Erik MichielsenI was in my office one day, and got a surprise call from Erik Michielsen.   He was referred to me by author Simon Sinek who has appeared on his video blog entitled “Capture Your Flag” and was also a guest on Inside Personal Growth.

The further I dialogued with Erik about his website, I began to realize what an amazing resource he has created for people searching for more fulfillment in their careers.  Erik engages in wonderfully authentic dialogues with the men and women on the street about their feeling, emotions and motivations around their careers.

His online interview show and career planning resource, Capture Your Flag, showcases common character building themes empowering rising leaders’ personal and professional development.  Its purpose is to disarm fears you have and open future planning possibilities.

Interviewees represent an approachable peer group who continue to work through these same challenges in their respective journeys.  Interview segments are categorized by “Fulfillment Flag” to highlight common elements informing interviewee decisions and career progression.

I encourage anyone who is currently questioning their career path, or who is new to the job market to check out Erik’s website.  It is a great resource and will most likely provide the viewer with useful knowledge about his or her next steps in career planning.  You can visit Erik’s website “Capture Your Flag” by clicking here.

Gina Mollicone-LongIf you don’t think you are in control of the choices you make in life, then you best listen to my interview with Gina Mollicone-Long.  Gina’s new book entitled, “Think or Sink“, focuses on the choices we make in life, and how you can turn these choices into our advantage.

As Gina states, the paradox of any challenge or crisis is that it is also an opportunity.  It might seem crazy at first, but in Gina’s new book she will show you how to turn your adversity into your advantage. During challenging times many people look for the focus on what is wrong.  Not only is this perspective harmful because it doesn’t bring about any solutions or relief, but it is also the very thing that ensures the continuation of the crisis itself.

Gina states that her entire book is based on an important premise: everything in our life that happens to us is just feedback.  At the most basic level, this means that you get out of your life what you are willing to put into it.  Your circumstances will always reflect exactly where you are at in your life and what you are putting into it. The real power is learning how to interpret the feedback so you can use it to your advantage. Instead of judging your circumstances, you can learn to assess your circumstances so you can learn from them and leverage them to create a life that you love.

Life is a series of feedback loops.  We want something (input), we do some behaviors (process) and we get an outcome (output).  Gina reminds us in her new book that we are all energy, and that all energy is fluid.  Always moving into form, through form or out of form.  The universe holds the potential energy for an infinite number of expressions to matter.  True power derives from the ability to harness the unformed potential energy so that we can have what we want in our physical experience.

Please listen to my podcast with Gina, and visit her website by clicking here for a wealth of content on how to “Think or Sink“.  Enjoy this podcast.

Vishal MangalwadiI was introduced to Vishal Mangalwadi by a very good friend.  My friend and I have both been on a local charitable board together for many years. He mentioned Vishal Mangalwadi as an author that I should consider interviewing.  I was fascinated in learning more about why my friend was so interested in Vishal perspective on why the foundations of the Western world were crumbling.

In Vishal Mangalwadi’s new book entitled, “Truth or Transformation,” he outlines the challenges that current Western society is dealing with associated  with morality, human dignity, rationality, technology and character.

We live in times marked by much confusion and apprehension. In this landmark book, international scholar and author Vishal Mangalwadi offers a radical vision for the gospel’s power to heal Western society. With insights drawn from real-life struggles against corruption and from years of study, he delves into the ideological roots of social oppression. Reform, he argues, is never without controversy. Yet reforming a culture’s values is a necessary precursor to lasting liberation and hope.

These are not the best of times.  Even secular Americans are looking for the Messiah says Vishal. During his presidential campaign Senator Obama had to remind his supporters, “contrary to the rumors that you may have heard, I was not born in a manger.”  President Obama is right–those who look to him as the savior will be deeply disappointed. It is time for the church to recover and unleash the power of the Good News to transform the brokenness of our times.

If you want to read a book with an interesting perspective on how Christianity can help to solve many of our modern day problems, then I highly recommend that you read Vishal Mangalwadi new book “Truth and Transformation”.  This will provide you with insights and wisdom from a gentleman who was educated and born in the East (India) and has converted to Christianity from his origins  in Hinduism.

If you want more information on Vishal Mangalwadi please click here for a link to his website.

Jonathan EllerbyI had a wonderful interview with a very deep and spiritual leader, Jonathan Ellerby, Ph.D.  His new book entitled, “Return to the Sacred-Ancient Pathways to Spiritual Awakenings“,  is a great book.  We explored the 12 Master Paths and Practices that have transformed the lives of countless saints, mystics, masters and the sages since the beginning history.

In Jonathan’s new book, you’ll find what you need to discover your spiritual personality and choose the path that will lead you toward realization of boundless joy and a lifelong journey of meaning.   I had the opportunity in our time together to ask Jonathan about the Mystic Mind-Set attitudes that can assist you in transforming your practice.  I loved the advice that I received from Jonathan.  He said that when your spiritual practice ceases to help you to become more self-aware and spiritually connected, revisit the following list before changing paths:

  1. Compassion: No Harm.  Be kind, empowering, patient and forgive yourself and others as you carry out your practice.
  2. Optimism: No Fear. Always ask yourself, What can I learn from this moment? What am I grateful for? Never let go of hope and the infinite field of possibility.  Don’t let fear change your mind, as it’s only a sign that there’s something to learn, pay attention to, or to heal.
  3. Observation: No Judgment. Self-awareness is key. Observe yourself during your practice, and don’t criticize or judge your experience.
  4. Contemplation: No Striving.  With each new experience in your practice take time to reflect deeply on what it means, what it reveals and what it teaches.   Learn to listen to your innermost thoughts and feelings.
  5. Dedication: No Procrastination. Stay committed and willing.  On some days, enduring discomfort will be all that you can manage.  Focus and dedication are necessary.
  6. Humor: No Ego. Have Fun! Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself or even your deepest beliefs.
  7. Surrender: No Attachment. Let go of constant questioning and controlling.  Let your unique process unfold with your full participation.
  8. Intention: No Doubt.  Your intention isn’t a goal to be fixated on but a deep clarity and longing for what it is you seek.

Jonathan is a wonderful teacher that has written a practical book for the spiritual aspirant who wants to awaken to a deeper level of consciousness and spirituality.  I encourage all of my listeners to check out Return to the Sacred-Ancient Pathways to Spiritual Awakenings.   Jonathan is very authentic and the content is rich, deep and very moving.

If you would like to learn more about Jonathan his workshops, retreats, books, etc, please visit his website by clicking here.  Enjoy this very special interview with a great spiritual teacher.

Yehuda Berg This is a great interview with a wonderfully knowledgeable author, Yehuda Berg, who has tremendous passion for helping people understand Kabbalah and how it can help them transform their lives positively.

In my interview with Yehuda, we explore the wisdom of Kabbalah which explains how the world operates according to universal spiritual laws that, like gravity, influences our lives every day at every moment, whether or not we are aware of it’s existence.  The amazing thing is that these spiritual laws affect our lives in a far more profound way than physical laws do. We learn how to act in harmony with these laws so we can learn how to truly control what happens to us and dramatically improve our relationships, health, careers, finances and overall quality of life.

Yehuda and I discuss the power of consciousness, and his beliefs on where consciousness evolves from as to better understand our deeper purpose and connection with a higher spirit. Kabbalah can truly help one find and make a deep spiritual connection.  It provides you with the wisdom, tools and deep understanding to turn your life into whatever you want it to be.  Whether you want to make dramatic changes or just want a better understanding of yourself and the life you’re living.

Kabbalah: The Power to Change Everything is a progressive manual for daily life to awaken consciousness and create personal and global change.  Yehuda Berg examines the problematic areas of politics, religion, environment and economy and demonstrates how everything , no matter how bleak can be transformed by shifting our minds.

You are going to enjoy my interview with a fascinating person with a wonderful perspective on life, on how we can change everything by just changing our minds.

I encourage you to read Kabbalah: The Power to Change Everything if you are exploring your spiritual path and would like to learn more about the power of this ageless wisdom.  It has transformed millions of lives throughout the world, and will transform yours as well.

For more information about Yehuda Berg and Kabbalah Centre International in Los Angeles, CA please click here to access their website.

Will Marre I have been a fan of Will Marrè’s for a long time.  His workshops and writings are fantastic!!! He is a joy to listen to and  dialogue with.

His new book entitled, “Save the World and Still Be Home for Dinner“,  is designed to enlighten and move his readers to action.  All of us can admit that we live in a world that is constantly changing.  Our lives have been moving at a faster pace, and we are looking for more meaning and purpose in our personal and professional lives.

Will’s new book ” Save the World and Still Be Home for Dinner” is written to get you thinking about your personal promise.  What is is that you would do to make a difference in the world?  What is your personal promise to yourself and your family?

Will asks you to “change how you think about change.”  To create a world of sustainable abundance which means to find the pulse of life we can maintain that doesn’t burn us out or exhaust us but enables us to be fully present in each moment filled with both gratitude and new solutions.

If we are to live lives filled with sustainable abundance, then as leaders we need to be Real Leaders.  We need to be responsible, ethical, create abundance and a legacy.  When we look at our world from a real leadership perspective our challenges become opportunities, and our decisions are made with the whole world in mind.

Will encourages individuals to know themselves, to dig deep within themselves and do some soul searching.  Why are you here?  What is your promise, and how can you fulfill it?

As the author articulates,  soul as I mean the word is not some poetic spiritual abstraction or article of religious dogma, but the core essence of who we are as living breathing, feeling, thinking human beings.  Our soul is the deepest dimension of our awareness, as silent intelligence that underlies all of our mental and emotional functions.  Our soul is not the object of our thinking.  It is the thinker.  The “me” before the thoughts.  is is the sacred essence of our individual identity.

So if you are looking to search your soul, and find a place within yourself that resonates with the essence of your being and from this place be moved to take action and make a difference in this world, then I not only highly recommend “Save the World and Still Be Home for Dinner” I also recommend that you watch some of Will’s great video’s on Save the World and Still Be Home for Dinner by clicking here.

You are going to love this interview with Will Marrè, and I know you will want to read this book more than once to really dig into the essence of the message.