Author Episodes

Donald Sandel on Shifting Your Mind to Lead Better | 1,563 Don Sandel operates at the intersection of leadership, mindset, and measurable human performance. With academic roots from Western Michigan University and advanced study spanning institutions such as Yale, UPenn, and UC Berkeley, his work reflects a deep commitment to understanding how people think, lead, and perform at their best. Over the past twenty five years, he has worked inside major organizations, shaping leadership development initiatives that influence not just individuals, but entire cultures. As the founder of GoPositiv, Don focuses on a critical shift that many overlook. Performance does not begin with strategy. It begins with mindset. His work challenges leaders to rethink how they approach pressure, change, and growth by building a more intentional, positive internal framework. He has led development efforts for global companies including Astellas Pharma, Allscripts, and United Airlines, and has part…

Sandy Ciaramitaro on Raising a Generation to Kindness and Purpose | 1,562 Sandy Ciaramitaro believes the values that shape a child's future are planted long before adulthood. An educator, author, and founder of The Good Eggs Foundation, Sandy has devoted her career to helping young people develop the character, compassion, and sense of purpose that create meaningful lives. With a background teaching morality, ethics, and social justice, she understands that academic success alone is not enough. Children also need to learn empathy, kindness, service, and respect for others. That mission inspired The Good Eggs series, a collection of stories designed to help children embrace virtues, celebrate diversity, and discover the joy of making a positive difference in the lives of others. More than books, they are invitations for families, educators, and communities to raise the next generation with character at the center. Through The Good Eggs Foundation, Sandy extends that mission…

Maria R Riegger on Healing for Better Leadership | 1,558 Maria R. Riegger believes personal growth is not just about achieving more. It is about understanding what has been quietly holding you back. A corporate attorney, civil litigator, author, TEDx speaker, and certified Inner Child Reparenting Coach, Maria brings a unique blend of professional expertise and personal development insight to the challenges modern professionals face. Her work sits at the intersection of success, healing, leadership, and self awareness. Through her experience working with parents and professionals, Maria noticed recurring patterns that often undermine both personal fulfillment and professional performance: procrastination, people pleasing, weak boundaries, burnout, and the lingering effects of unresolved emotional wounds. Rather than treating these as isolated problems, she helps people uncover the deeper beliefs and behaviors driving them. Drawing on her legal background, corporate experien…

Jennifer Ballow on Why Stories Shape a Child’s Mind | 1,556 Jennifer Ballow believes some of life's most important conversations begin with a story. A licensed master level social worker, children's author, and advocate, Jennifer has dedicated her career to supporting children, families, individuals with disabilities, and older adults through compassion, connection, and meaningful engagement. Drawing from her professional background and personal experience as a mother of twin daughters, she understands the powerful role that stories play in helping children make sense of the world around them. Through her books, she creates opportunities for families to connect, spark imagination, and encourage conversations that foster confidence, creativity, and emotional growth. Jennifer's work is rooted in a simple but profound belief: when children feel seen, heard, and understood, they develop the foundation to thrive. By combining her expertise in social work with her passion for st…

Mitesh Jani on Why Self Image Shapes Your Success | 1,554 Mitesh Jani is fascinated by a question that shapes every human life: why do some people step into their potential while others spend years doubting their own worth? A dentist, author, and lifelong student of human behavior, Mitesh has spent years exploring the connection between self image, achievement, and personal transformation. Long before he wrote books or built a professional career, he was the kid collecting motivational quotes, searching for the ideas that explain why people think, act, and grow the way they do. That curiosity eventually became The Process: Six Mechanics of Achievement, a book that distills more than a decade of observation, reflection, and lived experience into a practical framework for personal growth. While his professional life has been spent in dentistry and business, Mitesh believes the greatest challenges people face are rarely technical. They are internal. The beliefs they hold abou…

Gary Parker on Stories That Shape Who We Are | 1,550 Gary Parker has spent a lifetime telling stories that refuse to let readers look away. A bestselling novelist, screenwriter, and storyteller, Gary is the author of more than 20 traditionally published novels, including a work selected as a Doubleday Crossings Book Club Main Selection. His stories explore the complexity of human nature, the choices that define us, and the unexpected turns that shape our lives. Beyond the page, Gary has written multiple screenplays, with one sold and others optioned for production, bringing his storytelling talents into the world of film. His ability to craft compelling narratives across different mediums has made him a sought after guest for podcasts, television, radio, and speaking engagements. Holding a Ph.D. from Baylor University, Gary combines intellectual depth with a storyteller's instinct for what captures the human heart. Whether writing fiction, discussing the creative process, …

Sara Hathaway on Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times | 1,549 Sara F. Hathaway explores one of society's most uncomfortable questions: what happens when everything we depend on suddenly disappears? An author, self-defense instructor, podcaster, and preparedness advocate, Sara has built a devoted following through The Changing Earth Series, a gripping fictional universe that examines the fragility of modern civilization and the resilience required to survive its collapse. But beneath the action, suspense, and survival scenarios lies a deeper message. Confidence is not something you find in a crisis. It is something you build long before one arrives. Drawing from her expertise in self-defense and personal preparedness, Sara teaches people how to develop the mindset, skills, and adaptability needed to face uncertainty with strength rather than fear. Whether through her novels, The Changing Earth Podcast, or The Changing Earth Audio Drama, she challenges audiences to think differe…

Elisa Neven Pugh on Turning Limitations Into Strength | 1,545 Elisa Neven-Pugh is challenging the assumptions people make before a single word is spoken. Living with a disability has given Elisa a perspective that many people never have to develop. She knows what it feels like to be underestimated, overlooked, or defined by what others see on the surface. Rather than allowing those experiences to limit her, she transformed them into a mission. Today, Elisa is a motivational speaker, advocate, and author whose work centers on personal responsibility, spiritual accountability, and recognizing the strength that exists even in life's most difficult circumstances. Through her speaking and advocacy, she helps people move beyond victimhood, reconnect with their own resilience, and recognize the support, opportunities, and possibilities that may already be surrounding them. What makes Elisa's message powerful is its authenticity. She does not teach from theory. She teaches from li…

Chip Scholz on Redefining Success and Purpose | 1,543 Chip Scholz writes and speaks about the transitions that quietly shape a life. An executive coach, author, and storyteller, Chip has spent nearly three decades helping leaders navigate growth, uncertainty, reinvention, and change. Along the way, he discovered that the biggest leadership challenges are rarely about strategy. They are about identity. After a career spanning sales, management, and public affairs, a late career layoff became an unexpected turning point. What could have been a setback became an invitation to rebuild, leading Chip to relocate his family, launch his own coaching practice, and redefine success on his own terms. Today, his work explores a deeper question: What happens when the roles, titles, and accomplishments we've relied on no longer define who we are? Through his books Small Decisions, Big Shifts, Every Dog Has Its Day, and Handoffs, Chip examines the lifelong journey from self leadership…

Maria Denison on Creativity Persistence and Success | 1,537 Maria Denison spent nearly a decade bringing a story to life that refused to let go of her imagination. What began as a passion project in 2014 evolved into The Reflex Series, an ambitious five-book saga that blends mystery, suspense, romance, and the supernatural into a genre-defying reading experience. Through years of revisions, setbacks, and persistence, Maria remained committed to the world she had created, ultimately completing the series and releasing The Reflex Consolidated Version in 2025. Her stories are driven by more than plot twists and intrigue. They explore human connection, resilience, secrets, and the unseen forces that shape our lives, all wrapped inside a fast paced narrative that keeps readers guessing. Having lived across New England, the Midwest, and now the West Coast, Maria brings a broad perspective and rich life experience to her writing. While continuing to expand The Reflex Series, she …

Amy McKiernan on Reclaiming Your Story From Survivor to Empowered | 1,536 Amy McKiernan is helping survivors discover that their story does not end with what happened to them. It begins with what they choose to do next. As the author of More Than A Survivor, Amy speaks to one of the most difficult realities a person can face: recovering from sexual assault and reclaiming a sense of identity, safety, and hope. Her work provides a pathway forward, helping survivors move beyond merely enduring the past and toward building lives defined by confidence, purpose, and authentic peace. But Amy's mission extends beyond individual healing. Through her work with schools, universities, and organizations, she helps create conversations and cultures that prioritize dignity, respect, prevention, and accountability. Her message is both personal and practical, empowering people to become part of the solution. Professionally, Amy serves as a Director of Employee Relations, where she helps fo…

How Grace Liu Helps Women Find Their Voice | 1,525 Grace C.W. Liu helps women reclaim the parts of themselves they were taught to silence. As a Woman's Truth Awakener, speaker, and communication strategist, Grace has dedicated her work to helping women break free from a lifetime of shrinking, pleasing, and second-guessing themselves. After more than twenty years as a speech language pathologist, she recognized that the greatest communication barrier was rarely vocabulary, confidence, or skill. It was the invisible conditioning that taught women to stay agreeable, stay quiet, and stay small. Today, Grace challenges that conditioning. Grace guides women toward a different kind of confidence, one rooted not in performance, but in self trust. The confidence to speak the uncomfortable truth. To set boundaries without guilt. To express needs without apology. To be fully seen without editing themselves to make others comfortable. Her mission is simple but profound: helping wo…

How Kathleen Bradford Brings Imagination to Life | 1,524 Kathleen Bradford writes at the meeting point of imagination and reality. Author. Storyteller. Creator of multi-dimensional worlds. A lifelong writer, Kathleen has been crafting stories since childhood, guided by curiosity, intuition, and a deep love for language. Her work blends fantasy with emotional truth, building worlds that feel both otherworldly and deeply human. She writes without knowing exactly where the story will go, trusting the unfolding of each page to reveal itself naturally. An avid stargazer and observer of life’s quiet complexity, she draws inspiration from nature, family, and the wonder found in everyday discovery. Her storytelling is shaped by compassion, imagination, and a belief in the power of open minds and open hearts. She is the author of The Gateways series, The Light Worker, The Shadow Chasers, Song of Dragons, and the upcoming The Fall of Darkness. Her work has received Readers’ Favor…

How Victoria Volk Helps You Live Again After Loss | 1.523 Victoria Volk helps people move from surviving to truly living again. Founder of The Unleashed Heart, LLC. Grief recovery specialist. Author. Coach. Energy practitioner. End-of-life doula. Her work is rooted in one core truth: grief is not something to “get over.” It is something to move through with support, awareness, and tools that honor the full human experience. Through evidence-based grief programs, life-path coaching, distance healing, and her podcast Grieving Voices, Victoria creates space for people navigating loss to reconnect with meaning, stability, and inner strength. Her approach blends structure with intuition, science with holistic practice, and guidance with deep compassion. She supports those who feel stuck in survival mode to gently rebuild a sense of direction, identity, and possibility. Because healing does not mean forgetting. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Enjoying the show? Support the conve…

Janus Valeo on Breaking Patterns Before They Break You | 1516 Janus Valeo studies the roots before the ruin. Author. Songwriter. Founder of Break the Pattern, NOW! His work explores the hidden architecture of human behavior, early childhood conditioning, intergenerational trauma, identity, and the patterns that quietly shape lives long before consequences appear. Through writing, music, and difficult conversations, he challenges surface-level narratives and pushes toward something deeper: prevention, accountability, and transformation. No performance. No empty motivation. Just clarity about where cycles begin and what it takes to break them. Strong roots create safer lives. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Enjoying the show? Support the conversation! 👉 Today’s guest: www.breakthepatternnow.org 🎬 Need standout video, podcast, or branding content? 🌐 www.positivetalkproductions.com 📡 Listen on BLEAV:https://bleav.com/shows/positive-talk-radio/ 🍎 Apple Podcasts:https://p…

Cathy Gagliardi on Helping Kids Handle Anxiety | 1,510 Cathy Gagliardi is a children’s author whose stories are rooted in compassion, emotional wellness, and helping children navigate the challenges of growing up in today’s fast paced world. Based in Ontario, Canada, Cathy discovered writing as a deeply therapeutic outlet and soon recognized how many children silently struggle with anxiety, bullying, self doubt, and feelings of not belonging. That realization inspired the creation of her beloved YumYum series. Her book Bellyflies was born from a night of grief after learning a friend had lost her teenage son to suicide. The story gently explores childhood anxiety through the eyes of a young boy named Billy and his comforting stuffed animal YumYum, helping children understand emotions and develop healthy coping strategies. The book has since been embraced by families and even used in therapeutic settings. In Gonna Build A Boat, Cathy continues that mission by encouraging co…

Jonathon Aslay on Finding Love by Finding Yourself | 1,509 Jonathon Aslay, one of America’s leading mid life dating coaches, has evolved his work into something far deeper than dating advice. A conversation about self worth, healing, and what it truly means to love. After the devastating loss of his 19 year old son Connor in 2018, Jonathon was forced into a profound inner journey that reshaped both his life and his mission. Through grief, reflection, and personal transformation, he uncovered a painful truth at the center of modern relationships. Many people are searching for love while disconnected from themselves. That realization became the foundation of his work today. Through his book, *What The Heck Is Self Love Anyway?*, and his Mid Life Love Mastery mentorship program, Jonathon helps men and women rebuild self regard, self trust, and emotional wholeness from the inside out. Blending personal growth, spiritual insight, and practical guidance, he encourages people to …

Billy Mandarino on The Power of Living in the Now | 1,508 Billy Mandarino is an author, speaker, and creator of the Now-ist philosophy, a perspective centered on becoming fully aware of the power and possibility within the present moment. Through his work, Billy encourages people to step out of distraction, fear, and constant mental noise so they can reconnect with themselves and experience life more consciously and intentionally. His book, The Now-ist, draws from his personal journey and explores present moment living in a way that is both practical and deeply reflective. Blending insight, self awareness, and spiritual perspective, Billy challenges readers to shift how they see themselves, their thoughts, and the world around them. At the core of his message is a simple idea. Real transformation begins the moment we become fully present to our lives. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Enjoying the show? Support the conversation! 👉 Today’s guest: www.billymandarino.com 🎬 Need s…

Emily Holl has dedicated her life to giving a voice to the people so often left out of the conversation: siblings of individuals with disabilities and complex health needs. As Director of The Sibling Support Project, she has become a leading advocate, writer, and guide for families navigating the lifelong realities of love, responsibility, identity, and connection. But her work is more than professional. It is deeply personal. As a sibling herself, Emily understands the invisible emotions, quiet sacrifices, and profound bonds that shape these relationships in ways the world rarely sees. Through her writing, research, workshops, and advocacy, Emily creates space for siblings to feel seen, understood, and less alone. Her work speaks to the complexity of caregiving, family, and belonging with honesty, compassion, and extraordinary depth. Whether through her books, public speaking, or support programs, she reminds people that behind every diagnosis is a family learning how to carry bot…

Larry Robertson on The Power of Authentic Leadership | 1,506 Larry Robertson has spent a lifetime studying what makes people truly worth listening to, following, and trusting. From the battlefields of military leadership to boardrooms across the world, his work has always centered on one enduring belief: leadership is not about power or titles, but about clarity, humanity, and the courage to make a real difference. As founder of Robertson Burns, Larry has advised global executives, transformed leadership cultures, and helped organizations generate billions in new business by teaching leaders how to communicate with authenticity, inspire trust, and lead with purpose. His journey is anything but ordinary. From working cattle stations in Australia and traveling through Asia to serving as a British Army captain and advisor at the highest levels of international leadership, Larry’s life has placed him in rooms where decisions shape nations and futures. Yet through every chapter, his …

Gillian Nycum on The Future of Human Centered Leadership | 1,505 Gillian Nycum is helping redefine what leadership looks like in a world that no longer responds to pressure, performance masks, or outdated systems. A leadership strategist, executive coach, and writer, she works at the intersection of human potential, systems change, and deep personal transformation. Her work is rooted in a powerful belief: people are not problems to be fixed. Beneath burnout, disconnection, and self-doubt is often untapped brilliance waiting for the right conditions to emerge. Drawing from more than two decades of experience across education, government, law, technology, and the creative industries, Gillian helps leaders, teams, and individuals move beyond survival mode and into sustainable alignment, trust, and meaningful contribution. Trauma-sensitive and informed by a neurodiversity lens, her approach challenges the systems that ask people to shrink themselves in order to belong. Instead, she …

Elke Scholz on Finding Peace Within Yourself | 1,503 Elke Scholz has spent more than three decades helping people find light in the middle of anxiety, exhaustion, and emotional pain. A psychotherapist, EMDR specialist, expressive arts educator, and internationally recognized author, her work blends deep clinical wisdom with creativity, compassion, and real human connection. Having walked through anxiety herself, Elke understands that healing is not about becoming perfect. It is about learning how to feel safe, alive, and fully present again. Through her books, meditations, workshops, and transformative wellness tools, she has empowered thousands to move from overwhelm into emotional freedom, renewed energy, and a life they truly love. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🎧 Love our show? Show some love! 👉 Check out today’s guest: www.elkescholz.com 🎬 Need stunning videos, clean audio, or scroll-stopping designs? Check out our media services at https://www.kmmedia.pro/ — Top-tier quality …

Marta Swaffer on Finding Yourself in Quiet Moments | 1,502 Marta Swaffer writes for the people quietly carrying questions they cannot explain. Not as a guru, not as someone with all the answers, but as a woman who discovered that the deepest truths are often hidden inside ordinary life. Through motherhood, relationships, mistakes, heartbreak, and moments of unexpected clarity, she learned that transformation rarely arrives loudly. It unfolds in the quiet spaces where we finally begin listening to ourselves. Her work is a reminder that healing, love, and meaning are not somewhere far away. They have been waiting within us all along. Through her book, You Are the One You’ve Been Waiting For, Marta offers a deeply human invitation back to what matters most. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🎧 Love our show? Show some love! 👉 Check out today’s guest: www.martaswaffer.com 🎬 Need stunning videos, clean audio, or scroll-stopping designs? Check out our media services at https://www.kmmedia.pr…

Sean Archer on Rising from Trauma to Purpose | 1,500 Sean Archer is living proof that a painful past does not define a person’s future. Rising from trauma and survival into leadership and purpose, he transformed his life from the factory floor to the writer’s desk with grit, discipline, and relentless determination. An author, MBA graduate, and industrial Maintenance Manager, Sean tells the stories most people are too afraid to face. Through his upcoming memoir, The Invisible Leash, he reveals the unseen battles behind rebuilding a life and becoming the kind of man who refuses to stay broken. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🎧 Love our show? Show some love! 👉 Check out today’s guest: www.seanarcherlives.com 🎬 Need stunning videos, clean audio, or scroll-stopping designs? Check out our media services at https://www.kmmedia.pro/ — Top-tier quality without the agency price tag. Perfect for creators, coaches, and brands ready to level up. 👍 Like this video 💬 Drop a comment & share …