”Inspire Us” with J. Paul Nadeau

Episode 17 - "Inspire Us Kids!" Episode 1: Parker Smith. In this episode, 12-yr-old Parker Smith talks about being bullied and the awesome help he received on how to deal with it

"Inspire Us" introduces the "Inspire Us Kids" edition, where kids get to tell us about what they're going through.
In this first "Inspire Us Kids" Podcast, 12-yr-old Parker Smith and his mother Kacie talk about how Parker's life was severely affected by bullying and how a post on Instagram and Facebook changed everything. Parker had the courage to speak up. But as you'll hear in this episode, at first his voice was not heard. This episode speaks of the responsibility of responsible adults responding to the voice of children. It's a wake-up call, one we need to take seriously. 
About Parker: Parker is your typical pre-teen with dreams and plans, just like the rest of us.
Sports are his life, according to his mom, Kacie.  He enjoys all sports but most of all loves softball.  He plays for a team in his small community, and his position is pitcher and outfielder.  When he is not out on the field he enjoys skateboarding and hanging out with his friends and family. When Parker grows up, he wants to become a humanitarian and help others who have gone through tough situations like his.
Enjoy this first "Inspire Us Kids" episode. Note: the sound is shotty at times, with some interference, but that happens. It's still very "listener-friendly." Let us know what you think about the kids' edition!
 

Episode 16 - Rachel Weinstock - Bullying: How responsible adults can become better equipped to spot signs of bullying and what they can do to help the victim and the offender.

Today's show features Rachel Weinstock, a woman who suffered bullying as a child and wanted to die at the age of 6. With the help and support of her parents and another adult who stepped in to stop it, Rachel went on to become an advocate against bullying and is helping kids globally.
Rachel
Rachel Weinstock is a Transformational Coach & Speaker for pre-teens and teenagers who are struggling with being bullied, low self-esteem, chronic stress, and anxiety.She is the Creator of “Enough Is Enough: Getting To The Heart Of Bullying Prevention” and “Virtual Club for Pre-Teens” - an online program that helps young people to lower their anxiety through heightening their mindfulness and expressing themselves creatively.For more than 17 years, Rachel has traveled the world teaching, speaking, and storytelling, and today she is on a mission to create a world where every child feels happy, confident, and safe to be the truest, most creative version of themselves.Rachel holds Degrees in both Visual Arts and Education and was awarded the James W. Fair Leadership Award from the Ontario Institute For Studies In Education.Her philosophy to work with children is deeply impactful because of her lived experience of being bullied as a child and teenager herself.More than 17 years ago Rachel decided that she would always show up as the teacher she dreamt of having as a child, and ever since has been known by her students, colleagues, and fans as the one and only, Miss Rainbow Fairy. 
She's a passionate advocate against bullying and you'll love what she has to say!
Here's how to follow or connect with Rachel:
https://www.facebook.com/RachelWeinstockhttps://www.instagram.com/rachelweinstock_/https://www.facebook.com/groups/222936935471538/https://virtualcampforkids.com/fallclubhttp://www.rachelweinstock.com
Notable quotes: "Turn your suffering into a story that makes the world a better place""Become the teacher or caring adult you always dreamt of having in your life as a child""Find a way to turn your deepest pain into the greatest for the world"

Episode 15 - Ian Tyson: Pain is inevitable, misery is a choice. How to remain positive by using the paddle you already have.

Comedian and motivational speaker Ian Tyson has had some tough times to deal with, but he manages to remain positive and uplifting by choosing the right mindset each day as he makes his bed. In those few moments, he tells himself what his day is going to be like... and he always chooses positivity. It doesn't always work out that way, but as Ian says in this inspirational piece, "you've got to use the paddle you're given to steer your life in the right direction."
Ian Tyson wears his positivity and energy like a badge of honor. His attitude was well earned, after losing a parent at the age of 10, Ian dedicated himself to finding his silver lining, and to be an inspiration to others. He serves others through impactful connections that authentically cultivate optimism.An award-winning speaker and comic, he brings an unbridled enthusiasm to the stage and to his life. Ian shares his passions and encourages others to do the same. Only in one of Ian's presentations, would you find nerd references, cooking tips, and anecdotes that tug on the heartstrings, all in the same packages.His 31 years of experience is evident in his deft handling of any stage or audience, and in the way he has kept his energy level and delivery dialed to 11 throughout the pandemic and shifting to virtual presentations. An author, podcast host, skilled interviewer and great entertainer, Ian brings deep relatability and presence to every interaction.  
For 30+ years, Ian Tyson has been entertaining and inspiring audiences around the world to realize their potential and seek happiness in life.  His presentations combine hilarious and heartwarming storytelling, observational humor and meaningful life lessons to leave your audience with words and thoughts to live by. Ian will always entertain and inspire any audience.
He is one of North America's top inspirational speakers and has worked extensively with companies, TEDx, conferences, and special events about teaching optimism, resilience and kindness.  Ian's book, "Hooray For Everything! The Optimist Manifesto" is an insightful collection of stories, rants, and ideas about finding and keeping positivity. Ian is an avid home cook, who brings his positivity and energy to the kitchen and was featured on the Food Network Canada show “Wall of Chefs” in 2020, and has an online cooking show of his own called "The Confined Kitchen".
www.iantyson.ca
 
 

Episode 14 - Joze Piranian: When you face you stutter head on, it’s remarkable what you can accomplish. Joze discusses how he fought his stutter to go on to become a stand-up comic and speaker

Imagine struggling to say your own name. Growing up with a severe stutter in Lebanon, Joze Piranian avoided speaking almost entirely out of the fear of being judged for being 'different'. In his second year of university, he begged all of his professors to exempt him from all presentations. He was committed to building a life with as little social interaction as humanly possible.
Well, sometimes your plans aren't the plans the universe has for you - if only you listen and take action. Over the past three years, EVERYTHING changed for Joze. He won the award of Inspirational Speaker of the Year in 2017 with SpeakerSlam, delivered a TEDx talk & performed stand-up comedy for the United Nations and in 3 continents and 3 languages. He didn't give in to that voice that told him to quit. And nor should you.
Join Paul and Joze as they talk about facing your fears - over, and over, and over again. That's when winning happens!
For more on Joze, check this out:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/yeswayjozeIG: @yeswayjozeLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jozepiranian/ 
 

Episode 13 - Keka DasGupta: Listening to your heart and the universe's calling can be scary and involve risks, but the rewards can be so worth it! Keka discusses career change and more.

Hello everyone, and welcome to episode 13 of "Inspire Us." In this episode, Paul has the pleasure of speaking with Keka DasGupta. Keka believes in moving people from helpless to helpful through a powerful, free currency called: gratitude. As a 20-year award-winning PR/marketing veteran, Keka has dedicated her entire working life to studying the emotional undercurrents that connect people to people, and people to brands.
This mom-of-two has worked with such globally recognized brands as IKEA, Nike, Disney, American Express, and many other Fortune 500s. Her clients have also included various schools and boards of education.
Moreover, Keka has served as an instructor at the Schulich Executive Education Centre (SEEC), Schulich School of Business, York University. Today, Keka heads up multiple entrepreneurial ventures.
She has founded this platform called the “Art of Life-ing,” and she runs Gratitude workshops across North America for both students (with an anti-bullying focus) and corporate audiences (with a focus on building happy corporate cultures).
In today's episode, Keka talks about following your heart, even if it means taking a risk. She discusses how the Universe will sometimes push you in the direction you ought to be headed and it’s up to us to listen. She also talks about her anti-bullying programs, empowering children, expressing gratitude and so much more. I know you’ll enjoy this episode.
Here are some links for you to follow to find out more about Keka and her work:
https://www.artoflifeing.com/
https://www.ted.com/talks/keka_dasgupta_why_we_are_practicing_gratitude_all_wrong
 

Episode 12 - Antonio Mac: Gratitude and Attitude. How a boy, different than the others, went on to become a globally successful clothier by choosing the right mindset.

In this episode, Paul speaks with global clothier and multi-business success Antonio Mac.
Antonio started his business career back in 1997 with a company he still operates called Anthony M. Apparel. Over the past two decades, Antonio has built multiple companies all over the globe in the clothing and technology sectors, as well as in the marketing and PR firms in North America, Europe, and Asia.
Antonio is best known for his luxury Italian Brand, “Antonio Mac.” The company incorporated in Italy in the early 2000s and has gone on to become a globally recognized brand in both runway, luxury men’s and women’s couture and is currently launching a cosmetic line under the ANTONIO MAC brand.
Antonio has several self-help forums and podcasts with a goal not only to reach business-minded individuals, but those who need inspiration in their personal lives and relationships.
This busy CEO mostly spends his time building and scaling companies, consulting with small, medium, and large companies as well as Fortune 500 in North America and Europe. His true passion is to help others navigate their way through life.
In this episode, Antonio provides us with an insight into his world, from a young age when he was different than most other kids to how he used his creative mind to design sweaters that ultimately led to a global high-end apparel company. But there's more to Antonio than his clothing line. He was a pro golfer, a rock and roll star, and so much more.
Why is this important and inspiring during this pandemic? His drive should inspire each and every one of us to try new things, change our direction if it's not serving us, and to take risks. Many people are having to re-invent themselves these days because of circumstances not within their control (the COVID19 fallout), and Antonio's many accomplishments tell us that it can be done.
https://antoniomac.com/
https://www.antoniomacglobal.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0doUSCdx7kwQr_7I05XFWg
 

Episode 11 - Dr. Jacques Dallaire: What if we could reduce the amount of anxiety we're feeling from COVID19 and any performance we undertake? Discover how to program yourself and your winning mindset.

Dr. Dallaire is an internationally recognized performance specialist who received his Doctorate in Exercise Physiology from the University of Alberta in 1979.
Over the past forty-nine years, he has worked with thousands of individuals from the high-performance sports world and beyond, including law enforcement and other high-risk occupational professions, the entertainment world, and the business community. He splits his time delivering sports team and corporate group performance programs as well as individual, one-on-one programs with high-performance clients.
Dr. Dallaire is President of Performance Prime, a North Carolina based company which he founded and has authored three books (Performance Thinking – Mental Skills for the Competitive World… and for Life!; Helping Kids Perform – Mental Skills Every Parent, Teacher, and Coach Should Master!; Performance Thinking for Law Enforcement). He is a Founding Member of the International Council of Motorsport Sciences and in 2007, was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame, recognizing the positive impact his work has made in the sport of motor racing.
 
In this episode, Dr. Dallaire discusses how focusing on results is fundamentally the wrong thing to do if we’re after the ‘best’ results. He presents a simple formula to help us achieve the absolute best results and this formula can be applied to our current pandemic to help us reduce the levels of anxiety we may be experiencing. What if you were to be able to program your mind to reduce the worry of the COVID19 outcome? You’ll find answers in this episode – ones you’ll immediately be able to apply to your life to help you focus on what really matters.
 
https://linktr.ee/drdallaire
 

Episode 10 - Sarah M. Carlson: Former C.I.A. analyst Sarah M. Carlson discusses her time in Libya during a revolution and how she dealt with her Post Traumatic following her return to the USAStress

In this episode, Sarah M. Carlson joins J. Paul Nadeau on the show. Sarah served as a targeting analyst in the CIA's Counterterrorism Center. Before that, she served as a counterterrorism analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency. She also completed rotations to the National Counterterrorism Center and U.S. Northern Command. Her counterterrorism career focused on groups operating in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia and she traveled throughout those regions.
She was in Libya in 2011 around the time Muammar Gaddafi was killed and rebel opposing tribes fought each other viciously to take power. Her time in Libya was intense. She discusses her mission and the constant threat she and her team were under during a revolution that threatened their lives and safety until they were able to escape. What she touches on is how, under extreme duress, one's body can simply shut down. One of the secrets to preventing that is to "stay busy," Sarah says.
Sarah's mission there caused her trauma, and one of the consequences of trauma is that it very often leads to "hiding." Many veterans who return home from war often hide and don’t tell people what they’re nightmares are, or tell others how they’re struggling emotionally, or mentally. Because for a lot of people who experience trauma or who have been emotionally abused - or as in Sarah’s case - have suffered PTSD, where it feels like your mental health is spiraling downward, it can feel like an embarrassing or shameful revelation, and the fear of being ignored or unsupported can be overwhelming. Again, it comes down to the stigma attached to opening up and asking for help.
In Sarah’s case, as you’ll hear, she didn’t receive the help or support she needed – nor did any of her team, once they returned from mission. The CIA did not offer her help, but, as you’ll hear, Sarah recognized her need for help and received it from her loving and supportive family as well as receiving professional help. She’s a survivor and has carried on serving to help others plan for any kind of disaster or evacuation – something she knows about, first hand. In these COVID19 times, having too much idle time on our hands can cause more anxiety and stress, and recognizing that you may be experiencing trauma is the first step to getting help.
Since leaving the CIA, Sarah has continued in public service with local government in the Seattle area as an emergency manager at the county and city levels, where she has specialized in all-hazards preparation, disaster response, and alert and warning.  
She has published multiple articles and her first book, In the Dark of War, is now available. You can find out more about her at www.sarahMcarlson.com.