Making Elephants Fly | Conversations With High Octane Leaders, Dreamers, & Creatives

On this episode of Making Elephants Fly, Terry sits down with Ricky Debler LIVE from The Thing Orlando 2021. Ricky is the Managing Director of Palmas Restaurant Group based in Orlando, Florida. Where they operate San Angel Inn Restaurant, La Cava del Tequila, La Cantina, and the La Hacienda Restaurant in the Mexico pavilion at Epcot® World Showcase at Walt Disney World. They also run the food and beverage service throughout Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort including room service, the Pepper Market, Maya Grill, Siesta’s, Café Rix, Laguna Bar, Rix Lounge, and Las Ventanas. At Disney Springs they operate Chef Rick Bayless's Frontera Cocina Mexicana. With partnerships with The Rock's Tereman Tequilla to a drink curated by Neil Patrick Harris. Ricky has helped grow the legacy of his family business that took roots in Orlando from the original San Angel Inn in Mexico City.  While he went to the University of Central Florida he's continued his education through Harvard and Cornell.  Join Ricky and Terry live from Th

On this episode of “Making Elephants Fly,” Terry sits down with Mike Brennan. Mike is a New Jersey-based designer and illustrator. His artistic journey began as a boy in New York, where he would construct heartwarming greeting cards which lit up the faces of his family and friends. From an early age, he understood the importance of serving others through his art and bringing them value, an ethos still evident in his creative practice today. Mike’s portfolio showcases his versatility and creativity. He is known for his custom ‘Rockstar’ pet portraits, pop culture art, yoga art, live event sketching and graphic design. He is also the author and illustrator of three self-published books: “Dear Snow: One Man’s Angry Rant Against Winter,” “Dear Human: What Your Dog Is Really Thinking” and “The Art of Yoga.” Mike helps fellow creatives and content creators leverage simple, practical steps for establishing a daily creative habit. He does this via public speaking and his course “Your Artist Journey” where he shares k

On this episode of Making Elephants Fly, Terry sits down with Julia McCoy. As a content marketing influencer, educator, and author, Julia is committed to helping people break out of the content ruts that stop success. After failing out of college by trying to do things “the right way,” Julia followed her dream to write for a living at 19 years old. In 2011, three months after teaching herself online writing after dropping out of college, Julia founded Express Writers. She’s built her company to over $5M in gross revenue completely through ad-free content marketing. Her agency team has more than 90 members that work from home, and together, Express Writers has served more than 5,000 clients, from Johnson & Johnson and Nordstrom to small B2Bs, completing over 35,000 content projects successfully for clients. She’s spoken at Content Marketing World, led workshops for MarketingProfs as a guest expert, and was interviewed on Forbes as a content marketing thought leader. Julia is the author of four bestselling

On this episode of Making Elephants Fly, Terry sits down again with Liz Wilcox. Liz is an online entrepreneur & copywriter who specializes in email marketing. She helps freelancers and professionals alike package up their magic and turn it into emails that convert. In a previous life, Liz was an education major and – like so many before her – never actually got a teaching job. Instead, she found her way to the online space and fell in love with sales strategy. Today, Liz teaches people how to build online relationships, close deals, and attract better clients. Most people know that she lived full time in an RV now she's upscaled from home with wheels living where most people vacation in Destin, FL. When Liz isn’t in sales mode, she likes to run (yes, for fun), watch 90's sitcoms, eat steak, and hang at the beach listening to N*SYNC. Join Liz and Terry as they talk about how to send emails that people actually read! Liz has parked her RV and herself behind her computer and has quickly become THE authority

On this episode of Making Elephants Fly, Terry sits down with Leslie Weaver, who also happens to be his wife. Have you ever read the children’s story Corduroy? It’s a story that uncovers the idea of kindness, friendship, courage, and hope. Stories open the door to adventure, new experiences, and dreams. Words leaping off a page to tell a story to an audience is the driving force behind Leslie Weaver. With over 25 years of experiencing adventure in camp settings, after-school programming, non-profits, coaching sports, children’s and youth ministry, and education administration you can imagine the stories and lessons learned are enough to fill the pages of a book. The stories of dreams realized, confidence gained, the discovery of new strengths, and the list goes on. Leslie’s passion is to help grow tomorrow’s leaders and equip them with tools to thrive for years to come. She leads a team of over 600 people providing memorable experiences for thousands of kids every day. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee with h

On this episode of Making Elephants Fly, Terry sits down with Mike Kim. He is a marketing consultant, communications strategist, copywriter, and all-around fine human being. Mike ditched his comfy C-suite marketing job as the CMO of a successful multi-million dollar company near New York City in pursuit of career freedom. He now hosts the #1 ranked podcast on personal branding in iTunes, The Brand You Podcast is designed to help you showcase your unique expertise and build a highly profitable, personally fulfilling business. Mike has crafted the messages and marketing campaigns for some of today’s top thought leadership brands including Donald Miller, John Maxwell, Daniel G. Amen, MD, Suzanne Evans, and Catalyst Leadership. Join Mike and Terry as they talk about how to build a business around your ideas, expertise, and message. we Talk through Mike's process of creating a compelling personal brand to build your business around and how the best strategy for success is telling the truth Tune and learn how to us

On this episode of Making Elephants Fly, Terry sits down for a conversation with himself. Yes, you read that right. No guest or interview on this episode. Be careful because you're going to be hearing Terry's inner dialogue. On this episode, Terry wrestles with this idea:  You should stop doing that. Life is full of people that tell us what to do and yet what's standing in between us and the things we want are what we need to stop doing. You will discover a few things that Terry is stopping and get challenged to have the same conversation with yourself. Listen in as Terry talks to himself, you might just discover he's talking to you as well. Find out more at terryweaver.com and thething.live .

On this episode of Making Elephants Fly, Terry sits down with Harris III. Harris began his career at a young age, traveling the world as an award-winning, professional illusionist. He has performed for and spoken live to more than two million people in more than 30 countries on five continents. His performances have been televised to millions more on the Travel Channel and ABC Family. After traveling the globe and making a million dollars by the age of 21, only to go bankrupt a year later, Harris kick-started a decade-long journey to understand the stories we tell ourselves and how they drive all human behavior. He is the creator of Transformation Theory and author of the bestselling book, The Wonder Switch. His expertise at crafting transformative learning experiences has since drawn the attention of creative leaders and executives at global brands like Apple, Disney, Nike and many more, along with some of the most innovative non-profit organizations and government agencies worldwide–even NASA. He is also th

On this episode of Making Elephants Fly, Terry sits down with JJ Barrows. JJ is an artist, writer and stand-up comedian who spends much of her comedic energy devoted to making comedic YouTube videos about her life's foibles. She's performed in comedy clubs, conferences, churches and awkward dinner parties all over America. Her refreshing story-telling style relates to anyone who’s experienced the awkwardness of being a human, getting older while remaining young and most recently the mystery that is marriage after 35 years of single-hood. She most recently published her first book “it’s called a spade,” and filmed her first Dry Bar Comedy Special, proving to be relatable from coast to coast. When she's not doing stand-up, you may find her performing live art, traveling with her husband, or spending time at home on the beaches of California, surfing, biking or crying at a sunset.  Join JJ and Terry as they talk about how getting fired from her dream job sent her on a collision course with her true calling. Find

On this episode of Making Elephants Fly, Terry sits down with Brian J. Olds Identified as a “curator of collaboration”, Brian specializes in empowering rising professional speakers to create clarity, streamline systems and cultivate the relationships needed to reach the unique audience they are called to serve. His passion for speaking, diversity and building relationships led him to create Black Speakers Network (BSN), a membership-based professional speaker development and empowerment company. With an active network of more than 10,000 speakers, BSN is committed to equipping, connecting, and inspiring the next generation of professional Black speakers. With a deep appreciation for the artistry of speaking at the helm of his career, Brian J Olds is defining success on his own terms. Join Brian and Terry as they talk about what happens when you start asking for the help you need, the responsibility that comes with knowing something that could help others, and how to use public speaking to help others all whil

On this episode of Making Elephants Fly, Terry sits down with Ray Edwards. This is arguably one of the most important episodes of this show! Ray Edwards is a Communications Strategist, Copywriter, and author of the Amazon Best-Seller How to Write Copy That Sells. He is also the host of the top-ranked iTunes Podcast, The Ray Edwards Show. Ray has worked on copy and marketing with some of the most powerful voices in leadership and business. His marketing ideas and persuasive writing have helped generate an estimated $300 Million in revenue for clients like New York Times best-selling authors Tony Robbins, Michael Hyatt, Dan Miller, Jeff Goins, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Jeff Walker, and more. He has been featured on Forbes.com, SocialMediaExaminer.com, and Entrepreneur.com. Join Ray and Terry as they talk about the power of leveraging our influence to build wealth to make an impact on the world. We dive into living in abundance and the power of words to get our messages heard. Find out more at http://te

On this episode of Making Elephants Fly, Terry shares his thoughts on one of the darkest days in the history of Disney. On a day when the Walt Disney Company announced that they would be laying off 28,000 us employees at Disney Imagineering, Disneyland, and the Walt Disney World resort Terry breaks down questions he would be asking and what he would do with his team if he was in the shoes of Disney leadership. Listen to hear about heading back the moment you got the vision and getting back to your burning bush, rediscovering your big vision, and getting really clear about what matters most. Take the time to list and ask yourself what are your 4 keys!  Find out about Terry at: https://terryweaver.com/

On this episode of Making Elephants Fly, Terry sits down with Josh Pies.  Josh is a Film, TV & Advertising expert who teaches small-medium businesses to leverage their own tools and skills to create content and build relationships with their customers. In his 20’s his hobby became 360TV, a TV Show we helped start at a local church. Little did he know that video production on a large scale was his future. Eventually, we started C47 Film Associates. A decade after founding C47 Films they have 40+ awards for Film, TV, and Advertising work. Today he Produces, Directs, & Writes brand content for medium to large businesses as well as CONSULT & Speak on the topic of video content creation for businesses, branding, and even entrepreneurial mindset. Join Josh and Terry as they talk about his journey from owning a snow plow company to move into his award-winning TV show and producing content for the biggest brands, companies, and leaders in the world. Tune and learn how to use the tools you already have to

On this episode of Making Elephants Fly, Terry sits down with Cathy Heller. She’s the host of the popular podcast Don’t Keep Your Day Job, which was given the #1 spot on iTunes recommend list of shows for the New Year in 2018 and 2019. Each week Cathy encourages thousands and thousands of listeners to find more purpose in their life and get paid to do what they love full time. She started out as a singer-songwriter and first found success licensing her music to TV, Film & Ads. Quickly she became a stand out in her field and was featured in magazines like Billboard, Variety, and the LA Weekly. After making a multi six-figure living with her music, Cathy started a music agency, and then she began teaching other artists to grow their own careers. Two weeks after her third daughter was born, she started her top-ranked podcast. Cathy’s show has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur Magazine, HuffPost, the NY Times, and Inc Magazine’s “top 9 podcasts”, and has over 13 million downloads. She’s been featured seve

On this episode of Making Elephants Fly, Terry sits down with Nick Cavuoto. Nick is a speaker, entrepreneurial mentor and personal brand expert who specializes in content marketing, sales, and transformational leadership. He’s been hired by some of today’s most influential Fortune 500 brands including Microsoft, Pandora, Paychex, in addition to top business experts like Todd Herman, Scott Oldford, and Mike Kim. Nick believes the future of business centers on relationships & authentic c connection. This refreshing approach has made him a sought-after mentor for today’s top experts, thought leaders, and influencers. With a background as a marketing executive, nowadays you’ll find him speaking at conferences, hosting masterminds, and leading his family of 5—all while mentoring today's emerging business leaders and teaching everything he knows about personal branding, entrepreneurship, and life through his new podcast, Mentoring Millions.® Join Nick and Terry as they talk about the power of leveraging relatio

On this episode of Making Elephants Fly, Terry sits down again with Dan Cockerell. Dan is the former Vice-President of the Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Florida. Upon graduation from Boston University in 1991, Dan moved to Florida and worked as a parking attendant at Disney’s Epcot Center. Subsequently, he joined the Disneyland Paris Management Trainee Program as part of the opening team and moved to France in 1992. After spending 5 years in France, Dan relocated to Florida and held a variety of executive roles at the Walt Disney World Resort, both in the theme parks and resort hotels. His last 9 years with the company, he was successively Vice President of Epcot, Vice president of Disney’s Hollywood Studios and eventually Vice President of the Magic Kingdom where he led 12,000 cast members and entertained over 20 million guests annually. In addition to his operational responsibilities, Dan was a keynote speaker for the world-renowned Disney Institute for 18 years. He has addressed open-enrollment partici

On this BONUS episode of Making Elephants Fly I share with a conversation about inequality and justice. On June 8, 2020 I hosted a conversation with a few of my friends on Facebook LIVE. I wanted to share that with all of you. We focused on how we are better together and how we can actually do something when we stop letting the narrative divide us without ignoring the current reality of what it means to be a person of color in America. I know that I may not say all of the right words, but refuse to be silent do what I have the power to do. What I do best is bring people together to learn so that’s what will do Monday evening. Joining me will be: Aurora Gregory she’s an author, consultant, and an advocate for aspiring entrepreneurs to use their communication skills to make an impact. Scott Harvey is a retired 20-year veteran law enforcement officer and now is someone who speaks to students and corporations about leading well. Lastly and certainly not least the last ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson who was the

On this episode of Making Elephants Fly, Terry sits down with Damon Oates. After leaving a career as an engineer in the oil industry Damon took his hobby and turned into a portfolio of successful businesses.  Damon is one of the few instructors to specialize in both e-commerce and content-based businesses. He built his first five-figure business at 17. Throughout his life, Damon has thrived as an entrepreneur and launched several successful businesses – one five-figure, one six-figure and three seven-figure businesses. He built a seven-figure consulting company right out of college, he has now built a seven-figure sustainable content-based business in less than a year and shortly after created an e-commerce business that is expected to hit multiple seven-figures in 2020. He has taught over four thousand other craftpreneurs how to implement his same business strategy and his students have hit six-figure businesses and two students reached seven-figure businesses in 2019. Join Damon and Terry as they talk about

On this episode of Making Elephants Fly, Terry sits down with Stephen M Shapiro. Steve Shapiro started his innovation journey by founding and leading a 20,000-person process and innovation practice during his 15-year tenure at Accenture. Since leaving the consulting firm, he has authored six books on the topic, including Best Practices Are Stupid, and has become a regular columnist for Inc.com. He has also developed Personality Poker, a powerful card game that helps create high-performing teams. He has presented his groundbreaking innovation work to audiences in 50 countries, and in 2015, he was inducted into the Speaker Hall of Fame. In his spare time, he geeks out on magic. He has been featured in Newsweek, Entrepreneur Magazine, SUCCESS Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, ABC News, and CNBC. Clients include 3M, P&G, Nike, Marriott, Honda, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, NASA, USAA, Fidelity Investments, and GE. Terry and Stephen talk about his new book, Invisible Solutions: 25 Lenses that Reframe and

On this episode of Making Elephants Fly, Terry sits down with Andy Storch. Andy is a consultant, Coach, speaker, and leading Podcaster. Andy Storch is a Talent Development Consultant, Facilitator, and Connector. He is the host of two podcasts including The Talent Development Hot Seat and The Andy Storch Show as well as the founder and host of the Talent Development Think Tank conference and community. Andy connects companies with exceptional learning solutions to help them turn strategy into action and get their people doing the best work of their lives. He specializes in strategy alignment, leadership development, and business acumen. Andy earned his Bachelors at the University of Florida and his MBA at USC’s Marshall School of Business. He lives with his wife and two kids in Orlando, Fl. His clients have included Salesforce.com, Oracle, Google, Box, Toyota, Genentech, State Farm, Red Bull, Deloitte, EY, KPMG, HP, Sony, Bechtel, Cisco, and others. Most importantly, Andy is a husband, father, and friend who i