From Embers To Excellence™

Sara grew up in Cambodia where she endured 4 years of captivity and survived the Mass Genocide that claimed two Million lives.  It was in 1975, that the Khmer Rouge, a communist group, took over Cambodia’s capital city of Phnom Penh, ending civil war in the country. But within hours a reign of terror began causing unbelievable human suffering. Millions of people were taken from their homes, t...

Jim Rafferty is the author of “Leader by Accident: Lessons in Leadership, Loss and Life,” 2021. Leader by Accident recounts the tragedy that thrust Jim into a demanding volunteer role, and how that experience fueled a subsequent journey into entrepreneurship. Jim is a marketing and communications consultant and Principal of JMRketing, LLC, in Baltimore, Maryland. A former radio announcer and progr...

Dr. Kristen Donnelly is an empathy educator, TEDx speaker, writer, and business owner who believes that curiosity can change the world. After all, it's the only thing that ever has. She and Dr. Erin Hinson form The Good Doctors of Abbey Research, who exist to help individuals and organizations as they cultivate inclusivity and engage empathetically with those around them. She has spoken internatio...

Dr. Travis is the founder of TrustED, a framework for business, organization, and school improvement focused on developing trusted leaders. In addition, he is an Executive Consultant with the Global School Consulting Group, an Adjunct Professor for the International Graduate Program of Educators for the State University of New York College at Buffalo, and an experienced teacher and school administ...

Dr. Chromey is a best-selling author, international speaker, cultural historian, professor, and pastor. His mission is to help people interpret history, navigate culture and explore faith to create trusted and transformative change. He’s authored over a dozen books, including his most recent work titled “GenTech: An American Story of Technology, Change and Who We Really Are” (2020). http://www.ric...

Lee Atherton, an international best-selling author and speaker, is a first responder chaplain and an end-of-life, grief, and resilience coach with over 15 years of experience. Her passions are to help people “live their dying” by discovering the beauty in the process and the gifts to be found and to journey with people through the white waters of grief, navigating the chaos until they reach the tr...

Ron has twenty-eight years of training and development experience. His background is broad based, having worked for some major organizations such as Toshiba, The Chubb Corporation and Organon Pharmaceuticals. Ron started his own consulting firm in 2006 and has worked in many industries including medical and assisted living facilities, manufacturing, high tech, retail, pharmaceuticals and banking....

Elena Perella’s clients are high achievers who want to become free to choose how to feel, what to think, and how to behave so that they can evolve into New Human Beings: free from family’s and societal toxic conditionings; free to thrive in all aspects of life. Her authority in this field is based on extensive independent research and on her personal experience of transformation. Having coached he...

Lynnda is a Consciousness Doula and author of multi-award winning, Amazon Bestseller in Inspirational Fiction, Trusting the Currents. Lynnda has always been deeply committed to elevating human consciousness. This life purpose has guided her as an accomplished New York advertising executive, as a thought leader in conscious business and communications practices, and as the world’s first Chief Consc...

Robert is a social entrepreneur who lives in the trenches of life. Executive Director of a nonprofit, Point Care Center, business owner, dad of 4 with 2 adopted teens. Traveled in 20 countries. Summited an 18,000ft volcano. Author of 2 books. TEDx speaker. And Funko Pop collector. Robert defines “Hope” and we discuss how it is measured and grown. Our conversation connects the different aspects of...

Torrin began his entrepreneurial career back in 1989, cutting his teeth in the retail space. The first venture at the age of 24 was in the video rentals business. Within a few short years he was part-owner in 3 locations. We all know that didn’t last. He then built a career in real estate, establishing his own agency in 2007 that focused on commercial real estate sales, leasing and property develo...

LaQuita is a serial entrepreneur, international speaker, and minister who believes the foundation of personal development and business growth rests in possessing the right mindset. She is a sought-out keynote speaker in the United States and abroad and a Transformational coach. LaQuita challenges others to transform their thinking to revolutionize their spheres of influence. Leaders and entreprene...

Retired Master Sergeant Roger Sparks, Author of “Warrior’s Creed,” served within the military for over 25 years. He served in the Special Forces of 2 different branches of our military. Marine Corps Force Recon and the Air Force’s Pararescue. Roger is a recipient of the Silver Star, one of our nation's highest awards for valor, for his actions during a fierce firefight with insurgents in Afghanist...

Glenn Parker is an internationally recognized workshop facilitator, organizational consultant, and conference speaker in the area of teamwork, collaboration, and team meetings. He is the author of sixteen books, including the bestsellers Cross Functional Teams: Working with Allies, Enemies and other Strangers, and Team Players and Teamwork: New Strategies for Developing Successful Collaboration. G...

Elena Pastore is a leadership and career coach. She works with clients on leadership development, skill building, and resume writing. Elena enables clients to achieve their greatest professional leadership impact by capitalizing on accomplishments, honing strengths, and developing exceptional team cultures. She is a double gator having earned both Bachelor and master’s degrees in business from the...

Originally from Chicago, Paul has now been a professional speaker for over 25 years (giving almost 300 presentations in the past 4 years), and he is one of the leading authorities in leadership and personal growth—especially time management—helping people take back their calendars and restore sanity to their lives. He has spoken for organizations like McDonalds, Subway, Lamb Weston, Northwest Publ...

Andrea Westrum is a Certified Life Coach providing Firefighter Support, Women's Empowerment, and Domestic Violence Support. Previously, she served as a Volunteer EMT & Emergency Response Coordinator. Andrea is a 30-year Firefighter Advocate and works with her Firefighter Support Dog Tiberius. Andrea and I discuss the life events that influenced her current path. She shares some of her personal...

Donna Peters is the author of the #1 international bestseller, “Options Are Power: Career Strategies for High Performers Who Want a Life.” She is the host of The Me-Suite podcast, which was the 2021 finalist for both Best Business Podcast and People's Choice Award. Donna is a certified Executive Coach, speaker and leadership faculty with 20+ years advising senior executives and next generation lea...

Rodolfo "Rudy" Reyes is an American conservationist, martial arts instructor, actor, and former active-duty United States Marine. We discuss his life growing up, his family, and his path as a warrior and philosopher. He tells me about serving in wartime as a special operations Recon Marine and scout sniper; how he ended up as an actor; his struggle with PTSD and how he has worked to overcome it. T...

Joshua Shea is a coach, author and speaker sharing his story and educating about pornography addiction. Pornography-free since March 2014, he believes that if we can begin to talk more about porn addiction and mental health, others may be able to address their addictions before they devolve to the unhealthy levels that he reached. Joshua also addresses the issues that come with being a partner of...

Lafontant Dorival has 14 years of service as a firefighter with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and has spent the majority of his career in Miami Dade’s 5th Battalion at Firehouse 7. Currently on Charlie tour serving as dedicated nozzleman. He was recruited to join MDFR’s Recruit Training Program as an Instructor, where he has made significant impacts to its program and recruits with his passion and instru...

Karen is the host of the podcast “Saving You a Seat” and Author of “The Connected Leader: 7 Strategies to Empower Your True Self and Inspire Others.” She is also a psychotherapist turned leadership consultant with a Masters of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary. Karen blends psychology and spirituality with leadership in order to transform the lives of countless Fortune 1000 leaders at w...

Jerry is a conflict resolution coach for Asian-American leaders. He started coaching in 2017 to help other Asian-American professionals deal with the challenges they encounter at work, with their families, and within themselves. Prior to starting his coaching business, Jerry worked as a pharmacist and began facilitating leadership workshops in 2012. Today, Jerry offers a range of coaching services...

Mark is the author of “The Career Toolkit, Essential Skills for Success That No One Taught You.” Educated at MIT, Mark has spent his career launching and fixing new ventures at startups, Fortune 500s, and academia. He’s developed new software languages, online marketplaces, new authentication systems, and tracked criminals and terrorists on the dark web. Mark helped create the Undergraduate Practi...

Raamon Newman is Co-founder & CEO of New Mavericks, a global leadership development consultancy based in Los Angeles, Melbourne, and Sydney. He has worked with over 50 top CEOs and executives of billion dollar-revenue companies for more than 20 years, providing them with techniques to achieve high leadership capacity, averting problems and seizing growth opportunities. Raamon is also co-author...