Somewhere in the Middle Welcomes Storm Cunningham, Executive Director of RECONOMICS Institute Storm Cunningham is Executive Director of RECONOMICS Institute: The Society of Revitalization & Resilience Professionals, which helps ensure that communities worldwide have certified Revitalization & Resilience Facilitators (RE Facilitators). Look for the “RE” after their names. As editor of REVITALIZATION: The Journal of Economic & Environmental Resilience, Storm tracks the latest trends and techniques in urban/rural regeneration, natural resource restoration, and resilience worldwide. Storm is the author of 2002’s The Restoration Economy, which has been hailed by government and business leaders around the world as “Extraordinary”, “Remarkable”, “A modern classic”, “A landmark work”, “Required reading”, and “The most important and valuable business book I have read in many years.” His second book, reWealth, was published by McGraw-Hill in 2008. George Ochs, Director of Real Asset Investment at JP Morgan calls Storm “the world’s thought leader on community revitalization and natural resource restoration” and calls reWealth: “The secret weapon…for economic recovery at both local and global scales.” Storm’s third book, RECONOMICS: The Path to Resilient Prosperity was published in both paperback and e-book form on January 9, 2020. It’s a guide for policymakers, real estate investors, and social entrepreneurs. From 2006-2009 Storm was Distinguished Visiting Professor at Seneca College (Canada’s largest college) in Toronto. From 1996 to 2002, he was Director, Strategic Initiatives at the Construction Specifications Institute, a 60+ year-old association of 14,000 architects, engineers, contractors, and manufacturers. A former Green Beret SCUBA medic with the U.S. Army’s 7th Special Forces Group, he is an avid SCUBA diver, motorcyclist, and amateur herpetologist. He lives in Arlington, Virginia, USA. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/storm.cunningham Twitter: https://twitter.com/restorm LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/restorm Website: https://StormCunningham.com Buy Reconomics Now on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1657011720

Somewhere in the Middle with Michele Barard

Storm Cunningham, Executive Director of RECONOMICS Institute, shares how urban renewal projects can be eco- and community-friendly

BONUS EPISODE: Tax Accountant Damari Gold shares why we should start preparing for the 2022 tax season today Damari Gold has a unique perspective on money and personal finances. She holds a Master’s Degree in Accounting and Finance, has been a practicing tax accountant for over ten years, and founded The Gold Standard Accounting & Tax Inc. in Huntington Beach, CA. Damari is passionate about helping small business owners, more specifically women-owned businesses, to understand their money. As a first-generation American and an entrepreneur, she understands the difficulties that are faced. Money goes beyond business; that is why she is determined to help others Be Confident Money Women. Damari can explain money and personal finance's different levels and aspects, whether money mindset, money management, taxes, or just business fundamentals. She has a wealth of knowledge to share. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/damarigold/ Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/damarigold Website: https://damari-gold-consulting.mykajabi.com/

BONUS EPISODE: Bada$$ Business Women prepare for the tax season early

Somewhere in the Middle Welcomes Damari Gold, Founder of The Gold Standard Accounting & Tax Inc. Damari Gold has a unique perspective on money and personal finances. She holds a Master’s Degree in Accounting and Finance, has been a practicing tax accountant for over ten years, and founded The Gold Standard Accounting & Tax Inc in Huntington Beach, CA. Damari is passionate about helping small business owners, more specifically women-owned businesses, to understand their money. As a first-generation American and an entrepreneur, she understands the difficulties that are faced. Money goes beyond business; that is why she is determined to help others Be Confident Money Women. Damari can explain money and personal finance's different levels and aspects, whether money mindset, money management, taxes, or just business fundamentals. She has a wealth of knowledge to share. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/damarigold/ Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/damarigold Website: https://damari-gold-consulting.mykajabi.com/

Tax Accountant Damari Gold Shares How We Can Be Confident Money Women

Petia Kolibova is a women’s transformation coach who helps women who have been pushed down and been playing it small due to toxic relationships or unhealed childhood trauma to create a life that is true to them and their soul purpose. Her mission is to help women who are on the path to healing from past wounds move through their limiting beliefs and internal blocks so they can finally do what they want to do, what feels good to them, serve other women in a powerful way online. Petia pairs feminine flow with strategic planning to give entrepreneurs immense clarity + exact steps to transition from side-hustler to CEO. If she is not interviewing on her podcast Unapologetically Abundant, working out, or reading, you will find her in nature disconnecting from the world, connecting to herself. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/unapologeticallyabundant Instagram: www.instagram.com/petiakolibova LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petia-kolibova-coach/ Website: https://petiakolibova.com/

Women’s Transformation Coach Petia Kolibova shares her personal journey of healing and growing through toxic relationships

Education Mentor and Author Darrian Tanner Shares Tactics for Better Classroom Management Darrian Tanner is currently an 11th-year secondary education English teacher and a 2nd-year Instructional Mentor in the state of Florida. She was born and raised in East St. Louis, IL, and this is where her love for education truly began as she was inspired by both her teachers and aunts who were educators and administrators in the school district. Darrian graduated from the College of Education at Michigan State University with a B.A. in English Ed and completed the teacher certification program with a yearlong internship at a local high school. Throughout her years of teaching, she came across great success on the school campus whether it was through her student mentorship programs or The Classroom Experience. Darrian was presented with the Florida High Impact Teacher Award two years in a row because of the significant growth in her students’ reading and writing state testing scores. She has a philosophy behind these results that’s much bigger than a lesson plan or special classroom assignments, and she developed a passion to share these principles with other educators. In 2016, she wrote her first ebook entitled, Finally Some Answers: 50 Classroom Solutions for the Secondary Ed Teacher. Her newest book, Teacher Authority in the Classroom: It’s Not a Battle-It’s a Bargain, was released in August 2019. In this book, she talks about the perspective of both the educators and students when it comes to understanding teacher authority in the classroom. Three years ago, she developed a strong heart to help other educators in the areas of student behavior and engagement. As a former ambassador for Teach.org and a live and online workshop presenter, Darrian makes a great effort to reach educators and students across the world in hopes of impacting the world in an unforgettable way.

ENCORE PRESENTATION: Education Mentor and Author Darrian Tanner Encourages Educators to Create Win-Win Situations in the Classroom

Alan Black shares his journey of surrender to become a Christian author Alan Black grew up in the United Methodist Church. While he proudly embraces his background and personal history within the United Methodist Church, he does not feel that denomination is important. What matters most is the relationship that you have with the Lord. Through the years, if Alan were to describe his relationship with the Lord using one word it would be “transformation” marked by daily growth in his walk with the Lord, and as well continuing to display the fruits of his Spirit. For these times, his attitude and belief are that the world is looking to Christians to see if, in fact, their talk does indeed match their walk. Like all of us, Alan has experienced twists and turns along the road of life. But each step along that road has led him to this point in life to humbly say that he is an author. But being able to say that he is a Christian author is the most important thing of all to him. To everything, there is a time and season. Though Alan was unsure of what was in store for him, Alan sought to be obedient and to trust in the Lord. Alan is now able to show others that God will qualify you and lead you to accomplish what His charge is for you if you can be a willing servant.

Somewhere in the Middle Welcomes Christian Author Alan Black

Somewhere in the Middle with Michele Barard welcomes Author Keshia Williams Keshia L. Williams loves the arts, music, people, and self-expression. She moved from Newark, NJ, to Atlanta, GA, to start the next chapter of life, moments, and inner peace. She enjoys discussing love, relationships, and raw feelings. Her book Loving with Emotions: You Must Feel Everything is who she is and represents what she has experienced as a child, adolescent, as well as coming into adulthood. Keshia has been writing since she was seven years old and has been told she had a wise soul beyond her years since the age of eight. Keshia had the opportunity to write children’s books as a child, but this option was held back from her without her knowledge. Later, she was told it was because she needed to enjoy her childhood. Keshia wants to share her voice with others to know the spoken word is for healing and that it is okay to release the past and speak out. Keshia wants to give people the opportunity to live out loud, live in their truth, and not be ashamed of who they are because strength is the key to excellence.

Author Keshia Williams shares her journey through love, pain, and releasing the past

Somewhere in the Middle Welcomes Author Michael Kenneth Bell Michael Bell is a author of the recently published book The Occult Meaning of Masonry its Symbols and the Chakra System. He has been a member in good standing of Monarch Lodge no.73, Oakland California Prince Hall Affiliated Free and Accepted Mason's since 2015. He describes himself as "a self-taught symbologist" and has a personal library of close to 500 books as his personal testimonial to this fact. As a spiritualist and metaphysician, he has investigated the world's religions, searching for the common threads of Truth amongst them all. Michael Bell is a proud, loving father of three beautiful children, one of which is his social needs son, who inspired his soon-to-be-released second book entitled, Dayna's BART Book. In August of 2020, Bell began his own publishing company, Pillar Publishing LLC, as the vehicle to empower not only his visions of self-publishing but to help others tackle the hurdles of authorship. For more information, visit https://pillarbookpublishing.com/. 

Author Michael Kenneth Bell Discusses the Link between Masonic Principles and the Chakra System

Somewhere in the Middle Welcomes Financial Strategist Kendall Weaver Kendall Weaver grew up in Decatur, Georgia, which is on the East side of Metro Atlanta, but she hails from the windy city, which is why she considers herself to be a tough-skinned, bittersweet GA peach. Kendall runs a financial consulting firm located in the heart of Atlanta that focuses on empowering women and minorities through financial education and implementation of sound financial strategies. This is a pretty big deal considering Kendall’s family was poor and she became a teen mom by the age of 17. The situation forced Kendall to grow up quickly so she could take care of her new family, but she soon discovered that she wasn’t cut out for the corporate world. After being fired from just about every job she’d ever worked, and after much coaxing by a mentor, she decided to pursue a career in finance. Now she runs offices for one of the largest financial marketing firms in North America and leads a team of multicultural boss ladies. Kendall is no stranger to the mental toughness and perseverance required to tackle the challenging times. After struggling with homelessness, poverty, teen pregnancy, and two divorces, Kendall has mastered the art of manifesting while making it look easy. In addition, Kendall gives back to her community and is currently working on a project to mentor teen mothers through business and entrepreneurship skills.

ENCORE PRESENTATION: Financial Expert Kendall Weaver shares her journey from young single mom to business and financial guru

Somewhere in the Middle with Michele Barard Welcomes Caregiver Life Strategist Denise Bampoe Denise Bampoe is a native New Yorker whose background is colored by her immigrant Caribbean heritage and Southern roots. She spent her youth as a track and field scholar-athlete. This took dedication and as a result, Denise was no stranger to hard work and continually pursued excellence.  Due to her intensive academic and athletic training, she was prepared for the challenges of the fast-paced business world. She gained solid experience after having spent over 15 years in the financial services industry. Even though she cultivated a certain level of business acumen, it didn’t prepare her for what was to come next as a caregiver. A strong foundation for survival was laid but her expertise as a compassionate and resilient advocate was cultivated through her experiences as a caregiver for both of her parents. She soon found herself running to the hospital and patient care facilities for her father who suffered from chronic kidney failure and was on kidney dialysis. Soon thereafter her caregiving duties expanded to include her mother, who was her father’s primary caregiver until diabetic episodes eventually led to leg amputations. This led to a lot of frustrating situations which can be tough on an only child dealing with a lack of support. To her advantage, Denise’s business background helped her to exercise foresight which prompted Denise to tap into resources early enough to begin to prepare for the road ahead. Health and wellness have also become a key priority for Denise especially after witnessing the effects of chronic illness on her parents.  This prompted Denise to establish the wellness and lifestyle platform BeWellBeSwell.com to chronicle her journey and provide resources, tools, support, and information for new and existing caregivers on preparing for caregiving, caregiver self-care, and dealing with post-caregiving. She hopes to build a community that encourages caregivers to remember to take care of themselves while caring for others.  Her goal is to inspire caregivers to seek the daily joys in life despite the challenges that may arise.  By sharing her experiences, Denise is not only a source of support but serves as a resource to only children or "those who feel like only children" who are caring for their elder parents. Denise graduated from SUNY Albany with a degree in Business Administration.  She is a professional coach with a certificate in personal development coaching from The CAPP Institute. Currently, she resides in New York with her husband. As a Distinguished Toastmaster, she also can be found speaking on a stage near you. When she’s not curled up with a good book, Denise can be found dancing in a Zumba class or fine-tuning her kickboxing moves. One of her favorite pastimes includes making scrumptious organic meals as she enjoys delicious culinary flavors.

ENCORE PRESENTATION: Caregiver Life Strategist Denise Bampoe shares strategies and tools for those caring for sick loved ones

Author, Speaker, and Diversity Expert Deloria Nelson Streete joins me on Somewhere in the Middle  Deloria Nelson Streete is the President of Authentic Culture and Engagement Solutions, Inc. (ACE). ACE is a dynamic consulting firm that focuses on providing solutions to companies who want to enhance and strengthen their culture through authentic engagement and inclusion. Dee was recently the Managing Director of Diversity & Inclusion for Charles Schwab & Company, where she led the firm’s national Inclusion efforts. Deloria is a published author and fantastic speaker who has worked professionally in Human Resources for more than 25 years with various Fortune 500 companies, including Walt Disney World. Deloria’s personal brand is positive energy, courage, authenticity, and an uplifting spirit. Her workshops and keynotes are engaging, educational, and transformational. Dee has her BA degree in Mass Communications and an MPA in Human Resources from Clark Atlanta University. Her commitment to Diversity & Inclusion stems from her personal mission statement, which encapsulates helping people find and leverage their unique gifts. You will find Deloria writing poetry, spoiling her twin granddaughters, or on the farm with her husband, children, and adorable goats in her spare time.

Author, Speaker, and Diversity Expert Deloria Nelson Streete shares why inclusion matters and how it relates to recent events in the U.S. Capitol

Sharon Mae King, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SharonKingWorldWide.com, joins me on Somewhere in the Middle with Michele Barard Sharon Mae King is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SharonKingWorldWide.com and the author of This is my Introduction from Me to You. Remember Me? She was a professional actress in New York City before moving into public relations with Sain-City Magazine. King is involved in civic and professional organizations, such as the African American Art Museum, and was recognized by the Cambridge Who’s Who Registry of Executives, Professionals, and Entrepreneurs as a VIP in the 2011 – 2012 edition. A lifetime member of the International Women’s Leadership Association, King was named Top Female Executive by Successful Women Making a Difference. She also has been featured in several magazines, including Ellements, Diversity New Magazine, and Sain-City. King majored in Legal Studies at Western International University. One of her dreams was to become a Criminal Prosecuting Attorney. She has kept her dream alive by working at a law firm in the greater Los Angeles area. She currently works for the State of California as the Judge Secretary. Although King is a successful author, actress, producer, director, entrepreneur, and speaker, her primary joy comes from being a mother. As King has often said, “There is a vision for my life greater than my imagination could hold!”

Sharon Mae King, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SharonKingWorldWide.com, shares business and marketing tips for authors

Diane Sears, the founder of "In Search of Fatherhood" and Prison Reform Advocate, joins me on Somewhere in the Middle Diane A. Sears is the United States Coordinator for International Men’s Day, a position she has held since 2009 and the inaugurator of the International Day of Prayer for Men and Boys which is observed in November and launches the United States’ observance of International Men’s Day.   In October 1999, Sears launched IN SEARCH OF FATHERHOOD®, a quarterly international Fatherhood and Men’s Issues Journal which moderates a Global Dialogue on Fatherhood. The concept for IN SEARCH OF FATHERHOOD® was created by Sears’ mentor, the late L.T. Henry, a classically trained jazz musician who briefly performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra and was a former drummer for internationally acclaimed songstress and film and television actress Ms. Della Reese. L.T. Henry also was and author; a photojournalist; and a sales and success motivation trainer   Mr. Henry envisioned a world in which Men from All Walks of Life would work together, support one another, and share solutions to address the unique issues, directly and indirectly, related to parenting from a male perspective. Ms. Sears has spent the past 18 years resurrecting Mr. Henry’s vision and perpetuating his legacy. 

Prison Reform Advocate Diane Sears shares solutions to end the school to prison pipeline

ENCORE PRESENTATION Christian Coach, Author, and Inspirational Speaker Dr. Kendra Davis-Burch helps women change their lives for the better Dr. Kendra Davis-Burch is a 1999 & 2009 graduate of Winston-Salem State University. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology (1999) & a Master of Science Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling (2009). She is also a 2016 graduate of Apex School of Theology where she earned a Master of Divinity Degree. Kendra earned a Doctor of Ministry Degree in Biblical Studies at Apex School of Theology May 2017. In 2010, Kendra established K*METAMORPHOSIS, a Christian counseling organization whose vision, mission and philosophy were birthed out of the desire to fill a much-needed treatment gap in the community. The organization’s mission is to utilize a holistic approach to restore fallen humanity. This organization believes that individuals; despite their past are capable of transforming spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally. In 2012, Kendra became a published author. Her book Rivers of Life, a collection of life-changing sermons and homilies; has been said to be a resource that will empower you and inspire you to bounce back from anything. Many have described it as a spiritual vitamin that will rejuvenate, revitalize and refresh you! Kendra has released her second book NO MORE DISCOUNTS: “Lessons Learned Living Single!” A therapeutic tool used by many who have found themselves in the vicious cycle of abuse and toxic relationships, while seeking love and happiness. Kendra’s transparency in this book has empowered others to heal, forgive and move beyond the pain to find their purpose! In May of 2017, Kendra released her third literary project PRAY MORE, TALK LESS.

ENCORE PRESENTATION: Dr. Kendra Davis-Burch shares her journey toward self-discovery and helping other women overcome their challenges

Certified Federal Contracts Manager Khalil Memon shares his knowledge of federal contracting to help others get in on this multi-million dollar field Khalil Memon is a Certified Professional Contracts Manager, Certified Federal Contracts Manager, and Certified Commercial Contracts Manager. Khalil has been working as a Managing Director with Dynamic Contracts Consultants, LLC for the last 5 years. Khalil holds a Master’s in Law (LL.M) from Chicago Kent College of Law (Chicago), MBA from KC College of Management (India), LL.B. (law), a BS degree from University of Bombay (India) and is a member of the Bar Council of Maharashtra (India).He has more than 25 years of legal, compliance and procurement experience. He is personally affiliated with the National Contract Management Association (NCMA), US Chamber of Commerce, State Bar of Texas, American Contract Compliance Association (NDIA), American Bar Association (ABA), North American Procurement Council (NAPC), South Asian Chamber of Commerce (SACC) and World Chamber of Commerce – Texas. Khalil works as a procurement liaison assessing product value, negotiating favorable agreement terms and conditions in securing contracts and in compliance with FAR/DFAR. He also specializes in drafting, analyzing, and writing Proposals, reviewing procurement contracts and mitigating and minimizing risk for his clients. 

Certified Federal Contracts Manager Khalil Memon talks about making money in government contracting on Somewhere in the Middle

Authors, Coaches, and Entrepreneurs share their personal and professional journeys. Past guests include Bruce George of the Genius is Common Movement, Life Coach Bobbi Stevens, Financial Expert Steven Hutchinson, Author and Entrepreneur Hitachi Choparazzi, Sen. Barbara Robinson, Geraldine Hollis of the Tougaloo Nine, Author Bernard N. Lee, Jr., and Author and Speaker Tawana Williams.

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Somewhere in the Middle with Michele Barard

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