Motivational Mondays: Conversations with Leaders

Tommy Spaulding is the best-selling author of The Gift of Influence: Creating Life-Changing and Lasting Impact in Your Everyday Interactions and founder of the Tommy Spaulding Leadership Institute. He lives by the phrase, "It's not all about you." We need to look beyond social media and realize a great influencer isn't someone with a large following but rather, an influencer is in the business of...

Tommy Spaulding is the best-selling author of The Gift of Influence: Creating Life-Changing and Lasting Impact in Your Everyday Interactions and founder of the Tommy Spaulding Leadership Institute. He lives by the phrase, "It's not all about you."  Tommy believes that we need to look beyond social media and realize a great influencer isn't someone with a large following but rather, someone who’s i...

Aaron Golub believes that nothing is impossible. As the first legally blind athlete to play football in a Division I game at Tulane University, his remarkable story caught the attention of the national press and he instantly became a symbol of thriving against all odds. Today, Aaron is a motivational speaker, inspiring individuals and businesses to reach their full potential. His is a story of per...

Aaron Golub believes that nothing is impossible. As the first legally blind athlete to play football in a Division I game at Tulane University, his remarkable story caught the attention of the national press and he instantly became a symbol of thriving against all odds.  Today, Aaron is a motivational speaker, inspiring individuals and businesses to reach their full potential. He shares his story...

Joshua Canter is the founder of True Nature, an experiential travel company that purchased its first property in Costa Rica in 2003. With a mission to use travel as a tool to connect people, Joshua took a contemplative approach to the project. In 2004, he led a college course on sustainable community development as he also tended to the land. His courses soon expanded to teach environmental sustai...

Joshua Canter is the founder of True Nature, an experiential travel company that purchased its first property in Costa Rica in 2003. With a mission to use travel as a tool to connect people, Joshua took a contemplative approach to the project.  In 2004, he led a college course on sustainable community development. His courses soon expanded to teach environmental sustainability, yoga, meditation, c...

MSNBC reporter and author Daniela Pierre Bravo had no idea how enthusiastic readers would become about her new book, The Other: How to Own Your Power at Work as a Woman of Color . As the undocumented daughter of immigrants, she shares personal obstacles she faced in academia and the workplace. She quickly became aware that women all over the world identify as "the other." These are women who’ve ex...

MSNBC reporter and author Daniela Pierre-Bravo had no idea how enthusiastic readers would become about her new book. As the undocumented daughter of immigrants, she shares personal obstacles she faced in academia and the workplace.  Daniela quickly became aware that she had touched a chord in women worldwide who identify as "the other." She says they’ve experienced themselves from another person's...

The process of visualization has always been an inspiration to Biggby Coffee CEO Mike McFall. Having started years ago as a barista, he purposefully forged a path to rise to the executive level. Mike believes the most effective skill one can acquire is the ability to visualize and actualize their future. He also stresses the importance of unwavering concentration and tenacity when setting out to a...

The process of visualization has always been an inspiration to Biggby Coffee CEO Mike McFall. He shares that his success wasn’t a surprise because he knows how hard he worked for it. Starting as a barista earning minimum wage, he forged a path to rise to the executive level. First and foremost, Mike believes the most effective skill one can acquire is the ability to visualize and actualize their d...

Dr. Dustin York teaches at Maryville University in St. Louis. With clients including Pepsi Co. and Nike, he has experience in PR and worked on the 2008 Obama presidential campaign. His areas of expertise are helping people develop their leadership and communication abilities to navigate through digital transformation. Dr. York also offers valuable advice for teaching students how to communicate ef...

Dr. Dustin York teaches at Maryville University in St. Louis. With clients including Pepsi Co. and Nike, he has experience in public relations and also worked on the 2008 Obama presidential campaign. His areas of expertise include helping people develop their leadership and communication abilities and navigate through digital transformation. Dr. York offers valuable advice for students on how to c...

Bryan Terrell Clark, a highly successful actor, believes that people shine their brightest when they align their life with their purpose. A significant step in that process is learning who you are and being your authentic self. We can use our voices to change the world and, above all, don't try to be what you think everyone wants because it isn't sustainable. On this week's Motivational Mondays, l...

Bryan Terrell Clark believes that people shine brightest when they align their life with their purpose. A significant step in that process is learning who you are and always being your authentic self. Bryan believes that we can use our voices to change the world and, above all, don't try to be what you think everyone wants. Instead, be your truest self. Bryan also thinks artists are essential to t...

Greg Louganis is the only male diver in Olympic history to sweep the diving events in consecutive games, winning gold medals in 1984 and 1988 in the 3-meter springboard and 10-meter platform events. He's also an LGBTQ+ activist, author, motivational speaker, and the creator of the course "Finding Your Rhythm," designed to help people achieve their goals through visualization. As a gay athlete duri...

Greg Louganis is the only male diver in Olympic history to sweep the diving events in consecutive games, winning gold medals in 1984 and 1988 in the 3-meter springboard and 10-meter platform events. More than a famous Olympian, he's also an LGBTQ+ activist, author, motivational speaker, and the creator of the course "Finding Your Rhythm," designed to help people achieve their goals through visuali...

Author and artist Elisa Stancil Levine endured childhood abuse and unresolved issues that manifested into problematic behaviors as she grew into adulthood. Abuse from her grandparents negatively impacted Elisa's entire early life. As an escape, Elisa found solace in nature and believes her only saving grace was her first memory of being conscious of it. This environment helped her discover her pas...

Author and artist Elisa Stancil Levine endured childhood abuse and unresolved issues that manifested into problematic behaviors as she grew into adulthood. Abuse from her grandparents negatively impacted and confused her entire early life.  As an escape, Elisa found solace in nature. She believes her only saving grace was her first memory of being conscious of nature. This environment helped her d...

Jamie was preparing for a bodybuilding competition in 2005 when a stranger approached him and inquired about his diet. He said that he frequently consumed chicken, sweet potatoes, and broccoli. Then the guy said, “Can you make me some?" Jamie was happy to oblige but asked him to pay $3 per meal because he was strapped for cash. The man agreed and the following day, Jamie arrived with Ziploc bags o...

Jamie was preparing for a bodybuilding competition in 2005 when a stranger approached him and inquired about his diet. In his reply, he said that he frequently consumed chicken, sweet potatoes, and broccoli. The guy said, “Can you make me some?" Jamie was happy to oblige but asked him to pay $3 per meal because he was strapped for cash.  The man agreed and the following day, Jamie arrived with Zip...

Melba Moore is a Walk of Fame inductee, four-time Grammy nominee, and Tony Award winner. Melba discusses how she overcame obstacles and has continued to do so throughout her 50-year music career. According to Melba, her ex-husband assisted her in making connections, allowing her to collaborate with names like Gene McFadden and John Whitehead. They adapted "You Stepped Into My Life" by the BeeGees...

Melba Moore is a Walk of Fame inductee, four-time Grammy nominee, and Tony Award winner. She’s also releasing her new album, Imagine . Melba discusses how she overcame obstacles to start her profession and has continued to do so throughout her 50-year music career.  When Melba began, her father introduced her to people in the music world. One of the first people she met was Valerie Simpson and sta...

Rob Scheer and his husband Reece adopted five children from foster care. Their children came to their home carrying their very few possessions in a black trash bag. Rob transported his possessions the same way when he entered the foster care system 40 years earlier. He had been out of the system for so long and found it unacceptable that kids were still carrying their belongings in trash bags. Bec...

Rob Scheer and his husband Reece adopted five children from foster care. Their children came to their home carrying what few possessions they had in a black trash bag. Forty years earlier, Rob transported his possessions the same way when he entered the system. It angered Rob to realize he had been out of the system for that long, and kids were still carrying their belongings in trash bags. So, he...

Mandy McEwen is a passionate marketing expert who feels that young people are missing out by not maximizing their potential on LinkedIn. According to Mandy, it's the best place to connect with people who will take you to the next level. The right connections are powerful and could lead you to your dream job or a valuable mentorship. People crave trust, authenticity, and human-to-human connections....