By Lisa Tilstra
4.8
2525 ratings
The podcast currently has 195 episodes available.
My guest today is Tony Cerella.
If that name sounds familiar to you, let me tell you there’s a twist to this. The Tony who joins me today is the son of the Tony who has joined me previously and shared about his journey of retiring from a career in the U.S. Army! And if you are a regular listener, you might recall that other members of the Cerella family have also been guests here. Bethany was a guest on episode 163 and Sophia was on episode 180.
Tony, who joins me today, is the son of Tony and Bethany, and the twin brother of Sophie. At the time of our conversation, he was 15 years old and has since turned 16. Tony is a deep thinker and enjoys digging into complex topics. He’s lived a rich life in his 16 years, living in multiple countries, speaking multiple languages, and currently lives in Como, Italy.
Tony, thank you for joining me on the podcast! It is great getting to know you better, hearing your ideas and perspectives, and ambitions. I look forward to seeing where you go in life and know you will make an impact for good in whatever you do! (And thank you for your patience as it’s taken me much longer than anticipated to get this released!!)
And a big thanks for the entire Cerella family for being my first complete family of guests on the podcast – what a fun experience, a beautiful and inspiring family! I love these conversations and continue to feel so honored to host them and share them with you!
Make Life Less Difficult
My guest today is Teresa Ramos.
Teresa is a seasoned leader with a diverse career spanning over 23 years in executive roles at top tech companies like British Telecom, Vodafone, Telefónica, and Siemens Group. She has driven digital transformations, enhanced organizational agility, and fostered innovation within and across departments.
After her extensive commercial experience, Teresa transitioned to academia, collaborating with leading institutions such as Instituto de Empresa, Stanford, and Harvard where her focus has been on innovation, agility, leadership, digital transformation, and high-performance teams.
Currently, Teresa works as an executive coach and digital consultant, collaborating with a wide range of organizations and companies helping navigate the complexities of the digital world and thrive in our fast-evolving, technology-driven landscape.
She is a Fellow at the Institute of Coaching at Harvard and a member of the Advisory Council at Harvard Business Review (HBR).
In our conversation today, Teresa shares pieces of her journey through various transitions, the importance of playful curiosity, and how she’s managed moving back to her home country when it no longer felt like home.
Teresa, thank you for this beautiful and enriching conversation. Thank you for your wisdom, your stories, your curiosity. You have so much to offer the world and I’m honored to share this conversation here.
To connect with Teresa and learn more about her work, you’ll find links below:
Teresa's website: http://www.globalresults.eu/
Connect with Teresa on LinkedIn
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My guest today is Dr. Britt Yamamoto.
I’m also delighted to share that the host of today’s conversation is my friend, Russ Watts. This is Russ’s second time hosting a conversation here and I hope you’ll encourage him to do more!
My only dilemma when Russ hosts is that I am slightly envious of not being in the conversation myself. But, to counter that, I have the delight of listening and being touched and inspired and it is a very special experience.
Dr. Yamamoto is an expert in designing strategies and building environments that emphasize ongoing, reciprocal learning within businesses, organizations, and educational institutions. He is highly skilled in working with leaders to grow their self-awareness, deepen their purpose, and enhance their personal and professional wellbeing.
Britt in the co-founder and CEO of Perennial, a leadership training organization that works with community leaders in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East on how to connect to and grow their long-term leadership capacities. He’s a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Washington Department of Global Health, and the author of the book, Soil of Leadership: Cultivating the Conditions for Transformation. His book is newly released and is a collection of leadership practices and perspectives informed by his work as an organic farmer.
On a personal note, Britt is an avid long-distance runner, a novice podcaster, and as a child of the Pacific Ocean, finds joy in warm water, navigating beach breaks, and looking out for the perfect taco!
Britt, thank you for this wise, thoughtful, and stirring conversation. Thank you for the inspiration to ‘human better together’. May your work continue to grow deep into the heart and souls of leaders young and old and produce the fruit of transformation that our world craves.
To learn more about Britt and his work, you’ll find links below:
The Soil of Leadership: https://thesoilofleadership.org/
Connect with Britt on LinkedIn
Follow Britt on Instagram
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My guest today is Nadine Keller.
Nadine is the founder and president of Precision Sales Coaching & Training. She works to help ambitious women entrepreneurs who have hit a revenue plateau increase their revenue in record time! She helps them get to a position to invest in their business, be well-positioned to weather conditions outside of their control, and most importantly – so they can feel financially free!
Nadine and I met through the Georgetown Institute for Transformational Leadership Network annual conference in September 2024. Nadine’s energy, passion, and enthusiasm for life, her work, and connecting were evident from our very first interactions.
We also quickly connected via stories of loss – the loss of our husbands. Our conversation quickly dove into the depths of grief and gratitude and how the two elements can be so mysteriously intertwined.
I’m so grateful Nadine said yes to coming on the podcast, sharing pieces of her story, how she has weathered the difficult times, and her reflections of what resilience looks like in her life and journey.
Nadine, thank you. This conversation touches on so many themes that are near and dear to my heart. Themes that are sometimes difficult to put into words and yet so grounding and connective when shared. Your stories, your optimism, your resilience… they all inspire me and I know they will inspire so many who listen!
To learn more about Nadine, the work she does, and her books and more, see the links below:
Thanksgiving book: Gobble: The Quintessential Thanksgiving Playbook
Nadine's website: The Precision Sales Accelerator
Connect with Nadine: Calendly link
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My guest today is Morgan Adams.
Morgan is a transformative holistic sleep coach who empowers women to conquer their battle with sleepless nights, without reliance on sleep medications. With her powerful sleep toolkit, Morgan not only ensures that women experience a profound enhancement in their sleep quality, but she also guides them in rekindling their relationship with sleep, paving the way for less stressful and more fulfilling days.
Having struggled with insomnia and dependency on prescription sleeping pills for almost a decade, Morgan intimately understands the profound impact sleep has on one’s quality of life.
Morgan’s resilience shines bright as a two-time breast cancer survivor. This experience fueled her advocacy for a lifestyle rooted in disease prevention. Her wisdom and guidance extend far beyond just sleep, as she champions holistic well-being in all aspects of life.
Morgan, thank you for this insightful and educational conversation! Thank you for sharing these pieces of your journey and how you have built out your resilience!
And special shout-out to Kim Brundage for getting Morgan and me connected!
You will find links below to Morgan’s website and other resources.
Website: https://www.morganadamswellness.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/morganadams.wellness/
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My guest today is Kamini Wood.
Kamini is a certified life coach and best-selling author, who is passionate about empowering individuals to reclaim their self-worth and become resilient leaders of their own lives. As the CEO and Founder of Live Joy Your Way, Kamini works with high-achieving adults and teens, helping them navigate self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and the pressures of external validation. Through her specialized coaching programs, Kamini focuses on emotional resilience, self-compassion, and the power of living authentically.
Her journey, shaped by her experiences as a first-generation American and a mother of five, informs her work with clients to help them break free from the limitations of people-pleasing and self-judgment. Kamini's mission is simple but profound: to guide others in recognizing their innate worth and to foster self-leadership from a place of inner strength and clarity.
In our conversation today, Kamini shares pieces of her own journey that has led her to do the hard internal work that is foundational to a joy-filled life!
Kamini, thank you for this thoughtful and wise conversation. Thank you for sharing pieces of your own story, your growth, your mistakes, your insights, your wisdom! I’ve been reflecting on our conversation and am a better person for it!
To learn more about Kamini and her work check out the links below:
Make Life Less Difficult
My guest today is Lorca Smetana.
Lorca is a resilience expert, teacher, and speaker with a deep passion for helping individuals and communities rise from trauma and challenges. Lorca’s unique approach combines her personal experience surviving disaster and loss at the young age of 16, with years of teaching and coaching, focusing on resilience, grief, and the emotional landscapes of leadership. With a background that spans wilderness survival, emergency response, and personal coaching, Lorca offers insight and tools that empower people to transform their toughest moments into profound growth.
I’m thrilled to have Lorca on the podcast today to share her story, expertise, and the ways she’s helping people not only survive but thrive through life’s most difficult challenges.
Lorca and I were connected through the kind introduction of Kim Brundage – thank you Kim!
Lorca lives in Bozeman, Montana, and alongside the beautiful work of resilience training that she does, she also has a sustainable farm where she and her husband raise two free-range children, homing pigeons, dogs, Icelandic sheep, and a diversity of other birds and creatures for sustenance, humility and delight.
Lorca, thank you for this inspiring conversation. Thank you for sharing these pieces of your story. Thank you for sharing the journey of grief, choosing love, choosing life. You embody the tools that you lovingly teach others in a beautiful way!
To learn more about Lorca and her work, please see the links below:
Make Life Less Difficult
My guest today is Silvia Iaia.
Silvia is an executive coach and an incredibly inspiring woman. We first met through her husband, Felipe, and the world of real estate investing.
Silvia is the founder of Be Executive, the co-founder and executive director of Growing Assetz and Notes for Growth.
Originally from southern Italy, Silvia has lived in many places around the world, including her current home of Santiago, Chile. My connection and friendship with both Silvia and her husband is truly international, as we have spent time together in beautiful Santiago, as well as Chattanooga, Tennessee, and virtually.
Silvia approaches her life and work with passion and intention. You’ll hear this throughout our conversation today.
Silvia, thank you SO much for sharing these pieces of your beautiful journey and life. Thank you for sharing the learning and growth and discoveries you have made along the way and continue to make. I can’t wait until our next conversation!
If you would be interested in learning more about Silvia or the work she’s doing in the world, please check out the links below!
Hurricane Relief Efforts: The following list was shared by Daneen Akers who is local to Asheville, NC, and a personal friend and amazing advocate (Read more about Daneen here):
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My guest today is Alicia Ford.
Alicia is a seasoned US diplomat with more than 17 years at the U.S. Department of State. She has experience serving domestically and overseas in over a dozen different consular and management roles. She is bilingual in English and Spanish and has lived in Honduras, Peru, Barbados, Türkiye, Romania, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Alicia is also the Editor, Curator, and Co-Author of Diplomats, a book about US women serving as diplomats around the world. In this book, each contributor shares her unique approach to living this dynamic lifestyle – career, family life, personal ambition, and life goals. The book also serves as a guide for careers in International Affairs and Diplomacy for anyone seeking a global career. One of Alicia’s motives for publishing this book was to help people and this directly aligns with her current role as a US Diplomat.
What was happening behinds the scenes of this recording is a great example of the resiliency of diplomats because Alicia was managing a crisis before, during, AND after our conversation on a Saturday morning.
Alicia, thank you so much for this conversation. Thank you for the work you do in service to the United States of America. And thank you for your passion for telling the stories of amazing women in the world of diplomacy!
You’ll find links below to Alicia’s book and resources.
The views expressed in this interview are in Alicia’s personal capacity and are not necessarily those of the U.S. Government.
Read Alicia's book: Diplomats: Experiences of Women Serving at U.S. Embassies Around the World
Instagram: @Diplomatsthebook
Sign up for the Newsletter: https://forms.gle/yfLMUF17rkAh5PXi9
Alicia and her husband in the New York Times
Find the Oasis: Sports Complex, Barbados
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My guest today is Nane Bittencourt.
Nane is a leadership coach with a mission to empower leaders to achieve their full potential. Nane is originally from Brazil and now lives in the US. With over eight years of coaching leaders in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, she helps clients unleash their full potential to drive their careers, seeing their work as a meaningful part of their lives rather than just a job and strategizing accordingly.
Nane is dedicated to empowering leaders to provide clear, empathetic, and innovative guidance in today's interconnected world. I find inspiration in my understanding of culture that goes beyond borders.
She’s been interested in living and working internationally for most of her life and has intentionally pursued these dreams, bringing them to fruition.
Nane and I met through the Georgetown Institute for Transformational Leadership Alumni Network, most specifically because she was intrigued about a Story Slam that I was hosting at the Network’s annual conference.
Along with agreeing to tell a story at the story slam, Nane also agreed to come on my podcast and share pieces of her journey.
We talk today about the challenges of moving to a new country, learning to find and express oneself in new languages and new cultures, and strategies to find an anchor in the midst of these transitions.
Nane, thank you for sharing these pieces of your story. Thank you for sharing the vulnerable reality of facing your fears, stepping into the unknowns, asking for help, and bravely stretching yourself. You are courageous, wise, and inspiring and I’m so glad we’ve gotten connected!
Connect with Nana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nanebittencourt/
Make Life Less Difficult
The podcast currently has 195 episodes available.