The Next Chapter with Charlie

 Show Notes 

NOTE: It is with a bit of hesitancy that I publish this show. I get scary vulnerable. Oh well. I like the result… so, here you go.

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I am what you might call an “ideological planner.” When I do personal annual planning, my purpose is about understanding and growing my inner life. I like to work more on who to be than what to do. That’s because what I do is dictated by my character and inner drivers.

Today I feel fortunate to have a guest who is an expert on planning the inner life. In fact, she has been my personal coach and continues to guide my thinking about life, the universe, and everything. Dena Crowder offers brilliant insights into who I am and who I am created to be.

On this show today, Dena will show me how to define my theme for 2022. And we will explain what that “annual theme” means in the show.

Dena is certainly one of my favorite people. Check out her mission:

Dena Crowder helps gifted leaders and creatives answer their Higher Calling and shift the status quo.  Over the years, she has helped thousands of people activate their inner power so that they can start or enhance existing businesses, align their personalities with their souls, and take their place in the spotlight.  Dena is on a mission to dethrone power based on fear and scarcity and to return Living Power to its rightful place in our world. 

You can contact Dena (and please do) at:

• Tedx "The Power Is You" https://youtu.be/TPOW1ZbGiSA
• Website http://DenaCrowder.com
• Dena on https://www.instagram.com/dena.crowder/

Show Notes 

Well, here we are. 2021 is done. And it was, shall we say, a challenging year. Today I have our dear friend Terry Hershey with me to discuss our end of year thoughts.

But you know what… I am choosing not to focus on the endless conversations and issues concerning covid and our tiring national crisis of divisiveness.

Today Terry and I plan to discuss 2021 through a much more personal lens—a lens focused on what have we each have learned and experienced this year.

Visit Terry at www.terryhershey.com .

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

Show Notes 

Today’s subject is not a light one. In fact, it may be one of the most troubling subjects I have discussed on the show after more than 130 episodes. Today is about very deep human pain and suffering, AND the potential learnings that can result, if one chooses to take that path.

Although we may love learning about life and our deepest inner selves… the path there is often most unpleasant.

David Whyte alludes to the power of suffering when he writes, “Suffering is as inescapable and inevitable as breathing…” If suffering is inescapable and inevitable, it might be asking us… to see suffering as our constant and instructive companion…” “Suffering asks us not to look for an alternative path, because there is no alternative path.”

Now… none of this eludes the pain and despair of suffering. It is not something to anticipate with glee. It sucks. Yet if suffering is inescapable, we are asked not only to expect it and learn from it, but also to actually embrace it as our unwanted “instructive companion.”

My very special guest today, Dr. John Bash, is most accustomed to suffering as well as the deep learning that comes from it. As a successful minister and church planter, In John’s resume I read… “John’s heart for leaders is a natural outgrowth of a life spent watching God turn pain and tragedy into comfort and healing.

Show Notes 

Well … here we are in the 2nd week of our Christmas/Advent series titled Has God Become Irrelevant? In just 20 years church attendance has declined by 23%, for 70% attendance in in the year 2000 down to 47% in 2020.

Although the are indeed many sociological and religious reasons for this decline, I believe that we have a grand misunderstanding of the nature of the divine Godhead. The all-too-common view of God is that of a judgmental punitive white male that will “get you” if you don’t toe the line.

As a result of my studies of the Bible and a plethora of theologians is quite different.

Last week we presented the idea that God is not an unattached stoic but instead demonstrates on multiple occasions the depth of his “feelings” like suffering and mourning and sadness, as well as exuberance and joy and satisfaction.

Today I am talking with one of our most popular guests, life coach Lindsay Davis, about of the nature our human connection with divinity based on what is called in the Bible, Image of God.

The theory is this: every single longing we have as human beings is either a direct or indirect reflection of how we are created.

With that statement, let’s bring on Lindsay Davis to discuss with me the nature of God’s love as it pertains to sin and desire and godliness.

You can contact Lindsay at [email protected]

Get Lindsay’s Path to Possibility Journal at http://thepathtopossibilityjournal.com/

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

Show Notes 

In his brilliant book on managing your innermost self, our guest today, Shasheen Shah, speaks of recurring emotional triggers, ones that have haunted some of us for decades. In dealing with his own emotional triggers Shasheen writes, “… I discovered that although I was forty, I was reacting as my ten-year-old self.”

And that is our critical topic for today: How to manage the needy and screaming inner child who can still impact even the most successful people. In the last couple of years, I have discovered that managing my innermost child is a most essential task.

This subject is the sweet spot of our special guest today. Shasheen Shah is Founder of Coherent Strategies. He works with high achieving leaders, CEOs, and maverick entrepreneurs. He is also author of the new and very important book, "The Kid and the King." Today will be special. I promise.

For more on Shasheen Shah go to www.shasheen.com

For Shasheen’s newest book visit The Kid and the King

Show Notes 

Church attendance has declined by 23% since 2000. In 2000 around 70% of Americans claimed to attend some kind of “house of worship.” In 2020 that number has declined to 47%

Why?

THIS Show is all about the “personness” of God, that God does have the same feelings as we. Suffering, mourning, joy, and exuberance—all are attributes of God… just rarely discussed

Most people, Christians even, have been raised on perceptions of God that, although perhaps mostly true, are radically incomplete. In the USA, when most people think of God they imagine a punitive and angry old, white male. While the real image of a poor and humble Jesus, dedicated to serving the poor and disenfranchised comes not to mind; nor does the OT God who suffers.

That is our subject today in the chat with Charlie and Producer Paul.

Show Notes 

Our guest today, Cara Raffele, comes to us with vastly diverse experience as a change agent and growth driver. Cara is sought after as a trusted adviser to CEOs, investors, and boards of directors. She has earned this authority and influence through the successful launch of more than 30 companies. Yes. 32 companies.

Cara began her career at the Orange County Register as a staff writer before diving into branding and communications for highly successful companies, including Ingram Micro, Toshiba America Information Systems, and City of Anaheim Public Utilities. Currently, Cara is the founder of a fascinating inventive business named Altalunas, which is a management consulting and brand storytelling firm uniquely positioned to accelerate the growth of female-founded and women-focused wellness. Today Cara and I will explore Women’s Equality and Wellness… and believe me, in this show Cara will introduce new frontiers for your Next Chapter.

For more on Cara Raffele go to https://www.linkedin.com/in/cararaffele/

Or https://www.instagram.com/cararaffele/?hl=en 

You can email her at [email protected]

Podcast Opening 

 We live in an unprecedented time of total disclosure of the personal lives of our politicians—male and female. But today we will discuss with Anne Michaud the stories of the wives of famous political men involved in serial sex scandals and deeply held personal agendas.

The question frequently asked about these women Is “Why do they stay with such philanderers?” Common responses range from weakness to a misguided drive for some sort of personal advantage.

Anne Michaud very aptly clarifies the motivations, strategies, and tactics of these women in her truly enormously insightful book Why They Stay: Sex Scandals, Deals, and Hidden Agendas.

In today’s thought-provoking and marvelously insightful chat Anne offers surprising conclusions on how certain women have dealt with the most difficult of husbands.

Anne is a renowned and highly credentialed journalist.

A veteran political journalist, Anne Michaud is an editor for Crain's New York. She previously reported for the Wall Street Journal and wrote a nationally syndicated op-ed column for Newsday. Anne has won more than 25 writing and reporting awards and was twice named “Columnist of the Year” by statewide New York journalism associations.

Anne covered Bill Clinton’s 1996 re-election campaign, Anthony Weiner’s 2005 mayoral bid and Eliot Spitzer’s rise and fall as New York’s governor from 2006 to 2008. Her work has appeared in Ms., the Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, Newsweek, BusinessWeek.com, Crain's NY Business, Cincinnati Magazine and more.

With that let’s bring on Anne Michaud:

• with Charlie. Until next, this is Charlie Hedges signing off. Bye for now.

For more information on Anne Michaud please visit www.annemichaud.com

Please go to Why They Stay to review Anne’s book.

Show Notes 

As you already know, I absolutely love contrarian thinking. Anyone who challenges the so-called “norm” will almost automatically get my attention. And that is precisely what our show is all about today.

Elizabeth (or Ellie) Gould makes a most compelling argument for the use of “feeling” our way into success in life. In our left-brained “thinking-oriented” world, our feelings are often regarded as an enemy or roadblock to success. Instead, Ellie advocates the Power of Your Emotions in her successful book, Feeling Forwards with the notable subtitle: how to become the person who has the life YOU want.

Ellie is a best-selling author, entrepreneur & personal reinvention coach who has worked with Tony Robbins and Randi Zuckerberg.

Please enjoy my enlightening conversation with Ellie Gould as we discover how to Harness the Power of Your Emotions.

For more information on Ellie Gould please visit www.elizabethgould.com

Get Ellie’s inspiring book at Feeling Forwards

Show Notes 

 Throughout my life I have learned that often, before I can learn something new, I have to first Unlearn something else, something that gets in the way of my personal development. And that can mean letting go of deeply held beliefs.

Unfortunately, many people have a difficult time letting go of old beliefs because it is too risky. This is not the case with Adam Hall, today’s guest on The Next Chapter with Charlie.

Adam’s new book, Divine Genius: The Unlearning Curve, takes us deep into the land of unlearning as a means to embrace different and even more helpful truths.

Adam has a fascinating personal story of seeking deep life changes necessary for living the most fulfilled life—a story which calls for a nourishing and Adventurist journey to the ancient regions of South America… a land of great mystery and learning.

Check out Adam Hall’s Book Divine Genius: The Unlearning Curve

For more information on Adam go to www.adamhall.solutions