The Path to Purpose

Frances Cole Jones is the author of How to Wow: Proven Strategies for Selling Your (Brilliant) Self in any Situation and The Wow Factor: The 33 Things You Must (and Must Not) Do to Guarantee Your Edge in Today's Business World (Ballantine Books/Random House). She also has an app for the iPhone and iPad called "Interview Wow".

Time Magazine said, "Jones' shrewd book will give the nervously employed that requisite competitive edge."

Her blog was voted one of the top 100 websites for women by Forbes.com

Frances appears frequently on ABC and Fox News, is a body language expert for The Insider, a business etiquette expert for Demand Media's eHow video series, and a job interview expert for About.com.

Frances speaks frequently around the country on topics such as "10 Things You Can Do Today to Wow Tomorrow", "Catch Your Customer's Attention—Keep Their Trust", and "The Art of Selling".

In addition to writing and speaking, Frances is the President of Cole Media Management, a media training company focused on cultivating clients' inherent strengths to develop more powerful communication skills.

Prior to founding Cole Media Management, Frances worked at St. Martin's Press, Viking Penguin, and Doubleday as an editor of commercial nonfiction. The experience of helping authors translate their ideas into books that retain their unique voice is part of what makes her valuable to clients. "There's no point in my writing a perfectly crafted sound bite that you have to strain to remember," Frances says. "You need to sound like you. You on your best day."

Wanna follow your curiosity?

• Presenting your best self (2:45)
• There is no magic in being a great speaker (6:02)
• The Tiger Woods apology (9:45)
• How to Wow (12:43)
• You have to express a range of emotion (4:23)
• Communication is talking AND listening (16:15)
• What is looping (17:00)

Connect with Frances Cole Jones here

Cecelia Townes, the Sporty Esquire, is former student-athlete turned attorney, writer and entrepreneur.  She dedicates her time, talents and skills to improving on the experiences of student-athletes and to changing the public perception of athletes, especially that of female athletes and women in sports.  To learn more about Cecelia and her endeavors in sports, click here.

Wanna follow your curiosity? These are the notes from the show! Enjoy!

• What is Cecelia's purpose?
• How did you go from athlete to lawyer to entrepreneur?
• The role of coaches and administrators to make athletes think differently
• Beyond the game and Gladiathers
• Part of discovering your purpose is looking inward
• Athletes in networking situations
• Don't go down the social media rabbit hole

My mom is Malaysian, my dad is Nigerian, and I was born in Jakarta, Indonesia. In fact each of my sisters and I were all born in different countries! I love pursuing my own passion of volleyball and love seeing other people pursue passions of their own. My aim is to assist you with your own passions and help you reach your dreams in a more efficient way. 

Why I chose the services I offer:

My life experiences up until now have molded the services that I offer as a Virtual Assistant. I want you to know that I am experienced and confident that I can deliver in each of the services I have listed. Here are the reasons why. 

• I have worked for years as a University level Assistant which (shockingly to both of us) gave me tons of Administrative & Social Media Management experience, 4 years worth to be exact.
• I've been working with The Happy Lawyer Project Podcast which gave me insight into the world of podcasting and made me want to pursue assisting other podcasters out there.
• I'm a citizen of the world! I LOVE traveling and love creating trips for myself and loved ones that are unforgettable. I spend countless hours researching everything down to the best hole in the wall restaurants to try out to the benefits of staying in an Airbnb right next to the ocean. I've done trips to Venice, Nice, London, and Spain to name a few plus I've coordinated destination bachelorette parties to Austin and New Orleans! 
• SIDE NOTE: You might be thinking, "she lives in Iceland, I live in California" this will never work! Let me assure you that the hours I work are extremely flexible, and as long as we are on the same page with deadlines timezones will be a thing of the past!

So whether your a boss babe, a small business owner, or a fellow wanderluster (or maybe a little bit of it all) I can help you!

Roxanne Merket is the founder and lead designer at Merket Creative. She's also the tech junkie, so she brings a creative and technical side to her work.  She's been designing websites on purpose for over 8 years (and yes, there were a few accidental sites before then).

Roxanne is a creative thinker who understands the impact of a clean, simple, informative, and engaging website. Her unique approach ensures that her clients will not be surprised by the final results because they will have been an integral part of the design process, approving all work before it is completed to meet their exact standards.

Her goal is simple: creating websites that make an impact.

Roxanne has a Baccalaureate Degree in Marketing and a Masters Degree in Communication with an emphasis in social media. Roxanne has been a designer for as long as she can remember, initiating her first successful rebrand at age 11 when she rebranded her brother Toph.

When she isn't staring at her computer screen, Roxanne has an insatiable thirst for travel, adventure, and anything reasonably quirky. Her superpower is curiosity. She's also an avid sports fan, musician, and can make a mean batch of fudge. Roxanne is mom to Nora & Vincent and wife to Larry, who are just crazy enough to go along with her adventures.

In addition to this Roxanne is the Founder of Textmyjournal and you can learn more about that by listening to this episode. If you have ever said "I know I should journal but…" you need to hear this. Here's what we talked about.

• Having the best of both worlds (2:20)
• Pivotal moment during a church business meeting (6:02)
• Being comfortable as a basketball player and having to shake things up (9:10)
• The birth of textmyjournal (12:02)
• Defining success for yourself (19:03)
• How you know when you are fulfilled (20:05)

Each year, we go through the same cycle of setting goals that we may or may not follow. There are millions of "systems" and programs that claim to be the end all be all of productivity, but it doesn't have to be that complicated. In the spirit of accountability, I've made a special "New Year" episode of The Path to Purpose. I let you in on the process I take at the end of the year to get ready for the next one. It's super simple, and if you wanna try it for yourself go for it! I'd love to hear about some of your plans and hear how this process has stirred some excitement in you! Please review the show and leave a comment! 

• Spent young life playing sports (4:00)
• Moving to LA after quitting job (8:15)
• How to spark inspiration and creativity (14:20)
• What would have held her back from comedy (17:18)
• Being consistent and how that is sometimes the "it factor" (20:30)

Melissa Greene is a speaker, singer, curator, pastor and writer. The first ten years of her professional ministry were spent traveling as an artist; seven of those years she sang as part of the contemporary Christian music group, Avalon (American Music Award Inspirational Artist of the Year in 2003, Grammy Nominated in 2005, and Dove Award Winning.) In 2009 Melissa resigned from touring and was immediately hired at GRACEPOINTE Church, a progressive Christian community in Franklin, TN. Melissa worked as Associate Pastor for 8 years at GRACEPOINTE curating the services, leading the music and arts program, nurturing the community and preaching once a month.

Until recently, Melissa served as the Hope Curator for Timothy's Gift (a prison outreach). She produced Concert Tours with other artists designed to entertain and uplift those in maximum security prisons. She is an intentional creator fueled by her love of the beauty, truth and goodness in this world, her belief of the inherent worth of all who inhabit it. Currently, Melissa is building a life giving community called Imaginarium. IMAGINARIUM is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to bring together individuals, families, communities and businesses in order to collectively imagine a better world and intentionally make it so. It is the hope of this organization that together we can work to create a culture that recognizes the inherent value of each and every human. This is accomplished through programs and services that encourage personal well-being and transformation, engaging in social action to bring about a more just and peaceful world for all, and offering a sense of community knowing that we need one another to change the world. IMAGINARIUM gathers in large capacity bi-monthly and additionally, offers activities, services, and programs throughout each month. It is a non-political and non-sectarian organization open to all people regardless of race, color, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or political preference.

Wanna follow your curiosity? 

You would think that pastoring and an athletics have nothing in common, but transition is transition and Melissa has navigated in a way that is admirable. Here are some key moments.

• Melissa Greene the singer (2:20)
• Remembering who you are (4:00)
• Being uncomfortable does not mean it's time to move on (7:05)
• How do you know when you're onto something special (11:00)
• Everyone isn't a leader, but someone has to step up (17:11)
• Bring your full self to the table (20:40)

Ashley Miller graduated from Purdue University and holds a BS in Movement and Sports Science with a Minor in Spanish.

Recently relocated to the DFW; Ashley is currently working with the newly moved Tulsa Shock now named the Dallas Wings. She serves as the team's Vice President of Basketball Operations assisting the General Manager in all aspects of day to day team activity from travel and scheduling, to budget, scouting, and player personnel. Previously, Ashley was the Director of Basketball Operations for the Indiana Fever where she worked for the past 16 seasons. Since the team's inauguration in 2000, she held many capacities within the Pacers/Fever organization from ball kid to Executive Assistant, and Director of Basketball Operations for the Indiana Fever. During her time with the Fever she played an instrumental role in the team's success on and off the court in all areas from helping players adjust to the WNBA and Indianapolis, assisting in contract negotiations, managing a multimillion dollar budget and even helping to design the championship rings following the Fever's 2012 WNBA championship and trip to the White House.

In addition to her work in sports Ashley is actively involved in Heart of Dallas Young Sports Professionals and being an advocate for women and girls in sports.

Oh, and she's also one of my dearest friends so there's that! I have LOVED following her career with the WNBA and even was a ball kid during her stint with the Fever when we were younger. Ashley is dedicated to help women and girls attain the opportunities they deserve in sports and in life. When you get a chance go check out the Dallas Wings page and get your season tickets!  Here are the notes from the show. Please excuse my sweet doggy in the back, I'm working on my sound skills!

• Her role as VP of basketball operations for the Dallas Wings (2:30)

• Choosing the WNBA over Physical Therapy school (7:00)

• Dealing with challenges as a woman executive in the sports industry (13:50)

• Finding purpose and leaving a legacy (16:30)

• Thinking beyond the court earlier (24:38)

• You don't know what you might be good at unless you try it out (31:00)

• Seeing the world through a child's eye (40:00)

• Taking the extra time when making an impression (49:23)

WANNA FOLLOW YOUR CURIOSITY? HERE ARE THE LINKS FROM THE SHOW

If you want to email Ashley you can do so by using this address [email protected]

For more information about the Dallas Wings click here

Rashad breaks down common mistakes people make when it comes to handling their finances.

Rashad Bilal grew up in the financial services industry, taking a summer internship with his family's Wealth Management firm, The Bilal Group LLC in 2005.  He learned at a young age the importance of financial literacy and realized that he wanted to translate his knowledge into actions. After graduating with honors from The University of Hawaii in 2007, Rashad became a full-time associate with The Bilal Group in May 2008, culminating in his advancement to Vice President in 2009 and Partner in 2014.  

Rashad's original passion was sports, as a high school junior he was recruited to attend the prestigious IMG Academy Prep School in Bradenton, Florida. After leaving IMG, Rashad received a basketball scholarship from the University of Hawaii. Rashad transitioned from a player to a coaching role but instead of educating players on how to shoot and dribble he educates his clients on financial fundamentals.

Rashad's primary expertise is in the areas of protection, wealth accumulation, retirement planning, estate planning and business planning. Rashad strives to offer a wide variety of solutions to meet the financial needs of both families and businesses. The Bilal Group, LLC is a financial services and wealth management firm that has been servicing hundreds of professionals and business owners nationwide for over 35 years. Rashad has reached the top levels of the financial services industry. He was named Empire Wealth Strategies rookie of the year, qualified as a member of Penn Mutual's President's Cup and is a member of the Prestigious Million Dollar Round Table.  

Aside from financial advising, Rashad is an active member in several charity organizations. He has sponsored a youth basketball team and summer league tournament in his hometown of Greenburgh, New York. He appeared in the 2008 version of Who's Who among Students in American Universities and Colleges, is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the University of Hawaii Alumni Association. Rashad has spent time as an elementary and middle school mentor and volunteers his time in the Summer to teach a financial literacy class to incoming high school freshmen and sophomores.  Rashad currently serves as a member of the Advisory Board for the Theodore D Young Community Center and is a member of the African American Men of Westchester.  

Rashad resides in Westchester County, New York.

Wanna follow your curiosity?

• From camp counselor to finance (2:30)
• What are athletes missing when it comes to their money (7:03)
• Rashad's path as an entrepreneur (10:17)
• There will be good times and bad times in business (12:08)
• A day in the life of a financial advisor (14:10)
• Prospecting is the name of the game (16:00)
• Even if it's intimidating, educate yourself on finance (19:15)

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Cell: (914) 843-8421

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.BilalGroupLLC.com