Feisworld Podcast

In part 2, Lee talks about his yoga workshops, focusing on the 3rd and 5th Chakra. (If you are new to this concept, chakra represents each of the centers of spiritual power in the human body, usually considered to be seven in number). Lee loves creating a forum that fosters healthy dialogues, evoking reactions to help people reflect upon the assumptions and choices they make. It is fascinating when people start to confront and connect, the conversations that arise out of this exercise can be very powerful.  Lee also addresses the importance of not seeking for constant approvals and agreements. He says, "Knots are not a bad thing. Frictions and disagreements are ok. It's not either, or, but a house with different rooms." Nature made the gun and nurture pulled the trigger. I asked Lee if he believes that openness and curiosity are something people are born with.   There are, of course, things you are not born with that already chosen for you. Lee shares his stories of revealing his sexuality to his sister and p

There's no better time to release this episode than Valentines Day. What is a relationship? What is love? Do we need to have everything all figured out? Join my special guest Lee Skunnes today. Standing at 6'9'', he's legitimately 2 inches taller than Tony Robbins. :) "Don't let perfectionism be in the way of where you get the value from. Perhaps your best isn't always your best, your worst isn't always your worst. The drive to better, faster, more, bigger seem to perpetuate through generations. But perhaps we should take a step back and realize how silly this notion is."   In this 2-part interview with Lee, he reminded me that true wisdom often comes from the messy stuff in life. As an incredibly talented and aspiring yoga teacher, Lee believes in walking the walk by doing the work. He values his students as much as they value him. For those of you who are interested in becoming a yoga teacher and perhaps have contemplated the idea for a while, Lee offers the most transparent answers to evaluating whether

Claudia is a writer, podcaster, and teacher of yoga. She is the co-author of the Wall Street Journal bestselling book "The Power Of No" (HayHouse 2014) and author of "21 Things To Know Before Starting An Ashtanga Yoga Practice". Most recently on January 8th 2015, Claudia released her new book called Become an Idea Machine: Because ideas are the currency of the 21st Century. This book has become a favorite read of mine and also part of my daily routine.  Also in January 2015, Claudia created a new podcast series called The Yoga Podcast after co-hosting a favorite podcast of mine Ask Altucher (with 206 episodes released as of Feb 8th, 2015).  During our interview, Claudia opened up about a number of topics that had always fascinated me: What is it like to be producing content all day, everyday, across social channels and engaging with your audience? How does Claudia energize and sustain her creative power while working as a multi-disciplined entrepreneur? (To put things in perspective, Claudia now has over 54,0

After announcing the first 1,000 downloads of the feisworld podcast in January 2015, a number of friends, guests and listeners reached out to me via Facebook, Twitter, emails and phone calls. They congratulated me on this significant milestone and urged me to continue my journey as a podcaster.  Caleb Brown, the first guest on the feisworld podcast, had requested to have me interviewed on my own show. To my surprise, he was not the only one and I had tabled this request for weeks before releasing this episode. Jade Longstaff, a colleague, mentioned my show in her message on Facebook of being aspired to embraced her inner artist-self. Julia Holloway, a guest from Ep. 13, had decided to create her own podcast this year. Ralph Peterson Jr. from Ep 14 and 15 has been using our podcast as part of his teaching materials at the Berklee School of Music.  I never felt more honored and blessed in my life.  How did I get there and why did start a podcast with no prior background in audio engineering, nor do I have a tra

I met Bob Goodman at Arnold Worldwide, where he served as the SVP, Director User Experience. I had the pleasure to work with Bob on a few projects when I witnessed his stellar facilitation skills and User Experience (UX) approach to various business challenges. Inviting Bob to my show was triggered by a constant thought in my mind when working with Bob: I always wished to carry a recorder so I could capture his speech and thinking process for tackling difficult situations completely at ease. I also admire his leadership and management philosophy. Bob always had others' best interest in mind without insisting on his own ideas and methodologies. and he is never too quick to jump to conclusion. In this 40-mins interview, you will find out about: What is UX (User Experience)? What has contributed to the rapid growth of UX and why UX has been recognized as a critical discipline across multiple industries (advertising, software, etc.)? How can one fresh out of school start or consider UX as a career path? What are

In part 2 of our conversation, Chris speaks to his passion for jumping out of perfectly functioning planes. Chris is a skydiving instructor and photographer.   Since Chris was 6 years old, he thought he would be serving in the US military. Then he asked him - "what really makes me happy?" The answers were design, teaching and making things. 1,200 skydives later, Chris is now comfortable and feels normal when jumping out of planes but he never lets his guard off. "It's a moment of Zen, nothing else existing except for a small movements in your body. Skydiving as a form of meditation on steroid." Drag, pitch of your body allow you to move across the sky. "Pencil dive" lets you go over 200 miles an hour vs. diving with your belly is only about 120 miles an hour.  In closing, I asked Chris what he would say to his 18-20 year old self. He replied:"Let life happen. Don't just hold onto to expectations. Start living." always, with a smile. :)   --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/feisworld/message Supp

Chris is a full time, full stack developer at Arnold Worldwide. I had the pleasure to work with Chris on a number of projects. I invited Chris to speak to my audience about his journey of becoming a developer after a few career switches, to staying relevant in this ever-changing technological environment we all live in. Chris gave much credit to his mentors who set up his success as a developer.  If you don't have mentors in your immediately network, make sure that you take advantage of meet up groups. Chris also speaks to the possiblity for people who are interested in technology and development to be self-taught. "You need the personality to learn, create, and constantly seek out new information. Technology is always changing." "Get out of your comfort zone!" is such an important element to success. Chris emphasizes one of his key takeaways while he was still in school:"When you are in college, you tend to have friends who have similar experience, anxieties because you all have the (more or less) the same

Kristina Reed is a producer at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Kristina produced (and co-produced) a number of animation films including the most recent Big Hero 6, Paperman (won the first Oscar for the Studio since 1969), and The Feast (the short film you see right before Big Hero 6). I am a wholehearted Disney Animation fan (like many of you out there) since I was a child. Even as an adult, I enjoyed watching Frozen, Wreck it Ralph, Tangled, Kung Fu Panda, Shrek 2, Madagascar and dozens of other films also produced by Kristina. Much like a little girl in a candy shop, I was so excited to interview Kristina about her experience working at Disney, shepherding an animation through release, the challenge and excitement of telling the greatest love stories. A typical Disney animation film takes anywhere between 3-4 years to produce. When I asked Kristina about how she manages her own expectations and hundreds of others on the team, she responded:"Producing an animation film is the ultimate team sport. You are nev

Ralph wants to be a musician's musician: "If you honestly play music, then people will feel it. If you play music to people - when they change, your music will have to change." To following Ralph Peterson Jr., you can connect with him on Facebook, Twitter. Ralph's music is available via iTunes, CD Baby, Amazon and Ralphpetersonmusic.com. Part 2 Show Notes (Times Are Approximate): How to stay relevant as a musician [4:40] What you need to know about the nature of the record business [6:45] Redefining what success means to Ralph [8:15] Technology as the great equalizer and why should you own your own label? [9:15] Counterintuitive fact: How much is the cost of marketing/publicizing records? [11:45] Being comfortable with the musician you are [13:45] What contributes to good marketing for musicians (and others)?  [14:45] Ralph wants to be the musician's musician [17:45] The musician the art vs. the musical the populist [20:15] What would you say to your 20-year old self? [21:45] Ralph opens up about overcomin

Ralph Peterson Jr. is a renowned American jazz musician and a full-time professor at the Berklee School of Music. I met Ralph at our Taekwondo school in 2005. Both of us still practice regularly at O'Malley Tae Kwon Do Center. Ralph often volunteers his time to teach drumming to children during Summer and Winter camps at the TKD school.  All the kids thoroughly enjoyed Ralph's teaching very much. I remember seeing their faces pressed up against the school's window waiting for Ralph to arrive with this truck full of drum sets and equipment. Ralph believes that it's his responsibility to pass his knowledge to the next generation. Passing down his knowledge is the way for Ralph to preserve the traditions he loves."In order to keep a gift, you have to be willing to give it away." Speaking from his experience, Ralph has apprenticed under some of the greatest jazz musicians of our time including Art Blakey, Betty Carter, Elvin Jones, and Walter Davis. It is also important to study some of the less known drummers wh

My guest today is Julia Holloway. I sparked a friendship with her a few months ago. Unlike some of my other guests on the show, I have not known Julia for years but our connection was obvious and immediate. At the time, I was seeking advice from women who have experience balancing a full-time career and a business of their own. In the hectic world we live in today where women often take on more responsibilities at home and at work than men, it was not an easy search for me, and proposing an hour interview on them seemed like a lot to ask. Julia was very kind to let me into her world and conduct an interview on her professional life. Julia is a strategic distribution consultant at a leading US provider of annuities and insurance. In addition, she runs her company called Julia Holloway Consulting where she focuses on business consulting and leadership coaching for corporate and individual clients. Julia’s company will be the focus of our discussion. Those of you who have contemplated starting companies of your

Barry Alexander and Cosmo Buono are helping classical musicians worldwide launch and sustain careers as professional artists, while also helping build the next generation of audiences. Alexander & Buono International (ABI) is the parent company of The Alexander & Buono Competitions (ABC), and The Alexander & Buono Festival of Music. I often refer to ABI as a classical music business empire.  With a single Piano competition in 2003, it quickly expanded to Voice, Strings and Flute, as well as an annual music festival, a not-for-profit foundation, and most recently an Academy (ABIA) launching in January 2015. In this interview, Barry speaks to ABI's philosophy for helping classical musicians launch and sustain their careers. For years, ABI's seminars have been focusing on training musicians how to perform and understand the business side of music. The Academy (ABIA) came as a natural extension. The Master Class Series under ABIA enable musical students to meet once a month for 6 months - think of it

O’Malley Tae Kwon Do Center teaches traditional martial art and practical self defense for men, women and children. The program is an individualized and comprehensive approach to helping students achieve their fitness levels. Instead of only focusing on a student’s strength, Mr. O’Malley helps overcome his or her unique challenges. Mr. O’Malley created a unique program to teach children and adults how to be confident and powerful on the inside and out. In additional to Tae Kwon Do hand and kicking techniques, Mr. O’Malley has made self defense modules a requirement for all students. During day and summer camps at O’Malley Tae Kwon Do Center, Mr. O’Malley creates workshops for young campers to practice power poses,  learn extensive self protection strategy, and participate in anti-bully programs conducted police officers. Beyond Tae Kwon Do practice, Mr. O’Malley has introduced a line-up of extraordinary people who teach his students in a variety of subjects and skills. Ralph Peterson Jr. (Jazz musician a

Today's guest is Michael J. O'Malley. Mr. O'Malley has been my Taekwondo instructor and mentor for over 10 years. After receiving my first degree black belt in 2005, I continued training under Mr. O'Malley and was able to advance to 2nd degree, and most recently to 3rd degree black belt in 2014. Taekwondo has been a practice for me throughout my college and professional life, and I still look forward to training many times a week. I feel very privileged to interview Mr. O'Malley. He was chosen for the USA Taekwondo teams from 1978 through 1982,  elected US Team Captain in 1980 and US Team Coach in 1984. In 2007, Mr O'Malley was inducted into the Taekewondo Hall of Fame and eventually received their Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. In Part 1, we talked about the first defining competition in his career. What's it like to train 10-12 hours per day as a 14-year old? What's the process to be selected for the US Team? Mr. O'Malley relates his experiences in Taekwondo competitions of the highest caliber, and als

In this episode, you will hear A Day in the Life of Matt Lindley, the director of innovation. Beyond growing a business, Matt is interested in growing and enabling the people around him - we talk about the overlying theme and the collective wisdom that help us move forward in every direction. We also catchup on Matt's own invention of a Breakfast Club, where he brings likeminded people, friends to sparkle ideas and have a great time. Of course, I couldn't possibly leave the question out, that is: - How much of Madmen (TV show) is true in advertising agencies TODAY? :)   As a TV show host in Matt's previous life, he once again, turned the mic around and asked me about why feisworld podcast, what triggered me to care about what and how other people think, and how in the world was I obsessed with ice hockey and thought it was my life calling? I guess you will learn about me in this episode as well, totally unplanned and unscripted.    I hope you enjoy the show, and remember that show notes, tools and resources c

Matt Lindley is the Director of Innovation for SapientNitro. We became friends instantly when he first started working there in 2009. Matt had such an impact on my life. If you ask me to list 3 people who have helped shape me into who I am today, Matt would be one of them.    Matt's list of accomplishments in the advertising and marketing world goes way way back. He's been a storyteller for over 25 years. He sold OneZero Media, where he created and produced CBS’s first broadcast TV show about the internet, and he personally hosted it for three seasons. He was an ECD/EVP at Arnold Worldwide leading Progressive. More recently, he co-created a business visioning tool called ThirtySix at SapientNitro.    He's a board member for Friends of the Boston's Homeless, a non-profit organization that helps over 400 homeless individuals move beyond shelter to lead independent lives in our community. He is also a board member for Stop Handgun Violence. Those of you who have driven by Mass Turnpike around 2008-09, you probab

John Haggerty is a dear friend of mine since 2003.  I welcomed him to the feisworld podcast to share his experience as an on and off Broadway actor for 25 years. John has been casted in shows such as Les Mis, King and I, Miss Saigon, Batboy, Yoshimi, Living Room. In this episode, John reveals the randomness, rejections and excitement of being an actor. The phase "everything has changed" is so profound for the human race, and is so saturated in John's life as an actor. The day before our podcast interview, John  found out that he had been casted for a show. I quickly realized that it was the perfect opportunity to probe questions such as: how do you rehearse Broadway shows that go on for hours? To my surprise, John finds it much easier to memorize Shakespeare shows based on the rhythm, cues throughout the speech. For other shows, the answer is always "it depends on the show." My personal favorite is when John shares his method for memorization - he uses a yellow pad to 1) write out everyone's lines, 2) highlig

Inna is a very special guest on feisworld podcast, for two reasons -  1, she's the first female guest on my show and 2, Inna is a restaurant owner, but not just any restaurant. She owns my personal favorite restaurant called Inna's Kitchen.  A Jewish deli with the kind of food I can eat all day long. This special episode was recorded inside that kitchen.   Inna grew up in Russia. She and her family traveled to various parts of the world (including Israel) before settling down in the United States in mid 1980s. She has worked at restaurant businesses, under-served neighborhoods, and a ton of experience in cooking since she was a little girl.   In this episode, Inna talks about starting her dream business about 3 years ago - a kitchen with her name on it, a kitchen that specializes in homemade Jewish cuisine, everything from scratch, no cheating anywhere.   To name a few of my favorite dishes - shakshuka, potato latkas with fried eggs on top, sabih (egg and eggplant sandwich). If you are a fan of falafel, you a

This is part 2 of my conversation with Stephen Shapiro - If you haven’t listened to Part 1 in Ep 4, I encourage you to do so. But if you a happen to feel like a rebel today, by all means, keep listening. I’m thrilled to have Stephen on my podcast.   In this episode, he talks about tips and tactics on engaging audience from different backgrounds and interests. Why visceral reaction is the key in engaging audience of any kind. Contrary to popular belief, Visceral reactions do not happen in intellectual conversation. Stephen breaks the statement down further to logos, ethos and pathos.    I also asked Stephen, "How many of the questions today overlap with those from editors, reporters. What do you wish people would ask you?”    Stephen will fill you in on his next and upcoming book on the topic of performance paradox. Then on a related subject, how do you get out of your own way?    Tune in, join me in this amazing journey with my heroes.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/feisworld/message Suppo

Stephen is a keynote speaker and author who sparks innovation by showing leaders and their teams how to approach, tackle and solve business challenges.   In this episode of the feisworld podcast, Stephen reveals how he helps companies and people innovate. He tells us how he conditions himself to step on stage in front of hundreds or thousands of people. In this episode, Stephen shares these secrets of Mastery and Performance.   Stephen will explain why you must engage your audience not just intellectually, but also physically and emotionally. Even if you do not consider yourself a public speaker, you may still benefit from this conversation. When you present in front of clients, facilitate discussions with coworkers, or talk with your friends family, you can use these skills.   Lucky for us, Stephen was not afraid to address this sensitive topic: the misconceptions associated with innovation. He also explains how innovation has changed over the past two decades.   Stephen explains how we get stuck in our ways