Gratitude Through Hard Times

November 6, 2023

Kerry Siggins: Ownership Mindset

Nothing creates team buy-in more effectively than the “ownership mindset” espoused by our guest on this episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times. What’s the secret sauce? Kerry Siggins, CEO at StoneAge Inc., shares with Host Chris Schembra her powerful building blocks for cultivating workplace cultures rooted in accountability. It’s about caring – for colleagues, customers and ourselves – and ensuring that everyone feels seen and heard as well as empowered to act. She explains how StoneAge, an employee-owned manufacturer of waterjet tools and equipment for industrial cleaning based in Colorado, instills a sense of community and the safety to fail among its 250 employees (all of whom Kerry hopes to see become millionaires one day, thanks to their Employee-Owned Stock Plan, or ESOP). You’ll also hear all about Kerry’s latest passion project, her recently released book, "The Ownership Mindset: A Handbook for Transforming Your Life and Leadership." In it, she highlights her personal “hero’s journey” as well as hard-won lessons about how to conceive and execute corporate strategy. The formula includes several ingredients, the most important of which is learning how to formulate the right questions. Then ask, ask, ask again! Says Kerry: “You learn so much and quickly get to the root of what’s really going on if you’re curious. So that’s my superpower: Questions!” Find out how to find and foster an “ownership mindset” in your workplace by prioritizing gratitude, empathy, agency and curiosity. The show wraps up with a reminder from Chris that in today’s business global environment, these aren’t just soft skills, “they’re the hard skills needed to instill an ownership mindset within your team!” Click here if you’d like to grab a copy of Kerry’s just-released book, "The Ownership Mindset: A Handbook for Transforming Your Life and Leadership." Or check out her podcast, Reflect Forward: Conversations on Leadership, at this link. If you’d like to learn more about Chris and his 7:47 Virtual Gratitude Experience or subscribe to our newsletter, please visit this link. Click here to hear more fascinating conversations with Fortune 500 CEOs, professional athletes and entertainerswho have shared their human stories on Gratitude Through Hard Times. KEY TOPICS: If you could give credit or thanks to one person in your life that you don’t give enough credit or enough thanks to – that you’ve never thought to thank – who would that be? So many people, but above all her first boss out of college, whom she “did wrong” and disappointed but who taught her so much nonetheless. It’s Never too Late: About the power of bringing shame out of the shadows. Why Now and Why This Book? For starters, Kerry loves to write! It provided a creative outlet and alternative to her day-to-day tasks as CEO. A compelling need to give back by sharing her personal story. Changing One World at a Time: How Kerry’s journey – both personally and professionally – is a reflection of the “ownership mindset” she exemplifies. Defining “Ownership”: Why taking full responsibility for everything that happens in your life is transformational, empowering and foundational to leadership. Leaning In: About what it looks like to take full accountability, even when the future is unclear and outcomes unpredictable. Building an Ownership Mindset Culture: Ensure everyone feels like part of something bigger than themselves. Cultivate engagement and self-motivation. Encourage an ethos of caring – for co-workers, customers and ourselves. How StoneAge Team Members Learn to Take Full Agency: Training in both how to give and receive feedback. Teaching strategies for collaborating with people who hold differing viewpoints. Making it easy for people to admit mistakes and learn from them. Infusing the workplace culture with a communal sense of purpose, commitment and accountability. Modeling behaviors that reinforce an “ownership mindset” across the enterprise. You Must Act: Why all the best intentions in the world will not make things happen. Three Key Components to an Ownership Mindset: Take ownership: Lead yourself: Lead others. Curiosity is Key: How a growth mindset depends on asking questions. Kerry’s Superpower: Giving people the space to open up and brainstorm valuable ideas! Best Advice for Leaders: Learn how to ask good questions!Then ask, ask, ask! Research Shows: Managers who demonstrate empathy by asking their direct reports questions are viewed by bosses as better performers in their jobs. Gratitude & Recognition: Why people excel and businesses thrive when leaders foster workplace cultures in which everyone feels seen, honored and empowered. Look Inward: How problem-solvers and champions can (and must!) come from up, down and across the corporate structure. Two Questions to Check Imposter Syndrome and Quiet Self-Doubt: What’s the best things that can happen? What’s the worst thing that can happen? The Power of Reframing: What it looks like to move from a place of fear to a “posture of otherness” that focuses on bringing tools like empathy and gratitude to others. What’s Next for Kerry? She can’t wait to get started on her next book, about transformational change and the power of purpose in the workplace of today – tomorrow! Leveraging a culture of ownership, growth and innovation to create a thousand millionaires through StoneAge’s employee stock ownership plan. Speaking about and inspiring others to build an “ownership mindset.” QUOTABLE “When you feel shame, regret or guilt, the action urge is usually to hide, avoid, withdraw, shy away, be meek and small and that doesn’t help. Then we just ruminate on the guilt and shame.” (Chris) “It was really important for me to get back in touch with the creative, free spirit that is within me. And writing is a way to do that!” (Kerry) “If (my story) inspires even one person to overcome their own shame around choices they’ve made in life or show up differently as a leader and be the very best version of themselves … then I’ve done my job.” (Kerry) “(The ownership mindset) is the idea that things don’t happen to me, they happen because of me and I’m willing to lean into the responsibility of my choices, attitude and the way I show up.” (Kerry) “(The ownership mindset) is really a tool to help people feel like they’re more in control of their work, that they have autonomy and are trusted, that they’re cared about.” (Kerry) “The only way to own it is to act, but you have to create the safe space for people to act.” (Chris) “People want to share their stories, their opinions and ideas. So, if you ask really good questions, you can find out all kinds of information and get all kinds of new ideas.” (Kerry) “You learn so much and quickly get to the root of what’s really going on if you’re curious. So that’s my superpower: Questions.” (Kerry) “The economic potential of any successful team or organization lies not in the strength of individuals on your team but in your ability to help them connect, collaborate and champion a shared vision.” (Chris) “When we’re feeling Imposter Syndrome and fear, we’re really focused on ourselves ... (but) you can make it about somebody else and turn that negative self-doubt into a positive impact on someone else’s life.” (Kerry) “The power of questions, empathizing with those around you, giving gratitude around you – these are not just the soft skills that were once avoided in the boardroom. They’re the hard skills needed to instill an ownership mindset within your team.” (Chris) LINKS/FURTHER RESOURCES: Learn more about “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Seuss, at this link. Click here to find out about “the hero’s journey” and work of Joseph Campbell. More about the Gallup Organization’s survey work and CliftonStrengths here. ABOUT OUR GUEST: Kerry Siggins is the CEO of StoneAge, Inc., a global leader in designing and manufacturing high-pressure waterblasting and sewer cleaning tools and equipment used in the industrial cleaning industry. StoneAge sells and supports its products throughout the world and has over 170 dealers in 45 countries. She is also the Vice President of the Waterjet Technology Association (WJTA). Kerry joined StoneAge in January of 2007 as the Director of Operations. In 2009, she was named CEO by StoneAge’s Board of Directors and has since led the company in building a robust global presence resulting in double-digit growth year over year. She recently acquired Breadware, an Internet of Things (IoT) product development firm based in Reno, NV. FOLLOW KERRY: WEBSITE | LINKEDIN | BLOG ABOUT OUR HOST: Chris Schembra is a philosopher, question asker and facilitator. He's a columnist at Rolling Stone magazine, USA Today calls him their "Gratitude Guru" and he's spent the last six years traveling around the world helping people connect in meaningful ways. As the offshoot of his #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book, "Gratitude Through Hard Times: Finding Positive Benefits Through Our Darkest Hours,"he uses this podcast to blend ancient stoic philosophy and modern-day science to teach how the principles of gratitude can be used to help people get through their hard times. FOLLOW CHRIS: WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | LINKEDIN | BOOKS

44 min

October 13, 2023

Christina Luconi: Scale With Soul

Seek the stress. Scale with soul. Embrace your uniqueness. These are just a few of the pearls of wisdom flying fast and furious when Christina Luconi, Chief People Officer at Rapid7, visits with Host Chris Schembra on this episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times. Her self-awareness, strength and positive vision have not only been central to building out staff for some amazing startup companies (from inception through IPO). These are also the traits that have defined her full and fascinating life – whether taking her teen-aged daughters on a transformational trip to Tanzania or snatching life-giving lessons from a life-changing cancer diagnosis. This is a woman who brings her whole, authentic self to every interaction and in the process offers connection and empathy to others. You’ll learn about how Christina expresses gratitude and the powerful benefits it confers, rippling out in how she frames “negative autobiographical experiences.” Where did she find the courage to reinvent herself at the age of 14 without erasing who she was before? When did she realize that she held within her the ability to embrace things in tension and turn them into opportunity? Christina shares her journey and explains how she has been able to bridge her reality as the lone woman in many C-suites by staying true to her core values: “If you work hard enough, there aren’t a lot of boundaries you can’t overcome. IF you’re committed and drive towards that!” Tune in to find out why this Bostonian dynamo hopped in her car to pay Chris a visit. It’s a very special episode chalk full of “news you can use” and that you won’t want to miss! Interested in hearing more from Christina? She offers a treasure trove of interesting perspectives in more than 200 LinkedIn posts you can find at this link. Check out this brand new website to learn about the keynote topics and workplace leadership trends that are top of mind for Chris these days! And if you’re interested in having a 7:47 Virtual Gratitude Experience or subscribing to our newsletter, please visit this link. Click hereto hear more fascinating conversations with Fortune 500 CEOs, professional athletes and entertainerswho have shared their human stories on Gratitude Through Hard Times. KEY TOPICS: If you could give credit or thanks to one person in your life that you don’t give enough credit or thanks to – that you’ve never thought to thank – who would that be and why? Although she’s always been very intentional about sharing her appreciation, she still feels she couldn’t possibly have thanked her parents – whom she so admires – enough. Using the Right Words: About the power of expressing gratitude in language that resonates with the recipient. Breaking Rules: How Christina reinvented herself at the age of 14, figuring out how to expand her world and thinking in ways that have served her well ever since. Three Options for Managing Through a “Negative Autobiographical Experience”: Ignore it, pretend it didn’t happen and just move on. Talk it out with a therapist or by journaling and then move on. Specifically assign positive benefits that have occurred as a result and give thanks to it for becoming a beneficial part of your life story, a practice known as "grateful processing." Why Not Me? What Christina has come to understand about our ability to challenge our self-imposed limitations through humility, determination and drive. Breaking the Ceiling: How Christina figured out ways to leverage being the only woman in the room to break boundaries and elicit vulnerability in C-suites full of male entrepreneurs. A superpower! Buck the Statistics: Why it’s important not to get trapped by what is and surrender to a victim mentality rather than pushing the envelope and making change! Leading With Empathy: About the importance of understanding other people’s experiences and perspectives when navigating corporate culture and decision-making. Be the Change: When living with unresolved conflict impacts others with forms of entitlement and hearts at war. How Trauma Lands: Why every person’s threshold is different. Scaling With Soul: How to stay authentic under even the most stressful circumstances, like taking Rapid7 from being a startup with 75 employees to a publicly traded company with more than 2,000 global personnel. Christina’s World View: About the role of challenge and seeking while also keeping balance through life experiences that promote openness and awareness. Observing Versus Engaging; Empathy Versus Sympathy: It’s all in the perspective! Hope & Healing: How an attitude of gratitude – not found in comparison – yields very real mental, emotional and physical rewards. 365 Days: About Christina’s decision to write – and post publicly – her thoughts and experiences by pretending no one was reading them! It was about seeking connection with others and by putting herself out there, she did exactly that. When In Rome: How pasta and all its associations creates magic for Chris and Christina! Three Things From the Conversation: The power of Mudita, the dharmic concept of joy that comes from delighting in other people’s well-being (as Christina experienced in her chemo encounter). Christina lives life in a dialectic posture, embracing black and white as well as the gray. She is able to hold things in tension. While she’s open to therapy, what Christina finds most helpful and healing is candid conversations like this one with Chris! Timing Is Everything: How, when and why Chris and Christina connected. Honor the Moose: About the concept of aligning individual and team collaboration as part of the core corporate ethic at Rapid7. The 3C Model of Collaborative Leadership: Connect, Collaborate and Champion. In Parting: What it was that inspired Christina to get in her car and drive 3.5 hours from Boston to NYC in order to connect and share meaningful conversation with Chris! Closing the Gratitude Loop: Christina’s message for her parents and daughters. QUOTABLE “Life is about connections … For me what has made the work that I’ve done or my life interesting is the connections I’ve made with people. It makes my world expand.” (Christina) “There’s something beautiful about (not) turning your back on the past but looking for the positive benefits in it and keeping it as part of your life story.” (Chris) “Everything I have lived through is an opportunity. There are things that I’ve screwed up or am not proud of, but I don’t dwell on them. I look at what I can take away from that moment and do better.” (Christina) “If you work hard enough, there aren’t a lot of boundaries you can’t overcome. IF you’re committed and drive towards that!” (Christina) “Life is not about avoiding bad things happening to you. Life is about avoiding a negative mental attitude when those things occur.” (Chris) “Scaling with soul is about how you keep the essence of your value set and what you’re trying to be … You can still be a really great place!” (Christina) “You can observe or you can engage. And those are two really different things.” (Christina) “There’s good in everybody. You just have to be open to finding it and open-hearted to know that just because someone is different from you doesn’t make them better or worse. We’re all just humans.” (Christina) “Hard times don’t have to create loneliness. Hard times can create meaningful moments of connection.” (Chris) “All the best things in my life have happened when I’ve said ‘yes,’ versus ‘no.’ ” (Christina) LINKS/FURTHER RESOURCES: Click here to learn more about “Taking Care of Business? Grateful Processing of Unpleasant Memories,” the study conducted by researchers at Eastern Washington University. "The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict," by The Arbinger Institute. More about the many benefits of an attitude of gratitude available at this link. "No One Wins Alone," by Mark “the Moose” Messier. ABOUT OUR GUEST: Christina Luconi leads Rapid7’s strategic people initiatives as its Chief People Officer. She is responsible for the entire employee lifecycle, with critical focus on recruiting stellar talent, building and inspiring corporate culture, acquisition integration, and “scaling with soul.” Prior to joining Rapid7, Christina was the owner of People Innovations, an independent consulting firm focused on the creation of innovative people strategies for startups and high-growth companies, primarily in the high technology industry. Christina also served as Chief People Officer at @stake, a professional services security firm that she helped build from the launch through its acquisition by Symantec. She also played the role of Vice President of People Strategy at Sapient Corporation. Joining the company prior to its public offering, she was responsible for building the people-focused side of the company from the ground up, aligning business strategy with people needs. Christina also played a critical role as a member of the senior management team, focusing on the strategic and operational direction of the company as well as executing acquisitions, from due diligence through integration. FOLLOW OUR GUEST: WEBSITE | LINKEDIN ABOUT OUR HOST: Chris Schembra is a philosopher, question asker and facilitator. He's a columnist at Rolling Stone magazine, USA Today calls him their "Gratitude Guru" and he's spent the last six years traveling around the world helping people connect in meaningful ways. As the offshoot of his #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book, "Gratitude Through Hard Times: Finding Positive Benefits Through Our Darkest Hours,"he uses this podcast to blend ancient stoic philosophy and modern-day science to teach how the principles of gratitude can be used to help people get through their hard times. FOLLOW CHRIS: WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | LINKEDIN| BOOKS

98 min

September 5, 2023

Rich Balot: Core Values At Center Stage

Core values take center stage on this heartfelt episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times, featuring a highly successful entrepreneur whose accomplishments reflect his commitment to creating human connection. Rich Balot, CEO at Victra (the largest authorized retailer of Verizon products in the nation), is all about fostering innovation, collaboration and integrity – at home, on the job and in his community. That passion for doing the right thing infuses the ethic you’ll encounter at any of his 1,700 locations across all 50 states and in the dedication his 7,500 employees bring to their work. Host Chris Schembra gives us a window into what drives Rich – from his reverence for family to his belief in offering kids alternatives to traditional four-year college educations; from thoughts on how to build a great and growing company to why celebration is critical to making a meaningful life. “If you get a really well-functioning group of people together, you can get way more out of them and they can accomplish much more than they would individually,” says Rich, whose leadership and vision have secured for Victra a place on Inc. Magazine’s list of top 5,000 fastest growing U.S. companies every year over the past decade. Most of all, you’ll come away with the strong sense that – no matter the current economic, technological or political climate – we’re not meant to be in isolation or make the journey all on our own! Don’t miss the far-ranging and fascinating topics that Rich and his team tackle in the Victra Blog. You may also be interested in supporting Haven at Blue Creek, an amazing nonprofit run by Rich’s wife, Colleen, that provides residential support for women in recovery. Check out this brand new website to learn about the keynote topics and workplace leadership trends that are top of mind for Chris these days! And if you’re interested in having a 7:47 Virtual Gratitude Experience or subscribing to our newsletter, please visit this link. Click here to hear more fascinating conversations with Fortune 500 CEOs, professional athletes and entertainerswho have shared their human stories on Gratitude Through Hard Times. KEY TOPICS: If you could give credit or thanks to one person in your life that you don’t give enough credit or thanks to – that you’ve never thought to thank – who would that be and why? Mom! Marlene is on the quieter side and not in the business, but she’s the heart of Rich’s family-oriented company! The Quiet One: How listening is a skill that Rich has cultivated (with assists from his mom and wife) as part of a bigger philanthropic mission to give back on a daily basis. The Hitchhiker Rule: Why it’s important to recognize those who are trying to help themselves. It’s about giving a “hand up” not a “hand-out.” Critical Skill: How a desire to reach, give effort, try to do better shows up in outcomes. Big-Picture Education: About Rich’s belief that traditional four-year colleges aren’t for everyone and that trade schools are a great, financially viable alternative. An Entrepreneur is an Entrepreneur: Anyone who founds their own business – no matter its size – represents independence, innovation and opportunity. The Pursuit of Happiness: How challenging, meaningful work intertwines with and serves our sense of purpose, quality of life, mental, physical and emotional well-being. Renewable Resources: Why it’s important to cultivate practices and hobbies that nourish us and recharge our batteries so we can be of service to others. Brand Identity: How a sense of belonging is woven into the culture at Victra, where customers are considered “guests” and given the attention and help they deserve. Rich Cultivates Human Connection in the Workplace By: Recognizing that humans need social interaction. Looking for ways to replicate things that work. Sharing notes about what works – and doesn’t! Promoting collaboration as the secret sauce! What Drives Victra's Success: A good model, a good team. It’s not just a J-O-B. What Excites Rich Most? Learning! And inspiring curiosity and drive among younger generations as well. (Also: catching fish – including a recent 500-pound blue marlin!) In Closing: We aren’t meant to be alone or isolated on our journeys – and we don’t have to be when we persevere, keep faith, seek connection and hold space for one another! QUOTABLE “One of the goals of our giving has been to not tell people what we’re doing … because we’re not doing it to get credit.” (Rich) “When you can give, you do. When you can do, you do. And you’re not doing it because you need credit for it. You’re doing it because it’s the right thing and needs to be done.” (Rich) “There are some people out there who say they want help but don’t do anything about it.” (Rich) “I can’t make someone hungry – and I’m not talking about food but about wanting that next thing.” (Rich) “Not everyone needs to go to college. Not everyone needs a college degree … Kids need to be exposed to more than technology and books. Technology is very important but they need to be exposed to other opportunities.” (Rich) “Not everyone was designed for college and, by the way, in our work force we need tradespeople to keep the world moving forward day by day.” (Rich) “An entrepreneur is an entrepreneur. It doesn’t matter whether you’re running a huge company or a small company.” (Rich) “I’m in business to make money for both myself and my employees but we’re not going to just cram things down people’s throats.” (Rich) “If you get a really well-functioning group of people together, you can get way more out of them and they can accomplish much more than they would individually.” (Rich) “Your people are your secret sauce for human connection and that leads to outsized business results.” (Chris) “Do the hard stuff you need to do to get ahead in life, but celebrate it all thoroughly – with your family, amongst community. Do things that are good for the heart at the same time that you’re doing things that are good for others.” (Chris) “We are suffering under the agitation of uncertain times. But the good news is that we can get through these tough times if we go through it together. Don’t go through it alone!” (Chris) LINKS/FURTHER RESOURCES: More about Ron Carson, Founder of Carson Wealth, at this link. To learn about Catholic Charities’ relief efforts, click here. Find out about the Ron Clark Academy charter school in Atlanta, Ga. Harness passion with Dwayne J. Clark and his E.P.I.C leadership offsite at this website. Learn more about the residential recovery work being done at Haven at Blue Creek. ABOUT OUR GUEST: Rich Balot is a serial entrepreneur with a demonstrated history of building successful teams and businesses. Skilled in Business Planning, he also provides coaching expertise in sales and retail strategy as well as how to build a winning culture. FOLLOW OUR GUEST: WEBSITE | LINKEDIN ABOUT OUR HOST: Chris Schembra is a philosopher, question asker and facilitator. He's a columnist at Rolling Stone magazine, USA Today calls him their "Gratitude Guru" and he's spent the last six years traveling around the world helping people connect in meaningful ways. As the offshoot of his #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book, "Gratitude Through Hard Times: Finding Positive Benefits Through Our Darkest Hours,"he uses this podcast to blend ancient stoic philosophy and modern-day science to teach how the principles of gratitude can be used to help people get through their hard times. FOLLOW CHRIS: WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | LINKEDIN| BOOKS

47 min

September 1, 2023

Valeria Torres: Going All In

Are you all in? Our guest, Valeria Torres, wants to know! As Director of Operations & Strategic Consulting at 8 Figure Firm – a fast-growing Atlanta-based provider of professional services for law firms – she is sharing with Host Chris Schembra the key ingredients for leadership success on this episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times. A research maven, Valeria explains the value in personality assessments and has stats to back up her approach to increasing workplace flow (and life flow, too, for that matter!). You’ll learn about the pivotal figures (shout out to her brother, Pablo) and very personal experiences that have shaped Valeria’s dynamic approach to life. She’s also teaching us how to managing through those inevitable “fight-or-flight” moments and highlighting the benefits that accrue to leaders (at law firms and everywhere else) who recognize the good in themselves and extend that gratitude out towards others. As we know, both from science and lived experience, an atmosphere of empathy in which people feel seen, heard and valued is an atmosphere of growth without limitation. Don’t miss this lively conversation with an industry thought leader whose unique perspective and suggestions will leave you clamoring for more! Whether you’re looking for dedicated consulting, group coaching, marketing management or a mastermind experience, 8 Figure Firm was created by lawyers for lawyers. Founded by Seth Bader and Luis Scott, based on practices developed in their tremendously successful practice, they offer the tools you need to grow the legal team you desire! In other breaking news, please join us in inaugurating a new phase of 7:47’s quest to help amazing companies build strong, connected client and team relationships. With the launch of ChrisSchembra.com comes an exciting opportunity to explore the power of asking the right questions and framing the important conversations. Founder Chris Schembra, the bestselling author of "Gratitude Through Hard Times: Finding Positive Benefits Through Our Darkest Hours," offers compelling keynotes on topics such as how to elevate workplace engagement by fostering human connection and why it’s critical to cultivate client relationships that are transformational – not just transactional! If you’d like to learn more about Chris and his 7:47 Virtual Gratitude Experience or subscribe to our newsletter, please visit this link. Click hereto hear more fascinating conversations with Fortune 500 CEOs, professional athletes and entertainerswho have shared their human stories on Gratitude Through Hard Times. KEY TOPICS: If you could give credit or thanks to one person in your life that you don’t give enough credit or thanks to – that you’ve never thought to thank – who would that be and why? Her brother, Pablo, whose empowering love has been an “instrumental” part of her life. Finding the Words: How Pablo’s acts of service and ability to express love set the stage for Valeria’s drive and commitment to “being there.” Making the Climb: Why it’s important to remember that leaders are made – not born – and it’s a process that requires grace along the journey. Valeria’s Leadership Learnings: Allow yourself to sit back and listen rather than speak. Ask – don’t assume. Don’t take things personally. Find ways to receive constructive feedback. Put yourself in a place to embrace the wisdom of others. Holding Space: How Valeria learned (through mentors as well as trial and error) to take a step back and open herself to lessons she needed to learn and hear. Listening vs. Solution Design: Chris shares a recent client breakthrough – realizing that leaders don’t necessarily have to have all the answers. Not at all! Teaching Leaders How to Listen: Know who you are talking to and how they can best be reached. Tailor your message in a way that your audience can hear it. Use the “mirroring technique” to shift motion and tone. Ask questions that reframe the communications dynamic. Use what, when, where, why and other questions to open conversation. Leveraging Your Personality Profile: Be self-aware and able to step back, observe. Know that there’s no such thing as perfection. Leverage personal tendencies to optimize potential. Valeria’s Formula for Strong Law Firm Leadership: Moving drive into discipline. Moving motivation into obsession. Having a drive to succeed and accomplish goals. Being all in! Passing on the Gratitude: Why thanks for things or people in the past can’t always be given, but the chance to pay it forward is always there! Getting Into the Flow: How a challenge to her mental health enabled Valeria to know and face fears that were holding her back from claiming an authentic life of self-awareness. Know Your Amygdala: How to manage “negative memory bias” by deliberately balancing "fight-or-flight" reflexes with gratitude, which invites positivity. Scaling Gratitude: Why Valeria invites participants in leadership trainings to offer something that’s going right! Opening Doors: About recognizing the good in ourselves as a conduit to feeling similarly generous and open-hearted towards others. It creates community! Concentric Circles of Gratitude: First: Find gratitude for yourself. Second: Find gratitude for your team. Third: Find gratitude for your customers. Fourth: Find gratitude for your communities and humanity as a whole. In Closing: Valeria asks, “Are you all in?” If not, it’s time to commit to locating your truest self and purpose! QUOTABLE “I’ve learned to sit back and listen rather than speak; ask and not assume.” (Valeria) “The biggest lesson in asking a question is not asking just to ask it, but asking and waiting to listen to what has to be said.” (Valeria) “It’s about creating space for transformation – asking or sharing something that might shift a perspective on life. You need space to process that.” (Chris) “You’re going to touch people’s ego when you try to teach them something. You’re going to have doubt, fear, all these emotions that are very human and normal but that people don’t talk about.” (Valeria) “Not all successful people know everything. Not all successful people are without fear or doubt. All of us have it. It’s just how well can you manage it and move forward rather than stay stagnant and stuck?” (Valeria) “Not all gratitude given is gratitude heard. Gratitude … can sometimes come across as convenient, selfish or lazy.” (Chris) “The failures and bad moments can be a privilege to experience … (because) what you don’t know can start eating away at you.” (Valeria) “Gratitude is just really good for business and it’s really good for people. Because, at the end of the day, we aren’t profit-making monster machines. We are humans and every human deserves to be loved, heard and valued.” (Chris) LINKS/FURTHER RESOURCES: More about Dr. Gary Chapman’s 5 Love Languages can be found here. Learn about mirroring and other communication techniques in Chris Voss’s book, "Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It." "The Art of Impossible: A Peak Performance Primer," by Steven Kotler. Learn about how Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) works at this link. ABOUT OUR GUEST: Valeria Torres is the Director of Operations and Business Portfolio Consultant for 8 Figure Firm. She provides operations management methods to law entrepreneurs nationwide, helping them streamline their operations and strengthen their businesses’ portfolios. Using a specialized methodology, she fosters new ways of thinking and develops strategic opportunities and managing projects intended to enhance your law firm’s growth. FOLLOW OUR GUEST: WEBSITE | LINKEDIN ABOUT OUR HOST: Chris Schembra is a philosopher, question asker and facilitator. He's a columnist at Rolling Stone magazine, USA Today calls him their "Gratitude Guru" and he's spent the last six years traveling around the world helping people connect in meaningful ways. As the offshoot of his #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book, "Gratitude Through Hard Times: Finding Positive Benefits Through Our Darkest Hours,"he uses this podcast to blend ancient stoic philosophy and modern-day science to teach how the principles of gratitude can be used to help people get through their hard times. FOLLOW CHRIS: WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | LINKEDIN| BOOKS| SPEAKING

43 min

August 22, 2023

Patty Arvielo: The New American Dream

We’re shining a light on the difference between luck and blessings when Patty Arvielo, co-founder & CEO of New American Funding, joins host Chris Schembra on this episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times. Running the largest Latina-owned mortgage company in the U.S. while nurturing a network of younger women coming up behind her, Patty is all about leaning into humanness. She shares the many ways in which gratitude and empathy have served as beacons professionally, as a parent and throughout a 27-year marriage that embodies commitment and respect. You’ll learn about how Patty and her husband, Rick, founded New American Funding in 2003 and grew it into a juggernaut that has underwritten 250,000 mortgages worth $69 billion and employs 4,000 people – a majority of whom are women and 41% of whom are minorities. All this success is rooted in Patty’s intentionality around core values, like creating positive impact and improving the lives of others. Want to manifest abundance and overcome fear? Patty is here with words of wisdom and perspective you won’t want to miss! You can learn much more about what Patty is up to and the mentorship opportunities she hosts by clicking this link to follow her on Instagram and following #WeAllGrow and the many initiatives she supports. Cultivating moments of meaningful connection is hard – and perhaps not a value central to our workplace cultures. But if we show up in vulnerability and truth, we erase poverty of the soul while building great businesses! If you’d like to learn more about Chris and his 7:47 Virtual Gratitude Experience or subscribe to our newsletter, please visit this link. Click hereto hear more fascinating conversations with Fortune 500 CEOs, professional athletes and entertainers who have shared their human stories on Gratitude Through Hard Times. KEY TOPICS: If you could give credit or thanks to one person in your life that you don’t give enough credit or enough thanks to – that you’ve never thought to thank – who would that be? Her husband, Rick, who has committed his life to the project of building a life, business and family together. It All Takes Work: How her commitment to marriage mirrors the commitment Patty believes is required to establish and grow anything meaningful in life. Expressing Gratitude: Why it’s so important that we teach our children to appreciate and cultivate a sense of appreciation in the day to day. Consider This: Are you using fear or a lack of gratitude as a protection mechanism against pain or disappointment? Managing Fear: Look at life holistically as a full range of experiences, including adversity. Build self-awareness and spiritual strength into your framework. Prepare for hard times. Learn from setbacks (and how to stop repeating them!). Climbing Out of the Hole: How life’s hard times provide us a necessary invitation to growth and human connection. Being Blessed: How Patty’s commitment to doing the right thing combined with hard work and gratitude add up to “getting what I give.” It’s not luck! Dreams v. Manifestations: About being fully awake to the visions we want to work towards and building a solid infrastructure for what we want. Being in the People Business: Why the heart of Patty’s daily work is understanding, developing, mentoring and celebrating the people with whom she’s in business. Seeking Change and Practicing Radical Acceptance: How Patty pursues her goals and dreams while also tempering them through self-awareness and understanding the “why.” Questioning: The key to growth, purpose and recognizing what’s most important! Daily Impact: How Patty is using her experience and skill set to empower and support younger Latinx women embarking on their entrepreneurial paths. Closing Thoughts: The person Patty respects most on the planet is her husband, Rick, with whom she has built a committed and intentional life. Because of its positive nature, Patty felt good about visiting the GTHT pod. Promoting empathetic leaders in all their humanness is a core value and priority for Patty, who leads with her heart. The levels of despair among members of the American workforce – including among executive ranks – are troubling. You can push back by focusing on abundance, gratitude and human connection. QUOTABLE “(My husband and I) see commitment as a daily event in our lives. Not just walking down the aisle and a piece of paper.” (Patty) “When I feel fear or am scared of making decisions, it’s in action that I’m able to move forward. I’m not complacent. I don’t hide. And I don’t complain.” (Patty) “If you look at a negative autobiographical experience that put you in a hole or a moment of adversity, the positive benefits far outweigh the negative. You can actually be grateful that that thing occurred.” (Chris) “Anything you intend to do to impact your life and make it better is creating blessings for yourself and putting in the work to create the life you want. That isn’t luck. That’s work!” (Patty) “I find myself getting a lot of satisfaction in helping others and creating happiness for others when they’re aligned with things that I’m doing.” (Patty) “If you’re competing with companies that are like yours, they have the same journey and struggles as you. When you’re around like-minded people in the same business as you, it’s really an ‘aha’ moment!” (Patty) “When you seek out and find your purpose, things will become clearer to you … I know my purpose is to impact others. It’s what I enjoy. I love the little wins.” (Patty) “Yes, cultivating meaningful moments is hard. It requires unyielding vulnerability and courage and deep trust and truth … but it erases the poverty of the soul. It’s the way to build a business that you’re proud of.” (Chris) LINKS/FURTHER RESOURCES: Check out Gary Chapman’s book, "The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts." Find out more about the Hogan Personality Assessment. Click here to find out about Kurt Vonnegut’s “Man in the Hole” theory. About "Grateful Processing," a concept developed by Prof. Phillip Watkins of Eastern Washington University. Explore Mike Foster’s "Seven Primal Questions." Follow this link to learn about “Ubuntu” and how the South African philosophy triggered one of the biggest turnarounds in NBA history. ABOUT OUR GUEST: Patty is an award-winning entrepreneur and Co-Founder and CEO of New American Funding. A first-generation Hispanic, her path to mortgage industry began at age 16 with a hard-work ethic and an entry-level position at TransUnion Credit. From there, she landed a job at a prominent mortgage company, where she would rise through the ranks and learn the business from the ground up, eventually becoming branch manager and assistant vice president. In 2003, Patty and her husband, Rick Arvielo, launched their own mortgage company, New American Funding. In the years since, Patty has helped transform the company into one of the largest independent mortgage lenders in the United States today with a servicing portfolio of over 250,000 loans for $69 billion. She also oversaw the creation and expansion of the company’s retail lending operation, which grew a small local operation to a national powerhouse with more than 170 locations and thousands of employees across the country. Today, Patty oversees nearly 4,000 employees, 54% of whom are women and 41% who are minorities. FOLLOW PATTY: WEBSITE | LINKEDIN| INSTAGRAM | #WeAllGrow ABOUT OUR HOST: Chris Schembra is a philosopher, question asker and facilitator. He's a columnist at Rolling Stone magazine, USA Today calls him their "Gratitude Guru" and he's spent the last six years traveling around the world helping people connect in meaningful ways. As the offshoot of his #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book, "Gratitude Through Hard Times: Finding Positive Benefits Through Our Darkest Hours,"he uses this podcast to blend ancient stoic philosophy and modern-day science to teach how the principles of gratitude can be used to help people get through their hard times. FOLLOW CHRIS: WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | LINKEDIN | BOOKS

44 min

August 17, 2023

Coach Dar: Awaken Your Greatness

Are you ready to awaken your greatness? On this episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times we learn why Darleen Santore – known affectionately as “Coach Dar” – is all about cultivating self-awareness and clarity – not tomorrow, but today! A bestselling author, she mentors professional athletes at the peak of their careers as well as C-suite leaders across a spectrum of Fortune 500 companies. Host Chris Schembra invites Coach Dar to share insights into the 9 Principles that form the basis for her powerful new book, "The Art of Bouncing Back: Find Your Flow to Thrive at Work and in Life -- Any Time You're Off Your Game." We’ve all experienced – and will continue to experience – adversity. That’s just part of the human condition, explains Coach Dar. The question is: Are we willing to do the work and bring the awareness? Do you have the toolkit to ensure “Setbacks don’t define you. Comebacks only refine you.” If not, you’re in luck! You’ll come away from this compelling conversation with actionable ideas to help propel you through even the toughest downturns (which Coach Dar, who has battled back from three strokes, understands very intimately). Based on decades of experience as an occupational therapist, mental strength and conditioning coach, her book is full of scorecards, exercises and a concrete framework to help us find our flow and thrive – even (or especially) when we’re facing hard times! Here’s your invitation to increase mental toughness, resilience and a sense of wellbeing. Embrace your “why” power! Visit this link if you’d like to order Coach Dar’s empowering book full of tips to shift your mindset and ensure peak performance, "The Art of Bouncing Back: Find Your Flow to Thrive at Work and in Life -- Any Time You're Off Your Game." If you’d like to learn more about Chris and his 7:47 Virtual Gratitude Experience or subscribe to our newsletter, please visit this link. Click here to hear more fascinating conversations with Fortune 500 CEOs, professional athletes and entertainerswho have shared their human stories on Gratitude Through Hard Times. KEY TOPICS: “If you could give credit or thanks to one person in your life that you don’t give enough credit or thanks to – that you’ve never thought to thank – who would that be? The go-to has to be Dar’s mom, Linny. Even though she’s no longer alive, the inspiration and faith she inspired in her daughter are a living, breathing part of every day. Setbacks don’t define you. Comebacks only refine you! About understanding the power of getting back up from our knees, only to do better and be stronger. Cultivating Resiliency: What it looks like to use Coach Dar’s tools to develop mental toughness (of the kind she has used in overcoming multiple strokes). Raising the Bar: Why human beings have within them the ability to sow seeds of hope and nurture them into powerful advances for the collective good. Understanding Principle #6: Activating emotional intelligence – and embracing the full range of human response – is not only empowering but a platform for leadership and connection. Learn to take a pause, bringing intentionality to what you’re feeling and then expressing it in a clear, constructive way. Reactivity does not serve or enhance communication. It’s a balancing act between expression and self-restraint that leaves room enough for meaningful conversation. Actionable Advice: How Coach Dar interweaves scorecards, worksheets and other exercises throughout the 9 Principles framework spelled out in her bestseller. The Transformational Power of Gratitude: Principle #1: Embracing the suck fosters hope. Principle #7: Reframing setbacks shifts perspective. About the Journey: The message of hope Coach Dar found while recovering from three strokes and how it applies to the lives of professional athletes and the rest of us as well! It’s All Waves: Coach Dar reflects on the cycles of challenge we all inevitably face and how we can navigate adversity by marshalling tools like those she offers. Words to the Wise: Do not do this work alone! Our life journeys require communal wisdom and support. Never be too proud to work on being better! “Why” Power: About the importance of developing a clear understanding of what motivates you and will propel you forward, even when things get tough. Remember: Will power dies where “why” power stays lit and lives on! QUOTABLE “It’s all about the impact we make on the community in front of us.” (Coach Dar) “When you give someone hope and something to hold onto and look forward to, they’re going to get up – even when everything is working against them.” (Coach Dar) “I can’t take adversity away from you but I can sure as heck help you be stronger when it hits!” (Coach Dar) “We connect not through our accolades but through vulnerability. When we behave vulnerably we have a bond that is so beautiful. It’s showing the humanness in us.” (Coach Dar) “Feeling emotion is so important. And then what you do with it is equally important ... Feel emotion and then do the right thing with it!” (Coach Dar) “When you shift your perspective, you shift your life. If you can go to a place of gratitude, then you can start to see … how obstacles become opportunities.” (Coach Dar) “When you love and are grateful for where you are, everything starts to shift.” (Coach Dar) “You’re going to leave this world. How you leave it, what people feel around you, the work you put out there – let it be of excellence, service or gratitude.” (Coach Dar) “When you live with greater intention, you show up better. And when you show up better, things happen. Let your ‘why’ fuel you!” (Coach Dar) LINKS/FURTHER RESOURCES: More about the Pixar film – heartily recommended – "Inside Out." Click here to find out about Kurt Vonnegut’s “Man in the Hole” theory. ABOUT OUR GUEST: Known as “Coach Dar,” Darleen Santore helps individuals gain mental strength, clarity and focus in order to live well, lead well and reach new heights. She believes the key to achieving goals and dreams is to Raise the Bar in our thinking and daily approach to life through customized coaching techniques. Coach Dar has spent the past 24 years as an occupational therapist, personal development, and mental strength & conditioning coach helping thousands reach their fullest potential. Her clients range from Fortune 100 executives, artists, professional athletes to high school and college students as well as large organizations. FOLLOW COACH DAR: WEBSITE | LINKEDIN | BOOK ABOUT OUR HOST: Chris Schembra is a philosopher, question asker and facilitator. He's a columnist at Rolling Stone magazine, USA Today calls him their "Gratitude Guru" and he's spent the last six years traveling around the world helping people connect in meaningful ways. As the offshoot of his #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book, "Gratitude Through Hard Times: Finding Positive Benefits Through Our Darkest Hours,"he uses this podcast to blend ancient stoic philosophy and modern-day science to teach how the principles of gratitude can be used to help people get through their hard times. FOLLOW CHRIS: WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | LINKEDIN | BOOKS

37 min

August 16, 2023

Cinzia Beretta: Emotional Intelligence

Welcome to another insightful episode of 'Gratitude Through Hard Times,' where we explore the profound impact of emotional intelligence in leadership and its role in fostering meaningful connections within the workplace. I'm thrilled to introduce our esteemed guest today, Cinzia Beretta, a true trailblazer in the world of global communications and people operations. With over two decades of experience, Cinzia has not only honed her expertise in culture, employee engagement, talent growth, and leadership development, but she has also become a champion of emotional intelligence. Her passion for her Italian heritage and her remarkable journey within a multinational American company have provided her with a unique perspective on the power of EQ. In this episode, we have the privilege of delving into Cinzia's wealth of experience and wisdom. She will share practical insights on how to leverage emotional intelligence to transform leadership styles and achieve remarkable results. Cinzia's approach is grounded in authenticity, empathy, and self-awareness — key pillars of EQ that can revolutionize the way we connect with others. In a world where the dynamics of workplaces are constantly evolving, Cinzia's insights remind us of the timeless value of emotional intelligence. By embracing these principles, we can navigate challenges, nurture genuine connections, and pave the way for exceptional personal and professional growth. If you’d like to learn more about Chris and his 7:47 Virtual Gratitude Experience or subscribe to our newsletter, please visit this link. Click hereto hear more fascinating conversations with Fortune 500 CEOs, professional athletes and entertainerswho have shared their human stories on Gratitude Through Hard Times. KEY TOPICS: Importance of Connection: Gratitude, empathy, and human connection in the workplace for meaningful interactions. Workplace Challenges: Addressing disengagement crisis and loneliness epidemic, advocating for authentic connections. Emotional Intelligence (EQ): Introduction of EQ as a solution for better relationships, based on the EQ I 2.0 model. Mindset Shift: Emphasizing present moment awareness, acknowledging emotions, and demonstrating empathy in leadership. EQ I 2.0 Model: Overview of the five key areas - self-perception, self-expression, interpersonal relationships, decision-making, stress management. Living in the Present: Discussion on the value of being present, fostering authentic interactions and connections. EQ and Leadership: Exploring EQ's role in effective leadership and building meaningful workplace relationships. EQ and Well-Being: Linking EQ to personal well-being and improved performance, leading to a positive outlook. Practicing EQ: Encouragement to actively develop emotional intelligence, cultivate empathy, and create genuine connections. QUOTABLE "We have a disengagement crisis. We have a loneliness epidemic and the principles you'll hear today help solve that pressing issue." "This is a podcast series around the importance of gratitude, empathy, and human connection to create meaningful moments of connection within your workplace." "The great news about what Cinzia has just said to build your emotional intelligence muscle. The good news is that you don't have to be born with emotional intelligence. It can be developed over time." "We have record low stakeholder engagement levels within the workplace and that creates record high stress and depression levels amongst our teams." "The need to create meaningful moments of human connection within the workplace is greater now than ever before." "If you're not living in the present moment, how can you authentically react, relate, connect, or serve authentically?" "We are wired to react emotionally first and then we move on to rationalize them." "You have all the answers so you are empowering this person to find their own way. You're just walking next to them." "Emotional intelligence might be expressed and shown like all emotions in different ways across the world because of different cultures, diversity." "Acknowledging the emotions of others, that's developing empathy, that's understanding the feelings and perspectives of those you serve." ABOUT OUR GUEST: Cinzia Beretta is a multicultural global leader living in Italy. She is passionate about diversity, cultures, languages, inclusiveness and building meaningful human connections across the globe. Her energy comes from leading and working with senior leaders, teams and individuals, enabling them to thrive, unleash their potential and stay engaged with experiential learning, transformative growth programs, coaching and culture communication. She has spent her 20+ year career working in a variety of communication areas, focusing in particular on culture and employee engagement and (more recently) on leadership development in a big multinational company. On top of her communication activities, she currently leads multi-language learning, growth and coaching programs for emerging leaders, to accelerate their transformative growth in international environments and retain top talents during moments of change. She believes coaching and emotional intelligence are key to help leaders (and people in general) connect with other human beings in an authentic way and pursue a fulfilled balanced and ultimately happy life. FOLLOW OUR GUEST: LINKEDIN ABOUT OUR HOST: Chris Schembra is a philosopher, question asker and facilitator. He's a columnist at Rolling Stone magazine, USA Today calls him their "Gratitude Guru" and he's spent the last six years traveling around the world helping people connect in meaningful ways. As the offshoot of his #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book, "Gratitude Through Hard Times: Finding Positive Benefits Through Our Darkest Hours,"he uses this podcast to blend ancient stoic philosophy and modern-day science to teach how the principles of gratitude can be used to help people get through their hard times. FOLLOW CHRIS: WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | LINKEDIN| BOOKS

41 min

August 4, 2023

Heath Ritenour: Leaning Into Vulnerability

Welcome Back to Gratitude Through Hard Times! You’ll learn on this episode how one of the nation’s insurance leaders is fueled by authenticity and vulnerability, superpowers available to all of us if we’re brave enough to go there. In the case of our guest, Heath Ritenour, a bout with cancer proved an opportunity to drop the corporate mask in favor of prioritizing human connection among the 1,500 employees and 72,000 customers affiliated with Insurance of America (IOAUSA), among the nation’s largest private agencies. We learn about how Heath came to embrace the family business, founded by his parents, and carve out a leadership style that has supported exponential growth. As he explains to Host Chris Schembra, Heath has reaped profound rewards through the practice of gratitude, personally and in the workplace context. He doesn’t bother with the posturing and business armor so many of us reflexively wear, looking instead for those human places where relationships flourish. It’s a formula that attracts and retains great talent and cements loyalty among customers in direct proportion. “The transformational side of building deeper relationships and being open, of being connected with your team, is more growth, more profit and a happier, more cohesive team,” says Heath. And that’s exactly how things have played out at Orlando-based IOA’s 60 locations and counting. Empathy is woven into the corporate fabric and serves as an invitation for growth through hard times. So go ahead! Be brave. Drop the mask and make that shift. When we remember to witness life’s blessings, we are generating more of the same. It’s all a question staying mindful, says Heath: “It’s not what you gotta do but what you get to do!” Want to follow what the thought leaders at IOAUSA are up to? You can find their blog at this link. You can also learn all about their corporate 1° Difference philosophy by clicking here. If you’d like to learn more about Chris and his 7:47 Virtual Gratitude Experience or subscribe to our newsletter, please visit this link. Click hereto hear more fascinating conversations with Fortune 500 CEOs, professional athletes and entertainerswho have shared their human stories on Gratitude Through Hard Times. KEY TOPICS: If you could give credit or thanks to one person in your life that you don’t give enough credit or thanks to – that you’ve never thought to thank – who would that be and why? Coach Fred, a recently deceased high school football coach who was tough but also helped Heath learn to prioritize his commitments in business – and life! Shifting Mindset: How thoughtful, deep conversations with an early mentor helped Heath reorder his sense of what really mattered in life (well beyond girls, partying and football!). About Authenticity: A look at the sense of trust and honesty Heath’s high school football coach cultivated and how it enabled the younger man to embrace enduring values. Leaning Into Vulnerability: Why Heath has come to understand that being transparent, even where we feel weak or challenged, is integral to establishing real trust with teams. Getting Real: About Heath’s bout with cancer and how that journey became an opportunity to shed the posturing, discard the corporate mask and lead with empathy. Tip of the Hat to Mom & Dad: What it looks like to develop a business based on advocacy, partnership and consultative advice and how Heath ultimately took the baton. If Not You, Who? How Heath came to a spiritual understanding that he had something to bring to his family business and clientele. Exponential Growth: About the organic way in which Heath (in spite of his fears) has worked with his team to build IOA and its unique corporate culture and values. It’s the Setbacks! Heath explains why challenge and adversity are a growth opportunity. It’s when we blow it or fall short that we’re offered the chance to evolve and deepen. The Impediment to Action Advances Action: Why today’s atmosphere of scarcity, anxiety and rapid technological change offers an invitation to turn suffering – and whatever stands in the way – into a path towards promise. Heath’s Top Advice: Take stock and recognize that very likely the most challenging times are also the ones that prompt the most growth and spiritual development. Recognize the power in offering vulnerability as a meeting place and valuable intersection for bonding in every arena of life. Be brave. Drop the mask – then watch good things happen! Remember that profit and growth are an outgrowth of nurturing relationships. Closing Thoughts: Navigating the current crisis of disconnection and alienation in the workplace demands an attitude of empathy, service and heart. Do business the right way – by investing in your people – and the community will thrive and demonstrate great returns! When you cultivate gratitude through daily practice, you have it to share! Make the shift! Remember: It’s not what you “gotta do,” it’s what you get to do! QUOTABLE “Heath has grown his company by investing in his people, doing business the good way, honoring faith, taking care of families and knowing your business is only as good as your people.” (Chris) “So much in people’s lives we forget the importance of the impact we make on people … and there’s nothing better than (changing lives). It’s better than money or anything I can think of.” (Heath) “Gratitude just feels good to give, even if the recipient isn’t here to receive it.” (Chris) “When I’m open with my weaknesses and challenges – when I’m authentic and vulnerable in that way – it opens (others) up to feel comfortable being more open with me. And then you can build a more cohesive relationship from there.” (Heath) “We all know there’s no perfect. It’s a fool’s errand. It’s a treadmill to nowhere. We’re all flawed and we all have issues!” (Heath) “The greater you can empathize with what your teammates are actually going through, the greater your ability to actually work together to innovate and create outsized business results.” (Chris) “The transformational side of building deeper relationships and being open, of being connected with your team, is more growth, more profit and a happier, more cohesive team. And that’s what I think any business leader should want!” (Heath) “It’s very simple: Take off your mask. Number two: Invite your team to take off their masks. Number three: Invite your customers to take off their masks.” (Chris) “Having a mindset of being grateful changes the way you feel and how you show up. It changes the way you deal with and overcome difficulties. Take a few minutes to think not about what you want and don’t have but the blessings in your life!” (Heath) LINKS/FURTHER RESOURCES: Click here to listen to episode 225, featuring Geoff McDonald’s insights into Mental health and well-being. Learn more about “emotional regulation,” why it’s important and strategies to help you get there at this link. Click here to find out about Kurt Vonnegut’s “Man in the Hole” theory. More thoughts on gratitude from CEO Ron Carson on this episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times. Check out works by Marcus Aurlelius and the Stoics at this website. Listen to Jim Harter of the Gallup Poll correlate customer engagement with employee engagement on this episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times. ABOUT OUR GUEST: Heath has been in the insurance industry for over 20 years, and I currently serve as chairman of Insurance Office of America (IOA). He also holds the property and casualty general lines (2-20) and health and life (including variable annuity contracts, 2-15) insurance licenses. His experience with insurance includes personal, business, risk management, and countless other types of coverage. Since becoming a member of the team in 1996, Heath has worked with his peers and professional network to continue expanding and improving IOA — which is now one of the largest privately held insurance agencies in the country.He also plays an active role as president of the IOA Foundation and is proud to have been acknowledged as an industry leader. FOLLOW OUR GUEST: WEBSITE | LINKEDIN ABOUT OUR HOST: Chris Schembra is a philosopher, question asker and facilitator. He's a columnist at Rolling Stone magazine, USA Today calls him their "Gratitude Guru" and he's spent the last six years traveling around the world helping people connect in meaningful ways. As the offshoot of his #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book, "Gratitude Through Hard Times: Finding Positive Benefits Through Our Darkest Hours,"he uses this podcast to blend ancient stoic philosophy and modern-day science to teach how the principles of gratitude can be used to help people get through their hard times. FOLLOW CHRIS: WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | LINKEDIN| BOOKS

47 min

June 27, 2023

Enrique Rubio: Hacking HR

If you haven’t been part of the conversation about Human Resources and its impacts on workplace cultures and society at large, then you need to check out Hacking HR, a global community of 350k+ members invested in transforming the way we live. Founder Enrique Rubio joins Host Chris Schembra on this episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times for a blunt exploration of what it means to demonstrate human-centered core values and how that translates into critical business ROI in the form of retention, productivity and positivity that uplifts not only enterprises but the lives of everyone we touch. Enrique challenges us to look in the mirror and ask: Are you practicing kindness, compassion and empathy in your daily transactions and – if not – why not? Is your ego or a sense of entitlement keeping you from meaningful connection in the workplace or on the elevator, at the grocery store or over the course of transacting business? A vocal advocate for giving remote work a chance, Enrique shares thoughts on leveraging our roles – whether as leaders or individual contributors – for social change in the workplace and beyond. You’ll also learn about why mental health is a critical component of overall corporate health and how we can find in gratitude the baseline for starting important conversations. “There are so many things we can do in HR to leave an incredible legacy of transforming work for good,” says our guest. “We know that it’s not fluffy and doesn’t make you weak.” Join us for a fascinating no-holds-barred discussion that will challenge you to bring your best self to work and every other area of your life. And don’t forget those words of affirmation, an investment in positivity you’ll never regret! To hear more of Enrique’s groundbreaking insights, tune in to his Hacking HR Podcast, featuring a range of leading innovators in the human relations space. You can also join his huge and growing Hacking HR community by clicking this link. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a fellow trailblazer! Click here to hear all the fascinating conversations Chris has had with Fortune 500 CEOs, professional athletes and entertainerswho have shared their human stories on Gratitude Through Hard Times. If you’d like to learn more about Chris and his 7:47 Virtual Gratitude Experience or subscribe to our newsletter, please visit this link. KEY TOPICS: Meeting of the Minds: Why Enrique is energized by the vision he and Chris share of workplaces (and a world) informed by values like empathy, gratitude and authenticity. If you could give credit or thanks to one person in your life that you don’t give enough credit or thanks to – that you’ve never thought to thank – who would that be? Mom and Dad – whose radically different (but complementary) views of the world shaped Enrique’s approach to life. He can never offer enough thanks! The Power of Modeling: About the positive energy Enrique very consciously puts out into the world in all his everyday interactions, even when it’s not reciprocal. Hacking HR: How Enrique has built a community by offering an umbrella to 350k+ members interested in the full spectrum of human resources issues – from mental health to technology to making cultural change in the workplace. Trailblazing Ambitions: About closing gaps by using HR as a leader in creating community and connections with transformational impacts on workplace cultures. Understanding the Gap: Chris and Enrique take a closer look at the new technologies and social mandates that HR must learn to balance against the traditional admin. and other corporate services they provide. The Role of Gratitude: Why it’s important to acknowledge that progress – especially of the proactive variety – doesn’t magically happen. Enrique’s Two-Pronged Gratitude and Appreciation: For the journey and lessons learned along the way. For the community – including those who challenge or push back on assumptions. Operationalizing Empathy: Why it’s so important to provide the framework for a variety of points of view, building bridges among competing interests and blending core values. Two Sides of the Same Coin: How business success hinges on “people” success and vice versa. They are mutually reinforcing and transformational. Regarding Retention: About appreciation as a valuable source of engagement that bonds employees to their jobs and each other – far more than any product or mission. Epidemic of Entitlement: How ego-based demands for recognition and empathy erode gratitude, which requires an atmosphere of mutuality. It’s a ‘give in order to get’ thing! The Language of Gratitude: Enrique reflects on the words of affirmation that his parents deserve in recognition of the example they set – and he never wants to take for granted! Parting Thoughts: Whatever your role, you can make things happen. You can create a better workplace and world just by being compassionate and kind. Don’t let ego divert or block your best intentions. You can transcend! QUOTABLE “There are so many people in the world working on all things empathy, kindness, compassion, gratitude. We know that it’s not fluffy and doesn’t make you weak.” (Enrique) “With all my imperfections, limitations and shortcomings, I am the way I am because of the way (my parents) raised me and for that I’m forever thankful.” (Enrique) “All of these conversations need to happen for HR to close the gap … between where we are and our potential to become that (cultural) leader.” (Enrique) “There are so many things we can do in HR to leave an incredible legacy of transforming work for good.” (Enrique) “Hacking HR hasn’t gotten too far from its original vision. It’s still a vehicle for connection, learning and coming up with innovative ideas.” (Chris) “People are more engaged, more satisfied, happier, finding more joy, are more creative and even have higher financial returns … when they are treated with kindness and respect, dignity and compassion at work.” (Enrique) “When you practice gratitude, it broadens the thought-action repertoire within your brain needed to seek innovation, creativity, curiosity, joy and pride.” (Chris) “The greatest cultures are not built because of something a leader says. Great cultures happen because of everyday interactions. You see it and feel it in the way people talk to each other and work.” (Enrique) “Whether you are in a leadership position or you are just an individual contributor, don’t let your ego get in the way. Just get it done. Begin the conversation!” (Enrique) “If you know that gratitude, compassion, empathy and kindness are the right thing to do and you’re not doing them, you’ve got to look at yourself in the mirror because your ego is blocking you from doing the right thing.” (Enrique) LINKS/FURTHER RESOURCES: About Jim Harter’s Harvard Business Review article about worker satisfaction, "What Great Managers Do to Engage Employees." Read the “Broaden and Build” chapter in Chris’s bestseller, "Gratitude Through Hard Times: Finding Positive Benefits Through Dark Hours." ABOUT OUR GUEST: Enrique Rubio is passionate about Human Resources, People Operations, Technology and Innovation. He is an Electronic Engineer, Fulbright Scholar and Executive Master in Public Administration with a focus on HR. Also certified in Design Thinking, Scrum Master and PMP, Enrique has over the past 20 years worked in the HR and tech worlds. He is very interested in the digitization of the workplace, Human Resources and the intersection of the future of work, technology and HR. FOLLOW OUR GUEST: WEBSITE | LINKEDIN ABOUT OUR HOST: Chris Schembra is a philosopher, question asker and facilitator. He's a columnist at Rolling Stone magazine, USA Today calls him their "Gratitude Guru" and he's spent the last six years traveling around the world helping people connect in meaningful ways. As the offshoot of his #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book, "Gratitude Through Hard Times: Finding Positive Benefits Through Our Darkest Hours,"he uses this podcast to blend ancient stoic philosophy and modern-day science to teach how the principles of gratitude can be used to help people get through their hard times. FOLLOW CHRIS: WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | LINKEDIN| BOOKS

46 min

June 22, 2023

Shona Schwartz: Focus on Internal Success

Are you tired of constantly comparing yourself to others? Do you feel like you're not measuring up to society's standards of success? In this episode of "Gratitude Through Hard Times," host Chris Schembra interviews Shauna Schwartz, author of "How to Stop Caring What Others Think for Real," about the concept of internal success. Shauna explains how internal success differs from external success factors such as grades, money, and career achievement, and emphasizes the importance of recognizing internal growth and development. She also discusses the negative impact of the hoax of self-esteem on children and encourages people to embrace failure as a path to personal success and growth. Shauna's book focuses on bringing acceptance to the reality in front of us and shifting our focus from external factors of success to our internal essence. She emphasizes that leaders cannot see themselves as puppeteers who control everything and everyone around them. Instead, they need to recognize that the people they lead are not puppets and cannot be controlled. The desire for control can create unhealthy anxiety and lead to unhealthy behavior from leaders. Chris and Shauna discuss the importance of emotional regulation in leadership and how it relates to dialectical behavioral therapy. If you're ready to shift your focus from external success factors to your internal essence, this episode is for you. Join Chris and Shauna as they discuss the importance of recognizing internal growth and development, embracing failure, and letting go of the need for control. 💭 What does success mean to you? Is it all about external factors like money and career achievement or is there more to it? 💬 Do you think the hoax of self-esteem can have negative effects on children? How can we encourage them to embrace failure and personal growth? 💥 The desire for control can create unhealthy anxiety and lead to unhealthy behavior from leaders. It's time to shift our focus from external factors of success to our internal essence. 🌟 Embracing the three C's - complaints, criticism, and compliments - can lead to personal success and growth. Let's focus on balancing acceptance and change to achieve internal success.

36 min

May 19, 2023

Ari Hoffman: Gratitude to the Customer

In the world of marketing, customer advocacy has moved in recent years from a piecemeal hit-or-miss effort to a scalable discipline and Ari Hoffman is at the forefront. Vice President of Customer Marketing & Advocacy at Influitive, he shares his powerful framework on this episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times with Host Chris Schembra. It’s all about building authentic community and loyalty to your brand, product or service not by soliciting the same customer testimony over and over again but by engaging fans as part of a growing, dynamic ecosystem. You’ll learn what makes this marketing approach so powerful, how Ari rolls out programs that generate customer obsession across sectors and why defaulting to ad-based lead generation is not the way to go in times of recession. If you’ve been trying to figure out how to connect with customers in meaningful ways and turn them into spontaneous evangelists for your company, then here’s your starting place. Ari is a thought leader with the set of tools (like his DRIVE methodology) you’ll need on the journey! Learn more about Influitive’s Fearless 50 Elite 18 Awards and how to nominate, vote for or otherwise celebrate the customer-led marketers whose work you appreciate most! If you’d like to learn more about Chris and his 7:47 Virtual Gratitude Experience or subscribe to our newsletter, please visit this link. Click here to hear more fascinating conversations with Fortune 500 CEOs, professional athletes and entertainerswho have shared their human stories on Gratitude Through Hard Times. KEY TOPICS: Freeze and Squeeze: Ari spells out some of the sales-centric, demand-gen defaults, like emphasis on advertising, that companies mistakenly fall back on in times of recession. Customer Obsession: Why companies oriented towards user experience see 2.5 times faster growth and 1.7 times better retention. Fearless 50 and Elite 18: How Influitive is inspiring a customer-first approach through awards that exemplify it. Moving Messages: Ari highlights the importance of creating ecosystems that engage customers and inspire them to proactively speak up on behalf of your product or service. Stepping Stones for Moving Towards Customer Engagement: Start an advocacy “well,” documenting customers who are already in your corner. Identify customers you’ve gone back to for testimony too often – burning them out and generating a stale message. Create a mini-advocacy program that invites customers to connect. Map out a handful of things to ask of your customers, including: Committing to connect with other customers. Writing a review. Providing 30 minutes of product or messaging feedback. Incentivize customer advocacy by offering in exchange things like: Early access to your new lines of business or free use for a limited time. Swag bags. Free attendance at dinner gatherings. An honorary jacket. Scaling requires an engagement engine to nurture customers and help them see the value-add in advocacy. Giving versus Taking: How customer advocacy programs can turn on generosity and other benefits in the long run. Why Customer Obsession is a can’t-lose campaign because it’s all about: Being thankful. Celebrating people who are doing things right. Leveling up the skill sets of others. Inspiring others while creating demand generation for your company. Spreading the Love: How to nominate, vote or otherwise tee up gratitude by participating in Influitive’s Fearless 50 customer-led marketing awards. Uncovering Marketing Gold: How Ari connects with customers and helps them see their importance by providing connections, resources and words of affirmation. DRIVE Advocacy: Deliver value first. Refine what people are good at. Iterate the Value. Expand the delivery. Leveling Up: How Influitive trains people to become internal and public advocates for – and champions of – their own customer success and achievement. The Hero’s (and Heroine’s) Journey: About gratitude as a tool that taps into powerful emotions that create a symbiotic customer narrative and outcomes. Value Realization: You can deliver value all day long, but if the person receiving it doesn’t realize it then did you actually do anything? If It’s Just Transactional, It Won’t Work! The gratitude you’re giving has to: #1 Be of value to the recipient. #2 Be inconvenient or cost you something in some way. #3 Be genuinely something you’re glad to be offering. Don’t forget to check out Fearless 50 and if you’ve missed the nominating or voting window, bookmark it for next year! QUOTABLE “We are the biggest of the big in customer marketing … but the reality is that the customer marketing world is a fractional sliver of the entire marketing world.” (Ari) “The more collective value our industry and each individual contributor and thought leader in our space has, the more that rubs off on the larger marketing community and the way that we think about leveraging our customers.” (Ari) “It’s about creating a community and ecosystem where customers are literally raising their hands because they want to share their success stories.” (Ari) “The neat thing that gratitude has the ability to do is reactivate weak or dormant ties.” (Chris) “I don’t make champions, but I find them and I shine a spotlight on them. I find those diamond-in-the-rough people who don’t even realize the talent they have.” (Ari) “(Your customers) are the champions. They are the heroes of the story. Let them shine and bring you along for the ride.” (Ari) “We’re dealing with humans at the end of the day, but we lose sight of that. We get caught up in the numbers, then can’t understand why we can’t move the needle the way we want to.” (Ari) “The heroine’s journey is filled with emotion and connection and reflection and introspection. And gratitude is the tool that taps into those emotions.” (Chris) “Make someone feel personally validated, appreciated and connected to your community of customers and they will talk about you ‘til the cows come home.” (Chris) LINKS/FURTHER RESOURCES: Click here to learn about Forrester’s thought leadership around Customer Obsession. Gartner’s Top Customer Experience Trends for 2023. More about Influitive’s Fearless 50 and Elite 18 at this link. Visit this link to learn more about Mark Granovetter’s work at Stanford around the strength of weak ties. Click here to find out what all the buzz about Gong is about! About Google’s study, "Promotion to Emotion: Connecting B2B Customers to Brands." Learn about Barbara Frederickson’s groundbreaking research on happiness and the power of positivity. ABOUT OUR GUEST: Ari Hoffmanis the VP of Customer Marketing and Advocacy at Influitive. His human-first approach to work and passion for customer success are fixtures of his career. A seasoned veteran and trusted advisor, Ari supports customer-centric businesses, primarily in the enterprise SaaS industry. He is a natural organizer and people-connecter, using empathy to relentlessly shine light on others. FOLLOW OUR GUEST: WEBSITE | LINKEDIN ABOUT OUR HOST: Chris Schembra is a philosopher, question asker and facilitator. He's a columnist at Rolling Stone magazine, USA Today calls him their "Gratitude Guru" and he's spent the last six years traveling around the world helping people connect in meaningful ways. As the offshoot of his #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book, "Gratitude Through Hard Times: Finding Positive Benefits Through Our Darkest Hours,"he uses this podcast to blend ancient stoic philosophy and modern-day science to teach how the principles of gratitude can be used to help people get through their hard times. FOLLOW CHRIS: WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | LINKEDIN| BOOKS

40 min

May 19, 2023

Jim Harter: Culture Shock

Get ready for fascinating and relevant insights on this episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times, featuring Jim Harter, PhD, Gallup’s Chief Scientist of Workplace Management and Wellbeing. He’s sharing with Host Chris Schembra all the eye-opening research and analysis behind his latest book (co-authored with Jim Clifton of the Clifton Strengths Assessment),"Culture Shock: An unstoppable force has changed how we work and live. Gallup's solution to the biggest leadership issue of our time." The key takeaway? Nothing cements employee performance, satisfaction and retention more effectively than regular, meaningful conversations – especially when they include recognition for work well done. It costs leaders very little and, data indicate, pays off over and over again in bottom-line results. Dr. Jim explains the research and analysis that the Gallup organization has undertaken to address the biggest leadership challenges of our time, including the stresses of remote work, the limited wellbeing associated with four-day work weeks and the critical role that empathy plays in engaging with and bringing out the best in our workplace cultures. Dr. Jim’s new book is jam-packed with stats and evidence-backed solutions to align your company’s purpose with employee satisfaction – which ultimately translates into that all-important customer success! Want to hear much more from Dr. Jim Harter? Pick up a copy of his latest collaboration, "Culture Shock," check out his bestselling book, "12:The Elements of Great Managing" or click here to check out "Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements." If you’d like to learn more about Chris and his 7:47 Virtual Gratitude Experience or subscribe to our newsletter, please visit this link. Click here to hear more fascinating conversations with Fortune 500 CEOs, professional athletes and entertainers who have shared their human stories on Gratitude Through Hard Times. KEY TOPICS: If you could give credit or thanks to one person in your life that you don’t give enough credit or thanks to – that you’ve never thought to thank – who would that be and why? Frank Schmidt, PhD, a research scientist and mentor who reshaped Dr. Jim’s approach to people, research and the role of gratitude in the context of employee engagement. Culture Shock: Co-authored with Jim Clifton, this latest collaboration uses Gallup data and qualitative snapshots to unpack the post-Covid workforce and workplace future. Important Findings: For workers, overall stress has continued on an upward trajectory but remote work has offered welcome freedom (from things like commuting). For leaders, there’s uncertainty about how to monitor remote worker productivity. Data suggest that there’s plenty of room for businesses to thrive. A Great Reset: Why leaders who clearly define (and communicate) workplace culture, customer experience and organizational values are most likely to ride out recession. Customer Success: About the importance of employee satisfaction and loyalty when it comes to quality service delivery and long-term, bottom-line corporate results. Managing Strengths: Understanding employee styles, aspirations and experiences is a key component for engagement, retention, job and customer satisfaction. Manager to Employee to Customer: How the interplay among all three elements determines corporate success. Changing the Dialogue: How empathy can open up the conversations that managers need to be having with employees to overcome workplace disconnects. Meaningful Conversations: Gallup research indicates that recognition and gratitude are among the most powerful tools we have to cultivate workplace community and loyalty. Components of Meaningful Conversations: Recognize specific, recent work efforts. Understand what motivates good work. Know the context of the employee’s particular work. Meet on an ongoing basis. Collaborate and coordinate remote compared with in-person hours. Wellbeing v. Engagement: Why stats indicate that the benefits of four-day work weeks are offset in many cases by the stress of compressed schedules and loss of autonomy. Blenders and Splitters: About the difference between people who prefer to compartmentalize work and family life and those who take a multi-task approach. Step. No. 1: Dr. Jim recommends managers adopt the coaching habit of one meaningful conversation every week grounded in empathy, understanding and accountability. QUOTABLE “A lot of people don’t know their impact on you until you tell them.” (Dr. Jim) “Gratitude is an inherently pro-social trait that feels good to give, to receive and to observe. But we have to take the first step.” (Chris) “Gratitude is contagious and creates a positive upward smile. It’s one of the most positive forces in the universe because it keeps on giving.” (Chris) “There’s plenty of data to show that great managing can make workplaces more productive than they’ve ever been before. If we combine autonomy with great performance management, we can reach all-time highs.” (Dr. Jim) “To get the right customer experience, you’ve got to have the right employee experience.” (Dr. Jim) “Sometimes all you need to do to shorten the distance between employer and employee is just ask your team, ‘How do you like to be recognized? How do you like to receive gratitude?’ How do you like your wins celebrated?’ ” (Chris) “The reason managers are so important is that they’re the only ones inside organizations who know the idiosyncrasies of each person and have the opportunity to get to know their situations – and that’s never been more important than it is right now.” (Dr. Jim) LINKS/FURTHER RESOURCES: Learn more about the Clifton Strengths Assessment. Jim’s Harvard Business Review article, "What Great Managers Do to Engage Employees." ABOUT OUR GUEST: Jim Harter, Ph.D., is Chief Scientist for Gallup's workplace management and wellbeing practices. He is the coauthor of the No. 1 Wall Street Journal and Washington Post bestseller, "It's the Manager", released in 2019. His work has appeared in the Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company and Time magazine in addition to many academic publications. FOLLOW OUR GUEST: WEBSITE | LINKEDIN ABOUT OUR HOST: Chris Schembra is a philosopher, question asker and facilitator. He's a columnist at Rolling Stone magazine, USA Today calls him their "Gratitude Guru" and he's spent the last six years traveling around the world helping people connect in meaningful ways. As the offshoot of his #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book, "Gratitude Through Hard Times: Finding Positive Benefits Through Our Darkest Hours,"he uses this podcast to blend ancient stoic philosophy and modern-day science to teach how the principles of gratitude can be used to help people get through their hard times. FOLLOW CHRIS: WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | LINKEDIN| BOOKS

45 min

May 1, 2023

Drahomíra Mandikova: Create Meaningful Connections

On this very special episode Gratitude Through Hard Times, Host Chris Schembra and his guest, Drahomíra Mandikova, celebrate meaningful connection and its power to generate profitable solutions not just for shareholders but the world at large. Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Asahi Europe & International, “Drahus” (as she is known to friends) shares with us the unique North Star principles that drive one of the world’s largest alcoholic and non-alcoholic beer companies, with 19 breweries exporting to 90 markets globally. You will be intrigued to learn about the meaning, power and intentionality behind Asahi’s emphasis on four simple words: “Let’s have a beer.” It’s about bringing awareness and building community – person to person – as the foundation to individual wellness and a sustainable “human-environmental ecosystem.” For Drahus, the first step is the critical one: Pause. Reflect on the talent, passion and ultimate purpose you bring, as well as the legacy you wish to leave. Her values-driven vision has shaped Prague-based Asahi’s workplace culture and brought clarity to the company’s mission statement. “We have all these goals,” says Drahus, “but to really bring them to life and enjoy the good feeling, we need to be in the present, work together and create connections to step-by-step bring about those long-term dreams.” We are on the road together, folks, and it starts with gratitude! If you’d like to learn more about Chris and his 7:47 Virtual Gratitude Experience or subscribe to our newsletter, please visit this link. Click here to hear more fascinating conversations with Fortune 500 CEOs, professional athletes and entertainerswho have shared their human stories on Gratitude Through Hard Times. KEY TOPICS: If you could thank someone who helped you through some of your darkest hours, who would that be and what were you going through? A mentor with an especially keen way of helping Drahus unhitch from unnecessary catastrophizing and impatience. A Moment of Reflection: About the importance of taking a pause to come into the present, then step into the past through reflection. 2030 Legacy of Good: How Drahus and Asahi’s company culture have coalesced around a mission based on a multidimensional balance of past, present and future. A Mentor’s Advice: About Inner Child work and how it can reintegrate intuition and help return us to the essence of who we are and wish to be. Empathy is Everything: Why Drahus believes that the companies that actually care about the human-environmental ecosystem in which they function will bring profitable solutions to very real pain points. A win-win-win! Embracing Failure: False starts and falling short are part of a holistic learning process. Brand Purpose: About the Asahi brand’s commitment to fostering a sense of belonging and community for its tens of millions of consumers. Remarkable Marketing: How Asahi has mounted campaigns that bring people together, helping them feel connected and seen on a personal, human level. The Problem of Loneliness: About the creative ways Asahi’s multi-national team is trying to build bridges – old to young, left to right, across lifestyles and geographies. Asahi’s Legacy Mission Includes Being Bold: Speak directly and compassionately to tough issues, like mental health. Moving 20% of the corporate portfolio into nonalcoholic beverages. Beer as a vehicle for making meaningful connections. Drahus’s Personal Purpose: Making business and environmental growth sustainable. What She’s Up To: Coordinating breweries across Europe to build sustainability into their production. Creating a strategy to ensure Asahi becomes carbon neutral. Midwifing a new economic model driven by profitable solutions for all stakeholders – not exclusively profit for shareholders. Action Item: All purpose-filled journeys start with a pause to reflect and re-center on your personal talents, passion and the positive impact you wish to make. Remember: When we are clear about ourselves and our purpose, the work comes into focus – and it becomes easier to shed obligations and distractions that do not serve! Why Do We Do What We Do? From intentionality flows business success and ultimately a healthier, more sustainable world. Parting Thought: Focus on what you want to know say “no” to rather than what’s driving you to say “yes.” Resist the shiny things that distract your ego but don’t serve your greater purpose or desire to create impact. Meaningful connection is fueled by gratitude – and makes life much, much easier. QUOTABLE “We have all these goals … but to really bring them to life and enjoy the good feeling, we need to be in the present, work together and create connections to step-by-step bring about those long-term dreams.” (Drahus) “You have to have a long-term dream so that you know where you’re going.” (Drahus) “Be proud of the past so you can build the confidence and learning, but what is really important is how you bring everything to the present: Your ‘self,’ your actions, reflecting on the future and also on the past.” (Drahus) “One of the biggest pain points I see in our world is the loneliness epidemic, the idea that there are a lot of people on this planet who are disconnected or do not feel seen.” (Chris) “Belonging is not about blending in. It’s not about meeting people that believe in the same things that you believe in. Belonging is about showing up as you authentically are and being accepted.” (Chris) “My purpose now is really to advocate for a new era for businesses to think about the new economy, where we are moving from maximizing profit for shareholders to bringing profitable solutions for all stakeholders.” (Drahus) “Whether you’re an accountant, a lawyer or CEO of a software firm, you can find your purpose and it can be as simple as creating meaningful connections with others.” (Chris) “Years from now – when we’ve long passed on – maybe someone will look back on our life and say, ‘They made others feel safe, seen and heard.’ And if that’s your purpose, it’s going to be a great legacy – and lead to some good profitable growth!” (Chris) LINKS/FURTHER RESOURCES: Click here to listen to episode 225, featuring Geoff McDonald’s insights into Mental health and well-being. Listen to Johann Hari’s Ted talk, "Everything You Think You Know About Addiction is Wrong." ABOUT OUR GUEST: Drahomíra started her career working for the banking sector in Slovakia. In 2000, she joined Plzensky Prazdroj in Slovakia, and worked in a variety of Corporate Affairs roles, before becoming Corporate Affairs Director in the Czech Republic in 2010. She played a key role in the integration of the Czech and Slovak businesses and contributed to strengthening a positive reputation of Prazdroj as the most responsible company in the Czech Republic. She was also seconded to SABMiller in India to support them with their long-term CA strategy. Drahomíra became Corporate Affairs Director of Asahi Europe in 2017 and following this Chief Corporate Affairs Officer of the newly created Asahi Europe & International in 2021. FOLLOW OUR GUEST: WEBSITE | LINKEDIN ABOUT OUR HOST: Chris Schembra is a philosopher, question asker and facilitator. He's a columnist at Rolling Stone magazine, USA Today calls him their "Gratitude Guru" and he's spent the last six years traveling around the world helping people connect in meaningful ways. As the offshoot of his #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book, "Gratitude Through Hard Times: Finding Positive Benefits Through Our Darkest Hours,"he uses this podcast to blend ancient stoic philosophy and modern-day science to teach how the principles of gratitude can be used to help people get through their hard times. FOLLOW CHRIS: WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | LINKEDIN| BOOKS

45 min

April 17, 2023

Gerry Powell: Our Life's Awakening

You’ve got the business, the car, the boat, the house. You’re blessed with a great family, friends, access to more than your wildest dreams. But something is missing. Something is gnawing at you. If this sounds familiar, you may be in need of “soul fulfillment,” which is what Host Chris Schembra’s guest on this episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times has provided thousands of people. At his Rythmia Life Advancement Center in Costa Rica, Founder & CEO Gerry Powell offers comprehensive plant-based medicine retreats. The modalities work at a deep level to help remove shame, fear, trauma and the anger that fuels – and is a downfall for – so many hyper-successful people. You’ll learn about Gerry’s transformational journey and how he stepped away from the multimillion-dollar serial IPO lifestyle he thought would bring him happiness – but that instead left him profoundly empty and suicidal. Working with plant-based shamanic techniques opens up new pathways to self-acceptance and compassion. It’s a journey that 97% of Rythmia participants describe as nothing short of a “miracle,” a source of relief and revelation that transcends our ingratitude, confusion and old, unhealed wounding. Most of all, says Gerry, people leave his one-week retreats with an entirely new regard for life: “I made it out of sheer perseverance and brutality, but there are so many other ways to do it and feel different.” You’re invited to explore and see your soul’s fulfillment in a completely new way! More information about the medically licensed plant medicine and transformational retreat experience offered at Rythmia is available at this link, along with a video about Gerry’s very personal journey to wellness (here). If you’d like to learn more about Chris and his 7:47 Virtual Gratitude Experience or subscribe to our newsletter, please visit this link. Click hereto hear more fascinating conversations with Fortune 500 CEOs, professional athletes and entertainerswho have shared their human stories on Gratitude Through Hard Times. KEY TOPICS: When the Bucket Doesn’t Feel Full: Why Gerry wants to reach out to successful entrepreneurs who very often feel something missing and don’t understand what or why. If you could give credit or thanks to one person in your life that you don’t give enough credit or thanks to – or that you’ve never thought to thank – who would that be? So many people, but Shaman Gina was pivotal. The Gift of Perspective: How plant medicine can help reveal to us the ways in which even those who hurt us are of help in our lives – even when we don’t see it. Sections in Chris’s book that are relevant to plant medicine: Connect the Dots Backwards: About gratitude as a link to our past. Struggles into Benefits: About the science behind “grateful processing.” Feeling the Feelings: How a lifetime of numbing and other corrosive emotional coping mechanisms turned around only after Gerry was able to embrace a shamanic experience with plant-based medicine. Repairing the Fraction: Gerry turned his life over to healing, creating a unique retreat space at @Rythmia in Costa Rica, changing the lives of more than 14,000 seekers. Coming from Ingratitude: How a hypervigilant “brute” approach to the pursuit of goals yields only more anger, shame, guilt, regret. Plant Medicine: It’s a conduit to compassion, self-love, wisdom and generosity that enables us to be collaborative, empathetic, curious leaders. Knowing When You’re Ready: Plant medicine comes into focus when we are ready to put the pieces together and open ourselves to transformation. The Comeback Story: Rythmia is about taking people out of their hole, to the brink and back from despair to a “miracle.” Joining the Tribe: Why plant medicine work of the type Gerry practices offers hyper-achievers a place to reconnect, work through shame and guilt and find wholeness in a safe community environment. QUOTABLE “It’s the perfect time to be in this work as the world is waking up that there is a greater human potential out there.” (Chris) “There are people who help pull you towards your higher self and people who hurt you who keep pushing you towards your higher self.” (Gerry) “Gratitude is about looking into the past and being grateful for all the steps that took you to where you are today – the good and the bad.” (Chris) “Once you die you can actually live life without the fear of death, which makes you really want to be more than anything a beneficial presence here on earth.” (Gerry) “The secret to success and happiness is not necessarily a new go-to-market strategy, not a higher intellect or new network … It’s actually to look inside yourself and be at peace with who you are.” (Chris) “Very few of us who are hyper-successful were raised in the right way. There’s a reason those folks are in the one-tenth of one percent. And it’s not because everything was nice and tidy.” (Gerry) “Guilt and shame and regret are extremely lonely emotions and the thing you think you should do is not talk about it. But it’s actually the opposite: Confront it, talk about it and forgive yourself. Plant medicine really helps you do that.” (Chris) “The obstacles you’ve overcome – the shame, guilt and trauma you feel right now – are the best parts about you because true human connection and belonging do not occur when our lives appear to be perfect.” (Chris) LINKS/FURTHER RESOURCES: More about the global leadership community YPO at this link. About "Grateful Processing," a concept developed by Prof. Phillip Watkins of Eastern Washington University. "The Magic of Thinking Big," by David J. Schwartz, PhD. About Michael Beckwith’s Agape Spiritual Center. More about author Kurt Vonnegut’s "Six Emotional Arcs of Storytelling." ABOUT OUR GUEST: Gerry is Founder and CEO of Rythmia, an all-inclusive, luxury, medically licensed plant medicine center in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. His singular goal is to serve guests and help each individual get their Miracle. FOLLOW GERRY: WEBSITE | LINKEDIN | TWITTER|INSTAGRAM ABOUT OUR HOST: Chris Schembra is a philosopher, question asker and facilitator. He's a columnist at Rolling Stone magazine, USA Today calls him their "Gratitude Guru" and he's spent the last six years traveling around the world helping people connect in meaningful ways. As the offshoot of his #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book, "Gratitude Through Hard Times: Finding Positive Benefits Through Our Darkest Hours,"he uses this podcast to blend ancient stoic philosophy and modern-day science to teach how the principles of gratitude can be used to help people get through their hard times. FOLLOW CHRIS: WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | LINKEDIN | BOOKS

39 min

April 17, 2023

Loren Greiff: Portfolio Rocket

These are bumpy times economically and for many of us it’s a period of professional redefinition. What path are we on and is it the career we truly desire? How can we best showcase our skill sets and the value-add we bring? Host Chris Schembra’s guest on this episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times has a methodology that focuses on these questions and much more. Loren Greiff, Founder & President at PortfolioRocket, has developed a framework that’s applicable across industry sectors as well as the many phases of our career development. It’s as much about defining our own core values and the expertise we offer as it is identifying the workplace culture best suited to our fundamental vision. Loren shares her proprietary four-step process for reimagining – and bringing to reality – a job that feels like exactly the right fit. You’ll come away inspired to redefine what you bring to the table and leverage your network – most especially those 2nd, 3rd and 4th degree contacts that hold far more promise than you might imagine! The market right now is fluid, but the one thing that remains consistent always, says Loren, is the importance of being fully ourselves and clear about what we have to contribute: “This is not about contorting yourself and playing Cirque du Soleil with your career,” says Loren, who also hosts Career Blast in a Half. “This is about really advocating and treating yourself as somebody who is going to transform an organization.” If you’re ready to retool your career trajectory, now is the time to book a discovery call with Loren, which you can do at this link. You’ll also find inspiration and wisdom in her podcast, Career Blast in a Half. If you’d like to learn more about Chris and his 7:47 Virtual Gratitude Experience or subscribe to our newsletter, please visit this link. Click hereto hear more fascinating conversations with Fortune 500 CEOs, professional athletes and entertainerswho have shared their human stories on Gratitude Through Hard Times. KEY TOPICS: If you could give credit or thanks to one person in your life that you don’t give enough credit or thanks to – that you’ve never thought to thank – who would that be and why? No doubt or hesitation – Eileen Jones, a high school English teacher who was the first person to acknowledge Loren’s writing talent and develop her voice. Cheers to her! Yes, And: What enabled Loren to be both an outlier and standard-bearer; perform as a maverick while also maintaining impeccable dignity. Research shows that thought leaders are regarded as having two things: Authenticity. Information to share of value to others. Applying the Methodology: How Loren’s framework has proven elastic enough to adapt easily across the full range of industry sectors, from legal to ops to HR to creative. Shedding the Cloak: What prompted Loren to break with the hiring/recruitment industry status quo in order to establish a creative alternative model. Sheltering: About putting a repeatable process in place for migrating out of blocked, unhappy workplace situations. Loren’s Four-Step Proprietary Process: Step 1: Get Clear! Ask yourself what you’ve been doing and why. Determine your core values, the benchmark for evaluating opportunities going forward. Establish how people are going to find you via 15-20 keywords relevant to your skill set . Identify 10-15 companies that meet your ideal criteria. Showcase specific problems you’ve solved or successes you’ve had. Create boundaries around the conditions under which you want to meet. Step 2: All about Your Assets! Reimagine LinkedIn as more than a profile. It needs to convert interest and generate activity/connections. Create content – which includes strategically commenting on other people’s posts. Join conversations! Develop marketing materials with effective (timely) messaging. Design collateral (visual and written) that is accessible. Step 3: Networking with strangers! Reach out to 2nd, 3rd and 4th degree links – which are going to be your more useful allies in finding a new niche. Formulate pitches that will demonstrate preparation and initiative. Learn how to ask sharper, more mind-blowing questions. Step 4: Do your homework (aka Sniff Testing)! Perform due diligence on your prospective employer. Ensure that onboarding and your 30/60/90-day plan are in place. Keep eyes and ears open for unexpected leads or connections. Scan the landscape for business challenges to which you can bring your vision, expertise and solutions. Shout-Out for Eileen Jones: Thank you for your example, bravery, wit, class – all the known and unknown gifts you’ve given Loren over the years! QUOTABLE “Being a rebel can be blended with a lot of discernment, decorum and the ability to be kind and loving and just a really wonderful person.” (Loren) While it’s not without its merits, the whole industry of hiring and recruiting was just broken. It was a calling for me that you are either going to be part of a continuous problem or you are going to create a different kind of solution.” (Loren) “I realized that if I was going to launch a business it had to solve a big problem – a problem so relevant that it resonates with anyone in the job search process.” (Loren) “If you don’t know how to navigate forward in your career, you need to have a system that is rinseable and repeatable (because) with the churn rate this will happen over and over and over again.” (Loren) “At some point in life when we realize we’re miserable, we either continue the same patterns and getting the same jobs … or we take a pause and a new approach.” (Chris) “The real transformation happens when you are developing relationships with 2nd, 3rd, 4th degree connections, which are known as your weaker ties. The weak links are your stronger ties.” (Loren) “The hidden job market is available to every single one of us … and can come through multiple areas – content, conversation, somebody standing in line at the post office. You don’t know so you have to keep your eyes and ears open.” (Loren) “This is not about contorting yourself and playing Cirque du Soleil with your career. This is about really advocating and treating yourself as somebody who is going to transform an organization.” (Loren) “You’ve got to figure out the unique problem that you can solve … You want to really know and be able to articulate what that problem is and what it will change.” (Loren) LINKS/FURTHER RESOURCES: Seneca’s Letter 13 on “groundless fears” can be found here. More about Stanford's study: "Strength Through Weak Ties" by Mark Granovetter as featured in "Gratitude Through Hard Times: Finding Positive Benefits Through Our Darkest Hours," "Personal Socrates: Questions That Will Upgrade Your Life from Legends & World-Class Performers," by Marc Champagne. Learn about the podcast Big Questions with Cal Fussman. More about the marketing and branding maestro, Seth Godin, available here. ABOUT OUR GUEST: Loren Grieff’s career took off in New York as a VP at J. Walter Thompson. For the past decade+ she has established herself as a top performer recognized for a unique ability to serve demanding clients, identify talent unicorns and drive excellence in the industry. PortfolioRocket is the culmination of more than 25 years of corporate design and marketing positions across global agencies, corporate in-house teams, creative staffing and management consulting. FOLLOW LOREN: WEBSITE | LINKEDIN | PODCAST ABOUT OUR HOST: Chris Schembra is a philosopher, question asker and facilitator. He's a columnist at Rolling Stone magazine, USA Today calls him their "Gratitude Guru" and he's spent the last six years traveling around the world helping people connect in meaningful ways. As the offshoot of his #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book, "Gratitude Through Hard Times: Finding Positive Benefits Through Our Darkest Hours,"he uses this podcast to blend ancient stoic philosophy and modern-day science to teach how the principles of gratitude can be used to help people get through their hard times. FOLLOW CHRIS: WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | LINKEDIN | BOOKS

48 min

April 3, 2023

Geoff McDonald: Mental Health and Wellbeing

This episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times issues an unmistakable call to action: Join the crusade for workplace openness and compassion! Host Chris Schembra’s guest, Geoff McDonald, is explaining the business and moral case for making mental health integral to our corporate cultures. Why? Because beyond fostering top performance and competitive advantage, it saves lives. As a keynote speaker and business transformation consultant with decades of HR leadership at Unilever, Geoff is uniquely positioned to destigmatize the mental health challenges that are all too common in today’s noisy world. Having navigated a diagnosis of anxiety-fueled depression, he understands the paralyzing impacts and basic ingredients for restoring equilibrium. His experience was painful and frightening but, as Geoff shares, it was also an invitation to enable change and human connection. You’ll learn through this conversation how a combination of unconditional love and willingness to be vulnerable ultimately empowered Geoff, a UK-based native of South Africa, to open a global dialogue around mental health in the workplace. “Too often we have not focused on the concept of the health and energy of our people as a critical enabler of performance,” says Geoff. But we can reject stigma and isolation! Join us as Geoff outlines the steps we can take to bring more gratitude, kindness, quality of life and bottom-line results to our workplaces! If you want to be further inspired by Geoff’s perspective on mental health and wellbeing as key indicators for thriving workplace cultures, check out his powerful TedX Talk, "Let's Talk About Mental Health." If you’d like to learn more about Chris and his 7:47 Virtual Gratitude Experience or subscribe to our newsletter, please visit this link. Click here to hear more fascinating conversations with Fortune 500 CEOs, professional athletes and entertainers who have shared their human stories about Gratitude Through Hard Times. KEY TOPICS: If you could give credit or thanks to one person in your life that you don’t give enough credit or enough thanks to – that you’ve never thought to thank – who would that be? It has to be mom, in recognition of the unconditional she provided as Geoff’s baseline. Midnight, January 25, 2008: How a massive panic attack on the eve of his daughter’s 13th birthday triggered debilitating anxiety, a diagnosis and a transformational choice. The Power of Love: About the curative effects of both embracing his humanity and accepting the love Geoff’s family and friends offered through a dark passage. Four Ingredients that Healed Geoff’s Anxiety-Fueled Depression: Getting a concrete diagnosis that integrated various symptoms. Being authentic and forthright about the feelings he was experiencing. Trusting the credibility and respect he’d built over 20 years at Unilever. Working for a compassionate leader who had experience dealing with mental illness within his circle of family and friends. How Geoff empowered himself – and others – through openness and vulnerability. Common Conditions: Why depression, anxiety and other mental health challenges are just part of being human in the world today. Implementing the Cure: Why purpose is integral to creating workplaces that are healthy. About a Finite Resource: How pervasive burnout and pernicious stress erode the energy we need to fuel our teams and move mountains. Making Mental Health and Wellbeing a Strategic Priority: Supports and energizes workers – a key ingredient for workplace success. Enhances people’s lives – which is simply the right thing to do. Yields performance metrics – that support leadership objectives. Why actively de-stigmatizing mental health at an organizational level cultivates psychological safety, retention and potentially saves lives. Chris Captures the Alchemy: About the combination of openness and cushion of unconditional love that supported Geoff’s recovery and fuel his mission today. In closing, please join this crusade by doing three things: Reflect on (and get curious about) your own relationship to mental health and ask: Is it one of intolerance or true compassion? Keep the conversation going. The more of us who are candidly discussing mental health, the greater the de-stigmatization. When you’re ready, consider sharing your story, which is like sending a small lifeboat out into the ocean of people now suffering in silence and feeling alone. QUOTABLE “The purpose-driven work that we do is very tiring … But every time I talk to (Geoff) the energy is real, I feel it in every bone in my body and it inspires me to do greater good for our world.” (Chris) “That sense of unconditional love – and how powerful that can be … is so important.” (Geoff) “The decision I took was that I wouldn’t be burdened by the stigma associated with (mental) illness and that empowered and liberated me.” (Geoff) “A sense of love and a sense of hope were probably the two most powerful ingredients in my recovery ... Those two emotions kept me going.” (Geoff) “I am not good at masking my feelings. It’s just who I am and – you talk about gratitude – I am so thankful that my personality is ‘what you see is what you get.’ ” (Geoff) “An expression of your vulnerability just makes you more human and allows for deeper, more meaningful connection between two human beings.” (Geoff) “If overall health and wellbeing is a critical enabler of performance, then why don’t you make it one of your strategic (business) priorities? Why don’t you create workplaces … that will enhance the lives of people working there?” (Geoff) “Too often we have not focused on the concept of the health and energy of our people as a critical enabler of performance.” (Geoff) “It’s time to step up bigger and think of the purpose and legacy that you’re leaving with the people that surround you ... the energy and connection and social wellbeing.” (Chris) “Sometimes just being more open to receiving love from others is the first step to your own healing.” (Chris) LINKS/FURTHER RESOURCES: About Alastair Campbell, podcast host and communications strategist. More information about the WorkHuman Live Conference, where Geoff will be a keynote speaker, from April 17-20, 2023 in San Diego. Geoff’s Tedx talk "Let's Talk About Mental Health." ABOUT OUR GUEST: Geoff McDonald is now best known as a global advocate, campaigner and consultant who is passionate about addressing the stigma of mental ill health in workplaces, and about helping organizations embed purpose as a key driver of business performance. Prior to this he was the Global VP of Human Resources for Unilever. In 2008 he was diagnosed with anxiety fueled depression, recovery from which led him to discover a new personal purpose. And in 2014 he left his role with Unilever to devote his time, energy and expertise to ending the stigma of depression and anxiety in the workplace. He tells his powerful story to audiences around the globe, knowing first-hand that talking about mental health saves lives. FOLLOW GEOFF: WEBSITE | LINKEDIN | YOUTUBE| TWITTER ABOUT OUR HOST: Chris Schembra is a philosopher, question asker and facilitator. He's a columnist at Rolling Stone magazine, USA Today calls him their "Gratitude Guru" and he's spent the last six years traveling around the world helping people connect in meaningful ways. As the offshoot of his #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book, "Gratitude Through Hard Times: Finding Positive Benefits Through Our Darkest Hours,"he uses this podcast to blend ancient stoic philosophy and modern-day science to teach how the principles of gratitude can be used to help people get through their hard times. FOLLOW CHRIS: WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | LINKEDIN | BOOKS

34 min

April 3, 2023

Galen Hair: Embracing Purpose

Have you transcended the transactional? Host Chris Schembra’s guest on this episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times embodies the abundance that flows from giving without the constant expectation of receiving in return. Galen Hair, a highly successful plaintiff’s attorney, speaker, author and podcaster, has built his practice around a purpose-driven approach to both law and service. The outcome? Prosperity, yes. But yet more importantly Galen and his team at Insurance Claim HQ are working for clients they believe in arguing cases with merit. They come from a place of gratitude and, as Galen explains, “I find that when you give something without expecting anything you tend to get much better stuff in return.” In this case, we’re talking about the huge impacts his firm of 119 employees with more than $30 million in annual revenue is making on behalf of 10,000 clients. You’ll learn how his involvement with Hurricane Katrina clean-up in New Orleans foreshadowed the meaning-infused work Galen would go on to do as an attorney representing those who have been wronged and evolving his industry’s mindset through platforms such as his Level Up Claims Summit, the nation’s No. 1 property casualty conference, which takes place this year on June 9th in New Orleans. Click here to learn more and register! If you’d like to connect with Chris and his 7:47 Virtual Gratitude Experience or subscribe to our newsletter, please visit this link. Click here to hear more fascinating conversations with Fortune 500 CEOs, professional athletes and entertainers who have shared their human stories on Gratitude Through Hard Times. KEY TOPICS: If you could give credit or thanks to one person in your life that you don’t give enough credit or enough thanks to – that you’ve never thought to thank – who would that be? How a music teacher at his Texas public school went above and beyond to impact Galen’s life artistically, emotionally and financially. Giving for the Sake of Giving: Why life can be looked at like a series of bank accounts from which we draw and replenish at any given time – and often to the benefit of all. In the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: About Galen’s intimate involvement with both the horror and generosity that rocked New Orleans – diving in with no real skill set (he’d been training as an opera singer) but a huge amount of heart. Embracing Purpose: How Galen refocused his career, creating a legal “practice with a purpose” that combined his desire to do good with an ability to earn a secure income. How to Practice Law with Integrity: Take cases that make sense for you – not your bank account. Remember that you’re a lawyer, but also an individual. Take cases for people and causes in which you believe. Don’t worry about the rest of it! Staying on Task: Even when building a venture feels challenging, it’s easier to remain focused and disciplined when the big picture feels right. Timing and the Universe: Galen recalls how a life-changing case fell into his lap in the space of a day in which he’d suffered an acute panic attack about his firm’s viability. Building Community: How Galen’s Level Up Claims Summit and podcast have helped people within the legal industry connect and inspire gratitude among one another. The Proverbial Silver Lining: Remember that seemingly negative things can yield positive impacts. Recognize tools available to meet challenges today versus in the past. Use gratitude as a vehicle to leverage lessons learned. Parting Thought: Why Galen holds special admiration and gratitude for Chris, who has been there at pivotal moments to help him with the mindset he needed to adopt! The Bookkeeping of Benefits: Chris honors the act of kindness and vote of faith Galen placed in him and his company in the midst of Covid19. QUOTABLE “I came from a tumultuous family environment and one of the things that I discovered as an adult is that my family’s survival was not an accident. We were really lucky to have people help us out.” (Galen ) “We’re often really guilty of paying attention to our financial bank account and not the people we love or the things we have around us.” (Galen) “The good news about gratitude is that it doesn’t always have to be given back. Sometimes it can be paid forward.” (Chris) “You can pump up that bank account as fat as you want it but you will not be fulfilled if what you’re doing isn’t bringing you some sense of purpose.” (Galen) “As a leader, take care of yourself as much as what you are building. People are what’s behind the business.” (Chris) “I find that when you give something without expecting anything you tend to get much better stuff in return.” (Galen) “You have in some way, shape or form – intentionally or unintentionally – helped me adopt a mindset that was going to be necessary for what was coming next.” (Galen) “The people on your team, the people that you serve, are counting on you to lead with integrity, hope, optimism and connection. Be there for them when they need it most!” (Chris) LINKS/FURTHER RESOURCES: Bader Scott Injury Lawyers in Atlanta. More about Mike and Jessica Magill’s Crisp coaching program. More about the Student Hurricane Network. Learn more or purchase tickets for this year’s Level Up Claims Summit. Stoic quotes about the peril of ingratitude from Lucius Seneca. The work of gratitude researcher/author Adam Grant, featured in his book "Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success." "Lonely at the Top: The High Cost of Men's Success," by Thomas E. Joyner. ABOUT OUR GUEST: Galen M. Hair, an aggressive and relentless litigator, is licensed in multiple states and boasts clients from around the world. He focuses not only on the litigation in front of the client, but the long-term personal and business effects that his clients’ issues will cause. A best-selling author, he has already helped thousands of policyholders navigate their own insurance claims. He’s a national speaker on all areas of insurance recovery and has won numerous accolades, stays active in non-profits and the community at large. He also is an Assistant Examiner for the Louisiana Bar Exam in Constitutional Law. FOLLOW GALEN: WEBSITE | LINKEDIN | CONFERENCE| PODCAST ABOUT OUR HOST: Chris Schembra is a philosopher, question asker and facilitator. He's a columnist at Rolling Stone magazine, USA Today calls him their "Gratitude Guru" and he's spent the last six years traveling around the world helping people connect in meaningful ways. As the offshoot of his #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling book, "Gratitude Through Hard Times: Finding Positive Benefits Through Our Darkest Hours,"he uses this podcast to blend ancient stoic philosophy and modern-day science to teach how the principles of gratitude can be used to help people get through their hard times. FOLLOW CHRIS: WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | LINKEDIN | BOOKS