The Anxious Voyage with Mark O’Brien

The Anxious Voyage with Mark O’Brien: Undaunted: Shell Sawyer

Undaunted: Shell Sawyer
Thirty-fourth Episode: Shell’s dad was her hero. He paid bills at the kitchen table, telling her everything he was doing. She was fascinated by his organization, his green ledger paper, and his pens. Wanting to do everything he did, she got a master’s degree in accounting. A short, disastrous marriage left her having to get her financial house back in order. She married again, had a daughter, and built a life and a family. Divorce knocked again after 14 years, leaving her devastated … but determined. She’s now a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA) and a Certified Divorce Coach (CDC), guiding clients through the process, helping them make informed decisions to transition into the next phase of their lives. And she’s the author of the book, You Are Not Alone: Your Guide for When Divorce is on Your Doorstep. Please join us for what will surely be revealing conversation.
Video Version: https://www.youtube.com/live/6TUhMVWHhVY?si=mzWxpzMkWu47BTe3
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The Anxious Voyage with Mark O’Brien: Courage Under Fire

Courage Under Fire: Greg Dillon
Thirty-third Episode: After graduating from the University of New Haven in 1978, Greg joined the Branford, Connecticut, Police Department. He left in 1985 to accept a position as an FBI special agent. He was first assigned to the Criminal Reactive Squad in Alexandria, VA, and was then transferred to the Violent Crime Squad in the Washington DC Field Office. He left the FBI in 1990 to take a position as an inspector in the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney, Division of Criminal Justice, in Connecticut. He retired in 2009 after 30-plus years in law enforcement.
In 2002 Greg joined Shepherds, a non-profit, non-denominational charity that serves the needs of inner-city Connecticut high school students who wish to attend a private college preparatory high school under the guidance of a dedicated adult mentor. Since joining, Greg has mentored 9 students and currently sits on the board of directors.
He is also the author of The Thin Blue Lie: An Honest Cop vs The FBI. Ten percent of Greg’s book profits are donated to Shepherds.
Video Version: https://www.youtube.com/live/fvSbJ6Fpdwo?si=OPdbwYVKKk7VTXPG
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The Anxious Voyage with Mark O’Brien: The Media Man

The Media Man: Ted Czech
Thirty-second Episode: Ted’s spent years on both sides of the communications coin, in journalism and public relations. Referring to himself as a recovering reporter, he’s now written a book called, Saving the Beast, in which he reflects on America’s broken media and suggests ways in which it can be fixed. He’ll join me to talk about some of the things that need to be restored to our media and taught to aspiring journalists — things like honesty, integrity, responsibility (personal and professional), objectivity, research, fact-checking and whatever else might occur to us. This conversation will be as important as it is timely. Please join us.
Video Version: https://youtu.be/_evb0o60WHg?si=eeiltnSKgNDgZNiK
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The Anxious Voyage with Mark O’Brien: The Sport of Business

Thirty-first Episode: Brian Sommer is a Partner with CDI Global LLC, an international M&A firm. A former Assistant Professor at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, he designed, developed, and taught in the Entrepreneurship Program and is a Fellow of its Institute for Achievement and Learning. He also led classes at the Watson Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Boulder, Colorado, consulted with The Advisory Board for the University of North Carolina Asheville’s Department of Management and Accountancy in its development of a Center for Organizational Innovation, and served on the Advisory Board for Academic Innovation and Strategy at Palm Beach State College and Stetson University’s Disruptive Leadership Program. Brian is a former Golf Teaching Professional at the Stratton Golf University in Stratton Mountain, Vermont. He holds a Ph.D. in Leadership from Concordia University Chicago, an MBA and a BA from Lynn University, and graduate level Finance Certifications from Cornell University and the University of Miami. Please join us for what surely will be a wide-ranging conversation.
Video Version: https://youtu.be/K8o-8Btt4fk?si=TWVBPF9LEEj__gYD
Learn more about Mark here:
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The Anxious Voyage with Mark O’Brien: What’s the Big Idea?

What’s the Big Idea? Craig and Sue James
Thirtieth Episode: Craig James and Sue James are Partners and Co-Founders of CatalystStrategies (a.k.a. Cat-Strat Services). They help organizations and individuals get unstuck, envision their goals, and execute their plans with creativity and confidence.
For 23 Years Cat-Strat Services has worked with organizations and leaders on everything from sales to strategic advisory services, from leadership development to coaching. And it earned a mention in the book, INside INnovation: Looking from the Inside Out. You can find that mention here.
What sets Craig apart for me is the way he thinks. He’s hosted the podcast, Big Audacious Idea, at which he was brilliant. And he’s the current co-host of the program, Distinction Dialogues, that appears on LinkedIn Live and Zoom.
Sue is the kind of person who might inspire one to coin the expression, “If you think big, you don’t have to talk big.” My impression of Sue is that she misses nothing, thinks of everything, is content to let others contribute what they will, and will happily chime in to make sure nothing goes overlooked or unconsidered. She brings a positive, complementary energy that makes sure what needs to work does work, exactly when it’s supposed to.
Whenever someone says, “Hey, O’Brien. Can you tell if two people love each by looking at them on a computer screen?” I think of Craig and Sue, smile, and say, “Yes.”
Please join us. You’ll smile, too.
Video Version: https://youtu.be/AHMRoxV7igI?si=vRoA6qHP1CSI7nCZ
Learn more about Mark here:
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The Anxious Voyage with Mark O’Brien: A Man for All Reasons

A Man for All Reasons: Mark Reid
Twenty-Ninth Episode: Mark Reid is a professor, a lawyer turned Japanese paper maker, and the creator and host of Zen Sammich, a podcast for the independent thinker and anyone who embraces life despite — or perhaps because of — its absurdity. If that doesn’t seem to make sense to you, it’s only because you haven’t met Mark (yet). He’s a man who’s not afraid to be curious, not afraid of change. He’s a man who knows he doesn’t know what he doesn’t know and is undaunted by the challenge of trying to know it. Please join us for this conversation. You don’t need a better reason than that to meet Mark.
Video Version: https://www.youtube.com/live/74P0puoh_p4?si=JXG_JoRyolRHyCYU
Learn more about Mark here:
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The Anxious Voyage with Mark O’Brien: Coffee and Connections

Coffee and Connections: Joi Brooks
Twenty-Eighth Episode: Joi is the creator and host of the podcast, Email and Coffee, curating conversations with captivating personalities, experts, and individuals who redefine the ordinary. She also leads the Women in Email Marketing Mastermind, which aims to nurture profound connections, to amplify targeted objectives, to celebrate triumphs, and to obliterate obstacles. In her vocation as an email marketing professional, Joi strives for the perfect blend of short-term gains and long-term sustainability. She helps small-business owners who are wrestling with time constraints, offering them strategic guidance at every step of their journeys. As Joi puts it, “It’s not just marketing: It’s rich strategy infused with creative finesse.” Please join us for an engaging conversation about coffee, connections, context, and credibility.
Video Version: https://www.youtube.com/live/xbx4Ts2d1Dc?si=h3bxSjA6pVljKHUf
Learn more about Mark here:
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The Anxious Voyage with Mark O’Brien: The Medical Messenger

The Medical Messenger: Cathy Calva Cather
Twenty-Seventh Episode:  Have you or anyone you love suffered an adverse effect from a prescribed or over-the-counter medication? Cathy had four loved ones affected within two years. She co-founded Parallel Testing and launched Parallel Profile™ to reduce the number of deaths (128,000/year, the fourth leading cause of death) and inpatient admissions (2.7 million/year) from adverse reactions to FDA-approved medications. Parallel Profile is available to employers interested in improving the quality of care available to their employees and eliminating preventable and wasted costs for hospital care (over $200 billion/year) and drug failures. According to a senior exec at GlaxoSmithKline, 90 percent of drugs don't work for 30 to 50 percent of the people who take them. Cathy’s mission is to identify better alternatives that will work safely for each patient. She has a proven track record of developing and accelerating the growth of innovative healthcare companies that have a financial imperative to make health care more affordable, of higher quality, and more readily accessible. Please join us for a very informative conversation.
Video Version: https://www.youtube.com/live/IL8o3TqsS7E?si=MjSUx2jCaO7S313b
Learn more about Mark here:
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The Anxious Voyage with Mark O’Brien: The Letting-Go Girl

The Letting-Go Girl: Sarah Kalmeta
Twenty-Sixth Episode:  Sarah describes herself as a master pivoter, a corporate escapee, and a philosophical explorer who’s always up for adventure. As a Change Advisor and keynote speaker, Sarah helps people understand that Change is Good."
Sarah also hosts a podcast called, The Lounge, is a published author and poet, and a big believer in community (with something special launching in Austin later this year). Her motto is “YES, And!” It’s a technique used in improv and something that helps you stay agile while having fun.
In her earlier life, she trained day in and day out in figure skating with her sights on Olympic Gold. Later in life, she set her sights higher — on the business-aviation industry. Now she soars among the stars as a well-known voice in the aerospace sector.
After having spent 15 years as a corporate executive and 13 years in Asia, Sarah discovered her definition of success had changed … and continues to evolve. She’s learned that real success – true, lasting, sustainable success – comes from choosing significance every day as a leader, as a friend, and as a human being. Sarah believes language and speech have the power to change the world and the people in it. She’ll join me on August 19th to share her story. We hope you’ll join us, too.
Video Version: https://www.youtube.com/live/61F6ZJwumz4?si=kiZk2qe7g6CTzNHJ
 
Learn more about Mark here:
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The Anxious Voyage with Mark O’Brien: Living Undeterred

Living Undeterred: Jeff Johnston
Twenty-Fifth Episode:  On October 4, 2016, Jeff lost his son, Seth, age 23, to fentanyl poisoning. Recognizing his own addictions to alcohol and gambling, Jeff took a stand on December 24, 2017, and committed himself mental health advocacy. He launched The Undeterred Podcast in 2020 and founded The Choices Network, a nonprofit that promotes and encourages healthy lifestyle choices for teens and young adults. In September of 2020, he published his first book, This One’s For You: An Inspirational Journey Through Addiction, Death, and Meaning. But he wasn’t finished.
On June 29, 2021, Jeff lost his wife, Prudence, age 46, to alcoholism. Still undeterred and determined, on May 12th, 2022, he embarked on The Living Undeterred Tour, a 95-day, 20,000-mile odyssey across the United States to share stories and to find more ways to make a difference in people’s lives. In September of 2023, he launched Brightn, a mental-wellness app for young adults that targets three areas of optimal mental wellness — health, wealth, and purpose. The app is named for Brighton, Seth’s daughter, who was born three weeks after Seth died.
Jeff sold the investment company he founded at age 23 to focus on Brightn. He’s also part-owner of Tribute Kicks, a retail store and vintage clothing company in Coralville, Iowa, with his middle son, Ian. A percentage of the profits are donated to area mental wellness organizations. Jeff lives in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with his two sons, Ian and Roman. Please join us for a conversation that promises to be eye-opening and life-affirming.
Video Version: https://www.youtube.com/live/HExIDdc18Z0?si=Q3qiY3v5KpBj-Dqu
 
Learn more about Mark here:
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