The Startup Sessions with Michael Knouse

Emily Anderson is a matchmaker of sorts. But instead of connecting people, she connects people with the businesses that will give them the greatest chance at success.

“No one achieved their dreams by sitting still and trying to do it on their own.”

 “There’s actually more security in business ownership when it’s approached in a safe, responsible, and well-researched manner.”

Career turning points are her specialty. Most of Emily’s clients are at a point in their career where something is no longer working (down-sized, disengaged, need for increased income), and they don’t know where to turn. Emily provides information, consultation and resources to empower them to get “unstuck”.

As a Director of Business Development for FranNet, Emily’s role is to educate and consult on your best-matched business ownership opportunities; guide you through a process of due diligence so you can make a safe and wise decision, whether or not your path leads to business ownership.

Emily currently lives with her family in Central Oregon, and enjoys the same freedom and flexibility that she helps others achieve through business ownership.

Anna Kunnecke is back to teach us how sensitive, empathic people can set energetic boundaries so that they can be love warriors without just soaking up other people’s emotion and pain. It’s part science, part spirit, and part Practical Magic. If you find yourself exhausted at the end of the day, Anna will show you how to set healthy boundaries and walk in this world with tenderness and power.

“The truth is, you’re not crazy and you’re not too sensitive.”

“Do you ever feel like you’re just… different from most people?”

Anna Kunnecke is a master life coach, author, teacher, writer, and mother who’s purpose is to help others find their joy in this world. She is also one of the most unapologetic bad-asses I know.

Anna is the founder of Declare Dominion and has recently been working on a new project called Practical Magic for Secret Mystics. There are no crystals or spells involved – instead this is a set of seven principles that will help you tap into all of your emotional superpowers.

Practical Magic for Secret Mystics was created by Anna for her clients, colleagues and friends after she noticed that most of them were struggling and exhausted because no one had taught them how to move through life as a sensitive person. So she literally wrote a manual about how to wield your emotional superpowers so that you can walk in the world with tenderness and power.

Jennifer Alyse and Andrea Leda Wilborn are no strangers to The Startup Sessions. Both have been popular guests on the show before and now they are now teaming up to offer their best wisdom on living an empowered and soulful life.

“If you just get out of the way, you can’t fathom what wants to come meet you where you’re at.”

– Andrea Leda Wilborn

“Imagine if each one of us showed up in service from our heart.” – Jennifer Alyse

Jennifer Alyse has dedicated her life to living her greatest passions and encouraging others to do the same through her work as a photographer and her Be Empowered project. Through her photography and movement workshops, Jennifer helps her clients explore who they are and step into their most authentic selves.

Andrea Leda Wilborn is a spiritual leader, speaker, coach and intuitive. She is a renowned expert at bridging powerful coaching with her intuitive gifts to help people step into the most authentic versions of themselves. Andrea has made it her purpose to help entrepreneurs and soul seekers find their greatest gifts and offer them to the world.

Together, Jennifer and Andrea are collaborating to offer an afternoon retreat on May 15th in Portland, called Empowered. You will experience the debut of Jennifer’s new short film, “Empowered”, as well as a transformative Journal Writing Workshop led by Andrea. You will walk away with renewed energy and confidence, and the tools to make decisions from a place of inner, authentic power.

I’m practicing something new. Something that’s very counter intuitive. Tim Ferriss calls it “Deloading.” I call it “creating space.” The idea is a planned reduction in normal activities to enhance creativity, productivity and quality of life.

Taking a break, in my case, involves taking my foot off the gas and traveling to Nicaragua for a yoga retreat. This is largely an experiment to unplug, plan and restore. I’m testing the theory that the best ideas come when they are not forced.

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes… including you.” – Anne Lamott

There is a lot of chatter around the topic of unplugging and creating space for big ideas to flow. And I can already tell you that on my first day away, I wrote 5 pages of new ideas in my journal as I sat on my balcony and listened to the ocean.

I have loosely embraced this idea before but never as intentional and ‘all in’ as this time. And honestly, it scares the hell out of me to unplug for an extended period of time. As I write this, my lizard brain is shouting “do more”, “you can’t afford to take a break”, “business owners don’t have the luxury of taking down time.” Yet I know that to create something bigger, different, or better, I need to make space for answering the bigger questions.

Costa Dulce Beach, Nicaragua

Here’s what’s going to change about the podcast. Starting in May, I’ll be sharing much shorter episodes about the actions I’m taking to shape my business. Every week I will be creating new and actionable episodes intended to show you what’s working for me and my clients as well as what’s not working. Don’t worry, I will continue to interview amazing guests and share stories from accomplished entrepreneurs.

I’m really looking forward to talking more about the nitty gritty of how to start, grow and scale a business as well as discussing the strategies that are working really well.

And here are the questions that I will be answering for myself over the next few days. I encourage you to do the same:

Well, there you have it! There’s a list of the questions that I’ll be asking myself over the next few days as I unwind and make room for the silence between the notes. I’ll be sharing my answers to these questions in early May so stay tuned for that.

That’s all for now. Adios from Nicaragua.

Live bravely,

Michael

Michael Riscica’s story is a powerful example of turning a hobby into a profitable business. After combining his passion for architecture and blogging, Michael created the website Young Architect.com one of the leading authority sites for current and emerging architects. We will explore his journey of building an online business to the point where he was able to leave his day job.

Michael Riscica is passionate about architecture and has a love for learning, teaching, and serving others. Through his blog called Young Architect, he inspires, educates, and assists architects and aspiring architects with their professional journey.

Michael began studying architectural drafting in community college and he received an architecture degree from the New York Institute of Technology in New York City, NY. He became a licensed Architect in 2013.

After graduating architecture school, Michael felt it was time for a new start so he climbed on a bike and rode cross country until he landed in Portland, Oregon.

Fueled by his passion for architecture, Michael launched the Young Architect blog and was able to leave his day job with the City of Portland to pursue his online business full time.

In November of 2013, Dakota and Chelsea Gale rented out their house and hit the road in a custom built Sprinter van. Their initial plan was a four month road trip. Let’s just say that the four month plan evolved into a world tour.

In this conversation with Dakota and Chelsea, we discuss taking risks, embracing adventure, and how travel has forever shaped their lives.

After years of living in Portland, building businesses, and almost staying put and raising a family, Dakota and Chelsea Gale decided to set out on an adventure. This adventure led them on an 8 month tour through the southwest US and Rockies in their Sprinter van, a 3.5 month and 4,000 mile bike tour across the US, followed by cycle touring from London to Prague last summer.

The adventure continued in 2016 with visits to SoCal and Santa Cruz, followed by volunteering at a Farm Sanctuary in California

Today, Dakota and Chelsea work remotely, intentionally wander, laugh and play a lot, volunteer as they travel, and try not to take life too seriously. They have engineered their lives to travel frequently and live pretty much anywhere they choose.

Amanda Aitken conducts business a little bit differently than most. And that’s what I love about her. She offers clairvoyant business advice and spiritual care-taking for the soul-centric entrepreneur.

Always stay innocent and exploratory. Always let it be about the passion and resist the inclination to get into practical, logical, “successful businessperson” mode once you have your first big financial win, even if it seems like it’s what you “should” do.

Amanda Aitken addresses the emotional/spiritual side of entrepreneurship. She believes that entrepreneurs are among the few people on Earth who can lead us into a bright new future.

Amanda has created and launched programs to the tune of $100,000 and up, she’s been featured in and spoken at all kinds of cool places, and she’s even hung out with Richard Branson on his private island. But the thing she’s most proud of is the transformative inner work that she’s done with many of her clients and customers over the years – helping them to reconnect with their truth and get back to being the infinite bad asses they were born to be.

Parisjat Umscheid is not your average mom. At the age of 39, she started competing in the sport of CrossFit. Now at 44 years old, Parisjat has taken on the challenge of becoming the next American Ninja Warrior. Parisjat will explain the relationship between physical and mental toughness and how her dedication to competition has translated to entrepreneurial success.

Parisjat Umscheid does it all. She is a mom of three, a CrossFit Level 1 and 2 certified coach and Masters Athlete, and an American Ninja Warrior in training.

Parisjat is also an Amazon Best Selling Author, Speaker, and Social Media Marketer who has helped businesses adapt to the changing Social Media landscape. Utilizing the power of Live Streaming and Storytelling via Periscope and Snapchat, Parisjat believes that creative storytelling and engagement are the key to success for building a strong community and growing your brand.

When you commit to honoring your truth, and continue to take the next right step, you are living in alignment. Opportunities come your way, and your choice to trust allows you to leap and be caught. Sarah Andrews is here to talk about creating from a place of love while building the life and work that lights you up.

Sarah Andrews is striving to illuminate the world, one person at a time. She is a coach, a Reiki practitioner, and a connector. She is a great listener, an avid learner, and a beacon of positivity. Sarah loves exploring the realms of spirituality, emotions, relationships, creativity, entrepreneurship, and so much more. She knows that each lesson she learns is meant to serve others as well.

Sarah has made it her purpose to provide the space for you to connect with your soul, to create the life and work that lights you up. She believes that we each have a unique and fulfilling role to play in building a more peaceful, productive, and joyful world.

When you walk into a room, are people naturally drawn to you? Dur­ing a business meeting, do people listen to your ideas? Kara Ronin explains how your body is actually doing more than half of the communicating and how to leverage body language as a powerful tool for building confidence and creating authority quickly.

Kara Ronin is passionate about teaching people the social skills to thrive in any business or social situation. She is a social skills expert and Founder of Executive Impressions, an educational platform that shows people how to leverage body language to read people quickly, get your message across, and feel confident.

Kara has spent over 10 years living an international life in Japan, the US and Europe and can speak several languages including Japanese and French. At one stage, Kara moved countries or cities every year for 10 years straight. Now she is living in Lyon, France where she took a leap of faith and started her own business.

Today, Kara will teach you the keys of leveraging body language to help you exude confidence and presence in any situation.