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On a Shot of Inspiration podcast with today’s guest Hanna Bauer. What if your greatest struggle became your greatest strength? Hanna Bauer shares her incredible journey from surviving a life-threatening heart condition as a child to becoming a leadership coach who helps others lead with purpose, resilience, and heart. Together, we explore how adversity can shape our character, why serving others is the foundation of great leadership, and how lasting transformation begins from the inside out.

3 Key Takeaways

• Your greatest challenge may become the very thing that equips you to help others.
• The best leaders serve first, connect deeply, and help others succeed.
• Lasting transformation begins with personal alignment before it impacts organizations and communities.

About Hanna:

Today’s leaders face an impossible equation: deliver more results in less time, adapt to constant change, and protect their people and themselves. Hanna Bauer makes it possible.

Founder of HEARTnomics™, Hanna helps leaders achieve transformation through love and excellence — valuing people as the greatest asset while holding to the highest standards of performance. She draws on real-world executive experience as a former CEO, Board Chair, and Executive Director, combined with expertise as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Baldrige Excellence Framework Examiner, DISC Trainer, and Project Manager.

Her proprietary frameworks are trusted by corporations, nonprofits, and government agencies to strengthen culture, boost engagement, and deliver measurable results that last. Hanna’s mandate is simple yet profound: lead with the Golden Rule, do all with excellence, and leave every team better than you found it.

Resources:

Website: www.HEARTnomics.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bauerhanna

Instagram: @hannabauer777

Facebook: facebook.com/hannad.bauer

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heartnomics

Book: Hustle with HEART:52 Mini-Shifts to Maximize your Impact available on Amazon https://a.co/d/dDeK4mD

Sizzle Reel: https://youtu.be/2gayfWDaqwc?si=1f1tEmx355YIlLNU

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On this episode of A Shot of Inspiration, I sit down with Dean Otto, a man who was given just a 2% chance of ever walking again after a devastating cycling accident. What followed was an incredible journey of faith, forgiveness, resilience, and purpose. Dean's story is proof that even in life's darkest moments, hope can prevail and miracles can happen.

3 Key Takeaways:

• Forgiveness creates freedom.

 • Faith provides strength.

 • Resilience is built before adversity arrives.

About Dean:

Before the accident, Dean spent over three decades in high-performing executive roles across sales and marketing at companies like Pillsbury, Frito Lay, KPMG and at software companies like Marigold and Braze. He led global teams, built multi-million-dollar business units, and thrived in environments that demanded accountability, grit, and results. He understands corporate leadership because he’s lived it—and rebuilt it from the ground up.

In his most recent role at Braze, Dean served as a Senior Strategic Global Account Lead for 5 years, entrusted with managing and expanding key relationships with marquee clients such as Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount Global, McDonald’s, and YUM! Brands. Despite thriving in the role—consistently surpassing his goals and earning recognition as Braze’s top salesperson in 2024—Dean made the bold decision to leave the corporate world. Driven by a deep passion to inspire others, he chose to pursue his lifelong dream of sharing his miraculous personal story and the powerful lessons it taught him.

Today, Dean’s message reaches companies not just because of what he survived—but because of what he knows. He bridges real-world business experience with life-changing insight, creating a message that meets teams where they are and moves them toward what’s possible.

Resources:

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/deanottospeaking/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedeanotto

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/otto.dean/?hl=en

Website:  https://deanottospeaking.com/

Email:  [email protected]

Book:  2% Chance: A Journey In Resilience, Recovery, And Rebirth:  https://www.amazon.com/2-Chance-Journey-Resilience-Recovery/dp/1642252727

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On this episode of A Shot of Inspiration podcast, I sit down with my longtime friend Mark Shearer, creator of the Quantum Leap Technique, to explore how subconscious beliefs may be influencing every area of our lives. Mark shares insights from decades of studying consciousness, personal transformation, and human potential. We discuss hidden patterns, emotional blocks, and how becoming aware of what's operating beneath the surface can help create meaningful change in our relationships, health, finances, and overall well-being.

Key Takeaways:

• Subconscious beliefs shape our daily lives.
• Awareness is the first step to change.
• Challenges often contain our greatest lessons.

About Mark:

Mark Scherer is a life coach, entrepreneur, and founder of Encompass Life. For more than 30 years, he has studied consciousness, language, spiritual principles, and personal transformation. As the creator of the Quantum Leap Technique (QLT), Mark helps individuals, families, business leaders, and organizations identify limiting patterns and align with their highest potential.

Since founding Encompass Life in 2018, Mark has worked with thousands of individuals and facilitated programs for corporations, leadership groups, and Fortune 500 companies. Drawing from both professional experience and personal transformation, he is passionate about helping people create meaningful change in their lives, relationships, and careers.

Resources:

Website: encompasslife.com

Email:  [email protected]

[email protected]

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On this episode of A Shot of Inspiration podcast, I sat down with Susan Schmitt Winchester to explore how our past experiences shape the way we lead, communicate, and respond to conflict at work. Susan shares insights from her book Healing at Work and explains how self-awareness, emotional healing, and personal responsibility can transform both our careers and our lives. 

Key Takeaways

• Workplace conflicts often reveal deeper personal patterns that need healing.
• Self-awareness and emotional regulation are essential leadership skills.
• Growth begins when we stop blaming others and take responsibility for our own responses.

About Susan:

Susan Schmitt Winchester is an HR leader, consultant, speaker, and author with more than 36 years of experience, including serving as Chief HR Officer for Fortune 150 Applied Materials and Fortune 500 Rockwell Automation. Co-author of Healing at Work, she helps leaders and organizations improve performance, well-being, and workplace culture by addressing the beliefs and patterns that drive stress, burnout, and conflict.

A Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources, Susan has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, U.S. News, and Thrive Global. Through executive coaching, speaking, and consulting, she equips professionals with practical tools for personal growth, emotional resilience, and effective leadership.

Resources:

Websites:  https://susanwinchester.com/   

https://healingatwork.com/

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanschmittwinchester/

Book Co-Authored with Martha I. Finney:  https://bit.ly/4voaDyN

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I sat down with Dr. Doug Gulbransen on A Shot of Inspiration podcast, and what unfolded was a powerful conversation about reinvention, purpose, healing, and discovering the “diamond” already inside of us. From his journey as a successful dentist to losing everything through health challenges, Dr. Doug shared how life’s hardest moments can become the doorway to transformation. We talked about faith, identity, relationships, personal growth, and the courage it takes to create a completely new beginning. 

Key Takeaways

• A new beginning is always possible.
• The life you want starts with changing yourself first.
• The “diamond” you’re searching for may already be within you.

About Dr. Doug:

Dr. Doug Gulbrandsen is a speaker, author, coach, radio and TV personality, and host of the Inspire Vision Podcast. For more than 15 years, he has helped individuals and business owners uncover their potential, develop an abundance mindset, and create lives filled with greater purpose, fulfillment, and success. Through his podcast and mentoring, Dr. Doug inspires lasting personal transformation by encouraging people to recognize the “diamonds” already within themselves.

Resources:

Website:  https://inspirevisionpodcast

Instagram: inspire_vision_podcast 

TikTok: @inspirevisionpodcast 

FaceBook personal: https://www.facebook.com/doug.gulbrandsen

FaceBook podcast: https://www.facebook.com/DrDougRadioInspireVision

LInkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/inspirevisionpodcast/

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On A Shot of Inspiration podcast, I sat down with guest Amy Spangler to talk about leadership, kindness, emotional intelligence, and the power of intentional human connection. Amy shares how small acts of kindness can transform schools, workplaces, families, and communities while helping people reconnect in a world filled with distraction and division.

Key Takeaways

1. Kindness is empathy in action.
2. Trust and integrity shape strong leadership.
3. Reflection creates deeper human connection.

About Amy:

Amy N. Spangler, M.Ed., is a lifelong public-school leader with more than 30 years of experience serving learning communities across the United States and internationally in Tokyo, Japan. Known for her servant leadership style, Amy has served as a teacher, principal, strategic planning director, mentor, adjunct professor, and executive leader in education and professional development.

Amy is the Co-Executive Director and cofounder of International Kindness Reset, a Minnesota nonprofit focused on kindness, emotional intelligence, and social-emotional learning. She is the lead coauthor of the internationally recognized Connect with Kindness curricula and other kindness-centered educational resources designed to strengthen schools, families, and communities.

Resources:

kindnessreset.org

[email protected]

https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-n-spangler-07b16a4a/

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I’m Greg Stephens, host of A Shot of Inspiration podcast, and in this episode I talk with Stan Gibson about what truly transforms teams—authentic leadership, putting people in the right roles, and building a culture that actually works. 

Key Takeaways

• Great leadership starts with authenticity and trust
• People thrive when they’re in the right “swim lane”
• Culture change happens when leaders lead by example

About Stan:

Corporate executive turned author, keynote speaker, and host of The Inspiration Podcast, Stan Gibson is a sought-after voice inspiring leaders to grow and thrive. With over 40 years of experience in Fortune 500 companies, he blends business strategy with lessons from athletics to help leaders reset both at work and at home.

Through his work and his Resilience Lab Mastermind, Stan equips organizations with tools for trust, engagement, and clarity—grounded in emotional intelligence and well-being. He is the author of Living a Rich and Intentional Life and co-author of Everyday AI: Transforming Life in a Digital Age.

Stan and his wife Sharon, married 43 years, share a deep passion for servant leadership and inspiring others.

Resources:

LeadwithStan.com

Books: 

Living A Rich And Intentional Life:  https://www.amazon.com/Living-Rich-Intentional-Life-Gibson/dp/B08NMD828R/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2THA2A6UI2M58&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.30-PT0k7FxbBkj7JyS-oXO94q84-XTtNg9tgGZpawvk.n0ONpfyKEyFU3L6HI1bXWFuTTtnuPYKiWWy-QBkexq8&dib_tag=se&keywords=Living+a+Rich+and+Intentional+Life+by+stan+gibson&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1778608698&sprefix=living+a+rich+and+intentional+life+by+stan+gibson,aps,125&sr=8-1

Co-author: Everyday AI: Transforming Life In The Digital Age: A Practical Guide To The AI Revolution:

https://www.amazon.com/Everyday-AI-Transforming-Practical-Revolution/dp/B0D95SYK8D/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3CVX7DHJTIL56&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.9tbKqZeBL5FIPm7dQ61jm1oaoPD1Mn2H3IDzl6ePlurimxNyhrfeYEMJo_i-I59PL1UVQmZYePWc3J4sMmTQeB4mihhbeKxQB18X1YytbyMRT7BI3xSc-wlmtDCUNYMxmF0vxKW3vE3SMFT7Y_1gY5u86K6LXqGYHkfDtZJTuekbQ0iqXgXcAMnA5NWxUOJb682Xsom9ei_QPJvpdMjYl6BAJXDRH-ljN-vAu80MaWA.kQbVyi2B9ihfDkyLEDZm41IdeNR1UHhKFt-nOvhfA3o&dib_tag=se&keywords=Everyday+AI:+Transforming+Life+in+a+Digital+Age.&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1778608840&sprefix=everyday+ai+transforming+life+in+a+digital+age.,aps,132&sr=8-1

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I’m Greg Stephens, host of A Shot of Inspiration podcast, and in this episode I sit down with Dr. Gina Siddiqui, founder and CEO of Carte Medical. We dive into her journey from emergency medicine to building a patient-centered healthcare model that removes friction, restores trust, and brings humanity back into medical decisions. This conversation challenged me to think differently about how we approach care, connection, and the future of medicine.. 

Key Takeaways

• Healthcare works best when patients are seen as individuals, not just cases
• The future of medicine will combine AI efficiency with human insight and empathy
• True impact comes from restoring trust and empowering better decisions

About Dr. Gina:

Gina Siddiqui is an ER doctor who has spent the last ten years thinking about doctors’ evolving role with technology.

She has a practice, Carte Medical, that uncovers and enacts custom, thoroughly researched medical plans for people.

Resources:

https://www.cartemedical.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/carte-medical/

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On A Shot of Inspiration podcast, I sit down with Dan Schlafer, whose powerful story of standing up for his beliefs changed the entire course of his life. What started as a moment of conviction led to loss, uncertainty, and ultimately a path filled with purpose, leadership, and redemption. Dan shares what it really means to trust the process, let go of control, and walk in faith when nothing makes sense.

Key Takeaways
• Stand firm in your values, even when it costs you
• Your title is what you do, not who you are
• Faith, action, and the right people will redirect your path

About Dan:

Dan Schlafer is a veteran educator, coach, and leader with over 50 years of experience. He has served in roles ranging from teacher and coach to principal, athletic director, and Federal Programs Director, overseeing major federal funding and programs. Known for turning struggling schools into high-performing ones, Dan has earned multiple state and national honors, including Hall of Fame recognition. He is a respected voice in leadership, education, and public service, and continues to share his experience through speaking and mentoring.

Resources:

Website: dansplans.com

@dan_schlafer

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I had the privilege of sitting down on the A Shot of Inspiration podcast with host Greg Stephens and guest Alli Villines, and what stood out immediately was her clarity of purpose and the courage it takes to pivot when life doesn’t go as planned. Alli Villines shared how a life-changing injury redirected her path from athletics to entrepreneurship, ultimately leading her to build businesses, author books, and create a nonprofit that empowers young women. Her story is a reminder that setbacks don’t define us—how we respond to them does. 

Key Takeaways

• Your identity is not limited to one path—reinvention is always possible
• Pain and disruption can become the starting point for purpose
• Success isn’t just achievement—it’s alignment with who you’re meant to be

About Alli:

Alli Villines is an entrepreneur, speaker, and advocate for helping young women step confidently into business and leadership. She is the founder and president of She Means Business, a nonprofit dedicated to making entrepreneurship more accessible through mentorship, financial literacy, and real-world guidance for aspiring female founders.

She also serves as CEO of Alli Marie Marketing Agency, where she partners with businesses to clarify their message, strengthen their brand, and grow with purpose.

Through her work, Alli is passionate about helping people recognize who they are, step into it, and build something meaningful from it.

Resources:

She Means Business:  https://www.shemeans.biz 

Website:  https://www.allimariemarketing.com

Email: [email protected]

Books:

I Am: Redefine Who You Are:  https://www.amazon.com/Am-Redefine-Who-You-Are/dp/1646204522

Born to be:  https://www.amazon.com/Born-Be-Allison-Marie-Villines/dp/B0G1HFF6FT