Making It with Jess Ekstrom

"Every time we see somebody accomplish anything, it should always be a reminder to us that we can accomplish anything." - Saul Blinkoff

Saul has turned his dreams into reality. He's worked at some of the biggest names in the animation industry, including Disney Studios, MTV, ABC, Netflix, Mattel, and DreamWorks.

But that's not all.

He's also a life coach, a speaker, and a podcaster, helping others unlock their limitless potential. Today, we learn his story of the power to dream and gain self-belief despite setbacks and adversity.

(00:00:01) Fulfillment Through Creating Positive Impacts

(00:03:10) "From Childhood Dream to Disney Animator Success"

(00:07:54) Embracing Self-Belief for Craft Mastery

(00:12:41) "Embracing Challenges for Personal Fulfillment"

(00:16:27) The Power of Perseverance Through Failure

(00:18:55) Feedback-driven Mentorship for Personal and Professional Growth

(00:26:40) "Authentic Connection for Lasting Impact"

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Saul Blinkoff is a global keynote speaker, animator, director, and host of the Life of Awesome Podcast.

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Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop.

When Jess worked at Disney World, she saw the same two custodians every day—one who despised the job and the other who loved every minute of it. She wondered what separated the two in how they liked their jobs.

A Yale study might hold the answer and help transform her mindset.

Rate Amplify on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review for Jess Ekstrom.

Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop.

Is balancing a successful business with family life, self-care, friends, and sleep achievable?

Our guest, Kate Rosenow, is a business systems strategist and the owner of "Work Well with Kate." She's an expert in helping service-based business owners scale without overwhelming (and understands this challenge firsthand as a mother!). She advocates for robust systems and clear boundaries in work and personal life, emphasizing planning, coordination, and reclaiming personal time.

 Kate's holistic approach encourages mothers to prioritize happiness while pursuing business goals.

Who knows? Maybe it's possible to have it all without getting too stressed.

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Kate Rosenow works with service-based business owners to implement the right systems and operations so they can scale their business and create consistent income without working crazy hours. 

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Rate Amplify on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review for Jess Ekstrom.

Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop.

When Jess took her daughter Ellie on her first flight, she survived two meltdowns—and only one of them was from Ellie. As they walked up and down the plane aisle, trying to soothe each other (along with some passengers giving her side eye), Jess realized that she had changed her thoughts about other people's perspectives.

Rate Amplify on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review for Jess Ekstrom.

Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop.

How do you juggle being an entrepreneur, mom, and keynote speaker? Meet Megan Reilly, the founder behind Tippi Toes's children's dance company, who was featured on a little-known show called Shark Tank. (You may have heard of it.) 

She and Jess discuss balancing motherhood with career aspirations and embracing both simultaneously.

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Megan Reilly is a keynote speaker, COO of Tippi Toes, and host of the Who is Your Momma? Podcast.

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Rate Amplify on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review for Jess Ekstrom.

Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop.

A major hurdle we face as achievers is the "Wanting Mind." This mindset is consistently dissatisfied, hindering our ability to remain present. Instead of enjoying the journey, we're constantly seeking the next destination, like a child repeatedly asking, "Are we there yet?"

Rate Amplify on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review for Jess Ekstrom.

Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop.

As the VP of a marketing agency in 2019, Melanie Borden had zero digital footprint.  But she decided it was time to step it up, and today, as we publish this episode, she has over 181,000 followers on LinkedIn!

How did she do it? And how can you step up your LinkedIn presence to increase demand for your speaking?

Let's find out!

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Melanie Borden is the Founder and CEO of The Borden Group, which transforms businesses and executives on LinkedIn by increasing their reach, impact, and brand marketing effectiveness, turning their personal brands into a powerful channel for achieving growth and fulfilling their mission.

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Rate Amplify on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review for Jess Ekstrom.

Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop.

Jess has a personal Aesop tale that shifted her views on positive and negative thoughts, luck, and she's sharing the story today to explain how it transformed her Zen energy.

Rate Amplify on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review for Jess Ekstrom.

Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop.

Lindsay Boccardo is no stranger to making mistakes. One of the biggest mistakes she made was walking down the aisle to marry a man while trying to convince herself she wasn't gay!  However, once she became comfortable with her authentic self, she made a career out of speaking and training organizations on how to support their team members to be themselves.

Today, Lindsay talks about mistakes, bringing your full self to the stage, and how to practice the inevitable flubs - because they will happen!

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Lindsay Boccardo is a keynote speaker who works with organizations who are ready to maximize the talent of multiple generations in their workforce.  She's also the creator of the Dynamic Delivery Course inside Mic Drop Workshop.

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Rate Amplify on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review for Jess Ekstrom.

Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop.

One of the lessons the Mic Drop Workshop team teaches is Moment to Meaning. If you can look at your day like a film strip and place your finger on a moment—big or small—what would the greater meaning of that moment be?

Today, Jess unpacks Moment to Meaning and shares how it applies to becoming a more powerful, more memorable speaker.

Rate Amplify on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and leave a review for Jess Ekstrom.

Amplify with Jess is produced by Earfluence, and brought to you by Mic Drop Workshop.