they can have more impact without working as hard. [3:47]
Many of the issues that people have at work are as a result of what we learn at school such as delayed gratification, looking for validation in other people, and learning to ask the question. [4:48]
When we are outsourcing or asking somebody else to tell us what success looks like, we lose connection with who we are inside. [5:12]
Because I work with people that are already successful, I try to help them start to shift, where they look for validation away from the external and reconnect with their inner wisdom and their desires. [5:31]
I believe that we can show up authentically and be who we are, use the strengths and the gifts that come to us naturally, and still be successful and way happier than we would if we were trying to step into someone else's definition of success. [5:50]
I am seeing some leaders that recognize that they're going to have to do things differently in the workplace. [7:55]
Leaders need to be able to tap fully into the talents and abilities of their staff and the hybrid work environment that many companies are going into may present a challenge. [9:00]
I had a job where I worked for a foreign company and I was the only out-of-country leader that was on the senior team. [10:49]
So often it was me on the zoom call or the conference call, and there was so much that was lost in the context. [11:00]
It was really up to me to sort of bridge that gap and I think that there was a lack of awareness on the part of many of the people in the meetings and the leadership to realize what my experience was like, and it was frustrating. [11:12]
I think that there is sort of unintended consequences with education because it trains us to think in a certain way and it trains us to look to the head of the classroom for our signals. [13:09]
We are the final arbiters of what's right for us and I believe that each of us is here on earth for a reason. [14:04]
One thing that can cause us to behave in ways that aren't aligned with who we are authentically is fear of rejection, fear of criticism, fear of judgment. [14:31]
I have just come to the conclusion that nobody has a right to judge us because they have no idea why we're here. [14:44]
One of the things that I see as a coach is that when you're working with these high achieving people, they're able to do a lot of things but it doesn't mean that everything that they're able to do is something that they like to do. [15:05]
It is natural for friends and family sometimes to have that concern because they are looking at the lowest common denominator. [18:09]
Commercial break. [19:30]
What I want to teach people is how to start reestablishing that thread with their inner wisdom and their true desires. [20:52]
When people come and they're in pain, a lot of times, I'll ask them what it is that they want, and they will either say that they don't know or they will say they know exactly what they want and reasons why it can't happen. [21:05]
My advice to everyone is to separate these two things. [21:36]
When people say they don't know what they want, they do know what they want but they've got a very good internal defense mechanism to keep them from being disappointed if they admit the thing they want. [21:45]
It is okay to say it out loud and then separately figure out some of the things that you could do to make that happen. [22:00]
The reason why I think a lot of times people don't admit to what they want or immediately kind of smother it with all the reasons why they can't have it is because they don't want to be disappointed. [22:25]
Once you start imagining one or two steps you could take in the direction of that dream, that you learn more and start to see more opportunities and you start heading in a direction that is authentic and that is where you find happiness. [22:49]
The world is a miraculous place and we are connected energetically with everything around us and I have seen some truly miraculous things happen. [24:10]
You just have to be out there and be open to starting to see how you could do something different, and how the thing that you want to do is possible and you could be one degree away from the person that's going to give you exactly what you want. [25:30]
There are opportunities where you can talk to somebody at the right time, and find that you might be somebody that they would design a job around. [27:30]
About how people can approach others when they're networking, I always say that you don't need to even know what you want because it is very common for us to not know what we don't know. [27:57]
If there are people doing something that is what you'd like to do, reach out to them and get an introduction to them. [28:18]
The other thing that I say especially when people are not sure of what they want is paying attention to when you feel jealous because that is your inner self saying what it wants. [28:48]
Each person out there, all we deserve to be happy and so get tuned in with what would make you happy. Start taking some baby steps in that direction because you deserve it. [31:34]
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Thank you to our January sponsor!  KukuaBiz can provide dedicated and affordable talent from Kenya to help you grow and scale your business. Virtual employees are skilled in administrative functions, sales, podcast management, video editing, marketing, social media marketing, website design and management, and more.
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One Sentence = Crystal Clear Message - Anthony Hayes

“Crisis and bumps in the road or mistakes are an opportunity to discuss and communicate your values and talk about who you are.” Anthony Hayes
Every business is likely to encounter sudden and challenging crises at some point which if not well addressed, can be potentially damaging to reputation. To manage such events effectively, it is important to plan by addressing the existing communication framework. This is according to our guest today Anthony Hayes, who believes that in every crisis lies numerous opportunities for businesses.  
Anthony Hayes is the founder of THI and has spent more than 18 years in communications, crisis and issue management, and political and legislative campaigns. A seasoned C-level advisor, Anthony has cultivated an energetic, fast-growing company now trusted to execute strategy for prominent clients around the globe. He has served leaders at the highest levels including presidential candidates, members of the U.S. Cabinet, governors and other elected officials, C-Suite executives, law enforcement officials, and high-ranking health and legal professionals.
Anthony’s firm has advised clients involved in complex legal matters and managed high-stakes media relations during crises such as Bridgegate, airport security breaches, and natural disasters including Superstorm Sandy and hurricane relief efforts in the U.S. Virgin Islands. At THI, Anthony and his team help leaders and organizations deliver major initiatives, break through the noisy media landscape, and navigate the world of politics and government all the while excelling despite the high pressure, politically sensitive, and confidential issues and at the same time demonstrating the utmost level of discretion and judgment.
In today’s episode, our guest will talk about how communicators can manage crises effectively. He will further share tips on how to be a better communicator.
Listen in!
Social media handles
 https://twitter.com/HayesInitiative
 https://www.facebook.com/HayesInitiative/
 https://www.instagram.com/hayesinitiative/
 https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyjhayesnyc/
 https://hayesinitiative.com/
 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTf78eJzTXSx9oFv2kjFpyA/featured
 
I've been in the communication space for over 18 years. [2:49]
My business started in November 2016 after having a phone call with someone who said that they needed someone to run a nationwide bus tour around not repealing the Affordable Care Act where I asked them to hire our company. [3:25]
Our clients are always trying to connect with different audiences, whether they are in a crisis that we're trying to help them clean up, or they're launching a new initiative, or they just want to remain connected and at Hayes Initiative we help them to the point. [3:59]
I'm stunned at how many people when challenged a bit on what they're trying to say realize they don't know what they're trying to say. [4:22]
People assume that their audiences have unlimited time to talk to them and listen but they do not. [4:45]
So you have to acknowledge that you have very little time to capture someone's attention and so that's why we focus on helping people get to the point. [5:06]
I have been very fortunate that I've worked with many people and through all of these different experiences I have seen when people aren't calm and how that does not help the situation. [8:10]
I learned very early to not be too surprised by the ever-shifting landscape of media and certainly politics. [8:58]
The best thing that you can do in a crisis is to take a breath and avoid going out there and cause more mayhem by responding without all details at hand and there are lots of ways to do that. [9:09]
It is a very challenging environment, especially when you have some of the major national and global outlets sort of breathing down your neck. [10:10]
We have all experienced in the last twelve months a global pandemic that played out on the backdrop of a national presidential election and everyone was figuring out how to communicate. [11:15]
There is logic to sometimes pausing on your response because sometimes reporters and their headlines are just looking to bait you. [12:45]
Leaders like to lead and speak with confidence however the problem is no one had any experience in COVID. [13:14]
The situation thus forced leaders to step in regardless of what they do in business to not have things feel divisive. [13:28]
When you're trying to sort of move something forward that is a new initiative and is positive, you want to connect and get to the point of how it impacts the people. [17:08]
The most succinct thing that I've ever heard in my life was when Steve Jobs released the iPod at a time when none of us had heard of an iPod. [18:08]
When you have a positive message you have to lead with what you're solving. [18:28]
Commercial break. [18:52]
One of the things I've learned more than anything is that everyone wants to communicate well but no one wants to put in the work to figure out what they are trying to say. [20:23]
The biggest actionable steps that I share every day to help people get to the point, is to prepare the messages they are trying to get out. [20:43]
One of the things that you can do is just sit down and write for two to five minutes and then go back and read it out loud. [21:04]
Clean it up, make it shorter, and make sure that the first sentence that you're writing solves the problem, and then read it out loud again. [21:34]
Beyond preparing, be authentic and try out an idea with your friend before you start to move it out into the universe of people that you may want to be talking to. [22:52]
Everyone wants to do high-stakes PR and there are a lot of people who would love to be in that setting but once there you understand very quickly that it takes a lot of preparation and a lot of work. [23:55]
The biggest lesson for this month that I would encourage your listeners to think about is not to oversimplify communicating. [24:35]
There is a lot that communicators can do better including understanding the business of media. [26:19]
Reporters are swamped and are deadline-driven and so they have limited time to consume ideas and if you're telling them that your idea is the best idea ever then you better make sure you've done your homework on why it's newsworthy. [26:48]
We had the pleasure of working for some major fortune 100 companies and tech companies and it is remarkable to me how many people do oversimplify communication at every level, regardless of big or small. [28:50]
In my opinion, over the next year and a half in particular 2021, it is going to be about crisis communication so everybody needs to be prepared for that. [29:48]
I would recommend that every business, look at their crisis management plan and make sure that it reflects the lessons they learned in 2020. [30:05]
Crisis and bumps in the road or mistakes are an opportunity to discuss and communicate your values and talk about who you are, rather than getting so caught up in the fact that a crisis is happening. [30:15]
I think if more people can view these things as opportunities, then they are going to start to come out of them a little bit better. [31:19]
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Thank you to our January sponsor!  KukuaBiz can provide dedicated and affordable talent from Kenya to help you grow and scale your business. Virtual employees are skilled in administrative functions, sales, podcast management, video editing, marketing, social media marketing, website design and management, and more.
 Learn more: https://www.kukuabiz.com

How To Money - Krisstina Wise

"The biggest fat lie is this belief that the answer to all money problems is to make more money." Krisstina Wise
Understanding how money works require deliberate action towards being financially literate and practice.  A financially balanced lifestyle is the dream of most people, but most people struggle to reach that dream because of a lack of grasp of money matters. Our guest today, Krisstina Wise, has lived on both sides and says that money management is a real-life skill that has the potential to transform financial outcomes for the better.
Krisstina Wise is a real estate mogul, Millionaire Coach, and creator of several multi-million-dollar businesses, including Goodlife Luxury, The Paperless Agent, and WealthyWellthy. She is an international speaker and author of the Amazon Bestseller Falling for Money, A Romance Novel For Your Bank Account. Named one of the 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders in the country, she has been featured in USA TODAY and by Apple, Contactually, and Evernote for her creative leadership with emerging technologies.
In today's episode, our guest will be talking to us about the importance of financial education in the journey of financial freedom. She will also be use numbers to provide us with insightful illustrations on wealth multiplication.
Listen in!
Social media links:
 https://linkedin.com/in/krisstinawise/  
https://twitter.com/krisstinawise  
https://www.instagram.com/krisstinawise/
What I help people with is in the category of money, which is a topic that has a lot of shame attached to it. [1:42]
Most of us have been programmed with the money mindset and belief structure by the time we're probably seven to 10 years old without realizing it, and we carry that money understanding or lack of way into adulthood. [1:54]
Money is knowledge-based, so we have to learn about money. It's a real-life skill, but the problem is it's not taught in school. [2:24]
The common sense, which is the obvious part, is that you work for your money, buy things, have bills, and spend money, and because we can do that pretty easily, it makes us think that that's all there is to it. [3:07]
There is so much more to it, and money has all these principles, laws, and mechanics. [3:21]
In all other categories of life, we would expect that we would have to learn and practice and apply that learning to produce the results that we want. [4:02]
What I find fascinating is that with the three or four most important categories of life, we don't do that same thing: our health, relationships and marriages, parenting, and money. [4:19]
I found myself in a state of crisis that kind of forced me to want to learn this money thing. [5:50]
People like me that have had no advantages have learned in-depth and dedicated my adult life to learning this thing to be good at it, and the result is financial freedom, where your assets pay for the cost of your living. [6:02]
I have a money school called sovereignty Academy, where I teach people how to money and get out of the trap by learning these very basic fundamental things that once we learn them and know them, we can land the plane successfully time and time again. [6:21]
The biggest fat lie is this belief that the answer to all my money problems is to make more money. [7:54]
There's a different way, and it's much easier, but you have to get out of the mindset and quit that thinking working harder or making more money is the answer. [10:08]
It is vulnerable for many different reasons, but it comes for many of us until we've schooled ourselves and educated ourselves. [11:07]
Being ignorant about money is not a bad thing; it just means we don't know yet, which can bring a lot of vulnerability. [11:40]
When it comes to money and relationships, we come from different backgrounds and have different beliefs, but it is all about finding the balance between spending and saving. [12:36]
Commercial break. [13:57]
My first tip is that if money causes some type of friction or keeps us up at night, the first thing to do is to get curious about learning. [15:13]
There are these fundamental principles and laws regarding money, and we can start to learn those now and make different choices. [15:30]
One of those principles is called Parkinson's Law of money which has kind of these two parts, and this is a law and a money commandment that is a truth that if you believe to be true, then it can be very eye-opening. [15:46]
The first part says that expenses will always rise to match income, and that is why it's a myth that working harder to make more money will solve your money problems. [16:09]
The second piece of Parkinson's Law says that once a luxury, it becomes a necessity. As our income goes up, our lifestyle, conveniences, and comfortability go up, and our status matches that. [17:58]
Having personal debt means that you are living a life that you can not afford under the illusion that you can afford it because it fits into your monthly amount of money that you can spend. [18:58]
I teach a philosophy that you should become your own banker and not participating in the banking system unless you're leveraging it very intentionally, strategically, and understandably. [20:04]
Money and time are the same things, and we need to buy time with our money instead of the other way around, which is through wealth creation. [20:28]
I have been buying and building my net worth over the number of years through acquiring my real estate assets, and it is the cash flow from those assets that fully fund the cost of my lifestyle, and that is what financial freedom is. [21:14]
I have been very intentional in using time on my side to over time acquire these assets with the goal that my assets would pay for the cost of my lifestyle. [21:30]
It is intentional, and you have to know how much money is enough by putting money into a compounding calculator. [21:48]
The money I invested over all those years bought my time today to do whatever the hell I wan [22:00]
When it comes to our kids, one of the best things we can do for ourselves is to learn this money game and play well and hopefully be able to teach or encourage our children because it's not taught in school. [22:25]
The early your start, the more time you have and the easier it is, you are going to make some early on beginner mistakes, but you have a lot of time to make up for those mistakes [22:42]
We need to create wealth not just for ourselves but also for our children because times are changing, and learning this money is more important than eve [28:26]
The only way to protect ourselves and provide as much opportunity, safety and security as possible is to educate ourselves. [28:39]
Make money a curiosity to get good at it. [29:55]
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Thank you to our January sponsor!  KukuaBiz can provide dedicated and affordable talent from Kenya to help you grow and scale your business. Virtual employees are skilled in administrative functions, sales, podcast management, video editing, marketing, social media marketing, website design and management, and more.
 Learn more: https://www.kukuabiz.com
 
 
 

Color Today Pretty - Stephanie Feger

"There are things you can't control, but you can allow yourself to find a deeper level of happiness, success, and fulfillment by shifting your perspective." Stephanie Feger
As social beings, we must acknowledge that we need to seek perspective while interacting and forming relationships. By having an open mind and a willingness to learn, we get to understand ourselves and others better. This is according to our guest today, Stephanie Feger, who believes that people need perspective to guide their actions.
Throughout her life, Stephanie Feger has been in the business of empowering people and helping others uncover the power to their success. However, it was a dream that left her with the charge to reframe how she saw her own life and encourage others to do the same. This dream became the catalyst for her to redefine her success, re-evaluate her personal goals and turn her "what-ifs" into "why-nots."
Stephanie is the author of 'Color Today Pretty: An Inspirational Guide to Living a Life in Perspective' and Color Today Pretty Guided Journal, where she shares her secrets to harnessing true perspective, the ones she has used to discover the difference between living an ordinary life and an extraordinary one. Through her speaking engagements, engaging workshops, and customized learning opportunities, she invites others to embrace perspective even when it may seem most challenging.
After working in the communications and marketing industry for years, Stephanie merged her unique expertise with her life's passions, founding the emPower PR Group, where she helps nonfiction authors write books that sell, promote their books to those who need and want them most, and build meaningful businesses built on messages that are empowering! Stephanie is also the host of The emPowered Author: Marketing for Nonfiction Authors podcast.
In today's episode, Stephanie will talk about her book and how it came to be. She will also dive deeper into why she believes having perspective is important both in personal and business.
Listen in!
Social media
 Websites: www.StephanieFeger.com , www.emPowerPRGroup.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephaniefegerpage  https://www.facebook.com/empowerprgroup
Twitter: https://twitter.com/emPowerPRGroup  
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-feger/  
https://linkedin.com/company/empowerprgroup  
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colortodaypretty/
https://www.instagram.com/empowerprgroup/
Unlike many people who decide to grow up and become authors, I did not have a bucket list item to become an author. [4:54]
I had every intention to retire from the company I was working at for a decade, and through a serendipitous series of events, someone charged me with doing something different. [5:02]
I had been working in PR marketing for 15 years, so I just expected that would be what I always did, but we were impacted by a corporate layoff, which was the best thing for me. [5:32]
I decided to publish this book I had been writing that my friend charged me to continue doing, titled "Color Today Pretty," and has absolutely nothing to do with PR and marketing. [6:03]
The essence of the "Color Today Pretty" movement is all about re-evaluating success and helping women and men figure out how to find balance and have a truly fulfilled life. [6:25]
I had the opportunity to take this love for perspective, writing, authorship, and empowerment and blend it with marketing and PR to help authors, nonfiction authors specifically spread their words and help their books and messages reach those who want them and will buy them. [7:06]
I founded the Empower PR group, and I feel blessed to help all different types of nonfiction authors do that. [7:30]
Perspective isn't limited to personal life; rather, it has extensions in both personal and professional, and when you lead a life with perspective, it's crazy how what success looks like can be redefined. [7:49]
Perspective is so important, and even when something's so miniscule, if you have perspective, you can actually see deeper levels of happiness that come from it. [9:13]
I have found that writing a book is one thing, and marketing is completely another thing. [11:11]
As you're writing the book, it takes so much of you to get it out. It is such a vulnerable experience that you get exhausted and overwhelmed by the process. [11:28]
The essence of the emPower PR group is built on empowerment, and I have kind of two ways I do it. There is the done with you, which is a collaborative process, and then there's the done for you. [11:53]
The emPower PR group is built on the done with your process because I find that some of the most successful authors are the ones that realize they need to learn marketing. [12:07]
It is very important to me that authors are empowered with that knowledge because for a lot of authors their investment is very [12:31]
Since I've been there and understand, I'm very organized and don't believe in moving without a strategy. [12:53]
You do not want your book to be a want but a need because people budget for needs, which means your book automatically becomes something already in their budget. [14:57]
You have to take a step back, look through the lens of perspective, and figure out how you are fulfilling a solution for someone in a way that they need it, want it, and will buy it. [15:40]
Don't even try to be something for everybody; rather, focus on the people that need you and will be unapologetically directed towards them, then you're going to make a big difference there. [16:44]
Commercial break. [17:40]
You can't control things, but you can allow yourself to find a deeper level of happiness, success, and fulfillment by shifting your perspective. [20:55]
I do think that life can happen for a purpose and with purpose. [21:25]
When you sit back and reflect on what is happening, you don't have to be okay with what has happened, but you do get the opportunity to choose how you react and respond to it. [21:29]
What's beautiful about perspective is every moment you get to choose it, so when you're dealing with a hardship, take a moment, feel that grief and then make the conscious decision not to let that define you. [22:19]
From our perspective standpoint, when you talk business, perspective can drive strategy, which should lead your tactics. [22:55]
Just because we don't see things doesn't mean it's not happening, but it all boils back to perspective. [27:45]
In a world that can be overwhelming and exhausting, I challenge you not to give up, don't give in, don't give way but always give value because it will always come back to you. [29:43]
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Thank you to our January sponsor!  KukuaBiz can provide dedicated and affordable talent from Kenya to help you grow and scale your business. Virtual employees are skilled in administrative functions, sales, podcast management, video editing, marketing, social media marketing, website design and management, and more.
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Developing an Ethical Mindset - Yonason Goldson

"Instead of seeing differences as a source of contention, we should see an opportunity for great partnerships between people who are very different from one another." Rabbi Yonason Goldson
Whether written or not, the framework of ethics that underlies our existence remains a key determinant of the quality of lives that we live. It helps us make decisions that create desirable outcomes and steers us away from unjust outcomes. Our gust today, Rabbi Yonason Goldson, advocates for a culture of ethics at all levels and says that it all starts from understanding and defining what ethics means to us.
Yonason Goldson, director of Ethical Imperatives, LLC, works with leaders to create a culture of ethics that builds trust, sparks initiative, and drives productivity. He's a keynote and TEDx speaker, trainer, coach, and community rabbi, as well as a columnist and author, repentant hitchhiker, world traveler, and retired high school teacher in St. Louis. He has published hundreds of articles applying ancient rabbinic wisdom to the challenges of the modern secular world and six books, most recently "Grappling with the Gray: an ethical handbook for personal success and business prosperity."
In today's episode, our guest will talk about ethics and its role in having functional relationships at all levels. He will also give insights into the ethical qualities that a leader needs to cultivate for better outcomes.
 
Listen in!
Social Media
https://www.yonasongoldson.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yonason-goldson/  
https://www.youtube.com/c/yonasongoldson
https://www.facebook.com/yonasongoldson/
https://twitter.com/yonasongoldson
 https://www.instagram.com/yonasongoldson/
 https://www.tiktok.com/@yonasongoldson
When we go into business, we're often very focused on what we want, or if we're a little more sophisticated, what we provide, but what we should also be thinking about is with whom we are dealing. [3:04]
Relationships are the foundation of all success in our personal lives, professional lives, and [3:17]
When we consider ethics, one of the problems we have is that we don't have a good definition of ethics, which means we don't know how we can be ethical people. [3:30]
What I've come up with is that ethics is the discipline of recognizing and taking responsibility for the impact our actions have on other people. [3:42]
In order to have that recognition and take that responsibility, we have to have a sense of who other people are, show them that we are trustworthy, and show that we are willing to trust them. [3:53]
Instead of seeing differences as a source of contention, we should see an opportunity for great partnerships between people who are very different from one another. [4:32]
If we're both good at the same thing, that means at least one of us is wasting our effort. [4:48]
Ethics is not nearly as much about what is the right thing to do but about contemplating what the right thing to do is. It is priorities, competing values, sensitivity to the spirit of the law, and not just the letter of the law. [5:18]
When we develop our ethical mindset, that's what enables us to approach all our relationships and decisions in an ethical way, which ultimately drives the greatest possible success in everything we do. [5:46]
We emphasize compliance, but it can become the enemy of ethics because if I relegate my decision-making to a code of rules, I don't have to think about whether it's really the right thing to do. [6:40]
When I finished college, I went backpacking across Europe and ended up in Israel. I had been raised with really no knowledge of what it meant to be Jewish. [7:10]
I was astonished to discover this vibrant culture of deep meaning, purpose, thought, and values, which changed the trajectory of my life. [7:20]
I bring that ancient wisdom into the modern secular world and show how the answers are all there; we have to update the language a little bit so that we can recognize how it applies to us and how it guides us regardless of our religious identity or affiliation. [7:33]
Jim Rohn famously says you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with, and it's not just the friends. It is also what we consume in media. [9:00]
When traveling through Europe, I was on a train from Luxembourg to Cologne, Germany, and I shared a car with a German journalist and invited me into his home. [11:20]
To meet someone from that culture and learn about him as an individual, not as a label, is a memory that I've kept with me for 40 years. [11:55]
In my book, I used a formula that I use in much of my training, presenting ethical dilemmas of not trying to say it is right or wrong but trying to understand an issue from both sides and finding a middle way. [12:55]
It is broken up into social, business headlines, education, and the different areas of life where we have to grapple with the gray areas to make ethical decisions. [11:33]
Commercial break. [14:03]
It is all about taking responsibility for ourselves, recognizing the mistakes we've made, the areas where we could and should improve, and making a plan for moving forward. [15:30]
We know what we should do and what we want to do, but we don't plan how to put it into practice. [16:00]
My approach is, if we focus on our mindset and the behaviors will start to follow. [16:22]
I use ethics as an acronym to give characteristics that describe ethical leaders and ethical people. [16:32]
E is for empathy which entails knowing other people and being sensitive to them by understanding how our actions affect them. [16:45]
The T is Trust, where I demonstrate that I'm trustworthy and know that if I'm not willing to trust you, it will be difficult for you to trust me. [16:53]
The H is humility which Pastor Rick Warren defines as not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less. [17:08]
The I is inquisitiveness or inquiry because leaders need to ask questions and not wait to be told or asked and not be given permission to serve. [18:24]
C is for courage because it is often difficult to do the right thing. [18:52]
S is self-discipline because building is a process, and when you get to the end, you start over again and keep building. [19:20]
This needs continued reinforced where I need to surround myself with people who are committed to ethical values. [20:40]
I am not going to get it right all the time, but it is a commitment to do and another opportunity to learn [20:52]
I recommend tapping into this eternal, timeless wisdom that we have access to in ancient teachings to fix our culture, fix our company's business, fix our summers, and fix our families and our communities. [24:45]
A few basic principles include showing trust to earn trust, telling stories of grappling with ethical challenges to inspire ethical behavior, and showing appreciation by celebrating the successes of others. [24:59]
Suppose we employ these simple principles, and learn how to turn these ideas into action. In that case, we can see our relationships improving, our businesses will be more profitable, our families will be more at peace, and our communities will be much more functional. [25:30]
…..….………………
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Teaching Dignity - Rebecca Duvall Scott

"If you can discover your purpose and stick with it, then everything else falls into place around it." Rebecca Duvall Scott 
Everyone has their unique path to discovering and unleashing their artistic gifts. Whatever the gift and regardless of the journey to discovering it, our art should be able to lead us to live our purpose, bringing us joy and fulfilment. This is according to our guest today, Rebecca Duvall Scott, who has been able to tell her family's story and live her purpose of serving the community through her writing.  
Rebecca Duvall Scot is an accomplished author and the recipient of numerous awards. Her first published work and best-selling memoir, Sensational Kids, Sensational Families: Hope for Sensory Processing Differences chronicles the research, interventions, and mindset shifts that successfully brought her family through her son's SPD diagnosis. While she values her special needs initiative, her heart has always been with Christian historical fiction. Her best-selling and #2 Amazon Hot New Release novel, When Dignity Came to Harlan, is based on her great-grandmother's childhood. Rebecca lives with her husband and their two children in Kentucky and plans to write more in both the Dignity and Sensational Kids series.  
In this episode, our guest will discuss how her Christian fiction novel came to be. She will also talk about how she has evolved in her art and experiences to become a best-selling author. 
 
Listen in! 
SOCIAL MEDIA  
https://www.twitter.com/author_rdscott   
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccaduvallscott/  
 https://www.instagram.com/rebeccaduvallscott/   
https://www.facebook.com/rebecca2swans   
WEBSITE: www.RebeccaDuvallScott.com  
 
My grandmother told me a story about her mother's childhood, who is my great grandmother, and it was about how they were poor and came from Missouri to Kentucky searching for a better life. [4:00] 
They were so poor when they got into town that they ended up parceling their daughters out between other people's homes. [4:29] 
They wanted to go get a job, get a house and be able to provide for them and come back and get them and gather the family back together. [4:36] 
Unbeknownst to the children, they never came back and never really understood what happened, and so my great grandmother grew up from the time she was five years old in foster care. [4:43] 
She still overcame all of these challenges, ended up having a good life, had good people around her, got married, and had six children between two marriages. [5:10] 
My grandmother always wanted to write this story herself, but she didn't feel gifted, and so when I started showing some promise with writing from a young age, she started telling me from a young age that she wanted me to write this story. [5:32] 
When I was 16, I sat down with her, and we wrote down every scrap of information she could remember and shortly after, I got married and had my children, she had a stroke, and she was not able to speak anymore. [5:47] 
So that's where book one, "When Dignity Came to Harlan," and it changes a little bit from the original storyline, but it's the story of human experience and all facets and how she handled all of that and how she came through it.  [6:20] 
I don't think that I realized fully at the time what this whole experience would mean, but even at a young age, I knew it was important and big. [9:10] 
Now that I've grown up, I feel very blessed to have been the family's storekeeper and have this to retail, and I love the whole experience. [9:57] 
I have lived with these characters for over 20 years, so I know them well, which made the story take on a life of its own. [11:18] 
Originally, I was only going to write a book, one from my great grandmother's childhood point of view and Book Two from her first husband's point of view, but when I finished book one, I started getting all this feedback from readers that they wanted more time with this new family. [11:38] 
It suddenly became like there has to be a book sandwiched between what I had originally planned, which is coming out tomorrow. [12:24] 
Growing up the way she did and suffering the hardships that she had to endure without getting any justice in her life, my great grandmother still managed to be happy and find goodness in people and be good herself. [14:10] 
And I like to think that she would be proud of what I've done just in the aspect that her story finally gets to be told and people get to understand the truth and understand more of maybe why she was the way she was. [14:28] 
Commercial break. [14:54] 
I firmly believe that I was born an author and this book and series is what I was meant to write. [17:28] 
I started the first 70 pages of book one when I was a senior in college to my creative writing professor, and on graduation day, he shook my hand and said that he wanted to see my book get published. [17:56] 
I got to a place in myself where I couldn't write and thought if I never get to go back to it, being a wife and a mother is enough. [18:16] 
My experience with my child helped me learn so much from the publishing side that when I came back to my first love, Christian historical fiction, I did it well. [18:30] 
There was a time where I was seeing a doctor because I was suffering from some autoimmune disorder things, and he said I had to find a way to manage my stress by getting back to doing what I love. [18:50] 
When I finally was able to carve out the time to get back to writing, it was like rediscovering part of my purpose, a huge part of who I am. [19:17 
I got lost in all of the research for the sensory processing challenges. My book is an account of our experience; what worked for us trying to put all of this into one place for other families that are still struggling that have no idea where to even begin. [20:45] 
I lost myself within that process, and it was through God bringing me back to writing that I ended up rediscovering that purpose. [21:18] 
I just think, especially with it being artistic August, find your passion and follow it whether it's at home or in the community. [23:10] 
I'm a firm believer in writing and all art forms that connect people in this period where we feel so disconnected. [23:38] 
Find the artwork that resonates within you so that you can feel connected to people again. [23:48] 
…………………Thank You to our August Sponsor!Tired of the time and expense to get a manicure or pedicure? Try Color Street today!Base, color, and top coats of high-quality liquid nail polish in each strip results in a brilliant, salon-quality manicure in just minutes. No dry time, smudges, or streaks, and your mani/pedi lasts up to 10 days. Color Street is 100% real nail polish, not stickers.Learn More: https://www.colorstreet.com/bhroberts/party/2095611

Life Choreographer - Lora Cheadle

"Art really connects us to our hearts and our bodies." Lora Cheadle 
Moving beyond an emotionally traumatic event is never easy, yet people can often navigate through to rediscover themselves and even thrive with creative solutions and patience. Our guest today, Lora Cheadle, was able to overcome the difficult experience of betrayal to living a fulfilling life. According to her, embracing art and being easy on herself played a significant role in her recovery.  
Lora Cheadle is an attorney turned Life Choreographer®, author, speaker, and burlesque dancer. She believes women deserve to be seen for who they are, not for what they do or who they are in relation to others. Her mission is to empower women who are done sacrificing themselves for others, settling for "just good enough" relationships, careers, or bodies, and being judged for everything they do, say, or wear; to get to know themselves exclusive of their labels, roles, and scripts; show themselves unapologetically for who they are; and re-choreograph the next stage of their life on their own terms – so they can live with enthusiasm, joy, and satisfaction. She is the author of FLAUNT! Drop Your Cover and Reveal Your Smart, Sexy, & Spiritual Self:  
In today's episode, Lora will talk about her journey to self-love and rediscovering her passion for dancing.  
 
Listen in! 
Social Media:  
Facebook Lora: https://www.facebook.com/lora.cheadle   
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/flauntflock/   
Lora Cheadle, Life Choreographer FB: https://www.facebook.com/LifeChoreographer/  
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/loracheadlelifechoreographer   
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loracheadle/   
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LifeChoreo   
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lora-cheadle-lifechoreographer/   
Pintrest: https://www.pinterest.com/LifeChoreographer/  
Website: www.nakedselfworth.com  
Book 
 FLAUNT! Drop Your Cover and Reveal Your Smart, Sexy, & Spiritual Self: https://amzn.to/3pFnJH9   
 
Twenty-three years into my marriage, I found out that my husband had been cheating on me for 15 of those years with five different women, and so needless to say, it completely gutted me. [3:18] 
This artistic piece brought me back to myself, got me out of my head and back into my heart and body, and allowed me to create and shock my own potential. [3:54] 
I help my customers and clients realize people can be victimized, but you don't have to be the victim. [4:18] 
I was a dancer growing up, and I loved dancing, and one time I found a coupon online for a pole dancing class which was terrifying, but I went by myself and fell in love with it. [7:01] 
I got busy, and the only available class was a burlesque class which I didn't even know what it meant but decided that if it worked with my schedule, I would take it. [7:28] 
I have all of these perfectionist hang-ups, but what is beautiful about burlesque is that it's all ages, all sizes, and everything. [9:23]
After my first show, a woman came to the backstage area, and she was in tears, and she said, if you can do it, I can do it. [10:37] 
The first thing to realize is that things are hard, and it's normal to feel confident one day, and it is also normal to lose your confidence the next day. [14:48] 
The second thing that I like to tell people is, it's always darkest right before dawn, and that moment when you were the most terrified that means you're right on the breakthrough. [15:07] 
What I like about burlesque is that there are limiting factors in our lives, but it shows you how to work around them and not just quit. [16:32] 
Commercial break. [18:48] 
Art connects us to our hearts into our bodies, and we live in a world that is very headspace where we think things through, plan it, and then when things don't turn out right, we try to headspace it. [20:35] 
There's so much fear, disconnection and shame in the world due to so much headspace stuff. [20:47]  
If we just lived from that artistic space of creation, flow and beauty and play in curiosity, we would connect and find collaborative solutions. [21:00] 
It's about this new creative combination and living and creating artistically, and we will solve problems and change the world. [21:19] 
With my own betrayal journey, It seemed like the world was telling me the choices are either I stay or go, yet none of these were options for me. [23:10] 
I like to talk about living in the glitter because glitter makes things fun. [23:37] 
FLAUNT is actually an acronym, and I want everybody to flaunt every single day. [26:17]
F find your fetish, which means that you do what's fun for you every day, not just on the weekend. L is for laugh out loud. [26:24]
AU is the golden centre of flaunt, and that stands for accepting unconditionally. You can't change other people. You've got to accept life and everyone unconditionally as they are. [26:35]
N is for navigate and don't stop. T is for trusting in your truth because you are the only person living inside your head, heart, and body, so nobody can tell you how you're feeling. [26:47]
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Embracing Artistic Journalism to Drive Social Change - Dayvee Sutton

"Embrace your journey, and it will take you to where you are supposed to be." Dayvee Sutton
When we reflect on our journeys to where we are, we see how different events and experiences led to our current positions. Therefore, we must embrace our journey to find meaning and fulfillment in life. This is according to our guest today, Dayvee Sutton, who believes that her present is largely explained by everything she has experienced in her previous experiences. 
Dayvee Sutton is an investigative storyteller who travels the world uncovering the unseen in the most picturesque places. From hunting for pink dolphins and black caiman in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest to riding a motorbike through the streets of Hanoi, Vietnam, and gritty reporting in the infamous La Perla neighborhood in San Juan, Puerto Rico, after Hurricanes Irma and Maria. She uses travel adventures as the gateway to draw in audiences. Her reporting range covers everything from fun holiday travel tips to breaking news stories like navigating trips in the pandemic and important issues like the climate crisis.
Dayvee's unique perspective as a black woman in this space allows her to explore how the climate crisis affects the lives of women, indigenous people, people of color, and others whose needs and welfare tend to come last around the world. Her storytelling approach is relatable and tangible for audiences from her years as a journalist and not a scientist.
Dayvee's work can be seen on NBC News and TODAY Show, CNN, Dr. Oz, and The Weather Channel. She produced and hosted two seasons of an adventure travel show for Amazon Prime Video called "Beyond the Usual'', the series "Extraordinary Experiences" for USA TODAY Network, and is a Pathfinder host for "Lonely Planet." Dayvee also is one of the producers for "Health Minute" and "Consumer Watch'' for CNN New source.
In today's episode, our guest will discuss her travel experiences and how her journey has led her to discover her art, which is entrepreneurial journalism.
Listen in!
Social Media
https://twitter.com/dayveesutton  
https://facebook.com/dayveesutton  
https://twitter.com/dayveesutton  
https://www.DayveeSutton.com
So my background is as a traditional local news journalist, and most of my career was spent in sports, which I did for about 12 years. [4:01]
I then co-hosted a lifestyle and entertainment show locally, and that is where I really kind of found what I like to do. [4:13]
Everything in my background is like a full circle to making sense to right now, starting from where I was born and raised. [4:24]
I grew up in south of the suburbs of Los Angeles, where I was exposed to all kinds of cultures just being in a diverse friend group, and I was always so curious. [4:30]
Come to curving a whole journey of 15 years in news media, making a career pivot about six years ago to start my production company and go full-on in and tell travel stories. [5:28]
My background and even my college education help me take a deeper dive because what I learned as having a degree in world religions are empathy and perspective. [5:48]
One of my kind of taglines is that my job is to inspire you to go, and the audience consists of people who want to be inspired to try and go, but most of the audience are just interested in learning. [7:54]
Another underlying mission in my work is to dismantle colonialism in travel, and I know that can be triggering, but the whole industry is based on that. [8:20]
That means everything is set up to accommodate your comfort and your standards instead of allowing you to immerse yourself into how they do things. [8:50]
In my stories, whether they are the short, fun ones or on video, or if they're a longer, deeper dive one, I kind of try to unpack the impact and how to do it better. [9:11]
Being humble is a better approach than demanding that somebody tend your way just because you are who you are. [12:45]
You stand out and probably will get treated more favorably if you are humble in your approach because they aren't used to it. [13:18]
Basic manners and kindness does go a long way. [14:20]
Commercial Break. [17:15]
Travel is the best education, I think, and so whenever I touched the ground into a new place, I have my ears and eyes wide open, and I try to just soak it all up. [19:34]
I recently unearthed and digitized these VHS tapes of when my dad took us to different places, and it was a bit surreal seeing little me and doing what I do now. [20:04]
Talk about a full circle is just learning about this child me, and what I do now has just been amazing. [21:30]
I love the world and learning about how people live, and it is those human bits anywhere around the world that inspire me to encourage people to travel. [21:45]
Whatever little box we have grown up in, when we start to see that people are all the same, it breaks down all stigma, stereotypes, and bigotry that they might have grown up with. [22:38]
I was working in a traditional newsroom when I became inspired by another journalist who is a celebrity journalist, Soledad O'Brien. [23:50]
I started to investigate the idea of entrepreneurial journalists, which is different than a freelance journalist. [ 54:51]
In my company, we create ideas like programs segments, and we produce particular content for different networks and outlets, and my approach is a little deeper. [25:12]
One of the things that I do pretty regularly is I am on-air contributor to several national programs. People are curious about how to do that, so I'm coming up with an e-course to show people that any expertise is fit for TV. [25:38]
Your dream is your dream, and there are lots of obstacles along the way, but if it were easy, everyone would do it. So keep going. [29:40]
……………………………………………………………………………………
Thank You to our August Sponsor!
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The Joy of Jewelry - Brian VanScoy

"Dealing with people and seeing their eyes light up as what we've been discussing comes to life is what has hooked me on this private jewelry custom." Brian VanScoy
Like all artists, jewelers differ in their elements, which is reflected as well in their creations. Today, our guest, Brian VanScoy, gets his inspiration to create very specific and customized jewels by connecting with the emotional side of his clients. According to Brian, aligning with the clients' desires and expectations while bringing his creations to life is what makes the whole effort worthwhile.
As a third-generation jeweler, Brian VanScoy has been involved in all aspects of the diamond and jewelry trade for over 25 years. Growing up in the industry exposed him to master craftsmen and diamond cutters at a young age, some of whom he still has relationships with today. Over the past two and a half decades, Brian has learned from those old-world craftsmen and applied a new twist on an old trade. This has allowed him to serve his clients better and bring a fresh perspective to the jewelry industry.
Brian creates most of his jewelry, focusing mainly on fine bridal, using 3D CAD (computer-aided design) software. This program enables him to tailor that perfect piece of custom jewelry to his clients' specifications. After creating the initial design, Brian can e-mail his clients a rendered photo, followed but a 3D printed modal for their review before it goes into production.
Brian believes in educating his customers in all aspects of the jewelry manufacturing process, enabling them to make an informed decision on what could be one of their most significant investments. The process of designing a custom piece of jewelry should be enjoyable and stress-free. Whether a client is looking to design an intricate engagement ring or just looking to redesign a family heirloom, Brian works with them to turn their vision into a reality.
In today's episode, our guest will talk about his art and how he gets fulfillment from working directly with his customers. He will also tell us more about the endless ideas people can explore to transform their heirlooms into unique and beautiful jewelry. 
Listen in!
Social media handles
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brianjosephjewelry/
Website: www.brianjosephjewelry.com  
LinkedIn http://linkedin.com/in/brian-van-scoy-03882a6  
Twitter: https://twitter.com/brianjoseph929  
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/BrianJosephJewelry/
My youngest memories include bumping down the streets in Belgium traveling with my dad, a diamond buyer, and his job was to sell stones to franchises across the country. [3:35]
Growing up and knowing some of those diamond cutters to this day who are oddly now retiring, what's great about that is I'm doing business now with some of their children. [3:59]
Hanging out in the back of my dad's or family's jewelry store and playing with the rings growing up and carving wax, I have been able to sort of grow up alongside or within the jewelry industry and seeing how it works in the typical brick and mortar store. [4:25]
As I got older, what was important to me was dealing with the customer one-on-one and working with their emotional side. [4:43]
Dealing with them and seeing their eyes light up as what we've been discussing come to life is what hooked me on this private jewelry custom. [5:30]
Over the last 12 to 15 years, it has grown alongside technology, which has been exciting and fun seeing my customers' responses when I present the final piece to them. [5:45]
There is one job that sticks out to me recently. I had a woman approach me, and her mom had recently passed away and left her some of her jewelry that she wanted to wear in remembrance of her mom. [6:29]
One thing that made this job special was that I took her mom's handwriting and engraved that on the underside of the diamond on the metal, and she was teary-eyed and so special and so important to her. [[7:10]
She will never be able to replace her mom but having that symbol means a lot to me, and being able to do that rather than just sell a piece of jewelry but to make something more critical is so fulfilling. [7:41]
One issue in the jewelry industry is people thinking perhaps something is not within a budget or not within their comfortable budget range. [8:48]
I implore people to do some research and see what the budget is, instead of having these pieces, whether they're heirloom, or just frankly broken pieces from years ago, just sitting in a jewelry box collecting dust. [8:57]
This woman brought me these three rings that had a bunch of different size diamonds and shapes, and it would have been tough to put together and melt into a flowing ring. [9:10]
We took all the diamonds out and created one ring that flowed super nice, it was more of a cocktail ring, and the feeling of warmth that she got when she put it on was fantastic. [9:25]
A side note to this whole jewelry industry is, please insure your jewelry. It is the first thing I tell people when they purchase something of substance. [10:26]
Commercial Break. [11:20]
Manufactured or man-made diamonds have been around since the 70s used in industrial manufacturing mainly, but the diamond's quality was not gem quality. [13:49]
But over the last five to seven years, technology has come a long way and a lab diamond, according to the FTC, now has to be called a diamond because chemically, it is identical. [14:01]
Some of the most Senor gemologists in the world, if you gave them two diamonds side by side and a microscope, couldn't tell you which one was a lab one and which one was a natural. [14:15]
The affordability is amazing as they are about 40% less than the natural diamonds, and because of the price difference, usually, you can bump up the quality a little bit. [15:07]
I had one customer they were in Iceland on their honeymoon, and they came across some volcanic stone that was about the size of a golf ball on their 15th anniversary decided that they wanted to do something with it. [16:23]
She had approached a couple of local jewelers, but they told her that they couldn't help make it into something wearable. [16:40]
I reached out to some of my cutters, and one guy was willing to take a shot on it. [16:55]
It was a blackish green rock that we could cut down into little shapes that were specifically 1.3 millimeters each diamond shape and ended up being this sort of frosty green color. [17:03]
We put them into an anniversary band, cut one piece into a gem shape, and put it in her engagement ring to fit perfectly with her anniversary band. [17:24]
That was was one that was challenging and certainly paid off though, it was a cool experience. [17:46]
I had one customer whose grandparents passed away and left a very heavy gold bracelet, and he wanted his daughters to have something from their grandfather who they had not been able to meet. [19:38]
We were able to melt it down with the grandfather's actual gold, and I designed and created little necklaces for the granddaughters; and they now have these necklaces with their gold from their grandfather, which was excellent. [19:52]
The bracelet had some diamonds in it, which we took, and we were able to use those in the necklaces as well [20:12]
You need a fair amount of gold to be able to melt down and reuse it, but it was a great experience. [20:18]
Insure your jewelry and whether it's another jeweler or me, find someone you can trust. [22:47]
……………………………………………………………………………………
Thank You to our August Sponsor!
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StoneChild - Kevin Albin

“We are a very interesting species and we live on the most beautiful planet. Having been privileged to see an awful lot of it, let's preserve it and win it back.” Kevin Albin
The voices advocating for a more sustainable planet are ever increasing and rightly so. People are becoming more aware of the consequences of climate change and their responsibility towards protecting the environment. There are numerous strands attached to this course and one of them is using the art of writing to spread the message. Our guest today, Kevin Albin is one such voice and says that people need to be more aware of the realities of the situation if they are to be empowered to act.
Kevin Albin was a police officer in the UK for 25 years during which he served on a tactical firearms team and worked as a hostage negotiator. He then retrained as an International Mountain Leader and has worked around the globe guiding on trekking trips and leading expeditions in conservation. In 2011, he won the bronze in the World Guide Awards. Being unable to travel and work overseas during the pandemic, he wrote and published an Eco-fiction novel, Stonechild, where the statues of London come to life with a message on saving the planet. He currently lives in France.
In today’s episode, our guest will discuss his book and the inspiration to write it. He will also talk about the issue of climate change and what he believes can be done to begin to address it.
Listen in!
Social media:
Website: https://kevin-albin.com 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevAlbin 
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-albin-628673182/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kev_albin/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Stonechild.statues 
 
As a writer, you want to stimulate people’s emotions and if someone can’t sleep or put your book down, that is something that we look for. [3:21]
‘Stonechild’ is a mixed bag because it is what we call a bit of eco-fiction, something to do with our social society, the government, the pulling down of statues, slavery, and racism. [3:38]
It is also ‘ripping yarn’ as it has been described. It has got a bit of humor in it and certainly, it has got a pace. [4:30]
We have all looked, prayed to, talked to, or touched a statue, and have at some point imagined if maybe a statue could live, what would it say? [5:52]
I was working in London one day and I just pictured the royal tank regiment memorial statue in London coming to life and talking to me [6:06]
A thought struck me and I wondered why they would come to life, and I concluded that it is because we are in a crisis that is much more serious than the pandemic we're living through which is climate change. [6:36]
So they could come to life saying that we have to take note and take action rapidly and that was the motivation for my book. [7:07]
I warmed to Molly as a character and any author will tell that you'll know yourself as the character grows on you. [9:24]
I liked Molly a lot in that she wasn't black or white but she did see the gray in between, and she did question those things and was prepared to listen to other people in their points of view. [9:39]
She has some prejudice against statues and why we build them which fuels her to doubt them and question what appears to be their message. [9:55]
I wanted the reader to question whether or not statues are bad, whether they can attack people, and for what reason because part of reading the book is for you to form your own opinions [10:17]
Statues is a huge topic at the current moment and it deserves to be talked about but in fact, what deserves to be talked about is the crisis of climate change because those are the things that are going to make a difference for everyone. [12:23]
Commercial Break [13:17]
The science world is struggling to convince the people that they have the power and that they're the ones that can change things. [16:15]
If I was trying to identify the biggest problem that we have at the moment, and the one that we really should tackle, that is our use of fossil fuels. [16:50]
We can tackle it as individuals, certainly but it needs to be a systemic change where we need to completely change the way we live our lives and the use of fossil fuels. [17:11]
The fossil fuel industry is vast and they are very protective understandably because they employed many people and have vast amounts of money tied up into the industry that they don't want to give up. [17:24]
We need a way to bring the industry on board and not see it as ‘them’ versus ‘us’. [18:21]
A very common thought process is that of ‘they're not doing it so why should we?’ But in fact, it should be the reverse and say ‘we should do it because they won't have any choice but to follow [20:38]
There is a momentum whereby some scientists now are beginning to learn to talk not only to scientists or to governments but also to the people in social media which is very good. [21:27]
Fossil fuels, climate change, and global warming are all intrinsically linked and we have to find ways to stop it rapidly and we can. [21:55]
The plastic industry was the one that created recycling and it was never going to be viable so there is some deceit there. [24:36]
We can't go from not being aware of what's going on to we are doing it perfectly, there has to be a transition between the two. [25:28]
We need to make those individual choices but at the same time, we need to be pressurizing governments, countries, and organizations to be greener. [26:47]
What people don't seem to be talking about is that we have a crisis here and in any crisis, a huge amount of money is made just simply from innovation and the new inventions that come out of it. [27:04]
Here is a golden opportunity for economies to capitalize on the innovation of being green. [27:21]
There is a huge number of projects going ahead and they are not perhaps widely publicized, but there are a lot of people doing a lot of good. [29:29]
We are the most intelligent species in the entire universe and have done a lot of creative things and so we can solve this issue, we just have to have a mind to unite and work together. [29:40]
The greatest thing that we could all do is just be informed be and there are some very good books and sites. [32:26]
We tend to look for greater power than ourselves and that's only natural. [35:42]
This is where we stand at the moment and we are still evolving and that should give us the enthusiasm to choose to evolve in the right direction. [36:07]
We do have time and we do have the capacity and the capability of changing things. [36:39]
We are a very interesting species and we live on the most beautiful planet and having been privileged to see an awful lot of it, let's preserve it and win it back. [38:11]
We know that when we do those things, when we're part of nature and looking after the environment and after each other, we feel good about ourselves. [38:31]
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