Living Fully Conversations

On today’s episode, I talk with Dan Martin, President of Seattle Pacific University. SPU’s mission is to engage the culture and change the world.

During our conversation, we discuss:

- Seattle Pacific’s unique approach to teaching the next generation of wealth creators.

- Challenges he's facing as the leader of a private, liberal arts school in the center of Seattle, a high growth market.

- Advice for a “Type A,” hard driving, or what I refer to as an aspiring wealth creator

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe

Money can be an instigator of stress on relationships. This can come in the form of spending issues, budget problems, and sometimes a lack of appreciation, especially around gifts. Money can be used for manipulation and control. Sometimes money is placed above relationships in regards to importance.

All of these things can create wounds in our heart toward people that we care about. What we're left with is resentment and a lack of forgiveness in most cases.

I want to leave you with a question: Who is it that you need to forgive today?

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe

Reetu Gupta is living the American dream. She grew up in a tiny town in Northern India and against all odds, she found her way to an education and a job at a software company. In the late 90's, she immigrated to the U.S. with a job offer from AT&T Wireless. Arriving with two suitcases and $2,000 in hand, she marched boldly into the land of opportunity. Reetu started as a principal software engineer and climbed the corporate ladder at Honeywell. Reetu has also authored several user interface patents in aerospace cockpit technology.

As if that wasn’t enough, Reetu went on to get her MBA from the University of Washington and is the founder and CEO of CirkedIn.

After spending several weeks helping her daughter fill out applications for a prestigious private school, Reetu was shocked by how much time it took to compile her daughter’s notable achievements and activities. She grew frustrated that there wasn’t a good solution for students to document and showcase their work, so she decided to do something about it!

CirkledIn can be described simply as LinkedIn for high school students -- it helps students highlight their accomplishments and facilitates universities' recruitment process. We live in a digital age where colleges and employers are looking beyond test scores to students' holistic skills and achievements.

Did you know that many colleges and universities have now made SAT/ACT optional? Instead of looking at these test scores, college admission officers are looking at an applicant’s social media presence. This made Reetu think, “Why not take charge of the situation and showcase your best self?” Whether it's playing soccer or being on the student body council, every experience develops your personality and builds essential skills. By including all significant achievements and activities, CirkledIn highlights a candidate's holistic strengths and talents.

Since its launch, CirkledIn has partnered with dozens of schools and youth organizations and is used by thousands of students. This conversation left me buzzing because of the energy that this Reetu gives off. You can’t help but be inspired by her tenacity to achieve her life’s dreams. She's a testament to one of my favorite statements, "anything is possible." Not only does she believe it, but she embodies it -- and so can you.

Is the return on your life lower than your want? If so, consider raising the bar and pushing yourself to experience life in a richer way. To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe

Over the last five years, my calling has evolved in the money and life space -- I have an opportunity to share what I've learned in my career through observing wealth creators and the issues they face.

I felt that writing a book was part of that journey, so I decided to hire an editor to help me develop a book proposal.

There have been many instances in my life where I've thought about things I want to do but never step off the curb and move forward.

What held me back?

I was continually thinking about the reasons why I couldn't do it and the time it was going to take.

So I want to leave you with a couple of questions to ponder around this subject of failure, identity, and holding some of these outcomes loosely.

1. Which outcomes in your life are you trying to control instead of just letting them happen?

2. Is there a different outcome that might be even better than one you imagined?

3. Is your identity too wrapped up in ideal outcomes? If so, how can you loosen that grip?

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe

I’m always drawn to people who are on intentional journeys of self discovery and growth. Mastin Kipp is a self proclaimed, "Disciple of Depth". I love that, especially as someone who seeks out meaningful conversations. Mastin’s vulnerability and focus is a breath of fresh air.

Mastin has built a highly successful international personal development company that helps people create rapid change, connect to who they really are with passion and purpose. Through his writing, online courses, in-person seminars and international retreats, Mastin has worked with over two million people in over 100 countries around the world.

Oprah recently named Mastin “one of 100 awakened leaders who are using their voices and talent to elevate humanity,” alongside other teachers such as Tony Robbins, and Dr. Brené Brown, to name just a few.

Check out his website, www.mastinkipp.com, to learn more.

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe

Heather Tuininga is a woman on a mission.

Heather's mission is to help people and organizations figure out what they’re passionate about and then make an impact in those areas.

A few years ago, my wife and I knew that we wanted to be more generous, but we were struggling with determining which causes we wanted to give to. Thankfully, we crossed paths with Heather and she took us on what she calls a “heart tour.”

Heather knew from a young age that working toward a greater good was something she enjoyed doing. She began her career in philanthropy at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where she learned about generosity from Bill Gates Sr.. Heather earned the opportunity to travel all over the globe with Gates, to places like India and Africa.

Since her time at the Gates Foundation, Heather started her own consulting practice where she works with people, families, and organizations to develop long-lasting philanthropic plans.

Heather has been recognized numerous times for her work in the philanthropy space. Most recently, she was named by 425 Magazine as one of their Women to Watch.

You can find out more about Heather and read about the generosity capers she’s inspired by visiting her website, www.1010strategies.com.

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe

Darin Leonard had it all: a high powered career at a well known corporation and unbelievable success at a very young age. As he gained more recognition at work, he found he was getting more criticism at home. He wasn’t present for his wife and kids. His marriage was falling apart.

After a series of tragic events, Darin left his corporate gig to “rebalance” his Life Portfolio.

On this episode, Darin shares the wisdom he gained during his career transition as well as his advice around teaching kids about money. I also heard about his love for youth sports, coaching, and helping boys develop into young men. We both share a love of baseball and understand how sports coaching can influence boys and girls positively.

Today, Darin is the CEO of Dream Dinners. This unique company brings families together around the dinner table. Have you ever wondered why millennials are the way they are? Darin thinks it’s because they’re the first generation to grow up without a dinner table and he’s made it his mission to bring it back.

Dream Dinners provides everything needed to assemble great dinners to enjoy as you relax and talk about the events of the day. Their services offer freedom from planning and preparing meals night after night.

In 2005, Dream Dinners established their foundation out of a deep commitment to serve local communities. Dream Dinners has served well over 100 million meals throughout the U.S. and their foundation has assembled approximately 1.5 million meals since 2012 that have been distributed in the U.S., Haiti, and Tanzania.

You can find out more about this inspiring company by visiting their website: www.dreamdinners.com

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe

Whitney Johnson and I first met each other several years ago through social media. She had published her very first book, 'Dare, Dream, Do,' and was working on her second book, "Disrupt Yourself." We’ve since had the pleasure of getting together in person and supporting each other in our respective endeavors. I’m happy to share that today we’ll be discussing Whitney’s third book, 'Build an A-Team.'

Through writing, speaking, consulting and coaching, Whitney works with leaders to help them retain their top talent, build an A-team, and be a boss people love. Whitney was the co-founder of the Disruptive Innovation Fund with Harvard's Clayton Christensen.

Recognized as one of the 50 leading business thinkers in the world (Thinkers50), Whitney Johnson is an expert on corporate innovation and personal disruption.

You can learn more about Whitney by visiting: www.whitneyjohnson.com

If you're interested in taking the Disruption Diagnostic visit: www.whitneyjohnson.com/diagnostic

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe

When it comes to life, how does risk come into play? Through my work with wealth and life coaching clients, I’ve found that risk is harder to embrace than most people expect. There are often different parts of our life we want to change, whether that be relationship issues, boredom, lack of joy, or even our legacy.

Becoming the people we want to be requires risk and vulnerability. At some level, we’re exposing who we are; stepping into the unknown.

So here's a challenge from me to you:

Give yourself the freedom to dream of a richer life. Grab your journal and give yourself an opportunity to answer the question, “If I could do anything, what would it be?”

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe

Smart employers know that when you pay right, you attract and retain the best talent. Smart employees know that it’s important to understand what your skills are worth in the marketplace. In today's world, that equation can change rapidly, especially in tech hotbeds like Seattle, San Francisco, and New York.

Mike Metzger is the CEO of PayScale, the world’s leading provider of precise, on-demand compensation data. It’s their mission to empower employers and employees to have better conversations around pay.

More than 6,500 customers, from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies, use PayScale to power pay decisions for over 18 million employees.

You can find out more about Payscale by visiting their website: www.payscale.com

To learn more about turning meaningful wealth into a meaningful life filled with passion and purpose, connect with me on social media at @jcchristianson or send me an email at [email protected]

Music: "Day Is Gonna Come" by Royal Deluxe