Shows
It's the Journey102: Reflecting on the Past Year as You Plan the Next“The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday.”― Tony Robbins
It's easy to get overwhelmed this time of year as people who had amazing years, or want you to believe they did, start posting highlights. No matter what kind of year you had, this is a good time to pause and reflect.
In this episode I took some time to walk you through what I think about as I look at my year and begin to plan the next. This episode pairs well with my...2023-12-3116 minIt's the Journey98: Change Requires Courage“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”― Leo Tolstoy
Change can be very scary...I know. I fought it for many years trying hard to be the Carlo I thought I was supposed to be.
I built a world around me that supported and reinforced that version of me. Once I started changing, it upset that ecosystem.
So, along with dealing with my own fears, I had to deal with the fears, comments, and criticisms of others. I look at this now as a neces...2023-11-0518 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 93: Rachel Michelle, Learning to Listen to the Lessons Life Gives UsIn this episode I had a fun and insightful conversation with Psychologist Rachel Michelle.
Rachel PhD candidate working hard on her dissertation “Healing Women’s Health: An Intimate Depth Psychological Inquiry"
She took time out of her schedule to dive into topics that include:
Discovering what we are meant to do
Learning to suspend our fear and lean into suffering to see it as a teacher
Learning to have Psychological Faith to look for the meaning in our suffering
What is our shadow self?
Finding our shadow in others
What is Indi...2023-08-2458 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 92: Houses, Still, Eat MoneyBecause the curriculum in most of the educations system in the US omits practical tools and lessons to help us become financially literate, we often go through life making mistakes out of a lack of understanding. Housing cost cause people so much stress because of inaccurate assumptions that I hope to clear up here.
For additional thoughts on this check out my blog
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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carlopodcast/support2023-08-0218 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 91: Tonje Moe, To Pursue our Dream, We Must Listen to Our Dreams. An Artist's Journey“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”― C.G. Jung
I've spoken here and shared in my book what a powerful tool therapy was for me, especially what Carl Jung called Shadow Work, which Ken Wilber described as shining light into the recesses of our soul.
This week I was delighted to have a conversation with Tonje Moe about her experience with a form of art therapy that also helped her dive into her dreams to learn how to use them on her...2023-07-271h 03It's the JourneyEpisode 90: Knowing What You Want, Thoughts and Exercises to Help You on Your Journey“Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now, take what's left and live it properly. What doesn't transmit light creates its own darkness.”― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
Figuring out or even rediscovering your dreams that you may have buried is one of the most important things you can do with your life. I took time in this episode to share some tools I've learned that have helped me on my journey.
Here is the link to a full blog article and show notes.
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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.co...2023-07-2422 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 90: Knowing What you Want, Thoughts and Exercises to Help You On Your Journey“Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now, take what's left and live it properly. What doesn't transmit light creates its own darkness.”― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
Figuring out or even rediscovering your dreams that you may have buried is one of the most important things you can do with your life. I took time in this episode to share some tools I've learned that have helped me on my journey.
Here is the link to a full blog article and show notes.
2023-07-2100 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 89: Exploring Positive Psychology with Marsha J. McCartney, Ph.D.“Success requires persistence, the ability to not give up in the face of failure. I believe that optimistic explanatory style is the key to persistence.”― Martin E.P. Seligman
The news and social media are awash with negativity. It seems everyone is telling us what's wrong, who is bad, who is at fault, and why we should be angry and scared.
It's overwhelming sometimes.
So, this week I am excited to bring a conversation I had to to you with Dr. Marsha J. McCartney. Dr. McCartney is a professor of Psyc...2023-07-151h 27It's the JourneyEpisode 88: Happy 4th, Declare Your Own Independence to Build the Life You Want"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."
Steve Jobs
On this 4th of July I wanted to take some time to talk about how important it is for us to take the...2023-07-0512 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 87: We Can Find Our Path In Unexpected Ways, And it Doesn't Have to Be an Expensive CollegeLast week I had the pleasure of sitting down with Ellen Green Niedringhaus. During our conversation she told me the story about how a yoga class sparked a passion in her that altered her path and journey. She followed that passion and it lead her to becoming a yoga teacher, studio owner and entrepreneur.
I've witnessed this so many times in my life and at a personal level. To me it highlights the absurdity of the pressure that is put children when it comes to college. This pressure along with a lack of skills taught around self...2023-06-3031 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 86: Ellen Green Niedringhaus, Her Yes to Yoga and Feeling Good Changed Her Life, and Could Change YoursI was so honored to sit down with Ellen Green Niedringhaus this week to talk about her journey. While raising 2 amazing children Ellen is also an inspiring yogini, yoga teacher, and owner of 2 lovely yoga studios that are beautiful communities full of great students and rock star teachers.
Ellen is just a lovely, inspiring soul full of grace, joy, and wisdom that she loves to share.
Years ago while working as a paralegal she took a yoga class one day and was so inspired by how it made her feel that she had to follow...2023-06-2051 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 85: Barbara Ginty, CFP-Bringing Intention to Your Financial Decisions to Live Your DreamThis week I was so lucky to sit down and have a conversation with Barbara Ginty! Barbara is a Certified Financial Planner who in a addition to having a successful practice has an amazing podcast called Future Rich Podcast. She has published over 200 episodes packed with information to help you gain financial literacy and get comfortable with things you should be thinking about to in your financial planning.
Barbara has has been featured on Yahoo Finance, NY Post, Refinery29, NBC, and CNBC. She is also one of the female advisors chosen to contribute to the Money Diaries...2023-05-201h 05It's the JourneyEpisode 84: Video, Success Leaves CluesTHIS IS A BONUS EPISODE THAT IS THE VIDEO VERSION OF EPISODE 84. I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING WITH VIDEO YET SO PLEASE BE PATIENT AS I LEARN. :)
“If you want something you've never had you must be willing to do something you've never done.”
Thomas Jefferson
One of my brain’s favorite things to do is to trace the path I’ve followed to where I am today.
While dwelling on the past can be a waste of time and energy, painful and destructive even, learning to look for patterns of behaviors and habits to see what worked and what did...2023-05-0919 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 84: Success Leaves Clues“If you want something you've never had, you must be willing to do something you've never done.”
Thomas Jefferson
One of my brain’s favorite things to do is to trace the path I’ve followed to where I am today.
While dwelling on the past can be a waste of time and energy, painful and destructive even, learning to look for patterns of behaviors and habits to see what worked and what didn’t can be a powerful tool.
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I'm working on a full blog post for this episode to post on my new substack. I'll do my best to organiz...2023-05-0923 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 84: Cory Katuna, Exploring and Avoiding Victim Consciousness“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves."
Viktor E. Frankl
This week I had a chance to sit down with Life Coach Cory Katuna. We had a delightful conversation about getting out of the victim mindset and into the creator seat of our lives. Cory has a wonderful way of looking at life as she seeks to crack the codes for fulfillment.
Cory is the co-founder of the coaching company The Light Touch. She and her partner Romee Fluit work with te...2023-05-041h 02It's the JourneyEpisode 83: Abundance & Ambition“We are not rich by what we possess but by what we can do without.”
Immanuel Kant
“If all you want is more, you’ll never have enough”
Me :)
In this this episode I’ll dive into some thoughts that have been bouncing around my head for awhile concerning what abundance and ambition means and Can mean for you as you make your way through life.
As I said in my book, I chased the American Dream as it was presented to me for too many years of my life...2023-05-0130 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 82: Jaqueline Alio, A Delightful Conversation with One of Sicily's Leading Historians!When we say yes to our dreams and follow the threads that pull at our hearts, it can lead us to new places and new people.
My Yes Ands, as I shared in AfterLIFE, Waking up From My American Dream) lead me across the ocean to the homeland of my grandparents and that journey, with the help of Rick Steves, lead me to Jackie Alio!
Last fall before I hike across Sicily, I spent 2 hours wandering the streets of Palermo like a kid in a candy shop absorbing the stories and lessons Jackie shared with...2023-04-2749 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 81: Elli Richter, WTF is Human Design, Book PreviewThis week I had a chance to sit down with my friend and coach Elli Richter to catch up and discuss her new book, WTF is Human Design, that she co-authored with Helen Hall.
Elli is the coach I mentioned in my book who gave me the golden advice to learn to have my own back and be my own best friend. This advice has had a profound effect on the last decade of my life as I've healed and grown.
I this 3rd episode with Elli we discussed the new tools she has been using in her practice that...2023-04-211h 14It's the JourneyEpisode 80: Doing the Difficult Things"Man needs difficulties in life because they are necessary to enjoy the success.”― APJ Abdul Kalam
My son was telling me about an essay test he had to do where his professor gave the class 3 options to choose from. As he was describing that I remembered actually enjoying those kinds of projects, especially when it was a subject I was interested in. I realized that's all I'm doing here except the essay questions pop in my head every now and then and then I write or podcast about them..so, here goes.
I was posting a reel the other day with...2023-03-3122 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 79: Lessons from my Sicilian Pilgrimage on MinimalismThis week I took some time to try to crystalize some of the thoughts that were bouncing around my head on my hike through the mountains of Sicily from Palermo to Messina.
Part of the reason one does such a trip is to hopefully think about aspects of our lives and I did just that for hours each day. For nearly 30 days during my stay in Sicily I lived out of a backpack. I became very conscious of my things and was aware of why I carried each item and the purpose it could serve. I cannot...2023-03-2423 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 78: Julie Boll, Values Driven Living"Tell me what you pay attention to and I will tell you who you are.”
― José Ortega y Gasset
I've have had many episodes where I spent time discussing planning and goal setting, but I haven't hit on the importance of our Values and how much they drive us in the right direction.
This week I'm excited to share this wonderful conversation I had with Julie Boll, CDTLF, CPCC on the importance of Values. Julie's 20 years of experience as a Dare to Lead Facilitator "people and organizations get clear on where they wa...2023-03-1635 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 77: Intentional Imbalance to Avoid Stagnation“The boldness of his mind was sheathed in a scabbard of politeness.”
― Dumas Malone
Everywhere you turn these days there are articles and gurus promising Balance. When we are really into something or are super excited about a goal our lives can't help but becoming out of balance in the sense that certain activities take up a greater part of our time and energy. If we want to become really good at something, learn a new skill, or really go after some big life goal, we have to put lots of energy into that.
I think...2023-03-0817 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 76: Facing Our Fears, And the Fears of OthersIn my book I took a lot of time to talk about how important it was to learn to love and trust myself enough to say yes to the things I wanted to do, have, and be. I also talked about how important it was to build a tribe of people who were supportive and helpful along the way. There are always going to be people though who are scared or fearful and may cast doubt on whatever it is you want to do, have, or be. It’s important to learn to listen and discern what might be helpful ad...2022-11-0812 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 75: Updates and Thoughts from the Trails of Sicily. Thoughts on Pleasure vs HappinessLots of people have been asking me if I’m having fun. Often, the things in life that make us happy are not necessarily pleasurable in the moment. Any big goal or challenge we’ve tried to tackle might not be pleasurable in the moment, but it can bring us great joy and happiness as we move towards our goals and ideals in life. Along with an update from the pilgrimage, I tried to dive into this a little bit more to help answer the question: Am I having fun?
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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carl...2022-11-0418 min
The Campfire Storytelling Podcast"Welcome Back to the Campfire" featuring a story by Carlo Pietro SanfilippoThese episodes of The Campfire Storytelling Podcast feature stories finally brought to the stage. The episode you are about to hear was first recorded via Zoom during an online showcase. However, we can now bring you a live, in-person version, along with tweaks and updates to narratives you may have heard before.This episode features Carlo Pietro Sanfilippo, a past student in Campfire’s Advanced Storytelling class. These students take a six-week class to prepare to tell a story about life and how they live it. You can learn more about Carlo on the Campfire webs...2022-11-0116 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 74: How We Treat StrangersOver the last couple weeks I’ve been a stranger everywhere I’ve gone. This experience has given me food for thought on what it’s like to be an outsider, and how different people treat outsiders. I’ve never been treated horribly, just more welcoming and more human in some places. Here are some of my thoughts on being a stranger, treating strangers with dignity, and being patient with others who are speaking a language that is not their mother tongue.
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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carlopodcast/support2022-10-3128 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 73: Updates From the Road in SicilyHey everyone, this is just a quick update on the road in Sicily. Yesterday I arrived at the halfway point of the city of Troina. I have 10 more cities to go that will probably take 13 or 14 days do, giving myself some rest days along the way. In this episode I wanted to give little bit of an update of how many days are and just an overview of what this trip is like.
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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carlopodcast/support2022-10-2818 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 72: On the Road from Sicily, The Plasticity of NormalAnother episode of my thoughts that are stewing on the road from Sicily. I’m recording this again using the Anchor app and my iPhone. I don’t have access to my laptop so I’m unable to add this to my website of the time. But, you’ll be able to listen here on Anchor or anywhere you enjoy podcasts.
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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carlopodcast/support2022-10-1814 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 71: Sicilian Pilgrimage IntroductionSome of you know that I’ve been planning to do a pilgrimage that will take me from one into the other of Sicily. I’ve been meaning to do an episode where I described what I’m actually doing and why and I finally had time to do that. I’ll try to keep doing updates as I go, but they’ll be more visual information on my various social media pages. Especially Instagram and Facebook.
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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carlopodcast/support2022-10-1510 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 70: Use Your Career for Personal Development, Not Your Life for Career DevelopmentIn this episode, I reflect back on how I used my career to achieve my goals and develop as a person. I recently was giving my son some advice as he started working a part-time job during college. He's studying business and working at a pizza restaurant in the kitchen. I encouraged him to observe how the business itself functioned. How he was managed and trained. How they handled inventory. How they served customers. How they handled problems. I told him that what he was learning in those areas was likely going to be far more valuable for his growth...2022-10-1027 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 69: How Free Time Can Change Your LifeWhen are lives are so full of the "have to's" of life, we don't have time to think about what WE really want to do, have, or be. Intentionally freeing up my time gave me the space to look inward. That practice helped me rediscover my path and my life has and is changing from this.
Listen now to learn why you should created some space and time away from the grind to look at your path.
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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carlopodcast/support2022-10-0415 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 68: How Do You Know When You're Done?Since I retired from financial planning this year people have asked me 2 question more than anything else. What are you going to do, and How I knew I was done.
Today I'm going to dive into the second one, because, like Steven Covey recommended, I think it's helpful to begin with the end in mind. That end, the lifestyle we think we want to live and how much it will cost, will evolve as we go through life; but I firmly believe that proper planning, early and often, is vital to your success.
Listen now...2022-09-1920 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 67: Would You Rather Quietly Quit, or Live on Purpose?"I always resented all the years, the hours, the
minutes I gave them as a working stiff, it
actually hurt my head, my insides, it made me
dizzy and a bit crazy — I couldn’t understand the
murdering of my years
yet my fellow workers gave no signs of
agony, many of them even seemed satisfied, and
seeing them that way drove me almost as crazy as
the dull and senseless work."
Charles Bukowski, American Poet
It’s...2022-09-1126 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 66: Moving Outside the Comfort Zone with Everett MorleyI've written and talked about how our time in covid was like a collective time out for many of us, and if you've been following and listening a while you know during my timeout, I restructured a huge part of my life. I was delighted to find yet another example of someone who did this as well who wanted to share their journey with you.
Everett Morley took her time during covid to make changes with her career and relationship. In this episode she shared that story as well as how meditation and time alone in nature ha...2022-09-0648 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 65: How Do Mondays Feel Compared to Fridays?How do you feel in your gut when you know the next day is Monday versus when it’s Friday?
If we’re not careful, we’ll spend 5 days of our lives looking forward to 2, and 40 plus years looking forward to however many years we can live in retirement. We’re taught from an early age that’s the norm. For me, I learned it from family, friends, T.V. shows, that I was supposed to dread Monday and LOVE Friday. That I needed to work hard to get a job that paid money so that I could have...2022-08-2919 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 64: Diane Marie Pisera, Founder of Italy in a Jar CandlesSaying YES to our dreams and stepping forward in that direction, even if we don't have the answers or feel ready, is SO important.
Diane Marie did just that and she shares her beautiful stories and wisdom with us here. I was inspired and so grateful for our time together, and I know you will love her story too.
Here are some key lessons I loved hearing and want to capture:
Years before she knew she wanted to create this company that captured her love of candles, travel, and Italy (where she was born and...2022-08-2534 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 63: Digging into Goals“First say to yourself what you would be;
and then do what you have to do.”
― Epictetus
When I graduated college and began my first job, my manager loaned a copy of a Brian Tracy seminar to me. One thing he said that stuck out to me was that fewer than 3% of adults have clear written goals for their lives, but those who did often accomplished great things. I was determined to be in that 3% and I must say that doing so has made a tremendous impact on my life.
Here are some th...2022-08-2225 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 62: What Does it Mean to be Able to Afford a House?The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run.”
Henry David Thoreau, Walden
From time to time I see snarky comments floating around the internet with folks commenting about how they’ve been paying rent for 10 years without missing a payment, but the banks won’t qualify that person for a house. I absolutely understand the frustration but it comes from a partial understanding of the trust cost of owning a home.
Home ownership has be...2022-08-1523 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 61: Remembering Your WhyDo you know why you do what you do every day? Why you sell a piece of your life nearly every day of the year and likely will for decades to come AND why you spend the fruits of you labor the way you do?
What are you actually working for or towards? We tell ourselves we are working for our future for our family or some other grand and noble thing, but have you ever taken inventory to see if your actions actually are helping you realize your “Why” in life? Is what you’re doing actual...2022-08-0819 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 60: How Quality over Quantity Impacted my Professional LifeI’ve said before, nothing had a greater impact on my ability to achieve my goals than simplification. My recent episodes have focused on personal life and the benefits of fewer material things to reduce the cost and complexity of my life and how this freed up space for my growth and development.
This week I want to look at how this impacted my first business and former profession as a financial planner.
Like most businesses, the beginning was very much a somewhat desperate time. I had no clients, no income and needed to find lot...2022-08-0118 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 59: Be Your Own Agent of Change for the Life You WantFor what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re...2022-07-2517 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 58: Have Less, Live More“I believe a desirable future depends on our deliberately choosing a life of action over a life of consumption, on our engendering a lifestyle which will enable us to be spontaneous, independent, yet related to each other, rather than maintaining a lifestyle which only allows us to produce and consume.”
Ivan Illich
The lessons I learned in AfterLIFE weren’t intentionally meant to be about minimalism, but stumbled into what many would call that. I don’t like that or the notion of “downsizing” because they imply only doing without and ignore what one is...2022-07-2012 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 57: Thoughts on Financial PlanningLast year when I announced that I was exiting my career as a financial planner people were curious about two big things:
1) What was I going to do?
2) How did I know I could do it?
The first on I tried to answer through my book (AfterLIFE, Waking up From My American Dream) and podcast (It’s the Journey), and that is I’m going to live a life of growth and purpose through the pursuit of my passions and interests. The other question was a result of years of planning and that’s what...2022-07-1212 min
It's the JourneyEpisode 56: Pursuing what you want vs what you are “supposed” to wantWelcome to episode 56! In the episode I took time some to expand on concepts I wrote about in AfterLIFE about pursing the life we want. I’ve combined the podcast with a full blog post I wrote below.
Enjoy and feel free to comment or share.
Thank you,
Carlo
“Man must choose whether to be rich in things or in the freedom to use them.”
― Ivan Illich
Dream schools, dream cars, dream houses, dream weddings, and dream vacations are are often the things society encourages and expects us to want and do...so many of us, including me for decades, pursue th...2022-07-0524 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 55: Keeping Our Promises...To OurselvesIt's been a minute, because according to my calendar it's nearly June! As life swings back to a more normal pace, or whatever this new normal is shaking out to be, I've taken some time to settle into the changes my life has been going though. In this episode, I took time time to catch you up on things and reflect on an expansion of the concept I talked about in Chapter 1 of AfterLIFE. In that chapter I described how important and difficult it was for me to learn to trust and listen to my heart and how foundational...2022-05-2125 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 54: Sometime Self Care Is Doing the Hard ThingsThe craziness of the pandemic and all the other things going on in the world threw me off my game from an exercise standpoint. Last fall as I was thinking about this year, I set some goals and made my personal health a priority. These past couple months as I've been changing and restricting what I eat and increasing my exercise with strength training and yoga, I've been feeling better and better. What I'm doing is tough and not always pleasurable in the moment, but I'm making steady progress towards an important personal goal, and that makes me happy.
2022-02-2322 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 53: What I wanted to be when I grew upThis is officially my first episode of season two of It’s the Journey and for 2022!
I’ve been quiet lately. I do that as I’m preparing for big projects or going through change. I introvert. I’m not ready to start making episodes regularly, I just wanted to give an update on some things and share some clarity I have discovered.
7-27-9
Ultimately what I was looking for was freedom.
I saw a glimpse of that in high school while working at Waldbart Tree Nurusry in Florissant. I saw the bos...2022-01-2617 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 52: Grateful that Less is More“We live in a society whose whole policy is to excite every nerve in the human body and keep it at the highest pitch of artificial tension, to strain every human desire to the limit and to create as many new desires and synthetic passions as possible, in order to cater to them with the products of our factories and printing presses and movie studios and all the rest.”
―Thomas Merton
I’ve tried touching on this theme a few different ways with my writing and the podcast. This external pressure and message that gets reinforced nearly everywhere of how we...2021-12-0228 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 51: Amanda Oliver, Stumbling Into the Happiness of My Life. Part 2 of 2.Welcome back to It’s the Journey for part of my interview with author, Amanda Oliver!
Below are the show notes from Episode 50 If you haven’t listened to that I’d recommend checking it out first!
Did you know your destiny when you were a child?
I always admired kids who did, and my next guest is one of those people who knew what she wanted and has been on a path towards her dream nearly all her life!
Amanda Oliver knew at...2021-11-1143 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 50: Amanda Oliver, Stumbling Into the Happiness of My Life. Part 1 of 2Did you know your destiny when you were a child?
I always admired kids who did, and my next guest is one of those people who knew what she wanted and has been on a path towards her dream nearly all her life!
Amanda Oliver knew at the age of 4 that she wanted to be a writer. In this first episode of two amazing episodes, she shares her journey that began with a 4 year old creating her own writer’s nook, to an amazing adult who is an award winning writer and is now publishing her...2021-11-0956 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 49: Protecting Your Dreams“When setting out on a journey do not seek advice from someone who never left home.”
Rumi
I want to dive deeper into something I’ve touched on in more than one episode, and that is how friends, family, and others can poison our dreams if we let them. But not to be mean. They do it out of a fear and lack of self belief that is inside them and they are just trying to protect us, but that doesn’t make it any less toxic.
Like most kids, I had many big dreams for my l...2021-11-0423 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 48: Sandra Vibe, "My Work is My Passion, and My Passion is My Work"“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
Over and over again, my guests give examples of people tapping into what is within them and share how it has made their lives more meaningful. My next guest, Sandra Vibe is yet another beautiful example of this!
Sandra joined me from her lovely studio in Lithuania to share her journey to becoming a fulltime artist. We often know what we really want in our lives, and it takes courage to say yes to that...2021-10-281h 03It's the JourneyEpisode 47: Solo, Planning Your Next Year...NowEvery year for as long as I can remember, I have begun looking at the results of my current year in the 4th quarter to begin assessing my progress and planning the next year. We have 2 months left to accomplish whatever we are going to this year, and to set some goals for the next.
As I began this ritual for myself this year, I thought I'd share some things that have been helpful for you here. In addition to what I talk about in this episode, I want to say making a mind map of my goa...2021-10-2618 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 46: Mollie Amburgey Part 2: Casually Killing It, Part DeuxThis is part 2 of my conversation with Mollie!
Notes From Part 1
My next guest focusses on the funny and casual side of life, but don't let those adjectives fool you! Mollie Amburgey is a rock star, and is killing it!
After studying Theater and Journalism at SLU she graduated in 2013. She went on to produce plays in St. Louis, Cincinnati (OH), Covington (KY), Chicago (IL)!
Mollie has been performing stand up for 5 years now, and in the 6th season of her own podcast, The Casually Mollie Podcast, where...2021-10-211h 10It's the JourneyEpisode 45: Mollie Amburgey, Casually Killing It!My next guest focusses on the funny and casual side of life, but don't let those adjectives fool you! Mollie Amburgey is a rock star, and is killing it!
After studying Theater and Journalism at SLU she graduated in 2013. She went on to produce plays in St. Louis, Cincinnati (OH), Covington (KY), Chicago (IL)!
Mollie has been performing stand up for 5 years now, and in the 6th season of her own podcast, The Casually Mollie Podcast, where she interviews a network of comedians, musicians, & entertainment from around the country!
I'm so grateful that...2021-10-1929 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 44: Kathleen Evans, From the Corporate Grind to Pura Vida!I'm so excited to share this fun conversation I had with world traveler and journalist, Kathleen Evans! I am so grateful she joined me on It's the Journey.
In our time together Kathleen shared her journey and the wisdom she has gathered through her life lessons. These lesson lead her to leave the corporate grind, so she could live the Pura Vida in Costa Rica!
She traded the treadmill of corporate sales, for a life in a place the checked all the boxes of what she was looking for!
Kathleen and her husband h...2021-10-081h 04It's the JourneyEpisode 43: Morgan Noll, Values Driven EntrepreneurMorgan Noll is embodies the messages I keep talking about around saying yes to what’s pulling you, and being the change. During the pandemic, Morgan reflected on her values and how to better apply them to her life. The result of that was her decision to open a business grounded in the the values of sustainability, social justice, and self-care! The Social Goods Marketplace was the result of that hard work!
In this episode Morgan and I jumped around all kinds of topics and it was so fun!
Join us please and I know you’...2021-10-011h 04It's the JourneyEpisode 42: Stephen Finlay Archer, Advice on Thinking About What's NextWelcome Back to It's the Journey!
The next 2 episodes feature Stephen Finlay Archer!
When we are kids we often have many things we love to do just for the sheer joy in the activity. When we grow up, we often set aside those things as we take on "adult" things. Our many roles and responsibilities often take all our time and energy. In AfterLIFE I told my story of how I rediscovered so many aspects of myself that had been put away in a shoe box. Important parts of me were in the dark and forg...2021-09-2818 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 41: Stephen Finlay Archer, Lifelong Learner“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.”
― Henry Ford
Welcome Back to It's the Journey!
Children usually have many things they love to do, just for fun.
Playing, in other words.
When we grow up we sometimes forget that. Often, we set aside those joys as we take on "adult" activities. Our many roles and responsibilities often take all our time and energy. In AfterLIFE, Waking Up from My American Dream, I told my story of how I rediscovered so many a...2021-09-211h 05It's the JourneyEpisode 40: Marina Krivonossova, Finding Time to Make a Difference“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
In the last episode you got a sneak peak of my guest Marina Krivonossova, and on this one you get to learn about her journey!
In the show notes of episode 39, I mentioned that Marina's life has already been a literal journey that has taken her many places. She was born in Russia, grew up in California, and now lives with her husband in the Netherlands! Marina has a successful career that she enjoys in Digital Social Media Marketing, and, in her free time...2021-09-1637 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 39: Marina Krivonossova, Facing Fear, Marina's Advice!“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear.”
Mark Twain
Welcome back to It's the Journey and to my first episodes with a guest since I left for Dublin!
I'm back now and had a chance to do a two part episode with an incredible human being named Marina Krivonossova!
Marina took time out of her day in the Netherlands to share bit and pieces of her story that began in Russia, circled through California and landed in the Netherlands...for now. Marina has an exciting career...2021-09-1412 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 38: The Importance of Acknowledging Our Own Wins, Big and SmallSo often in life we can be our own harshest critic. Some people take pride in that...about how tough they are on themselves. I'm not proud of this, but being tough on me is something I've done my whole life. Several years ago in a workshop for the Strategic Coach I learned how destructive that is and counterproductive to us as individuals and to those in our lives. It's deflating and demotivating. If you have kids, you'll teach them to do that to themselves...as I was taught. If you have a team you manage or work with you'll...2021-09-1014 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 37: “Live” From Dublin, Part 2During my second week in Dublin I finally got in synch with their time zone, had more time to wander around the parks and museums, I participated in an amazing tour with Lorcan Collins and his 1916 Rebellion Walking Tour (5 stars without hesitation. Do this when your in Dublin), connected with a member of the Irish Parliament (Chris Andrews TD quietly joined out tour! At the end of the tour, a group photo was taken with us all and he tweeted it! He even listened to one if my episodes! Amazing!!), I also saw my first live theater performance since...2021-09-0522 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 36: Live From Dublin Part 1After months of planning and thinking about it, I was finally able to record and produce a full episode from on the road! With some down time to think, I took a moment in my Temple Bar Airbnb to reflect on a question I keep getting asked about what’s next for me as I come to an end of my 27 year career as a financial planner. We all will have many beginnings and endings in our lives. Sometimes they are forced on us, other times we choose. My experience is that it’s sometimes scarier to choose a big chan...2021-08-3119 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 35: Micah Johnson, 3 Things to Remember When Dealing with Uncertainty as You Move Towards Your Dreams!Join me on my first totally in the field interview with Micah Johnson!
I took my equipment to Idle Hands Grooming Company to catch up with Micah. Micah was my very first guest on It's the Journey. During our conversation in Episode 2, Micah told stories about the experiences in his life that lead him to co-founding his own hair salon. When he and his business partner, Andy Prost, pulled the trigger, the global pandemic began. They just celebrated their one year anniversary of being open (July 13) and I wanted to capture some of the lessons Micah took...2021-08-2118 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 34: Elli Richter, Practicing Letting Go, and Other Lessons from Life on the RoadHey Kids!
In this episode I was lucky enough to spend some time with my amazing friend Elli Richter! Elli was one of my first guests, way back in Episode 7. During that conversation, she mentioned that she was about to hit the road and live the nomad life working from bed offices around the country applying her subconscious integrative coaching to client's all over the world from wherever in the world she happened to be!
In this episode Elli shares with us the good, that bad, and the hilarious concerning her adventures so far. This ha...2021-08-181h 07It's the JourneyEpisode 33: Kevin McKernan, A "Yes And" that Changed So Many LivesHello and welcome to the 33rd episode of It's the Journey!
In this one I’m super honored to get to spend some time with my friend Kevin Mckernan, who is the Founder of The Improv Shop (an improv theater in St Louis, Missouri).
Kevin is a kind, humble, smart, caring guy, and a super thoughtful, patient, and motivating teacher! His work and passion for this artform has impacted so many lives including my own! (I devoted 2 chapters to improv in AfterLIFE, Waking up from My American Dream.)
In our time together, Kevin sha...2021-08-1359 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 32: Kevin McKernan, Bonus Intro!Welcome back everyone and if you are new, thank you for joining!
This week I'm trying something new. I created this quick, sort of, Prequel Episode, with Kevin McKernan who is the founder of The Improv Shop, a great friend, and a treasure of a human being. I asked Kevin a quick question with the hope he would share his wisdom on a topic I thought would be helpful to you and he did just that!
Later this week I'll release an episode with our hour-ish long conversation about how he found improv, fell in lo...2021-08-0910 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 31: Jodi Werner, Making Food that Feels Like a HugWelcome back for another episode of It's the Journey! If you are a first time listener, Welcome and thank you for joining me!
You all are in for a treat and some wonderful lessons!
My guest on this episode is Jodi Werner. I've known Jodi for just over 5 years. I met Jodi, like so many of my amazing friends, through improv. Over the years I've enjoyed seeing her skills grow as a chef, especially when she took on the responsibility of running the kitchen at The Improv Shop! It was so fun to see her take on...2021-07-3059 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 30: Looking Back and Looking ForwardWelcome back to episode 30 of It's the Journey!
This week I wanted to take some time to talk the the usefulness of looking back over our lives, and dreaming forward as we decide what actions what want and need to talk TODAY. Now.
A decade ago I was wrestling with myself trying to force myself to stay in a marriage and situation I didn't want to be in any longer, but felt I had to. If you read AfterLIFE, you'll recall the story I told about how my therapist gently nudged me to think about t...2021-07-2413 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 29: Let's Be the Change“You just plod on and do what you can to make the world a better place,”
Jane Goodall
Great advice from someone who has devoted their life to making the world a better place.
With this Episode I wanted to do something I've been thinking about for awhile, and that is spending a bit more time diving into lessons I've learned or continuation of ideas from a previous episode. In #28, with Lucinda Perry Jones, we dove into the topic of change.
A current that runs through AfterLIFE and many of the storie...2021-07-1722 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 28: Lucinda Perry Jones, Helping Others Be the Change"The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.”
Alan Watts
Welcome back to It's the Journey!
With the book AfterLIFE, Waking Up from My American Dream and this podcast, I have been working hard to provide lots of inspiring examples of people pursuing their dreams in order to help inspire listers like you!
Sometimes, in order to make space for the things we want to do in life, we have to stop doing other things, or...2021-07-0805 min
The Casually Mollie PodcastS6 EP8: Casually Waking Up From My American Dream with Carlo Pietro SanfilippoAuthor Carlo Pietro Sanfilippo talks about his book 'AfterLife: Waking Up From My American Dream,' the process behind publishing a book, traveling to Italy to discover his roots, & how being vulnerable led him to improv, curating a podcast, & a brand new chapter of his life. 'AfterLife' can be purchased at Barnes & Noble or on Amazon. For more information about 'AfterLife' & Carlo's endeavors, visit carloblog.com & follow @carlo_blog.
2021-07-0448 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 27: Steven Harowitz, Starter of Cool ThingsEpisode 27! Good golly!
Hello to my regular listeners and Welcome Aboard to all my first time listeners!
This week I'm proud to bring you the amazing Steven Harowitz!
Steven is just the kindest, coolest, calmest, chillest soul, who has this amazing gift of being, as he describes, a starter of things. And I will add, quite cool things!
I wanted to talk to him about his Campfire Creation. Campfire is an organization that "elevates everyday voices" and that helps with "Amplifying your stories through our events, podcast, and social media".
...2021-06-3059 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 26: Father's Day Bonus Episode, Eh Cumpari!Eh Cumpari!
Hey Buddies!
If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen my post about this last Sunday on Father's Day. I recently discovered the name of a song I hadn't heard in about 40 years!
It has been a mystery to me all this time and hearing it brought back a flood of memories, emotions, and lessons I wanted to share.
Also, Anchor has a function that allows me to put music right in a episode, but when I do that it doesn't get played on channels outside Anchor...2021-06-2511 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 25: Dana Pauzauskie, Remembering a Deeper Connection with SelfWelcome to Episode 25!
I'm just one episode shy of being halfway to my goal of 1 per week for this year! Thank you for coming along for the ride, for all the wonderful and helpful feedback, all the likes, shares, reviews and downloads, and Welcome Aboard if you are new! If you're just joining me and wondering what this is all about, Episode 1 is my intro episode that lays out what I'm hoping to do and provide for my audience with this project.
This week I'm back with a guest and I was lucky to get to s...2021-06-161h 09It's the JourneyEpisode 24: Pondering Post Covid #1As as aspects of pre-covid life return; driving, meetings, lunches, coffee, etc., life has gotten busier. Though I have a few episodes already recorded, I didn't have the energy to listen to them to edit them...so I made a short one with some things I've been pondering about what I do and don't want in my post covid life.
I'll be back next week with some great conversations!
Thank you for listening!
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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carlopodcast/support2021-06-1112 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 23: Julie Gill, Never Lose Your Sense of PlayLadies and Gentlemen, meet the Amazing Julie Gill!
Julie is another wonderful, creative, intelligent, kind, creator from my improv tribe. Julie listened to something that was calling to her after college to create a community of families that didn't want the traditional educational system, and that led her to open her own school! Juniper Root Woodland Preschool, located in Chesterfield Missouri, is a Montessori-inspired nature-based community for children. From the outside, meaning conversations with Julie and social media, I have admired the beautiful community Julie and her team are building so I wanted to dive into what it...2021-06-0355 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 22: Lisa Dittmar, Saying Yes to Purpose and Adventure!”Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
Robert Frost
Welcome back It's the Journey!
This week I had the honor to sit down with my friend Lisa Dittmar from her home in London!
Lisa has a wonderful ability to take a big picture view of her life, and the direction it’s heading, and make important decisions based on that. Both of those are such valuable life skills and Lisa those PLUS the courage to say Y...2021-05-2653 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 21: Solo Episode, Freeing up My Time and LifeWelcome back to It's the Journey. With episode 21 I took some time to reflect on the progress the podcast has made as well as some other projects I have going on in my life.
At the end of my book, AfterLIFE, Waking up from My American Dream, I mentioned some projects I was working on, but not ready to share with the world. Well, now I'm ready.
Thank you again for joining me on this journey. As always I wish you all the joy, luck, and love on yours!
Please subscribe wherever you like...2021-05-1920 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 20: Andy Sloey, Part 2-Finding Truth and HumanityWelcome back to It’s Journey and to part 2 with Andy Sloey!
In this episode we dive in deeper to the world of improv. I listened to this again before posting it and am so excited to present this to you. If you love improv or have been curious about it listening to some of Andy’s thoughts about the process are like sitting in on a Masters level class on the subject. Even if you don’t perform, it’ll help you gain an appreciation for the artform and may just inspire you to take a class!
...2021-05-1239 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 19: Andy Sloey, Double Feature Part 1 of 2Andy Sloey in a gem of a human being. He’s a kind, caring, friend, teacher, coach, leader, partner, an amazing father to two awesome human beings (and some furry friends) and he’s also an Amazing actor and improvisor. I learn from him every time I get to see him perform (and I’ve laughed until it hurts) and I’ve been lucky enough to have been in his classes and have him as an improv coach. AND I always love the great conversations he and I have had over the years in between shows in and around The Improv...2021-05-051h 09It's the JourneyEpisode18: Jack Davis, Peeling Away the LayersJack Davis has been an entrepreneur for 35 years now. During the the 18 years I’ve known him, he and I have had many great conversations that meander between very practical to more philosophical and this one is no different. In this episode Jack shares some of the lessons he’s learned and his thoughts on aspects of the American Dream he’s still contemplating. As he says, life can be like peeling away the layers of an onion…there’s always another layer. Perhaps most importantly, Jack is open to seeing the lessons and perspectives as he makes his way through l...2021-04-281h 20It's the JourneyEpisode17: Solo, Covid FineHey friends. Here is episode 17. Covid Fine. I’ve had a ton of tech issues that slowed me down that I think I’ve finally figure out, with the much needed help of my audio engineer, Rich Harris. Thank you Rich!
But that has reduced my inventory of episode so I'm working closer to my deadline than usual. Plus my day job has been very busy lately. I’m not telling you this to complain but rather to be real. This project is new to me. I’m learning as I go. It is fun, but it’s honest acknowle...2021-04-2212 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 16: BJ Lange, Finding Purpose in Adversity“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams!”
Henry David Thoreau
&
“Bring a brick, not a Cathedral.”
Bill Chott
Ladies and Gentlemen, I’d like to introduce you to my talented, kind, and amazing friend BJ Lange. At a quick glance on social media you’d see a list like: Actor, Comedian, Host, Cancer Survivor, Speaker, Pilot, and USAF Medic/Veteran. You might wonder how all those things fit together and if you’ll join me in this episode you’ll hear his stories, lessons and examples of how he pursues his d...2021-04-161h 02It's the JourneyEpisode 15: Sherley Moran-Following the Fun with a Grateful Heart and Curious MindPlease join me for my 15th episode with my guest and friend Sherley Moran! Sherley is another bright beautiful soul that I have the honor to call my friend. I always enjoy catching up with her and was so happy when she said yes to joining me.
In this episode she shares stories about her journey of yes and-ing and following the fun that lead her from the bustling, cultural and financial center of Latin America, Mexico City, to the love of her life and a whole new life here in St. Louis!
Sherley shared he...2021-04-071h 02It's the JourneyEpisode 14: Helen Petty-Answering “Why Not Me” with an Inspiring LifeHelen Petty is simply a Rock Star. If you know her, you know this. If you don’t know her, you are about to learn why in this delightfully meandering conversation I was honored to have with her. In this episode, Helen shares her stories, lessons and philosophies that have helped her realize a dream of opening her own beauty and barbering collective to create an environment that corrected the things she didn’t like in her industry. Her instincts were so spot on that she was able to expand to a second location just a couple years after openin...2021-03-311h 00It's the JourneyEpisode 13: Joe Dolan-Never Stop Learning and GrowingI’m happy to introduce you all to my awesome friend Joe Dolan. Joe is in his 6th decade of life but his enthusiasm, joy and passion for living and experiencing the world is inspiring, as is his kind and caring heart. I’ve always admired and been inspired by his dedication to family, friends, and living life fully and I was so grateful for the opportunity to dive into his thoughts and philosophies in this episode.
We are all living through what I’ve heard described as a collective trauma and it’s impacting us each uniquely...2021-03-241h 07It's the JourneyEpisode 12: Nadin Lorenz-Never Look BackI’m so excited for you all to meet my friend and teacher Nadin Lorenz, who works as an online German language teacher and soon to be author! Part way through the plague, I decided to take some German lessons to brush up on that skill I spent 8 years of my life learning but that had remained tucked away (in a shoebox for those who have read AfterLIFE) for the better part of 2 decades. By saying Yes to that I’ve had many fun Saturday mornings talking about travel, art, history, culture and life in general with the amazing human...2021-03-171h 03It's the JourneyEpisode 11: Jill Duncan -A Journey of Love, Service, and CompassionJoin me in this episode to dive into the journey of my friend, Jill Duncan. If you know Jill, you love Jill. If you don’t, you will! She’s an amazing human who lives with a beautiful combination of mind, heart and soul. She is smart, funny, driven, fun loving, talented, focused, positive, supportive, professional, Brave, and just a bright beautiful soul.
During our fun conversation she shares her wisdom and philosophies that have guided her along her way as she is driven by the core values of love, service, and compassion.
Jill is the F...2021-03-1057 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 10: Artemisia on my MindHey Friends!
Welcome to Episode 10 and Happy Women’s History Month! For a while I’ve been wanting to dive into the lives of various historical figures I’m fascinated by and interested in. I mentioned in my book AfterLIFE, that as I restructured my life to have more free time I’ve used that to pursue my passions in history and especially art history and especially-especially Italian Art History. So, to celebrate not only the accomplishment of me getting to my 10th episode, but also Women’s History Month I’m taking time to chat a bit about Arte...2021-03-0521 minIt's the JourneyEpisode 9: Rafe Williams-Life Lessons from a Rising ComicIn this episode I had the joy and honor to spend time with professional comedian, actor, and improvisor Rafe Williams!
During the 6 years I’ve known Rafe through the improv community it has been so fun and inspiring watching him grow as an artist. I laughed so hard the first time I saw him. Then again and again as I watched him develop and master his craft playing in more and more places in my city and around the country. Watching him kill it as a stand up comedian, doing sketch comedy, and performing improv has been a bl...2021-02-251h 28It's the JourneyEpisode 8: Janelle Esposito, LPC-Exploring TherapyIn my book AfterLIFE I spoke very openly about my experience with therapy because of the profound importance it played in my healing and growth. I didn’t access this tool for many years in my life, because I thought doing so was “giving up” or “being weak”. No one in my world ever discussed what it was or the benefits they received from. I believed that I could positive affirmation may way through anything in life. That plus a combination of physical exercise that helped me burn through anxiety until several crisis hit me at once and I finally reach...2021-02-181h 25It's the JourneyEpisode 7: Elli Richter-Helping People Remember Who They AreHoly moly folks! I’m so excited to introduce you to Elli Richter!
Elli is a life coach and I wrote about how she helped me in the very first chapter of my book, AfterLIFE. Her kind encouragement to be my own best friend gave me the nudge I needed in my journey to healing. Several years later, I circled back with Elli and was blown away with the new tools she had to work on subconscious coaching. The work we did together last year is what I needed to help me break past some resistance I felt i...2021-02-101h 28It's the JourneyEpisode 6: Becca Kannapell-Making Magic, by the PoundJoin me for a delightful hour to learn about Becca’s journey to co-creating Pound Jewelry with her mom and sister, Linda and Mia. These three awesome ladies channel their own talent, love, and magic into beautifully crafted jewelry that you should absolutely check out! (Link below)
I had so much fun learning more about Becca’s story and I know it will be fun and motivating for you too! If you’ve read AfterLIFE or have been making your way through It’s the Journey with me, you know how excited I get with people yes and-ing t...2021-02-041h 11It's the JourneyEpisode 5: Valentina Colasuonno-Meet my Italian Teacher!Ciao tutti!
If you know me, or if you’ve read my book , AfterLIFE, you know how important my experience of learning Italian and connecting with that part of my heritage has been to my growth and happiness. Valentina Colasuonno has been there for most of that journey helping me not only learn the language, but also helping me understand the history, culture, and food of Italy.
For just over 3 years we have spent 2 hours a week nearly every week speaking Italian. She patiently listens as I stumble my way through the learning process as I’ve...2021-01-281h 16It's the JourneyEpisode 4: Nancy Erickson-My Book Professor, and Maybe Yours Too!In AfterLIFe I gave many examples the importance of seeking out experts. The right person at the right time can accelerate your progress and save years of frustration. My work with Nancy is a great example of this. In this episode you’ll get to hear a lot about my work with her in a one on one setting, and other ways she helps people pull their books from themselves. Her structured and thoughtful process works so well! You’ll also get to learn about her amazing journey to becoming The Book Professor. I know you’ll love this episode.2021-01-2159 min