Story of Inspiration:

In this episode we connect with Jessica Morel, a business owner,busy mom, veteran and a philanthropist.  

Jessica began her career as a school teacher and served in the  joining the army reserves where she spent 8 years being sent all around the world to serve. While she was away, she found ways to make a difference through campaigning for school supplies for the children she saw in need.   

When Jessica launched her own business after serving our Nation, she quickly grew and found ways to give back to Veterans as well as be an advocate for changing legislation.  Through her philanthropic spirit she has Co-Founded a non-profit that works with Veterans and raises awareness around solutions for our vets returning from service and providing for their needs..  

In this episode you will find

• How Jessica Launched her own contribution initiative and has funded the mission
• What she developed to fundraise and build awareness for the Foundation
• How she balances leading a family, business and non-profit.  
• Strategy for building a mission based (purpose led) business.  
• Effective tips for leveraging a big life!

Story: Melissa Reese is a Holistic Practitioner, teacher, author, and speaker. She has a BA in Psychology from ASU and post-education from Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, The Empowerment Partnership, and other training programs. She is a Board Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Psych-K practitioner, Life Coach, and Jikiden Reiki specialist. She has over 1,800 hours of training, which is more than the majority of people in her field. Her first book is titled “The Pursuit of Forgiveness.”  

A few highlights from this interview include:

• When Melissa's father was ill with multiple sclerosis, her mother decided to take Melissa's father in a pain management clinic. Noticing the big change in her father and going through some dark places in her own life, Melissa discovered she wanted to help others after going down a path of inner transformation and learning powerful tools and techniques
• When you get clear on what you want, get out of your own way, and live, be and do what you want…
• Melissa shares about inner congruency with head and heart, and how to know when someone is in alignment with. When someone is feeling stuck, it can typically be because of the alignment. 
• To stay in an inspired space of creating, possibility thinking, dreaming and moving towards what you want, our job is to clear out old programming that isn’t in alignment and empowering.  
• Melissa shares how to move from a “stuck” uninspired state and what to do to keep moving in a greater space of MORE possibility.  
• The importance of “retreating” and going silent to listen to what matters most and what you truly want more of… joy, happiness, and kindness.
• Give yourself permission for self-care and take a step back to reflect and breath in what you really want. We have to have boundaries for yourself and protect your own self-care. 
• How to listen and learn from fears through a simple process … discover any wisdom and let go.
• How to stay in a thriving state rather than a fight or flight stressed state that shuts down our body and possibilities.  
• Melissa talks about the importance of feeling our emotions, being aware and mindful of them, and understanding how to navigate and control the thoughts we have about them.

Story:

What does it mean to be an influence on someone? We explore this in today’s episode as we dive into The Go-Givers.  

One of the laws that go-givers live by is, influence and being an influence means to abundantly serve others first! Today we look at how we can do this in our lives and inspire others! 

A few highlights from this interview include:

• What does someone of influence look like to you? According to the story in The Go-Giver, your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interest first!
• What ways have you experienced this in your own life? How are you adding values to others? I hear some of my clients ask, “In what way can I help grow and develop our leaders at a greater level?” It’s about putting other people first.
• Today, I’d like you to ask yourself, What is one thing you can do to go out there and actively seek and influence them in an abundant way that leaves them better?

Story:

As a young adult herself, Elisa Bell was introduced in a program called Workshops for Youth and Families that was created by Dr. Francis Milis- Yerger. These workshops were just a small chapter in her life but have created such a ripple effect for the rest of her life! Elisa shares the importance of being consistent in our children's lives. She teaches us to shine the light in these children’s lives and let them know their worth!

A few highlights from this interview include:

• The founder Dr. Frances Mills-Yerger developed Workshops for Youth and Families to teach interpersonal communication skills to teenagers through games. They’ve learned respect, leadership, resilience, communication skills, and so much more!
• These types of games are games that will teach these young adults how to dive into their own leadership and communication and most importantly, they learn how to trust one another.
• Elisa has been through the workshops herself and she shares the impact it has had on her personally.
• Once Elisa grew her own family, she found another organization called Sunshine Angels which is a non-profit that supports foster children in group homes in the valley of Phoenix, AZ.
• Elisa shares how she and her husband bring activities to the group homes every week. She says that the children just wanted someone who would be there and listen attentively.
• Each Sunshine group home would host at least 10 kids but 300 other children in the whole program, Elisa wanted to find a way to reach more children. Thus, she created a training for the volunteers to bring the children free arts.
• Consistency is so important especially to the children in foster care. These are children who don’t have consistency in their lives. It is Elisa’s mission to build the children's trust back by consistently building their trust.
• Spend quality time with your children. Elisa shares how it’s very important to be present in your children's lives and show them that they are worthy.

Story:

Wendy’s journey began in real estate for nine years and have built a business where she is no longer in sales but is able to build other assets to create additional wealth. She says that in nine years she is living a life where she is able to do the things that she loves. Some of those things are teaching quantum leap, and charity work.

A few highlights from this interview include:

• Wendy shares the different way to give strategically in her business. She mentions a charity that she is affiliated with “Heros for children” which is a charity that helps families pay for things that insurances don’t pay for when their children are terminally ill. Wendy gives her time to help host fundraising events for the charity!
• Wendy mentions to think big and act small. She shares how she thinks of big goals and proceed with achieving that goal with small acts.
• When Wendy started her business, she thought of her family first! She did not want to work 14 hours and be away from family so she stayed focus on that ONE thing.
• Quantum Leap is about living on a mission. Wendy shares her mission statement and how has that changed and grow in the last nine years.
• Wendy shares the inspiration with creating leaders so that they can help others achieve a wealthy life. Wendy has impacted so many lives!
• We talk more about quantum leap and a course that Wendy and I teach to others. Wendy talks about the inspiration for getting involved with QL and the change she has seen in the young adults that she has taught.

Today on the show, I am sharing my thoughts on the book, High-Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard!

 

What is your why? Do you seek clarity in the work that you do? Does it serve a personal purpose? Join me as I go over some questions to ask yourself when it comes to seeking clarity and live a purposeful life!

 

A few highlights from this interview include:

• Why do we have the need to seek clarity?
• I discuss the power of knowing your personal purpose and why we do what we do on a day to day basis.
• Here are some questions for you to help find clarity in your purpose!
• • Can you see the difference you are making every day?
  • What is the spirit of service to others that inspires you to do what it is that you do every single day?
• Today, I’d like to challenge you! Go back to your why. Why do you do what you do?  

A quantum leap means to have a slight yet significant change!

Quantum Leap is a program that was created by Gary Keller of Keller & Williams. I share the mission of this program and how it's impacting the lives of so many young adults between the ages of 18-24! We are teaching them how they can live a life by design. I've seen lives be transformed by others that have taken this one day course and it really just starts by having a conversation. Are you having intentional conversations at the dinner table?

A few highlights from this interview include:

• Quantum Leap is a program created by Gary Keller for young adults. His mission with teaching these young adults to live a life they want and how to focus on your ONE goal.
• How this program really helps others realize that they can really live an intentional life.
• I talk about the power of a company! Quantum Leap was created by a real estate company yet this program talks about life paths and living an abundant life. 
• How a simple conversation can really transform someone's life! 

 

We all will go through hard times but it’s up to you in the way that you heal! You can pull the positive out of the tragedy!

My guest, Diana Collins shares her powerful story of how she took a painful loss and turned it into something that inspires Mothers all around the world! When Diana hit her darkest days, she decided to take a leap and quit her job. Starting her own business and nonprofit was never in the plan, she just wanted to focus on healing but what was also included in her healing was the creation of this huge movement for mothers!

Listen to her story and be inspired and remember that no matter where you are at in life, there is also a reason to keep going!

 

Full Shownotes: http://yourlifeofcontribution.com/011

Story

Today, I am talking about a type of giving that so many of us forget and that’s giving ourselves the gift of self-care!

A few highlights from this interview include:

• I share a story of when I was working with a coach and he asked me to write down all of my priorities. The list included my business, my nonprofit, and my family. My coach noticed something that was missing on that list and it was ME! That really opened my eyes and realize that I AM a priority! When you can take care of yourself, the better you can take care of others.
• I break down the different ways of filling up our take. These can be as simple as making sure that you had lunch today! I share some tips on how I made sure that I was making sure that I was a priority. Also, as you are listening to this, write that 3 things that fill you up! What gives you joy? Make sure you are fitting these into your schedule!  
• Reach out to your support system. Look to the people that inspire you the most. Going to these people for help is also an example of self-care!
• Are you growing? What is something that you are doing intentionally to grow? This another way of taking care of you! Some things that I do to grow is listening to podcasts like this one to continue to inspire me and think more!

Today, I am sharing my thoughts on a book called, “The Simple Act of Gratitude”. It’s a story about a man who was in his darkest lowest moments in life and even when things were not looking good for him, he still found gratitude in his life and started sending thank you letters to everyone that has given him something even if it was from that person’s time and energy. However, these were not just simple thank you letters, he really dug deep and shared his gratitude in the smallest things.

 

When was the last time you sent someone a thank you letter? I challenge YOU to do the same and watch how much your appreciation in even the smallest things will grow!

A few highlights from this interview include:

• I share my thoughts on “The Simple Act of Gratitude” and how it was a complete game changer in the way we say Thank you to someone!
• In this book, the author John Kralik talks about really appreciating everything and everyone in your life. For example, John set a goal to send a thank you letter to everyone in his life. Even sending a thank you letter to his doctor for giving him good health! I’ve never even thought about sending my doctor a thank you letter! He really takes appreciation to a whole new level!
• I’ve been so inspired by this book that I started practicing this practice of gratitude! I share an example of a client of mine that also took on this goal of writing thank you notes to everyone in her life. By doing this in just a few weeks has changed her life! It has changed the way she looked and started her day. She wakes up with gratitude and positive energy!
• I challenge YOU to take on this exact practice! Send someone a thank you where you normally would not have thought about sending.