Make Life Less Difficult

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,...

Send us a message! My guest today is Crystaline Randazzo. Crystaline is a master storyteller, media creatrix, and a story guide.  She empowers women to catalyze change in their life through the power of storytelling.  She uses the science behind storytelling to help people connect with themselves, excavate their own truths, and craft new narratives that are aligned with their truest purpose.  She...

Send us a message! My guest today is Dave Warnock.   Dave lived the bulk of his life as a Charismatic Evangelical, serving as a pastor on three different church staffs. But, following several years of internal struggle, Dave came to the conclusion in 2011 that he no longer believed in a personal God.  In 2019 he was diagnosed with  ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) , a progressive neurodegenerative...

Send us a message! My guest today is Josefine Wanner. Josefine is the founder of the Empowered Entrepreneur Program , Former Corporate Executive turned Entrepreneur & Business Growth Strategist. She spent almost 20 years as a financial services consultant and global program manager before the impact of a heartbreaking wake-up call gave her the courage to take the risk and leave corporate to pu...

Send us a message! My guest today is Erin Jean Warde. Erin Jean Warde is a priest, spiritual director, recovery coach, writer, and speaker. She is the author of the book, Sober Spirituality: The Joy of a Mindful Relationship with Alcohol, which will be coming out April 2023.  Erin Jean and I connected through Arianne Rice, who has been a guest on the podcast twice (episodes 17 & 49).  Arianne...

Send us a message! My guest today is Anna-Marie Watson. Happiest outdoors, Anna-Marie is a certified Performance Coach and Coach Supervisor who loves to escape the confines of four walls and co-create conversations with nature. Former British Army Officer, she has worked in challenging environments from snowy Arctic tundra to hot and sandy deserts though currently resides within the rolling countr...

Send us a message! My guest today is Sunny Watts. Sunny is an educator, project manager, facilitator and curriculum developer who has had the honor to create, discover, nurture, play, teach, guide and support thousands of students and colleagues over the years. She is currently the Director of Curriculum for iLEAP, which nurtures the next generation of change makers. She lives with her family in n...

Send us a message! Lisa shares about discovering her superpower of sadness, what that means, and how this intriguing emotion can lead to closeness, connectedness, and hope. Books mentioned: Bittersweet by Susan Cain Divergent Mind by Jenara Nerenberg Make Life Less Difficult Support the show Make Life Less Difficult ~    Support: buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

Send us a message! My guest today is Angela Melfi. Angela is co-founder and CEO of Threads Worldwide, a social enterprise that puts income and resources into the hands of impact-driven women in 9 countries including the United States. She oversees operations, marketing, and the sales field at Threads Worldwide. Angela has 10 years’ experience in the digital marketing and technology sales space and...

Send us a message! My guest today is Anna McMahon. Originally from Ireland, Anna spent many years working internationally in education.  She now is a Positive Psychologist and Coach, focusing on helping individuals and organizations determine what wellbeing is and how to achieve it. Anna founded the company, Enhanced Wellbeing, and facilitates clients in a process of deep self-learning to enhance...

Send us a message! My guest today is Mary Foerster. Mary is a real estate agent based in Massachusetts.  Being a real estate agent is just one of many careers she’s had, and in her early 70’s, she’s still planning out future careers and opportunities, which I love and find SO inspiring! I met Mary through my business partner for The REI Concierge, Tim Robinson.  Mary is Tim’s wife’s aunt and she’s...

Send us a message! My guest today is Tim Robinson. Tim is a real estate agent in the Washington DC and Maryland area.  He’s also my business partner for The REI Concierge , a real estate investing consulting company we started together two years ago. Tim and I met in the Netherlands and immediately connected over real estate investing.  We are both married to US diplomats and focus our business on...

Send us a message! My guest today is Aimee Gibson. For over 20 years, Aimee has been supporting and coaching people through times of change and transition in the Peace Corps, as adjunct faculty at American University, as a Principal of a management consulting company and as an executive coach. Aimee is active in both her professional and personal communities. Aimee serves as a Founding Member and...

Send us a message! My guest today is Camille Neyhouser. Camille is a Leadership Coach & Organizational Development Expert with a 14-year career in the international development sector (both UN agencies & big INGOs). She has lived, worked and travelled in over 35 countries on five continents.  Camille is passionate about leadership and how leaders can help transform their organizations thro...