A new year brings a great conversation with Kay Van Norman, an internationally renowned healthy aging expert and President of Brilliant Aging, who will inspire you to create your own vitality plan to kick off 2025 right.

Kay’s work is absolutely groundbreaking. She directed the Keiser Institute on Aging, serves on global boards, and has an incredible list of publications. Her award-winning Vitality Portfolio® model has been featured in a book with Jack Canfield and is now available as an online course!

Kay is the definition of living with purpose and passion. She’s a lifelong dancer and a backcountry horsewoman who lives her vibrant life in Montana. Her energy and insights about healthy aging are so uplifting - I think you’ll love this conversation as much as I did!

In this episode, we talked about:

• Kay’s start as a physical education teacher and how she became interested in helping people age brilliantly.
• Kay’s Vitality Portfolio® model and...

As we head into the holiday week, I've pulled out one of my best "Lessons Learned" episodes from 2022 when I shared my 3 biggest tips to improving conversations which I learned from going through my year-long coaching certification.

I always thought I was a good conversationalist until I went through this training. Wow, was that an eye-opener!!!

I learned my conversations were more about me trying to get my voice heard and give my opinions and/or advice vs. me wanting to connect with the other person and making sure they felt heard and valued.

Or if I was trying to connect, I wasn't doing it with the intention of making the person I was talking to feel heard and seen. It was with the intent of ME being seen and heard! :(

Sounds kind of awful, doesn't it? But now I know why, and if you'd like to know more about that, check out last week's episode (Episode 286), where I share a childhood trauma I uncovered that explains everything! 

As I was thinking about what topics to cover...

Today we welcome back a previous guest, Merle Saferstein, an accomplished expert on legacy building. In this episode, she shares the story behind the development of her latest passion project, “Wisdom of the Century,” a book that captures the life lessons of 90 individuals over the age of 90. 

Merle’s career is a testament to her unwavering commitment to memory, education, and the preservation of personal legacies. She is an author of three impactful books, a prolific journal writer, a facilitator of writing groups, a public speaker, a pioneer in legacy journaling, and even a bereavement volunteer.

Merle and I talked about:

• How our legacy is not just about financial inheritance or monumental achievements.
• A behind-the-scenes look at the process she followed and the challenges she overcame to document so many stories and the special kind of expertise each member of her team brought to the experience. 
• Expert guidance for creating ethical wills and...

Today’s guest is Kristin Ericksen, the inspiring founder of "Break Free, Make It Happen." Kristin spent 25+ years as a celebrity personal trainer working with high-profile clients in Los Angeles and New York City and using that experience and wisdom gained has transitioned into a new career as a peak performance coach and keynote speaker. She’s truly passionate about her mission of helping women find clarity, courage, and confidence. 

She and I talked about:

- The power of the "athletic mindset" and how it shapes resilience.
- A fun term she uses that perfectly describes how our limiting beliefs suppress the real truth of who we are.
- The importance of character, personality, and transparency in creating authentic connections.
- Embracing challenges as a pathway to growth and achieving financial and personal empowerment.

Prepare to be inspired by Kristin's journey and her actionable advice on moving forward with purpose. Her story resonates with those looking to step...

Today’s guest is Rebecca (Becky) Faye Smith Galli, an author and columnist who writes about love, loss and healing, and whose life story is one of profound tragedy transformed into a beacon of resilience and hope. 

Becky recounts her journey marked by significant loss, including the heartbreaking death of her brother and the many challenges that followed: raising children with special needs, losing a child, navigating a divorce, and confronting permanent paralysis. 

Becky shares her career shift from IBM to author, using her personal story to inspire others through her books, “Rethinking Possible” and “Morning Fuel”. Her insights throughout the episode reveal the profound power of perspective, the art of active waiting, and how embracing life’s unpredictability can lead to finding joy in the present. She discusses the deep influence of her life events on her writing and her passion for connecting with others who face similar...

In this solo episode, I talk about my recent experience of going back to the place of my birth, where I spent the first 18 months of my life and many of my summers growing up, to attend a beloved aunt's funeral in Massachusetts and the profound reflections it prompted. 

I share two key lessons, involving some pretty incredible secrets, which everyone needs to hear! You see, my aunt was a secret keeper and I talk about two of the biggest secrets of her life that are juicy enough for a best selling novel. One of her secrets was revealed many years ago, and, as a result, drastically changed the trajectory of someone’s life. 

The other secret was held until her death and now it’s unraveling and will likely have significant emotional consequences for those who are still living.

As you listen to these personal stories about the life-changing choices my aunt made, I hope the lessons I gained and have reflected on inspire you to make time to nurture meaningful...

Today I have a returning guest, Sandy Weiner, who is the Chief Love Officer at Last First Date. She's an internationally known TEDx speaker, dating and relationship coach, author, and podcast host, and she recently released a new book, “Love At Last,” featuring 18 inspiring love stories that prove it’s never too late to find meaningful relationships. 

In this episode, Sandy shares her expertise in how she helps individuals overcome emotional hurdles, emphasizing the value of embracing vulnerability and self-awareness, especially after the age of 40, when dating can feel different but also more meaningful. We also touch on the evolving world of dating, and how different it is today, in a tech-driven environment, than when the women of my generation first began dating. 

Other topics we cover are: 

• How the pandemic reshaped first dates.
• The interesting parallels of the couples in her book that helped them find and flourish in their loving...

Today’s guest is Denise Corbo, a retired educator and the founder of Storybook Treasures. Denise shares her inspiring journey from stumbling into her first teaching gig as a high school cosmetology teacher, to finding her passion as an elementary school teacher, and then to starting a nonprofit dedicated to promoting literacy and spreading the love of books to grade school children. 

In this episode, Denise opens up about her personal experiences, sharing how her own shy childhood and undiagnosed learning challenges fueled her passion for teaching and finding creative ways for her students, especially those who struggled to read, to succeed. 

Denise talks about how she got the idea to start her company, Storybook Treasures, the early challenges she faced, and the determination that drove her forward. From financial hurdles to skepticism about her vision, she remained steadfast in her mission to make a difference in the lives of children. 

We chatted about:

• How...

Today’s guest is Paula Swope, her social media followers call Paula the most relatable self-help author ever. She is a self-empowerment leader and author of Thought Snob: The Modern Spiritual Playbook for a Better Life. 

Paula shares her incredible journey of transformation, from being raised in rural Kentucky to believe her impoverished life was all that was possible, to becoming a prominent voice in the self-help space. Once she discovered her thoughts were actually lies she had been programmed to believe from a young age, she was able to change her mindset and overcome the odds that many who come from similar backgrounds never can.

In this episode, we talked about:

• Paula’s upbringing and the limiting beliefs she had to overcome.
• What the words SLOB and SNOB really mean in Paula’s world, and it’s GENIUS!
• What the term “conscious creation” means and how it’s a technique anyone can use to better their life. 
• The...

Today’s guest is Linda Ward, a life coach and writer with a passion for adventure, self-love, and personal growth. Linda shares her incredible journey of spending three transformative months in Italy with her husband, an experience sparked by her husband's dream and their shared love for travel. 

Linda reflects on major life transformations, including her divorce at age 47, and how she found love, first for herself and then with a new partner, in her late fifties. She emphasizes the power of loving yourself, building confidence, and embracing courage to follow what lights you up, even when life presents challenges. 

In this episode, we talked about:

• Creating deep, meaningful connections through travel, while facing the challenges of a worldwide pandemic.
• The power of small steps toward dreams and not letting fear hold you back from what you truly desire.
• How she was able to find courage and confidence after her marriage ended unexpectedly.
• Her take on the phrase...