Lewis Howes lives the American dream. 

Howes is an online marketing expert, sought-after business coach, and a globally recognized speaker.

His podcast, The School of Greatness has more than 10 million downloads. He interviews influential people like Arianna Huffington, Kobe Bryant, Tom Bilyeu, Gabrielle Reece, Jay Shetty, and many more. 

Howes is a New York Times Best Seller of the book The School of Greatness. He is also the author of the Mask of Masculinity. 

In this episode, we talk about the step-by-step process he used to turn his life around going from being an injured pro-athlete with no job prospects to becoming an entrepreneur and a millionaire. 

He opens up about the secret he carried for years and how sharing it helped him find peace. 

A conversation with independent war correspondent Emile Ghessen who was on the front lines in Nagorno-Karabakh.

His posts and stories on social media have been a window into the situation on the ground in the region. On September 27, 2020, Azerbaijan launched an unprovoked attack against Nagorno-Karabakh. Ghessen arrived in the region on October 12 and has since been posting pictures and photos about the ongoing war.

Ghessen is a former Royal Marine. He has served in Afghanistan and Iraq. He is also an independent documentary maker.

Follow him on Instagram Here. You can find the link to donate in his bio. 

Silva Harapetian speaks Emile Ghessen about his impression of the situation. What is going on in the region? Why he decided to go to Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. How the soldiers were coping and the morale of families in the region.

War is always a humanitarian crisis. The innocent victims caught in the middle of two countries, parties, entities fighting are always the ones that suffer the most. 

Most recently, the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, land between Armenia and Azerbaijan has resurfaced complicated feelings for those who live there and millions in the diaspora.  

Armenians in the diaspora are feeling helpless and stressed as International powers have not stepped in to intervene in the conflict.   

Many reports feeling a sense of guilt and an intense desire to do more.    

Edit Alaverdyan is a licensed associate psychotherapist who works with families and children.   

We discuss why Armenians are so loud. Why we are always seeking validation. How the denial of the Genocide has impacted who we are as a community and people.   We dig deep into the impact of transgenerational trauma and how it has shaped our ability to process information. The importance of how we communicate with our children during these stressful and tense times.   

► Watch the interview and Subscribe to My Channel Here  https://www.youtube.com/Silvaharapetian

There is no pain greater than a mother's pain who has lost a child.  

This is the story of one woman who endured excruciating pain and her journey from the depths of grief to moments of joy eventually arriving at a life of happiness.  

Her advice and processes to overcome loss and grief are timely as with the global health crisis we are all feeling a sense of loss in one way or another.  

Watch the interview. 

The pandemic and the stay-home orders have isolated us from our families and friends.  It has cost us our way of life, our jobs, our businesses, and worst of all, in some cases taken from us our friends and family members.  

The loss we feel is real. The pain that comes with that loss is also real.  How we cope with it and how we come out on the other side of that hurt has everything to do with how we grieve and heal. 

There is nobody better to teach us about loss, pain, grief, and hope than Dr. Betsy Guerra,  a Doctor of Clinical Psychology, a mother of four, a devoted wife, and the mother of an angel named Fofi.  

In a candid conversation, Dr. Guerra tells us how she turned hurt to hope.  

She explains the anatomy of pain, how to honor it, use it as fuel to grow and transform our lives even in our darkest moments.  Let this serve as a reminder to take a moment and check-in with yourself.  

Check-in on your friends and family.  

Remember to check-in on moms and dads who have lost a child, even those who've been a mother/father figure feel the loss as the pain for them is also real and particularly difficult in these times.  

If you need resources to cope, manage, and heal reach out to Dr. Betsy Guerra.

Most real wisdom comes through hardship when we are forced to say, what are we going to do now? 

But, wisdom is easy to talk about in hindsight. When you are in the midst of any crisis it can feel like chaos.  

Alfred A. Edmond Jr. is a widely recognized expert on business and economic trends, entrepreneurship, personal finance, leadership development, and healthy relationships. He says, knowing how to manage one’s mindset, thoughts and beliefs can make a significant impact on how we come out on the other side of any crisis.  

Watch the Full Interview Here...

 Alfred A. Edmond Jr., an SVP/Executive Editor-at-Large of Black Enterprise. He and Silva Harapetian take deep dive into the current state of affairs, the power of thoughts, the importance of personal responsibility, and maintaining good mental health.

Naturalized citizens make up a record one-in-ten US eligible voters in 2020, according to the Pew Research Center. However, while immigrant voters have grown in numbers since 2000 -- up 93% -- their voter turnout rates in presidential general elections have lagged those of U.S.-born voters.

In this episode, Silva Harapetian speaks with Elen Asatryan, a community activist,  advocate for human and civil rights, and a member of the Los Angeles County Voter Outreach Committee.

Watch the interview here...

They discuss the importance of making sure all voters have equal access to the democratic process, the importance of being educated before casting a ballot, the myths about voting, and the challenges in addressing immigrants' perceptions about governments and the power of their voice.

Building Community: How One Organization is Helping The Youth “Pandemic Proof” Their Future  

Watch Full Episode HERE

The pandemic experience has led to a renewed appreciation for the community. We’ve experienced loss in this time -- many have been mourning and grieving in isolation.  

But, the continued push to communicate that “we are in this together,” has created what seems to be a shift from our individualistic philosophy and lifestyles to more collective and community-based engagement.  

Community is built by showing up, time, and time again something many of us have been able to do simply because our lives have slowed down.  We’ve posted less and reached out more. 

We’ve texted less and talked more. We’ve had zoom meetings, Facetime coffee hour, virtual happy hour, drive-by baby showers, birthdays, graduations and so much.  

In this episode, we explore what it means to be part of a tight knight community, what it takes to build and sustain one, and how one group is pulling all of its resources to help the youth pandemic proof their future.  

Silvana Vartanian and Michael Zakian with the organization called @nerouj_wd (which stands for Nerki Ooj - translates to “Strength Within”) join me in this episode.  

To register for their upcoming event here:   https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_NQaQ45m0R56RUOyK0HcPgw

In the wake of a Black man named Jacob Black being shot seven times in the back by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Wednesday, The Milwaukee Bucks’ players collectively decided to take the league’s most extreme action and not to play the first-round, Game 5 matchup against the Orlando Magic.

That led a number of NBA playoff games to be postponed, LeBron James, other players, and coaches showing support demanding action and change. The move led to a series of global protests across professional sports, with the WNBA canceling games and three MLB games getting postponed.

The Bucks action marks four years to the day from when NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat for the anthem for the first time.

Silva Harapetian speaks to Philadelphia CBS Sports Director Don Bell who tells us what the boycott means for the league, its effects on social issues, and how fans can participate in effecting change. 

Watch the full interview on the Silva Harapetian Youtube Channel 

ORDINARY PEOPLE. EXTRAORDINARY STORIES: Everybody Has a Story, What’s Yours?

How to Survive Anxiety and Stress Triggered by Trauma. For one specific population, managing stress, trauma, and triggers is a lot more challenging during the Covid19 crisis. The virus, the response, and the subsequent stay-at-home orders are having unintended consequences around the world.

 In immigrant communities, there have been a growing number of reports about feelings of anxiety and stress. Thousands of people displaced from their home traumatized by war and conflict are reliving their past. 

The current health crisis and the subsequent isolation is triggering a heightened sense of instability and fear among those who have experienced transgenerational trauma. 

Many survivors are aware of these types of triggers and often seek help but there is a vulnerable group that is unaware of its impact on their mental health. They may be suffering in silence without even knowing the cause of their heightened level of emotions.   It is important to help this vulnerable population to manage its emotional and mental health during this crisis. 

1. Surround yourself (virtually) with loved ones (family and friends)  

In these times, it is important that we also check on our families and friends who have survived trauma. Remind yourself and remind them to take the following advice.     

Be kind to yourself.  Be kind to others. Talk to someone. Don't push people away.