DESCRIPTION:

Andre Norman, author of Ambassador of Hope: Turning Poverty and Prison into a Purpose-Driven Life, speaks about the choices that led him to time in juvenile detention, and eventually a maximum-security prison, along with the epiphany where he chose find a way out and to seek success through education.

Andre will speak of his remarkable journey of overturning an over 105-year prison sentence to educating some of the brightest minds at Harvard University brings a unique perspective to his engagements.

His collaborations with prestigious institutions like London Business School and notable networks such as Young Presidents Organization and Entrepreneurs Organization have established him as a trusted advisor and speaker. Andre's dynamic presentations, practical strategies, and personal experiences captivate audiences, empowering them to overcome obstacles, navigate change, and unlock their true potential.

 

GUEST BIO:

Andre Norman is a globally renowned transformational speaker, strategist, and business consultant, as well as the founder of Second Chance University, a program designed to give access and inspiration to people seeking to improve their lives. With a diverse portfolio of accomplishments and a global reach spanning regions such as Honduras, Bahamas, Sweden, Guatemala, Liberia, and Trinidad, Andre Norman's impact on correctional systems and ability to inspire personal and professional transformation are unmatched.

Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/andrenorman21 Linkedin:    https://www.linkedin.com/in/andre-norman/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/andrenorman Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYfwwmClQEvLi1KM_tZETcw

https://www.amazon.com/Ambassador-Hope-Turning-Poverty-Purpose-Driven/dp/1544507232 

   

DESCRIPTION:

Daniel Miller, author of THE WAY OF THE WAVE: Nature's Model for Navigating Life's Currents,  and bestselling author of The Gifts of Acceptance (a Library Journal Best Wellness Book of the Year), will focus on helping people leading a healthier, more peaceful life.

In THE WAY OF THE WAVE, Miller shares insights and practices from his nearly forty-year journey—marked with both success and failure—of trying to “Go with the Wave” in all aspects of life. His version of “the flow,” the Wave represents the mysterious rhythm or energy force that surrounds and affects us all—and cannot be controlled or manipulated. It also draws inspiration from the countless hours Miller has spent on the beach in California, observing the ocean waves.

Along with sharing his own struggles and breakthroughs in riding the undulating waves of love and romance, parenting, work, interacting with friends and foes, aging, and creative and athletic endeavors, in THE WAY OF THE WAVE, Miller offers inquiries, reflections, and exercises to help guide others in their rides. 

GUEST BIO:

Daniel Miller is a skilled painter, poet, successful businessman (having written a best selling professional book), and at 81 years of age, a nationally ranked seniors tennis player, Daniel believes that he is at the blessed place that he is today because he follows the guidance he preaches to others.  

https://danielamiller.com

 

DESCRIPTION:

Michele Blood, author of the video book Manifestation Through the Power of Mysticism, will discuss how to achieve success and wellness through the process of affirmation. With this World's First Video Book, the mind absorbs the knowledge very fast and the person is captivated and entertained simultaneously.

After a near-fatal car accident, Michele began composing positive Affirmation Songs that not only healed her body but sparked a worldwide movement. These songs were designed to activate both the left and right hemispheres of the brain and send empowering messages directly to the subconscious mind, making transformation faster and more effective. Millions have downloaded her songs on healing, confidence, money, joy, and more.

Michele will discuss how combining affirmations and music can quickly uplift the listener and create lasting change. She’ll also share highlights from her groundbreaking Manifestation Through the Power of Mysticism Video Book, the world’s first manifestation video book, which uses entertainment and visual engagement to help the mind absorb transformation techniques more quickly than ever before.

GUEST BIO:

Michele Blood is a successful, multi-talented lady who went from a career as a rock singer and songwriter in Australia to an internationally celebrated creator of Affirmation Power Music who turned personal tragedy into a global mission of healing, success, and transformation.  Michele has appeared in many hundreds of podcasts, radio/tv shows, and magazines globally. After many years of meditation, Michele’s Kundalini awakened and transformed her consciousness. Michele now teaches others how to live a Successful Life and experience Divine Oneness.

www.MicheleBlood.com

www.ManifestationVideoBook.com

www.MagnetToMoneyApp.com

 

DESCRIPTION: 

Paula Marshall, Author of Finding the Soul of Big Business, is the CEO of the Bama Companies, Inc, which manufactures oven-ready products for customers in the quick-service and casual restaurant industry and private label products for retail in more than 17 countries.  In her book, she speaks about the lessons and distinctions she has learned and applied to her intentions as a CEO.  With recognition of each employee, vendor and customer's own journeys and the collective steps to become the journey of Bama Companies, Inc.

Paula is the founder of Paula Marshall Foundation, which builds schools in Ghana for children to provides education that offers an opportunity for a new life.  In this episode, Paula talks about food safety week that is global, dealing with fear of uncertainty at work and home, the schools her foundation has built in Ghana to provide education for children and adolescents, and how entrepreneurs and executives need similar skills to success. 

GUEST BIO

As Bama’s Chief Executive Officer, Paula provides strategic leadership and direction to the entire organization. Her vision stands as a beacon for Bama team members, inspiring the organization to achieve the Bama mission – “People Helping People Be Successful”. Paula assumed responsibility as CEO of the Bama Companies in 1984, which now includes Bama Pie, Bama Foods, Bama Frozen Dough, Beijing Bama and Bama Europa. Under her leadership, Bama has expanded to provide a wide variety of frozen desserts and baked goods to fast food chains and casual and family dining restaurants. Paula received her Bachelor of Science in business from Oklahoma City University (OCU) in 1982, and her PhD in commercial science, also from OCU, in 1993. Paula is the author of four books and believes all business people must embrace both entrepreneurship and management to succeed.

https://thepaulamarshall.com/story/ 

https://paulamarshallfoundation.org/

 

EPISODE DESCRIPTION:Diana McLain Smith is the author of the new book, Remaking the Space Between Us: How Citizens Can Work Together to Build a Better Future for All. She has spent the past 35+ years as a renowned thought leader and systems change expert helping organizations transform conflict into a constructive force for change. 

Every day, the news delivers the same story: as a nation, we are so divided, we spend more time picking fights than solving our most urgent problems. It's exhausting and exasperating. In Remaking the Space Between Us, Smith invites us to see what lies behind this story: a growing trend in which more and more of us are seeking refuge in like-minded groups while distancing from groups different from our own. Although it's a natural response to the uncertainty and adversity of the past fifty years, this trend is fraying our social fabric, negatively affecting  our politics, and weakening the moral foundation upon which our future together rests. Despite all we are up against, Smith shows why we need not—and why we must not—give up on each other or give into forces so overwhelming they make us feel powerless. Through emotionally affecting stories, Smith recounts how tens of thousands of citizens across the U.S. are working together under the radar to bridge divides, heal our nation, and rebuild our democracy.  Diana will discuss  tools and insights to help people better relate to those on the opposite side of their political spectrum and to work together to find solutions to our most pressing challenges and work alongside each other to create a future that is better for all.

 

                                         

 

DIANA MCLAIN SMITH has spent the past 35+ years helping organizations transform intergroup conflict into a powerful force for change. She has led change initiatives in a wide range of contexts – from Fortune 500 companies to cutting edge nonprofits – and her groundbreaking Leading Through Relationships (LTR) approach has been used by thousands of teams and organizations around the world to break free of intractable conflict and co-create powerful change. She is a former Partner at Monitor Group Consulting, former Chair of Monitor University, and former Chief Executive Partner at New Profit, and the author of Divide Or Conquer, The Elephant in the Room, the co-author of Action Science with Chris Argyris and Robert Putnam. She has served as an advisor to the Harvard Negotiation Project and the Rebuild Congress Initiative. She holds Masters and Doctorate degrees from Harvard University.

(https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-smith-bb8b505/)(https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555850530104) www.remakingthespace.substack.com/)

Website: remakingthespace.org

https://www.remakingthespace.org/about

 

 

 

 

Rhode Island International Film Festival

Shawn Quirk, executive director of the 2025 Rhode Island International Film Festival, joins us to discuss missions of the festival, as well as what the festival has to offer. Now in its 28th year, the FLICKERS' RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL celebrates the independent spirit in film and has become a haven for independent filmmakers from throughout the world. In 2024, the Festival presented 350 films representing works that were shot and produced in 106 countries. There were 94 World Premieres and US/North American Premieres. Expanding the Festival to its pre-covid presence was the goal of the 2024 event, which maximized its in-person screening offerings, expanded its industry panel events, and hosted numerous receptions, galas, and industry mixers throughout the week. This, along with expanded outdoor screening options (both on the coast and within Providence) allowed the festival to raise the bar yet again in its industry presence and ever growing audience following both home and abroad.

FLICKERS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization that supports and promotes the film arts in Rhode Island and throughout New England. Over the past two decades, its production, the Rhode Island International Film Festival, has screened 6,720 independent films and videos out of 87,532 entries, presented 1,621 World/North American premieres, featured over 1,350 entries that were locally produced, and hosted 4,582 filmmakers and crew. Since its inception, over 595,000 film lovers, in-person and online, have enjoyed the Rhode Island International Film Festival and its programming, not including those in New England watching its weekly broadcast and cable programming series, doubleFEATURE, now in its ninth season.

ABOUT SHAWN QUIRK

Shawn Quirk is the executive director of the Rhode Island International Film Festival. He previously worked as the lead programmer, where he scheduled events and organized different areas of the festival. Before taking these positions, Shawn was an independent filmmaker, artist, and scholar who has directed a number of short films and short documentaries. His film “Ouroboros” won the Audience Choice Award at the Spokane International Film Festival in 2008 and his film “The Coast” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010. After receiving his Bachelor of Science in Film Production from Boston University, he worked for two years as an English assistant in France for l’Éducation nationale. During his time abroad he became involved with a number of film productions in both Belgium and France, which included camera work for the two-time Palme d'or winning Dardennes Brothers on their film “Le gamin au vélo” (The Kid with the Bike).

https://filmfreeway.com/RIFilmFest

https://www.instagram.com/flickers.riiff/

                              

                                     

DESCRIPTION: Jim Murphy, author of  Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind For Extraordinary Performance and The Best Possible Life, has been  a professional baseball player in the Chicago Cubs organization. Jim Murphy’s sense of worth revolved around his performance. He was focused on achievement but also afraid of failure. When he started coaching professional and Olympic athletes, he often encountered the same mindset. He became obsessed with learning how the best in the world performed with poise under pressure.   Inner Excellence is the life guide that has empowered athletes and developed world champions, and most importantly, transformed their hearts and minds. This step-by-step training manual from one of the world's top mental skills coaches will teach you how to train your mind like the very best.     After years of research, interviews, and writing, Jim will share  how to develop self-mastery and let go of what you can’t control, explain how to overcome anxiety and build powerful mental habit, give tips for removing mental blocks and share how to  release limiting beliefs.   About Jim Murphy: #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Murphy is a Performance Coach to some of the best athletes and leaders in the world. He began his career as a professional baseball player in the Chicago Cubs organization. After experiencing vision issues that ended his playing career, Murphy coached with the Texas Rangers as well as the South African Olympic baseball team. He has worked with some of the world’s best golfers, including world champions, FedEx Cup champions, and world #1’s. The majority of Murphy’s clients have the best year of their careers in their first year working with him. In addition tocoaching professional athletes and executives, Murphy leads Inner Excellence off site retreats around the globe. He is the president of the Inner Excellence Freedom Project whose mission is to build communities to alleviate spiritual and physical poverty around the world.   https://innerexcellence.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/innerexcellence/ https://www.facebook.com/innerexcellence/ https://www.instagram.com/innerexcellencejimmurphy/

DESCRIPTION: 

Ilene Dillon, author of Emotions in Motion: Mastering Life’s Built-in Navigation System, and six-time Amazon best-selling author for various other books, will discuss realigning with emotions (including Anger Mastery), solving life problems in ways that last, and parenting consciously.

Emotions in Motion explains a new way of working with emotions that allows you to move yourself into mastery over emotions, rather than allowing them to dominate your life, and includes stories to illustrate the point about how to work with 12 different emotions.

She believes that we're all in a “Giant School” so we can learn and grow throughout our lives, and the learning will never end. Ilene will discuss the system for learning, why we want to embrace and continue to “work the system,” and the benefits of completing lessons.  She will introduce focus because “what we focus on, we tend to become.”, and share the importance of decision-making, and how it's the simple route to learning, growing, and making changes. 

GUEST BIO:  

Ilene Dillon, MSW, LCSW, LMFT, is a “Recovered Angry Person.” “Recovering” led her to a successful half-century study of emotions—what they are, why we have them and how to work with them as they’re designed to work. Now 82, Ilene is writing books, making personal appearances on podcasts and Summits and continuing to work individually with people who want to get in charge of their lives.

https:www/emotionalmasteryforlife.com

https://twitter.com/EmotionExpert

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilenedillon/

https://www.instagram.com/ilenedillon/

Insights on Love & Lost Later In Life   With grey divorces (divorces between adults ages fifty and up) at an all-time high, Virginia DeLuca’s memoir constructs a timely and refreshingly honest guide to finding yourself in the face of loss and adversity. If You Must Go, I Wish You Triplets is an empowering read not just for “silver splitters,” but for anyone who has or is currently facing change and uncertainty in their life. DeLuca will disscuss unflinching exploration of her past, present, and, ultimately, her future, provides readers with a powerful reminder that life has a way of expanding in beautiful and unexpected ways.   https://www.virginiadeluca.com/bio                                                                  ABOUT VIRGINIA DELUCA Psychotherapist and Boston resident, Virginia DeLuca, dedicated her life to helping her clients navigate unforeseen challenges and painful losses. However, when her sixty-year-old husband leaves saying he wanted babies, she struggles to deal with her loss and the life she’d once envisioned. She’s the award winning author of the novel, As If Women Mattered  and her essays have appeared in the Iowa Review, The Writer, Huffington Post, Self, Glamour, and Parenting Magazine.

Reflections and Lessons Learned from a POW Father

For the first time, Sid Stockdale, one of four Stockdale children, tells stories from his 8- year experience (from age 11 to 19) while his father was a POW in the Hanoi Hilton and his mother started The National League of Families of POWs and the Missing in Southeast Asia. Sid will discuss his experiences of these years of trauma in a new memoir, “A World Apart – Growing Up Stockdale During Vietnam.” 

Major themes include dealing with the loss of Sid's father emotionally and the long term uncertainty with him a POW; coping with his mother’s physical and emotional exhaustion and eventually her severe depression; coping with his brother Stan’s emotional blindness and its impact on his mother; coming to know the “Sid” that emerged at boarding school surrounded by a healthy and safe culture; the joy of his father’s release and return; the beauty of getting to know his father and witnessing the  strength, courage, and determination of both my parents who were an exceptional couple.

https://coronadotimes.com/news/2023/05/22/sid-stockdale-speaks-new-memoir-chronicles-a-familys-story-of-survival-love-and-grit/ 

 

 

                                                       

 

ABOUT SID STOCKDALE 

Sid Stockdale, class of 1973 is the son of distinguished military hero, James Bond Stockdale. Sid Stockdale was eleven years old when his father’s US Navy fighter jet was shot down over North Vietnam and he was held a POW in the infamous “Hanoi Hilton” for the next seven years. Sid authored  a memoir, about his father and his time as a POW during Vietnam, titled A World Apart: Growing Up Stockdale During Vietnam. It wasn’t supposed to be a book.But when Sid Stockdale was sent a copy of his mom’s diary in 2016, a year after her passing, he started journaling. Once he started, he didn’t stop.

Sid was only eleven years old when his father, Vice Admiral James Stockdale, was shot down in his Navy fighter jet and captured in North Vietnam in 1965. Stockdale was held as a prisoner of war in the “Hanoi Hilton” for seven years, four of them in solitary confinement (two of them blind-folded) while his mom, Sybil, was left raise four boys and await his return.

The words in Sybil’s diary filled in the missing pieces of Sid’s memories, allowing him to reconcile a tumultuous childhood of nightmarish proportions with the strength and love of his family.