Make Life Less Difficult

My guest today is Kristy Gordon.Kristy helps widows and single moms reclaim strength, purpose, and new beginnings through financial empowerment.Originally from South Africa, Kristy is a financial professional, widow, breast cancer survivor, and mother of two remarkable daughters.  In our conversation today, Kristy shares stories of her loss, the rebuilding of her life, supporting her daughters through their own journeys of grief, and how she has worked intentionally to make life less difficult during some deeply difficult and challenging times.Kristy’s story is one of hope and empowerment and she now supports other women in finding their own hope and empowerment in facilitating a local chapter of the Modern Widow’s Club in her hometown in Connecticut.To connect with Kristy and learn more about the work she does in the world, you’ll find links below: Kristy’s website: https://kristygordon.netSupport the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Ziad Hamdan.Ziad, also known as The Luck Coach, is a creator & a connector. He uses his multidimensional skills to create & manage ecosystems and lead people into heart-based actions that benefit the collective. He’s a multilingual traveler speaking 5 languages, having worked in more than 15 countries in Europe, Africa & the Middle East, leveraging his multicultural experience & creative mind to think globally and act locally, anticipate trends, embrace change and create value. Ziad is an entrepreneur at heart, a multi-tasker & he believes in prioritization and he thrives through interacting with others. He’s a fast & continuous learner that enjoys facing new challenges with innovative & disruptive solutions.Ziad is the host of The I’mperfect Podcast, a platform for bold humans tired of pretending.  Ziad is bringing conversations into the world that highlight being ourselves – our messy, brilliant, unfinished, and real selves!Ziad waited for two years to start his podcast, because he wanted it to be perfect.  Finally, he decided to start… imperfectly! Learn more about Ziad and the work he does in the world:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theluckcoach?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=em5rNnZxeXJ0cHpwLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ziadhamdan/Podcast: The Imperfect Podcast (Apple) (YouTube) (Spotify)Support the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Graham Segroves.Graham is a leadership learning strategist and ICF Master Certified Coach (MCC) with deep expertise in leadership development - including manager development, executive coaching, and assessment across global organizations. He helps leaders and their teams thrive with positive impact amid complexity and change. Graham works to break silos with courage to integrate meaningful solutions that create improvement for people and systems. As a leader, Graham has empowered and inspired others to deliver results in diverse industries, including manufacturing, government, and international organizations.Career Highlights:-- Internal Executive Coaching: 5 years as a full-time internal executive coach at Boeing, supporting leaders at all levels, including senior executives, high-potential talent, and senior managers.-- Corporate Leadership: Departed internal coach role to return to leadership in a corporate setting; responsible first for DEI, later for global leadership development.-- Private Practice: Founded a successful coaching and teaching practice, supporting leaders across diverse industries in navigating complex transitions and deepening leadership impact.-- Government Leadership: Led national security teams at the CIA and developed technical leaders and people leaders under high-stakes, high-pressure conditions.Our conversation today explores transitions, changes, and transformations.Connect with Graham on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grahamsegrovesSupport the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Sava Riaskoff.Sava is a Performance & Wellbeing Coach, TEDxSpeaker, and Associate Professor at the ESADE MBA in Barcelona. Over the past seven years, he’s worked with leaders and next-gen talent through 1:1 coaching, in-company trainings, and immersive retreats in Europe and Patagonia.His work is deeply shaped by his own journey — from following a path that looked right on paper but left him quietly burning out, to being forced to face some of the hard questions we tend to avoid: What do I actually want? And who am I really, when I stop trying to fit in or live up to other people’s expectations?Today, he helps others explore those same questions — and navigate the uncertainty, self-doubt, and pressure that tend to come with choosing a new path or stepping into leadership.Connect with Sava on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/savariaskoff/Support the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

Today’s conversation is with Dr. Camille Neyhouser— a leadership coach, storyteller, and systems thinker with a deep curiosity for human transformation.Camille began her career with 15 years in the international nonprofit sector beforetransitioning into full-time coaching. She’s now spent the last five years guidingindividuals, teams, and organizations through meaningful change — helping themnavigate complexity with clarity and compassion.But Camille isn’t just a coach. She’s a weaver of stories — currently writing a bookabout her grandmother’s journey as a single mother in 1950s France. She’s also thecreator of immersive, myth-based dinner experiences that have taken place inFlorence and New York, where narrative, symbolism, and shared meals become agateway to self-discovery.At the heart of Camille’s work is a powerful question:How can we teach people, systems, and organizations to hold duality — withpresence?In this episode, Camille shares the transition she’s in now, the themes that won’tleave her alone, and the kinds of questions that light her up — including one that’ssimple but profound:  Can you help me find my joy again, like the perfumes?You can find Camille on LinkedIn, where she continues to explore the edges ofleadership, creativity, and becoming.https://www.linkedin.com/in/camilleneyhouser/Support the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Carla Caturia.Carla helps high-performing teens cultivate emotional intelligence, perform at their peak performance, and shift their mindset to thrive academically, socially, and in extracurriculars without sacrificing their passions, while encouraging parents to promote independence and reduce stress and anxiety in their relationships with their teens.With over 20 years in academia, Dr. Carla has served as a middle school teacher, high school assistant principal, and college professor. She has helped over 10,000 families strengthen their relationships through a coaching approach that combines proven methods with a focus on individual needs. Dr. Carla holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and is a certified Life Coach.Learn more about Carla and her services at: https://thehouseofrise.com/Support the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Laura Baringer. Laura is a returning guest, the Founder of Purpose Built by Laura, a Business Strategist, Coach, and so much more.Laura believes anyone can start a business — but you should love the business you build.She helps entrepreneurs and business owners grow businesses that are sustainable, profitable, and deeply aligned with their values.Before founding Purpose Built by Laura, Laura spent 15+ years leading nonprofit initiatives across gender, tech, and public health — including launching and scaling a multi-million-dollar USAID program in Rwanda. Along the way, she advised boards, invested in startups, and consulted with mission-led organizations worldwide.Laura's background is in business strategy, strategic planning, and organizational development, and she brings that lens into everything she does. Whether it’s clarifying your offers, mapping your client journey, or designing a business model that actually works — strategy is always at the core.In 2021, Laura made the leap to full-time coaching and built her own business from scratch. Today, she help founders cut through the noise, own their expertise, and grow with clarity and confidence — without burning out or compromising what matters most.Connect with Laura:Laura's website: https://www.purposebuiltbylaura.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurabaringer/Support the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guests today are Ben and Trudie Larrabee.  Ben and Trudie are husband and wife, artist and muse, friends, lovers, and inspirations to so many!In our conversation we talk about what it means to be artist and muse.  We hear stories of how they came to partner in their business, Ben Larabee Photography.  And we hear about the journey behind their recently published book, Trudie: A Portrait.  In this amazing collection, Ben Larrabee presents portraits of his wife, Trudie, photographed over a 20-year period between 1997 and 2017. The book includes both black-and-white and color images, showing Trudie in a range of settings and moments, at home and during travel. Each image reveals Larrabee's masterful attention to composition, light, and emotional resonance.Be sure to check out the show notes for links to the videos about Ben’s work that we mention, as you won’t want to miss them.  You’ll also find links to their book, and client portraits. Learn more about Ben and Trudie’s amazing work:· The Ben Larrabee Experience Video . A look at Ben and Trudie on a client photo shoot, and their process of photographing families.· Ben’s philosophy behind his photography explained in this moving video, Staying in Spirt.· The "Trudie: A Portrait by Ben Larrabee" book page for preview and ordering a signed copy.· A link to the client portraits page on their website.· Follow Ben and Trudie on IG:  @benlarrabeephotography.Support the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Kyle Dietrich.Kyle is the founder of Grounded Idealist and co-organizer of the Coaching Collaborative, a powerful initiative supporting tens of thousands of displaced public servants with coaching, career transition support, and deep innovation work designed to empower changemakers to continue serving. Grounded Idealist has mobilized nearly 3,000 credentialed coaches and offered over 20,000 hours of pro bono coaching to workers in transition since February 2025. Kyle is a peacebuilder, social entrepreneur, and trauma-informed leadership coach. With more than 25 years of experience leading large-scale international development and humanitarian assistance programs in complex contexts like Haiti, Niger, and Burundi, including his former role as Training and Learning Director in USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, Kyle brings a practitioner's insight to the intersection of global change, trauma, and human development.Episode Resources: Click this link if you are a worker in transition and would like to learn more about Grounded Idealist's programs, including signing up to receive coaching: https://www.groundedidealist.co/workers  Click this link if you are a coach interested in signing up to offer pro bono coaching and/or join their coach membership program: https://www.groundedidealist.co/coachesYou can also follow Grounded Idealist on LinkedIn to learn more about their programs and events: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grounded-idealistSupport the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guests today are Sue Callaghan and Roberta Miceli.Sue & Roberta are leadership coaches and facilitators of the program, Designing Your Life.Here's what they say about the Designing Your Life workshops:Do you ever find yourself 'stuck' at work? Feeling overwhelmed? Wanting more meaning from your life?​This eight week Designing Your (Work) Life* small group helps you reclaim meaning, find joy in your life and "try stuff!" You will gain strategies and design thinking tools to change your mindset from "It's not working" to "I can make (almost) any situation work!" ​Join us! We are DYL Certified Coaches Sue Callaghan, PCC and Roberta Miceli, PCC.*Adapted from the Designing Your Work Life approach created by Stanford professors, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans.Connect with Sue and Roberta:Sue's website: https://www.goldvineco.com/Roberta's website: https://www.micelicoaching.com/Support the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra