Real Things Living

What do you do when you have stay-at-home orders during a pandemic? Adapt where you can. Brigitte and Hannah Cranfill decided to sign up for an online screenwriting class in April 2020 through the Atlanta Film Society. This is where they met  - virtually - along with another student, Esha. Hannah suggested to write a short-film and submit it to a "locals only" screening.  Esha and B...

Dr. Shirley Raines is known for being personable, powerful, and prepared. Her first role out of college was as a preschool teacher and that path eventually  took her to the role of President Emeritus of the University of Memphis for 12 years. She is also the first woman university president.  Shirley provides a lot of inspiration for others based on her uncommon journey of being raised o...

Jesse Iwuji wanted to be a race car driver when he was a young boy and made that dream a reality.  Jesse attributes the military training he received to help him be more focused.  (Jesse has a lot of energy too.)  He also provides some great advice for youth regarding resilience. Jesse is an American stock car racing driver and officer in the United States Navy Reserve. He played fo...

Fran Biderman-Gross is the CEO & Founder of Advantages, a creative agency that specializes in branding and marketing. She is also the co-author of "How to Lead a values-based services firms: 3 Keys to unlock Purpose and Profit."   Positivity is one of Fran's top core strengths and chooses to look at the glass as "half full."  Having a positive outlook leads to another core value and...

Mark Simon is known as the Godfather of Storyboarding. He is an author of multiple books and on this podcast episode, he shares the story behind his most recent book, "Attacked! Bullied: Surviving Terror and Finding Justice."  This memoir is based on when Mark was bullied by a gang in high school, and the gang proceeded to attack his family too.  Mark's story is also about how he became...

The current pandemic has been a challenge for everyone. It has fundamentally disrupted our personal and professional lives; and it definitely took business owners by surprise and created additional challenges for them. Brigitte speaks with Julie McFarland on what Julie's team has put in place to keep employees and customers safe.   Julie is the President and CEO of McNaughton & Gunn, a pr...

Self-care is important with what's happening now because of the Covid-19 issue. Brigitte has been studying yoga more because of the overall benefits; and she gets a little yogi with her explanation of pranayama, which promotes deep and slower breathing.  Not only does this help relax you, it  strengthens your lungs and diaphragm too - both are important aspects for your overall...

Brigitte wanted to share her thoughts about social distancing during Covid-19  A lot has happened globally since her last blog post, Resilience is your middle name.  Many places are being quarantined for example. Social distancing sounds so much better than being quarantined.  Take this time, if you can, and focus on a hobby or personal development or how you can help othe...

Alisha Carlson grew up in a tumultuous environment and told herself that she was going to be different with her kids. Alisha's resilience empowered her to make changes when needed and focus on what's important to her.  She empowers others now and is a non-diet lifestyle coach with an approach to be mindful of your intuition.  Learn more at https://alishacarlson.com/

One of the biggest lessons in life that Jesse Todisco learned is your environment affects your habits, good and bad.  Changing his environment helped him become a better person. (We shared a lot of laughs in this episode.) Jesse grew up in the Boston area and witnessed his father's heroin addiction. That was his "normal" and Jesse was selling drugs at one point, even though he knew it wasn't...

Ido Singer is on a mission to inspire others.  His confidence was boosted after learning to play basketball at a young age in Israel. It wasn't easy for him at first but through a lot of hard work, he eventually played basketball at the professional level.  Resilience and learning to adapt to different situations paid off, and Ido's passion for sports led him to be a coach that focu...

Life is constantly changing and Evan Knox understands the importance of learning.  Learning new things is what keeps you agile, flexible and strong. He also understands that resilience goes hand-in-hand with running a business and trying to balance life at home with family. Evan is the founder of Caffeine Marketing and has been an entrepreneur since he was 12; always doing something in s...

Gratitude is a huge byproduct of dealing with a health issue. And Deva Joy's picture should be placed next to the definition of resilience.  She was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis as a young teen and this limited her physical ability. Instead of being negative about the situation, Deva decided to focus on what she could move and not what she couldn't move. She also chose the perspective...

Tami Green is a Life Coach with a focus on helping others get unstuck to include those with a mental health issue. She developed the "Brilliance Code," a method that you can apply to any problem.  The Brilliance Code can be summarized as PIRF (Problem, Inspiration, Resources, Future). Following this "code" allows you to re-frame a situation to make a better decision.  We focused a lot on...

It's rare to find someone that isn't a dog fan and dogs are one positive thing we have in common with others.  As a big dog lover myself, I'm grateful Dee-Marie found find time to be a guest on the Real Things Living podcast.  Dee went from being a pilot, to a realtor, to an entrepreneur.  She is now the co-founder and CEO of Yogi-Dog, a human grade yogurt for dogs.   Her...

Susan wrote an inspiring memoir about the celebration of life and love titled, "Dying Well: Our Journey of Love and Loss."  Most memoirs recount the grief and pain of their loss.  Susan's book is so much more...it's a love story about her husband, Bruce; and this story can help others understand what's most important when saying goodbye.  "Quality over quantity" was the biggest take...

"You are responsible for your own brain."  Brigitte has a great conversation with Loretta Breuning, PhD and dive into how brain chemicals affect your health and how "the brain learns from rewards." It's important to have confidence in your own strength and how to invest your time the right way.  Loretta's recent book "Habits of a Happy Brain " can help you get motivated.   Also...

Gary Roe is such an inspiration. He is a grief counselor, pastor, and definitely a strong story teller. He truly understands the importance of resilience and has experienced grief multiple times first-hand. Gary shares what his life was like before the age of 17 - sexual abuse, suicide of a friend, death of his father at 15 are just a few. Those experiences helped define his purpose in life ... an...

Keith M. Huber, Lieutenant General, US Army (retired) was very generous in writing the foreword for the book "Expecting the Good" - which is a tribute to Jean-Luc Nash, a badass who had a big heart.  Both were West Point classmates (class of 1975); they went through Special Forces training together and remained in touch for decades.  Keith emphasizes the importance of doing what's right...

A great discussion with Brigitte Cutshall and Michael O'Brien about how his near-death experience (after being hit head-on by an SUV while riding his bike) changed his perspective to live a more purposeful life.   They also discuss the "value of Freedom" and how we tend to put too many conditions on happiness.  Michael is President and Founder of Peloton Coaching and Consulting and...

 Jill Henning was given 12 months to live after being diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer that spread to her lungs. That diagnosis was 18 months ago and she's extremely thankful to be part of a clinical trial which will last another 6 months.  She's an example of someone who adapted to a major life-changing event using her inner strength and found a way to move forward.   J...

Relationships are not perfect and can be messy at times. Being mindful plays a big part because there are many benefits for your relationships and overall health. The quality of our life is directly related to our thoughts. Being mindful helps develop your ability to love and live a more meaningful life. 

Michele is a middle school teacher and a proud parent. Her family had to deal with a major health issue with their daughter, the only granddaughter in the family.  The wonderful support everyone provided her during this crisis was a cathartic experience.  And Michele's a very popular teacher - "a rock star without the rock star salary" she jokingly references to the low salaries that tea...

Dr. Michael Rucker's experiences are a great example of resilience. He used to be a tri-athlete and had to stop running a few years ago due to severe osteoarthritis. His younger brother passed away in that same time-frame. That was difficult to deal with, especially since running helped him manage stress in general.  He now makes time to focus his energy on the power of fun and writing a book...

Donna Seebo was kind enough to let me share our conversation regarding my recent book, "Expecting the Good: Inspiration from a Badass with a Big Heart."  Donna provided great feedback and believes the book I wrote about my stepfather epitomizes the best of the best.   Donna's favorite excerpt from the book was provided by Keith M. Huber (retired Lieutenant General, US Army):  "Makin...