#12minconvos

Shannon Russell is a Career Transition and Business Coach empowering women to leave unfulfilling careers and build joyful, purpose-driven businesses. She is the Author of Start Your Second Act: How to Change Careers, Launch a Business, and Create Your Best Life, a Speaker, and Host of the Second Act Success Career Podcast.

Through her company, Second Act Success®, Shannon shares her journey as a television executive turned business owner, coach, author, and mom with others. She works with women who are unhappy in their 9-5, as they pivot towards a "second act" by providing exit strategy guidance and support as they transition from employee to entrepreneur.

Shannon began her career spending over 16 years as a Television Producer in New York City and Los Angeles working for MTV, E!, Yahoo!, Pop Sugar, A&E, TLC, and more. She then made the leap to open her own business running a STEM education franchise teaching children, so that she could be more present for her children. Now, as a certified Career/Business Coach, Shannon's motto is "produce your best life" and her mission is to motivate more women to make big moves in life.

Links:

• Website
• Book
• Podcast
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• Instagram
• Tiktok
• LinkedIn

Michele Barard, a New Orleans native, holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Agnes Scott College. She has lived in Mexico and Central America, gaining valuable international experience.

Throughout her career, Michele has demonstrated success in program management, technical writing, and software training and documentation. Michele has designed and led client education programs for cloud computing companies, achieving over 90% client satisfaction and 98% new feature adoption. Her professional journey includes roles such as Trainer for LLM Practice, Technical Writer, Head of Client Services, and Professional Services Program Manager.

In 2012, Michele founded Urban Book Editor, helping aspiring authors with professional editing, book marketing, and consulting services. Her passion for writing extends both personally and professionally, and she has authored and contributed to non-fiction and poetry books, including "20 Beautiful Women, Vol 3," "Editing Your Book for Self-Publishing: A Practical Guide for Authors," and "Love & Other Monsters," a book of poetry examining love from the perspectives of three women at different stages of life. Michele continues to write, edit, and provide coaching near Atlanta, Georgia.

Michele has made numerous media appearances, including on S.A.V.E. Sistaz Advocating Via Economics™, The Late Night Urban Literature Lounge, Confessions of "Me Too" Moments, The Book Club Hub® Book Tour, In Search of Fatherhood®, Do This Sell More Show, The Nice Guys on Business, and Famous Interviews with Joe Dimino. In 2020, she started the Shelter in Place #Pandemic2020 livestream, providing news and commentary on social, political, and economic issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Michele also hosts the podcast "Somewhere in the Middle with Michele Barard," exploring the intersection of life, love, family, culture, politics, and business.

To learn more about Michele Barard or to connect with her professionally, please visit

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Bitly

Carol Kabaale creates predictable pipelines of warm leads for female coaches & service providers.

Carol doesn't believe in just running ads—she builds an ecosystem that ensures seamless messaging, high-converting funnels, and data-driven ad strategies that bring predictable, scalable results.

She knows firsthand the frustration of throwing money at ads without a clear strategy, and she's on a mission to change that. From targeting the right audience to optimizing funnels and crafting magnetic messaging, she helps coaches stop guessing and start scaling.

When she's not helping entrepreneurs generate high-quality leads, Carol can be found hanging out with her husband & Boston Terrier, sipping on a glass of wine, or enjoying some well-deserved carbs!

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Paul Tembunde is a business executive, mindset coach, and transformation expert based in the Washington, D.C. Metro Area. With over two decades of entrepreneurial experience, Paul combines practical business acumen with powerful mindset principles to help others unlock their full potential. As the co-founder of a successful homecare agency franchise and Premiere Destiny LLC, Paul's journey from credit-card entrepreneur to industry leader offers valuable insights for listeners seeking both business success and personal growth. After graduating cum laude with a degree in Business Finance, Paul and his wife Joan took a leap of faith in 2002, purchasing a homecare agency franchise with limited experience but boundless determination. Over the next 23 years, they built an organization that has served thousands of seniors and employed thousands of team members, becoming role models within their industry. Paul attributes much of their success to developing the right mindset and applying powerful goal-setting techniques. Paul's personal transformation accelerated after immersing himself in Bob Proctor's mentorship program, where he discovered life-changing principles about internal power, building your own economy, and reaching for unlimited success.

The application of these mindset techniques not only revolutionized Paul's outlook but also led to significant business expansion when implemented within his homecare agency. Today, through Premiere Destiny LLC, Paul empowers others to discover the greatness within themselves. He specializes in helping entrepreneurs and professionals set meaningful goals, overcome limiting beliefs, and develop the success mindset required to achieve extraordinary results. Paul firmly believes that each person has a stronger, more successful version of themselves waiting to emerge – they simply need the right mindset tools and guidance to unlock their potential. Paul's engaging speaking style, combined with actionable frameworks for mindset transformation and goal achievement, makes him an ideal guest for podcasts focusing on entrepreneurship, personal development, and success strategies. His authentic approach connects deeply with audiences seeking both inspiration and practical tools for meaningful change.

Website

Justin Shelley has been in love with technology since his father brought home an Apple IIe when he was just 12 years old. But more than technology, Justin loves the world of business and entrepreneurship. As a child, he watched his parents struggle, and eventually lose their first business. Today his passion is helping his clients leverage technology to build their businesses, with the ultimate goal of preventing them from losing everything in the event of a cyber attack. Cybercrime is everywhere, and class-action lawsuits are following in the wake. This deadly combination is destroying businesses and lives. Justin has a simple formula that will prevent both.

Justin Shelley's Website

Larry Bograd is an award-winning, widely translated author whose works have been published by Farrar/Straus, Harper and Macmillan. In addition to a UK edition, his books were translated into Japanese, French, Swedish, Danish and German. His first book, Felix in the Attic, won the Bank Street College Irma Simonton Black "Best Book for Children" award, and his novel Los Alamos Light was selected as a UNESCO Book for Peace. He has an extensive backlist and several anthologized short stories.

His success as a children's book and young adult author was cut short by censorship and book banning because he wrote honestly about childhood poverty and adolescent sexuality. When it became clear that no publisher would promote his work, he turned to playwriting, screenwriting and documentary filmmaking. He lives in Denver, Colorado.

Blood Flow is a dual memoir that travels back and forth in time, recounting the suicide of author Larry Bograd's physician father just two weeks after Larry's bar mitzvah, as well as Larry's unexpected triple bypass surgery in his early fifties. Over decades, Larry interviewed relatives and friends of his father, Nathan, to explore Nathan's life and the trauma of his death on those he left to grieve. During his investigation, Larry traveled to his father's Eastern European birthplace and Trieste, Italy, where Nathan served in the Occupation Medical Corps after World War II and came home a troubled man. Larry also obtained medical records from Nathan's three hospitalizations for depression, piecing together the story of his father, who died young. His search was interrupted by his heart surgery, creating an uneasy connection between how his father died and Larry's cardiac disease.

Blood Flow encompasses a wide array of narratives — growing up in suburban Denver in the 1960s, family secrets, suicide, shock and grief, the quest to understand one's parent, international travel, unearthing previously unknown medical records, and interviews with relatives — while consistently focusing on its central theme: the necessity and challenge of grasping a troubled immigrant's life and the American child he left to mourn.

Website

I'm a young, black man from the, not so nice, parts of Brooklyn, NY. I grew up 2 inches from being poor. I've been robbed, shot at, slashed, almost died 5+ times and still was able to pull myself out of the dumps, by God's grace.

Where I'm from, no-one speaks about their mental health, how to increase your net worth, or even how to communicate effectively to get what and where you want. I had to learn and fight for this on my own.

I've been blessed and protected by God to help people achieve the, perceived, impossible.

I now coach people on how to practically achieve their goals and to stop just dreaming. We use communication, refined strategy, and relentless action to achieve anything. I teach my students about "Beam" focus and the damage they can deal to the obstacles in the way of their goals.

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Kathryn Ficarra has over two decades of experience at the VP level across diverse industries, including start-ups, gaming, and e-commerce. Now, as a transformational architect, she helps high-performers decode the DNA of extraordinary leadership through her proprietary IMPACT Framework—a revolutionary approach to executive presence that goes beyond traditional leadership development.

In addition to her leadership work, Kathryn is a licensed facilitator of the Purpose Assessment, a science-backed tool that helps leaders align their purpose with their work, driving both fulfillment and performance.

Kathryn Ficarra's Website

With her passion for innovation and never-ending optimism, Sara Frasca is a business growth expert. Honing her skills in senior leadership roles in both the corporate and startup worlds, Sara now serves as CEO for Point NorthEast, a global business coaching firm. She takes leading organizations on a journey to cultivate human imagination, build a culture of accountability, and solve complex problems to drive business growth. Sara is the go-to guide for leaders seeking a competitive advantage and sustainable success.

Prior to Point NorthEast, Sara spent 13 years at General Mills in multiple leadership roles. She was also part of several start-up organizations, leading the forefront of digital transformation for Fortune 500 brands. Sara is also the proud founder and owner of the award-winning restaurant Trasca & Co. Eatery and was named the Female Entrepreneur of the Year in Jacksonville, Florida. In addition to being a mother of five, this former Minnesota native turned Florida transplant enjoys long, sunny walks on the beach with her husband and dogs, Lucy & Takoda.

Global innovation expert. Positive disruptor. Award-winning entrepreneur.

Website

Survivor of Narcissistic Abuse | Author of Bride-Made

I am a survivor of 29 years of covert narcissistic abuse. In 2024, I published my memoir, Bride-Made, to share my journey and shed light on the emotional and psychological impact of narcissism. My mission is to raise awareness, offer support, and empower other survivors to find their voices and begin their path to healing.

📘 Learn more on my website 🎥 Follow me on TikTok for daily insights