Season Four Reflections

The gift of stepping inside the lives of this season’s guests gave me unexpected insight for my own challenges, struggles, and failures. Answers are there when we allow ourselves to listen.

·This world is full of landmines for those who have suffered from sexual abuse.  Victims No Longer author,  Mike Lew and the community of survivors prove that recovery is possible, providing much-needed hope.

·Architect and designer Eve Picker  transformed her adopted city of Pittsburgh after bankers refused funding.  Clear in her resolve, she went ahead and built the first lofts downtown guided by her commitment to impact investing, restoration, and historic preservation. 

·Master woodworker Cecilia Schiller has had to face many unknowns; she reminds us to lean into these dangerously vulnerable places.

· Stephanie Slocum, author of She Engineers, inspires us to take advantage of small windows of time. She encourages us to spend time looking inward and reminds us of the value of self-exploration.

·Everything has limitations—even self-reliance. Andre Williams experienced failure for the first time during his transition from high school to collegiate athletics. Having the courage to ask for help moved Andre forward, beyond his own expectations. ·Mary Sullivan realized that fun should be at the cornerstone of creating a sustainable business.  This former boutique Hollywood entertainment attorney left her practice -  inspired by an obvious need - to co-create the MikeRoweWORKS Foundation.

· Life’s detours are often the richest part of our journey. Kate Erickson leveraged early career struggles - missed promotions, devastating disappointments, and failures - experiences she now sees as paramount to the success of her world-leading Entrepreneurs On Fire daily business podcast.

·Makoto Fujimura welcomes us into his studio where he practices Nihonga, “slow art” crafted using precious handmade minerals. Mako wrote his book Art & Faith; A Theology of Making, during moments of meditation and prayer—waiting for his paint to dry.

·As we learned from DeeDee Trotter, a three-time Olympic medalist, our gifts and passions are not always aligned.  After embracing her gift, this “glitter-faced warrior” turned a career-ending injury into a blueprint for her remarkable success.

·Beatrice Welles, animal rights activist and sole heir of the Orson Welles Estate, reminds us of the alchemy of adversity, the potential building blocks to actualization. 

Thanks for listening and your support. Continued gratitude to our sound engineer Andy Hollingworth, who gives precious time from his acting and filmmaking.