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 ye...

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 wheth...

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 f...

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 2...

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...

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....

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 t...

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 disconne...

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 ...

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...

I say it a lot, but we ALL have stuff. And I’m talking about emotional baggage, trauma, whatever you choose to call it, we all have at least a little. But what do you do when all of that emotional baggage starts to get in the way of the person you want to become?

Benjy Sherer is an emotional wellness coach and author of 'Feelings First Shadow Work' and '10 Mind Hacks for Quicker Emotional Healing'. He teaches his clients how to mas...

I talk a lot about relationships on this podcast, and today is no different. Well, maybe a little. What’s your relationship with money? Does thinking about your bank or investment accounts leave you feeling stressed or excited? Do you consider money to be simply a tool, or did someone in your past twist that bible verse to convince you that it’s the root of all evil. What attitudes about money were you exposed to in your childhood ...

Everyone you know is going through or has gone through a period of their life so challenging or negative, that it makes them question their faith or their purpose in this world. My guest today knows that feeling all too well and has earned what I think of as multiple PhDs from the school of hard knocks, and he’s come through those experiences with a stronger understanding of his faith and a commitment to use his familiarity with tr...

I love a good story where the hero overcomes some sort of adversity. A story without at least a little adversity isn’t much of a story at all, because we love to conquer the external forces holding us back from our dreams.

I’ve noticed recently though, that outside of dramatic weight loss stories, I don’t see many people shouting about how they overcame their complacency in different areas of their lives. I can tell you from experi...

Our relationships are a huge part of living our best life. So much so, that the very first episode of A Joyful Rebellion featured a guest who helps people find their forever person.

Today’s guest builds on that theme and this episode is for all of you married folks. Theresa DeWit is a relationship coach at joyfullymarried.com and author of the book Less Conflict, More Joy, and, side note- if you’re not looking for more joy in your ...

My guest today is Hilda Fainsod, who has spent the past two decades as a Top Executive Coach. She has nine international coaching certifications, and thousands of hours working with senior leaders from different industries.

She’s written a new book called Power UP: The Executive Roadmap to Transforming Life and Business.

We talk about self-sabotage, and balancing work with the rest of our life.  Toward the end, we identify the one ...

”Vibe” is a word that gets thrown around often, from casual verbal communication to t-shirts and home decor. It’s one of those words you hear a lot of people use, though few can articulate exactly what it is.

Jason Del Gandio has a PhD in Communication Studies and has studied "vibes" for 30 years. He is a published author, an award-winning teacher, and an engaged intellectual.

Throughout our conversation, Jason and I peel back the ...

When you were a kid, how often did you think about what kind of career you wanted when you grew up? Work takes up a lot of space in our lives, and for many, that journey began by deciding if and where to attend college.

My guest today is Kelly Maclean, Founder of the Kelly MacLean Achievement Center. Over the last 11 years, Kelly and her team have helped over 5000 students select the right major and college, get selected for schola...

My guest today is Rick Clemons, Podcast host, and Author of the book, Frankly My Dear I'm Gay: A Late Bloomer Guide To Coming Out.

Rick explains that every one of us is in some sort of closet, and why coming out is our life’s journey toward living authentically. Oh, and spoiler alert, much of this conversation has nothing to do with sexuality and everything to do with unapologetically owning who you really are.

After all, isn't ...