Make Life Less Difficult

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My guest today is Will LeBlanc.

Will is the author of the book, I Used to Be Somebody.

In mid-September, my husband and I were celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary on Ocracoke Island in the Outer Banks, where we had gotten married.  It's a small island so the one main cafe for coffee was busy.  And their style of service was slow and deliberate.  As I stood waiting in line, John came up to me with a book and said, "This looks like your kind of book."  I started reading and immediately agreed with him.  I kept reading all the way through line and for about 2 hours after getting coffee and a bite to eat.

At the back of the book, Will included an email address, and I sent off an email.  "Hey, I found your book, read it, and would you like to be on my podcast?"  A couple of phone calls later and I got to sit down with Will for a conversation here on the podcast.

Will is 70 years old and describes himself as a forest dweller.  You'll hear more about that in our conversation.  I found inspiration in Will's book and this conversation, exploring what it means to be human when we pare down the layers of stuff and identity.  How do we put into words the parts of living that are beyond describable?  What does it mean to be in a deep stillness?  Who am I in this place of stillness?

Since meeting Will through his book and through our conversations, I've found myself challenged in ways that feel like my brain needs to expand to soak it all in.  I hope this conversation is an invitation to you to slow down, listen, experiment with stillness and see what you learn about who you are.

Will, thank you for connecting.  Thank you for the stories and reflections you share in your book and for the beautiful and playful flow of conversation here.  I'm grateful our paths have connected and look forward to learning more about the nothing and emptiness from and with you.

You'll find links below to find Will's book and to connect with him.

Connect with Will: [email protected]

Will's Book: I Used To Be Somebody

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My guest today is Vincent Van den Broeck.

Vincent is the founder of UNTIL IT’S DONE (UID) — a brand and movement built to help people and companies make the impossible achievable through the alignment of five pillars: Mindset, Health, Lifestyle, Action, and Structure & Clarity.

Vincent's work sits at the intersection of performance, storytelling, and brand strategy. 

After surviving a life-threatening accident in 2024 and rebuilding himself piece by piece, he learned first-hand that nothing changes until you do — and that with the right systems, vision and discipline, people are capable of far more than they think.

In our conversation today, Vincent shares his story of the accident that almost took his life and his journey to recovery over the past two years.  His book, Until It's Done: How the Life You Build Becomes the One That Saves You, is the story of this amazing journey.

Vincent, thank you so much for sharing your story and journey, not just here on this podcast, but through your work, your book, and your connections with others.  You are an inspiration and light in this world!  I'm grateful that our paths have connected.

To learn more about Vincent and the work that he does, you'll find links below.

Until It's Done website: https://untilitsdone.eu/

Connect with Vincent on LinkedIn

Vincent's book: https://www.theuidclub.com/the-book

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My guest today is Dr. Tova Rubin. 

Tova is a licensed clinical psychologist, and she brings a unique awareness and ability to listen between the lines to her work that allows her to shine a light on areas of relationships and patterns of communication. 

Tova is also an expert in the field of positive psychology and is regularly invited to give workshops and talks about positive psychology and mindfulness. In our conversation today, Tova shares about the impact and empowerment of building emotional capacity, what changes when we let go of a certainty, certainty both about ourselves and others, and how emotions are the doorway to understanding so much about ourselves and our relationships. 

Throughout our conversation today, Tova shares several of her poems, which are currently unpublished, but I am hoping that she considers publishing and sharing them soon, because they are really powerful and, absolutely beautiful. 

Tova, thank you so much for this uplifting, inspiring, and thought-provoking conversation. It was such a joy to be in conversation with you, and I look forward to our future conversations. 

You will find links below to learn more about Tova, about her work, and to find her book, Wisdom From the Couch.

Tova's website: https://tovarubin.com/

Tova's book: Wisdom from the Couch

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My guest today is Jessica Zucal.

Jess is a returning guest and I'm so honored to share this conversation with you.

Jess is an organizational change and culture specialist.  She supports leaders and organizations in navigating transformational change by integrating both the inner work of leadership and the systemic work of organizational change. She helps leaders see their organizations clearly, understand the patterns and dynamics shaping their reality, so they can move through complexity with greater alignment and make better informed decisions. 

Jess has been through significant change and reorganization in her personal life as well.  In our previous conversation on episode 219, Jess shared the story of her journey with breast cancer, identifying cancer as one of her greatest teachers.

In our conversation today, Jess shares about going through a dark passage which, with the support of trusted partners, she identified as an ego death and rebirth.  Jess's ability to articulate her journey as well as reflect on her experience is a gift.  Often in our own dark passages, it's difficult to find the words to describe what's happening and even more difficult to find people who can relate.  If you have experienced or are in the midst of experiencing a dark passage in your own life, I hope that this conversation helps you know you are not alone, and assures you that these times don't last forever (even though they can feel like they do), and there's beauty and light woven into the darkness.

Jess, thank you for this meaningful and inspiring conversation.  Thank you for your openness, your willingness to share and invite us into these pieces of your journey so that we can be inspired and know that we aren't alone during the difficult times.  I'm deeply grateful to have you in my life.

To learn more about Jess and her work in the world, you'll find links below.

Connect with Jess on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-zucal-3323795/

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My guest today is Donna Moreno.

Donna spent 34 years at Verizon, where she was trained as a company spokesperson, representing them everywhere from industry conferences to investor events. Today she's at The Washington Post, working on compensation, pay equity, job architecture, and how AI is reshaping the way we design jobs.

But her résumé only tells you a sliver of the story. Donna has chaired committees at the Kennedy Center, led Rockville Sister Cities International, judged international competitions, and worked behind the scenes on productions like the Kennedy Center Honors and a presidential inauguration. She's traveled to over 20 countries and 40 states, picked up a literal key to the City of Rockville and a governor's proclamation — and built award-winning mentoring programs along the way.

In our conversation today, Donna shares that she's on the brink of 70, managing cancer, and working on a book with the help of her daughter.  

Donna, thank you so so much for sharing these stories.  Thank you for sharing your heart and passion for others, thank you for sharing your wisdom.  Your courage, energy, and clarity are deeply inspiring.

If you'd like to connect with Donna and learn more about her work in the world, there are links below:

Connect with Donna:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/donna-moreno-ccp-700754b?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios 

https://www.instagram.com/dmenzigian?igsi=MTFwbnllMzlzcDNkMg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

https://www.threads.com/@dmenzigian?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

https://www.facebook.com/share/1DbQdevcNW/?mibextid=wwXIfr 

Email for contact [email protected]

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Today's guest is Nick Reittinger (write - ting - jer). And Russ Watts is hosting today.

Nick is a seismic consultant in Kyle TX. If it shakes, rattles or rolls, he's got it covered. His real passion in life is traveling with his lovely wife and two beautiful daughters. Connecting with individuals across the country has turned out to be an unexpected skill. 

In this conversation Nick shares a story about a time when everything he expected would happen, didn't.  The rug was pulled out from underneath him and it left him feeling incredibly disrupted.  Nick shares how baking cookies became an anchor for him during this stormy time.  Doing something with his hands -- something that had absolutely nothing to do with his work -- kept him grounded when everything else was up in the air.  

This is an inspiring conversation that will bring a smile to your face and perhaps resonate deeply in your heart if you find yourself in the midst of a challenge or disruption in your life and the difficulty that often accompanies these times.

Nick, thank you for sharing these stories, thank you for sharing your reflections on this time of deep disruption in your life, and for sharing how you found an anchor to pull you through!  And thank you for the encouragement to search for an anchor during the storms and to know that anchors come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and flavors!

If you would like to reach out and connect with Nick -- you'll find his email and LinkedIn profile in the show notes!

Connect with Nick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-reittinger/

Email Nick: [email protected]

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My guest today is Graham Shelby.

Graham is a storyteller in just about every sense of the word — a writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times and on NPR's The Moth Radio Hour, a veteran stage performer, a speechwriter, and director of the documentary City of Ali, about the week the city of Louisville, Kentucky — Muhammad Ali's hometown — came together to say goodbye to its champion. 

In this conversation, we explore the power of story and the impact of truly listening, what to consider when telling a story to any audience, and Graham's own story of how he came to perform on The Moth stage in New York City. 

We also dig into a tension at the heart of this podcast: the balance between making life less difficult and choosing to do difficult things — the ones that lead to growth and deeper satisfaction. 

Graham, thank you for this conversation, for sharing these pieces of your story and journey, and your wisdom in storytelling.

You'll find links below to connect with Graham, watch the documentary, City of Ali, and listen to Graham on The Moth.

Links:

Connect with Graham on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grahamshelby/

Watch "City of Ali": https://www.cityofali.com/

Listen to Graham on The Moth: https://themoth.org/stories/the-man-on-tv

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My guest today is Nicole Anderson.

Nicole is a leadership development consultant and coach. Nicole is a returning guest to the podcast and this is an inspiring conversation that includes stories of Nicole's recent journey of starting her own company and podcast.

Nicole founded Audacia after two decades inside the rooms where growth-stage decisions get made, leading teams, building leadership programs, and watching what separates the organizations that scale with purpose from the ones that scale into chaos.

She founded Audacia because the conversations leaders are having now, about AI, scale, headcount, pressure, are getting answered with the wrong playbook. Her take might seem counter-intuitive: to speed up, we must first slow down. 

As you'll hear us talk about, audacia is the latin word for being bold, courageous, or brave.  What I love about it all is that, to me, Audacia has a softness to it that sets it apart from the harshness that I sometimes feel associated with being bold and standing out.  You'll hear us talk more about and explore this, along with so much more.

Nicole, thank you for sharing your stories and your wisdom.  Thank you for being an authentic and bold -- audacious -- leader.  You are an inspiration and your work is deeply needed in the world!

To learn more about Nicole and the work she does, you'll find links here:

Audacia website: https://www.audacialeadership.com/home

Connect with Nicole on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-morrow-anderson/

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It's been 5 years since the release of the first episode of Make Life Less Difficult!

Today, Russ Watts joins me to reflect on the journey of this podcast, what it means to me, how it's impacted me (and others), and what I envision for the upcoming 5 years!

Russ is a guest host and a frequent guest of the podcast.  He and I facilitate retreats and workshops focused on storytelling, connection, and soul space.

Check out our offerings at: https://thestoryacademy.org/

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My guest today is Suneet Bhatt.

Suneet helps people and organizations get unstuck, find purpose, and build momentum.  Suneet teaches at Rutgers University, helping students make sense of their purpose and understand their journey to purpose.

In his work, Suneet has found that before we can make sense of our purpose, we have to make sense of ourselves.  This sounds so simple, but has profound implications and is so often overlooked. 

I love this conversation because Suneet both shares his own story of making sense of his purpose, and also shares valuable insights to help all of us better understand  and make sense of our purposes.

Suneet, thank you for this energizing and inspiring conversation.  Your stories, your wisdom, your encouragement are all so appreciated and I'm honored to have met you and to get to share this on my podcast!

To learn more about Suneet, his work, and his book, Making Sense of Purpose, you'll find links in the show notes.

Connect with Suneet: https://makingsenseofpurpose.com/

Book: Making Sense of Purpose 

Link to Donate to help inmates and other receive this book!

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