Be Significant

Michelle Calcagni was the Head of Communications for Honeywell Aerospace and US Foods for the better part of 15 years before putting on her consulting hat and founding the PhoneBox Group where she works with global firms helping them engage a larger audience while driving business results. As amazing of an international career she has had, we simply found her joyfully inspiring and motivating. She...

Amanda Rogers is the Director of the Caritas Clemency Clinic at Villanova University in the Charles Widger School of Law. As a veteran public defender, Amanda has become a sought after professor after graduating from the University of California Berkeley Law School. She has been teaching and guest lecturing at some of the top law schools in the country including Villanova, Georgetown, and Harvard....

This week on Be Significant, we have a very special guest: Craig Robinson, the Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer for NBCUniversal. Join us as we delve into Craig's leadership in Comcast's $100 million commitment to fight against injustice and inequality. We'll explore his efforts to drive meaningful change, his passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion, and how he...

Coming up on this week's episode of Be Significant, we have a remarkable guest joining us: Caryn Bird, the founder of Win With Hypnosis clinic in Burlington, Wisconsin. Caryn is not only a leading Peak Performance Mindset Coach in the Chicago Tri-state area, but also an international hypnosis speaker and trainer. From a young age, Caryn had a passion for mental health and inspiring others to d...

We loved the idea of a Paradigm Twist that Kate McCaffrey brought to this week's podcast. The idea of looking at the status quo and saying "how can we do this differently?" is the founding principle of Kate's consulting and 30 years of leadership. Kate is the Principal and Founder at Paradigm Twist Coaching and Consulting where she provides executive coaching and organizational consulting in the a...

Happy New Year! In our first episode of the year, Matt and Beth wanted to take a look back and reflect on the great guests they had and what they both learned along the way. What an amazing ride. We hope you enjoy our favorite moments! Tune in to the Be Significant Podcast on Apple and Spotify, and hit that subscribe or follow button today to stay inspired and motivated. Don't forget to send y...

Step into a musical time machine with Matt and Beth on this week's episode of the Be Significant Podcast. Get ready to be transported back in time as they dive into their favorite songs, artists, and albums over the years. Join them as they not only discuss the songs they love, but also the emotions they evoke and the meaningful moments associated with them. But that's not all! In a previous episo...

We love movies at the Be Significant Podcast, so what a great way to wrap up the year with an episode filled with Beth and Matt's favorite movies. Yes, we are talking holiday movies, but also we shared our all-time favorites and some movies we think should be classics that most people don't know about. We had a blast breaking down our favorite films. We'd love to hear your feedback on...

Matt Rogers is not only an amazing friend and co-host on Be Significant, but he's also an amazing coach. Matt has helped guide over 4000 families through the college recruiting process by teaching student-athletes become the CEO of their journey. In this week's episode, Beth puts Matt on the hot seat! If you're interested, in learning more about Matt and how he can support you go to (h...

As a part of our Be Significant Podcast Holiday Episodes, Matt interviewed his favorite co-host, Beth Cook, and we had a lot of fun. Beth is an accomplished and results-oriented leader with an impressive career spanning over 25 years. She has garnered extensive experience working with domestic and global organizations, encompassing both private and public sectors, across diverse industries includi...

In this week's Be Significant Podcast, we had the pleasure of talking to Davin Youngs. Davin is a true musical innovator. He believes wholeheartedly in the transformational power of singing, voice and sound. (https://www.davinyoungs.com/about) Davin has dedicated his life's work to using his voice to help others step into the power of their own. He is the creator of The RESET, an immersive...

How many of us have had a nagging shoulder, back or knee pain that just never seemed to go away? Maybe you are that person that spends 8 hours per day, 5 days per week typing or using the same muscles over and over again, and you deal with the same soreness day-in and day-out with medication and an ever-growing pain tolerance. Dr. Delaine Fowler , a 20+ year career Physical Therapist and a recogni...

If we all were a little bit more like Jessica Housley , we are confident the world would be a happier and healthier place for all. Jessica's big heart and generosity led her to begin leaving bouquets of flowers all over Chicago during the Covid epidemic with a note of kindness for anyone who happened upon them. This compassionate gesture quickly became a viral sensation across the country. We...

We feel the same way about our “Be Significant” guests as parents do when someone asks if they have a favorite child.  We love them all equally and are thankful for their contribution to their respective communities and thankful for their time and conversation.  This week’s guest is no different in terms of how we feel about her, but we just can’t imagine having more fun talking to someone than th...

Do you ever feel like you're just going through the motions, and you are unsure how to step off the never-ending merry-go-round of life? In this week's podcast of Be Significant , we had the pleasure of talking to Jason Ballard, CEO of Primetime Elevation, about his passion for helping others get past their personal obstacles and rejuvenate their lives and careers. After getting the opport...

It is often the case on the Be Significant Podcast that we talk to individuals who have found their passion later in life. Join us this week as we explore the inspiring journey of Nicki Monson, a woman who discovered her love for running later in life and went on to conquer the renowned Chicago and Boston marathons. With the guidance of a personal running coach, Nicki was motivated to share her in...

The courage of Bill Schalk was evident even at the ripe age of 18. In 1962, Bill and group of 11 classmates from Coe College saw the horrific news of hate-filled segregation and racism in the South, and they decided they were not going to sit on their hands and do nothing. They hopped in cars and drove to Mississippi to spend two weeks demonstrating to the black and white community that not all wh...

Christine Hawkinson is the author of the book, 50 Year in the Bleachers:  What Modern Sports Parents Can Learn from a Title IX Pioneer . She was one of the first females to play sports at her high school in Lena, Il after the passing of Title IX. Her father, a high school basketball coach and school principal, was instrumental in teaching that girls and boys deserved equal opportunity. After sitti...

As the founder and CEO of Untapped Learning, Brandon Slade is on a mission to help students with executive function challenges such as ADHD and dyslexia achieve their academic and personal goals. He has over 10 years of experience as a special education teacher and a school psychologist, and is passionate about the power of mentoring to foster confidence, resilience, and independence in learners....

Jerry Petitgoue is “far more than a living legend in Wisconsin high school basketball,” according to the Wisconsin State Assembly when they honored Coach Petitgoue this past June with the Hometown Hero Award after 54 years coaching, teaching, and changing countless young lives for the better at Cuba City High School. After 60+ years on the bench, 1000+ Wins, and 3 State Championships, Coach retire...

At Be Significant, Beth and Matt are always looking for people who can take challenging problems and turn them into efficient solutions. We found the right man for the job in Dan Safran. Dan is the President/CEO at Unbiased Consulting. Unbiased could not be a better title for Dan's company because although he has spent the majority of the last 35 years helping law firms become more efficient,...

We love a great conversation where we learn as much as we laugh. Jennifer Pierce is one of the best to talk to about life and the pursuit of internal happiness. As a self-proclaimed recovering Type-A who led a successful corporate career in the world of investment banking for over 25 years, Jennifer walked us through her amazing journey she made from her focus on financial success to spiritual enl...

Most adults at some point in their life have to stand in front of a room and overcome the fear of public speaking. As the Senior Programs Officer at the Global Center on Cooperative Security, Franzi Praxl-Tabuchi was asked to speak in front of the world while it was broadcast on CSPAN at the United Nations. She spoke to world leaders on the cause and affect of the world-wide terrorist threats to i...

When someone mentions Rhodes Scholar, the average American might think of President Bill Clinton or a famous athlete or actor/musician like Bill Bradley or Kris Kristofferson or present Senator Cory Booker or Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg.  After this week’s Be Significant podcast, we are confident that Mr. Darryl Banks will pop quickly to mind when you think about the great Rhodes S...

Laura Leonard never envisioned herself as a future engineer growing up in Wisconsin.  Like many kids, with the innovative teaching of a great high school science teacher and the support of her parents to pursue her new interests, Laura enrolled in the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a Chemical engineering major and never looked back. As Americans, we often consider global corporations whose bus...