The Next Chapter

Shattering stereotypes: A startup magazine founded by three Arizona women is gaining a huge audience with its message. Luca Magazine wants you to know it's okay not to be perfect.

In this episode of Carey Pena Reports, the founders of Luca talk about their own personal battles against racism, eating disorders and how they are now determined to empower others to make positive change.

This month's cover model, Sadie Robertson of Duck Dynasty fame is helping to spread the positive message.

If you know someone who needs to be inspired or lifted up, share this show. It's all about living ORIGINAL.

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From Cheesecake to Diamonds. How Scott Berger went from baking cheesecakes to making custom jewelry, building a hugely successful fine jewelry company alongside his wife, Marla. Without ever advertising, the two built a big business and then had a life-changing thought about how together they can change the world. In this episode, the Bergers talk about how following their hearts, have led them to the Pope and the Queen of England, helping thousands of people along the way. They are creating a more beautiful world.

The post The Building Of A Brand: How A Cheesecake Chef Made It Big In The Jewelry Business. And Now He and His Wife Are Changing The World. appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.

From Cheesecake to Diamonds. How Scott Berger went from baking cheesecakes to making custom jewelry, building a hugely successful fine jewelry company alongside his wife, Marla. Without ever advertising, the two built a big business and then had a life-changing thought about how together they can change the world. In this episode, the Bergers talk…

Letitia Frye's journey has taken her from being a world-class auctioneer to almost losing it all when a series of personal tragedies could have set her back forever.

In this episode, I talk with Letitia about how she overcame a major brain injury, the loss of her husband and how she faced each fear placed in front of her.

If you know of someone who needs a bit of inspiration, share this video to let them know to never give up.

The post Walking In Her Shoes: How Letitia Frye Got Over Her Fear Of Failure After Tragedy appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.

Letitia Frye’s journey has taken her from being a world-class auctioneer to almost losing it all when a series of personal tragedies could have set her back forever. In this episode, I talk with Letitia about how she overcame a major brain injury, the loss of her husband and how she faced each fear placed…

"She would walk in the lunchroom and the girls would say 'oh we have to cover our eyes, you are so ugly and disgusting we can't look at you.'"

Renee Scherzer's daughter, a star student athlete, was in fourth grade when she became a victim of girls who were aggressive and relentless bullies. It was so bad, Scherzer says, she and her daughter would drive to school each day "praying that the girls would be nice." Finally, Scherzer had enough. After appealing to teachers, administrators, and the parents of the bullies, to no avail, she decided to pull her daughter out of the affluent Scottsdale school (a school they had moved to be close to) and enroll her somewhere else.

"This is really a school safety issue; bullying is a school safety issue. If a child doesn't feel safe, they aren't going to learn. And so we need to make sure that we create a safe learning environment for kids," says Nicole Stanton, the First Lady of Phoenix.

Wife of Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, she has long been an anti-bullying advocate. Stanton's brother, Dion, was the victim of vicious bullying at a young age, due to the fact that he exhibited qualities deemed more feminine than the other boys.

Stanton's brother, who died of HIV at the age of 28, is the inspiration behind her foundation, The Dion Initiative, which focuses on child safety and anti-bullying.

"I started working on anti-bullying because I wanted to honor his memory and the anti-bullying was something I knew I could make an impact on," Stanton says.

The Dion Initiative aims to have a lasting impact by closely studying what is working — and what isn't working — in schools today, and spearheading programs that will make a difference.

Anti-violence, anti-bullying programs, says Stanton, need to be embedded in the schools, into each class and with each teacher, to create an environment where bullying is not tolerated — something the kids wouldn't even consider.

Stanton has teamed up with Phoenix Children's Hospital which, two years ago collected for the first time the number of ACES (adverse childhood experiences) that children in Arizona experience. Arizona, she says, ranks among the worst of all states.

ACES can be brought about by a myriad of things including bullying, violence in the home, or a death in the family.

"They have long term health consequences," Stanton says, causing "toxic stress in a child's life." She points to research that shows unless these ACES are mitigated, kids experience "more cancer down the road, more diabetes, more drug and alcohol issues," among the long list of physcial and mental health issues, which also includes a higher rate of suicide, according to Stanton.

"They need adults that tell them everything is going to be okay and watch over them to make sure they get the help they need," Stanton says.

Renee Scherzer's daughter did get the help she needed But, Scherzer says, they were forced to stand alone. The family says the school let their daughter down by allowing bullying, hazing, even some violent behavior to go on for months — practically out in the open.

Scherzer's daughter is now healthy and thriving in a new school. She has even engaged in anti-bullying efforts to support other students on her new campus, which has a zero tolerance policy. It was a painful road to get here, but because the family advocated for their daughter, they were able to walk through this together and stronger.

The post Teased Over Her Arm Hair, Called Disgusting and Ugly. How A Fourth Grader Survived Her Bullies. appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.

“She would walk in the lunchroom and the girls would say ‘oh we have to cover our eyes, you are so ugly and disgusting we can’t look at you.’”   Renee Scherzer’s daughter, a star student athlete, was in fourth grade when she became a victim of girls who were aggressive and relentless bullies.  It…

"We are a country built of entrepreneurs. All of the biggest problems in the world are solved by entrepreneurs."

Kevin J. Berk hopes he has the solution to a problem that many businesses face: How to improve customer service.

Citing a recent study, Berk says, "80% of businesses believe they are delivering great customer service, but only 8% actually are. You don't have to do a whole lot. Just respond to people if you can."

Berk, a serial entrepreneur who says he's always had a deep passion for customer service, recently launched "Service Guru", a web interface that allows customers to hold service professionals accountable.

As owner of AZ On The Rocks, a climbing and yoga facility located in Scottsdale, Arizona, Berk knows what it's like to run a business. He also runs social media for several popular establishments, like Pita Jungle, considered one of the best at paying attention to customers.

"For every one person that complains, 26 people go quietly into the night and never come back," Berk remarks.

One of his mentors is Jay Baer, author of "Hug Your Haters". He cites Baer's advice, "Respond to everyone, everywhere, every time. The number one thing in responding to a guest is speed. Speed saves relationships."

Service Guru recently launched in Arizona. Early adopters include Pita Jungle, Alto Ristarante e Bar at the Hyatt Gainey Ranch, and a new, highly anticipated restaurant at the trendy Scottsdale Quarter called Breakfast Kitchen Bar. Berk says the owners are building it "with Service Guru in their DNA."

"They get how important customer service is," he adds.

It costs a fee for businesses to opt in, but Service Guru is free for employees and customers. Employees aggregate their reviews into their Service Resume, which stays with them throughout their service career. For employers, the advantage, according to Berk, is getting real-time insight as to how their employees are doing from the only people who matter, their customers.

Service professionals are rated on four categories: Appearance, knowledge, responsiveness and personality. All of the comments are public.

And while some businesses have been quick to sign on and show the world how well (hopefully) their employees are doing, others, he says, are hesitant.

"We've talked to a lot of businesses who have said no to Service Guru because they don't want to know. They are in denial."

Berk maintains accountability is what makes a business better.

Berk and his team are running a contest to put their money where their mouth is. They will award the highest rated employees from participating establishments one thousand dollars each. Two stand out customer service professionals will be selected every month leading up to a bigger prize that Service Guru plans to reveal down the road. Winners will be selected by a panel of judges.

All of this, Berk hopes, will empower customer service professionals and businesses to see how they are really doing — and improve where it is necessary.

He says you don't ever want a customer to leave your establishment and when asked about the service use a four letter word: FINE!

Fine is not good enough for entrepreneurs like Kevin Berk. He started this venture with big things in mind. Service Guru launched in Arizona but Berk and his partners hope to take it worldwide. When asked if he was worried about taking on this — or any other — new challenge, Berk says, "Fear is the big limiter in everybody's life. I think you just have to go for it."

For more on service guru and the contest that is live now, visit serviceguru.com

The post Service Guru: How This Entrepreneur Hopes To Revolutionize Customer Service appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.

“We are a country built of entrepreneurs.  All of the biggest problems in the world are solved by entrepreneurs.” Kevin J. Berk hopes he has the solution to a problem that many businesses face: How to improve customer service. Citing a recent study, Berk says, “80% of businesses believe they are delivering great customer service,…

When tragedies happen, we have to make a choice. We can crumble. Or we can persevere. Bobbi Sudberry decided to persevere.

It wasn't easy. She suffered one of the worst tragedies imaginable.

In 2008, Sudberry's 17 year old daughter, Kaity, was murdered by an out of control ex-boyfriend.

At first, the Sudberrys thought Kaity's new boyfriend, someone she knew from high school, seemed very nice. But things quickly escalated as he became angry and jealous. Her family urged Kaity to break up with him and, finally, she did.

But things escalated from there into an act of violence the family could never have imagined.

Katie's ex-boyfriend wasn't willing to let her go. He waited outside the family's home with a shotgun in his duffle bag and, as Kaity walked home from school, he confronted her. She tried to escape, running down the street to a neighbor's house, but he pulled her down off their fence, shot and killed her and then turned the gun on himself. It was 12:30 in the afternoon.

Bobby Sudberry got the call at work that there was a police situation on her street. Unable to reach her daughter, she rushed home. A short time later, detectives came knocking at the door. They were trying identify the victims.

"That's when my world started crumbling and I knew things weren't right at that point, so I gave the detective a picture. We didn't know what the circumstances were. About an hour later they told us."

Kaity is described by her family as a compassionate young woman with a loving heart. She was a high school senior just about to begin her next chapter in life at NAU — where she was planning to study wildlife sciences.

"Our lives literally shattered at that moment," Sudberry says.

Determined to keep Kaity's memory alive, and to help create awareness about teen dating violence, the Sudberry's created Kaity's Way, a non-profit that works to educate the community and students about what verbal, psychological and physical abuse looks like and how to protect yourself before it is too late. They also teach teenagers the importance of healthy relationships.

Bobbi Sudbury was shocked to learn that 81% of parents had no idea teen dating violence was even an issue.

Kaity Sudberry tried to escape the abusive relationship, but was not able to get away. Even though they tried to help, there is regret and sadness that her family will have to live with for the rest of their days. But they work to honor Kaity by spreading her compassion and love to the world.

For more on Kaity's Way visit www.kaitysway.org

The post How Teen Dating Violence Changed This Family's Life Forever appeared first on Inspired Media 360 TV - Inform | Inspire | Engage.