As we finish global Easter holiday celebrations of Jesus’ resurrection as Christians and Passover Seder in Jewish communities, my conversation with The Wallners turns to their experiences with Catholicism and becoming co-creators of their spiritual journey.

In

Alix’s journey, she was trapped in a boy’s body and operating in a masculine

world. As she was coming to terms with her transgender self, she went searching

for answers in her faith community. Listen for how Alix and Alan and Rosie go

from passenger to pilot to designer and co-creator of their own lives.

What do

you do when you are in a place that is unloving and unsupportive? When did Alix

realize she wasn’t in a safe place when on a religious retreat for boys? How

did Alix survive the day? How much did she tell her parents and what did they

discover during our conversation?

Deepak Chopra describes a spiritual journey using an airplane analogy. The progression he describes is going from passenger to pilot to designer. A spiritual journey goes beyond the symbolism. Deepak goes on to describe the law of nature and how our brain is a quantum machine. We have expansive brain capabilities well beyond processing of the five senses. The power of developing the mind. You can read more here.

My question for you is this. If you are as big internally as the Universe is outside of us, what practices and disciplines would you take out, and what would you add in to daily activities to develop this inner world?

We will explore exercises that build strength and agility in the mind. The Wallners’ therapist, John Patching from the United Kingdom, will be in town on May 14th to co-mentor the next WeMentor Mini LAB with me. Join us to take a deep dive into examining practices to put in place to develop your inner world and connect and communicate more deeply with those you lead. We will ground it all by developing two Mini PLANs: one for self-leadership, the other for leading and mentoring others. Sign-up here.

Mentoring Tips

After listening, do the following

meditation exercises:

* Try 3-minutes of meditation each day this week. It affects circulation (blood) and your electromagnetic field according to the Kundalini Research Institute.* If you already have a daily meditation of 11-minutes, you are making changes to your glandular system and nerves. If you want to balance and coordinate your mind, try meditating 22-minutes each day.* To affect changes in the brain’s gray matter and integrate your subconscious, meditate 62-minutes per day.* Meditation apps: The Best in 2018* Mindfulness Apps for Kids: Psychology Today

Mentoring Help

* Sign-up here for our WeMentor Mini LAB on May 14th! This is an opportunity for you to learn what it takes to lead yourself and deepen your relationships with those you work with every day! Everyone in your life with benefit from you developing two Mini PLANS; one for self-leadership...

The journey with The Wallners brings us to a fun and informative conversation about some of the 52 to 71 gender terms; depending on where you gather research. This conversation isn’t about being ‘right.’ It is about being accurate.

Accuracy can lead to mutual understanding. You can even have an accurate disagreement about some of the terminology or whether you believe there are five genders.

Being

accurate about which Pronoun(s) to use, He/She/They, is important. In the

workplace, what are the guidelines? When is it considered ‘polite’ to ask what

pronoun someone uses? What do you do when you mess up?

If you are suffering from transphobia, biphobia, or homophobia, listen in, no one will know. This conversation will help you understand yourself better. Because if you have a phobia, it is best for you to take charge of it and not let the ‘phobia’ continue to lead you and keep you from knowing yourself. You can take charge by learning more about what you fear. The terms and definitions we talk about are listed in the Mentoring Conversation Resources below.

I begin our conversation with how The Wallners Journey to Acceptance is a Hero’s Journey. Alix is the hero who accepted the call to understand an inner concept of herself and her family, along with friends, became her allies. Alan, Rosie, and Alix also give updates since our last conversation.

Alan

and Rosie found the following statistics to help us understand why these

conversations are so important and why they are expanding their work in this

area:

* According to an estimate by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law in 2015, one in every 137 American teenagers under the age of 18 identifies as transgender.* 40% of individuals who are transgender commit suicide.​* 40% of youth experiencing homelessness identify as LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender).

Mentoring Tips

After listening, do the following:

* To learn more go to www.pflag.org* Review the resources below. If you

are not transgender, maybe you would like to become an Ally. One way to become

an ally is familiarize yourself with this community.

Mentoring Help

* Join me as I facilitate our next WeMentor Mini LAB on May 14th! This is an opportunity for you to learn what it takes to lead yourself and deepen your relationships with those you work with every day! Join Us! Everyone in your life with benefit.* Join a WeMentor Entrepreneurial Leadership and Mentoring LAB! Reinvent who you are while you redesign your business.* Subscribe to this podcast.

Mentoring

Conversation Resources

* Podcast Episodes 1 & 2* 1* 2* 3* 4

* National Geogrpahic Video: Celebrating Five Genders in the Indonesian Culture* Report on Indonesian Transgender Culture...

This is the first time this very private family has taken their journey public in such detail. Now that, is courage!!! Hear Rosie describe her journey to acceptance. Her main message is for you to love others for who they are and respect the journey people are on. We discuss how she arrived at that thinking.

You

will hear when they were at their most vulnerable time as a family and what

came out of their experience with their business. What happened at a business

conference? How did Alan and Rosie’s team respond to the news of Alix’s

transition?

We

discuss how they managed to grow through the imperfect experience of shifting their

mindset from raising two girls and a boy to raising three girls. Where did

Rosie get support?

Alix

was brilliant and patient in helping her parents accept her transgender self.

Hear the idea that helped her parents refer to her with the accurate feminine pronoun

of ‘she.’

Things

come up that they didn’t know. We discuss who knew what, when, and what

circumstances created breakthrough moments as Alix changed how she dressed and

began living as a female fulltime. You will find out what Rosie did to secure

Alix’s safety at a school dance and Alan’s surprise response.

What

was the significance of black and blue nail polish, and then hair color

changes? And why would Alix need to catch-up?

You

will learn what stays the same and what changes in how they connect and what

activities they do with Rosie and with Alan. Is Alix still shoveling the

driveway?  They describe what they miss,

the activities they no longer do together, and how they reconfigured their

bonds. How did they process some of the grief that surfaced (shock, denial,

bargaining, limitations in thinking, shame, depression, detachment, big

feelings, to acceptance and understanding). They each speak to that and address

being mindful of one another and compassionate to themselves. Through this

enlightening journey, where have they arrived?

Mentoring Tips

After listening, answer the following

questions:

* What was the most challenging part

of Rosie’s journey?* What can you do this week to accept

another person’s journey?* The Wallners didn’t choose their

journey. They were called to this adventure. They did what was needed to accept

the life changing call. What journey are you on? Maybe your career path and

business is different than you had hoped? How can you accept the call to a more

lifegiving adventure?* What would it take for you to love

the path you are on and love your lifework? Try this exercise. Write an I CAN

IMAGINE List.* I can imagine… easily generating enough income to

hire two other exceptional people motivated to realizing goals with WeMentor’s

Community of leaders.* I can imagine… working with an extraordinary website

designer, marketer, and social media content person to build a stronger brand and

reach 1M leaders motivating them to transform their lives and business(es)

through meaningful conversations and embracing their intrinsic leadership and

mentoring value.* I can imagine… our house remodeled the way in which

Matthew, Olivia, and I envision it.

Mentoring Help

* Join me for our next WeMentor Mini LAB on May 14th! This is an opportunity for you to learn what it takes to ...

Alan describes how Alix was the gift that led him to accept himself and, as an extension, accept Alix, his transgender daughter. The thick wall built up around his heart finally collapsed. Rosie, Alix, and Alan laugh about their approach and how each one of them tried to control the identity crisis that ensued Alix’s disclosures a few months before graduation. Who knew the making of Alix’s graduation video would lead to such an astonishing life transformation.

Chaos

and rigidity in our thinking can stunt our ability to integrate new learnings. You

will get a clear picture of how the Wallners worked their way through chaos to

gain control and take charge of the direction of their family. The messy

process. How frightening to have your daughter tell you she is contemplating

suicide as body dysmorphia set into Alix’s psyche. Hear what Alan and Rosie did

to get to Alix, who was four hours away at college. What kind of resources were

a best fit for their family? How did they all participate in the process to integrate

what they learned and reach acceptance?

They can all laugh about it now, but Alan’s journey to acceptance was fraught with lures to build a thicker wall around his heart and induce his mind into rigid compartmentalizing. Instead, he discovered a path to integration that freed his encapsulated mind and opened his heart to discover his authentic self and unconditional love for his daughter, Alix. His whole life changed and became richer. His love for Rosie and their other two children, Lizzie and Erin, also deepened. They became more connected with each other. They learned over a three-year period how to communicate in their safe place at home.

As a

result of this transformation Alan and Rosie reinvented W Creative Branding based

on everything they have been learning. They now focus on building business

brands from the heart. People are rallying around them. Alan’s biggest take

away is be yourself and be authentic! Their new tagline is… Be REMARKABLE!

Listen in for how Alan describes his journey to acceptance.

Mentoring Tips

Listen for the answers to the following

questions:

* What was the most challenging part

of Alan’s journey?* What were the decisions Alan made to

choose to grow closer as a family?* How can you apply some of what you

learned from The Wallners to your own life?* What can you do this week to Be

REMARKABLE?

Mentoring Help

* Our next WeMentor Mini LAB is May 14th, this is an opportunity for you to learn what it takes to lead yourself and deepen your relationships with those you work with every day! Join Us!* Join a WeMentor Entrepreneurial Leadership and Mentoring LAB! Reinvent who you are while you redesign your business.* Subscribe to this podcast.

Mentoring

Conversation Resources

* John Patching* Relate Minnesota* The Wallners Journey to Acceptance Podcast Episodes 1 & 2* 1 of 8* 2 of 8

Meet The Wallners

Both Alan and Rosie are self-employed and over the years the business has b...

Today you will hear how Alix Wallner (Rosie and Alan’s middle child, now an adult) builds a foundation underneath courage as she prepares to tell her parents who she is. Grounded confidence is built through micro tests of vulnerability.

In Alix’s case, she explores big questions. Am I gay or transgender? Who can I trust with my secret? Who will be my ally to help navigate a path through this individual and family transformation? What are the pitfalls if this doesn’t go well with my parents and I am not accepted as who I am? How will I survive? How are my parents going to feel?

Alix’s journey is relatable. Becoming your true self

and living your authentic life is what we all desire. It takes curiosity to find

out who we are and what we are made of. Alix accepts the call of transformation

and begins by leading herself, and then invites others to join her on an

adventure into the unknown. A huge, scary leap of faith is required.

To lead a business, we are called to take many leaps

of faith to grow into the leader we envision ourselves to be. Fear is always a

companion until grounded confidence replaces it. Each leap encourages laying

down our shields or releasing our masks and moving into vulnerability. Alix’s

coming out and how Alan and Rosie walked with her, reluctantly at first, is an

example of how grounded confidence through vulnerability creates the framework

for a deeply connected family and can lead to a deeply connected and courageous

work environment. It can’t happen if you never accept the call to adventure.

Mentoring Tips

Listen for the answers to the following

questions:

* How do you relate to The Wallner

Family and Alix’s journey of coming out to herself and to her parents?* What hints did Alix leave to her

parents and two sisters? * What vocabulary did Rosie and Alan

need to learn?* Rosie and Alan handled the news

differently and were told at different times, what did they do with the news of

Alix expressing her true identity, a transgender woman?* How did they keep W Creative Branding

going?* Underneath our conversation, what do

you hear is in Alix’s, Rosie’s, and Alan’s heart?

Mentoring Help

* Check out our next WeMentor Mini LAB on May 14th!* Join a WeMentor Entrepreneurial Leadership and Mentoring LAB! Take a leap forward in your business and in your life! * Subscribe to this podcast.

Mentoring

Conversation Resources

* Transgender Resources

Meet The Wallners

Both Alan and Rosie are self-employed and over the years the business has been a big part of their family culture, and it’s not uncommon for the entire family to be involved with helping out on a project.

Alan

and Rosie met in high school and dated through college. After college they

married and together, they have three children: Lizzie (27), Alix (22), and

Erin (13) — plus two dogs, Rance and Leo.

Just as

their middle child, Alix, was wrapping up her senior year in high school, she

came out as transgender.

As leaders, we never know what will be put in our path that provokes self-growth and a need to learn new leadership skills. The need that nudges us to shift our perspective. This series will give you insight into handling the nuances entangled in a life-changing experience. The messy humanness of it all!

Both Alan and Rosie Wallner are longtime friends of mine. We met when Alan joined a peer mentoring group in the 1990s (W Creative) and was a client for several years. Rosie has edited several of my WeMentor Entrepreneurial Leadership and Mentoring Guidebooks.

They founded W Creative Branding in 2005. Over the years, the business has been a big part of their family culture. It’s not uncommon for the entire family to be involved with helping out on a project.

Alan and Rosie met in high school and dated through college. After college they married and together, they have three children: Lizzie (27) on the right, Alix (22) in the back, and Erin (13) between her parents — plus two dogs, Rance and Leo.

Just as

their middle child, Alix, was wrapping up her senior year in high school, she

came out as transgender. This is the first of eight conversations of how their

family changed with this news and set out on a journey of self-discovery. They

revolutionized their lives and their business. Each conversation will build on

the other so by the end, you will understand how Alix’s announcement was a

transformation that brought this family closer. Rosie, Alan, and Alix participate

in all eight conversations.

Mentoring Tips

After listening to our conversation:

* Email me your feedback and questions, [email protected].* What do you think about how Alan and Rosie approached the transgender news from Alix?* Think about your own life. If someone in your family announced they were transgender, how would this set of news have affected you? As a parent how would you have handled yourself and led your family through this transformative process?* What was Rosie’s biggest concern?

Mentoring Help

* Join a WeMentor Entrepreneurial Leadership and Mentoring LAB! Take a leap forward in your business and in your life! * Subscribe to this podcast.

Mentoring

Conversation Resources

* Center for Disease Control * GLAAD Resources * Transgender Children and Youth Basics* Lambert House * Summary of the One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey

Meet The Wallners

Rosie Wallner.Rosie grew up in the Chicago area but has made Minnesota her home. As a college student, she met many different types of people and began her journey to be accepting and open-minded to all she meets. As she got older, she embraced a more spiritual lifestyle and has grown in her understanding of life, the Universe, and everything. Rosie works at W Creative and heads up the Copy Management Services; she spends her days doing what she loves, proofreading and editing copy for her clients.

JoAnne Funch, an expert on LinkedIn and today’s podcast guest, says LinkedIn is much more than a job seekers’ marketplace and a recruiters’ paradise. It is now being used as a professional tool to manage your brand and reputation. Find out how in our conversation. You will also learn how best to use LinkedIn. We use my profile as an example. DOWNLOAD

LinkedIn has changed

since its launch in 2003. In 2011 it was taken public and then acquired by

Microsoft at the end of 2016; credited as the largest acquisition in tech’s

history, $26.2B. LinkedIn, in 2017, unleashed its biggest makeover since its

inception. I remember teaching at St. Catherine University and posting my first

curriculum vitae on LinkedIn. JoAnne and I talk about how social media has

changed how we do business. She has lots of suggestions for you.

Are you being bombarded like I am with an uptick in online course offerings? How many impulsive decisions have you made? We discuss how to approach taking online classes and how you can shift with the marketplace. What is JoAnne’s perspective about thumbs up, liking posts, and automatic postings?

We discuss the strategy behind her two blogs: marketing dish and LinkedIn for Business. Find out how and why we post content. Why doesn’t the pitch and prey method work? How can you repurpose and republish content? Where? How do you change what shows up in your news feed?

I appreciate JoAnne’s wisdom and commonsense approach to online marketing strategies and LinkedIn. You will too.

Mentoring Tips

Download 7 Ways to Transform Your LinkedIn Network!

After listening to our conversation:

* Update your LinkedIn profile using JoAnne’s free guide above. * How you show up online matters. Implement JoAnne’s basic tips for beginners she mentioned. Try her 15-minutes a day approach to building an intentional LinkedIn community. * And, Build Trust Online:* Build a network of people: potential clients, mentors, referrals. * Nurture relationships: requires effort and attention, messaging them. Be thoughtful.* Don’t try to sell and close on the first interaction. That destroys the ability to build trust with those you are trying to serve.* Be Helpful. Be a “Go-Giver” before looking to get something. * Be curious to get to know people online. Reach out.* Working hard on building your reputation works!

Mentoring Help

* Join a WeMentor Entrepreneurial Leadership and Mentoring LAB! Take a leap forward in your business and in your life! * Subscribe to this podcast.*

Mentoring

Conversation Resources

* 7 Ways to Transform Your LinkedIn Network from a Database to Valuable Connections by JoAnne Funch * LinkedIn Story* LinkedIn Updates in 2017*

JoAnne Funch dishes about her entrepreneurial life that began in Minnesota. Her adventurous spirit led her to pursue opportunities in California. In 25 years there, she built two successful business partnerships. In a move back to Minnesota, she founded Marketing Dish.

As a marketing consultant, experienced social media and online marketing strategist, she carved out a fitting niche as an extension of who she is while utilizing what she has learned about business, recovering from tragedy, relationships, and marketing. What was the social media platform that helped her re-establish herself?

JoAnne’s Upbringing.

Both of her parents were entrepreneurs; her father was in construction and her

mother had a needle point retail business. Her parents instilled the importance

of family. Supportive family. She was in the middle of two siblings: one older

brother, one younger. Her brothers are also entrepreneurs. Life skills were

important. Her parents provided a stable, close family life. They ate evening meals

together. She felt cared for and was treated well. We discuss financial

stability in a home of entrepreneurs.

What is an effective

marketing campaign? One that combines the right ingredients. The recipe is

individually tailored to each client; JoAnne’s philosophy and approach. Find

out JoAnne’s answer to these three questions: What does every entrepreneur

think when looking at an opportunity? What has happened in digital marketing? How

does one manage their professional online brand?

Mentoring Tips

After listening to our conversation:

* Read two of JoAnne’s blog articles.

The links are in the Mentoring Conversation Resources below: 6 Ways to Use

Video in Your Marketing and Marketing Trends for 2019.* Update your digital marketing

strategies to address the 2019 marketing trends you read about.* Connect

with JoAnne Funch and get help with your marketing strategy.

Mentoring Help

* Join a WeMentor Entrepreneurial Leadership and Mentoring LAB! Take a leap forward in your business and in your life! * Subscribe to this podcast.

Mentoring

Conversation Resources

* 6 Ways to Use Video in Your Marketing* 2019 Marketing Trends for Small Business* For Richer, Not Poorer: A Money Book For Couples

JoAnne Funch is a marketing consultant, experienced social media and online marketing strategist. She has worked with hundreds of business clients helping them establish a marketing process, strategies and implementation of tactics since establishing her business in 1996.

JoAnne especially loves to teach and empower businesses to take control of their social & digital footprint by establishing their voice and implementing strategies.  She was an early adopter of LinkedIn and has been teaching others how to use it effectively to meet their professional objectives.

She has been a LinkedIn workshop trainer for the University of ...

Today we go behind the audiobook publishing scene with Marshall Davis. You will find out how he turned his part-time work into a profitable full-time venture, Davis Sound, LLC.

If you are considering audiobook publication this is the podcast conversation for you. There are lots of tips and questions to ask yourself as you consider your options.   DOWNLOAD

Mentors played

a role in helping Marshall learn the technical aspects of music recording,

editing and sound production, choosing the right equipment, making connections

with authors, voice actors, and an introduction into the world of Audible.

LinkedIn played a critical role too. He was 

able to expand his network, book public speaking gigs, and connect with

important resources.

Take in the breadth of Marshall’s background and get inspired when he talks about how his studio idea came to fruition. Notice how many skills he acquired along his methodical journey to carve out an important niche he can grow old with.

Questions for Authors Considering Audiobook

Publication

* Do you

want to do an audiobook? Be committed to marketing the book.* Who do

you want to narrate it? * Do you

want to distribute through Audible or have other distributors?* Learn

about two types of contracts: Exclusive and Non-Exclusive. You will hear the

pros and cons to each contract. * Do you

want to Pay-Per-Performance (work for hire) or do you want to set-up Royalty

publishing agreements? How will everyone get paid?* Who gets the

audiobook rights?* When the

project is done, what will you do? Benefits of working with Marshall.

Mentoring Tips

After listening to our conversation complete the following:

* What

projects have you not gotten to?  How

about moving them up the priority list? * How can

you connect your talents, passion, and interests in a more deliberate way? Is

there a way to make money from connecting those three areas? Take three steps

this week to  advance your lifework.* If you

are considering an Audiobook publication, connect with Marshall.

Mentoring Help

* Join a WeMentor Entrepreneurial Leadership and Mentoring LAB! You will move more quickly and deliberately with your venture.

* Subscribe to this podcast. You will be the first to get inside information of what is happening at WeMentor, inc. and get special mentoring options!

Mentoring

Conversation Resources

* Sample Davis Sound Audiobook Recording * Sample Davis Sound Music* Sample Davis Sound Voice-Over* Wise Ink Creative Publishing

About Marshall Davis. Marshall’s music experience began at age 6 doing solo flute performances for school classes. By age 14, he picked up drums and guitar. At age 17, Marshall was playing professionally on drums and bass in the Portland, Oregon area. Music styles he performed included rock, jazz, blues, country, and theater orchestras.

I met today’s podcast guest, Marshall Davis of Davis Sound, last year to learn more about the audiobook industry. I have interviewed a lot of authors and was curious to understand why none of them had audiobooks. DOWNLOAD

Here is what I learned…

Like

music, quality audiobooks and podcasts emotionally engage listeners in a way

that causes a physiological reaction. A well narrated audiobook can ignite the

limbic system where sadness can move us to tears, or a suspense thriller can

bring terror into our psyche and move us to fear where we want the character to

fight, flee, or freeze.

Marshall Davis prepares audiobooks for digital publication. The digital publishing industry is trending upwards; 22% to 30% annual growth. In 2016, the U.S. audiobook industry became the fastest growing format in the book trade, according to an article in The Wall Street Journal.

About 15

audiobooks are consumed per listener each year with 74% of that population reading

fiction: mysteries/thrillers/suspense, science fiction, and romance. In 2017,

over 46,000 titles were produced on audio generating over $2.5B in sales

revenue. It is time for the nonfiction genre to catch-up. Audiobooks are a

great way for us to assert self-leadership and keep pace on industry trends

that affect how we lead.

Digital download formats have given us the chance to listen to audiobooks anytime. Smart phones and other Smart devices have given us the ability to play digital content wherever we are: in the car, relaxing, doing household chores, doing mundane office tasks, waiting in lines.

In today’s conversation…

Marshall

outlines the pros and cons of producing an audiobook and how he works with

authors in 16 different states and with collaborators all over the country. You

will learn the difference between working with a producer and working with an

audio engineer. Marshall is producing his 96th audiobook and has a

wide range of insights. He sees each project through the lens of a writer, a

listener, an engineer, and a producer. The lens that he views each project

through is what makes him unique.

What does music, physics, and computer science have in common? You will hear Marshall’s engaging description of how he integrated his interests, passion, and talents under the umbrella of Davis Sound. During his early 20s he had an ‘aha’ moment when he asked himself an important question which changed the trajectory of his life. He was born in Arizona, grew up in Portland, Oregon as a musician, and eventually started a new life with his two sons in Minnesota. Lucky for those of us from Minnesota!

We begin and end our conversation with some tips for authors. I invite you, at the end, to join our March 5, 2019, WeMentor Mini LAB:  Designing Your Office, Home, and Life with Vision Boards.

Mentoring Tips

After listening to our conversation:

* Go to Marshall’s website and view his work. * Decide what audiobook you next want to download, download it, and start listening. Plan out a schedule to make time for listening each day.* Author Tips* Define how you can use audiobooks to enhance your bottom line. How will you market your audiobook if costs are in the thousands? Connect with Marshall.* Serious authors (publishing more than one book) build up sales to increase net profits and off-set the production time which could be up to two years.