Mike‘s Search For Meaning

Dr. Lauren Borden is a leadership coach who specializes in supporting mission-driven leaders in leading with greater empathy, emotional intelligence and consciousness so that they can disrupt their industries and broaden their impact in the world.

Her approach blends deep spiritual and healing aspects of coaching with application-based approaches. As a PhD in Industrial-Organizational psychology, she has a deep subject-matter expertise in research-based principles in supporting leaders and teams; and as a meditation and intuition teacher, she supports clients in doing the deep work to create lasting transformation and impact.

Additionally, I’ll be donating to and raising awareness for the charity or organization of my guest’s choice with each episode now. This episode, the charity is the Loveland Foundation. Any and all donations make a difference!

You can connect with Lauren on:

• Website

To connect with me:

• Interested in working with me as your coach? Book a complimentary 15 minute call here.

Resources/People Mentioned:

• Arbonne Citrus Fizzy Sticks Energy Drink

Joe Bernstein is fully committed to your growth and evolution.

He is often described as bold, powerful, passionate and compassionate.

As a coach he works with highly motivated individuals to create anything from deeper intimate relationships,  to healthier lifestyles and mission focused increases in income. He knows through personal experience and his professional work that human beings are capable of extraordinary transformation.

Joe has spent the last 15 years coaching, training, developing, and empowering thousands of people. First as a sales manager for Bose Corporation where he worked his way up to running multi-million dollar businesses in his mid-twenties. Then he created his own private coaching practice to liberate his life and live his mission of creating an empowered world of transformation through teaching, inspiring and coaching.

Through a 14 year career in leadership, losing 150 lbs, thriving after a divorce, ending a successful career and then building his own practice, Joe learned that we must develop who we are at the deepest levels and focus on our mindset as much, if not more than our skill set if we want long term change and a life we love.

He has been trained as a coach by complete badasses like Tripp Lanier and Chance Taureau. He is certified as a Mind Body Nutrition Coach by Marc David and the Institute for Psychology of Eating. He facilitates trainings for The Mankind Project and various local business development organizations. Joe is a founding collaborator for Return to Base, a pro-bono coaching program for combat veterans. He also volunteers time with Showing Up for Racial Justice DC chapter on the Healing Team. 

Joe lives in Washington DC’s Mt. Pleasant neighborhood. He is beyond grateful to have both of his parents, his two sisters and their families all close by. The work he does in growing with his family is the most inspired and challenging personal or professional growth work of his life.

In his spare time you can find Joe attending transformational weekend workshops. He has done “rights of passage” work in prisons, with military veterans, and with inspired civilians. He even spent years of his life fostering, training and rehabilitating Pit Bulls. When he isn’t deep in transformational work, he is indulging in high quality chocolate, hiking through the woods, and spending copious amounts of time enjoying live music.

Additionally, I’ll be donating to and raising awareness for the charity or organization of my guest’s choice with each episode now. This episode, the charity is Native American Rights Fund. Any and all donations make a difference!

You can connect with Joe on:

• Website

To connect with me:

• Interested in working with me as your coach? Book a complimentary 15 minute call here.

Resources/People Mentioned:

• The 5 Love Languages - Gary Chapman

Zach Carlsen is a lifelong student of human behavior & high-performance. From coaching and mentorship to visual design, spiritual study, philosophy, entrepreneurship, & nutrition—he is always “all in”.

In 2012, he was homeless, addicted to drugs, & lost.  Since then, his journey has been the adventure of a lifetime.  The tools & strategies he uses with his clients are the very same ones that he used to create this massive transformation. 

He has worked with & learned from some of the best coaches on the planet—and has designed his life around the virtues of service to others, self-mastery & curiosity.

He has now coached hundreds of clients to produce objective, tangible results. He is trained in human performance & positive psychology as well as nearly a dozen healing modalities including breathwork, emotional release, mindfulness, & Non-Violent Communication (NVC)  with a Master Coach certification from the Elementum Coaching Institute as well as a certification from Gallup, Inc. as a StrengthsFinder Coach.  He has a background in human communication & pedagogy with advanced degrees from the University of Minnesota and the University of Montana.   

He has a huge community on Instagram where he shares free content, announces projects & giveaways, and posts the occasional photo of him smiling.

Additionally, I’ll be donating to and raising awareness for the charity or organization of my guest’s choice with each episode now. This episode, the charity is Not For Sale. Any and all donations make a difference!

You can connect with Zach on:

• Website

To connect with me:

• Interested in working with me as your coach? Book a complimentary 15 minute call here.

Resources/People Mentioned:

• Rich Litvin

Andy Cahill is a transformative coach and facilitator who excels at inspiring culture makers, innovators, and change agents to dig deep, dream big, and do their greatest work. He’s spent almost 20 years working in education, public service, and human development. He’s also an essayist, a musician, host of The Wonder Dome podcast, and the author of the critically acclaimed science fiction novel Gradient.

Additionally, I’ll be donating to and raising awareness for the charity or organization of my guest’s choice with each episode now. This episode, the charity is The Sandy Hook Promise. Any and all donations make a difference!

You can connect with Andy on:

• Website

To connect with me:

• Interested in working with me as your coach? Book a complimentary 15 minute call here.

Resources/People Mentioned:

• Max Gladstone

Nishant Garg was working as a software professional who hit rock bottom in 2017 – heartbroken, stressed out, overwhelmed with life, going through the motions, and burnt out.

He couldn’t figure out how to live a mindful life. Then, he stumbled upon the book “How to be a 3% man”, read other personal growth books, and launched his first blog in 2018.

He continued to learn new life skills and shared personal transformation on social media, and along the way attended transformational and personal development seminars. He wanted to share his learnings on a big platform with a larger audience, and as an experiment in 2020, he launched a podcast from the ground, and in just 2 years he interviewed 200+ world-class experts.

Now he’s here to help you embark on the journey of transformation. Join him in his mission is to bring awareness about mindful living and transformation as he interviews fascinating people to bring personal stories, deconstructing habits and routines to help curious and passionate Tech Professionals how to reduce overwhelm, be more mindful, manage focus, live a life of excellence, love and joy, and so much more.

Additionally, I’ll be donating to and raising awareness for the charity or organization of my guest’s choice with each episode now. This episode, the charity is National Network of Abortion Funds. Any and all donations make a difference!

You can connect with Nishant on:

• Website

To connect with me:

• Interested in working with me as your coach? Book a complimentary 15 minute call here.

Resources/People Mentioned:

• The Nishant Garg Show - Podcast

Deb Katz has more than twenty years experience pioneering new models in conscious leadership in the organizational world. She coaches leaders 1-1, facilitates teams, and consults for organizational and cultural transformation.

She is known to radiate warmth and presence, to tell it like it is, and to walk her talk with a focused gentle fierceness. Deb is a powerhouse of a human being and leader.

Deb holds a BA in sociology with a focus on Collective Behavior/Organizational Development from San Diego State University, and an RN from Cabrillo College with years of practice in cardiac and hospice care. She also has training in somatic psychology and the Enneagram.

When not coaching or consulting, Deb is likely to be dancing, hiking, working in the garden or on her stand up paddle board. Deb lives in Portland, Oregon, and travels the world to spread conscious leadership.

Additionally, I’ll be donating to and raising awareness for the charity or organization of my guest’s choice with each episode now. This episode, the charity is National Network of Abortion Funds. Any and all donations make a difference!

You can connect with Deb on:

• Website

To connect with me:

• Interested in working with me as your coach? Book a complimentary 15 minute call here.

Resources/People Mentioned:

• Diana Chapman

Marissa Fernandez is an Executive Coach, Performance Strategist, Speaker, Advisor and Consultant. Marissa brings into her practice a wealth of experience from her successful 15-year corporate career. She previously held senior marketing roles on iconic brands like the NFL, Gillette, and Tide, managed multi-million-dollar budgets, developed and led high-performing, diverse cross-functional teams, and ultimately climbed up the ranks to Chief Marketing Officer.

Through that time, she honed her greatest gift, the ability to maximize the talent within those around her.  Marissa brings the same leadership qualities that fueled her corporate success to the table with clients: a combination of strategy, perspective, relationship building, authenticity, optimism, and humor. As a coach, she specializes in working with ambitious leaders to harness their unique value proposition, enabling clarity, confidence, and momentum towards their goals.

She commonly coaches clients on a variety of topics including leadership development, personal value proposition/branding, interpersonal and team dynamics, career transitions, navigating corporate bureaucracy, increasing confidence, and emotional intelligence. Clients appreciate her creative, thought-provoking, collaborative process and empathetic yet direct approach, with a dose of humor that allows them to move out of their comfort zone and have fun doing it! 

Marissa supplements her life-long, innate coaching and leadership skills with formal training through the ICF-accredited program at the College of Executive Coaching, a specialization in Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania via Coursera, and a Bachelor of Science in Communication from Cornell University. She is certified in the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i 2.0), the world’s leading measure of emotional intelligence. 

Select areas of expertise: Leadership, Communication & Collaboration, Managing Teams, Career Navigation, Confidence Building, Mindset Mastery, Emotional Intelligence, Networking Strategies, Time Management, Positive Psychology 

Marissa's client roster includes senior leaders at a variety of companies from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, including: Amazon, TikTok, Bloomingdale's, NFL, LinkedIn, TJX, and more.

Additionally, I’ll be donating to and raising awareness for the charity or organization of my guest’s choice with each episode now. This episode, the charity is Planned Parenthood. Any and all donations make a difference!

You can connect with Marissa on:

• Website

To connect with me:

• Interested in working with me as your coach? Book a complimentary 15 minute call here.

Resources/People Mentioned:

• Dare to Lead - Brené Brown

NADJESCHDA (NADJA) TARANCZEWSKI has a Master of Psychology and holds a Master Certified Coach credential by the International Coach Federation. She works as a coach, keynote speaker and is the author of the book Conscious You: Become the Hero of Your Own Story.

Additionally, I’ll be donating to and raising awareness for the charity or organization of my guest’s choice with each episode now. This episode, the charity is Camerados. Any and all donations make a difference!

You can connect with Nadjeschda on:

• Website

To connect with me:

• Interested in working with me as your coach? Book a complimentary 15 minute call here.

Resources/People Mentioned:

• Voice Dialogue

Rabbi Matthew Ponak is a teacher of embodied mysticism, a spiritual counselor, and the co-founder of the Mekorah Institute — an online spiritual centre. Also holding an MA in Contemplative Religions from the Buddhist-inspired Naropa University, Rabbi Matthew weaves world wisdom with ancient Jewish insights. He received ordination from Hebrew College where he specialized in the study of Hasidic teachings and Kabbalah. 

His upcoming book, Embodied Kabbalah: Jewish Mysticism for All People articulates a Jewish language for grounded spirituality and puts Kabbalistic texts in dialogue with psychology, shamanism, and world religions. Visit mekorah.com to learn more.

You can connect with Rabbi Matthew on:

• Website

To connect with me:

• Interested in working with me as your coach? Book a complimentary 15 minute call here.

Resources/People Mentioned:

• Somatic Experiencing 

Nick Shrewsbury brings all of his traditional and non-traditional skills to facilitation, including his work as a certified coach, court mediator, tantric teacher, yoga teacher, and wolf caretaker at Mission:Wolf. He helps big-hearted folks to create both intimacy and inner freedom through authenticity and honesty.

You can connect with Nick on:

• Website

To connect with me:

• Interested in working with me as your coach? Book a complimentary 15 minute call here.