Coffee with Tamara

Flaming The Fires of Success with Everyday Innovator Casey Beck

Do you have that fire inside of you that wants more? Or, has that flame gone out and you are looking to reignite it? Today's Everyday Innovator Casey Beck, shares how she steps up to the challenges and opportunities in front of her. She also opens up about the importance of being surrounded by cheerleaders that push you forward and how to think creatively in the face of extreme challenges. As a senior category manager in the largest automotive after market retailer in the USA, and across the ...

Get Your Time and Life Back with Everyday Innovator Ashao Freesky

What if time didn’t feel like a scare commodity you were always fighting to get more of? What if you didn’t feel too busy, didn’t have to much on your plate or didn’t feel overworked? Our Everyday Innovator guest, Ashao Freesky shares how he not only thinks creatively about time, but how he finds ways to do better work, in less time. He also opens up about the hustle culture impacted health and he shares some great advice on how to improve your day-to-day tasks in a way that makes them both m...

Friday Wrap Up - Insights on Going Analog, Resiliency Through Imposter Syndrome, the Unknown and Making Yourself Irrelevant

This week's insights are all about  going analog, resiliency through imposter syndrome, the unknown and making yourself irrelevant. I'm also going the share the cold slap in the face that accelerated my work in human-centered innovation and reminded me to always "fill the gaps." The Everyday Innovators came for a diverse set of experiences, backgrounds and Everyday Innovator styles. leader in Canvas Credit Unions,  CEO of Cultivate Advisors,  Founder of Technology for Entrepreneurs,  and ...

Always Looking for a Better Solution with Everyday Innovator David Kon

What if you were always looking for a better solution, a better way to do your job or live your life? What if all those little opportunities to innovate added up to create massive impact? My Everyday Innovator, David Kon, shares how he innovates in everything from rearranging his desk to democratizing financial knowledge. He talks about how as the CEO of Ripsaw Wealth Tools, and in past jobs, he sees his team's real job as solving problems all the time and his job as a leader is to get out of...

Saying Yes to Things That Stretch You with Everyday Innovator Nelly Yusupova

What if you saw every opportunity to say yes as a chance to grow? What if you viewed technology as a tool that gives you room to innovate? My Everyday Innovator guest, Nelly Yusupova, shares with me how she sees everything that is thrown her way as a chance to grow and stretch. She also digs into how artificial intelligence allow us as humans to be more creative, why you need to know what matters most to you when going through transitions, and how scaling yourself has more to do with team val...

Knowing Which Levers to Pull to Create Growth with Everyday Innovator Casey Clark

You could throw a bunch of stuff at the wall and see what sticks, or you could hone in on exactly what you need to do to drive growth. Today's Everyday Innovator, Casey Clark, shares with me how to find that sweet spot of innovation and growth  and how to ask for help in a way that gets people to take action. Casey also shares his views on getting through imposter syndrome and why taking the blinders off will help you grow your mindset and your business. As the CEO of Cultivate Advisors, Case...

Making Your Ideas Tangible and Real for Others with Everyday Innovator Paul Vorreiter

Have you ever struggled to get your idea across? Or have you had a hard time relating a concept to the people on your team so it gets stalled out or even ignored? Today's Everyday Innovator, Paul Vorreiter, shares how the times he's gotten the most buy-in for his ideas are also the times he's made things tangible and real for people. They are also some of the ideas that have gotten the most traction with his work as a Learning Leader at Canvas Credit Union. He also opens up about the mindset ...

Friday Wrap Up - Insights on Letting in a Little Ease, Making Things Tough on Yourself, Never Assuming and Being a Relationship with Reality

This week’s insights are all about  letting in a little ease, making things tough on yourself, never assuming and being in a relationship with reality. I’m also going the share the 2% to 98% rule and how to join the 5-Day Innovation Challenge. The Everyday Innovators came for a diverse set of experiences, backgrounds and Everyday Innovator styles.  advertising executive and leader,  direct marketing success story and mindset coach,   Vice Dean at Alberta School of Business,  and) sales coach ...

The Art of Asking Good Questions with Everyday Innovator Merit Kahn

It’s one thing to have a great and innovative idea, but it’s a completely different ballgame to be able to communicate it and get buy-in for the idea. Whether you call it persuasion, getting buy-in, or plain old sales, this is something we’re all doing in one way or the other, and we could all do with some tips and tricks to make this process more effective. Merit Kahn is the CEO of SELLect Sales Development, one of the best salespeople I have ever met, and someone I really admire. She has be...

Learning From Failure so You can Find Success with Everyday Innovator Kyle Murray

Learning from failure is integral to innovation and success. And it’s best if it’s someone else’s. It’s a free lesson. And that’s exactly what Kyle Murray did with the epic failure back in the day of Crystal Pepsi. He dug deep to understand why it failed and how we can learn the most valuable lessons from their experience. We talked about how you should never assume customers understand the why behind your innovation, why out-innovating your customer is one the biggest traps you can fall into...

Think Your Way To Happiness and Success with Everyday Innovator Dana Wilde

What if I told you that action is NOT the way to be successful? What if I told you that it is possible to be more successful, just by thinking about it? That’s exactly what today's Everyday Innovator guest, Dana Wilde, has proven in her experience and what’s more — she has the science and evidence behind how and why her method works. Dana is the bestselling author of Train Your Brain, CEO of The Mind Aware, speaker and radio host. Dana shares how she realized what the Reticular Activating Sys...

The Power of Emotional Leadership with Everyday Innovator Kevin Allen

Certain skills aren't taught in school yet they are essential to your success. In fact, I would say that the people I've met that have emotional intelligence are successful, regardless of their title, hard skills, or experience. Today's Everyday Innovator, Kevin Allen, helps us understand what it means to be an emotionally intelligent leader. He shares what makes you stand out in a cluttered world, and how to create ground-breaking work. Kevin has had a wildly successful career both creating ...

Friday Wrap Up - Insights on Not Letting Go, Intention in Tough Conversations, Innovation Everywhere and Being Quiet

This week's insights are all about not letting go, intention in tough conversations, innovation everywhere and being quiet. I'm also going to share a story about wine, innovation and asking inciting questions that challenge assumptions. The Everyday Innovators came for a diverse set of experiences, backgrounds and Everyday Innovator styles. physical therapist and wellness instructor, vice president at Jeremiah's Italian Ice,  founder of Dr. Squatch,  and past intrapreneur and Procter & Ga...

Throwing away the Old Playbooks with Everyday Innovator Robyn Bolton

Have you ever felt extreme frustration because the old "playbooks" aren't working? Have you ever found yourself asking questions and then answering them before others even get a chance to talk? Today's Everyday Innovator guest, Robyn Bolton shares how she learned the power of silence and how letting others talk is one of the most powerful things you can do to uncover innovative ideas. As a former intrapreneur at Procter and Gamble and innovation leader, Robyn also shares how curiosity fuels h...

Being Different in a Sea of Sameness with Everyday Innovator Jack Haldrup

It takes a certain kind of person to see opportunities where others see only gaps. Lucky for men all around the world, Jack Haldrup is one, and when he saw that the marketplace was missing a natural, skin-nourishing soap targeted at men, he stepped up to fill that need. Just over six years ago, Jack founded Dr. Squatch Soap Co., a company that produces healthy, all natural and nourishing hygiene products targeted at the male demographic through funny branding. Today, Dr. Squatch is the top su...

Curiosity and Openness are the Keys To Winning with Everyday Innovator Nicole Di Pietro

Fighting the Big Battles You Believe in with Everyday Innovator Matthew Fischer

All it takes is one person to make a difference so big it ripples out across an entire industry set in its ways. My Everyday Innovator guest, Matthew Fischer, is that person. He shares with me how he's working hard to change the narrative around healthcare and help people get lasting results from the inside out. As a physical therapist and the founder of the Core Reprogramming system, Matthew shares his experience of battling the system, how his passion for helping others keeps him pushing fo...

Friday Wrap Up - Insights on Indifference, Measurements that Matter, Your Inner Voice and Focusing on Solutions

Taking Those Small Brave Steps with Everyday Innovator Monika Philp

The only way to truly grow and change is to start within, with yourself. The only way to innovate,  adapt and win is to own your reality and what you need to do to move forward. Today's guest, Everyday Innovator Monika Philp, embraces a growth mindset in everything she does. Monika is the Director of Tech Leadership and Member Development at the AIM Institute. She talks to me about the importance of growing yourself in order to grow your world, the power of taking those small brave steps, and...

What You Tell Yourself is What You Become with Everyday Innovator Sharon Moskowitz

Your self talk is powerful. It can bring you down or boost you up. As my Everyday Innovator guest, Sharon Moskowitz, shares your self-talk is who you become. It drives how you think and how you act. As a human performance coach, Sharon knows how integrated mindset is into our results. She also digs into how innovation doesn’t happen inside a perfectly defined box, how being uncomfortable is essential for growth, the difference between being gracious with ourselves and letting ourselves off t...

How to Build a Culture of Experimentation That Wins at Innovation with Everyday Innovator Brian Ardinger

Whether you are operating in a startup space or a part of a huge company, creating a culture of experimentation can be the difference between ideas dying and ideas gaining traction. Yet, it's not always easy to fight the culture of "presentation" to the right culture of action. My guest, Everyday Innovator Brian Ardinger, has some insights on how to do this. He also talks about the difference between innovation inside the company and outside of the company? We also dig into why ideas often g...

Making the Tough Decisions That Serve You with Rachel Greiman

Sometimes life requires trade-offs. At first those trade-offs can seem like you are losing something. But what if those tough decisions actually lead to a better outcome?  According to today's Everyday Innovator guest, Rachel Greiman, her tough choices were extremely hard at first but turned into some of the best decisions she made. Rachel, a photographer and website copywriter for other photographers, shares how she had to make some really tough choices in order to balance what she needs, h...

Friday Wrap Up - Insights on Efficiency vs. Effectiveness, the Power of Stress, Inexperience as a Positive & Gap Thinking

This week's insights are all about efficiency vs. effectiveness, the power of stress, inexperience as a positive & gap thinking.  I'm also going to share a story about rearranging the box you have to find your big ideas - hint, it has to do with hairy legs, vodka and razors. The Everyday Innovators came for a diverse set of experiences, backgrounds and Everyday Innovator styles. Paul Ace (Inquisitive Collaborative) technology & conversational commerce leader, Roy Redd (Experiential Tweaker)...

Creating Value in the Gaps with Everyday Innovator Gary Peyton

Do you find yourself following the crowd, trying to mimic or keep up with those around you? Or do you copy what others do successfully hoping it will work for you? If you answered yes, you aren't alone. As the owner of EFM Events, today's Everyday Innovator, Gary Peyton, shares his insights on realizing that there was more opportunity in the gaps, than riding the wave with everyone else. He also shares how building something beyond himself helped him find his purpose and dial up his impact. ...

How to Drive Company-Wide Innovation with Everyday Innovator Sean Richard

Innovation doesn’t happen alone. In fact siloing of innovation to the select few only hinders innovation. Our Everyday Innovator guest, Sean Richard, Innovation Leader at Schneider Electric, shares with us how he and his organization has really embraced the idea that innovation is everybody’s business inside the company. Sean gives us some examples of innovative ideas that have come forth from unlikely places, and how other members of the team have responded to this. He also explains why at ...

Focus on Workability, Not Productivity with Everyday Innovator Roy Redd

Do you ever feel like you are working hard, maybe even harder than you ever have, yet the results don't show it? It's as if your productivity is through the roof, but the outcomes are still lackluster. My guest today, Everyday Innovator Roy Redd, shares with me a concept he lives by called "Workability." In short it's finding what works, what gets results, and doing more of that, and getting rid of the busy work. Wouldn't that be nice?! Roy and I also dig into fear of failure really being fe...

Focus on Effectiveness Not Efficiency with Everyday Innovator Paul Ace

A lot has changed personally and professionally in recent years. New technology has automated many functions humans used to be responsible for, the internet gives people instant access and global choice for just about anything, and teams have become virtual, as a way of doing business. In order to stay on the forefront of these massive shifts, you must open your minds to new ways of being and doing. As the leading voice in conversational commerce today's Everyday Innovator, Paul Ace, is on t...

Friday Wrap Up - Insights on Questioning Success, Giving it Your All, Listening to Nudges, & Rethinking What's in Front of You

This week's insights are all about questioning success, giving it your all, listening to nudges, & rethinking what's in front of you.  I'm' also going to share a surprisingly positive experience I had that taught me about the power of the "wow." The Everyday Innovators came for a diverse set of experiences, backgrounds and Everyday Innovator styles. Maeve Webster (Futuristic Inquisitive)food service leader, Mohan Ananda (Collaborative Tweaker) tech entrepreneur & past CEO of stamps.com, E...

Finding the Courage to be Different with Everyday Innovator Gardar Stefansson

It takes a lot of guts to stand up and be different than the crowd. And, it takes even more guts to stick to it. Today's Everyday Innovator, Gardar Stefansson, talks to me about how his journey to launching GoodGood started with a love of picking blueberries and a vat of almost expired sweetener, and how he had to dig deep to find the courage to be different (and how that's paid off). He also talks about the importance of constant experimentation, what he's learned from some of his wins, and ...

Listening to the Little Nudges That Guide You with Everyday Innovator Emily Breeden

Have you ever found yourself saying, " I knew I should have listened to my gut!" Or, have you had a moment where you've stopped yourself from doing something because of a feeling you couldn't describe? Today's Everyday Innovator guest, Emily Breeden, shares how listening to that little nudge may be one of the most important things you can do. Emily is the Corporate Account Executive at Smart Building Academy talks to me about her journey from Ohio to Peru to Florida got her crystal clear on ...

Persistence Pays Off with Everyday Innovator Mohan Ananda

How would it feel to be a part of some of the most used innovations of our times? Not the ones we always talk about or bless the covers of magazines, but the one we actually use daily. As someone that continually finds himself on the forefront of trends and technology, my guest today, Everyday Innovator Mohan Ananda, shares his experiences, recognizing big opportunities for innovation, the power of persistence and why it's important to recognize the needs and challenge of the people you need...

Question Everything, Even What Made You Successful with Everyday Innovator Maeve Webster

How do you ensure you stay relevant and avoid falling into the trap of playing catch up? How do you look at the totality of your work and find the hot spots of innovation? Today's guest Maeve Webster, food service consultant and cafe owner, shares her key lessons for ensuring you stay proactive and ahead. She talks about questioning everything, especially what made you successful, how the last two years have weeded out the weak players in her industry and strengthened the good ones, and how ...

Friday Wrap Up - Insights on the Daily Grind, Rules that Foster Innovation, Combining the Old & New, and Seeing Obstacles

This week's insights are all about the daily grind, rules that foster innovation, combing the old and the new, and seeing obstacles.  I'm also going to start the episode with an experience I once had with rental cars that reminded me that disruption is around the corner for all of us. The Everyday Innovators came for a diverse set of experiences, backgrounds and Everyday Innovator styles. Michelle Jeske (Collaborative Tweaker)head librarian from Denver Public Libraries, Julie Holmes (Inquis...

Identifying Obstacles Without Being a "Yes But" Person with Everyday Innovator Richard Gentner

It's easy to ignore the "yes but" people, but what if that person is exactly who you need on your team? My guest today, online shopping and e-commerce leader Richard Gentner, recognizes that identifying and solving for those obstacles is exactly what an idea or project needs to succeed. Richard talks about how being that person is a gift and challenge, and the lessons he's learned along the way. He also talk about the importance of trusting the process while having room for change, the need ...

Hacking into Existing Habits is the Key to Lasting Behavior Change with Everyday Innovator Maureen Berkner Boyt

Just because your idea is innovative and meaningful doesn't mean it will be successful. In fact, what I've found is that the most successful ideas don't just push novel concepts into the world, instead they combine the new with the old. My guest today, Maureen Berkner Boyt - president of Moxie and creator of the Everyday Inclusion app, knows this better than anyone. Maureen and I talk about how an experience and realization she had about how people interact with their phones led to a business...

How to Avoid the One Offs and be a True Repeat Innovator with Everyday Innovator Julie Holmes

Waiting for lightening to strike or that magical aha moment to hit you isn't actually the best approach to innovation. As my guest today, Julie Holmes, technology and product expert, will tell you, it doesn't help you become a repeat innovator. Julie shares with us her processes for driving continual innovation, always finding the opportunities to innovate in the "ahs" and "ughs," and how rules actually help her be a stronger innovator. She breaks down her process for ensuring that she has a...

Not Letting the Daily Grind Distract You From Achieving Your Big Goals with Everyday Innovator Michelle Jeske

It's so easy to let the daily grind keep us from working on what really matters. The constant pressures, tasks, and uncertainty can easily derail our days and suck our mental energy. Today's guest, City Librarian at Denver Public Library Michelle Jeske, shares how she led her team through change and didn't allow the pressures of the day distract them from their bigger vision. Michelle talks about how an organization as old and embedded as libraries tapped the power of innovation to bring com...

Friday Wrap Up - Insights on Being 10% Better, Building Partnerships, Focusing on Who You Can Be, and Understanding Motivators

This week's insights are all about being 10% better, building partnerships, focusing on who you can be, and understanding motivators. The Everyday Innovators came for a diverse set of experiences, backgrounds and Everyday Innovator styles. Marcy Eastman (Collaborative Imaginative) the top real estate agent, Jeff Reisig (Futuristic Inquisitive) the district attorney in California, Kris Boesch (Instinctual Imaginative) president of ChoosePeople, and Duncan Seawell (Futuristic Inquisitive) b...

Giving Kids a Challenge to Overcome is the Key to Confidence in Life with Everyday Innovator Duncan Seawell

t's so easy to tell someone what to do, what they should believe, and even what they are capable of. But often times those words fall short. Past experiences, skepticism, and doubt can keep someone from living up from their potential, even if you see it in them. As my guest today child psychologist and board member of Forging Youth Resilience non-profit (FYR) knows, this especially true for at-risk or disadvantaged youth. In our conversation, Duncan shares how lip service doesn't get you far...

Shifting from a Person of Doing to a Person of Being with Everyday Innovator Kris Boesch

Often times the best results don't come from your actions, your tactics, or your to-do list. As my guest,  president of ChoosePeople, Kris Boesch, told me, her real success came from elevating from a person of doing to a person of being. Kris explains how this subtle but important shift opened up new possibilities and more happiness. She also shares how she's gotten comfortable with incompletion, and in fact feels like it's part of living a rich life. She also digs into how we never really m...

Being a Model of Innovation and Change for Others with Everyday Innovator Jeff Reisig

When you combine passion, drive and innovation, you become a role model of transformative change for those around you. Our Everyday Innovator guest, Jeff Reisig, is the district attorney in Yolo County California, and the leader of a team known for pushing innovative solutions and programs forward in a field known for being bureaucratic and resistant to change. Jeff shares with me how the combination of passion, partnerships and calculated risks can lead to measurable results. Jeff also shar...

Ten Percent Better Everyday Day with Everyday Innovator Marcy Eastman

How do you build a successful career in a complex and ever-changing industry? How do you keep yourself from being a legacy player and actually innovative and ahead? My guest today, real estate agent Marcy Eastman, knows exactly how to do this. In our conversation she shares her keys for building a highly successful career by focusing on the 10% better rule, only making choices and decisions that feel good and right to you, and why she doesn't really pay attention to all the noise. She also t...

Ten Percent Better Every Day with Everyday Innovator Marcy Eastman

How do you build a successful career in a complex and ever-changing industry? How do you keep yourself from being a legacy player and actually innovative and ahead? My guest today, real estate agent Marcy Eastman, knows exactly how to do this. In our conversation she shares her keys for building a highly successful career by focusing on the 10% better rule, only making choices and decisions that feel good and right to you, and why she doesn't really pay attention to all the noise. She also ta...

Friday Wrap Up - Insights on Little Wins, Active Listening, Helping Others Move Forward, and Decision-Making

This week's insights are all about the power of little wins, active listening, helping others move forward, and decision-making. The Everyday Innovators came for a diverse set of experiences, backgrounds and Everyday Innovator styles.  Tommy Bagwell (Experiential Risk Taker) the salon owner, Keith Belling (Tweaker Instinctual) of RightRice, Enrique Rubio (Risk Taker Inquisitive) founder of HackingHR, and and Keith Renninson (Futuristic Collaborative) the TRIP speaker and coach.I'm going ...

Making Decisions that Clear the Way for Innovation and Success with Everyday Innovator Keith Renninson

What do you do when you hit a wall? When you feel like you are spinning your wheels or feeling you can't quit get to the next level? According to my guest, Keith Renninson, you drink some wine, grab a white board and start to map out the future. Keith is the creator of the TRIP (tenacity, resilience, imagination, purpose) Method and Assessment. In our conversation he shares with me how he knew he needed to think differently about how to bring his expertise to market, how having a tangible pr...

Helping Others Find Their Place in the Future with You with Everyday Innovator Enrique Rubio

When you are trying to lead change, you hit a lot of resistance. That resistance comes from people fearing being left behind, people afraid of what change might mean for how they do their job, or just confusion around what change means for them. My guest today, Enrique Rubio, as the founder of HackingHR, has a lot of experience dealing with the resistors of change, and pushing through them. In our conversation Enrique shares how he had this vision for what's possible in the human resources f...

Looking at the Frustrations in Your Own Life Leads to Big Business Opportunities with Everyday Innovator Keith Belling

Have you ever looked at a product or seen an ad and wondered how someone thought to come up with that idea? Whether it’s good or bad, these are the ideas that are innovative and groundbreaking and they stick with us. One of those such products is RightRice, and its founder, Keith Belling joins me on this interview to share more about how he took on a big and traditional industry in a new and innovative way. Keith Belling is the Founder & CEO of RightRice, a product that reinvents the concept ...

Learning to Adapt Without Sacrificing Your Vision with Everyday Innovator Tommy Bagwell

We throw around innovation words a lot - pivot, adapt, shift, disrupt. But what does it really mean to actually achieve any of those in changing times? My guest today, Tommy Bagwell co-owner of Fleur Salon, knows exactly what it takes because he's done it. Tommy shares how his life was totally disrupted, personally and professionally, and what he did to push through, find the gaps, and create new opportunities for himself and his business. Tommy talks about how he does his research and then j...

Friday Wrap Up – Insights on Shifting Focus, Giving People a Voice, Transition Points, and Finding Meaning in Problems

This week’s insights are all about shifting focus, giving people a voice, transition points, and finding meaning in problems. This week’s Everyday Innovator interviews were very different -Dave Scott(Futuristic Tweaker) the Ironman 6x champion, Kelly Foster (Collaborative Tweaker) leader in the Army Research Laboratory, Randy Pierce (Inquisitive Tweaker) the sports doctor and boxing academy owner,  and Drew Munro (Imaginative Collaborative) the startup of healthy food in vending machines – Up...

How a Fresh Perspective Disrupts a Traditional Industry with Everyday Innovator Drew Munro

Thinking differently in an industry that has been the same for a while is something that applies to all of us. Drew Munro is someone with a passion, and a vision of disrupting the food category but not in the way we're used to — all because he saw a need in the market that wasn’t being fulfilled — and he joins me on the podcast to share his journey of approaching a traditional industry from a new angle. Drew Munro is the Co-Founder and CEO of UpMeals, a Canadian food technology startup that'...