Your World of Creativity

Welcome back friends to our podcast, Unlocking Your World of Creativity.Today we talk with NY Times bestselling author and the founder of Voices of Eden, an Ancient Wisdom and Healing Music Institute, Eliana Gilad. Eliana is a healing voice mentor, therapeutic singing pioneer, and founder of the Find Your True Voice program. She helps heart centered entrepreneurs and healing professionals embody their own unique voices and confidently express their truth from the inside out.This brings us to today's interview. Mark discusses with Eliana about: Unlocking creativity through unleashing the power of our voice, our inner voice, and the ability and power to shine through that voice. Insightful stories of her journey that lead her to unlocking her true voice. Bonus: Heart Voice Healing Activation focused on Unlocking Your Creativity. **Stay tuned for that after the episode. How can people start to find their voice in these uncertain times? Turn off your mediaYou're not going to find it by trying to figure things out The Choice is yours. You want expand and thrive, let go and get ready for adventure!Being who you already are: Eliana explains that daring to stop the drug of scrolling or the drug of whatever the autopilot is.We knew the power of voice literally and figuratively in ancient times. It got forgotten, and we disconnected from it. Your voice, your human voice, is the instrument that bridges your inner clarity, your inner world with your outer expression. An insightful part of Eliana’s JourneyAfter extensive research into vibration of sound studying anything from science to archaeology to medicine, Eliana compiled 16 studies that were conducted where sound was used as a healing technique. Finally convincing a doctor to try it she was allowed to work on a premature infant in an intensive care unit. The baby weighed less than a pound. Eliana began to sing, and the baby began to move! This proved three things to the doctors. He was hearing.The specific part of his brain to hear was working.He enjoyed the music. Not only did they see how the power of sound healing was working it helped the medical staff in their own work with focus and they felt calmer.This experience allowed Eliana into receiving a fully funded research project for three years and paying her salary to study babies in the NICU.  “When there's something in you that's an impulse, that's a hunch, trust it, even if it doesn't make sense. it's your true voice.” **Bonus Voice Healing ActivationEliana explains in ancient times the leaders would go to temples and avail themselves of special applications of voice and rhythm that would bypass the intellect and connect them inwardly to their higher mind. There was always a focus. This is an activation focused on Unlocking Your Creativity.Enjoy! You can find Eliana Gilad and more of what she does at Voices of Eden. There you can explore her different types of healings and offerings along with free resources to get you started. Be sure to check out her best-selling book Emerge Triumphant: Thrive Through Uncertainty on Amazon.Lastly, you can listen to her ted talks here: Trust Your Silent Voice: Find Your Power and Your Voice, Make it Heard

Welcome back to our podcast, Unlocking Your World of Creativity. We are so pleased to welcome on our program today a designer, a creative director, a filmmaker, an animator, and a man that wears many more hats, Hussain Almossawi. Hussain Almossawi is an innovator, product designer and visual effects artist who has worked across industries and around the world consulting for companies such as Nike, Apple, Google, Adidas, Intel, and Ford Motor Company, among others. He is a regular keynote speaker on innovation and design and has taught at several universities. In 2019, Hussain founded Mossawi Studios, a multi-disciplinary design studio specializing in creating memorable, iconic, and bold experiences. He loves blurring the lines between product design, visual effects, and storytelling.In today’s episode, we discuss: Hussain’s new book The Innovator's Handbook, a short guide to Unleashing Your Creative Mindset and we get to hear a short excerpt from Chapter five, Cultivate Curiosity.Encouragement for young creatives moving up in their careerLastly, what’s coming up next in Hussain’s creative future “As a designer, as a creative, the way I look at it, you can either act or react. You can be a leader or a follower. That's the cool thing about it, there's no right or wrong.” The Innovator's Handbook, a short guide to Unleashing Your Creative Mindset  In Hussain’s book he helps designers and creatives harness their fire, flex their courage, and supercharge their ideas to create remarkable products, services, and experiences.What was Hussain’s intent when he decided to create this book? He wanted to be a quick read, A short, fun read with lots of illustrations in it. Something that was not overwhelming to him. He explains that Innovation always felt overwhelming to him, even the books that he has that are super insightful. He tried to break it down. Create something to get a person’s ideas going and start to make the reader think outside the box. **At 11:23 minutes we hear a short excerpt from Chapter five, Cultivate Curiosity that Hussain reads for us. Encouragement for Young People and InspirationHussain’s advice to somebody who is young in this space or wants to get into it is:Always be humble and hungry. Always try to see how you can go to the next level. There's no right and wrong in innovation. Every idea can become something.Dream big, think big. Don't limit yourself. “Fear. It all goes back to fear. Fear is the number one thing that stops you from coming up with ideas, fear of speaking, fear of thinking out loud, fear of sharing ideas with other people and so on. So, be fearless. Be humble, and be hungry. And that will take you very far.”** Where you live shouldn’t be an inspiration for what you create. It doesn't matter where you are, he says. There's always hidden stories that you can use as your insights when you're designing.What next?First, Hussain is trying to find ways to blend the digital space and the physical space. Mixing the two and taking him back to the idea of intersections and mixing two things together. He has found it’s opened a lot of new doors to be more innovative and creative and come up with amazing ideas. He wants to keep pushing that.Secondly, he’s working on teaching and doing more workshops. Whether it's in 3d, industrial design, creative thinking, or innovative thinking. Lastly, he’s thinking about his second book and what the design will look like all while getting out in the world and seeing people's feedback.It was such a pleasure sitting down and speaking with Hussain today. Check out his book The Innovator's Handbook, a short guide to Unleashing Your Creative Mindset on Amazon. Also, Mossawi Studios where you can learn more about Hussain and his current projects. We look forward to seeing what he comes up with next. Hussain's Website @mossawi_ on Instagram @mossawi_ on Instagram Copyright 2026 Mark Stinson

Today we traveled to sunny L.A. to sit down with the Founder and Producer of Pink Poodle Productions, Marlene Sharp. Marlene has quite an impressive resume wearing many different hats in the Entertainment Industry. To name a few, Marlene has worked as a director and producer and an all-around key contributor in both iconic and niche franchises such as YO-KAI WATCH, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, POWER RANGERS, PINK PANTHER, and POSTMAN PAT.In this episode we some of the topics we talked with Marlene about are:The creative journey from growing up in New Orleans to working in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles.Her role as a mentor for autistic artists at The Center for Learning Unlimited, &The new film trilogy she’s working on, Young Captain Nemo.  “I cannot lie and say that developing video game characters was my dream as a girl. It was not. I was interested in all different aspects of the entertainment industry, deal-making, writing, and producing, especially as it concerned me because there aren't as many roles for women.”Marlene’s Creative Journey When Marlene got to Hollywood she fell into the video game-driven content business through her first temp job. She worked for a company called Bandi. The owner of the Bandi worked closely with Japan, which owned Power Rangers at the time. Her company was concerned with selling toys. Marlene talks a lot about the anime industry in this segment explaining that 99% of what kids entertainment business is about is first selling stuff, to sustain the business and this is mostly through consumer products. She would have to follow the development and then the production to make sure that the toys were being played within the correct play pattern to make kids want to buy them. imitating that role-playing in real life. A lot of the anime she received was very stream-of-consciousness storytelling. Which is not ideal for western audiences. They had to create a beginning, middle, and end.“There was a lot, there was creativity in the sense that we had to disguise the fact that we were selling so much because it wasn't supposed to be just a commercial for, for toys, there needed to be storytelling.”Marlene attended an all-girls school growing up in New Orleans. She went through what she explains as the hard knocks going through the “mean girl” experience. She feels this prepared her for the cutthroat industry in Hollywood. She felt a big change coming into Los Angeles from New Orleans with how people are very career conscious in L.A. She said she sees people buckle down and work insane hours and will make all kinds of sacrifices for their careers. Being a MentorMarlene mentors a special group of artists at a school called The Center for Learning Unlimited in Torrance, California. The school has an animation career training program for adults on the autism spectrum. She works with adults 18 and over. There’s a lot of diversity, age ranges, and backgrounds in the program.  Three-year certificate training program When the students finish that program, they go into Brainstorm Productions, the companion studio. The studio serves as a traditional studio that takes work for hire opportunities. It's a bridge between the academic program and working at a big third-party studio.Young Captain NemoThe company that is behind it is called Rain Shine Entertainment based in Mumbai in India. Rainshine, which pitches itself as one of the first Indian content studios targeting the global market. This is the first of a trilogy of animated action-adventure films. The story focuses on Gabriel Nemo, a young modern-day descendant of Jules Verne’s famous literary figure Captain Nemo in the classic novel “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” Stay tuned for when the movie makes its release. Also, follow and connect with Marlene on social media. She says she’s a maniac on Linkedin so definitely connect with her there. Pink Poodle ProductionsIMDB

Claudia is an artist, writer, philanthropist, life coach, mentor, mother, and wife. During her career as a journalist, she has worked for magazines and television in South America and the US, touching on subjects from parenting, forgiveness, and growth to political issues. "Everything I know about love is taught by the people who really never loved me. We strive to be loved… we do… and we hope to be loved back but sometimes what we give is not returned in the same authentic way… so let’s don’t allow this to change our hearts. Let’s learn from it. Keep on spreading love around as love is really all we need," says Claudia.¿Alguna vez te has sentido perdida, confundida, desmotivada?Llevo más de treinta años en un viaje de crecimiento personal. He cambiado la forma en la que como, la forma en que me visto, la forma en que pienso, la forma en que “digiero” las cosas y la forma en que gasto mi dinero, entre otras cosas, porque siempre sentí que todo era parte de convertirme en el Yo auténtico que estaba destinada a ser. Pero la sensación de vacío no desaparecía hasta que decidí buscar la felicidad dentro de mí, reconocer mis dones y apreciar lo que realmente es.En este viaje, he aprendido que todos los días una versión de mí expira. Que me acerco más y más a quien estoy destinada a ser, convirtiéndome en mi verdadero yo. La persona que conociste o pensaste que era, ya no existe, ya que ella es sólo un boceto de la obra maestra que intento ser. También he aprendido que no necesito encogerme para encajar y que ese sentimiento de amor y aceptación debe comenzar conmigo.Tu crecimiento es inminente y no le debes una disculpa a nadie. Aquí estoy compartiendo ejemplos y anécdotas de mi viaje para así mostrarle las lecciones esenciales que he aprendido, algunas historias que amo y memorias inspiradoras de familia, matrimonio, amor y ansiedad.Después de leer este libro:-Tendrás las herramientas que necesitas para evitar que el pasado se repita.-Abrazarás tu poder y visualizarás la vida que deseas.-Finalmente aprenderás cómo ponerte en primer lugar y no permitir que las conversaciones negativas dentro de tu cabeza, te impidan alcanzar tus sueños.-Aprenderás a elegir tu tribu y dejarás ir a las personas tóxicas en tu vida.¡Tu puedes vivir la mejor versión de tu vida! ¡Empieza ahora!Claudia Noriega-BernsteinClaudia es artista, escritora, filántropa, coach de abundancia/vida, mentora, madre y esposa. Durante su carrera como periodista y escritora, ha trabajado para revistas y televisión en el Peru y Estados Unidos, tocando temas desde la crianza positiva, el perdón y el crecimiento emociona, hasta temas políticos y de inmigración. Comenzó su carrera en televisión a los 17 años como actriz de la conocida telenovela Carmin con el personaje de Monica, donde co-protagonizo con el actor Jorge Garcia Bustamante, una de las telenovelas más populares del Peru y que se transmitió en más de 37 paises, así como Zańa y Kerara Marka, produccion filmada en el Cuzco. Participo en importantes campañas publicitarias internacionales como Levi’s entre otras, pero poco despues le encontró el gusto a la producción y a estar detrás de la cámara. A los 21 años y se convirtió en una de las Co-productoras más jóvenes de su país donde escribió un manual que luego se usó para capacitar a otros productores jóvenes. Estudió Arte desde muy joven, desde acrílico y óleo hasta esculturas en piedra. Actualmente esta trabajando en una colección de pinturas que será expuesta en el extrajero el proximo año. También estudio Dirección de Cine y televisión. Después de mudarse a los EE. UU., trabajó como modelo en la Florida y luego se mudo a Las Vegas donde produjo espectáculos musicales en importantes Hoteles del Strip de Las Vegas. Y otras ciudades  Hija del periodista, escritor y poeta Julio Noriega Garland, Claudia siempre tuvo un gusto especial para la escritura pero cuando se convirtió en madre soltera de tres hijas, tuvo que dejar de lado su pasión y explorar otros medios.En 2008, mientras participaba en un entrenamiento de Inteligencia Emocional en Choice Center University, descubrió el “coaching” lo que se convirtió en otra de sus pasiones. “Ayudar a otros a encontrar su autoestima, crear relaciones sanas, su propósito de vida y convertirse en líderes auténticos, es mi misión; especialmente cuando los ayudo a mantenerse en su propio poder y tener claridad sobre quiénes son y a dónde quieren llegar poder convertirse en la mejor versión de ellos mismos.”Ella ha dedicado los últimos doce años de su vida a empoderar a personas que bucan ser la mejor version de ellas mismas, especialmente a los niños y las mujeres. Como entrenadora de vida y abundancia( Life and Abundance Coach), ha ayudado a personas de diferentes orígenes a descubrir e implementar todo el potencial de sus propios poderes creativos para el crecimiento personal y la autocuración.Nacida en el Perú, proviene de una cultura de tabúes y creencias que no siempre la habían empoderado para convertirse en lo que ella creía era su vocación. En el proceso de autodescubrimiento, se enamoró de sí misma nuevamente y encontró su pasión por ayudar a los demás.Retribuir, pagar por “adelantado”, gratitud y amabilidad son sus pilares para un mundo mejor y les da crédito por inspirar su sistema de creencias y por transformar su vida.En su libro Brighter Days, (disponible en español – Dias Felices), comparte las herramientas que aprendió para romper las creencias que la detuvieron en el pasado para crear la vida que quería. Claudia ha viajado por el mundo desde que era una niña y se inspira continuamente en la diversidad y belleza de la expresión y experiencias humana.Claudia ayuda a varias organizaciones benéficas y tiene debilidad por los niños inmigrantes. Recibió el Premio de Embajadora de la Comunidad en el 2017-2018 de la Facultad de Derecho Boyd de la Universidad de Nevada en Las Vegas UNLV y el Programa Corte de Niños, que es una organización que ayuda a los niños que han sido abusados y descuidados, a familiarizarse con el sistema judicial; también recibió el Silver State Community Excellence Award en 2018 de la Asociación de Leyes del Interés Público por el trabajo que ella y su esposo Ed Bernstein realizan, brindando asistencia legal a niños indocumentados a través del Programa de Derechos del Niño de Bernstein.  Claudia esta casada con Ed Bernstein y tiene tres hijas de su anterior matrimonio, Thalia, Isabella y Sophia. Ella vive en Las Vegas Nevada con su familia y sus dos perros, Boyfriend y Bianca. Actualmente es la Directora de Marketing de su compañía de medios, creando, dirigiendo y editando anuncios de televisión. En su tiempo libre, le gusta pintar y esculpir tanto como viajar con su familia.Have you ever felt lost, confused, unmotivated?I have been on a personal growth journey for over thirty years. I have changed the way I eat, the way I dress, the way I think, the way I "digest" things and the way I spend my money, among other things, because I always felt that everything was part of becoming the authentic me that I was meant to be. But the feeling of emptiness did not go away until I decided to look for happiness within myself, recognize my gifts and appreciate what it really is.On this journey, I have learned that every day a version of me expires. That I get closer and closer to who I'm meant to be, becoming my true self. The person you knew or thought she was, no longer exists, as she is just a sketch of the masterpiece I try to be. I have also learned that I don't need to shrink to fit in and that this feeling of love and acceptance has to start with me.Your growth is imminent and you don't owe anyone an apology. Here I am sharing examples and anecdotes from my journey to show you the essential lessons I have learned, some stories I love, and inspiring memories of family, marriage, love, and anxiety.After reading this book:-You will have the tools you need to prevent the past from repeating itself.-You will embrace your power and visualize the life you want.-Finally you will learn how to put yourself first and not let the negative conversations inside your head stop you from reaching your dreams.-You will learn to choose your tribe and let go of the toxic people in your life.You can live the best version of your life! Start now!Claudia Noriega-BernsteinClaudia is an artist, writer, philanthropist, abundance/life coach, mentor, mother, and wife. During her career as a journalist and writer, she has worked for magazines and television in Peru and the United States, covering topics from positive parenting, forgiveness and emotional growth, to immigration and political issues. She began her television career at the age of 17 as an actress in the well-known telenovela Carmin with the character of Monica, where she co-starred with actor Jorge Garcia Bustamante, one of the most popular telenovelas in Peru and which was broadcast in more than 37 countries. , as well as Zańa and Kerara Marka, a production filmed in Cuzco. She participated in important international advertising campaigns such as Levi's among others, but soon after she found a taste for production and being behind the camera. Younger co-producers from her country where she wrote a manual that was later used to train other young producers. He studied Art from a very young age, from acrylic and oil to stone sculptures. He is currently working on a collection of paintings that will be exhibited abroad next year. He also studied Film and Television Directing. After moving to the US, she worked as a model in Florida and then moved to Las Vegas where she produced musical shows at major Las Vegas Strip Hotels. and other cities  Daughter of journalist, writer and poet Julio Noriega Garland, Claudia always had a special taste for writing but when she became a single mother of three daughters, she had to put her passion aside and explore other media.In 2008, while participating in an Emotional Intelligence training at Choice Center University, she discovered "coaching" which became another of her passions. “Helping others to find their self-esteem, create healthy relationships, their life purpose and become authentic leaders, is my mission; especially when I help them stay in their own power and have clarity about who they are and where they want to be so they can become the best version of themselves.”She has dedicated the last twelve years of her life to empowering people who seek to be the best version of themselves, especially children and women. As a Life and Abundance Coach, she has helped people from many different backgrounds discover and implement the full potential of their own creative powers for personal growth and self-healing.Born in Peru, she comes from a culture of taboos and beliefs that had not always empowered her to become what she believed to be her calling. In the process of her self-discovery, she fell in love with herself again and found her passion for helping others.Giving back, paying “up front,” gratitude, and kindness are her building blocks for a better world, and she credits them for inspiring her belief system and transforming her life.In her book Brighter Days, (available in Spanish – Dias Felices), she shares the tools she learned to break the beliefs that held her back in the past to create the life she wanted. Claudia has traveled the world since she was a child and is continually inspired by the diversity and beauty of human expression and experience.Claudia helps various charities and has a soft spot for immigrant children. She received the 2017-2018 Community Ambassador Award from the University of Nevada Las Vegas UNLV Boyd School of Law and the Children's Court Program, which is an organization that helps children who have been abused and neglected. , to become familiar with the judicial system; She also received the 2018 Silver State Community Excellence Award from the Public Interest Law Association for the work she and her husband Ed Bernstein do providing legal assistance to undocumented children through the Bernstein Children's Rights Program. Claudia is married to Ed Bernstein and has three daughters from her previous marriage, Thalia, Isabella and Sophia. She lives in Las Vegas Nevada with her family and her two dogs, Boyfriend and Bianca. She is currently the Director of Marketing for her media company, creating, directing and editing television commercials. In her spare time, she enjoys painting and sculpting as well as traveling with her family.

Welcome back to another interview on Unlocking Your World of Creativity. We had the pleasure and honor to sit down and speak with Major General Robert W. Mixon, Jr. In the US Army, General Mixon commanded the 7th Infantry Division and Fort Carson, Colorado. He has served in executive leadership positions in both for-profit and not-for-profit companies prior to starting his own leadership company, Level Five Associates, in 2014. He is also the co-author of a best-selling book on Amazon, “Cows in the Living Room: Developing an Effective Strategic Plan and Sustaining It” and the author of “We're All In: The Journey to a World-Class Culture”, which became a "Best New Release" on Amazon in 2017. In today’s episode: Major General Mixon breaks down his 6 key principles of success in leadership The value veterans bring to the workplace General Mixons company, Level Five Associates and how his time in military service developed the insights, discipline, and vision necessary to transform capable people into unsurpassed business leaders.6 Principles of SuccessAzimuth - A term learned in the military. It's your cardinal direction for the organization, for the team. You set the azimuth, which includes your mission intent. Listen - Becoming more effective listeners. Trust and Empower - Empowerment is the embodiment of trust. But if we don't nurture that aspect of our culture, then we'll end up with an environment of distrust, which is toxic. Do the Right Thing When No One is Looking - “As we say, at the Pentagon, that briefs well, but it's very difficult to do because we have to value the process over the outcome and do the right thing.”  When in Charge Take Charge - It's not being loud and profane and directive. It's being calm in the chaos.Balance the Personal and Professional - Taking your careers very seriously, your mission very seriously, but not taking ourselves that way. Promoting balance among each other. It's not all about time with work life. It's about having the values that you really believe in guide your actions, and that's where balance lives.“The plan is a basis for change. And if we are not adaptive as leaders, as organizations, and we are rigid in our fixation on the plan, then I think our chances of success are very low.”Value Veterans bring to the Workplace a sense of duty, a sense of doing what needs to be done.   They're reliable.  They're gonna be used to getting the mission accomplished. Sometimes when it runs beyond five o'clockThey're going to be team players. They understand that there's no eye in team.After General Mixon left military service, he continued to support and work for veterans with disabilities, mental health challenges, and has worked extensively in nonprofit work. Two organizations he is privileged to be a part of are:CDS Life Transitions - An organization providing life and job transition for men and women with intellectual disabilities Warrior Salute  - Provides meaningful platforms and events to raise funds for other warrior and veteran organizations.Level Five AssociatesLevel Five Associates’s goal is to provide individuals and organizations with leadership tools that work, that are values based and based on the right values.offering individuals and organizations one on one in strategic planning and executive coaching conduct workshops for teams and individuals on each of the big six principles focusing on discovery, learning on practical applicationprocess of engagement where we seek to “learn about you”,giving practical application tools that they can employ every day. “Taking charge is promoting positivity, promoting a learning culture.”Find out more about Major General Robert W. Mixon, Jr. by going to Level Five Associates, Linkedin, and Amazon to purchase his books. 

Get to know Ken Dychtwald, his Influence on the Age Wave, and his book RADICAL CURIOSITYFor those with an interest in marketing, health care, and the workforce, it's impossible to ignore the influence of Ken Dychtwald. A psychologist and gerontologist, Dychtwald is a best-selling author of 16 books on aging-related issues, including Radical Curiosity. He is also the founder and CEO of Age Wave—a firm created to guide companies and government groups in product/service development for boomers and mature adults. With more than two million people worldwide having heard his speeches to corporates, associations, social services, and government groups, let’s take a closer look at who Ken Dychtwald is and why he is so influential today. Ken Dychtwald's Impact on Businesses Dychtwald’s work centers around understanding how businesses can capture the attention of mature consumers as they age. He provides advice on how businesses can use this knowledge to create products that better serve mature consumers’ needs while increasing their own profits. According to Dychtwald's research, older adults are some of the most affluent consumers in the market today – making them prime targets for any business looking to increase its customer base. His approach has been adopted by many companies looking to expand their product lines into age-specific markets as well as attract more customers from different generations. Dychtwald's Impact on Health Care In addition to his work in business, Dychtwald has also had a significant impact on health care systems across North America. He has argued that our current health care system does not adequately address the needs of older adults – particularly those living with chronic conditions or disabilities – because it fails to recognize their unique circumstances and challenges faced by caregivers. As such, he advocates for changes in policy that would better equip health care providers with strategies for addressing these needs more effectively. Additionally, he works with governments around the world on programs designed specifically for older adults—such as enhanced home-based medical services or improved access to quality nutrition programs—in order to improve their overall quality of life and well-being. Conclusion: In short, Ken Dychtwald has become one of the leading voices when it comes to understanding how aging impacts businesses and society at large. Through his work at Age Wave, he continues to provide valuable insights into how companies can better target older consumers while also advocating for policies that will improve the elderly's quality of life through better access to healthcare services when needed. Whether you are a business owner or simply someone interested in learning more about how aging affects us all —Ken Dychtwald is an essential source of information worth investigating further!Ken's Website Over the past 40+ years, Dr. Ken Dychtwald has emerged as North America’s foremost visionary and original thinker regarding the lifestyle, marketing, health care, and workforce implications of the age wave. Ken is a psychologist, gerontologist, and best-selling author of 16 books on aging-related issues, including Radical Curiosity. Since 1986, Ken has been the founding President and CEO of Age Wave, a firm created to guide companies and government groups in product/service development for boomers and mature adults. Ken was recently honored by Investment Advisor as one of the 35 most influential thought leaders in the financial services industry over the past 35 years. He has served as a fellow of the World Economic Forum, and he was a featured speaker at two White House Conferences on Aging. During his career, Ken has addressed more than two million people worldwide in his speeches to corporate, association, social service, and government groups. Copyright 2026 Mark Stinson

Welcome back everyone to Unlocking Your World of Creativity.Today we are talking with Joe Hart, the President and CEO of Dale Carnegie & Associates. He’s also co-author of a Dale Carnegie book called, Take Command: Find Your Inner Strength, Build Enduring Relationships, and Live the Life You Want.In today’s episode we talk to Joe about Take Command, his inspiring journey to embrace change in the modern world, and working alongside the grandson of Dale Carnegie and co-author of Take Command, Michael Crum. **A special note: At the end of this episode Mark asks Joe to give his 2-minute talk on Take Command - an exercise practiced worldwide in the Dale Carnegie course in which you stand up and tell your story in 2 mins. Listen to the end for this. "Take Command builds beautifully on the ideas in my fathers’ books and takes those insights even further with innovative and effective ways to implement them. For those seeking inner strength, greater confidence, and truly meaningful relationships, Take Command will be an invaluable guide.”Donna Dale Carnegie Take Command - What’s it about?Joe says he has been told by friends and readers that, “This is not a book that you just read. This is a book that I'm going to need to come back to over and over and over ``. The book guides the reader to:take command of their thoughts and emotions.take command of your relationships Take command of your future, your vision. Joe explains he sees this as a manual or roadmap that people will come back to and read, then apply, and practice. The goal is for this to be a transformative work in the lives of the readers. Part of what makes all of this book so compelling are the powerful stories. The stories are combined with what might be research or insights or other kinds of lessons. “The story teaches.”Inspired Journey - Embracing Change in the Modern World“The concept of embracing change, whether it's in something big or something small, is the reality that often the problem with change is our response to it.” One of the principles that Dale Carnegie teaches in How to Win Friends or How to Stop Worrying and Start Living is to cooperate with the inevitable.Joe gives an example: Say there's a change at work or there's a policy at work that changes, or there's someone who says there's going to be a merger. Does our mind automatically go to the worst possible situation? Or do we think to ourselves, where's the opportunity? Part of the book is to help people work on their mindset. How do we reframe our thinking? How do we condition our minds and ourselves for success so that we can become resilient and agile and really strong, face some adversity?The book teaches you that YOU CAN work through it and keep on moving and find opportunity and thrive even during difficult times. “Embracing change is a really important part of that whole process.”Co-Author Michael CrumJoe has known Michael for over 20 years. He says Michael is a “tremendous human being and someone who just has such a breadth of knowledge.” When Joe had the idea to write the book the first person he thought of was Michael Crum. Michale was already interviewing Fortune 30 under 30 people and he’s an extraordinary interviewer. His interviews were a foundation for the book, rich with stories. It was a lot of fun working with Michael, and from a creative standpoint because they were in agreement with pretty much everything so there wasn’t any conflict in the writing. *Michael is the grandson of Dale Carnegie and grew up practicing the principles of his grandfather's teachings. Check out Joe’s and Michael's book: Take Command: Find Your Inner Strength, Build Enduring Relationships, and Live the Life You WantYou can also find Joe Hart on Linkedin and Twitter (@josephkhart) or go to www.dalecarnegie.com to learn more about Dale Carnegie books, courses/classes, inspiring stories, and teachings.@joseph_k_hart on Instagram Joe on YouTube Copyright 2026 Mark Stinson

We are back for another interview on Unlocking Your World of Creativity. Today Mark traveled over to Dallas-FortWorth to talk with the co-founder/creator of Real Time Feedback, Adam Alfia. Mark discussed with Adam his innovative new platform and how it’s changing the way a customer can communicate with upper management of businesses about issues they are experiencing in a very simple and effective way. Whether that be at a restaurant, a recreational park, a medical clinic, and even a grocery store. “We like to say, give them help before they Yelp!” What is it?It's a QR code. We make it very simple. We don't use an app. Customers never have to download anything.By scanning/taking a picture on your phone of the QR code of the business you’re at, you are then automatically taken to that business site. Here’s a step-by-step procedure:Scan QR code Takes you to a specific website pageYou put in whatever your issue is Submit (you can be anonymous if you want!)Management of the business receives the message through email, text, or through the company’s app connected to businessManagement responds to that customer (YOU) and the customer gets a response via text message on their phone. Begins the open dialogue on the issueThe issue gets resolved in a quick and effective way “When that customer walks across the threshold of your door, they're now in your world. You really have to do a lot to keep 'em engaged, keep them happy, and if they're not happy, you have to make it very easy for them to let someone know.” Examples of how this works:Example scenario #1: Let's say you're in the men's restroom at a business or an arena and you see that the bathroom is out of paper towels and you end up walking out wiping your hands on your pants. You're not gonna walk around and find somebody, right?You scan the QR codes already loaded with the location of the restrooms and it's already prepopulated with the words “paper towels are out” and you can then add more and even say, “Hey, the sink is overflowing or the toilet's running” Example scenario #2:How many times have you gone to the grocery store and you go to return your cart in the parking lot and the whole cart area is full of carts? You're not gonna walk back in with your groceries and find a manager. What Real Time does is have the QR codes ON the cart area. So when you're walking out, you just scan your phone and it automatically sends a message without you having to enter anything that says the parking lot needs attention, please come out. Now you're letting the business know something, and once again you can add additional information.Something to note:  Grocery stores and retail stores spend millions of dollars a year for big brands on parking lot dings and dents from runaway carts. We can help solve that very easily or at least a majority of it by knowing when the carts are outta control in your parking lot.Example scenario #3:You’re out at the park with your kids and there's a swing broken or there's a sprinkler head that's leaking or anything that you see that needs attention. Instead of having personnel visit the park once a week and aimlessly walk around looking for stuff, now the resident or visitor can be your eyes and ears and let you know about all kinds of issues that really matter to them. Scan the QR code -  it opens up a ticket, they can take care of it, and they can respond. They can send the resident/visitor a message back saying, “Hey Mr. Simpson, thank you for sending up feedback last week. You'll be happy to know the swing is fixed now.”   Family dynamic being in business together:“Real Time feedback was really born out of us being frustrated whenever we go to restaurants and see a lackluster performance from the staff or the food's bad.” Real Time Feedback was created and founded by Adam and his brother Kfir Alfia. They have been in business together since 2005 when Adam started the concierge company, Maestro.  Adam says he’s more of the sales guy and creative process guy. Kfir has been very instrumental in building relationships with people. “You can say things that you cannot say to other people. And also we spend a lot of social time together. So we're always talking about “what if” scenarios and questions.”What’s new to look out for? Mass Call Feature:Adam and his brother have realized that a lot of managers wanna have a   conversation with a customer and NOT just through a text. They want to pick up the phone and call that customer. Most of the time it's from their cell phone. They find managers are very hesitant about calling a customer, especially a happy customer from their cell phone. They don’t want to have to use their personal cell phone number. Real Time Feedback just built a mass call feature where managers can actually call a customer directly from their personal cell and it shows up as a different number as Uber does. It hides both numbers. This is the next platform feature to look out for AND on top of that, the manager can record a video that they then can put on Real Time’s app that will then send that as a text message to a customer. Be sure to go to Real Time Feedback to learn more!Copyright 2026 Mark Stinson

Esther Weinberg Esther's Website Esther Weinberg is a business growth accelerator that equips executives in high-growth industries to create big pivots, big impact and big returns. As Founder & Chief Leadership Development Officer of The Ready Zone, she powerfully fast tracks an organization’s progress by focusing on The Ready Zone’s six Zone Performance Indicators (ZPIs), that are paramount to profitable growth. Esther’s innovative strategies have assisted clients to grow, scale and thrive in the worst and best of times including Netflix, Microsoft, Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN, Adobe, Disney and IMAX. Esther is a member of the Forbes Coaches Council and a contributor to Forbes. @esther_weinberg on Instagram Esther's Facebook page LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/estherweinberg/

In this very exciting interview today Mark stamped his passport in his #1 destination, Amsterdam. On today’s podcast, we brought in author, Lisette Schuitemaker. Born in the Netherlands, Lisette is the eldest of four children which is the subject of her 2016 book The Eldest Daughter Effect. She also wrote in 2017 The Childhood Conclusions Fix and Childless Living (2019). In this episode, Mark and Lisette discussed Lisette's inspirations and conclusions for creating her books, writing non-fiction, and the inside tellings on her new book she's working on, The Inner Life of Money. In the first part of our interview, Mark asks about “alleviating loneliness and how we feel we are the only ones”. Lisette mentions attending the Barbara Brand School of Healing where she learned about the insightful theory of psychiatrist William Reich. She breaks down his 5 conclusions that people come out of childhood with. I should of not been born, I am differentWe are not good enoughBeing ashamed of ourselves We should be in controlWe should be perfect Her insightful feedback around these childhood issues coming from the eldest child is that even though we think we are not good enough, we end up trying harder and we wanna do better. She says that kind of makes it the “positive side of it”. And in turn, the negative side of it can be self-destructive and you end up starting over and over again.Observing patterns in firstborns like Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Cheryl Sandberg, JK Rowling, Beyonce, and many many more that her main key takeaway was “responsibility”. She says alleviating loneliness, is also a “kind of freeing ourselves up to be our true selves and not be at a mercy of patterns that we learned in our childhood”.Lisette's “Hero’s Journey” in creating Non-fiction “You have to know a lot about your material, and at the same time, you have to have some distance from it so that you can kind of be a bit more abstract in a way, whereas you're still factual.” The book that's always on her table is The Grounded Theory and it says, “look at your data, keep looking at your data, because at some point, a pattern will emerge.”She describes writing as:It isn't always writingIt’s also reading, Writing is also despairing. Writing is going back to notes, and then going back to previous versions. “I think my imagination is not as large as my curiosity and my wanting to know how things are and my kind of empathy for people in certain situations. And then that's what I write about.”Lisette is currently working on a new book, The Inner Life of Money. She talks about currently co-writing on the topic of money and how she shares her ideas back and forth with her partner. Listen towards the end as she discusses her new book and to learn more about Lisette and her books go to her website at lisetteschuitemaker.com/en/You can also find her on Linkedin, Facebook, and Instagram.    Copyright 2026 Mark Stinson      Mentioned in this episode:THE ALAURA SHOWHey, it's Alaura Lovelight. And if you're enjoying "unlocking your world of creativity," make sure to check out my new show, "The Alaura Show" ... on Roku and Amazon Fire TV.