Gratitude Through Hard Times

The data are in – and impressive! Plant therapy is incredibly healing, a documented anxiety reducer that can even ease depression. What is it about the power of putting our hands in the soil? Host Chris Schembra’s guest on this episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times illuminates the magic ingredient: The gratitude we cultivate when we stay in the present moment, which is the core mission of Founde...

SUMMARY Is your wounded inner child still in charge of your emotional playlist? Maybe it’s time to update the soundtrack of your life! Host Chris Schembra’s amazing guest on this episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times has developed a powerful program based on an interesting trifecta of tools for growth. As Susan Drumm explains in her new book,  "The Leader's Playlist: Unleash the Power of Music a...

SUMMARY If you’ve ever struggled with the idea of meditation, try this out: How about no beads, no sitting cross-legged, no chants or ashram journeys? The transcendental practice developed by Host Chris Schembra’s guest on this episode of the Gratitude Through Hard Time podcast speaks to all of us who want to embody our deepest visions but find our busy minds get in the way. Vishen Lakhiani’s prac...

SUMMARY Curiosity. Care. Compassion. Connection. As we learn on this episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times with Host Chris Schembra, these words define Kapil Sharma’s highly successful career as a leader known for bringing out the best in his teams. As Chief Transformation Officer at Microsoft India, he has brought home tools and lessons learned over 12 years living abroad in order to pay forwar...

The stars align on this episode of the Gratitude Through Hard Times podcast when two Italian empaths get together for a conversation about mentorship, leadership and personal growth that happens to coincide with the 7:47 Club’s seven anniversary. Host Chris Schembra welcomes Matt Tedesco, VP & General Manager for  Americas East at the iconic furniture design company MillerKnoll, for a lively give-...

"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." This proverb is old but will always ring true. In this episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times, Chris welcomes David Goldstein, the Founder and Creator of Opportunities at TeamBonding, the leading creator and provider of virtual, hybrid, and in-person team building events. Listen in as Chris and David discuss the power of play, team building, creating...

Sarah Fern is Chief People Officer of Velocity Global, a global Employer of Record organization with over nine hundred employees scattered around the globe.   Fresh off the heels of a $400 million Series B, they are one of the world's leading firms as an employer of record.  Employer record organizations help with global expansion. They help with global hiring, timely and accurate payroll processi...

The Colorado Business Hall of Fame says this of the 2008 inductee: “Harry Frampton has made developing some of the world’s premier ski resort towns an art form. Combining keen business sense with a respect for culture and sport, Frampton works to provide visitors and residents of these bustling towns with a well-rounded experience.”  The founding partner of East West Partners is also a principal o...

Shannon is the Chief Executive Officer of Beacon Pointe Advisors, the largest female-led Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) firm in the country serving private clients, foundations, and retirement plans. Prior to launching Beacon Pointe, Shannon served as Senior Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at Roxbury Capital Management and oversaw the socially responsible investment (SRI) platform fo...

Teams and businesses all over the world are growing. And having a growing team means that the culture changes every time somebody new is added, hopefully for the better. New additions mean the dynamic within team change, creating either positive or negative friction. As a leader, you have to absorb these things and drive the business forward. You have to have a passion for the people and want to d...

What do astronauts, Olympic champions, and Nobel laureates do differently that allows them to achieve at such a high level? High achievers share the same four attributes: intrinsic motivation, perseverance, strong foundation, constantly learning through informal means. The key to their success is that they do all four of these things simultaneously. Ruth Gotian’s latest book, The Success Factor, o...

Planning for the end of your life is like pre-gratitude. Pre-gratitude in the sense that it's going to happen, it's going to hurt; how do you make something beautiful out of it? Sandy Gibson has the solution for making death into something beautiful by creating a better place than the traditional cemetery. Sandy Gibson  is the Co-Founder and CEO of  Better Place Forests , a sustainable alternative...

Leaders of today have had to reevaluate where and how they do their business. How they used to lead may not be as effective in our ever-changing virtual world. Heather Hansen O’Neill knows that the ‘office’ resides within you and that you can lead from wherever you are. With the right tools and strategies, your leadership can evolve with the times. Heather is an international keynote speaker, beha...

It can be hard to slow down enough to consider long-term goals in our fast-paced world. Especially when social media constantly shows us the successes and accolades of everyone we know. But to create a meaningful life, we need to slow down enough to reflect on the past and prepare for our future. Dorie Clark teaches us to play the long game to reorient ourselves to see the big picture. Dorie has b...

The world is riddled with uncertainty and challenges. We can let the uncertainty crush us or let the uncertainty propel us. One way to use uncertainty to propel us is to lead with humanity by giving grace, empathy, and understanding to the people around us. Monica Pool Knox knows how critical leading with humanity is. Monica Pool Knox oversees LivePerson's global human resources strategy — includi...

Belonging is often described as a feeling of security, support, acceptance, and inclusion. In addition, it's directly linked to decreased turnover, reduced sick days, and increased performance. People who feel like they belong want to show up because of each other. It's not the work that inspires people; it's the commitment to a shared purpose and community. Esther Raphael knows how powerful an in...

You can heal your trauma. Whether your trauma is unprocessed or you're using it to fuel you, you can heal and live in a place of contentment, joy, and peace, where you create healthy relationships and success in business. Faith Jones not only healed her trauma but overcame it to go from surviving to thriving. Faith Jones is a lawyer, activist, entrepreneur, and business advisor. She began her care...

Do you think that you are living in a dress rehearsal? This is a one-act play called your life. What kind of role do you want to play? Because you don't get to do this again. The genesis of living a meaningful life is knowing what success means to you and stripping away the obligations that are no longer in service of that meaning. Of course, success is about more, but it's not about the more we t...

Life is all about trial and error. Therefore, it's vital to try as many new things as possible in order to discover what you really want to do in life. By chasing fulfillment over pleasure, you'll create a rich life while pleasure will bring you an empty life. Tyler Wagner knows the value of chasing fulfillment and traveling down the path that's right for him. Tyler is the founder of Authors Unite...

Every single person deals with down moments in life. Yet, it's in those hard times where our legacy is forged. So don't look at those challenging times as problems; instead, become a problem solver. Welcome difficulty into your life and navigate through those storms. You are in total control, do not blow with the wind. Lt Col Dan Rooney knows that flying into the wind is how he creates an impactfu...

Action now is better than never. This is especially true in the DEI space. When it comes to DEI, we can start driving change with more education, access to opportunities, and the creation of systematic changes. But all of this starts with a step in the right direction. Rosa Nunez believes that it's never too late to do the right thing. Rosa is Foley Hoag's Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion...

Our education system has created a massive gap in individuals for feeling true fulfillment, true creativity, and true contribution in the world because it's focused more on creating cogs in a wheel than actually individually contributing members of society. The things that you don't learn in college are the things you need to know to be truly fulfilled in your life. Zander Fryer knows and teaches...

It's never too late to start new. It's never too late to jump horizontally. It's never too late to keep living a little bit more of your truth. Progress is not linear. Paul Park knows that it's never too late to find your purpose in life. Paul is the Chief Revenue Officer at Sparrow. Prior to Sparrow, Paul Park was the Acting Head of Sales at TriNet, a leading PEO in the HR Tech space that is publ...

Have you ever wondered where your perspectives come from? Throughout your lifetime, various people have taught you your current belief system. In order to find the root cause of a belief, you need to keep asking yourself why until the root appears. Dr. Shindale Seale focuses on finding the root cause to create transformational education. Dr. Shindale Seale is a cultural equity and diversity strate...

If you aren't living your truth, then you aren't living the life you are meant to live. Ray DeForest knows just how necessary it is to live your truth. Performer, producer, activist, community leader, Ray DeForest, may also be known to some as his popular theatrical character, Doris Dear. 3-time winner of the MAC Award, actress and comedienne Doris Dear, has been featured in numerous movie and TV...