Gelie Akhenblit is probably best known as the founder of largest Networking Community in Phoenix, NetworkingPhoenix.com. After starting with nothing, Gelie has built this network to close to 43,000 members. A fighter in every sense of the word, Gelie is someone who is always intent on rewiring her own mind while helping others in rewiring theirs as well. Through the massive network of professionals and the close relationships that she has built with people over the years, Gelie is interested serving. She has learned that one of the ways she can help is by offering connectedness and a sense of community to those who may otherwise struggle to find these things. Her road has not been a simple one. From quitting her job and launching her own business to almost losing that business after a divorce - Gelie is the epitome of a fighter and someone who knows how to battle to achieve success. With every step, she displays confidence and perseverance that she will reach her goals no matter the obstacle. You can listen to her TedX talk here and visit her website here. Gelie makes a reference to her blog post here. Find her LinkedIn page here.

Rewired Mind

Gelie Akhenblit - Getting out of Your Comfort Zone and Challenging Yourself Every Day

Gary Robinson is an author and speaker whose search for purpose after being arrested and sentenced to 15 years in prison led him to want to help young people believe in themselves and the genius that they have. Gary talked to us about when he was arrested at 20 for armed robbery and his “rewired moment” when he was sitting in his jail cell and realized that he needed to change because the way he had handled things up until that point didn’t work. He said he even prayed not to leave jail as the same person he came in as. He also spoke about his childhood and watching his mom get arrested and having to be raised by his great-grandmother. He mentioned how a neighbor had put him in a Bible study and how that experience helped him get out of the bad situation that he was in and grow closer to God. A few key things that Gary mentioned was having to be broken or hit rock bottom to recognize that you need help, and a quote from Robin Sharma: “Delete the energy vampires from your life, clean out all complexity, build a team around you that frees you to fly, remove anything toxic, and cherish simplicity, because that’s where genius lives.” He said his approach to life now is simple- figure out your purpose and be great at it. You can buy a copy of his book Mining the Diamond in You: A Journey of Reinvention and Transformation here.

Gary Robinson: From Prison to Believing in Your Genius

When people go to describe this guest on Rewired Mind, they may want to say attorney, speaker, author etc. but Kirk Nurmi would just like to simply be known as a human being. The quote “no one wants to die with music still left inside them” by Dr. Wayne Dyer has been an inspiration for Kirk. He famously was the defense attorney in the Jodi Arias trial, which lasted from January 2013- April 2015. During this 2 ½ year period, he faced threats and public scrutiny, leading him to step away from law and even getting diagnosed with cancer as a result of the pressure from the trial. As a result of the cancer, Kirk changed his focus to make his happiness a priority, something he had not done in the years prior to the diagnosis. The biggest question that he had to answer was “Am I Happy?” This forced him to examine areas of his life and make decisions based on how he answered that question. A book he would recommend is I Can See Clearly Now by Wayne Dyer. You can buy his book Defend Your Greatness here.

Kirk Nurmi: From Public Scrutiny and Cancer to Happiness

Candice Liozu is the Director of an amazing non-profit called Foster360. This organization focuses on assisting young adults who are aging out of the foster care system. Candice shares her journey of working at the highest levels in the corporate world to now being the Director of a non-profit. She worked for what she envisioned as being akin to the “American Dream” when working for SAP after moving here from Europe and had her in the mindset of being a “shark” in an industry that is full of highly motivated, competitive people and leaders. Her rewired moment: came one evening at dinner. She heard a voice that led her to believe, finally, that she should be making decisions for herself rather than others to do so on her behalf. She’d been allowing others to make decisions for her for years. This experience led her to work with Mesa United Way and the creation of Foster360. You can learn more and donate to Foster 360 by going to Foster360az.com Some things that Candice mentioned were helpful to her were the books Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza, Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch, Willpower Doesn’t Work by Ben Hardy and the music of Ottmar Liebert.

Candice Liozu - Foster360 and Making Decisions for Herself

“Whatever pain you experience can be power to create the life you want”. This quote fits the story of Luke Kayyem, a performance life coach, corporate leadership consultant and keynote speaker. He shifted his focus to specific things after having a fixed mindset for most of his life. He got into reading and starting to widen his mindset in 2017 and was influenced by author David Deida, after going to an event where he was a guest speaker. We chat about his childhood and how being raised by a single mom impacted him. He was on a path of self-destruction when he started drinking and partying. Luke has worked hard to change his mindset from fixed to one focused on searching and seeking. Recognizing that he was throwing so much away due to his addiction, he now aims to help other men on their own journey of life. Through his program called Fathers of the Future, Luke helps men live their legacy despite their own set of bad circumstances. You can learn more about it here.  You can get in touch with Luke by going to https://www.lukekayyem.com/ Books that Luke recommends: The Way of the Superior Man, David Deida and Mindset, Carol Dweck

Luke Kayyem

Jessie Shedden is an author and a mindset/confidence coach. She grew up as a member of what is considered by many to be a cult, the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church. The church rejects all claims that they are a cult and describes themselves as a “mainstream Christian Church”, but as we speak to Jessie, you can make your own determination as to their structure. As a 4th generation member Jessie shares some of the things that occurred while a part of the church and how she helped her dad with some the businesses he looked to launch as a member as well as what her life was like up to the point she decided to leave. Jessie recently lost her mother and the relationships that she once had with other family members, including her father are now tumultuous or non-existent. Her focus has shifted to seeing herself as a powerful, strong, blessed and wealthy woman, coming from a situation where everything was run by men and women were viewed as subservient, meek and quiet. Books she would recommend are Take the Risk by Ben Carson and The 6 Pillars of Self Esteem by Nathaniel Branden. You can buy her books about her own experiences, Tomorrow’s Not Promised: Mistress of her own Destiny here and Those Boots are Made for Walking: One Woman’s Quest for Freedom here.

Jessie Shedden: From Cult Escapee to Powerful Woman

A Navy veteran and registered nurse, Antra Boyd is a patient advocate and owner of Connected Care Patient Advocacy. Her entire life focused on helping people and doing for others. We talk about the battle she won against cancer and how her experience of being a patient led her to starting her own company. Such a great conversation with a very transparent and genuinely nice person. Books that she would recommend are Women Who Love Too Much by Robin Norwood, The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande and The Three Principles by Sydney Banks.

Antra Boyd: Cancer and Both Sides of the Healthcare System

A very close friend of mine – it was great to interview him on Rewired Mind to dig a little deeper into this incredibly kind and talented guy. He can describe himself as a “software guy” oftentimes (and is a very good one at that!). He’s also a writer and is very focused on helping other people improve in the workplace. A recent quote from the mind of our buddy Gary Vaynerchuk “Don’t create; document” has influenced some of Cory’s writing. We spoke on the importance of self-talk and how he believes that having an analytical mind can lead to catastrophic thinking. He shared the idea that, for him, filling the “cup” of others can help to fill your own. He also talked about how active listening – a critical thing for any software development person - is an important skill for all people to hone. You can connect with him on LinkedIn and visit his website: softwareplusplus.com His book Software++: Must Have Skills for Software Engineers is available on Amazon. A book that Cory would recommend is How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Cory Berg: Self Talk and Active Listening

A Kung Fu Master and Hypnotherapist, Jeremy Roadruck is also the author of Your Best Child Ever: Is This Game Worth Winning? In this interview we talk about his childhood and how he was determined to live a life of happiness, health, safety and solid communication. As importantly though, he has focused on sharing the strategies that he has learned with others. Through his book, his schools and platforms like this, that is exactly the mission he is now fulfilling. One of his basic beliefs is that “we can learn from anyone regardless of age”. He discusses the importance of self-talk and shared a moment where he was caught by one of his Kung Fu Masters saying that he hated himself and how that interaction helped him become more aware of how he was talking to himself and how he worked to correct it. If you want to connect with him, the easiest way to reach him is Facebook, You can buy his book here.

Jeremy Roadruck and Kung Fu

Kip Brooks is an author, entrepreneur, speaker and breakthrough coach. For much of his youth, Kip was convinced that he wasn’t wanted. He struggled with forgiving people and trust had been an issue for sure. When he was 8 years old, Kip would pray that he wouldn’t wake up. He figured that if God was real, the prayer would be answered as all he wanted was out. Struggling with drugs and alcohol and also landing in jail led him toward getting clean and changing his life. You can get in touch with Kip by going to brooksempowermentacademy.com and follow him here: On Facebook at TheRealKipBrooks Instagram @TheRealKipBrooks LinkedIn at TheRealKipBrooks For instant access to one of Kip’s courses – follow this link  https://brooksempowermentacademy.com/gifts/ Books that he would recommend are: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, The Laws of Thinking by Bernard Jordan and the The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday.

An Incredible Journey with Kip Brooks

Kara Goldin is the Founder and CEO of Hint, Inc. – makers of Hint Water, the leading unsweetened flavored water. She is also the bestselling author of Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters, which was released October 2020. Kara’s career has seen her in magazine circulation for Time Magazine, Sales for CNN, and as a VP for AOL before founding Hint. Her accolades include being named one of InStyle’s Badass 50, Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business, Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs, Fortune's Most Innovative Women in Food & Drink, and EY Entrepreneur of the Year for Northern California. The Huffington Post listed her as one of six disruptors in business, alongside Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. We spoke about her book, the fact that it was released during the pandemic, how the passing of her editor at the same time, all while having 5 kids, and running her business has impacted her. Kara told us how being curious from an early age helped her with problem-solving and really helps her not only stand on good footing with her employees, but also helps motivate her every day to continue to learn and grow. Kara spent much of her childhood in Arizona, graduated from Arizona State University, and currently lives in the bay area. She shares her knowledge and experience through public speaking, mentoring, and hosting her own podcast, The Kara Goldin Show. Books that she recommends are Superman’s Not Coming by Erin Brockovich, Originals by Adam Grant, and Can’t Even by Anne Helen Peterson. You can buy her book Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters here.

Interview with Kara Goldin CEO of Hint, Inc.

Karen DiMarco has been a nurse for over 22 years, she is a patient advocate and is definitely a healthcare visionary. In one of our favorite conversations we talked about her childhood, how she dealt with loneliness, and her feeling as though she needed to check certain boxes with people in order to be liked. She held onto a “red alert” sort of mindset for many years and became very self-conscious about how others viewed her. An amazing human with great stories of being herself and raising her kiddos to be confident people as well, Karen is an exceptional writer (adding tons of humor to everything she writes) and such a delight to listen to and learn from. Please read more about her at https://karendimarco.com/ and feel free to contact her at karen@karendimarco.com A book she would recommend is Dying to be Me by Anita Moorjani.

Karen DiMarco

Justin Otto is a former heroin addict who started his own podcast, DharmaJunkie, to help those who struggle with addiction as well to help him move on from his past. We talk about his addiction, his journey to becoming clean for the past 18 months and how his Buddhist mindset helped him with not only his recovery but also going forward. So many great insights and thoughts from someone who is a very deep thinker and looking to help others. Please listen to Justin’s podcast and feel free to contact him at Justin@dharmajunkie.com.

Justin Otto: From Heroin to Giving Back

You know how you can tell when someone is smiling when you are talking to them? That is Rubina Cohen – all the time. Someone who had to help teach and basically be mom to her younger siblings at a very young age, Rubina quickly grabbed that mantle and got to work. She became obsessed with productivity and would create spreadsheets as a very young adult showing her where she spent her time. She had a love of learning and that is what led her to become interested in neuroscience and the work of Joe Dispenza. Like many other guests, she was also influenced by Oprah and Deepak Chopra and became interested our emotional intelligence and meditation. One of the many books that both of us would recommend is Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Rubina Cohen: Growing Up Fast and Neuroscience

Justin Rambo struggled as a student. When he was in first grade, he believed that he was not as smart as the other students in his classes. He adopted a mindset that he was stupid, but later discovered that he just had a different style of learning. In 2014, he went to a talk about personal development, during this talk, he realized that there was more that he could do with his analytical style of learning and always questioning things. He feels that he understands people due to having introverted tendencies. Justin took an assessment that helped him understand his learning style and on what he calls his Download Day, how everything changed in how he approached personal interactions to how he focuses his time to make the most of it.  We also talk about how he is able to live without certain distractions that seem impossible to be without in today’s connected world. You can buy his book Turn Down the Noise here and listen to his podcast, Versatile Success here.

Justin Rambo: Download Days and Turning Down the Noise in a Loud World

Rewired Mind is about helping you realize that everyone has a different path to success and a very different way to operate in business. Allen Plunkett, host of Rewired Mind Podcast sits down with real industry leaders to talk about how they rewired their thinking and adopted their different way - and how they built (or rebuilt) their organizations around those concepts and beliefs.

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