Back to Life

Excited to kick off Season 3 of the Back to Life Podcast with my first guest, Damian Jackson. Damian entered the Navy after high school where he excelled and had a career as a Navy SEAL (thanks for your service, Damian). After two deployments, Damian completed his career as a Navy SEAL and, although he never played football, he set his focus on playing college football and getting his degree. Damian wrote to the top 25 Division 1 college football programs and ended up as a member of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. You have to listen to how he overcame a setback there. He played his final season at the University of Buffalo. He's 30 years old and now has his focus on playing in the NFL. Will he make it? Take a listen and decide for yourself. During our conversation, we talk about staying focused on "doing the work" instead of the outcome, how Damian thinks about 'fear', and a few other simple and powerful insights.

During this episode, Danny sat down to talk with his friend Dr. Robert Butera. Bob is the founder of The YogaLife Institute. His Classical Yoga roots are from direct study at The Yoga Institute of Mumbai. He holds a Masters in Divinity from the Earlham School of Religion and a Ph.D. in Yoga Philosophy & Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies. Bob has over 25 years of continuous teaching experience and is the author of 7 books, The Classical Yoga Study Guide, The Pure Heart of Yoga, Meditation for Your Life, Yoga Therapy for Stress and Anxiety, Body Mindful Yoga and The Yoga Life: Applying Comprehensive Yoga Therapy to All Areas of Your Life. During their conversation, Danny and Bob discuss strategies for managing overwhelming thoughts, taking time to be still, reflecting on ones self, and more.  To join Danny and Bob on The Spirit of Your Inner Leader retreat at the Toji Nature Center, Esterillos, Costa Rica February 2-7, 2023, register here: https://www.yogalifeinstitute.com/costaricaretreatfebruary2023/ [Go to magicmind.co/14daysofmagic → where you can find more info on the campaign. Don’t forget to use my discount code at checkout BTL14 to get 20% off your first Magic Mind subscription and 40% off if you use the discount code for a subscription instead of a one time purchase] 

During this episode, Danny sat down with his friend and New York Times bestselling author Rory Vaden. Rory's valuable insights have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, CNN, Entrepreneur, Inc, on Fox News national television and in several other major media outlets. Rory is a world-renowned speaker and the Co-Founder of Brand Builders Group where he teaches people how to grow their influence and build and monetize their personal brand. During the episode, Rory talks about what he calls "mission-driven messengers" and how we can all show up in the world to get our message of goodness out there. 

How a brush with death inspired one man to take a serious look as his life. Welcome to another episode of Back to Life: Stories of Resilience. I am excited to introduce my podcast guest, Dr. Justin Moseley. Dr. Moseley is known as the “Mindset Doctor”,  and is a former chiropractor, turned international speaker and coach. He and his wife co-founded one of the largest natural health clinics in Tennessee.  In this episode, you will hear Dr. Moseley talk about: Surviving a near death accident The power of your mindset Leading with resilience  His recent TEDx talk Dr. Moseley has some incredibly insightful things to share with our listeners. You’re going to want to take some notes and then share this episode with friends and family. Get ready to be inspired! 

If you’ve ever found yourself in a place of serious struggle, then this Back to Life podcast episode is one you should listen to ! My guest, Pat Chambers, is the head men’s basketball coach for Florida Gulf Coast University. You might know Pat from his years coaching at Villanova, Boston University and then Penn State where he was at for almost 10 years.  At the end of his time at Penn State, Pat decided to resign amidst potential career-ending controversy. In this episode, Pat talks about his journey where he went into what he calls a “dark place”.  You will hear Pat share ideas on:  How to move through challenges The importance of your Faith and family in your life…and staying connected The power of a strong morning routine His five “pillars of leadership” (all you leaders will love this) After listening, you’re 100% going to take a few things away and start experimenting with them on your own journey through life. So whether you're listening on your commute, your workout or a break at work, you are going to enjoy hearing from Pat Chambers. 

Welcome to the Back to Life Podcast! I’m excited to introduce today’s guest: Kathryn Gordon…wife, mother, entrepreneur, movie producer, and co-author of a book, Relationship Grit, with her husband, John Gordon. In this episode Kathryn and I will discuss: her backstory, including infidelity in her marriage and how she overcame that setback the acronym G.R.I.T., and how to implement it in our marriages and relationships the vital nature of forgiveness And why our “relationships are the lifeline of it all” Kathryn’s wonderful insight applies to marriage AND she offers powerful principles you can apply in all your relationships. So take a listen, take some notes, and share this episode with someone you think might need to hear how to have G.R.I.T. in their relationships. 

What would you do if you heard a voice telling you to “Slow down” as you approached a green traffic light in the early morning hours?  Well in this episode you’ll listen to what my new friend, Australian filmmaker, Bill Bennett did . Bill is a wonderful filmmaker, producer, and author. Bill’s encounter led him on a quest to make sense of a mysterious voice that saved his life–to explain what this voice was, and where it came from. It was on this quest that he met some of the world’s leading experts in science, religion, and spirituality and was forever changed. In this episode, Bill talks about the film he created from his experience and how we can access our internal intuition. Bill’s story is one you’ll want to hear and share with others–so listen in and enjoy meeting Bill Bennett.

“I’m so tired.” Sound familiar? Fatigue seems to plague so many of us today in our overstimulated culture. Today’s guest, MJ Gordon, is someone who has dealt with a chronic fatigue diagnosis and has a lot of insightful things to say about it!  In this episode, you’ll hear a little about her childhood and how growing up in an abusive home and being forced to move out on her own at the age of 12 was the beginning of mental and physical exhaustion that led to being medically diagnosed with adrenal fatigue and eventually chronic fatigue. She talks about what shifted inside of her mentally to move away from the constant burn out lifestyle she created and what steps it took to heal her body from the inside out.  Throughout our conversation, MJ offers up practical advice on how to combat fatigue and you will be inspired to take a look at your own life and begin to identify areas where you need to make a shift.  So listen in and then share this episode with someone you know who may be struggling with exhaustion and burnout.

Welcome to today’s episode of the Back to Life podcast. Today's guest is someone I know you’re going to gain a lot of wisdom from. Her name is Dr. Shahana Alibhai and she is a professional speaker, family, physician, and mental health expert. A little background on Dr. Shahana; she’s a lead physician at one of British Columbia's largest youth health centers. With a professional history in cognitive behavioral therapy, much of her career has been focused on those struggling with their mental health. Her insights are highly sought after and her TED talk, Emotional Literacy for Better Mental Health, has received rave reviews. In today’s episode you’ll hear Dr. Shahana talk about:  Giving yourself permission to pause Her N²S² model The Optimal Health Pyramid  So listen in to this conversation centered around mental health and be sure to share this episode with someone in your life who may need some support.

Let me introduce you to today’s guest: Tia Graham. Tia is the author of a book called Be a Happy Leader, a recent release and Amazon bestseller. She is an international keynote speaker, best-selling author and leadership trainer on positive psychology, positive work cultures, and business growth. She has worked with dozens of global companies such as Hilton Hotels, Hewlett Packard, and The American Heart Association. With multiple certifications in neuroscience, positive psychology, coaching, and employee retention, and over 14 years of leadership experience, Tia is widely regarded by business leaders in her field. In today’s episode you will hear: What led Tia to her passion for happiness…and happy leaders Tia’s eight-step methodology to being a happy leader (and remember, we’re all leaders) Tia’s answer to the question HOW…How do you make the choice to be happy? This episode is packed full of wisdom so be sure to take notes and identify some things you’ll begin applying in your own life… so jump in and give a listen to my conversation with Tia. 

My guest today is Martha Boston, a woman of wonderful insight whose journey has led her from practicing law to leading transformational excursions for people on a sailboat in the Caribbean and now at business and personal growth retreats. Listen as Martha: Talks about why “heart” is at the core of our approach to leading ourselves and others How “heart” is at the foundation of developing a bold vision and turning your vision into reality Tells the story of a woman had a life-changing breakthrough when given the simple task of steering the sailboat toward a small island in the distance Martha has supported thousands of people to grow in their levels of authenticity, joy, love and effectiveness in their lives–at work, and beyond.

I'm very excited for our guest today. His name is Brian Anderson and he has done two tours of duty in Iraq with the army and while on a routine assignment in October of 2005, Brian was driving a Humvee and went over an explosive device. The explosion was so devastating that he was literally blown up, losing both his legs and one arm. He is an inspiring individual with some great principles that we should all put into practice.   And while we all have challenges, I can say with certainty, Brian's is probably one of the most challenging that I've ever heard of. You do not want to miss this episode!  

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 11 of our Back to Life Podcast. Our guest today is Bob Conlin. I met Bob through an event we did together and once we got to talking, I immediately was drawn to his overcomer spirit. He is going to share his very powerful story of addiction that he battled from early teenage years all the way through becoming a clinical care nurse.  You will want to hear how he hit rock bottom and then moved through that time in his life and how he came back to life and found new happiness and fulfillment.  You will see how Bob learned to: Identify the difference between knowing and awareness  Tap into that awareness And also, the importance of asking for help So listen up, enjoy, reflect, take some things away for yourself as you listen into this conversation with our guest, Bob Conlin.

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 10 of our Back to Life: Finding Fulfillment Podcast. I'm very excited to spend some time telling you about my upcoming book, Taking the Sh*t Out of the Show. I spent the better half of 2021 writing this book and it launches on October 21st. Taking the Sh*t Out of the Show was birthed from real life stories and situations about people, from all ages and all walks of life, who found themselves in a difficult transition and not knowing how best to move through it. 

39% of Americans have reported they are more anxious today than this time last year and my guest today has a really good strategy for how we can address this. I’m so excited to introduce you to my guest, Shannon Paterson.   Shannon is a three-time Ironman world champion triathlete certified professional trainer and multi-sport coach. She is also a mentor, author, a motivational speaker, and has 25 years of experience in health and the fitness center.  What I love most about our conversation and what drew me to her story is that Shannon has survived two near-death experiences! She shares that story with us and I think you’re really going to enjoy hearing her perspective on it.   So let's listen in and if you like this, be sure to go ahead, post a comment, share it like it, put it out through your site and social media so others can benefit from our conversation.

Did you know that 46% of men over 40 years old are overweight? That's almost half!  Welcome to Season 2, Episode 8 of Finding Fulfillment After 50. Today’s guest is Dr. Anthony Balduzzi, founder of the Fit Father and Fit Mother Project. His whole mission is to help men and women over 40 prepare for life “over the hill” by becoming healthier and stronger as they age. Dr. Anthony’s personal story will move you when you hear him talk about the loss of his own father at 42 years of age.  You will hear Dr. Anthony educate us on the importance of understanding your deep, “WHY?” and the difference between motivation and inspiration.  He also leaves us with two highly motivating and practical tips. You're going to want to hear these from him so that you can start right now to move towards losing weight and becoming healthier. Life’s too precious for us not to pay attention and to focus on our health. So I hope you enjoy the episode with Dr. Anthony Balduzzi and turn his takeaways into life-changing habits that will lead to a more fulfilled life. 

Thanks for tuning into the Back to Life: Finding Fulfillment After 50 Podcast. Today, I am honored to talk with Grammy Nominee, John Ondrasik, who is known by his stage name Five for Fighting, is an American singer-songwriter, pianist, record producer, and philanthropist.  In this episode, John and I discuss what the past 16 months have been like for him. He shares his internal struggles during Covid, and how turning his attention to his family business has grown and stretched him in ways he has never experienced before. John shares his personal ways of staying centered and how he finds fulfillment as a creative at 57. Listeners will also get to hear what he’s been up to in Hollywood during the pandemic and what’s on the horizon for him. It was fun and insightful getting to hear from the legendary musician. You don’t want to miss it.

Welcome to the Back to Life: Finding Fulfillment after 50 Podcast. Today, I’m onsite in Pottsville, Pennsylvania at the  D.G. Yuengling & Son Brewery where I’m talking with current owner, Dick Yuengling, about building a beer empire and how he still finds fulfillment in the day-to-day operation of the business after over 36 years of ownership, and at the age of 78! Dick talks about the difficult year of COVID and how he and his people faced the uncertainty.  Dick, the fifth-generation owner of D.G. Yuengling & Son, turned his family's struggling brewery into one of America's largest beer makers. When he bought out his father in 1985, the company was producing 137,000 barrels per year; now it pumps out nearly 3 million barrels annually; leading to Dick being featured on the Forbes 400 richest list. He still works 8-10 hours a day in his Wrangler jeans…always making sure to get his nap in the middle of day!  You’ll hear him talk about how success has helped define his fulfillment and how he finds great happiness in mentoring his four daughters to become the 6th generation to lead Yuengling past its 200th birthday. It was such a privilege to interview this legend of a man, you don’t want to miss this episode. 

Danny Bader reflects on past Back To Life episodes and allows his audience's demographic (over 50) to influence he and his team to refine the show’s focus to do just this….creating and maintaining fulfillment for all the days of our lives.

As grim as it may sound, passing and death are things that one needs to prepare for in life. This doesn’t only talk about wills, managing inheritance, and such. To prepare for such a thing is to be comfortable with life in every aspect, including the possibility of dying. With that opened sense, one begins to truly live life and not just live life through until the last breath. In this episode, Jacqui Clark explains the most overlooked fundamental need of financially and legally preparing for death and how this affects not only the person going but also the many close relations surrounding the individual. As a certified Senior Advisor assisting families through assisted living and memory care communities, Jacqui talks to us about the practices of aging well and what one can do in life to live it more valuably and well, aside from just enduring and existing in the years.   Join Jacqui in this rich and filling episode and hear more insights that help us find our way to a more graceful and wise journey through getting old, either in the face of life or of death.