Determination Can Make You Unstoppable

Matt Rifenberg has a remarkable story of resilience, tenacity, and success. When
Cathy Goguen, an award-winning playwright heard his story she knew it would make a
great play. Together they produced that play with an incredible message.
Unstoppable by Design.

Matt has been homeless, friendless, hungry, married to someone addicted to drugs, a
clueless father trying to raise his son, and had a brain tumor. He was terrified of what might
happen as a penniless, unemployed man without direction.

Currently, Matt is employed by the government engineering the destruction of chemical
weapons -- well-respected and successful in that community.

How to Never Quit Climbing to Reach What Appears as Unattainable

Gary Sinclair is an author of three books, leadership coach, musician, and speaker.  With a master's degree in counseling, he provides wisdom, inspiration and practical help to overcome insurmountable mountains.  He has climbed nine 14,000-foot mountains but overcame even higher ones in his personal life.

Most people face hopeless situations of some degree in their lives - financial, grief and loss, relationship struggles, work issues, etc.  Often these summits seem impossible to reach but Gary applies the same principles to overcoming these problems with actual mountain climbing.  His insight is noteworthy.

His wife was faced with a three-stage cancer diagnosis and they were able to overcome that life-threatening experience and pass on their wisdom to us.  He explores perseverance, pushing through weariness, and the importance of taking one step at a time.

Important life lessons related to mountain climbing:

Hold On to the Good and Never Let Go

Lisa Kohn is the author of To The Moon and Back which is a term often associated with love.  But for Lisa, it had a much deeper meaning.  Lisa grew up in the East Village of New York City in the 1970s and in the Unification Church (the Moonies). 

Lisa was raised in two conflicting worlds. Her mother's world was the fanatical, puritanical cult of the Moonies.  Her father's world was based on sex and drugs in the East Village of New York City.

In her interview, she shares how she escaped the lifestyle that almost destroyed her. She was anorexic, addicted to cocaine and engaged to an alcoholic. Today she has a successful leadership consulting and coaching practice and is blessed with a happy marriage of over twenty years and two amazing children.

Listen as she shares her amazing transformation, what she learned, and how she offers hope to anyone struggling with self-destruction and esteem issues. 


Most of us know someone who has been swept into a world of addiction or poor choices which can be destructive.  You don't want to miss hearing Lisa's story of how she escaped what she calls "brain pickling" instead of brainwashing:

How to Stay Calm Through a Life-Threatening Diagnosis

Crystal Duffy is an author, public speaker, teacher, parent advisor in the NICU and Mom to three daughters including a set of identical twins. Her high-risk pregnancy with her twin girls incited her writing career.

After surviving a two-month bed-rest extended NICU stay, high-risk twin pregnancy, and two-time near-death experience, Crystal was emotionally, physically, and spiritually transformed by her medical trauma. She wanted to share her “Emotional Tale of Empowerment” and inspire other families navigating through a similar journey with a message of strength, encouragement, and hope.

She has connected with thousands of families with her patient advocacy work and on her social media handles through her writing. Her essays on parenting have been featured in Woman’s World Magazine, Brain Child Magazine, and Twiniversity where she is a senior staff writer and teacher. She is thrilled for the launch of her forthcoming book Twin to Twin. 

How to Find Love on Craigslist

How does a 62-year-old woman who's never been married find happiness with a two-time widower seeking his third wife on . . . Craigslist!? Does she throw caution to the wind and relinquish her freedom, or should she take a crash course in compromises?

B. Lynn Goodwin owns Writer Advice, www.writeradvice.com. Her memoir, Never Too Late: From Wannabe to Wife at 62 was released in December.  It was a National Indie Excellence Award Winner and a two-category finalist at Next Generation Indie Book Awards. In addition, she has written You Want Me to Do WHAT? Journaling for Caregivers and Talent, which was short-listed for a Literary Light box Award, won a bronze medal in the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards and was a finalist for a Sarton Women’s Book Award.

You Can Overcome Your Past and Realize Your Dreams

Orly Amor is an internationally known speaker, business coach for public speakers, Networking Expert and author of several books. A visionary and a connector, Orly is passionate about helping people connect and build strategic alliances and their sphere of influence.










Orly Amor always enjoyed speaking and helping people change their 
lives and impact their circle of influence no matter where they are.  In property management for 25 years, she quickly established herself as a Subject
Matter Expert; publishing two books.  But she was not satisfied with the impact
she was making and wanted to increase it.


In 2006, Orly was asked to share at a woman's shelter but she declined.  They insisted and she relentlessly agreed.  It was there she met a woman who wanted to end her life but after hearing Orly's message she wanted to change her life and live it to the fullest.  This is the impact that Orly wanted to make for people.

Do Mistakes of Your Past Define Your Present?

Thad Cummings went from having a family,  a seven figure net worth, multiple businesses and a non-profit to being broke, family-less and facing death.  As he lie staring up at a ceiling in an empty apartment with a cell-phone that was now silent, he wondered where it all went wrong.

In his interview, Thad answers questions like:

What to do when the phone goes silent? 

What is more important -- proving you are right or the other person is wrong?

What does 'redefining enough' mean?

How do you measure success?

IF YOU LET THE PAIN AND MISTAKES OF YOUR PAST DEFINE YOUR PRESENT....

YOU WILL NEVER HAVE A FUTURE

You Can Overcome the Scars of Bullying

Joyce Isaacson is an active blogger, author, and worked for the Chicago Tribune Editorial Department for ten years.  Her novel, "Wish You Were Here, Badfinger....A Rock Fantasy" has opened up many opportunities to help people deal with loss of a friend or loved one.

From a very young age, Joyce suffered extreme abuse through bullying by both classmates and teachers.  She dislocated her hip from tripping over a stuffed toy and missed a lot of school.  This led to a pattern of abuse and betrayal that followed her well into her adult years.  

You will enjoy her interview sharing her own story and her quirky novel: