Beyond 6 Seconds

Elaine Montilla is an accomplished senior executive who has been an IT leader in higher education for two decades. As an immigrant, Latina, lesbian woman, Elaine has overcome many challenges to build her successful IT career. She is currently Chief Information Officer and Assistant Vice President for Information Technology at The City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center, a Forbes Technology Council member and contributor, and an AMA Women’s Leadership Center presenter. Elaine is also a TEDx speaker and the founder of 5xminority.com, a company and social media brand dedicated to empowering women and minorities, especially in tech, with a mission to demonstrate how businesses can be powerful platforms for social change.  During this episode, you will hear Elaine talk about: What inspired her to start 5xminority.com Her story of moving from the Dominican Republic to New York and discovering her interest in IT while attending college, where she learned English and programming language at the same time

Courtney Stewart is the Founder and CEO of LipRevolt, a cosmetics brand specializing in lipstick that promotes social activism. Through LipRevolt, Courtney aims to inspire people to fight for what they believe in and to speak up for others. LipRevolt donates 15 percent of its net profits to organizations that support women’s rights, civil rights, and LGBTQ rights. Courtney started her career in public service after receiving her BA in Political Science from Spelman College and MS in Terrorism and Homeland Security Policy from American University. Content Warning: This episode contains mentions of sexual assault and abuse, and an incident of racism and violence. During this episode, you will hear Courtney talk about: How her personal experiences, the #metoo movement and the importance of using your voice inspired the creation of LipRevolt  Why she decided to support nonprofits with her own business' profits How she learned to run a beauty business as a newcomer to the beauty industry Her future plans for LipR

Heneka Watkis-Porter is an entrepreneur, coach, 5x author and international speaker. As the host of The Entrepreneurial You Podcast, she has interviewed Richard Branson, John Lee Dumas, Seth Godin and many other influencers. Heneka is also the creator of the Caribbean’s first virtual conference and expo: The Entrepreneurial You Virtual SME Conference & Expo. She hosts Leadercast events in Jamaica and writes for the Leadercast blog and Thrive Global. During this episode, Heneka shares her experience and advice about what makes a leader worth following, including: What she learned about leadership from starting her own business The importance of sharing feedback and showing vulnerability as a leader Her experience with burnout, how she recovered, and why it’s important to make time for self-care (especially for leaders) How she gets opportunities to interview famous leadership experts on her podcast – and what makes their advice so powerful How mentors can help entrepreneurs and other leaders succeed To l

On the Beyond 6 Seconds end of year episode for 2020, host Carolyn Kiel talks with fellow podcaster Laura Joyce Davis, the host of the Shelter in Place podcast. We discuss our experiences podcasting in 2020: how it has helped us cope with the challenges and isolation of this year, inspired our creativity, and allowed us to make connections and share powerful stories. Plus, we discover our mutual background in a cappella singing, and how it impacts the way we podcast! Listen to Laura’s podcast, Shelter in Place, at shelterinplacepodcast.info. Learn more about the things we reference during this episode: Goodnight America (song by Miko Marks)  Podcast conferences: She Podcasts Live Conference and Werk It Festival  The MetropoliTones (Carolyn’s a cappella singing group)  Laura’s solo song from her a cappella group (Tangled Up in Blue) that was included in the Best of College A Cappella 2002 collection.  Watch the video of this interview on YouTube! Subscribe to the FREE Beyond 6 Seconds newsletter for all the

Jenny Delacruz is a Haitian-American writer, a licensed counselor and the founder of Cobbs Creek Publishing. She is a wife and mom of 2 boys. Born and raised in New York, she has always been aware of the importance of diversity and how each person has a story that weaves back to generations. Jenny’s passion for teaching her children about world history and current events led her to pursue writing and launch her own educational children’s book series. She has written 2 picture books, "Fridays With Ms. Mélange: Haiti" and "Momma, Can I Sleep with You Tonight?" which helps children cope with the impact of COVID-19. She recently released her first nonfiction book for adults called "How Was Your Summer? Fostering Critical Conversations with Students." It’s a guide for parents and teachers to nurture mental health in kids from grades K-12. During this episode, you will hear Jenny talk about: How she wrote her first book for her son who wanted to learn more about Haiti, which led her to start Cobbs Creek Publishing

"Are you happy in your heart?" My next guest, Sarah Worlton, first began hearing this question while volunteering during a humanitarian expedition in Guatemala. More than a decade later, Sarah has led numerous humanitarian expeditions to villages in Guatemala, Kenya, Mexico and Nepal. She also hosts the "Are You Happy In Your Heart?" podcast, which was inspired by what her volunteer work has taught her about life, purpose and happiness. On this episode, Sarah shares how her humanitarian work and the challenges of 2020 have helped her grow as a person and led her to become a public speaker, podcaster and life coach. To find out more about Sarah and her podcast, visit her official website www.sarahjworlton.com or her Instagram @sjworlton.   Special offer: Through the end of 2020, Sarah is offering free 30-minute life coaching sessions for Beyond 6 Seconds listeners! Email her at sarah.worlton at gmail.com for more information. Watch the video of this interview on YouTube! Subscribe to the FREE Beyond 6 Seconds

Lena Cohen-Hawkins is an international speaker, powerhouse business consultant, three-time author, and corporate trainer. As a master’s level clinician and executive coach, Lena counsels people on how to access, understand, and regulate emotions, in order to excel in the real world and find fulfillment in their careers and personal lives. She has worked with companies like CBS, Prudential Financial, United Way and The United States Army, and has shared her story on the TED Talks stage. During this episode, Lena and I talk about her third book, “Brilliant Resilience,” which was published in July 2020, including: How a surprise phone call from an old friend made her new book her passion project for 2020 How she turned a major disappointment in her career into a new start How her self-awareness and faith allowed her to move forward in the face of trauma, loss and disappointment How sometimes, support comes from the most unlikely places To find out more about Lena and her work, you can find her on her official

We often talk about "finding your passion" in life ... but what happens when you find your passion, and then you feel it fade away? Where do you go from there? According to Ryan Mason, you find a different dream and make it come true. Ryan is the Founder and CEO of two successful businesses. The first is Luxe Brand, America's leading luxury shoelace provider, which has been featured on Good Morning America, the NFL Network, in Foot Locker stores, and on more than 30 athletes and celebrities -- and the other is BizBuzz, which provides integrated marketing automation software and services for more than 250 small and medium-sized businesses. Yahoo recently named Ryan one of its Top 12 Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2020. During this episode, you will hear Ryan talk about: His promising early football career -- and why it came to an end during his college years How an Instagram post set him on the path to building his new creative business idea -- and the hard work and focus it took to make his idea a reality How Lux

Rebekah Bastian is the CEO & Co-founder of OwnTrail, an online platform that connects, mentors and empowers women as they share their personal and professional journeys and experiences. Previously, Rebekah was Vice President of Product and Vice President of Community and Culture at Zillow. She is the author of the book “Blaze Your Own Trail,” a contributor to Forbes and a frequent speaker on social impact, career navigation and corporate diversity. During this episode, you will hear Rebekah talk about: How she grew her career at Zillow, and how her experiences there helped inspire her to write her book and create OwnTrail Why so many women are still not getting the mentoring support they need, and how OwnTrail helps address this problem by providing access to "micro-acts of mentorship" that women may not otherwise receive How OwnTrail is different from other online networking sites Why it’s important for women to share both their personal and professional journeys with each other Find out more about Own

DeAndre Wilson is the creator of the Keep Rolling Campaign, a fundraising platform that commemorates his father’s life and helps nonprofits and families battling cancer who need some extra financial assistance. He is currently working on a documentary to tell his father’s story and his story, and describe his health transformation from rolling a 230-pound tractor tire around the city of Evansville, Indiana. During this episode, DeAndre shares: The story behind the tractor tire, and how it became a way to honor his father's legacy How his "roll-arounds" have attracted both positive and negative attention How rolling the tire has helped him with his health transformation How he uses the attention he gets with the tire to raise cancer funding and awareness Follow DeAndre, his fundraising campaigns, and learn more about his upcoming documentary with the links down below! Twitter: @DeAndreDWilson and @keep_rolling812 Instagram: @deandredwilson LinkedIn: DeAndre Wilson Facebook: Keep Rolling Campaign Check out t

Is it ever too late to find and follow your passion? According to Connie Inukai, passion has no expiration date. At age 72, she calls herself a "Grandmapreneur.” After retiring from her teaching career at the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University, Connie invented a product called Tip ‘n Split, a handheld device with magnifier, light, tip calculator, and bill splitter. Her book, "How I Got My Product on QVC, The Today Show, The View, and More...in Retirement" has helped inventors get publicity for their inventions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she has used the time in lockdown to chronicle her life story for her grandchildren, and now helps others write their stories through her latest project, "Write Your Selfie." During this episode, you will hear Connie talk about: The story behind the creation of the Tip 'n Split How she learned about inventing, and the challenges she faced with manufacturing How she got on QVC’s radar before she even had a prototype of the Tip ‘n Split Her family connectio

Bea Spadacini is an activist and writer whose goal is to promote peace and justice by elevating conversations about issues that are often underrepresented in the mainstream media. Originally from Italy, she has lived in the United States for over twenty years and has traveled to Africa and Asia as part of her communications work with humanitarian organizations. Currently she is the Executive Producer and Co-Host of the One in Four Podcast, which focuses on the re-entry process of people who have experienced incarceration. On this episode, you will hear Bea talk about: How her work with Amnesty International made her aware of the issues of mass incarceration and police force against people of color in the U.S., particularly against Black and Latino men – and how it led her to create the One in Four Podcast to highlight the many issues facing formerly incarcerated people who are re-entering society The stories of resilience, humanity and community support that she shares on the One in Four Podcast -- and the i

Angelica Goncalves is an adult who has lived with dyslexia all her life. She was diagnosed at the age of six. Growing up, people told her she would never succeed or achieve her goals, but with the support of her parents and constant determination, she proved those predictions wrong. Born and raised in Canada, Angelica attended George Brown College and graduated in Architectural Technology. She worked in the retail/service industry for 13 years, was a personal trainer for 4 years, and currently works in the construction industry. She also hosts a podcast called “A Little Bit of Everything With Me!” Her goal is to show others with learning disabilities that they can achieve their goals too. During this episode, Angelica shares her story of struggling, living and thriving with a learning disability, including: How she realized at a young age that she had a learning disability   How her experiences at school hindered her rather than helped her How her parents helped her stay the course through her education How

Tiffani Teachey is a Senior Mechanical Engineer, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) advocate, professional speaker, and author of the children's book “What Can I Be? STEM Careers from A to Z.” She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, as well as a Master of Science degree in Engineering Management, both from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. As an engineer with more than fifteen years of experience, Tiffani has a passion for inspiring the next generation to engage in STEM careers. On this episode, you will hear Tiffani talk about: What inspired her to write a children’s book about STEM careers How she chose STEM careers to match with each letter of the alphabet, and how the “STEM Crew Kids” help children see themselves in each career What it’s like to get classrooms of young kids excited about STEM careers Her future writing plans for teenagers and young adults If you want to know more about Tiffani and her work, you can check her out on her official links d

Denayja Reese is an event strategist, producer & writer who has worked on campaigns with Uber, the San Francisco Giants, Live Nation and Airbnb, as well as on content production at Coachella. Her full-service event production company, Girl With That Laugh Productions, has worked on events including the A3C Festival & Conference and BlackTech Week.   During this episode, Denayja talks about: How she decided to become an entrepreneur Overcoming her challenges with self-esteem, mental health and addiction to build a brighter future for herself The book she’s been writing during quarantine about her own life story What it takes to make positive changes in your life Learn more about Denayja and her work on her website at gwtlp.com and connect with her on Instagram @girlwiththatlaugh. Subscribe to the FREE Beyond 6 Seconds newsletter for all the latest news and updates about my podcast! Click here for the episode transcript.

Jonathan Javier is the CEO and Founder of Wonsulting, a career consulting company whose mission is to turn underdogs into winners: helping those who come from non-target schools and non-traditional backgrounds get their dream careers at top companies. By leveraging his experience in Strategy & Operations at Google, Snap, & Cisco, and his successful LinkedIn networking strategies, he has provided advice on LinkedIn and through more than 75 speaking engagements in 4 different countries. On this episode, you will hear Jonathan talk about: How he used his LinkedIn network to get job interviews at top companies after graduating from college -- and how he made powerful impressions during the interviews to get hired How important it is for job seekers to actually ask for help from fellow professionals and recruiters How Wonsulting helps students and professionals get into their dream companies To get in contact with Jonathan, you can find him on LinkedIn. You can also find out more about Wonsulting at www.

Marcia Moran was a successful business strategist who had been building her business over the last 20+ years. She thought she had life by the tail, but little did she know what was in store. After suffering a major stroke in 2014 at the age of 53, Marcia applied her skills in planning and strategy as she strived to become whole. In 2019 she published a book about her experience called "Stroke FORWARD," to bring hope to stroke survivors and their caretakers, and share how becoming her own health advocate and exploring holistic methods for healing were keys to her recovery. Marcia speaks and shares her message of hope, inspiration, healing, and a way forward across the country. During this episode, you will hear Marcia talk about: Her experience with her stroke and the challenges she faced during her recovery How her husband Jim became her health advocate until she was eventually able to advocate for herself How holistic health methods helped her recover from aphasia How her book can help stroke survivors and

Dan Ram is a 3x entrepreneur, prolific speaker, recording artist and startup coach. The son of an Indian diplomat, he draws inspiration from his eclectic background growing up in 10 countries, and he has actively worked on 5 continents. Dan is a founder, investor and coach to more than 100 startups in multiple countries. He has advised the Irish National Government on their Entrepreneurship Policy, consulted for multinationals, hosted some of the largest startup events on the planet, mentored at accelerators and facilitated deal flows for investors. He lectures on entrepreneurship and is a regular speaker and emcee in the local and international startup circuit. He has shared the stage with some of the most influential changemakers in the world. On this episode, you will hear Dan talk about: How curiosity, consistency and excellence have helped him refine his talents over the years How his first big event-hosting opportunity came as a result of a previous failure Why being an introvert is a superpower, and w

Jennifer Brown is a leading diversity and inclusion expert, dynamic keynote speaker, best-selling author, award-winning entrepreneur and host of The Will To Change podcast, which uncovers true stories of diversity and inclusion. As the founder, president and CEO of Jennifer Brown Consulting, Jennifer’s workplace strategies have been employed by some of the world’s top Fortune 500 companies and nonprofits—including Walmart, Microsoft, Starbucks and many others— to help employees bring their full selves to work and feel Welcomed, Valued, Respected and Heard℠. On this episode, you will hear Jennifer talk about: How her background in nonprofit work, opera singing and off-Broadway theater performance led to her career in training & development How a corporate layoff led her to reposition herself in her career and start her own diversity & inclusion consulting firm What to do if you feel like your career or your workplace might not be a match for you The damaging impact of bias and stereotypes on individua

Today I get to talk with one of my most favorite comedians ever, John Heffron! John is a stand up comedy veteran and winner of NBC’s Last Comic Standing season two. His latest comedy album is called Episodes, and he just published a new spy thriller book called The Holding Deal. He also has a new podcast called Kid With a Cape. On this episode we talk about the impact of COVID-19 on the comedy world (and life in general), what inspires John’s comedy, and tips for writing a great book even if you are not a great writer. You can find links to all of John’s social media, his book, podcast, album and more on his LinkTree site.   Subscribe to the FREE Beyond 6 Seconds newsletter for all the latest news and updates about my podcast!