Chapter Be Podcast

This is the final episode of Season Three, and we are closing out the season with some reflections and thoughts. The theme of the Season Three was change – highlighting different stories of change and how people navigate change within their life. Some were forced to make a change, others knew a change was inevitable, some embraced change from a young age, and yet others actively made the choice to make a change. The bigger message being – LIFE IS CHANGE. If you resist it, all you do is cause yourself more issues and angst. I do not believe that you can identify, embrace and accept that change if you are not willing to listen. Willing to listen to those around you. Willing to listen to your environment. Willing to listen to yourself. Features: Chapter Be's theme song, Happiness by Dave Preston and Listen by David Guetta ft. John Legend

Michelle Poler was working on her Masters in Branding at the School of Visual Arts in New York City when she was given the assignment of a 100-day project. She ultimately decided to face a different fear each day in an effort to overcome being a rather fearful person. Her 100 Days Without Fear project would lead her to a whole new career. Michelle now travels the world speaking about what she learned about fear during those 100 days in order to share with others how they can overcome their fears in order to live the life they want to lead. Features: Chapter Be's theme song, Happiness by Dave Preston and Rather Be by Clean Bandit

Eddy Bowles was a Broadway dancer who found himself contemplating what would be next in his career – always knowing that professional dance as a career tends to have an expiration date. Dance was his passion, but he also recognized that it was not something that you can financially live off of forever. When he met his future husband, David, in Denver, CO while on a tour of Mary Poppins, he decided he was ready to make a change. He left New York, moved to Denver and opened his own custom framing business. In this episode we talk about what it means to transition out of a career that you are passionate about, the importance of self-confidence and being comfortable with yourself and how vital it is to ask for help when making a change!  Features: Chapter Be's theme song, Happiness by Dave Preston and Be Alright by Ariana Grande

Janis Wilson Hughes struggled for 11 years to find fulfillment working in chemical engineering, until she made the decision to leave the corporate world entirely to pursue her passion for clay. She is now a fulltime ceramic artist and owner of Evolution Stoneware Pottery. We dive into how you navigate a change, when you discover that your dream has changed and why self love is so important throughout the process. Features: Chapter Be's theme song, Happiness by Dave Preston and She's Got To Be by Amy Ray

Chris Guillebeau is an entrepreneur, author and speaker who has committed his life to living unconventionally and encouraging others to do the same. He has written four books, visited every country in the world by the age of 35, and created the World Domination Summit. He learned early in his life that he worked best being self-employed and hustled to make it a reality – like all good entrepreneurs. Yet, the other part of Chris's story is that he was a high school dropout and juvenile delinquent. Making him living proof that change is possible and we can chose how we want to BE. Features: Chapter Be's theme song, Happiness by Dave Preston and That I Would Be Good by Alanis Morissette

Saira Rao is the Creative Director and Co-Founder of In This Together Media, a book packager of children’s fiction with greater diversity in terms of race, gender, sexual orientation, and experience. She was a television news producer turned lawyer turned author – who as a mother recognized the complete lack of diversity in children's literature and programing. So, she set out to change this by starting a company that creates compelling stories for underserved markets, where readers see themselves in the stories they are reading. She changed her life so that she could make a change!    Features: Chapter Be's theme song, Happiness, by Dave Preston and Tried to Be True by Indigo Girls

Lisa Congdon is a fine artist, illustrator and author of seven books, but she did not begin her professional life as an artist. It was not until her thirties, when she went to an art class with her brother, that Lisa discovered her love for painting and drawing. Before that, she worked in the education field – first as a teacher and then as a director at an education non-profit. In 2007, at the age of 40, she made the decision to leave her job to focus on becoming a professional artist full time. With her late start on the creative career path, she is often referred to as a late bloomer. Lisa stands as an example that taking the time to bloom into what you want to be – and being okay with the fact that the change may be slow – is indeed all worth it.   Features: Chapter Be's theme song, Happiness by Dave Preston and Be Like This by JD Samson & MEN

Bobby Lefebre is an award-winning spoken word artist, actor, and social worker. He is a walking example that we do not have to pick one passion to follow in life - and, in fact, we can live a life that honors all of our passions. Bobby recognized from an early age that he had many interests and that putting his answer to "What do you do?" into one box was not for him. Bobby's BE story is one that shows that it is possible to live the life you want to live, on your own terms.    Features: Chapter Be's theme song, Happiness by Dave Preston Be Intro by Common

Kayla Fruchtman was on a track to become a professor, when she made the decision to leave grad school, move across country and start her life anew. Her path lead her to non-profit work, which eventually allowed her the space to be an intrapreneur and launch The Her Initiative - a community of women who are providing access to clean water and health & hygiene education to women and children throughout the world.   Features: Chapter Be's theme song, Happiness by Dave Preston There Will Be Time by Mumford and Sons

Doug Reiser did not want to grow old as a tired and bored attorney in Seattle, so he made a change & moved to Asheville, NC to start Burial Beer Co. with his wife and a friend. Three years later they are opening up a second location! We discuss how he went from being a lawyer with a beer hobby to a brewery owner with a law hobby in order to live his authentic life of being.   Features: Chapter Be's theme song, Happiness by Dave Preston Be Above It by Tame Impala

Nora McInerny Purmort, at the age of 31, lost her husband and father to cancer – and had a miscarriage – all within two months time. We talk about how she dealt with a change that she did not ask for by starting her non profit, Still Kickin' and writing her memoir – It's Okay to Laugh, Crying is Cool Too. Features: Chapter Be's theme song, Happiness by Dave Preston Let it Be by The Beatles

The Chapter Be Podcast is back for SEASON 3! This first episode features an introduction to the new season as well as an interview with Dave Preston - the composer of Chapter Be's NEW theme song, Happiness.  Just as seasons change – so do people, and Season 3 of the podcast has an overall theme of CHANGE. Sometimes change is what happens to us, sometimes it is a choice we make, sometimes we know it is inevitable – and even though we know it is coming, we have to brace for what that all means.

Season 2 Finale!  As Season 2 of the Chapter Be Podcast comes to a close, I find myself really wanting to take some time to reflect - more specifically, reflect on the importance of reflection! We rarely take the time to look back at what we have accomplished and use those learnings as a way to drive our next steps. Good teaching always allows space for the learner to reflect on the information they have just consumed, and it is equally important that we do this with our own lives... Features an excerpt from an Oscar interview with Brie Larson AND Things Will Never Be the Same Again by JJ

Judy Joo is the Chef Patron of Jinjuu restaurant in London and Hong Kong. She worked as an institutional fixed income derivatives saleswoman for Goldman Sachs and then Morgan Stanley, when she decided that she needed a change and wanted to be doing something that she was more passionate about. So, she left the trading floor to pursue her interest in being a chef - enrolling in The French Culinary Institute in New York City. Her career in the culinary arts would take her to working on the media side of the culinary industry which eventually led her to being the first female Iron Chef in the UK and the host of her own cooking show, Korean Food Made Simple. In this episode, we discuss what skills she took with her from the finance world to restaurant kitchens, the importance of being kind to everyone you meet - no matter who they are, and how you find time to just be when you have a packed schedule and two restaurants to run!  Features Be Good to Yourself by Journey

Bridgette Di Ferdinando was an organizational psychologist and change management consultant who decided to make a change by focusing her energies on food advocacy and nutrition. She is one of the co-founders of the Bondi Food Collective in Sydney, Australia and is currently working on her BA in nutritional medicine with her ultimate goal being to become a nutritionist and dietician. She set out to get her degree at the same time she became a new mother and a year before her 40th birthday. In today's episode we talk about her decision to leave the corporate world, how she has dealt with the people who have not understood her life decisions and what it is like to go back to school later in life in order to move further down the path she has built for herself.  Featuring "Be Thankful for What You've Got" by Massive Attack

Michelle Lee Weldon is the founder and creator of Vibrant Medicine - a business that encourages you to "let a vibrant life be your medicine." It offers services that provide mindfulness and meditation coaching, yoga therapy, Neurosculpting meditation coaching and body centered psychotherapy. Michelle always new that she wanted to meld science and spirituality, but she allowed her various life experiences to direct the path that she has built for herself. She began as a school psychologist, but came to discover that it was limiting and not inclusive enough for her whole being - so she focused on opening her own practice. We talk about the lessons learned along the way, what Neurosculpting is and the importance of infusing a daily meditation practice into your life if you are hoping to make any sort of change.  Features Neil Diamond's Be from his Jonathan Livingston Seagull album. 

Haneen Badri is Chapter Be's guest blogger for the month of February. Haneen is a senior in high school in Denver, CO, who, after experiencing a major act of discrimination in middle school, found herself questioning her identity and very being. With the help of some mentors and caring adults, as well as her own determination, she overcame this self-hate. She is now an outspoken advocate for being yourself and embracing your differences. Outside of school, she leads the Colorado Muslim Society Girls Youth Group and is the youth representative for Young Sudanese.  Features Be Somebody by Kings of Leon

Today's episode is a short feature - focusing on the correlation between the scientific method, the creative process and the entrepreneurial experience. Features excerpts from past Chapter Be interviewees Danny Harris, Kathy Lee and Ian Trask.  Featuring Weird Science by Oingo Boingo 

Danny Harris is the founder and creator of People's District, a website that shares the stories of Washington, D.C.'s residents, and StorySocial, a creative design firm that helps tell better stories and create stronger communities. Danny is also the co-founder of Feastly, a startup that connects diners with chefs by offering unique food experiences, and is currently working as the Program Director for the Knight Foundation in San Jose, CA. Danny worked in the policy world before venturing out as an entrepreneur and storyteller. His intention was not to make a career change when he created People's District, but instead was looking for a way that he could personally connect with the people in his city and have a better understanding of his community. We discuss the personal transformation that launched this new life venture, the work of taking an idea to action and the importance in connection with those in your community who might not be just like you.  Features Aretha Franklin's cover of Let it Be

Douglas Tsoi is Chapter Be's guest blogger for the month of January and the founder of Portland Underground Grad School. Douglas was laid off from his job - a job he very much enjoyed - a little over a year ago. After this happened he eventually made the decision to take the next year off - focusing on all of the ideas he had been holding on to for years - giving himself, and his ideas, the time and space to try them out. It was going to be a year of doing and experimenting - seeing what worked and what didn't work. We talk about some of his experiments, the lessons learned along the way and how the year of experimentation has changed him as a person.  Features Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered by Ella Fitzgerald