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As humans, we’re designed for interdependence – we cannot go it alone. We’re designed to be part of networks and complement each other’s journeys. The title of this episode is one of the reaso…

As humans, we’re d…

As humans, we’re designed for interdependence – we cannot go it alone. We’re designed to be part of networks and complement each other’s journeys. The title of this episode is one of the reasons I started this podcast – to help listeners know they’re not alone in their feelings and life journey. But what happens when, due to your levels of sensitivity and empathy, you become so much in service to the feelings and needs of others that not only does it hold you back, but it holds others back?Scott Hackman, growing up as a highly sensitive child before terms like “empath” entered …

In a world where women are told to have it all, do it all, and be it all, the reality they face while actually trying to do these things is far more complex. The pay gap looms large – over the span …

In a world where wom…

In a world where women are told to have it all, do it all, and be it all, the reality they face while actually trying to do these things is far more complex. The pay gap looms large – over the span of a career, it takes 132 years to close – while the confidence gap, the leadership gap, and the broken rung in the corporate ladder persist.Erica Anderson Rooney has faced all these challenges intimately, personally, and head-on as she’s climbed the ranks to the C-suite while raising a family. But wait – there’s more.Erica grew up as the daughter of parents who divorced when she was very …

Imagine you’re less than 30 years old, and so tired you’re afraid to drive because you might fall asleep at the wheel and cause an accident.Picture the frustration of seeing doctor after doctor af…

Imagine you’re les…

Imagine you’re less than 30 years old, and so tired you’re afraid to drive because you might fall asleep at the wheel and cause an accident.Picture the frustration of seeing doctor after doctor after doctor, only to be told you’re not sick, just depressed.Then, after getting so many wrong answers, you conclude you have a brain tumor, because that seems to be the only possibility left.And while all this is going on, you’re also in a toxic relationship that, as part of the final scene, has you seeking a Protection from Abuse Order.This was Anne Desjardins’ journey to health.She was rai…

Fear often holds you back, even if it doesn’t make sense to be afraid. You can have everything you ever wanted – a fantastic career, creature comforts, Money to afford anything you need, plus “f…

Fear often holds you…

Fear often holds you back, even if it doesn’t make sense to be afraid. You can have everything you ever wanted – a fantastic career, creature comforts, money to afford anything you need, plus “f*ck-you money” in the bank that gives you the freedom to not have to do anything you don’t want to.And even with all that, you can still have an empty, nagging sense like you don’t really have anything at all.This has been Constantin Morun’s journey.Born in Romania, at the tail end of a vicious dictatorship that offered its people no consumer goods, banned typewriters, and forced citizens …

You know the saying: your network is your net worth.You can intentionally engineer the results by curating your circle of influence over time, keeping in touch, and being on the alert for subtle conne…

You know the saying:…

You know the saying: your network is your net worth.You can intentionally engineer the results by curating your circle of influence over time, keeping in touch, and being on the alert for subtle connections the casual observer might miss.And then you might unintentionally end up on a flight with the CEO of your former employer, take your chance on grabbing the seat next to him in first class, and seize the opportunity to create networking connections that help him close a major deal.Helen Fanucci took both approaches and had been able to practice and master the art of finding what’s possible…

When you work in sales, you of course want to build trust with your prospects and make them feel like you have their best interests at heart and aren’t simply selling them something just to earn a c…

When you work in sal…

When you work in sales, you of course want to build trust with your prospects and make them feel like you have their best interests at heart and aren’t simply selling them something just to earn a commission. Resilience, adaptability, and continuous learning are as important to your success as empathy, patience, and effective communication.Then there’s the question of whether you enjoy sales and believe in what you’re selling, or if it’s just a job and you’re doing the best you can to be decent at it. These, and other sentiments, are why today’s conversation with Gabe Lullo, the CE…

It’s called “continuous Growth” for a reason.When you cut down a tree, or a tree snaps and falls, the rings you’ll see reveal more than the age of the tree based on how many rings there are. E…

It’s called “con…

It’s called “continuous growth” for a reason.When you cut down a tree, or a tree snaps and falls, the rings you’ll see reveal more than the age of the tree based on how many rings there are. Each ring will be a different width, a different color or shade.Each of these rings tells a story about how changes in the environment impacted its growth and development as it grew from a sapling into a fully-fledged organism sprouting branches, growing leaves, bearing fruit, expanding its roots, or whatever other functions it performed during its life cycle.Jennifer Frye’s story of surviving do…

Living through the pandemic changed all of our lives, in one way or another.For some, it was coming to a realization that you didn’t feel like your business or your career was your true calling, in …

Living through the p…

Living through the pandemic changed all of our lives, in one way or another.For some, it was coming to a realization that you didn’t feel like your business or your career was your true calling, in which case it’s possible you may have encountered someone like today’s guest during your journey toward finding something more aligned with your life’s purpose.For others, it’s finding out that although you had a bunch of superficial or virtual interactions every day, you essentially felt alone. And maybe the friend or mentor you needed was someone you had never met, like in the form of a …

Do you think you’ve got it made?Today’s situation is remarkable for the sheer amount of disruption, rapid change, and even chaos that seems to spin faster and faster with each passing moment.Just …

Do you think you’v…

Do you think you’ve got it made?Today’s situation is remarkable for the sheer amount of disruption, rapid change, and even chaos that seems to spin faster and faster with each passing moment.Just in the past few years, the world has been turned upside down, stood back up, spun around, and sent into the rapids by a pandemic that has become endemic, political and social upheaval that might leave you feeling like nothing would really surprise you at this point, predictions becoming fact in weeks rather than years, and much more that few of us saw coming just five years ago.What if you could t…

Self-reliance. Determination and grit. Treating others the way you want to be treated.These are some of the most noble traits our society says we can possibly have, attributing people who exude them a…

Self-reliance. Deter…

Self-reliance. Determination and grit. Treating others the way you want to be treated.These are some of the most noble traits our society says we can possibly have, attributing people who exude them as being the product of a good upbringing and the kind of person we should aspire to be.These are also the traits than can bite you in the ass and f*ck everything up when they come back at you like a boomerang and whack you upside the head just when you think you’ve done it all right and everything’s fine.This is Michelle Charpentier’s story.She was raised with the “Golden Rule” by hardwo…

Imagine going about your day, following your routine, when out of the blue something comes along and knocks you to the ground, ending the life you’ve known up until that moment.In the movies, things…

Imagine going about …

Imagine going about your day, following your routine, when out of the blue something comes along and knocks you to the ground, ending the life you’ve known up until that moment.In the movies, things can go into slow motion, or you hear the “needle scratch” that ends the background music as everything comes to a shuttering halt and you fall to the ground.This was the moment Dori Staehle (pronounced STAY-LEE) got beat like a drum in a bicycle accident – and as she was soon to discover, drumming was going to be the next step.Dori told her professors she was raised by wolves. Her father be…

What do Anthony Hopkins, Dan Aykroyd, Courtney Love, Daryl Hannah, Jerry Seinfeld, Albert Einstein, Heather Kuzmich, Elon Musk, Lionel Messi, Eminem, and Satoshi Tajiri have in common?Celebrity? Creat…

What do Anthony Hopk…

What do Anthony Hopkins, Dan Aykroyd, Courtney Love, Daryl Hannah, Jerry Seinfeld, Albert Einstein, Heather Kuzmich, Elon Musk, Lionel Messi, Eminem, and Satoshi Tajiri have in common?Celebrity? Creativity? Fame? Fortune? Yes, all of them have these things to varying degrees. Each and every one of them also has (or in Einstein’s case, had) autism.So does author, actor, autism advocate, and animal rights activist Daniel Keith Austin, creator of the children’s book series, Chelsea’s New Journey. I was especially interested in hosting Daniel on the show because there are a lot of misconcept…

In conversations with friends and through my own experiences, I know our animals who’ve crossed the rainbow bridge can still communicate with us. My kitty girls show up in my dreams from time to tim…

In conversations wit…

In conversations with friends and through my own experiences, I know our animals who’ve crossed the rainbow bridge can still communicate with us. My kitty girls show up in my dreams from time to time. My guest today is Maribeth Decker. And when she started receiving messages from her dogs after they passed away, it led her to her current vocation.Like many of my guests, Maribeth was raised to conform to social expectations. Be good, be quiet, be smiley. Don’t ask questions. Do as you’re told. Whatever you’re told is the absolute truth. At age 13, she was out in the woods when she asked…

As a Gen-Xer, I remember when the prevalent view about being gay was that it was something you’d be afraid for people to find out about. It’s also been our generation that started to change that. …

As a Gen-Xer, I reme…

As a Gen-Xer, I remember when the prevalent view about being gay was that it was something you’d be afraid for people to find out about. It’s also been our generation that started to change that. We’ve come a long way in the past couple decades, but it can still be a frightening prospect if your family and community are predominantly heteronormative.With the stigma surrounding homosexuality that prevailed in the last century, can you blame someone for being afraid to come out, even if everyone they privately confided in has been completely understanding and supportive?This is Kevin O’C…

While it's difficult to track how many people with Cancer do not seek treatment, the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) conducted a study a few years ago that indicated about 9.2% of patients receive no…

While it's difficult…

While it's difficult to track how many people with cancer do not seek treatment, the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) conducted a study a few years ago that indicated about 9.2% of patients receive no first course of treatment.This could be for many reasons, including fear or disbelief in traditional or corporate medicine, alternative treatments that stay off the statistics, or they just say “fuck it” and decide to enjoy the time they have left the best they can.But what if you’re diagnosed with cancer and seeing an oncologist just doesn’t fit into your plan?This was Deb Krier.Deb was …

First of all, I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate all the work that’s gone into getting to this milestone of 150 episodes of Fine is a 4-Letter Word.In past solos, I’ve talked…

First of all, I’d …

First of all, I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate all the work that’s gone into getting to this milestone of 150 episodes of Fine is a 4-Letter Word.In past solos, I’ve talked about courage, doing what others won’t do, energy, and making decisions.If you’re not familiar with what I do outside of this show, I work with business leaders and corporate teams, giving them tools and techniques so they can be more focused, resilient, and collaborative so they can manage the distractions in their heads that keep them from being as productive as they’d like and move proje…

This meditation is designed to clear Stress and Anxiety so you can feel grounded and safe in this moment. Sometimes anxiety can spin you into a frenzy. Worrisome thoughts get stuck playing on an endle…

This meditation is d…

This meditation is designed to clear stress and anxiety so you can feel grounded and safe in this moment. Sometimes anxiety can spin you into a frenzy. Worrisome thoughts get stuck playing on an endless loop through your mind. It doesn’t feel good and it doesn’t serve you in any useful way. Use this one to bring yourself back to tranquility, serenity, and calm.Music credits: ©2017 Rebecca Reads Recordings Root Chakra Singing Bowls Note C

In almost all of my episodes on Fine is a 4-Letter Word, I deal in varying degrees with the circles of life.In two of the themes I explore with my guests – the values and beliefs they were raised wi…

In almost all of my …

In almost all of my episodes on Fine is a 4-Letter Word, I deal in varying degrees with the circles of life.In two of the themes I explore with my guests – the values and beliefs they were raised with, and the moment in their life when they realized or found out that everything wasn’t “fine” – we see how these themes come together. And see where some of the conscious as well as the subconscious imprints either trigger the latter and/or blaze the trail for self-discovery, self-improvement, and self-actualization.For the first time, I have a returning guest, Christina Robinson Race, wh…