Sports Mojo

Welcome to Sports Mojo!

annefoneil13@gmail.com (Anne O’Neil) — Thu, 23 May 2024 00:20:00 +0000

Welcome to Sports Mojo!

18. Mindset: Back to the Basics

annefoneil13@gmail.com (Anne O'Neil) — Thu, 1 Dec 2022 10:00:00 +0000

In this episode, I share one of my personal stories of adversity, mindset, and triumph. At the Division 1 women’s college basketball level, the three-point shot is one of the most important of the game. In high school, I had practiced for years and years as a jump-shooter and then during my freshman season at Illinois, a mental block took over and I couldn’t hit the rim from behind the three point line!

I knew I had to fix my shot to become a top player - but how? A couple years later, the moment came where it was time to fix my shot once and for all - and I went back to the basics. I repeated the mantra form that I learned when I was six-years-old: toe, knee, elbow, ball. Slowly but surely, I retrained my entire body to shoot with a cohesive, aligned flow.

Listen to today’s episode to hear the backstory of one of my favorite and frequent mindset practices of going back to the basics.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Simplecast, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Topics Covered:

What I do when I'm up against something that feels insurmountable or too complicated
Simple ways to take the pressure off and get out of your head
The incredible outcomes of going back to basics during my basketball career
Learning to pivot when your ideal plan gets set off course

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17. Cultivating SelfWork with Psychologist Dr. Margaret Rutherford

annefoneil13@gmail.com (Dr. Margaret Rutherford, Anne O’Neil) — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 09:00:00 +0000

I’m joined by Dr. Margaret Rutherford, a psychologist with over 25 years of experience, author of Perfectly Hidden Depression, and host of The SelfWork Podcast. Her research is mainly centered around the mental health effects of perfectionism. She’s passionate about helping people get out of that thought pattern and live authentic, balanced, and healthy lives.

Perfectly Hidden Depression is a compassionate guide that walks readers through the process of understanding their perfectionism, identifying destructive beliefs, and uncovering repressed emotions. Dr. Margaret details tangible tips for quieting that critical inner voice, and powerful strategies for coping with difficult feelings, including her ‘5 C’s’ method. She created The SelfWork Podcast, which has over 300 episodes and 3.5 million downloads, to broaden the conversation around mental health.

Dr. Margaret also works closely with This Is My Brave, a non-profit organization that believes in the power of storytelling to break down the stigma surrounding mental illness. This Is My Brave has produced over 75 unique shows in cities across the world and featured nearly 875 storytellers sharing true, personal stories on overcoming depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and more.

Listen to today’s episode to hear how Dr. Margaret is breaking down barriers and normalizing conversations about mental health.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Simplecast, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Topics Covered:

How Dr. Margaret made the bold decision to pivot her career from singer to therapist
Recognizing when your actions are driven by the past, and how to shift that narrative
Leaning and growing into your curiosities and passions - even in your 60’s
How to identify signs and symptoms of perfectly hidden depression in your loved ones
The importance of keeping your energy focused on what you have control over

About our guest:

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16. From Foster Care to Pro Athlete with Steven Benedict

annefoneil13@gmail.com (Steven Benedict, Anne O’Neil) — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 09:00:00 +0000

I’m joined by Steven Benedict, a professional track and field athlete and Olympic Trials Qualifier, to discuss his unique and inspiring story. There are over 400,000 children in the foster care system, and at just a few months old, Steven became part of that statistic. At eight years old, he and his younger brother were adopted by a supportive and loving family who encouraged him to try out every sport that sparked his interest.

Though he was involved in all different after-school activities growing up, Steven felt naturally inclined and interested in track and field. Since then, he’s done consistent work to build internal confidence and become a world-class athlete. In addition to competing in the Adidas Classic Diamond League and US Nationals, he ran for Nike for 2 years and was a Penn Relays Champion.

Off the track, Steven is the founder of Empowering Movement, a coaching business that offers tailored programs to elite and up-and-coming athletes that utilizes his signature Performance Coaching Method. He’s also the founder of a non-profit organization called Fostering Success, which pairs professional athletes with foster kids to create awareness, offer mentorship, and support ongoing opportunities for fostered and adopted children nationwide.

Listen to today’s episode to learn more about Steven’s incredible story and how he’s working to create sustainable change in the foster care system.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Simplecast, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Topics Covered:

How being exposed to different activities and communities as a child added up and expanded Steven’s track and field skill set
What Steven means when he calls running a ’soul sport’
How Steven has worked to develop his mental, physical, spiritual, and situational awareness
The reality of what it takes to be a professional athlete
Steven’s vision for Fostering Success and how he plans to move the needle in the foster care system

About our guest:

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15. Cooking, Reinventing, and Joy with Ask Chef Dennis

annefoneil13@gmail.com (Dennis Littley, Anne O’Neil) — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 09:00:00 +0000

I’m joined by chef, food blogger, photographer, recipe developer, and creator of Ask Chef Dennis®, Dennis Littley. He’s an online cooking sensation known for sharing his recipes and techniques that result in restaurant-quality meals in under 30 minutes. After transitioning from chef to food services management, Dennis landed in the cafeteria of an all-girls Catholic high school. He was tired of the same old pizza and chicken nuggets, and decided to use his fine dining experience to revamp the menu. He eventually created a culinary program that brought acclaim to the school and was used as a model for other schools around the country.

It was around that time that he started his food blog to provide a space for his trainees to learn more and connect, but he also gained a global following. Dennis and I discuss what inspired him to get out of his comfort zone, start recording cooking videos, and develop new social media skills. He shares the stories behind some of his most popular recipes, including the fan-favorite tiramisu, and what his vision is for his culinary travel series.

Throughout his career, Dennis has always been dedicated to paying it forward and opening people’s minds to the world of possibility that exists within the home kitchen. Even in a prosperous and privileged country like the US, there are millions of children and adults who don’t get the daily meals they need in order to thrive. Dennis is passionate about the work that the folks over at Feeding America do to ensure equitable access to nutritious food for all Americans.

Listen to today’s episode to hear Chef Dennis’ story and find joy in the one thing that brings us together: delicious food!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Simplecast, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Topics Covered:

The importance of surrounding yourself with a with a team that lifts you up and delegating tasks
Reigniting the spark for something that you love after experiencing burnout
Tips for becoming more present in the cooking and eating process
Being open to learning new skills and reinventing yourself in retirement
How Dennis is upgrading his website and staying on top of food trends
Dennis’ philosophy of giving everything in life three chances

About our guest:

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14. What 101 Countries Teach Us About Creating Values with Dr. Mandeep Rai

annefoneil13@gmail.com (Dr. Mandeep Rai, Anne O'Neil) — Tue, 5 Jul 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Dr. Mandeep Rai is an international best-selling author, speaker, and broadcast journalist. She is the author of The Values Compass: What 101 Countries Teach Us About Purpose, Life and Leadership, which details how to incorporate values from other nations into your own life. She began her career working for JPMorgan, the United Nations, the European Commission, and grassroots NGOs before setting up the UAE’s first media venture capital fund. Dr. Rai studied philosophy, politics, and economics (PPE) at the University of Melbourne, has an MSc in development from the London School of Economics, an MBA at London Business School, with a year at Harvard Business School and MIT, and she holds a PhD in global values.

Through her extensive travels (185 countries, and counting!), Dr. Rai came to the conclusion that each country has a core value. For example, the United States is characterized by entrepreneurship, Canada by openness, South Africa by forgiveness, and Mexico by celebration. The book is equal parts travel guide, foreign language class, and history lesson all told through the lens of vivid, vibrant stories. In our conversation, Dr. Rai explains how she came up with the five primary values and shares a preview of a tool she’s developing to help readers narrow down their own values.

We also touch on daily practices for heart-centering and tapping into your own energy. Dr. Rai is a deeply spiritual person and connected with her community, and she shares a charity that is near and dear to her. The Jaskomal Foundation is about bringing awareness and education in regards to stem cell transplants and increasing the donor registration list. Listen to today’s episode to hear our conversation about The Values Compass and more.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Simplecast, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Topics Covered:

Notable leaders who have endorsed Dr. Rai’s work, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama
How Dr. Rai makes every morning a ‘miracle morning’
Looking at countries through their relationship to change, continuity, connection, community, and core values
Dr. Rai’s go-to practices for finding and discovering values so that you’re always operating as your authentic self
How Dr. Rai is working to build more awareness about the importance of understanding national values

About our guest:

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13. Cycling for Gratitude and Community with Michael O'Brien

annefoneil13@gmail.com (Anne O’Neil, Michael O’Brian) — Tue, 14 Jun 2022 09:00:00 +0000

I’m joined by Michael O’Brian, an executive coach, speaker, author, and the Chief Calm Officer of the Pause Breathe Reflect™ movement. In 2001, Michael was the marketing lead for a $700M brand and, as he describes it, he was checking everything off the list. He had a college degree, successful career, wife, kids, and a house. But on July 11, 2001, an SUV traveling 40 mph hit him head-on when he was out for a morning bike ride. After being discharged from the ICU, his doctors warned him that he would have a lifetime of limitations, walk with difficulty, and probably never cycle again.

Michael’s mental health took a major hit after receiving that news. He eventually connected with a mentor who emphasized that everything in life is neutral until you label it. He challenged Michael to start a mindfulness practice, which eventually turned into his signature Pause Breathe Reflect™ session that he shares with leaders today. He came up with the acronym G.R.A.C.E., which stands for Gratitude, Reframing, Awareness, Community, and Energy, as a way to become more resilient and achieve success starting from the inside out.

As a way to commemorate the 21st anniversary of his accident and Last Bad Day, he’s embarking on a challenge he’s calling the Rise2Ripple. He’ll be cycling The TransAmerica Bicycle Trail, which is a whopping 4,300 miles and covers 43 states. It’s a celebration of life, generosity, mindfulness, and the beauty of the United States. In our conversation, we also highlight the World Bicycle Relief, a non-profit organization that specializes in large-scale, comprehensive bicycle distribution programs to aid poverty relief in developing countries around the world.

Listen to today’s episode to hear Michael’s inspiring story and learn more about the power of mindful, intentional living.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Simplecast, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Topics Covered:

Embracing the mindset that things happen for you, not to you
Challenging today’s hustle and grind culture
Michael’s transformative perspective and approach to achievement and external validation
How five mindful minutes using Pause, Breathe, Reflect™ can transform your day
The origin of the word ‘peloton’ and how Michael relied on his community through his recovery
Showing people what's possible when you slow down and live life mindfully

About our guest:

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12. People Over Everything with Scott MacGregor

annefoneil13@gmail.com (Anne O’Neil, Scott MacGregor) — Wed, 1 Jun 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Scott MacGregor is the founder & CEO of SomethingNew LLC, one of the fastest-growing talent strategy companies in the country. SomethingNew is a record seven-time recipient of the American Business Award for Innovation and winner of Best of Staffing. Growing up, he had dreams of becoming a professional athlete, but a career-ending injury in college forced him to pivot and refocus his energy into business. He was the youngest National Account Manager in the history of Pitney Bowes, a Fortune 500 Company, and at the age of 29, he took a bold leap into the startup world. After 10 years of putting the plan together for SomethingNew, Scott launched the company that redefines talent acquisition and recruiting.

In 2020, he asked himself, “How can I give back more? How can I help more people?” The answer to that came in the form of a private membership community called Talent Champions Council. The idea behind the community was to teach leadership principles, spread his ‘People Over Everything’ mantra, and help industry leaders uplevel their businesses. In just two short years, the platform has amounted to over 500 members in 29 countries, and hosted 140 live, interactive events.

When Scott came up with the idea for SomethingNew, he was dedicated to building a company that gave back. He was able to combine his passion for learning about people’s unique stories and philanthropy by publishing the Standing O! books. Each book features prominent CEOs, professional athletes, bestselling authors, Olympians, military leaders, and more who share chapters of gratitude for life lessons learned, and 100% of the proceeds go to charity. The books have supported amazing organizations such as, Elevate New York, Look for the Good Project, Special Operations Warrior Foundation, Blankets of Hope, and Warrior Rising.

Listen to today’s episode to learn more about Scott’s entrepreneurial journey, the charities that he’s passionate about, and his interpretation of what it means to be bigger than yourself.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Simplecast, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Topics Covered:

Why philanthropy is the cornerstone of all his business ventures
Scott’s passion for bringing together international leaders to share their knowledge and skills around building talent
The work ethic, discipline, and resiliency required to succeed in both athletics and business
Epic Standing O! stories, from Olympians, CEOs, Navy Seals, and professional athletes
How Scott evaluates communication skills, empathy, and resourcefulness during the hiring process
Transformative conversations that have taken place at Talent Champions Council events
How Scott grows by constantly staying curious and building genuine relationships

About our guest:

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11. Disrupting Cancer with Christine Handy

annefoneil13@gmail.com (Anne O’Neil, Christine Handy) — Tue, 17 May 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Christine Handy is a mother of two, a breast cancer survivor, international speaker, accomplished model, best-selling author, and a nationally-recognized humanitarian. Starting at age 11, Christine had a talent for modeling and was featured on campaigns for brands such as JCPenney, Neiman Marcus, Guess, and more. However, her lifestyle came to a halt at 35 when health issues and complications with surgery affected her career. Less than 10 years later, Christine was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer and struggled with her will to live.

Through her 15 months of chemotherapy, she decided that if she was going to get a second chance at life, she was going to do it differently. She started a positive affirmation practice, built her self-esteem on her faith, and discovered who she was outside of the external validation of modeling. She started identifying as a “cancer disrupter” and made it her mission to uplift other people battling life-threatening illnesses.

Part of that mission is her volunteer and board work with EBeauty, a wig exchange program that supports people diagnosed with breast cancer and raises awareness about the disease. In addition, she wrote and published a book based on a fictional depiction of her life and is currently working on her second book through her master’s program at Harvard. Christine also still rocks the catwalk and recently walked in New York Fashion Week. Listen to today’s episode to hear more of Christine’s inspiring story and learn how she’s transformed her life after major adversity.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Simplecast, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Topics Covered:

How Christine re-routed her life after her cancer diagnosis
The power of positive self-talk
Nurturing your self-esteem by living a life of serving
Walking away from transactional relationships
Consuming content that’s in alignment with your values and personal growth
Rooting your life in things that can’t be stripped away

About our guest:

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10. Listening for the Bigger Story with Anne O'Neil

annefoneil13@gmail.com (Anne O'Neil) — Wed, 4 May 2022 09:00:00 +0000

I’ve shared a bit about my high school and college basketball career in previous episodes, and in today’s episode, I want to highlight one of the most pivotal games of my career. Flashback to a snowy game night on the outskirts of Cedar Rapids, Iowa一just a typical Tuesday in the middle of winter for my Kennedy High School team. Two of our biggest fans, Ryan and Greg, were in the crowd. They had differing mental capabilities and were known throughout the town for going to all of the city’s sporting events. The warmups and 20minute countdown to tip-off were going as planned, when all of the sudden, the legendary University of Tennessee Head Coach Pat Summitt, and her assistant coach Mickie DeMoss, walked in. Summit accrued 1,098 career wins, the most in college basketball history at the time of her retirement, and took home eight NCAA Division I basketball championship titles, so you can imagine what an honor it was to have her recruiting and watching my game.

You would think that’s what made the game so special, but it was actually the car ride home that sticks in my memory. My parents and I gave Ryan and Greg a ride home, and they shared passionately about their upcoming Special Olympics game. This conversation sparked a shift in my relationship with them, and I started to view them as true friends and fellow athletes instead of superfans. Listen to today’s episode to hear more about how I first learned about the Special Olympics and discovered what it meant to be a part of something bigger than myself.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Simplecast, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Topics Covered:

A peek into my junior year basketball season
The larger role that Ryan and Greg played in my life outside of basketball
The inclusive team spirit of the Special Olympics
Why I love connecting with other people and hearing what lights them up

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9. Spreading Happiness with John's Crazy Socks

annefoneil13@gmail.com (Anne O’Neil, John Cronin, Mark X. Cronin) — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 09:00:00 +0000

John and Mark X. Cronin are the father-son team behind John’s Crazy Socks, a social enterprise with a mission to spread happiness. John is a 26-year-old entrepreneur, advocate, public speaker, philanthropist, and athlete who happens to have Down syndrome. He and Mark strongly believe that people with different abilities should have the same opportunities to work, thrive, and create community. In fact, more than half of the team at John’s Crazy Socks have differing abilities, and John and Mark often host tours and workgroups for students with different abilities to open their eyes to what’s possible after graduating high school.

When John isn’t at the warehouse making design decisions, writing handwritten notes for each order, or wrangling socks, he and Mark are speaking at conferences and making strides with their Down syndrome advocacy work. They’ve spoken at Microsoft, Ernst and Young, and universities all over the world. They’ve also testified twice before the US Congress, spoken at the United Nations, and John was recently invited on to the floor of the New York State Assembly where the New York State Legislature passed a resolution on World Down Syndrome Day.

John’s Crazy Socks Giving Back program is at the center of their mission and they have raised nearly $500,000 for their charity partners. From day one, John and Mark have pledged 5% to the Special Olympics, a charity near and dear to them as John has been part of the organization for 21 years. John has now donated over $100,000 to the Special Olympics, which more than any Special Olympic athlete has ever done.

Listen to today’s episode to hear how John and Mark are spreading happiness one pair of crazy socks at a time.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Simplecast, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Topics Covered:

The reason and inspiration to start John’s Crazy Socks
How they created a mission-driven enterprise through giving back with each sale
Why hiring people with differing abilities is not altruism一it's good business
How John has been a Special Olympics athlete for over 20 years and how it shaped his entrepreneurial and leadership skills
How they scaled from 42 orders on launch day to now shipping over 375,000 packages to 88 different countries
What they have planned next for the brand

About our guest:

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8. Amplifying Voices and Opportunities in Tech and Beyond with William A. Adams

annefoneil13@gmail.com (Anne O'Neil, William A. Adams) — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 09:00:00 +0000

William A. Adams is a software engineering trailblazer, award-winning DEI innovator, and philanthropist. William has over 35 years of tech experience and has spent most of his career at Microsoft. Since starting in 1995, he’s been a big believer in being an intrapreneur and exploring passion projects within a company.

One example of his intrapreneurship in action was in 2015 when he co-founded the LEAP apprenticeship program at Microsoft. LEAP matches tech talent in coding academies and other non-collegiate programs with training opportunities at Microsoft. LEAP was named Microsoft's D&I Program of the Year in 2020 and 98% of the program participants have jobs in Microsoft or other high-tech companies.

Outside of Microsoft, William is dedicated to lifting up minority communities through technology. He coined the term ‘techquity’ and educates folks who are typically disadvantaged when it comes to building generational wealth on investing in tech. He’s the founder of The EV3NT, a collaborative, community-based hackathon designed to solve real-world civic, social, and environmental problems. William is also the driving force behind Microsoft’s new push into the U.S. Virgin Island and founder of Cruzan Global, a non-profit that provides seed funding and resources to tech startups that are founded in and benefit the Caribbean region.

Listen to today’s episode to hear more about William’s incredible career and how he’s making major changes in the tech industry.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Simplecast, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Topics Covered:

William’s dynamic ways of viewing the world and opportunities
How he awakened his empathy during a 3-year work program in Hyderabad, India
Incorporating different perspectives and cultures at Microsoft through the LEAP program
How he built credibility at Microsoft in order to launch his own initiatives
His leadership philosophy on elevating and developing the people he manages
How he sees technology and the workforce changing in the next 20 to 30 years
The importance of community growth and amplifying resources for everyone

About our guest:

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7. Breaking Barriers for Women in Sports with Brenda VanLengen

annefoneil13@gmail.com (Anne O'Neil, Brenda VanLengen) — Tue, 1 Mar 2022 14:42:10 +0000

Brenda VanLengen is an Emmy Award-winning multi-sport TV broadcaster. She’s the primary analyst for the Big 12 Conference women's basketball coverage on Fox Sports and Play-by-Play announcer for ESPN and the SEC Network Monday night games, as well as an analyst for local networks.

In today’s episode, Brenda shares how her family supported her love of sports from a young age and she eventually went on to play basketball at the University of Nebraska Kearney. Her legacy at Nebraska–Kearney includes being named one of their top 20 scorers all-time, a two-time Academic All-American, All CSIC-1st Team, and All-District 11 First team. She also helped build up the program and her team made an appearance in the NAIA National Tournament.

Though she studied education and planned on becoming a high school teacher, women’s college basketball was her biggest passion. She got her lucky break when she was asked to fill in for the color commentator at a Kansas State game. Since then, she’s been an analyst for over 1,200 women’s basketball games.

Over her 27 year career, Brenda has seen first-hand how much progress has been made in women’s college basketball. But, there’s still a lot of work to be done to support girls and women in sports. Her latest project is a documentary series titled If Not For Them, which details the epic story of the forgotten women who changed the world for the love of their sport. She wants to tell the origin story of women’s basketball and highlight all the amazing women and men who elevated the sport.

Listen to today’s episode to hear more about Brenda’s journey and the awareness she’s bringing to equality in women’s basketball.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Simplecast, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Topics Covered:

Brenda’s favorite moments from the sidelines
Breaking through limiting beliefs and being open to saying ‘yes’
How Brenda brings a different perspective and voice to broadcast journalism
Learning how to take advantage of your strengths
Why it’s so important to explore the history of women’s basketball
Brenda’s fundraising efforts for If Not For Them
The intersection of Title IX and the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship
Empowering girls and women in athletics

About our guest:

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6. Creating a Purpose-Filled Life with Trav Bell

annefoneil13@gmail.com (Anne O'Neil, Trav Bell) — Wed, 9 Feb 2022 11:00:00 +0000

Trav Bell, aka The Bucket List Guy, is on a mission to help 10 million people lead purposefully fulfilled lives. But, his career didn’t exactly start that way. Growing up in a seaside town in Victoria, Australia, Trav excelled in swimming and surfing and went on to study physical education in college. He fell in love with the coaching aspect of physical training and eventually became one of the first people to franchise personal fitness training studios in Australia. After 16 years, he realized that he was disconnected from the purpose behind his mission and left the business.

Trav is candid about his struggles with mild depression and finding his purpose after closing down his business. He discovered positive psychology, neuro-linguistic programming, and life coaching, which eventually led him to launch his career as a motivational speaker. He knew he wanted to help people have more meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in both their work in their life.

About eight years ago, he posed a question during a speaking event: What wakes you up in the morning? He had a lightbulb moment in that same session when someone in the audience referred to him as ‘the bucket list guy,’ and he developed his brand around that idea.

Trav now runs the Certified Bucket List Coaching Program, is the author of The Bucket List Blueprint, host of The Bucket Life List Podcast, and has checked ‘TedX speaker’ off his own bucket list! He also oversees the Bucket List Foundation, which is a charity that gives bucket list wishes to terminally ill seniors. Listen to today’s episode to learn more about Trav’s regret-free lifestyle and why you shouldn’t wait to start checking things off your bucket list!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Simplecast, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Topics Covered:

How to use The Bucket List Blueprint to articulate a personally meaningful and holistic list
The power of reverse engineering your goals
Overcoming the ‘I’ll be happy when...’ syndrome
Discovering the person that exists on the other side of your bucket list
Taking real-life action that creates the forward momentum
Recalibrating your work, happiness, and fulfillment
Trav’s current bucket list for 2022

About Trav:

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5. Building Modern Wellness with Myk Likhov

annefoneil13@gmail.com (Anne O’Neil, Barry Gottlieb, Myk Likhov) — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 11:00:00 +0000

Myk Likhov is an entrepreneur and widely recognized expert in the wellness industry. After receiving his MBA from world-renowned Wharton Business School, he realized that he was simply going through the motions and checking off the boxes that society expected of him. Instead of diving back into the investment world, he pursued his passion of starting a yoga company called Green Monkey. In his 4 years with the company, he grew it from concept to $900K revenue in 2010 to $2M revenue in 2011.

After exiting management and ownership of Green Monkey in 2011, Myk returned to the world of startups and consumer products. He leveraged his educational and professional background and was the COO of a financial product business. In 2015, he decided to pivot back into the wellness space by launching Modern OM.

Modern OM is all about opening up a conversation around what it means to be spiritually engaged in our contemporary modern lives. As Myk puts it, the family business is rooted in the mission to edge the world in the more conscious direction. He works alongside his mother and stepfather to create energy-infused jewelry and build a conscious community where they host daily in-person and online spirituality events and workshops.

In 2022, Myk is looking forward to expanding Modern OM and is on a journey to facilitating conversations about what it feels and looks like to be spiritual. Listen in on today’s episode to learn more about how Myk balances business and spirituality and his advice for people who are looking to go on a similar journey!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Simplecast, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Topics Covered:

How external pressures stifled Myk’s true passions and interests from a young age
The benefits and highlights of running a family business
Shifting from the overachiever mentality to building a soulful career
The inspiration behind the name and concept of “Modern OM”
Myk’s tips for how to stay grounded and aligned with your mission while growing a business
Practicing meditation for ourselves versus practicing for the benefit of others
How to get started on your mediation journey

About our guest:

Special Offers:

If there’s a topic or charity you want us to highlight on the podcast, DM it to us on Instagram @getbusylivin_pod
Listeners of the pod can get a free chapter of Barry’s book, Brilliant: The Basics. Simply go to getbusylivinpodcast.com/brilliant to download it now.

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4. Giving Back Dreams with Paul McLean

annefoneil13@gmail.com (Paul McLean, Anne O'Neil, Barry Gottlieb) — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 11:00:00 +0000

Over his 20 year career, Paul McLean has helped develop corporate culture, emotional intelligence, and leadership skills for a number of multinational corporations such as Qlik, Samsung, Konica Minolta, Fuji Xerox Asia Pacific, SAVVIS Inc., WAM!NET Inc. and Canon. Paul is now a senior leader at Palo Alto Networks, a top cyber security company, and specializes in talent development and human performance.

In 2016, Paul had the opportunity to visit Uganda through a corporate social responsibility trip. While volunteering with We See Hope, Paul faced a turning point in his life and was moved and inspired to create a children’s charity. He realized the power of children and wanted to help underprivileged children access education in order to help them reach their potential.

After his eye-opening trip, Paul created Dreams for Life with the mission of building smart communities and prosperous futures for underprivileged children. The program is based on the Montessori method to encourage both education and life skills. It also helps develop community members as educators and school administrators.

Their latest project, The Sumba Smart Centre, just broke ground and will provide teacher wages and training, plus education for 79 Kindergarten-aged children. Listen to today’s episode to learn more about Paul’s inspiring mission and how he’s using his corporate background to uplift Indonesian communities.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Simplecast, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Topics Covered:

How Paul decided on starting Dreams for Life in Indonesia
The “Montessori in a Box” method and rethinking early childhood education
How $395 can educate a community of 60 kids for a year with Montessori in a Box
The importance of self reflection and self awareness when it comes to growth mindset
What Paul has learned being a leader in the corporate and nonprofit world
Details on Paul’s latest projects, including the Sumba Smart Centre and Giving Back Sunday

About our Guest:

Special Offers:

If there’s a topic or charity you want us to highlight on the podcast, DM it to us on Instagram @getbusylivin_pod
Listeners of the pod can get a free chapter of Barry’s book, Brilliant: The Basics. Simply go to getbusylivinpodcast.com/brilliant to download it now.

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3. Growing by Example with Joy McAdams

annefoneil13@gmail.com (Anne O’Neil, Barry Gottlieb, Joy McAdams) — Tue, 7 Dec 2021 10:00:00 +0000

Joy McAdams is what you call a growth mindset guru. In today’s episode, she shares how her emotional intelligence and positive self-discipline has helped propel her business, social media following, athletic training, and family forward.

With her medical consulting agency, she helps medical professionals embrace social media, digital marketing, and relationship building so that they get the referrals they need. She also helps clients develop the communication, empathy, and emotional intelligence skills needed for a thriving practice.

Her racing resume includes the Rim2Rim2Rim race, running 46 miles of the Grand Canyon in less than 24 hours, as well as 6 IRONMAN Triathlons. In today’s episode, she shares her recent experience of running the Boston Marathon to raise money for Boston Children’s Hospital. Working with the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals has helped her dig deeper and overcome mindset barriers.

But, she’s not slowing down yet! Joy also shares her goals for 2022 and beyond, including writing a book, creating content to help guide people, and qualifying for the 140.6 IRONMAN World Championship in Kona. Tune in to hear our inspiring conversation with Joy and learn more about tapping into your growth mindset.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Simplecast, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Topics Covered:

How sharing her athletic journey and growth mindset on LinkedIn helped Joy expand her business
Ways that she’s raising her 5 children to embrace adversity and grow from struggles
What is “positive self-discipline” and how Joy uses that method to manage her busy life
How working with patient partners in the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals has brought new meaning to her training
The two mentors that have had a huge impact on Joy’s life

About our guest:

Special Offers:

If there’s a topic or charity you want us to highlight on the podcast, DM it to us on Instagram @getbusylivin_pod
Listeners of the pod can get a free chapter of Barry’s book, Brilliant: The Basics. Simply go to getbusylivinpodcast.com/brilliant to download it now.

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2. Championing Kindness with Mac Anderson

annefoneil13@gmail.com (Anne O'Neil, Barry Gottlieb, Mac Anderson) — Tue, 23 Nov 2021 10:05:00 +0000

Mac Anderson has seen outstanding success in his varied career. Though he’s most known for his transformational work in the motivational products field, he started off as the founder and CEO of McCord Travel, the largest travel company in the Midwest, and part owner/VP of Sales and Marketing for Orval Kent Food Company, the country's largest manufacturer of prepared salads. After selling McCord Travel, he decided to take the leap and turn his passion for motivational quotes into a new venture: Successories, Inc.

As Mac says on today’s episode, Successories was a $50 million company before their nearest competitors even reached $1 million. The company evolved from a little quote book to custom brass plaques, and eventually landed on the breakthrough idea of combining beautiful photos with words to reinforce corporate values and personal goals. After a short break to take care of his health and try his hand at retirement, he felt that entrepreneurial itch again and took a motivational speaking opportunity with Premiere Speakers.

After a few years, he had another lightbulb moment and created Simple Truths. He stuck with what he knew best: corporate values in a bite-sized format. But this time, he was publishing books and creating YouTube videos to go along with the texts. Within a month of posting the first video, the Simple Truths channel was getting 200,000 views a day–and this was before viral videos and online influencers existed! Since then, the company has published over 150 books and continues to dominate in the inspirational and motivational content space.

Over the course of his career, Mac has authored or co-authored twenty-two books that have sold over three million copies. His latest project is Inspire Kindness, which is a movement committed to spreading kindness. Inspire Kindness donates 10% of their net profits to Kindness for Kids Foundation, a public charity that executes kindness campaigns in elementary schools so students are less likely to bully in middle school and beyond. Listen to today’s episode to learn more about Mac’s incredible story and how you can get involved with Inspire Kindness!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Simplecast, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Topics Covered:

How Mac loved quotes from a young age and came up with the idea for Successories
The evolution of creating successful businesses including Successories, Simple Truths, and Inspire Kindness
The psychological business strategy of keeping things short, simple, and memorable
Companies that have built their culture around kindness and fun
Simple acts of kindness that Mac sees in some of the greatest leaders

About our guest:

How to Engage with GBL:

If there’s a topic or charity you want us to highlight on the podcast, DM it to us on Instagram @getbusylivin_pod
Listeners of the pod can get a free chapter of Barry’s book, Brilliant: The Basics. Simply go to getbusylivinpodcast.com/brilliant to download it now.

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1. Discover the Get Busy Livin' Mindset

annefoneil13@gmail.com (Anne O’Neil, Barry Gottlieb) — Tue, 23 Nov 2021 10:00:00 +0000

In today’s episode, we’re diving into what inspired us to start the Get Busy Livin’ podcast. Get Busy Livin’, or GBL, is Anne O’Neil’s family tradition, and saying that brings the good vibes and positive energy to any situation. For Anne personally, she has always had a foundation of positive psychology and growth mindset which stems from her standout basketball and academic career. Anne earned All-America Honors on the court and in the classroom from Iowa State University and then was drafted into the WNBA. Her career spanned across athletic coaching, TV sports commentary, and business performance consulting where she developed her skillset to see big picture team alignment and build roadmaps for success.

When Barry was given a terminal cancer diagnosis, he was determined to be grateful for every day. In his words, you don’t have to wait for Friday to have a good day, which is how he came up with the phrase TGIT, Thank God It’s Today. When he left academia to pursue business, he switched from the classroom to the boardroom to teach leaders how to be more effective and empowering.

Both Barry and Anne are passionate about helping others while maintaining a positive outlook on life. They may come from different generations, but their mission to be the change they wish to see in the world is timeless. Tune in to hear more inspiring stories from Anne and Barry, as well as interviews with industry and community game-changers.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Simplecast, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Topics Covered:

The history of our friendship
The stories behind our life mottos
Our business philosophies and approaches
How to grow through positive self discipline
Charities that we’re passionate about

How to Engage with GBL:

If you have a GBL story in your life, share it with us on Instagram @Getbusylivin_podcast.
Listeners of the pod can get a free chapter of Barry’s book, Brilliant: The Basics. Simply go to www.getbusylivinpodcast.com to download it now.

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