Finding Inspiration

Danielle Wolfson.  1st Israeli Women to Climb Mt. Everest.   
One word best describes Danielle Wolfson....Chutzpah!  In 2011, after a ski accident, Danielle was told she would never walk unassisted. In the hospital she told herself --- "I will show everybody, I will climb Everest."  Did you know there is only a 5-day window in the entire year to try to reach the summit? Her Russian upbringing of grit and determination moved Danielle to set a goal of climbing 29,000 to the summit of Mt. Everest.  Achieving this goal wasn't easy.  She almost died along the way.  Danielle saw many bodies of dead climbers on her to the summit.  In May 2021, Danielle successfully reached the summit.  Just 50 meters from the peak, she stepped over corpses lying frozen in their climbing gear.  Her Russian discipline kept Danielle alive.  She saw other people give up on Everest along the way but she didn't even consider she had an option to give up. "I needed to finish my mission and I would never stop even if I died on Everest."  Danielle shares details of her harrowing journey to the summit and back down to the base camp of Mt. Everest.  She wants everyone to go out and find their own version of Everest.  Join me for this inspiring story; it’s the best almost twenty-one minutes you’ll spend today.

Please do three things: 

1. Subscribe to our podcast through your favorite platform.
2. Share this episode with a few of your friends today.
3. Visit our website at http://findinginspiration.life

In this episode we cover:

• Danielle's message to the world is: "Find your own Everest and achieve your Everest because it's possible. I did it against all the odds. And you can too."
• Danielle believes: climbing Mount Everest is 80% mental and 20% physical and most people don't have the mental toughness to finish it. 
• Her oxygen was running out, she knew she could rely only on her own wits. “Even if I had offered a million dollars, nobody would have given me oxygen." 
• It's not enough to reach the Summit of Everest.  It's not like a marathon or Ironman.  You finish when you cross the line.  No, you go to the summit, even cannot celebrate because the most dangerous part is going back down to base camp. People died when they are going down. 
• Her next big expedition is in December to Antarctica’s Vinson Massif (4,892 meters; 16,050 feet) and then she’ll cross the South Pole.

Amazing Informative Links:

• https://www.timesofisrael.com/danielle-wolfson-becomes-1st-israeli-woman-to-reach-mount-everest-summit/
• https://www.timesofisrael.com/tel-aviv-lawyer-on-everest-hopes-to-become-first-israeli-woman-to-reach-summit/
• https://www.israel21c.org/how-chutzpah-beat-death
• https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/05/23/climber-danielle-wolfson-becomes-1st-israeli-woman-to-scale-everest/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcjwaDUn3fg
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmrY240YsM4

Pesia's Kitchen in Israel: Uses Rescued Food to Feed 1 Million Meals
Gideon Ben Ami, the founder of Pesia's Kitchen, discusses shares their unbelievable success of feeding 1 Million people in Israel with rescued food.  As an entrepreneur who ran hotels and chains of restaurants, Gideon saw first-hand how food was wasted.  Instead of retiring after his long and storied career, Gideon set his sights on ending hunger in Israel by rescuing unused food.   Pesia’s Kitchen feeds a million meals at the cost of .32 cents a meal. Partnering with large companies such as Google, Waze, and the like -- Gideon got these corporate kitchens to donate their unused meals.  Further, Pesia's Kitchen works with Leket Israel to use the 'ugly fruit' in the fields to donate that to the poor thereby saving from rotting food causing more greenhouse gases to harm our earth.    All this is seamlessly and inexpensively done through a simple network of volunteers.  This business model can end hunger in Israel and for sure the entire world.   The perfect opportunity: using a network of volunteers, rescue food that would have been tossed out and feed those who have none, and end hunger.  Period. Join me for this inspiring story; it’s the best almost twenty minutes you’ll spend today.

Please do three things: 

1. Subscribe to our podcast through your favorite platform.
2. Share this episode with a few of your friends today.
3. Visit our website at http://findinginspiration.life

In this episode we cover:

• I experienced food insecurity as a child. I know what it is to be hungry.   
• One-third of all food in western countries gets thrown away.
• The war on hunger certainly can be won.  We want to prove the point that rescue food is not costly. 
•  Rescued food in its most expensive form: the moving and the transportation from A to B. In other words where there is surplus food available to save it from trash is to pick it up and drive it by trucks to the community that can use it. And that's where a lot of the expense comes in.  
• Pesia’s Kitchen is considered to be a food bank. People come to the bank, the bank doesn't come to your house.  
• In hotels and catered events for 500 people and only 200 show up. All this excess food gets thrown out.   
• We do this cheaply because we have only four salaries, but 70 volunteers.  These people drive for us, help us pack, and distribute. The volunteer hours would accumulate to hundreds of thousands of dollars a year if we had to pay for it. 
• We hope to grow to three or four more locations in 2022 and double our output to 2 million meals. 
• We want to prove a point about rescue food -- it's not costly if you adopt a model that works.   We have proven success with our model.
•  There is a new law that says you cannot sue someone who's giving you food even if you have bad results from eating that food.   It's called the Good Samaritan Law. It basically says you're trying to help somebody. You cannot turn around and sue them because they helped you in a way that hurts you inadvertently.  
• It's been a joy to go to these corporate kitchens on a daily basis and see this fantastic food that's served to high salaried people.  And two hours later the poor are eating the same meals.  
  
  

Amazing Informative Links:

Stephen Schuck: Giving Low-Income Kids A Path Forward.  
Stephen discusses the Parents Challenge program and its stunning success rates.  Stephen ran for Governor of Colorado.  Lost that election but found his new calling - school choice to give low-income kids a path out of poverty.  Stephen digs into the ugly truth about the failing education system in Colorado.  Would you accept a school for your kid with a 75% failure rate?   Doubtful.   After uncovering these disturbing numbers, Stephen championed a new program called Parents Challenge.  Zip Codes should not determine the quality of kids’ education.  Unaware of school performance data, parents lack the information & resources to consider alternatives to poor-performing schools. The perfect storm: poor children in under-performing schools with no way out - systematically sustaining the cycle of poverty.  Join me for this inspiring story; it’s the best almost eighteen minutes you’ll spend today.

Please do three things: 

1. Subscribe to our podcast through your favorite platform.
2. Share this episode with a few of your friends today.
3. Visit our website at http://findinginspiration.life

In this episode we cover:

• We believe low-income parents should have the same kind of choice that high-income parents already have.  Level the scales. 
• Your children do not need to remain trapped in a school system that is failing them. 
• Parents challenge is not a philanthropy program -- parents challenge is a partnership.  
• Choice & freedom are enshrined in virtually all aspects of American society. Why not in education, especially for low-income families, for whom education offers the greatest hope for economic advancement?
• I started to understand the system & how it's funded – it suddenly becomes obvious! The power is on the wrong side of the equation.  The power is on the side of the provider, not on the side of the consumer.  All the money goes to the provider. They have a monopoly.   
• The conventional wisdom was very different from reality. They said problem was that teachers weren't getting paid enough. Many teachers were going to their own pockets for materials. That's not the cause. That's a symptom. 
• What is the underlying cause?   The underlying cause was power was on the wrong side of the fulcrum. No marketplace, no competition. It's obvious why they were generating a lousy product --- there are no consequences.  
• Good teachers didn't get paid enough. Bad teachers couldn't get fired. It was a system designed to generate exactly what it has - mediocrity. And any call for excellence was discounted because the thinking was that to do better, you had to spend more. Not true.  
• If you take more dollars and allocate them to a poor-performing school, the only place from which that those dollars can come is the higher-performing school. Now we have a system that's penalizing success and rewarding failure.  

Amazing Informative Links:

• https://parentschallenge.org/
• https://www.edchoice.org/engage/what-we-can-do-about-school-choices-supply-side-problem/
• https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/is-school-choice-enough
• https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2021/11/02/school-choice-covid-parents-chose-charter/6231

David Gerstein:  Iconic Global Artist Does Art His Way

David Gerstein teaches us the lesson of not going with the herd.  No matter what others tell you -- stick to your inner voice.  You have seen his enormous playful vibrant metal sculptures in train stations and parks all over the world -- from China to the USA.   David considers his childhood in the 1950s as the cornerstone of his work.  Today, he shares his philosophy of sticking to your instinct as an artist.  Stories of financial struggles during his life in New York City in the 1970s punctuate the sweetness of his success at 76 years old.  Join me for this inspiring story; it’s the best twenty minutes you’ll spend today.

Please do three things: 

1. Subscribe to our podcast through your favorite platform.
2. Share this episode with a few of your friends today.
3. Visit our website at http://findinginspiration.life

In this episode we cover:

• Born in 1944, David was not an overnight sensation.  He built his reputation slowly and with intention.  
• Friends and family try to sway him from each medium he selected.  They call out how unpopular his plan was but David would not change his mind. 
• For 8 years he struggled with new things he did in sculpture.   He ignored what everyone else said about quitting. 
• David shares the advice he gives young artists today.  "Go your own way."
• He believes, if you stick to your convictions ultimately people will find you. 
• After traveling and studying around the world in his 20's, David returns to Israel.
• His time in NYC was interesting but full of suffering like only earning $40 per week.  David was penniless. He was the true example of a starving artist. 
• At 50 years old, David became known around the world as a relevant artist.   He says talent is not enough -- "you have to insist" and contribute to the art world. 
• Slowly he made his way into sculpture and it later became metal wall hangings he calls multiples and ultimately huge metal installations. 
• Financial success came with his idea of creating playful bright colored metal cutouts or multiples. David realized he needed to be different since Israel wasn't close to the art centers of the world.  He needed to become noticed.  These multiples allowed David to have exhibitions all over the world at the same time.  He stood out from the crowded art world.  
• Later David created smaller multiples so everyday people had the chance to own his work.  These small multiples became his "Ambassadors" to the art world.  Packable art took the world by storm and David's popularity exploded from Singapore to Buenos Ares.  
• At 76 years old, David Gerstein still insists he go against the stream. 

Amazing Informative Links:

• https://davidgerstein.com/
• https://www.flickr.com/photos/time-to-look/47607202351
• https://www.artfixdaily.com/artwire/release/4998-david-gerstein-wallsculptures-at-galerie-frank-fluegel
• https://www.israel21c.org/10-eye-catching-sculptures-around-tel-aviv/
•  http://www.artnet.com/artists/david-gerstein/

From an Arranged Marriage at 15 and 10 months  to a Fully Modern Empowered Woman

In 10th grade, Doris an Orthodox Christian Arab, happily learns she will marry Marcelle.   Doris is controlled first by her parents and next by her mother-in-law.  As the year's progress, Doris dreams about independence.  After an Oscar-nominated movie is filmed in her rough neighborhood in Jaffa, Doris grabs her opportunity.  Listen to Doris's personal story of how she no longer says 'Yes  sir" but rather "Yes."   Doris has become a sensation with politicians and celebrities flocking to hear her special story of empowerment.   Doris Inc. was launched.  Join me for this inspiring story; it’s the best eighteen minutes you’ll spend today.

Please do three things: 

1. Subscribe to our podcast through your favorite platform.
2. Share with a few of your friends today.
3. Visit our website at http://findinginspiration.life

In this episode we cover:

• Doris has hosted over 4,000 people in her home in Ajami (Jaffa).
• Doris shares what it was like to live in a tightly controlled childhood home and how her experience was typical of all her contemporaries in the Islamic culture. 
• Doris has a revelation that her life should be more in her control.    
• Doris shares how her upbringing and marriage were a continuation of not being allowed to make decisions and how much of her life was pre-determined by her Arab Christian culture. 
• Doris said: "I understood that we daughters were the product."
• An Oscar-nominated movie is filmed in her neighborhood.  Following that, tour groups started walking around to see where the movie was filmed. 
• Doris excitedly jumps at the chance to re-make her image and build her self-confidence.
• Today, thousands of people have sat in Doris's home to hear her personal story and learn more about the Arab Christian culture.
• As an Orthodox Christian Arab who was born in Jaffa, Doris shares how the Ajami neighborhood catapulted her into hostessing as a business. 
• Doris shares about the modern role and expectations of women today. 
• US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, Sarah Jessica Parker, New crews, and Mayors eagerly listen to Doris'personal empowerment triumph.

Amazing Informative Links:

•  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1077262/
• https://www.jpost.com/opinion/grapevine-lured-by-home-hospitality-600775
• https://www.jaffastoriesandcoffee.com/
• https://www.viator.com/tours/Tel-Aviv/Jaffa-Cultural-Stories-and-Coffee/d920-110735P1
• https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/sk4v00qbby
• https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g297749-d17559583-Reviews-Doris_Hiffawi-Jaffa_Tel_Aviv_Tel_Aviv_District.htm
• https://daattravel.com/photoblog/doris-coffee-for-a-change/

Take a Deep Dive and Look at the Patterns in Your Life.

Do you wear a mask?  Listen to Ilan Dray's personal story on how he connects the dots through his start-ups and personal life. Following a broken heart, he discovered how to lead a more authentic life.  Ilan was inspired to share his experience in his new book FUSION EXPERIENCE.   Join me for this inspiring story; it’s the best eighteen minutes you’ll spend today.

Please do three things: 

1. Subscribe to our podcast through your favorite platform.
2. Share with a few of your friends today.
3. Visit our website at http://findinginspiration.life

In this episode we cover:

• Ilan wrote a book called Fusion Experience. 
• In his professional life, Ilan builds seamless product interfaces for the user.  He realized he needs to connect the dots with himself. 
• Fusion Experience came to Ilan as a result of a broken heart as he was starting a vacation.   He had a revelation: he was in a loop and compromised himself in relationships.    
• Ilan tried to connect the missing elements about him.  The book helps to explain how to connect the dots in your own personal or business life will lead you towards happiness.
• After constantly making the same mistakes over again he asked himself 'who am I really?"  
• Ilan shares the emotional philosophy that leads him from the darkness to the light.
• Be able to share your emotion personally.  In business share your ideas.  Don’t complain about your circumstances. 
• Hear about Aspire to Inspire and Ilan's concept of 1 +1 = 3.  
• The secret sauce is collecting your dots with better communication and understanding of each other. 

Amazing Informative Links:

•  https://fusionexperience.design/
• https://youtube.com/c/ilandray
• https://www.today.ventures
• https://www.inkod.com/

Obese and Happy -- Nobody Was Going to Define Nina!

At sixteen years old, Nina Green weighed 300 pounds.  Even being morbidly obese, Nina owned and chose her own self-image.  What gave Nina the confidence to be a 300-pound lifeguard?  Nobody was going to define who Nina Green is in this life.   Join me for this amazing and inspiring story; it’s the best twenty minutes you’ll spend today.

Please do three things: 

1. Subscribe to our podcast through your favorite platform.
2. Share with a few of your friends today.
3. Visit our website at http://findinginspiration.life

In this episode we cover:

• Nina shares how people didn't understand her because she didn't fit into a box.  
• Nina shares childhood stories of being morbidly obese and happy.  Though there were signs that her overweight body was making her insecure. 
• Nina shared her experience in group therapy: "I realized that I was very different than everyone else. I was hearing all these stories about how they haven't gone to the beach in 15 years because they didn't feel comfortable. And I was a lifeguard. I chose the one career that you had to be in a bathing suit."
• In her 30's Nina is slender and physically healthy after having gastric sleeve surgery.  
• Nina believes that everything related to weight loss is a mind game and mindset.   
• By both  Nina and her husband getting the surgery today -- they support each other and now they won't go back to being overweight.  
• Nina shares how lifestyle change is a mindset. 

Amazing Informative Links:

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7052082/
• https://www.today.com/health/weight-loss-surgery-woman-discusses-vertical-sleeve-gastrectomy-t197649
• https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/05/210512115603.htm
• https://www.gtlaw-israelpractice.com/2021/03/14/own-your-aliyah-consider-your-career-opportunities-obstacles-and-the-fabled-work-life-balance/

From Drifter to Pickle Entrepreneur 

In 2008, Jake Herriot was a sophomore in college, but his life changed forever when a car traveling 100 MPH hit him.   Jake spent the next four years recovering from injuries that followed an eat-pray-love tour.  After drifting around aimlessly, Jake moved to Israel and discovered how the simple pickle would change his life.  How did Jake overcome his injuries and find a path forward in a new country?  Join me for this inspiring story; it’s the best twelve minutes you’ll spend today.

Please do three things: 

1. Subscribe to our podcast through your favorite platform.
2. Share with a few of your friends today.
3. Visit our website at http://findinginspiration.life

In this episode, we cover:

• Jake shares his philosophy on doing life on his terms. 
• Jake shares how he survived an unsurvivable accident, and pickles became his entrepreneurial escape plan from a go-nowhere job. 
• From conception to design, Jake built the Pickle Jar located in Jaffa, Israel. 

Amazing Links:

•  https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/culture/jake-herriotts-celebrating-the-pickle-and-his-survival-619842
• https://picklejaryafo.com/

Send us your thoughts at Finding Inspiration:

• Via email: [email protected]

Big Faith in Small Steps

Sixteen years ago, Oren Blitzblau lost both eyes to a terrorist’s bomb.  Today, he holds the world record as the fastest sightless Ironman.  What powered Oren’s journey? Big Faith in Small Steps. Join me for this amazing and inspiring story; it’s the best eleven minutes you’ll spend today.

Please do three things: 

1. Subscribe to our podcast through your favorite platform.
2. Share with a few of your friends today.
3. Visit our website at http://findinginspiration.life

In this episode we cover:

• Oren shares his personal credo on how to not let the terrorists win.
• Oren's biggest win is going back to his original position in the army.  
• Oren served 20 years in the army: 10 years with sight and 10 years blind.
• As a blind person, Oren returns to his love of competitive sports. 
•  As an athlete, Oren shares his 'big faith in small steps' philosophy. 
• Oren's proudest moment was in 2018 when he set a new world record as the fastest ever blind Ironman in Sweden.
• Oren completed 2.4 miles of swimming, a hundred and twelve miles of biking, and ran a full marathon of twenty-six miles in only ten hours, and fifty-one minutes, setting a new world record.
• Oren’s time for completing the Iron Man competition is the fastest a blind para triathlete competitor has ever completed the race. The previous record was twelve minutes slower.
• In Sweden, Oren was the only blind participant among 1,700 contestants.

Amazing Oren Links:

•  https://www.orcam.com/en/blog/paratriathlete-champion-answers-the-call-to-empower-the-blind/
• https://www.zdvo.org/about/news-and-media/oren-blitzblau-breaks-the-world-record/
• https://www.hamartzim.com/lecturers/oren-blitzblau/
• https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/technion-students-build-inclusive-cycling-club-for-the-visually-impaired-661457

Send us your thoughts at Finding Inspiration:

• Via email: [email protected]

What would the average ad executive do if her job disappeared? Kimberly Wach found her path bathed in sweat at a gritty boxing gym in Thailand. What happened next? Be inspired by all 132 pounds of her story on the inaugural episode of Finding Inspiration!

Please do three things: 

1. Subscribe to our podcast through your favorite platform.
2. Share with a few of your friends today.
3. Visit our website at http://findinginspiration.life

In this episode we cover:

• Kimberly quits her job as an advertising executive.
• Kimberly learns boxing techniques in Thailand.
• Returns to Israel and begins to box in the ring against men. 
• Opens Legacy Gym to empower women to stand on their own. 
• Kimberly dug deep to find the courage to start a business and learn a new skill. 

Links:

• https://www.instagram.com/legacy_gymtlv/

Send us your thoughts at Finding Inspiration:

• Via email: [email protected]