A Joyful Rebellion

If you’ve been to this show a few times, you’ve heard me say in the intro that I want you to be the author of your own story. That statement has a double meaning. First, I like to think about our lives as a movie, where we can choose to be in charge of writing a large part of the script instead of allowing others to do it for us.
The second meaning is more literal. Sharing the experiences and wisdom you’ve accumulated over the years could be just the inspiration someone else needs to go out and do great things in the world.
In my conversation with Dianne Pearce, and David Yurkovich, we talk about how someone who has a story inside them, can begin thinking about getting that story into a form that can benefit others.
Dianne and David have developed an understanding of what it takes to be a published author through their experiences with their own books and running their publishing company Current Words.
We demystify the publishing process and talk about actionable things you can do to begin your author journey if that interests you. This is one of our longer episodes, so, refill your drink and enjoy this conversation.

How would you feel if I asked you to speak to a room of around a hundred people? Would you be excited or terrified?
My guest today is Meghan Dotter, founder and CEO of Portico, and author of the book titled The Reluctant Presenter. Portico is a team with expertise in storytelling, speaker training, presentation design, leadership development, and messaging.
Meghan and I talk about how excellent presentation skills are crucial whether you are simply updating your team, or addressing a room full of investors. We talk about ways she’s helped clients create breakthroughs in their presentation skills and why TED talks aren’t always exactly what they appear to be.

Did you ever see the 1998 movie Patch Adams starring Robin Williams? Did you know that the movie was based on a real person? Well, I didn’t, but today’s guest did, and it led him down a path that focuses on bringing smiles and humanitarian aid to people in need worldwide.
My guest today is Bullseye, the clown. Like so many things we all encounter in life, he thought he would dip his toes into a novel experience just once, only to find his impact on others was creating several positive effects in his life.
We talk about why clowns are not just there for the kids, we also talk about bullying, and ways to prevent your kid from being bullied or becoming a bully, and how he discovered that real happiness comes from doing good things for others, so turn your volume up to eight, and let’s go!

Today’s episode will leave you feeling one of two ways. I hope you leave feeling fired up about your next creative project, but there’s a chance you might go away feeling like it’s too late to do all the really cool things you always dreamed you would.
Truth be told, I’m still on the fence about my own feelings on the subject, but I’m doing my best to lean toward fired up.
My guest today is Shanti Hershenson. She began writing in 2020 in her joyful rebellion against the boredom she was experiencing during lock down. Since then she has published over sixteen books. She continues to write at least 1000 words every day, and I don’t think I mentioned it yet, but at the time of this interview, she is sixteen years old. Yeah, you heard that right.

If someone gave you a blank check to go all in on investing in your personal development, how much money would you budget for it?
My guest today has spent most of his life in some sort of personal development. However, in the last 5 years he’s hit it extra hard , investing over a quarter of a million of his own dollars in himself in order to learn, grow and succeed.
Tony Schmaltz has a passion for helping people upgrade their lives in any area possible. He specializes in mindset, wealth creation, relationships and happiness and has walked his talk when it comes to pursiung a better life for himself and his family.
He also has a book out called wake the BLEEP UP! We’ll talk about his journey from being miserable in the corporate world, to his massive investment in himself and how that has played out so far.
So take a deep breath, now exhale,alright, let’s go!

My guest today is Noah Heymann, a dating and relationship coach who can’t stand seeing great people frustrated or lonely and understands that the modern dating scene and online dating don’t come naturally to anyone.
Noah uses a science and data-driven approach to help his clients find success both in their dating journey, then well into when things start to get real with their relationship.
He’ll share the latest science on dating. From fMRI research to improve confidence and conversation, to data insights into profiles, messages, and crowd-sourced feedback on photos.
Oh, and this is important to mention if YOU are in a super califragalistic, just as happy as you can possibly be, kind of relationship. Well hey! Congratulations, but all the more reason to listen in today, because I bet you have a friend or loved one who is looking for that too, and I bet you’ll hear a few nuggets of wisdom you could pass along.

I’ve met some amazing folks in this joyful rebellion, and Bob Martin is one of the most interesting people I’ve met so far on my journey. If I read his full bio, well, let’s just say, my background music would run out long before his list of career highlights.
Bob is a mix of things you might not expect to go together. He currently works as a professor of business law at Elon University. He is also the Mindfulness Coordinator for the University.
As a Taoist/Buddhist/Christian practitioner, Bob actively works to free people from the constraints of religious dogma and guide them toward the path of virtue and self-discovery.
We talk about his most recent book titled- I Am the Way, a Taoist/ Christian devotional that reflects Bob’s commitment to bridging spiritual traditions and fostering unity and compassion among all beings.
We also talk a lot about mindfulness and meditation and why creating a consistent practice has become so important to defend our minds from the information overload many of us experience daily.
I can’t wait for you to hear this conversation, so let’s jump in!

My guest today is Ari Gunzburg, an award-winning speaker and coach working to solve human disconnection.
Ari inspires people using personal stories filled with triumph, tragedy, and transformation, and draws on his experiences in nature's great healing domain to give others hope and light. He is the author of the popular parable, The Little Book Of Greatness.
We talk about some of the modern distractions that contribute to disconnection and how to be more aware of them. Then we discuss Ari’s five keys of greatness. I’m excited for you to hear this episode, so let’s get it going!

A joyful rebellion is all about taking accountability for the decisions we make in our lives and doing the things necessary to live the life we want, not just the one we currently have.
We make so many choices over our lifetime, and some we see as major, like careers and relationships, while there are others we fool ourselves into believing are less significant. There’s no shortage of those, but today, we’re talking about the food we choose to eat.
My guest today is Coach Becker, a fat loss coach and creator of the Keto Code program. I first met Becker back in the early 2000s at a photo conference in Las Vegas. Since that time, I’ve watched him go through his own joyful rebellion by losing 100 pounds and creating a completely new life for himself, and if you listen to the full episode, I think you’ll agree that is no exaggeration.
I knew this would be an interview that could help those who might listen to it. What I didn’t realize is how much the conversation helped improve my own mindset around food and health in general.
Oh, and if you’re about to switch over to your favorite true crime podcast because you’re tired of hearing about the keto diet, you’re in luck. While it is mentioned a few times, it’s not the core message here.
This episode has been a long time coming, so let’s jump right in!

I love a good story. Sometimes that means reading about other people’s stories in books or creating stories of my own, out in the real world. For today’s episode, I traveled south and met up with ghostwriter Maggie Mills in a most unexpected location.
Maggie is the most famous author you’ve never heard of and we discuss writing, the best way to write your own story, and how she helps her clients get their stories out into the world through publishing books.
Before we begin, though, I’d like to thank the author, John Berendt, for the story he published thirty years ago that caused this whole thing to come together the way it did.