The Travelling Optimist Podcast with Steve Ody

Greeting optimists and welcome back to the home of optimism. How are you? I hope all is well. Right now I’m feeling great, as you all know I’ve taken a side step into the heady world of finance and become a qualified mortgage advisor. I have to say I’m thoroughly enjoying this new adventure and helping people with the purchase of their new homes. I think my time in travel has served me well in that really it’s all about looking after people and helping them achieve their goals! Same service, different industry and I’m loving it!My guest in this episode is my good friend and travel legend Gary Wardrope.Gary brings his story to life on the podcast and we run through what has been an incredible journey so far in his life and an adventure that show no sign of slowing down one bit. His story begins in Canada, takes in a tour of Europe, a chance opportunity to use his Ski knowledge here in the UK and carve out what has been a very successful career. But behind this story is a guy who trusted his intuition and took action. I mean how many of would open up the phone book and get to speak to one of the titans of the travel industry. Gary is an entrepreneur who saw opportunities and then put in place strategies to achieve the goals. The conversation takes us back and forth around the travel industry, the people, the hope and the positiveness of an industry that keeps getting hit but bounces back every time.So this is me and Gary Wardrope, a kindred spirit, a man who followed his passion, rolled with the punches and set in train, from a chance meeting in Leeds, a career that has spanned 40 years and now he has reignited his passion for skiing competitively at the age of 62! It proves that age doesn’t really matter - you’ve just got to go for it! You can connect with Gary on Facebook to follow his adventures on the slopes!Thanks for listening.HugsSteve

Greeting optimists - I’m back, fresh from a bout of covid! It took 2 years to get to me but It seems I couldn’t evade it any longer. And so it’s time now for me to unleash another episode of the podcast into your eardrums and an exploration into the perfection of a work life imbalance!My guest in this episode is President of Sweet Financial Partners Brittany Anderson. Brittany is an acclaimed author of three books, a sought after speaker and host of the Dream Architect Life podcast. Brittany’s insights have been featured in the Huffington Post, Inc and Forbes Magazine and is the creator of Ultimate Advisor coaching platforms. Her experience in building and engaging teams has led her to work with a plethora of CEO’s and business owners all over the States. But more importantly she is mother to three wonderful children.Our conversation went very quickly and we covered such a lot in the space of an hour so please stay alert as there are some great insights to take away with you. Brittany was very generous with her time and I’m so grateful to her for that. She firmly believes in serving others and giving exceptional value in everything she does. It’s also no coincidence to find that she is an incredibly hard working and empathetic person who is pursuing a life that fulfills her purpose.So this is me and Brittany Anderson discussing work ethic, motherhood, imposter syndrome, finding your lane, the positive influences of people in your life, staying confident in all that you do.But ultimately this is a wonderful and empowering conversation with a leading light for women in business, a woman who has a brilliant meaning for optimism and someone who doesn’t have a work life balance, she has a perfect work life imbalance! You can connect with Brittany here:Linked InWebsite US Book UK BookThank you so much for your support.Steve

Greetings optimists!I hope that life is good for you. Things have been busy and amazing here at Optimist HQ. Having become FCA registered in the last month I’m helping some amazing people with their mortgages and also helping some travel clients with their holidays as well. But whatever you’re doing I hope you’re feeling great!  Okay, it’s that time again for another episode of the travelling optimist. So get yourself ready, turn up the volume and get set for a really inspirational conversation about the life and journey of Kelly Cardenas.I’ve wanted to get Kelly on the show for a while , I’ve followed him on the socials and was honoured to guest on his incredible podcast last year - finally we were able to align our diaries so I could repay the favour and get him to share his life and experiences with you. Kelly is a true optimist, these foundations were very much laid from a positive upbringing and having incredible parents who consistently re-enforced Kelly’s life with positive affirmations that have had a profound and beautiful effect on his life and ones that Kelly is now passing on to his children. I guess if you are going to leave a legacy, that is a pretty good one.Kelly has been featured in Forbes magazine, spoken to thousands of people all over the world about what it takes to be a success and run a successful business. But it’s not all been roads paved with gold. There have been failures, a lot of money has been lost but he was never hindered by the the fear of failure. Because failure isn’t a word in Kelly’s vocab. There's only winning or learning, never failure.So this is me and Kelly Cardenas talking about life in the hair industry, what it takes to live a great life and that it’s okay to trust your intuition and your faith. This is a beautiful conversation with a guy who’s realizing his dreams and it’s okay to be tenacious in the accomplishment of those dreams. But ultimately, this is a conversation with a wonderful human who’s belief system is unsinkable , has the heart of a lion and is truly living his best life by making people happy.  You can connect with Kelly on the socials below. He'd love to hear from you even if it's your favourite De La Soul song!Instagram Linked InWebsiteThanks for your support, I appreciate the love!Steve

Greetings optimists! I hope you are having an incredible day. It’s time to lend me your ears for another episode of the podcast to be unleashed upon your eardrums! So get yourself comfortable, turn the volume up a notch as I don’t want you to miss a second of this wonderful conversation - it’s amazing to have you join me.My guest on the show is someone I have admired from a distance for a while. Based in the US, Mike Malatesta is a hugely successful entrepreneur, acclaimed author, business mentor and podcast host. Mike’s career spans more than 3 decades. A time where he experienced the highs and lows of being a business owner. It hasn’t all been plain sailing but there was a series of events throughout Mike’s life that have eventually shaped him and the trail he has been blazing. This is a story about not being afraid of taking a risk, moving home to start something fresh and exciting, having the tenacity to keep going despite having doubts about your ability. Keep an ear out for Don. I think most people will have had their own Don in their life at some point.But without Don, Mike wouldn’t have met Butch Weiss and the subsequent founding of a business that catapulted them on the course of success.This is an uplifting conversation about the trials and tribulations at the coal face of life and business, the tragedy of losing your friend and business partner and the subsequent drifting through life that we all sometimes find ourselves in. But Mike came through this phase with acceptance of what happened and and even stronger belief that if things could work once they can work againSo this is me and my friend Mike Malatesta a determined and humble man who dared to dream and was prepared to put the work in to breakthrough to success But ultimately this is a tale of a guy from Milwaukee who was never afraid to reset the sails of life and set a new course to greater accomplishments and happiness.You can connect with Mike and order his acclaimed books at his website - www.mikemalatesta.com KEEP THE OPTIMISM LEVELS HIGH

Okay, what’s life really like when you’re legally blind? How would this disability shape your life? Would you relocate thousands of miles to play American football and go to University? My guest today is Aaron Golub and that’s exactly what he did.Aaron was the first legally blind person to play division one college football. The next step is to play in the NFL. You’ve got to be highly talented to get a place at a college at this level of sports. But life has never been easy for Aaron, this is a guy who has had to dig deep throughout his life to get the results he wanted. His disability has defined him but in the most positive of ways and he admits in our conversation that if he were given the chance to be born with perfect eyesight he wouldn’t do it! That, for me, says everything about this outstanding young man.This is a conversation about grit and determination, it’s about personal drive and setting big goals for your life. Aaron is one of those guys whose wisdom belies his age. His level of gratitude for everyone that has helped him and who put their faith and trust in him is evident throughout our conversation.So this is me and Aaron Golub – entrepreneur, speaker and all round great guys talking about his life so far and his dreams and goals.  This is a conversation about not giving up and also putting the time in to achieve what you want. Facing down adversity and coming out a better person.This is a guy who really knows what he wants, he works hard every day and strives to improve every day, even if it’s just 1%. He knows all about the compound effect!But ultimately this is man who truly understands that putting others above yourself is the foundation of his success.Please connect with Aaron on all the socialsLinked InInstagramTwitterWebsiteThank you so much for listening. Please do share the podcast with your fiends, family and colleagues.x

Greetings optimists – how are you all today?I really hope you’re all feeling great!So, do you remember the excitement of your first sale, or your first gig or your first mini success in your first job? I do, it was a Minolta Digital Camera when I worked Saturdays at Dixons in the mid 80’s. I felt like I was walking on air for the rest of the day! Do you still get excited – I know I do. Let me know in the comments about your first ever sale or success!My guest today, Sharon Sloane, remembers her first sale – it was EPIC and funny and joyous and it will bring back memories for those of you who have hussled 24/7 to carve out your own trail and get your business off the ground.Sharon is an innovator, a leader, a wife and a mother and I feel so privileged to have been able to spend time with her. Sharon’s a busy lady, her work has been featured on the leading TV channels in the USA, Forbes Magazine, Time magazine amongst many others plus her work has received over 80 awards. This is a lady who is at the top of her game.So what is the conversation about, well it’s about having great parents who were great role models and gave Sharon the encouragement she needed and sound advice, it’s about the Platinum rule not the golden rule, it’s about knowing and feeling that everything will work despite setbacks.So this is me and Sharon Sloan talking about her life. It’s a story about a kind and generous lady with a big dream, a lady who dismissed the nay sayers and has since built a business that she is rightly proud of.This is a conversation filled to the brim with lovely stories, warmth and insight. It’s a story of determination, passion and the ability to grind out the results that’s needed despite difficult situations.But ultimately this is a conversation about a lady whose work is literally saving peoples lives.Please do reach out to Sharon and connect, she is awesome!Linked In and you can see what her company does at Will InteractiveI appreciate the love everyone, thanks for listening and supporting the show. Don't forget to like, share and comment when you see the posts on all the socials.HugsSteve

Greeting optimists and a very happy new year to you all. Here’s to a fabulous 2022 and I couldn’t think of any other person to kick off the podcast in 2022 than my guest Richard Kaufman.Rich is a guy who has been through a lot in life. The loss of his father when he was very young, drink dependency from the age of 12, drug use, he was thrown out of the military and he would be the first to admit that his destructive behaviour was leading him down a path to oblivion. But the kindness and forgiving nature of a business owner in the winter of 1988 was a huge turning point for him. As you will hear in the conversation, Rich had an angel looking down on him that night and he’s not looked back. There have been a couple of blips along the way, but we all have those right?More importantly though, since that fateful night in 1988 Rich has been sober, that’s 33 years. That alone is a monumental achievement and he is rightly proud of it.Rich returned to the military for another stint, this time after a harsh comment from one of his peers, who didn’t think he could make it in the military. This set the wheels in motion for becoming soldier of the year and rising among the ranks to become the leader that was always inside of him.This conversation is littered with insight and wonderful stories, from spending time with Lennox Lewis to having the chutzpah to ask for advice from Gary Vaynerchuck.But behind this success is a man who would do anything for anyone, a man who is infinitely humble and so grateful for the people he has in his life.His is the human embodiment of a phoenix, he’s had his fair share of his back against a wall moments and been seemingly lost and not knowing which way to turn. But everytime Rich rises from those flames to re-invent himself and truly be the Comeback king!.This is a conversation about willpower, tenacity, it’s about learning from your mistakes and importantly not being afraid to ask for help. It’s a conversation about how a man’s start in life has not determined his future.But ultimately this is the story of a guy, who gets back up every time he’s knocked down, learns from his experience and marches on with happiness in his heart and a spring in his step towards his goals and dreams.  Oh and don’t ever join the military with orange hair!  Please connect with Rich on all the socialsHis Vertical Momentum PodcastLinked inInstagramFacebookYou can buy RIch's book, A Hero's Journey here on Amazon

This episode is dedicated to the life of Simon Jordan. The father of flow!We've all got a story right? Yes, of course we have. My guest on this episode of the Travelling Optimist  has a story and experience of life that is not just compelling, it's mind blowingly cool. My guest today is the incredible Deborah Henley.  Deborah is a mum, business leader, Master NLP practitioner, clinical hypnotherapist, entrepreneur, coach, best selling author and her work has been featured on the BBC, channel 5, GMTV and the UK’s national press.  Deborah is one of the nicest people you will ever meet and relayed her story with grace and eloquence and spoke openly about the times of struggle and sadness but also the times of joy and victory. She is a woman who is leading a wonderful and hugely interesting life and our conversation takes us from Hong Kong to Peru - back to the UK. Guiding people round the vineyards of Burgundy by bike and life on the waves of the major oceans where she sought solace and ultimately found happiness.I first came across Deborah Henley via, friend of the show, Simon Jordan. I loved the fact that Deborah empowers people by helping them find their story. So I delved a bit deeper in to her own story and the more I learned about her life and experiences , the more I wanted her to come on the show. This conversation hits so many podcast sweet spots - dramatic pivots in life, heartbreak & joy, huge levels of personal courage, the overcoming of seemingly insurmountable obstacles and finding your purpose.Its a conversation about leadership, perseverance, endurance, pain, adventure - it’s about always putting a metaphorical foot in front of the other despite your situation. This is a woman who is helping herself by helping others, she is helping others find their true self by getting them to dig deep in to their soul to find their story, to think about their future self and it’s producing incredible results for her clients. This is a conversation with a lady who has experienced the highs and lows that life threw at her and came out stronger, happier and more energized. But ultimately this is the story of a beautiful human who is not afraid to change course on her journey of life, has a never quit attitude and Deborah makes sure her light shines like the sun.I hope you enjoy this one!You can connect with Deborah on all the socials:Linked InInstagramTwitter Deborah’s book Your Leadership Story is available from all good book sellers, I would highly recommend you order a copy - it is a life changing book. You can also book yourself onto one of Deborah's incredible leadership courses via her website https://www.deborahhenley.com/ Finally thank you to Deborah for being a wonderful guest.I appreciate the love - a

Greetings Optimists! How are you?If someone had said 2 years ago that I’d be speaking on a podcast with one of the planet's most eminent and forward thinking physicians I would have said something along the lines of ‘have you been smoking some illegal substance’ or words to that effect. But, here we are and we talk about amongst other things saving mankind! You can’t get bigger than that!So, Dr Kim Solez is a pathologist, professor and an entrepreneur, a man who is also modest of his achievements, a man who is now writing a memoir of his first 75 years and also looking to use Artifical Intelligence to help with some of the world's biggest issues! Kim has crammed a lot into his life and we really only scratch the surface of those 75 years in this incredible conversation. His multiple awards, his journeys abroad, the futuristic views of mankind plus his faith in the youth of the world to get us all to a better place. There really is something for everyone in this conversation.Personally I loved the fact that by being able to speak to someone of the calibre and high level thinking of Kim made me stretch and think, but it also left me with a few more questions as well. And I think this is what is so great about Kim, he sows the seeds of what can be done and lets you then grow them to expand your world even more. And this is a conversation about removing those barriers to your thinking and stretching your thoughts so much that they start to inhabit the space where huge and incredible things happen.There’s also a childlike spirit about Dr Kim Solez. One that I instantly recognised and related to. A spirit that’s not been diminished by time but has become positively luminescent by time, this spirit enables him to lead his life with openness and constantly be in the pursuit of the new.So this is me and Dr Kim Solez talking about his incredible life, his amazing achievements and he tells us what the world could look like in just a few years.Kim is a man who is happy not fitting in, he’s a risk taker, a lifter of people, a man who loves being a cheerleader of life and is striving to leave the world in a much better place.But ultimately this is a conversation on how he’s leading a fulfilled and happy life one block chain, one protein fold and most importantly one smile at a time. Please connect with Kim on all the socials:InstagramLinked Inand for more cool stuff check out his You Tube ChannelYou TubeThanks so much for listening, I really appreciate it and don't forget to leave a review for me.HugsSteve

Greetings optimists! I want to introduce you to the amazing James Chatfield.James is a talented musician, songwriter and an unapologetic lover of busking! He decided to follow his dream and passion to bring his unique sound to the streets of the UK and unleash the joy that it gives people. Okay, It’s not all been plain sailing, questions about his chosen career path (we’ve all been there!), abusive passers-by, blood-stained fingers from playing in the cold and earning nothing from a day's playing.  But this is a story of having faith in your abilities, building the muscle of resilience and being persistent and true to yourself. It’s not about proving people wrong so much as it’s about that feeling, deep in your soul that tells you, you are doing the right thing. And it’s these attributes and the mindset that I see in entrepreneurs every day, and James just is the musical version! And I sincerely hope by listening to his music and our conversation that it has the same positive effect on you too.So this is me and James Chatfield, talking openly about life on the streets of the UK playing his guitars. The hurdles he’s had to navigate, the beautiful moments he’s witnessed to get to this point in his life and of course his appearance on Ted X.But ultimately, this is a conversation with a dude who’s had millions of likes and downloads on social media, a guy so talented and humble, whose belief in his ability is so strong that he just wants his music to bring joy to the world. You can connect with as on all the socials - Instagram, Tiktok, twitter and Facebook. Just search for @basschatfield.He also has quite a library of videos of his work on YouTube which I would highly recommend. Please do support James and download his album.Thanks.Steve

Welcome everyone to the latest show of the Travelling Optimist podcast. This latest episode is choc full of goodies. Today we’re going to explore the beautiful world of relationships. Now our relationships with everyone in our life has a profound effect on our well being. It’s no secret that over the last 18 months some of our relationships have been understandably strained, sadly some have not been able to recover but some have thrived and grown from a new found connection.But what’s the secret to having incredible relationships? What’s the secret to having intimate relationships?  I think everyone will have their own answers to these questions but queue my latest guest on The Travelling Optimist podcast, John Kenny, the relationship guy! John is widely regarding as a pre-eminence in relationships and has been featured Talk Radio and a heap of other media including the Telegraph. If I were to describe John in a short sentence I’d say that he’s calm, he’s balanced and he has an energy and light that belies an emotionally destructive past that he endured for a large chunk of his life.I really enjoyed my conversation with John, we flow into John’s past to find themes of self sabotage that, from the outside looking in, crippled a young and talented athlete and hampered a young man who kept attracting similarly destructive people into his life. But John doesn’t have any regrets, and some of the myriad reasons why so many people are turning to him to help rediscover their relationship mojo, is in part due to him mastering the art of forgiveness and acceptance of himself. So this is me and The Relationship Guy John Kenny talking about life as a budding GB sprint star , his journey and experiences and how he uses these learnings to help others who find themselves in similar positions. But ultimately, this is a conversation with a guy who has found his lane, it’s the lane that has led him to a much higher purpose, a lane where he puts his metaphorical GB sprint vest on every morning and is now embarking on a race with no finishing line,  a race - to change the world, one relationship at a time. Oh - he loves 80’s music too.     You can connect with John on all the socials below. Let me know your thoughts, leave a review if you can, that would be awesome. Thank you for listening - sending you good vibes!Connect with John on:YouTubeLinkedInFacebookTwitterWebsiteJohn's superb podcast is well worth a listen too!

Hi everyone, welcome to the podcast, How’s things going - what have you been up to? Whatever it is I really hope you’re feeling great.It’s that time for another episode of the podcast, this is a great conversation with someone who is truly inspirational. So kick back, tune in and get ready for another feast for your ears with the Travelling Optimist Podcast.Now I’ve already mentioned the I word. Inspiration, it’s normally paired with the M word motivation and also the P word passion.  It's a huge pleasure to introduce todays guest who is someone who truly does embody all of these wonderful words and is the king of overcoming adversity.Erik Allen is a husband, father and entrepreneur and the host of a couple of incredibly successful podcasts too.But this is a brilliant conversation about a guy who really had a bad start to life, a childhood that would feel so alien to many of us. We talk about this and how he coped with an abusive step father who would regularly beat up his mother. This is a story about addiction, depression, abuse and lies. But it’s also a conversation about hope, it’s a conversation about love and it’s a conversation that confirms no matter how dark things seem there is always a chink of light at the end of the tunnel which can sometime come at you in lots of different disguises. One of those disguises happened  one day in a remote part of Idaho. Erik was working at a coffee shop and a young lady plucked up the courage to hand him a leaflet about attending a church group. Now, Everything happens for a reason and all of those events, and they were terrible, all those events that Erik went through were preparing Erik for this momentary encounter, an encounter that would change the course of his life that he didn’t dream possible.The young lady in question is now Eriks wife of 15 years and they have 2 wonderful children together. So this conversation is about taking responsibility for your life, having the courage to change course and trusting your intuition. But ultimately this is one man’s story about one serendipitous moment and changing the legacy of his family for generations to come. You can connect with Erik on all the social sand his website:InstagramLinked inWebsiteYou can listen to his excellent podcasts too:Top rated MMAThe Erik Allen ShowI can’t do this show without you guys, thank you so much for listening. If you would like to support the show I have now got a Buy me a Coffee link set up. I love coffee but you can also buy me a beer or a cake! Your support is incredible - I couldn’t do it with my guests of course but also to you my ever growing Optimist Tribe.Wishing you a fabulous week ahead.Stevex

"No man is an island entire of itself".Now, my interpretation of this phrase is that to be successful in all areas of your life you can’t do it on your own.In the context of living your best life and my guest Mike Pagan in his new book ‘Mental Wealth’, it means you need people in your network who will be there for you, offering you the proactive support and encouragement to make a truly positive difference in your life and unlock your potential.Mike is an author of multiple books, a motivational speaker and acclaimed coach with decades of experience in helping others achieve phenomenal success. But, there have been stages in his life and career where Mike has found himself lost, alone and isolated due to a lack of significant support. But what he learnt to do was to surround himself with his own hand-picked Mental Wealth team. This has led him on a journey to a happier life, be more successful in business and he now feels more mentally and physically able to navigate the next stage of his journey.Mike is very much an optimist. You can feel his positivity throughout the conversation but I also felt that Mike is one of those rare people who will give you the facts straight and I can see why he’s been so successful in is career. This attribute is a key to why so many retiring elite athletes come to him for advice when they transition back into ‘normal life’.So this is me and super coach and author Mike Pagan talking about the importance of having the right people around you.It’s a conversation about not asking for permission to live a fulfilled life, learning to ask better questions to support other people and enabling us all.But ultimately this is a conversation about making self-care a priority in our lives and not being too proud to ask for help.Thanks for listening everybody –to connect with Mike go to his website and you can also connect with Mike on Linked In. If you’d like to support the podcast the easiest and most impactful way to do this is subscribe to the show on your favourite podcast host – Apple podcast, Spotify, Amazon, Google, Stitcher etc.Sharing the show with your family, friends and colleagues is always greatly appreciated.You can now find some great content for the Travelling Optimist on YouTube,Instagram and now Tik-Tok aswell.I love your support I appreciate your support and I don’t take it for granted. Thank you.Stay well everyone.

Happiness - Purpose - Serving others & OptimismAll of these words could pale into insignificance when, as covid started to grip the planet, your business loses 96% of its income! That’s right ……. 96%. How would you handle this situation, what would you do with your back against this seemingly unscalable wall? How do you stay positive, what do you do to get back on your feet again? Well, I tread this beautiful terrain with my friend Dan T Rogers in a truly wonderful conversation  - so sit back, plug in and enjoy this feast for your ears on the travelling optimist podcast.I’m reminded of a quote from Mahatma Ghandi – he said that strength does not come from physical capacity, it comes from an indomitable will. I know a lot of people, particularly in the travel industry that can relate to this quote but in my conversation with the awesome Dan Rogers I hope you will see how that quote really does apply to him.It struck me that this is a guy that could have just thrown his arms up in defeat and walked away. Instead he embraced his situation and rather than feel sorry for himself he threw himself into serving others, and letting the markets and the universe decide his fate. There’s no doubt you’ll realise that Dan is an inspiring leader, albeit a very humble one, and please don’t underestimate the size of Dan’s contribution that he and his new team are making. I love everything that Dan stands for and that his business system sets yourself up to put your clients and community as the heroes.So this is me and Dan Rogers reminiscing about our early escapades on our paper rounds, taking about covid, staying happy, being judged on what you do, adding value even if you don’t get paid, and the importance of family.But ultimately this is a conversation about Dan’s grit and determination to be part of something bigger than himself and to look back in 20 years and feel proud of what he’s achieved.You can connect up with Dan on Linked In and more information about Dan's brilliant system to create client superheroes is here at Sales Sidekick Thanks so much for listening, if you'd like to support the show, the best and most impactful way would be to subscribe on Apple, Amazon, Google, Amazon or the player of your choice.Stay well everybody

Hey everyone, welcome to the podcast. How have you been, what have you been up to? It’s been a crazy few weeks, hence my lack of episode releases, but I’m back and I’m fully charged.  Thanks so much for downloading and listening, don’t forget to subscribe and recommend the show to your friends, loved ones and colleagues.So sit back, grab a drink, put a Do Not Disturb sign up and have a listen to another brilliant conversation on the Travelling Optimist podcast. Todays guest is acclaimed coach, speaker, author and all round awesome guy Rob Pardi.So its 1997 - Rob and his wife Desiree were achieving their dreams and goals and looking forward to a life of travel and wonderful experiences. Then BANG. They were delivered the news we all dread!It was incredible to speak with Rob, he spoke very candidly and openly about his and Desiree’s life together. We talk about the 11 years that she so bravely fought her battle with breast cancer and what that was like for her, living it, and what it was like for Rob as her full time carer.But this conversation is not just about sadness and despair, it’s a conversation about love and joy, happiness and  determination.It’s about life! The article I mentioned in the show is a New York Times piece that can be dowloaded here. It's such a powerful and emotional article that is a must read.This is a superb conversation about how to break out of complacency. Valuing the ordinary moments in your life so you are able to live an extraordinary life It’s about not waiting for a diagnosis to start living. But ultimately this is a heart breaking and heart warming story of a man who now doesn’t measure his life in the number of years but rather measures his life in the currency of JOY. You can buy his and Desirees book 'Chasing Life' at www.chasinglifethebook.comPlease do connect and reach out to Rob on Linked In and Robs website is robertpardi.com Thanks so much for listening. HugsSteve

Hey everyone how are you? Now I know I ask that question at the start of every show but to be honest with you I really like asking that question and I really hope that you're feeling great and cherishing every moment.So it's that time again when I unleash someone awesome into your ear drums, so turn up the volume and settle in awesome conversation with an awesome lady, it's so great to have you listening show.My guest today is Lynn Thomas, all the way from beautiful Boston in the USA. Lynn is a number one best-selling author and owner of Thomas Consulting and is most definitely at the top of her game.Lynn's a leading authority on change management and someone whose insight can literally change your life. But she's a dynamic person with an infectious energy and is truly passionate about helping businesses and its people achieve huge success. Lynn is the guru of retention for staff and for customers and keep an ear out for her passion when she talks about retention in our conversation. In many ways Lynn and I speak the same language and it was a huge honour to be in conversation with her really is unmatched in her authenticity of joy and knowledge but there is an inner steel and resiliency to Lynn that has been tested many times and sometimes over heart breaking situations. So, this is me and Lynn Thomas, guru of change, retention and resiliency - talking about making a difference in people's lives and enabling them to become leaders of kindness and compassion in their business and their personal lives. This is a conversation about communication, it's about that word resiliency again, doing things that you love and not wasting a single moment. But ultimately this is a conversation with a lady who trusts her intuition and believes that by doing the right things in life you will get positive results.Please do reach out to Lynn on Linked In and her email is lynnthomas@thomasconsultingwins.com and Lynn's website is https://www.thomasconsultingwins.comThank you for your support in listening to the show, I really appreciate it.HugsStevex

So, let me introduce you to Matt Halloran, this conversation came about from some communication on social media after I listened to Matt in conversation with Kelly Cardenas. There were a few things that Matt spoke about in that show that really piqued my interest. So I invited him on the show and he graciously said yes!I had an inkling that we would get along, we share the same values, we share a child like spirit that probably gets us into more trouble than not. But in this wonderful conversation with Matt he tells us about his life, the early days. The serendipitous moment of choosing, one day, to reach out to a man called Ron Carson. From that moment on Matt has made sure he sits at the table of life and is unapologetically himself with everyone he meets and everything he does.Matt is such a brilliant person who is the ultimate optimist and one of those people that you just feed off his energy so your day is even brighter.So this is me and Matt Halloran, a guy from Kalamazoo, a man who learnt from an early age to make the best of every situation.It’s about making right choices and learning from the bad onesUnderstanding that today is a gift and to live in the presentIt’s about living an abundant life But ultimately this is all about Matt’s journey to find his passion, help people live a better life and to be the better man!Please connect with Matt on Linked In and his website is here at Proudmouth.com. Please also listen to his excellent podcast Be Your Own Load - you won't regret it!Okay lets rock! Thanks for listening everyone.Steve

Hey everybody, welcome to the podcast and the home of optimism, insight and uplifting stories. It’s that time for another episode So click the download button, turn up the volume and settle down to a great conversation – it’s so brilliant to have you join us. How are you all? How’s life with you? What have you been up to? Whatever it is I really hope that you are grabbing life by the horns and doing some extraordinary things. Which segways nicely with my gust on this latest episode of the travelling optimist. My guest today is friend of the show Louise Budgen. For those of you who listen regularly, Louise was one of my first guests when I started the podcast and she’s also my coach. That episode, I think it was the third or fourth, she mentioned that we are human beings not human doings and this really had a profound effect on me and I know that conversation resonated with a lot of my listeners. What we didn’t do in that show was go into too much detail about Louise’s background but we do now.  In this episode Louise imparts some incredible insight for us all to take in and shares with us her story and how all of the defining moments as a child and being an adult has now shaped her life and her desire to help people really blossom and find their place.This is a truly uplifting conversation with a wonderful human being who survived a horrific car accident, has become a cancer thriver twice, followed her intuition to become a coach and is using these experiences to help her clients and run a thriving business.So this is me and my coach, Louise Budgen talking about the story of her life and experiencesIt’s a story about having the courage to trust your intuitionIt’s about making sure you find time for the non negotiables in lifeStepping out and becoming more visible and understanding that everything happens for reason.But ultimately this is all about a lady who isn’t afraid to swim upstream to get to where she wants to go and is leading an extraordinary life!Please connect with Louise on the following platforms, you won't regret it. Linked InYou can email Louise at louise@extraordinarylifesuccess.com Thanks for listening!Stevex

Tony Chiapetta is an incredible leader with a vision and a plan. He's a man on a mission, but it hasn't always been plain sailing. There's been a few bumps in the road, some steep learning curves and a number of very big decisions have had to be made along the way.This is a conversation about his story and what he did to lift his business and ultimately his life from being in chaos to a place where his vision is aligned with his team and his clients. There’s synergy and happiness flowing in and out. He shares with us his strategy to achieve this flow and I think this is one of the most insightful conversations I’ve had so far on the podcast and I’m so grateful to Tony for sharing his story.So this is me and Tony Chiapetta, talking about his life, setting the goal of studying at the University of Southern California and then having to tell his parents he didn’t want to become a doctor, setting up his IT business at the tender age of 23, making some tough decisions and his learnings along the way.This is a conversation with someone who truly believed that what he was doing was absolutely the right thing to do and had the courage of his convictions to see it through. But ultimately this is about a guy from Southern California who has found that by being dedicated to serving his clients and by doing something you love it will bring you infinite rewards.Please connect with Tony via the following channels:Linked InWebsiteTwitterThanks so much for listening, don't forget to share and leave a review. If you'd like to connect with me , that would be awesome just click here and all you need will be displayed gloriously before your eyes!Stevex

Gary Apps is a true leader, a lover of a challenge, he's truly authentic in everything he says and does and someone who goes All In no matter what.This is a truly wonderful conversation where I am honoured that Gary is so honest and open about his life, his business, his family and I know that you will all enjoy listening to our conversation. I'm sure it will resonate with you all.I would encourage you all to connect with Gary on all the socials below but more importantly, if you wanted to show him support then please do sponsor him on his quest to cycle the Tour de France route a week ahead of the pros, all in aid of Cure Leukaemia.And this is one of the main reason I started the podcast, to be in a position where it can do some good and hopefully it will inspire you to give to a worthy cause. As someone that loves riding a bike I can tell you that riding this course will be a supreme test of character and resolve but Gary's grit and determination will get him through this challenge. This is Gary's Just Giving page, NO DONATION IS TOO BIG! He is going to raise £30k so every pound counts if you can spare it. Please give generously.You can connect with Gary on Linked In and of course if you know of any restaurants and hotels that you can introduce Gary then this would be an added bonus too! Here is his company  website https://www.myfish.company/Thanks so much for listening.Stevex