My guest today is Patrick Murphy.Patrick Murphy is a leadership coach and facilitator based in Brooklyn, NY, and owner of Project Murphy, LLC.  He is committed to bringing passion, joy, and contagious enthusiasm to leadership development.I had the pleasure of meeting Patrick through a mutual work engagement and immediately wanted to learn more about his story!  Fortunately, he said yes to coming on the podcast!In our conversation today, Patrick shares pieces of his journey as he tried to figure out what his professional life would be focused on.  Starting out in the film industry, Patrick was met with repeated obstacles that were frustrating and disappointing.  In reflection, Patrick shares that he learned to trust the process of development and also, very importantly, that he didn’t need to do it all alone!We talk about the beauty of making a healthy mess in times of exploration, the differences between happiness and contentment, and so much more.Patrick, thank you so much for this fantastic and inspiring conversation.  The reflections and wisdom you share are beautifully partnered with vulnerability and honestly.  I’ve included links to Patrick’s website below if you’d like to learn more about him and the work he does. Project Murphy, LLCMake Life Less Difficult

My guest today is Ravi Ram.Ravi is the Vice-President of Enterprise and Executive Education at Springboard, an online learning platform that prepares students for the tech industry’s most in-demand careers.  Ravi also works as an independent leadership coach and trainer.  Earlier in his career he was a management consultant with McKinsey & Co.Ravi and I met through mutual work engagements and I immediately wanted to have him on the podcast.  I remember hearing Ravi introduce himself at a workshop where we were serving as coach faculty and was so impressed with his down-to-earth, authentic, vulnerable style that embodied such a wonderful balance of personal and professional connection.In our conversation today Ravi talks about being challenged early on in his life to disturb his equilibrium.  He’s stepped into this repeatedly in his life and he shares the beauty this has created as well as the difficulty.  We also talk about the challenge of unlearning early beliefs, sorting through the internal vs external voices when making life decisions, and how improv has helped him be present and feel alive.Ravi, thank you SO much for this conversation!  I’m incredibly grateful for your willingness to dive into the deep end of life and ask the type of questions that don’t have easy answers… maybe even no answers.  I’m a better person for knowing you and I know the listeners of this conversation will be as well!  I can’t wait for future conversations!Connect with Ravi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravisram/   Make Life Less Difficult

My guest today is Cathy Carroll.Cathy is the Founder and President of Legacy Onward, Inc., where she serves as a leadership coach for family business leaders. She is the author of the book, Hug of War: How to Lead a Family Business With both Love and Logic.Though Cathy grew up surrounded by her grandfather’s business, she initially carved out her career path as an actuary at Hewitt Associates, later progressing to executive roles at Sabre Inc. and United Airlines. In 2009, her father invited her to lead his business as President and COO, where she spearheaded a successful turnaround of five companies that manufacture and distribute sporting goods serving the rodeo market, with a focus on team roping.In 2013, Cathy founded Legacy Onward, Inc., to provide leadership coaching services to family businesses. A sought-after keynote speaker with a global clientele, Cathy is passionate about developing leaders in the complex domain of family businesses. I met Cathy through the Georgetown Leadership Coaching network and am excited to share this conversation today.  In addition to talking about family businesses, Cathy shares generously about Polarities.  The framework of polarities is fascinating and quite practical is managing issues that initially seem to be at odds.  If you haven’t been exposed to this idea of polarities, you are in for a treat!Cathy, thank you for this conversation!  Thank you for sharing these pieces of your journey and also you thoughtful insights and wisdom on the complexities of family business.  Thank you for your work to turn our games of tug of war into hugs that hopefully prevent the wars!You’ll find links below to Cathy’s book and her website to learn more about her work.Hug of War book: https://www.legacyonward.com/hug-of-warCathy's Website: http://www.legacyonward.com/Find Cathy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathyacarroll/ Make Life Less Difficult

My guests today are Mikah Meyer and Larry Edwards.Mikah is an avid outdoorsman who set a record of being the first person to visit all 419 National Park sites in the US in a single 3-year journey.  He also made history by being the first openly gay man to be in an outdoor recreation campaign by REI.Larry, is Dr. Lawrence Edwards, the Artistic Director of the Memphis Symphony Chorus since 1988, often conducting both the orchestra and the chorus.  He is a retired professor, having served as the Coordinator of Choirs for the University of Memphis School of Music from 1987 to 2021.I first was introduced to Mikah and Larry through the short film, Canyon Chorus.  This brilliant 16-minute adventure film explores “the journeys we’ve had and the people who’ve been in our lives that are important to us.”  I saw a link in an email from the Adventure Journal, clicked on it, and was immediately drawn into a fantastic story of the friendship of Mikah and Larry.  In such a short amount of time, I laughed, I cried, and I immediately wondered if I could get them on my podcast!Lucky for me and for you, Mikah and Larry accepted the invitation to the Make Life Less Difficult podcast and here’s our inspiring conversation.In our conversation, Mikah and Larry share pieces of their individual journeys of coming out as gay, how they met and developed a forever friendship.  This is an amazing story on many levels, and perhaps particularly on how having mentors in our lives opens up so much possibility.  Mikah and Larry – thank you SO much for this delightful connection.  You both share pieces of your stories and journeys with beautiful authenticity, lightness of heart, and grace.  I’ve been touched and inspired and know that so many others have been and will be as well.You’ll find links below to Mikah’s website, the film Canyon Chorus:Mikah's website: https://www.mikahmeyer.com/Watch Canyon Chorus: https://youtu.be/hnLdPs1gjls?si=zVIZZGZ2OXSezP6FMake Life Less Difficult

My guest today is Dr. Alex Korb, author of the book Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time.Dr. Korb is a neuroscientist, writer, and coach. He has studied the brain for over 20 years, having earned his undergraduate degree in neuroscience at Brown University and then later completed his Ph.D. in neuroscience at UCLA. He has published over a dozen peer-reviewed journal articles on depression, neuromodulation, and other topics. He is currently an adjunct assistant professor at UCLA in the department of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences. Outside of the lab he writes a popular blog on how the tendencies of your brain can ruin or enrich your life. As a speaker he educates, motivates, and inspires organizations to understand the neuroscience of wellbeing and put it into practice. As a consultant he works with companies and organizations to help them improve communication about neuroscience and enhance employee wellbeing. He has coached the UCLA Women’s Ultimate Frisbee team for over 15 years and is a 3 time award winner for USA Ultimate’s Coach of the Year. His expertise extends into leadership and motivation, mindfulness, physical fitness, and even stand-up comedy.I first heard about Dr. Korb’s book through another podcast guest, Linda Hoopes.  The name of the book, Upward Spiral, immediately grabbed my attention and within a couple of days I was reading it.  Upward Spiral has two parts to it: the first is a description of what is understood about the neuroscience of depression (written in a language that’s mostly understandable for the lay person like myself) and the second is focused on actions we can take to lessen the negative impacts of depression in our lives and how each of those actions cause changes in the brain.  I love that combination as I find it gives me greater motivation to know the why behind recommended behavior changes!I’m delighted to share this conversation with you and hope it’ll be as inspiring to you as it has been for me.  There are links in the shownotes to Dr. Korb’s website and the book Upward Spiral.Dr. Korb – thank you for this fantastic and motivating conversation.  Thank you for the work you do in the world and for sharing it in a way that’s understandable and applicable for all of us who aren’t neuroscientists but who want to help our brain be in its best functioning state!Website: https://www.alexkorbphd.comBook: Upward Spiral Make Life Less Difficult

My guest today is Tom Finn.Tom is a performance improvement consultant and coach for leaders and teams.  He’s also the author of the newly published book, The Shift Effect: How Small Shifts Improve Leader Performance, and a previous book titled, Are You Clueless 7 Clues to Profit, Productivity, and Partnership for Leaders in a Multicultural WorldTom has over 30 years of experience in executive coaching, team building, strategic planning, and counsel and training in diversity and inclusion.  Tom and I met recently and after talking to him briefly, learning about his book, it was clear I wanted to have him on the podcast!  In our conversation today, Tom shares his journey to writing The Shift Effect and shares the powerful tool of making these small shifts in our thinking, our language, our actions, that make a huge impact! Tom, thank you for this beautiful and inspiring conversation.  I’m deeply appreciative of the new perspectives and insights I’ve gained by learning from you, and I know others will be as well.You’ll find links below to Tom’s website where you can read more about his work, find his books, and more! Tom’s website: https://tomfinnassociates.comTom’s books: https://tomfinnassociates.com/toms-books/ Make Life Less Difficult

My guest today is Claire Uncapher.Claire is an intuitive and transformational life coach, energy healer, and speaker.  She is on a mission to help people understand their symptoms don’t always mean there’s something wrong with them and the traditional model of medicine isn’t the only tool at their disposal for emotional healing.Claire’s first career was as a nurse and during that time she realized that people didn’t always get the real and lasting change they were seeking in the traditional medical setting.  In her work now, she uses a holistic and intuitive approach to go deeper and equip her clients with tools to experience lasting change.  She combines root cause and subconscious work, emotional release, and conversational energy work to help people overcome their inner obstacles and become the best version of themselves.In our conversation today, Claire shares pieces of her own story and journey that lead her to healing, caring for herself, learning to choose and push the easy button sometimes, and more.Claire, thank you for sharing these pieces of your story.  Thank you for the wisdom and thoughtfulness you embody and thank you for the work you do to make the world a more beautiful and peace-filled place!You’ll find links below if you’d like to connect with Claire, as well as links to some books we mention, quotes, and a free root cause healing meditation. Resources:· "It's Not Always Depression" by Hilary Jacobs Hendel· "It's Okay To Be Different" by Todd Parr (children's book)· Quote that we discussed: https://www.instagram.com/p/C7UsCutOwdq/· Free Root Cause Healing Meditation: https://claireuncapher.myflodesk.com/bodyspeakmeditation· Or, you can use this link (copy and paste) if you'd like: CLICK HERE to download a free root cause healing meditationConnect with Claire on Instagram @claire.uncapher or through her website at https://claireuncapher.com Make Life Less Difficult

My guest today is Kim Brundage.Kim is an award-winning headshot and branding photographer on a mission to deliver a truly transformative experience that assures her clients feel nothing short of beautiful and confident, both on and off camera!Kim was a guest on episode 159 and if you haven’t heard that conversation, please check it out!In that first conversation, Kim mentioned the book, Come as You Are, by Emily Nagoski, Ph. D.  After hearing about it, I read the book, and reached back out to Kim saying, “Oh my goodness, this book is amazing and transformational!  Want to come back on the podcast and talk about it??”The subtitle of the book is: The surprising new science that will transform your sex life.  The author, Dr. Nagoski is an award-winning author, sex educator, researcher, speaker and lecturer.  Her latest book is Come Together: The Science (and Art!) of Creating Lasting Sexual Connections.So, as you might expect, Kim and I talk about sex in this episode!  If for any reason, it’s not your topic of interest, feel free to skip it!I still recommend Dr. Nagoski’s book and hope you find our conversation thought provoking and interesting!Website for Emily Nagoski, Ph. D.: https://www.emilynagoski.com/Website for Kim Brundage: https://kimbrundage.com/Make Life Less Difficult

My guests today are Jaylee Kordosky and Jessica Cotton. I was introduced to Jaylee and Jessica through the thoughtfulness of Shannon Yzquiero-Cochran.  Thank you, Shannon!  I’m delighted to have this connection!Jessica is a co-founder of Shenanigans Comedy Theatre, a non-profit comedy club in Huntsville, Alabama.  Jessica and her wife, Kimberly, opened Shenanigans in 2019 to provide a venue that is a safe space for all performers and producers.  From stand-up shows and improv to musical and drag, all are welcome at Shenanigans.  Jaylee first got connected with Shenanigans through one of their outreach groups, Weird Kids.  Jaylee is a social worker, and they now serve the community in a variety of ways and roles.  Jaylee’s story and journey has evolved into one of giving back and supporting anyone who comes to the Center with a need.My conversation with Jessica and Jaylee is incredibly inspiring!  The work they are doing, the spirit of innovation, inclusion, and determination with which they do this work… left me with the beautiful realization of so much good that is happening in our world.  In the midst of all the challenges, it’s really moving to see tangible impacts for good in local communities and how they are making a difference both locally and globally!Jaylee and Jessica, thank you for sharing these pieces of your stories and the story of Shenanigans.  Thank you for the difference you are making in the lives of individuals, in the broader community of Huntsville, and beyond!  To learn more about Shenanigans Comedy Theatre to go www.huntsvillelaughs.com.  There are links in the show notes as well to the additional resources on their outreach page, access to their resources request form, and information about Weird Kids of North Alabama. Links to Resources:https://www.huntsvillelaughs.com/ (Here is the main link to the Shenanigans website)https://www.huntsvillelaughs.com/outreach (This is our outreach page at Shenanigans)https://www.huntsvillelaughs.com/thecenter (The Resource Request form we discussed is at this link if you scroll all the way down the page.)https://linktr.ee/weirdkidsofnorthal (This is our Link Tree for Weird Kids of North Alabama)Make Life Less Difficult

My guest today is Caitlin Avery.Caitlin is an award-winning author, a triathlete, mountain biker, backpacker, black-diamond skier, and yoga enthusiast.I was honored to meet Caitlin through the kind introduction from Andrea Barton from episode 165.  Thank you, Andrea!One of the books Caitlin has written tells the fictional story of a woman who outed her high school rapist through a Facebook post over 20 years after the fact.  The book is titled, Life of Cyn.  As you’ll hear in our conversation today, the book is inspired by Caitlin’s personal journey and experience.It’s deeply moving and a powerful story of shedding shame, doing the hard work of healing and growing, and standing in one’s courage while allowing others to support. Caitlin, thank you for sharing your story here on the podcast as well as through your writing.  Your courage and strength shows up both places. Please note, as you begin to listen to this episode, we talk about rape and sexual assault throughout the conversation.  Please take care of yourself first and foremost even if it means not listening today.  I have included a link in the show notes to RAINN where there are many additional resources for anyone who has been affected by sexual assault or violence.Caitlin would be delighted if you would follow her on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook as Caitlin Avery Author.  And those links are also in the show notes. TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@caitlinaveryauthorInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/caitlin_avery_authorFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/caitlinaveryauthor RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network): www.rainn.orgAlcoholics Anonymous: www.aa.orgAl Anon: www.al-anon.orgMake Life Less Difficult