Beth French is one of the UK's Top 100 Most Inspirational Women.  She is a sage and a swimmer. To say that she is courageous would be an understatement.  She has had to overcome numerous challenges throughout her life and continues to push herself to discover the depths of her potential. Imagine the leap from overcoming an illness that left her wheelchair bound to ultimately swimming through freezing and shark-infested waters, Beth French is no stranger to challenges.  She understands more than most that we often don’t realize what we are capable of because we don’t believe enough in ourselves. Beth has built a life around pushing the uttermost limits of what is possible for her, and her most recent endeavor has her about to accomplish what has never been done before...swimming what’s called The Ocean’s Seven within the span of a year. Beth also happens to be humble, down to earth and insightful to boot.

Simon Sinek has the #3 most popular Ted Talk of all time and four bestselling books with deliverables to spare.  He is here to share his wisdom, his "why" and how he found his way through his own struggle to the other side. If you have ever felt worried about finding your "why," or your way through your own challenges I’m confident you will find Simon’s insights right on the money.

Karan Bajaj is a bestselling author and yogi who travelled half way around the world to find more meaning in his life. He left it all behind after his mother died. The twist in this episode is that he grew up in India and people from his village used to make fun of the kind of people he was becoming. Did he find that meaning he was hoping for? He did, but not in the ways he thought he would. I spoke with him from NYC a few months ago, while he was getting ready to leave everything behind for a second time...only this time he wasn’t headed for an ashram or spiritual journey the likes of which he will talk with us about in this episode. However, I warn you... he may tug at our wanderlust in an effort to find more meaning.  

Pamela Meyer has become the national expert on "Liespotting."  Whether in business, life, or in any of our relationships, a lie can destroy our foundation of trust and leave us skeptical and wary. Our current political climate is a prime example. While most of us are very aware of the importance of telling the truth, we might not always be able to recognize even a big fat lie when we hear one or see one because as much as we want to believe the best about others, the cold hard truth is that we all have the ability to lie in small and large ways.  So if the truth is as important to you as it is to me...our next guest is here to share her findings and some tips for us.  Bestselling author, Harvard MBA, CEO, entrepreneur, top twenty Ted Talk presenter and speaker Pamela Meyer brings us behind the scenes today on what to look for before we're left feeling had.  Her curiosity about the psychology behind lying eventually led her to write what became the NYT's bestselling book, “Liespotting,” and she’s here to share not only her story, but also some helpful tips about liespotting and life as we navigate our world and our relationships.  Pamela’s story reminds us that even when we feel stuck in life, there are a myriad of practical steps we can take. And, if we’re only open to it... curiosity can be our greatest teacher when we’re willing to pay attention.

John Chester is an Emmy Award Winning and favorite Oprah Winfrey Filmmaker who left Hollywood to pursue a dream.  He and his wife Molly have found that growing food, caring for animals and tending the soil can teach us much about life and what it takes to move forward. If we are willing to put in the work, the hard work in...the fruits of our labor will eventually produce results. John initially stepped out from behind the lens in 2011 when he and his family left the glitz and glamour of Hollywood to risk starting an organic and biodynamic farm north of LA.  They call their land Apricot Lane Farms, and if you recognize the name, it’s because John never did completely drop that camera of his...he is one of Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday’s chosen filmmakers and you will see why.  John has found and lives the lessons that abound at Apricot Lane and he is here to share some of them with us today...because farmers or not, we’re all growing something in our lives and hopefully all of our crops will come in.  

Joan Barnes--bestselling author, speaker, advisory entrepreneur, and founder of Gymboree, is well-acquainted with the difference between aiming for perfection or choosing to be real--not any California kind of fruits, nuts and flakes kind of real but the cut close to the bone, hard work kind of real.  Amidst running what became a billion dollar company, Joan experienced the widening gap between losing touch with herself and her own needs and the demands of a burgeoning business. She learned what it takes to seek out the kind of help she needed...and as a result has become the mentors mentor.  In her new book, "Play It Forward," Joan shows us how to align our inner life with outer success. Learning to step away when you need to and having the courage to disappoint others for the sake of your own personal and mental health are lessons that Joan is now able to pay forward.  Gymboree and Joan’s message is timeless---that we aren’t meant to go it alone. Figuring out how to balance both family and a successful career is no easy task; and Joan Barnes is here to tell us how it’s done.

Susan Bennett is someone that everyone of us knows but we may not know why. She answers our questions, helps us with directions, and when we can’t figure out that song on the radio, she’s there to solve the mystery. While we’re all familiar with Siri, most of us have never met the Oz behind the curtain, so to speak. In this episode, we have the honor of hearing from Susan Bennett--arguably, the world’s most well-recognized voice-over artist. And while her voice is heard all over the world, she opens up to us today about how she’s learned to navigate her career in the entertainment industry as an introvert, and why she decided to go public with the voice we all know. Susan reminds us that we all have our own path to walk, and no one can live our lives for us. The best we can do is be generous with one other and give back in some way because we all have some something in our lives that challenges us.

Caroline Paul walks the walk in being courageous in her life and in her new bestselling book, "Gutsy Girl." She "focuses on important life lessons of courage and empowerment, while eschewing talk of fear, caution and failure while deftly combining practical advice with unerring encouragement." Caroline is here to reclaim bravery as a trait available for both sexes, and not reserved for males alone-- while sharing some amazing personal stories of her own that will leave you on the edge of your seat. From climbing the Golden Gate bridge to being one of the first female firefighters to thermal flying through a thundercloud... Caroline lives the message she teaches.  Whether you’re a parent of girls, or curious about living a more adventurous story for yourself, you will not want to miss this interview. We can all use a bit more courage because lets face it...fear will always be a part of our lives whether we’re female or male. And as Caroline reminds us, the hopeful truth is that it’s ours for the taking.

Sudeep Balain ended up learning the lessons he needed to learn about love through divorce.  As counterintuitive as it sounds, we often learn our most profound lessons through our failures, even extreme failures and disappointments.  At some point each one of us will come to a crossroads in our lives. It’s rare that a single one of us is immune from disappointment, tragedy, failure or even perceived failure. However, we are all given a choice...do we retreat in fear and despair, or slowly start to rebuild and move forward? Sudeep Balain had it all: the secure job, great house in Marin County, CA, and a growing family. But, it all came crumbling down when his wife of sixteen years wanted a divorce. Although life as Sudeep knew it was falling apart he decided on a journey that he ultimately realized he sorely needed.  If you wonder about the title or worry that this is some California fruit, nuts and flakes kind of interview you will miss something important.  In his book, You Are Love, Sudeep recounts his travels around the world and his process of beginning to know himself, and how he discovered that at the core of who he is...is simply love. Sudeep reminds us that we can only come face to face with our internal motivations and fears when we take time to pause and recharge away from the noise. And while some might consider self-care or self-discovery a selfish act, it’s actually the most loving thing we can do--because we can only extend generosity and love to others when have taken the time to really know and accept ourselves first.

Kata Hay understands that if at first we don’t succeed it’s worth trying again.  It takes a good kind of inner strength and determination to pick yourself three, four, and even five times. This is where belief comes in...do you believe in what you’re doing?  Kata Hay caught the attention of three of the four judges on NBC’s 10th Season of The Voice, after giving an unforgettable performance.  And, this was Kata’s fifth attempt at auditioning for the show, and this time she managed to prove that she had become a force to be reckoned with. Kata has been singing for most of her life, and now at twenty-nine, let’s just say that Kata won’t be backing down from her fear anytime soon. She is here to  remind us that it’s often the hardest and the darkest right before the dawn of our dreams. And often, what we fear the most is exactly the direction we should be moving towards.  I’m confident you will soon understand why Christina Aguillara, Adam Levine, Pharrell Williams and millions more fell in love with her endearing personality and remarkable ability to not back down or change herself for anyone.