I recently just got back from a trip where I met two gentlemen in Tonga. They actually were there for on assignment for work and I was intrigued to learn more. They were hosting an expedition to a group of people to teach primitive survival skills and how to live on a deserted island on their own. Interestingly, both of the men are named Tom and each has their own unique story of overcoming adversity.  This week, we're starting off with Tom Williams, who actually did his interview the last day he was on the island.  Originally from England, Tom founded Desert Island Survival.  In this interview, he explains initially what he does for a living, and then he gets into his story of when he was a shy, insecure, overweight kid with dyslexia, getting poor grades, and even had a teacher pretty much say Tom wouldn't amount to anything. Fast forward to his adult life where he had a career he hated so much that he fantasized about getting in a car accident just so he could be injured enough to be hospitalized and avoid going to work.  But then a friend invited him to undertake what amounted to a month-long race at the North Pole and then everything changed.

Next week, we'll talk to the other Tom, Tom McElroy, to hear his story.

Mentioned in this episode:

• DesertIslandSurvival.com

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On August 28, 2016, Valerie Silveira had a parent’s worst nightmare come true—a knock on the door with the news that her 30-year-old daughter, Jamie, was murdered. She evidently was shot multiple times in the chest at close range. And to this day, the case is still unsolved. Valerie tells the story of how years earlier her intelligent, happy and outgoing teenaged daughter with a promising future suddenly changed when she started hanging around with “the guy.” She said Jamie’s life had spun out of control and led to a life that included dropping out of school, surviving a gunshot wound, and drug addiction. Valerie said she had feared for Jamie’s life, watching her self-destruct despite trying everything to save her daughter from herself, but to no avail.  Depressed, heartbroken and feeling hopeless, Valerie eventually learned she had no control over her daughter’s spiraling life—no matter how much she loved her.  But even while Jamie was still alive, something changed in Valerie. She stopped asking Why Me? and started asking herself, Why Not Me? She then wrote her first book, Still Standing After All the Tears: Putting Back the Pieces After All Hell Breaks Loose, and began helping others manage and cope with being a parent or loved one of an addict, teaching lessons that helped her.  Then in 2016 she got the knock on the door and her hope and prayers for a miracle for Jamie were shattered. But, incredibly, Valerie has learned the power of forgiveness—even to her daughter’s murderer—and now helps guide people out of darkness and fear to live a life of courage and happiness again. 

Mentioned in this episode:

• ValerieSilveira.com
• Still Standing After All the Tears: Putting Back the Pieces After All Hell Breaks Loose 
• Misery, You Don't Get My Company: Finding the Courage to Be Happy Again

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In June 2017, at the age of 46, Bill Monroe suffered a stroke and lost the use of the limbs on his left side. He talks about what was going through his mind when he got his diagnosis, and how he managed to begin his recovery. He says there are a lot of outdated beliefs and misinformation about strokes, one of which is that it’s impossible to recover at all from them.  But since he had his, Bill has regained his speech and learned how to walk again. In fact, he’s so optimistic about his continuing recovery that he’s set a goal to run 100 meters within 30 seconds by the end of the year. And he says that because there’s a lack of information to support stroke survivors and their caregivers, Bill decided to get involved and spread awareness. He now runs the largest stroke support group in the Seattle area and also started a podcast, where other survivors and medical professionals can share their stories, learn from each other, and know they they not alone.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Strokecast.com
• Currentlyspeaking.com
• 2minutetalktips.com
• Young Adult Stroke Survivors’ Facebook Group

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Phillip Andrew is an Emmy-nominated TV Producer, Writer, Media and Life Coach.  He’s also a Speaker, who talks at rehabs, jails, colleges and high schools. In this interview, Phillip shares his story of how he began abusing alcohol at an early age. Actually, he started drinking when he was 11. Things got worse when his mother died just before he turned 16. Although he was really great at keeping up appearances, he felt broken inside. It wasn’t until he got arrested for a DUI that he had an epiphany and began to see his true self.  He’s now on a mission to be of service and help others. By sharing his story of overcoming addiction and the power of being vulnerable and authentic, he hopes it will help encourage and empower others to know they are not alone and that they, too, can use hardships as a catalyst for positive change.

Mentioned in this episode:

• PhillipAndrew.co

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Today’s guest is Lee Rowley—entrepreneur, Copybrander, coach, author, mentor and now co-host of the podcast, Copy That Speaks.  Lee is a highly sought-after copybrander. He describes what he does as helping brandpreneurs craft authentic, connection-focused marketing copy to attract their best clients. Here, he shares his personal story of how six years ago he and his wife lost their only child, 10-year-old Aria, to a rare genetic disorder. He talks about how his daughter’s death shattered his life and the self-destructive path he lived afterward. But then he had an epiphany. He’s now on a mission to keep Aria’s legacy alive of Just Being authentic, and began to apply this motto to his business. Since then, he’s dumped the typical, template-based copy and now teaches others how to use his Avatar Immersion Method to create authentic and meaningful copy so that entrepreneurs can connect with their customers in a genuine way.  If you listen until the end of the interview, Lee shares how you can get a free copy of his upcoming book, The Avatar Immersion Method, where he teaches how you can do this yourself.  So be sure to check that out!

Mentioned in this episode:

• LeeRowley.com

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Yazmin Salazar has Congenital Anosmia. That is, she’s missing one of the basic human senses. She was born with the inability to smell.  She says when she initially tells people of her condition, they tend to either discount her or dismiss her.  But, living with the inability to smell comes with daily stresses, anxieties and even dangers. She talks about how she used to keep it secret, but now she’s on a mission to use a little humor to spread awareness about this invisible disability and create a space for others like her to find support. Yazmin has created a blog and podcast and is also now working on a children’s book about the condition.

Mentioned in this episode:

• GirlWhoCan'tSmell.com

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Today we’re talking with Donnie Boivin. Donnie’s an entrepreneur, podcaster, author and a veteran. He served as a Marine, and he talks about how bootcamp normally took 13 weeks, but for him, it took six months. He explains why and how that experience has helped shape the rest of his life. He also explains how at 40 he decided he had enough working for someone else’s dream and ventured out to start his own business. But that wasn’t what he expected, business was failing, and he got to the point where he thought he might lose his home. But something changed, which turned it all around, including him authoring his first book. Today he helps others improve their mindset, businesses, and is continually exploring, looking for new ideas to inspire and help others.

Mentioned in this episode:

• DonnieBoivin.com
• Donnie's Success Champions Podcast
• SuccessChamps.us

If you prefer to read, go to TheInspireCafe.com to see a transcript of the interview!

And if you'd like to hear more inspirational stories, feel share with your friends and subscribe wherever you find your podcasts.  We appreciate your support!

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Today’s guest is Contessa Louise Cooper, author of Mad At The World: How To Move On And Find Peace When You're A Special Needs Parent. She talks about how at 16 she got pregnant. A few years later, doctors told her that her son was mentally retarded and suggested he be institutionalized. It wasn’t until years later that her son was diagnosed as autistic. She talks about how challenging it was not only getting day care and keeping her son in school, but also she couldn’t keep a day job because she constantly needed to attend to her son. That’s when she resorted to becoming an exotic dancer to make ends meet, but it didn’t last forever. Fortunately, she got help from friends and family. Today, Contessa’s passion is to pay it forward by helping others, particularly others with special needs like autism or supporting their parents and caregivers.

Mentioned in this episode:

• ContessaLouise.com

If you prefer to read a transcript of this interview, go to  TheInspireCafe.com

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Today our guest is Dr. Cathleen Gerenger. Cathleen came from a family of 13 children, all of who risked their lives to travel for weeks on a dangerously overcrowded boat. They were fleeing their home in Vietnam from the aftermath of the war and her parents decided to split up the children in small groups to travel just in case the worst would happen—otherwise a sinking boat could lose the whole family at once. So Cathleen, her 19-year-old sister and 14-year-old brother were in the first group to leave. Cathleen was just four years old. They all survived the dangerous journey, made it to a refugee camp in Malaysia, and ultimately to their final destination in New York City. Their family’s story was chronicled in a book called, Weeping Under This Same Moon. Cathleen describes that journey and how it’s affected her family. She also talks about how much later a car accident indirectly caused a turn in her career choice and she became a chiropractor and holistic health practitioner. She’s now on a mission to change the healthcare of America by teaching how to be proactive instead of reactive about our medical care and to allow the body to heal itself from the inside out.

Mentioned in this episode:

• RaJeunir Medical Center
• Facebook Page:  @RajeunirMedicalCenter
• Instagram: @rmcwellness
• Weeping Under This Same Moon

If you prefer to read a transcript of the interview, go to TheInspireCafe.com

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It’s the beginning of the year and the season for New Year’s resolutions. According to several online sources, losing weight ranks within the top 2 of New Year’s resolutions. But statistics also say that 80% of New Year’s resolutions only last until February. Well, although he never personally guaranteed that his approach to Never Bingeing Again would last longer than 4 weeks, hopefully this episode will help all those who have made weight loss to your list of resolutions for this year. 

Psychologist Dr. Glenn Livingston was a long time CEO of a multi-million dollar consulting firm which serviced several Fortune 500 clients in the food industry.  He spent years researching the nature of bingeing and overeating, including a self-funded research program that involved over 40,000 participants.  In this interview, he talks about his own personal weight loss journey, what he discovered in his research and he learned about himself.  He offers several highlights from his book, Never Binge Again: Stop Overeating and Binge Eating and Reprogram Yourself to Think Like a Permanently Thin Person...on the Food Plan of Your Choice!

Mentioned in this Episode:

NeverBingeAgain.com

To read a transcript of this interview go to TheInspireCafe.com.

And if you like this episode and the format of this show, please share, rate, review and subscribe. Doing so will help others discover this podcast easier. 

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