Make Life Less Difficult

My guest today is Arianne Rice.Arianne is back on the Make Life Less Difficult podcast for conversation #3.  Arianne first shared pieces of her story on episode 17, then came back to explore grief, sadness, and difficult times around loss on episode 49.Arianne is an Episcopal priest, Certified Daring Way Facilitator, and Leadership Coach.Since we first met, Arianne has also become a podcast host.  Her podcast, Feeling Beings Who Think, is a place for intentional conversations on how we live, move, and have our being in the world.  She and her guests focus on how careers and callings have been shaped by who we’ve been and who we are becoming.  And even though each of our paths are different, we find points of resonance, support, learning and wisdom through our shared stories.  Definitely check it out and if you are looking for a place to start, I was a guest on episode 4!Back to today’s conversation.  Arianne and I talk about a variety of things today including ways to cultivate spaciousness in the midst of a busy life, the "land of ok" and how being in the land of ok is good enough (and why that can be so difficult to accept, especially for those of us with perfectionistic tendencies), reality testing the interpretations of our past and our stories, and living our way into new behaviors because we can’t think our way there.Arianne, thank you so much for this conversation.  Thank you for sharing your stories and experiences, exploring the journey with vulnerability and authenticity, and for your thoughtfulness and wisdom.  I’m already looking forward to our next conversation. Connect with Arianne:WebsitePodcast: Feeling Beings Who ThinkLinkedInSupport the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Bechara Abi Assi.Bechara describes himself as a “humble student traveler on this journey of life.”Bechara is driven by a deep curiosity to understand how people make sense of their inner and outer worlds, and a wonder at the possibilities that opens up for them. He is committed to helping himself and others build close-knit groups and cultivate meaningful relationships with love, safety, empathy and honesty.Bechara works in the world of leadership development and loves helping his clients learn in an environment that is both safe and challenging, helping people find their growth edge. His approach to this work is rooted in deep self-awareness, and informed by complexity, adult development, centered leadership and positive psychology. In a past chapter of his journey, Bechara was a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, advising private and public sector clients across the Middle East and Europe on strategy, culture change, capability building and leadership development. Bechara also worked in McKinsey’s internal learning function, focusing on developing programs for the Firm’s most senior colleagues.Bechara holds an MBA from INSEAD and a BBA from the American University of Beirut in his native Lebanon. He lives between Amsterdam, Valencia and Dubai (where he grew up), and speaks Arabic and English, while also trying to improve his limited Dutch, Spanish and French. Outside of work, Bechara enjoys spending quality time with his ‘people’ and discovering new places and cuisines, preferably via road trips.Bechara and I met in late 2022 at a work event.  I remember sitting and having dinner together, chatting and getting to know each other, and just a few minutes into the conversation I asked – do you want to be on my podcast??  It’s fun to notice how different people respond when I ask that question.  Bechara’s response, as I remember it, was a clear yes!  I knew we would have an amazing conversation and we did.  Bechara, thank you so much for this deep and meaningful conversation.  Thank you for sharing these pieces of your story.  Your courage in life to jump into the unknown on the journey of self-discovery, your both willingness and ability to articulate the challenges and the successes of handling suffering in life, developing your emotional immune system, and developing kindness and compassion for yourself… it’s inspirational.  It’s an absolute delight to host this conversation and share it here.Connect with Bechara here.Support the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Alex Tonsberg.Before I share more about Alex, let me apologize for the background noise and poor audio quality for this introduction.  I’m in Nepal at the moment and there’s not a quiet place to be found!But about Alex…There are two things that are certain in life - death and taxes. But for Alex there was a third certainty. While still in elementary school, Alex determined that there would be nothing that would prevent her from having an interesting life.  From art student living in Australia to Registered Nurse working in austere environments and chaotic trauma centers, the desire for an interesting life never left and has been what has guided her to ask sometimes difficult questions about what is important in life.  Today Alex is an entrepreneur, owner of Dark Humor Coffee and has reconnected with her love for art by becoming an apprentice at Two Cents Ceramics. Our conversation is about courage, determination, thoughtful pursuit of being oneself, and more. We had the chance to record our conversation a few weeks ago when I was in TN and it’s only the 3rd podcast I’ve been able to record in person, so that was a treat. It’s also a special experience having a podcast conversation with someone I’ve known for years, learning more about their journey, hearing pieces of the backstory. It reminds me that no matter how long and how well I know someone there’s always more to learn.  Thank you, Alex, for sharing these stories, for reflecting so thoughtfully on your journey and choices, and for the insightful life lessons that have become a part of who you are. I’m honored to host and share this conversation. Connect with Alex: https://www.instagram.com/at.vagabonding/Dark Humor CoffeeTwo Cents CeramicsSupport the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Sue Harvey.Sue established Riverwise Leadership, previously New Direction Strategy, to help leaders and organizations do change better.  Working at the intersection of leadership coaching, team effectiveness, and change management, Sue guest leaders and teams to unlock their creativity and innate wisdom to deliver meaningful, lasting change. Sue serves emerging leaders and C-suite executives across a range of industries including life sciences, technology, health care, and professional services. She is a highly-rated faculty member for leadership development programs at a leading global professional services firm, and is also the founder and lead coach for “Creating What’s Next,” a peer-coaching program for women in career transition. Before launching her own company, Sue was involved in organizational change from every angle – as a leader, as a team member, and as a C-suite advisor.  Previous positions include Chief of Staff to the CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Deputy Communications Director for the Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, and executive-on-loan to the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy. A Williams College graduate, Sue holds certificates in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University’s Institute for Transformational Leadership and in Change Management from Prosci.  She completed the Center for Creative Leadership’s Leadership Development Program and UMass Boston’s Emerging Leaders Program.  She is a recipient of the Wonder Woman Award from the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus.  Sue lives outside Boston with her husband, two children, and a rotating menagerie of pets. Sue and I met last summer and sensed an immediately connection.  It’s truly a delight to share this conversation with you today.  Sue shares pieces of her journey and transition out of the corporate world where she was extremely successful and yet came to a place where she knew she wanted and needed a change.   We talk about the courage that it takes to make such a change, Sue shares how she was inspired to action through watching someone else’s courageous act, and the power and contagion of courage. Sue, thank you so much for sharing these glimpses into your story, the wisdom you have cultivated, and your humble courage and transparency.  You are an inspiration!  And you embody the courage and I hope many catch the contagion of courage from you as your story is shared through this platform.Connect with Sue:LinkedInSupport the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Thiago Hanken.Thiago supervises a high impact team at the US Consulate General in Recife Brazil.  He’s also a trainer and workshop facilitator for the US Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute Adjunct Faculty program.  He teaches leadership skills, communication strategy, cross cultural understanding, conflict management, change management and more utilizing tools like the Myers Briggs Type Indicator and Hermann Brain Dominance Indicator. Thiago has coordinated major events including the 200 year anniversary event of the US Consulate General in Recife.  He thrives in environments where he can use critical thinking, active listening, and creativity.  Thiago loves the challenge of absorbing, analyzing, synthesizing, and presenting content to diverse audiences.  Learning and development, in both a personal and professional sense has been his passion for the past 5 years.  Thiago helps his team members take their interpersonal relationships seriously and he’s a passionate promoter of DEIA in all his work. Thiago and I met through our mutual work for the US Department of State in the training realm and it has been an amazing privilege to get to know him, watch him grow as a trainer, and through our conversation today, learn more about the behind-the-scenes stories to his transformation over the past several years. Thiago, thank you so so much for sharing these glimpses into your life and journey.  Your stories are inspirational, your wisdom is deep, and your passion is contagious!  It’s such an honor to host this conversation here today!Connect with Thiago:FacebookInstagram: @thiagohSupport the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Beatrice Redi. Beatrice is a Positive Leadership Facilitator, an Executive Coach, and a Chief Happiness Officer. Before turning to full-time coaching and leadership development, Beatrice worked for 28 years in global corporations in the Pharmaceutical sector as a leader in Marketing and Sales functions, both industry and consulting side. While working in global management roles in the commercial arena, she adopted a coaching leadership style that facilitated and empowered people to bring their best selves to work and create resilient, collaborative, enthusiastic multicultural, and cross-functional teams. Her raison d’être has now become to help people find their purpose, re-connect with their uniqueness and strengths, develop these and flourish. She has a B.A. in Humanities from King’s College, London University, and an M.B.A from SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan. In addition, she’s qualified with one of Europe’s top business schools INSEAD with their “Leading in a Transforming World” certification. She is a certified coach with the  International Coaching Federation Coach, and an EIA Practitioner with the European Mentoring and Coaching Council and a Certified Chief Happiness Officer with the Italian Institute for Positive Organizations (IIPO). Apart from her work, Beatrice enjoys walking in nature, trekking up mountains, and undertaking creative activities, especially photography and videomaking. She is happily married and blessed with two spitfire children. Beatrice and I met recently through mutual work opportunities and when we began to explore recording a podcast conversation, we clicked easily and I knew we’d have a fantastic time. Beatrice shares pieces of her journey as she has sought to find and develop meaning in her life and developing her authentic self.  The time of covid was a game changer for her… there was job loss, sickness, dissonance.  And this really pushed Beatrice on a deep dive to self-discovery and getting back in touch with her core values.  Beatrice, thank you for sharing with us today.  Thank you for bringing your wisdom, your authenticity, your happiness and gratitude to the conversation and stories you shared.  You are a beautiful light in the world.  Thank you for reminding us to move through life with love.Connect with Beatrice:LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/in/beatriceredi)Website (https://beatriceredi.com/)Schedule a call (https://calendly.com/beatrice_redi)Support the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Noel Bulger. Before I tell you more about Noel, I want to take a moment to recognize this as the 100th episode of the Make Life Less Difficult podcast!  This is an exciting and humbling milestone to reach.  What started as an experiment has developed into an amazing journey of connection, growth, learning, and deep gratitude. Occasionally someone will ask me what my favorite episode is so far.  And I’m honestly at a loss… I cannot name a favorite or even 3 favorites, because every single conversation, every single guest is so beautiful and amazing to me.  I feel a deep sense of honor to host these stories, quite a few of which haven’t been shared publicly before.  I am energized and rejuvenated by the connection and conversations.  Thank you to all who have been guests, to those who are upcoming, and to those who are yet to commit, but are considering!   I love that as I publish the 100th episode, my list of guests is growing longer, my energy and enthusiasm as the host is deepening, and my conviction in the power of stories, sharing our journeys, making a difference through this sharing just gets stronger and stronger and stronger. Thank you for being part of this journey – whether you are listening for the first time, or you’ve listened 100 times – thank you!  I’m very much looking forward to the next 100!! And now, let me share a few things about Noel before we get into our conversation. Noel grew up in Ireland and moved to the United States at age 18.  He joined the Marine Corps as an officer and spent 9 years leading high performance teams globally in both combat and diplomatic roles.   Major life transitions, including the loss of his son, made him realize he was more interested in working to design a better future than defend an imperfect present.  He left the Marines, went to business school, and transitioned into the startup world to work more directly in social innovation and creating the next generation of inclusive leaders. Noel then found his way to leadership coaching and consulting and works with organization and leaders around the globe to develop the skills of leadership, communication, strategy creation, and culture transformation. Noel has degrees from Georgetown and Stanford Universities, Thomas Aquinas College, and the Marine Corps University.  He has been awarded medals of commendation and achievement from both the Navy and the Marine Corps. Noel and I met through a work collaboration and I immediately knew he had some incredible stories to share.  It’s an honor to share this conversation with you today. Noel, thank you for sharing these glimpses into your journey.  Thank you for your reflections, thoughtful questions, and wise insights from the experiences life has brought you.  Connect with Noel: LinkedIn Email: noel@thegalantacompany.comSupport the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Lieutenant Colonel Tony Cerella. Tony was born in Texas, raised in Colorado, Germany, and Virginia, and currently lives in Como, Italy.   Tony graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 2000, after which he was commissioned as an Army officer and later transitioned to the Ordnance Corps.  He swore he would serve just for 4 years and be done.  Twenty-three years later, time that included multiple tours to Iraq, and service in Australia, Germany, Italy, South Korea, and the United States, he’s now about to retire from the Army. Along the way, Tony’s military education included the Armor Officer Basic Course, the Combined Logistics Captains Career Course, and the Command and General Staff College.  Along with that, he holds a Masters in International Political Economy of Resources from the Colorado School of Mines and a Doctorate of Education in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California. Tony’s resume includes a long list of accomplishments during his career and almost a dozen military awards including the Bronze Star Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, and many others.  Tony is married to Bethany and they have fourteen-year-old twins.  He enjoys reading, running, and traveling. I first met Tony through our mutual friend, Russ Watts, who has been on the podcast episodes 4, 26, 45.  We connected through the shared interest in the power of storytelling.  I’m so grateful that Tony agreed to share pieces of his story here, especially during a time of preparing for a major life transition – retiring from the army after 23 years.  In our conversation, he courageously shares his reflections, his questions, his concerns.  What will life look like after retirement from a career that came with quite a structured lifestyle and in a way, a built-in community.   Tony shares glimpses into his journey of personal growth and development, learning to take care of himself, addressing combat trauma, and uncovering ways to make major transitions less difficult. Tony, thank you for this conversation.  Thank you for sharing these insights into your life, thank you for sharing the wisdom you’ve gained, and thank you for your candidness as you continue to sort out this major transition that is before you.Connect with Tony:LinkedInWebsiteSupport the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Charmetra Guess, better known as Meme. Meme is a scientist turned content creator and the mother of an amazing teenage daughter (wait until you hear Meme talk about her daughter – it’s beautiful and inspirational!).  She has loved science since very early in life, as it gave her consistency as she moved around the world as the daughter in a US military family.  (You’ll love the story of her stealing biology textbooks!) I had the privilege of getting connected with Meme through Shannon Cochran-Yzquierdo, my guest on episodes 13 and 79.  Shannon was excited to connect me to a member of her FRamily (listen to episode 13 if you aren’t familiar with “FRamily”!) And, as it turns out, the connection with Meme has been gold! Meme is the creator of Suki’s Honey Do Project, a podcast that focuses on connecting list makers with action, hoping we all can check off something along the way.  I highly recommend the podcast but be forewarned – it WILL motivate you!!!  The stories are inspiring and if you have been waiting to try something new, learn a new sport, start that hobby you wanted to do as a kid but never had the chance, this is your spot for inspiration! Meme has an amazing sense of humor, a relentless determination, an ability to make friends everywhere she goes (yes, she is that person on your flight), and a deep well of grace that she extends to people in ways that will amaze you. Her commitment to spreading light, love, and kindness is unmatched. Meme, thank you for the amazing magic you bring into the world.  Thank you for sharing these pieces of your journey today.  Thank you for inspiring us through your podcast and your life. Click the link below,  to check it out and follow Suki’s Honey Do Project on your favorite podcast platform! https://linktr.ee/sukishoneydoprojectSupport the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra

My guest today is Becky Tibbitts.  Becky is a professional certified coach with a passion for mental fitness which leads to 10x productivity, joy-filled connected relationships, and overall life satisfaction.  She helps professionals avoid energy drains that can lead to burnout.  She helps them create time and financial freedom, and also to experience more joy in life and work.  Becky’s clients say she is the spark that helped them step into their inner superpower to experience true freedom and lasting joy!   Becky takes a stand for Women's Empowerment and freedom and supports organizations that combat sex trafficking locally and globally. Becky lives in Oregon with her husband and a blended family of six children.  In her free time, she loves to read and listen to music.  As a family, they enjoy trailer camping, floating in the river, vacationing at the beach, and snowmobiling.   In our conversation today, Becky shares pieces of her journey, realizing she wanted a life different than the one she grew up in, maneuvering through challenging relationships, making decisions that were best for her despite the judgment of others, and finding that deep sense of joy inside herself – and learning to keep it present!  Some of the themes we discuss include the importance of boundaries, as well as the courage it takes to identify and set boundaries. We also talk about mental fitness, which is Becky’s passion, and she shares what that means, how she keeps herself mentally fit, and how she helps others develop their mental fitness. Becky, thank you so much for sharing these pieces of your story, for the glimpses into the hard work you have done to develop yourself and your relationships, and for the wisdom you share throughout our conversation and in your everyday work. You can find links to learn more about Becky and how to connect with her below:WebsiteLinkedInEmail: becky@InspireDevelopmentCoaching.comSchedule a call with Becky hereSupport the showMake Life Less Difficult~ Support:buymeacoffee.com/lisatilstra