Play Your Position

"I don't like doing the same thing over and over," says Dana Malstaff, founder of the growing brand "Boss Mom" and mother of two. "That's probably why I wouldn't be good at football because I'd want to play all the positions!" Dana is a mother, author, business & content strategist, coach, and podcaster whose energy is infectious. She lives with her family in San Diego and loves what she does. As the author of Boss Mom: The Ultimate Guide to Raising a Business & Nurturing Your Family Like a Pro, Dana lives by the advice she gives to other young moms looking to build their own business without guilt. As the founder of Boss Mom, she serves a community who yearns for more time and less guilt when it comes to building their business and raising their family by providing the tools they need to get more out of their content and business -- without sacrificing their family goals. She believes in "momentary mentors" as well as life long coaches, and sees the Boss Mom brand becoming a movement in the next couple of years. "People are yearning to get help solving their problems," she says. "Boss Mom is one of many ways to get answers." Her favorite communication book is The 5 Love Languages because "when people feel valued and loved, they will do anything for you." There's no question in my mind -- Dana Malstaff is one to watch!

Connect with PYP on Twitter

Shownotes

He's crashed the Toronto Film Festival. Had dinner with Amy Cuddy and her family in the nicest restaurant in Boston. Imitated his favorite superhero in a bathroom stall before nailing an audition. Won multiple awards for his indie film "Linea." Attended Oscar parties with Hollywood A-listers and acted across from Reese Witherspoon in the critically acclaimed film, "Wild" (based on fellow Portlander Cheryl Strayed's best selling memoir). He's also an up and coming film maker, former acapella singer, Oregon Ducks fan, and happens to be my neighbor. His name is Will Cuddy, and you are going to love his take on the future of film, how to be bold, and the truth about Millennials. Despite being next door to each other at the scheduled time, we recorded the episode in our respective houses. "I've never done a podcast with my guest in the same room," I confessed. "I know there are plenty of people who do. I just don't have the right set up yet." Will's warmth and playful spirit made it feel like we were sitting across from each other in a comfy living room. I think you will agree. Thanks for tuning in! And please, if you enjoy the show, be sure to subscribe. I publish episodes regularly and you never know who's going to show up and play their position.

Connect with PYP on Twitter

Shownotes

Too many Americans are living as prisoners in their own bodies, held captive by bad habits that have drained them of their livelihood and sentenced them to a premature death. These harsh realities are what have kept Dr. Phil Carson passionate about practicing pharmacy since 1985. After encountering many patients who were seeking answers when their needs were not met by traditional medicine, Dr. Phil founded Carson Natural Health in 2005 with the mission of helping patients find the best natural solutions to their health problems. Patients come to him with problems and leave with renewed hope that they can be healthy again. In fact, he has not only consistently improved many patients' quality of life, but also literally saved a few of them.

Connect with PYP on Twitter

Shownotes

"At my lowest point, I ate 88 cent pasta and $1.88 sauce from Walmart for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It literally saved my life," says today's PYP MVP Rob Dial. Those days may be behind him, but Rob will never forget them. "Being an entrepreneur is like waking up and getting punched in the face every single day," he says. "You have to develop a CEO mindset and model your actions after the people you want to be like." A shy kid who was bullied a lot, Rob grew up in a city whose claim to fame is being the #1 city in America where kids overdose on pills. His dad died from alcoholism when Rob was a teenager, and life in general was hard. Rob believes these tough experiences gave him the drive to become a 7-figure business builder -- twice -- all before he turned 30. No stranger to hardship or hard work, Rob has reached a point in his life today where he recognizes that experiences are far more valuable than things. "I've had the cars, the house, the stuff," he says. "I've had it all and lost it all. I like life better now. I'm in a good place."

Connect with PYP on Twitter

Shownotes

What happens when you realize you aren't as good as you thought you were? That, after devoting over half your life to one pursuit, it didn't work out? Today's PYP MVP Siphiwe Baleka knows exactly what this feels like...and shares his story of personal reinvention, reclamation and redemption with us on today's episode. Siphiwe was raised in Chicago by a single dad and went on to graduate from Yale University. He is the first African American ever named to the First Team All-Ivy League Swim Team. He missed qualifying for the 1992 Olympic Swimming Trials in the 100 freestyle by just eight tenths of a second and that one event changed his life -- and position -- forever. Currently, he is the founder of Fitness Trucking, LLC and serves as the Driver Health and Fitness Coach at Prime Inc., one of America's largest trucking companies. His innovative, on-the-go wellness program has helped thousands of truck drivers lose weight and reclaim their health (69% of truck drivers are obese; the trucking industry is the least healthy of any industry in the country). His premise is that ANYONE with 4 minutes can get fit, and he's written a book called 4-Minute Fit that takes readers through his simple and effective program. What works for truckers can work for any sedentary person!

Connect with PYP on Twitter

Shownotes Page

When you meet Lou Radja for the first time, most people are struck by the warmth of his smile, followed by his remarkable ability to command a room with his wonderful stories. If you hang around long enough after he's finished speaking, you'll be one of the lucky ones to get a hug from this incredible man. Lou was born in Boston, but spent the next 16 years of his life in the Congo when his parents moved there with him and his siblings. It was in the Congo where he developed his love of storytelling and learned how to think and speak in metaphors. Lou returned to the US when he was 17 and noticed right away the many opportunities America afforded its citizens. He has since dedicated his life to helping people live at the intersection of success and significance, that magical place where it's possible to truly experience "uhuru:" pure freedom. Lou is an international speaker who inspires and uplifts audiences everywhere he goes. He's also an author and coach, but perhaps most importantly, he is a proud husband and father dedicated to showing up fully as his truest, most authentic self and doing good things in the world.

Learn more about Lou Radja here

Follow PYP on Twitter

What can we learn from having a bad boss, or working with a really bad coach? Emotional Intelligence expert Dr. Tracey Adams says plenty! Tracey and I recently met via a mutual friend and PYP MVP Elizabeth Case (thanks, Elizabeth!) and we hit it off immediately. Enthusiastic is an understatement when it comes to describing this powerhouse. I learned so much from our conversation on today's episode, and I know you will love what she shares. One of the big takeaways is this: when we allow other people to take the credit for winning, we actually win bigger. Tracey shares a great story about a time when she experienced this very situation -- along with her honest feelings about what was happening inside her mind while it was happening (many of you will relate to the story she was telling herself). When she's not off facilitating private retreats for women so they can show up more powerfully by using emotional intelligence for better well being at work and at home, Tracey teaches emotional intelligence within organizations. In fact, her doctoral research focused on the correlations between a manager's emotional intelligence and their team's engagement.Tracey spends her time in Portland, Oregon raising two teenagers and igniting every room she enters with her infectious positive energy.

Shownotes Page

Connect with me and PYP on Twitter

100 is a nifty number. It's many people's favorite currency denomination (who doesn't like having a pocket full of Benjamins). It carries a certain and enviable weight. Just saying the words "one hundred" can send currents of excitement through our brains.

Did you know, for example, that the numerology number 100 represents energy that's self-determined, independent, and has infinite potential?

That the number 100 can be seen as a practically unlimited number 1?

That it is highly self-sufficient and feels comfortable being alone doing what it prefers to do for its own reasons?

Okay, some of this may be a bit meta for Team PYP, but in celebration of my 100th episode this week, I wanted to pass along some interesting trivia about the number 100. I share some of these fascinating tidbits in the show itself. But for this part of my show description, I am passing on what I recently learned about the number 100 as it relates to numerology.

In numerology, the number 1 brings independence, leadership qualities, and the ability to work alone to the number 100. The number 0 brings openness, wholeness, comprehensiveness, and infinity to the number 100.

The two energies, 0 representing all that is and 1 representing aloneness, may appear to be incompatible. But they enhance each other when combined, making 100 a powerful and universally appealing factor (maybe that's why number 1 is such a popular jersey number). With the influence of both the number 1 and the number 0, 100 can be seen as a virtually unlimited number 1. And that, to me, is super cool.

Supercharge your day with a free sample!

If you were deathly afraid of spiders, would you deliberately spend the night in the jungles of Borneo? Today's PYP MVP Sue Ritchie did, and said it was one of the best experiences of her life. Sue is a leadership coach who knows how to shake things up and move us out of our comfort zones so we can thrive in the new world of work and life. No stranger to taking calculated risks, Sue walks her talk and can attest to the importance of stretching ourselves so we know life in a new way. She is an expert on establishing effective leadership presence, and has pinpointed the X factor for exceptional leadership across all industries. I'm not sure if I'm ready to sleep on the floor of a jungle anytime soon, but she certainly got me thinking about ways I can show up a little bit smarter, a little bit better. I admire Sue for the way she has crafted her life, and I think you will too!

Connect with Mary Lou and PYP on Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Shownotes

I first met Karen Lopez McWilliams in the lobby of a Hilton Hotel in Southlake, Texas. It was late June 2015 and she arrived with all the materials she'd agreed to bring for our two day strategy session together on her passion project: big post-it paper, colored markers, legal pads, pens. For the next 48 hours, we hashed out the game plan she would use to create her book, The Ones Who Believed: True Inspirational Stories Honoring Everyday People Who Took a Chance, Shaped a Life and Made a Difference. All those proverbial Xs and Os made sense and showed us something incredible was unfolding before us. At that point I did not yet know my role in the project would extend beyond the planning stage into the subsequent 18 months of full-time writing, revising, designing, publishing and ultimate launching and promoting the book right alongside Karen. What I did know was she had an incredible concept on her hands that no one else had explored the way she wanted to. Writing a book is no easy feat and it takes a team of committed visionaries to make it come to life. This is why the Acknowledgement section in most books is quite dense. Many hands go into producing a book of substance. OWB was no different. Comprised of 25 true stories, it flips on its head the conventional approach to exploring success, with storytellers honoring the one(s) who believed in them to showcase their personal triumphs and breakthroughs rather than simply telling their own story. By making the honoree the central character of each tale, each story encourages readers to remember and reflect about their own one(s) who believed in them and then pass on their gratitude for the wisdom and positive impact they experienced because someone took a chance on them without any expectation of gain. How many times have we watched athletes upon winning the big game make mention of special people who believed in them? How many Oscar winners make a point of sharing with the world the names of those special ones whose belief made their accomplishment possible? If ever a time in human history was right for a book like The Ones Who Believed, now is that time. More than ever we need to find a way to connect with each other and build something great together. OWB is one way of doing that. When we're willing to hit the pause button on our busy lives and take the time to honor someone else with sincere and genuine gratitude, nothing short of miracles can happen.

Get a copy of The Ones Who Believed here

Connect with Mary Lou and PYP on Twitter Instagram Facebook