The Nth Degree Podcast With Tracy Timm

There are few names that have brought as much notoriety asBreneBrown over the last few years.She sprang on the "scene" in 2010 with her TEDx Houston talk:ThePower of Vulnerability.But Brene's story goes back even further than that.For her entire academic and professional life, Brenehasdedicated herself to the study and practice of social work. Shehasa Bachelors... Masters... AND Ph.D. (NBD) in Social Workandremains a research professor in the subject for the UniversityofHouston to this day.In short, she's a badass.A badass who's out to prove that vulnerability is not whatwemade it out to be. Vulnerability is not weakness. Vulnerabilityisnot shameful. Vulnerability is not for the faint of heart.Vulnerability... is courage.I had the privilege of seeing Brene Brown speak (in person!) atacharity event last week benefiting the Dallas Children'sAdvocacyCenter. I managed to snag some pretty decent audio from theevent,and I'm excited to share it here with you today!The episode is not an interview, but rather, Brene's

Have you ever had a conversation with a total stranger-- on aplane, on a bus, on a train-- that totally changed your life?I know, I know. That's a bit much. But seriously.Have you ever sat down with zero intention of talking to theperson next to you only to realize three hours later that you neverstopped talking and the plane is already landing?!I have.And it happened to me in Burma, of all places!And I'm thankful that I can call that person a friend to thisday.Natalie Brown and I actually met before this fateful flight. ButI bet if you ask either of us, we had only been acquaintance upuntil that moment. I believe that it was that flight and thatconversation that finally bumped us up into the Friend Zone.We had a conversation that was so vulnerable, so humble, and someaningful that I've only had it matched a handful of times to thisday.I know you've had these experiences, too-- one person says onething and all of a sudden... you feel...Understood.Heard.Loved.All of a sudden you realize...You are not alone.I w

You know that one kid who always knew what he wanted to "be" when he grew up?A doctor. A pilot. A lawyer.Captain Jack Sparrow.It didn't matter what he wanted to be. All that mattered was that I had no idea what I wanted to be. And that kid annoyed the crap out of me because of it.Today's guest would have been that kid.Thank goodness we had the good fortune of meeting when we were adults.I know that doesn't exactly sound like a glowing introduction, but stick with me here.I've always been fascinated by people who are able to look at their lives in totality rather than focusing on the day-to-day. I'm amazed at young people and adults who already know what they want their legacy to be and contemplate their impact on the world at large.I've never had that kind of perspective, naturally.I work hard to be a positive person and do more good than bad in any given day. I love unceasingly and give whenever I have a little extra. I even pay all my taxes.#thanksObamaBut vision? My future? A legend?I just never thought th

Do you ever wonder when you'll have enough money or enough time to do the things you REALLY want to do in life? My guest today, Robert Collier, does not. That's because... he's already doing it! No, Robert is not a millionaire or a trust fund baby. He didn't win the lottery or cash in on a class action suit. He's also not a "starving artist" who enjoys physical freedom at the expense of financial... well... expenses. Robert is just a normal guy who's mastered some incredibly practical ideas to achieve his high and worthy life ideals. He'd also like to thank Gandhi for the inspiration for that phrase. In today's episode, I interview Robert J. Collier of practicalidealist.net. Robert is a blogger and online business owner who's goal is to help others achieve their greatest goals in life by implementing small, practical strategies that encourage financial freedom and personal success. He loves traveling, meditation, business, and of course, people. During our conversation, Robert and I talk about how achieving o

Imagine you're 90 years old. You're sitting on the front porch of your house. You're curled up in a rocking chair made of wood with a few feather pillows. An afghan is resting across your lap, keeping you warm. You're looking out onto the front yard of your home,and you're reminiscing about your life. You think about a decision you made when you were 25 years old.You smile.You know that was a great decision. In this episode, Leana shares this incredible method for decision-making along with an insanely large number of other tips to live a life of no regrets. And... even if we've already experienced regret... how to shake it off and keep moving forward. Leana's bright spirit, hilarious sense of humor, and no nonsense advice really make this podcast one that you do not want to miss. Today's episode is great for anyone who's ever felt like it's too late to make a change, wants to know how to create a mindset that embraces transformation, and wants to laugh hard enough to possibly pee their pants. Hopefully not i

Let me channel one of my favorite TED talks of all time for a moment. Drew Dudley, I’m lookin’ at you. Can you remember the last time someone said something or did something that made your life fundamentally better? Maybe it was a teacher you told you that you were good enough. Maybe it was a childhood friend who held your hand when you feel down. Or maybe it was a total stranger who put their cell phone down while they were interacting with you and actually looked you in the eye. I mean… it’s the little things, right?! In today’s podcast, I share the story of how two sentences in a spam email changed my life forever. This podcast is great for you if you have ever questioned if you were good enough, wondered if you had anything worth saying, or put off making a decision because you were scared of what others would think. Here’s a play by play of some of my favorite moments:1:00 How someone had a huge, profound, crazy impact on my life1:20 Why I’m just like you guys… and question EVERYTHING!2:00 Opening the ki

In this episode, I interview peer, Jennifer Baugh. Jenn is the Founder and Executive Director of YCP, a Young Catholic Professionals organization that strives to connect young people for networking with each other, exploring leadership, and discovering their faith. Jenn has an incredible story of going from MBA student to high-powered consultant to waitress to executive director. She's seen her fair share of struggle, but she found an intriguing way out of it-- she actually allowed other people to help her! I'm so excited to share Jenn's story of transformation, because she reminds us that it's in the moments we want to reach out the least, that we need to the most.

This week, I'm interviewing peer and dear friend, Brad Myers. Brad and I had the fortune of meeting at a mutual friend’s wedding (again, where all good things happen!) about two years ago. In the time since our serendipitous introduction, we've become so much more than friends. We challenge each other when things are going well, we console each other when they are not, and we celebrate the little moments in life in between. I brought Brad onto the show, because he has a particular gift for accepting and embracing change. In fact, he even seeks it out from time to time! Brad is an incredible inspiration for all of us because of his ability to cultivate a growth mindset and take on the world with full steam ahead, regardless of his circumstances.  0:30 Welcome4:45 Brad’s introduction and life story5:45 Brad’s take on how to choose the right college for you6:45 Following the career path after Lehman’s collapse8:40 Brad’s transition from New York to Chicago and why he chose to leave9:55 What you can learn from a

In this episode, I interview friend and mentor Jeff Schiefelbein. Jeff is a Founding Partner and Chief Culture Officer of 5, an Irving, Texas based energy advisory firm, and founder of Texas A&M’s popular ride-sharing program, CARPOOL, which has now been franchised country-wide. He's an incredible example of someone who is living their authentic values and beliefs throughtout his entire life-- work, family, and personal space. This episode is great for anyone who wants to..•Learn more about their own skill sets•Have the courage to seize more of the opportunities that arise in life•Slow down the train of life•Make the boring parts of your job less boring•Be more present•Be more fearless•Find a mentor•Really move the needle in your growth as a human being•Do more dynamic and amazing things with your life Jeff can be reached @JSchiefelbein.

In this episode, I interview life-long friend and peer Ramin Baranpourian. I reconnected with Ramin about 9 months ago, and it was his life story that inspired me to start this podcast in the first place! Ramin started a successful asset management company, and reached a societal version of success at only age 25. Underneath, however, he was depressed and unhappy with his life circumstances. Today, he works as a high school science teacher, and  is "the happiest he has ever been." In this episode, Ramin teaches us valuable lessons on how to make our transitions in life more seamless than ever before.

In this episode, I share my 5 major takeaways from an incredible panel featuring Russell Simmons, Trey Bowles, Nina Vaca, Salah Boukadoum, Gail Warrior, and moderator James Ragland. The panelists talk about how to live with passion, spirit, and faith, how to choose your future regardless of your past, how to create connection and community, how to stay patient when things aren't working out, and how to never fail again.

In this episode, I interview mentor professor and student of life, John Krajicek. John is the Executive Professor and Assistant Director of Business Communication Studies at the Mays Business School at Texas A&M. He teaches public speaking, presence, meditation, and meaningfulness to his students all while leveraging his background in English and Philosophy as well as his previous career as a CPA. John is a dynamic individual who views every conversation and interaction as a potential learning experience. In our conversation, John and I discuss the merits of a non-traditional background, how to make sure that nothing you do in life is ever wasted, how meditation has changed his life, the reaction of the business community to his teachings on mindfulness, and my personal favorite, how to set aside more time and structure in your life to try new things. John is deeply insightful about the subtleties of our lives and the greater narrative of our stories.

In this episode, I interview peer entrepreneur and dear friend Derek Flanzraich who is the CEO and Founder of Greatist.com, a next-generation media company working to build the first truly-trusted, consumer-facing health brand for Millenials. Greatist is currently the fastest-growing media site in the digital health space, with nearly 10 million unique visitors per month. Derek is a Harvard grad (boo…hiss), a Google-rejector, a serial “starter of things,” and a believer in the incentive of killer culture. In our conversation, Derek and I discuss how to find your passion, how to stay true to who you are, what gets him through the really tough days in the start up world, how to know if you’re ready to start something new, and my personal favorite, why he would never wish starting on business on his worst enemy. Derek is hilarious and has really incredible insight into the power of authenticity through our struggles

In this episode, I explain the purpose of the podcast and our raison d’etre. I also talk about the format of the podcasts, which is pretty straightforward. Every week, you will get one new podcast for your listening pleasure. There are three types of podcasts in total: 1) my own personal stories to serve as motivation, 2) interviews with peers to serve as motivation, and 3) interviews with mentors to serve as education. I then share my own personal story of how I got from middle class family to Ivy League university to Wall Street investment firm to traveling once around the world to working for my idol to starting my own business to getting the crazy (or maybe not so crazy) idea to launch a podcast. It’s my hope that this podcast allows you to hear the stories of people taking major risks in life and going through transformation so that this big bad world out here won’t see quite so scary anymore. There is always room to be transformed.