From My Heart To Yours

Natalia Proops: “When I was eight, I went with my parents to the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow to watch the Nutcracker, by Tchaikovsky. It was staged at the time by Marius Petipa, and it was pure magic. Imaginal exposure for children that I still find absolutely beautiful.

Walking around in a beautiful dress looking at Buckingham Palace in London, when I was twenty-one, I felt the connection of beauty within the world. The thought that ran through my mind was, “I can now see the world”. 

The first time I did an ikebana, a Japanese flower arrangement, I was in my thirties, and a student in New Zealand. Ikebana is the centuries-old Japanese art of arranging flowers, which translates to “making flowers come alive”. In ikebana, the key consideration is to use as few stems and leaves as possible in composing elegant contours that highlight the flowers' beauty. Three to five years are required to acquire the technical and expressive skills. Sogetsu is a modern school of the Japanese art of flower arranging, which was part of the school I attended. My first arrangement, which was the simplest one, amazed me that it really was ikebana. I could not believe I had actually done it.”

Have a listen as I interview my special guest, Natalia Proops. Find out how creating beauty can enhance your life.

Maria N. Papacosta: "It’s easier to embrace our fears when we realize that everyone is afraid. We are interconnected and we need each other's support. We can't go far alone. And by being kind, by helping other people, we're basically doing ourselves a favor because it makes us feel good. And of course, what goes around comes around. 

As a society in this modern era, we forget to be kind to each other. We forget that everybody has their own problems and concerns. The words we choose to say to ourselves and others are powerful. They can do harm or they can do good. 

COVID was a good example of waking up and realizing that what happens in China does not stay in China anymore. What we do or don’t do in our families ripples out into future generations. What we do in our neighborhood, city, state or country ripples out into the world. When it comes to the saying: ‘What’s good for me is good for the planet’ is slowly changing back to the indigenous understanding that ‘what’s good for the planet is good for me’.”

Have a listen as I interview my special guest, Maria Papacosta. Find out how to let go and trust the process.

Maria N. Papacosta: “I believe that the key to everything is to be kind; and I love the saying, ‘In a world where you can be anything, be kind’. The number one person to be kind to is ourselves. As humans, we are typically the last on the list. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, ‘You cannot do kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late’. 

I have identified who I want to be. 

Looking at my values and the behaviors I would like to exhibit - I ask myself questions like, ‘What is holding me back? What am I afraid of?’ And that is how I define my fears. 

Fear is something natural. It's our innate defense mechanism. 

It's important to thank the inner voice that is trying to protect us. Our brains are wired for negativity and protection. Switching to positive outcomes changes our perspective. It's actually a way for us to trick our brains. High level athletes do that and even practice perfect outcomes in their minds. Studies have shown that practicing in the mind improves accuracy, when we do take action.”

Have a listen as I interview my special guest, Maria Papacosta. Find out how to let go and trust the process.

Maria N. Papacosta: “In the transformational Disney movie Frozen, Elsa is observing the snow flurries on a mountain top. In other words, she is at that higher range of perspective where everything doesn’t seem so big anymore. She sings the song, ‘Let it Go’ when she decides to stop the ‘conceal, don’t feel’ and the ‘keeping others from getting in and knowing who she really is and how she really feels’. It’s a song about letting go of what we can’t control, like what others think or are going to say. The song goes beyond transparency and into vulnerability. 

Elsa sings, ‘It’s funny how some distance makes everything seem small. And the fears that once controlled me, can’t get to me at all. It’s time to see what I can do to test the limits and break through. No right, no wrong, no rules for me. I’m free!’

That’s how I felt going from an extremely shy kid to standing on a stage as a speaker in the spotlight. It’s been a long journey of ‘letting go’. 

I am obsessed with presence. The ability to 'let go' of what isn't in our control - is what differentiates high presence individuals from the rest. They worry about the things they can control and they let go of the things they cannot.”

Have a listen as I interview my special guest, Maria Papacosta. Find out how to let go and trust the process.

Maria N. Papacosta: “I was born in Greece and when I was six months old my dad got a job with a German company in Jordan. So, he moved our family there and we traveled with him between Greece, Germany, Jordan, and a little bit of Switzerland. It's hard for any kid to make friends and learn how to socialize in new environments, especially one that is extremely shy. That was me. I had to meet new kids as well as learn how to read and write in multiple languages. It was quite a struggle for me at the beginning. 

Up until I was fourteen years old, there were periods of time when we were separated from my dad. That was emotionally draining for all of us. The end result was a kid who was extremely shy and not very social.

Once I analyzed that as an adult, I completely transformed. 

My transformation seemed to define my purpose in life. Having a business that helps people to stand out and not be afraid to follow their dreams, has been wonderful. I really enjoy teaching my clients how to communicate with impact and influence. I’ve become a speaker who stands on stage, and in doing so, I have overcome my fear of standing out. 

While growing up, we start monitoring the different personalities around us. We start to wish we were like this person or that person. This type of thinking keeps us from discovering ourselves. 

I went into the speaking industry at a relatively young age. I had to collaborate with other speakers as an event organizer. Initially I would look at all the speakers and think, ‘Oh my God, they don't even appear to be afraid, they stand in the spotlight and communicate with huge audiences. I wish I could do that, and I know I can’t. Why?’ It was reflecting on the why that gave me the resources to transform myself into who I am today.”

Have a listen as I interview my special guest, Maria Papacosta. Find out how to let go and trust the process.

David Ross: “Without a sense of community, there is a sense of loneliness. The world would be a very boring place if we were all clones of one another. We'd be seeing everything in the same way. We'd be approaching everything in the same way. And our blind spots would be gigantic.

Relationships are the building blocks of community and a small step towards an individual being able to be part of a bigger structure. One that can deal with anything and everything and help us reach our full potential. 

Community moves us away from the ego, where it's ‘all about me’ to a place of serving others: serving an individual, serving the community, serving society, and serving the natural environment. 

Thinking beyond ourselves is how we can achieve meaning in our own lives and live a truly fulfilling life.”

*

Have a listen as I interview my special guest, David Ross. Find out the true meaning of community.

David Ross: “Some of the gigs I get are on behalf of layers of government. I talk to various communities, some of these communities are the size of European nations. In order to connect with their hopes and dreams about the future, whether that be social, environmental, economic technology, etc.

I start off by asking this question, “What do you love about your town? 

I was fascinated the day I was in a group of First Nations people. Their responses were quite enlightening and the word environment holds a very different meaning for me now. 

One person's response, ‘We don't see the town. What we love is the connection we have with the natural environment, with inanimate things and with each other.’ This is indigenous thinking and I love it. The main focus is connection and how ‘my’ actions impact others, including animals, plants, and ecosystems.

We are far more connected than we have ever been, yet, in the case of organizations, I don't think they appreciate that. 

Their stakeholders are more connected, educated, and sophisticated than they've ever been before and they are becoming more demanding with respect to their expectations of a particular organization. 

Beginning with the Industrial Revolution, we started seeing the environment as something that we have mastery over–’humanity has mastery over the environment. We can do anything we like to it. We're so smart, we'll put it all back together again someday or die, and it will be somebody else's problem’.

*

Have a listen as I interview my special guest, David Ross. Find out the real meaning of connection.

David Ross: “For me, dignity comes at the intersection of corporate strategy, government policy, the natural environment, and community. So it's quite an interesting place to play. I get to fully appreciate CEOs reflecting on how things seem harder because the skills they used to employ are no longer relevant in this new, complex, and rapidly changing world. 

People are demanding dignity. People are feeling that their sense of worth is being questioned or isn't even considered to begin with.

Hierarchies are still being played out. And people are questioning that.

As leaders, we need to get in touch with ourselves in order for others to come with us. When leaders have changed something about themselves or had the self-awareness to realize how disconnected they were or how their behavior was negatively impacting others–they say how much they wished they had figured things out years ago. It’s an epiphany that’s rather euphoric. 

By letting go, we create ripples of significant benefits.” 

*

Have a listen as I interview my special guest, David Ross. Find out what happens when we let go and focus on dignity.

David Ross: “Love in the business world might seem like an incredibly strange thing to share with people. But I think it's an interesting way of looking beneath or beyond the challenges we face. The relationships between communities and organizations or stakeholders and organizations or staff and organizations are fragmenting. There is a crisis in the area of trust. 

I think what we've lost is the appreciation of each other as being human. 

For me, love is more than just a simple word–it's kind of a mindset. If we stop, take a deep breath, and appreciate the value that each of us can bring to challenges–we can turn wicked problems into wicked opportunities.

There’s so much available to us when we start honoring one another. 

I was born and bred in Sydney, Australia. My mates and I would spend everyday playing out in the bush. Spending so much time in nature informed my life and my values going forward. I am the youngest of three boys and there is quite an age gap between myself and my older brothers. 

Our Mum was wonderful and had a wonderful sense of humor. She passed away 15 years ago from Alzheimer's. The lessons I learned from her were about making people feel welcomed and valued. My dad, on the other hand, was narcissistic in focus which to say the least, presented some challenges. He had no interest in his children, totally detached. I just didn't exist. 

Transforming from that challenge required me to value myself. I developed an ability to listen to people and be there for people. My “spidey sense” is the ability to realize when somebody's feeling marginalized or uncomfortable. 

I now help leaders and organizations deal with their most complex and often controversial issues, hence I am a strategist, leadership coach, and peacemaker. 

Through love and peacemaking, I bring very disparate groups together to find commonality and a way to move forward.”

*

Have a listen as I interview my special guest, David Ross. Find out how love and peacemaking bring us together.

Discernment reveals things that you don't already know and directs you in your decision-making process. It also gives you clarity and wisdom, as well as an advantage in many situations.

Logical-Mathematical 

Linguistic

Spatial

Body-Kinesthetic

Musical

Naturalistic

Interpersonal

Intrapersonal

Emotional (Interpersonal & Intrapersonal)

Existential

Creative

Collaborative

Practical

*

If you would like to know more about discernment then you won’t want to miss this conversation with my special guest Eva Hoffman.

Find out how you can easily tap into your own discernment internally as well as externally through your strengths and passions.