Make Life Less Difficult

Send us a message! Lisa shares her reflections on the year ahead along with her word of the year: Focus. In this episode, Lisa refers to the article, For better health this year, keep it simple , from the Washington Post. Please feel free to reach out if you are interested in sharing your story on the Make Life Less Difficult podcast in 2023! Email Lisa: lisa@makelifelessdifficult.com Support the...

Send us a message! Lisa shares how she finishes out the year with these three reflections: 1. What am I proud of from the past year? 2. What are my regrets? 3. Recommit to Progress not Perfection  Thanks for all the support and love during 2022! It’s been an amazing journey and we are looking forward to 2023!!! Support the show Make Life Less Difficult ~    Support: buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

Send us a message! My guest today is Cameron Smoak. Cameron is an executive coach and a respected trainer and facilitator of leadership workshops around the world for companies in multiple industries.  Cameron has degrees from Yale University, Oxford, and Harvard.  He combines experience from being a manager at McKinsey & Co with his masters in psychology to support his clients in the results...

Send us a message! My guest today is Brigi Perez.   Brigi is a Digital Business Manager.  She supports heart-centered and Highly Sensitive entrepreneurs tame the overwhelm of organizing their business processes by setting up smart databases and systems in Notion so that the entrepreneurs can focus on what they do best – working with and for their clients!   Brigi is one of the most organized peopl...

Send us a message! My guest today is Srikanth Seshadri.   Srikanth is originally from India, moved to the US for school and work, married a US diplomat, and now lives in the Washington DC area.  But I’ll let Sri tell you more about his story and journey in a minute!   Sri holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering and an MBA.  He’s a graduate of Georgetown University’s Leadership Coachin...

Send us a message! My guest today is Michael Koehler. Michael is the CEO and co-founder of Konu, a leadership development organization focused on helping businesses and leaders manage complexity and take responsibility for change, with offices in the US, Germany, and Israel.   Michael is an executive leadership coach, a former national champion in rock ‘n’ roll acrobatic dance, a first generation...

Send us a message! My guest today is Ana Cristina Lapera. Ana is a successful executive coach with over 30 years of experience working with teams, individuals, and organizations.  She helps them clarify their vision and establish a plan of action to achieve business and personal results. Ana was born in Venezuela and has spent her professional career in the United States, working initially in Info...

Send us a message! My guest today is Dr. Eric de Nijs. Eric is an executive coach with over 30 years of experience helping people and organizations achieve improved performance and capability.  His background includes experience in diverse industries such as food, consumer products, manufacturing, financial services, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, defense, military, energy, and county and federal go...

Send us a message! My guest today is Emily Cornell. I’m grateful to have Emily back for another conversation.  She first shared pieces of her journey on Episode 54 and I highly recommend listening to that if you haven’t. Emily and I connected through the network of the Foreign Service, in which we are both spouses of US Diplomats.  Our paths also overlap at coaches and business owners finding crea...

Send us a message! My guest today is Rebecca de Reht. Rebecca designs and facilitates coaching and learning solutions that adapt organisational, systemic, team and national cultures. She has more than 20 years experience, has worked in more than 55 countries; and is a mentor, accreditor and trainer of other coaches and facilitators.  Rebecca began her corporate career in IT, holding a variety of g...

Send us a message! My guest today is Baktash Ahadi. Baktash is a communications strategist, executive leadership & transformational coach, facilitator, and multidisciplinary storyteller who helps leaders, companies, and organizations solve their most complex human-centric problems. He specializes in strategic communication, leadership development, narrative storytelling, conflict resolution, a...

Send us a message! My guest today is David Achata. David is an author, coach, trainer, facilitator, and speaker. He brings over twenty years of leadership experience to organizations, team development, and training. He holds a master’s degree in Spiritual Development and is an ICF Certified Executive Coach at the PCC level. Over the years, David has worked in a wide array of capacities from high s...

Send us a message! My guest today is Rebecca Scott. Rebecca is a leadership coach who is passionate about helping people living with chronic conditions live full, purposeful, and joyous lives. She believes in the transformational power of meaningful conversation, celebrating all your victories, and feeling all your feelings. She also believes in kindness, including to oneself... which is much easi...

Send us a message! My guest today is Nicholas Jefferson. Nick is my youngest nephew and the second of my nieces and nephews to be a guest on the podcast!  Shout out to Sarah Cole, my niece, who was on Episode 40, where we had a beautiful conversation about the challenges and benefits of conflict. When I was visiting at Nick’s house a couple months ago, he and I had some interesting conversations a...

Send us a message! My guest today is Eric Skinner.  Eric began again at the age of 20 following a diving accident that left him paralyzed from the upper chest downward. Eric’s post-injury journey required him to relearn most ordinary physical activities and to hone as strengths the qualities of personality, intellect, and a renewed drive that would serve him during a new life of great challenges a...

Send us a message! My guest today is Shannon Cochran-Yzquierdo.  Shannon is coming back to the podcast for a second conversation which we committed to having during our first conversation which is on episode 13.   Shannon is the founder of Coaching Courage, a coaching firm working with leaders, teams, and organizations to reframe the way they see themselves.  Shannon is passionate about inspiring...

Send us a message! My guest today is Dr. Tom Tonkin. Tom is the co-founder and CEO of the Conservatory Group , and a self-described “recovering executive” with over 25 years of business and technology experience. He is a firm believer in the power of sincerity, and his philosophies offer a unique behavioral perspective on business, politics, relationships, and more. Tom holds an PhD in Organizatio...

Send us a message! Celebrating ONE YEAR of the Make Life Less Difficult podcast!! Thank you SO much for listening, sharing your stories, and making life less difficult for each other!  It's an honor to host this podcast and share the journey with you. With so much love, Lisa Make Life Less Difficult Support the show Make Life Less Difficult ~    Support: buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

Send us a message! My guest today is David Corfield. David believes that we all deserve an equal future, that this utopian vision is closer than we might believe, and that we are not currently on course to achieve this vision...in fact, it might be quite the opposite. David's mission is to enhance the conversation around this future vision of equality and empower leaders to make it happen.  A...

Send us a message! My guest today is Janice Caillet. For over twenty years, Janice has empowered individuals, teams and organizations to realize their fullest potential.  Janice wears several hats with her clients: coach, mentor, advisor, and consultant.  The combination of these different approaches creates a clearer and more attainable pathway for her clients to live their purpose and realize th...

Send us a message! Lisa reflects briefly on taking a break, pausing, gratitude, and appreciation. Thanks for being part of the journey!! We're back next week with more inspiring conversations! Make Life Less Difficult Support the show Make Life Less Difficult ~    Support: buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

Send us a message! My guest today is Cherise Tuttle. Cherise Tuttle is an avid adventurer who has spent the better part of her life living in the mountains. From running an adventure sports media company to finding her confidence and independence in sports like paragliding and rock climbing, she has immersed herself in the outdoors and created a lifestyle within it. Her years of experience living...

Send us a message! My guest today is Lee Self. I was introduced to Lee by Ellen Grealish of FlexProfessionals who was my guest on episode 52. After connecting with Lee, we realized we also have a mutual friend in Brenda Harrington, my guest on episode 7 (and soon to be returning to talk about her new book!). Lee is the CEO of Executive Forums in Northern Virginia.  She is an Executive Peer Group F...

Send us a message! Before jumping into my guest’s introduction, a brief note from me.  I’m in the US for summer holiday and family reunions.  There were a number of podcasts I had intended to record before leaving Sri Lanka, but due to disruptions with my internet there, they didn’t happen.   So, I packed up my microphone and am searching out quiet spaces to record a few conversations while visiti...

Send us a message! My guest today is Dr. Margareta Sjölund. Margareta is the founder and Chief Psychologist of EQ Europe and Kandidata Asia. She is an internationally recognized expert and pioneer in field of Emotional Intelligence and has worked with many organizations in the US, Europe and Asia. She is a licensed psychologist in Sweden with her PhD in psychology from the University of Illinois,...