About Ever Better
Welcome to Ever Better, a community of people who strive for continuous improvement while enjoying full lives enriched by family, friends, careers, and community involvement. Here you’ll find tools, knowledge, and a network that will motivate and inspire along with tips for integrating these resources into your busy life.
Be inspired throughout the format that works best for you! Listen to the Ever Better Podcast, join the Facebook and Twitter communities, read the eBook, or receive Motivational Monday Messages. Or, contact me directly at Lisa@EverBetterU.com.
· Podcast: The Ever Better Podcast was ranked in iTunes New & Noteworthy Top 10 shortly after launch and was featured on NPR's The Big Listen, a podcast that reviews other podcasts! Listen to interviews with guests who are pursuing big ideas and working with a well-defined purpose. If you appreciate TED talks, you'll enjoy and learn from these stories. Subscribe now through iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, iHeartRadio, or listen to an episode here.
· Book: Ever Better, Five Sources for Personal Growth, Happiness and Confidence is an e-book for sale on Amazon.com.
· Motivation Monday Messages: Subscribe here for positive, inspiring messages sent to your email inbox each Monday morning (Your email address will not be shared.)
· Social media: Follow EverBetterU on Facebook or Twitter for motivational messages and share what inspires you.
· Blog: Read about resources for continuous improvement and tips for incorporating them into your life.
Background
I’m Lisa Vogt, founder of Ever Better. Since you found this site, you’re probably thinking about ways to keep learning and improving. Good news - you’re in the right place!
As I shared my discovery (and reliance on) resources for inspiration and continuous learning with friends and family over the past few years, I found that many of them were not aware of free tools that are readily available. So I began the project of writing down my daily practices to share with others. Eventually, I completed Ever Better, my first eBook. It explains how to use podcasts, TED talks, massive online open courses (MOOCs), traditional and evolving media, and the local library for continuous learning and increased happiness.
In 2014, as I was writing the eBook, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I am fortunate to have been diagnosed at an early stage and to live in the Washington, D.C. area where I have access to world-class surgeons and other medical professionals. After multiple tests, consultations, and conversations with other breast cancer warriors, I chose to have a bi-lateral mastectomy followed by reconstructive surgery. Fortunately, the cancer was detected early and successfully removed, eliminating the need for chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
I am writing this almost exactly one year after my mastectomy. I’ve had reconstructive surgery and am building my upper body strength to be greater than it was before! In my book I share how the resources that I relied on for positive motivation prior to my diagnosis became even more valuable as I worked through my breast cancer journey.
My Story
I grew near Rochester, N.Y., graduated from Colgate University (where I majored in English and played soccer and rugby) and earned an M.B.A. from the University of Rochester. Soon after graduating I moved to the Washington, D.C. area to pursue career and social opportunities (I am happy to share that I found both!).
During my career I have worked for consulting firms, corporations, non-profits, and as an entrepreneur. I currently enjoy a full-time job as the director of marketing communications for a company that serves educational institutions and enjoy building the Ever Better community in my spare time.
I met my husband, Tim, doing volunteer work (at a beer festival in D.C.). We have a teenage son, Conner. Tim was a stay-at-home dad (and the only dad in the play group) when Conner was a baby and toddler. My boys’ favorite activities were outings to construction sites where they watched the trucks come and go, fishing at the canal, and playing with golf clubs, trucks, piles of mulch, soccer balls, baseballs, footballs, and tennis balls.
People sometimes ask themselves, “What would I do differently if I knew I had a life-threatening illness?” I did soon after Conner was born because although I didn’t have a life-threatening illness, I had a job that was sucking the life out of me. I began to realize that the 60+ hours per week I spent working at a telecommunications company and the 10 hours I spent commuting could be better used. I wanted to make a more positive contribution to the world, to develop a real social life, and to get involved with our community. As a result, Tim and I made a major life change.
I quit my job, and we purchased a 24,000 square foot children’s play facility. As a family, we owned and operated PlayWiseKids for six years. We offered an unplugged environment where children used their imaginations to explore and play on a full-size fire engine, an ambulance, a giant sandbox and more! Our online and in-house store carried educational games and toys, and we were the largest retailer of Melissa & Doug toys in the mid-Atlantic region. We eventually sold the business, and I transitioned to working with non-profits.
I enjoy spending time with my extended (and growing) family that includes my parents, three brothers, in-laws, cousins, aunts, uncles, nephews and nieces. Our family vacations always involve a lake or a beach with lots of people coming and going.
People talk often talk about their circle of friends, but I have more of an amoeba-shaped network of friends that grows and evolves through professional connections, volunteering at my son’s school and in my neighborhood, church involvement, and through riding the Metro. (Yes, I met one of my best friends when she struck up a conversation with me about online fundraising during a subway ride.)
Continuous personal development and positive thinking have always been a part of my DNA. My goal is to share optimistic thinking and practices for living a positive life through Ever Better…my way of paying forward the blessings I’ve experienced in my life. I hope that what I share and my podcast interviews help you to live a more fulfilling life.
Stay Connected
Now that you’ve found us, I hope you’ll stay inspired and involved through the EverBetterU Facebook community or through the Ever Better Podcast. Register for progress updates and help us to be ranked on iTunes New and Noteworthy list! Sign-up now.
