Making Space for Conversations That Matter with Laura Prisc

Legacy isn't necessarily in the past. If we could reverse-engineer our lives with a focus on how we want to show up, and how others experience us, we could create our legacy on purpose, explains business consultant and career coach, Jeff Saperstein. In this paradigm we are living into our lives with the end in mind: How do you want to be remembered? What do you want to be remembered for? Because the truth is you get to choose, and you are creating your legacy every day in what you say and do and how you say and do it. Jeff goes on to highlight the extreme toll we pay when we compartmentalize our lives and believe we can show up in various roles differently. For example, if we create a work persona that is different than our 'at home' persona, and may be different, still, from our 'out with friends' persona, we are wasting a lot of effort and energy in playing those roles, which inevitably leads to burn-out. The determining factor is our awareness and willingness to be internally directed – aligned with our values, beliefs, and desires, rather than allowing external agents and forces to decide who we will be and how we will show up. First, of course, one has to have thought into and defined his or her core values and made the decision to stand by them regardless of the situation or people involved. This is, in effect, intentionally choosing to take off our masks and stand in our authentic power. Then we get to embody our values in our everyday behaviors, words, and actions. Laura and Jeff go on to discuss the prevalence of 'contrived urgency,' the prevailing behavior of being busy for busy-ness' sake; of trying to to do it all and having it all done by tomorrow! Jeff encourages us to be a whole person through focus and specifics and spend some time in reflection on each facet of our lives: work, family, friends, spirituality, finance, health, etc… and recognize where we are in alignment and doing well, or have developed thinking and behaviors that are disharmonious to what we want to create for our lives. They go on to dive into some of the tools they both use with coaching clients to help them see and understand the clues to recognizing and developing each person's unique strengths for greater contribution and satisfaction in life and work. As they near the end of their conversation, Jeff offers this wisdom: First uncover, then discover yourself! Meaning each of us has to peel back the layers to see all that lies within us, then discover what it means, what it allows us to offer, and become… and know that along the way it sometimes requires unlearning and relearning beliefs, ideas, behaviors that will serve us in healthier ways… so we can live our legacy forward – on purpose and with intention! You can learn more about these ideas and the tools Jeff and Laura use at these links: Jeff On Facebook Jeff online Jeff on LinkedIn Jeff's Podcast – Interconnected Individuals Carla Harris TED Talk – Finding a Sponsor The Start-Up of You book StrengthsFinder Explore Strengths with Laura Jeff's Bio Jeff Saperstein helps highly educated, high performance, business professionals transition to find work that matters to them. Jeff is a San Francisco Bay Area based business consultant, author, university teacher, career coach, and podcaster, who empowers people to navigate their careers to lead a successful, happier life. Jeff is particularly attuned to mirroring and reflecting feelings, emotions, and awareness in his intuitive listening ability and to connect the dots. He has a three-stage approach to coaching: self-awareness for your operational values and aspirations; market reality exploration; and building you network and online presence to bring the right opportunities to you.

How many of us would have the courage to turn our backs on what was soundly forecast as a future payout of several million dollars in retirement and stock options to follow what our spirit was calling out to do? The answer to that question is quite clear – just look around at the people you know, see, and read about. Not many. But that doesn't apply to Jordan Gerding. And his story is even more remarkable considering his is not even 30, yet. He just recently left his job in the family construction business his grandfather and father have been building for decades, to venture into the unknown and uncertain world of entrepreneurship. It might sound scary – and maybe even unwise – to those who need the certainty of a regular schedule, structure, and paycheck. For those who march to a different drummer, and are awake and attuned to their own inner voice, staying in the imagined 'safety' of a steady job can actually be a very life-sucking, soul-killing choice. Jordan didn't make the leap blindly. In fact, he was very methodical, strategic, and conscientious about the financial implications of his choices, potential, and future, then crafted an exit strategy that he presented to the company's Board before putting his plan in motion. Today's conversation is perfectly representative of how real-life, meaningful conversations unfold organically. While Laura and Jordan started off exploring how he mapped out his future (rare for many, and rarer still for someone so young!), they find themselves exploring self-awareness, coaching, and the various tools they each use to first understand themselves and then share that gift with others in their lives and work. If you've ever heard your inner voice calling you to something else, something beyond the 'norm,' something that might even scare you a little (or a lot!)… If you've asked yourself, "Should I follow my calling / passion, or do what everyone else says I should do?" You owe it to yourself to spend this next hour with Laura and Jordan and contemplate the lessons that arise… Really consider the idea of trading comfort and boredom with pursuing your passion and enjoying the fullness of life. You can learn more about the tools Jordan and Laura use at these links: Jordan On Facebook [email protected] StrengthsFinder Explore Strengths with Laura Enneagram Kolbe Assessment Perry Marshall 80/20 Sales & Marketing Book Jordan's Bio Jordan is a young man who has recently stepped out of his corporate job with his father's general contracting construction business, Gerding Builders, into the adventure of self-employment. He is entering into a career as an executive coach to pursue his passion of helping business owners and entrepreneurs understand their unique giftings, strengths, and passions and then developing their team around them to support them in their weaknesses and blind spots. In stepping into his own business, Jordan is now a fourth-generation business owner in his family. He takes great pride in the legacy of his family in business that focused on valuing relationships, honesty, integrity, character, and leveraging resources to help those who cannot help themselves. Jordan has been especially impacted by his father, Tom Gerding. He watched his father join on as a partner in the company he currently serves as CEO over and grow it from a high 7-figure revenue business to breaking the 9-figure revenue mark while growing their net profit percentage to double the industry average. His father did this without compromising his values of integrity and character, focusing on relationships first (both within the company and outside of the company), and giving back to the community. Jordan has the practical experience in holding fast to his character and values in an industry where profit margin percentages are in the single digits, contract language is tight, and mistakes can quickly add up to tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. In his last year with Gerding Companies, Jordan was the Project Manager over more than 20 million dollars-worth of work with over 90 subcontractors (other companies hired to do specific scopes of work) between the projects. He has first-hand experience in balancing maximizing profits for the company, prioritizing savings and service for the client, and standing up for subcontractors when additional payment is deserved for additional requested work; all while not sacrificing integrity, character, or values. Jordan knows that the business world is no fairy tale, and his coaching and guidance comes from real world application and results. He desires to bring the insights he has gained from watching and working closely with his father along with the high impact tools gained from trainings and certifications to help high integrity, high character business owners and entrepreneurs take the helm in their industries with the goal of making integrity and character the expectation in the business world not the exception.

When you discover who she is and what she does, having a conversation with Sharry might be a little unsettling… it might leave you feeling a little exposed and vulnerable. You see, Sharry hears frequencies most of us don't, at least not without the help of sensitive sound measuring devices or equipment. Which means she'll recognize things about you that you may not even be aware of, or might hope no one will notice! "I grew up in Appalachia in a place with no electronic or manufactured sound," she explains. "So, I was immersed in all the sounds of nature and I grew up really hearing trees and animals… all living things vibrate." And anything that vibrates emits vibrational frequencies, which translate to sound, and that means it can be measured. Essentially, each and every one of us has a signature sound. Our voices reveal our health, personality, emotional state, and so much more about us than we might imagine. Sharry uses this information – and it's all mathematically based – to help people understand themselves at deeper levels, heal their bodies, change their beliefs, and make improvements in various areas of their lives. Over the course of 30 years of collecting voice prints (300,000 voice prints in her database), doing research, and analyzing the data, she is able to discern patterns that align with various illnesses, disease patterns, hormonal imbalances, etc… and while she isn't in a position to say she uses this technology to "treat or cure" anything, she has countless stories from the people with whom she's worked to demonstrate she's tapped into something very powerful. And she's not alone in her work. Over the course of her conversation with Laura, she highlights the work of other researchers in science and medicine who are also exploring the power of sound frequency in various healing modalities. This is one of those conversations that the written word won't do justice to… You really have to hear it yourself. So, get comfortable, settle in, and listen to Laura and Sharry digging into the secrets hidden within our voices. Then spend some time in Sharry's world at these links: Sound Health Portal Sound Health Options On Facebook Holosync Technology Anthony Holland – TEDx Talk – Shattering Cancer with Resonant Frequencies Molecules of Emotion Book Just for fun – Watch this short video of music making Whisky dance! Sharry's Bio Sharry Edwards has been accused of being too scientific by some, too esoteric by others. In actuality, she is a bridge between both fields of inquiry. Sharry is the acknowledged pioneer in the emerging field of Vocal Profiling using BioAcoustic Biology. For many years she has provided the leading-edge research to show the voice as a holographic representation of the body that can be used to change the face of medicine. Sharry asks that we imagine a future in which we can be individually identified and maintained through the use of frequency-based biomarkers that keep us healthy and emotionally balanced. Her work at the Institute of BioAcoustic Biology has shown that we can each have dominion over those frequencies by individual mind management or a simple remote control that is completely programmable. Using the unique techniques of Vocal Profiling and evaluation, emotional as well as physiological issues can be revealed and addressed. Her work with the human voice reveals that people who share similar traumas, stresses, diseases, toxicities…share similar, if not identical, vocal anomalies. She brings together ancient knowledge with modern ideas of harmonics and frequency relationship theories to show that math can be used as a form of predictive, diagnostic, and curative foundation for wellness. Through entrainment of the frequency grids of the brain, the body can be programmed to support its own optimal form and function.

Imagine having Alzheimer's take over your closest loved one and framing it as "The Incredible Journey"! That's been Patti Hanrath's response over the past four years as her husband, Joe, has fairly rapidly 'disappeared' due to early onset of this disease. The first red flag that something was wrong was easily chalked up to stress and perhaps fatigue; but the second clear sign came only a couple of weeks later as Patti and Joe were playing a card game with friends. It took the medical community nearly a year to accurately diagnose what Joe was experiencing, and while it was devastating, it was also a relief. Patti says, "It was a relief to know what we were actually dealing with… it was finally concrete." And the knowing allowed them to make decisions about how they would move forward before they found themselves in crisis-mode. In their early 50's, they were empty-nesters and in a place financially to do the things they'd been wanting to do: travel, experience life, spend more time with their kids and grandkids, set money aside for later, and continue to do the work in the businesses each of them had built and enjoyed doing. But in that first moment when Joe became frustrated attempting to make a simple math calculation – something he did many times a day, every day, for most of his adult life… all of that was gone. Change has been more pronounced in their lives as a result. They closed Joe's custom home building business and sold their own dream home and moved into town where they are closer to friends, family, and resources. All along the way, Patti has been proactive in seeking and asking for help in a variety of forms, so from the outside looking in, the journey has been smooth, thoughtfully planned, and not marked by what we usually imagine when we think of how one would deal with this situation. But what one sees from the outside is not the truth of what's going on inside. As her role in Joe's life shifted from wife to caregiver, Patti set two goals: To ensure Joe had the very best care possible, and that she 'would not go down with the ship.' She's allowed herself time and space to mourn their losses at each step along the way, to focus on living moment-to-moment and day-by-day, and to frame everything she's experiencing as a lesson she needs to learn that is, in some way, preparing her for the next season in her life. They hit a significant turning point recently, when Joe reached a stage of needing more full-time care than Patti could give, as the situation was becoming debilitating to her health, as well. And in that moment, they received a miracle. The story is ongoing, and it's already bearing fruit. Her experience is allowing Patti to develop and share lessons and tools that can help others "Thrive through Adversity," which she is using in her Coaching and Leadership Development practice. To learn more, listen in on today's conversation, then look Patti up: Kinergy Leadership Connect by email ([email protected]) Patti's Bio Patti Hanrath has been on a lifelong journey of learning; doing it her way. Early in life she learned the importance of mentorship, being mentored and mentoring others. After a twenty-four-year career of leading customer service teams in the Banking industry, she became a leadership coach and started her own business, Kinergy Leadership. Patti's passion now is to come along side professional women who are going through some kind of life adversity. Through her own experiences and her training as a Leadership Coach, she helps them navigate their own journey to Live Life Fully and Boldly. Influenced by both her Grandmother and her Father, she came to understand that you reap what you sow. Today, it is her children and grandchildren that inspire her by giving back to her what she provided for them: love, support and encouragement. It is her journey with her husband Joe, who is living with Alzheimer's, at the early age of 57, that has brought her to understand the true impact of Living Life Fully. In the words of one of her clients: "Patti is an example of living fully to the highest degree. She navigates life with admirable grace."

This week, Making Space for Conversations that Matter Host, Laura Prisc, takes to the airwaves solo as she contemplates the ideas of 'common sense' and 'common courtesy' and raises questions about whether they are actually common or rare. It's an interesting, thought-provoking session, in which she invites you – dear listener – to participate in the conversation. What are your thoughts on how common 'common sense' and 'common courtesy' really are? Send your thoughts, insights, and stories to her at [email protected]. Laura's Bio If you're not already familiar with her and are curious about who Laura is, what she believes, and what she feels called to create in the world, take a few minutes to peruse her website, read her blog, and listen to the other podcast episodes posted there. www.lauraprisc.com You can also find her here: On Facebook LinkedIn

You've probably experienced this: You're working hard at creating something new, feeling like you're building momentum and then, WHAM! You're kicked back by something unexpected… sometimes something really devastating. You might say you were 'frustrated…' That's how Artist, Connie Moeller, described her reaction when she received her breast cancer diagnosis a few years ago. She had finally given herself permission to spend her time painting, bringing some beauty and a sense of peace to others through her work, and then this… Frustration and a sense of disbelief that it could actually be happening to her. Connie's mom and sister both died from breast cancer, so it wasn't unthinkable that Connie might also develop this insidious disease, but she had been very actively focused on doing all the things she could do to be as healthy as possible. It wasn't enough. But today, cancer-free and rebuilding her strength, she says she's thankful for it. The experience made her stronger, forced her to be vulnerable in numerous ways, allowed her to share a story that touched the lives of countless others, and to come closer to God in the process. This is just part of the story of today's episode of Making Space for Conversations that Matter. Over the course of this funny, poignant, and inspiring conversation, Laura and Connie cover topics including: Art and creativity as an aid in healing, what it means to release yourself to the flow of what's seeking to emerge from you and being transformed in the process, confronting the feelings of selfishness and inadequacy in claiming what your spirit is calling you to become, and how when we are in the flow of our gifts we can fully expect to experience resistance, roadblocks, and obstacles. They also spend a little time discussing the power of erroneous beliefs and thinking about what we are capable of, the meanings of things, and how society tells us we are supposed to do life. This episode will warm your heart, have you gazing at Connie's paintings, and wishing you'd taken the time to brew a good cup of tea before you settled in to listen! To jump right to the resources discussed, look here: The War of Artbook Tamarack (Artist's Collective / Gallery in WV) Connie Mae Art Studio Melody Allen Studio You can also find Connie and her art on Facebook and Instagram – ConnieMaeStudio Connie's Bio She says… "I love nature and find beauty in the ordinary, such as how sunshine hits a leaf, how a drop of water reflects color, and how light and shadows create design. I love the process of exploring detail, slowing down to discover and translate the beauty I see into a painting. In a world of stress, struggle, and hurry, beauty brings hope, and I desire to share hope and a sense of peace with others through my paintings." West Virginia artist Connie Mae Moeller grew up hiking in Michigan's woods, drawing and painting from her experiences. She majored in fine art at Spring Arbor University and received additional education at the Kalamazoo Institute of Art. Her early works were accepted into juried shows and galleries receiving honorable mentions. For several years, Connie's artistic attention was devoted to teaching art classes. Since moving to West Virginia in 2012, she enjoys the state's wild and wonderful outdoors, and her art celebrates the beauty she finds. Her paintings have won awards and been accepted into several juried shows. An active member of her community, she has served on her local council for the arts and contributes to educational art programs. Professional memberships include Tamarack: The Best of WV & Allied Artists of WV. To peruse Connie's impressive list of Awards and Notices, click here.

Laura sets the stage for today's conversation by reminding Chad of when they first met, several years ago, and she was struck by how different his business and office space was. She was attending a 2-day workshop in Columbus, and the Choice Recovery office was a field trip / live demonstration of inspired thinking and leadership in action. She reminds him of how he had a Think Tank rather than a conference room, and initiates an exploration of his mindset, practices, and beliefs around business, leadership, culture, growth, and how he thinks about people. "If you don't know yourself, there's a huge disconnect in your ability to lead," explains Chad Silverstein, as he and Laura talk about how he's created – and is creating – success in his life and how it extends to everyone with whom he works. Chad explains how, even though he's responsible for the success of his businesses, he's never focused on the income. "It's (revenue) the result of what you're doing with the people, with your growth, and the growth of your team," he says. He goes on to share some insights into his personal growth journey, working closely with his coach, Chet Scott, Founder and CEO of Built to Lead. Laura notes that Chad's leadership style and commitment to investing in his own personal growth and that of his team is unique, in that so many people end up in leadership positions they are unprepared for, unwilling to take the time and make the effort to invest in their own growth, and sometimes view developing their people as a way to "fix" them when things aren't going smoothly. They talk about what it means to craft one's OPUS (vision, values, beliefs, etc…), share it with others, encourage others to craft their own, and work together to create bigger things in the world. This heightened level of awareness drives Chad to do most things opposite of standard business practices. His team works flexible schedules, is known for holding each other accountable, and are encouraged to discover what lights them on fire and are supported in pursuing it – even when it takes them away from his company. One example he shares is the story of one of his Collection Reps (Choice Recovery is a collections agency – one unlike any you'll have ever encountered!) wanted to change the world. After some exploration, Chad gave her the job of helping people find jobs so they could actually pay their bills. It started slowly, but the growth has been remarkable. Six years in, they've helped 700 people, and started a second business called [re]start, which is now changing the way employers and candidates connect and fill open positions, based on objective knowledge about one's unique abilities and best fit in work roles. Essentially, as Chad says, he watches what's going on in the world and businesses around him and does his best to think into and do it differently! To learn more about Chad and his work, look here: [re]start Choice Recovery (collections) Learning Platform Built to Lead Chad Silverstein, founder and CEO of Choice Recovery, Inc., [re]start, LLC, and Platform Partners, LLC, has worked in the Healthcare Accounts Receivable industry for 22 years. Chad has developed and refined his personal philosophy throughout his career and integrated them into his businesses and relationships with clients, teammates, and his community, focusing on: purpose, responsibility, kindness, and love. Chad has participated in many leadership and career development programs that have been catalysts for his growth, including graduating from several Dale Carnegie Development training courses, engaging his team with EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System), joining Dan Sullivan's Strategic Coach Game-Changer Entrepreneur Program, weekly executive coaching with Built to Lead, and becoming a Kolbe Certified Consultant. ● 2013-2019 CEO Magazine and Business First Top Work Place winner - 7 years in a row ● 2016 Better Business Bureau Torch Awards for Ethics Winner ● 2016 Columbus Business First ranked Choice the #1 best medium size business to work for in Central Ohio. ● 2017 Columbus Business First ranked Choice the 2nd best place to work in Central Ohio ● Nationally recognized Insidearm.com Best Places to Work winner in Collections 2013-2016 ● 2019 Ernst Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist

Laura and Trivinia share a conversation about how it is when you feel like you don't fit in someplace and what the implications and consequences of that feeling are. Laura shares a story of taking a job because she really wanted to work with a particulate HR Director and how she knew on the first day it was the wrong fit; she spent nine months feeling as if she was wearing someone else's clothes every day, which were "the wrong size and wrong style." Trivinia relates and shares some of her own experiences of wanting to fit in, not feeling as if she did, and trying to not shine a spotlight on herself to stand out and feel even more inappropriate. Like most of us, she longed to feel "chosen, accepted, welcomed…" and instead often felt rejected. Her solution, for much of her life, has been to "eat her feelings…" She says she's been gaining and losing the same 70 pounds for many years! Elaborating on her personal experiences, it may be thinking one's eyebrows are too thin (as she does), which extends to her concluding she is "not enough" in the ways that seems to matter to others in our society. The truth is: We all struggle with this kind of deficit-thinking, even men. But this mindset is of our own creation, because nothing that grows naturally (except people) compares itself with any other living thing around it – not plants, not animals, not insects… They all grow to their fullest expression and expansion, boldly and without apology. But as humans, we obsess over perceived flaws and shortcomings and allow those thoughts to keep us small and sometimes in hiding. The conversation shifts to rethinking traditional work practices, diving deep into self-awareness, understanding what each individual has to offer, and working to find complementary partnerships with others, so we can do more together. Both Trivinia and Laura have a depth of knowledge into a variety of self-awareness assessments including Myers-Briggs, StrengthsFinder, Enneagram, and Kolbe, and the two discuss how they are invaluable in their fields of expertise. Trivinia has spent the last several years building Priority VA, identifying, training, and providing expert-level virtual assistants for a broad list of entrepreneurs around the US. Originally, thinking it would allow more time for family and to provide extra support to one of her daughters, she realized she had created just the opposite! Her business had become nearly all-consuming, and because she runs it out of her home, there's no getting away from it! Her wake-up call was when she asked one of her daughters if she'd like to earn some extra money working in the business, and her daughter's response was "no" because she saw it taking too much from her mom's time and energy already! That's when Trivinia and husband/business partner, Chris, decided to stop chasing significance and status and focus on "slow." Admittedly, there's an impact on the business and revenue, but they are able to enjoy their family and what they consider a higher quality of life as a result. She goes on to offer a couple of tips on how others might make a similar shift. Her final message and recommendation is a powerful one. Listen in on Laura and Trivinia's conversation and let us know how your perspective on work and life are affected. The learn more about Trivinia and her work, look here: Trivinia's Web Site Priority VA – Virtual Assistants Resources Discussed: StrengthsFinder Laura's Strengths Coaching - Individuals Laura's Strengths Coaching – Teams/Organizations Enneagram Book Alter Ego Effect Book Trivinia Barber Bio Trivinia Barber is a real-world business development pro who helps entrepreneurs scale their business, sharpen their leadership, and build great teams. In 2012, she founded Priority VA, one of the world's leading virtual staffing agencies, because most businesses operate at the expense of the owner's sanity. The answer? Build teams you can trust. Trivinia and Priority VA have provided Executive Virtual Assistant Support to some of the most influential thought leaders and entrepreneurs including Amy Porterfield, Michael Hyatt, Ray Edwards, Mike Kim, Gary Nealon, Lauren Pawell, and Todd Herman. Her clients also include numerous small to mid-size businesses, as well as high growth corporations. The key to Trivinia's expertise is her proprietary framework The Momentum Method™, which helps businesses navigate the interplay between their products, people, and processes to achieve greater growth and more efficiency. An in-demand speaker, Trivinia has shared her expertise at numerous events around the US and abroad, including Amy Porterfield's B-School Experience, Puerto Rico Masterminds, Influence & Impact, 90 Day Year Live, and Mastermind Talks, an exclusive entrepreneurial community curated by Jayson Gaignard. Trivinia has been a featured guest on over 40 top-ranked business podcasts including Screw the Nine to Five, Entrepreneur on Fire, and The Daily Grind with Colin Morgan. She also hosts her own top-ranked podcast, Diary of A Doer. Trivinia lives with her husband, daughters, and two dogs on the outskirts of Savannah, Georgia, where traffic stops for snakes in the road and the occasional art parade. When she's not working or traveling, you can find her 90ft underwater on her latest wreck scuba dive.

"Fear of failure plagued me since I was a kid… but I learned to feel the fear and do it anyway!" Explains Aaron Brown as he and Laura kick off this episode. "I've learned to move into it – whatever 'it' may be – knowing there is possibility and presence within the fear." In this specific case, Aaron was describing the fear he felt when he had an opportunity in 2018 to participate in a small, private "Shark Tank" experience during a John. C. Maxwell Leadership event. His intention, upon registering for the event, was to simply relax and enjoy the experience, soak up some wisdom, and enjoy spending time with interesting people. That, however, isn't exactly what happened! When the opportunity came up, he asked himself, "is it worth the effort?" The opportunity was to pitch an idea for a business endeavor in a 'shark-tank' format in front of Leadership Expert, John Maxwell; Shark Tank Entrepreneur and Investor, Barbara Corcoran; and the 100+ attendees at the event. Deciding the answer was 'yes,' as he would have an opportunity to bless the Ascent Recovery Center (opening in September 2019), a drop-in support center for people unable to commit to a resident-based full-time recovery program that would provide community, support, education, etc. He assumed he'd be competing against a large group, but when he got that call that his idea was accepted, he discovered he was one of only three people whose ideas had been selected. The other two ideas were a 3D Modeling System used to diagnose health issues in the hearts of babies, and the other was an Activity Center for mentally disabled persons. He knew the competition was going to be tough, as his perception is that raising funds for addiction recovery is often difficult. He prepared and practiced; he knew he had to really grab their attention and make a meaningful impression in just two minutes. He was more nervous than he remembers being before, as well as excited by the opportunity and the audience. He dove in, did his best, and got through it – doing it afraid! Then the moment of truth… John and Barbara deliberated and then Barbara was to announce the winner. It was Scott Tolar, who had pitched the Activity Center. What happened next will surprise and inspire you! Scott was in a position to be generous, and so he was. His generosity inspired John and Barbara to join in and share some of their wealth, as well. You'll have to listen to hear the outcome of this, but let's just say a few seeds of kindness, generosity, compassion… have more power than you imagine and can spread much farther, too! At Laura's urging, Aaron dives more deeply into how he "did it afraid" and what works for him in these kinds of situations – Defining Moments, as he calls them. Listen in as Aaron shares his tips for doing it afraid and how being willing to step into vulnerability opens doors, creates opportunities, and allows us to be more fully who we were meant to be. The learn more about Aaron and his work, look here: St. Paul's Ascent Recovery Services John Maxwell Exchange Event My Year of Yes (book) Aaron Brown Bio Aaron has been a pastor for 28 years and led Saint Paul's United Methodist Church in Joplin for 25 of those years. Saint Paul's is a church with three locations and a staff of 60. His skills include communication, team building, leadership development, vision casting, systems, community involvement and media usage. He led his church through 5 capital campaigns and 5 building projects including reconstruction after the 2011 tornado. Aaron brings a sense of humor and practical wisdom to leadership, believing that the role of a leader is in large part looking ahead and identifying obstacles and opportunities. His personal mission is "To do God will with people I love." Aaron serves on the boards of Ascent Recovery Residences, The Ozark Center, and JOMO Adventures. His hobbies include cycling, card magic, and fixing broken stuff. He is married to Janet and they have two daughters and one dog.

Ever enjoy one of those seemingly serendipitous introductions that turns into a strong connection and a lot in common? That's what happened with Laura met Joel Hodroff through a mutual friend.

Joel is a Money Innovator, Serial Entrepreneur, Visionary Thinker, and an excellent "step-down transformer" – meaning he can make the complex very simple and easy to understand when it comes to finance, money, and economics. He shares some insight into how the expansion of mobile apps and social media has really changed how money, employment, and economics work… and unfortunately, we're still in a win-lose situation.

Joel explains how the on-going win-lose competition paradigm in business today is borne of scarcity thinking, which is crazy as there is actually a lot of wealth and a lot of abundance. The key is how we view and understand it and how we choose to approach life, work, and business. In fact, there's so much excess capacity in a lot of things – transportation, lodging, professional skills & expertise… but we need to continue working to create fair exchange systems to monetize it.

He goes on to outline a business-to-business dual currency system in which a person could earn "community service dollars" to exchange – along with some amount of $$ -- for goods and services; a more sophisticated barter system, if you will, as the old-time exchange of chickens for someone to build a wall at your house is so impractical!

Joel is collaborating with some other experts and they have created an accounting protocol for how this exchange system could work and are currently working to build the infrastructure to allow it to scale. They believe this new shared economy will make a significant difference in how we think about, use, and exchange assets, services, professional expertise in a more productive way.

Laura connects the idea to a business simulation game she uses as a tool in her work, which magnifies our win-lose paradigms and introduces the concept of "Win to the Winth Power" thinking and collaboration; essentially creating a shift in approach where two people, organizations, or businesses come together and create something that allows both parties to win, along with another larger community, as well.

There's a lot to be learned about the truth of what happens with wealth when the economy takes a dip, as well as new ways of thinking and behaving in this new shared economy. The two discuss several resources and books, which you can find here:

The Big Short (movie)

Your Money or Your Life (book)

Walden Two (book)

Stranger in a Strange Land (book)

The Lean Startup (book)

Joel Hodroff Bio

Inventor, business revolutionary of the heart, economic futurist

Joel Hodroff believes that emerging business models based on cooperation and sustainability have the power to solve our most pressing social, economic, and environmental challenges. He asserts that win-lose competition over money—which modern society inherited from an era of scarcity—is now impeding greater economic security and increased happiness for individuals, families, and communities in the US and around the world. Consider that today's oftentimes stressful workplaces, schools, and community organizations can become organizing centers for personal growth and healing, social innovation, and sustainable community economic development.

In 1997, Joel was issued a US patent for his novel dual currency pricing, accounting, and transaction settlement system. The system was designed to reward socially valuable activities such as community volunteerism, youth academic performance, unpaid domestic labor, and so forth. The systems stretches dollars (or other national currencies) utilizing a Business-Community Wealth Accounting Protocol to turn underutilized business capacity—such as empty restaurant tables, empty college desks, and off hours at the movies—into new economic resources for healthier families and communities.

Joel has been a social entrepreneur and environmentalist for over 30 years, launching Solar Consultants, Inc., in 1983; DualCurrency Systems in 1993; and cofounding Responsible Minnesota Business in 1998. He was a Minnesota Finance and Commerce Innovator of the Year in 2005 and a Visa Thought Leader / Innovation Provocateur in 2007.

Joel has stayed the course with his economic vision for over 25 years through every imaginable entrepreneurial near miss, wrong turn, and outright failure! He is currently playing for (and praying for) what is termed "a 25-year overnight success story." Joel's personal mission is the pursuit of unlimited human potential through unconditional love in community. He believes that the profit motive can be harnessed for the good of humanity and the natural environment.

To learn more, please check out Joel's dual currency white paper (written just before the 2008 mortgage industry meltdown) Sustainable Prosperity Now! Awakening a Green Revolution of the Heart http://www.dualcurrency.com/Awakening.pdf and/or reach out through his LinkedIn page at https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelhodroff/

Joel can also be reached at: [email protected]