Time to Sing Your Song

The unexpected benefits of being run over with Naseem Rochette

It’s a beautiful day. The sun is out, you had an incredible weekend with your family, and you are feeling grand. 
You’re meeting your husband for dinner when you see him across the street. 
You walk into the crosswalk when a car turning into your direction doesn’t stop. 
The car runs over you not once, not twice, but three times.  
At that moment, your life flashes before you and you're pretty sure you’re going to die.  
This was the nightmare that Naseem experienced in 2018.
Pre-accident, Naseem was living an incredible life. She was happily married, had 3 incredible kids, and had a very successful career in tech. 
What’s amazing about Naseem’s story is how she picked up the pieces and built her life back.
Check out our conversation where she talks about:
Letting go of “no help needed Naseem” 
Using the Japanese philosophy of Kintsugi to embrace her cracks without being a victim 
How the accident helped her be more vulnerable
The importance of celebrating micro wins 
How the energy we give off profoundly impacts people around us
As you go on Naseem’s journey, I’d encourage you to think deeply about 3 questions:
What would be your regrets if you were involved in a tragic accident tomorrow? What can you do today to turn those regrets into peace of mind?
How can you open yourself up and create deeper connections by sharing your story?
How are you celebrating the moments where you were able to put yourself back together after being broken?
There are so many nuggets of wisdom in our conversation. After you listen, please go pick up Naseem’s book, “The Unexpected Benefits of Being Run Over” available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/hIHQ4XB 
I’m hopeful that these stories of rock bottom and redemption are helping you through challenges in your life. Personally, they are helping me on my journey to being a better person. 
If you are enjoying these conversations, please give Time to Sing Your Song a 5-star rating. It really helps in bringing awareness to these awesome stories. Please also share the podcast with your family, friends, and colleagues. 
As I go deeper on this journey, it is becoming clearer by the day that Time to Sing Your Song is a platform for ordinary people to share their stories of how they overcame gnarly obstacles to live a life that they only dreamed about. What’s crazy is the variety of stories that are coming to me. If you have a story or know someone who does, reach out to me. Easiest way is to send me an email at  mike@timetosingyoursong.com or you can send a direct message on social media – Mike Kearney on LinkedIn and mkearney33 on Twitter. 
Music credit: The Last Ones by Jahzzar 

Being irresistible is my super power with David Harrison

David is a leader at the largest professional services firm in the world. He also happens to be black. 
While his skin color doesn’t define him, he had to overcome a number of obstacles to get to where he is now. 
Here are a few mind-blowing statistics…
Today, 1% of Fortune 500 CEOs are black 
7% of managers are black; better than CEOs, but still a long way to go 
And when David became a CPA in the 90s, the percentage of black CPAs was less than 1%...crazy
It's pretty clear that there was a lot in the way for David to reach the mountaintop. 
And now that he's there, he is singing his song and giving back.
Co-charing Deloitte’s Black Action Council, mentoring young black professionals, and educating all of us on how we can help talented black professionals who are trying to carve out a meaningful career.  
As you listen to our conversation, think deeply about three questions.  
What are you doing to really get to know black professionals you work with?
What blind spots do you have in understanding the journey of your black colleagues?
How are you defining what success looks like for the people you manage?
If you have a kick ass story, or you know someone who does, hit me up. On social media, Mike Kearney on LinkedIn and mkearney33 on Twitter. You can also send an email to mike@timetosingyoursong.com. 
If you like the conversations, please provide a rating, share with family and friends, and subscribe to the weekly Time to Sing Your Song newsletter at https://timetosingyoursong.beehiiv.com/subscribe
Shout out to the music selected for my conversation with David: Honey by Serge Quadrado, found at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/serge-quadrado/urban/honey/

The case for hope with Jennifer Dickenson

You have brain cancer, we need to get you to the hospital right away.
No sympathy or cause for concern. Just the facts. Probably the scariest words one could ever imagine hearing.  
Unfortunately, that’s exactly the news Jennifer Dickenson received after an MRI in 2011.  
Pre-cancer, Jennifer lived a life that many of us do. Career first, long hours, not enough time with family and friends, very little sleep, some exercise, but not enough. She was the personification of the American dream. Successful by most of the things we use to measure.  
If this fact pattern sounds familiar, this is a conversation worth your time. 
Jennifer soon was told that her cancer was stage 4. Pretty much as bad as it gets. Statistically a death sentence.  
But this is a story of healing on one's own terms. Very soon after getting the horrific news, Jennifer started taking control of her life and her health, which brings us to The Case for Hope.
As you listen to my conversation with Jennifer, I’d encourage you to think about 3 questions:
What's underneath the constant need for more? More money, bigger house, fancier car, a career worthy bragging about.  
What would it take to convince you that work is consuming your life, that you are stressed out and that all of it is negatively impacting your health?
How can you use the tools that Jennifer discusses to live a better life?
 
You can pick up Jennifer’s book, The Case for Hope, on Amazon or your favorite bookstore. You can also learn more about Jennifer at https://jenniferdickenson.com/.
If you have a kick ass story, or you know someone who does, hit me up. On social media, Mike Kearney on LinkedIn and mkearney33 on Twitter. You can even send an email to mike@timetosingyoursong.com. 
If you like the conversations, please provide a rating, share with family and friends, and subscribe to the weekly Time to Sing Your Song newsletter at https://timetosingyoursong.beehiiv.com/subscribe

The ultimate gift of creating magical experiences with loved ones whose time is coming to an end with Seth Collins

Can you imagine losing your job and your girlfriend over a weekend and then having your dad pass a year later? 
Sounds tragic. But sometimes life gives us what we need, when we need it. And in Seth’s case, that was space to spend the last year of his father’s life collaborating on a project that was meaningful to both of them, on many levels, and in different ways.
This one hits home for me. I lost my mom when I was 20. Without explanation and logic I packed up and moved to my parents home in Las Vegas, of all places, and spent the last four months of my mom’s life with her. It was under very different circumstances. She was struggling with alcoholism, but the time was a gift that I cherish to this day.   
As you listen to my conversation with Seth, I’d encourage you to think about 3 questions:
What should you let go of that no longer serves you?
How can you expand your gratitude practice to include people and experiences that were not positive in the moment?
How can you co-create a meaningful experience with someone who is in their final years of life?
If you have a kick-ass story or you know someone who does, hit me up. On social media, Mike Kearney on LinkedIn and mkearney33 on Twitter. You can even send an email to mike@timetosingyoursong.com. 
If you like the conversations, please provide a rating, share with family and friends, and subscribe to the weekly Time to Sing Your Song newsletter at https://timetosingyoursong.beehiiv.com/subscribe 

I’m not defined by my wheelchair with Joe Guintu

Walking, running, swimming, just standing up. Things most of us take for granted. But what if those luxuries were taken away from you? How would you respond, what would be your mindset, how would you live your life? Would you find purpose or would stew in misery as a victim of fate. 
For Joe Guintu these were the questions he had to answer as a young man after a beautiful day learning to surf. There was no spectacular accident, but Joe suffered a rare spinal cord injury and within 7 hours of the surf lesson he was paralyzed, something that has stayed with him to this day.
What makes Joe’s story so inspiring is the way in which he has tackled life over the last 16 years. He is chasing his dreams and making an impact on this world. He has also crafted a mindset that doesn’t allow the disability to put limitations on what he can and can’t do. 
As you listen to the conversation, consider three questions:
What are you grateful for that you take for granted?
How are you allowing the hard things in your life impact the way you treat others?
How are you really showing up for that person who needs help?
If you have a kick-ass story or you know someone who does, hit me up. On social media Mike Kearney on LinkedIn and mkearney33 on Twitter. You can even send an email to mike@timetosingyoursong.com. 
If you like the conversations, please provide a rating, share with family and friends, and subscribe to the weekly Time to Sing Your Song newsletter at https://timetosingyoursong.beehiiv.com/subscribe 
 

Designing a better divorce experience with Suzanne Vickberg

In your gut, you know the marriage is over. But the two options before you equally suck. Stay miserable in a broken marriage or leave and tear every fiber of your family apart. What if there was a third option where you could create a better divorce experience? Something that got at the unique problems in your marriage. Kind of sounds like a fairy tale, but that’s exactly what Suzanne Vickberg did when her marriage came to an end. Rather than following the traditional train-wreck-script, Suzanne and her ex were able to put their kids first and come up with a creative solution that has worked for more than a decade. 
Suzanne is now singing her song with the release of her new book, Divorce by Design. In it she shares her story and a guidebook for changing your mindset about how divorce has to be, envisioning something better, and designing a creative solution to address the unique problems of marriage. 
Even if you aren't in a sucky marriage or going through a divorce, there’s lots to learn in what Suzanne is sharing. From finding inspiration in unfamiliar places to using design thinking to solve one of the most contentious and stressful personal crises one could go through.
Want to read Divorce by Design and connect with Suzanne? You're in luck…
Buy the book: ​​www.amazon.com/Divorce-Design-Staying-Leaving-Options/dp/B0BN4SYNJT/ref=sr_1_1?crid=Y64N9QRUMNO4&keywords=divorce+by+design+vickberg&qid=1670610884&sprefix=divorce+by+design+vickberg%2Caps%2C77&sr=8-1
Visit the website: www.divorcexdesign.com
Engage on Instagram: www.instagram.com/divorcexdesign/
Connect with Suzanne on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/suzannevickberg/

My mindset is more powerful than my limitations with Chef Destiny

So many people have a voice inside of their head that tells them that they can’t do it, they're not good enough, they don’t have the proper education, or didn't go to the right school. Or maybe the time’s just not right. 
These are the beliefs that dash so many dreams. But not for Destiny. During the height of COVID she went to cooking school and started two home chef businesses. And in less than 15 months she is kicking butt. Her businesses are thriving and she is singing her song.
Initially Destiny didn't think it was possible to pursue her dream of becoming a chef. She had adult responsibilities and the idea of being away from her kids with the crazy hours chefs work just didn't work for her. Unsure where cheffing could go, she dipped her toes in the water. She signed up at an accelerated cooking school. And that’s where she discovered the art of personal cheffing. 
What makes Destiny’s story so inspirational is that she has succeeded despite challenges in her life. Yes, she has a learning disorder. Yes, she didn't do well in school. And yes, she doesn't have a college degree. But Destiny has something much more important. She has a mindset that doesn’t see limitations. If someone tells her no, she just keeps pushing. If she fails, she dusts herself off and she keeps going.  
If you are someone with a boatload of excuses weighing down your dream, take a listen to my conversation with Chef Destiny. It may just be what you need to take the first step.  

12 days of Christmas...what to stop doing to today

In the spirit of Christmas and a little introspection on my 51st birthday, I am sharing my 12 days of Christmas, but with a twist
I believe that in order to sing your song, you need to stop doing things that are holding you back. So today I'm sharing the 12 things to STOP doing now. 
This is just my list and there are numerous ones out there. But this is what I have learned from guests that I've had on Time to Sing Your Song + what I've learned along the way. 

Fighting for women in my home country of Iran with Niloo Bedrood

Imagine yourself rolling down the streets of Tehran as a 10 year-old. Rioting, rocks being thrown in every direction, and your Dad telling you to put your head down and don’t come up. That was the reality for Niloo Bedrood who had a front-row seat to the Iranian Revolution in 1979. She soon began to experience a very different - and restrictive - life on every level. She was moved into a segregated girl’s-only school, had to cover up at all times, and lived a life of quiet desperation.
Niloo and her family ultimately came to the US where she has lived for the last four decades. Niloo’s experiences created a hunger to excel in school and in business. However, the memories of the pain and loss of basic rights that she had enjoyed as a young girl came into sharp focus over the last few months with the women’s uprising spurred by the tragic death of Mahsa Amini.
Someone’s calling often comes in many shapes and sizes. For Niloo, it became very clear as she was brought back to the streets as a 10-year-old girl fearful for her life. Take a listen to Niloo’s story and hear how she is now singing her song as an activist against the oppression of women’s rights in her home country. 

Designing a life of freedom, intentionally with Mike Kearney

“Many people die with their music still in them. Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out.” I love this quote by Oliver Wendell Homes Sr. Unfortunately it rang true to me for much of my life. So I've turned the tables where my good friend Jeff Raz grills me. Jeff has performed around the world, from Cirque du Soleil to Broadway, and is a communications consultant. Jeff has also written 20 plays, directed dozens of shows and is the author of the three novels that make up The Circus Trilogy, available at www.jeffraz.com. I did not dig the idea when Jeff approached me a few months back. But after giving it some thought I realized that I am finally singing my song and I do have a story to tell. My hope is that some of the things that I picked up along the way can help those who are lost and are looking to live a more fulfilling life. Things like the need to pay attention to signs that are telling you that you aren't living the life you were supposed to, why the how is 10x more challenging than the why and the what, creating a fulfilling life requires a lot of intentionality, the importance of being ready to take shots when you are doing something different or disruptive, and finally, why becoming the best version of yourself requires that you treat the hard times as a gift. If you are stuck or lost and are trying to figure out your path forward, I am hopeful that my story can help you sing your song. At the very least, it will give you insight into what one person did when he finally got clear on what was important in life