Real Things Living

This episode provides advice for authors on how to create an online course idea from your book.  Brigitte uses her book (Quality Book Formula) that's listed on KDP as an example.  This book was written to help you understand the steps between a book idea and selling it.  Link for course Business of Books idea on the Maven platform: https://maven.com/brigitte-cutshall/the-business-of-books

My latest book is Quality Book Formula: Professionally Publish Your Book for Excellence.  It's common for us to take our knowledge for granted, and I was encouraged to write about this topic based on feedback from other authors since I have over two decades experience in the print and publishing industry. Link to watch video: https://youtube.com/realthingsliving

Zachary Green is the definition of courage and learned to embrace the chaos from his U.S. Marine Corps and firefighter experiences. Integrity is important to him. The title of his best-selling book is "Warrior Entrepreneur: Lessons from the Battlefield to the Boardroom." The warrior principles learned can be translated into any career or business. Those principles can be summarized as teamwork, purpose, confidence, adaptability, tenacity, serenity, and morals.  Learn more about him at https://www.warriorentrepreneurbook.com/  

Chuck and Hannah Keels share their unique and remarkable relationship. They are both Stage 4 cancer survivors; met and fell in love, got married on January 1, 2020, and founded Living Hope Cancer Foundation.  They each wrote their own book prior to meeting; and co-authored Get Up and Live to inspire others to have a positive mindset. The focus is to encourage others to live with a hope bigger than life.  Their 5 Pillars of life include: (1) prayer, (2) love, (3) juicing, (4) essential oils, and (5) move the body. Learn more https://getupandlive.org and their YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/LivingHopeCancerFoundation

Matt Ode truly is a miracle.  At the age of 24, he was diagnosed with Stage 3C Testicular Cancer. Matt experienced major complications during treatment and near death experiences such as a two-week coma after complicated surgery, kidney and liver failure, and a heart attack.   Matt shares his captivating journey and the lessons that were learned along the way. His story is an inspiring example of resilience...from Survivor to Superhero.  Learn more about Matt at https://mattodespeaks.com

We tend to think of finance and math as a 4-letter word. It's not and we should change that perspective. The focus for John Grace is working with essential workers to help them better understand their financial health. The main goal is to do everything he can to help take the mystery out of money management. He is also the author of Making Finance Make Sense: Striving to Win.   "The relationship with your financial planners should be one built on trust, you should know they have your best interest at heart."  John Grace has been in the financial industry since 1979 and is the Founder and President of Investors Management Corp.  You can connect with him at jgrace@whybepoor.com. 

Lesleigh Jolin was drawn to the Grief Recovery Method program based on her own painful and personal losses throughout her life. That program was the "last healing measure she tried to heal her own heart, and the first that actually worked for her well-being."  She is now certified Advanced Grief Recovery Method Specialist and offers an 8-week program to individual adults. She also collaborates with the Dream Foundation of Santa Barbara to turn dying dreams into lasting memories for her patients and families. Lesleigh has 27 years in the healing arts and a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology. Her purpose in life is to heal hearts. Learn more about her at https://lesleighjolin.com

I love what these two pianists are doing, Anna Szałucka and Monika Mašanauskaitė. They both live in Europe and I'm honored to be a part of the journey to share their story. Anna and Monika started touring together in 2021 and created a documentary about what was learned. Their mindset is to change the perception of classical music, focusing on connecting with the audience, and to emphasize "let's be in the moment together." Music is so calming and that is needed these days.   The YouTube channel where the documentary will be shared is Piano Deck. 

In 2016, Joel Cohen had 6 figures in student loan debt and a job with no opportunity to be promoted. He had to find a way to provide for his family.  "My WHY was clear to pay down student loan debt and provide for my family."  The Morning Miracle book, by Hal Elrod, had a positive impact on him too. He learned to definitely appreciate what you  have. Joel's perspective now is focusing on the long-term and helps others who have hit a brick wall in their field.  You can connect with Joel on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelcohen00/

Yep. Chris Bystriansky understands the importance of financial health for his family. From the moment he became a father, he wanted to make a difference and knew his children needed to learn how to manage money. That perspective inspired him to write his first book, Renting from my 6-Year-Old. The goal is to share examples and lessons learned to inspire other families to have a similar mindset. This is the first of many books to come! Chris left the corporate world after experiencing burn-out and was definitely ready for change. He wanted more freedom and more control of his life. The 3 major takeaways that Chris learned:  (1) getting professional help - you can't do everything alone; (2) setting and then accomplishing some goals; and (3) surround yourself with successful people in the area you want to be successful in.  Connect and learn more about Chris at www.chrisbystriansky.com. 

Emily Elrod is the founder of Workzbe. (Her son came up with that name!) Her goal is to help teams develop accountability, connection, and results through a WISE environment.   * W stands for Work Well  * I stands for Work Intelligently * S stands for Work Safely * E stands for Work Empowered Emily is very passionate about helping others with a focus on energy management, intrinsic motivation, and integrity. She has a background in physiology, is a nerd about humans, and the podcast host of "Unapologetically Bold."   https://workzbe.com

Lisa Caprelli has an inspiring background and is a great example of using creativity to help others.  "The best part of my work is connecting with children to create connection, harmony, and happiness combined with story, art and song that focus on social aspects like friendship, kindness, and love." She is the author of 16 books and creator of "Unicorn Jazz Presents The Thing I Do" show now on Amazon TV/Prime. She first wrote the Unicorn Jazz book series about 2 years ago and launched into a show to reach children in a Sesame Street type with kid talent, singers and education. The idea to create the show was during the 2020 pandemic.  Lisa has a 26-year background in marketing and branding, and decided to use her skills by helping kids smile, believe and create! Learn more about the Unicorn Jazz project - https://unicornjazz.com/ The Thing I Do show - https://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Puppets-Friendship-Music-Squirrel/dp/B08GKXJM39/ and connect on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/unicornja

Annie M. Fonte comes from a humble background. Raised on the plains of Northeastern Colorado, she started out as a dirt farmer, kicked up some dust as an athlete, and got gritty in the business world. She has over two decades of successful entrepreneurial experience and received her MBA from Harvard in between. An all around badass. Annie is the author of "Keep Your Ass in the Saddle: How a Farm, Fire, and Failure Led Me to Freedom". She's also the founder of Meet Me at the Barn, which is a self-mastery personal development program to help others discover how to be true to yourself. It's okay to be different. Learn more at https://meetmeatthebarn.com/

Saying affirmations as a habit is a foundation to help build confidence, which also strengthens resilience.  What an honor it was to speak with debut author Nancy Torres. Her dual-language learning children’s book, Say It With Me, teaches children the power of saying positive affirmations and words of love to both themselves and others. She is a New York City second grade teacher and mother of a bilingual family. You can tell Nancy has a love for nurturing little minds.  This book is a powerful way to help children improve their communication skills, gain confidence and bond with adults. And at the same time it brings to light some beautiful messages that adults really need to remind themselves of in 2021.  Learn more about her at I Am Nancy Torres and check out Wheat Penny Press.

After Heather Morrison's job was eliminated last Fall, she decided to start a business, the Memory Keepers Society. The goal is to help people capture their experience of living through the pandemic as an example, with photos and narrative as well. Her upcoming workshops will bring together many people to do this work in a community format. Everyone has a story and a voice. Main takeaways: (1) Everything is a story; (2) Capture it before it's gone; and (3) Have a positive creative process. Heather is an award-winning short film writer-director, teacher, and coach who records her life in photos and writing.  Learn more at Write Your First Story Now. 

Many families across the country are dealing with extra tension and stress as they self-isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Know that you’re not alone. It’s important to address any issues that are causing tension so that you can promote healthy relationships with one another and thrive in these strange times.   Here is a summary of 5 practical ways: (1) Encourage more exercise; (2) Get Support; (3)  Prioritize communication; (4) Head outdoors; (5) Structure your workday   Content was developed through Derek Goodman - https://www.inbizability.com/  Link to blog post: https://brigittecutshall.com/2021/05/...

What does success look like? Milena Regos learned it's really about being present and reconnecting with your values. Milena, founder of the Unhustle Movement is a rebel entrepreneur, ex award-winning marketer, certified human potential coach and podcast host is on a mission to inspire 100 million people from all over the world to ditch the hustle culture mentality, leading to burnout and begin a new way of living and working. The Unhustle Framework: "I believe that rest, play, being present and focusing on our well-being is a good way to help us deal with stress, overwhelm and burnout, but can also push our creativity and productivity to put us in optimal performance. So, we need to unhustle to move forward. I believe that hard work matters but hustling is stupid." Learn more about Milena at https://unhustle.com/

Larry is a Life & Business Coach for the Todd Durkin Mastermind. He recently published a book, "126 Days, 11 Minutes: Our Love Story." It shares the beautiful love story of meeting Gayle while she was dealing with end-of-life cancer. During their brief time together, he wrote in a journal daily about their four-month journey with optimism and hope that will make you laugh and cry as he remains steadfast at Gayle’s side during her fierce battle with Stage-IV cancer. It is an authentic tribute to a fabulous woman who appreciated photography and had a fervor for the Argentine Tango. She chose to embrace life to its fullest and love to its freest with Larry, her “forever” man.  The depth of their relationship was unexpected, and provided unconditional love through courage and creativity. A quote from Larry: "Help your loved one to embrace life as much possible by looking for opportunities and activities that give them joy and hope. By being a loyal companion with your loved one as they travel down t

"Social Anxiety can create a powerful and painful paradox of wanting to be seen but not wanting to be seen."  Rose Berry dealt with depression for five years. Her depression diminished when she got to the root cause ... a doctor explained that she was actually dealing with social anxiety. This was an enlightening moment and decided to use her new-found courage to help others dealing with the same issues.  Rose has combined her life experience of mental health challenges and professional training to be a life coach, with a focus on social anxiety. Her support helps you access what makes you courageous and brave.  Learn more at https://myfriendfear.com/ 

"Great ideas happen when you're emotionally charged. It helps with creativity to solve problems." Saleema Vellani was misplaced after graduating college, living in another country, and had to figure out what to do. After introspection, she learned that she wanted to be of service in some way to help others.  Saleema Vellani is an entrepreneur, keynote speaker, adjunct professor, and the author of Innovation Starts With I. For over 12 years, Saleema has led 100+ international organizations, nonprofits, and Fortune 500 companies to their next stage of growth and innovation. Saleema is the Founder and CEO of Ripple Impact, which is an accelerator and community that helps entrepreneurs grow their businesses and platforms. She also consults as an innovation strategist to the World Bank, teaches Design Thinking and Entrepreneurship at Johns Hopkins University and is a frequent guest lecturer at business schools. Learn more about Saleema at https://saleemavellani.com/