Ismael Torres is an IT Security Analyst for the City of New York helping to ensure the services provided by NYC are Safe/ Secure and trustworthy. He has been working for the city for about 15 years ascending the ranks from entry level to his current role at the City's Technology Center. Ismael Torres is a Father of 2 crazy kids Canaan and Joshua and the husband of his greatest achievement (Scooping her up) Felisha Yearwood Torres. In his spare time, he works with Spartan Sundays and The Spartan Sundays Run Club, where he supports the technology and infrastructure of the group, while also motivating everyone to conquer their own obstacles.   Instead of mentioning his letters and titles, he only works to make sure everyone achieves theirs. After 13 Spartan Races, 1 trifecta, 3 Marathons (2 this year). seeing people crossing the finish lines and achieve what they thought was not possible is proof of his work. Follow his story on IG @ishwepa and the Spartan Sundays Running Club on Facebook and IG.

Join the conversation as Dr. Thomas and Dr. Salinger discuss practical steps anyone should take on the road to starting their own business. 

Dr. Aaron Salinger is the owner of the Balance Chiropractic & Wellness Center in Providence, RI. Dr. Aaron first became interested in chiropractic care at a very young age, while sustaining a multitude of injuries as a child actively participating in many sports and activities. Chiropractic care is largely what got him through his younger years. He is a 2006 graduate of National University of Health Sciences with a Doctorate of Chiropractic and a B.S. in Human Biology and a 2003 graduate of Brown University with a B.A. in Community Health. As a former Brown University pole vaulter, Dr. Salinger maintains an interest in track and field and is experienced in treating all types of athletic injuries. He has had extensive training in lower extremity and gait evaluation, as well as in active rehabilitation and weight training. Dr. Aaron’s mission is to educate and adjust as many families as possible to help them achieve optimal health. We all visit dentists every six months to get our teeth checked and keep them healthy; why wouldn’t we have our spines checked regularly, as well? Knowledge is power; Dr. Aaron empowers his patients to make informed decisions about their health. He lives in West Greenwich, RI with his wife Sherrie and their two children, Nathan and Haley.

For more information visit www.bemoretoday.com.

Jamal Jackson was born in Brooklyn, New York and began his formal studies of movement with the Harlem based Batoto Yetu Dance Company. His pursuit of Biology and dance led him to Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he received the Weston Award for his contribution to the Fusion Dance Company and New Works/ World Traditions African Dance Company from 1996-2000. Jamal studied with Michelle Bach-Coulibaly, Seydou Coulibaly, and Fred Benjamin and worked under M’ba Coulibaly, Salimata Soumare from Kelete Dance Theatre, and Ba Issa Diallo, director of Troupe District du Bamako in Mali, West Africa. Jamal choreographed for the New York Arts Festival and Inaya Day in 2002, marking the beginning of his African based, modern technique. Jamal performed with Ballet International Africans for two seasons as a principal dancer and in 2004 he founded the Jamal Jackson Dance Company. 

Jamal Jackson Dance Company has established a strong presence in and out of New York City, performing year-round in festivals, self-produced shows, community outreach programs and private events. The company’s work has been presented at venues including: Mark Morris Dance Center, Jacob’s Pillow, NYC Summerstage Concert Series, DanceNow Festival, Dance Theater Workshop, Battery Downtown Dance Festival, Brooklyn Arts Exchange, Brown University, The Brooklyn Museum, Equality Now’s 20th Anniversary, Big Range Festival in Austin, TX, The Yard in Martha’s Vineyard, MA, Performance Spaces for the 21st Century in Chatham, NY, the GSUSA National Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah, the Abundance Festival in Karlstad, Sweden, the 92nd street Y, and Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Jamal Jackson Dance Company (JJDC) was founded in 2004 with the purpose of fusing various traditional African dance styles with Modern techniques and diverse contemporary music styles in order to create a new, unique technique that is relevant to a multifarious community. The movement and storylines of JJDC choreography focus on redefining ideas of community and blurring divisive lines, while still celebrating the beauty of individual cultures. Jackson has a strong desire to not only entertain and educate an audience, but to pass on dance tradition to people of all ages.

Jamal has stressed the importance of education within his work and has helped guide organizations, like the 92nd street Y, as they have expanded their outreach and youth programs. He currently serves on the Board of PS21 Chatham, NY and the Dance Now NYC Advisory Board. Jamal has created a strong outreach program that integrates traditional Malian movement with contemporary dance techniques to impart self-confidence, discipline, and professionalism among our youth. Within the program, students from various backgrounds learn a common dance vocabulary, which enables them to find similarities and differences within their larger community.

For more information about this amazing dance company visit www.jamaljacksondancecompany.org.

Bali joined PLG in 2021 as the Chief Operating Officer. Bali has served as a management consultant at Deloitte, a transactional attorney at Proskauer, the Executive Director of Michigan’s Wayne County Land Bank, and the CEO of Lean & Green Michigan (the PACE program administrator in Michigan). Bali graduated with a B.A. from Brown University, a M.Sc. from the London School of Economics, and a J.D. from Berkeley Law. For more information about Pace Loan Group visit www.paceloangroup.com.

Dr. Jamey Schrier, PT is a physical therapist, former private practice owner, author of The Practice Freedom Method and founder of Practice Freedom U, a company solely focused on helping physical therapists build highly profitable practices while living the life they deserve. After growing and then successfully selling his PT business for a substantial multiple, Jamey began teaching practice owners his proven business building methodology to generate consistently more referrals, hiring amazing staff and being able to work less while making more. He has helped hundreds of private practice owners successfully grow their business achieving financial prosperity and freedom, despite today’s unpredictable and ever-changing times.

http://practicefreedomu.com/discovery

Happy Father's Day! Episode 64 of the Be More Today Show features my father Samuel A. Thomas, MSW. 

Samuel Anthony Thomas MSW is a graduate from Fordham University School of Social Work and currently works at Monhagen Middle School as a School Social Worker. As a Social Worker he looks to meet students where they are and strives to find their hidden talents.

As a Cross Country and Track Coach he enjoys coaching cross country and track, as a way to re-live my running days.

His favorite motivational quote for his runners is, “when the body says no, the mind says yes I can”.

He’s the Director of the Chess Club and

Director of the Builders Club whereby he produces Talent Shows and donates proceeds to local charities.

He’s also a Vendor Representative for Coty International which includes designer men’s and women’s fragrance, such as Gucci, Burberry, Marc Jacob, Chloe, Tiffany, Calvin Klein and Hugo Boss.

He was a former New York Stock Exchange Trading Investigator, Entrepreneur, Food Store and Deli Owner and operator.

He was also a Human Resource Manager for May Company Department Stores.

He’s the Author of, “To the Sistas, Diary of a man who happens to be Black”.

He is a former US Army Veteran who served 4.5 years. 11D reconnaissance specialist.

Ran Track in High School and College.

High School 2 mile relay, held record of 7:35:6 for over 30 years.

He was featured in Runners magazine in an article titled, “The record that was never broken” and held Millrose Games and Penn Relay records during high school. As a Received over 10 Track scholarship offers and loves to share about how track and field helped him maintain a healthy lifestyle. #morethananathlete #useitorloseit #bmtshow #bemoretoday #happyfathersday #trackstarsrus #andrewjackson #runnersmagazine #menshealth

Kaysian Gordon is a seasoned professional who has worked in the financial industry for nearly 20 years. She is currently a Wealth Advisor at Clarus Group. Most recently, Kaysi was part of an elite 13 person team at UBS where she spent almost 17 years providing financial guidance and investment strategies for the firm’s “ultra-wealthy”, managing in excess of $500 Million in investable assets. Her client base consisted of entrepreneurs, CEOs and CFOs of Fortune 500 companies.  Prior to joining the team at UBS, Kaysi began her career in Public Accounting.

Because of her breadth and depth of knowledge, Kaysi works well with her clients' other centers of influence, ensuring that there is a seamless process between her clients' accountants, attorneys, and wealth advisor. She has a passion for helping her clients to achieve both financial and life goals and seeks to provide the right guidance for their situation.  Kaysi’s philosophy on financial success is predicated on taking the time to listen to the specific needs of each client, so that she can craft a detailed and tailored solution – as she does not believe one solution fits all.

Kaysi holds an undergraduate degree from Queens College, City University of New York in Accounting and Information Systems, where she graduated as a Queens College Scholar. She holds minors in Economics, Business and Liberal Arts (BALA), an honors minor. She also holds a Master's in Business Administration from Fordham University – Gabelli School with a dual concentration in Taxation and Finance.  In addition to her degrees, Kaysi holds licenses as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), is a  CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, and holds insurance licenses and other industry licenses – FINRA series 7 and 66. 

Family and Community are important to Kaysi. She currently serves as the chairperson for her church's Finance and Stewardship Committee. She also teaches her church's youth bible class. Kaysi is a blogger and a published author of "Walking By Faith and Not By Sight: Learning to be Still in the midst of Life's Chaos". She is a sought after public speaker on both financial and faith topics. Kaysi enjoys being a mom, writing, reading and traveling with her daughter.

To follow her journey, visit her website https://kaysigordon.com/

Episode 62 focuses on being more aware of your "soft skills" courtesy of Vanessa White, founder of White Glove Etiquette. 

White Glove Etiquette was founded by Vanessa White to help foster the ideals of proper etiquette, and leadership training in social, business and educational settings.

They offer a comprehensive program of individual and corporate business etiquette as well as social etiquette, including dining instruction for children, teens and adults.  The mission of White Glove Etiquette is to empower individuals in commanding the art of civility refinement and respect.  The underlying philosophy of the business and its founder is that knowledge and mastery of “soft skills” such as the social graces builds confidence, changes lives and develops leadership capabilities.

Studies have shown that the attribution of success in business today is 15 percent technical knowledge and 85 percent people skills, which are called “soft skills.”  Soft skills include interpersonal skills and business and social etiquette.  White Glove Etiquette can help you refine your “soft skills” for social and professional success.  They will teach you the skills you need to be positively poised in every social and professional setting.

Vanessa White was trained and certified by the Washington School of Protocol in 2007 and the Etiquette and Leadership Institute in 2017.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Behavioral Science with a minor in Business.  Since 2007, she has provided instruction on etiquette conducting programs throughout the United States.  She was also a contributing writer on social graces for an online magazine and continues her instruction on the virtual platform. Follow her story on IG @whitegloveetiquette or email her at [email protected].

Alex Damashek is a live music promoter and event producer with over 12 years of experience curating concerts, nightlife and impactful cultural activities.  As the founder of Move Forward Music, a Brooklyn-based concert company, Alex has produced the debut NY shows for artists like Kendrick Lamar, Juice WRLD, Da Baby, and Doja Cat, at storied music venues like Webster Hall and SOB’s.  More recently, he has been live-streaming virtual concerts on Twitch, where he has an exclusive deal with the platform to produce music content. For more information visit https://www.moveforwardmusic.com.