The Next Chapter with Charlie

Show Notes 

We all love the stories of gritty and tenacious people that go “from breadlines to headlines.” That is the story of our special guest today, Roger Smith.

From ages 15 to 35, in the world of work, Roger was a very high functioning drug addict. However, eventually he discovered that although “The Wolf of Wall Street” lifestyle was good for a while, it inevitably became unsustainable, and he found himself at rock bottom thinking about taking his life.

Today, Roger Smith has become for many of us that “light at the end of the tunnel.” There is hope for the lost, the self-destructive, the addict, and the homeless. Roger’s life demonstrates what a person can do with a vision, compiled productivity, and an unwavering commitment to caring about the people he works with and the ones that work for him.

As it turns out, Roger and I have many things in common and I can’t wait to chat for a while about how he went from Rock Bottom to Rock Star CEO.

With that, let’s bring Roger on the show.

LINKS

Check out Roger’s latest book The Most Unlikely Leader

For more with Charlie Hedges please visit www.thenextchapter.life

Show Notes 

INTERESTING NOTE:

Be sure to check out the very end of the show. Our editor left in the “after-show conversation” with Charlie, Hilary, and Producer Paul. I thought about removing it, but the very brief conversation is fun.

*****

In the 1990’s I wrote a book subtitled “Reinventing the Life You Want.” As it turns out the book might have been just a bit ahead of its time. It seems that people were not that interested in “reinventing themselves” when the book came out.

Well today is different. My special guest, Hilary DeCesare, has a new book titled “ReLaunch: Spark Your Heart to Ignite Your Life.” And Hilary’s ideas about how to ReLaunch Your Life are brilliant. She offers unique, and hugely effective, methods specifically crafted to ignite solutions for your success in today’s challenging environment.

After a decade of working at Oracle Corporation, Hilary DeCesare began consulting with C Suite executives on how to relaunch their life and business and relationships in order to better reach goals and align with future possibilities.

LINKS

Click here for more on Hilary DeCesare and Relaunch.

Click here to review Hilary’s book: ReLaunch: Spark Your Heart to Ignite Your Life.

Show Notes 

Do you know what makes doing this show so much fun for me? It’s all about satiating my unyielding curiosity. Today we are taking yet another walk through Charlie’s forest of never-ending curiosities. This time we chat with prolific author, Bruce McAllister who writes science fiction, fantasy, horror and thriller fiction, and even a bit of poetry.

As a military kid, Bruce lived in many places, where he learned to live the life of an “outsider.” McAllister writes, "The theme of the Outsider, the Other, the Alien in the larger sense, runs through almost all of my fiction. That came from being in a military family, from having a sense of being an outsider...

His bio on Amazon says that Bruce McAllister invites you into a universe where nothing is more important than what it means to be human. We will certainly explore what this means.

LINKS

Click here for more on Bruce McAllister

Check out Bruce’s latest book: Stealing God and Other Stories

Show Notes 

I have heard it said that the “road to success” can be a torturous journey. Truthfully, I have heard it said that the “road to success” can be a bloody path. I can identify with that. First of all, we must face all sorts of external roadblocks such as the demands of other people, saturated markets, finances, and dozens of other obstacles.

Today, however, we are not going to talk about external obstacles but, rather, internal obstacles—the ones we often feel almost helpless in managing. I’m thinking about the fear failure and the need to feel like you must somehow “measure up” to your own outrageous standards.

My guest is an expert on managing your mental toughness and coping with the fear of failure. Dr Haley Perlus is a highly sought-after performance coach for athletes AND for leaders in corporations. Her list of clients is quite impressive as you find on her website in the Show Notes section of this podcast.

This show is for everyone—no matter your role in life. Mental toughness in the midst of the fear of failure can be learned, and Dr Perlus will tell us how we might find ways to master it.

LINKS

Click here for more on Dr Hayley Perlus

Show Notes 

On our show today my special guest, Mark Holbrook, and I will discuss the issues around the recent (and troubling) decline in church attendance in the United States over the past 20 years. For instance, in the year 2000 70% of Americans claimed to attend some kind of church, and just 20 years later, in 2020, that number has dropped from 70% to 47%--a 23% decline in just 20 years! That is a very significant decrease.

Now… I have a few ideas on the subject, and I can’t wait to discuss them with Mark Holbrook, who is an enormously informed “lay scholar” of the biblical text and an elder at Grace Church of Orange CA.

I want to speak with Mark because he is an evangelical conservative with a deep love of people and an even deeper love of the work of God in the church.

So… what accounts for this decline in church attendance? Has the church failed its people? Has the very liberal American lifestyle played a role? Or does it have something to do with the influence of media and politics—neither of which is very “pro-church” today.

I think it is mostly likely the influence of all three in addition to many other factors that account for a withdrawal from “organized religion.” And there’s another topic for today: are people leaving God or organized religion?

LINKS

For more on Charlie go www.thenextchapter.life

Show Notes 

Our show today is about endings and beginnings AND the of the unspoken time in between the two. Life is one long journey of beginnings and endings. Projects, careers, marriages, and life itself all have an end.

Beginnings are typically both challenging and inspiring. My personality type is driven to begin new ventures, loves change, and new opportunities. But I must always keep in mind that with beginnings must also come endings. But, with an end is also a new beginning… even with death.

Unfortunately, we all too frequently harbor some kind of negative emotion around things coming to an end, especially an abrupt or unwanted end. However, that certainly doesn’t have to be the case.

T.S. Elliot writes in his poem East Coker from Four Quartets, “To make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.”

In this show I’d like to share a new insight that occurred to me more than one year ago. That insight has to do with the crucial time between ending one station in life and wisely proceeding to the next. It was from this experience that I learned the “value of the tomb,” the resting place between a figurative death and resurrection.

Today’s show will be just Producer Paul and me talking about, “Lessons from the Tomb.”

Important Links

For more on Charlie go to www.thenextchapter.life

For more on Wells of Life visit www.wellsoflife.org

Show Notes 

Typically, at this point in the introduction, it’s not uncommon for me to say how much I am looking forward to the show. And it is always the truth. However, today is different. I am really looking forward to this show Our guest speaks the same spiritual language that I do: one of meditation, silence, and deep contemplation on the verities of life. Only our guest speaks another dialect.

Nora D’Ecclesis is a Zen Buddhist master, with special expertise in practicing the annual tradition of Zen Rohatsu, which is the title of her most recent book. Her book, Zen Rohatsu serves as a backstory of “Why… we meditate, live mindfully and have a spiritual practice.”

At this point in the introduction, I would normally offer up an overview of Nora’s accomplishments. But as is typical with those in humble spiritual practices, Nora is quite private. It’s almost impossible to even find what we might consider a bio or resume. Nora lets her work speak for itself.

I can say this: For more than three decades Nora has been devoted to her spiritual practice as well as leading retreats, guiding individuals, and writing books. Nora has authored at least 14 books, at least 2 of which have been Amazon bestsellers, including the book we will discuss today, Zen Rohatsu.

IMPORTANT LINKS

Find out more about Nora D’Ecclesis at her website: https://noradecclesis.com

Please check out Nora’s latest book Zen Rohatsu.

Show Notes 

Have you ever thought about YOUR Brand? What it is that you want to be known for? Well, today we will find discover the value Personal Branding and how each of us can manage our brand, and our reputation.

Our guest today, Chellie Phillips, is a “personal branding” expert. She is a coach, corporate trainer, and motivational speaker as well as the author of two books, When in Doubt, Delete It and Get Noticed, Get Hired.

It seems to me that Chellie’s branding work is all about Getting Noticed and how you can direct that process.

That’s because Chellie is on a mission. Her goal is to help others tune in to what makes them great, package it properly, and use their existing skillset to find the path to their highest potential!

Helpful Links

Check out Chellie’s book: When In Doubt, Delete It

Find out more about Chellie Phillips on her website: www.chelliephillips.com

Show Notes 

Our very impressive guest today, Chris Westfall, is one of the most sought-after business coaches and keynote speakers in the world. He helped launch over five dozen businesses and has appeared on ABC NEWS, NBC TV and CNN.

Chris’s new book, Easier: 60 Ways to Make Your Work Life Work for You, isn’t about taking the easy way out of difficult circumstances. It’s about overcoming tunnel vision, seeing things in a new way, and showing up differently when challenges arise.

The book Easier is actually filled with difficulty, just like life is,” Westfall said in a recent interview. “in the midst of difficult circumstances, difficult relationships, misunderstandings, communication challenges … a new path emerges — a new possibility emerges.

And that is what we will chat with Chris about today in our show titled: Finding Meaning in Life’s Messes.

I am most interested in what Chris brings to the table regarding how we can better manage our lives.

With that, let’s bring on our guest…

For more…

Check out Chris Westfall’s latest book: Easier: 60 Ways to Make Your Work Life Work for You

Find out more about Chris Westfall at: www.westfallonline.com

Show Notes 

Today I’d like to talk about a major theme in my life with my friend, Terry Hershey.

In the early days of Covid, when masking was new and mandates were just beginning, it was Terry who told me, “Charles,” he said, “I’ve heard it said that… “Hell hath no fury like an inconvenienced American.””

Yikes. It is a hilarious comment because it is hilariously true! And it is all about our inability to be patient with people and with our lives.

So rather than explain it now, I’d like to get right into our conversation with Hershey. So, let’s do it…

Show Notes

Find out more about Terry and his blog Sabbath Moment at www.terryhershey.com