Dang this sammich is good! [Credit: YoungLadAustin]
Delish!
As we make our way through the modules, I’ll be including snippets of different interviews to show how they tie into the course content, but if you want to view the full version of each interview, you can do that here! I’m also in the process of converting these to mp3 formats for download, so hold tight :-).
Lastly, I’ll be adding more interviews over the lifetime of the course, so check back often.
INTERVIEWS
Most of these interviews were doing through Skype and aren’t of the best quality (I’m still figuring out this tech stuff!), but the content is well, well worth watching/listening.
DR. KENT HOFFMAN
Dr. Kent Hoffman has been one of my greatest teachers and mentors over the years– I had the great pleasure of taking a class from him at Gonzaga University in 2006. What I’ve learned from him has absolutely, without doubt, 100% changed my life (read a few of my blog articles in which I mention him here & here). In fact, I’m not sure The Unlost would exist at all if it weren’t for him. He’s “a psychotherapist who works primarily with parents and infants with a strong emphasis on working with at-risk families. [He has] a current working theory on what makes life work and what makes it fall apart and it all has to do with how we deal with vulnerability. If we are feeling vulnerable and alone, we tend to fall apart. But if we can share that vulnerability, we actually get stronger. [read more]
In my interview, I ask Dr. Hoffman about his own personal career and life path and about how we might best find our own.
(My apologies for the desktop background– I wasn’t sure how to record a Facetime interview on my computer, and obviously it didn’t turn out great, although the content is wonderful and that’s what matters most, right?!)
SOREN GORDHAMER on working mindfully and finding your path
I am redonkulously lucky to call Soren Gordhamer a friend of mine! Soren is founder and host of the Wisdom 2.0 Conference, and the author of Wisdom 2.0: Ancient Secrets for the Creative and Constantly Connected (HarperOne, 2009), one of the first books to explore living with mindfulness and wisdom within the context of our modern technology age.
As project director for Richard Gere’s public charity, Healing the Divide, he organized The Healing through Great Difficulty conference with his Holiness, the Dalai Lama. He has been featured in various media, including GQ Magazine and Newsweek.com, and has taught mindfulness programs everywhere from youth in New York City juvenile halls, to trauma workers in Rwanda, teachers in Nigeria, and to staff at US technology companies.
He spent a year walking through parts of the United States, India, Pakistan, and Japan as a part of the Global Walk for a Livable World. He later founded the New York City-based non-profit, The Lineage Project, which offers awareness-based practices to at-risk and incarcerated teens.
Soren’s got some great wisdom to share. Check it out in the interview below.
PAIGE BURKES on her long & winding path to happiness
Paige’s story is “the story of an accountant run amok.” (sound familiar?)
A woman who had her life planned out, mapped out, short-term and long-term goals set, thought she knew exactly what she wanted out of life, and was on the fast track to success in her career.
Then she woke up one morning and said, “What the f**k!?” And her life changed forever. [read her full story here, or watch the interview below to hear more! :]
She writes at simple mindfulness where she supports you in new, mindful ways of being that allow you to live a happier and more fulfilled life. Feel free to check out her free e-book if you’d like: 7 Keys to Getting Things Done, Living on Purpose and Being Happy in the Process.
RYAN COELHO on learning through doing
Ryan Coelho heads up Game on Leadership coaching in Toronto and he is a motivational speaker and career coach. In this interview we talk about how he realized engineering wasn’t for him, why taking action on things is so paramount, how learning through doing can change your life, and the “power of relative experience”– i.e., why you need to experience the hard times in order to really appreciate, and even get to, the awesome times in life. We also talk about the importance of mentors and how to find your own.
Learn more about Ryan and his endeavors at RyanCoelho.com.
RACHAEL KAY ALBERS on living and working with heart (& discovering your he(art)work)
In 2009, Rachael left law school to pursue her dream of working as an arts facilitator in southern Mexico, where she leads a high school theater collective in the Tzotzil community of Chalchihuitán, using drama, poetry, and storytelling to explore social issues like alcoholism, domestic violence, and discrimination.
In my interview with Rachael we talk about how she discovered that law school wasn’t for her and how she got through the tough times of self-doubt and anxiety in order to discover and live her own unique path. Rachael is an absolute inspiration and it was such a pleasure to talk with her!
You can learn more about her community work on her art + activism blog, RKA in LA, or check out her RKA ink site, where she designs and inspires with heart, helping other awesomepreneurs do the same.
JASON CRAWFORTH on networking, the power of mentors, and why you shouldn’t live “The American Dream”
Jason is a serial entrepreneur and has been the Founder and CEO of several companies over the years: Treetop Technologies, Piehole Enterprises, JLC Mobile, Cell Phone Solutions, Tamarack Grove Estates, etc… he is a great friend of mine and one of the smartest people I know. In our interview he talks about the importance of networking (& how to do it right), the power of mentors and how they can shift your life, how to interview well, and why you shouldn’t live the American dream.
Enjoy! 🙂
CHRIS TARANTINO on discovering your interests & passions, connecting with awesome people, and the power of being proactive
Chris Tarantino hadn’t even graduated college yet at the time of this interview, and yet he’s already landed major job (and volunteer) opportunities working in social media, marketing, emergency management, and more. In this interview, Chris and I talk about how he went from an undeclared major at the beginning of undergrad (with no clue what he wanted to study or in which direction he wanted to take his career), to finding a direction he’s passionate about and that has afforded him lots of opportunities. We also talk about how (and why) he has been able to connect with influential leaders and executives. Chris embodies the E & E concepts, and I’m excited to have him included in this series! You can learn more about Chris here.