Kristin Keen is a champion when it comes to changing the world and playing a role in a part much bigger than humanity. After moving to India, she witnessed the horrors and reality of the sex trade, and she took it into her own hands to bring light to the darkness.

She is the Founder and Executive Director of Rethreaded, a non-profit organization that sells goods made by women who have found freedom from the sex trade. Products include beautiful hand-sewn blankets, pillow cases, and scarves made from Indian saris; wool purses and tote bags from Bolivia, handmade journals and cards, and a range of unique, one-of-a-kind creations made from recycled t-shirts.

Kristin is doing amazing work in contributing to the society and in bringing permanent change in the lives of women. Globally, Rethreaded has positively impacted the lives of over 2,200 women.

Here are the highlights of my conversation with Kristin:

09:35 : How she began with her mission starting in the streets of Kolkata after her world was shook witnessing first-hand the evils happening in this red-light district, and putting up Sari Bari (now employing 100 people) together with her friend, Sarah Lance, to provide a safe haven for women who want to make a change,

16:30 : How Sari Bari is organized and put up as a viable business to support women coming out from the trade,

18:59 : The amount of commitment it takes, the cost you have to sacrifice and the things that you need to know if you are being stirred to create change abroad,

20:37 : Lessons she learned and the things she could?ve done differently when she started this mission including learning the language and immersing in the culture,

22:05 : Breaking the cycle locally through Rethreaded, how they won in the One Spark Festival, and how they are growing the business to support more women, and

31:13 : Their long-term plans including recreating their store across the country to help as many people as much as they can.

So you want to self publish but don't know how? Well, you are just one big lucky ducky today. Tim Lewis did too, and he re-created himself to figure it out! He is the founder of Stoneham Press Ltd, a London-based company formed to publish books and provide services and tools to self-published authors to allow them to publish, market and manage their publications more successfully.

Nothing is every easy, and tragedy happens everyday when it's least expected, creating gigantic roadblocks for big visions, dreams, goals and lifestyles. In this episode, Tim shares his journey through life and his experience of living through the tragedy of losing his wife. The hard reality shift repositioned the way Tim looked at the world, and his vision was never the same again. He took initiative to leave his corporate job and create the life he loves, and he's doing it with the intent to help others along the way.

Cheers Tim!

Here are the highlights of my funky conversation with Tim:

11:31 : Tim?s back story starting with his corporate job, his wife suffering a major hemorrhagic stroke in 2009 and passing away in 2011, to finally making the leap in leaving his company after being there for 15 years,

22:40 : His transition period and stumbling into the book, Write, Publish, Repeat, which inspired him to explore Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP),

26:03 : Writing his first book, Timeshock: I Want My Life Back, and the practices and the processes he went through to start and publish the book,

 30:12 : Working on his blog, planning to develop an app, publishing his full-length novel and all the ideas that Tim is looking to get into,

40:24 : His previous interest in screenplay and his practical tips and key take-aways in his journey in self-publishing so far, and

46:20 : How it feels publishing a book, the pricing tiers in Amazon and the right perspective you should have in getting your content out there.

It takes time to learn how to strengthen attention, so do it without expectation or attachment to results and just accept the way things are.

Molly Knight Forde's outlook on life is simply breathtaking. She is nothing short of masterful when it comes to analyzing the world through awareness and mindset. Not only does she make insides melt with her intricate and soothing piano melodies, Molly sparks motivation and meaning into every conversation she engages. She's also a muse, motivational coach, public speaker, muse, meditation mentor and the founder of The Awareness School.

She found meditation and practical awareness under the guidance of Master Teachers from various schools of transformation, and she has experiences in Zazen, Irano Egyptian Yoga, Hatha Yoga, and the Gurdjieff Work.

I had a blast discussing the power of mindfulness in advancing talents, such as playing the piano, and everyday mindfulness techniques to take your consciousness and happiness to a level most don?t even know exists. Master the art of choice and co-create your destiny!

Here are the highlights of my funky conversation with Molly:

09:20 : Molly's journey so far: growing up in a dysfunctional family in the deep South, learning to play the piano unintentionally after getting in trouble at 13, giving her first solo piano recital at 16, living in Paris for 8 years where she first opened up to yoga and meditation, moving back to Seattle with two kids in tow and being introduced to whole new kind of art which turn her world from black and white into color,

20:29 : The importance of meditations in terms of developing your productivity and anxiety levels, the different ways to practice mindfulness and the challenges when starting out,

25:00 : Mindfulness techniques to develop your awareness such as having an external cue and pausing after an activity,

34:11 : How her life changed after she practiced mindfulness and how she started and maintained her rhythm,

43:32 : How vision boards and declaring things can train your brain and make things happen; decluttering and the distractions technology can bring,

49:45 : About the Awareness School, her in-person and online mentoring services and their big plans for their retreats, and

55:29 : Her advice for musicians who are looking at tackling the music world.

A Dee (The Artful Dodger) is credited with being one of the first aerosol writers to come out of the UK in the 80’s.  Transferring depression in urban areas with bright colors and innovative urban art, A Dee started catching media attention at a young age.

He took his skills and transitioned them as a weapon for following his passion, and he soon worked creatively for large corporations such as LucasFilm, BAA Heathrow Airport, MTV and The South Bank Show. In addition, A Dee has created many backdrops, album sleeves, logos for music acts and record labels, and is very passionate about producing urban art workshops and various art projects for young people for encouraging and developing their creativity.

Currently, A. Dee is heading a campaign for an artist run community arts-hub called Negative Space where creative people can connect, irrespective of style, format and discipline.

Here are the highlights of my funky conversation with A. Dee:

Steve bird takes memories and turns them into works of art. After all, our memories are some of the most important parts of our lives.

After coming to the realization that his career in theatre wasn't exactly what he dreamed it would be, Steve took the initiative to recreate himself and learn how to paint again. He soon realized that painting came natural when working off photographs, and he found opportunity to preserve the memories of others through turning their pictures into beautiful portraits.

He learned how to use and engage an audience on social media, and he triggered interest in his service by painting pictures for free and seeing how people reacted. Well, his passion is back full throttle now, and #ipaintyourlife is starting to take hold.

Congrats, Steve.

Here are the highlights of my conversation with Steve:

06:22 : His life story as a jack of all trades who started off as a young artist being greatly influenced and inspired by his art teacher,

13:50 : Being bitten by the music bug and putting art behind for a decade after music took over his life,

17:55 : Enrolling in a university to study art and getting out with a PhD while progressively going into film making,

 21:28 : Leveraging on social media to raise money for his wedding and his honeymoon by starting out a project where people can see him paint the photos they send,

27:40 : How he captured his audience by engaging them and how it is being at the peak and most productive part of his journey as an artist,

32:11 : Gaining followers in Twitter and using Facebook Groups to showcase his work and the advice he got from fellow artists such as engaging people to gain their trust rather than just saturating the internet,

38:07 : Remembering the first painting he sold back in the 80s and the elation it brought him when people compliment your talent by buying them,

38:50 : The most difficult thing in social media and remembering the time when he was commissioned to do the biggest group portrait he has done plus an additional 40 paintings which all stemmed from one chance meeting at a car park, and

48:15 : Failures which made him stronger and trials which made him appreciate hardships because of the lessons they come with.

Education is the toy. Curiosity is the box.

Henrique Bertulani has accomplished basically anything an artist could possibly accomplish at his age. From Brazil to Germany, and Egypt to the United States, Henrique has dabbled in art studies, exhibitions, curating, anthropology, art cooperative projects, teaching, street murals, charity work, professional field hockey, art workshops and so much more.

One of the most interesting people I?ve ever listened to speak, Henrique is full of fire and passion and firmly believes that EVERYONE can create the life they love with a little curiosity and drive. He walks us through why phases are so important to artists and how to make art feel.

Here are the highlights of my funky conversation with Henrique: / /

06:46 : How he has grown to become an international artist by starting his career at 19; sharing his observations on the differences of how art is expressed in various countries such as Egypt, Brazil, the Middle East, Europe and the US; and his experiences in art censorship, notoriety and inhibitions,

17:46 : How a mural project of painting a 100-foot wall grew from an initial four artists to ten and his views about self-censorship and creating artwork for money, /

21:06 : The advantages of teaching art to children and how art can change even the most delinquent one, /

23:00 : An in-depth walk through The Seven da Vincian principles and concepts which serve as essential element of genius: / -Curiosity (Curiosita) ? An insatiably curious approach to life and an unrelenting quest for continuous learning. / -Demonstration (Dimonstrazione) ? A commitment to test knowledge through experience, persistence, and willingness to learn from mistakes. Trial and error. / -Sensation (Sensazione) ? The continual refinement of the senses as the means to enliven experience. / -Smoke (Sfumato) ? Not letting your ego get the better of you, learning from each other and gaining willingness to embrace ambiguity, paradox, and uncertainty. / -Art and Science (Arte/Scienza) ? Taking your view of science, art and logic and transforming it to your imagination. / -The Body (Corporalita) ? The cultivation of grace, ambidexterity, fitness, and poise. Balancing the body and mind. / -Connection (Connessione) ? the knowledge, recognition of and appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things and phenomena. / -39:22

Surrealism, frottage and the now neglected approaches that renowned artists had applied in their time to achieve perfection, /

-48:00 : How a mural he painted in Rio de Janeiro brought about admiration to the art process and changed the perception and the lives of locals, and /

-1:04:30 : Seeing the power artists wield by going to places lacking art, developing an out-of-the-box mentality and assessing whether you are aiming for money or being an art advocate with the goal of elevating the cause.

Have you ever wanted to see which of your friends is closest to you, then invite them to join you without having to call them all individually? Well, Dylan did, so he created a system to solve the problem.

Dylan is the co-founder of the baller and clever Bleepr app which allows you to pinpoint close friends on a map from nearest to furthest without stalking them. You can then engage with in conversations and invite other friends to the chats, which are all temporary.

He comes from a family that fully supports his journey to entrepreneurship, and he?s giving each day a run for its money with energy and enthusiasm.

Good vibes 4 $ho.

Here are the highlights of my funky conversation with Dylan:

06:12 : The influence his brother had on him in shifting gears from being an industrial engineer to becoming an entrepreneur, / 12:43 : What Bleepr is all about, how the idea sparked and the cool features of the app, / 15:07 : The biggest roadblocks in being in the app space and the things he hold on to to be able get going despite these challenges, / 17:33 : Bleepr?s long term goals including building an awesome community and expanding their platform by building more apps, / 21:43 : Personal habits that he has in place such as writing to-do lists and going to the beach with his dog, / 25:48 : The fast timeline and the steps it took for Bleepr to take form from doodling, Photoshop designs until the product launch, and / 30:17 : Things which he would?ve done differently knowing what he knows now.

The figgity funk-daddy mack Artrepreneur today is none other than Paul Brown.

Wait for it

He has six little rugrats, yet he still finds the time to create the life he loves. Yep, I bet your mind is blown.

Paul is a designer and artist for HappiJar app, and also diddles as a cartoonist, photographer, musician and writer.

If he can do it, you can too. My fist is pumping for you, Paul.

Here are the highlights of my funky conversation with Paul:

06:33 : How he balances six kids, working from home and learning new interests such as writing, photography and playing a guitar, / 10:28 : How HappiJar, a gratitude app which helps you record and share you happy times in a virtual jar, came to fruition, and how fun it is do art and work with his old time friends, / 15:16 : How he accomplishes things and set aside time to do his projects and the advantages of having online critics during the development of his artworks, / 21:03 : Other projects he is working on and sharing some of his struggles in completing his works, such as getting to the end goal but jumping from one task to another without guided directions, and how he battles these opportunities, / 26:18 : The process in creating the HappiButtons and the feeling when he accomplishes the button designs, seeing his artwork up in Twitter and getting the download results, and / 30:28 : His version of the artist block and the challenges and fun he has in pimping out super hero logos.

In 2007, Steve Chou and his wife put up an online store to leap away from their normal day jobs upon news of their pregnancy so she could take care of the baby. They didn?t want to give up their lifestyle, so they put their champion hats on and blew the roof off the houuuuseeee. Within the first 12 months, they made $100K to replace her salary, and then started teaching their methods to others.

Steve runs MyWifeQuitHerJob.com and the My Wife Quit Her Job podcast, and he has grown his audience to over 180,000 monthly readers. He has built an incredible online platform for walking newcomers through starting their own online stores, and he?s got all the evidence in the world to back his brilliant methods.

Oh yea- he's an electrical engineer at a startup in Silicon Valley for his regular job. #Baller

Summary of Show: / / Here are the highlights of my funky conversation with Steve:

05:54 : Fun background about Steve?s venture in music, his self-defacing Chinese speeches and how MyWifeQuitHerJob.com started and evolved,

11:49 : How he ended up launching his info product, ProfitableOnlineStore.com, starting with zero content and 35 original subscribers and how it grew to 500 students after 3 years,

13:43 : Stories about people he had helped find products to sell online despite having no experience or skill in designing web pages or launching businesses,

16:54 : Sharing the common traits of the successful people he had in his own podcast including persistence, willingness to do leg work for their businesses to succeed, and having a long-term mentality,

21:03 : Designing micro-processors for a living, playing the piano, the skills he picked from the debate team, being into sports, and learning how to love reading,

25:12 : His ultimate long term goals geared towards spending more time with the family without giving up his tech background,

30:38 : Lifting and playing ultimate frisbee to keep his work-life balance, and

34:14 : About drop shipping and other options when going into e-commerce and his advice how to make the most money in this line of business.

"Art represents the postcard from the journey the artist took."

Alan John Hewitt lives to make art, and he views it as a meditative practice that holds his life together. As a full time gardener, Alan sees creativity in everything around him, and he's constantly educating himself and providing the value back to the world through self publishing, poetry, music, photography and art.

I truly enjoyed my conversation with Alan because he's a prime example that we can all make ourselves into much more of who we are. He embraces the world, he aims high, and he teaches the power of surrealism in creating. Cheers Alan!

Summary of Show:

5:00 : A background on Alan's geographical origins, how his creativity was first triggered and how he makes the most out of his down time on his day job by listening to podcasts on philosophy, sciences, literature, politics, internet marketing, history and big ideas, 08:36: How podcasts inspired and drove him to establish his own publishing company and release three books,

12:34 : How his typical day looks like from breakfast to gardening to completing a drawing, a poem and creating music,

15:44 : How he gave up one show at a time until he gave television up to practice his many different mediums and produce art regularly -- drawing, painting, graphics, photography, poetry, sculpture and music, and

29:05 : How he conquers the artist block and how he defines creativity: learning the fundamentals of art to make it come alive and listen intently to art.