by Mike | Mar 1, 2021 | Podcast
On today’s show, we’ll talk with Erin O’Donoghue. Erin’s story is one of inspiration and true gratitude during an incredibly challenging situation. It’s also a story that is not just hers. It’s one that is completely intertwined with the story of her son. Erin is a Physician Assistant Professor, but job #1 for her is being a mom to an amazing young cancer “warrior”.
In this episode, Erin will share with us her journey over the course of her son’s illness – from the moment she received the devastating news, to the unending treatments, to months in the hospital and to impossible setbacks. But along with the pain and uncertainty that weaved its way into her journey, she also found the power of gratitude and, with the help of her son’s wisdom, she found the importance of living in the moment (and having ice cream for dinner). She hopes to use her story to raise awareness and improve treatment options for pediatric cancer. In the meantime, Erin and her son celebrate the little victories and are grateful for each day.
Erin and her son’s story is one of incredible challenges, but, it is also one of incredible power and inspiration and one that I’m so grateful she is sharing with all of us.
So with that….enjoy.
by Mike | Feb 22, 2021 | Podcast
On today’s show, we’ll talk with Robin Berkstresser Walters. Robin is the founder of a recruiting agency called Rogue Recruitment. I met Robin back in 2019 when I was looking for my next opportunity. One morning I was sitting in a coffee shop when I got a number from someone in Tulsa, OK – it was Robin. And looking back on that call, I could not be more grateful. She did help me land an amazing job, but, more importantly than that, I came out of that process with a great friend. That’s the thing with Robin and Rogue Recruitment – she’s transforming the staffing industry and she’s doing it by focusing on the people and process instead of the result.
In this episode, Robin will talk about the successes she’s had in building Rogue Recruitment. But, she also provides an incredibly raw and transparent perspective into the challenges she’s had over the last several years with respect to her mental health. She will give us a sense of the sheer power of depression and the toll it can take on someone who is experiencing it. And with that, she’ll also share how gratitude has weaved its way through her mental health journey – going from non-existent at some points to something that has played an incredibly important role in her ability to heal and recover from some next-to-impossible challenges.
Robin’s is a story of incredible challenges but also one of incredible inspiration. It’s powerful , and one that I’m so grateful she is sharing with all of us.
Enjoy.
by Mike | Feb 21, 2021 | Connection, Gratitude, Inspiration
“There were many mornings where I would just cry in the shower before work. It was brutal…the position I was put into. However, looking back at it now, I would never take it away.”
“You don’t really have any other option but to be grateful, when you can see “this”, because “that” happened. I’m not saying everybody should have experienced [what I did], but that experience truly catapulted me and gave me the glasses to look through life with positivity, and for that, I am grateful.”
“I started really cultivating this understanding that instead of focusing on what I want and being goal oriented, if I recognize that I’m doing the right things, with the right people, in the right direction, everything will take care of itself. You start taking the focus off of what you don’t have and focus more on what you do have, and that’s how you grow.”
These were just some of the comments I’ve heard during some pretty powerful conversations I’ve had over the last few weeks. I was lucky enough to have these conversations with some amazing guests on “The Gratitude Spark Podcast”. This is a podcast that we just launched on February 1st. Let me tell you – I could not be more grateful for the opportunities this will provide to me to learn, first hand, the ways in which others leverage gratitude in their lives. This has been a dream of mine for quite some time and after months of trying to figure out how to start a podcast and getting over some major personal fears in doing something like this, I have to say, the conversations I’ve had so far, and start of the journey, has been pretty amazing. Shameless plug – if you’re a podcast fan, check us out and subscribe to The Gratitude Spark Podcast..you can find us wherever you get your podcasts. Ok…shameless plug complete.
Anyway…the power of a conversation. It’s a real thing…and something for which I am particularly grateful. I’m a talker. I think this is something that I inherited from my Mom. She can talk to literally anybody. It’s something that I’ve always admired about her. The conversations that we’ve had together are some of my most cherished memories and I look forward with anticipation to our very next conversation. Like her, I view conversations as an opportunity to create a meeting of the minds, to create a common understanding, to create empathy for one another and, most importantly, to create connection.
I think that’s something that we all could stand to do a little more often – seek out connections through conversation. Sometimes all it takes is a quick phone call to a friend that you haven’t spoken to for awhile. Maybe it’s a pit stop on your next neighborhood walk to chat with a neighbor with whom you haven’t had a chance to speak to recently because of your busy schedules…or the frigid February temperatures in Minnesota. Perhaps it’s a conversation you strike up with a stranger in line at the grocery story. For me recently, it’s been the podcast. The conversations I’ve had with guests have provided me the opportunity to build deep connections that will last far beyond the conversation itself.
Whatever it is, know that there is always an opportunity to create an amazing connection through a simple conversation, no matter if it is with a dear loved one or a complete stranger. And in all honesty, isn’t that one of the most beautiful things in life? Building connections? So, maybe today, maybe right now start a conversation with someone. Tell them how important they are to you and the impact they’ve had on your life. Let them know how grateful you are, for that moment, for that conversation, for that connection. I have no doubt it will be a win/win situation for both of you.
by Mike | Feb 15, 2021 | Podcast
It has happened to so many of us. You get called into an unexpected meeting only to see someone from HR sitting at the table. Your heart sinks because you know what’s coming. You’re part of a “workforce reduction”. That’s what happened to Mark Herfurth after a long 26 year career with his company.
I met Mark a few years ago after a panel discussion where I had been talking about The Gratitude Spark and how gratitude had played a role in my life through some pretty challenging situations. After the meeting, Mark introduced himself and mentioned that he had recently been going through a pretty dark time as he was in the midst of a job transition.
Over the course of 2020, far too many of us experienced the journey of a job transition. In this episode, Mark will talk with us about his journey – the struggles he had, the uncertainties that came with the transition, the lessons he learned along the way. Mark’s story is one of struggle, introspection, resilience and how his intentional focus on gratitude not only led him to a new opportunity, but also to a new perspective on life.
by Mike | Feb 8, 2021 | Podcast
It’s easy to be grateful during the good times, but, it’s far more difficult to find gratitude when dealing with some of life’s challenges. The challenges that Amy Christiansen experienced are difficult to even imagine. In this episode, she will share with us how gratitude has helped shape her life and how it has provided an incredible perspective – a perspective that has not only been a core theme over the course of her life, but also one that helped her navigate a next-to-impossible traumatic situation on her path to healing and recovery.
Enjoy…
