In this episode I talk with Celona, a digital media management and influencer marketing expert who is doubling down on a platform that promises to revolutionize and simplify volunteering and social impact. Beyond the platform, we uncover the story of how his father and two other men helped shape his worldview in very memorable and lasting ways.

The platform is called Cluster, and it’s a way to connect with like-minded people in cities all over the world to effect positive social impact. It also helps influencers and brands mobilize people to volunteer in a simple, easy and fun way.

Beyond the platform, we uncover the story of how his father and two other men helped shape his worldview in very memorable and lasting ways. We also discuss how a moment having lunch with his wife in Greece sparked an idea that has grown into a movement.

Cluster is an app available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Career advertising and marketing executive Jeff Gray approached the end of his marketing career by starting a small business, Papa Bear Bakery, from his home in Atlanta, Georgia. It wouldn’t take long for him to be discovered by The Food Network, who found him on Instagram and invited him to join their 2020 show “Holiday Baking Championship.” And the rest is history.

In this episode, I talk with Stuckey’s CEO Stephanie Stuckey about the evolution of her career as lawmaker, litigator, and environmentalist that eventually led her to purchase her family’s legacy (and struggling) brand to mount a comeback story that is capturing the hearts of nostalgia-loving fans everywhere.

What career is best for you? How should you be spending your time and energy? Popular speaker and trainer Ed Davis discusses why it can take so long for us to pay attention to the clues that have been there all along. His journey to discovering his highest and best career began with clues from his younger days, but it took two kids and a stock market crash to finally get him to close the gap between knowing and doing.

Julie Carrick Dalton’s first novel, Waiting for the Night Song, will be released next month to much anticipation. BuzzFeed calls it one of the most anticipated books of 2021, while a Medium article says it is one of the twelve most anticipated books of the new year.

In this episode, Julie shares the story of how a simple walk in the woods changed the course of her life dramatically. Once a successful journalist, she made a cool change when she decided to purchase a farm, pursue sustainable agriculture, and begin writing a novel.

Listen for how early life experiences, including a visit with the Archbishop Desmond Tutu during the unraveling of Apartheid, shaped her ability to pivot from one path to another, and to notice when it was time to make a change.

Laura Fravel helps elevate experts with an authentic brand they’re proud to “shout to the world.” If you’re going to make a cool change, you’re going to need to be thoughtful and intentional about how you show up. Are you authentic? Is your unique story and experience coming through? Does what you say and your digital presence align with who you really are?

In this episode, I speak with Laura about the importance of one’s own story and how to elevate it to be a purposeful brand. After all, you already have a brand… the question is — who is telling your story?

Tough time deciding what to do next? Been on the fence for a while? Making big life decisions isn’t always easy, and living in the in-between can be stressful.

In this episode, Chuck and Rilla discuss the power of deciding on a course of action, and how your decision mindset and immediate next actions can powerfully determine how your new path will manifest.

In this episode I’m joined by Rilla Delorier as we discuss how one simple strategy has the potential to bring more meaning, joy and mindfulness into your everyday existence. It’s so simple, in fact, that most people will overthink it.

We also wrestle with the balance between efficiency and getting things done (checking things off your list) vs paying attention and enjoying the small moments that make up our days.

Finally, we talk about the difference between speed and rushing, and how the two affect your peace of mind and effectiveness.

An ancient proverb has helped guide Ashish Bisaria through life’s changes: If the wind will not serve, take to the oars.

But this isn’t a message about habitual doing; it’s a story about moving forward through life’s changes with dignity, courage, perseverance, and — perhaps most of all — humanity and love.

One of the more heartfelt conversations I’ve had… Ashish shares what it means to plant trees the shade of which you will never see, the difference between ability and worth, and between presence and guidance.

Don’t miss this one. These ideas will stick with you for a long time, and may change the way you approach your next chapter.

My conversation with Chris Hermann, founder of 00 Wines, is a life lesson in what it takes to excel by choosing your own path — and doing things differently from everyone else. Chris has been practicing law for almost 40 years, and is now also at the helm of the award-winning 00 Wines; a business he started with his 90-year old father several years ago.

Along the way, we see how a relentless curiosity and pioneering spirit drove him to choose different paths than most people around him, and how these choices led to a richer experience of life, which led to different ways of thinking… and ultimately one of the most exciting new wine businesses in America and France.

Seems like it’d be easy enough… two women forming a 50/50 partnership to go into business with each other, believing that the two of them together are a far more effective force than either of them alone. Turns out it’s easier said than done… but it CAN be done.

In this episode, Sara Thomas and Holly Sydnor shift from secure, well-paying jobs to take a chance on doing business on their own terms, as a woman-owned business divided equally between the two of them. If you’ve ever thought of going into business for yourself, and perhaps with a partner, listen in to Sara and Holly’s story before you go any further.

In the first of several such episodes, special guest host Rilla Delorier turns the tables and interviews me for a change.

In this episode, I share one of the most powerful yet simple strategies I’ve ever discovered to improve the quality of life - with immediate results. It’s a strategy I’ve shared for 25 years and I still get people telling me how powerful it has been in improving their lives.

Jonathan McCoy is a deep thinker in the space of change. A long time consultant in this space, many of his most poignant lessons have come from life outside of work.

I caught up with him during a 4,000+ mile solo motorcycle ride and we discussed writing your own script, making what seems impossible possible, integrity, encouragement, and living fully.

Matt Milletto runs one of the most well-known coffee businesses in Portland, Oregon — a city known for its amazing coffee. In this episode, Matt shares how Water Avenue Coffee navigates change with a focus on community-centric business practices, continual innovation, treating people well, and sometimes making business decisions based on what feels right.

He has helped start multiple businesses, including a new one called Vehicle Chocolates (chocolate bars made with mushrooms) and another one called Virtual Coffee that teaches people to become better baristas in their own homes.

Cool Change Podcast listeners may use the promo code COOLCHANGE to receive a discount at both Vehicle Chocolates and Virtual Coffee. Thanks, Matt!

Chrissy McNair is passionate about helping caregivers live fully in the face of challenging life circumstances. Whether you’re caring for an aging adult, a special needs family member, or anyone else that deserves your energy, time and attention, you'll need to be resilient. After all, you don’t want to just “make the best of things” — you want to thrive and help the others around you do the same.

She’s the author of the upcoming e-book “Special, Too” and she’s offering a free copy to the first 50 Cool Change listeners to pre-order it by emailing her at chrissymcnair1@gmail.com.

Sarah Retzer spent more than two decades as an engineer, and has pivoted to start her own business. She retired in June 2020 from Boeing, and is now a full time certified mindfulness trainer.

In this conversation, she shares some of her observations about what people are struggling with these days, along with some straightforward approaches to creating more of the life you want to experience.

If you’re an entrepreneur, artist, or a thoughtful human being, you want to meet international artist and business owner Tiffani Taylor. Her work is found in collections all over the world, including Pierre Cardin, Oprah Winfrey, and is included in the Salvador Dali Museum. So many life lessons in just a 30 minute conversation.

Author, business founder, speaker, and wildly successful nerd, Aaron Hillegass shares his story of cool change with a comedic bent. Be prepared to take some notes, because this conversation is full of wisdom and great ideas about how to design your life, and why you should “not follow your dreams.”

You’ll learn why you don’t want to be the “pot holder lady in the Christmas Fair of life.”

Pam Kilday traded her rural upbringing for professional basketball, then a successful career in finance and technology, and is now a Director of a global technology company. And now she’s back home again, caring for the land, her neighbors, her animals and her parents. Along the way, everything from cancer to hurricanes threatened her life and property. But together with her wife Daphney, she’s made the wild ride home again.

Bonus: At the end of the podcast, hear a song written just for her that celebrates her journey and her amazing, positive spirit.

They’re Cool Change was pivoting from land to sea as a way of life. In this follow up to last week’s conversation, Steven and Bonnie discuss what it’s like to charter, how they meet new friends, how much it costs to kick off life on a boat, and their most memorable story from their new life onboard.

Visit their Web site.