Ellie-Durant

You might think it would be all about the babies, and for some midwives, that may be true. For Ellie Durant, it’s about caring for women; being there to support and encourage them in one of the most intimate experiences of life.

“Women have complicated stories,” she explains. “And the most interesting bits seem to be related to pregnancy and childbirth.”

Ellie shares her story of how she came to be caring for women, beginning in her late teens studying nursing. A hardwired Learner, prone to dive deeply into the ideas and topics that capture her interest, Ellie would spend hours in the local bookstore reading whatever she could find in her field; she would even be so bold as to bookmark her place, put the book back on the shelve, and hope it would still be there the next time she could drop in!

Looking back, Ellie recognizes a long line of nurses in her family, including her mom, who worked in the neo-natal and maternity units during her career. So, perhaps this ‘caring for women’ comes naturally to her.

During this conversation, Laura and Ellie talk about birth, what it means to be a midwife – literally and in practice, some of the issues Ellie (and numerous other midwives she knows) have experienced while in practice: Staff shortages, bullying among midwives, communication breakdowns, etc.

Ellie speaks with clear conviction about her purpose in doing the work, caring for women, and creating space for them to have the kind of birth experience they desire when possible. She also shares some of the work she’s done in building an actively engaged community of midwives, a space for them to speak freely, share ideas and experiences, get support, be a support, and continue to share information and grow together.

Ellie’s gentle voice and clear passion for her work will draw you in and hold you close. You don’t want to miss this episode!

Ellie’s Bio

Ellie is a trained midwife and published author. She provides career support through writing and coaching, and her work is often about respect for the most vulnerable person in the room

Ellie has spoken at events such as The Royal College of Midwives Conference and has shared a stage with midwives such as Sheena Byrom (OBE) and obstetrician Michel Odent. Ellie will be returning to practice in September 2020 and holds a position as an NHS support worker to help with the coronavirus pandemic.

Connect with Ellie and Other Resources:

Curious about Midwifery? Click Here

Ellie on Facebook

Ellie’s Group on Facebook – Midwives in the Making

Author – Midwife, Becky Reed

If you’re a consultant, coach, or some kind of solo-preneur who offers some level of professional service to your clients, how do you build your business?

Well, if you watch and listen to all the self-proclaimed marketing gurus, you ‘build your list’ and buy Facebook ads and Google ads. You create and sell digital programs and products that produce an amazing ‘passive income.’

If you’re one of the fortunate consultants for whom that works well, consider yourself lucky. For the rest of us, that whole cyclone of thinking and activity can become what feels like a never-ending black hole of marketing activity that sucks the life out of you and drains your bank account.

Enter Dov Gordon, a consultant who helps his clients build their businesses by becoming what he calls “Under the Radar Leaders” in their industry. The foundation of his philosophy is so simple, it could easily be dismissed if it didn’t work so well!

On this episode, Laura and Dov dig into the space of what it means to purposefully build healthy, long-term, mutually beneficial relationships that facilitate the exchange of products, services, and payment for value. He shares his framework for the 4 Types of networks he builds and helps his clients build to facilitate the growth of the work each member is doing.

He shares his experiences and lessons learned over the course of his own professional career, going from the point of “not knowing what I didn’t know…” to consciously understanding his process, discerning what worked and why, what didn’t and why, and making course corrections along the way.

If you’re in any kind of consulting business – where what you offer is your expertise and experience – you have to listen to this episode!

Dov’s Bio

Dov Gordon helps consultants and experts get ideal clients. Consistently.

There are millions and millions of consultant/coaches who are really good at what they do.  But they’re not charismatic guru types.  And they never want to be.

They LOVE their work.  And all they want is a consistent flow of great clients.  Clients who value their expertise, AND who value who they are as people.  And pay them well for it.

Dov and his small team take a tactic-agnostic approach.  They help you build a strong strategic foundation and to apply to it to build a simple, client-getting system that is best for YOU.

Dov has been a guest on The Art of Charm, John Jantch’s Duct Tape Marketing podcast, Jeff Goins’s podcast and dozens of others.

You can learn more about Dov’s work at https://ProfitableRelationships.com

Connect with Dov and Other Resources:

Get a quick free training: https://profitablerelationships.com/laura

Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/ConsistentFlowOfClients/

LinkedIn:    https://www.linkedin.com/in/dovgordon/

Twitter:        https://twitter.com/DovGordon

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/dovgordon/

YouTube:     https://youtube.com/c/DovGordon1

Mark-Henson

If you’re a business owner who occasionally – or frequently – takes your team off-site because you want them to think more creatively, work more collaboratively, be more innovative, and possibly even have more fun working, why would you even consider taking them to a beige, boring off-site conference room or meeting space?

If you’ve done that, and wondered why they weren’t more creative, collaborative, innovative, or playful, nor was the meeting any more fun or interesting or productive than the ones you’ve held previously in your own conference room… The answer couldn’t me more obvious to Mark Henson, Founder of sparkspace in Columbus, Ohio.

It all a couple of decades ago when Mark was working in a design firm. So many who visited the firm noted that they were a bit envious about the fun, funky, colorful space the design team and staff got to work in every day. In fact, some companies actually asked the firm to use their conference rooms for team meetings…

It sparked Mark’s thinking that there was opportunity there, and so it began. sparkspace was born in a 900 square foot space that Mark set up to be meeting friendly and tested his idea for a year. It was a tremendous hit and he needed more space.

sparkspace has expanded several times and today encompasses 10,000 square feet for six different sized- and themed-meeting rooms that are unlike any meeting space you’ve ever been in.

But it’s not just about the fun, funky décor and amenities. Mark and his team are truly obsessed with providing exceptional hospitality. “We want our guests to feel truly welcome in our space,” he explained. “Even if this is their very first visit, we want them to feel as if they’ve been there before, they are truly welcome, and we are fully at their service.”

This episode touches on the fun and creative nuances in business and moves into other topics including leadership, personal and team development, how important it is to take time to reflect on experiences to extract the depth of the lessons contained within them, and much more.

Mark’s Bio

Mark Henson is the chief imagination officer of sparkspace, a company that sparks new thinking with its unique conference space and inspirational programs for teams and individuals.

After graduating from Oklahoma Christian College with a degree in Mass Communications, Mark worked as a radio personality, marketing director, copywriter, and a brainstorming facilitator for some of the world’s most successful brands.

20 years ago, Mark designed and launched sparkspace as a full-time facility dedicated to helping teams have more meaningful conversations about overcoming challenges, building relationships, and creating better futures.

In March of 2017, Mark released his first book, Ordinary Superpowers: Unleash the Full Potential of Your Most Natural Talents. The purpose of the book is to help you discover the talents that create the most positive change in your life, the lives of others, and the world around you.

Mark lives in Upper Arlington, Ohio, with his wife, 2 teenagers, and a black cat who rules the whole house.

Connect with Mark and Other Resources:

www.sparkspace.com
www.asuperpoweredlife.com
Dan Sullivan – Strategic Coach