Your World of Creativity

Esther Weinberg Esther's Website Esther Weinberg is a business growth accelerator that equips executives in high-growth industries to create big pivots, big impact and big returns. As Founder & Chief Leadership Development Officer of The Ready Zone, she powerfully fast tracks an organization’s progress by focusing on The Ready Zone’s six Zone Performance Indicators (ZPIs), that are paramount to profitable growth. Esther’s innovative strategies have assisted clients to grow, scale and thrive in the worst and best of times including Netflix, Microsoft, Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN, Adobe, Disney and IMAX. Esther is a member of the Forbes Coaches Council and a contributor to Forbes. @esther_weinberg on Instagram Esther's Facebook page LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/estherweinberg/

In this very exciting interview today Mark stamped his passport in his #1 destination, Amsterdam. On today’s podcast, we brought in author, Lisette Schuitemaker. Born in the Netherlands, Lisette is the eldest of four children which is the subject of her 2016 book The Eldest Daughter Effect. She also wrote in 2017 The Childhood Conclusions Fix and Childless Living (2019). In this episode, Mark and Lisette discussed Lisette's inspirations and conclusions for creating her books, writing non-fiction, and the inside tellings on her new book she's working on, The Inner Life of Money. In the first part of our interview, Mark asks about “alleviating loneliness and how we feel we are the only ones”. Lisette mentions attending the Barbara Brand School of Healing where she learned about the insightful theory of psychiatrist William Reich. She breaks down his 5 conclusions that people come out of childhood with. I should of not been born, I am differentWe are not good enoughBeing ashamed of ourselves We should be in controlWe should be perfect Her insightful feedback around these childhood issues coming from the eldest child is that even though we think we are not good enough, we end up trying harder and we wanna do better. She says that kind of makes it the “positive side of it”. And in turn, the negative side of it can be self-destructive and you end up starting over and over again.Observing patterns in firstborns like Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Cheryl Sandberg, JK Rowling, Beyonce, and many many more that her main key takeaway was “responsibility”. She says alleviating loneliness, is also a “kind of freeing ourselves up to be our true selves and not be at a mercy of patterns that we learned in our childhood”.Lisette's “Hero’s Journey” in creating Non-fiction “You have to know a lot about your material, and at the same time, you have to have some distance from it so that you can kind of be a bit more abstract in a way, whereas you're still factual.” The book that's always on her table is The Grounded Theory and it says, “look at your data, keep looking at your data, because at some point, a pattern will emerge.”She describes writing as:It isn't always writingIt’s also reading, Writing is also despairing. Writing is going back to notes, and then going back to previous versions. “I think my imagination is not as large as my curiosity and my wanting to know how things are and my kind of empathy for people in certain situations. And then that's what I write about.”Lisette is currently working on a new book, The Inner Life of Money. She talks about currently co-writing on the topic of money and how she shares her ideas back and forth with her partner. Listen towards the end as she discusses her new book and to learn more about Lisette and her books go to her website at lisetteschuitemaker.com/en/You can also find her on Linkedin, Facebook, and Instagram.    Copyright 2025 Mark Stinson      Mentioned in this episode:THE ALAURA SHOWHey, it's Alaura Lovelight. And if you're enjoying "unlocking your world of creativity," make sure to check out my new show, "The Alaura Show" ... on Roku and Amazon Fire TV.

We’re back for another exciting interview on Unlocking Your World of Creativity. Today, we traveled over to Helsinki, Finland where we spoke with the entrepreneur coach and French national, Laurent Notin.  Laurent is the host of the podcast Inter:views, Cracking The Entrepreneurship Code podcast. He is a Start-up Mentor in several organizations such as Red Brick and Nordic Start-up School.In this insightful talk about entrepreneurship Laurent and Mark discussed:Laurent before he became an entrepreneur coachThe 3 types of entrepreneurs Why entrepreneurs get “bottlenecked” What does the term “impact” mean for Entrepreneurs?The “role” of being a coach and what success really isBefore he became an entrepreneur coach Laurent asked himself, ”What makes me, me?” What he enjoyed most throughout all his experiences working for others and especially running his own company was working with the people. It was around coaching them, mentoring his staff, training them, and seeing them grow in their role. “I've always enjoyed those “Aha” moments that people have, where you can see, you can see the sparkles in their eyes. And I thought, that's what I want to reproduce again, and again and again.”The 3 types of entrepreneurs:The first type is those who were born in an entrepreneurial family The second is people coming from the corporate world  The third is a bit of everything - The need to surviveGetting “Bottlenecked”We often are in our own wayFeeling anxious and people start creating all these stories into their heads and then they start asking themselves very stupid questions, ComplacencyThe “role” of being a coach keeps entrepreneurs accountable for themselves.As an entrepreneur, you have to deal with so many things. You have to wear so many hats. There are so many things you need to learn, from financial management, to marketing, to customer service, to production. One of the big risks is getting lost in the details because you're stuck in the day-to-day operations. Entrepreneurs forget to take a step back from it, to look at the big picture.That's where a coach can also help is knowing, “What I need to focus on right now, because this is what matters the most.” Laurent helps people take that step back and look at the big picture. He encourages his clients to take a step or two or three backward so they can analyze a situation from a different perspective. He says that's what a coach does. Helps you take those steps back. One of the keys he points out to becoming a successful entrepreneur is asking for help.“There is no shame in asking for help. Asking for help will actually help you get there, get where you want to go.” Lastly, Laurent tells Mark what success really is. He explains, “it’s not measuring the success of what others do. It’s about measuring success to what you want success to be. Always ask yourself, what is success for you? Entrepreneurship is a journey. When it starts, you never know when it's gonna end. You better enjoy it on the way.” He says: take the time to reflect, take the time to celebrate the wins/failures,take the time to enjoy it yourself, and take the time to take care of yourselfYou can learn more about Laurent Notin by checking out his website at https://www.laurentnotin.com or emailing him at contact@laurentnotin.comYou can also listen to his podcast Inter:views, Cracking The Entrepreneurship Code podcast and check him out on Linkedin Copyright 2025 Mark Stinson

Today, we are excited to explore the world of Venezuelan-born and New York-based contemporary art advisor, author, and curator, Maria Brito. Complex Magazine selected Maria as one of the 20 Power Players in the Art World and she was named by ARTNEWS as one of the visionaries who gets to shape the art world.In today’s episode Mark talks to Maria about her role as an advisor and curator, how she launched “Jumpstart”, and the creative steps she took when writing her bestselling book “How Creativity Rules The World” (HarperCollins).Maria’s techniques and thoughtful strategies as a contemporary art advisor and curator come from asking ALOT of questions. She talks about digging into who they are and finding out ways to create both a collection that is aesthetically pleasing, that matches their personality, and also that gains value over time. She thinks about what they value. What are their interests? Anything from football to a beach or a mountain, she will be curious about. These things are clues that actually allow Maria to put together the right type of collection for peopleShe explains that creativity is infinite, and it is an endless resource. The more we work at our creative skills, the more they reproduce. How did you create your online course, Jumpstart? Jumpstart is an online program on creativity for entrepreneurs based on years of research and observation in both the areas of business and art.It began with private clients asking if Maria could talk to their employees and their companies about how she built her business, her branding and what it is to work with artists. The course includes some of these key learnings:actionable exercises and points of view that they can do in a practical, everyday way.It teaches about the balance between business and art help you see opportunities that others missboost your profits and generate new sources of income,innovateShe built a curriculum, launched it and had great success. Then she decided to write a book about it and expand it to more people. How does Creativity Rule Marias World?Without our creativity, we are going nowhere. We are stuck.We keep the wheel moving forward through creative thinking, creative ideas, and then materializing those ideasAlways have something creative. “If you want to keep pushing forward, if you want to stay relevant, if you want people to notice you, if you want to find scientific discoveries that are breakthroughs, whether that is cure to cancer or vaccines or whatnot, that all requires creative thinking.”Maria’s book “How Creativity Rules The World” The Art and Business of Turning Your Ideas Into Gold is a highly actionable book that uses a lot of storytelling through history, business, and science inspiring people who are curious like Maria. She felt compelled to write the book because of the pandemic. She talks about how it got people to go back to that ‘crazy entrepreneurial, fun, risk taking experimental American dream’. MariaI wanted to be able to support that in her quest for creative thinking, for being different, for showing up differently how that is so important. “It is something that everybody should embrace, that the uniqueness of who you are is your greatest advantage, not your disadvantage.”“I admire entrepreneurs in general because I think they are the lifeblood of the economy. I love to see how people have contributed to the advancement of society with their contributions.”You can explore more about Maria’s book, her online course, blogs, upcoming projects and more by going to her website at https://www.mariabrito.com/Also, follow her on social media https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariabrito-ny/https://twitter.com/MariaBrito_NYhttps://www.pinterest.com/MariaBritoNY/?autologin=truehttps://www.instagram.com/mariabrito_ny/https://www.facebook.com/MariaBritoNY/

A quote from our guest today, Katia Ravé: “BE in Giving and Generosity. Survey what people need. When in doubt, focus out. It's not about you, it's about them. You're not in business for you, you’re in business for them. You're a servant.”Today we're speaking with leadership trainer and an ultimate female force, Katia Ravé. Katia is an author, podcast host, entrepreneur coach, wife, mother of three, savvy businesswoman, and entrepreneur.  This overall business leadership powerhouse has empowered thousands of entrepreneurs and professionals across the globe serving as their daily leadership coach, compass, and biggest cheerleader.  Katia is the founder of Ravé Strategy Studio and her most recent and highly reputed course is titled EAM ( Entrepreneur Academy Mastermind). This is a one-stop shop entrepreneur course. Guiding entrepreneurs with writing their speeches, creating their branding, setting and achieving goals, writing books, understanding their avatar, and living the life they always dreamed of. And this brings us to today’s episode. Katia and I discuss “vision”. What does that term mean in her creative process whether that’s in business, coaching, or any new project? She also gave some insightful tips when working with her husband and how they split up the work in their business and collaborate in a way that makes a very successful team and supportive relationship.   What is your creative process? Where do you get started?“My process is really… Step 1: What is my vision? Why do I want to put that into the world?Step 2: Who is going to benefit?What sort of topics and what sort of people do you find are drawn to some of the things that you're doing? business ownersentrepreneursmenpeople in corporateShe explains that what people need most when it comes to executing or selling their ideas is enrollment and an exchange of value versus selling. They want to sell or they want to put something out there. And they're not really thinking of others. They're just thinking about themselves. She encourages people to think about at the end of their day. Who do I serve?Working with her husbandWhat's your vision? What's my vision? Is this super important to you? And can we align?  Not can we agree, can we align?What's your vision? What's your vision for your program? What's your vision for your creativity? What's your vision for the enrollment? What's your vision for working with your spouse? Katia is the face of the company. She shows up for things like podcasts, speaking on stages, and selling from the stage. She coaches people. Her husband laser coaches. He coaches really high-end CEOs and CFOs and he speaks in places like Las Vegas about cybersecurity of technology.“We get to align as long as the vision at the end of the day, you're going in the same direction. We are creatives, so sometimes inspiration comes at different times and we cannot put it to a clock.” Potholes and stumbling blocks and obstacles that you find Vision and communication styleHow to flex into the other person's style? If you do not understand the other person's style, how can you meet them where they're at?  Lastly, Katia talks about what it is to really be a leader. She says being a leader is bringing your future into the present. How can you cause a result by bringing what you see, your vision, going back to that from the future and bringing it into the present, into the now. “Support is a strength, not a weakness. You can be in integrity, you can deliver when you say you deliver.” Check out Ravé Strategy Studio. There you can find links to videos, programs, blogs, and more about Katia and the innovative projects she’s creating. Katia Ravé Katia's Website Katia Ravé is a powerful ultimate female force. She is a leadership trainer, entrepreneur coach, wife, mother of three, savvy businesswoman and entrepreneur, author, podcast host, and overall business leadership powerhouse. Katia empowered thousands of entrepreneurs and professionals across the globe serving as their daily leadership coach, compass , and biggest cheerleader. Katia on YouTube @katiarave on Instagram Katia's Facebook page LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravestrategystudio/Mark Stinson Copyright 2025 Mark Stinson

Welcome back friends to our podcast, unlocking your world of creativity. We've been talking with creative practitioners all over the world about how they get inspired and how they organize their ideas. And most of all, how they gain the confidence and the connections to launch their creative work into the world. And if you've been thinking about this concept of digital transformation, customer orientation, and making the customer first, we are going to take that from concept to reality today with our guest Chris Hood.Chris is a digital strategist, podcaster, and thought leader.  He is head of business development, business innovation, and strategy with the Google cloud. With a highly creative background Chris's Website Chris on YouTube @chrishood on Instagram in the media entertainment industries with people like Fox and Disney and Universal. In many circles, he is on the leading edge of the concept of digital transformation.Today as we talk about digital transformation, he defines it as the process by which organizations have to change their technology to keep up with the demands that consumers have. He also reminds us to look at it as more than just improving customer service and that it's real customer orientation. Brought about by the continuous evolution of technology.As technology trends change, businesses have to be able to adapt to them in almost real-time And so, digital transformation is best understood as, if a consumer wants to use a certain type of technology, the business better be ready to support that technology.To understand this concept, he reckons that we start with what is the customer expectation and experience that an individual like us is looking for.  He simply refers to this as the outside-in perspective. Start on the outside, understand what the customers want and then work your way to the inside to figure out what technologies and services, and products you need to build to satisfy those expectationsWe asked him to highlight his day-to-day creativity deliverables, especially from his role as head of business, innovation, and strategy at Google.Where we arrive at the deliverables for creativity being the art of the possible. Giving the customer convenience and endless possibilities there has to e innovation.  This calls for a lot of teamwork to improve the customer's journey. He soundly guides us and lets us know that it's everybody's responsibility at every organization to solve every problem. And organizations have to be able to accept and embrace that. They have to admit that everyone within that organization is responsible for ideas, creativity, innovation, business, and partnerships. And so he encourages organizations to build and embrace that culture.He started working at a movie theater and has seen how technology has evolved. Which definitely has been an influence throughout his career as a creative of how you reach people who are passionate about something. In conclusion as a creative himself writing a fantasy adventure novel, he described the creative process as a learning process too. Highlighting the importance of continuously growing, evolving, and learning individuals, outside our organizations and careers. Reminding us that that's the only way that we're going to be able to keep up with the things that are changing around us.Chris Hood website: chrishood.comMark Stinson Copyright 2025 Mark Stinson

Today, we traveled over to London to chat with Jay Tepley. Jay is an author, entrepreneur, international speaker, and passionate mental health advocate. Her Unbreakable ONE program has shown many men the road to personal power and renewed hope and is credited with saving many lives. She helps entrepreneurs overcome depression through her proven masculine-geared system of spiritual evolution. In this episode, we discuss exploring becoming a new hero in today’s era and the key to entrepreneurs (more specifically male) succeeding through practicing mindfulness and understanding what it means to be your authentic self.  Jay explains the key for every entrepreneur who wants to succeed is not because you have business problems, but rather you have personal problems that are showing up in your business.Everything that you are going through personally is reflected in your choices, in your productivity, and ultimately in the way that your business grows.The quality of your customers or your students directly reflects the quality of your thoughts and your inner work.She explains the rate of male depression and suicides is nearly double that of femaleMen need an action plan and action steps to resolve situations and to really succeed in whatever task they set themselves to achieve.Jay sees a real gap in the support that men need.There is not much help available to support male entrepreneurs.  There are therapists and coaching groups that are mainly designed to support the average Joe. Someone who works in nine to five, who goes with the crowd, who just follows certain principles established by society. “To break free from that mold is a real challenge, especially if you're doing it on your own with no mentor by your side”The male entrepreneur is someone who decides to go and create his own world.A true masculine principle wants to be in control, wants to be a creator of his reality, his life to be in charge. But for that, men need more understanding of their true natureIf you become a more powerful, whole and integrated being, your business will prosper. And you will take over the compensation that stumbles in their own fears, traumas, and insecurities. She describes the way forward as being “ a combination of the physical part and the spiritual energy part, The soul, the spirit, the mind. And we need to address both parts, and we need to integrate them to work, perform, and run our business to our ultimate capacity.Being More Authentic Once you remember how to be authentic, you don't actually want to be inauthentic anymore because it takes a lot more effort. you want to go with what's easier and more pleasurable.being yourself is a lot more effortless, is a lot more fulfilling for your heart and your soulTapping into that superpower you don’t ever want to go back to creating some sort of a mask or a persona about yourselfLastly, what steps could we take as we become more authentic, an action step, activity or an exercise that we might employ?“Practical Mindfulness”Exercise: Set up an alarm on your phone, five times a day, 30 secondsNotice your breathing and make it a little bit deeper.  Relax your shoulders, relax your jaw. We usually carry a lot of tension in our bodies without realizing it. Analyze what it is you're doing at that moment. Read it and why, and what you are feeling and why. Look at kids like little children, how they are in their element. The important thing is not to judge your observations as they come in. Imagine yourself as a scientist or a researcher that goes into a new unknown world, and his only task is to write down everything that he findsStay in touch with Jay and follow her work. Newerasuperhero.comAmazon IG FB Feel free to get in touch. Also, Jay’s book "The Lightwatch Chronicles" is being made into a dramatized audio series, so you can actually experience it and step into that world. So follow her on social media and stay tuned for that exciting new project's release.

Arnaud Saint-Paul Arnaud's Website Arnaud Saint-Paul, living between Los Angeles and Paris, went through his awakening when he was 13. While growing companies in Finance and Technology and helping conscious leaders on their path, he has been traveling throughout the world to study different religions and philosophies in his relentless quest to understand himself. His life’s purpose is now to open billions of hearts and help them find harmony inside and out. He has been featured in different events, podcasts, and international conferences, including Conscious Capitalism, Women in Technology International, AIBC, and Innovate Finance. He recently published a book entitled “I: I is born,” a unique tool to become a more conscious leader of one’s life and others’. Arnaud on YouTube Arnaud's Facebook group Arnaud's Facebook page @healthruwords on Instagram @healthruwords on X LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arnaudsaintpaul/Mark Stinson Copyright 2025 Mark Stinson Mentioned in this episode:THE ALAURA SHOWHey, it's Alaura Lovelight. And if you're enjoying "unlocking your world of creativity," make sure to check out my new show, "The Alaura Show" ... on Roku and Amazon Fire TV.

Meet Nisha Lehmann who introduces us to Confidential Conversation, a mental health app.https://www.confidconvos.com/Confidential Conversations is an app that offers peer-led online support groups for a wide array of mental health issues that is:AnonymousAffordable AvailableHelp without Judgment: Be AnonymousAdmitting you have a problem or assessing where you are in your mental health journey can be a harrowing experience. It is not made any easier with the judgment and stigma attached to the admission of having a problem. Confidential Conversations assigns you a random username and offers users the opportunity to remain anonymous as you discuss complex issues.An Affordable Option for Mental Health. Professional Counseling and online therapists have become the default avenue for help when it comes to mental health. But unfortunately, these simply are not viable options for those who cannot afford them. With Confidential Conversations, you pay to download the app. And that’s it — nothing to lose and everything to gain.Available when you need it. 24 hours/7 days/365.Mental health doesn’t follow the schedule of your online professional or therapist. This app is available whenever you need it. Help at your fingertips, on-demand, for you.The Bottom Line.Mental health is a right, not a choice. And although we are not there yet, hopefully, this app can provide the necessary first step for people to begin their journey toward better mental health in a cost-effective and secure way.https://www.confidconvos.com/https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.merixstudio.confidentialconversationshttps://apps.apple.com/tt/app/confidential-conversations/id1591893663?uo=2Nisha Lehmann on LInkedIn

Conventional wisdom says that emotions have no place in business or leadership. Reiner Lomb will tell you that is a fallacy.You must master seven critical emotions to be an effective and empowering leader who creates positive change.Whether you are in a formal leadership role or are a rising leader, entrepreneur, or changemaker driven by a desire to use your voice to create change, in Reiner Lomb’s groundbreaking new book Aspire: Seven Essential Emotions for Leading Positive Change, No Matter Where You Are, you will discover how to positively influence key stakeholders, build trust, lead with optimism, ride the waves of negative emotions, mobilize people to take action, and choose resiliency in the face of setbacks.Says Lomb: “The essence of leadership is creating a vision of an aspirational new future and then influencing people to change their behavior to make that vision a reality. Your inspiration to create aspirational change may come from your dissatisfaction with the status quo, joyful anticipation of an aspirational new future, or a new insight. To create such a vision and bring it into reality requires an emotional shift from hopelessness to optimism and inspiration, which then can mobilize any group - from dozens to millions.”Reiner saw this firsthand having grown up just a few miles from the border between East and West Germany, watching a small group of committed leaders peacefully bring down the Berlin Wall by mobilizing millions of people. This is one of many incidences or case studies he shares in Aspire to show the power of emotional IQ.  The seven critical emotions are:●       Empathy – The Gate To Caring●       Compassion - The Commitment To Serving●       Interest – The Drive To Understanding●       Optimism – The Lens For Visioning●       Inspiration – The Energy For Mobilizing●       Trust – The Fuel For Collaborating●       Positivity – Being ResilientUnderstanding and cultivating these emotions within yourself and others are essential to change your own behavior and influence behavioral change in others. In the book, Reiner shows readers the importance of each of the 7 emotions, best practices to develop these emotions in yourself and others, and then provides practical recommendations for how to do this work as a leader with the people you serve. About Reiner LombReiner is the founder of BoomerangCoach, an executive coaching firm specializing in leadership and career development, innovation, and transformational change. Reiner’s mission is to mobilize and develop leaders to create a more sustainable and positive future for all. As an executive coach, he works with leaders and changemakers in a wide range of organizations, from start-ups and multinational companies to non-profits and local communities - all of whom aspire to create transformational change. Whether he’s working with corporate executives, entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, or indigenous tribal leaders, Reiner’s clients appreciate his international business and cross-cultural leadership experience.Before becoming an executive coach, Reiner had a 30-plus-year career in technology, started and developed software businesses, and led leadership development. At Hewlett-Packard, his home for 20-plus years, he launched new software product businesses and helped grow HP Software into a multi-billion dollar organization. While at HP, Reiner discovered his passion and talent in leadership development where he trained leaders in how to scale from leading one’s self, to lead others, to leading an entire organization.Reiner is fluent in English and German, and his clients benefit from his global education, deep expertise in sustainability, and his many years as a community organizer. He holds an MBA in Sustainable Business from Pinchot University (now Presidio University) and a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from the University of Paderborn (Germany). He is an accredited Professional Certified Coach (PCC) by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). He is also trained and certified in ontological coaching by Newfield Network and in team coaching by Team Coaching International (TCI).In addition to ASPIRE, Reiner is the author of The Boomerang Approach: Return to Purpose, Ignite Your Passion.Reiner lives with his family in Atlanta and works with leaders and changemakers worldwide.Reiner Lomb Reiner's Website Copyright 2025 Mark Stinson