Where did you grow up and what was your childhood like? Did you have any particular experiences/stories that shaped your adult life?

I grew up in Cherry Hill, N.J. a town close to Philadelphia. My Dad died when I was 8 years old leaving a terrible void in my life that was filled with lots of love from my Mom and countless other relatives. We spent a month in the Summer at Wildwood Crest N.J. jumping off the dock into the bay and going to the beach. As a single mother, it was important to my Mom that my brother Patrick and I become well-rounded people. She took us to museums, historical sites, baseball, and hockey games, and even on a trip to Venezuela. She volunteered constantly to help all kinds of people in need and taught us to do the same.

What is something you wish you would’ve realized earlier in your life?

Don’t say yes to everything. Only if what you’re committing to matches with your goals and values and you’re sure you can commit.

What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession or area of expertise?

Putting too much weight on other people’s opinions and recommendations for my career. Sitting down with other experts in the speaking and broadcasting world has been invaluable but I needed to cherry-pick what worked for me earlier in my career.

Tell me about one of the darker periods you’ve experienced in life. How you came out of it and what you learned from it?

It was so tough when my Mother got sick with cancer. I wanted to be with her every minute I could smack in the middle of building my speaking career. I was constantly flying in and out of New Jersey and eventually Florida. I had no balance, no sleep, and no control over what was happening to my Mother. After she died, I realized my career opportunities would come back and it was more important that I scrambled to spend all that time with her.

What is one thing that you do that you feel has been the biggest contributor to your success so far?

Having the tenacity, resilience, and undying belief in myself along with the support of what I call raving fans hands down has been the biggest contributor to my success.

What is your morning routine?

I wake up every day at 6:30 am. I walk Guinness my dog, meditate for 20 minutes eat a light breakfast and work on sending out emails and go over my plan for the day. I don’t answer any emails or calls until all of that is finished.

What habit or behavior that you have pursued for a few years has most improved your life?

It took me a while to develop this habit but it’s been amazingly effective. At the end of the day, I draw up a specific plan for the next day setting interview schedules for my talk show, work that needs to be finished on speaking engagements, or anything related to my media company from podcasting to working with clients on messaging.

What are your strategies for being productive and using your time most efficiently?

I like to knock out tasks that fall under the same umbrella of my business. If I’m in the studio doing videos that’s what I do for a block of time, I do this with all of my content creation. Stacking all the similar activities saves a lot of time and keeps the flow going.

What book(s) have influenced your life the most? Why?

Deepak Chopra’s The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success changed my life. It caught my eye in a bookstore after I had circled the stacks for what seemed like an hour. At the time I was stuck in a job in Las Vegas. I loved the City and doing a talk show, but my skills were underutilized, and I felt marginalized by the people in charge. I never did any work on mindfulness, but Chopra’s book showed me what I was missing. Today, I still use it as a guide.

The biggest game-changer is the law of detachment. Trusting in the wisdom of life, ditching fear, and insecurity, basking in being open-minded, and letting go of constantly feeling like you must prove yourself. Life’s path might have a lot of detours and twists but belief in yourself and giving your dreams over to the Universe is life-changing.

Do you have any quotes you live by or think of often?

One of the things I challenge audiences to remember, and it’s weaved into every speech I give is that Patience Pays. So, it is no surprise that this quote from Aristotle has always resonated with me.

“Patience is bitter but its fruit is sweet.”

Another favorite and one I look at every day of my life is something my Mom told me repeatedly.

“Happy Thoughts, Good times, and big successes.”