Quest Stories

A life-altering tragedy can be a stopping point for many of us. But not for Marilyn Washington Harris. Her love for her son has guided her through extremely challenging times, and at the same time gave her to fuel to turn her pain into action. Today she helps other mothers who have experienced loss through her organization named after her son and thereby inspires others to not stop with pain, but to move forward with love. 

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Meet Sarah Germany – a chef, educator and writer who provides hands-on nutrition, health and wellness education to low income communities of color. In this impactful conversation Sarah dives deep into food – her passion and her struggle with food, and how she turned food into a success story as well as a mission to help others heal with food. She is currently seeking representation her first full-length work, Stories from the Kitchen: There’s Healing at the Table, Ya’ll. And this conversation offers insight into the powerful stories Sarah has to share on her journey of redefining food for us. 

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Join me in this wonderful conversation with my friend and the Director of Business Development at the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute, Mehmet Sevinç. He teaches us how to use personal stories to humanize our workplaces and our lives. When we share more of ourselves, we have the ability to build deeper and more meaningful connections with the people in our life. 

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Join my conversation with Cathy DeForest who started a powerful organization called VisionQuilt that aims to reduce gun violence in our communities through art and dialogue. Cathy took action on a dream and combined her knowledge and experience from teaching and art to bring together people and partners to create positive change. The time is ripe for all of us to think on a bigger scale and contribute with our strengths and resources to make this world a better place. Allow yourself to be inspired by Cathy and her mission. 

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Join me in this wonderful conversation with Amana Harris, the Executive Director of the Attitudinal Healing Connection in Oakland. In a time when more people feel lost and disoriented, Amana offers another way: Love. We have love already within us and we can choose it every day.
Learn more about her impactful work at the AHC and allow yourself to shine your light onto this world with your gifts.

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Join me for a deep and mindful conversation with Charlie Rebich, creator of Beyond Polarization, a project that aims to help us communicate better despite opposing viewpoints. In this interview you will learn that conflict does’t have to polarize us. Instead we can learn how to dance with it and thereby improve our relationships. Charlie shares simple mindfulness tools such as breathing and journaling that can help us stay centered when things heat up around us.
We talk about hope, how to remain positive in challenging times, and how to move forward.
I enjoyed this conversation immensely and I hope you will as well. 

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Sometimes we find friends in unique and unexpected ways. In this interview with my friends Bharat Nain and Mallory Whitfield, you can learn about importance of being open-minded, compassionate and vulnerable. And you will also notice how this has helped us become friends, even though we are all very different.

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Part 2 of my interview with the amazing Dre, where he shares important life wisdom. Dre not only got himself out of trouble, but now lives a prosperous life which he continually improves upon. And – he helps others to do the same. He runs a barbershop in one of the poorest parts of Oakland, not to make money, but to make a difference. Listen to learn from Dre on how achieve a life true that is aligned with your values. 

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My friend Dre shares his very personal story that began in the poorest neighborhoods in Oakland. He still works in that area but now has a much different life. The streets have taught him principles he still uses and applies. He is a successful entrepreneur and in this first part of the interview, we meet Dre at his Barbershop where he talks about his journey. The lessons from his life can serve us today as we are trying to adjust to change and adversity. 

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During these challenging times, where we all try to make sense of our life, Monk has a message for us. Its about coming home, not just physically, as we are all forced to do right now, but also in our heart. Come home to yourself, sit with yourself, and in the stillness, discover yourself. Your strength, your wisdom, and love for yourself and the world – its all within you. Allow Monk to teach to you a very critical lesson that can decide how you will overcome the current obstacle. 

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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.

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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, in the house of a person I have never met, and we both deeply appreciate some of the same things –
o We both know Texas, where Cathy grew up and an appreciation for the desert
o We both enjoy the outdoors, and most interestingly, be both love climbing
 Cathy has summited peaks as high as 20,000 ft
o we talk about our love for being outside, but also the conflicts it brings when it puts us behind on our work
o my favorite author is also Cathy’s favorite author and you’ll have to listen to find out who it is
Cathy, like many others I have interviewed, has travelled near and far. She, on the other hand, has brought not only material mementos back from her trip, but she has also shown an interest in other cultures, and then incorporates her learnings into her books. What a great way to travel.
In many ways, Cathy is a self-starter. The adventures she undertook didn’t fall in her lap. She stepped into them with some courage and a willingness to learn, and then she remained persistent and figured out a way to make them work for her. Don’t we face situations like that as well in our life? Why not try the same – be open-minded and willing to be a little bit uncomfortable and then see where inspiration takes us.

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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 interactions with others

This conversation was invigorating because it made me reconsider some of my approaches.
It was fun, enriched by his cats and the some of the topics we touched.
It was touching because Rafael was not afraid to open up and share very personal information.

Allow yourself to be challenged into a little bit of discomfort by my friend Rafael.

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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. 

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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. 

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My conversation with Dave Conley (@davecconley) was packed with practical advice to jumpstart your new year and your best life yet. Dave has faced major obstacles in his life and he shares how returning to the basics, those that we often forget or ignore, has helped him become who he is today. He has turned his entire life around, starting from his health, his mindset to his profession. If you want to establish the habits that will help you accomplish those long-awaited goals, then listen closely and begin implementing some of Dave’s advice.

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Laura has a gift for not only speaking well, but for also connecting with her audience in an authentic way. She shares her passion for speaking, future dreams of helping people find ways to express themselves through storytelling, and she offers unique ideas on how to connect better with ourselves. In this interview it became clear to me that in order to better connect with others, I also need to take care of connecting well with myself. 

To learn more about Laura, sign up for her insightful newsletter and find details for her interview club, go to lauraparadisecoaching.com.

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Today I bring you a very special Quest Story. Miguel (@centaurathletics00) shares his quest for himself – as he entered prison and as he came out, trying to build a life and find himself. He talks about the importance that books played in shaping his character and how his love for other people helped him navigate through life. Today Miguel is a successful trainer with a unique approach to exercise and health.

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Sometimes our career paths take huge turns. Mark went from photography to chaplaincy and speaks about he applies intuition and creativity in his work with the dying. In this intimate and wide-ranging conversation, we touch on important topics, such as mindfulness, the importance of daily rituals, support groups, and the quest for your voice and for sharing your story. 

Join me for a powerful and touching conversation that will make you dig for your own story. 

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Meet my friend Bipin, author of a beautiful collection of short stories titled Notes of a Mediocre Man. We talked about Bipin’s journey from India to America, touching on topics I as an immigrant relate to as well – loss of home, searching for a new home and forging a new path in a new country. Finally, and after many years of sacrifice, Bipin successfully transitioned from corporate America into his passion of writing, a life that is not without its own challenges. Bipin’s life and stories greatly inspire me and I hope you find this interview just as enlightening. 

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