Live Your Best Life

From professional mixed martial artist and UFC fighter to international missionary and social activist, Justin Wren has gone from fighting people to fighting for them. He knows what it feels like to be wrong and has dedicated his life to making a positive impact, finding his calling deep in the rainforest of the Congo. Beyond his impressive MMA career, Justin is a motivational speaker, author and...

Nina Sossamon-Pogue is known as an expert on resilience and with good reason. She has enjoyed success at some of the highest levels of sports, television, news and corporate America, and at the same time, endured failures, traumas, including a devastating car accident that put her at the center of a major news story. Through it all, she developed resilience and a framework to not only help herself...

After 25 years owning his own auto repair shops, Dr. Carl Allamby went from fixing cars to fixing people, from being a master mechanic to medical doctor. His dream of becoming a doctor may have been delayed, but at the age of 52, it would not be denied. “…I knew that I wanted to reinvent myself…the first few minutes of just being in class, the instructor just telling us everything about medicine…a...

For more than 20 years, Bridgett Burrick Brown was a sought after model living in Paris, Miami and all around the world. And yet, she struggled with her own body image, yo-yo dieting, often told to lose weight, (even at a size four). Determined to redefine what beauty meant for herself, she walked away from the modeling world and started a movement to change the narrative of what it means to be be...

Stacy Peralta paved the way for extreme sports and is a pioneer in skateboarding. He went on to tour the world as the first ever professional skateboarder. As an entrepreneur, Stacy was among the first to see the earning potential of skating. And today, his passion for the sport has transitioned into being an award winning documentary filmmaker. “…Every movie, in the first act, there’s something c...

Barbara Vacarr is no stranger to reinvention. She’s been called a force of nature, an entrepreneur, and a celebrated change agent in higher education and mental health. Today, as a transformational consultant and leadership coach, she empowers people to look within, so they can call forth their highest best selves. “…I think that’s what life is about. There’s constantly new ways of being and new d...

“Bringing Down the House,” “The Accidental Billionaires,” “The Antisocial Network…” if you’ve read any of these non-fiction books, then you know who Ben Mezrich is. From being $2M in debt to becoming an international and New York Times best-selling author with more than 11 million copies sold, Ben has written more than 25 books and next chapters with critical acclaim. “…I wrote nine novels in one...

More than 20 years ago, Bradley Rapier walked away from pursuing a career in medicine and pioneered a movement in Los Angeles that rocked the dance community, and changed the landscape of hip hop on film and live TV. Today, as a world renowned choreographer, producer and speaker, he is showing people how to groove beyond the obstacles of life and embody the endless creativity, joy and power of the...

Professional snowboarder, owner of luxury resorts, passionate activist, seasoned entrepreneur, just a few of the careers Christine Sperber has had before her latest venture, part owner of what’s been called, “the world’s first midlife wisdom school.” “…we talk about the stages of a transition and how transitions begin with an ending generally, and then we move into a messy middle. And then from th...

Sterling Hawkins was living the high life, co-owning a multimillion dollar company, flying first class and working in a swanky office when it all came crashing down. He went from living in a penthouse to his parents house in his 30s and has spent his life coming back from the brink. “…I think the challenge for us is oftentimes we’re living lives that are constricted, restrained and resigned to dis...

For 15 years, Cory Almeida was one of the most highly sought after hype men in the entertainment industry. He’s opened for Maroon5, he shared the stage with Pitbull, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z…just to name a few. He’s worked the crowds for shows like The Voice, America’s Got Talent and American Idol…and he has quite a few interesting stories to tell about all of that. “… I said, ‘Look, I’m not a sta...

Combining their 50 plus years of corporate experience, Pam and David Griffin left their jobs, took a leap of faith, and became chocolatiers who now have a worldwide following with an in-store experience, as well as their very unique virtual classes for chocolate tastings! “…Because everybody was at home, there was a demand, there was a market created [for virtual chocolate tastings]…to do somethin...

Pirie Jones Grossman had huge success in the TV entertainment industry; hosting, reporting, producing, acting and modeling on major shows and networks. On the outside her life looked fabulous. But on the inside, she was hiding a traumatic, grueling childhood. Today, she has transformed her own life and as a speaker, life coach and best-selling author, she’s helping others heal their own lives. “…B...

We all know that the one thing that is constant in life is change. And whether by choice or by circumstance, change is often about new beginnings, brave choices and fresh starts. Olivia Howell and Genevieve Drezien know all about all of that and more. They are on a mission to help anyone who is embarking on a fresh start no matter the reason with everything they need to know and do. “…We wanted to...

When I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Nikki Lanier, I was struck first by her impressive resume. This highly accomplished woman served as a senior vice president with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, 18 years as a Human Resources executive and employment attorney with many accomplishments along the way. But one central theme has always been there during her professional journey: advanc...

It has been said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Gretta Monahan believes successful beauty is the confidence in knowing we look our best 24/7. She is a self-made style maven who’s built a multimillion dollar fashion and beauty empire. She is also on a mission to share her very personal breast cancer story. “…the interesting thing is there was no family history…what I can tell you though...

In full transparency, I’m not a whiskey drinker, nor am I an expert on such spirits. But John Sorgini’s story from my one-time corporate lawyer to retired Air Force Colonel to spirit entrepreneur has me intrigued. He’s created many career chapters for himself, and they are deeply rooted in his passion and commitment to integrity, and the endless search for excellence. “…You know, I thought about t...

If you were told you lack gravitas, how would you respond? When Lisa Sun got that feedback in her first review as a business consultant in a global management consulting firm, it sent her on a two decades quest to uncover what it means to have gravitas, to be truly confident and know your own value. No longer a burned out consultant, Lisa is a noted fashion entrepreneur, founder of the lifestyle b...

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Is it too late to switch careers?,” you are not alone. And whether you’re in your 30s or beyond, Suzy Welch says the answer to that question is, “It’s never too late.” Suzy is enjoying many career chapters from reporter to best-selling author to television commentator, to professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business, where she teaches a methodology on...

Christina Pardy admits she did not grow up saying she wanted to be an entrepreneur, far from it. In fact, she went into sales for a tech company. But this millennial turned her side hustle into a million dollar bonafide business. Christina Pardy is the founder of STIK (“Shit that I Knit”), an apparel company that offers sustainably sourced, beautifully hand-knit products. She now has partnerships...

It may have taken Donna Martin 30 years to make the huge decision to leave her corporate job as a chemist and follow her passion, but she did it. In her words, she went from working the dream to living the dream as the owner of the Mill River Winery. “Winemaking is a combination of wine, science, and love to make good wine…As you go through your life…your priorities kind of change and my career…th...

We’ve all heard the phrase laughter is the best medicine, and Amy Lyle would no doubt agree. She’s a former recruiter from one of the largest staffing firms in the world but chose to follow her passions, and is now an author, stand up comedian, actor, TEDx speaker and a screenwriter. “…never thought about being a stand up comic necessarily but I was, you know, popular at dinner parties…What I foun...

Meghan McFerran followed her dream to New York City and into the world of being a professional dancer. A world filled with hustle and grind of audition after audition. She finally landed her dream job, only to discover that it brought with it so many confidence and body issues that she knew she had to make a change. And she did. Today she’s an entrepreneur and dance fitness trainer with her own cl...

Monisha Patel left her job in software sales and turned her side hustle into a thriving business. The hustle? Custom charcuterie arrangements, workshops and catering. “I have had a lot of ideas that I have been too scared to attempt, too scared to start…There was always some reason not to do it. And this started so organically and so slowly and it grew into what it is today. So there were no more...

Think back to a time when you felt you were at your best, on top of the world. What if you could feel that way over and over and over again. Eric Boles says it is possible. He’s a former wide receiver in the NFL who had natural talent and ability. But between injuries and what he says were his own mental roadblocks he got dismissed and became a janitor to make ends meet. Through his experiences, h...