Having spent much of her younger life as a “force-aholic,” Melissa is no stranger to fear. She often found herself thinking along the lines of “do this or else…” which I imagine we all would agree is not a healthy, inspiring, or strong beginning point for anything creative to emerge from.

“We are not conditioned from a young age to reflect and see who we are,” she explains to Laura in this episode. Going on, she shares a story of an experience in High School, when the students in her class took a career aptitude assessment. She wanted to go into Physical Therapy and the HS Counselor discouraged her, saying she wasn’t cut out for that kind of work.

Because she hadn’t – yet – built her self-confidence and clear awareness of who she is and what she’s capable of, Melissa went into the IT field instead, spending years there – mastering the work, but not loving it – before breaking free to do what she loves most: Serving entrepreneurs, coaches, trainers, and leaders build success as they define it.

Through this deep conversation, both Laura and Melissa share stories, connections, and insights. Specifically, Melissa shares her process for recognizing and releasing fear when it shows up: 1-Recognize it, 2-Love on it, 3- Do a Truth rant, 4-Act!

Fear is a universal experience; we won’t eliminate it, but we can change how we experience and engage with it. We can reframe what it means for us, and Melissa offers a simple process for doing just that.

Melissa’s Bio

Melissa V. West is the founder and CEO of Xtreme Results, LLC, a powerful catalyst for business and life transformation. She encourages business professionals to rediscover their purpose and passion and empowers them to create an amazing business and life of their dreams. She helps them get unstuck and out of their own way and so they can do the fulfilling work they are meant to do.

She shares this message worldwide through coaching, training, mentoring, and keynote speaking. Melissa took her passion and level of contribution to a whole new level by becoming business partners with John C. Maxwell–the #1 leadership expert in the world.
For five years she served as a faculty member for the John Maxwell Team where she helped over 12,000 professionals from more than 140 countries build their own coaching, speaking, and training businesses.

Melissa is a 2x time author. Her first book was: Your Daily W.O.W. – Words of Wisdom That Will Inspire, Energize, and Empower You Every Day! Her second book was: Hot Pursuit: Chase Your Dreams With Passion and Live an Exceptional Life.

She is an accredited Professional Certified Coach (PCC) which is recognized by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). She graduated from the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC), where she earned her Certified Professional Coach and Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner accreditations. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Melissa lives with her husband, Chris, and two beautiful daughters in Raleigh, North Carolina.

For More:

XRCoaching.com
Melissa on Facebook
Melissa on LinkedIn
Your Daily W.O.W. Book
Hot Pursuit Book

Greg-Mack

Pain is so much in our worldview these days, as we are dealing with an opioid epidemic and pain management clinics and practitioners are everywhere we look.

What if we could reframe what we understand about pain and recognize it for what it really is: Sensations in our bodies that we don’t like…?

That’s the approach Greg Mack takes in his work, helping people who aren’t fully responding to medical interventions, who are willing to try another approach through exercise and physical conditioning.

As Greg explains, “pain” is a physical sensation we experience and describe… attaching a variety of words and meanings to, but it isn’t an actual tangible thing we can measure. Each person’s experience with it is unique and subjective. What I might consider a 10 on the accepted pain scale may be only a 3 for someone else.

Greg experienced the “fitness spark” when he was a Navy diver and engineer on a nuclear submarine. There were rigorous fitness requirements attached to this position and divers were subjected to regular readiness reviews to retain their positions. As a result, Greg and a partner started a fitness business, teaching others how to retain readiness, define nutrition guidelines, and recommending specific supplements to meet individual goals.

Eventually, Greg attained a personal trainer certification and began expanding his understanding of and expertise around fitness, including creating fitness processes for people with extensive restrictions to their mobility. A hard-wired learner, Greg learned from and blended techniques, processes, and modalities from a number of different health-related practices to create his own muscle restoration processes and practices.

He’s like the Sherlock Holmes of the human body, seeking a full understanding of the information available within each person who seeks his help. His goal is to help each individual regain control over their body, improve their ability to reach and hold certain positions, and develop strength to live a fuller life.

Greg’s Bio

As Founder and CEO, Greg’s vision for Physicians Fitness LLC was shaped 28 years ago while working as a lay assistant to chiropractic physicians in a sports medicine clinic. It was during this tenure that he noticed the unfortunate reality that most of the patients of the clinic were there, and frequently returned, as a result of poor physical conditioning. The medical and chiropractic staff encouraged these patients to participate in exercise and fitness programs but did not have the time nor resources to effectively assess, develop, and implement a safe, global health-fitness plan. Greg wanted to provide a solution.

As a graduate of the Navy’s Nuclear Engineering School, Greg used his foundation of engineering skills, his enthusiasm for fitness, academic certifications – Medical Exercise Specialist and Personal Trainer, and his experiences working with a wide variety of medical professionals (physical therapists, osteopaths, surgeons), to develop the “Mobility/Stability Profiling Method” of pre-exercise physical assessment. He has developed a variety of novel strategies and tactics for improving the motor control of individuals such that they move better, feel better, and live better.

His experience working in such diverse venues as community gyms and medical practices enhanced his awareness of the wide gulf that exists between the medical community and fitness facilities, particularly for those individuals trying to recover from, and manage, a diagnosed disease. This led to the development of a comprehensive documentation and communication system that coordinates biomechanical improvement and fitness programs for individuals with diagnosed diseases from the medical community, the core of Physicians Fitness operations.

Greg’s involvement in the fitness industry includes authoring articles for fitness and medical publications, presenting relevant topics to fitness professionals at continuing education conferences, and achieving the “Master Level” designation as a personal fitness professional from IDEA. Greg received the IDEA International Personal Trainer of the Year Award for the year 2003 and is currently the Chairman of the IDEA Personal Trainer Committee, an influential body steering important issues related to fitness professionals. He is a member of the Medical-Fitness Network Education Committee.

Greg is also the Founder of, and Lead Instructor for, Exercise Professional Education, LLC, a Columbus, Ohio-based continuing education provider for several industry certifying bodies. Greg has been in full-time practice for over 16 years and his involvement in the fitness industry includes authoring articles for fitness and medical publications, presenting relevant topics to fitness professionals at continuing education conferences, and achieving the “Master Level” designation as a personal fitness professional from IDEA (www.ideafit.com). Greg received the IDEA International Personal Trainer of the Year Award for the year 2003 and is currently the Chairman of the IDEA Personal Trainer Committee.

For More:

Physicians Fitness
Austin Muscle Restoration – One of Greg’s Students
Greg on LinkedIn
The Gift of Pain Book

David-Williams

While trust and engagement are crucial to any enterprise in the best of times, at the time of this episode’s recording (March 2020), the world is struggling to deal with the COVID-19 virus, and these foundations of business and relationships are truly being tested beyond the norm.

David and Laura enjoy an insightful, engaging, and laughter-filled conversation about principle-centered leadership and employee engagement. Each share stories of companies they’ve worked with whose values – both good and less-than-desirable – are on full display in how they treat employees, their communities, and even how they engage with suppliers.

David outlines the 4 Pillars of Engagement as taught and implemented through Blaze Performance Systems when working with clients: Feeling Valued, Connected, Understanding Contribution, and Growing.

David and Laura also discuss the most common waste in business: Human Talent.

You can tell the two are in their element in this episode, as they speak from years of experience, with insight, wisdom, and obvious joy in the work they get to do with companies large and small, near and far.

David’s Bio

David is an achievement-oriented professional with extensive experience in organizational development, operations management, and human resources. He has served as a Business Owner, Executive, and Leader at some of the world’s best organizations. He received his undergraduate and Master’s degrees in Human Resources Management from Liberty University and also holds a Master’s in Philosophy.

David is the co-author of the new book “The 3 Keys of Execution. Simple Ideas. Extraordinary Results,” which was recently listed #6 on INC’s Summer Must-Read Books list. He has worked in the Execution space for 15 years with organizations as diverse as Wal-Mart, Toyota, Samsung, Marriott, Clayton Homes, and HCA. Thousands of people have been touched by David’s ability to help them grow and improve their results.

David maintains a close relationship with virtually all of the clients he was worked with over the years. Organizations, when engaging David, will see immediate results.

David will be quick to tell you, there is no such thing as a former Marine. David overcame a life-threatening spinal injury while serving in the Marines and he has a love for veterans, which is motivating and contagious. He is always going out of his way to serve those who have served and spends a lot of his free time volunteering in Veteran’s homes and in the local VA Hospital.

Another thing you will find when working with David is his contagious laugh. David has an innate ability to connect with all levels in an organization and it all begins with his smile. He gets people and he is a master at getting results.

For More:

Blaze Performance Solutions
David on LinkedIn
3 Keys of Execution Book