Podcast 650: Obroni and the Chocolate Factory with Steve Wallace

I don’t know of too many people that hate chocolate, so for all you chocolate lovers you are going to love this interview.

Steve Wallace is the author of a new book entitled  “Oberoni and the Chocolate Factory-An Unlikely Story of Globalization and Ghana’s First Gourmet Chocolate Bar.” This book is about a fascinating journey about a man who truly has made a difference in the production of chocolate.  When we think of chocolate we immediately think of Switzerland, France, Belgium–but why?  Cocoa beans are not from those places.

Steve used to live in Ghana (one of the largest regions producing cocoa) when he was 16 years old. This experience transformed him and he wanted to return to Ghana and give back.  While the people of Ghana’s vertically-integrated cocoa bureaucracy, overseen by Ghans’s Cocoa Board, aspired to move up the cocoa value chain, they were unwilling to invest in doing so.  They were content to stay at the bottom of the value chain.

Needless to say with tremendous hard work and lots of maneuvering the cocoa bean system, Steve Wallace build a very successful chocolate bar factory called Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company.  The chocolate bars are produced and manufactured in Ghana and shipped to Wisconsin for boxing, sales, and shipping.  Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company is truly a global company employing and housing over 200 natives.  Steve provides his employees with a fair wage,  and housing and has infused the local economy with a newfound wealth from what was once a place of poverty.

If you want to listen to a truly great story about a social-entrepreneur on a mission to change the lives of hundreds of people, then you won’t want to miss my interview with Steve.

To learn more about Steve and his new book ” Oberoni and the Chocolate Factory” please click here to be directed to the Omanhene Cocoa Bean Company website.   Enjoy this great interview with a social entrepreneur making a difference in the world!

 

Podcast 648: Put Your Intuition to Work with Lynn Robinson

I just interviewed author Lynn Robinson the author of a new book entitled ” Put Your Intuition to Work“.  I personally have been on a mission to find out as much as possible about how our intuition works, and in the process have found some great author and thought leaders with tremendous knowledge about the topic.

Lynn Robinson is one of those authors and her new book “Put Your Intuition To Work” is a book that provides the reader with greater insights into tapping into their intuition, and very importantly how to apply your insights at work.   As Lynn states in the book ” Your intuition is your inner compass. It delivers the message that you need to head in a new direction and shows you the best to get there. However, sometimes it’s hard to get started.  Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, when through many transitions in life.  He said, “When one door closes, another opens: but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we don’t see the one that has opened for us.”

Are you having a challenge seeing the open door, or getting in touch with your intuition.  Are you asking your intuition questions and waiting for guidance?

If not you will want to read ” Put Your Intuition to Work“.   This book provides inspiring stories, techniques, and practices that will help you open up your intuition so you can more easily listen, feel or see what your intuition is guiding you to do.   If you get that gut feeling about something take the time to do something about it, don’t ignore this sign.

If you want to learn more about tapping your intuition you can click here to be directed to Lynn’s website.  You can also connect with her on Facebook by clicking here.

I hope you enjoy this great interview with an author that has valuable insights to impart about tapping your intuition.

Podcast 647: Shine-How To Survive and Thrive at Work with Chris Barez-Brown

I recently conducted an interview with author Chris Barez Brown about his book entitled ” Wake-Up“–Podcast # 645.  I had such a great experience and interview with Chris that I invited him back to speak about his new book entitled “Shine, How To Survive And Thrive At Work“.

We all spend a lot of time at our work, so having fun and enjoying our work is so important to remain engaged.  In my interview with Chris, we discuss the many great ideas about how to keep our work fun and stay engaged.

Just one of the ideas includes a concept he calls “Who’s Elvis Around Here?” This is really a great idea, and is the person who stands out in your business, the one that breaks the rules, and makes things happen within the organization.  Is that you our are you just standing by waiting, or afraid to speak up?  Don’t stand on the sidelines waiting, get engaged and speak up with your good ideas to propel the business forward.

Chris states that our minds are highly efficient killing machines.  They are trained from an early age to destroy anything that doesn’t fit our model of the world. This means that analytical, logical minds dominate our working lives–what are you doing to get off or autopilot and tap into your abundant thinking brain which breaks the cycle of helping us to consider futures that are not based on past experience?

Shine, How to Survive and Thrive at Work is a book loaded with great ideas to help you thrive in the workplace.  It is an easy read and should be the companion to anyone wanting to make a difference at work.

If you want more information about author Chris Barez-Brown please click here to be taken to his website.  Our your can click here to be directed to Chris’s Facebook page.  I hope you enjoy this great interview with someone who has transformed how organizations look at their employees.

 

 

Podcast 645: Wake Up, A Handbook to Living in the Here and Now with Chris Barez-Brown

Do you feel like you are on autopilot? Just going through the motions-like life is just a blur of commuting to work, calendar event and obligations.  If so then listen up.  I recently interviewed Chris Bartz-Brown the author of a new book entitled ” Wake Up-A Handbook to Living in the Here and Now“.

This is not only a fantastic book, but the book design is exceptional, it really is a handbook–please feel free to take notes on the pages provided.  Chris has provided 54 playful strategies to help the readers snap out of autopilot.  We discussed several playful strategies in our interview together, example “Kill your Television”.  As Chris states, a little television is not a bad thing, but a lot of television wastes our time and our life. What would be the payoff for watching less television?  What else could you do to entertain yourself, read a book, take a walk, exercise, meditate?   All the options seem better than watching television.

How about the idea of noticing what you notice. Most of us are in such a hurry that we infrequently notice the little things in life.  How about carrying a pen or pencil with some paper and just start writing down what you notice? These things could be people, conversations, buildings, articles or a fleeting glance from someone in a passing bus. It doesn’t matter what you find interesting; it only matters that you notice it.  So what is the payoff of this new activity, becoming more sensitized to the world in which we live and as a result enjoying a heightened sense of connectedness and vitality.

Chris’s new book “Wake-Up” is a great easy read with lots of strategies for changing your habits and behavior for the better. If you want to learn more about the book and Chris please click here to be directed to Chris’s website.  

I hope you enjoy this lively interview with author Chris Bartz-Brown.

Podcast 644: Lifestorming, Creating Meaning and Achievement in Your Career and Life with Alan Weiss & Marshall Goldsmith

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Alan Weiss the co-author with Marshall Goldsmith of a new book entitled “Lifestorming-Creating Meaning and Achievement in Your Career and Life“.  This is a practical handbook for becoming the person you want to be.  You will discover what it takes to redesign your life, friends, behaviors, and goals in order to move closer to your goals.

Alan and I discuss the evolutionary journey, and a very important question: To what extent is your journey one of internal control, and to what extent one of external control?  I believe this concept alone is one of the most important elements that one must master if they are going to master their life.  As Alan states are you taking a “random walk” through life, or do you have high control and are one of those people that creates your world, or are you mutually creating your world.  No matter your purview of your world, it would be best to have high control if you want to make something of yourself.

If you want to change behavior, Alan states that most studies have found that it’s very difficult to merely change poor behavior.  It’s much more effective to substitute a more positive behavior. Change for its own sake makes little sense.  The key is to determine the salutary result that makes the change worthwhile.

I hope you enjoy the lively and engaging dialogue with Alan Weiss the co-author of “Lifestorming-Creating Meaning and Achievement in Your Career and Life“.  If you want to learn more about the book you can click here to be directed to the book website page.  If you want to learn more about Alan Weiss please click here or Marshall Goldsmith click here.

Thanks so much for listening, enjoy the podcast!

 

Podcast 642: The Path to Personal Power by Napoleon Hill with Don Green

Every time I interview Don Green from the Napoleon Hill Foundation I learn something new.  Don is a  continual learner with more knowledge and understanding about Napoleon Hill than anyone I have ever met.  He has been the executive director and spokesperson for the foundation for the last 20 years and is just a wonderful person.

In my interview with Don, we discuss a newly released book entitled ” The Path to Personal Power“.  As Don states, personal power is acquired through a combination of individual traits and habits.  The ten qualities of personal power are: 1) the habit of definiteness of purpose 2) the promptness of decision 3) soundness of character 4) strict discipline over one’s emotions 5) obsessional desire to render useful service 6) through knowledge of one’s occupation 7) tolerance on all subjects 8) loyalty to one’s personal associates and faith in a Supreme Being 9) enduring thirst of knowledge 10) alertness of imagination. The old adage “knowledge is power” is not quite true. Knowledge never is power until it has been expressed in some term of useful service.

“The Path to Power” is a powerful roadmap that leads to a single discovery: You already have the power to attain whatever wealth, success, and prosperity you desire in life.  All you need to do is walk the path without straying, and the rest will follow.

I hope you enjoy yet another great interview with Don Green the executive director of the Napoleon Hill Foundation.  If you want to learn more about the courses, books and audio recording available through the foundation please click here to be directed to their website.

Podcast 639: Unfu*ck Yourself with Gary John Bishop

Many of us are guilty of trapping ourselves in the web of negative self-talk. The not-good-enough, self-doubt cycles that many of us cope with on a daily basis. We know its detrimental, but what are we doing to stop insidious cycle of negative self-talk? How do we reduce this thinking quickly and replace it with a positive affirmative monologue?

In my interview with author and coach, Gary John Bishop we talk his new book entitled “Unfu*ck Yourself-Get Out Of Your Head and Into Your Life“. This book is an easy read packed with practical advice on creating more success and abundance in your life and quieting the pesky self-doubt. Over the years, Gary has coached thousands of individuals from entrepreneurs, athletes, professionals and creatives. Gary’s philosophy has yielded a high success rates by leading individuals down the road to replacing old negative self-talk with positive thoughts and sustaining this growth and potential.

Gary states that “If human emotions largely result from thinking, then one way to appreciably control one’s feelings is by controlling one’s thoughts—or by changing the internalized sentences, or self-talk, with which one largely created the feeling in the first place.” Gary believes the answers we are seeking lie within ourselves, but we must be open to finding these answers and believe in our guiding voice.

If you feel like something unspoken is holding you back from abundance and reaching ultimate success, then give Gary John Bishop a listen! If you are interested in knowing more about Gary please click here for his website.

Podcast 636: Heartwork-The Path of Self-Compassion with Radhule Weininger, MD, PhD.

How often do you beat up on yourself?  What if you could learn to apply self-compassion to that part of you that gets lashed by your ego telling you that you are not good enough?

In my interview with author Radhule Weininger MD, Ph.D. we discuss her new book Heartwork The Path of Self-Compassion.  In the interview, with Radhule she reveals the 9 practices for opening our heart up so that we can heal the pain that we carry inside, and that frequently won’t go away.

Hearwork is filled with wonderful success stories and practices so that the reader can apply the techniques to their specific issues.  She also provides various meditation and mindfulness practices that cultivate heightened awareness, tranquility and inner happiness.  As Radhule writes ” As your wounded heart begins to heal with self-compassion, it may begin to fill with generosity and kindness; the boundaries of your self-preoccupation may loosen, and compassion for yourself can naturally widen to compassion for others.  His Holiness the Dalai Lama tells us, ” Although you may not be able to avoid difficult situations, you can modify the extent to which you (and others) suffer by how you choose to respond to the situation”

So if you want to learn how to respond differently with self-compassion and compassion for others, then you are going to want to listen to my interview author Radhule Weininger MD, Ph.D.  If you are interested in exploring Radhule’s website, just click here.   You will find more about her workshops, seminars and professional services.

I hope you enjoy my interview with author Radhule Weininger MD, PhD about her new book Heartwork, The Path to Self-Compassion.

Podcast 634: Hacking the Gap-A Journey from Intuition to Innovation and Beyond with Greg Voisen

It is kind of weird writing my own blog about myself and my new book, but hey what the heck someone has to do it and who better than the author.

I recently released my new book entitled “Hacking the Gap-A Journey from Intuition to Innovation and Beyond.”  I have been asked what the book is all about?

The answer to this questions is that the book is about my personal journey as a serial entrepreneur, my ups, and downs and the struggles to birth new products and or services and then take it to market successfully.  Believe me, I have had plenty of failures, but the learning lessons from the failures and setbacks provided me with the persistence to continue on in spite of the disappointments.

My podcasts program, Inside Personal Growth, set the foundation for the learnings that I share with the readers.  I’ve interviewed over 630+ authors on personal growth, business, wellness, and spirituality.  It is virtually impossible not to have a personal transformation from learning and soaking in all that information. I have weaved the learnings from many of my over 10 years of interviews into Hacking the Gap.  Everything I learned has made me a better person, more authentic, more sensitive, more understanding and forgiving of myself and others. As we work on ourselves we naturally become better people, and to me, this is the important element of the personal growth work.  If you are not improving and becoming a better person, you won’t be a better father, husband, employer or whatever you are to the world.

So remember when you read this book, listen to your soul’s calling and get in touch with your intuition.  What you are being informed to do is vital to your growth.  Listen carefully, learn how to discern between your intuition and your ego.  Once you do this and are not afraid of taking action, you will find that your world will change forever–and for the better.

I hope you enjoy the interview that my friend Reese Harris did with me.

Please go to Hacking the Gap.com to learn more about the book, and download a couple of chapters for free.  Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter and free webinars.  I am here for you please reach out want to hear from you.