The Mindfield

An experienced marriage and family counselor, Abby Brooks shares how she got started in business. In 2015 she had her 'a-ha' moment after being hospitalized for depression and an eating disorder. Later she earned the nickname 'Mama Abby' because of the impact that her own therapist on her was so strong that it just spilled out onto the people around her. As is often the case, going through trauma is what it takes to get someone to be able to help many other people, and Abby's definitely gone through a lot. And she's got some deep experience that she brings to bear when helping others. Reach out to her anytime via email at abrooks@family-strategy.com for quick questions, resources and links. 

Kim Kristensen told me after the show that this was his first podcast, and I was like, 'No way.' This guy is super composed and knowledgeable about his craft when it comes to conflict resolution. On today's episode, we talk about the idea that there really is no such thing as a 'difficult person'. What we think of as difficult is really someone not feeling like they're being heard. And yeah it's heckin' frustrating if you've been in those shoes. Kim's strategy plays on helping calm the nervous system and letting people get to a place where they no longer perceive a threat and can finally feel like they're being heard. And once they do, corporate interactions move smoothly. Check out warriormediator.com for more tips about conflict deescalation, and much more. For now, let's jump into the episode. 

This is the first guest that I've ever almost made coffee shoot out his nose lol. An experienced leadership coach, Michael Levitt helps people prevent burnout, and these days in particular: the kind of burnout that's resulted from the pandemic. From watching what info you consume, listening to your body, setting clear expectations and controlling where you work, you absolutely have the tools at your disposal to prevent your own burnout. But if it's way out of control? Michael can help. After listening, head over to www.breakfastleadership.com to find out more. 

Today's guest is STL native and friend Svetlana Kogan, and where today's episode differs is that she let me pick the topic! Before our talk we had discussed the topic of meditation, and in today's episode we got into some other fringe areas of the mind state between asleep and awake, and self-hypnosis. It's a variety episode full of neat tips that will help you learn some new ways your mind can work. If you'd like to chat with her, text her at 314-397-5561 or email her at svetlana.s.kogan@gmail.com. 

Scott Mason has figured out his calling in life. Learning that he 'had to go down to go up', and ultimately to live life to the fullest, he's realized the best way to do that is to inspire others to do the same. Inspiritional speaker, fellow podcast host, and all around awesome guy, Scott's got purpose nailed down. And he can help you find yours too. Head over to purposehighway.com to find out more, and listen to this podcast to learn how he's determined not to wallow in self pity. 

Austin Bollinger and I first met on another podcast, The Hot Mic @ Arch DevOps, more than a year ago. And since then he's had a huge pivot himself. He's realized that he's quite risk averse and that there were some definite spooky times during the pandemic. Aspiring to be a coach, he hired a coach himself to get the best personal performance, while fighting anxiety and fear of failure. We talk about how journaling is a powerful way to get control of your own mind. Check out his blog at dailynewyears.com and find out more about his podcast, contact info and his book 'Crush Your Goals'. 

With 23 years of IT experience, he had a great foundation for starting a coaching business. 10 years ago he got into management in IT, and that's when he decided to get more into personal deveopment. With so many people in leadership positions not really knowing HOW to lead, it takes someone like Vamsi to believe in their ability. That's what he does with his clients, is believe in them, and give them the tools to do what deep down they know they're capable of. Listen in for a tip about removing limiting beliefs. Then, after the show, reach out to him by searching for Vamsi Polimetla on LinkedIn, or going to vamsi.coach to find out more. 

Dr. Denise started off wanting to major in computer science, but ended up discovering a passion for psychology. Now she combines psychology and marketing automation to become a powerful coach for executives, helping them to get a handle on their marketing. Dr. Denise has been a serial guest on multiple shows, and I'm glad to get the chance to learn a little more about her on this show. When you're ready to learn more about her and what she can possibly do for you, find her on social media at @drdenisedennis, or at her online community at joindrdenise.com 

This easy going chat with today's guest was a show covering 3 out of 12 possible topics. Karl de Leeuw reached out on Matchmaker reached out recently and outlined some really interesting concepts, and I wish we'd had more time to dig into more of them! We talked about mutltiple books that he's been authoring and researching for, talking about how dyslexia can be a superpower, how certain civilizations know things about health that we've totally forgotten about or ignored, and the last topic being about the universe, where we barely scratched the surface on. Karl's got a lot of wisdom and experience that he's more than happy to share. If you'd like to get in touch with him, find him at lightsurfers.me. Let's get into the episode now. 

Today's guest Riana Milne was a guest on another show awhile back, and we used this as a good excuse to catch up and see what we've been up to in the year since then. She's a certified Life and Love Recovery Coach, author of 7 books, and shares her story about how love trauma shaped her life in some ways that, while negative at first, helped her understand how much she can help the world at large. As is often the case, the people who have the biggest scars have the biggest hearts, and know best about specific types of pain because they've gone through it 100 times worse than anyone else. After listening, head over to https://fritz.krtra.com/t/RrvXhPAp1HCp to learn more, take some free quizzes, download her e-book, and determine if you have love trauma and don't realize it--and then heal from it. 

It's been awhile since I talked with Charlene Norman on a podcast. Last time we got together was... about a year ago. Actually it was right in the thick of when then pandemic got started. She and I both had made some big pivots in our businesses. Now as we look back and reminisce for part of this episode, we can see how our minds have changed, and been tuned to notice opportunity around us. Right away she asks about how I'm monetizing the podcast, and we brainstorm about that, but I quickly realize: this is a great example of what she does for people every day. People everywhere who struggle with their business and anxiety often need to have their energy uplifted and realize more of what they're capable of. And really just have some ideas to bouncea around. One big thing Charlene shares is how to give back to the world, while taking back control of it--which might sound counterintuitive, but when you listen to this episode, it'll make sense. Got some big things to share with you today. After listening, reach out to Charlene by emailing her at char@bulletproofconsulting.ca. She answers every email. You can also find her at bulletproofconsulting.ca or badwolfcommunity.com and learn more about her mission. Let's listen in now. 

Today's episode is a nice, easy going chat about how to structure learning and get people to pick up new skills and do way more than they thought they were capable of. Patrick O'Malley has figured out that giving students audacious goals gets their minds into a place where they learn faster. And he applies that principle to teaching guitar. Starting off with finding what their dream song is, he sets to work on helping them learn to play it within a certain amount of time. But instead of teaching chords and scales, he jumps right into more complex stuff. It's an approach to learning that's harder overall, but much more rewarding and more effective. Big areas of the education sector as a whole can benefit from this approach. You can find out more about Patrick at learnfingerpicking.com/podcast where he's got a discount over there, or reach out to him directly at patrick@learnfingerpicking.com. Keep listening at the end for a bonus clip of his guitar playing. 

The big topic of the day with guest Sarah Rawz is all about allowing discomfort to happen. Too often we treat it like something to be avoided, instead of leaning into it and using that discomfort as fuel to help you grow. Sarah used to work with troubled teens years ago and a mentor of hers mentioned that she'd be a great fit for a coach. Of course that change was uncomfortable, but she already had learned to lean into it before figuring out that that was the right move. Sarah and I got introduced by a mutual friend and guest of The Mindfield not long ago, and we've both been learning a ton about each others' backgrounds. Now it's your turn to learn about hers. Listen in for tips about how to get comfortable being uncomfortable. And after listening, head over to rawzcoaching.com where you can read her blog for more. 

Over the past two years that I've known this guest, Kevin Strauss has been the go-to person for questions about emotional health. This is different from emotional intelligence, which if you practice EQ you're on the right track, but taking care of the actual health of your emotional system is what he's focused on. We talk about what it is that causes conflicts to happen, why destructive behaviors happen, why we sometimes can't get to our best version of us, and ultimately why people do what they do. Kevin knows the answers to all of these. He's now created an app that helps foster deep communication and belonging with questions designed to mutually uncover neat things about the people closest to you. It's free, and it's called Uchi and it can be found at uchiconnection.com. Check it out if you or people you know feel like they're out of sync with the rest of the world, or aren't being seen or heard. Let's unpack the conversation now. 

Devon Phillips got his start as a software developer who got together with a few buddies to kick off a new company. But some 'things' happened, yadda yadda, and now he's in Colorado. (I promise it's legit I'm just trying to be funny here, he's one of the good guys.) Now he's deep into the psychedelic space and super knowledgeable about psilocybin and the effects it has on the human mind. Today's episode is a mind-opening story of how he got to where he is, what he's learned about mushrooms and how he's helping people help themselves. Lots of cool projects in the pipe. Check him out on Instagram under the handle @dphil21, and look up the All One book project as well. Let's join in now. 

Don Finley and I have been crossing paths for a little over a year, and business wise have become strategic partners. During that time, I found out that he's really deep into some mindset things and I felt led to invite him onto the show. Don not only runs a software development agency called FinDustries, but also a men's group that helps guys find their identities, and what that means in today's world. So when he's not busy creating cool software, he's busy cultivating cool people. In our talk, we examine how the mind is an amazing tool. How abstract thinking isn't the only way we can use our brain's full potential. How turning off the mind and engaging your heart, body and soul can get you unstuck faster. And although you can't see it on this podcast, he managed to fend off a really friendly cat who made a cameo appearance. It's a talk about mindfulness, fighting depression, stoicism and a lot of other things. If you'd like to meet Don, email him at don@fin.dustries.com or find his smiley face on LinkedIn. Let's join in now. 

Always a pleasure chatting with executive coaches. There's a whole lotta stress in the upper echelons of leadership at many companies. Terry McDougall shares her story with me about bringing everything she's learned from a 30+ year career in marketing, and then aiming those skills at helping executives wrangle their role into something really powerful. Much of the struggle stems from fear--maybe fear of change or fear of giving up control. Whatever it is, she comes alongside and acts like a 'leadership sherpa', helping guide them to their full potential. We get into a lot of topics about what true happiness looks like, and how it's actually possible to have success and happiness at work be totally divorced from each other. I was today years old when I learned that was even possible--I'd always figured there would always be at least a little sliver of happiness even at a job you mostly hate. But I guess not! And she helps get more of that to overlap however she can, for whoever is willing to learn. She's all over social media, and can be found at terrybmcdougall.com, where you can also find out about her book called 'Winning the Game of Work', also available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. If you're an executive who's got a case of the 'ugh', Terry can help you out. Keep listening to find more about the mindset of true leadership. 

Fellow entrepreneur, and also entrepreneur coach Purdeep Sangha joins me today to talk about why it is guys have a hard time opening up. His whole business is focused on helping men perform better, be better dads, husbands, leaders and movers, in a world that constantly tells guys like us that showing emotion is a sign of weakness. Starting at an early age, he had some really key experiences that put him on the path he's on today, and circumstances that almost didn't happen helped him realize what kind of perception he had about the world around him. His whole life has been marked by coaching in some fashion, from managing people at 16, being a personal trainer at 17 and all kinds of other areas. This is an area that I know many men who struggle, myself included, so was really glad to get the chance to talk with him today. We're going deep into the man brain today so get ready to learn some useful stuff. After listening, find him at purdeepsingha.com or anywhere on social media--reach out, set up time to chat and get your questions answered. Also head over to completemanaudio.com where you can get a copy of the audio book 'The Complete Man'. Listeners can get a 75% discount by using the code 'VICTORY75' at the checkout. 

Moritz Farbstein is a colleague of mine--we used to work together here in St. Louis at CenturyLink years ago. He was one of the most influential guys in my career since he was the only one that sat me down to explain how pivot tables work in Excel! But he's also deeply involved in the area of psychiatric abuse. Starting off his career as a teacher, then as a COBOL programmer, his career took him through many companies (including the one we worked at together), and into management consulting, The Church of Scientology and many more. But when he ran across instances of psychiatric abuse with some of his friends and family, he found his mission. Now as a semi-retired professional, he spends a lot of his time volunteering for CCHR, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, fighting psychatric abuse wherever it's found. Whether it's baked into a state's laws, fraudulently charging insurance for services or being used as a weapon against people, it's something that needs to be investigated. Fast. Listen in for the distinction between psychology and psychiatry, what really is considered psychiatric abuse and what really constitutes a mental disorder. After listening, if you're feeling like you might fit a particular category or feel like psychiatric abuse has happened to you, there's help. Head over to cchr.org for the International CCHR website, or cchrstl.org if you're right here in Missouri with us. Both sites have decades of research and information. 

Mike Casavant and I have known each other for a few years, and have built an ever strengthening friendship. As he's worked as a fitness coach, writer, brainstormer and many other areas, his career as a serial entrepreneur has been marked by living life to the fullest, and hanging on by his fingernails. His latest venture is one that comes at a time when the stigma around cannabis is quickly being removed, and people are more open to hearing about the effects of benefits of it. I'd asked him to be on the show because, of all the people I know, he's gotta be the most knowledgeable in this area, and we're living in a world with way too much depression and anxiety. And not that they make any claims, but if you're struggling with these things, their products will definitely make you feel like things are less miserable. The creative brand, Purrple Alien, brings huge customer loyalty and excellent edibles to market, and they have fun doing what they do along with educating people of the benefits of certain cannabinoids. Find them on Instagram under the handle purrple.alien (with 2 R's) and their website coming soon. Let's jump in now. 

Local St. Louisan Tom Check helps people become more awesome. And it's awesomeness that's already in them. Had the pleasure of meeting Tom at a weekly meetup in town and we really hit it off. Over the past year we've had conversations about mindset and self awareness, and I felt like I had to get him on the show. His story: he had the American dream, six figures, lots of cars, but still found himself unhappy with life. After a huge purge and living on his own in a minimalist lifestyle, he decided to try and find his calling. Writing down a list of jobs that sounded fun, he tried them all but none of them really rang true. Until he got the chance to help teens realize their true potential. The rest is history. He's still on his path and is open to change, but deep down the goal of helping people is sown throughout. Tom's incredibly knowledgeable about how people can unlock the awesomeness that they already have, and has been a huge encouragement to me personally. It takes a little bit to see that you're unhappy, but once you do, there's a clear way to change that. Find Tom at choicecoaching.us where you can check out a lot of resources to help you realize your potential, and where he hosts twice a month group calls. Let's take the parking brake off and start listening in now. 

Listen, I know this is hard to hear if you're in the US but, the truth is, we are the fattest nation on the planet. No kidding. I've personally struggled with weight loss, members of my family have too, and for most people it seems like it's a neverending cycle of fad diets, big losses and even bigger gains. It's no wonder that obesity and depression seem to go hand in hand. Today's guest, Meaghan McElroen shares with me how her own life took her into a direction in her career to completely disrupt what we've learned about diets in the past decades, and help us re-learn what we seem to have forgotten. Her approach is less on the foods we eat, and more on the whole person. More imporantly: accepting yourself as a work in progress. It means that, yeah, have the snack, but don't beat yourself up about it, because you're still headed in the right direction and you're still making progress. Be strategic about snacking and practice 'intuitive eating' instead of binging due to stress or tiredness. This is an episode that a lot of people need to hear. After listening find her at themeaghanmethod.com, or @themeaghanmethod on Instagram or find her on Facebook to join her community of people who are relearning what good diet and self acceptance look like. Let's jump in now. 

Phoenix native Andrew Ecker is a strongly Native American influenced life coach that helps people walk their own path, and he uses music to make that happen. At a young age, music helped him connect with people without getting drunk or high, and it changed his life. Throughout childhood, he was made to be afraid all the time, but when he got introduced to a drum circle, he felt like he was connected with some deep roots. Being able to work out his fears in that way led him to help thousands of people struggling with similar problems. Fear, addiction and habits for people in any sector can be helped with the therapy he and his fiancee bring. Excellent blend of history and self discovery in this episode. His mission is to help people remember who they are, not based in what they do or accolades they earn, but truly knowing and recalling everything that's happened to create what we each are, right this very moment. We get into some really deep topics in this podcast. After listening, head over to thesacredseven.com to find out more about a book campaign they're doing, and learn more about yourself. Deeply. Enjoy the listen. 

Today's guest, Michael Bryant, is a previous guest of another show, The Hot Mic @ Arch DevOps. Back then we talked about his entrepreneurial journey and how he become a professional 'unstucker'. This time? This time we're talking about the mindset behind getting unstuck. Michael is a 70 year old multiple Ironman competitor, and and I gotta say: this guy's energy is contagious. He just doesn't quit. There's something special about a mind that has the self-awareness to know that the negative talk we often tell ourselves isn't true, and doesn't define who we are. He lives life on his own terms, and he helps others to do the same. He talks today about mastering the art of Self Talk, and educating yourself on what your truly capable of. As Henry Ford said, 'whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right,' and getting unstuck in life, leadership and everything else is as simple as changing what you tell yourself. If you find yourself stuck in some aspect of life, then reach out to Michael after the episode, either by going to his site unstucker.com, or email him at michael@unstucker.com. There are some really big things in this episode so tune in and apply, and you'll notice a change right away. 

Jennifer Garman and I first met about a year ago, and I started learning a bit about the power of gratitude. In her own life, she had health challenges that she knew had a root cause, but doctors kept prescribing medicines and procedures that just didn't work. As she was studying mindfulness and therapy, the topic of gratitude kept coming up. What was it about being thankful that would help? Well she decided to apply it and find out. Since then she's realized that there are so many negative vectors in our world that we have to either fight or avoid in order to stay grateful, and actively be aware of the energy that's coming into our own minds. Social media, news, sharp words, all contribute toward our own negativity bias. Jennifer has some tips at the end about how to practice and master the art of gratitude. If you're feeling like you're steadily getting more apathetic, worrying more every day and feeling like you're losing control, then practicing gratitude could quite literally save your life. After listening, find Jennifer at gratitudemission.org to get her book and see the Gratitude Tree, and find more about her business at jennifergarman.xyz. Think about what you're thankful about today as we listen into this episode. 

Dawn Ellery and I got introduced awhile back by an awesome marketer and previous podcast guest, Zach Messler. Maybe you've heard of him. He's kind of a big deal. I knew from talking before that Dawn was deep into the HR space and helping people be the best they could be. But this talk coming up made me realize what a powerful ally she is for people working in corporate. It's no secret that a lot of folks think HR is the Bad Guy in a company, always looking for a reason to fire someone and save money. And yeah there are plenty of those kind of bad actors out there. But Dawn's approach is to help people feel good and safe about coming to her about problems they're having. Mental health is one of those things that companies pay lip service to, but really only invest about 1% of any health-related revenue toward. But the pandemic has uncovered a massive problem with mental health in the world that has really been like the enemy who was always there. Companies now have a choice: they can deal with this new enemy head on while it's obvious and able to be fixed, or wait until things return to normal and this will get lost in the mix. I'm sure you can tell where Dawn stands on this issue. Dawn shares about how she overcame procrastination and fear, and shares tips about how you can do the same. After this episode, find Dawn on LinkedIn or via her website, dawnellery.com. Listen in for help if you're struggling in these areas. 

Dr. Renee and I have known each other for about a year, and on today's episode I got the chance to dig deeper into the mindset aspect of what she does. She's taken her career in a really specific direction by combining psychology with fitness training. It turns out that using visualization with exercise helps a lot with people dealing with stress or feelings of self doubt. We talk about how nutrition plays a huge role in the mind-body connection, and how practicing gratitude helps get a nice free dopamine hit to help you get over the hump. She's a cancer survivor, world class athlete, and can probably squat this truck that I do these episodes in! And she's a warrior with a heart of gold. If you find yourself struggling with stress or feeling like you're in a fog, some clarity with Dr. Renee will help. Find her at drexelbert.com or read her book on Amazon called 'Chemo Muscles: Lessons Learned From Being a Psychologist and Cancer Patient'. She's all over LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram as well. Let's listen in now. 

Reverend Fred Shaw is the Director of Public Affairs and Spokesperson for the Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR), a more than 50-year mental health industry watchdog. Today's episode we dug deep into the problems with the psychiatric industry. Even well-meaning practitioners may not realize the damage they do with categorizing things as mental illness. It could be that our brains just work differently. Doesn't mean we have anything wrong, or anything needs fixing. Rev. Fred shared a story about his son who overcame dyslexia, and interesting insights into how his own mind works. Overall, society has allowed what's really mental abuse creep into the public eye over decades, and much of it has become the norm. But it doesn't have to be. Listen carefully, and if this resonates with you and you feel like you've been subjected to mental abuse of any kind, reach out. Head over to cchrtaskforce.org or cchrint.org to learn about all kinds of alternative treatments, and to get in touch with Rev. Fred directly. Jumping into the episode now. 

I met Laura Staley for the first time at an entrepreneur-based conference, and found her to be really in tune with herself and the world around her. She's been helping people overcome fear and master their schedules to keep stuff out of their lives that really don't serve them. Helping folks get in tune with themselves and their bodies, knowing what it's telling them, is one of the many strategies she employs. Always practicing gratitude, always even keel, she's a pleasure to talk with. She shares how she sort fell into business, but how it truly fit her life purpose. If you're feeling overwhelmed and aren't sure why, maybe you've got too much in your life that doesn't serve you. Maybe you're living according to what other people think you should. Maybe that's no way to live. If you're thinking you need to declutter your life, both inside and out, get with Laura by going to cherishyourworld.com loveyourspaceloveyourlife.com, or connect with her on Facebook or LinkedIn. Let's get ready, get centered, and get started.