Heroes Like You

Imagine being stuck in a crevasse for five days at the top of Mount Rainier. Or losing a toe. Or having to beat cancer multiple times. Mark Petersen has had to endure a lot of adversity in his life but has learned how to overcome each obstacle by developing a warrior state of mind. In this episode, Mark walks us through some of his experiences and talks about how he was able to overcome.

Heather Younger gets it. As a best-selling author, international TEDx speaker, podcast host, facilitator and Forbes Coaches Council coach, she has earned her reputation as "The Employee Whisperer". Her experiences as a CEO, entrepreneur, manager, attorney, writer, coach, listener, speaker, collaborator and mother all lend themselves to a laser-focused clarity into what makes employees of organizations and companies – large and small - tick.

Heather has facilitated more than 150 workshops, reaching +100 employers and their employees. Her motivation and philosophy have reached more than 20,000 attendees at her speaking engagements on large and small stages. Companies have charted their future course based on her leading more than 100 focus groups. In addition, she has helped companies see double-digit employee engagement score increases through implementation of her laws and philosophies. She has driven results in a multitude of industries, including banking, oil & gas, construction, energy, and federal and local government.

Heather brings a tenacious and inspirational outlook to issues plaguing the workforces of today. Her book "The 7 Intuitive Laws of Employee Loyalty" hit Forbes Must-Read list and is a go-to source for HR professionals seeking insight into their organization's' dynamics.

Heather's writing can also be found on her blog at CustomerFanatix.com, as well as articles in the Forbes, Huffington Post, Thrive Global, American Express Open Forum, and more. Coupled with her Leadership with Heart podcast, weekly videos and employer newsletters, Heather stays connected to organizations long after she leaves the stage or conference room.

When all the emails are returned and the mic is turned off, Heather acts as co-manager of her busy household in Aurora, Colorado with her husband, where they oversee their four children.

TJ is a professional cyclist who at age 8 knew he was going to become a pro. He did everything necessary to reach that goal and found that it was much different than he expected. In this conversation, TJ talks explains the journey he has gone through to make his career meaningful and fulfilling to him and others, and what it is that truly matters and brings happiness.

For decades, Carol Tuttle has been helping people improve their lives by learning who they are and living true to their natures. However, if you knew Carol in her 20's you would never guess she would be where she is today. Struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts, Carol decided she would get better and took the steps necessary for her to turn her life around. Not only did she make her life better, but has now been able to help thousands of others heal and live fulfilling lives.

Dr. Doug Gray is a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Utah and has spent over 30 years studying suicide and helping people overcome depression and suicidal thoughts. He shares a lot of great research and tools that we can use to help people who are going through dark times in their lives, and helps us understand what we can do to further prevent suicides in the future.

Imagine winning your countries first gold medal and then coming home to find out you have cancer. That's the reality that Kikkan Randall faced in 2018 after the Winter Olympics in Pyeong Chang. In this conversation, Kikkan talks about what it took to become an Olympic gold medalist and how she has used that training to overcome her latest challenge of beating cancer.

In her 20's Kathleen was living on the streets addicted to alcohol and drugs. She now owns a successful business, writes books, runs marathons, and rescues animals...and that's just getting started. In this episode, Kathleen teaches us how she was able to break through her darkest times and gives us tools we can use to overcome our own adversity.

Brian always had a dream to be a cartoonist and write a comic strip. But he never had the confidence in himself to pursue his dream. With the encouragement of his wife, he tried, failed, tried again, failed, and tried again. After three attempts, he gave up and decided it was a dream that wouldn't come true. In this episode Brian explains what helped him to keep trying to reach his dream that has turned into 30 years of one of the most popular syndicated comic strips.

What would happen if you were told that you had a 50% chance of losing your eyesight and that you would never realize your dream of becoming a pilot? That's what Clint Pulver was faced with at a pivotal point in his life. In this conversation, Clint gives us a lot of great wisdom on how we can overcome adversity in our lives, connect with others on a deeper level, and live a life of significance.

She's an accomplished dancer, actress, business owner, and winner of Mrs. America. But Austen Williams has gone through her fair share of trial and adversity. In this episode Austen explains how she went from thoughts of suicide to becoming a force for good all over the world. Austen shows how every day we can find good coming from things that were intended to be bad.