In this episode, Jess shares his perspective on "what gets in the way becomes the way". He illustrates how mental models, habits, and assumptions can limit our view of the possibilities in our life. He shares some of his most impressionable life experiences (as a parent, a leader, an entrepreneur, and a CEO) and how these experiences have shaped his thinking and way of being in the world.

Jess’ keeps in mind two things that reflect his personal philosophy. 1) A quote by Marcus Aurelius, "The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” , and 2) His personal mantra - Release, Receive and Deliver. When we learn to release and detach from assumptions we hold about ourselves and life, we can allow ourselves to receive what serves the greater good. It is then we can choose and own what we deliver and bring our best self to the world.

Listen in to hear Jess’ story and the pearls of wisdom he shares to include:

1. Leading for the rest of us

Tools for intentional living for Jess:

1. Meditation

Book recommendations from Jess:

1. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. Covey

Jess’ Blog post mentioned on the show: 

• Jess’ Blog post – How Clearly Can You See Your Moonshot?

Contact Info:

1. Linked in - Jess Villegas

More Info:

Jess Villegas is the Principal of Leading Concepts Group a, business consulting firm assisting small and medium-sized businesses in the areas of strategy, leadership, and management development.  He is also the CEO of Clowe & Cowan, a water infrastructure and technology company based in the southwest. 

Jess leverages personal, leadership, financial and operational skills and philosophies to drive individual and organizational success. He’s the architect of a unique organizational leadership application called “Leading For The Rest of Us”, which is designed to elevate the influence of individuals who seek to be impactful in their organizations, but who do not necessarily have a formal title.  

Jess' business philosophy is to raise awareness of mental processes and habits that limit organizational growth, facilitate more constructive patterns of thinking, and champion the concepts that how we are being in a business fundamentally impact how we are acting in a business.

Website: http://www.thousandstar.com/

Record Labels and Links to Jonn’s Music: Valley Entertainment and New World Music

In this episode, as he was growing up in the south, Larry had lots of questions around many things in life. Many of the answers he received from others were inadequate in his mind which led to a lot of confusion. The harder he tried to understand, the more questions he had and the answers were never satisfactory.

Life was a bit awkward as he was growing up. Having started school a year early, he was smaller than his peers, and a target for bullying. Eventually, he was able to internalize his own sense of self-worth in his musical abilities. He found his calling as a Band and Orchestra Director. It wasn’t until he hit his early 50’s, that he was able to make sense of a lot of things. He learned that it’s never too late to raise your awareness and consciousness.

Show Notes: 

Listen in to hear Larry’s story, what he learned and how he applies it in his life today. There are many nuggets of wisdom to include:

1.  What you feed grows

2.  How to dispel anger and resentment

3.  Making time to reflect

4.  Egocentricity and transcendence - the Zen of it all

5.  The dynamics of growth through relationships

6.  The power of neutral observation - the downside of going from observation to analysis

7.  Acceptance and patience

8.  Spirit "Body-building" tips - moving from learning to practicing via discipline

9.  Finding what works for you10. Don't ask “Why” - Ask "What is the opportunity for growth?" (Advice from Dr. Steven Hairfield)

11. Resist the urge to control others - a Lilliputian tale

Books he recommends:

Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself - Joe Dispenza

When Everything Changes, Change Everything by Neale Donald Walsch

Power vs. Force - Dr. David Hawkins

Gulliver's Travels – by Jonathan Swift

People who’ve influenced his life:

Wayne Dyer

Marianne Williamson

Dr. Steven Hairfield

More Info:

Larry was born in Jackson, MS as a post-war baby boomer and into a Christian household via Southern Baptist orthodoxy. Bullied through the early years, he finally found refuge when discovering his musical abilities. After receiving undergrad and graduate degrees in Music Education, taught for 30 years as high school band and orchestra director. Retired from teaching and worked in retail for a decade before fully retiring.

If you wish to contact Larry, feel free to reach out to Hearts Rise Up at [email protected] for details.

Website: http://www.thousandstar.com/

Record Labels and Links to Jonn’s Music: Valley Entertainment and New World Music

In this episode, Christopher shares how life can be a long and uphill road. Stress in his life was very common. He grew up in an area where public education was on the level of private schools and 90% of peers went to college. It was expected. 

For Christopher, it was "butt-kicking" from the very beginning, and he wouldn’t change it for anything. He’s no stranger to Rising up to his ‘best self’. It’s taken hours upon hours of hard work and commitment. That’s been his life journey. He shows us all how following our true path involves looking deeply at what we want, not concerning ourselves with what others think, and just doing the work.

Show Notes

In this interview, we share Christopher's journey to include:

• Navigating life's long and bumpy road

Contact Info

Website: https://www.sonic-ocean.com/

More Info

Christopher Drummond is a recording and audio mix engineer, music producer, composer, sound designer, violinist, and Grammy Award voting member.  He has composed and produced original musical scores for radio, television, and film including collaborations with Fulvio Valsangiacomo (Eddie-winning/Oscar-nominated editing team for Gladiator) and Ralph Farris (Grammy-nominated arranger of The Lion King NYC, Roger Daltrey, and Depeche Mode).  His engineering and production style are influenced by a decade-long mentorship with renowned Grammy-nominated, Emmy-winning classical engineer, Edward Kelly, an electronic music pioneer, and IMAX scoring veteran, Michael Stearns and space-music visionary, Jonn Serrie. Christopher operates in Washington, DC and Atlanta, GA and is the Technical Director for Robert Aubry Davis’s Millennium of Music, a weekly radio program celebrating the mainstreams of European music for the thousand years preceding the birth of J. S. Bach. Millennium of Music airs on Sirius XM Radio Symphony Hall, XM Public Radio and over 250 National Public Radio affiliates. Christopher has produced feature programming for XM Satellite Radio, National Public Radio and Public Radio International featuring Paul McCartney, Sting, Billy Joel, Jon Anderson, The National Symphony Orchestra, Kiri TeKanawa, Bryn Terfel, Anonymous 4, the Cistercian Monks of Stift Heiligenkreuz and many others.

Briefly, some highlights of his career include having been featured in award-winning World’s Fair exhibits and he was commissioned to compose the music for the world’s first interactive planetarium production with Star Wars creator George Lucas and the Hayden Planetarium in New York City.                                          

He composed the IMAX film score for “Galaxies Across Space and Time” which won first place at the Large Format Academy Awards in Los Angeles. Jonn has contributed music to numerous television and media productions, including the award-winning movie "What The Bleep Do We Know?", and the PBS production “John Glenn: An American Hero.” He has written music for the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and collaborated with famed NASA astronaut Story Musgrave to produce a unique program of educational narrative and live music called “Space Stories.”