The Ripple Effect Podcast with Steve Harper

You've been asking for a solo episode, and I've listened. As we enter the fall season, with the excitement building, I want to delve into a concept that's not just for sports fans but for anyone looking to build their own dream team: the Fantasy Draft of your network. I'll discuss the power of curating your network, and selecting individuals with unique skills, experiences, and talents to form your dream team. Just like in a fantasy draft, where you choose players strategically to create a winning team, you can do the same in your professional and personal life. This episode is brought to you by ripplecentral.com/pond, where you can explore resources and connect with others who can help you draft your own network dream team. For those looking to take it a step further, our Connect and Grow Coaching Membership offers a 12-month experience packed with valuable content, masterclasses, TED ripple sessions, and even personal coaching sessions with me. So, stay tuned for more insights on how to create your fantasy draft of a network that can help you achieve your goals and dreams. #RippleEffectPodcast #FantasyDraft #NetworkBuilding #DreamTeam #Community #CoachingMembership

I've been connected with Laura Williams via Twitter (we both refuse to call it X) for quite a while. She inspires me along with thousands of teachers, administrators and educational professionals worldwide. She can always be counted on to put out an inspirational thought, a word of encouragement or just something that will make you smile. She is the epitome of a Rippler and I am so grateful to know her and to be connected with her! Check out her work at authenticlearningalliance.org and be sure to follow her on Twitter @mrswilliams21c Here's a little bit of her official bio from her website: ​I'm Laura Williams, your resident authentic learning expert and host of the Authentic Learning Alliance google group and facilitator of the Iowa Authentic Learning Network.  Over the past 10 years I've dedicated myself to transforming education through incorporating authentic learning experiences with area partnerships into PK-12 classrooms as an educator, consultant, and 21st Century Learning Specialist. I have also supported area partners in the visioning around these experiences to maximize a win-win-win experience for all stakeholders.  I believe that education can be the great equalizer if we can leverage our students interests and passions. We have ~6.5 instructional hours a day and I believe we can be the difference. We just have to dedicate the time, space, and connections to "up the ante" for students. I believe we can help each learner find their super powers and help them develop 21st Century skills to be successful in living, learning, and working.    Iowa Roots Through this endeavor, I have made some great partners along the way! My role as a 21st Century Learning Specialist for AEA Learning Online has privileged me to work with some great educators, leaders, business partners in order to support schools across the state to design, launch, and implement authentic learning programming.  ​Check out the Iowa Authentic Learning Network to explore resources and get connected with some amazing consultants and educators in Iowa who are just as passionate about this incredible movement in education! Currently we have around 500 educators joining this movement in Iowa!  Follow @iowaaln on Twitter to learn more! It is our sincere hope we can connect passionate educators to share and learn from each other from across the globe!      

I discovered Lauren Bateman a while ago. Let's just say Instagram is way smarter than I am and fortunately dropped her amazing guitar lessons in my feed. She was engaging so I kept watching. Before long, I was watching her Youtube videos and well...you could say I was hooked. As much for the guitar knowledge, Lauren was dropping as her personality. She is just plain cool. I was so honored she agreed to be a part of The Ripple Effect Podcast. Check out Lauren on Youtube and her website at laurenbateman.com More on Lauren: As a childhood cancer survivor, Lauren knows the importance of living in the moment. That's why she quit her job at 27 to pursue a career in music. That decision changed her life forever. Without a degree in music or teaching, Lauren has become a worldwide sensation teaching guitar to students all over the world. Her YouTube channel has over 330,000 subscribers and growing. Lauren teaches students that the most important thing is to have fun. That it doesn't matter how old or talented you, but rather your desire to play that makes you a better guitar player and student.

I was so excited that Coach Birmingham agreed to come on the podcast. I have been a big fan of his as he is a legend in college baseball. I just knew if we could have an opportunity to visit, he'd share some of the incredible wisdom he's acquired throughout his career and boy was a right. This episode is pure gold and is chalked full of great stories about motivating and leading that everyone can learn from.   Plus he is just one of the kindest and most thoughtful men I think I've ever met. Although I knew him through his social network presence, the conversation with him was so easy to have. He made me feel like he and I have been friends for years. He's a Rippler through and through.   Here's a bit more about Coach:   At UNM, Birmingham has the second-most wins in program history with 402 to his credit as the Lobo skipper, earning his 400th DI Career win on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021 versus Air Force. He also initiated and had led the ongoing development and execution of the $3.65 million expansion of Santa Ana Star Field as well as UNM’s first privately-funded building on campus – the R.D. and Joan Dale Hubbard Clubhouse that was completed in December of 2016. For his overall career, Birmingham is in exclusive company having won over 1,000 games. Entering the 2021 season, Birmingham will have coached in parts of six decades dating back to the late 1970s. Birmingham is also the winningest coach in the state’s history as all 1,220 of his victories have come coaching for teams in his home state of New Mexico (College of the Southwest, New Mexico Junior College and UNM). In 2015, Birmingham was inducted into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame and was also inducted into the NJCAA Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2011. He also currently serves on the College Baseball Hall of Fame Selection Committee. Birmingham has also coached or spoken at numerous clinics throughout the United States and South America. He has been published in the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Journal and worked professionally for the Cleveland Indians, Oakland A’s and Kansas City Royals. In 2004, Birmingham led the NJCAA all-star team to four wins in five games over the Chinese All-Stars in Beijing, China. In 2007, Birmingham was selected as the head coach of the NJCAA all-star team when China returned to the United States to play the U.S. team. Birmingham also coached the NJCAA West All-Stars to a three-game sweep over the East All-Stars in the summer of 2009. In the summer of 2014, Birmingham served as the hitting coach for USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team, which was made up of the top collegiate players from around the country. Team USA played games across North Carolina before traveling to the Netherlands to participate in Honkbal-Haarlem Baseball Week. The CNT won the international tournament by outscoring its opponents 34-6 over its final seven games. Birmingham helped guide Tennessee’s Christin Stewart to “Best Hitter” honors at the tournament and Albuquerque’s own Alex Bregman of LSU was named Honkbal Baseball Week MVP. Team USA concluded its summer with five games in Cuba, finishing with an overall record of 18-8-2. In his 43rd year of coaching, Birmingham has been a part of 22 championships. All the college baseball programs Birmingham has coached have reached the top 25 in the national rankings at some point. Between University of the Southwest, New Mexico Junior College and New Mexico, 167 athletes have gone on to play professional baseball with 39 coming while the head coach at UNM. Additionally, under Birmingham at UNM, 40 athletes have earned All-America honors and 10 have been freshman All-Americans as well. Birmingham was also the coach of NMJC’s first basketball conference championship team – a team that was ranked No. 1 in the country.

Spend five minutes with Carrie Vanston and you'll see someone who is truly committed to helping bring the best out of you. She's kind, personable, and sweet as the smoothest glass of Texas sweet tea you've ever had. But don't let that fool you. She is relentless too! But in a good way. Her commitment to helping leaders find that next gear and to bring a better version of themselves to the surface is fierce. She won't let you get away with not putting in the work let alone living on the same old tired excuses. Carrie's belief is the real leader the world needs is still inside of you, and she's on a mission to bring it out. Her leadership mindset approach is changing the way companies are run and helping leaders become something they never thought possibe. Here's a bit more about Carrie: Carrie's articles have appeared in the Austin Business Journal, Texas CEO Magazine, and the Austin's National Speakers Association Anthology. Her article, "3 Ways to Energize Your Mindset After a Win," appeared in the Texas CEO Magazine in June 2023 and an earlier article "Five Keys to an Engaged and Innovative Culture" was one of the magazine's top 5 most read articles of the year.  She is a popular speaker on being a more self-aware, connected, and visionary leader and has made presentations around the world including the Product Management Institute, VMware, Unilever International, Remax, IEEE, University of Texas SAGE Program, National Association of Health Care Recruiters​, Morgan Stanley, Laurea University, Finland, Product Camp, Texas Women's Chamber, and many others. Carrie has a long history of helping others be more innovative, successful, and sustainable. During her years at Technology Futures, Inc. (TFI), she co-authored the award-winning book, MiniTrends: How Innovators & Entrepreneurs Discover & Profit From Business & Technology Trends. The book, as well as workshops and conferences she directed, focused on the importance of a growth-oriented mindset for success and sustainability.​ She is presently a Board Member at TFI.   She later led Corporate Cultures That Rock, which helped organizations improve their culture and engagement.  Carrie founded the Austin/San Antonio Chapter of Association of Corporate Growth's ACG C-Suite Roundtable and Mastermind and directed it for a year and a half. She has been the ACG Ambassadors Officer since 2018. She was a 2022 Honoree for Austin Business Journal's Women in Business and is an Advisor for the non-profit, Art 84.  She was formerly a National Adviser and Austin Board Member of the Academy of Culture Ambassadors.  Carrie is an Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner (ELI-MP), iPEC Certified Professional Executive Coach (CPC), Accredited ICF Coach (ACC), and a Professional Speaker at the National Speaker Association.  On the personal side, Carrie loves to dance, travel, and spend time with her two amazing teenage sons.

Nicole Casanova understands what it takes to connect, engage and create Ripples of immeasurable value. She is a kind, thoughtful soul that just so happens to be one amazing, kick-ass entrepreneur! This episode was so much fun to record because Nicole is such a warm, inviting individual. Her approach to life and every venture she has ever undertaken is a lesson in diligence, following your heart and your gut. She is one incredible lady and I am so grateful to call her a friend. Here's a bit more about Nicole: Nicole Casanova, a visionary leader at the intersection of the sacred and the innovative, invites you to journey with her towards freedom and sovereignty. With a trailblazing career in media, advertising, and tech, Nicole has empowered female founders, fostering over $200M in growth. But her true wealth lies in the relationships she's nurtured with exceptional individuals worldwide.     Through her ventures, including The Conspiracy, a community leveraging relationships for good, they tap into the transformative power of unity and connection. Nicole's "Last Casanova's Love Letters" chronicle her personal journey of radical self-love, reflecting her ability to manifest magic through words.    She believes in the infinite potential of every individual's unique expression. Nicole is here not just as a mirror of your divinity, but as a catalyst for your empowerment. Let's shift the game, power the people, and breathe together.    Learn more about her at: https://bio.site/Nicolecasanova

Ann Fry is a very special person to me, and I am so grateful to have had this opportunity to interview her for the show. She is in the fight of her life yet still shows all the wit and wisdom I've come to admire and love all these years. Battling early-onset dementia, Ann has recently had to retire from the work she has loved for so many years. But that spark she is so known for is still there. Her deep desire to make a difference and continue pushing you to be the best version of yourself is very evident and is on full display during our time together. Ann and I met during my early days of consulting and coaching. She sized me up pretty quickly recognizing I was lacking confidence and struggling to believe I had anything worthwhile to share with the world. She and I met for the first time outside an event I had just spoken at, and she sensed I had more to give. There was more inside my message than I was actually sharing due to my insecurity. Ann being Ann, couldn't let that stand. She took me aside and though expressed gratitude for my message, told me she could tell I was not being my full self up on stage. I had more to give and the world needed to see it. They longed to see it. This gave me so much confidence and a new perspective to stop trying to be something I was not. If I were going to make a difference, well, I needed to be me and let the chips fall where they will. Her advice and support gave me so much confidence and I was truly grateful for her willingness to be open and honest with me. She was a gift to me as she has been to so many of her students, clients, and friends. Ann is retired, but you can still follow her at: facebook.com/ann.fry.94, and you can still purchase one of several books she has authored by contacting her through Facebook.

Sandy Stewart is someone that has always impressed me. We met shortly after the release of my book and we just clicked. We had similar views on what it takes to be a strong leader, build a successful company and build something more than just about the money. I admire her greatly because she's a no-nonsense kind of person who will tell like it is. She probably gets that from her West Texas upbringing. She's a true badass and someone I deeply admire. Even more, after hearing the trials and tribulations she's gone through these past few years. To see her confident, focused, and ready to create bigger and bigger Ripples is inspiring. And let's just be honest, you can't help but love that sweet southern twang and her laser focus drive to change the world. It's intoxicating. Here's a bit about Sandy and her latest venture: Sandy Stewart is the creator and founder of Think Big, an outsourced sustainability support and training program for small- and mid-sized businesses. Her twenty-two-year career helping SMBs and SMEs grow value now has an added focus on what’s known as the triple bottom line (people, planet, and profits). She believes that companies that care for their people, their customers, and their community have a duty to run a profitable, thriving business. She’s a speaker, trainer, author, social impact strategist, carbon footprint specialist, value growth expert, and her current volunteer work includes Past President & VP/Treasurer for Tapestry Dance in Austin, TX and founder & Membership Chair for NAWBO Austin. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandy-stewart-9534a/   https://www.instagram.com/thinkbigprogram/  www.thinkbigimpact.com  

"I've reached a point in my life, where there are a lot more yesterdays than there are tomorrows." - Bruce Springsteen Prepare to be captivated by Steve Harper's heartfelt musings in this new episode of The Ripple Effect Podcast. Drawing inspiration from some amazing nuggets of wisdom Steve uncovered from some of his recent guests such as Ben Dennis, Carol Costello, Maggi Thorne has him thinking about his very own legacy. Couple that with a popular TikTok and Instagram trend about writing your own obituary, well, you know Steve, he's gonna have a lot to say about that. This becomes too good not to have a solo episode with The Ripple Man himself! Steve implores listeners to break free from the monotony of life and dare to dream bigger - and want a whole lot more. With an engaging mix of humor, introspection, and valuable life lessons, Steve encourages listeners to ask better questions, challenge societal expectations, and seize every moment to live a more authentic and fulfilling life. Whether you're seeking inspiration, personal growth, or a fresh perspective on life, this episode will leave you with a renewed sense of purpose and a burning desire to create a life that truly matters. Check out these past few episodes for more: Ben Dennis - https://youtu.be/--aQbMhkYM4 Carol Costello - https://youtu.be/LALQWqNqRjo Maggi Thorne - https://youtu.be/kdiiLYfKa1o  

The most amazing connections come from some of the least expected opportunities we experience in life. Just like the unlikely heroes we read about in stories and mythology, the impossible becomes possible.  Such was the random comment I made one day to my friend Ted Rubin (Season 8, Episode 5), as he shared some of his musings about a ski vacation he was having with a friend he met by chance some thirty years earlier on Instagram. These two friends were clearly having a blast and I was enjoying the snippets of check-ins being posted by Ted about their ski trip together. One of these posts caught my attention, specifically when Ted recorded a video coming down into the lodge to find his friend. He said something like, "There's Ben, snuggled away in the corner, thinking and writing again."  There was something about the intensity of his friend sitting there in the corner in that video that really caught my attention. It was as if he spoke to me at that moment. So, of course, I asked what he was writing to which Ted replied, "Who knows but with Ben, it's sure to be interesting. You'd like Ben, he's a deep thinker." Ted was right. I not only like Ben Dennis, but I have become fascinated with how this man thinks, tells a story and looks at the world and his place in it. He has a calming, almost meditative spirit about him that washes over you. I found myself wishing our conversation could go on forever because he just has a way that inspires me. I know if you listen to this whole podcast, he will do the same for you as well. A little more about Ben: Ben is a mythologist and writer cultivating an ongoing life-long love of story, myth, and psychology. He is passionately involved in ritual, rites of passage, psychodrama, and storytelling. His mythic interests include Greek mythology, Native American story, European Fairy tales, and Hindu epic literature. He has a wide variety of experience having worked in diverse fields such as commercial fishing, construction, and Investment Banking, and a veteran of the U. S. Air Force. Ben is a retired 28-year veteran Fire Fighter in Seattle where he served as a member of the Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team. Ben has been adjunct faculty at Antioch University Seattle and holds his PhD in Mythological Studies with an Emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. Ben has participated in and led a variety of workshops and conferences. He has assisted and taught at the Minnesota Men’s Conference as a featured Storyteller since 2013. He has also been a featured storyteller and teacher with Veteran’s groups dedicated to addressing “the emotional, moral, and spiritual wounds of veterans, their families and communities.” Over the past 20-years Ben has facilitated rites of passage events for young men, mentored in the workplace and in his community, and offers storytelling and drum making classes. “With a life-long fascination in literature, myth, and story I recognize that teaching is a vital part of individual growth, community support, resiliency, and understanding the community we live in. I believe it is crucial to engage the imagination in startling and fresh ways. We each have survived and thrived countless generations through oral tradition, self-reliance, dedication to community, and the archetypal desire to share what we have learned with future generations. My intention is to learn and teach in whatever way I am able.”