Embark

While you're rushing to get the turkey in the oven, or face crowded highways and airports  to enjoy someone else's cooking, we welcome Thanksgiving with an episode about gratitude.

Emily Otterman has artfully captured not just the images, but the lineage of gratitude in her photo series aptly titled The Gratitude Collection.

Emily speaks with Rebecca Moore about her journey into artistry, as well as intergenerational gratitude and how we can all 'pass it forward'.

Diana Place and Rebecca join me in a short discussion about the role of gratitude in our lives, and how much more important it's become since 2020, which kicks of our interview. First some notes about our guest.

Emily Otterman is an artist who helps people preserve and celebrate what matters most.  She's a firm believer in the power of human connection and kindness.

She’s been creating art all her life and remembers the happiness she felt when she won a drawing contest in first grade. A believer in lifelong learning, she's been honing her skills for decades and doesn't intend to stop until she’s taken her last breath. 

Her path includes 

· Owning and operating a studio in Ontario Canada, 

· Working at a fine art framing company, 

· Membership coordinator at Craft Ontario in Toronto

· Executive Director of the Merrimack Chamber of Commerce

· Operating a small bookkeeping business

· Being a partner in her husband’s financial planning business

· Continually being an entrepreneur in her art business

If there's a university for overcoming obstacles, Maria Leonard Olsen has earned her PhD.  Maria has numerous hyphenates attached to name, in both her struggles and accomplishments. In today's episode, we talk about endurance, the impact of growing up in an interracial family, the power of owning your happiness and how DNA testing has become a genetic Pandora's Box. Thanks for joining us on Embark.

About Maria:

Maria is a biracial woman whose parents were forbidden by law to marry in their home state of Maryland in the early 1960s. She is the mother of two children, a lawyer, journalist and author of two children's books and two non-fiction books. She leads writing/empowerment retreats for women, hosts the “Becoming Your Best Version” podcast and is a co-host of the Inside Out radio show on WPFW-fm, 89.3, in Washington, D.C.

A graduate of Boston College and the University of Virginia School of Law, she served in the Clinton Administration's Justice Department, fostered newborn babies awaiting adoption, and has been on the boards of Children's National Medical Center BOV, the Catholic Coalition for Special Education, GirlsUp and the Alzheimer's Association of Greater Washington.  While in private practice as a litigator in then one of the then-largest law firms in Washington, D.C., Maria was awarded Pro Bono Coordinator of the Year by the D.C. Bar Association.

She has written for several publications including The Washington Post, Washingtonian, Bethesda Magazine, Parenting, BabyTalk and Washington For Women.   Her latest book, 50 After 50--Reframing the Next Chapter of Your Life, was published in hardcover in 2018, and in paperback and on Audible in 2019. 

A sought-after speaker, Maria is scheduled to speak at two TEDx events in 2021, in New York City, and Washington, D.C.

https://www.facebook.com/FiftyAfter50/... 

https://www.instagram.com/fiftyafter50/

https://twitter.com/FiftyAfter50

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marialeonardolsen/

www.PelsLaw.com/about/Maria-L-Olsen

Paul Pedulla is a Boston-based artist who busts the myth of the 'starving artist.'  His passion to create -- and about six month's of art lessons -- has propelled him to national recognition, critical acclaim, and financial success.
We talk about being in flow and allowing a painting to happen, his advice to creatives who feel discouraged, and if he's ever experienced 'artist's block'.

Paul Pedulla’s contemporary paintings are representational yet minimal. There’s a simplicity that draws you in and a depth that finds you frequently discovering something new. 

The artist has been featured in ARTSCOPE Magazine, Boston Voyager Magazine, various podcasts and blogs, and his work has appeared in The Boston Globe and numerous other publications and online media. He is represented by Coastal Contemporary Gallery of Newport, Rhode Island, Bee Street Gallery of Dallas, Texas, JCO’s Art House of Los Gatos, California, Saugatuck Art Traders of Saugatuck, Michigan, Sharon Weiss Gallery of Columbus, Ohio, AMZehnder Gallery of Wellfleet, Massachusetts, and Serena & Lily nationwide.  

Works by Paul Pedulla have been singled out by art professionals, educators and interior designers from Seattle to New England, and can be found in collectors’ homes and businesses from California to Germany.

See Paul's work here

Instagram @paulpedulla 
Facebook 

Talkers talk, so no news there. But effective communicators listen. That's the genius of Mary Jane Copps, AKA The Phone Lady. Author, speaker and facilitator,  Mary Jane  is passionate about creating excellent communication. She relies on effective conversations to make things happen.  

Mary Jane, or MJ,  has been writing her own pay cheque since 1985, first as a freelance real estate journalist and then launching a North American marketing company in 1987. She embraced her alter ego – The Phone Lady – in 2006 and has worked with over 700 clients training over 14,000 individuals how to communicate effectively - on the phone, by email and on camera. 

Mary Jane has been profiled as a communications expert most recently on Harry Enten's CNN podcast Margins of Error, as well as by the Wall Street Journal, National Post, The Globe & Mail, CBC, CTV, Global as well as other publications, television and radio outlets throughout North America, including a very silly skit on This Hour Has 22 Minutes! She is also the author of: The Phone Book: Essential Telephone Communication Skills and writes a bi-weekly blog on sales and customer service communication skills.

Find out more, and connect here: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryjanecopps/
Insta: @thephonelady
https://www.facebook.com/thephoneladyca/

When conversations get heated, or we feel unheard, ignored or ridiculed, we often opt for one of these three strategies: Speak up, Shut up or Walk Away.  Knowing when to take these actions, or if any of these strategies are helpful at all is often not obvious to us. We are creatures of habit, and go with the familiar, often to the detriment of ourselves, and our relationships.

Don't wait for the other person to change tactics. Start with yourself.  How does that happen?  It starts with listening. Life coach and relationship advocate Sharon Costanzo speaks from her own experience as well as her work with couples whose relationships benefit from better communications. 

With so many couples feeling distant, unheard, unappreciated, and overburdened, Sharon offers hope for improving your relationship and getting on the same page in your most important decisions.

Sharon is known for her practical and drama-free approach to the common conflicts and challenges that most couples face. She shares her wisdom and insignts on the Keep Talking Revolution Podcast and offers group courses and private relationship coaching.

We talk about the key to keeping tough conversations on track, solving problems rather than ‘fixing’ people, and how to listen not to react, but to understand.

Did you know most startups in the U.S. are launched by people 45 and older?This week's guest, Rick Terrien,  has started and run multiple businesses across diverse industries, with most of the fireworks coming after he turned 45.

You might say he wrote the book on starting a business in mid-life. Check out
Ageless Start-up: Start a Business at Any Age.

He's  passionate about empowering entrepreneurs in the second half of life to achieve their vision. He's a lifelong entrepreneur and co-founder of the new nonprofit Center for Ageless Entrepreneurs (CAE). 

We talk about his mission to form a network of the millions of older citizens worldwide who want to use their knowledge, know-how, and networks to make the world a better place through entrepreneurship.  His advice if you want to start a business: Start small.  Start smart.  Start right now.

 Here's a few of Rick's bonafides:

•  One of his businesses is the smallest company ever to be awarded Fast Company magazine’s Fast 50, now called  The World's 50 Most Innovative Companies. 

 •  Awarded the U.S. Small Business New Product of the Year by the National Society of Professional Engineers.

 •  Nine U.S. and foreign patents commercialized worldwide.  Focus on environmental and manufacturing sustainability.

•  AARP Purpose Prize Fellow (“Making a difference is ageless”).

 •  Co-founder – Food21.  Creating sustainable regional food networks.

The fear of public speaking is the most common phobia:  ahead of death, spiders, or heights. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that public speaking anxiety, or glossophobia, affects about 73% of the population. Megan Hamilton of UBU Skills wants to help you eradicate that fear, self-doubt and emotional blocks that keep you from being, well, you. We talk about the best ways to speak up, and how that can lead to better conversations.

Speaking of conversations, check out Megan's podcast, UBU Pod.

Megan Hamilton is a speaking, visibility and confidence coach with a positive and encouraging approach. She works 1:1, in groups or via online courses, to help you build strength and resilience. Megan uses her 25+ years of theatre training and performance experience to guide you through the 4 main tenets of dynamic speaking skills: Standing, Breathing, Speaking, Reading. We focus on the blocks that are holding you back and build your visibility using a variety of tools including shadow work and intuition training, so that you can learn to reconnect with your gut. With proven techniques and guided practise, you’ll build your confidence and be equipped to handle any challenge!

Burnout, feeling stuck, languishing. We all experience it, and lately, it seems ubiquitous in our experience. How about a literal 'breath of fresh air'? Julia Schneider from Alive with Possibilities encourages us to 'take a hike' or a walk through the woods to refresh, re-center and re-power our minds, bodies and souls. It's amazing what a little time away from our caves, and into the light can do.

Julia is a transformational coach believes in the  power of walking in nature.  She teaches  how to shift our attention from the "visible" world onto the energy field in a way that helps us access intuitive knowing that goes way beyond our mental perception. Her clients uncover new possibilities and come up with unique ideas in regards to pretty much anything in life.  Clients also find coming with nature helps them find solutions to seemingly "unsolvable" problems. Experience Julia's  Intuitive Forest Walk meditation on YouTube.

Julia  believes  the key to happiness and wellbeing is living in alignment with our unique destiny path by following our intuitive guidance as much as possible.  When we have the courage and commitment to live our lives in a way that is truly aligned with our inner knowing, everyone wins in the long term.

Julia says:
The feedback that I often get from my clients and followers is that my work inspires them to live fully, creatively, and with great joy and courage. In my opinion, that's what life is all about:)

 Last week The Wall Street Journal  reported last week,  Facebook’s own internal research found its Instagram app is harmful to a number of teenagers, particularly teenage girls.  These are studies conducted over the last three years.

“Thirty-two percent of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse,” the researchers reportedly wrote. Facebook also reportedly found that 14% of boys in the U.S. said Instagram made them feel worse about themselves. So, equal opportunity.

According to the report, researchers warned Instagram’s Explore page, which serves users curated posts from a wide range of accounts, can push users into content that can be harmful. The app also has a culture of posting only the best pictures and moments, and it operates as an addictive product.

“Aspects of Instagram exacerbate each other to create a perfect storm,” the research said, according to the Journal.

Since more than 40% of Instagram’s users are 22 years old and younger, we thought it was time to bring in a counselor who works with teens and tweens for a reality check.  Enter Jon Mattleman from Minding Your Mind.

Jon is a certified trainer in QPR Suicide Prevention and has worked with schools and state organizations, as well as with hundreds of parents regarding self-harm and suicide prevention.  He presents his talk “The Secret Life of a Massachusetts Teen and Tweens” to thousands of parents in all over New England. 

Jon has appeared on numerous radio and television shows lending his expertise on anxiety, depression, suicide, teens, and parenting. 

 Jon’s workshops and presentations are geared to give participants proven tools and strategies that children and youth can use: approaches which have proven to be critical to building healthy relationships.

Jon frequently consults with schools, parent groups, mental health organizations, and in workplace settings regarding the issues of anxiety, stress, depression, suicide, parenting, and the emotional consequences of technology.  

Jon Mattleman graduated with B.A. from Clark University, and MS in Counseling from the University of Hartford in 1981.

Jon and his wife Wendy, have two grown children, and live in Belmont. He has been a finalist in Mass Mouth spoken word slams.  More at
www.Jonmattleman.com
Twitter: @Jonmattleman

Michelle Fishburne’s Third - Fourth - Act is a little head-spinning.  She went from being an international corporate attorney to a homeschooling mom to a public relations maven. Her most recent iteration is as a rootless, nomadic author who motorhomed 12,000 miles all over America interviewing hundreds of ordinary people about their lives during the pandemic. This mosaic of the American experience is going to be a book: "Who We Are Now: What We Lost and Found During the COVID-19 Pandemic" (UNC Press 2022). Her travels have been covered by ABC-TV, AARP, Good Housekeeping, and more. Michelle is now headed off again, in her motorhome, on a coast-to-coast adventure interviewing people whose lives have already been affected by climate change. 

More about Michelle:

Who We Are Now website: https://www.whowearenow.us/

Instagram: @michellefishburne

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