BABL 072: Solocast- My Favorite Podcasts of The Year

At the very beginning of the year, I embarked on this crazy journey of putting together a podcast that was focused on giving people hope and direction on Building A Bigger Life. My reasoning was pretty simple - it seemed like a vast majority of the folks I interacted with were asking “is there more to life?”. Thoreau has a quote about most men leading lives of quiet desperation, and never wanting to be in that camp myself, I started seeking out and interviewing people that live most extraordinary lives. Folks that were doing more of what they love to do and less of what they have to do on a daily basis.

My interview list has grown immensely and while I can’t list all of my favorite interviews from this year, I wanted to give you an inside glimpse into some of the more notable soundbites from episodes of 2015.

If you’ve been a listener of the podcast for some time, you know that my format stays pretty consistent, but the conversations tend to wander a bit based on the guest. One of my favorite stray conversations happened with my good friend Forrest Willet. If you don’t remember Forrest from episode 29, on Life, Love and Almost Dying, let me refresh your memory. Forrest was in a very serious car accident while he was the passenger seat of a car that he was selling (the person driving was test driving for his son). The driver lost control of the car while talking to his son on the phone and Forrest suffered a catastrophic brain injury that could’ve left him paralyzed for the rest of his life. He had to re-learn how to walk, talk, feed himself, write, read, and ultimately do a bunch of other “normal” activities. But what I love most about Forrest in addition to his remarkable transformation is the humorous lens through which he views the world. This clip is how Forrest answered the question, how much practice did it take until you could make love effectively again: Take a listen…

Ohhh, Forrest is indeed one of the rare ones. You can read more about Forrest in Jack Canfield’s 10th Anniversary edition of The Success Principles as well as see him speak at various events around the US, Canada and abroad.

Another of the highlight interviews from 2015 was with my friend, speaker and best-selling author Jenny Blake. Jenny has a new book called Pivot coming out in early 2016 and in the interview she introduced the concept of a “high net growth” individual as being the audience for her new book. If you’re wondering what the next phase of your life has in store, Jenny has some great advice for you. Here’s her clip….

Really cool content from Jenny Blake and I’m excited to take a look at her book coming out in January. You can relisten to Jenny’s episode by searching Jenny Blake on the site or downloading episode 22.

Another highlight for me was interviewing someone I met in Milwaukee, Wisconsin when I presented at the TEDx event there last year. Troy Wittman struck me as a man on a mission, but almost like The Blues Brothers, it was a mission from God. Troy is the ultimate teacher, making learning fun for himself and his students. His passion for educating young people today is only matched by his humility as you’ll hear in the following clip…

If you haven’t heard Troy’s interview, Episode 44, get inspired to do more of what you’re passionate about by tuning in. It was Troy’s passion and his humility that just inspired the heck out of me on and after the show.

The fourth clip I want to share with you today came from Amy & Jordan Demos, the couple from Scottsdale, AZ that abandoned their careers as educators to pursue a career as high end wedding photographers. I love this couple in the interview because you can just tell they not only love being together, but they’re having a ton of fun being together. Amy was a little reluctant to answer questions at first, but once she felt comfortable with my questions, she was totally on-board. I share this clip because it so succinctly states one of the core tenets in the Build A Bigger Life Blueprint -- that of being the architect of your own life. Amy & Jordan describe why they love what they do and what it took to get there. Here these little lovebirds are…

Can’t you just imagine how sweet they are together? Their episode #48 was all about Capturing Bliss because they described what it was like being paid to capture the bliss of their wedding couples and how awesome that was.

Last but certainly not least in my list of memorable interviews is my friend Max Piccinini. Max is considered the Tony Robbins of France -- he’s pioneering small business and personal coaching in a country where it is not readily offered, but Max says it’s not the money that drives him, it’s the contribution that he has to people around him. Max is a huge thinker and I know you’ll dig his episode (#39). Max was making $50,000 a month in a network marketing business, and he stepped out to begin a business that offers great contribution -- most people said he was crazy. Take a listen…

Profound words from a bunch of very profound people in their own right. You know, as I look back at the past year and continually go back and listen to these podcasts, there are so many similar messages that my interviewees have shared. Many of them talked about freedom and having the freedom to choose how their days went, dozens talked about pursuing work that fired them up, several spoke of following their core values in business and life decisions, and of course a focus of the show is making great financial decisions and we heard from many that either paid off their debts or were in the process of doing so in order to build a bigger life of their own.

Whatever the messages you’ve received from the show, I appreciate you allowing me to be in your ears every week. As I look towards 2016, I have no doubt the interviews will continue to be great, I’ll continue to up my game, and I’ll be announcing some very instrumental changes just after the New Year. All good things, all in the name of building a bigger life, and all to add to the wonder and joy that life has to offer.

I appreciate you and the difference you’re making in life.

Until next time, have fun building a bigger life.