Small Changes Big Shifts

"We can't judge people today who could be different tomorrow." - Michael Glauser

The greatest of happiness occurs in relationships, yet as a society, we have lost our way in building and sustaining meaningful relationships. We don't talk to our neighbors as much as we did a decade ago – and the detrimental effects of this lost art is greatly affecting the next generation to lead our world. Over 40% of high school students are persistently sad and feeling hopeless, while 40% of college students say they are too depressed to do their school work. Additionally, 60% of college students say the loneliness epidemic is a very real problem in their own lives. After years of pulling research together about the principles for happiness and civility, Mike Glauser decided it was time to put it all into book form and call it One People One World. In today's episode, Dr. Michelle Robin asks Mike what those six universal truths are that he presents in his book. While these truths have been on this earth for 5,000 years – and are backed by significant academic research – people are still struggling to reconnect to them despite how simple they seem. Mike dives into why action is required – not just reading or thinking about them. Tune in as he shares insight of what he's learned over the years after doing bicycle tours through small-town America.

About Today's Guests:

Michael Glauser is an entrepreneur, business consultant, university professor, and author of Main Street Entrepreneurand One People One Planet. He's also the Executive Director of the Clark Center for Entrepreneurship at Utah State University. He has built successful companies in the retail, wholesale, and consulting industries. He has worked with hundreds of startup ventures and large corporations. He is the co-founder and CEO of My New Enterprise, an online training, and development company. He's the Director of the SEED self-sufficiency program, helping people around the world to improve their standard of living and benefit their communities through entrepreneurship. Mike's great passion is helping people create successful companies, gain financial freedom, and live the life of their dreams.

Mentioned in the Episode:

• Main Street Entrepreneur by Mike Glauser
• One People One Planet by Mike Glauser
• One People One Planet website
• Mike Glauser's website
• Big Shifts Foundation

“Our CEO had this great vision of this building, and we decided to rehab it and do something that is going to help our community.” - Amy Grothaus

Many people don’t know where to turn when they have a goal in life, especially when it’s a financial one. CommunityAmerica Credit Union is an advocate for changing that, and they are doing it through their brand-new Community Access Center in Kansas City. During today’s episode, Dr. Michelle Robin welcomes Amy Grothaus to talk about what this building is helping fulfill in our community. The space is designed to promote the overall well-being of its customers and other community members. The entire 6,000-square-foot top floor is occupied by the Metropolitan Community College (MCC), which offers classes and other educational support to members. Their goal is to help break down barriers of banking and promote financial literacy for all, but to also help each person reach their goal of experiencing a financial peace of mind. Well-being coaches are also on-site to help their visitors achieve as many of their goals as possible. Tune in as Amy shares more about how this building is designed, plus why they have a heart to see people step into their brightest future by introducing them to all the resources, organizations, and nonprofits available as they journey through life.

About Today’s Guests:

Amy Grothaus is the Senior Vice President of Community Development at CommunityAmerica Credit Union in Kansas City. She is a motivated, passionate, and results-driven leader with experience in overseeing and directing member/customer experience and sales initiatives for organizations in the financial services industry. She has 20 years of expertise in customer service, retention and loyalty, strategic planning, and relationship building. Amy has proven results in launching new initiatives, driving sales, and technology implementation. She is a trusted visionary with the ability to energize teams, partner cross-functionally, and influence at all levels.

Mentioned in the Episode:

• CommunityAmerica Credit Union website - Search for “Access Center”
• Big Shifts Foundation Scholarship Program

"Stress tends to occur when there's an imbalance from a demand being placed on you, and it seems like you might be incapable of meeting that demand." - Megan Walker

Many people experience higher stress levels during the holidays, mainly due to having a lot more on our plate. However, creating a stress response toolkit can better help your body and mind manage that stress. In today's episode, Dr. Michelle Robin welcomes Megan Walker, who is the Healthy Living Director at the YMCA in the Greater Kansas City area to talk about what that toolkit can include for you. She dives into the importance of understanding what stress is in the body and why it happens, then provides some steps you can start making today before the holiday parties and family events begin. Some key tips that are mentioned include reframing our mindset, physical activity to release stress, blood sugar, hydrating with water, the role fiber has in your body, and where we need to allow more self-compassion on ourselves during the holidays.

About Today's Guests:

Megan Walker is the Healthy Living Director for the YMCA of Greater Kansas City, at the Platte County Community Center North location. She has a passion for helping others lead a healthier lifestyle and approaches overall wellness from a holistic perspective. She joined the YMCA in 2021 as a Healthy Living Coach, Group Exercise Instructor, and Personal Trainer, and now gets the pleasure of serving the community in her role as director. Although she is relatively new to the YMCA, she has been in the exercise and sport science field for eight years having worked within higher education as a collegiate softball coach, Mental performance Consultant providing services to individual student-athletes and teams, and as a faculty member teaching Sport and Exercise Psychology.

Mentioned in the Episode:

• YMCA.org - Locate all locations nationwide
• YMCA of Greater Kansas City
• Big Shifts Foundation

The holidays bring an immense amount of pressure, tension, and stress on us – but are we missing out on life by not finding the good? Dr. Michelle Robin welcomes Kim Becking to the show today to talk about how you can utilize a gratitude practice right now to build a momentum mindset. Kim shares how she redefines what resilience means in today's world, and some of the practices she started doing when she began a life that was intentionally focused on gratitude. Get ready to receive multiple bits of wisdom and one-liners that you can lean on this holiday season. Some of her advice includes letting go of unrealistic expectations during this time of the year, and she'll offer some wisdom and other tips to help you have a calmer and more peaceful experience around others. Enjoy this wonderful conversation as they dive deep into why gratitude requires growth and everyday practice.

About Today's Guests:

Kim Becking is an engaging, high-energy, fun, and impactful motivational keynote speaker, change and leadership expert, coach and consultant, and award-winning author. Her Momentum Mindset model helps leaders, teams, and organizations conquer change, boost resilience, accelerate success no matter what. Kim knows a thing or two about change and challenges through her own experiences in business and life. As an attorney, serial entrepreneur running two successful businesses for over two decades, communications strategist and "recovering" political consultant, Kim has conquered the ever-changing tough worlds of business, government, and politics. She's also conquered breast cancer. She doesn't want you to just bounce back after change and adversity – she wants you to develop that Momentum Mindset where you push past limited thinking, get unstuck, and use the change and adversity in life as the fuel needed to propel you forward – faster, further, stronger, and better than ever before.

Mentioned in the Episode:

• 31 Days of Kindness series – sign up for the free emails here
• 52 Inspiring Quote Decks
• 3 Good Things app
• Kim Becking on LinkedIn
• Kim Becking on Facebook
• Kim Becking's website
• Kim's books

"My favorite definition of compassion is to engage in the suffering of others – and that's what this small town did. They had true compassion for five days on us." - Kevin Tuerff

Kevin Tuerff was flying from Paris to New York City on September 11, 2001, when the plane suddenly began to appear like it was descending toward the ocean water. A few moments later, the captain came on to say there had been a terrorist attack in the United States, and the plane would be making an emergency landing in a small town in Canada called Gander. Soon after landing, they discovered other planes had been grounded in Gander as well, causing the small town's population of 9,000 to experience a sudden increase of 7,000 people on their streets. In today's episode, Dr. Michelle Robin welcomes Kevin to share this moving and inspiring story about what happened over the course of these five days being stranded there. He explains how people in this town began opening their homes, churches, and kitchens to the passengers like him, asking if they needed a shower, needed a warm meal, or simply needed a ride across town. He recounts how everybody in Gander was helping out, and there was something magical about it. This opened up a brand-new meaning for Kevin about what random acts of kindness could look like – leading him to launch a nonprofit organization around this experience called Pay It Forward 9.11 after he returned back home in Houston, Texas. Since its launch in 2002, the nonprofit has become an international phenomenon around kindness and continues to teach people about the power it has in our lives.

About Today's Guests:

Kevin Tuerff's experience as a 9/11 stranded airline passenger in Canada inspired him to develop Pay It Forward 9.11 in 2002, and it's been growing every year. Today, he serves as Founder and Volunteer President of Pay It Forward 9.11, Inc. His 9/11 story is one of the true stories inspiring the Tony-Award-winning Broadway musical "Come from Away". The character "Kevin T" is referred to as the compassionate "gay lumberjack" in the show, and this Pay It Forward 9.11 effort is mentioned in the script of the musical. He is featured cast member in three related documentaries (HBO Canada, CBC, and Fox). In 2018, House of Anansi Press published his memoir called Channel of Peace: Stranded in Gander on 9/11. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the books is donated to nonprofit organizations help refugees. Kevin currently works for Environmental Defense Fund and is TEDx speaker and certified as a virtual presenter by eSpeakers.

Mentioned in the Episode:

• Pay It Forward 9.11
• Come From Away Musical
• TedTalk: Compassion is the New Life Hack by Kevin Tuerff
• 31 Days of Kindness – sign up to receive the free email series
• Channel of Peace: Stranded in Gander book by Kevin Tuerff
• Be Good to People Foundation
• Be Good to People online store – DMRAMB to get 15% off your order

"Anything that goes from the heart up creates a vibration that actually has a very positive effect on humans. It will jumpstart other human hearts." - Sonia Choquette

Sonia remembers her mother being a central figure when it came to including kindness as a core value in life. Through all the adversity she faced, Sonia's mother focused on raising her children to believe that kindness creates the family you need, no matter what the circumstances. In today's episode, Dr. Michelle Robin invites one of her longtime friends to talk about how kindness can raise your vibration – which is the energy that connects you to everything and everyone in the universe. Sonia, who is a world-renowned intuitive, also will share what happens when we intentionally commit to kindness and dives into exactly how powerful your vibration as a human being is to an entire room of people. She ends the episode with some helpful tips about you can begin to show yourself more self-love to raise your vibration.

About Today's Guest:

Global author and speaker, Sonia Choquette, is the most highly regarded expert in the field of intuition. Over the course of 40 years, she has become a world-renowned intuitive guide and spiritual teacher. Author of 27 New York Times and International best sellers, her books have been published in 37 languages and 40 countries and has been read by over one million people. Sonia experienced some very difficult times at one point in her life. Within six weeks, her brother died, her father died, her marriage imploded, and her life as she knew it fell apart. Even after being a leader who taught hundreds of thousands of people around the world, she found herself shattered by so much loss happening so fast. She was guided to undertake a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago across Spain to help heal herself and find a way forward. Along the journey, she encountered all her "old stuff" - the pieces of her life that helped her discover the most profound level of wholeness she's ever experienced. Today, she continues to help people all over the world by teaching them to use their senses.

Mentioned in the Episode:

• 31 Days of Kindness – Sign up for the free email series
• Sonia's Website
• Trust Your Vibes by Sonia Choquette – new book just released in June 2022
• Be Good to People Foundation
• Be Good to People Online Store

"When you look at the Y's core values since the beginning, it's all about honesty, respect, responsibility, and caring." - John Mikos

The YMCA was established 178 years ago – and 162 years ago the Kansas City location was founded. Since then, the nonprofit organization has expanded to 135 countries around the world, and annually serves 155,000 people in just the Kansas City community. During today's episode, Dr. Michelle Robin invites John Mikos, who is the CEO of the YMCA in Greater Kansas City, to share why kindness is such an integral part of who they are and everything that they do. John began his career at the Y as a lifeguard when he was a teenager, quickly deciding this was the place he wanted to work for the rest of his life – a big reason being the kindness the organization shows every day to its community. He also shares some examples about how they incorporate many of their core values into their youth programs to help kids grow with an understanding and awareness about how these things impact their spiritual, mental, and physical health.

About Today's Guest:

John Mikos became the CEO of the YMCA of Greater Kansas City in 2019 after serving as the Chief Operating Officer since 2013. He's led many progressive developments with the Y in Kansas City, bringing focus to innovative integrated health programs, fostering the Y's vision, and building great relationships with health and community partners across the region. Since joining the organization, Mikos has been part of the downtown YMCA/Kirk Family Community Center breaking ground at the former Lyric Theatre building, as well as the expansion and renovation of facilities, including the Atchison Family YMCA/Cray Community Center and the Linwood Family YMCA/James B. Nutter, and Senior Community Center. Mikos has also worked with North Kansas City government to renovate its area location. Prior to joining YMCA of Greater Kansas City, John held the Chief Operating Officer positions at both the YMCA of Western North Carolina in Asheville and the YMCA of Greater Tulsa.

Mentioned in the Episode:

• 31 Days of Kindness – Sign up for the free email series
• YMCA of Greater Kansas City
• YMCA- to find a location near you
• Before & After School Y Club
• Youth Sports
• Nutritional, Personal Training & Weight Loss
• Challenger Buddy Program
• Youth Swim Programs
• Be Good to People Online Store
• Be Good to People Foundation

"One of the most eye-opening things when writing this book was my realization how influential we are as leaders. We create a ripple effect that goes out into the world." - Jim Blake

We have been raised in a culture that tell us hard work is the only way to be successful, but self-care often gets left out of the equation. Spiritual seeker and Reverend at Unity World Headquarters, Jim Blake, knows firsthand what happens when we neglect self-care, especially in times of adversity. During today's show, Dr. Michelle Robin invites him to share more about what inspired him to write his latest book called The Zen Executive: Gems of Wisdom for Enlightened Leadership. One of those things being that if the systems are "off" inside of you, you aren't making the best decisions for your company. His new book aims to help leaders tackle their well-being and take those small steps he would personally advise in their shoes coming from his own personal experience. Rev. Jim also shares some things leaders should think about when it comes to creating a healthy company culture – and it starts with being an example to your team.

About Today's Guests:

Reverend Jim Blake has more than three decades of study and service in New Thought traditions and organizations. He rejoined Unity World Headquarters as CEO in 2016, having previously served as Chief Information Officer and Vice President of Operations from 2006 to 2011. Prior to being named CEO, he served with global leading innovators in the traffic and energy industries. Rev. Blake has more than 20 years of executive leadership experience with some of the fastest growing and most innovative companies in North America. Jim has a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Central Methodist University and a Masters of Divinity from the Johnnie Colemon Theological Seminary. He was ordained in 2021.

Mentioned in the Episode:

• The Zen Executive: Gems of Wisdom for Enlightened Leadership book by Jim Blake
• Unity Church
• Unity Worldwide Ministries
• Bookstore at Unity
• Kindness Campaign
• IAmJimBlake.com

Show Notes Coming Soon...

"Acts of kindness, compassion, humor, contentment – all of these things have a spiraling upward effect that actually creates resilience in people. The more you contribute positively to the world, the more you're going to be resilient." - Dr. Roger Hall

Your brain is malleable all the way through life, meaning your brain has the ability to grow and change the more you practice and rehearse a pattern of thinking. In today's episode, Dr. Michelle Robin welcomes Dr. Roger Hall, who just released his newest book called DIY Brain: The Mindset Makeover Manual for Peak Performance. He shares what inspired him to write this book – including some backstory of how many years ago he started writing it – and what called him to finally publish it this year. Dr. Hall also explains how kindness, compassion, humor, and contentment all have powerful effects on our brain health and why these things help us to become more resilient and creative in the world. By the end of the episode, you will learn a simple exercise on how you can begin thought-monitoring your brain and why the book is a companion when it comes to shifting your thought patterns – and ultimately your life.

About Today's Guests:

Dr. Roger Hall is a business psychologist, author, consultant, and speaker. He has one trick: he trains leaders to monitor and manage their thinking. His clients are entrepreneurs, professionals, and business owners. He has worked with leaders from little companies with a few people all the way up to behemoths that dominate their industries. He helps leaders become better versions of themselves so they can lead their people better.

Mentioned in the Episode:

• Staying Happy Being Productive book by Dr. Roger Hall
• DIY Brain: The Mindset Makeover Manual for Peak Performance book by Dr. Roger Hall
• Hoffman Institute
• 31-Day Kindness Campaign – sign up for the free 31 emails on kindness