The Inspiration Lab® Podcast

Nicole Holmes leads the global sales, marketing, and contracts team for GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy. She heads the team responsible for customer relationships, deal creation, and customer-focused processes like developing and implementing the business' commercial strategy. This is the second time she is joining us: She was a speaker at The Inspiration Lab Conference, and is now a podcast guest! 

Nicole's extensive background gives her incredible experience to draw upon when teaching about the art of negotiating. She gives us encouraging, practical tips to apply in our day-to-day no matter where we might find ourselves, because the need to negotiate comes up everywhere!

This episode is part of an exciting adulting series, so we hope you walk away with some actionable steps you can take to feel more organized in all aspects of your life!

Sheri Shaw is the Assistant Dean for Student Success at the University of North Carolina in Wilmington at their college of Health and Human  Services. She is also the creator of the podcast, Black Woman Working and co-creator of Three Ladies in Wilmington. She also serves on the board of directors of several area nonprofits. Through all of Sheri's leadership positions, she has this common belief and special skill of helping others feel their potential. 

Karen Perlmutter is a licensed independent social worker with over a decade of experience working as a therapist. She specializes in the treatment of substance abuse and mental illness, and has developed a particular interest in supporting the holistic needs of families who are affected by these struggles. She has developed an evidence-based curriculum for families coping with substance abuse, and enjoys speaking in a variety of settings offering education, skills, and hope. Karen lives in the Charleston, South Carolina area with her husband and children.

Some resources she recommends are: 

I met Blayne through an event with GLOW (Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington) a few months ago and instantly decided I wanted to hear her story on our podcast and share it with our audience. The conversation unfolded from tips on how to get a story noticed by a reporter and what makes something newsworthy to our signature topic of self-care. So often when we see the news and we forget the emotional toll it takes on reporters to be the boots on the ground. Blayne shared with us how she copes with being an intimate witness to some of our country's darkest and most noble moments from mediating in her car to spending time with her family and friends.

Blayne Alexander is an Atlanta-based correspondent for NBC news reporting for NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, The Today Show, MSNBC, and all NBC news platforms. She is a four-time Emmy Award nominee and has traveled the country to cover the biggest news events in recent history. Blayne was born and raised in Oklahoma and is a proud graduate of Duke University.

Nancy Kotz is a licensed clinical social worker, therapist, and founder of Be The Adult, a nonprofit organization that provides blueprints for calm and effective parenting so that children can grow into their best selves! Nancy is married, has three sons, and lives in Wilmington, NC. She is also the co-host of the Be The Adult podcast and has so much wisdom to offer on the journey of parenting.

Emily Barlas is a licensed professional counselor certified in perinatal mental health professional and the Director of Development at Cape Fear Psychological Services. As Wilmington's first therapist certified in perinatal mental health, she is passionate about helping women through the challenges of pregnancy and early motherhood. Emily co-hosts the annual fundraising walk "Climb Out of the Darkness" to raise awareness and support for the mental health of new families. Emily is the mother of a four-year-old son, Blake, and has loved being a member of The Inspiration Lab since 2019.

Katie Lance is the CEO and Co-Founder of Katie Lance Consulting. She is a nationally known keynote speaker and helps agents and brokers get smarter about how to use social media to grow their businesses! Her specialty is in helping real estate agents and brokers achieve big results using social media WITHOUT spending a ton of time!

Lisa Brooks is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who teaches at UNCW. She is the founder of Wilmington Thrive Tribes where she offers life coaching in individual and group settings. She recently opened a private therapy practice where she specializes in life transitions, grief, loss, relationships, boundaries, self-compassion, and burnout recovery. Many of our members have benefitted from working with Lisa and you’ll understand why from this episode! 

In this episode, we interview Sarita Dua. Sarita is a business owner based in Portland, Oregon. She has been selling residential real estate since 2003. Prior to that, she was in high-tech sales and marketing. She is a trainer, speaker, and coach, and she loves the real estate industry. She is married with two kids in college, and recently received an executive MBA from MIT Sloan.

In this episode, we interview Rachel Olson: Rachel Olsen is a published author, professional speaker, and college professor in the field of communication, who also works as a coach helping other speakers and writers craft the messages they're meant to create. Words are her jam.

If you have a message you want to convey, Rachel Olsen can help you do it more effectively, dynamically, and confidently.