Campfire Stories

The campfire sparks are reignited as Trailblazer Christian Estevez joins Stacey Whitaker and Melissa Hill Dees. The trio shares their love of Meighan Brodkey and Dreamin' Events, like Florida Dreamin', where they met in 2018. Christian shares his story of becoming a Trailblazer, with credit to his above-and-beyond work approach and the help of Salesforce Military and Merivis Vets programs.

Don't miss the special announcement that launches the next chapter of Campfire Stories.

Pallavi Agarwal is a woman of many talents: entrepreneur, CEO, organizer, consultant, and design architect. Join us as she tells the story of her journey in the Salesforce trailblazer community and shares the secret password!

Follow her at https://twitter.com/PalluAgs and https://www.linkedin.com/in/agarwalpallavi/

A yearly tradition, join us at the virtual campfire as we welcome back Campfire Stories Alumni from throughout our four years of podcasting. We share thoughts on certifications, CPQ, and so much more. 

Be sure to tweet @SFCampfire when you hear the special announcement being shared as we kick off our fifth season!

In the final episode of the #BAM series, Cece Adams returns as a special guest co-host and we welcome Rebe de la Paz to the campfire. Rebe shares her Trailblazer Story and how she's learned when it's time to reset. 

"I had to learn what are my limits and boundaries and which of those are perceived in my head. We are the ones who set up our own hurdles for our destinies," she says. "I'm looking at the universe asking what lesson are you going to teach me today."

"At my core, I'm an admin. I like building stuff on the platform" says Brenda. This 16x Certified expert tells her story of journey from Admin to Architect and how she secured all those credentials.

Special thanks to: Michelle Bura (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mlbura/) for building community and study groups

Training and mentorship/hands-on experience - https://supermums.org/

Training and job placement for vets - https://merivis.org/

And don't miss the "Twin Conferences in the Twin Cities" - https://www.midwestdreamin.com/ & https://witnesssuccess.com/ this July!

For Tom, finding Salesforce and building his career was like getting the title fight after a long come back journey. Hear his story of overcoming unfortunate life choices and addiction to become a Salesforce MVP, business leader, and advocate for sharing this opportunity.

Mentioned in the episode:

• Tom's "Failblazer" Story: https://theaccidentaladmins.com/failblazer-comeback-story
• Stacey's Trailblazer Story: https://youtu.be/u_GLSAt-2Ks
• Salesforce MVP Nominations: https://www.salesforce.com/blog/mvp-nominations/
• Trailblazer Dan Dlugos: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldlugos/
• Give Camp, building free Salesforce projects for non profits: https://givecamp.org/
• Dresh's Episode of Campfire Stories: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Iv4i31ZGMMperQxvHpMzQ?si=3Z9tuyS-RU-e3lcvqE8mpQ

Connect with Tom at https://www.linkedin.com/in/twh84/ or https://twitter.com/THoff84

Living in paradise in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Salesforce MVP Marisa Lopez spends her days enjoying the Caribbean and working hard for non-profits.  Reach out to her for more information on how to get involved with Amplify, HBCU Force, or one of the other great organizations with which she's working.

Thank you to Campfire Stories Alumni, Melissa Hills Dees for joining as guest co-host and sharing her love & expertise of Salesforce Non-profit Cloud.

Join returning guest Vanessa Grant as special guest host as we welcome Justin Gavette to the virtual campfire. Justin talks about balancing being social at events with social anxiety, choosing where to give his energy, and why he loves the non-profits allow him to give back in a whole new way. 

Justin is openly gay, has anxiety disorder and depression disorder, and in the past he was bullied, made to feel bad for who he is. However, there's something weird about the Ohana and it's where Justin found purpose and family. And he wants to pay it forward and be an ally to all. 

Organizations and events mentioned in this episode include:

• Atlanta Pride (atlantapride.org)
• Atlanta Non-profit Group (trailblazercommunitygroups.com/atlanta-ga)
• Dreamforce (dreamforce.com)
• Tahoe Dreamin' (tahoedreamin.com)
• Florida Dreamin' (fldreamin.com)
• Southeast Dreamin' (southeastdreamin.com)

Charlie is the CTO for Customer Connection at Salesforce, the IoT CTO, responsible for incubating and launching IoT customers. He is a beloved member of the Salesforce Ohana and shares his love of the Trailblazer Community and insight into cool things happening in the world of IoT.

You know him as the #LifeWithGoldie winner from #DF21 but at the virtual campfire, Tony joins special guest co-host Stuart Edeal and shares more about his journey, why he's known as the Curious George, and what he's doing to give back already to the Trailblazer Community. 

Melissa Hill Dees returns as special guest cohost and we welcome Engin Utkan to the campfire. 

Engin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/enginutkan

Salesforce Break on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiAtLu2wQuejhOiAePxM2sw

Engin on Udemy: https://www.udemy.com/user/engin-utkan/

Special thank you to Michelle Hansen "the best connector", a shout out to Marissa Kraines getting Trailblazers prepared for Dreamforce every year and to #foodforce keeping us all drooling over the latest concoctions made by Trailblazers. We also dreaming of both Dreamforce 2021 and Florida Dreamin' while reminiscing of FLD's past, including first impressions of Chris Duarte: that really nice lady and she has nice stickers.

Shonnah Hughes has been celebrated by countless individuals in the Salesforce ecosystem and beyond. Her bold nails and vibrate hair bringing inspiration and permission to many is one reason that representation does matters. 

As part of our #BAM series, previous Campfire guest Cece Adams returns as a special guest co-hosts as Shonnah Hughes joins the virtual campfire. Hear what inspires Shonnah to be her true self, where her motivation comes from, and how the saying "Closed mouths don't get fed" has kept her moving forward and speaking her truth. 

To celebrate three years of Campfire Stories, we've asked our alumni to return and share what's happening in their lives. Join Justice and Stacey as they catch up with Aaron, Nick, Melisa, and more in our annual reunion episode. 

Join Justice Sikakane Sr and Stacey Cogswell as they chat at the Campfire with Jarrett Taylor. Jarrett shares his love of stalking animals, stories from his tour of Salesforce events, and how he overcame fear and procrastination to get his Admin Certification.

Episode 26 at the virtual campfire shares the story of a relentless job seeker who overcame many hurdles, including her own mind. Hear the persistent and creative ways she fought her way into her dream job and feel the power of the Salesforce Community with the "Ohana Cheerleaders" 

Salesforce MVP Stuart Edeal joins Justice & Stacey at the Campfire to speak out on the events unfolding in Minnesota and the last change that can take place from here. #BlackLivesMatter

Devohne Moore is one has overcome many challenges and now gives back in many ways. Hear how they journeyed into the Salesforce ecosystem, how they are paying it forward, and how maybe you can join in.

A variety of Campfire Stories Alumni return to discuss what's new with them since we last spoke. 

Please excuse the abrupt ending to the episode

Know someone who has an inspiring story to share? Message us at @SFCampfire

Yancy is far more than Stacey's pre-hubby. He shares about his two-year journey into Salesforce, his #bestweekever, and his bromance with Justice via gifs.

Co-hosts Justice and Stacey discuss milestones and events from May, including World Tours and Trailblazer Day.

This horticulture-studying exchange student from Brazil fell in love with Salesforce and the Community. Hear his story of growth and how he blossomed into a role model in the ecosystem.

Linden shares his story as a Salesforce Trailblazer and PepUpTech graduate

Newly minted Salesforce MVP shares her journey with Salesforce and as a Military Spouse. 

The first episode of Campfire Stories where Rachel shares her inspirational story of overcoming cancer, fear, and failure to be a certified awesome admin and successful entrepreneur.