At 90 years young, Jo Balk has lived a life of challenges and triumphs. With determination, love, therapy and an adventurous spirit, she was able to overcome depression and alcoholism, and have a happy marriage lasting 37 years. Jo talks about growing up with a mentally ill mother, the ending of her first two marriages and the wild adventures she had traveling around the world. Navigate your own life journey by learning about Jo’s. 

In this episode you’ll hear:

- How psychotherapy can save you.

- What really matters in life.

- Things you can do to stay young at heart.

- What relationships teach you about yourself.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Take a screenshot of yourself listening to the episode on your device, post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @debbiegisonni on Instagram and @debbiegisonnipage on Facebook. 

You can also watch this episode on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/PTBgXXnNyYE

About Jo: 

Jo Balk recently celebrated her 90th birthday.  Like many people who are gifted with longevity, Jo has overcome many challenges in life.  Despite her emotionally trying childhood being raised by a bi-polar mother, Jo excelled in academics and music.  She earned two college degrees while raising two young children during a troubled marriage.  Early in her marriage she battled clinical depression.  Her marriage sadly dissolved after 18 years.  Her second marriage failed after two years.  She slowly spiraled into alcoholism, but after meeting her third husband she realized she could destroy a beautiful, budding relationship and sought help for her alcoholic drinking and stopped cold turkey.  That was 41 years ago!

Between her three marriages Jo raised her two sons and helped raise 7 more kids.  Later she became a CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocate, and worked for eight years with an abandoned child who was in foster care.  With her Masters Degree in Counseling,  Jo worked 12 years counseling teens.

Jo and her husband traveled the world on wildlife adventures and she has continued psychotherapy off and on throughout her life.  She is a firm believer that if people who needed counseling had easy access to it, the world might be a safer, more productive place.

Connect with Debbie:

Website – Books, Online Courses, Podcasts: https://www.selfpowernow.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DebbieGisonniPage/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/debbiegisonni/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dgisonni/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/DebbieGisonni

Have you ever wondered why you get along with some people and not with others? Or felt that you and your partner can’t see eye to eye? Enneagram expert and teacher, Suzanne Dion, says the answers can be uncovered by understanding which one of the 9 types you identify with in the Enneagram system. Your foundational personality will define how you operate and interact with others in the world. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How nature and nurture both play a role in how you relate to others.
• How the Enneagram can improve communication with your partner.
• The role of acceptance, tolerance and compassion in all relationships.
• How to be a better parent by recognizing your child’s uniqueness.
• How you can turn a negative trait into a positive one.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Take a screenshot of yourself listening to the episode on your device, post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @debbiegisonni on Instagram and @debbiegisonnipage on Facebook. 

You can also watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/SQbFIDZHzjE

About Suzanne:

Suzanne is a teacher, coach, and educator of the Enneagram system for personal and professional growth, having certified with the Palmer-Daniels Enneagram Professional Training School, now called The Narrative Enneagram (TNE), Suzanne is one THE SHIFT NETWORK’S Enneagram presenter faculty and was one of the founding board members of the Enneagram Prison Project (EPP). With EPP, Suzanne spent several years developing curriculum and teaching the Enneagram in California jails and San Quentin State Prison to both incarcerated men and women.

Suzanne co-wrote, The Enneagram, Relationships, and Intimacy: Understanding One Another Leads to Loving Better and Living More Fully with her mentor David Daniels, M.D., marrying the Enneagram and Dr. Dan Siegel's Mindful Awareness and attachment research. Her aim is the bettering of human relationships through intrapersonal healing that promotes greater developmental capacity — less relational suffering and greater self-mastery. Her work is about increasing emotional literacy, self-sovereignty, and intimacy — with both self and others.

Connect with Suzanne:

Email: suzanne@suzannedion.com

Website:  https://suzannedion.com

Book: https://a.co/d/3Wyh13N

Connect with Debbie:

Website – Books, Online Courses, Podcasts: https://www.selfpowernow.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DebbieGisonniPage/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/debbiegisonni/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dgisonni/

YouTube:

You don’t have to be one thing. Work in one thing. Or, accomplish one thing. Vered Cohen-Barzilay shows us that you can be every “thing”, and you don’t have to be relegated to only one box, no matter what challenges you and your family face. Vered talks about growing up with ADHD, surviving financial struggles and utilizing both her creative and engineering talents to make a difference in the world for women, children and human rights.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Ways to recognize and support unique talents in children with ADHD and other differences
• How to celebrate all your talents and put them to good use
• The silver linings in tragedy
• Ways to cope with financial loss
• Why women need to come together for world change

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Take a screenshot of yourself listening to the episode on your device, post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @debbiegisonni on Instagram and @debbiegisonnipage on Facebook.

You can also watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pDkcfDomjUQ

About Vered: 

Vered Cohen Barzilay is an Israeli-born entrepreneur and advocate for aviation and space. She is the Founder and CEO of “Out of the Box”, an international social enterprise promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in aerospace. Out of the Box trains hundreds of students from high schools, universities and professionals every week in 9 different countries and 3 sections (Israel; USA; Italy). Vered is a mentor at UNOOSA, Space4women program, she is also a mentor at the space accelerator Starburst IAI, she is a Global Women in Leadership Award (GCPIT) winner (2022), 100 TOP Women in Aerospace & Aviation To Follow on LinkedIn 2022, and 1000+ space tech leaders list (2021), Space tech analytics.

Connect with Vered:

Website: https://www.scienceaccelerator.space

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vered-susanne-cohen-barzilay-otb/

Connect with Debbie:

Website – Books, Online Courses, Podcasts: https://www.selfpowernow.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DebbieGisonniPage/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/debbiegisonni/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dgisonni/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/DebbieGisonni

Have you ever wondered what exists beyond your physical world? And, if there are spirits, saints, deceased family members and angels who are available to help and guide you? Spiritual healer, Lori Tierney, has been talking to spirits from the unseen realm since she was three years old and currently channels Mother Mary. Listen to this lively conversation about Lori’s spiritual life journey along with her insights on reincarnation, soul contracts and channeling. 

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How a near death experience changed Lori’s life
• Where and who spirit messages come from
• How to discern what’s true and not from channelers
• Why soul agreements are important
• How to remove cellular memory causing you harm

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Take a screenshot of yourself listening to the episode on your device, post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @debbiegisonni on Instagram and @debbiegisonnipage on Facebook. 

You can also watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ceWJOyOGjNg

About Lori:

Lori Tierney, IIDA, NCIDQ, a native of Los Angeles, has spent over twenty years in and around Sedona studying Feng Shui, Reiki, Indigenous spiritual practices, local geomancy, and sacred sites. Lori is an artist, writer, (author, “Cougar Yoga”) and avid student of Bhakti yoga, Feng Shui practitioner, spiritual counselor, and Reiki master-energy healer. She has led spiritual retreats to Kauai, Maui, Sedona, Joshua Tree and Ojai over the years. 

Lori walks in two worlds: The corporate world and Spiritual world and her clients include individuals and corporations in the fields of government, entertainment, high technology and business. She is currently working on a divination card deck, “Soul Sketch Tarot”, featuring her art and messages from the Ascended Masters and Arch Angels. Their messages for humanity are vital at this important time of planetary transformation.

Things mentioned in the episode:

Mt Shasta summer conference: https://thepromiserevealed.net/

Connect with Lori:

Email: Loritierney108@gmail.com 

PEMF Healing Technologies: https://Centropix.us/tierneymanagement  

Web Site: https://www.Loritierney.org 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082057334737

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lalunalorirealme/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-tierney-iida-ncidq-aa32868/

Telegram: https://t.me/Maijaka 

Connect with Debbie:

Website – Books, Online Courses, Podcasts:

Stela Lupushor has always said “yes” to opportunities without overthinking their possible outcome. She took risks and made sacrifices that brought her from Ukraine to Russia and eventually to the U.S. to help humanize the workplace. Whether you’re a manager or an individual employee there’s a lot you can do to say “yes” and create a workplace that makes people feel good about themselves and their job. 

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Why saying “yes” matters most when life isn’t going your way.
• How to stick to a plan, but be open to other avenues when they arise.
• New ways to be employed and to employ others.
• Red-flags to watch out for when looking for a job.
• Silver linings about work from the pandemic.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Take a screenshot of yourself listening to the episode on your device, post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @debbiegisonni on Instagram and @debbiegisonnipage on Facebook. 

You can also watch this episode on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/-YUe1eEbe0g

About Stela: 

Stela Lupushor is a thought leader, speaker, educator and futurist on a mission to humanize the workplace through the use of design thinking, technology, analytics and future thinking to create inclusive workplaces. She is the co-author of "Humanizing Human Capital: Invest in Your People for Optimal Business Returns” and "Humans At Work: The Art and Practice of Creating the Hybrid Workplace”. 

Connect with Stela:

Website: www.reframe.work 

Twitter: @slupusho 

Connect with Debbie:

Website – Books, Online Courses, Podcasts: https://www.selfpowernow.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DebbieGisonniPage/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/debbiegisonni/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dgisonni/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/DebbieGisonni

Growing up in Zimbabwe as one of twelve children, Lumbie Mlambo didn’t feel poor, but empowered. Later in life, she came to realize that around the world, women and girls are continually disadvantaged through culture, environment, gender bias and education. So, she decided to do something about it! Listen to Lumbie’s journey and learn how you too can make a difference in your family, community or the world.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How death and near death can be blessings in your life.
• Why feminine energy needs to be recognized and brought to the forefront in society.
• Simple things you can do to support women and girls in your community.
• Why trusting in a higher power can help you overcome any challenge in life.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Take a screenshot of yourself listening to the episode on your device, post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @debbiegisonni on Instagram and @debbiegisonnipage on Facebook. 

You can also watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gj6OXjGL6q8

About Lumbie: 

Inspired by her orphaned father who was a revered humanitarian in his local community, Lumbie took the leap to continue her father’s legacy. She started the 501(c)(3) nonprofit JB Dondolo, after her father’s namesake. JB Dondolo’s mission is to make it easy for underserved communities to access natural resources essential for life. Lumbie makes her voice heard about the issues impacting women and girls globally, sharing her insights on improving people’s lives and restoring dignity. In 2019, Lumbie received the UN Global Leadership Award for her work on Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6). She is a proud Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) Alumni and Ambassador, the Top 90 of Bayer Foundation’s Women Empowerment Award, the WIMA SDG Champion Award, the ASEB SheForShe Champion of the Year, and the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) Community Hero Award. Lumbie is a Global Goals Ambassador. She’s a graduate from Texas Woman’s University. 

Connect with Lumbie:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lumbie-mlambo-7ab65019/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lumbiemlambo

Instagram: https://Instagram.com/lumbiemlambo

Website: https://jbdondolo.org 

Connect with Debbie:

Website – Books, Online Courses, Podcasts: https://www.selfpowernow.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DebbieGisonniPage/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/debbiegisonni/

LinkedIn:

Whether you’re in your forties or seventies, life and work can blossom into incredible ways if you’re willing and open to all possibilities. Stephanie Herman was a Principal Ballerina until an injury stopped her in her tracks. But, instead of giving up, she persevered and found ways to utilize her many talents, learn from her experiences and never give up on her dreams. Now, at 72 years “young”, Stephanie continues to pursue her passions through dance and Pilates, while teaching others how to live life to their fullest.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How to stay motivated when your dreams are crushed.
• The power of humor and humility in life and work.
• How acceptance can get you through the tough times.
• Why you shouldn’t listen to negative critics.
• How to stay young at any age.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Take a screenshot of yourself listening to the episode on your device, post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @debbiegisonni on Instagram and @debbiegisonnipage on Facebook.

You can also watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/u_JSwioHuKE

About Stephanie:

Stephanie Herman is a well-renowned second-generation master Pilates teacher with an unbeatable passion and a unique approach to teaching — one that is inspirational and embodies the physical, spiritual, and emotional aspects of well-being. 

At 20, she became Principal Ballerina with Geneva Ballet working directly with George Balanchine. Dancing with Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov on some of the world's most prominent stages.  

Her Pilates Ballet Wellness program was born from efforts to heal herself.  As principal ballerina, tremendous demands were put on her body, depending upon it not only for her livelihood but for the source of her life's passion -- dance. At the age of 21, she was seriously injured and then cured by Carola Trier, the first disciple of Joseph Pilates.

In fact, she ended up even stronger than before.

Things mentioned in the episode:

Ballerina - Stephanie’s one woman show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GorYu3NTc4I

The Stephanie Herman Show featuring WildAid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg2n_z5FJ1k

Connect with Stephanie:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PilatesSH/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-herman-7906498/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/pilatessteph?lang=en

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herman_me/

Vimeo:  https://vimeo.com/user17534158 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKJfIuwzX3t1pkGBQ2xvmDw

Connect

Have you ever thought you’re not a creative person? That isn’t true! Anyone can tap into their innate creative abilities and enjoy a more fulfilling life. In fact, creativity will enhance everything else in your life, including your day job if you have one. Guest, Sejal Budholiya considers herself quite normal although she holds four scientific patents and is also an accomplished author and dancer who helps underserved children tap into their creativity.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How to support your children’s creative interests.
• Why creativity is important for both adults and children.
• How to carve out “me” time every day.
• Ways that dancing nurtures your body and soul.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Take a screenshot of yourself listening to the episode on your device, post it to your Instagram Stories, and tag me @debbiegisonni on Instagram and @debbiegisonnipage on Facebook. 

You can also watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/dp5Cj1fpfpk

About Sejal:

Sejal Budholiya currently works at Collins Aerospace after graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from India. During her undergraduate studies, she published 4 papers and filed 4 patents. She is passionate about utilizing design in space for life on Earth. Sejal is also a published author, a trained artist with a diploma in fine arts, and a trained Kathak dancer with a senior diploma and a degree in folk dance. 

Sejal is the Asia Pacific Regional Executive Secretary for the Space Generation Advisory Council. She served as the Chairperson of SEDS India and the National Representative at SEDS Earth. At the Swarovski Foundation: Creatives for our Future Cohort, she is leading a ‘Gaia’ campaign, presenting her ideas for menstruation in space in collaboration with United Nations Office for partnerships. 

Through her non-profit organization, Neysa, Sejal teaches performing arts to the underprivileged. She believes in taking chances and learning one new thing each day. 

Connect with Sejal:

Website: https://sejal-budholiya.netlify.app/

Connect with Debbie:

Website – Books, Online Courses, Podcasts: https://www.selfpowernow.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DebbieGisonniPage/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/debbiegisonni/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dgisonni/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/DebbieGisonni