Live Your Best Life

It has been said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Gretta Monahan believes successful beauty is the confidence in knowing we look our best 24/7. She is a self-made style maven who’s built a multimillion dollar fashion and beauty empire. She is also on a mission to share her very personal breast cancer story.

“…the interesting thing is there was no family history…what I can tell you though, what actually happened in reality was the next year, every single female cousin that I have in our family on the mother’s side, all were diagnosed with breast cancer…the genetic tests that I took, they couldn’t even be a predictor for what actually happened.”

Meet Gretta and get a small taste of her resilience and love for beauty and style at gretta.co

In full transparency, I’m not a whiskey drinker, nor am I an expert on such spirits. But John Sorgini’s story from my one-time corporate lawyer to retired Air Force Colonel to spirit entrepreneur has me intrigued. He’s created many career chapters for himself, and they are deeply rooted in his passion and commitment to integrity, and the endless search for excellence.

“…You know, I thought about this for years. I visited other distilleries and I went to Bourbon school, tried to learn some things about it, and put all those pieces together…I knew I wanted  to make something, rather than a service…I looked into it for so long, my wife was, like, either do it or stop talking about it. And we just decided to do it…”

Meet John and Chattermark Distillers at chattermarkdistillers.com

If you were told you lack gravitas, how would you respond? When Lisa Sun got that feedback in her first review as a business consultant in a global management consulting firm, it sent her on a two decades quest to uncover what it means to have gravitas, to be truly confident and know your own value. No longer a burned out consultant, Lisa is a noted fashion entrepreneur, founder of the lifestyle brand “Gravitas,” and now the author of “Gravitas: The Eight Strengths That Redefine Confidence.”

“…For me, I wanted to redefine confidence, not as a performative behavior but as a choice, a mindset…I wanted to double-click on that through quantitative research, and identify eight other types of confidence because we don’t all have to fit into that stereotype of swagger, and extraversion and charisma, to feel good about ourselves…”

You can learn more about Lisa, her work as an entrepreneur, founder and author at gravitasnewyork.com

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Is it too late to switch careers?,” you are not alone. And whether you’re in your 30s or beyond, Suzy Welch says the answer to that question is, “It’s never too late.” Suzy is enjoying many career chapters from reporter to best-selling author to television commentator, to professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business, where she teaches a methodology on how to discover your authentic career and life.

“…We need to keep dreaming and dreaming is part of our life. And we don’t need to edit our dreams because the world will edit our dreams for us so why would we go ahead and do the world’s work for us?”

You can learn more about Suzy, her work as a speaker, instructor and writer at suzywelch.com

Be the first to know of new episodes by subscribing to this show on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. And, if you enjoy this episode or any previous episodes, be sure to give us a star rating and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. Have a guest idea or want to learn more about Brunner Communications? Contact us at [email protected] For more: •Lizbrunner.com•BrunnerAcademy.com •Facebook •Twitter: @lizbrunner •Instagram: @lizbrunner •Liz’s best-selling book: Dare to Own You: Taking Your Authenticity and Dreams Into Your Next Chapter •Liz’s Keynote Sizzle Reel •Liz’s Podcast Guest Comments #liveyourbestlifepodcast #liveyourbestlifewithlizbrunner https://lizbrunner.com/live-your-best-life/

Christina Pardy admits she did not grow up saying she wanted to be an entrepreneur, far from it. In fact, she went into sales for a tech company. But this millennial turned her side hustle into a million dollar bonafide business. Christina Pardy is the founder of STIK (“Shit that I Knit”), an apparel company that offers sustainably sourced, beautifully hand-knit products. She now has partnerships with many professional sports teams, and even designed and created apparel for the USA Beijing Olympics team.

“…My fear of regret is bigger than my fear of failure….And I really thought, What if I look back on this and a year or two years or 20 years from now and say ‘I really had something that I was passionate about, but I didn’t do it because I was too afraid of failing…’”

You can learn more about Christina, STIK and the way she has knit a next chapter in existence at shitthatiknit.com

It may have taken Donna Martin 30 years to make the huge decision to leave her corporate job as a chemist and follow her passion, but she did it. In her words, she went from working the dream to living the dream as the owner of the Mill River Winery.

“Winemaking is a combination of wine, science, and love to make good wine…As you go through your life…your priorities kind of change and my career…the love of chemistry and the science that I had, [I] really took a step back…I had to look at my life balance…But in that time, I was able to navigate a way that I could pursue…a second career that included my passion…”

You can meet Donna and her dream, Mill River Winery, at millriverwines.com

We’ve all heard the phrase laughter is the best medicine, and Amy Lyle would no doubt agree. She’s a former recruiter from one of the largest staffing firms in the world but chose to follow her passions, and is now an author, stand up comedian, actor, TEDx speaker and a screenwriter.

“…never thought about being a stand up comic necessarily but I was, you know, popular at dinner parties…What I found is vulnerability, and kind of sharing a little bit, not too much, just sharing a little bit of your failures or your hurts with other people, draws people to you.”

You can learn more about Amy and her multi-hyphenate next chapters, at amylyle.me

Meghan McFerran followed her dream to New York City and into the world of being a professional dancer. A world filled with hustle and grind of audition after audition. She finally landed her dream job, only to discover that it brought with it so many confidence and body issues that she knew she had to make a change. And she did. Today she’s an entrepreneur and dance fitness trainer with her own classes and fitness app called, “Glisten”.

“I wanted to create a feeling where everyone could stand in their unique spotlight, not one girl gets the part, but we all get the part. And we all have an opportunity to shine. And I knew that only I could create a community where everyone can come together where the show doesn’t wrap…”

You can learn more about Meghan, her podcast show, Glisten app (and community) and more about her journey at www.meghanmcferran.com

Monisha Patel left her job in software sales and turned her side hustle into a thriving business. The hustle? Custom charcuterie arrangements, workshops and catering.

“I have had a lot of ideas that I have been too scared to attempt, too scared to start…There was always some reason not to do it. And this started so organically and so slowly and it grew into what it is today. So there were no more excuses. It already happened. It happened while I wasn’t really paying attention, so it really helped move things along…”

You can learn more about Monisha, and Boards By Mo, at boardsbymo.com

Think back to a time when you felt you were at your best, on top of the world. What if you could feel that way over and over and over again. Eric Boles says it is possible. He’s a former wide receiver in the NFL who had natural talent and ability. But between injuries and what he says were his own mental roadblocks he got dismissed and became a janitor to make ends meet. Through his experiences, he learned how to unleash his own power within and today he’s an international leadership consultant and keynote speaker.

“I did not understand, at the time, the psychology beyond those things. I didn’t know there was a way to rebuild and restore and reframe how I looked at myself and looked at the world…”

You can learn more about Eric, his book “Moving to Great: Unleashing Your Best in Life and Work” and more at thegamechangersinc.com