KUCI: Get the Funk Out

Ellen Tadd, an internationally known clairvoyant counselor, educator, and author, joined host Janeane 3/27/17 at 9:45am pst to talk about her latest b...

Ellen Tadd is an internationally known clairvoyant counselor, educator, and author who has been teaching and counseling for more than forty years. She is widely respected for the integrity of her work, the accuracy of her perceptions and guidance, and the clarity and usefulness of her teaching.
Shortly after completing her freshman year in college, Ellen had a remarkable experience in which she was able to contact her deceased mother. Her mother’s presence and message healed Ellen’s childhood trauma of denying her clairvoyant and clairaudient gifts and transformed her view of the world. Very soon after this awakening she began to have contact with guides and teachers from spiritual realms who provided her with an extraordinary education.
Tadd is the author of three books: The Infinite View soon to be released on March 28, 2017, The Wisdom of the Chakras, and Death and Letting Go which appeared on the Boston Globe bestseller list.
“Do not be caught in the limited perspective of life, for it has continual turmoil and uncertainty. If you venture deeper, you will see that there is a growth plan in operation for all individuals…”
Written by internationally revered clairvoyant counselor and educator Ellen Tadd, The Infinite View is a spiritual classic in the making.
“The Infinite View offers a wide audience a deep yet practical way to connect to spirituality. I love this book.” — Giselle BundchenPeople often lean towards either trusting their gut or relying on their analytical mind, but Ellen Tadd urges readers to consider a new approach that allows both emotions and the intellect to be guided by wisdom. Through describing how the Spirit, soul, and personality are integrated, she guides readers in deepening and expanding their perceptions to discover practical solutions to everyday challenges.
According to Tadd, Spirit is the God Force that animates and empowers us and suffuses everyone and everything. But while Spirit is conscious and communicative, we haven’t been taught to look for or listen to it. In fact, most of us have been conditioned not to look or listen. When we choose to attune our conscious mind with Spirit, we find ourselves able to engage life with greater clarity—even when it tests us through illness, death, loneliness, anxiety, or fear.
The Infinite View offers tools and insights needed to achieve this attunement. Drawing on her personal narrative, as well as the experiences of her students, Tadd helps readers transform their understanding of themselves and the world around them.
PRAISE
“The first piece of wisdom in Ellen’s guidebook for life on earth is a priceless gem: go deep within the silence of your own being, and pay attention to what you hear. She invites readers to connect with their own guidance by suggesting oneness practices, synthesizing the spiritual and human condition, and shifting perspective to view life through a spiritual lens. The Infinite View is a warm and compelling read about dimensions of life beyond the ordinary. —Edward Viljoen, author of Ordinary Goodness
“The Infinite View is an amazing book that explains many of the mysteries of life and offers the reader tools and approaches to manage the journey through this life and beyond. Ellen helped me, the son of a renowned guru, understand and sort out how I fit into my dad’s life and success and understand my own soul’s path. —Scott Blanchard, Principal and Executive Vice President, The Ken Blanchard Companies.
http://ellentadd.com/

Pam Jenoff, author of The Orphan’s Tale: A Novel Paperback, joined host Janeane Monday at 9:30am pst

A powerful novel of friendship set in a traveling circus during World War II, The Orphan's Tale introduces two extraordinary women and their harrowing stories of sacrifice and survival
Sixteen-year-old Noa has been cast out in disgrace after becoming pregnant by a Nazi soldier and being forced to give up her baby. She lives above a small rail station, which she cleans in order to earn her keep… When Noa discovers a boxcar containing dozens of Jewish infants bound for a concentration camp, she is reminded of the child that was taken from her. And in a moment that will change the course of her life, she snatches one of the babies and flees into the snowy night.
Noa finds refuge with a German circus, but she must learn the flying trapeze act so she can blend in undetected, spurning the resentment of the lead aerialist, Astrid. At first rivals, Noa and Astrid soon forge a powerful bond. But as the facade that protects them proves increasingly tenuous, Noa and Astrid must decide whether their friendship is enough to save one another—or if the secrets that burn between them will destroy everything.
“I read this novel in a headlong rush, transported by the relationship between two vastly different women during World War II: a Jewish circus aerialist and a teenage runaway with a baby. Deftly juggling secrets, lies, treachery, and passion, Pam Jenoff vividly brings to life the agonizing choices and life-or-death consequences for a hardy band of travelers under Nazi occupation.”
—Christina Baker Kline, New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train.
“In prose that is beautiful, ethereal, and poignant, The Orphan’s Tale is novel you won’t be able to put down.”
—Bustle
“Readers who enjoyed Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale and Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants will embrace this novel.”
—Library Journal
“The Orphan's Tale is a compelling and beautifully told story about the power of female friendship, with all its complications.”
─PopSugar
“A gripping story about the power of friendship to save and redeem even in the darkest of circumstances, The Orphan’s Tale sheds light on one of the most colorful and inspiring stories of heroism in Nazi Germany. This is a book not to be missed.”
—Melanie Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Swans of Fifth Avenue and The Aviator’s Wife.
R:\New York PR\Fiction PR\Heather Gudenkauf\Little Mercies\Images\HG Author Photo - photo credit Morgan Hawthorne.jpgTHE ORPHAN’S TALE (MIRA Books; February 21, 2017), the powerful new novel from international bestselling writer Pam Jenoff, blends two little known aspects of the human drama that was the Second World War into a heartrending story of friendship and survival. Set amid the unconventional world of a traveling circus, the novel brings together two women—both refugees from their own pasts and each attempting to live under the radar during the Nazi incursion. Forming an at-first tentative bond, the two resilient women learn to trust and rely on each other even as the threat of exposure closes in.
Noa, a sixteen-year-old Dutch girl, is banished from her home when her father discovers she has become pregnant by a German soldier. With nowhere else to turn, she enters the Nazi-run Lebensborn program, accepting care and shelter in exchange for the promise that she will give up her Aryan baby for adoption by a worthy German family. But, surrendering the baby proves devastating for Noa, and afterwards she lives in quiet desperation as she ekes out a living as a cleaner at a railway station. One day, in a railcar, she discovers dozens of Jewish infants who have been rent from their mothers, bound for certain death. On impulse, she steals one of the babies and flees.
After spending a near-fatal night in the freezing forest, Noa and the baby are discovered by the denizens of a circus and given sanctuary. In order to stay with the troupe without rousing the suspicion of the local Nazi authorities, Noa must be given a part to play in the show, and it is decided she will fill a vacant aerialist’s place. She is put in the charge of Astrid, the star trapeze artist, who at first has nothing but disdain for this amateur. Still, she is surprised by Noa’s determination and innate talent, and Astrid has sympathy for the girl’s plight because of her own circumstances. The daughter of a rival circus family, Astrid is Jewish and alone in the world. Once married to a German officer, she has been disowned by her husband and, like Noa, has found welcome refuge in the sheltered, nonjudgmental world of the circus.
As the circus moves across Europe, out of Germany and into occupied France, Noa hopes that she can find the means of escape to save the baby, whom she has named Theo. Yet, in this turbulent time of mistrust and betrayal, no one can be assured of safety, and the secret pasts both women shield return to haunt them and threaten their safety. Loyalty and friendship may not prove enough to save them.
“A gripping story about the power of friendship to save and redeem even in the darkest of circumstances,” says Melanie Benjamin, New York Timesbestselling author of The Swans of Fifth Avenue and The Aviator's Wife. “Jenoff expertly performs a pirouetting tale worthy of a standing ovation,” adds Sarah McCoy, New York Times bestselling author of The Mapmaker's Children.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Pam Jenoff is the author of The Kommandant's Girl, which was an international bestseller and nominated for a Quill award, as well as seven other novels. She holds a bachelor’s degree in international affairs from George Washington University and a master’s degree in history from Cambridge, and she received her Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania. Jenoff’s novels are based on her experiences working at the Pentagon and also as a diplomat for the State Department handling Holocaust issues in Poland. She lives outside Philadelphia with her husband and three children where, in addition to writing, she teaches law school.

Agustín Fuentes, Notre Dame anthropologist shares his latest book, ”The Creative Spark: How Imagination Made Humans Exceptional.”

Agustín Fuentes, Notre Dame anthropologist discusses how our capacity for creativity is what has made humans exceptional.
Creativity: it’s the secret of what makes humans special. Agustín Fuentes, professor and Chair of the Department of Anthropology at University of Notre Dame, brings us this optimistic assertion, that we are defined as a species by our unique capacity for creativity and collaboration, in THE CREATIVE SPARK, a sweeping overview of the history and continued legacy of human creativity. Weaving fascinating stories about our ancestors, Fuentes explores how creativity has propelled the evolutionary development of our bodies, minds, and cultures, for good and for bad, over millions of years, defining and refining what it means to be human.
Agustín Fuentes will discuss:
· The history and trajectory of human creativity, from selective foraging and hunting to the marvels of modern technology.
· The unique relationship between humans and dogs, the only domesticated animal that shaped our evolutionary path even as we shaped theirs.
· What set the stage for modern warfare, and a controversial explanation of large-scale human violence.
· Evidence that men are not inherently more violent and women are not inherently more domestic.
· The dark side of human creativity—how social constructs such as race, gender, and nationality incite conflict at levels not seen in other species.
· Actionable and concrete steps we can take, individually and as a community, to harness our own creative power when it comes to food, sex, art, science, and more.
As Fuentes concludes, to make something lasting and useful today you need to understand the nature of your collaboration with others, what imagination can and can't accomplish, and, finally, just how completely our creativity is responsible for the world we live in.
About the Author:
Agustín Fuentes is a professor and the chair of Notre Dame’s Department of Anthropology and a National Geographic Explorer. He has contributed to Psychology Today, Huffington Post, Salon.com, and Slate.com. He is the author of Race, Monogamy, and Other Lies They Told You, and winner of the W.W. Howells Book Award. He lives in Indiana.
About the book:
A bold new synthesis of paleontology, archaeology, genetics, and anthropology that overturns misconceptions about race, war and peace, and human nature itself, answering an age-old question: What made humans so exceptional among all the species on Earth?
Creativity. It is the secret of what makes humans special, hiding in plain sight. Agustín Fuentes argues that your child's finger painting comes essentially from the same place as creativity in hunting and gathering millions of years ago, and throughout history in making war and peace, in intimate relationships, in shaping the planet, in our communities, and in all of art, religion, and even science. It requires imagination and collaboration. Every poet has her muse; every engineer, an architect; every politician, a constituency. The manner of the collaborations varies widely, but successful collaboration is inseparable from imagination, and it brought us everything from knives and hot meals to iPhones and interstellar spacecraft.
Weaving fascinating stories of our ancient ancestors' creativity, Fuentes finds the patterns that match modern behavior in humans and animals. This key quality has propelled the evolutionary development of our bodies, minds, and cultures, both for good and for bad. It's not the drive to reproduce; nor competition for mates, or resources, or power; nor our propensity for caring for one another that have separated us out from all other creatures.
As Fuentes concludes, to make something lasting and useful today you need to understand the nature of your collaboration with others, what imagination can and can't accomplish, and, finally, just how completely our creativity is responsible for the world we live in. Agustín Fuentes's resounding multimillion-year perspective will inspire readers—and spark all kinds of creativity.

Ellen Hopkins, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of eleven young adult novels, as well as the adult novels Triangles, Collateral, and Love Lies...

Ellen Hopkins—who has been called “the bestselling living poet in the country” by mediabistro.com—has over four million books in print, many reaching #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. Her latest book, The You I've Never Known, is out now and host Janeane Bernstein will be sharing details on this latest work!
For the first time in both verse and prose, Ellen delivers a “deeply personal” (Publishers Weekly) novel where a teenager discovers uncovers a startling truth: her mother didn’t abandon her. Her father kidnapped her. In the vein of NBC’s This is Us, we follow the story of a teen mother (Maya) and daughter (Ariel) looking for the missing pieces in their lives.
The real twist? The author has experienced a kidnapping like this first hand!
The book is not just a thriller, but also tackles issues of love and sexual identity, in an emotionally deep way. As Ariel navigates through high school, she explores her sexual identity and develops relationships with both a male and female character.
Ellen Hopkins has been writing for Young Adults for 13 years, and is one of the first YA authors to continuously tackle tough issues successfully. She feels it is important to reach the teen readers that demand a story that’s deeper than just fluff, something that they can hold onto and that helps them understand that they are not alone in the world.
Ellen Hopkins is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of eleven young adult novels, as well as the adult novels Triangles, Collateral, and Love Lies Beneath. She lives with her family in Carson City, Nevada, where she has founded Ventana Sierra, a nonprofit youth housing and resource initiative. Visit her at EllenHopkins.com and on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter at @EllenHopkinsLit.
ABOUT ELLEN - IN HER OWN WORDS
I was adopted at birth and raised by a great, loving older couple. I grew up in Palm Springs CA, although we summered in Napa and Lake Tahoe, to avoid those 120 degree summers. After my adopted parents died, I did find my birth mother, who lives in Michigan with my half sister.
I studied journalism in college, but left school to marry, raise kids and start my own business--a video store, before the mega-chains were out there. After a divorce, I met my current husband and we moved to Tahoe to become ski bums and otherwise try to find our dreams. At that time, I went to work for a small alternative press, writing stories and eventually editing.
When we moved down the mountain to the Reno area, I started writing nonfiction books, many of which you can see here. The rest are viewable on my personal website. I also continued to freelance articles for newspapers and magazines.
All that has changed, with the publication of my novel, CRANK, which has led to a valued career writing YA novels in verse, all of which explore the more difficult situations young adults often find themselves in. Will I ever write one in prose? No doubt! But, for the moment, writing novels in verse fulfills two needs: writing poetry and writing fiction. The combination is so interesting!
WANT SOME TIPS ON WRITING?
http://ellenhopkins.com/YoungAdult/for-writers/

Bestselling author Subir Chowdhury joined host Janeane Bernstein Monday March 20 at 9:15am pst about his book, The Difference - When Good Enough Isn’t...

What are the Simple Characteristics that Separates Good Companies from Great Companies, “Good Enough” Organizational Cultures from Exceptional Ones?
Did you miss today's show with Subir Chowdhury?
Listen here!
THE DIFFERENCE
When Good Enough Isn’t Good Enough
Renowned management consultant for Fortune 500 companies and bestselling author of The Power of Six Sigma and The Ice Cream Maker, Subir Chowdhury is best known for having transformed the quality of the products and processes at many of the world’s leading manufacturers over the past two decades. In THE DIFFERENCE: WHEN GOOD ENOUGH ISN'T ENOUGH, Chowdhury tackles an issue that has haunted him for decades in his work with many of the world’s largest organizations. Why is it that some companies improve only incrementally, while others improve one hundred times that? After all, the ideas and training are the same. What is the difference?
THE DIFFERENCE reveals that what distinguishes one organization from another is its culture— its people. The best processes and training programs in the world will not succeed, unless organizations nurture the skills, loyalty and passion of the people who make up their workforce—from the C-suite to the shop floor. Drawing from examples in his own life and career, Chowdhury illustrates why having a “caring mindset” is essential for both personal and professional success.
What is a caring mindset and culture? It is one built on what Chowdhury calls “STAR” attributes: Straightforwardness, Thoughtfulness, Accountability, and Resolve.
Illuminated with stories from his consulting work and his impoverished childhood growing up in Bangladesh, Chowdhury encourages each of us to be the difference in our lives.
A powerful guide to living a successful life and career, THE DIFFERENCE will inspire you to care more deeply about what matters most, at work, at home and in our communities.
SUBIR CHOWDHURY is one of the world’s leading management thinkers and consultants, who works with Fortune 500 companies to improve their processes, operations, quality and performance. His clients saved billions of dollars by deploying process improvement methodologies. He is the bestselling author of The Power of Six Sigma, and The Ice Cream Maker. Chowdhury lives in Los Angeles. For more information on Subir and The Difference please visit subirchowdhury.com or follow him on Twitter (@subirchowdhury) and Facebook (@subirchowdhuryauthor).

ISAAC LIDSKY Former Saved by the Bell star-turned-entrepreneur shares his journey of becoming blind…and then learning to see with “Eyes Wide Open”

On Wednesday March 15, 2017, host Janeane Bernstein will chat with former Saved by the Bell star-turned-entrepreneur, Isaac Lidsky, who shares his journey of becoming blind…and then learning to see with “Eyes Wide Open.”
In his popular new TED Talk "What reality are you creating for yourself?," former Saved by the Bell teen star-turned-entrepreneur Isaac Lidsky recalls how the sales person he waved to in the store was really a mannequin, and how he reached down to wash his hands and realized it was a urinal and not a sink. He learned of his diagnosis at thirteen: Retinitis Piegmentosa, a degenerative eye disease that would lead to his blindness by age 25. After initially believing his blindness signaled the end of his independence and achievement, Lidsky found other pathways of perception, turning his life around with his Eyes Wide Open philosophy. He graduated from Harvard Law School, worked as a law clerk under the guidance of Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and eventually became a highly successful entrepreneur and family man.
In his new book EYES WIDE OPEN: Overcoming Obstacles and Recognizing Opportunities in a World That Cant’s See Clearly, Isaac Lidsky probes the many facets of perception, detailing the neuroscience of sight and drawing on his own experience to show how our perception shapes—and often limits—our reality.
Isaac Lidsky will share how his journey taught him to:
· face fears in moments of crisis or extreme change and shape his own reality;
· focus his viewpoint when it came to so-called “weaknesses;”
· tackle the perception of luck;
· listen with “eyes wide open” to better understand what others are communicating.
Isaac Lidsky shares how to live with freedom from self-limitations and to lead life with deeper awareness, understanding, accountability, and success.
About the Author:
Isaac Lidsky has an eclectic resume. He played “Weasel” on Saved by the Bell: The New Class; graduated from Harvard College at age nineteen with a degree in mathematics and computer science; graduated from Harvard Law School and served as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg; transformed a struggling $15 million concrete subcontractor into an industry-leading $150 million business; and founded Hope for Vision, a nonprofit that funds the development of treatments for blinding diseases. Lidsky was born with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a rare degenerative disease of the retina that caused him to gradually lose his sight. Lidsky lives Florida with his wife and four children. Learn more at www.Lidsky.com.

Christine Gross-Loh, a freelance journalist and author of The Path, joined host Janeane Bernstein Monday at 9:45am pst on KUCI 88.9fm

Christine Gross-Loh
@grossloh
Author, writer. THE PATH: What Chinese Philosophers Can Teach Us About the Good Life. Bylines: @theatlantic, @wsj, @guardian, @nytimeswell @voxdotcom
Christine Gross-Loh is a freelance journalist and author. Her writing has appeared in a number of publications including The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and the Huffington Post. She has a PhD from Harvard University in East Asian history.
The Path - NYT and International BestsellerPraise for THE PATH:
“Puett’s dynamism translates well from his classroom theater onto the page, and his provocative, radical re-envisioning of everyday living through Chinese philosophy opens wide the “possibilities for thinking afresh about ourselves and about our future.” His text presents creative alternatives to the stale “confines of our narrative.” With philosophical consideration, our methods of interacting and coexisting may, as the author promises, have the power to better our lives and our relationships. With its academic tone and spirited, convincing vision, revolutionary new insights can be gleaned from this book on how to approach life’s multifarious situations with both heart and head.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“[Michael Puett and Christine Gross-Loh's] accessible, conversational style introduces anyone with interest to what Chinese sages suggested about giving meaning to our days. Even more impressive, they inspire interest.”
—Huffington Post
“The Path illuminates a little-known spiritual and intellectual landscape: the rich body of Chinese thought that, starting more than two millennia ago, charted new approaches to living a meaningful life. But Puett goes a lot further, creatively applying this ancient thought to the dilemmas of modern life. The result is a fresh recipe for harnessing our natural energies and emotions to strengthen social connection and build islands of order amid the chaos that sometimes surrounds us.”
—Robert Wright, author of The Evolution of God
“I read The Path in one sitting and have been talking about it to everyone. It’s brilliant, mesmerizing, profound—and deeply contrarian. It stands conventional wisdom on its head and points the way to a life of genuine fulfillment and meaning.”
—Amy Chua, Yale Law professor and author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
“This is a book that turns the notion of help—and the self, for that matter—on its head. Puett and Gross-Loh bring seemingly esoteric concepts down to Earth, where we can see them more clearly. The result is a philosophy book grounded in the here and now, and brimming with nuggets of insight. No fortune-cookie this, The Path serves up a buffet of meaty life lessons. I found myself reading and re-reading sections, letting the wisdom steep like a good cup of tea.”
—Eric Weiner, author of The Geography of Bliss and The Geography of Genius
Each fall, Harvard professor Michael Puett begins his freshman survey of Chinese Philosophy with a promise – if you take the ideas in these texts seriously, they will change your life. Confucius’s Analects, the Dao de jing, the writings of Mencius: Ancient texts handed down over millennia in a land more than 7000 miles away. These texts, you ask, will change my life? Many students, even those bound for Wall Street, say the class has done just that. And we have one better: we suspect they may change yours, too.
In his inspiring book THE PATH: What Chinese Philosophers Can Teach Us about the Good Life, written with Christine Gross-Loh, Puett brings these texts out of the University and into the world, encouraging us to put aside traditional Western ideas about “the good life” and to engage with the philosophies of key Chinese thinkers.
A course the administration thought would barely draw 100 students has, in nine years, inspired such an overflow of requests to attend that it was forced to move to the majestic Sanders Theater – the biggest room on campus – where 700 students now crowd into that hall every semester for Puett’s legendary seminar, “Classical Chinese Ethical and Political Theory.” It is Harvard’s third most popular class after “Computer Science” and “The Principles of Economics.” And life-changing indeed have these ideas been. For students pressured to push ahead with big pre-set goals and achieve individual excellence, this ancient way of thinking about life seems to them nothing less than revelatory – and a huge relief.
But of course it isn’t only students who feel this pressure to succeed; it’s every one of us. And while our culture rewards ambition, that ambition often leaves us wanting for happiness, for peace, and for reassurance. So for Westerners, to say nothing of Harvard students, when these are ideas are put into practice they may even seem almost subversive.
According to the wisdom of the sages in THE PATH, in making subtle adjustments to way we move through our day, the most dramatic changes can – and will – occur. By engaging with these texts, we can make profound shifts in our thinking, not only about what we can control, but about what success and happiness really are; we can stop thinking about what we’d like to become, and focus more on how we want to be.
Michael Puett is the Walter C. Klein Professor of Chinese History in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations and Chair of the Committee on the Study of Religion at Harvard University. He is the recipient of a Harvard College Professorship for excellence in undergraduate teaching.

Jeremy Nobel, MD, MPH Founder and President of The Foundation for Art & Healing, joins Janeane Bernstein Monday 9:30am pst LIVE on KUCI 88.9fm

Jeremy Nobel, MD, MPH
Founder and President
www.artandhealing.org
jnobel@artandhealing.org
Jeremy Nobel, MD, MPH
As a practicing general internist for many years, Dr. Nobel experienced “the front lines” of health care and its delivery. Currently, through his faculty appointments at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Harvard Medical School, Dr. Nobel’s teaching, research, and community based projects address the design of healthcare delivery systems that improve quality, cost-effectiveness and access. His work has been the basis of significant improvements in preventative, acute, chronic, rehabilitative, and end of life medical care that focus on understanding what quality healthcare means from a patient perspective, and how best to deliver it.
Dr. Nobel is also a recognized leader in the field of medical humanities, an interdisciplinary endeavor that draws on a diverse range of fields, including the creative arts, to inform medical education and practice. He is the founder and president of the Foundation for Art and Healing (www.artandhealing.org), an organization dedicated to exploring the important relationship between creative expression and health and well-being, and bringing those benefits to individuals and communities. The foundation is actively involved in creating a broader societal awareness that arts-based activities can improve health, while simultaneously developing and distributing innovative programs to the field, and promoting an active research agenda. Also a published poet, Dr. Nobel has received several awards for his poetry including the Bain-Swiggett Prize from Princeton University, and the American Academy of Poets Prize from the University of Pennsylvania.
The mission of the Foundation for Art & Healing is to use its position as a “bridge” to create and expand general awareness about art and healing, to bring forward through research and related explorations critical knowledge about art and healing and the relationship between them, and to help make this knowledge available at the individual and community level.

Michelle Poler, Speaker, Youtuber and founder of ”Hello Fears” and ”100 days Without Fear,” joined host Janeane Bernstein Monday at 9:15am pst Monday ...

Michelle Poler
Speaker
Youtuber
Fear Facer
Creator of Hello Fears and 100 Days Without Fear
http://www.michellepoler.com
Hello Fears"Facing your fears is scary, but living in fear is terrifying."
Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela to a family of holocaust survivors, Michelle was accustomed to living with fear. But when she moved to New York to pursue a Masters in Branding at the School of Visual Arts, Michelle quickly realized that NYC was not for the fearful.
In efforts to re-write her definition of fear, Michelle completed a project where she faced 100 fears in 100 days. At around day 40, the project was discovered by the media becoming a viral phenomenon.
Facing her fears took Michelle to TEDx’s stage where she completed her 100th challenge. This helped her turn a personal project into a global movement, allowing her to quit her job as Art Director in Y&R to pursue her passion.
Michelle discovered that inspiring others to go after their fears was her new calling. She is now touring the world speaking at companies, schools and organizations teaching audiences how to step outside their comfort zones as a way to tap into their full potential.
She is also the founder at Hello Fears, a platform where everyday people get to inspire everyday people with stories of courage.
The following is from 100dayswithoutfear.com and in Michelle's own words.
Thinking about it, living in fear worked out pretty good for me. I got to live a controlled lifestyle where things would normally go according to plan. Until now.
In 2014, I moved to New York City to start a Master's Degree in Branding at the School of Visual Arts. Trying to control New York was a complete nightmare, but what really pushed me to pursue this project was not the controlled lifestyle I was leaving behind, but the frustration of not enjoying this city and life in general to the fullest. Since the unknown has proven to be so much more fulfilling than the familiar, I decided to face all of my fears one by one being completely vulnerable about it and trying to enjoy the ride.
On October 18th, 2015 I faced my last fear: to speak at TEDxHouston. I not only faced the big fear of public speaking but I empowered millions to step out of their comfort zone and live a life without fear, which is the biggest reward I obtained by starting this amazing initiative. From that day on I decided to dedicate my life to encourage as many people as possible to start living a more fulfilled lifestyle by speaking at schools, organizations and companies all over the world.
I also launched an online platform for everyday people to get inspired by everyday people. Hello Fears is a community of non-conformists who understand there is no such thing as being fearless but appreciate bravery in every way.
If you'd like me to speak at your next event, please contact knocknock@hellofears.com
Follow me on Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Snapchat: @dayswofear

Leah Segedie, Founder & Principal Bookieboo Network, ShiftCon Social Media Conference, Green/Wellness Blogger Conference, and Mamavation joined host J...

Leah Segedie - Founder & Principal
Bookieboo Network (Digital marketing firm w/ over 10,000 bloggers)
ShiftCon Social Media Conference--Green/Wellness Blogger Conference
Mamavation--Disease Prevention Community for Moms
Twitter | Facebook | Linked-in | Pinterest | Instagram
9th Most Influential Mom Blogger--Cision Media
Shape Magazine "Mother of the Year"
As seen in CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox, Headline News, CNN, Yahoo (front page), Readers Digest, Ladies Home Journal, Shape Magazine, Fitness Magazine, The Huffington Post, Women's Day, Fitness Rx, & The Hybrid Mom.
"Women who behave seldom make history."
Leah Segedie’s Official Bio
Leah Segedie is the founder of the Mamavation® community, ShiftCon Social Media Conference, food activist and social media consultant. Through the Mamavation community, she teaches “digital moms” healthy living practices to combat disease in their home. The community members of Mamavation have lost over 3,500 lbs. Leah is also a very passionate food activist. She organizes trending twitter parties monthly to educate the public about the food supply and other issues impacting public health. She also organizes blogging efforts through her network and hosts the ShiftCon Social Media Conference where green and wellness bloggers gather annually. And brands love to work with Leah because she has over 10,000 bloggers in the Bookieboo Network to create wellness related campaigns with.
Leah has been recognized for several feats in her professional and personal life such as being named “Mom of the Year” by Shape Magazine, being named the 4th most Influential Mom Blogger by Cision Media, Top 10 Woman Changing School Nutrition, compared to Lady Gaga for her unique social media tactics in The Huffington Post, and Favorite Weight Loss Blog by Fitness Magazine. Her story, communities and work have also been featured in the following publications: CNN, ABC, NBC, The O’Reiley factor, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, The Talk, Yahoo, Ladies Home Journal, Fitness Magazine, Shape Magazine, The Huffington Post, Women’s Day, Fitness RX, International Business Times, Babble, etc.
Leah has a Masters in Communication Management from the University of Southern California. She was also Commencement Speaker during her 2001 Graduation Ceremony at the University of Southern California when she received her Bachelor’s of Arts in Communication. She lives in Simi Valley with her husband and three young children. Leah Segedie can be reached on twitter as @bookieboo or emailed at leahsegedie(at)bookieboo(dot)com.
In Leah's own words...
Why Mamavation? The Very Beginning of My Story
Months after my husband and I celebrated our first pregnancy, I found out my father had Mesothelioma, which is a rare form of lung cancer derived from exposure to asbestos. So instead of celebrating life, I was forced to confront one of the saddest parts of life–the slow death of a loved one. Mesothelioma is one of those forms of cancer that have a very low survival rate. Basically, once they find it, it’s over. He was given six months to live and I vowed to be there almost everyday of it caring for him, which I did while I was pregnant, and he vowed to see his first grandchild born.
My father fought his cancer hard with conventional treatments. He wanted to be there to see his first grandchild and survive for my mom. But after looking back at it, I wish he hadn’t of sought treatment. In my opinion, it made him weaker and stole time from him…time that could have been spent doing happy things. So I understand when people say they don’t want conventional cancer treatments because I’ve seen the very ugly side of it. I’ve had an eating disorder since about 1st grade and as I took care of my father, my eating disorder kicked into high gear. I held things together for everyone, but ate my feelings so I didn’t have to feel them. During the pregnancy, I gained about 65 lbs.
In my father’s weakened state he did manage to see his first grandchild. In fact, he was at the birth on my left side seated by my head with his oxygen machine and a look of concern and excitement. He couldn’t see anything, but my mother, mother-in-law and husband could. I actually don’t embarrass easily, so this was fine by me to let my family experience the moment together. It was a gift I gave everyone…one of the last gifts I could give everyone as a family.
About three months after the baby was born, my father died and I was at his side when it happened. I remember screaming and crying when it happened because I felt like someone had just ripped my heart out of my chest. And because he died of Mesothelioma, the coroner had to come and take his body away for an autopsy, which is not a pretty sight. Then there was a funeral and a ton of family drama and when I came up to breathe, I realized that I was a mother now and I had to stop mourning. I had to be there for my baby. It’s not like I wasn’t already there for him, I was…I just wasn’t able to enjoy him as a normal mother would because of the circumstances. And that was when the world came crashing down on me. I started to look into the mirror and I was over 250 lbs. and a size 22. The weight didn’t magically disappear like I thought it would after I gave birth. I was so heavy, in fact, that I was having trouble walking. I have a genetic hip condition called hip dysplasia and when I’m at a certain weight, my hips basically give out on me and make it painful to walk. So I was extremely overweight, depressed, grieving, caring for a newborn, and unsure of what the future was going to bring.
And that’s when it happened….my Epiphany. I looked into my baby’s eyes and asked myself what kind of future I wanted for my son. And the one thing that screamed inside my soul was health. I wanted him to be healthy. I didn’t want him to be extremely overweight and sad and depressed like I was. I wanted something different for him. And I knew instinctively that I had to change my ways in order to give him a better life, because he was going to copy everything I did. I needed to be a good role model. So after I cried my eyes out, I went to the refrigerator and threw away all the diet soda. At the time, I didn’t realize that diet soda actually makes you fatter, but something just told me that giving up soda would be a good first step. My next promise to myself was to give up McDonalds. You see, fast food was a daily thing for me. I didn’t enjoy cooking so the drive-thru was something my husband and I relied on frequently. And finally, I got up off my ass and went for a walk around the block. It wasn’t that far, but it was painful. And with every step, I told myself that I could do anything for my child…and I did.
My Weight Loss Journey
It all started with walking. After walking for about five minutes, my hips would warm up and the pain would go away and that allowed me to go further and further. Those small steps allowed me to lose five pounds in one week. I’ll never forget weighing myself on the scale naked and dancing in my bathroom. I hadn’t felt that accomplished in a very long time. It was small, but I didn’t care. It was something. And it was a breakthrough and just the lift I needed to keep going. The next week, I did the same thing and lost more weight. It wasn’t as much, but that didn’t matter. And again the next week. Months later, walking became a bit easy for me and I went into the cabinet and dusted off a Tae Bo DVD that someone had given me forever ago. I put it in and tried one of the workouts. I barely made it to the half way mark but I really enjoyed the movements and the feeling of accomplishment it gave me. And I got a kick out of (pardon the pun) Billy Blanks giving me encouragement. Weeks turned into months and months turned into years. I worked out inside my home about 6 days per week. I never stopped. There were several times that I stumbled, but I picked myself up because this change was a long term goal. The small stumbles didn’t matter. I was in it for the long haul. I was determined to become healthier for my child, which was a strength I had never had before. There wasn’t anything I couldn’t have done for him. I had tapped into this intense form of determination that comes instinctively after becoming a mom. It’s a fierce, loving and never ending passion for a child that allows you to work miracles for them. It’s that mother lion inside all of us.
And my diet changed a great deal too. At first, I was all about “calorie in calorie out” to lose weight, but then that stopped working. I ending up figuring out through trial and error that my body was very sensitive to high glycemic foods like bread, pasta, rice and desserts. So I ate a ton more fruits and vegetables and lean proteins. And I basically gave up dessert all together unless it was fruit and I stopped drinking anything other than milk, coffee, water and tea. I also limited my alcohol to once per month. But it wasn’t all drudgery. After a couple of months, I started really enjoying my new diet. I started to develop a taste for food in it’s natural state. My taste buds literally changed. I started enjoying cooking and playing around in the kitchen. I didn’t miss the fast food at all. And the idea of drinking soda and eating fast food again made me nauseous.
Not only did I change what I was eating, but I started reading every label. Before food was all about taste and convenience to me, now I started paying attention to what it was made of. And I started going down the supermarket aisles looking to see if there was ONE thing that didn’t have 64 ingredients that I couldn’t pronounce without a chemistry degree. And that was hard to find, which was disappointing. And I thought, no wonder…things HAD to start changing.
A New Life and Passion
Two years later, I had lost over 100 lbs. My resting heart rate was about 60 beats per minute and I was feeling amazing. The depression and sadness was gone. I didn’t feel hopeless anymore at all. And I was at a point in my life that I wanted to give back. I had learned so much through my health journey that I wanted to help other women that struggled. And it wasn’t just women that I was concerned with, I wanted to help moms so in turn I could help an entire family. So with about $20 I started up my first social media community. It started off as a hobby, but it grew very quickly. I was written up in several magazines like Ladies Home Journal, Shape & Fitness Magazine about my weight loss story and inspiring health-based community. Thousands of women all across the United States joined me in my quest to role model healthy behavior for their families. And then Mamavation was born shortly thereafter as a way for me to dive deeper into health topics. Over the years, we’ve assisted women lose over 3,500 lbs. through support, encouragement & professional direction from Dietitians and Personal Trainers associated with the site.
And then I had another Epiphany.
I realized that there was more to health than just weight loss. Weight loss was only part of the picture. I started thinking about all the relatives I had that had died of cancer: my father, uncle, aunt, and several family friends. Most of them were relatively thin and they had still died. In fact, most of the people that I knew that died younger than the average American were NOT particularly overweight at all. So I started researching cancer and carcinogens and was shocked to discover so many different exposures to toxins in our everyday lives. And cancer wasn’t the only issue. There were more recent issues such as early puberty in girls, metabolic diseases in young children, antibiotic resistant bacteria, and an increase in Autism, allergies, ADHD & ashthma. In fact, there were so many chronic diseases increasing since I was a young girl, I was shocked. And I was thinking WTF is going on? And because my own son was diagnosed with Autism years ago, I was paying close attention to what was different in all the consumer products we take for granted. And that is when I stumbled across a video of a woman named Robyn O’Brien who asked me to consider how our food has changed since I was born.
Later that week, I read in the LA Times that Prop. 37 made the ballot, which was an initiative to label GMOs in California. And I knew I had to help. I had a background in politics, fundraising and creating strategic communication campaigns online…and I had an entire army of bloggers in my network that I used to create social media campaigns with. This could be the most important social media campaign of my life. So I contacted the campaign and donated hundreds of hours of my time. Over two short months, I helped them organize 650 other mom bloggers across the country to ask their communities if they wanted a right to know if their food was genetically modified or not. The answer from everyone was YES! We were written up in the LA Times as the best use of social media by a campaign initiative EVAH. And that made me feel really good because I had worked my ass off helping them organize twitter parties, facebook parties and blog posts all over the internet totaling just over 600 million impressions. And then the results came back extremely close…but we lost.
But really, we didn’t lose. The opposition had spent over $40 Million dollars telling everyone all over the country there was something called a GMO in their food but they weren’t going to label it. Thanks guys! Just like when you tell a toddler not to touch the red button, they want to touch the red button. You tell million of Americans there is something called a GMO in their food but they aren’t allowed to know where it is, they want to know where it is. I swear the people who write these communication plans for the biotech industry are smoking crack or have never bothered to take a simple psychology class because they keep operating as if transparency is important for everyone…but them.
After helping out with the Washington & Oregon proposition, I realized that blogger who were affiliated with the food movement needed to meet up annually. So I then started up the ShiftCon Social Media Conference as a way for online influencers to further the issues of the food movement and environmental causes affecting the health of families. ShiftCon is a way for bloggers and other influencers to learn more about wellness and environmental issues, grow their platforms so their voices become stronger, and meet with brands that are providing us with safer food and safer consumer products. ShiftCon will be in it’s third year this year in New Orleans. And time has gone by really fast. But I see this as just the beginning of the work I want to do to make people in the U.S. healthier. Disease prevention is my thing.
Random Facts About Me
I love cats, but my husband is allergic to them. To be with him I had to give up my beloved black cat who could fetch and play dead just like a dog. If I come to your house and you have a cat, I’ll spend most of my time petting your feline. If my husband dies first, I’ll become a crazy cat lady.
I’m a technology vampire. I suck the life out of anything with a cord attached. Every time I get a new computer, it’s broken within 4-6 months. Thank GAWD my husband is an Information Technology professional. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to have this career.
My mother is my nanny. After my father died, she moved up to the city where I lived and helps me with the kids every day. I couldn’t do this without her.
I was “born in the caul” otherwise known as a “caulbearer,” which means when I was born the amniotic sac never broke. The nurse midwife that delivered me broke the sac herself. This is of special significance to some cultures meaning I have special leadership or psychic abilities. But in medieval times I also could have been burned at the stake or killed and had my skin sold as a relic. Thank GAWD they don’t do that today. My middle son was also born this way.
If I don’t work out once at least every three days, I’m the biggest bitch EVAH. Physical activity really helps me with my mood and I love it. My favorite activities are Taebo, kickboxing, hiking in nature and weight training.
When I graduated with my Bachelors at the University of Southern California, I was the speaker for my major. Yes, me. That was only the beginning of my public speaking career.
One year my son got a coupon from McDonalds after improving in math in his public school, so every year I go to their shareholder meeting demanding they stop marketing to young children in schools.
I’m as white as a ghost and have about a million freckles. I used to hate them and now I love every single one of them.
In 2015, the American Association of Pediatrics kicked Monsanto out as a sponsor after having a meeting with me.
My nickname in high school was “firecrotch” because my girlfriend saw me naked once and noticed the curtains matched the drapes and told EVERYONE. That nickname was hard to forget.
My oldest son has Autism and my youngest son has food allergies to wheat, dairy, treenuts and peanuts. Thus I understand many of the issues plaguing mothers today and have a unique perspective to help support.
I love run-on sentences and using …