Coffee & Change

Today's story comes from Julio Alvarez, a first-generation Ecuadorean American who has worked for the largest consumer brands, helping connect people to emerging new products in meaningful ways. Over the last 12 years, Julio has created retail experiences as an Apple store leader, led Google’s annual Year in Search brand campaign, supported a luxury brand acquisition at Airbnb, created the PMM function at Tumblr, and championed Lyft’s ability to overcome strong COVID headwinds with leadership across two mission-critical areas: Health Safety and Self-Driving Rides. Julio is passionate about mental health + sustainability and sees them as the most pressing opportunities of our lifetime, so he's taking time post-COVID to explore how he can best add value at-scale here. Fun fact: Perhaps second only to Gayle King, Julio has watched all 4,563 episodes of the Oprah Show. These days, you might call that a Ph.D in storytelling! Enjoy the discussion.

On this episode we hear the story and journey of former gymnast champion now novelist, Scott Wilbanks. Scott's first novel, The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster was a book I couldn't put down. Now, five years later, I am re-reading the book for the third time and connecting with Scott to say thank you for listening to the inner voice that placed one sentence in his head and began his journey as a novelist and author. Enjoy the discussion.

Happy Summer and thanks for listening. Just as the seasons change, we too are changing things up a bit here on Coffee & Change. As we head into the summer season, as families begin to reunite, take road trips, make memories and celebrate moments together, we want to meet people where they are at, wherever they are listening. And my guest on this special episode makes that possible. The musical opening you are hearing is the summer season composition and score for this podcast, penned and played by none other than Jason Latham. As art of our creative partnership, Jason wanted to bring our listening community a sound for summer. That sound captures the season and spirit perfectly, as I will be taking a few episodes of the podcast on the road this summer...meeting people where they are at. So to kick off that special series, let’s hear from the composer and creator, who in his story reminds us of the power of playing in through, learning from the next generation, and listening to your heart while being pull

Today’s story comes from Sharon Brewster. Sharon is the Chief Brand and Creative Officer at Brewster Branding, a creative agency specializing in helping businesses connect with customers. She is passionate about business innovation, growth, and entrepreneurship. Merging brand strategies, creativity, technology, and a psychologically-nuanced technique, Sharon collaborates with business owners and entrepreneurs to develop a personalized, purposeful and recognizable brand that some would consider their first true reflection in copy. Using web, social media, print, and audience segmentation, Sharon designs with a supportive and inclusive approach to help clients achieve their business goals and life goals. Enjoy the listen. You can find Sharon at http://www.brewsterbranding.com/portal

Today’s story comes from Brendan McWeeney. Brendan is a User Experience Design Manager at LinkedIn. In November of 2018 Brendan wrote an article on Linkedin titled: “You May Not Be My Leader: My Personal Philosophy on Design Leadership.” This year, as we emerge from the Pandemic our work has evolved in ways we never could have imagined, this article not only caught my eye, but spoke to my heart. I believe we are at an unprecedented crossroads in leadership - from design to development to delegation. The whole definition needs to be rewritten based on new ways of working to address the new challenges that can’t be solved with the tools we learned, in all those books we read, and courses we sat through. So where do we begin? Well, I am hoping for you, it may begin in the power of reading the words of Brendan McWeeney who courageously shared how he decided to construct his own Personal Philosophy of Leadership after completing a Masters in Information Design and Strategy. Brendan puts the power back in the han

Today’s story comes from Seth Adams, the Land Conservation Director for Save Mount Diablo. Thirty three years ago, Seth joined Save Mount Diablo as their first staff member. His passion brought him to the city by the bay, and as a resident of the East Bay he uses a powerful combination of passion, purpose and persistence to manage change admirably in a variety of focus areas. Seth has earned numerous awards and accolades for his work in advocacy, government relations, procurement and acquisitions, and educational and media programs rooted in changing hearts and minds to benefit the climate and the Earth. Among Seth's accomplishments are participation in the preservation of tens of thousands of acres of land as well as the creation of Urban Limit Lines all while supporting the raising of over a billion dollars in conservation funding. Seth is an avid hiker, and amateur historian. Enjoy the listening and the wisdom shared. Learn more at: https://www.savemountdiablo.org/

Today’s story comes from someone I admire and believe in and have had the chance to get to know these past few months. Paul McCarthy is the founder and author of the forthcoming book on FIRED Leadership. I first heard Paul speak about his work and thought leadership on the Humans Now and Then Podcast with Rebecca Scott. While listening, I found myself stopping in my tracks as Paul posed questions that frankly, no one dared to say aloud before. At the heart of his inquiry is a purpose driven desire to understand why after almost $400 billion a year is spent on leadership development, it still isn’t working. Paul speaks his truth and shares facts that many organizations do not want to admit. Plain and simple. And in his inquiry and investigation for even more truth in this industry, Paul helps us understand what some may consider an ongoing, unsolved mystery. Why is it, that after all this investment in top talent, organizations are continuing to fire their top talent. As Paul asks each question in numero

Today’s story comes to us from Sharon Laflamme. Sharon focuses her work and passion on helping others change and grow through what is referred to as somatic experiences. In studying the power of the somatic, Sharon seeks to liberate people from the habits, traumas, and beliefs that are creating unhappiness, poor health, lack of fulfillment and stagnation in their life. Sharon empowers and teaches others the skills to create serenity and healing in our world, using own own energetic makeup. Enjoy the discussion. You can learn more about Sharon at https://www.creatingserenitynow.com/

What if we saw unhappiness not as a problem, but as a puzzle. When you start a puzzle, at first it can be daunting...lots of pieces, lots of sorting, lots of finding. This next story comes from someone who prides herself in helping others start putting those pieces together. Becky Morrison is the author of The Happiness Recipe published in the Spring of 2021. Having spent two decades in Big Law and Finance, Becky untangled her way into happiness and shares her tips and insights in her book as well as with her clients. Becky is also the co host of a podcast called COACHING CARRIE, where two lawyers turned coaches re-watch Sex And The City and can’t help but wonder: How would Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha’s lives have been different if they’d just had a coach to help them along? Every Tuesday Kerry and Becky recap an episode of the show, ask coaching questions, and talk through the answers the characters - and listeners - might give. Learn a little about what coaching looks like and relive your favo

Have you ever met someone that could bring a whiteboard to life? You know the type of person who lights up when they grab that marker and start creating, and connecting new ways of living and working the world? All in that limited canvas with an unlimited imagination for improving and doing better. Our story today comes from one of those unique beings on the planet. Donald Van Dyke is a Change and Transformation Leader who I had the pleasure of meeting in an interview almost six years ago. And while the interview began in a traditional way, I knew there was more story ready to burst out of this exceptional candidate I was meeting for the first time. And so with that, I handed him a marker and let him take the whiteboard. In that moment began a great friendship, when the student became the teacher and the opportunities to influence change using one’s story just unfolded before us. And while we have replaced the whiteboard for long walks in this pandemic, his passion for learning and leading is still as fervent

After the year or two we have had, I would say it’s time to create a lifestyle revolution. And so would my next guest, Natalie Labonte. Natalie shares her story and passions to help others discover what happens when they let their body, their spirit and their spaces do the talking. With a blend of the ancient and the dynamic, Natalie’s talents bring the wisdom of feng shui and biophilic design to her clients, who often never think of the power of place and space the same again. Enjoy the discussion. You can follow Natalie's work at NatalieLabonte.com and on Instagram at nataliejeanlabonte

Have you ever had that moment when you are listening to a podcast, and you stop and say to yourself, “It would be incredible to have a conversation with this person.” Well, today’s story and guest is a reminder to take those moments that move you, those words that inspire you and those risks that scare you, and go for it. Because you’ll never know, unless you go. And my go, just a few months ago, was to reach out to our next guest, Coach Matthew Hayes. After hearing Matthew as a guest on Clay Boykin’s Podcast called In Search of the New Compassionate Male, I felt called to reach out to Matthew directly, thank him for his insights and words, and ask him if he would share his story with you all...the listeners. What unfolded was equal parts respect, contagious regard and a resounding recognition of our common passions to help others on their journeys through change. I am still feeling this conversation and look forward to hearing how it resonates with you all. Enjoy the listen. You can reach out to Matthew on

On Episode 62 we hear from Donna Sovie, owner of Check and Balance Business Solutions. In sharing her origin story, Donna talks about how she took a lifelong learning approach to change and built the road to her dream retirement with her husband and family. Enjoy the listen.

On Episode 61 we hear the story of Nick Ferraiolo, a Certified Professional Coach and Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner. Though Nick's journey he has faced many situations that were life altering. In this discussion he shares some of those stories and explains how he helps clients re-engineer their beliefs in change. Enjoy the listen.

This is part two of the story with Brian Kirst, who shares his journey in change while on an Ancestry Pilgrimage. Make sure to listen to Part 1 before jumping into this episode. You can find out more about Brian and the work he does to help others in Genealogy research and Ancestry Pilgrimage at http://www.ancestrypilgrimage.com

From the first time he felt the pull of ancestral language to the first time logging on to Ancestry.com to his first family constellation, Brian's path had taken him on a multi decade journey in self discovery aided by genealogy research. With 12 years of research completed and some life changing soul work to nudge him, Brian jumped without a net to make the biggest change of his life. And in the sacred movement, mystery and mysticism of an Ancestral Pilgrimage he found his calling, helping others heal their family soul. Learn more about Brian, his story and his calling to help families heal at http://www.ancestrypilgrimage.com

Today is March 11, 2021. One year ago today, I took my last business flight home and as I sat alongside my fellow passengers, we must have held our breath collectively across the six hour journey home to Seattle. I remember landing to an eerily quiet city and starting that evening and that next day, our lives would change forever. As we think about all we have learned and grown through, our sense of home and who we are have become stronger in the isolation, anxiety and grief. This brief episode walks back to remember all we have learned and lived since that time of lockdown and lays the groundwork for a two part special on the power of home, belonging and discovery of heart and self along the journey.

On Episode 57 we hear from Amy Lynn Durham, the creator and author of Create Magic at Work. Amy is a certified coach and helps people discover their Spiritual Intelligence and combine it with Emotional Intelligence to navigate change and making lasting impact in the lives of others. You can find more about Amy at https://createmagicatwork.net/ Enjoy this powerful, soul-stirring conversation.

Today's story comes from Robert "Bo" Brabo. Bo is a retired Chief Warrant Officer in the U.S. Army, a leadership-driven speaker and author and podcast host. During his time in the service, Bo was the Chief of HR Operations with the White House Communications Agency and Presidential Communications Officer for President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama. In sharing his story Bo provides lessons in leadership, grit, resilience and ingenuity. Enjoy the conversation. And make sure to tune in to The Bo & Luke Show Podcast to follow the great work these guys are doing with some amazing guests.

Today's story comes from Jaylene Wallick. Jaylene is a holistic potential catalyst and change management consultant who passionately helps people reach their truest potential while amplifying the chemical reactions of life. Jaylene is on an incredible journey personally and professionally. She coaches and helps leaders and teams move through the world based on their values, strengths, and what gives each of us energy. Jaylene is also a practitioner of mindfulness and meditation and helps lead diversity and inclusion and belonging initiatives at her firm. Sit back and brew up a cup of your favorite warm beverage as you take in the learnings and lessons from Jaylene, a future leader of change management. There are a number of great resources Jaylene shared in this discussion. Books mentioned: A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson A Year of Miracles by Marianne Williamson A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle Lost Connections by Johann Hari Stay tuned for more insights shared post