Laura Steward Atchison's Blog, page 21
February 13, 2018
138: Daniel Burrus – The Anticipatory Organization
I want to start off by thanking John David Mann for introducing me to Daniel Burrus. His latest book, The Anticipatory Organization has the potential to change the entire trajectory of your life and business, if you are willing to be open to what is laid out in its pages.
What if you could see the future? Well you can. You actually see it each day yet we don’t take action on what we “know” can be the next big or small thing that can shift the status quo.
During this interview, Daniel and I discuss just a few of his proven strategies to accelerate innovation and transform results. He explains how to turn disruption and change into opportunity and advantage.
I have not stopped talking about this book, or this interview, since I read it and held the interview. Learn about hard trends and soft trends and how to tell the difference.
Learn how to be the disruptor versus being disrupted. Learn how to anticipate change and disruption in a way that puts you in charge. Expand your definition and your thinking. Forget post mortems and do pre-mortems.
Pay close attention because Daniel reveals several opportunities ripe for developing and he offers a free hardcopy of his book to my listeners.
Daniel Burrus is considered one of the world’s leading technology forecasters and innovation experts. He is the CEO of Burrus Research, a research and consulting firm that monitors global advances in technology driven trends to help clients profit from technological, social and business forces that are converging to create enormous, untapped opportunities.
He is a strategic advisor to executives helping them, to develop game-changing strategies based on his proven
methodologies for capitalizing on technology innovations. He is the author of seven books, including The New York Times bestseller Flash Foresight, and his latest book The Anticipatory Organization.
February 4, 2018
137: Dr. Chanel Suggs – The Duchess of Cybersecurity
Ignoring threats does not make them go away. Enter the Duchess of Cybersecurity. (R)
Being on the frontlines of the Cyber wars is not for the faint of heart nor for the faint of knowledge. It is no longer possible to just be reactive to threats after they rarely occur. We must be more preventive as the only reason you have not been hacked is because you haven’t notice that you already have.
How do you protect yourself from hackers? How do you know if you have been hacked?
How do you prepare for a career in the high-pressure field of cybersecurity?
Take a listen and see if you look at computers and the Internet the same way again.
Dr. Chanel Suggs (Duchess of Cybersecurity ®) is the Founder and CEO of Wyvern Security. She is a subject matter expert in Cyber Security, Forensics, Network Security, Cryptography, Information Assurance, and IT strategy. Dr. Suggs is a proven thought leader, and influencer whom advises clients regarding their security posture and works with clients to uncover and identify new and emerging threats.
Dr. Suggs is a distinguished professor and speaker on cybersecurity, forensics, hacking and cryptography. She has an extensive background in managing, designing, implementing, and assessing cyber security risks, threats, and vulnerabilities. She was awarded 6 certifications through the National Security Agency (NSA) and Committee on National Security Systems (CNSSI). She has worked with many government agencies as well as private sectors to help secure their organizations for over 15 years.
Dr. Suggs holds a Doctor of Science Cybersecurity, Masters Project Management, Master of Science Information Assurance, Masters of Networking and Communications, MBA and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. Dr. Suggs is certified CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP), Certified Chief Information Security Officer (C| CISO), Certified Ethical Hacker (C| EH), Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI), Certified EC- Council Instructor, EC- Council Security Analysis (ECSA), Certified Network Defense Architect (CNDA), CompTIA Security +, Access Data Mobile Phone Examiner (MPE), Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITILv3) and Access Data Certified Examiner (ACE). Dr. Suggs provides solution to the most complex issues within the public and private sectors to ensure a better security posture and best practices.
January 19, 2018
136: Abby Walker – Strap On a Pair – Single Product Multi-Million Dollar Business
Strap on a pair. No. Get your mind out of the gutter. This is a story about strapping on a pair of high heels and how doing so ended in a multi-million dollar empire that empowers women by making it more comfortable to wear the heels they love.
You either love high heels or you hate them. There seems to be no middle ground here. Women’s shoes are a multi-billion dollar industry with cult followings around brands. Many women will buy and wear shoes even though the pain is so great after just moments that they can barely stand. In earlier times men even wore them.
What is it about high heels that makes women, and some men, feel stronger, more confidant and powerful? Is it just a height thing? That is a conversation for another episode! Today I talk with Abby Walker. Founder of Vivian Lou Insolia insoles and the author of Strap On a Pair.
She shares how she founded a multi-million dollar company with a blog, high heels and a determination to succeed that lead her to HSN, Oprah, The View and so much more. Abby shares questions she asked, questions you can ask yourself and discovers what her theme song is. Yup, this is a full service radio show!
Her honesty and candor is not to be missed. Neither is her infectious joy over what she does and who she does it for. She knows her why in her business and she shares it with us and how you can find yours as well.
Oh, and if her theme songs gets stuck in your head, feel free to blame me and tweet me about it!
Abby Lou Walker is the CEO of Vivian Lou Inc., a single-product company with multi-million dollar annual sales dedicated to helping women look and feel better in high heels. She started her company as a “hobby” business (while being a full-time working mom) after picking up the phone and asking one simple question.
This “hobby” made her feel alive again. She had finally found something that quieted her burning desire for something more; and a short two years later, she strapped on a pair of her favorite high heels and walked away from Corporate America.
Her mission as the CEO of Vivian Lou is to empower women to wear heels 4x longer without pain so they can focus more on their dreams and less on their feet.
She’s written Strap On a Pair to inspire fellow middle-aged, middle-management, middle-class moms to take the first step?or the next step?toward finding their something more.
Prior to starting her own company, Abby served as Chief Marketing Officer for a natural supplements company; Vice President of Account Management and Communications for a financial services company; and Senior Director, Internal Communications at a large financial planning company. She received her Master’s degree in Business Communication from DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois, and her Bachelor’s degree in English-Journalism from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.
Abby currently resides in Denver, Colorado, with her amazing husband, and is Mom to two incredible elementary-school aged kiddos, a couple of cats and a lovable old dog.
January 9, 2018
135: Brad Taylor – Operator Down – From Invisible to NY Times Bestselling Author
I was talking to a friend who served in the Army for 34 years and retired as a Colonel. I asked her if she knew my guest on this episode as they served in the same areas at times. When I asked what unit he was in and told her Delta Force, her words blew me away. She said, “I would not know him. They are invisible.”
What blew me away was that someone who put his life on the line for us everyday, and was required to be “invisible” so they could be safe and get the job done, would then chose a career that was a very visible one. How do you reconcile that? What do you ask yourself to shift from the one perspective of invisible to highly visible?
Brad Taylor is the author of the Pike Logan Thrillers that grab your attention from moment one and keep you guessing all the way to the end of the books. His research is legendary and his latest book is no exception. Listen as he shares a story that made it into the book that was real and had him being interrogated for six hours in a foreign country. And that happened after the Army while he was researching his latest thriller, Operator Down! 
He goes all in when he writes, when he lives and when he allows himself to be interviewed. One of my new favorite guests!
Take a listen and learn how he bridges his worlds, writes his books and lives his life.
Brad Taylor is the author of the New York Times bestselling Pike Logan series. He served for more than twenty years in the U.S. Army, including eight years in 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment Delta, commonly known as Delta Force. He retired as a Special Forces lieutenant colonel and now lives in Charleston, South Carolina.
January 7, 2018
134: Michelle Manning-Kogler – Letting Go to Let In
Often when we think of setting goals or moving forward we think about what we need to add. Whether it is behaviors, people, products, mindset or even money we believe that we must add something into order to achieve our dreams.
Sometimes to allow something into our lives and/or businesses we first have to let something go.
My guest today, Michelle Manning-Kogler, is an expert on helping people let go. For over 30 years she has helped her clients achieve their goals and in this past year she has shed 85 pounds of weight herself using the same process she teaches her clients.
On this episode we talk about the questions you can ask yourself to let go the past, move into 2018 and determine if your goals are outside yourself or within.
Michelle also has graciously given all my listeners some free items to help you let go, let in and move forward.
Michelle Manning-Kogler is the author of “Quantum Soul Clearing ? Healing the Scars Life Leaves on the Soul“ and a contributing author to “Pearls of Wisdom: 30 Inspirational Ideas to Live Your Best Life Now,“ with Jack Canfield, Robert Evans and 27 other top-thought leaders for personal change. She is the founder and trainer for “The Quantum Soul Clearing Process.“ She has been in the alternative health and wellness field for over 25 years. She is an internationally renowned Life Coach, Distance Energy Healer, Medical Intuitive, Bio-Energetic Practitioner and Motivational Speaker.
December 29, 2017
133: Swami Durga Das and Swami Anjani – How to Be in the Now AND the Future to Gain Focus
The power of being in the now is real but goals require future thinking too. How do you bridge the two? How do you plan and be in the moment? How do you set a big goal and then step back AND keep the big picture in mind?
My guests today are two of my most popular guests so I brought them back on the show, together for the first time, to discuss focus, being present, setting goals and preparing for the new year.
Swami Durga Das and Swami Anjani ask us to ask ourselves one really big question as we end the year and begin the new one. If you want to know what that question is that will change the way you think of, well, everything, you will have to listen in. It is an age old question that I am still working through. I think I know the answer yet I am uncertain. It has taken on new meaning since my mom passed away.
When you find the answer to the question for yourself, let me know so I can hold that space for you!
Swami Durga Das Hutner is the CEO of Kashi Ashram, an interfaith intentional community founded in 1976, more than 40 years ago.
Durga Das had begun studying Martial Arts in 1980; after many years of practice, he earned a 5th Dan Master’s degree in Tae Kwon Do and trained for the 1988 Olympic Games. He was the Florida State Champion in fighting from 1986 through 1988.
Throughout this time Durga Das continued to be an integral part of the Kashi community. In 1996, he was ordained by Ma Jaya as a Swami (selfless servant to humanity). In that capacity, he began formally teaching and mentoring younger generations about mindful meditation and service to others. He later was bestowed the title Acharya, which means one who shares spiritual teachings.
From 1998 through 2010 he helped to develop Kashi’s real estate in a healthy eco-friendly method. He continues to work to foster healthy, sustainable living. He currently serves as the CEO of Kashi Foundation and works locally with agencies to serve those in need. He is also a member of the steering committee of Indian River County Needs Assessment in conjunction with the Senior Resource Association.
Swami Durga Das believes in nurturing a healthy mind and body, and as a trained Kali Natha Yogi, he continues to do yoga regularly. As a holdover from his youthful days in Philadelphia, Durga Das is a devoted Flyers fan and is himself an avid ice hockey player. He and his wife, Saraswati Rose, are raising their daughters, Mira Jaya and Kali Devi, on the sacred grounds of Kashi.
Swami Anjani graduated from Brockport State University (New York) in 1967 with a degree in Secondary English Education. She joined the Peace Corps and served in the Philippines until 1969, training teachers and directing a program for kids suffering from leprosy.
Swami Anjani met Ma Jaya in New York in 1975; she moved to Kashi in 1979, serving as the River School’s Principal for 24 years. Swami attended the Harvard Graduate School’s Principal’s Center in 1995. She helped organize the Treasure Coast Teen Institute, a youth leadership camp. In ’02, the Congressional Youth Leadership Council in Washington recognized her for her contributions as an advisor.
She currently serves as Kashi’s Director of Community Relations and is Kashi’s representative to the United Religions Initiative. From 2003 – 2012, Swami Anjani served on the Board of Directors of the Economic Opportunities Council and as a member of the Sebastian Advisory Council of the Boys & Girls Club. She has served as the President of the Sebastian Clambake Foundation since 2006, was elected Sebastian’s Woman of the Year in 2009, and was chosen by the Lion’s Club as the Grand Marshal of the 2014 July 4th Parade.
Since 2010 she has spoken several times at Unity/Ft. Lauderdale during their September Interfaith Month services. In October, 2015, she represented Kashi at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Salt Lake City. Swami Anjani has spoken at Interfaith services in Vero and Sebastian, and she serves as a volunteer Interfaith Chaplain at Indian River Medical Center.
132: Bobby Kipper – Performance Driven Thinking for the New Year
Love having Bobby Kipper back on my show. His book, Performance Driven Thinking with David Hancock, should be on everyone’s must read list. It is a guidebook for how to shift your thinking and keep yourself moving forward.
I asked Bobby back on the show because you, my listeners, told me how much you got out of his previous visit to the show and because I needed a boost from Bobby to help me shift forward after my mom’s passing. His advice to me on the show, “give the ocean waves my problems and grief and let them take the pain in the moment away”, has helped me tremendously since the show aired on December 19th.
2018 is a new year and a new opportunity to start each day with passion and purpose and an embrace of all of who we are. Take a listen as Bobby Kipper shares some strategies you can use right now and every day to help you focus, gain awareness of thoughts that are holding you back and how you can make change happen.
Bobby Kipper is a best-selling author, speaker, and coach and the co-founder of Performance Driven Thinking. He has spent over thirty years providing leadership development, training, and coaching to both the government and private sectors.
Bobby believes that we were “born to perform” and his motivational style of speaking and coaching has taken thousands to their best performance to date.
In addition, Bobby is the Director of the National Center for the Prevention of Community Violence and is passionate about the quality of life and human rights issues for all Americans. His programs to prevent and reduce violence have been featured by the White House, Congress, and thirty-five states across America.
December 24, 2017
131: Amy Kardel – Clever Ducks, CompTIA, Macro Trends & The Air You Breath
Do you know what affects the air you breath in your business? Do you even understand the question? I have to admit I was uncertain when my guest on the show posed that very question but then I mulled it over and wow, shifts began to happen. I just LOVE perception shifting questions!
Amy Kardel is a geek, brilliant business woman, entrepreneur, Chairwoman of the Board of one of the top technology Associations in the world and, in her spare time, just became a lawyer.
How does she do it all seemingly with ease? How does she balance running a business with her spouse all while raising a family?
What question(s) does she asked herself to keep herself grounded, moving towards her goals and help her see the future before everyone else does?
Listen in as we speak, macro trends, privacy, security, air, your why? and much more.
Amy Kardel is an experienced small business technology advocate with an international perspective. Amy currently serves as Chairwoman of the board for CompTIA, the trade association for the global IT industry, where she works on workforce, cybersecurity and advocates for federal policies to address small business technology needs. As a co-founder of San Luis Obispo, California based Clever Ducks, an IT consulting firm, her team designs and manages computer networks. She is an active Rotarian, sailor, mother of four and just passed the California bar exam.
I apologize for the late posting of this episode. It went “live” on December 5, 2017 and is just getting posted today. I rarely pre-record shows for “live” posting later but I had to do that with this episode as I was out of town burying my parents. Thank you for all your prayers and good thoughts.
December 3, 2017
130: Kendra Lee – Sales and Sales Leadership Can Be Learned
The key to long-term and even short term business success is revenue. Revenue that exceeds expenses and recurring and predictable revenue is even better. Many businesses struggle to achieve success when the business begins to grow and the Founder of the company can no longer be the only sales person.
The reason for the failure is often due to the inability of the entrepreneur to transfer their knowledge and passion for the products or services and the sales process on to a sales person.
One would think it is an easy feat. All you have to do is explain the product or service, how much it is to be sold for and send them off to close some new business. Not true. If it was, anyone could do sales successfully and any entrepreneur could readily grow their business.
So how can you and your business become a success story? How can you grow and train an exceptional sales staff?
Kendra Lee is the Founder of KLA Group, whose company mission is to consult, train, guide and “do it for you” so you too can beat the odds in revenue generation.
In this episode Kendra shares questions every business owner needs to ask to create a sales process and successfully train and hire a sales team.
Kendra Lee has built a successful career as a top seller by consistently exceeding sales goals. She is a prospect attraction authority, sales expert, speaker, author and a business owner who knows how to shorten time to revenue in innovative ways.
After starting her sales career in accounting with IBM, Kendra founded KLA Group on the philosophy that sales is not an art; it can be learned.
Her company mission? To consult, train, guide and “do it for you” so you too can beat the odds in revenue generation.
Kendra’s passion is new business revenue generation: in gaining new clients through sales prospecting and lead generation, in growing existing client accounts, market expansion, competitive differentiation, and value creation. She is a frequent speaker at conferences, national sales meetings, association and industry events.
Kendra and her husband Bill have three sons and they make their home in Colorado. It’s the perfect place for her because Kendra is an avid skier and loves every year when the snow finally comes to the mountains!
November 25, 2017
129: Dr. Stephanie Carter – Cybersecurity – The Price of Convenience
What do you think is the biggest obstacle to cybersecurity success? Convenience. We love our convenience. The ability to do what we went, when we want, whatever way we want. Hackers love our love of convenience.
Convenience breeds laziness. Cached passwords, the same password everywhere, simple passwords, lack of software and firmware updates are just a few examples of ways hackers can infiltrate your computer and online accounts. So what can you do right now?
Listen to this episode.
Dr. Stephanie Carter is a cybersecurity expert. She has more certifications thank I can write here and has made it her mission to transform the way we think about cybersecurity.
Dr. Stephanie Carter started her cyber career in the US Army in 1994. During her military career she has been relocated to several states and countries around the world. She has served in many capacities all captured under the umbrella of cybersecurity disciplines such as network engineering, network administration, security analyst, information management officer.
She has partnered on behalf of DoD with other agencies such as DISA, NSA, FBI, and FEMA leading large scale IT projects and serving as lead security specialist in disaster recovery and incident response efforts. After 20 years of service she retired and entered into the civilian cyber workforce. In her civilian career, she has worked for and with agencies such as Department of Homeland Defense (DHS), Defense Health Agency (DHA), USCERT Team, and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) all in senior cybersecurity/subject matter expert roles.
Dr. Carter currently works as a contractor for the Department of Justice (DOJ) managing a team of Information System Security Officers (ISSOs). Outside of serving as the lead of this team, she is also the SME for all cloud implementations, NIST Risk Management Framework, the FedRAMP framework, ISO 17020, and NIST 800-171. She takes great pride in the mentorship and development of future cybersecurity professionals in her role as a professor with the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) teaching courses in the Cybersecurity Graduate School programs as well as teaching classes for local chapters in the fields which she is certified.
She is certified CISM, CISSP, and CISA. She is pursuing her PMI-RMP and CRISC later this year. In addition to her military awards, she has won ICMCP Minority Teacher of the Year 2017, Humanitarian Award 2017, and has been recognized by ASIS, UMUC, IOBSE and many local cybersecurity chapters for speaking engagements. With the unmeasurable desire she has for cybersecurity, she even continues to mentor cybersecurity professionals one on one, outside of the busy schedule detailed above all with the goal of furthering the diversity and DNA of the field of cybersecurity.
