Coffee & Change

And just like that we are at the last episode of the 2021 Season! On this episode, I am honored to speak with Tom Cridland - singer, songwriter and podcast host of "The Greatest Music of All Time." His is a podcast you should definitely add to your New Year's listening resolutions. Tom connects with some of the world's best artists and captures the story behind the story of their music, songwriting and creative process. It was a joy to connect with a fellow music lover and lifelong student of songwriting and song. Enjoy the listen and Happy Holidays! Look forward to connecting again in the 2022 Season of Coffee and Change.

As we reflect on yet another the year of grief, growth and gathering, I want to thank all the guests this year for your courageous sharing and storytelling that helped listeners around the world grow in change. In this brief episode, before preparing to record a final interview for 2021, I share a look back and reflection alongside a poet-philosopher's quote and usher in our continued wintering with "The Beautiful Haunt" - the latest composition from the one and only Jason Latham. This beautiful piece of music will be the opening theme for the podcast in 2022. Thanks for listening!

On this bonus episode I share the audio from a November 12, 2021 webinar where I spoke to three students who co-founded the "What in the Health" Podcast and shared insights and my journey in podcasting. “What in the Health?” is a student-led podcast founded by Eric Lynch, Rina Helt, and Fateha Zannath, three undergraduate students at Johns Hopkins University. The goal of this initiative is to help young adults make empowered choices about their health through the dissemination of credible information. By interviewing experts in all topics related to public health (i.e. COVID-19, patient safety, skincare, etc.), the goal is to create content that is easy to understand, relatable, and engaging. You can follow and listen to their podcast on all major platforms and YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuHRfY587thBe56fcI_ohxQ

Today’s conversation is one that stemmed from an idea from a former guest. The one and only WonderMama, Kacie Linegar, who you may remember from Episode 32, approached me at a time of great change in my life and asked if she could interview me to capture learning, insights, observations and nuggets of growth. Why at this time? Well, as I embark on a new journey and new chapter, the timing seemed right. So, with care and trust, I jumped at the chance to be in the hot seat and have the tables turned and be interviewed by Kacie, who is a career-long transformation expert. She is currently a Principal at a company called ALULA, which specializes in business transformation through effective leadership. Through her career, she has partnered with public and private sector leaders such as the Department of Defense, Department of Justice, Chevron and Total, helping them diagnose barriers to individual and team success. She is passionate about working with leaders to change the way they lead to enable them to realize

Today’s story comes from Joseph Julian from Mount Vernon, Indiana. Joseph attends Wabash College where he is a Senior majoring in Philosophy and minoring in Political Science. I had the pleasure of meeting with Joseph on a beautiful fall day on his campus where we talked about a recent speech he delivered to his community on the topic of Queer History, Past, Present and Future. Alongside and amidst three fellow student leaders and alumni, Joseph shared from his heart and in doing so moved a community further along in the journey of inclusion and belonging. You can find the talk and speech on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZCpDbhCoDvw. I encourage you to go listen to it in its entirety, and remember that words make worlds. And I think these men left the world a little better place for the words they spoke in honor of LGBT History Month. Enjoy the listen.

There is a word in the Irish language that holds great reverence and importance in Celtic Culture. While I am sure my pronunciation will not do it justice, my guest on this episode certainly does. That word is Seanchai and it means Storyteller. Storytelling is part of the Irish DNA and it comes to life in the words and wisdom of a man you will meet in this next hour. That man is Irvine Nugent. Irvine originally hails from the town of Ballymagorry in Northern Ireland, where he grew up as a Child of the Troubles. His tales of adversity, resilience, rebuilding and healing laid the foundation for a great storytelling and wisdom sharing, all that was collected in a book he published in September of 2020. Titled “Leadership Lessons from the Pub,” I read this book cover to cover one afternoon and couldn’t stop thinking about the undiscovered commonalities of our human journeys. I was honored to have Irvine join me for a nourishing and generous conversation that felt a little bit like two old friends meeting up a

Our story today comes from Chris Lovett the founder of Less is Progress, and author of Discovery of Less. His platform has been created to support individuals, families and teams be more successful, with LESS. ​ Chris believes that life is complex and we are always on the go. We are consumed by countless distractions, constant comparisons and too much stuff can make us lose focus on what's important. Having a minimalist mindset can help design a better lifestyle that works for you in any context of life. Remove the things that no longer add value to make room for unlocking the best version of you. This is one man’s story of how he did just that. I really enjoyed the conversation, reading and discussing his book, and even taking a few detours and footpaths through a few musical throwbacks for some added joy. I definitely look forward to having Chris on for a part 2 at some point to continue the camaraderie in change. Enjoy the listen and make sure to check out Chris’s work at LessIsProgress.com

Today’s story comes to us from Shae Sterrett. Shae is the founder and owner of The Spark, a Yoga Therapy and Healing Arts boutique based in New Hampshire. The Spark is a virtual and in person health and healing arts collective that serves clients from around the world. Shae’s work is centered on helping men and women struggling with trauma, post traumatic stress, chronic stress and pain and persistent anxiety. At The Spark Shae works to provide customers with innovative, personalized, and transformative experiences to help others master self-care and proceed on a lifelong healing journey. Enjoy the listen. Learn more at: https://shaesterrett.com/the-spark-boutique

Today’s conversation and story is shared by Colin McLetchie. Colin is the owner and founder of Five Ways Forward, and partners with individuals, managers, leaders and executives to evolve, grow and thrive as human beings. As we hear in this discussion with Colin, everything he does comes from what he believes in and what he sees in others. And what that belief and sight looks like is: Lives worth living, leaders worth following, and teams/organizations worth being a part of... all of which create communities and a world worth living in. Colin plays many roles in this life, as a coach, consultant, trainer, facilitator, speaker and more. I am also honored to get to call him a friend along this journey. No matter the hat he is wearing, Colin is concretely focused on helping people and teams think, feel, and believe differently so they can do differently to increase their impact on the mission and the world. I trust this discussion and the insights explored with Colin will find a way to help you take a ne

On Episode 77, I take the podcast on the road, and into a studio where magic happens. Matt Schimelfenig and Augusta Koch make up the band Gladie. They were kind enough to invite me to the Ponono Mountains in Pennsylvania where they have built their own studio where they record their own music and also that of other bands and artists. Together in the perfectly creative curated space called The Bunk, we discuss how the pandemic has changed the lives of artists and the craft of music making, editing and producing. There are so many gems of inspiration from this discussion, so let your inner artist and creative listen deeply. You can find out more about Matt and August on their website at www.atthebunk.com or look for their music on your favorite platform. Thanks for listening!

Today's story features Paul Shepherd, a Sydney based entrepreneur and creator of a unique system that helps leaders to live a life of purpose and meaning through a holistic 360-degree approach that nurtures the mind, body, and soul. Prepare for a dynamic conversation with this incredible human being. Enjoy the listen. You can find out more about Paul at http://www.paulbshepherd.com

Nadine's mission is to ambitiously push human potential and humanity forward by empowering others to clarify the highest vision of their future and fulfill that by optimizing their performance and wellbeing, enabling them to lead with purpose and activate systemic change. Nadine has worked with elite athletes and high-performance coaches across all sports in Ireland for over 8 years as well as with C-level executives, senior leaders and leadership teams in national, international and Fortune 500 companies. As a change facilitator and innovator, Nadine is passionate about activating systemic transformation and has led multiple projects at national level in Ireland to create systems change in education, youth leadership, society and in the wellbeing curriculum at post-primary level. Nadine also supports entrepreneurs globally through her signature online program, The Celtic Leader, to take their big-hearted vision to purpose-driven mission. Nadine's unrelenting focus on leading an emerging future that serves

Today's story comes from Julio Alvarez, a first-generation Ecuadorean American who has worked for the largest consumer brands, helping connect people to emerging new products in meaningful ways. Over the last 12 years, Julio has created retail experiences as an Apple store leader, led Google’s annual Year in Search brand campaign, supported a luxury brand acquisition at Airbnb, created the PMM function at Tumblr, and championed Lyft’s ability to overcome strong COVID headwinds with leadership across two mission-critical areas: Health Safety and Self-Driving Rides. Julio is passionate about mental health + sustainability and sees them as the most pressing opportunities of our lifetime, so he's taking time post-COVID to explore how he can best add value at-scale here. Fun fact: Perhaps second only to Gayle King, Julio has watched all 4,563 episodes of the Oprah Show. These days, you might call that a Ph.D in storytelling! Enjoy the discussion.

On this episode we hear the story and journey of former gymnast champion now novelist, Scott Wilbanks. Scott's first novel, The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster was a book I couldn't put down. Now, five years later, I am re-reading the book for the third time and connecting with Scott to say thank you for listening to the inner voice that placed one sentence in his head and began his journey as a novelist and author. Enjoy the discussion.

Happy Summer and thanks for listening. Just as the seasons change, we too are changing things up a bit here on Coffee & Change. As we head into the summer season, as families begin to reunite, take road trips, make memories and celebrate moments together, we want to meet people where they are at, wherever they are listening. And my guest on this special episode makes that possible. The musical opening you are hearing is the summer season composition and score for this podcast, penned and played by none other than Jason Latham. As art of our creative partnership, Jason wanted to bring our listening community a sound for summer. That sound captures the season and spirit perfectly, as I will be taking a few episodes of the podcast on the road this summer...meeting people where they are at. So to kick off that special series, let’s hear from the composer and creator, who in his story reminds us of the power of playing in through, learning from the next generation, and listening to your heart while being pull

Today’s story comes from Sharon Brewster. Sharon is the Chief Brand and Creative Officer at Brewster Branding, a creative agency specializing in helping businesses connect with customers. She is passionate about business innovation, growth, and entrepreneurship. Merging brand strategies, creativity, technology, and a psychologically-nuanced technique, Sharon collaborates with business owners and entrepreneurs to develop a personalized, purposeful and recognizable brand that some would consider their first true reflection in copy. Using web, social media, print, and audience segmentation, Sharon designs with a supportive and inclusive approach to help clients achieve their business goals and life goals. Enjoy the listen. You can find Sharon at http://www.brewsterbranding.com/portal

Today’s story comes from Brendan McWeeney. Brendan is a User Experience Design Manager at LinkedIn. In November of 2018 Brendan wrote an article on Linkedin titled: “You May Not Be My Leader: My Personal Philosophy on Design Leadership.” This year, as we emerge from the Pandemic our work has evolved in ways we never could have imagined, this article not only caught my eye, but spoke to my heart. I believe we are at an unprecedented crossroads in leadership - from design to development to delegation. The whole definition needs to be rewritten based on new ways of working to address the new challenges that can’t be solved with the tools we learned, in all those books we read, and courses we sat through. So where do we begin? Well, I am hoping for you, it may begin in the power of reading the words of Brendan McWeeney who courageously shared how he decided to construct his own Personal Philosophy of Leadership after completing a Masters in Information Design and Strategy. Brendan puts the power back in the han

Today’s story comes from Seth Adams, the Land Conservation Director for Save Mount Diablo. Thirty three years ago, Seth joined Save Mount Diablo as their first staff member. His passion brought him to the city by the bay, and as a resident of the East Bay he uses a powerful combination of passion, purpose and persistence to manage change admirably in a variety of focus areas. Seth has earned numerous awards and accolades for his work in advocacy, government relations, procurement and acquisitions, and educational and media programs rooted in changing hearts and minds to benefit the climate and the Earth. Among Seth's accomplishments are participation in the preservation of tens of thousands of acres of land as well as the creation of Urban Limit Lines all while supporting the raising of over a billion dollars in conservation funding. Seth is an avid hiker, and amateur historian. Enjoy the listening and the wisdom shared. Learn more at: https://www.savemountdiablo.org/

Today’s story comes from someone I admire and believe in and have had the chance to get to know these past few months. Paul McCarthy is the founder and author of the forthcoming book on FIRED Leadership. I first heard Paul speak about his work and thought leadership on the Humans Now and Then Podcast with Rebecca Scott. While listening, I found myself stopping in my tracks as Paul posed questions that frankly, no one dared to say aloud before. At the heart of his inquiry is a purpose driven desire to understand why after almost $400 billion a year is spent on leadership development, it still isn’t working. Paul speaks his truth and shares facts that many organizations do not want to admit. Plain and simple. And in his inquiry and investigation for even more truth in this industry, Paul helps us understand what some may consider an ongoing, unsolved mystery. Why is it, that after all this investment in top talent, organizations are continuing to fire their top talent. As Paul asks each question in numero

Today’s story comes to us from Sharon Laflamme. Sharon focuses her work and passion on helping others change and grow through what is referred to as somatic experiences. In studying the power of the somatic, Sharon seeks to liberate people from the habits, traumas, and beliefs that are creating unhappiness, poor health, lack of fulfillment and stagnation in their life. Sharon empowers and teaches others the skills to create serenity and healing in our world, using own own energetic makeup. Enjoy the discussion. You can learn more about Sharon at https://www.creatingserenitynow.com/