Challenge Your Thinking With Dr. Linda Tucker

Jim Riviello is a business growth expert who reminds us that focusing on the next three steps in front of us will slow us down long enough so we won't feel overwhelmed.  If we are successful in business but our children, spouses or employees want little to do with us then we have not achieved true success.  If we don't take the time to find out who we are it's unlikely that anyone else will ever really know us either.  Jim emphasizes that while planning for our future is important and necessary for achieving our goals it is also important to slow ourselves down and liv in the present.  Nothing meaningful ever comes easy, and that includes personal growth.  Honoring our journey, or what I call the process, is just as important as getting there.  One can often preclude the other so it's especially important to accomplish both.  

Brigadier General, Dr. Rhonda Cornum is tough and gentle.  I find the two are often a package deal.   In today's interview with  Brigadier General and Physician Rhonda Cornum, we will learn that resilience can be taught, learned and even mastered. However, here is the best part...whether you are a civilian or in the military or even feel like the walking wounded today’s episode is for you. After surviving a helicopter crash while on a rescue mission during the first Iraq war General Cornum was then taken prisoner. if that isn’t a petri dish to test one’s resilience, I don’t know what is.  Gen. Cornum is well acquainted with the double-edged sword of hardship, but as you will soon learn, she is also adamant about not being defined by those experiences... except in terms of lessons learned. When Dr. Cornum returned back to the States after being rescued, people were often confused when she would explain that instead of experiencing PTSD, she felt stronger because of her experience. As Dr. Michaela Haas notes in

Travis Meadows is known by "Rolling Stone" magazine as "Nashville's most badass songwriter."  Whether or not you’re familiar with or even like country music, it is often about love, loss and and human resilience. “Riser,” a song co-written by Travis Meadows and performed by Dierks Bentley, is one of those songs that stays with you long after you listen to it, and you can’t help but wonder about the life behind those words. If you listen closely, you get the sense that Travis’s depth of insight has been forged because of struggle, and that taking the long way has given him something rare and irreplaceable. Dealing with cancer at fourteen, growing up with an absent father, and wrestling with addiction are only a few of the mile-markers on his life’s journey. Today you will hear how Travis discovered how to make peace with his past and how he learned that you can’t truly appreciate light without the darkness. Travis teaches us to aim for authenticity rather than accolades, and to accept what we cannot control. H

Mark Schulman is here to teach us that we can all overcome stage fright if we follow what he calls the Three C’s. He has played drums with some of the most famed musicians of our time. From Tina Turner to Cher, to Stevie Nicks, Billy Idol to Beyonce, and three world tours with Pink you might get the sense that he’s just warming up.  Before he was voted one of the “Top 3 Pop-Rock Drummers” in the 2014 Modern Drummer Reader’s Poll, he learned what it would take to get there...putting in the long hours practicing his craft so he would be ready for opportunity when it came knocking; and, knocking it did. Mark has performed for an estimated one billion people over the course of his 27 year long career, so it might surprise you that he’s had his share of stage fright to overcome and understand from the inside-out. He has learned to harness his fear to be helpful rather than debilitating, and has written about his experience in his new book, Conquering Life’s Stage Fright. Mark’s story shows us how failure can be di

Aaron Walker was 27 years old when he reached a level of success people dream about.  What he wasn’t prepared for was the hollow feeling that came with it.  His message today is get your priorities straight...and, by all means pay it forward.  While he could have settled into an early retirement and what some people consider the “comfortable life he didn't. Intuitively, he  knew there was more out there for him. When you fear missing an opportunity more than failure, success is only a matter of time. Aaron began seeking out others who wanted similar things in life: growth, opportunity, and to “give back” in some way. He also found what he hadn’t had before...mentors who would help him develop his potential. Today, Aaron helps others discover how to build significance into their lives by investing in relationships, not just retirement plans. If you’ve ever doubted whether a successful life can also be a meaningful one, then you’ll want to keep listening; because moving forward in your career and building lasti

Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis is the first-grade teacher from Sandy Hook who saved her entire first grade class in December 2012.  She will carry the memory of that traumatic day forever, but she has found a way to move forward with hope that we can all learn from. Her inspiring outlook reminds us that there will always be tragedy in the world; but she questions and teaches us that is not reason enough to keep the blinds shut forever.  This is not to say that for a period of time that is exactly what she did.  As the inherent teacher that Kaitlin is...she instructs us that we, too, have the ability to choose to let the light in. Kaitlin saved her class that day in 2012 with her quick thinking and level headedness and is here today to teach us what it means to choose hope from her new book, "Choosing Hope."

Gillian Zoe Segal faced many closed doors as she was collecting the interviews she needed for her most recent book, “Getting There.” Instead of giving up, she looked for a window to climb though--all while being persistent, yet polite.  Gillian’s example teaches us that when courage fails us, we can gain strength from those who inspire us by remembering that every success story involves a struggle of some kind. Gillian conducted interviews with some of the biggest names in business, music, and fashion with the specific purpose of demystifying the illusion that successful people have had everything handed to them on a silver platter. In fact, Gillian found that in most cases, the very opposite proved to be true. She consolidated these stories and pearls of wisdom into a book of mentors to pass on to others -- most notably, her own daughter. Although she never had a mentor herself, Gillian forged a path where there was no trail so that those who read her book would feel less alone on their own path towards thei

Kimberley Chambers, is here to teach us that when we are willing to face our fear, we have the opportunity to discover just how capable we really are. She is a stellar example of how building a reservoir of strength can prepare us for the greatest of life's challenges and how facing our true edge of fear has the capacity to bring us closer to accomplishing more than we ever dreamed possible.  When the odds are stacked against us, it rarely feels like an opportunity and yet research has proven that it's in life's biggest challenges that we have the opportunity to develop adaptability and resilience.

Dr. Michaela Haas has written an important book, "Bouncing Forward."  Most of us are familiar with PTSD, but post traumatic growth may be a new concept altogether. The idea of post traumatic growth suggests that we’ll grow after a trauma...all you have to do is experience one for that to be questionable at least while it’s occurring.  The fact is that research is proving that there is growth especially and even after trauma. And, trauma comes in many iterations.  We have probably all experienced trauma in one form or another: from losing a loved one to being in a car crash. Dr. Michaela Haas has not only researched post-traumatic growth...she has also experienced it first hand.  She has consolidated twelve stories of resilience, growth and wisdom in her recently released book, Bouncing Forward and she is here during this episode to share much of what she has learned.  Dr. Haas proposes a different way to look at crisis; that while there is undoubtedly immense pain, there is also potential breakthrough and a s

John Bradshaw is a best-selling author and esteemed therapist who tackles the complicated emotion of shame in his extensive work.  He has written numerous NY Times best sellers and recently wrote a book called Post Romantic Stress Disorder.  He has an impressive list of roles that include counselor, management consultant, theologian, philosopher, public speaker, and Senior Fellow with the Meadows Treatment Group. I believe that one of the reasons why John’s voice is so influential is because he practices what he preaches. He is vulnerable with his own struggles in life, and is generous with sharing his experiences and the valuable wisdom he’s gained over the many years he has been practicing and writing.  I hope you will join us for this episode.  He is a very special guest.

Geni Whitehouse has gumption.  She was honest enough with herself to realize that she just was not passionate enough about a career she had spent many years working at and becoming successful at. If you have ever wondered what it takes to have the courage to leave a career that just "does not do it for you" then this is the episode for you.  Tune in to find out how Geni discovered a part of herself while honoring her late father’s life and grieving his death. Our losses, illnesses and most often our challenges can be great teachers if we are willing to listen.

Dr. Joseph Bobrow is an author, psychoanalyst, Zen Master and founder of the Coming Home Project.  He falls into the category of people that I am most interested in:  the people who never give up and the amazing things they accomplish because of it.  We all have choices in life.  We can choose to complain, remain steeped in frustration about one thing or another or we can choose to do something about it.  Joe Bobrow is one of those people who fall into the latter category.  He was frustrated about the lack of services for returning Vets in the Iraq and Afghanistan war when he decided to "do something."  He knows all too well how war touches all of our lives but more particularly what happens when we are complacent.  No matter what issue you might be facing...Joe is one of the guys to emulate.   

Dr. Gay Hendricks has written several best selling books, and been interviewed by many well known names. We can spend a great deal of energy trying to outrun our fear(s), no matter what they are. But what if there’s a different remedy for diminishing the power of fear in our lives? Dr. Gay Hendricks, is a strong proponent for speaking openly and honestly about the fear we wrestle with because acknowledging our fear is often half the battle. Not only is he a former professor of Counseling Psychology, but he and his wife Katie have been dubbed “Masters in the Art of Intimacy”. From an appearance on Oprah to hosting seminars around the world, he is a prominent voice in the realm of relationships, fear and finding our "zone of genius," and he is here with us today to share some of his wisdom.

Bradley Charbonneau began writing again after ten years with a thirty day challenge.  A thousand days later and two published books he feels like he's just getting warmed up.  I believe that we can all be adept at ignoring our inner voice...which generally speaking will point us in the direction of what we feel passionate about.  We listen while we’re younger...it’s harder when responsibilities begin to weigh us down.  While we all can’t quit our day jobs to chase our creative muses, what we can do is set aside even just a few moments from our day to honor what we feel passionate about. That is exactly what my guest today, Bradley Charbonneau, did. After receiving John Muldoon’s “Monthly Experiments” Challenge, Bradley revisited his love for writing and faced his fear square in the eye and with his pen. Bradley had been published before, but ten years and two children later made it seem like a very far-off place to find his way back to. When demands of family had set in, he gave himself the ultimatum to find

John Muldoon is a catalyst for change.  He founded "The Monthly Experiments Project" in hopes to not only challenge himself but to help motivate others.  John believes that "when you treat life as an experiment change becomes fun instead of hard."  We hope you will join us and take part in the experiment.  P.S. Jaime Tardy from the Eventual Millionaire thinks John is awesome and we just think you might, too.

Bryan Kramer is a social strategist, CEO of PureMatter, Ted Talk speaker, and best-selling author.  He has valuable insight on how to interact in the realm of technology and communication while also calling upon the tools of basic human interpersonal values for a compass. He reminds us that our digital identities don’t have to be cut off from our true selves. So please put down your phone for just a little while to listen, and then pick it up again afterwards-- hopefully, with new intention.

Admiral Michelle Howard exhibits grace, strength, and clear-mindedness under extreme pressure.  In order to become that kind of unwavering force amidst the unpredictable winds and waters of life, we must begin to practice those “deep breaths” that she has perfected. Admiral Michelle Howard, the current Vice Chief of Naval Operations, is highly esteemed and decorated in a field that involves an exceptional amount of risk and pressure. In addition to being the first African-American woman to command a ship in the U.S. Navy, Admiral Howard is well known for her role in leading the international task force responsible for rescuing Captain Phillips from Somali pirates. She is a true trailblazer who exhibits courage, steadfastness, and a clear mind. Admiral Howard is also the first female ever promoted to the rank of four-star admiral in the Navy’s 236-year history. My hope is that as we listen to her, we too will feel emboldened to face unique pressures in our own lives, dare to dream beyond the limits of the stat

Jennifer Haselberger is one of the few female Canon lawyers and one of the first to practice in the USA.  As a female, and the Chancellor of Canonical Affairs working in the Catholic Church had it's challenges.  As such, she became an unlikely advocate for survivors of sexual abuse within the Catholic church. Up until 2013, she served as Chancellor for Canonical Affairs to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, where she refused to turn a blind eye about sex abuse or any other vulnerable people who were not being ministered to. Jennifer’s devotion to justice inspires us as she has been willing to speak up and pursue justice when no one else would. I hope you will join us for an important story.      

Margaret Smith was voted the best Female Comic by the American Comedy Awards and won six Emmy's for her writing on the Ellen DeGeneres show.  She has navigated the ever-changing and unpredictable world of entertainment and Hollywood with a hard-earned groundedness. She also happens to be a dear friend whose wisdom is only paralleled by her humor--as you will note with the multiple fits of laughter throughout our interview. I hope you will find the wisdom she has to offer along with some really good humor.

Professor Sophie Scott is a Cognitive Neuroscientist who became one of the first researchers to study the science of laughter.  On her way to understanding laughter she actually did a stint as a stand up comic and discovered even more.  What is it like to create a science or anything of value where there was nothing before?  If you have ever wanted to do anything and worried what people might think this is the episode for you.