American Snippets

Eric Konovalov is the President of The Goal Guide Inc., a consulting firm focused on life coaching, sales training, motivational speaking, and leadership development. Eric’s passion is to help people and organizations bridge the gap between their current state and where they dream of being.   Eric Konovalov was a Jewish refugee from the former USSR. After a year of waiting in two refugee settlements in two different countries, Eric and his sister, stepsisters, mom and stepfather were told they'd been selected to come to America. His extended family went to Israel.  Eric was just 8 years old when his family settled in the Baltimore area. At 17 years old, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, where he served for 8 years. Today, the child refugee is a proud veteran, husband, and father. He's also a leader and entrepreneur helping others through their own transitions and into new purposes.  Eric's story is what the American Dream is all about. His perspective on the opportunities in this country stems fr

Any parent knows small children have big imaginations and see only what's possible, not what's impossible. It can be easy for us to be so weighed down in our responsibilities and so tainted by our own setbacks that we dismiss the potential for a small child to actually turn imagination into reality - but that's just what Andrea Blackstone helped her son Tyler Stallings do.Tyler was only 4 years old when Andrea taught him about what our military does and what our veterans face when they come home. Little Tyler was instantly determined to help our veterans and came up with all sort of ideas on how to do it. Andrea supported her son, and today, with her help, Tyler is one of this country's youngest advocates. He's just six years old and yet he's impacted thousands with his energy and commitment to helping veterans.Tyler Stallings is proving every day that anyone, no matter how small, can make a difference. His mom serves as a reminder that our children have unlimited potential - if we believe in them.Read the fu

Charlynda Scales is a self-described optimist who chooses to live by faith rather than fear. Eleven years in the United States Air Force not only upheld her family's strong military lineage but sharpened the leadership skills she's now using to lead her own company to success. Mutt's Sauce is named for Charlynda's grandfather, a Korean and Vietnam War veteran whose call-name was Mutt. His special sauce is a family heirloom initially thought to be lost upon his death but later discovered to be willed to his precious granddaughter Charlynda.  Today Charlynda is steadily making Mutt's Sauce a household name throughout Ohio. She's taking entrepreneurship to a new level and working with some of this nation's most noted business leaders, all the while giving back as mentor and volunteer. Anyone who is hesitating to chase their own dream can learn from Charlynda's story. Read the full article, watch the video, and more here

Question: What do you get when you cross patriotism with selflessness, layer in some Shakespeare, and pile on the talent and snark? Answer: David Meadows David Meadows is quick to point out that he’s not sure he would have joined the military after 9/11, but one gets the sense he would still have been first in line. As it was, David had been in the Navy for about a year before that tragic day. He’d fallen short of passing SEAL training once but returned after 9/11. This time he left with a trident. More interested in intelligence gathering and “stalking,” as he jokes, than in door-kicking and room-clearing, David ultimately wound up doing reconnaissance work with the infamous SEAL Team 6. He then became well-acquainted with Afghanistan. In his line of work, David didn’t often have the opportunity to interact with the locals. Given the fact that the ones he did interact with were typically trying to kill him, he simply wrote the entire society off, assuming they all hated Americans. It was very easy to disass

Dr. Dave Ores is a disruptor by nature, and he's turning that tendency toward helping people most of society forgets about. The outspoken General Practitioner from New York City is leading the effort to provide a small but invaluable service to young survivors of human trafficking as well as people who have found the strength to put criminal pasts behind them, so they can make a fresh start. Dr. Dave is a great example of how one person can make a huge difference in thousands of lives, simply by doing what they do best. Listen in to hear what this service is, and how you can help. Read the full article, watch the video, and more here

Dave Bray is on a new mission to spread patriotism and American unity across this country. His blend of faith-based patriotic rock reaches deep into the soul of audiences across the country in his live performances, and is now available on his new album. Aching loss and immense sacrifice of military, first responders, and law enforcement all spill through in the haunting lyrics and sounds of Dave’s song, Last Call. Faith and hope pour out in his version of Amazing Grace, and every song on this album is woven between Dave’s narration of God, country, and restoring and teaching respect to the next generation. In today’s landscape of divisiveness and carefully orchestrated mayhem, Dave Bray’s patriotic rock is his way of tending to the spiritual and emotional wounds of this country. He is steadfast in his commitment to this mission, which allowed him to persevere through the challenges attached to fulfilling it. Dave always loved music. He’d indulged this love and nurtured his natural talent for this craft with

American Snippets Co-Founder Barb Allen recently gave a talk at TEDX Ladybird Lake. This talk introduced the power that patriotism holds to help all of us enact powerful change in our own lives. Although it is still newly released, this talk is already well-received and igniting conversations. Watch the talk here: www.barballenspeaks.com Listen in as Barb continues the conversation and further explains how patriotism may be the answer so many of us are seeking. If you enjoyed this episode, check out the featured article, video, and more at americansnippets.com/053

Alin Bijan is a film director and Emmy award winning producer. His extensive professional credits include several projects with the iconic American star Chuck Norris and his new film Flip Turn, based on the true story of a young autistic boy who becomes a swimming champion.  Alin's all American success story is made all the more remarkable by the fact that he is Iranian-born, and came to this country all alone at the age of 15.  Now he's an avid supporter of our military, a proponent of the American Dream, and one of the proudest Americans we've ever met. Listen in as he shares his story of being a teenager all alone in this country, learning the culture and the language, working relentlessly toward his goals, and how he came to work with Chuck Norris. Catch a snippet of him talking about his new film and its potential to raise funds to support the autistic community. If you enjoyed this episode, check out the featured article, video, and more at americansnippets.com/052

Are you a weekend warrior in life, cramming all of your family time, leisure time, and YOU time into the hours between 5 p.m. Friday and 6 a.m Monday? Do you feel your inner joy start to shrivel up on Sunday evening as you resign yourself to another 5 days of commuting, cubicles, cranky co-workers and time clocks? Or are you just plodding through your life, one day the same as the next, with no idea what happened to the You, you used to be? STOP IT. You have the right to the pursuit of happiness. You have the means to find it and hold it tight, and you have ways to help others do the same. Like this episode? Subscribe, leave us a review and see more at www.americansnippets.com

Alba Melgar-C'De Baca immigrated to this country as a young child. Her family worked hard to not just survive in America, but thrive. Then, Alba decided she also wanted to give back to this country that was so good to her family. Today Alba is a 29 year veteran of the United States Military. She'll retire from the Army on July 1 with a rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and the civilian title of Dr, having also earned her PhD. She may no longer be an active officer, but she's still a leader who leaves no man or woman behind. So Alba accepted a position as Chief Operating Officer at VETTED, a dynamic organization offering crucial training and career guidance to veterans, military spouses, and Gold Star family members. In this interview Alba talks about the opportunities this country offers, her own drive to give back, and the extraordinarily high-caliber programs of VETTED that transition veterans and military family members into elite members of the corporate and entrepreneurial worlds. If you enjoyed this episode,

It would seem as though with so many people doing their very best to help, our veterans should be at peace, resting warmly in the embrace of a newly-awakened America. So why do we still lose so many of our combat veterans to suicide? Why do so many of our warriors descend into a dark world of drugs and despair? Why do we see homeless veterans on park benches, and why do so many of these families dissolve under the pressure of adapting to the return of a parent or child who may look the same but hides a deadly secret? Micah Fink knows exactly why, and this former Navy SEAL is doing everything he can to reverse the trend. With ten years as a Navy SEAL Micah has seen friends die. He has done things to survive and fight and defend our country, things that have the potential to forever be seared into the forefront of his memory and his life. But Micah has learned that struggle in life gives things value. The answers we are looking for are inside all of us. We have to look inside for the answers – not out. Listen t

This month marks our one year anniversary at American Snippets. While we've grown exponentially in these past 12 months, our guests have always been extraordinary. Today we decided to take the time to highlight many of these stories. We are 100% positive that the all-star lineup of awesome people has at least one story that will impact anyone listening in or reading their article. Co-founder Barb Allen has even offered to send free books to our listeners who email her - but you have to listen in to find out how to claim yours. We don't just think the American Dream is alive and well - we know it. And our guests do too. Thank you to all of our listeners for being a part of our first year, and here's to many more to come. You can go listen to the episodes we mentioned in this podcast episode at www.americansnippets.com

Chuck Ray was just 17 years old when he signed his life over to the Marine Corps. It became his way of life- his family, his identity, until an IED that could have ended his life ended his career, instead. Now like so many other veterans tossed back into civilian life, Chuck was faced with a new enemy - uncertainty.  His path from the Marine Corps to the ranks of this country's hottest new companies is packed with lessons for anyone faced with obstacles in their own lives. His message to Gold Star Families and all who served is one of reassurance and faith in the mission that so many sacrificed for.

If you don't set any boundaries your life has the potential to be outstanding because there are no limits to your potential or what you can achieve. Take Paul von Zielbauer for instance. He worked his entire life to be a writer for the NY Times. Until one day Paul realized that his life and his career had guidelines. So, Paul, a Pulitzer nominated writer made the tough decision to leave his wildly successful career as a writer and pursue his own calling. He decided to pursue what he calls his radiantly imagine future. Paul now is the owner of an adventure travel philanthorpy company called Roadmonkey that is impacting lives around the world. Dive further into this episode of Freedom Friday to gain insight on how you can find your own true path in life by pushing the boundaries you and others have set for yourself. Listen to the full episode and interview we did with Paul von Zielbauer at americansnippets.com/002

Jackie Toops didn't marry a military man, but she's been an Army wife for 7 years now anyway. When her husband told her of his drive to serve, Jackie knew it was up to her to support that drive.  The life of a military spouse is grossly misunderstood by the majority of Americans. From frequent moves, to raising and often giving birth to children without their spouse present, to worry for their spouse's safety, to immense difficulty establishing or maintaining a career, these women (and men) are the unsung heroes behind their heroes.  Jackie Toops found her own purpose in military life by serving as a conduit for camaraderie and resources for other military spouses. She's the Lead Writer at the incredibly popular and much leaned-upon blog Army Wife 101, and military spouses all over the globe rely on her articles for news, fresh insight, and valuable information to help them navigate their own lives.  Jackie shared her story and message of patriotism, service, and resilience with us in today's episode. If you

If you've ever wondered how to spot an opportunity or how to grab on to one, today's guest has those answers for you. Tim Jensen is a Marine Corps veteran, a leader, patriot, and master at capitalizing on opportunities.  Where some see nothing, and others see an insult, Tim sees potential. This, no doubt, served him well in the military and absolutely serves him well now.  We featured Daniel Alarick, a veteran entrepreneur and owner of the wildly patriotic and successful company Grunt Style, not long ago. Along our way we found Tim Jensen. Tim was initially turned down for a position at Grunt Style, and now he's the COO. He's also claiming un-staked territory in the world of shooting competitions in a revolutionary move that's about to shake things up.  Listen in as Tim shares with us, how he went from rejection to partner, and how he's learned to spot hidden opportunities he turns into goldmines. If you enjoyed this episode, check out the featured article, video, and more at americansnippets.com/044

It's Freedom Friday. If you learn to harness the power of positive thoughts, you’ll attract more positive circumstances in your life. It's about becoming the energy that you want to attract. Start thinking about what you want and who you want to be. Think positively and you will call positive things to you. If you have a cynical, insecure, or pessimistic worldview, your negativity will be a self-inflicted, self-fulfilling prophecy. Like attracts like. Do you have big goals you long to achieve? Do you feel like you’re behind schedule? Do you think you're not good enough? Are you fearful to get started? Maybe you've been conditioned to believe that success is reserved for a chosen few? The truth is anyone can achieve great success in their lives. But not everyone is willing to commit to achieving it. The ones that do understand the power of positive thought. They are consistently thinking about what they want. They are writing it down daily. They visualize it, they taste it, they see it, and most importantly th

Elena Cardone is known to many as the Queen of the Cardone Empire. She and her husband Grant Cardone have the kind of success some people dream of for themselves while others view as impossible. They are both respected and envied - sought after by those who understand the possibility and potential they represent and offer, while frowned upon by those who misunderstand the purpose behind their massive success. Neither Elena nor her husband make an effort to hide their wealth or their success. Rather, they have expanded their empire by teaching others how to emulate their success, both personally and professionally. Still, there are sides to this power couple that can be overlooked. Elena took the time to share the very personal side of their purpose and the enormous struggles she and her husband faced along their paths. From childhood traumas to costly mistakes, it is a testament to them both that they persevered and achieved what they have. Deeply patriotic and equally charitable, Elena Cardone is a force in

It started with one care package and evolved into a corporate initiative. When Barbara Richardson found out about deployed Marines who weren't receiving letters or packages from home, she jumped in to help. She started in her kids' school, and enlisted students to send some love to the men and women overseas. Then she brought the idea to work, and what happened next is remarkable. Barbara works for Barclays, the multinational titan of the financial and investment banking world. When an executive at her company saw the way Barbara was inspiring so many people to support the troops and heard about the impact that support has, things took off. Thanks to Barbara's inspiration, Barclays has become a force in the world of military support. At work, she is now part of the Military Support Network responsible for a variety of resources and opportunities to help military families. At home, she's still "adopting" troops and her cookies are known around the world. Barbara is a perfect example of the power of positivity,

They're not old enough to vote, but they are strong enough to have a say in shaping this country, anyway. Jake and Max Klein have been giving back to the community before they could walk. And now they're picking up the pace even more at the helm of their national campaign to help other kids do the same. Determined to find an outlet for their charitable instincts, Jake and Max were discouraged to be told they were too young to volunteer. So, they created their organization, Kids That Do Good as a means to overcome that obstacle for themselves and other like-minded youth. They've been honored by the White House and consulted by leaders, and they're just getting started. If you enjoyed this episode, check out the featured article, video, and more at americansnippets.com/040