Live Your Dance Podcast

Guess what! I was so excited about trying out my new audio recording equipment this week, that it blossomed into a solo episode! And I could hardly wait till today to share it with you. :) First we’ll go a little old school (aka 1940s vintage) and dive into Albert Gray’s classic article, entitled “The Common Denominator of Success.” And then I take some time to coach you through goal setting, and how to create goals that have staying power through any resistance you may encounter. 

I’m seriously so amped to get this out to you, since Albert Gray lays down some timeless wisdom on us all. And then I expound on how to integrate his ideas into our lives today. It’s a two-punch, power packed episode that I think you’ll really enjoy.
 

In this solo episode, I dive into…

• Albert Gray’s article, entitled “The Common Denominator of Success”

• How to create (or recreate) effective habits for success

• What simple thing truly creates change and success

• How to set goals effectively

• How I was able to get in shape to be a body builder, but why exactly I lost my momentum immediately afterwards

• Not just living your dance, but living your WHOLE dance

• How integrity is a muscle we can develop, and how it affects our relationship with ourself

• How we erode our character, and why it’s so important to invest in ourselves, rather than wasting our “money”

• Step by step instructions to take stock of where you are, and what questions to ask to move you out of a slump (34:30)

• The exercise I put myself through which helped me find the ONE TINY thing I could change, which would greatly affect my entire day (positively or negatively) 35:14

• Why achieving goals isn’t the main point, but who we’re becoming in the process it where it gets exciting

Referred to in the ‘cast: 

• The Common Denominator for Success by Albert Gray

• Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

• Friedrich Nietzsche’s quote: “Those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘how.’”

• Don’t Settle: Start Living a Life You Love, by yours truly, available now for Kindle on Amazon.com

• My Goal Setting Kit (redesigned for 2015), available now on my website

• What I Know Now: Letters to My Younger Self by Ellen Spragins

Where to find me on the ‘line…

MollyKing.com 
My Facebook Page
My Instagram Page
My Live Your Dance Instagram Page

Episode 011: How to Find Yourself in Order to Find What You Love with Alexis Carra

Alexis and I met last year in a Leadership group that we both were in for several months. And from day one, she was a standout. I’ve so enjoyed getting to know her through the program and afterwards. And I was so grateful when she seriously supported me last year when I was having some pretty major nerves before performing at the US Open Swing Dancing Championships. Lex is an amazing coach, a perceptive listener, a transparent and authentic leader, a work horse, and an extremely talented woman in many ways. I can’t wait for you to meet her if you haven’t already. 

In this episode, we dive into all the factors that have contributed to her being able to live her dance all her life, and what she does to continue living it today. She’s been on Broadway, performing in Wicked and Fosse, and most recently on ABC in the series Mixology, and she’s soon to appear on ABC’s Recovery Road. 

What’s I love about this episode is that we get a sneak peek at what life is like as a working (and sometimes not working) actor, how Lex prepares for a role, how she finds herself in the craft, the reality behind the camera, and how she maintains her emotional sanity through it all. And I have a feeling this is only the beginning for her… :) 

[Audio Note: Because of several technical difficulties, we ended up recording this via phone. So I apologize for any lack of clarity or any overlaps in the audio. I am actively working to improve my recording studio for future episodes.]  

But! never fear! Lex brings her A game, so even as I was editing it, I found I forgot about any audio faux pas. So without further delay, let’s go ahead and dive in to her story…   

In this episode, we get into…

• Originally a dancer, started at age 2

• Yale Grad, thought she wanted to be a neurosurgeon

• While at Yale, she was selected to be a “Swing” on the first national tour of “Fosse” with Ann Reinking (6:34)

• Practical and emotional tips to cope with the lulls in work as an actress (9:22)

• Lex tells about life ‘behind the scenes,’ when things aren’t so perfect, and how she works through moments like that (15:35)

• The question she asks to get herself back on track (16:23)

• Alexis’ big reveal… (17:51)

• How to cultivate the practice of being vulnerable, and the practice of “emotional housecleaning” (18:00)

• Acting breakdown 202 by Alexis (21:12)

• Lex gives us a peak into her upcoming role in ABC’s Recovery Road and how she studied up for her character (23:45)

• Her advice for auditioning actors (28:10)

• Lex’s fun exercise(s) to create more self-awareness (30:12)

• My secret confession (oooh!) and the importance of having solo time (32:55)

• Alexis’ questions to ask in order to figure out what it is that you love to do, and what action steps to then take (37:18)

• Why it’s important to bring more “soul cultivators” in your own life (44:15)

• Lex’s Yoga practice and why it’s an essential aspect of her routine

• How to counteract the idea that “there’s not enough time!” (45:16)

• An incredible story that Lex discovered just by listening (47:21)

• Lex’s unexpected source of inspiration (49:49)

• Lex’s explosion of gratitude :) (51:35)

• Lex’s beautiful definition of “living your dance” (53:06)

Referred to in the ‘cast…

• Alexis’ blog, entitled Live Your Dance

• Lady McBeth Cliffnotes (referred to at 22:20)

• Alexis’ role in Recovery Road, coming out in 2016

• Say Yes to Solo Time [blog post by Molly]

• How successful people use the little moments [quote by author M.B.Eddy] (46:38)

• My guest blog post on Alexis’ New Hollywood Blog, entitled How I Beat Resistance [article]

Where to find Alexis on the line: 
Her website: AlexisCarra.com
Her FB Fan Page 
Twitter: @alexiscarra
Insta: @alexisacarra
The New Hollywood Group

Seeing as this is the 10th(!) Live Your Dance episode, I thought I’d so something special. I’ve dug out of my archives my very first episode* of the podcast that I recorded back in 2013—back when this podcast was more of a dream than a reality. Lewis and I went to the same high school, and he was a surrogate big brother of sorts—since he was a senior when I was a freshman. So it was such a blast to reconnect with him and pick his brain!

*hence why I may sound like a bit of a noob ;)

Lewis brought his A-game and got right into sharing some great coaching for anyone who is on the cusp of going after their dream—whether it’s starting your own business, going after a goal, or taking the next big step towards creating the life that you really want to live. 

Since the recording (in early 2013), Lewis has made major strides in his own business and life, and was most recently mentioned in Forbes as a Million-Dollar One-Person business for his success. He’s also the founder of The School of Greatness Podcast and The School of Greatness Academy and many online tools to take your business to the next level. Pretty solid stuff right there. 

In this episode, we dive into…

• Lewis’ story of how his collegiate and semi-pro sports supported his business mindset

• Lewis’ response to people who don’t think they have enough money to go after what they love (5:37)

• The first question anyone should ask before they set out to achieve a goal

• “Can you let go of your comfort zone to get what you want?”

• Nuggets of wisdom from my (Molly’s) 95-year-old grandma to go after the life you want

• The process Lewis went through to take stock of his strengths and pursue those

• The value of the “soft skills” and how, many times, they can be more valuable than the “hard skill” set (12:25)

• The vast difference between the “self” that shows up when we work a mediocre job, vs. the “best self” that can show up in the right arena (15:00)

• The top 4 warning signs that you’re in the wrong job (16:15)

• How to get through the “transition period” (17:00)

• How frustration breeds drive and breakthrough

• Lessons in Salsa translated into life lessons in business

• The big difference between work that pulls you rather than pushes you (23:43)

• A bad job is like a bad relationship—when you know you should go, but you haven’t yet… (25:04) Ha! #sotrue

• The ONE question you need to ask yourself before you quit your day job (28:00)

• Lewis’ one piece of advice for anyone starting on the path towards their passion (29:07) [for more info on finding a mentor, listen to my episode with Geoff Woods]

Referred to in the ‘cast: 

• Don’t Settle: Start Living a Life You Love by yours truly, available now for Kindle on Amazon.com!
  

Where to find Lewis on the line…
Lewishowes.com
The School of Greatness Podcast
The School of Greatness Academy

Gosh, Steph has been living her dance since she was 5 years old, without even realizing it… and has created a beautiful masterpiece of a life following that same inkling towards music. She tells us all about what life is like being on the road CONSTANTLY, as well as how those same challenges also led to some amazing career opportunities. She gives us the step by step process of how she deals with criticism, competition, and stress. And she also indulged me in telling the story of how she and her husband (a fellow pro pianist) met. It’s a beautifully well-rounded episode, and I can’t wait for you to hear her stories.

And here’s the lowdown on Steph’s badassery in the music world: 

Stephanie Trick “has come to practically dominate the stride piano field,” notes reviewer Jack Rummel. Harlem stride piano, which developed in the 1920s and ‘30s, is an orchestral style of two handed piano playing that not only swings, but is also technically demanding and exciting to watch. Louis Mazetier, a respected interpreter of this genre, writes in the Bulletin of the Hot Club of France that she has “won the esteem of specialists in the genre with wonderful interpretations of stride classics.”  

Stephanie frequently performs with her husband, acclaimed pianist Paolo Alderighi, making arrangements of songs from the Swing Era in a four-hands piano duo. In 2014, they played for the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall at the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival.

Stephanie was the 2012 recipient of the prestigious Kobe-Breda Jazz Friendship Award, and has performed in many parts of the United States as well as in Europe in a variety of venues. 

In this episode: 

• How Steph’s musical serendipitously career started at age 5

• How Steph’s career blossomed because of a YouTube connection (5:30)

• The mechanics of how the stride style works, and how Steph can improvise in that style

• The role that Stride/Slide piano plays in musical history

• What it’s really like to have a career that causes Steph to travel about 280 days a year: the rewards and the challenges (12:30)

• How a piano player practices during plane rides

• What it’s like to not want to escape your work (15:20)

• Steph’s focus on being simply a “good human being,” not just a great musician

• What it is about her career that energizes Steph to do more and keep striving

• How to transform the idea of competition into a fuel that propels your own improvement in the craft (19:45)

• How Steph handles criticism like a pro (23:25)

• How Steph designed an education to include personal visits with the experts in her field

• How to bring a wider perspective to your work (29:30)

• How to improvise like a pro—in ANY field (30:37)

• How to cultivate “Healthy Detachment” in your work, and why it’s so vitally important as a creator to maintain (34:09)

• Why would you want to change who you are!? How Steph overcomes competition, and how to create your own “brand” (35:17)

• The real scoop on the challenges that come with a life on the road

• What it’s like to be married to a fellow professional musician, and the story of how they met while they were both “living their dance” (awwww… 42:53)

• What keeps Steph going, and the story of one of her favorite moments as a performer (48:58)

[Note: I apologize for some short audio interferences towards the end of the podcast. Thanks for listening through them!] 

• The “Harlem Strut” performed by Steph (CRAZY accuracy as she flies over the keys!)

• “The World is Waiting for the Sunrise” performed by Steph and her husband Paolo (You can tell how much fun they have together)

• Steph and Paolo perform together on the same piano (switching places throughout!)

Steph’s website: stephanietrick.com
Steph’s YouTube
Steph on Facebook

Episode 008: How a Gun to His Head Changed His Life (and other business and life advice) with Lou Patterson

To be honest, it was extremely difficult to name this episode, as Lou came out with so many good stories, lessons, and nuggets to share, both about business and life in general. It’s no surprise to learn too, that at a young age, he learned how fragile life could be (28:00), and since then he’s one who truly “walks his talk.” Lou had a significant career in footwear before starting his own market research company. And in this episode, he juxtaposes the training he got as a talented athlete with how to grow and run a business and a team. 

This is a solid episode, and we’ll cover the following topics: 

• Worked in one of Nike’s first retail stores

• VP of marketing for several brands, including Asics, and later helped resuscitate the soccer brand, Umbro

• “A team is more effective, no matter how good an individual is.”

• The importance of teamwork in business, and how to get ego out of the way (7:49)

• How Umbro was able to scale from 18 employees to several hundred, and maintain their ability to be nimble and flexible

• How to transition from doing, to managing, to leading within a company

• How to cultivate a culture of trust and openness that allowed the brand to grow effectively (10:57)

• “Practicing what you preach may be short-term expensive, but in the long run it builds trust and respect.” - Lou (15:00)

• How Lou trained towards beating a 4-minute mile and then how he later used the same training methods to build a sales force and meet their sales goals (16:30)

• How Lou has figured out how to make a difference in the world (25:35)

• The night that changed Lou’s life forever (28:00)

• What contentment sounds like (35:24)

• Living life on your terms, begins with understanding yourself first (38:08)

• The importance of forming good relationships along the road

• Lou’s message for anyone in their 40s (or past their 40s) (49:30)

• “The best and hardest thing to do is to spend time looking in the mirror at who you are and who you want to be. And then taking steps to get there.” -Lou (53:00)

Referred to in the ‘cast: 
- “You Should be Hiring Athletes” by Brian Hamilton [article]

Where to find Lou on the line:
Lou’s Website: CategoryOneInc.com
Lou on LinkedIn
Twitter @catoneinc

Geoff is the host of the Mentee Podcast. He’s in the midst of his journey from employee to entrepreneur, and the reason I brought him on today is because Geoff is an expert at showing you how to surround yourself with heavy-hitting mentors—the people who can rapidly accelerate your success. 

In this episode we dive deep into the following topics with Geoff: 

• “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” -Jim Rohn

• How to gather and collect powerful mentors yourself

• The one question to ask in order to radically shift your business

• What am I trading my time for each day? And am I getting the better end of the deal?

• How to overcome discouragement when working towards big goals (26:18)

• How to start “dating your passions” and monetize them on the side

• How to shift from “I have to go to work” to “I choose to go to work”

• How to write your own permission slip to your life

• How the work that we do affects our loved ones: positively or negatively

• When we ask better questions, we get better answers

• What question to ask with each new circumstance that comes our way (35:24)

• When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change

• How challenges can be a gift

• What is Geoff’s motivating force?

• Geoff’s words of advice for anyone who thinks they aren’t (insert any adjective)___ enough.

• How to figure out your unique gift(s) and how to easily increase your income (47:57)

• Geoff’s powerful morning routine to create daily momentum towards his goals

• How Geoff “stacks the team” for his life (54:30)

Referred to in the ‘cast: 

• Episode 28: Be Extraordinarily Yourself with Dean Del Sesto

• Linchpin by Seth Godin

• Episode 23: Running out of Money and why I’m Grateful - Mission Meeting with Dave Meltzer and Geoff Woods

• The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life by Hal Elrod

• Geoff’s PDF Action Guide to find your ideal mentors: menteepodcast.com/dance

Where to find Geoff on the interwebs:
To connect with Geoff on a 15 minute phone call: menteepodcast.com/call 
His website: MenteePodcast.com
 Twitter and Instagram: @GeoffWoods
Geoff on Facebook

How exactly to quit your job and do what you love with Mary Warrington

Mary Warrington has made the leap into a digital and mobile lifestyle, all thanks to her food blog, The Kitchen Paper. With stunning photos, and accessible recipes so that anyone can become a cook, Mary shows us all how doing what you love and being paid for it are NOT mutually exclusive. While Mary and I went to college together and played volleyball together, she’s since served as a great inspiration for me to also take my work online and be able to live and work wherever I am. So a big thanks to her, her work, and for sharing her stories and perspective with us on the Live Your Dance podcast this week! 

P.S. I apologize in advance that the audio on this episode is not the best. I’m actively working on improving the audio quality for future episodes. But there’s tons of great content in here, so thanks for hangin in there with us! 

In this Episode we get into…

• Step by step actions Mary took to become a food blogger

• What exactly pushed Mary into action to leave her job and blog full time

• What are the keys to making a successful transition into doing what you love

• The major shift in perspective that has allowed Mary to make more of an impact and more money

• The importance of cooking our own food

• What it is about food that Mary loves

• How Mary gathered the necessary education to build a website, market online, and create a community online

• How Mary has overcome challenges, including self-doubt and insecurities along the way

• The questions Mary asks herself to take her business to a new level

• How this episode created action for both Mary and myself in launching new online programs

• The importance of celebration within the process

• How Mary has improved her schedule and now manages her time as a solo-entrepreneur

• Where Mary goes for inspiration

• How to turn around an environment of competition into a supportive atmosphere

• How doing something she loves impacts the rest of her life

• How Mary has cultivated a deeper sense of self-awareness through her work as well

• The shift into owning and taking responsibility for your business and your brand

• Mary’s deeper reason behind being a food blogger

• How the lack of home cooking is the crux of many of our world’s issues

• Cooking as a teacher

• How Mary’s most challenging project earned her a publishing deal

• How Mary’s book process inspired my book process

• What exciting projects Mary is working on…

Referred to in the ‘cast: 

• FoodBloggerPro [video tutorials on how to build a food blog]

• PinchofYum.com [website]

• Go Blog Social [event]

• Mary’s Nut Butter Book [book]

• Mary’s first video that she DID put out there! Homemade Turmeric Tea [vid]

• What I Know for Sure by Oprah [book]

• The Great Work of Your Life: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling by Stephen Cope [book]

Where to find Mary: 
TheKitchenPaper.com
Instagram/Twitter/Pinterest/Snapchat: @thekitchenpaper (Twitter is best to connect with Mary)
The Kitchen Paper Facebook Page

Dave Booda, the podcast host, life coach, world traveler, self-proclaimed music geek, and former naval officer tells all about his journey to find himself and create work that he’s proud of. 

In this episode, we dive into… 

• The importance of living in the “grind”

• Having a “job that pays the bills” vs. doing what you love and making potentially less money

• What would you do if you had absolute financial security?

• The difference between soul-driven work, vs. paycheck-driven work

• Diving into the fact that the “Happiness Factor” isn’t dependent on the job at all

• The problem with thinking that there’s a “perfect job” out there for each of us

• Dave’s method for getting “in flow” each day

• How to stretch your comfort zone, since our life stinks or expands, depending on our comfort level

• Dave’s perspective on having a Mission Statement

• How to transition from doing a job, to doing what you love

• The problem with identifying as your job (i.e. a Naval officer)

• “Soul cultivators” vs. “soul destroyers”

• When to focus on creating and when to focus on monetizing

• “Dancing is a choice to make life beautiful” -Dave Booda

Cashflow Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki [book]
Doing what you love won’t make you happy by Dave Booda [article]
Gary Vaynerchuk’s Keynote Talk [video]
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl [book]
Steve Job’s Stanford Commencement Address 2005 [video]

Dave’s Podcast: Darken the page
Dave’s interview of Molly King on Darken the Page
Boodaism.com for Dave’s blog

Sammy Davis is a light in all that she is and does. As a powerful speaker, writer, and business woman, she navigates her field with grace, confidence, and authenticity—and her life inspires all with whom she connects. We dive into her story, as well as some tough topics: breakups (both in business and in love), finding and defining success, and balancing life and work, among many other ideas. Tune in for your daily dose of realness, laughs, and profundity. That SammyD, she’s a keeper! 

In this episode, we dive into…

• Her latest book, Love Your Life!: 7 Secrets to Using the Power of Positive Thinking and Law of Attraction to Create the Dream Life for You

• “When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change.”

• How to carve your “inside world” to positively affect your “outside world”

• How to make meditation work for you

• Sammy’s metamorphosis from “the perfect magazine job,” where she felt her soul was dying—to where she is now as a thriving entrepreneur, writing, speaking, etc.

• “Coming home to who you are…”

• How to cultivate inner trust in yourself and recreate yourself

• What she did when her business commitments conflicted with what her soul desired

• A step by step guide to overcome your fears

• What is the belief behind “fear” and how to use that to dispel the fear

• How to beat “bad press”

• How to work through romantic break ups, and how to use it to empower instead of hamper your progress

• What role self-love plays in business and in romance

• What pain is really telling us

• How to handle with “obstacles” that keep us from our “treasure”

• How Sammy’s work coincides beautifully with her life, and how each supports the other

• What is success?

• What is Sammy’s mission—specifically for all women

• How to bring more divine intervention into your life

• What is Sammy’s regimen for creating happiness consistently

• How mental environment affects who survives and who doesn’t, in various contexts

• Sammy’s routine of self-care that supports her work

• What new “soul-cultivators” Sammy is exploring

• The power of language (“get to” vs. “have to”)

• Beauty in vulnerability, and how to best share your pain

• The power of listening

• “Follow the good energy in you” - and what this means for Sammy and for us

• And of course… her definition of Living Your Dance!

Links from the ‘cast: 

• Miracles Now by Gabby Bernstein - book

• Things are always getting better - song

• [The breakup article hasn’t posted by the media outlet yet, so I’m unable to post it myself.]

• Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl

WHERE TO FIND SAMMY
Her website: sammyd.tv
Instagram: @sammydtv
Search for #lipstickaffirmations on Instagram
For speaking engagements connect with her on her event page

Derek has made his way through various careers and has recently found himself location-independant (hence why he’s currently in Bali), running his own coaching practice and hosting his podcast, The Art of Adventure. He has an incredible story, and is driven by an insatiable thirst to learn—and would love nothing more than to help others cultivate their own eagerness to do the same. 

In this episode, you’ll learn…

• How he’s able to live in Bali, travel the world, do what he loves, AND make a living

• How he made the jump from being a cyclist, to a researcher (he discovered a new virus!), and is now an entrepreneur and podcast host

• How drafting in cycling relates to business and “real life”

• How he maintains freshness and excitement within his career and the day-to-day tasks

• Tips for bringing projects to completion

• How he maintains productivity without a “boss” to report to

• The benefits to working on projects he truly cares about, and how it affects the rest of his life

• The importance of reading for Derek, and his newest reading goal

• What inspires him, and where Derek turns when he’s facing major challenges in life

• How Derek had a “brush with death”, and how that inspires and affects his life today

• How he’s monitizing his podcast

• How he makes money while he travels

• What kind of dance has gotten Derek to move and open up more than he has before

• Why his definition of “Live Your Dance” moved me to tears

References in the podcast:

• Derek’s crowd sourcing page: patreon.com/derekloudermilk

• His upcoming business adventure retreat: http://turnpoint.io/course/adventures-in-entrepreneurship/

• Turnpoint Startup link: Turnpoint.io

• Search for the Art of Adventure Podcast on Stitcher and iTunes

• DerekLoudermilk.com

• Instagram and Twitter @derekloudermilk