The Sow to Speak Podcast with Kristy Mandour

Happy New Year!

January 1st.

Listen in as I kick off 2023 with a solo episode to share a process to help you reconnect with yourself so you can take more intentional action to jump-start your year. 

My tech-challenge is inhibiting me from attaching the core values pdf here so feel free to email me (with the subject line: "Core Values Exercise" to have the core value exercise sent directly to you: [email protected]

Meet Bernie. 

Bernie Freytag is a bona fide creative. He is a writer, an illustrator, a wanderer, and a ponderer. Lucky us, Bernie is on the show to discuss his latest book, The Curious Reality in Imagination. This is Bernie's second book, following his debut Find Wonder in the Ordinary. In our conversation, Bernie shares his love of creativity while inviting us all to find ways to be open to the possibilities around us and beyond. Bernie is the poster child for what happens when you're open to receiving the creative messages that the Universe is always whispering to us. 

The Curious Reality in Imagination is a walk on the wild side of what can happen if you allow yourself to say "Yes." It's a nudge, reminding us that the practice and surprise of  "paying attention" are always available to us, and when we listen magic happens. 

"The Universe can give us brief glimpses into its imagination. We can see this in the beauty of nature, and we can also see it within special moments in each day, through what people categorize as coincidences or serendipities. It’s my belief that when we open up our own imagination, we can synch up with the Universe, and find some sort of flow state. A place common within creativity, though I believe we have the potential to see it in the reality of every single day."

Learn more about Bernie, his art and his books at: www.berniefreytag.com

IG @wanderingbernie

https://www.facebook.com/wanderingbernie

But first, sit back, relax, and enjoy our conversation. 

Meet Jakki.

Jakki Smith-Leondarini is an energy medicine practitioner and wellness educator, the My Soul Vibe app creator, and one of the shining lights behind the WellSoul workshops.   

"Amusement over abusement." Amen to that.  This is just one of the many fantastic nuggets Jakki offers in this heartfelt and soul-stirring conversation. 

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS 

• The beauty of the word discernment (fear vs. intuition)  

• The difference between being serious and focused in life (big lean to the latter)  

• The superpowers of curiosity, self-compassion, and LEVITY when doing any personal growth: "amusement over abusement."  

• The clues to look for when choosing your "match" of a coach or therapist  

• The tools to practice strengthening your inner knowing  

Learn more about Jakki and all she offers here: https://www.jakkileonardini.com/

Instagram: @jakkileonardini  

Instagram: @mysoulvibe.app

Sow to Speak created The Closet Series to shine a light on cross-industry experts and everyday humans doing meaningful work so that you are inspired to make your unique contribution to creating a safer and better world for all of us. Because sometimes, the smallest spaces are where the biggest insights emerge.

Learn more about Sow to Speak:

Website: www.sowtospeak.com

YouTube: Sow to Speak

LinkedIn: Sow to Speak by Kristy Mandour

Instagram: @kristymandour

Meet Gary.

Gary Bagley was one of my first bosses out of college and set the bar very high for others to follow his leadership grace, care, and passion. Currently, Gary is an executive coach, educator, strategist, and keynote speaker. At the time of our conversation, Gary was the executive director of New York Cares, the largest volunteer non-profit organization serving the five boroughs of New York City. Gary and I sit down to discuss how giving can immediately alleviate the feeling of hopelessness and replace it with not just renewed hope in humanity and the world but also a necessary sense of agency within our own lives to be a part of the change we want to see in our communities and on a global level. 

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

Please sit back, relax, and enjoy our conversation.   

Learn more about Gary here: 

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

Learn more about New York Cares here:  https://www.newyorkcares.org/

FB: @newyorkcares 

IG: @newyorkcares

Sow to Speak created The Closet Series to shine a light on cross-industry experts and everyday humans doing meaningful work so that you are inspired to make your unique contribution to creating a safer and better world for all of us. Because sometimes, the smallest spaces are where the biggest insights emerge.

Learn more about Sow to Speak:

Website: www.sowtospeak.com

YouTube: Sow to Speak

LinkedIn: Sow to Speak by Kristy Mandour

Instagram: @kristymandour

Meet Jackie. 

Jackie Michel is the author of "Hooray for Parenting" and the owner and director of J. Michel Associates, a company that offers coaching, counseling, and consulting.  Sow to Speak asked Jackie to hop back in the closet to dive deeper into the topic of parenting. So much of what Jackie shares comes back to cultivating a strong relationship and connection with ourselves first.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

A little more about Jackie and her book, "Hooray for Parenting!": Realizing the importance of the skills and training available to leaders and managers, Jackie believed parents deserved similar insights and wisdom relative to parenting, and it should be available in an easily accessible format.  With her extensive experience working both as a psychotherapist and an executive coach with people and kids from every walk of life, she has integrated up-to-date information with her transformational learning approach in the online course  created for parents, "Mastering the Art of Raising Great Kids."  

Now in her new book, "Hooray for Parenting, Your Guide to Raising Great Kids," Jackie likens the parenting journey to looking into a crystal.  No matter what facet one focuses on, all the others are reflected.  Those multiple reflections or themes and prerequisites for creative masterful parenting include love, learning, listening, patience, practice, using the power of limits, the power of mistakes, courage, and trust.  

Learn more about Jackie here: 

http://www.jackiemichel.com

FB: @HoorayforParenting

You can learn more and purchase Jackie's book Hooray for Parenting here. 

Sow to Speak created The Closet Series to shine a light on cross-industry experts and everyday humans doing meaningful work so that you are inspired to make your unique contribution to creating a safer and better world for all of us. Because sometimes, the smallest spaces are where the biggest insights emerge.

Learn more about Sow to Speak:

Website: www.sowtospeak.com

YouTube: Sow to Speak

LinkedIn: Sow to Speak by Kristy Mandour

Instagram: @kristymandour

Meet Coonoor.   

Coonoor Behal is the author of the book "I Quit, The Life-Affirming Joy of Giving Up" and Founder and CEO of Mindhatch, a company geared at enhancing design thinking, innovation, operations, morale, engagement, and productivity by using improvisational theatre methodologies. Mindhatch believes that all work is human-centered and that people are your business, which is why they help organizations put the human experience at the center of their thinking.  

We discuss how improv is the way to strengthen everything from diversity and inclusion in the workplace to the job interviewing process, re-engaging your team, and increasing soft skills across the board. 

We also get a sneak peek of Coonoor's book "I Quit! The Life-Affirming Joy of Giving Up". Effectiveness (and apparently quitting) can be fun - promise! Listen in to see for yourself.   

Learn more about Mindhatch here: https://www.mindhatchllc.com/

 https://www.facebook.com/mindhatch 

https://www.instagram.com/mindhatch_llc/ 

You can buy Coonoor's book here: https://www.amazon.com/Quit-Life-Affirming-Joy-Giving-Up-ebook/dp/B093QN3GXJ#:~:text=Coonoor%20Behal%20is%20the%20author,Affirming%20Joy%20of%20Giving%20Up.

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Sow to Speak created The Closet Series to shine a light on cross-industry experts and everyday humans doing meaningful work so that you are inspired to do the same. Because sometimes, the smallest spaces are where the biggest insights emerge.

Learn more about Sow to Speak:

Website: www.sowtospeak.com

YouTube: Sow to Speak

LinkedIn: Sow to Speak by Kristy Mandour

Instagram: @kristymandour

Meet Rachel.

Rachel Daughtry is the Director of Agency Relations at The Compassion Coalition, based in Central NY. She is the third guest in our Heart-Centered Leadership series.   

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

The Compassion Coalition is an entrepreneurial-based, innovative nonprofit that focuses on community-based giving, meeting needs as they arise. This means their giving is different from year to year, as the needs of the community change.  Compassion Coalition Inc. is funded by their grocery store, Bargain Grocery, which allows them to be self-sustaining, and allows their giving to be fluid. This means that as a non-profit, they *do not rely on any government grants or ongoing funding for any operational costs*. 

This allows them to meet needs that would otherwise not be met in our community by other nonprofits, schools, or emergency food pantries due to strict grant regulations. Compassion Coalition has created its own funding source, allowing for sustainability while also bringing the creation of food accessibility and equality to a food desert.  

Rachel has been working in the not-for-profit sector for ten plus years and has a passion for seeing community collaboration to bring positive change. Working for the last 7 years in the field of substance abuse and mental health therapy before joining the team at Compassion Coalition. Rachel holds a Bachelors's degree from Utica College. When not coming up with new creative ways to serve our community, she keeps busy keeping up with her three sons.  

Learn more about The Compassion Coalition here: 

 https://www.distributehope.org/ 

Follow: https://www.facebook.com/CompassionUtica/ https://www.instagram.com/compassioncoalitioninc/  

Sow to Speak created The Closet Series to shine a light on people who are doing meaningful work so that in the end, we’re all inspired to contribute to making the world a safer and better place to be. Because sometimes the smallest spaces offer the biggest insights to emerge. 

Learn more: www.sowtospeak.com

Follow: 

IG @kristymandour

LinkedIn Sow to Speak by Kristy Mandour

Meet Shelly.

Shelly Callahan is the Executive Director of The Center. Formerly, The Refugee Center of Utica, The Center's main mission is to welcome newcomers to The Mohawk Valley by lending assistance throughout the integration process by offering products and services that enable everybody to build a community with many cultures together.  

Shelly was asked to be a part of the three-part heart-centered leadership mini-series because The Center is all about heart and humanity. 

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

We round it out by paying homage to our grandmas, Grandma Dot, and Mimi (recipes for their favorite cocktails are below) because, at the end of the day, it's all about honoring where we all came from to help ignite where we're all going together.   Humanity, humility, humor, and heart are at the core of it all.  

Please sit back, relax, and enjoy our conversation.   

Learn more about The Center here:  

https://www.thecenterutica.org/ 

IG: @thecenterutica 

FB: @TheCenterUtica  

Yay for Grandmas! 

COCKTAIL RECIPES (source: www.inspiredtaste.net)  

GRANDMA DOT's adult beverage of choice: SLOE GIN FIZZ 

Recipe PREP 5mins TOTAL 5mins 

A sloe gin fizz is refreshing and delightfully balances sweet against tart. It begins with Sloe Gin, then we add fresh lemon, a little sugar, and club soda.  Makes 1 drink 

YOU WILL NEED 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) sloe gin  1 ounce (2 tablespoons) gin  1 to 1 1/2 ounce (2 to 3 tablespoons) fresh lemon juice  1 teaspoon simple syrup or 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar  2 ounces (1/4 cup) club soda  Lemon slice for serving  Ice  

DIRECTIONS Add sloe gin, regular gin, 1/2 ounce of lemon juice, and simple syrup (or sugar) to a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice. Shake vigorously until chilled. Taste then adjust with additional lemon or simple syrup/sugar. Shake.  Strain cocktail into a glass filled with ice, then top with club soda and garnish with a lemon wedge.  

MIMI's adult beverage of choice: OLD-FASHIONED Seriously Good Old Fashioned 

Recipe PREP 5mins TOTAL 5mins With just three main ingredients, it’s simple to make, and there are lots of options for adding your own spin. Most commonly, bourbon or rye whiskey is used. That doesn’t mean to say that there aren’t other options. Gin, brandy, and rum all work really well. We particularly love switching the whiskey for a dark, aged rum.  Makes 1 Drink 

YOU WILL NEED 1 to 2 teaspoons simple syrup; see our tips for making simple syrup  3 dashes bitters, Angostura is great and readily available  2 ounces mid-range bourbon or rye whiskey  One 2-inch piece of orange peel, optional  1 to 2 maraschino cherries, optional  

DIRECTIONS Place simple syrup, bitters, and the whiskey in an Old Fashioned glass, stir well, then add 1 to 2 large ice cubes. Stir 2 to 3 times to chill, then garnish with the peel of orange and cherry.   Sow to Speak created The Closet Series to shine a light on people who are doing meaningful work so that in the end, we’re all inspired to contribute to making the world a safer and better place to be.

OG Video Air Date: Fall 2020

Meet Peter. 

Peter kicks off our three-part mini-series on heart-centered leadership. 

At the time of our conversation in October 2020, Peter was the President and COO of Chobani. Peter is now the CEO of Impossible Foods. 

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

Peter shows us that the past few years have been like a long walk home to who we truly are: heart-centered humans.   In the end, we learn that through a greater perspective, we're all able to rehumanize ourselves by focusing on what's in front of us and how by strengthening our communities, we're all making the entire world a better place to be.   

"Here everybody has a neighbor, everybody has a friend Everybody has a reason to begin again."  - Bruce Springsteen, Long Walk Home   

Please sit back, relax, and enjoy our conversation.

You can learn more about Peter, Chobani, and Impossible Foods here: 

LinkedIn: Peter McGuinness

https://www.chobani.com/

https://impossiblefoods.com/

Meet Cherella.   

Cherella Forester is an intuitive and has been reading tarot cards for over twenty-two years. She is not blind to, nor swayed by, the stigma that often comes along with her profession. For years her dread of being stereotyped as "the cat woman" had her keeping her natural abilities and gifts "in the closet." Fortunately for us, she changed her tune and fully embraced what the sweet lord gave her. Cherella is deeply aware of how to use her gifts to help others enhance their own inner wisdom and shares her insights with all of us.   

Learn more about and book a session with Cherella here: https://www.forestertarot.com/

IG - @forestertarot  

The Closet Series was created by Sow to Speak to bring you uplifting conversations with cross-industry guests who are doing meaningful work to inspire you to do the same. So, in the end, we can all make the world a better and safer place to be.