I know I know I haven’t put out an episode in a while, please forgive me. Since my last episode I have moved to another state, South Carolina, started a new businesses, and continued to father my three little girls, which turns out to me quite a task. Needless to say, I’m coming out of my hiding hole to release this episode. It was too special not to share with yall. I think deep down many of us have a deep dread that we will learn we have terminal cancer and that our time on earth is about to be cut short. Especially when we are raising a young family. Well, what you are about to hear is a very candid conversation with my dear friend Caitlin Bomar who just recently learned she has stage 4 breast cancer and likely a very limited time left to live. Caitlin, as of this recording, is 35 years old, married, and, like me, has three young daughters.  The oldest is four. You’ll get to hear them as they come sit on her lap as we chat.  Among other things, this episode is her telling me how this diagnosis has affected her and what she has learned so far in this dying process. It's a raw story about faith, dying, and metamorphosis. I think you’ll take a lot away from it.  I am so thankful for Caitlin’s candor and the perspective she brings. It certainly seems to trivialize most challenges in my daily life lately. Caitlin seems to almost welcome death, now that she has had a few months to process it, and I admire her courage and optimism. As always, thanks for listening, and please share this with someone who needs to hear this story.

Caitlin's Instagram
Caitlin's Facebook
Caitlin's GoFundme

I have a few spots left in my executive coaching business, Treppendahl Consulting. 

www.robtreppendahl.com

"How To Bring Child Soldiers Back into Society" with Johnson Bohr
Many of you have likely seen the movie Blood Diamond and are familiar with the concept of child soldiers that were recruited to fight in various wars in Africa. Have you ever wondered what happens to these kids when the war is over? How do they go back and interact with their community, their parents, their neighbors? There is a very powerful scene near the end of the movie, The lead character, Solomon and the role played by Leonardo Decaprio are digging up a diamond they had hidden for most of the story, and one they pull it out, A young boy, no more than fourteen shows up with a gun, aiming it at them. It is solomans son, who had been taken and recruited into the war several years before, but he has been hardened by the atrocities and brain washing he has experienced. Soloman looks at him and says “Dia, what are you doing?” What are you doing? Look at me? You are dia vandy of the proud mende tribe. You are a good boy who loves soccer and school. Your mother loves you so much. SHe waits by the fire making plantains and red stew with your sister and the new baby, the cows wait for you and the wild dog wants no one but you. I know they made you do bad things but you are not a bad boy. I am your father who loves you, and you will come home with me and be my son again. Both are crying, and then they embrace. Its a very powerful scene.

So Obviously, it is a very hard adjustment for most of them. The death and destruction they have not only seen but been an active part of, starting sometimes as early as age 12, a well as the ruthless independence they were given, set them on a path that makes society reintroduction very challenging for both sides.  But wat if I told you there was a program specifically designed to make this reintroduction far easier? What if I were to tell you that this program actually gave cash and therapy to these drug-using former child soldier criminals, and it was proven to be a highly effective way to improve their lives and break their cycle of crime and poverty? Today’s episode is a fascinating story that is centered around an evidence based and cost effective method at doing exactly this. To tell this story, I called on my new friend Klumosumo Johnson Bohr, who goes by just Johnson Bohr. He has pioneered one of these programs for years, and is now being used in multiple locations across the globe. Alright, enough from me, let's go meet the man himself!

LINKS

https://www.nepiliberia.org/

Donate to Nepi

Today's guest has a story that is about as raw as they get. Steve Labse is a skydiving  enthusiast, a business owner and someone who has become extremely self aware through a series of challenges and experiences over the past decade or so. Steve has an amazing perspective about how we spend our days and what it also looks like to waste forty years of our lives pleasing other people. His story is one that many of you will be able to relate do as we will dive into people pleasing, living our lives with meaning, and about discovering what really makes us all tick. Trigger warning will will discuss suicide briefly, and also there will be a lot of cursing, so, you have been warned. Alright, with that out of the way, lets go meet Steve! 

I have a few spots left in my executive coaching business, Treppendahl Consulting. 

www.robtreppendahl.com

Imagine yourself at age 18, a freshman in college, your whole life in front of you and suddenly you are struck with an illness out of nowhere and it soon takes both of your feet and parts of your hands with it. This was and is the reality for our guest today, Elizabeth Esthay. All of us find ourselves with various challenges dumped into our lives, but hers was particularly acute. How will I walk again? How can I live a normal life? Will I ever get married now? Will I be able to have kids? These are the questions that gripped her as she waited in the hospital for 4.5 months praying for a miracle.  How we can and will respond to traumatic events like this is impossible to know, but listening to how others deal with them can be incredibly helpful and inspiring. Elizabeth’s story is not one she’d wish on anyone; however, in an incredible form of redemption, it set her up beautifully for her career as a trauma counselor.  

 I was truly blown away by my conversation with Elizabeth. What a badass. What an inspiration. What an incredible person. It’s funny how listening to her story and her overcoming makes so many of the challenges we deal with on a daily basis seem so miniscule.  I hope her story gives you a bit more courage and perspective to face the challenges that we all know we one day will face. 

I have a few spots left in my executive coaching business, Treppendahl Consulting. 

www.robtreppendahl.com

During today’s episode, we sit down and get to hear some incredible tips and lessons from a best selling author, Allison Fallon. Ally is also a sought after public speaker, and nationally recognized writing coach. She has coached hundreds or perhaps even thousands of writers - from NYT Bestselling authors to total beginners to help them finally get their books written and on shelves. I found Ally thanks to a recommendation from my friend, Bob Goff. “Rob, it sounds like you are now ready to talk to Ally.” So, sure enough, I reached out and my writing journey really took off to the next level after signing up for her Prepare to publish program. In today episode we will dive into the power of writing down your own story, the health benefits, as well as dealing with imposter syndrome which it turns out plagues even the best authors. If you have ever thought about writing down your own story, I highly recommend you listen to this amazing interview with Ally Fallon.

I hope you feel as empowered as I do after hearing this conversation. Ally takes all the excuses away from us to not get started on writing down parts of our own story. If for no one else but yourself. I started a regular journaling practice at age 15, and then it became much more regular after a skiing accident caused a serious concussion that I feared would destroy my memory forever. I have since taken those hundreds of journal entries and used them as the bedrock for writing my own memoir. Which, one day, will make it to the public. Currently, I am enjoying the process and learning so much about myself.

REFERENCES:

https://findyourvoice.com/
www.allisonfallon.com
Buy her latest book: The Power of Writing it Down

I have a few spots left in my executive coaching business, Treppendahl Consulting. 

www.robtreppendahl.com

Social Enterprise: an enterprise that is created around solving a social problem, taking an idea and making sure it is solving a social problem, for the good.

 It all started with one sentence printed in a church bulletin “If you want to go to Mombasa Kenya, call Chris Boyd.”  Today's episode is a conversation with an incredibly brave and inspiring friend of mine who was living the ideal comfortable American dream life, and decided to leave it all behind to listen to a voice that told her to go to Africa. Jenny didn’t have a game plan. She went and she spent time in the villages and she listened. She built relationships. And from this listening she got the idea of how she could help 16 women in Mombasa Kenya. That was how it all began for her. Jenny’s story is one that can help

Since reading that bulletin more than 9 years ago, Jenny Nuccio has built an incredible socio-economic empowerment organization known as Imani Collective. Imani Collective now employs over eighty Kenyan women + men  along with half a dozen women stateside. Together, they unleash a woman’s greatness through empowerment + opportunity + community. Imani sells a plethora of artisan crafted goods including pillows, banners, baskets, holiday decor and more. Jenny story has so much to teach us about how to approach helping others, short term mission trips, and how to make your big idea come to life. Alright, let's go meet Jenny! 

REFERENCES:

IMANI COLLECTIVE

JENNY'S PERSONAL/CONSULTING WEBSITE

JENNY'S INSTAGRAM

I have a few spots left in my executive coaching business, Treppendahl Consulting. 

www.robtreppendahl.com

"And so I just kind of started thinking, this is how we would live our lives if Bryan was here, and how can I make that happen even though he's not here but still honor him and the way he wanted to raise our babies also. So I started planning this trip. I needed something to look forward to and plan and take my mind off the right now. I needed something further in the future."

 I need to give yall a trigger warning. This episode is very powerful but it is about a story that is incredibly tragic and we will discuss death, suicide, and a lot of hard things. But it will also inspire you to face like with a new level of gusto and freedom. I have done dozens of these interviews and we often talk about hard things, but this one destroyed me.  I think, honestly, it is because I could relate so much to Ashley and her husband, I could project my own life story on hers and so it really hit home for me. So, having that said, keep some Kleenex’s close by, because this one is really intense, but I promise, it's worth listening to, and pushing through. If you can make it to the 26 minute mark, you’ll be ok. Ashley’s story will rip your heart out and then inspire you to face the hardest things in your life with a new level of perspective and confidence

For Ashley, the hardest day of her life ended up opening some really surprising doors for her family and now allows her to encourage, inspire, and walk with others through the challenges that life throws at them through speaking, writing, and new adventures. None of us want to be handed the cards that Ashley has been handed, none of us wants to face unthinkable tragedy, but we all do have a choice at how we react to the hard things that will inevitably come. Will we let them destroy us, or will we use them to propel us to a beautiful but unknown future of growth and discovery.

LINKS:

website

Buy her new book: The Ocean is Calling

SOCIAL:

https://www.facebook.com/ashleybuggexo

https://www.instagram.com/ashley.bugge/

I have a few spots left in my executive coaching business, Treppendahl Consulting. 

www.robtreppendahl.com

Welcome to part 2 of Chasing the American dream with Orbin. I must say, if you have yet to listen to the previous episode, #23, I highly recommend listening to it first, as these build on each other. Ok, moving on, so this continues Orbin’s story starting from freshly crossing the US border, and now we’ll listen along and see what his fate will be.  Will he get deported? Will he find work? What challenges does an illegal immigrant face in their first few years. There are millions of folks living in his shoes right now here in America, and this story is not just Orbin’s story, its a peek into the sorts of challenges and opportunities that many immigrants face as they try to build a new life here in America. Orbin is full of wisdom far beyond his years, and we get to soak it up and learn from his unique and humble perspective. His is a story of taking risk, dreaming big, and striving for a life he did not feel entitled to but he believed he could find. Among many other things, Orbin's story reminds me of the blessings that surround us daily, and how easily we forget them.  Without further adieu, let's get back to the story. 

I have a few spots left in my executive coaching business, Treppendahl Consulting. 

www.robtreppendahl.com

Giddy up because this episode is one hell of a ride! Its seems like every day on the news we hear numbers like 5000 migrants crossed the southern U.S. Border today and x number of migrants did x or y and applied for asylum. For many of us, living our comfortable lives as American citizens, these are just statistics that baffle us, but in reality, each one of these numbers is attached to a life, a story, a dream, for a better life. Cue my friend Orbin Guerra. Orbin grew up dirt poor in a small village in Honduras, and dreamed of a better life for his 5 siblings and single mother. One day, at 19, he got the courage to take the few things he had and his hopes and dreams, stuff them into a backpack and head north to try to make it in the great land of freedom and opportunity. What unfolds for him is an unbelievable journey that nearly kills him, all in a desperate attempt to build a new life for himself and his family back home. Long rides on top of trains through tropical jungles, cartels, border patrol, tunnels, all sorts of crazy things face Orbin as he desperately tries to make it to the U.S.  This episode is part 1 of a 2 part series. Part 1 chronicles his journey to get to the U.S. and part 2 details his efforts to find work, a wife, and to live the dream he had always hoped for but never knew was possible. 

Part 2 comes out next week!

I have a few spots left in my executive coaching business, Treppendahl Consulting. 

www.robtreppendahl.com

Before we get rolling, I’d like to give another trigger warning for this episode. This one is quite visceral and, per the name, involves some violence and attempted harm between mother and child. Leslies story is about her struggle to survive and navigate a childhood with a psychotic dangerous paranoid schizophrenic mother who was convinced the communists were out to get them and thus they always had to sleep with one eye open and always live with constant paranoia. During our conversation, Leslies pulls us into what it was like to live with a mother who once tried to strangle her in her sleep because she thought it would help them to be safer. Leslie’s resilience is quite inspiring, and also she shares with us the dozens of tools she has used to cope with the traumatic childhood that rocked her body, including everything from celery juice, to botox for headaches, to a Vegas Nerve Vibrator. Leslie also goes into the power of writing and how it really helped her to both process and find meaning and healing from this entire experience. Leslie’s has a tremendous perspective for us and some great takeaways. For the full story, checkout her new memoir, “When I Was her Daughter” which came out in November of 2021. 

Closing thoughts… This story is hard to fathom, but perhaps my biggest takeaway here is the resilience that the human body and mind are capable of. The fact that Leslie was able to physically survive and to go on to live a rather normal life, with a family and a career, its pretty remarkable. The scene where… Leslie’s Mom tries to run over her head…that image is hard to shake. Another thing that Leslie’s story opens up is just a conversation on mental health. 22 episodes in, I am finding the vast majority of my guests have stories that center around someone with some serious mental health issues, and/or addiction. We are facing a time in our world, especially in America right now, where Mental Health is a mainstream conversation, which I think is amazing. The taboos of discussing issues we may have as well as family members seem to be slowly fading away, which enables us to be more honest with ourselves and others and the the treatment, therapy, or medication that we need. The opposite would be for us to hide in the shame that these illnesses often lead to.  I recently heard an interview with Brene Brown where she said the three ingredients for shame are secrecy, silence and judgment. By talking about these things, we automatically take out a key ingredient that shame needs to survive. Writing all this was incredibly healing for Leslie, and I hope that as listeners you also find not only resilience from her story but a willingness and be more honest with yourself and others about your own story.  This interview only scratches the surface of the story, and I fully encourage you to check the book out yourself to get the rest of the story.

Links/References:

A book she mentioned:The Body Keeps the Score

Leslie’s Book: When I Was her Daughter

Leslie's Website

On Social 

I have a few spots left in my executive coaching business, Treppendahl Consulting. 

www.robtreppendahl.com