dr. lamarr d. shields

Words are a powerful thing. Words can build and lift, comfort and calm, teach and inspire.  To the opposite, words can destroy and demolish, incite and enrage, berate and criticize, embarrass and demean.  It has been said that in an average day a person will speak somewhere between 10 and 20,000 words. Which means we have that tons of chances every day to say something positive or to say something negative, the choice is totally up to us.

There is an old saying that “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Whoever came up with that saying had it completely wrong…what they saying needed to say is “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but unkind words will always hurt me…and a broken bone can heal with time, but the damage done by unkind words might never heal.”  

My next guest understands the power of words, and is passionate about helping people to unlearn the negative things they’ve said to themselves or were said about them. Through his work over the past 40 years, he has taught countless thousands of people how to improve various aspects of their lives.

His latest book, 'How to Be Bulletproof From Criticism' has attracted rave reviews from health professionals, business owners and world class entrepreneurs. 

In this interview, Dr. Shields talks to Anissa A. Morgan, Founder and CEO of Dollars At 10. Dollars At 10 is a unique nonprofit organization for families, teaching transformation through financial education. Dollars At 10 comes from her experience of handling her finances at the age of 10. 

Anissa shares the lessons learned early to save and invest wisely. She purchased her first home in New York at the age of 25 after relocating to the United States for college as an international student at 18. She is also the author of two books, Teach Me How to Money Now and Cooper Learns to Save. Books that help parents start the conversation about money early with their children, the lessons are simple, interactive, and are used in an engaging way for both parents and children.

www.dollarsat10.org

John Moyer is a professional hypnotist, speaker, and filmmaker. He has appeared throughout the Unites States performing his stage hypnosis show for numerous universities, corporate and private events, and also across the world as a headlining entertainer for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.  During his 25 year career of performing live on stage, John has also seen success as a produced screenwriter and filmmaker. 

On the surface, it may appear that we live in an extrovert’s world and that the most vocal, visible, and socially connected people employ more natural confidence and presence. Society tends to view more outgoing people as having a desired “it-factor,” propelling them to higher levels of success than those who are more introverted. 

However, introverted people possess a great deal of positive attributes that are becoming more valued in both personal and professional realms. These include strengths like good listening skills, being more thoughtful and strategic in their decision-making, and the ability to pay attention and provide intuitive insight—all demonstrating a high level of confidence to the outside world. 

Visibility Expert Amelia Roberts joins me to share some simple introvert-friendly ways to channel your inner confidence and become more visible. 

 
With extreme passion and transparency, Treveal Lynch has been captivating audiences for over 18 years. Through his thought-provoking yet highly applicable messages, Treveal has become known as “the voice they listen to”. As a trusted communicator in both the corporate and faith-based community, Treveal continues to present innovative ideas that spark the imagination, inspires the soul and calls for lasting life change!

As the founder of iamthepossible®, a company built on the philosophy that “I and my possibilities are one and the same; everything you hope to be tomorrow, you already are today”, Treveal is committed to communicating ideas that inspire audiences to see themselves in ways they've never imagined possible

If you are ambitious, driven and understand how important it is to have some balance in your life then you are in the right place, because I had the honor to speak with and interview Dr. David Arrington, and he gave me some really good personal and professional nuggets. 

David is one of the most successful executive coaches in the country. He coaches leaders to use positive accountability on their in-person and remote teams without micromanaging, which increases morale and engagement.

He is also the author of Promotable: How to Demonstrate Your Value, Highlight Your Potential & Land Your Next Promotion which was an Amazon #1 bestseller in multiple categories. 

www.arringtoncoaching.com

Jonathan Pritchard is a magician of sorts, but sleight of hand has nothing to do with his tricks. He’s a master at deceiving the mind. Jonathan is really a mentalist who has dedicated his career to tapping into our subconscious to find out what we’re really thinking, and he says we can all do it too. 

In this interview, Jonathan talks about how he got started in this field of mentalism and how he ended up on stages in Vegas, America’s Got Talent and many more and how he has been able to turn this passion into something that pays the bills. He also explains how he convinces people he can read minds by using the same psychological techniques employed by sales, marketing, and other business leaders.

Eric Christiansen is an acclaimed documentarian who has built his brand around socially responsible filmmaking that educates, inspires and heals. He has the capability to identify an issue within a specific population and have it resonate with a general audience through compelling storytelling. A trauma survivor himself, having lost his home in the Santa Barbara Painted Cave fire disaster, he understands trauma, the resilience of the human spirit, and how important HOPE is to the healing journey. A seven-time Southwestern Region Emmy Award recipient, Christiansen's previous films (Faces in the Fire, Homecoming: A Vietnam Vets Journey, Searching for Home: Coming Back from War) have been transformative in the recovery process for thousands of people whose lives have been compromised mentally, spiritually and physically by trauma. Leveraged as educational tools by top mental health institutions, Christiansen's films migrate from the entertainment arena into environments that help additional audiences navigate the profound collateral damage trauma creates not only on the individual, but the family and community as well. The New York Times called his last film, "strikingly photographed" and "...sure to give comfort and support to countless veterans and their families." By spotlighting these survivors and their journeys, Christiansen has been able to help unify a variety of audiences around the power of HOPE, and educate the general population about the complexities of trauma. Christiansen has also produced for major networks including Discovery, TLC, PBS, MTV and an Imax film.

Once a week for a year, when he was in college, Jared Dixon underwent "conversion therapy," a practice that attempts to attempt to change an individual's sexual orientation, sexual behaviors or gender identity. He joined us in the BalmShelter to discuss the dangers of conversion therapy, and to discredit the practices that falsely claim to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. Jared's journey of survival is the focus of this powerful interview. 

What started as a dare between two college friends in a hotel room in Las Vegas, quickly turned into a journey from rural Pennsylvania to the Mediterranean. When former educator and CEO of Day Real Estate, Mat Day, dared to unearth his family history. 

So, pull out your Hummus, Rice Pilaf, Fattoush, and pour yourself of a cup of Sahlab, and follow along on Matt's heritage journey to see what happens when he discovers where his ancestors are from for the first time.

Dr. Ericka Njeri Elion is an emerging spiritual and cultural leader, as well the Creator and President of the Miriam House, who understands the need to define and respond to the generational spiritual consequences of racism, victimization, marginalization, and isolation experienced by people of African descent, specifically serving as scholar-activists in ministry.
She joins me in the BalmShelter to offer practical steps on how to "unlock the creative genius" she believes lives inside all of us. 

It turns out that dating and job searching aren’t all that different. One expert shares her best advice for flirting, handling rejection and avoiding being too picky.

I recently conducted an interview with my friend Ericka Jackson, who is a witty, fun, energetic all around beautiful human being, and also an incredible dating coach. She runs https://ilovethechase.com/, and teaches workshops all over the world on how to meet people. She connects single, busy professionals and entrepreneurs through exclusive, personalized matchmaking services and customized, private matchmaking events. Unlike most Matchmaker, Ericka’s approach is simple, easy, and human. I learned that Ericka’s advice for finding love can also work for your job search. I must admit, she changed my perspective on how social interactions work. Listen to our podcast, or take a look at an excerpt below. And I wish you the best of luck finding whatever kind of match you’re looking for.

Parenting a child with a disability can be a challenge, and often those challenges feel like a strong tidal wave coming, threatening to make parents lose their balance, to fall, and sometimes wanting to give up.

Despite the stares, the school system, the medical billing, the ignorance from other people, and or the lack of support, Tracy Ward or Sista Tracy, as she prefers to be called, speaks about finding beauty in brokenness with gritty honesty and openness. She's passionate about sharing the real – sometimes beautiful and sometimes ugly – aspects of faith, parenting, and raising a child with special needs.

Educator, author and filmmaker Dr. Marc Williams, a nationally-respected sports marketing pioneer, pop culture expert, has been widely regarded as a Sports Marketing Pioneer. He is one of the nation’s experts on Education, Leadership, Career Transition, Crisis Management, and Professional Development. Dr. Williams has worked for three of the largest Sports Brands in the world: Champs Sports, Footaction and Reebok and was named as one of the Top 20 Inspirational Speakers in the World. His insights have been featured on CBS World News, BBC World News, and CNN. He's worked with Michael Jordan, Beyoncé, Allen Iverson, Chris Rock, Shakira, Will Ferrell few to name few. We chopped it up in the SoundBalming Studios, and as only Marc can do,  he “spit fire”. In this very raw and transparent interview, Marc discusses how sports and failure have had a tremendous impact on him and his career.

I recently had the opportunity to chat with Samara Stone, Founder of The Stone Foundation, about personal branding, learning from failure, and leading with passion and purpose.
Samara is an innovative leader in the field of mental health, where she leverages her 20 years of experience to develop business coaching and branding solutions specifically for her unique niche of mental health entrepreneurs through her work with BeBrandConfident.com. 
If you find yourself stuck in your career or looking for a boost of motivation, look no further, Samara’s message will encourage you to constantly look for opportunities as well as think outside the box.

After walking into Brain Surgery and never walked back out, Dr. Yvette Pagues lost an opportunity for fully-funded Ivy League college scholarship, Fortune 100 Executive Engineering career and the ability to walk on her own. On the other side of tragedy, she won 3-wheelchair pageant titles with platform to help children aged 7-17 years old publish their #Storms2Stories in a book - starting with her own children, active advocacy for Global Inclusion, re-created career as Corporate Disability/Diversity Consultant, became published author, Purpose Coach, Professional Speaker and recently returned to graduate school to earn a Doctor of Education degree with focus on Special Populations. And without using legs, Dr. Yvette Pegues is climbing mountains, and she wants to show you how. 

These days, the word ‘legend’ is very seldom used to describe modern day artists, but I had the opportunity to sit down with a legend, Frank McComb. 
Frank has worked with this century and last century’s greatest musicians and blessed many people’s lives through his music, including mine.  His musical journey started when he was 12 when saw his aunt play at the local church. 
I caught up with him at The Publick Playhouse in Cheverly, Maryland, known for its comfortable, inviting space and great acoustics. 
In this interview, he discusses being an independent artist, Prince, creativity, and being compared to Stevie Wonder and the late Donnie Hathaway.