Ever Better Podcast Episodes
Subscribe to the Ever Better Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play , iHeartRadio, or listen to an episode below. Contact me: Lisa@EverBetterU.com.
036: Deb Owens: Corporate Alley Cat
Deborah Owens founded Corporate Alley Cat to provide a safe space where people of color can discuss and address challenging situations. It's a destination and a community that offers tools, strategies, and access to experts who offer individual coaching. Racism silences many. People fear the repercussions of speaking out in the work place. Deb chose not to be silent, she chose not to give into fear. Her motto, “Sometimes you got to get scrappy!” did not let her down. She used encounters with a boss who marginalized her as an opportunity to speak out, to change the company culture, and then go on to found an organization that invites others to do the same. Listen to the podcast to hear Deb discuss the story behind Corporate Alley Cat, the steps she took to start her business, and where she finds inspiration.
035: Meg Daly, Creating the Miami Underline
After breaking both her arms in a bicycling accident, Meg Daly was forced to explore Miami without a car. During a walk, she envisioned a beautiful space under the Metrorail for biking, walking, and community events. Her vision is now known as the Miami Underline! She's assembled a public/private partnership that includes almost 1,000 volunteers who are creating a 10 mile linear park, urban trail, and living art destination that will link to other trails in the Miami area. In our discussion, Meg shares how leading this project has transformed her life and give her a deeper connection to her city. Meg believes that all ideas are good and provides suggestions for transforming an idea into a real project!
034: Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Leading by Influence
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton is a woman who gets things done! For 25 years, she has represented Washington, D.C. in the House of Representatives. D.C. is not a state, and therefore, she can introduce legislation, speak on the House floor about that legislation, vote in Committees, and influence other representatives, but when it comes time to vote for legislation on the House floor, she does not have a vote. Congresswoman Norton has risen above this limitation time and again, finding creative ways to demonstrate the importance of legislation that matters most to her district. Listen to the podcast to hear behind-the-scenes stories including how her friendship with Newt Gingrich benefited the District. She shares her perspective on why African-American boys have fallen behind girls, the importance of the family structure, and where she draws inspiration. She is motivated by this belief: "You’ve got to understand the progress you’ve made, but any satisfaction with it is deadly, and will keep you from moving forward.”
033: Sarah Bartosz, Gold In September (G9)
Sarah shares her story of inspiration which is also a story of heartache and hope. You'll hear how a non-profit organization, Gold In September, or G9, was founded by a family after losing their son, Jack, to pediatric cancer. Annie, Jack's twin sister, was determined to take action and wondered, if the color pink helps to raise funds for breast cancer, what color symbolizes childhood cancer and what month is dedicated to raising awareness? The answers are Gold and September. Sarah discusses her family's journey that included the loss of her husband to the effects of his own cancer. She offers advice for other families and discusses how anyone can help to make a difference.
032: Greta Schaaf's AmeriCorps Gap Year
Greta recently completed a year of volunteer service with AmeriCorps between graduating from high school and heading off to college. On the podcast, she describes why she chose to take a "gap year" and her experiences. AmeriCorps pays its volunteers a small stipend, participants can earn college credits, and at the end of the program they receive a modest college scholarship. If you know of someone who is considering options following high school, share this podcast with them so that they can learn from Greta's story.
031: Greg Tehven, Creating Community in Fargo, N.D.
In August 2016, Fargo was named the 7th best U.S. city for entrepreneurs by Entrepreneur Magazine. Emerging Prairie, co-founded by Greg Tehven was cited as a factor. Greg is a fifth generation North Dakotan who left his hometown for college and years of travel before rediscovering the magic of Fargo. In this discussion, Greg shares how and why Emerging Prairie was created, events and opportunities they sponsor, how to make a difference in any community, and the four principles that are making an impact. 1) Educate our city. 2) Infuse the arts. 3) Build on our bright spots. 4) Be radically inclusive.
030: Lori Hart, Bringing Out Natural Beauty in Beverly Hills and Beyond
Lori Hart has a highly sought after beauty business in Beverly Hills where she helps women and men transform from the inside out. She works with Hollywood's biggest celebrities like Laura Dern, Timothy Dalton, and Charlize Theron, and she’s observed that those who radiate on the outside are the ones who have done work on the inside. She explains that her drive to bring out natural beauty stems from a time in her life when she was working for Playboy and succumbed to pressure to have liposuction. That decision created on-going health issues causing her to seek out and specialize in natural products and non-invasive procedures. And, Lori shares beauty tips for people of all ages.
Journal 006: How Are You Uniquely Qualified?
This episode celebrates my guests who draw on their highly unique experiences to craft businesses that help others, as only they can. And, when I talk about their experiences, I’m including how and where they grew up, their families, the schools they attended, the jobs they’ve held, where they’ve lived, and their spiritual traditions. They’re taking the accumulation of their life knowledge and using it to help others. You’ll hear from Jessie Mejia, Lise Metzger, Marcus Bullock, Erin Elizabeth Wells, and Dave Conley. As you listen to this episode, think about your life experiences and how you’re using those to enrich your families and your communities.
029: Dave Conley, How to Start (and Restart) Your Life
Dave Conley is an integrated business coach who helps clients to ignite their ideas! This can involve starting a company, advancing an idea or pursuing a personal goal. He’s been on an incredible entrepreneurial and personal journey and shares ideas that you may want to try for yourself! Dave lives a “flipped model” where he first concentrates on living a mindful life, knowing that success in his business and personal life will follow. After his wife passed way five years ago, Dave began to concentrate on getting healthy. And, after losing 150 pounds, he says that he’s half the man he used to be! But, Dave hopes that people won’t wait for a tragedy to occur before they begin to live with greater purpose.
028: Erin Elizabeth Wells - Creating an Intentional Lifestyle
Erin Elizabeth Wells is an intentionality expert and productivity specialist who urges you to make a "lifestyle list" rather than a "bucket list." In our discussion, Erin explains what intentionality means to her and some of her practices, including “quantum jumping” – a form of meditation. You'll learn about the power of asking empowering questions; the connections of purpose, impact, and happiness; and overcoming limiting beliefs.
027: Marcus Bullock, CEO: Giving Men and Women in Prison a Path to Success
Marcus Bullock is an entrepreneur with an extraordinary story. He’s the founder of Flikshop, an app that allows anyone, anywhere in the world, to take a picture and write a personal note that will be printed and delivered to an inmate in any prison in the U.S. He also created the Flikshop School of Business to help men and women in prison create their blueprint for success. Marcus realized the need for these services after "growing up in prison" from age 15 - 23. In this podcast, Marcus discusses why he was incarcerated with adults, how he furthered his education, and why it's important families to stay connected.
026: Lise Metzger: Grounded Photographer
Lise Metzger is an award-winning professional photographer known for her elegant photo shoots for advertising, magazines and corporate clients. In recent years, she’s taken her work to new dimensions through writing about and photographing women farmers. On her blog, Grounded Women.com, Lise shares engaging profiles of women who have chosen farming as a way of life. Listen to the podcast to hear Lise discuss the importance of knowing where our food comes from, why women farmers are drawn to their lifestyle, the fun of hosting a CSA, her daughter's gap year in Americorps, and the farm in Knoxville, MD that sparked Lise's interest in creating a blog.
Journal 005: Storytelling for Impact
A meaningful story has the power to change one person’s life. And, if stories can change lives, they can also move a community, and maybe even elevate a nation. On the most recent Ever Better podcasts, Marc Winn, Marsha Shandur, and Beckie Thompson shared their personal stories, and described how and why they are helping others to do the same. In this journal episode you’ll hear highlights from these three podcasts and afterwards, if you haven’t had a chance to listen to the full episodes, you might want to check them out. You'll hear Marc Winn explain how change is happening in his country through The Dandelion Project, Beckie Thompson describe how and why she is sharing stories to encourage girls and women to be anything they want through "I Don't Want to be a Princess," and Marsha Shandur's insights into storytelling coaching.
025: Marsha Shandur: Be Unforgettable
Marsha Shandur (aka Yes Yes Marsha) has the gift of making people laugh while sharing really insightful lessons. Throughout our discussion, she offers amazing ideas for communicating effectively, practices for staying positive, and lessons from the near-death experience of her great aunt...all through stories. Marsha is a professional storytelling coach and she attributes her talents to growing up in a large, close-knit Russian family. She runs True Stories Told Live Toronto and works with corporations to help colleagues see each other as the interesting individuals they are. And, she is the official storytelling coach for World Domination Summit.
024: Beckie Thompson: Entrepreneur & Founder of "I Don't Want to be a Princess"
While visiting Disney World, Beckie Thompson's daughter was continuously referred to as "princess." And, after hearing this one too many times, she exclaimed “Mommy, I don’t want to be a princess. I want to be a pilot.” Over the next few years, Beckie developed the idea of creating a business and movement around encouraging girls and women to be anything they want. She asks: "Why don't we describe a girl based on her abilities and interests rather than as a fictional princess character?!" This podcast also contains a special treat...an interview with nine-year-old Keira, who is very involved with running the business.
023: Marc Winn, Catalyst for Change: Making Guernsey the Best Place to Live on Earth by 2020
Marc Winn founded the Dandelion Project as a vehicle to help make Guernsey the best place to live on Earth by 2020. Marc works outside of organized government but has an on-going dialogue with elected officials about improving government and society. And he hopes that his experiments will have an impact in other countries. "Never let how get in the way of starting a dream" are words that Marc lives by. Listen to this podcast to hear how he and other volunteers are creating change and how you can too.
Journal 004: All About Books; Insights From an Author, an Agent, and a Library CEO
This journal episode highlights lessons and accomplishments from my three most recent guests who are all focused on books - writing them, creating them, and sharing them with the public. Grace Freedson, a literary agent featured on Episode 20, helps bring books to life about resilience, careers, business, and other non-fiction topics. Kimberly Palmer, an author, was featured on Episode 21, discussing wisdom from her third book, Smart Mom, Rich Mom. And, Valerie Gross, President and CEO of the Howard County Library System, was featured on Episode 22 discussing the importance of library programs to the community and to public education.
022: Valerie Gross, Education for All
Valerie Gross, MM, MLS, JD, is President and CEO of an educational organization with a multi-million dollar budget, hundreds of employees, and seven locations - the Howard County, MD Library System. Her mission-driven approach and library = education vision is a model for libraries throughout the U.S. and internationally. Valerie is at the forefront of a movement to bring public libraries back into view as educational institutions alongside the community college and K-12 public schools. And the results are clear. Visits are up from one to three million in the past decade and items borrowed have doubled to 7.3 million.
021: Smart Mom, Rich Mom: Kimberly Palmer
Kimberly Palmer writes, speaks and teaches about making smart money and life choices. She’s married and has two children, has a full-time job as a writer/editor with AARP, an Etsy shop, and teaches a class on social media. Her third book, Smart Mom, Rich Mom: How to Build Wealth While Raising a Family has just been released! In this discussion she shares how a letter about money that her mother wrote to her when she was 21 inspired and informed her work. She also describes how she sets and tracks goals, teaches her children about money, the value of the library and more!
020: Publishing Entrepreneur Grace Freedson
In this episode, my guest discusses how and why she founded Grace Freedson’s Publishing Network after a successful career with Barron's. Grace shares her journey through the publishing and entrepreneurial world, and helps to demystify the publishing process. She also discusses work/life balance, the importance of building a following, and the elements of a successful book proposal.
Previous Ever Better Podcast Episodes
- Check out podcast episodes 000 - 019 here.
- Common themes and some of the most insightful moments from the first 19 interview episodes are offered in the 3 journal episodes below.
Journal 003: Stepping Stones
In this journal episode my four most recent guests discuss major goals that they achieved that were really stepping stones to something greater. Jason Wrobel describes how he uses a vision board to stay focused on his goals; Anita Kulkarni explains that learning microsurgery led to her work with breast cancer patients; Joleene Moody shares her experiences as a t.v. reporter that led to her career as a speaker, author, and playwright, while Sarah Mastriani-Levi discusses learning holistic healing methods in Israel and China.
Journal 002: Follow Your Interests & Teach What You Learn
This isn’t my typical podcast where I share an in-depth discussion with one amazing guest. It’s a short journal episode where I share two practices common to
every guest I've had on the show: Follow your interests and teach what you learn. In their own voices, Jeff
Davidoff, Tasia Valenza, Doug Hensch and Jessie Marshall describe how
they apply these practices.
Journal 001: Ten Practices From the First Ten Episodes
This is a milestone episode that shares ten practices for getting ever better from the first ten Ever Better podcast guests. I introduce a practice discussed by a guest and play a short excerpt of his or her episode. If you're a first-time listener, you'll get a good sense of each guest and which podcast to listen to next!
Introduction to the Ever Better Podcast With Lisa Vogt
Join me for each week for discussions with people who will talk about their extraordinary journeys and how they live wholehearted, connected lives that make a difference in the world. Women and men who are often described as “daring” will share their joys, struggles, imperfections, successes and aspirations. And, we’ll find out how they stay inspired.
You’ll laugh, learn, ponder, and maybe even take notes as you listen to stories of resilience, perseverance, and originality that might apply to your life or that might help your friends or family. I hope you’ll find inspiration and ideas to help stay on track when life is going your way, and tips to help navigate the challenging times we all experience.
