Be the Sun, Not the Salt

Kristi VandenBosch is the President of the Oliver advertising agency in NYC. Having grown up in the advertising industry and achieving top-tier success, her advice to young professionals in the field is to never compromise your values or your voice. Through compelling examples, she illustrates how she has effectively stepped in to assist others, encouraging all of us to follow suit—if we possess t...

Corey Fried, who has taught second grade, third grade, and fifth grade, has transitioned into an educator for fellow teachers. She transformed the insights from the book "Be the Sun, Not the Salt" into daily lesson plans for her students, leading to remarkable results. This podcast is affectionately named "I Want to Be THAT Teacher." As you listen to her story, we hope it inspi...

Kim Cameron is the William Russell Kelly Professor of Management and Organizations at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. He is the godfather of the term "heliotropic leadership." His research proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that being a heliotropic person can transform our lives, and the lives of the people around us. As you listen to the studies he cites, we...

Kevin Shaughnessy is a world-class human being and remarkable leader of a 1200-person automotive dealership organization. We chose him as our first Be the Sun podcast guest because he embodies the principles of what it means to be a heliotropic leader as well as anyone we’ve met. We call this "the bagel and schmear" episode, and you'll soon understand why. When you hear Kevin's...

Duncan Campbell, a retired entrepreneur turned philanthropist, is the visionary behind the national non-profit organization, Friends of the Children. While some folks merely talk about doing things and making a difference, Duncan is a true action-taker. A doer. Duncan's work has reshaped the futures of thousands of children born into poverty. This podcast, aptly nicknamed "Just Fricken D...

Valorie Kondos Field is the retired UCLA women's gymnastics coach and  PAC 12 Coach of the Century. In this episode, she reflects on the realization that she was inadvertently hindering her players' growth instead of fostering their potential - salting their roots instead of pouring sun onto their leaves. Valorie's story serves as a powerful reminder that change is possible when we...

"Be the Sun, Not the Salt" is a podcast about Heliotropic Living, an idea based on the science of why we are drawn to some behaviors and recoiled by others. To spread the message, we did a Tedx talk, then wrote a short book, and now we’re doing a podcast. Here we’ll interview a range of famous and not so famous guests whose personal stories bring to life how they (and we) can put these s...