Episodes

The uncertainty we are all currently facing presents a war-like scenario within ourselves. Stress and anxiety go up, potentially leading to panic and depression. We need to find peace. Sounds easier said, than done, I know. I have the same battle within me. Meditation has helped me to accept what is. And the 10 mantras of peace recently shared with me by my company CEO also are very helpful. Enjoy them, take them in, listen to them as often as need be. Until you find some peace.

An unscripted episode during an unscripted time. An unprecedented time, a difficult time. And yet, I still want to bring you a few thoughts that I am encouraging you to write out. In this strange time I don't find it so easy to just read or learn a language, as so many people now recommend. Its normal to be worried. What helps me is to write my worries out, and then give them a time limit each day. And then, I try to shine, in whatever way I can. The connection with others is critical now that w...

Meet Monk and be ready to get uncomfortable. He shows us how only the hard work pays off. When we stay with our fears, our weaknesses, and our excuses, we will not discover what we are made of.

These are uncertain times, when its easy to get lost in worry and become stressed out about the future. But with this episode, I want to help us get centered and focused on the one thing we can control - our inner state. And with just a few shifts in our thinking and our daily actions, we can get back on our path, despite the turmoil we are facing. This is a much-needed episode for many of us who are struggling to find meaning in everything that is happening at the moment.

This is a time of great concern and with this episode I want to bring you the critical facts I believe we need to know to be proactively prepared. We don't need to panic, but we also cannot ignore this virus. And even if it disappears tomorrow, we need this dress rehearsal to be prepared for future epidemics, which are guaranteed to come. Take basic precautions and be safe.

We love our devices and depend on them. But they can give us a false sense of connectedness. Especially social media makes us feel like we belong to a larger group of people. But real connection happens one on one. Those are the humans we interact with in their entirety - not just via words on a screen. We don't show who we are on our devices, we only express ourselves. To establish meaningful connections, we need to put our phone away and speak to the person next to us on the bus.

Cathy Luchetti is an author who published 10 books, and is now working on the 11th one which we touch on in the episode. Her focus for most of those works has been the stories of the people of the American frontier, a term she defines in this episode. She has chronicled stories of women and men, their daily lives and struggles in a way that had not been done before and even caught the attention of former First Lady Laura Bush. But what fascinated me the most was everything we shared. Here I am, ...

Conditioning our mind is training our brain like we train our biceps in the gym. We direct our thoughts repeatedly into the direction we want them to go. We envision an end goal like we do with our bodies. Often we are not aware where our mind is at. This may have us focused on areas that are not necessarily a major priority. We need to be clear what we want and then we need to dedicate time daily to focus. Even though we have dreams and hopes - if we don't think about them, they are are not lik...

We all are not born with talents. But we all can develop the drive to acquire new skills and the courage to take risks. Often we hide behind the fact that we lack talent. We allow it to hold us back from going after our ideas and our dreams. When all we really need is drive and some courage.

Rafael is one of those courageous humans that doesn’t settle with the status quo. He is not afraid of discomfort. And in this wonderful conversation which took place on a warm Sunday afternoon here in Oakland, you will discover what others do to challenge themselves. We both share a love for the spoken word but Rafael really works hard on developing this skill both through Toastmasters and by taking improv classes. He talks about how especially the improv practice has enriched his day-to-day int...

After over 500 episodes released, its time to talk about my vision. What is Quest For You, some of you may wonder. Quest For You is a journey to yourself. It involves getting to know yourself, from the inside out. Who are you? What makes you tick? What do you like? What do you dream about? During the course of our lives, we have tuned our inner voice out and follow the beat of the outside drum - family advice, marketing and advertising, what others do, media, what looks good, sounds good, seems ...

I spent a recent weekend without major plans and went with the flow. And it turned out to be a wonderful weekend, where I felt present and alive. Sometimes we become overly focused on one or two endeavors only, and we neglect the other parts of our life that also bring us joy. Its important to change up the routine once in a while to see if there is something else that may need our attention.

Nancy has travelled the world and thereby became a person that looks at life with a more open mind. Today, when she faces challenges, she takes a step back and is not afraid to experiment with techniques and approaches, some of which she shares with us. Nancy pays close attention to herself and the way she shows up i the world. Her thoughts have inspired me to be more mindful and I hope you have similar takeaways from this enlightening conversation with my friend.

We need more of those rare friends. What makes them rare is not that they barely exist, but that we don't see them. Because they are different from us, we don't notice them. Yet, we need them. They may not make us feel warm and fuzzy like our other friends, but they challenge us and make us feel better about ourselves in the long run.

Its not easy to apologize but it also not a one-sided quest. Both the person trying to repair the hurt and the one accepting the apology have to be committed to make it work going forward. Lets learn how to get better at apologizing and accepting an apology.

Meet my friend Susie Wyshak and learn how to connect with people. We spent a wonderful afternoon talking about everything from chocolate to money, Toastmasters and how to talk to strangers. Susie is full of ideas, insights, and got me thinking about different approaches on how I connect with others. Allow yourself to be inspired to step a little bit outside of your comfort zone. You can find Susie at foodstarter.com and connect with her there. Enjoy.

If we treated our loved ones the way we treat an exquisite piece of chocolate, I believe our relationships would improve. The presence and the mindfulness that we bring when we savor food is the same we need to bring to the exchanges with the people in our life. Because without continued effort, those relationships lose spark and we lose interest.

I am a direct person and I never thought I had a problem saying what I want. Until I began listening to my friends. And I learned that I may be direct, but I am not clear. Directness is often emotionally charged and therefore not well received. Being clear with our needs however, is much harder. Lets discover what is holding us back from saying what we want and learn to get better at it.

Every day we are presented with a multitude of opportunities for self-reflection. But we miss many of them because we are distracted or don't pay attention. When we take some time to examine them, we turn inward. Many of our beliefs and behaviors have been shaped by others and we have them autopilot. When we look closer, we may notice what is not working and no longer effective and change it for the better.

Will this matter? This is a question we need to ask ourselves more often - when we get frustrated with minor occurrences or when we don't get what we hoped for. Will this matter tomorrow, a year from now? This is a question that helps us distinguish the small stuff that we often sweat from the big things we need to shift our focus to.

We decide over what bother us. As much as we want to blame the other person or the unfavorable circumstance, which may have triggered us, we are in charge of the response. And quite often, the best response is to not do anything. Instead of wasting valuable time and energy on trivial matters, we should spend it on those that do matter.

When it comes to our goals, we often give up control to easily. We let our environment decide what we can and cannot do. We have to remind ourselves that we are in control of our time and our decisions. We select what is important minute by minute. And if we don't get to make progress in the areas that matter to us, then its time we begin to manage them more intentionally.

Walks can seem insignificant. As an exercise, they don't seem tough enough. As way to get out of the house, they may not appear adventurous enough. And they may sound boring and time-consuming. Yet I have found that there is magic in walking. A few quiet minutes away from our tasks and alone with ourselves can bring answers, ideas and balance. A walk may be just what we need when everything else seems to much.

Lunar New is a holiday celebrated by millions and this year is the year of the rat. Its a special year of new beginnings and special opportunities. Let yourself be inspired by this ancient tradition, which I summarize in this episode, and go after your goals and dreams knowing you are set up for success this year.