Real Things Living

This was a great opportunity to speak with entrepreneur, Anthony Russo, the founder of Double Down Strategy and #BeTheChange. His goal is to help create a world of positivity with a message of self responsibility.  Anthony points out the best way we can help others is to use your talents to empower others.  He's creating systems for empowerment through partnerships with two other charities, Regular Hero and Streetlights Unity Movement. A lot of the motivation was derived from growing up poor with a father who was a compulsive gambler.  Anthony is also an Emcee, Performance Coach and Keynote Speaker. His positive energy definitely shows, and is well-known for his versatility and adaptability.  Learn more at Double Down Strategy. 

Mary Guillermin has made a lot of contributions over the years to help others. She is an advocate for mental health with the goal to dispel the myth around it. She shares her personal journey around mental health issues and decided on a natural healing approach with no medications. Her calmness definitely shines through the conversation and is an inspiring role model. One of her projects is a play that she wrote and performed in...what she calls the "One Woman Show"....it's about dealing with manic depression. Mary is also the Director of Communications at the Pellin Institute and they are offering bi-weekly Zoom Forums for support during the Covid pandemic. This has been received very well and people have been surprised that a Zoom call can make them feel better. "An online call is not a substitute for in-person support but is a way that creates a space where you connect with others."  Mary is also the founder of the Femininity Project, another creative endeavor.  And she's in the process of c

Katrine Horn is a Life Coach based in Touslouse, France and her focus is to help women get out of their comfort zone through self-acceptance. We all tend to ignore ourselves while taking care of others. That is normal, unfortunately.  Self-worth comes from focusing on who you are, not what you do.  "Create a library of joyful moments you can access." This can help you feel more calm during a stressful time. This is just one of the tips she provided and I love the simplicity of it.  Katrine's warm personality definitely comes through the conversation.  She previously shared her story at a TedX event in France titled, "Who do you think you are?" Learn more at https://katrinehorn.com

Paul Sewell, Founder of the non-profit Seven Wells, shares his crazy and amazing journey of the past year. The hardships he and his family dealt with put what they valued front and center, which was their health and to have authority over yourself.  It started with his son being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, then extreme mold was discovered in their Atlanta condo from a roof leak, to having to move multiple times during the beginning of Covid. They literally had to start from scratch after throwing away just about everything due to mold contamination. Paul and his wife's faith helped them deal with all this...to include running the non-profit remotely. He's thankful to have the ability to do that online.  Learn more about Paul at https://enjoyjesusmore.com/

It's not realistic to think you won't have any stress in life.  You need to give yourself some grace - some time - to figure things out and deal with changes.   Kristin Herr is a Life Coach and her mission is help women overcome their limiting beliefs.  "You work hard. You love hard. You give hard. You do everything with passion and ferocity. Except, you forget one thing. You forget that sometimes you have to work on your own self in order to achieve the greatness you are meant to achieve." She personally dealt with an abusive relationship in the past, left it and overcame that. Her mother died from cancer around the same time. These  experiences made her realize that she was focusing on negative self-beliefs, it was holding her back, and she changed her mindset. Now she focuses on helping other women overcome self-doubt and to believe in themselves again.  Learn more about Kristin at https://kristinherr.com/

Jill Johnson is the founder of Johnson Consulting Services, a professional speaker and the Chief Reality Officer for clients. She is very generous with her time, knowledge, sense of humor, and mentors others on a regular basis. Lack of confidence holds many people back. Being uncertain of yourself is normal and it just takes time to learn your way through situations.  Jill points out that just wishing for something to happen isn't a strategy or tactic. You have to put in effort, do the disciplined work, and be open to continually learn...especially from others. Having clarity of who you really are is also important. What if there was a way to help build your confidence? Jill's most recent book is "Compounding your Confidence" with the purpose of providing a career confidence blueprint through clarity. You can learn more about Jill at Johnson Consulting Services. 

"Which kind of fear are you comfortable with?" This is the question Matt Tanner brings up in his conversation with Brigitte.  Matt is the founder of Same Page HR, which is an HR Consulting firm in Atlanta. He started Same Page after he was laid off in March. This was the beginning of shelter-in-place for our county in Georgia.   Matt is a trusted people-person, provides great advice and claims he is "a weirdo that loves HR."  Brigitte and Matt met as classmates (cohorts) during Seth Godin's altMBA-1, the inaugural class in 2015.  They both learned a lot about how to "just put it out there", to adapt, and to keep trying. Everyone's "normal" playlist seems to be out the window right now with the current pandemic and the effect on businesses.  We all have some fear - doubting ourselves - and that also is normal.  Matt reminds us that "fear" is different for everyone and the questions you ask yourself depends on your perspective. If you are self-employed (a business owner), you often

Brigitte and George Schnitzer have worked on many book projects together over the years. She convinced George to share his perspective of the current state of publishing industry in 2020, which is constantly changing due to tech.   George understands that you need to adapt to survive in an ever-changing industry. PPA (Premium Press America) has realized steady growth using that mindset and has released more than 150 gift/souvenir, mass-market, trade and private label titles. PPA now creates niche-marketed titles for a variety of specialty outlets.   One of the most popular book projects George has been involved with is,  "I can't save you, but will Die Trying: the American Fire Culture" - written from a firefighter's perspective.    George is the co-founder and publisher of Premium Press America based in Nashville.  The company was established 30+ years ago as a full-service promotion and marketing agency, Specialty Promotions. The company quickly built a reputation for implement

What do you do when you have stay-at-home orders during a pandemic? Adapt where you can. Brigitte and Hannah Cranfill decided to sign up for an online screenwriting class in April 2020 through the Atlanta Film Society. This is where they met  - virtually - along with another student, Esha. Hannah suggested to write a short-film and submit it to a "locals only" screening.  Esha and Brigitte didn't hesitate. The theme of the short-film screening for 2020 is called "So Bad, It's Good." As a team, they co-wrote, produced, and directed a short-film...literally at home and updated each other weekly through Zoom calls. The short-film created is called "Adaptations", was produced in less than 6 weeks, and t was unexpectedly selected for screening in Atlanta.  It's amazing what you can accomplish working creatively with others. It was definitely a "So Bad, It's Good" situation.  The in-person screening was a drive-in at the Plaza Theatre's parking lot in July.  We're still waiting to find

Dr. Shirley Raines is known for being personable, powerful, and prepared. Her first role out of college was as a preschool teacher and that path eventually  took her to the role of President Emeritus of the University of Memphis for 12 years. She is also the first woman university president.  Shirley provides a lot of inspiration for others based on her uncommon journey of being raised on a farm to being president of a university. This is because she was determined to make a difference in the community. She leads others to develop their strengths, build productive partnerships, and seize opportunities.   She has written 18 books...15 books for teachers, 2 for children, and 1 for leaders. The most recent book being, "An Uncommon Journey:  Leadership Lessons from a preschool teacher who became a university president."    Learn more about her at: https://www.shirleyraines.com/

Jesse Iwuji wanted to be a race car driver when he was a young boy and made that dream a reality.  Jesse attributes the military training he received to help him be more focused.  (Jesse has a lot of energy too.)  He also provides some great advice for youth regarding resilience. Jesse is an American stock car racing driver and officer in the United States Navy Reserve. He played football for the Naval Academy, is an entrepreneur, and currently competes in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series in the No. 34 for Reaume Brothers Racing.  You can learn more at Jesse Iwuji Racing.

Fran Biderman-Gross is the CEO & Founder of Advantages, a creative agency that specializes in branding and marketing. She is also the co-author of "How to Lead a values-based services firms: 3 Keys to unlock Purpose and Profit."   Positivity is one of Fran's top core strengths and chooses to look at the glass as "half full."  Having a positive outlook leads to another core value and that is being open to possibilities. Dealing with a lot of loss in life has allowed her to view the world in a way to make it better. We all need to adapt and re-imagine our future to help create a new normal going forward based on this unexpected pandemic experience. Learn more about Fran's book:  https://3keysbook.com/  Learn more about Fran's company: https://www.advantages.net/

Mark Simon is known as the Godfather of Storyboarding. He is an author of multiple books and on this podcast episode, he shares the story behind his most recent book, "Attacked! Bullied: Surviving Terror and Finding Justice."  This memoir is based on when Mark was bullied by a gang in high school, and the gang proceeded to attack his family too.  Mark's story is also about how he became the first person in the country to use a new law holding parents responsible for the violent actions of their kids in a court of law.  Unfortunately, bullying is a common thing and Mark provides great insight and advice on how to handle it. Writing this book took several attempts over the years (at least a dozen times) and Mark found the process very cathartic for him.  It provided a psychological relief of being open about this traumatic experience.  He is a stronger person because of it.  Mark's vivid written descriptions make you feel you are there...you feel the emotions.   You can buy th

The current pandemic has been a challenge for everyone. It has fundamentally disrupted our personal and professional lives; and it definitely took business owners by surprise and created additional challenges for them. Brigitte speaks with Julie McFarland on what Julie's team has put in place to keep employees and customers safe.   Julie is the President and CEO of McNaughton & Gunn, a privately-owned book manufacturer in Michigan. Adapting to something new, almost daily, can be a challenge and stressful. Julie's resilience has been boosted with daily exercise, including yoga, to help keep calm. There has been a lot of information to take in and review on what the best approach should be.  Each State, each industry, and each business has different challenges. The biggest takeaway is that we need to be empathetic to others and work together to adapt successfully.  You can learn more about McNaughton & Gunn here.  Please subscribe to the Real Things Living podcast. 

Self-care is important with what's happening now because of the Covid-19 issue. Brigitte has been studying yoga more because of the overall benefits; and she gets a little yogi with her explanation of pranayama, which promotes deep and slower breathing.  Not only does this help relax you, it  strengthens your lungs and diaphragm too - both are important aspects for your overall health. 

Brigitte wanted to share her thoughts about social distancing during Covid-19  A lot has happened globally since her last blog post, Resilience is your middle name. Many places are being quarantined for example. Social distancing sounds so much better than being quarantined.  Take this time, if you can, and focus on a hobby or personal development or how you can help others. This was recorded before the State of Georgia 'shelter-in-place' directive.  

Alisha Carlson grew up in a tumultuous environment and told herself that she was going to be different with her kids. Alisha's resilience empowered her to make changes when needed and focus on what's important to her.  She empowers others now and is a non-diet lifestyle coach with an approach to be mindful of your intuition.  Learn more at https://alishacarlson.com/

One of the biggest lessons in life that Jesse Todisco learned is your environment affects your habits, good and bad.  Changing his environment helped him become a better person. (We shared a lot of laughs in this episode.) Jesse grew up in the Boston area and witnessed his father's heroin addiction. That was his "normal" and Jesse was selling drugs at one point, even though he knew it wasn't the right thing to do.  Jesse joined the military after high school and that changed his life; that new environment helped build better habits.  He also understands the importance of self-care, which helps drive resilience. As an entrepreneur, Jesse innately wants to help others. Jesse has a wisdom of wealth and is the founder of 46 & 2 Wealth Partners.  He and his wife also founded a non-profit, Alanna's Angels.

Ido Singer is on a mission to inspire others.  His confidence was boosted after learning to play basketball at a young age in Israel. It wasn't easy for him at first but through a lot of hard work, he eventually played basketball at the professional level.  Resilience and learning to adapt to different situations paid off, and Ido's passion for sports led him to be a coach that focuses on creating a positive culture.   Ido is currently the Assistant Basketball Women's Coach at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, and the host of One Last Thought Podcast.  The podcast keeps things simple - the episodes are 10 minutes or less - and focuses on bite-sized pieces of wisdom and life-changing advice from guests. He and his wife have 3 young children, twin girls who are 5 and a 2-year-old son.  As a parent and the need to travel with the team, helping to raise a family can be difficult and challenging sometimes, but Ido is truly grateful for his wife's support. You can learn more

Life is constantly changing and Evan Knox understands the importance of learning.  Learning new things is what keeps you agile, flexible and strong. He also understands that resilience goes hand-in-hand with running a business and trying to balance life at home with family. Evan is the founder of Caffeine Marketing and has been an entrepreneur since he was 12; always doing something in some shape or form. Having a business is part of fulfilling his principles and personal mission statement.  His father and grandfather are important role models for him as both were business owners.  Evan's father passed away 3 years ago and that was very difficult to overcome. Evan makes time each day to focus on self-care (proper sleep, nutrition, exercise) so he's not exhausted. He recently started doing jujitsu, which starts at 6am in the morning. This type of workout helps frame his mindset the rest of the day...allowing him to "shoot out emails at a whole new level of confidence" at work.  You