Archive for the 'Mentors' Category

Podcast 41: Having it All with John Assaraf

Published at February 13, 2008 in Resources, Podcasts, Personal Growth Courses, Mentors and Great Books. 0 Comments

I was introduced to John Assaraf by a good friend of my David Corbin. I first saw John speak at the National Speaker Association meeting in San Diego about a year ago. He was fascinating, especially his discussion that all of life is just energy. Many of you probably know John from his appearance in “The Secret“, and his many appearances on television as an advocate for the principles taught in “The Secret“.

In my interview with John, we explore his past and how he grew up with very few resources as his disposal. We get to learn how his drive to consistently improve evolved. John was fortunate early on in his life to have been exposed to positive principles and good strong work ethics. I believe that this had much to do with his ambition, accomplishment and success. We explore “The Great Law and the Seven Natural Laws that will Change Your Life Forever”. The Great Law is: “Energy is everything”, and all of the natural laws relate back to the Great Law.”

You might be wondering how does this relate to your personal growth and development? Well, because we are all energy, how we control our thoughts, (which is energy), effects everything within our body, mind and soul. Just remember, you don’t have to believe everything that you think, and how you relate to the issue is the issue. So if you choose to channel your energy properly, as John discusses in our interview, you can achieve your life’s goals and dreams.

John’s new book, “Having It All: Achieving Your Lifes Goals and Dreams “, is quite informative and not just another self help book. He provides exercises and guidance on how to find your “True North” by using what he refers to as his, ” life design matrix”. You will also find vast resources at his web site which support you on your journey. I would also check out his blog, for he frequently has great advice and it is chock full of valuable information to help you on your personal mastery journey.
John AssarafSo set back relax and enjoy this wonderful interview with John Assaraf the author of, “Having It All: Achieving Your Lifes Goals and Dreams.”

Want more resources and information on personal growth? Try the resources page.

Podcast 41: The Inside on Bucky Fuller with Lloyd Sieden

Published at February 12, 2008 in Social Change Agents, Podcasts, Mentors and Great Books. 0 Comments

I first met Lloyd Sieden at a meditation retreat on the Orcas Islands in Washington. We were both attending a retreat that I attend almost every year at Camp Indralaya run by the Joel and Michelle Levey. I was quite intrigued by Lloyd and his extremely calm demeanor.

We got to talking one day while we were out hiking in the beautiful woods of the Northwest, and I started asking him about his vocation and what really excited him in life. Our dialogue turned out to extend the whole duration of the hike. He proceeded to tell me about his time working with the famous Buckminster Fuller. He explained that did not get to spend lots of time with him prior to his passing, but enough time that he was so inspired by Bucky that he decided to do extensive research into his life and write a book about him.

In my interview with Lloyd, he takes us into the inside world of Buckminster Fuller. You will begin to realize more about the fascinating inventions and philosophies that kept “Bucky” vibrant, exciting and alive. If you are not aware of his many inventions, he is probably best know for his invention of the geodesic dome. Throughout this podcast you will learn more about Bucky, but most importantly you will really understand his great contributions to planet earth.

Lloyd SidenI highly recommend Lloyd’s book entitled, “Buckminster Fuller’s Universe: His Life and Work“. If after listening to this podcast you would like to learn more about Buckminster Fuller, please go to Lloyd’s site by clicking here.

Want more resources and information on personal growth? Try the resources page.

Podcast 39: Life Lessons with Harvey Mackay

Published at February 11, 2008 in Business Growth, Resources, Podcasts, Mentors and Great Books. 0 Comments

My good friend Cathy Paper helped to set up this interview with Harvey Mackay. I remember her saying that Harvey was quite busy and that he might have only 2o minutes for our podcast. Before I knew it Harvey and I had spent over an hour on the phone, and what a wonderfully inspiring interview it turned out to be.

This podcast is full of life lessons from a very wise and astute businessman who truly knows the art of communication. The stories that Harvey conveyed in this interview are worth their weight in gold, for we all can learn so much from this man with his indomitable spirit.

Harvey Mackay probably does not need an introduction to my listeners, for he is so well known for his books and public speaking. I was first introduced to Harvey when I read his book, ” Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive: Outsell, Outmanage, Outmotivate, and Outnegotiate Your Competition (Collins Business Essentials). At the time I was in the financial planning business and found the advice in his book quite helpful. I went on to purchase his Swim With The Shark Client Management Software, which currently is no longer available.

Harvey is also the designer of what he terms “Mackay’s 66 Questions“. If you are not aware of Mackay’s 66, you should be. Harvey believes that every good salesperson should know more about his prospect than the competition. So early in his career he developed 66 questions that he believes the salespeople in his envelope company should know about their customers. In my previous career as a financial services representative, I found his 66 questions to be invaluable. If you would like to learn more about these questions, click here for a link to the questions.

Harvey has gone on to write many books from, “Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty : The Only Networking Book You’ll Ever Need“, to “We Got Fired!: . . . And It’s the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Us“. Harvey’s books are full of lessons, wisdom and stories that will encourage, uplift and inspire you.

Harvey MackayI encourage you to sit back, relax and enjoy the wonderful wisdom from a man we can all learn so much from. If you would like to learn more about Harvey’s books, CD’s and speaking engagements, please go to his web site by clicking here.

Want more resources and information on personal growth? Try the resources page.

Podcast 26: Mastery with George Leonard

Published at November 19, 2007 in Wonderfully Inspiring DVDs, Podcasts, Personal Growth Courses, Mentors and Great Books. 0 Comments

I had the wonderful opportunity to be introduced to George Leonard through my good friends Joel and Michelle Levey. A couple of years ago I happen to be in the San Francisco bay area for a Bioneers conference when I called George to see if he would grant my son Sean and myself an interview. He gracefully accepted, and what a honor it was to meet the father of the human potential movement . George at the age of 83, is vivacious, outgoing, authentic and incredibly wise. He is still practicing Akido and is dedicated to helping individuals transform their lives through a program called the “Integrative Transformative Practice.”

George Leonard along with Michael Murphy are the original founders of Esalen in Big Sur, CA, a beautiful retreat center of which over 300,000 people have visited to learn how to integrate mind, body and spirit. Esalen offers over 400 courses per year in a wide range of topics relating to greater human capacity.

In my interview with George we dialogue about his book, “Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment.” We explore the five master keys of: 1) Instruction 2) Practice 3) Surrender 4) Intentionality 5) The Edge. In our dialogue you will learn how to apply these keys to assist one on their path toward personal mastery. We also discuss the five tools of Mastery: 1) Be aware of the way homeostasis works 2) Be willing to negotiate with your resistance to change. 3) Develop a support system 4) Follow a regular practice 5) Dedicate yourself to lifelong learning.

George LeonardI throughly enjoyed my interview with George, the father of the human potential movement. It is packed full of wisdom and advice which is invaluable to anyone on a path of personal mastery. I encourage every listener to visit George’s web site to learn more about Integrative Transformative Practice, and his many books.

Want more resources and information on personal growth? Try the resources page.

Podcast 14: Mind Fitness Frontier-Joel and Michelle Levey

Published at September 20, 2007 in Social Change Agents, Consulting Organizations, Wellness/Fitness, Podcasts, Personal Growth Courses, Retreats, Mentors and Great Books. 2 Comments

If you have not already figured it out, I usually have a meaningful connection with the people I interview for the blog podcasts from previous encounters I have had through my various journeys in life. There’s no exception to this rule with this latest podcast, for these guests are wonderful people and true mentors of mine.

Dr's Joel and Michelle LeveyI first encountered Dr’s Joel and Michelle Levey through a connection I made as a result of research I was conducting in the area of mindfulness and meditation in the workplace. I happen to stumble upon their web site at Wisdom at Work. I was totally fascinated by the work they were carrying out in the workplace and the results they had achieved with various organizations, groups and thousands of employees. I remember my first encounter with Joel was a phone call to their office to inquire about their book and the research they had conducted. My call was received with such a kind reception and open heart, that immediately I knew that not only did Joel and Michelle practice what they preached, but that they were the real deal.

I remember discussing a consulting case I was involved in with Qualcomm, and that the Levey’s work in the area of mindfulness and meditation just might be a perfect match. Qualcomm was experiencing internal challenges with their employees as a result of performance pressures and expectations from management. I worked with my contact at Qualcomm and he agreed that we should have the Levey’s come to San Diego and put on a presentation. The title of the workshop was “Resilience: a Tool Kit for Living and Working with Balance in Turbulent Times”, and it was a roaring success. The coordinator at Qualcomm called me almost everyday stating that so many people had signed up and that this workshop had topped any of his previous workshops. Within two days he had over 144 people registered and he was uncertain how he was going to facilitate the program because the room scheduled for the venue was not going to be able to house that many attendees. We ultimately had to re-schedule into two separate days along with a closed circuit live TV that was broadcast to all Qualcomm facilities.

The Levey’s book “Living in Balance: A Dynamic Approach for Creating Harmony & Wholeness in a Chaotic World” is the cornerstone for much of their work in the fields of meditation and mindfulness. They also have released a new book entitled” Luminous Mind: Meditation And Mind Fitness, which I can highly recommend as well.

I have learned a tremendous amount about mediation and mindfulness from Joel and Michelle and I am forever grateful for all of the wonderful times that I have spent with them in mediation retreats on the Orcas Islands in Washington’s Puget Sound. Each summer for the last six years my family and I have been attending the Levey’s mediation retreats at Camp Indralaya in the Orcas Islands and the experience has truly been blissful. I would stongly encourage the readers of my blog and listeners to my podcast to attend. If you are interested in going deeper into mediation or learning more about mindfulness, contact Joel and Michelle and sign up for one of their lovely retreats.

I have been so amazed at my own personal progress and transformation as a result of my years of mediation practice and my periodic work during the meditation retreats with Joel and Michelle, that we decided to create a course for the Digital Seed learning platform called “Mind Fitness.” If you would like to learn more about this Internet based learning module please visit the Digital Seed web site for a preview of the upcoming Mind Fitness Module. You will find the preview of the Digital Seed software and Mind Fitness module by pressing here.

Dr's Joel and Michelle LeveyI hope you enjoy this podcast with Dr’s Joel and Michelle Levey. It was a pleasure having the opportunity to interview them, for I learn something new each time we speak.

Want more resources and information on personal growth? Try the resources page.

Podcast 13: “Pass it On” with David Corbin

Published at September 18, 2007 in Wonderfully Inspiring DVDs, Podcasts, Personal Growth Courses and Mentors. 1 Comment

David Corbin Movie - Pass It OnWhat a kick it was to interview my good friend David Corbin. David is an amazing man who has been a mentor of mine for many years. I first met David in the offices of Brian Tracy in Solana Beach, CA. David was the marketing manager for Brian Tracy, and he exuded charisma, vivaciousness and a wonderful energy that you just wanted to be around. I immediately resonated with David and from that day some 10 years ago we have been good friends. Like many good friends, you don’t have to speak often, and it seems that when you pick up your conversations with one another that it was as if you had never missed a beat.

I choose to to do this podcast with David because he was the Executive Producer of a recently released, great inspirational film called,” Pass it On“. This wonderfully researched film features over 60 legends in the personal growth industry such as, Brian Tracy, Les Brown, Charlie Tremendous Jones, Mark Victor Hansen, Dennis Waitley and many others. These modern day masters share their inspirational stories which are designed to get you thinking about how you can transform your life in a positive way. As is stated at the Pass it On web site, it is the action behind the attraction that helps you make your dreams come true. I could not have said it any better than that! It is the action that you put behind your intentions that will create the manifestation of your dreams.

The master minds behind “Pass it On” state that it is more than a movie, it is a movement. The viewers that are inspired by the legends in this movie can join communities of support, along with others who are working on personal mastery and share their dreams and passions. I think that David and all the others who had a hand in the creation and production of this movie deserve a round of applause! We need more inspiring and educational movies like this one.

In the podcast with David, I get to ask him many questions about why they made this movie and what the intentions were behind it. I think you will enjoy our dialogue for it will provide you with amazing insights into the movie, movement and the people behind, Pass It On.

I encourage you to visit the Pass it On web site and check out the trailer as well as David Corbin’s web site, I think you will be pleased that you did.

David Corbin Just click on the links above to access their respective sites and to download the free eight (8) minute trailer of “Pass It On.”

Want more resources and information on personal growth? Try the resources page.

Podcast 12: The Platinum Rule with Dr. Tony Alessandra

Published at September 5, 2007 in Podcasts, Personal Growth Courses, Mentors and Great Books. 0 Comments

Dr. Tony Alessandra Book - The Platinum RuleIf you want to learn how to better relate to your friends, neighbors and colleagues, then you have stumbled upon the right guy. For over 30 years, Dr. Tony Alessandra has been studying and applying the concepts of behavior styles in helping people learn how to better relate to one another. Tony believes in the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you“, primarily as it relates to our values, ethics, honesty and common sense consideration of others.

Tony applies what he calls the Platinum Rule when is comes to one-on-one communication and dealing with people. That rule states, “Do unto others as they would have you do unto them.” He believes that if we can get on the same wave length with the other person and understand better where they are coming from that we can improve our ability to communicate and create rapport more effectively. We receive signals that tells us if the person is more open or guarded in their communications, and all we need to do is understand these signals to determine how to approach them so that our communication is more effective.

A considerable amount of Tony’s work has been studying the behavioral styles of “Director, Socializer, Relater, and Thinker”. Once you understand the characteristics of these styles, it becomes more apparent how to relate and interact with each style. I know you will find our dialogue about the behavioral styles to be quite informative and will provide you with new ways of understanding people not only by the content of their messages but also through the intent of their messaging.

Dr. Tony AlessandraTony’s work and publications are extensive, if after listening to this podcast you wish to learn more about his assessment tools, books and DVD’s you can click here for a link to his site. I hope you enjoy Tony’s dynamic podcast and that you begin to understand more about the various behavior styles to improve your understanding of how to communicate more
effectively.

Want more resources and information on personal growth? Try the resources page.

Podcast 9: “One” The Art and Practice of Conscious Leadership with Lance Secretan

Published at August 20, 2007 in Social Change Agents, Leadership Courses, Podcasts, Personal Growth Courses, Retreats, Mentors and Great Books. 1 Comment

Lance Secretan Book - One: The Art and Practice of Conscious LeadershipI first met Lance Secretan many years ago at a Spirit in Business conference in Santa Fe, NM. I remember being quite impressed with his presentation on the CASTLE principals. In my podcast with Lance we discuss the CASTLE principals in depth. CASTLE is an acronym which stands for Courage, Authenticity, Service, Truthfulness, Love and Effectiveness. These principals may sound simple in concept, but not as easy to integrate into our lives and businesses.

The focus of his new book is about the new leader for the 21st century. Lance discusses how we have become detached from our innate sense of oneness which creates “separateness thinking.” He explains how this separateness thinking has created many of the problems both in our business and personal lives. One: The Art and Practice of Conscious Leadership will help the reader explore new refreshing ideas about leadership and find ways to create a greater sense of connectedness. Understanding the CASTLE principles has lead many to exceptional personal growth, and has transformed the lives of thousands. If you would like to lead your life more consciously and become more connected to the people at your work and at home, One: The Art and Practice of Conscious Leadership outlines the principles of Courage, Authenticity, Service, Truthfulness, Love and Effectiveness and they are definitely worth reviewing and considering for integration into your personal values as a leader.

I love how Lance ends his book with an invitation to join his community. He quotes the lines by John Lennon’s ode to oneness, Imagine:

You may say I’m a dreamer,
but I’m not the only one,

I hope some day you’ll join us,
And the world will live as one.

Lance SecretanIf you want to reawaken personally as a leader and build strong communities of support and oneness, then Lance’s book “One” The Art and Practice of Conscious Leadership is a must read. For more information on Lance Secretan’s workshops, retreats and blog please visit his website.

Want more resources and information on personal growth? Try the resources page.

Podcast 7: Synchronistic Meeting with Jim Cathcart

Published at August 16, 2007 in Podcasts, Personal Growth Courses, Mentors and Great Books. 0 Comments

Interview with Jim Cathcart about his book The Acorn Principle A month ago I was at the National Speakers Association meeting in San Diego and one of the first people that I bumped into was Jim Cathcart. I have know Jim for quite a while, as a matter of fact I first meet Jim at a Million Dollar Round Table meeting over 10 years ago. His work in the area of human potential has been a passion of his for many years. His book “The Acorn Principle: Know Yourself, Grow Yourself ” is a wonderful book focusing on developing self awareness. Each chapter is packed full of thought provoking questions to get you to think about personal mastery. In this podcast Jim discusses “thought breaks” and how they assist one in creating greater self awareness. Jim stresses that the more we know about ourselves the better our coping strategies are and the more likely we are to succeed.

Albert Einstein said that the hardest part of discovering the theory of relativity was determining how to think about it. Do you often think about thinking? Probably not. Thinking is something that has become automatic and we really don’t give it much thought…pardon the pun. Jim and I explore in this podcast how to become a better observer of self. Think for a minute if we were to have a video camera follow us all day long and record our actions. What would you observe about your patterns, behavior and actions that were either serving you or not?

Jim CathcartI know you will enjoy this lively interview with Jim Cathcart and if after listening you are interested in learning more about Jim’s workshops, books, CD’s, DVD’s, etc. just click here for a link to his web site.

Want more resources and information on personal growth? Try the resources page.

Podcast 5: Falling Awake with Dave Ellis

Published at August 8, 2007 in Wonderfully Inspiring DVDs, Podcasts, Personal Growth Courses, Mentors and Great Books. 0 Comments

Dave Ellis Book - Falling AwakeI was in San Rafael, California a few weeks ago with my son Sean, and we had the pleasure to meet with Dave Ellis. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Dave which gave us an opportunity to learn more about his successful coaching and workshop business. Dave’s story is fascinating! He is a teacher, a coach and now a philanthropist with a mission to help people create the life of their dreams.

If at this point you are asking yourself the proverbial question: What can Dave Ellis do for me that other coaches, books and workshops that I’ve experienced have failed to do? That would be a valid question, and the answer is nothing. Because in the end you are the only one who can take the tools, techniques and processes and apply them to helping transform your life into what you want it to be.

But, in my humble estimation Dave Ellis and his content is the real deal and he provides you with the tools, techniques and processes to help remove the barriers that get in the way of your success. He teaches, through utilizing all of the learning styles, how to identify and work on transforming your beliefs and patterns. His book entitled “Falling Awake: Creating the Life of Your Dreams” is the bible for his students. The format, layout and visual impact that his book uses to engage the reader is truly unique, easy to use and can be approached in a non-linear manner. Dave also conducts workshops by the same name “Falling Awake” and he has a staff of qualified personal/professional coaches to help those students who want to go more deeply into learning how to master the transformation process. I have read lots of material on personal growth and how to live your dreams, but Dave Ellis and his Falling Awake material is amazing. I also recommend his book entitled “Human Being.” You can get this book in PDF form by visiting his web site at www.fallingawake.com.

Dave EllisI hope you enjoy this interview with Dave Ellis.

Want more resources and information on personal growth? Try the resources page.