The Next Chapter with Charlie

Today my guest is an old friend, Steve Hreha. We’ve known each other for nearly 40 years? Man that’s a long time. I think I was 30 when we met and I’m 68 now… so do the math. 

Steve is the founder and president of Steve Hreha Plastering, Inc. Steve and I talk about how he began his business and what is going to happen when he decides to shut it down.

We talk about Steve’s wisdom regarding starting a new company and options for baby boomers looking to retire. This show is a great discussion with “the guy next door.” It’s totally practical and full of challenging questions. Enjoy!

Check out Charlie’s website at thenextchapter.life for blogs and all podcasts. Subscribe and get these directly every week!

My guest today is Lisa Komisza, fitness expert extraordinaire who describes herself as a peak performance personal fitness trainer, Corrective Exercise Specialist, and Fitness Nutrition Specialist, certified by the National Association of Sports Medicine. 

Lisa and I talk a lot about how to stay fit when you hate gyms! You’ll still need to exercise and watch your diet, but Lisa gives excellent feedback on staying fit without trying to be a body-builder.

As an advanced trainer working with clients of all ages and athletic ability, Lisa was recognized company-wide as “Trainer of the Year” for all The Sports Club LA locations nationally for Four consecutive years. She is consistently the top ranked trainer at a highly exclusive club in Orange County and received the “Lifetime Achievement” award for ten plus years of excellence.  

Lisa’s areas of expertise include bodybuilding, body sculpting, eating disorders, weight loss, peak athletic performance, endurance, corrective exercise, increased energy and overall wellness. And I might add unofficial psychologist—which we will talk about later.

She creates a personalized training program that allows her clients to reach their fitness goals in the shortest period of time, while creating healthy habits that will last a lifetime. 

Finally, Lisa has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, and is passionate about guiding her clients through a holistic approach to health and wellness with an emphasis on the integration of both physical and mental fitness.   

You can learn more from Lisa at www.Executivefitnesspros.com

Check out Charlie’s website at thenextchapter.life for blogs and all podcasts. Subscribe and get these directly every week!

It’s good to be back from a fabulous trip to Peru where we visited Machu Picchu and other Inca Ruins. We then spent 8 days in Buenos Aires, including a 2-day side trip to incomparable Igauzu Falls.

But, more on that later.

After this trip I thought I’d like to review a few traveling tips for those considering foreign travel. So today will be a “solo-sode” we me sharing from my multiple travel experiences and then more particularly on my recent trip to South America.

After all, the Next Chapter with Charlie is the place to discover how you might more knowledgeably move on to your next chapter—even it if it’s a little1-3 week holiday.

Before You Leave

Preparation

1. Highly planned
2. Loosely planned
3. Accommodations: Hotel, apartment or Airbnb

Packing: You are allowed 50 lbs check-in

1. International flights allow you one check-in bag that cannot exceed 50 lbs. That is heavy!
2. So, Pack as light as you can
3. Know this: You will always pack too much shit! In this last trip the weather forecasts predicted cold in Peru and warm in Argentina, seemingly requiring two different types of clothing.
4. 3 pants max; 1 jacket; 1, 2 sweaters max, t-shirts, 2 nicer shirts, 7 underwear and socks. All different colors. That way you still have cool outfits. I’m into clothes.
5. Let’s talk about Electronics: adapters vs. converters AND a an international power strip that allows three plugs and a USB port
6. Computers: notebook vs. iPad or I take both, iPad is easier to vary around town for me to write.
7. Backpacks??? I’m not into them. They make you look like a tourist; unless it’s a very small backpack
8. Be sure that your wallet, fanny pack or passport holder that hangs around your neck is RFID. [EXPLAIN]
9. Protect your passports: store in a safe if you can: a few countries require that you carry you past passport although in the last four years I have visited 20-30 countries and never needed to carry one
10. Carry wallet and phone in your front pockets to avoid pickpockets
11. Make copies of all documents and cards: Passport, driver’s license and credit cards. Copy front and back
12. Books: electronic is the best or small light books
13. Emergency bag if luggage is lost: CRITICAL 

After You Arrive

Get your Bearings

1. Understand where you are and the distance to places you may want to see. I’m not a car guy so I use taxi’s, ubers or mass transit when I can figure it out. Mostly I walk: 4-7 miles per day.
2. Make out a brief itinerary for your stay. I can be as simple as the places you want to visit each day.
3. I like to find a local café to hang out. I try to make a friend at a local café shop. I work it so I get the same server every time.
4. For the best trip be prepared to walk about 5 miles each day 

Adapt, Adapt, Adapt

1. Don’t get pissed when they rake forever to give a check at a restaurant—YOU HAVE TO ASK FOR IT. Meals are to be savored, not devoured, esp with good company. In the US we seem to be hard-wired to do everything in a hurry. Especially eating. We often don’t even sit to eat or we eat on the job.
2. Tipping is different in every country—from nothing to about 10%
3. Ask a local what is expected
4. Try to act like a local. Dinner is often very latte in Latin countries. Restaurants generally don’t even open until 6 or 7. 10-11 is the busy time. So if you make a 7 o’clock reservation you will be either alone or in a very parse crowd. Depends on how you feel about night life.

Make “Nothing You Have to Do Days”

1. Plan days with no agenda. Sleep late. And just walk around your neighborhood. Or, go out alone without your traveling companion for a different experience. My wife goes shopping and I go to coffee bar to write or read or chat with the staff. It keeps us from killing each other.
2. Be led by your gut 

My Trip

Peru

1. The food
2. Cusco
3. Machu Picchu
   1. Structures: stone temples with no mortar
   2. Pachmama
   3. The tragedy of the Spanish Inquest
4. Sacred Valley and Maras and the salt mines

Argentina

1. There are two districts that are recommended by the travel guides: Palermo and Riletto. We stayed in Palermo but... So I would suggest you stay in the district called Centro: it’s the city center. Otherwise you taxi for 10-20 minutes to get to city center, so why not just stay there?
2. Unless you have special plans I think 3 nights and 4 days would be plenty in Buenos Aires. It’s a big city of 13 million people
3. Plan one night and 2 days to go to Igauzu Falls. It was the highlight of our trip: 1.7 miles of falls that drop 2-300 feet and you can get about 100 feet away from the crashing of one of the falls.

Final Thoughts

1. Journal daily
2. Sometimes a sleeping pill can help you get acclimated to the new time zone 

You can get more information and regular updates from Charlie at thenextchapter.life

My guest today is Fr Robert Edwards who is the Reverend Canon of St Margaret’s Church in in San Juan Capistrano, CA—my home church. Robert, I have a question: You are the Reverend. Is there such a thing as a irreverent priest? Sorry, my cynicism emerges on radio.

Robert Edwards is one of the most creative theologians I know. While still maintaining the true and simple fundamental orthodoxy of Christianity, Robert still thinks way out of the traditional Christian box offering ideas for connection with God and the universe and any kind of spirituality that invades the heart of the seeker of truth and wisdom in life. 

Let’s see what he has to say.

You can reach Nick Jordan at [email protected]

You can get more information and regular updates from Charlie at thenextchapter.life

My guest today is our good friend, Terry Hershey. If you’re a frequent listener of show then you’re familiar with Terry Hershey, who is a regular guest on the show. Terry is a prolific writer, conference keynote speaker, renowned landscape architect, and spiritual advisor.

Today, I want to chat with Terry about a quote I read from Epicurus: “The fool, with all his other faults, has this also, he is always getting ready to live.”

Instead of a long explanation of our subject I want to jump right into it.

You can reach Terry at www.terryhershey.com

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

About 3 weeks ago I returned from a trip to Uganda with a group of supporters of Wells of Life, a non-profit bringing clean drinking water to nearly 300,000 people in in the Central African country. I left the trip a changed man. “Giving” has always played a big role in my life but nothing like what I felt after this trip.

After spending 10 days in the rural 3rd world I am a changed man. I’ve become a trustee with Wells of Life in Uganda, and currently I’m discussing an opportunity to become a Board Member. Wells of Life builds wells that deliver clean water. To date we have nearly 300 wells providing clean water to more than 300,000 people.

Today I’m doing my second interview with Nick Jordan, Founder, Wells of Life, Inc. to discuss how charity and giving will “change your life.” Nick Jordan is a perfect example. He was uber successful in commercial real estate when a combination of life changes, the 2008 recession, and a trip to Uganda changed his life in what we called on our first podcast as his move “From Success to Significance.”

Born, raised and educated in Ireland, Nick holds a bachelor’s degree from University College, Dublin.  After fundraising for schools in Uganda in 2008 Nick witnessed overwhelming poverty and lack of clean water. In 2009, he founded Wells of Life to begin bringing clean water, beginning with work in Uganda. 

You can reach Nick Jordan at http://www.wellsoflife.org/

You can get more information and regular updates for Charlie at thenextchapter.life

Hi Paul, it's nice to be here with you and I'd like to welcome all our listeners to The Next Chapter with Charlie. I'm Charlie Hedges and this is the show where we deconstruct ideas and tactics you might use to move on your Next Chapter in Life—large or small.

My guest today is TV personality Michelle Margaux who is a member of the FOX Sports San Diego (FSSD) team where she primarily covers the San Diego Padres. She hosts of the network’s weekly TV show, Padres POV or Pont of View. Additionally, she serves as fill-in Sideline Reporter for FOX Sports San Diego’s Padres telecasts in which she interviews players and anyone else that might be of interest to Padre fans. In fact, I was honored to do a couple of 30 sec to 1-minute interviews with Michelle. (I guess one minute of me is all they felt they could handle. I don’t blame them.)

Michelle, a California native and graduate of the University of San Diego, most recently worked as a Sports Anchor/Reporter at KRIS, an NBC affiliate in Corpus Christi, Texas. During her time there, she served as a Multimedia Journalist and co-host of the "Friday Night Fever" football show, as well as covered the Corpus Christi Hooks, the Houston Astros’ Double-A affiliate.

I’m not sure if today’s interview with Michelle Margaux is about her next chapter or her first chapter, because she graduated USD and soon found herself in Corpus Christi, TX to broadcasting with an affiliate of NBC. A pretty cool first job.

For more with Charlie Hedges please visit www.thenextchapter.life and subscribe to receive weekly an inspirational blog and podcast.

My special guest today is professional golfer Ray Carrasco. In High School Ray was touted as one of those “can’t miss kids” to play golf professionally and that is just what he did.

Ray has played two US Opens and one British Open in the PGA and then as a senior he played in 10 British Opens in addition to several other tournaments. On the Senior tour he won the 2002 Senior Masters at Wentworth, the 2003 Jamaica Senior Classic and the 2004 Ryder Cup Wales Seniors Open. 

Ray is currently been the ambassador tour player and instructor at the Shady Canyon Golf Club in Irvine, CA. He feels that as a persevering player he has been able to inspire and enliven golfers to try to bring their game to the next level.

In this interview we talk about golf and overcoming major setbacks. 

For lessons you can reach Ray at:

[email protected] 

For more with Charlie Hedges please visit www.thenextchapter.life and subscribe to receive weekly an inspirational blog and podcast.

Two days ago I returned from a charity trip to Uganda where we drill water wells. 1 in 5 children die from drinking contaminated water. So far we have drilled enough wells to supply water for more than 300,000 people. So today I have decided to bring Uganda with me.

My guest today is Fr Maximus Ssekiwala, pastor of St. John the Baptist Catholic parish in Mityana Uganda. St. John’s was instituted in 1998 and serves close to 9,000 people in the rural villages of Uganda. 

Max is a fascinating man moving from one “Next Chapter” to another. Born and raised in Uganda, Max has a dual citizenship from the Uganda and the USA. He did his studies in Illinois where he went to seminary and then became a priest, after which he received a Masters in Social Work and an MBA from Loyola University Chicago.

Max is the Wells of Life Ambassador in Uganda where he works with the drilling of more than 300 water wells by end of 2017. He is one of the kindest and most professional men I have ever met. I can’t wait to talk about his journey from Uganda to the US and back to Uganda again to do his work of ministry. 

You can reach Fr Max at: [email protected]

For more with Charlie Hedges please visit www.thenextchapter.life and subscribe to receive weekly an inspirational blog and podcast.

My guest today is Mike, a Vice-President at Citizens Business Bank. Mike has been involved with finance and banking for more than 25 years. The division he guides today at Citizen’s Bank continues to increase sales dramatically every year under his leadership.

But leadership nor banking are our subjects today. No, today we are going jump into Mr. Peabody’s “Way Back Machine.” Surely you remember the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show.

Well, whether or not we are going back to the 1980’s and before when Mike was a baseball player, both in youth ball and in pro ball. What I want to talk about today are the mostly unknown trials of Minor League Baseball.

Mike played baseball his entire life, that is, until he didn’t play any more and THAT is what I want to talk about today. This is one man’s story of the kind of life you probably never knew really existed—the journey to professional baseball.

For more with Charlie Hedges please visit www.thenextchapter.life and subscribe to receive weekly an inspirational blog and podcast.