Intrinsic Drive™

Beatrice Mori Gerfalco Welles has devoted her extraordinary life to a multitude of humanitarian causes, in addition to her tireless dedication to the preservation of the work of her father, Orson Welles. In 2018, she co-created and co-starred in The Eyes of Orson Welles  - directed by Mark Cousins - which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. The sole heir of the Orson Welles Estate, her vigilant work includes overturning Turner B...

Three-time Olympic Medalist, DeeDee Trotter has been a fierce competitor since the age of ten. She loved basketball and dreamed of playing for legendary coach Pat Summit at the University of Tennessee. Her quickness on the court convinced her coaches to steer their star athlete into track and field. Thus began a tenuous, and oftentimes inharmonious relationship between DeeDee and these two sports, her heart firmly fixed on basketba...

Makoto Fujimura’s home and community were devastated during the terrorist attacks of 9/11, emotional fractures began to surface. He found solace in his art, creating some of his most transformational work. 

From his earliest painting experiences as a child, Mako always sensed a flow of energy transcending space and time; encouraged to pursue his art, he was invited into the prestigious mentorship in the study of Nihonga—an ancient J...

Kate Erickson is the engine that powers the daily Entrepreneurs On Fire Podcast as well as  Podcasters Paradise, an online educational resource teaching aspiring and seasoned podcasters how to create, grow, monetize, and build a sustainable business. Kate shares her mastery of business systems in her Kate’s Take podcast. In her new podcast, Nicole and Kate Can Relate—she shares entrepreneurial insights with friend and fellow podcas...

Mary Sullivan, a straight-A biochemistry major while at Loyola University, thought she wanted to be a doctor but came to the realization that medicine wasn’t for her.  She chose law instead, studying at Georgetown University.  Upon graduation, she accepted a position at a full-service law firm in Los Angeles, learning the trade and transitioning to the entertainment arm. Mary came to realize that not growing up in the entertainment...

As Andre Williams saw it, there were only two options for men in his family -  join the military or become a drug dealer on the streets of his hometown Richmond, Virginia.  But sports presented another option – basketball was his first choice – and he wanted to use cross country as conditioning for it. However, he quickly fell in love with his newly adopted sport and showed promise: skyrocketing into national prominence, winning th...

Stephanie Slocum, was quickly moving up the corporate ladder planning to enjoy the engineering career of her dreams. As an architectural engineer, she loved designing the “bones” of a structure, buildings that have lower environmental imprint using sustainable materials. She has built hospitals, schools, laboratories, and university buildings. These buildings will stand through hurricanes, earthquakes, and blizzards---as a testimon...

Cecilia Schiller was born into a working-class family, without money for college she became a hairstylist. While viewing a retrospective of the abstract expressionist sculptor and designer, Isamu Noguchi she realized she was going to be an artist. Uncertain of where she fit in the American landscape, she embarked on a seven-year journey working as an artesania making handmade crafts, which she sold on the street. 

After overcoming, ...

As a young girl growing up in Australia, Eve Picker loved playing with Lego blocks, solving math problems, and exploring cities. Armed with degrees in architecture and urban design, she moved to Pittsburgh’s Friendship neighborhood, where she renovated an old Victorian home with her husband. Eve found her tribe by joining a protest and community, which united to save a nearby historic home from demolition. Her community of voluntee...

As an eight-year-old boy from a large family, living together in a Brooklyn tenement, Mike Lew had a singular goal—to meet every person on the planet. Today,  Mike and his Next Step Counseling, co-director Thomas Harrigan, travel the world providing individual therapy, couples counseling, group therapy, professional training, and public lectures around the globe.

Mike is a psychotherapist and cultural anthropologist, spec...

It's hard to believe fourteen months are now in the rear view mirror of my podcasting odyssey. Like a long uphill climb at a steady pace, this season's guests inspired me upward--to discover what lies beyond the next bend in the road.  My thoughts turn toward lessons from season three: the opportunity to meet kindred spirits, guides known through their works, old friends, even my earliest mentor from high school and ...

In the early eighties Dick Beardsley was one of world’s most famous athletes. He is an American distance runner best known for his first-place tie in the 1981 London Marathon and his close finish with Alberto Salazar in the 1982 Boston Marathon— frequently referred to as The Duel in the Sun, compellingly told in the book by John Brant--where he ran 2:08:53 breaking the Boston course and American Records. 

After retiring from competi...

A self-described gym rat from the age of five, Jerry Lynch was born in the pre-gentrified streets of Brooklyn. He went on to earn a doctoral degree in psychology and complete postdoctoral work in philosophy and religious studies. Dropping out of his professional career,  Jerry moved to Boulder, Colorado - reconnecting with his athletic dreams and becoming a national champion master’s runner.  In the high altitude of the Rocky Mount...

Molly Grant, reconnected with the green leather and suede shoes from her childhood memory when she looked across the room at the League of New Hampshire Craftsman Show.  Spotting the bright colors and creative styles of the Cordwainer Shoes, she stopped in her tracks. This master fine-craft leather artist reconnected with the timeless design of the Pathfinder shoe which she first spotted during a trip to that same show at ten years...

Carwyn Sharp Ph.D. CSCS, emigrated from England to Australia with his family as a young boy.  Searching for new opportunities, Carwyn’s parents stressed the importance of education as a bridge over poverty and a gateway to an abundant life. Carwyn has followed his passions for sport, movement, and performance—fueling his personal life and extraordinary career. We follow this innovator in the field of human performance on his incred...

At five years old Rock Wilk realized he could sing, that same year his grandfather gave him a guitar. A self-taught musician, he spent hours alone in his room playing alongside jazz greats honing his craft. While a defensive back at Colorado State University, his creative writing teacher Bill Tremblay identified his immense talent telling his reluctant student he was a playwright.  

Rock left college deciding to pursu...

Comfortable with a pen and paper from an early age, Becky Karush grew up writing poetry, creating art, and telling stories. After early success with her writing and poetry, during college she experienced a  fifteen-year wilderness period, leaving her unable to write. This extremely talented poet who learned the power of systems from a childhood friend, longed to find a process to harness her muse. After four years of studying the G...

The deep south was a dangerous and treacherous place for a young black man in the 1960’s; Benny Vaughn drank from “colored” water fountains, pedaled away from viscous dogs while passing through white neighborhoods, and rode in the back of buses. 

Benny turned hardships into opportunity through his actions. He was the first black athlete to win the Georgia state high school cross country championships and during the sp...

John Lee Dumas showed early signs of his dedication and commitment to process. He pivoted to swimming after injuries forced him to leave the soccer pitch and basketball court his senior year in high school. JLD quickly transformed one weakness in technique each day; in the final competition of the season, John touched the wall first, winning the Maine State Championship in the 50-yard freestyle.  

After graduation from Providence Co...