Interviews with purpose-driven business leaders who are dedicated to helping others and making a positive impact in the world.

WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR? WHY IS THIS WORK IMPORTANT TO YOU?

It’s funny, I don’t tend to use the phrase “stand for.” I think it’s more about what am I embodied in, what’s really grounded for me, what’s really centered for me. That probably does anchor to the word “uplevel,” meaning that our transformation as humans, and as entrepreneurs, and as souls here on this earth is so very important to me. I don’t think there’s any point where someone should be more successful than they are or should be in any different place than they are. Upleveling starts from where you are. If I do stand for something, it is the journey that is so important for each and every soul that is here on this planet.

The noise and the trance of the ego are so loud and convince us of so many false things about ourselves. It’s important to me that when someone starts to break free from that, they can really elevate and recognize who they truly are. That journey of understanding who you truly are, I believe, is why we’re here. The journey takes on different flavors, the longer we are at it, and it helps us then become better servants to other people, as well.

WHAT IMPACT ARE YOU MAKING?

Sure, I’ve helped people start from zero and go on to create million-dollar companies but if I got too addicted to those numbers, then I wouldn’t be able to see impact for what it really is. That means when somebody is at a starting place, if I can help them move to that next place, the impact I see is typically in how they navigate their daily world. It’s how they are able to speak to their own heart, and listen to their own preferences and clarity, and be able to move forward from their insides, not from some outer dictate, like numbers, or data, or people, or opinions, or that kind of thing. So it’s always going to be different for each and every person I work with. I feel like if I were to say, “Here’s what impact looks like every single time,” then that is my ego getting in the way. I try to meet each person where they are and help them from where they are. 

WHAT (OR WHO) INSPIRES YOU TO DO THIS WORK?

That has changed over the years. I often have times where I really reflect back at the people who have truly helped me and even if I’m not influenced by them now, their message at that time was the thing I needed. Typically, it’s somebody who has done the same thing I’m talking about. They’ve broken out of their own limitations, they’ve done something bigger than they ever dreamed they could do. I will say the first person who I think really woke me up, kicked my ass, whatever you want to call it, is Julia Cameron, who wrote The Artist’s Way. That book was probably what helped me become a songwriter. I don’t think I would have done it without her influence. I really, really trust and love somebody who is able to go deep and bring that message out into the world. 

I’m struck by how many people are committed to their own authenticity right now and doing really beautiful, influential work out there. It tends to be “now” people who are a little bit quieter about it, it’s not necessarily the big huge people in the spotlight, it’s people who are doing it in ways that are just very true and real to them. 

I’m inspired by many authors, many writers, and now more of the people who are doing a lot more of the spiritual work of waking people up. So it’s a buffet for me.

WHAT’S YOUR VISION, YOUR BIG DREAM FOR THE IMPACT YOU WANT TO MAKE?

It really comes down to wanting to be as present as possible. I’ve reached goals. I actually had a point performing music where I thought to myself, “You know what? I could die right now and it would be fine because I did more than I ever thought I could do.” Reaching goals and achievements and numbers don’t move me as much anymore. It’s how I show up each day. So if there was a goal, it would be to achieve as much as I can achieve, let go of the ego trance. I would really love to be able to do this by being as present and as in-service as possible. I know that sounds like I’m trying to be noble but it really is the truth. It is very much about being present and it not being about my big agenda for people.

WHAT CHALLENGES ARE YOU FACING?

Right now, the biggest one is walking my talk, being who I am in a world that is very noisy. I totally get the influence and impact and that kind of thing, and as I take it to a more internal level and a more related level with every person I work with and teach, it’s less about me and more about them. I feel less and less drawn to social media and all that stuff and navigating a world that demands that. It’s about really finding my voice and how I show up in a world that demands that from me, in a way that’s not noisy. It’s an ongoing challenge. I hear my clients talk about that as well.

WHAT’S ONE THING YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR CAUSE AND/OR THE WORK YOU’RE DOING?

There are so many people now who are trying to start a business or a side hustle or something different. For those people who have already started, what I try to always make sure they understand is that in any business or in any side hustle, there are two tracks to what you’re doing. There is a strategy track – that left brain – for those hard numbers, the marketing, the sales, the clients. But also running alongside it is what I call the “soul track,” and that is the soft stuff. Too many of us put all our focus on the strategies and the tactics without coming back inside of ourselves to say, “What emotion is getting triggered here? Or where am I unclear?” We don’t look at the soul track. What I have found is that the soul track is where the true success lies, in facing your own self and letting your life and your business teach you about you. It’s not just about that strategy track.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE QUOTE OR WORDS OF INSPIRATION TO SHARE?

My favorite quotes change all the time, but lately one that I keep coming back to is by Tim Ferriss who says that “success in life can usually be measured in the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have.” I think it is so true. So many of us are avoiding each other or we say really dysfunctional, snarky things. But to really lean in and be successful, means facing and having uncomfortable conversations about the truth – whether an employee screwed up or a client got pissed off or we’re having one of those “come to Jesus” conversations that we all need to have sometimes. I think we all avoid the hard conversations largely because of the way our world is set up. I have found that the more uncomfortable conversations I’m willing to have, those times that I dread, it just keeps contributing to the well-being of that person and of me, and I think more of us need to practice that and be able to do that.

HOW CAN OTHERS SUPPORT YOU OR YOUR CAUSE?

If they want to find my book, Soul-Sourced Entrepreneur, it’s on Amazon. In general, I would say, join the podcast conversation at Soul-Sourced Business. We talk a lot about these kinds of things and it’s really a different way of approaching having a business. It’s from that soulful, soft, inner place. Join the conversation and start living your life from that inside-driven place as opposed to all the external influences we have right now.

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