An Interview With Melissa Llarena

Originally from a small rural town in Georgia, Phaidra Knight, for nearly 18 years, traveled the globe as a professional rugby player, establishing herself as one of the premier players in the sport. In this episode, she shared the many unique experiences she had both on and off the field. And she explained how each athletic opportunity offered a new perspective and made her a better athlete. She also shared her passion for youth leadership and reminded us that even if we can impact one child out, that’s one person who we have helped shape the trajectory of their life. Every single person deserves equality and the opportunity to feel limitless, especially children.  Phaidra has made three appearances in the Rugby World Cup and was selected as the top player in the world for her position in 2002 and 2006. In 2010, she was named the US Rugby Player of the Decade. Also, in 2010, she became an avid CrossFit competitor and, in 2013, a member of the United States Developmental Bobsled Team. And in November 2017, sh

Corey Hester is an off-grid adventurer. Today, you'll hear how Corey has been able to reimagine the mastering of his photography skills even given today's pandemic constraints. His experiences help us to think about the skills we can continue to master in a new way from the comfort of our home. There is possibility even in a situation where you are limited. We also explore the idea of widening perspectives when it comes to career options and trajectory in the face of the unknown; what ways can you apply your existing knowledge and expertise to fill in the gaps? Finally, Corey reminds us of what life can be like if we use our imagination to explore new sights, sounds, and experiences that surround us.  You can see some of Corey’s off-grid moments on Instagram. Just visit @ofalaska and you’ll see his enthusiasm for wild animals and sky light shows. Beyond his love of photography, Corey was once the Executive Director of the Alaska Airmen’s Association which is Alaska's largest aviation non-profit organization.

I met Mikael Lund at a Tony Robbins event years ago. Mikael is the CEO / Founder of Human Gardening, a drug, alcohol, gaming, codependency treatment center based in Sweden. Amidst the global pandemic, many are finding themselves in isolation. During our conversation, Mikael helps us to think about the risk of addictions, coping mechanisms, and shame in times of isolation and stress. Addiction is agnostic; anyone can become an addict, whether you are wealthy, poor, or in-between. If this episode is something you feel you can use right now, in a moment of stress or uncertainty, listen. I am excited to be able to bring this conversation to you today. Mikeal is one of Sweden's foremost experts and continues to be an active dependency therapist with 25 years of experience in this area. You can also find his wisdom online via his content, whereby he educates people around the world about how to cope with shame, unhealthy coping mechanisms, and the lessons he has learned through his rehabilitation journey. Michael's

Cameron Schmidt calls himself "the Human Catalyst." He has built online and offline communities for a long list of impressive and world-class creators including Jesse Itzler via his Build Your Life Resume Online Course as well as Alex Banayan the author of a best-selling book The Third Door. One of the things that stuck out to me during our conversation is Cameron's idea of life being a training ground to become your ultimate best self. Instead of trying to do the things you are good at, he urges you to ask, "Why not allow yourself to try new things?" You might be embarrassed in the process of exploring, but it will be worth it.  Along with building communities, Cameron is in the business of being a catalyst for change and hope in others. Through his example, he wanted to inspire others when he decided to run solo a 100 miles non-race, which he finished because of the messages of support and phone calls from friends. As a catalyst for someone else, Cameron voluntarily helped the former Writer at Large for Esq

Meet Luis-Miguel Caraballo. Prior to our interview, he had been going by the name “Louie Blaka.” Yet, from this moment forward, he wants the world to know him for who he is: an artist with Puerto Rican roots who is here to inspire and provide a roadmap for future full-time artists. You can see his epic art around the world including street art murals throughout cities in New Jersey, Miami, Brazil, and Croatia. Deeply influenced by his city roots in Elizabeth, NJ, and inspired by a personal friend he lost early in life - his artwork makes mention of the phrase “wake up and smell the roses.” A former teacher who at the peak of his career decided to create art as a full-time artist, Luis Miguel is currently on his journey towards making art history. His work has been featured in various galleries, exhibitions and publications including the New York Times Best Seller Crushing It! by Gary Vaynerchuk. Listeners and the world, for the first time publicly under his real name here is Luis-Miguel Caraballo. Listen to

So excited about my conversation with an entrepreneur who happens to be one of my classmates from business school. Meet Hans Reichstetter. We both attended the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and it’s been over 10 years now.  He and his twin brother Karl created the Buffoonery Factory LLC around 8 years ago. He is currently the Co-Head of Idiocy under the Buffoonery Factory. Here’s a bit about this business. It is comprised of two apparel lines a Griz Coat line of faux-fur costumes which have made a cameo in the Real World as well as in a recent Superbowl VISA Ad this year.  The second is a brand that I loved as an 80s kid called Freezy Freakies essentially a ski glove that transforms before your very eyes when in a cold environment. The third business is a bit “more serious,” it’s called the Rumble Jar -- it is a better cold brew coffee maker. Prior to this business venture, Hans was a part-time CFO of a bike start-up company, worked in the energy efficiency space, and once upon a time worked in banking

In 2016, I attended Sree’s Social Media Weekend #SMWKND in NYC. As a participant, I felt like I was guzzling water from a fire hydrant. Sree along with other powerful digital thought leaders were on fire. They were helping attendees uncover what was next and what should be ignored pertaining to social media and its otherwise overwhelming technologies. In a nutshell, I implemented several learnings from that memorable experience and was delighted when he agreed to be interviewed. Sree taught for 20-years at Columbia Journalism School. He also worked for the Metropolitan Museum of Art as well as the City of New York both as a Chief Digital Officer. He was named one of Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business in 2015 as well as the world's most influential Chief Digital Officer by CDO Club in 2016. Today, Sree is back in the classroom at Stony Brook University in NY and has embraced the new era of consultancy work by co-founding Digitmentors a new kind of digital consultancy firm that operates worldwi

If you’ve ever wanted the opportunity to speak to someone whom you’ve admired yet held yourself back because you felt intimidated, then this episode is for you.  For me, someone whom I’ve always admired is Gary Vaynerchuk. Gary is the chairman of VaynerX, a modern-day media and communications holding company and the active CEO of VaynerMedia, a full-service advertising agency serving Fortune 100 clients. In addition to VaynerMedia, VaynerX also includes Gallery Media Group, which houses women’s lifestyle brand PureWow and men's lifestyle brand ONE37pm. In addition to running VaynerMedia, Gary also serves as a partner in the athlete representation agency VaynerSports, cannabis-focused branding and marketing agency Green Street and restaurant reservations app Resy. Gary is a board/advisory member of Ad Council and Pencils of Promise and is a longtime Well Member of Charity: Water. Gary is a highly sought after public speaker, a 5-time New York Times bestselling author, as well as a prolific angel investor with

Emily Pihlaja received her early dance training from the New England Academy of Dance. Yet, at the age of 12 she committed to dance as her vocation when she left home in Connecticut to attend the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C. where she graduated in 2009. She then moved to Portland where she performed for four seasons with the Oregon Ballet Theatre. Emily was featured in ballets such as George Balanchine’s Serenade, Divertimento No. 15, Emeralds, The Four Temperaments, Swan Lake, Coppelia, Giselle, and The Nutcracker. She also performed in New York with Thomas/Ortiz Dance. Her performances with Spectrum Dance Theater include 5th Avenue Theatre’s Carousel and Donald Byrd’s Carmina Burana and more.  Listen closely for Emily’s unique take on these themes: The moment when dancing became more than a hobby through a series of choices that set her apart Her career journey from being a little girl who performed for fun to signing a contract as an adult with a dance company The art of performing before y

Listen to how Jane Collier, a corporate executive who chose to build her career in corporate environments including most recently in the Walgreens Boots Alliance has defiantly also managed for 30+years to continue to express her love of ballet. Episode 8 Jane and I met what seems like 100 years ago during a Procter & Gamble Summer Bootcamp for wide eyed and bushy-tailed MBAs. Fast-forward to today, Jane continues to play big in corporate settings however she has figured out how to stay connected to her creative muse of ballet. Recently, Jane had been interviewed for Dance Magazine and I noticed that she somehow managed to swap her time off from work to participate in summer intensives at American Ballet Theatre in New York City, the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow and, most recently, the Royal Danish Ballet in Copenhagen. Meanwhile, Jane also keeps her cello warm by being a Cellist for the Chicago City Wide Symphony on the side for good measure. All of her extracurriculars got me thinking that I need to

At last, Michelle Ghilotti, my FIRST female guest! I’ve been following her for years. She was my logical choice because you can learn from her personal and professional acts of courage.  Michelle has lived through several personal tragedies. She has shared her story and is unafraid of being vulnerable and putting herself out there to support other humans. A former advertising professional who worked on mega brands including Starbucks and Nike, she has been an entrepreneur for several years as the owner of a global branding, coaching and empowerment agency. Michelle is also the creator of several life maximizing programs focused on making happiness your business by creating your authentic brand including the Greater Good Party. Tune in to hear Michelle’s take on:   Why creative ideas come to you? And what it’s like to use your courage to bring a passion project to life as is the case for Michelle and the Greater Good Party?   What happens when you follow what feels good? How does your creativity lead you to

James Altucher is the author of several Wall Street Journal Best Selling books, including ‘Choose Yourself.’ There he suggests that we write 10 ideas every day to become an ideas machine. James has reinvented himself several times. His first career change was when he left his full-time role at HBO to build a tech start-up. James has co-founded 20 companies 17 of which have failed on paper yet have given him several life lessons. He is the host of widely popular podcasts The James Altucher Show and Ask Altucher. James is a venture capitalist. And these days, you can find James doing stand-up in local clubs including Stand Up NY. Listen to episode #6 especially if you’re curious about James Altucher’s thoughts on: What it took for him personally to quit HBO and work in his business full-time How to evaluate equity if you are interested in working for a start-up Whether corporate skills are REALLY needed in a start-up What kept James up at night when he was building his first business How to get started in becom

James Altucher is the author of several Wall Street Journal Best Selling books, including ‘Choose Yourself.’ There he suggests that we write 10 ideas every day to become an ideas machine. James has reinvented himself several times. His first career change was when he left his full-time role at HBO to build a tech start-up. James has co-founded 20 companies 17 of which have failed on paper yet have given him several life lessons. He is the host of widely popular podcasts The James Altucher Show and Ask Altucher. James is a venture capitalist. And these days, you can find James doing stand-up in local clubs including Stand Up NY.   Listen to episode #5 especially if you’re curious about James Altucher’s thoughts on:   What does it feel like to reach a milestone birthday and hang around a younger crowd? How can we manage our energy including when it comes to a big component our emotional health and marriage? What are the perils of reinventing yourself in your career? How can you change careers with fewer scars?

Jonathan Arons is a Grammy-award winning artist who soulfully dances with his trombone. He and I shared a row on a flight home and we spoke the entire time. His career has paired him notable artists across musical genres. He has played with Alicia Keys, Jon Bon Jovi, Gloria Gaynor, Stevie Wonder, Usher, and Pharrell. In Jazz he’s performed with Charles Mingus Big Band, The Vanguard Orchestra, and as a member of the Dave Holland Big Band on the 2005 Grammy winning Big Band album Overtime. In Salsa/Merengue, he has also played with Cuco Valoy, Nino Segarra, Hector Tricoche, and Raulin Rosendo. He’s also made his rounds in the world of reality TV including appearing on America’s Got Talent, Jimmy Fallon, Jay Leno, and Steve Harvey, among others. And notably, he sits on the board of the Melody Arons Center an organization that empowers at-risk, developmentally disabled infants, toddlers, preschoolers and their families. Listen to episode 4 because Jon is fearlessly living life on his own terms. You’ll especially

Stefan Zaklin was a staff photojournalist for the European Pressphoto Agency. He covered several historical figures and moments including the war in Iraq, the Saddam Hussein trial, the White House for two presidents, traveled on Air Force One, covered Formula 1, major league baseball, and the NFL. He’s also earned several awards for his photography including: 3rd Place, General News for the 2004 World Press Photo First Place, 2002 Magazine Portrait and Personality The NPPA Best of Photojournalism Award and others Yet, he is most known for his striking image of a man in Tikrit, Iraq, detained by US soldiers who was kneeling in his yard before being taken away for questioning. Meanwhile, he is infamous for a 2004 image of a dead soldier, who was shot and killed in Falluja, in a house used as a base by insurgents. Listen to episode #3 if you’re curious about Stefan’s thoughts on any of the following questions: Tell me about your career in photojournalism. Why did you get into it? Why did you get out? What do

An Interview with Dr. Tarek Elgawhary the President of the Coexist Foundation. On this episode, Tarek shares with us how he has been able to weave together his core values of love and mercy into a sustainable career. What’s more, Tarek explains the surprising root cause of conflict and how through a simple act such as consuming more coffee (something tired parents can do in their sleep) you can take part in resolving conflict amongst divided communities. Sounds like something we need right now? Press play. Listen to episode #2 especially if you’re curious about Tarek’s thoughts on any of the following questions: What’s the story behind this popular bumper sticker? How can we support post-conflict communities by drinking more coffee? Is it possible to make a living while not leaving our religious beliefs outside of work? Who should have a seat at the table when it comes to solving major world challenges? What’s really at stake if we don’t challenge conventional wisdom? What does this all have to do with how T

Meet my first guest Jacques Slade on An Interview with Melissa Llarena — the podcast. Have you ever been curious about how YouTube international superstars think about their riskiest career decisions? Ever wanted to understand how to create video content that will attract 10M views? Wouldn’t you love to learn how you can snag an invite to visit your childhood hero’s home? Well, that is exactly what you will uncover in this week’s interview with Jacques Slade. You will hear how Jacques thinks about what it takes to build a YouTube followership and how he thinks about his blessed life — one that he would have never imagined when he was an at-risk teen. Listen to episode #1 if you’re curious about Jacque’s thoughts on any of the following questions: How can you go from a traditional career such as teaching into sneaker vlogging? How can criticism, fandom or trolling push you to do better work? What does it take to get an invite to Michael Jordan’s house? When it comes to earning 11M-plus views on a video: what’