Simon Says Inspire

We are excited to have Rich Simon on the podcast. We focused this episode on his career. He will be back to talk about other topics in the future.

Rich has his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry. He is respected by professors, business leaders, and his team as one of the best analytical chemists around! We are so proud of all the hard work he put into his education and his career.

We thank the incredible people that showed up in Rich’s life that pushed him to do great things, and he’s paying that forward by being a great leader to his team.

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We are thrilled to have Shannon Donnaway as our special guest this week! Shannon is John’s Daughter and Dina’s Sister-in-law.

In this episode, we engage with Shannon about her successful career as a speech pathologist and fellow podcaster! Currently, she and her cohost Holley Bronson are in the midst of the second season of their popular podcast, Education RX.

While we plan to invite Shannon back to discuss her other life passions, during this episode, you’ll also hear a bit about being a mother of two. Shannon and her husband have created a welcoming home that attracts kids of all ages, and there’s always something exciting happening at their home!

We are inspired by Shannon’s achievements and are thrilled to share her story with our podcast audience.

Make sure to check out Education RX on various streaming platforms or find the link in the episode notes.

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During this episode, we talk to Gary about his career in the Navy, where he served in the US Navy Nuclear Submarine Force for 8 years, from 1970 to 1978, as a Machinist Mate and Engineering Laboratory Technician. 

Then his 40-year career as a Software Engineer, and now Author. We could have talked to him for hours … and hope to have him back for more discussions!

We thank you for your service Gary!

Here are links to Gary’s books and blog:

Blog: garyalanhenson.blogspot.com

Books:

Genome: https://a.co/d/5EX3XKF

Arlo and Jake Series: https://a.co/d/0PPnluh

Gary’s two ‘Vellas’ on Amazon’s Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0BT8YL7Y4 and  https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0BTNMZZZS

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We are so excited to welcome Darin Lynch to our podcast this week!

Darin Lynch is the Founder and CEO of Irish Titan, an ecommerce agency that builds and grows ecommerce channels using strategy, marketing, creative, and engineering. Darin offers over 25 years of digital, marketing, sales, technology and leadership experience ranging from Fortune 100 financial firms to national retailers to start-up and early stage companies.

Darin has trademarked “Business First. Online Second.SM”, as it’s one of the key principles that shaped Irish Titan’s “Why” for their over 40 Titans, hundreds of clients, and range of services provided by Irish Titan since 2004.

Darin is a regular speaker and has been honored as a 40 Under 40 winner, one of the Real Power 50, and is a member of the Federal Reserve Board Small Business Council.

Darin and his Irish Titan team have been long-time friends and business partners to Simon Says Give, and Simon Says Lead.

Thank you Darin for sharing your time, your story, and your friendship!

Checkout Irish Titan: https://irishtitan.com/

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So excited for you to meet Colleen! She joins us to discuss her career, leadership experiences, and passion for making the world a better place!

Here is a bit more about Colleen:

Colleen is a purpose-driven leader with over a decade of experience solving complex challenges through building impactful projects, operational processes, and most importantly, teams. Colleen holds an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management and is known for her creativity, dot-connecting and people-first mindset. Colleen is passionate about making the world a more loving and accessible place for animals and people alike, and is currently working on the formation of a Project Management Office at the ASPCA and serves on the Board of Directors at Tree House Humane Society.

When she’s not behind her desk, you can find her at the barn or her local indie bookstore.

All opinions shared in this podcast are her own. 

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We are excited to bring Brad on to the podcast! Dina and Brad have known each other for a decade. She calls him a friend, coach and loves to collaborate with him!

We could have talked to Brad about a lot of things! One of the areas we asked him to focus on was, “What would you tell your 20-year-old self”?

What would I tell my 20-year-old self?

1.    The biggest issue people face is a lack of self-awareness. Seek a mindfulness mindset – non-judgmental present moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, and emotions, our focus, and our environment (15 minutes focus, practice all day).

2.    Develop a morning routine using the acronym TIME. Ideally, do the first three letters in the 1st half hour of your day. T = Thanksgiving – recite nine things you are thankful for in your relationships, your career, and your personal possessions; I = Inspiration, I believe inspiration is a skill. View the beauty of life each day so you can live the beauty of life each day; next the M = meditation – please Google the 12 medically proven benefits of meditation, then make your decision; the E = exercise – we need between 150-180 minutes of exercise per week (60% strength/40% aerobic).

3.    Discover and develop your values and purpose and live by them and you will not need motivation. Practice each day becoming your future self, and stay focused on your dreams. Serve others, work in excellence, be humble yet confident, and always learn. Detach from 6 stuck areas.

4.    Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates: is it true, is it necessary, is it kind? Strive to bring truth, light, and life to all.

5.    It’s about relationships. Surround yourself with people who make you feel that you were meant to be here. Tell others how you feel/care about them. Your circle of friends will shrink. Friends who are authentic, challenging, humorous, and supportive are keepers. Remove toxic people.

6.    Stop overthinking! Most things are not as big of a deal as they seem. Save your energy for the important things. Don’t sweat the small stuff. 

7.    Read/listen 15 minutes per day = 3750 words x 365 = 1,368,750 words/year. Avg. words/page in a book = 275. Avg book = 300 pages = reading/listening to 16.6 books read in a year. Choose topics where you are learning and challenge your thinking.

8.    As a parent – Teach your kids critical thinking and to believe in themselves. Give them unconditional love. Not to worry about what other people think of them. Do what is right. Celebrate your wins. Instead of buying your children all the things you never had, teach them all the things you were never taught. Material wears out but knowledge stays. Bruce Lee

9.    Take care of your health, eat healthy non-processed foods where possible, sleep well and exercise.

10. Live in the present moment and let things go and understand that stress is your expectations of your demands.

11. Learn to forgive others and yourself.

12. Give more than you get – find a cause. Read the Go-Giver.

BONUS: Seek a coach/mentor that will take you out of your comfort zone, provide feedback, allow you to find your voice, ask tough questions and hold you accountable.

As Emerson once opined, “All life is an experiment, the more experiments, the better.”

The only time you should ever look back is to see how far you’ve come.

To learn more about Brad and connect with him, see his contact info below:

www.MindSyncpro.com

https://www.mindsyncpro.com/blog

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradlantz/

Podcast: www.ThresholdofBrillance.com

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We are so excited to have Angela on our podcast! You will hear her passion for human-centered leadership and why “Business is personal.”

Angela is the founder of Lift Bridge Strategy, a boutique consultancy focused on more personal and human-centered approaches to helping companies grow. Angela is known for building innovative teams to focus on people during periods of high growth, talent shortage, internal shifts in culture due to leadership or ownership transition, and M&A integration.

The Lift Bridge team helps businesses build and execute strategies to make sure they have the right people in the right places, performing at their best. Angela has nearly 20 years of experience leading teams and guiding leaders through all phases of business evolution and macroeconomic cycles. The common thread is understanding that talent is a customer, the workplace is a product, and this dynamic creates a market.

Prior to founding Lift Bridge, Angela led teams focused on talent and the team member experience at Marvin. Angela also held multiple leadership roles in Human Resources with Walmart, where she helped impact talent and engagement for associates across the business. Angela holds a B.A. in Psychology from Coe College and an M.A. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Minnesota State University, Mankato. When not working, Angela enjoys reading, traveling with her husband and spoiling her two springer spaniels, George and Grace.

Here is how you find Angela!

Liftbridge Strategy Website: www.liftbridgestrategy.com 

Be Kind Leader Website: www.beakindleader.com

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We are excited to have Gregg Jackson on the podcast with us. Gregg is a friend of John’s. They stay fit together by working out a few times a week.

Gregg went to the University of Dayton for his undergraduate and MBA degrees. Worked for GM, Delco Products in Ohio and then transferred to El Paso, TX, to set up manufacturing in Juarez, Mexico. He spent much of his career in El Paso, creating new business opportunities in Juarez.

He is known to be entrepreneurial, inspirational, and one to give back and pay it forward!

When Gregg and his wife Becky moved from El Paso to Dallas, he and their son, Ryan, started Acceleron Learning, a technology-based learning and development platform. They have a niche for working with prisons, social services, and in the education sector, teaching life skills.

Gregg and Becky have two children, Ryan and Kayla, and have been married for nearly 50 years!

With much more to share, we will invite Gregg back for more episodes in the future!

To learn more about Acceleron Learning, go to their website: acceleronlearning.com

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We are so excited to have Cathy Paper join us on the podcast! She’s a great friend of Dina’s and also the publisher of her book.

Cathy specializes in coaching, training, and empowering sales professionals, business owners, and leaders to elevate their processes and performance. Cathy has provided invaluable coaching to top executives and managers at renowned companies like Xcel Energy, Zappos, Best Buy, Paramount Pictures, John Deere, and Apple, as well as numerous privately held firms.

Cathy’s infectious energy and enthusiasm are evident in her approach as she shares her networking expertise, helping leaders define and achieve their goals. Her natural competitive spirit, honed through her experiences as a runner, basketball and rugby player, and Minnesota State Tennis Doubles Champion, serves as a source of inspiration for those she works with.

Cathy earned her BA from Williams College and holds a Master’s Degree in Organization Development from the University of St. Thomas. She was honored with the prestigious “Real Power 50” award by Minnesota Business Magazine and received the distinguished “Woman on the Way” award from the National Association of Women Business Owners. This award recognizes women business owners who have demonstrated exceptional achievement for themselves and their companies.

Website for RockPaperStar: https://www.rockpaperstar.com/

Cathy’s LI Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathypaper/

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