DREAM THINK DO | Motivation, Encouragement & Strategy

3 Keys to Beating a Mid-Career Slump My guest is Antonio Neves. Antonio is an expert on Career Success and he's an internationally recognized speaker, coach and author. He's become a great friend over the years and one of the things I've learned about him is that he helps successful people to become even more successful. He helps them to take things to the next level and break out of those slumps and plateaus that can happen to the best of us. Listen To The Podcast: RESOURCES: Antonio's website: www.theantonioneves.com Antonio's books on Amazon: Click here MORE ABOUT ANTONIO & THE EPISODE: You can read Antonio's unique and powerful career advice on Inc.com, Entrepreneur.com, and TheMuse.com… to name just a few. Plus, his two most recent books are a "one-two punch of raw career wisdom." Antonio's also an award-winning journalist. In fact, he worked in the television industry for over 10 years in New York City as a business correspondent, host, and producer with top networks including NBC, PBS, BET Networks and Nickelodeon. Antonio earned a master's degree from Columbia University and now lives with his beautiful family in Los Angeles, California. He's been on DREAM THINK DO twice and you can go back and check those episodes too: Episode 004: www.mitchmatthews.com/004 Episode 077: www.mitchmatthews.com/077 "True 'Allies' provide 'good friction.' They hold you accountable and support you in doing what you say you're going to do!" - Antonio Neves Here's some of what we talk about: The BIG question: "How do you know you're in a mid-career slump?" You just do "good enough" work Getting promoted seems more like a burden than a reward You've stopped building relationships You've stopped taking action on your ideas You've stopped learning The BIGGER and MORE IMPORTANT question: "What can we do about it?" Start learning again Regularly finish something Surround yourself with allies Quick Episode Summary: 0.02 What to expect today! 1:18 The opportunity you don't want to miss 1:48 Get to know Antonio Neves 3:47 How Mitch and Antonio met 6:21 The professional journey 7:59 What Mitch loves about Antonio's writing 11:08 Learning how to never settle 13:15 The importance of learning 15:49 How to work your way out of a slump 19:13 Breakthrough comes in small steps 21:13 Finishing something for you 25:04 The importance of community 27:22 What happens when we support others 29:06 Wisdom of the week 32:25 Mitch's biggest takeaways

My guest is Peter Van Stralen. He has one of the best titles of all time: "Family Adventurist." That's right. In 2015, Peter, his wife, and their three kids sold everything other than their jeep and set off on an Epic Family Road trip. Initially around the US… but it's now their adventure has included trips around the globe. And they're still going! RESOURCES: PETER'S WEBSITE: www.petervanstralen.com THE VAN STRALEN'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL: youtube.com/epicfamilyroadtrip Peter is an entrepreneur. In fact, he worked hard to grow a business he started in high school with his brothers into a successful franchise. But a few years ago, he participated in an employee training session. In it, the facilitator challenged attendees to write down some professional AND personal dreams. Peter is quick to admit that the professional goals came to mind quickly, but he felt a little stuck when it came to personal goals. So he took the exercise home. He wanted to talk with his wife and their three kids about some shared dreams. As they started to explore the possibilities, the idea of an epic road trip came to mind. Visit some of the National Parks. See more of the country. Do it together. They talked about it but due to Peter's schedule… the idea didn't get much traction. BUT the family kept coming back to the idea and it started to take root. Then in 2015, the Van Stralen's sold everything other than their jeep and set off on something they called their, "Epic Family Road Trip." Initially, they focused on the United States but then started to venture into Canada too. Then their daughter did a book report on New Zealand and the family started to dream of taking their trip internationally. Within a year… they had packed up their Jeep and headed down under. My conversation with Peter draws from his experiences of stepping out in this epic adventure but it also pulls from his experience of building successful businesses. In fact, he talks about how he was inspired by the following quote: "When values are clear, decisions are easy." Roy Disney. Van Stralen's applied this wisdom and came up with a set of family values that helped to guide them. Peter even shares a specific story where their established values helped them to make a difficult decision while in New Zealand. You can see their adventures on Youtube. As you check it out, you'll not only see their travel "ups and downs," but you'll also see how they connect with and care for people… all over the planet. It's powerful stuff. Peter and his family are truly living the DREAM THINK DO life… and they drive a JEEP while they do it… so I wanted to have him on to talk about how this all got started… and what we can all learn from it. Quick Episode Summary: 0.02 What to expect today! 1:18 The opportunity you don't want to miss 4:43 Welcome Peter to today's show 5:30 How the Epic Family Road Trip started 8:47 How long Peter's family has been on the road 10:33 What the Van Stralen's have learned about family 12:50 Peter's life lessons from the road 13:36 The Van Stralen's core values 16:44 Peter's favorite story from the road 23:02 Wisdom of the week 25:22 Where you can find Peter 25:52 Mitch's biggest takeaways Read more blogs here

My guest is Michael Diettrich-Chastain, the founder and CEO of Arc Integrated. Michael is an international speaker and consultant who focuses on leadership, emotional intelligence and change management. His writing has been featured in Time, Money, Monster, Entrepreneur and The Washington Post. His new book is called "Changes - The Busy Professional's Guide to Reducing Stress, Accomplishing Goals and Mastering Adaptability." RESOURCES: Michael's book, "Changes." "Changes" on Amazon Arc Integrated IN THE INTERVIEW: We dig into the Four Master TIPS for NAVIGATING CHANGE. With over a decade of work with thousands of clients in the fields of organizational consulting, executive coaching and psychotherapy, Michael Diettrich-Chastain understands the need for intentional change and the stress of surprise change. In our interview, we dig into the four KEYS to dealing with change. These strategies will help you ask the right questions and focus on the right things, so stress, assumptions, pressure, and expectations won't hijack your day and take you off course. This conversation is jam-packed with actionable strategies and tools you can start using right away. Quick Episode Summary: 0.02 What to expect today! 1:02 The opportunity you don't want to miss 2:55 Welcome Michael to the show! 4:41 Michael's relationship with change 7:30 Four tips to navigate change 10:25 Why you resist change 13:42 Asking for help 16:25 Having an unbiased input 18:28 How to manage stress 20:57 How your mindset impacts your emotions 21:46 The importance of sleep 24:35 Michael's final thoughts 26:26 Mitch's biggest takeaways Read more blogs here!

My guest is Cody Byrns. Cody is an award-winning speaker and a #1 best-selling author. He's also the founder of The Cody Byrns Foundation for Burn Survivors. Now, he'll be the first to tell you that this wasn't originally what he thought he'd be doing with his life. He was a youth pastor and an award-winning juggler. But in May of 2013, Cody's life was drastically changed. RESOURCES: www.codybyrns.com Cody's book While he was stopped at a red light on the highway, Cody was rear-ended by a box-truck that failed to stop. He was considered dead on the scene… but even though he was pinned inside a crumpled vehicle and everyone assumed no one could survive… some quick-acting first responders saw his hand move. They took action and miraculously… they were able to extract him and save his life. Cody received many injuries that day, including severe burns to almost 40% of his body. After years of countless surgeries and rehabilitation, Cody has chosen to not allow his scars to keep him bound in bitterness and defeat. Instead, he uses his story to uplift others. His vision is to help people live free from the bonds of scars (physical and emotional), equipping others with the proper steps to walk out of their past hurt and defeat and run towards their God-given potential. In the interview, we talk about: How to let go of our scars (physical and emotional) Where to focus when you're hurting How to create a NEW game plan How to find mentors How to forgive That's right. We also talk about the power of forgiveness in this podcast. And in a raw and real way… we even talk about how Cody did the unthinkable with the distracted driver who changed his life forever. It's an episode you're not going to want to miss! Quick Episode Summary: 0.02 What to expect today 1.21 Are you a coach? Don't miss this opportunity! 3:06 Meet Cody! 5:01 Cody's hidden talent 8:29 Cody's accident 10:16 When the real battle began 14:02 The most powerful lessons Cody has learned 16:08 How Cody let go of the past 17:39 Reminding yourself of your why 18:35 How Cody started to forgive 23:06 Choosing to see the bright side 28:17 What could be holding you back from your dream 30:39 Cody's last piece of advice 31:51 Mitch's biggest takeaways

This week we dive into a time management strategy I call "Calendar-Driven To-Do Lists." You know I'm a huge fan of To-Do List's… and I'm guessing you are too. To-Do lists can help us focus, get more done and implement like ninjas!!! BUT there's a dangerous side to To-Do lists too. They can work FOR you… but if they're done wrong… they can work AGAINST you. In this episode… we dive in a 3-step process for keeping your To-Do list working FOR you… so that you can end the day feeling like you have gas left in the tank, feeling satisfied with what you have accomplished AND feeling great about tomorrow! RESOURCES MENTIONED: Reminders App Asana App [Tweet ""Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days." – Zig Ziglar"] So… we're all busy… but if you're listening to DREAM THINK DO… that also means that you're all about going after your dreams… your goals… your passions. BUT we all have the same 24 hours in a day… whether we have 2 bucks or 2 billion… we all have 24 hours. The key is to figure out the best way to use your 24! We're going to be using TWO tools. The calendar and the to-do list. We're going to start with the to-do list and then we'll talk about the calendar. NOTE: You can use a paper system… but it's a little more challenging. I'd suggest using an electronic version… like Asana. SIDE NOTE: A key is being able to see the tasks you have accomplished AND the tasks you still need to accomplish. You gotta have the satisfaction of checking those things off the list. STEP 1: If you're using an app… (and I highly encourage that) this is your first step. Create a "Main To-Do List." This is where you can dump all the things you need to do in one spot. THEN… STEP 2: Now, I want you to take the next step and create some new categories (or projects… depending on your app) for each day of the week: MON TUES WED THURS FRI WEEKEND Now… you can start this process at any time… but it's best if you can plan for tomorrow… today. So if it's Thursday as you listen to this… you can implement right away but start by planning for Friday. So you can get the process in place for tomorrow and get ready to wake up clear and ready to go. NEXT… Start thinking about tomorrow. As you look at your "Main To-Do list," think about what's most important… what's most urgent… and what needs to get done tomorrow. Move the things from your "Main List" over to your Friday list. STEP 3: THE CALENDAR NOW… comes our second tool… and STEP 3: your calendar. As we look at the items on our to-do list for Friday… I want you to find a specific time on your calendar and make an appointment with yourself to get those things done. For the bigger… more important projects… block out a specific time and name it. (ie. 9 to 10 am for Project X and 11 to noon for Project Y.) Now… I know some of you don't have total control over your calendar. So other people may be able to schedule things without your control… and/or you might have a lot of people who can see your calendar… and if so… that sucks… but it's a reality. So if it's not appropriate for you to name a specific task on your calendar… then you can block out time for "ADMIN" or "STRATEGY" or IMPLEMENTATION. Use whatever term would be best in your organization. BUT… if you don't have to deal with that… your calendar is your own… then don't worry about it. Get specific. Find a time block for each larger task. As you think about the type of project or task and ask yourself: "What's the best time of day to do this kind of task?" For example, for me: It's best if I do content creation (creative writing, podcast prep, training prep) in the mornings. Then I'm better with being a part of meetings in the afternoon. Also… I do "time bundling." So, Tuesdays and Wednesdays tend to be for my coaching clients.

My guest is Chase Jarvis. Chase is an award-winning artist, successful entrepreneur, and one of the most influential photographers of the past decade. He's created campaigns for Apple, Nike, Red Bull, he's been a contributor to the Pulitzer-winning New York Times story "Snowfall," AND he's interviewed some of the biggest names in business, publishing, and entertainment. He's created a wildly popular app called "Best Camera," and he's the Founder of CreativeLive, where more than 10 million students learn photography, video, design, music, and business from the world's top creators and entrepreneurs. Chase has one of the best podcasts out there. It's called the "Chase Jarvis LIVE Show" where he's interviewed incredible people like Brene' Brown, Seth Godin, and Gary Vaynerchuk. Chase's new book called "Creative Calling" is set to be released later this month. I got to check out an advanced copy and DREAM THINK DOers… this book was written for you. So be sure to grab a copy. Click Here to check it out. Today, we're going to talk with Chase about his journey… but we're also going to talk about how YOU can release, reawaken or re-ignite your inner-creative… whether you've ever considered yourself creative… or not. Let's do this! Guest Resources: www.creativecalling.com www.chasejarvis.com www.creativelive.com Quick Episode Summary: 2:43 Welcome Chase! 4:11 Why Chase wrote his new book 6:45 The range of creativity 12:16 The first step to creativity 16:34 Giving yourself permission 17:56 The importance of mindset 22:20 Creative systems 26:35 Listening to our heart 29:13 Intuition 31:57 You just have to start 33:41 Create something everyday 34:26 Amplifying your creativity 40:53 Final thoughts from Chase 43:01 Mitch's biggest takeaways Check other Podcasts here:

My guest is Kindra Hall. Kindra Hall is the President and Chief Storytelling Officer at Steller Collective which is a consulting firm focused on the strategic application of storytelling. Kindra believes that good storytelling is the answer to so many of today's communication challenges. She is a speaker and trainer and she's trusted by global brands like Facebook, Hilton Hotels, Target, Berkshire Hathaway and the Harvard Medical School. Kindra helps these organizations to better communicate the value of their company, their products, and their individuality… all through strategic storytelling. Today, Kindra's work can be seen at Inc.com, Entrepreneur.com and as a contributing editor for SUCCESS Magazine. Her much-anticipated book called "STORIES THAT STICK" will be released by Harper Leadership later this month. Get it here. In our interview… we talk about: How stories matter in everyday life How the power of "story" can be applied in branding, selling and spreading of ideas The FOUR keys to telling a good story (whether you've considered yourself a good storyteller in the past or not!) Most importantly… Kindra lives in Manhattan with her husband, and their two kiddos and when she is not traveling around the world speaking, Kindra can usually be found at spin class or in Central Park with her family. Quick Episode Summary: 2:03 Welcome, Kindra! 2:39 When Kindra fell in love with stories 8:57 When Kindra brought storytelling to corporate 14:28 What makes a great story 17:25 the different types of characters 19:17 The goal of storytelling 22:19 Implementing authentic emotion 26:00 Having your set of stories 28:54 The thing everyone forgets when storytelling 22:16 Wisdom of the week 35:47 Mitch's biggest takeaways Connect with Kindra: Instagram Facebook kindrahall.com Connect with Mitch! Go to mitchmatthews.com or check us out on Facebook!

My guests today are Chris and Emily Norton. They have been at the center of multiple inspiring viral videos. As a result, they have been featured on Good Morning America, The Today Show as well as USA Today and People Magazine! After a terrible accident that left Chris paralyzed from the neck down, he was told he would never walk again. After a lot of hard work, determination and some serious prayer... they proved the experts wrong when Chris walked across the stage (with Emily at his side) at his graduation. Their amazing adventure continued after graduation. Chris and Emily got married, adopted 5 daughters, provided a home for foster children, published a book, started public speaking and so much more. We invite you to hear their incredible story of overcoming fear, depression, and anxiety when facing a dark season. We believe there are so many nuggets of wisdom in the episode you can apply to your life. RESOURCES: chrisnorton.org Chris and Emily's Book Chris's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/chrisanorton16/?hl=en Emily's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/emilysummersnorton/?hl=en Emily's Facebook https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=510521074 Chris's Facebook https://www.facebook.com/chrisanorton16/ Quick Episode Summary: 2:43 Welcome Chris and Emily! 5:03 Chris's football career 5:21 When Chris got injured 7:25 When Chris realized he was paralyzed 8:55 When Chris and Emily met 10:25 What Emily is passionate about 12:23 How Chris reached his goal 16:04 The power of a public declaration 18:31 Chris and Emily's first nation interview 19:49 Emily's struggle with depression 26:49 The Norton's 5 daughters 30:22 How Norton's point their kids to God 33:32 The Norton's advice for overcoming hard seasons 35:04 How to connect with the Norton's 35:44 Mitch's biggest takeaways Connect with Mitch! Go to mitchmatthews.com or check us out on Facebook!

My guest is entrepreneur Jaime Cross. Two years after leaving her career in banking to be home with her newborn son, Jaime had this longing, I'd even call it a calling, to build a business that would be driven by purpose and that would have worldwide impact. Now, I'm betting that felt like a pretty audacious goal since she was at home, elbows deep in all the glorious messiness of raising kiddos and full-time parenting, but she was bold and she prayed. More specifically, Jaime asked God for a billion-dollar idea. Yeah, that's with a B, a billion-dollar idea, which is pretty big. I mean, right? Listen To The Podcast: RESOURCES: INSTAGRAM: @thehereffect @migsoap TWITTER: @migsoap WEBSITE: MIG Soap: https://migsoap.com/ TRANSCRIPT: Mitch Matthews: Well, a few days later, Jaime got hit with a business plan in her sleep. Literally, the idea hit her in a dream. I love this because I've done over 200 episodes of DREAM. THINK. DO., and I think this is our first person who got hit with a dream in a dream. I love that. Then Jaime embarked on her entrepreneurial journey the very next day and instantly became a millionaire. No, I'm just kidding. It wasn't that easy. It wasn't that simple. But she went after the dream right away. She went to work. Mitch Matthews: After eight long years of trial and error, a lot of mistakes and tears, her company now is one of the fastest-growing organic skincare companies in the world. They're selling millions of dollars of product. It's called MIG. Its tagline is seed to skin, skin to soul. That's what Jaime is all about. It's an amazing story. I heard it and I thought, oh my gosh, I got to have her on. So I'm so excited to do this. Jaime Cross, Welcome to DREAM. THINK. DO. Jaime Cross: Thank you. It's so great to be here. Mitch Matthews: Absolutely. Absolutely. I love, love, love your story. We got to meet at the conference. Pedro Adao, who was also a recent guest on DREAM. THINK. DO, introduced us and we got to meet at his conference in Texas a few months ago now, but I was like, oh my gosh, your story's awesome. Jaime Cross: Thanks, Mitch. Mitch Matthews: I love it. So you're in Colorado Springs. You and your husband have four boys. When this story started, you just had one. Now you've got four boys. Let's go back. We're going to time jump a little bit, and I want to hear about life now, but I think I want to hear about the genesis of this, and I mentioned it obviously in the intro a little bit. Let's talk about that. You had left a career in banking ... Jaime Cross: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Mitch Matthews: ... to be at home. Jaime Cross: Yes. Mitch Matthews: That's never an easy decision. Jaime Cross: No, I mean, I was making great money banking, doing the whole corporate thing. It took Nathan and I five years to get pregnant. When we finally found out that we were going to be parents, I just could not imagine not being home with them. Came home. It was about two years into full-time motherhood that I was starting to feel that pull and that stir. Actually, by then I had my second baby when I was starting to be like, okay, I know that I'm so satisfied as a mother, but something's stirring in me, and I know there's more. I think a lot of mothers feel guilty about wanting more, but I was just like, God, there's something inside of me and we were struggling to pay our bills. I'd given up this huge salary. Nathan was teaching, and teachers don't make very good money- Mitch Matthews: No. Jaime Cross: ... and so it really helped- Mitch Matthews: They should. They should make tons of money, but they don't. Absolutely. Jaime Cross: Yeah, we were a one-income family, trying to live debt-free. It was a struggle. At that moment when I cried out to God, it wasn't just because we weren't meeting our bills. It was because there was this thing inside of me just raging to come out like, I know, I'm supposed to build something.

My guest is Annette Sharpe. Annette is a longtime entrepreneur. She is a business strategist, a culture builder, and a sacred gifts guide. We're going to be talking about what a sacred gift is here. But she helps people to identify what their sacred gifts are. Then she helps them apply that knowledge so they can feel more on purpose in their lives. She's been doing it for years. She's obviously having an impact on a whole lot of people including Rock Thomas. I wanted to dive in, find out more what these sacred gifts are, see how we could use them to apply them to dreaming bigger, thinking better and doing more of what we were put on the planet to do. So, let's get to this. Annette, welcome to DREAM THINK DO! Listen To The Podcast: RESOURCES: Your Sacred Gifts Twitter: @annettegfs TRANSCRIPT: Annette Sharpe: Hey, Mitch, thank you for having me. I'm so excited to be here today. Mitch Matthews: Absolutely. I'm so excited to get to finally hit record and do this conversation with you. But I know people were leaning in during just that introduction going, okay, "sacred gifts." That sounds interesting. How do you describe the sacred gifts to someone? Annette Sharpe: Well, we have a definition, actually, of what sacred gifts are and what they're not. But sacred gifts are unexplained abilities that we have, from birth till death, that allow us to do ordinary things extraordinarily well. There's a lot in that definition. When we talk about unexplained abilities, they really are that. There's a lot of mystery to them. But what's important, I think, in the definition is that we have them from birth, and we have them till the day we die. They're not things we learn, they're things that are innate in us and they're part of a bigger part of us. These sacred gifts reside there. We have them as our way of giving back and being a contribution to the world. Mitch Matthews: Absolutely. If we had them from birth, and we have them all through life, I would imagine that as people start to get clarity on that, though, it probably still feels pretty revolutionary, or at least reinforcing to be able to say, oh, yeah, that is something that I do well. As you help people figure this thing out, what do you see happen in people? Annette Sharpe: Oh my gosh, yeah. What do we see happen? Well, first of all, thousands of people have been through the program. We have, I think, two things that people say the most. Number one, why didn't I know this information before? And number two, thank God, I didn't have that gift. There are a couple of things that people really come to understand. Number one, they get a better understanding of who they truly are at the core of their being. One of the characteristics of the sacred gifts that we teach is that we are made up of our humaneness and our beingness. Our humaneness is everything that makes us human. That's our thoughts. That's our beliefs, that's our feelings, that's our ego. It's everything that we see. If we were to meet each other face to face, we'd have some ideas about who we are. But our sacred gifts are inside of us. They're part of our beingness. They are something that basically we have, that we can't explain, that allow us to do seemingly ordinary things in revolutionary types of ways. There are some people who go through the program as you said, and they say, "Yeah, I was really good at that. It's very affirming." But for others, they realize that something that they've been very good at actually is a sacred gift, and it gives it more reverence. It's something maybe they took advantage of or took for granted maybe and also helps them to reduce judgment on other people who they may have thought should be able to do things the way that they do. So, there's just a whole bunch of different things that people get when they start to realize who they truly are and why they're here. Mitch Matthews: That's awesome. Give us some examples of some sacred gifts.