Embark

One of the most entertaining writers I've read -- Randy Susan Meyers matches that level of fun in our conversation. We talk about writing what you know truthfully, and why villains are so much fun -- but only in fiction. In real life, not so much.  If you're looking for great summer reads, she has quite a few. You can find them here . Later in the episode, I share what I'm reading t...

It's now been over two week's since the mass school shootings at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. Nineteen children, two teachers are dead. More people were injured and the response from many of our leaders? Crickets. Questions avoided. Narratives changed, edited and from this vantage point, fictionalized.  Worse, when voices are raised to enact common sense gun control reform, they...

As a parent, it’s difficult to stop thinking about the recent school shootings in Uvalde. Despite stall tactics on gun reform, here we are ten years after Sandy Hook, and additional mass shootings too numerous to mention, and we're in the same place of inaction.  They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. If politicians don&apos...

According to Salesforce, 79% of buyers in the sales process want professionals who perform as trusted advisors. Yet it takes time to build trust. My guest Dr. Nancy Zare talks about how to do just that, sell without being sell-y and the ‘Platinum Rule’. She also outlines the four buying and selling styles.  Once you figure out yours,  you can build rapport quickly and authentically, become a trust...

Resiliency.  It gives people the strength needed to process and overcome hardship .  When we lack resilience we get easily overwhelmed, and may turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms. Resilient people tap into their strengths and support systems to overcome challenges and work through problems. Today, Lisa Hurt, the 'Resilience Maverick' tells her own story of moving forward in the face of...

Barbara Roche, or 'Coach Roche' develops leaders, inspires confidence and gets people talking. She also adds a booty-shaking dance routine or fun movement break into almost every program she develops. Join us for this smart and savvy conversation about how to see yourself better so you can raise yourself up and forward. About Barbara Roche Her mission is to help more women advance to the...

What does it mean to have a life well-lived? That's the title of Sky Bergman's documentary, and the theme of today's episode. We discuss resilience,  having a sense of purpose, curiosity and  intergenerational mixing.  At the center of Sky's film are 40 people from ages 75 to over 100, their histories, heartbreaks and personal victories.  Their determination to live generously...

Kavita Ahuja is an Entrepreneur and Founder of Power Purpose Play , a Global Platform dedicated to advancing the personal growth and inner power of women in midlife. She is the Host and Visionary behind the successful Podcast, “ The Midlife Reinvention ”, a course content creator, an accomplished writer, and a Personal Transformation and Transition Coach. At the age of 52, Kavita, who also holds a...

This week, I rant - I mean discuss - our penchant to indiscriminately share too much information,  online and often in real life.  Not that there's anything wrong with it! We  may have become a little too confessional for own good, and sometimes, as one friend pointed out to me. "Did you ever think of something and not say it?" Of course, there is more self-restraint on platforms li...

Thanks for listening to Embark. This week,  author Juliette Fay and I discuss her latest novel Catch Us When We Fall (see synopsis below).  Within the discussion of the book is our conversation about addiction, which has become epidemic, recovery, community, family and baseball. Writers always tell great stories. Stick around for this one. About Juliette: Juliette Fay is the bestselling author of...

'O, how wonderful is the human voice! It is indeed the organ of the soul! - H.W. Longfellow This week, I  break from Embark's interview format to ruminate on the qualities of the voice.  What do we sound like?  What do our voices say about us? Does it matter? How much of our character, personality or background does our voice reveal? Do we hide behind our voice to conceal things we'...

Who is writing all of those fabulous business books? Often, it's the work of a ghostwriter. Savvy business people - and many fiction writers - long ideas but short on time, enlist the skills,  versatility  and stealth of a ghostwriter to translate their vision and experience into compelling prose. Today's guest,  ghostwriter Emily Crookston,  possesses the shape-shifting ability to captu...

How do we live our lives when the heartbreakingly unthinkable happens - the loss of a young husband and father? If you are Zhu Shen and her son Perry, you 'take your broken heart and make it into art.' as the late Carrie Fisher counseled. Today on Embark, we talk about life, loss, the nature of art as both healing mechanism and lasting tribute to our loved ones who have left us.   You ca...

Think you have what it takes to be a podcast host?  Pod 617's David Yas is here to share his quick wit and sharp insights about venturing out into Pod World. We talk about our shared love of music, his storied career  as a podcast producer, creator and host as well as where he thinks opportunities are. Spoiler alert: there is still a lot of subjects and markets to tap. About David David L. Ya...

Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work . — Gustave Flaubert Author Randy Susan Meyers lives by these words. And she has lived many lives,  from her time as a bartender to her involvement as a social activist and work with victims of domestic violence. Randy Susan is certain her novels are imbued with all the above, as well as her 'journey fro...

Do you have a burning desire to write a book?  Are there ways you want your ideal clients to know a little bit more about you and what you know? If you want to lead better through what you do, we have an episode for you.  And if you aspire to lead and market by writing a book, an affective way to do that is through Author Servantship. Not acquainted. Well, get close and listen up to this conversat...

Have you ever meet someone  and just knew you were going to become fast friends? I met book and business coach Yvonne DiVita last year, and we instantly connected. Over writing, over ideas, over humor, over everything and nothing.  And of course, we have a passion for podcasting. Hers is called Nurturing Big Ideas: Smart Conversations . Yvonne is a natural-born nurturer, and she puts that skill to...

We claim to embrace the direct approach in communicating who we are, but we hide behind facades. And often a bit of buzzwords and jargon. How do you tell it like it is in your branding, let people know exactly what you do, and still make your message feel fresh, unique and new? We asked Beth Knaus to share her experience helping people write their business stories on Embark . Beth Knaus is a creat...

To speak with Shelli Brunswick is to meet a true believer.  A believer in human goodness, human potential and human capital. She enthuses about the opportunities space exploration provides and how those advances and developments  to benefit us here on earth. More importantly, Shelli advocates for opportunity and  the inclusion of all kinds of people in the space industry, regardless of gender, col...

" We create these stories in our minds...We operate on these stories and one of the common stories is,  'Oh gosh, what if they don't like me?' But that's usually not true. So I'm always working with people on ' What's the story in your head?  And can you ask yourself, 'Is that story really true?' And when we can do that,  that will often help us sa...

"I think [humor] is the highest gift as humans..is being able to laugh and make other people laugh...and let people experience joy, because we don't do joy very well." Arielle Nobile returns for part two of the conversation, filled with her trademark optimism and 'everybody-in-the-pool' sensibility.  Arielle's entire life has been in service to telling and sharing sto...

"If you exist, you belong."  Filmmaker Arielle Nobile ponders and explores the question of belonging, and has settled on this answer. Still, we continue to ask, 'Where do I belong?' 'Do I belong?' and 'How do we all belong, despite our differences?" We hope today's episode assures and inspires you that in our human family,   despite our missteps, all ar...

It’s a season of giving, so what better way to wrap up this season of Embark on Your Third Act , then to discuss the gifts we give, and those we receive.   We’re not talking sweaters and socks here. Rebecca , Diana and I address those things money can’t buy: Our attention, kindness, our love. Maybe we put judgment aside and become a little more magnanimous in how we treat each other.  Thing is, we...

There are some people you just want to hang around. Tai Irwin is one of them. Funny, thoughtful, curious and always respectful, he has been a fixture in Boston radio, and the voice over community. He keeps a hand in broadcasting with a musical retrospective program on WUMB-FM , while he  is a full-time Job Placement specialist at Boston's Pine Street Inn homeless shelter. Check out the shelte...

It's hard to find a more enthusiastic, kindhearted and thoughtful person than my guest, Danny Breegi. Intelligent, bold and full of life, Danny brings positivity wherever he goes. Proud of his Boston-based upbringing, he shares the immigrant story, as his family left war-torn Iraq in the 1990's. In fact, Danny was born during the Gulf War on a night he nearly did not survive. He arrived...