So yeah, Debbie Harfield, "The Mindful Meerkat" suffers from agoraphobia. She noticed it big time during covid as she stayed at home fearing and avoiding places or situations that might cause panic and feelings of being trapped, helpless or embarrassed.  She talks about this as it's a big part of her story and how mindfulness has helped her greatly.

She also talks about her first eleven years growing up in Southampton, England and then moving to Wales and the issues that created.

Debbie has a website, themindfulmeerkat.com and on the site as well as in public settings she is helping others deal with agoraphobia by talking about the benefits of mindfulness. 

In 1976, Matthew Gray left high school to sell merch for the Eagles on their Hotel California tour. Then he did similar things for Pink Floyd and Fleetwood Mac. Talk about seeing the world!

But that’s just a small part of Matthew’s story. The big part revolves around food. He talks about attending one of the oldest and most prestigious cooking schools in the world, Le Cordon Bleu in London. So yes, he talks about food quite a bit and how he first got into cooking.

His story is a fun one and yes, he does talk about Hawaii. I mean, he’s lived there since 1993. 

Contact Matthew:
[email protected]

Show:
50 Tastes of Gray

Rob Fredette and I have a lot in common and I suppose that's why we connected. As Rob shares his story he talks about growing up with his brother playing a variety of sports and always being supported by his parents.

Music also was a big part of Rob's life and still is. As Rob considers Boston his home, we talk about some of the bands that came out of the area. We also discuss how music and sports can help make life more enjoyable.

Finally, we talk about Rob's wife and how she has been a great support to him, especially as he has made career related moves. They also share similar passions and that has helped in the almost 25 years they have been together.

We finish our discussion by talking about Rob's podcast; Hodgepod. It's a lot of fun and gives him the flexibility to explore a variety of subjects. 

Explicit Language in this episode-

Simon Yeats was born in Australia, sent to boarding school, graduated university and ended up in the United States. Not a typical upbringing, but it was an upbringing that helped Simon discover the world of travel.

As Simon relates his life experience, he talks about helping folks with spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries. These are often patient’s whose doctors have said would not recover yet Simon has been instrumental in several amazing recoveries.

One sad experience is Simon’s relationship with his son and the difficulties he’s had in attempting to have a relationship with him.

Once again, Simon has traveled extensively, and he recalls an experience in Hawaii that was not typical at all.

If you’d like to check out Simon’s humorous travel books, here’s the link:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Simon-Yeats/author/B0CBNQLSPW?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

The youngest of nine children, Rulon Gardner was raised on a dairy farm in Wyoming, where the family grew crops and milked cows twice a day. Rulon learned about hard work and determination which became core values in Rulon’s life.

As Rulon shares his story, he talks about how his upbringing has helped him deal with the adversity that has come his way. He also talks about his wrestling career which most knew little about until the 2000 Olympics and his match against one of the greatest athletes to have ever wrestled.

Though it doesn’t get as much attention as the “Miracle on Ice” at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Upstate New York, Rulon’s Olympic match against Aleksandr Karelin of Russia in Sydney Australia is an equally impressive underdog story. Aleksandr, “The Russian Bear” was 12 lbs. at birth and a terrifyingly toned 287 pounds in his wrestling prime. He had allowed just a single point to be scored against him in the previous 10 years of competition; he hadn’t lost a match in 13. 

Yeah, we talked all about what has now become known as the Miracle on the Mat during our talk story session. But Rulon also talks about other events (which include several brushes with death) that have made him who he is today.


2000 Sydney Olympic match: https://youtu.be/oVT3-wbL8HU?si=5i14CojKHNBG7k1g

Website: Rulongardner.com

Book: Never Stop Pushing
https://a.co/d/03f7dod

Sam Mitchell hosts his own podcast, Autism Rocks and Rolls. Sam was diagnosed with autism at age 4 but as he would say, the spectrum is vast and he's been able to accomplish much. Sam started Autism Rocks and Rolls Corporation in October of 2019 at age 20. It began with a simple interest in media when he was a junior in high school and has led to him becoming an entrepreneur by creating his own Nonprofit and podcast. His nonprofit and advocacy offers public speaking, podcast coaching, podcast editing, sponsorships, ad space, merchandise, public speaking, educational supplements, guest appearances, and guest space on his podcast.

 Although Sam has had obstacles in the past and still has daily struggles, he is using this platform to take away the stigma off of autism and other conditions that many think are disabilities. He often brings guests into the conversation, whether it be family members, friends, celebrities or others involved in the world of autism. He wants to prove that he is not broken and does not need to be fixed. Sam has a lot of fun along the way and really loves to entertain his audience. 

Sam is a high-functioning human being on the autism spectrum, but he has a mission: to show people that he is not broken, does not need to be fixed, there is no normal in this world, and he is successful, WITH autism. Sam wants to celebrate the successes of all. He embraces who he is and feels as though everyone should do the same. His mission has caught on and this powerful and extraordinary idea is catching on and gotten the world's attention. People are differently abled, not disabled.

 Sam's website:

https://autismrocksandroll.com

Mark Collins grew up in a military family which we all know means he moved a lot. For some, this would mean making new friends every few years but Mark was the  quiet, loner type.

So how did he go from this quiet, loner personality to teaching life mastery? That's an interesting story. You just may see a bit of yourself in Mark's story. I know I did.


Mark's book: "LIFE MASTERY: Living life by design, not by default."

Mark's website: freedom-for-life.net

Lance Hillsinger worked in social services for 34 years. As he shares his story he talks about what he saw as a cycle for families that was difficult to break free from.

Growing up in Southern California, he was fortunate to have parents who were a good example of what a marriage should be. He talks about these early years and how this positive upbringing was so different from the majority of cases he handled as a social worker. 

He wrote a book, In Place of the Parent: Inside Child Protective Services, which examines the child welfare/juvenile court system. He then wrote a second book, Build a Better Bridge: Social Policy for the 21st Century, where he goes beyond child welfare and examines social welfare programs (cash aid, food stamps, etc.) in general.   

Though he thought he might become an engineer, he obtained a bachelor's degree in psychology and political science from UCLA and a master's degree in psychology from Vanderbilt University. 

Dave Nordel grew up on a dairy farm in Northern California learning important life lessons. As Dave recalls his life we discuss some of these lessons which include what it means when cows lie down. (Yes, this is a tease.)

We talk quite a bit about what Dave learned on his varied assignments around the world. He took much of what he learned and founded Max Fab Consulting where he offers keynote leadership, organizational growth and strategic guidance. Max Fab was born from the challenges and adversity Dave faced during his time serving in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Drawing from his battle with PTSD, he remains deeply committed to assisting transitioning veterans and other trauma victims, guiding them toward healthier coping mechanisms.

Dave has also authored the following books:

Giving Back:  Life and Leadership from the Farm to the Combat Zone and Beyond

https://www.amazon.com/Giving-Back-Leadership-Combat-Beyond-ebook/dp/B0C51SSW2B?ref_=ast_author_mpb

When the Cows Lie Down: The Reason People Quit YOU- Their "Leader"

https://www.amazon.com/When-Cows-Lie-Down-YOU-Their-ebook/dp/B0CFD7C6LQ?ref_=ast_author_dp

Living the Aloha Life is a podcast I have listened to since 2018. This is where I was introduced to Wayde Fishman. 

 Wayde loves Hawaii the way I love Hawaii so naturally as Wayde shares his story, we talk at length about Hawaii. We discuss what we love about Hawaii, what first attracted Wayde to Hawaii, and the reality of living in Hawaii today. We also talk about Wayde’s life prior to his move to Hawaii in 1998.

Something about Wayde that makes him different from many who profess a love of Hawaii is that Wayde has done his best to give back to Hawaii. He started 808 Cleanups back in 2012 with the intention of cleaning up Oahu. To date, they have removed over one million pounds of trash, and they have intentions of opening chapters on the other major Hawaiian Islands. 

 Because Hawaii is so expensive, Wayde has been working on a tiny home project that one day he hopes to take to Hawaii island, aka the Big Island. We talked about this a bit during our talk story session. We also talk about the other things Wayde has going on like his jeep tour business and brewery tour bus.


http://livingthealohalife.com/

http://808cleanups.org/

http://hawaiijeepandspecialtytours.com/

http://livingoffgridinhawaii.com/