The Forbes Factor - Your Secret to health, wealth & happiness!

Do you dream of life on the red carpet, or even just a little more recognition around town? It’s not hard to get famous; you don’t even need a skill. And for those of you not looking to inhabit Hollywood, there are a few tricks the same skills that can propel you to superstar status in your existing industry. What are those tricks, you ask? As Ingrid Elfver, Founder and CEO of the Born Celebrity training institute, teaches her 100,000 fans and A-List clients, it all comes down to three little Hollywood secrets. According to Arthur Kade, who took himself from nobody to somebody as a self-made actor and celebrity interviewer, it’s about catching the attention of the right people. Mega-entertainment agent Chris Cabott preaches the importance of building your own brand, and celeb photographer HughE Dillon warns one amateur mistake can ground your career before it takes flight. It’s all coming up this week right here on “The Good Life with Forbes Riley and Charlie.”

Ever wish someone would invent a product that would make every aspect of your life easier? Chances are if someone’s wished it, someone’s made it. On this episode of The Good Life, Forbes and Charlie introduce you to quirky gadgets that will surprise you, amuse you and simplify and enhance your life in ways you probably never imagined. A refrigerator that tracks inventory and plans meals? John I. Taylor, a vice president at LG Electronics reveals the fridge of the future. A dress that eliminates the need for luggage? Meet Silvia Allegrini, the New York fashioner designer who created the stylish Chick on the Go all-in-one outfit. And finally, a device that allows you to squat in dirty bathrooms without getting dirty? Hiker and business analyst Sarah Dillon demonstrates the GoGirl portable funnel.

During this installment of our “High Lights from Shine” series we bring you into the recent Shine conference, which gathered together hundreds of female entrepreneurs from around the world. “The Good Life” was a media sponsor and Forbes was a featured speaker at the event hosted by world-class career coach Ali Brown. Amidst the panels, workshops, speaker events and networking over cocktails, a radio chat with Forbes and Charlie emerged as one the conference’s most sought-after appointments. Get into the action through interviews with Lesley Batson, founder of Fanatchicks.com; Baeth Davis, a palm reader/corporate coach; Doreen Rainey, leader of the Get Radical movement; and model Kirin Christianson, who’s one Red Haute Mama.

Do you usually spend February 14th throwing darts at the image of St. Valentine? On this episode, Forbes and Charlie motivate you to turn those darts into arrows … Cupid’s arrows. Whether you’re single or coupled, Valentine’s Day can be a time to reconnect with your partner, yourself or the future love of your life. Don’t believe us? You will after Rocky Fino, author of the Will Cook for Sex book series, draws the real map from your partner’s stomach to his heart and Philadelphia Inquirer film critic Carrie Rickey recommends her top ten V-Day movies for couples and singles. Then turn the holiday into a productive launching pad for your current and future relationships as matchmaker JoAnn Ward from VH1’s “Tough Love” and “Love Designer” Renee Piane chart a course to making this the last Valentine’s you spend alone. Finally, author Wabi Sabi Love Arielle Ford solves the problems in your relationship with some ancient Eastern wisdom.

Smart football players know it’s not enough to leave it all out on the field. With an average NFL career that lasts just three years, some pro-ballers make attempts to hold on to their wealth once their glory days have passed. No one exemplifies this pro-planning philosophy like Dallas Cowboys Long Snapper Louis-Philippe Ladouceur, who spends the off-season training his money. Through prudent planning, Ladouceur’s financial portfolio should perform at championship levels long after his body no longer can. On this episode of The Good Life, this articulate, savvy financial whiz tells us how to build a financial portfolio that can score big for years to come.

Do you dash to your child’s school to defend him or her for the slightest issues that arise? Did you hesitate to write your child’s college admissions essay? Have you ever called your kid’s boss? If you answered yes to these questions, you may be a helicopter parent. Foster Cline, the psychiatrist who coined the term “helicopter parent,” explains how overprotective parents hinder their children’s development, and sociologist Annette Lareau, who authored the groundbreaking Unequal Childhoods, defends what she calls the “concerted cultivation” style of middle-class parenting. Ron Alsop, author of The Trophy Kids Grow Up, the definitive book on millennials’ ability to cope in the workforce, shares horrifying stories of parental over-involvement in the workplace and teen/parent coach Tammy Potosky gives tips on how to let go of your children gracefully. As always, there’ll be opportunities to win free gifts, including a free one-hour coaching session for you and your teen!

If there’s anyone in the world who knows about the connection between the way you eat and the way you look, it’s the inimitable Dr. Robert Rey. The 51-year-old plastic surgeon and martial arts master sticks faithfully to what he calls a “Rey-modified Paleo diet,” which helps him achieve the face, body and energy of a man half his age. With a diet directed by medicine and nature, Dr. Rey has poured his knowledge into a heath and fitness book called Body by Rey, and on this episode of The Good Life, he brings that knowledge to bear on subjects like the truth about why diets fail; the high protein diet controversy; whether you should avoid fruit; and how dangerous really gluten is.

Is your relationship with your significant other suffering? Though you may not want to admit it, chances are it’s not just your partner’s fault. The fights, the frustration, the distance – you might be (partially) to blame. Find out what are the top relationship killers – and how to solve or avoid them!

How will you make 2012 your most cost-effective and calorie-efficient year yet? With the help of financial whiz Manisha Thakor and fat-loss expert Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman, that’s how! Thakor, who regularly dispenses financial advice for women on CNN, The Today Show, The Rachel Ray Show, and many others, applies principles from her MoneyZen program to set lofty yet realistic financial goals that will bring you peace of mind in the coming year. Turning from your bank statement to your body, we interview Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman, who’s been named one of the Ten Most Knowledgeable Nutritionists in the U.S. by Self Magazine. As creator of the Fat Flush program, author of more than 30 bestselling books on health and nutrition, and columnist for Women’s World, there’s no one better suited to give you the most up-to-the-minute tips on how to (finally!) successfully lose weight in the next 12 months.

Change, whether it’s positive or negative, planned or unplanned, is a powerful force that always takes getting used to. But without change, we’d have no way to evolve, to plan or to reach our dreams. 2011 was a year of change and evolution for many of our listeners, whether they launched a new career or ended an old one, made a move decades in the making or spontaneously acted upon a sudden idea. What changes shaped your life in 2011? And what evolution can our guests inspire you to make in 2012?