Ever wonder if you have what it takes to be a good leader? Fred Kofman is here this week to tell us his thoughts on how to be “awake” to your own potential as a leader.  Fred is the newly appointed advisor for leadership development at Google and was formerly the vice president of executive development at LinkedIn. His life passion now is to help people become transcendent leaders. Fred believes that leadership cannot be bought. and that it requires you getting in touch with ourselves, finding our life mission, committing to our values (and the courage to stand for those). He gives practical and helpful insight as to how to look within ourselves to discover our mission and purpose, and true life examples of how to put conscious leadership into practice.

When Holly Thaggard’s friend was diagnosed with skin cancer in her early 30s, Holly set out to learn everything she could about sunscreen, skin damage, and skin care. A former schoolteacher and professional harpist, Holly’s journey to entrepreneurism has been fueled by her passion to “change the way the world thinks about sunscreen.” Holly launched the successful and innovative sunscreen brand, Supergoop!, in 2007.

Full of triumphs and failures, of dead ends and redirected paths, Holly’s story is courageous and inspired. It’s especially encouraging for anyone who sees a problem and has an idea to make difference.

Why is it that we’re so often able to show wells of compassion for other people, but can rarely find it for ourselves? In today’s episode, Dr. Kristin Neff will help us answer this question. Kristin is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on self-compassion, being the first one to operationally define and measure the construct over a decade ago. She is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Austin and examines why we take this less-than-kind approach with ourselves, and how we basically respond with a “fight or flight” approach to ourselves--thinking that we can “whip ourselves into shape.” Kristin shows us that we really don’t have to beat ourselves up to change, and she outlines the steps to developing self-compassion. She encourages us that when we show the same kindness, support and encouragement to ourselves that we show others, we will radically change our lives.

Alison Faulkner is a writer, speaker, and “self-proclaimed nonsense dancer,” who knows all about “walking in the messy middle.” She has worked with Fortune 500 companies and has been creating content for over 10 years. She built a business on throwing 900 person female dance parties, and found that the behind the hoopla, she was crashing and burning.  When she couldn’t figure out how to scale the business and preserve her sanity, she took a step back and started doing the things she wanted to do. Thus, The Alison Show was born, as well as Alison’s podcast Awesome with Alison and Allison’s Brand School. Now, she’s not ashamed to share the times “she break downs and cries under her desk, the times she fails, the times she wants to quit.” Even after a recent car accident, Alison has been pushing through the pain to embrace possibility. Alison’s mantra is: Only you can be you, and you’re already as awesome as you need to be.

Amy Moffett Brown is the bubbly co-host of the wildly popular Bobby Bones Radio Show that airs out of Nashville, Tennessee. At first blush, Amy looks like she has it all--fun job, happy family, partner in successful non-profits. Amy’s wins in life came from broken places that she turned into good--from her Mom’s difficult battle with cancer, to her burden for the impoverished people of Haiti. Jessica and Amy talk about the bravery it takes to actually make lemonade from lemons when your heart is broken, and how simply “asking” in regards to opportunity is a risk we all need to take more often.

Our guests this week epitomize the heart of friendship, determination and courage. Patrick Gray & Justin Skeesuck have been friends, literally, since birth, having been born in the same hospital merely 36 hours apart. When Justin was diagnosed in his early 20’s with a degenerative muscular disease, although they no longer lived in the same city, Patrick was at the ready to support and help as he could. Their mantra for their friendship centers around intentionality, and if the other person has a need, desire or dream, they are there for each other to support and facilitate it. When Justin, now wheelchair bound, voiced his desire to make a trek across Spain through the Camino de Santiago, Patrick didn’t hesitate to show up and see how they could make this dream a reality together.  They share the details of this incredible journey (the inspiration for their book “I’ll Push You”) and how they look at “fear as an opportunity,” while following their hearts in friendship, instead of letting logistics get in the way.

Jeremy Cowart is an award winning photographer, artist and entrepreneur, having been named “Most Influential Photographer on the Internet” by Huffington Post, Forbes and Yahoo in 2014. Jeremy’s mission in life is to "explore the intersection of creativity and empathy." He has published four books and is a sought-after speaker, having presented at TEDx, the United Nations and creative conferences across the country.  He shares about an idea that was so big, he wasn’t sure he was supposed to pursue it, and then how, at every turn, the idea kept coming back to him; along with clear signs and the means to make it happen. If you’ve ever pivoted from what you thought you were called to in order to do something completely different, you’ll love hearing what Jeremy has to say about the “normality” of insecurity and doubt, and moving forward despite of it.  

This week’s conversation features Jessica chatting with her friend Rachel Hollis, the founder of Chic Media, whose most recent book, Girl Wash Your Face, has been a blockbuster best-seller. Rachel gives insight into what it takes to build a business, and the time she’s had to move, shift, and change to accomm odate new directions and initiattives. Rachel and Jessica share their perspectives on “going all in” even when there’s a chance you might fall on your face. They reiterate the value of having a key group of close friends/confidantes, the power of a supportive “tribe,” and the satisfaction of building community that lifts each other up during all of our wins and losses.

Jessica Kim started her first business in college, where she made baked goods in her dorm room. When a professor there told her she was “onto something,” Jessica hit the ground running. Having just one person believe in her was the spark she needed to turn this side venture into a full-fledged business. After growing “Jessica’s Wonders” into a major company that was distributed in nearly 500 stores, Jessica sold the company and kept forging her entrepreneurial path.  She shares how she went on to start two other successful businesses and shows how she was able to take a great idea and create businesses through various startup tactics. For anyone who is looking to turn their vision into a reality, she gives us five practical and accessible ways to raise money to finance your dream, and how the power of believing in yourself and aligning yourself with others who share your vision is key to a satisfying and successful business.

Mary Marantz is an author, a speaker and a top photographer. She and her husband were named one of the top 15 wedding photographers in the world, according to Profoto. They have also been featured in publications including Martha Stewart, Style Me Pretty, and more. Mary shares her story of grit and figuring out where she belonged. Growing up from humble means in a West Virginia coal mining country, she eventually ended up at Yale Law School. As she navigated this unknown terrain, walking alongside others who seemed sure of their paths toward law and education, Mary felt that she was made for something different. Despite offers right out of college for law jobs that paid 6 figures, Mary decided to “leap and believed the net would appear.” That leap eventually led to the highly successful photography business she and her husband run today. Mary’s conversation with Jessica about their respective “going scared” moments will challenge us all to question the stories we may tell ourselves that keep us from pursuing our dreams.