• is the co-founder and lead developer of Pownce
• acquired a Computer Science degree from the University of Minnesota
• created the Teddy Bear Remote Control
• was a Software Engineer at iLoop Mobile, Inc
• was a Host at CNET Networks

Despite her successes, she admits to past failures and even being rejected by Google. But these minor setbacks only proved to be stepping stones to her greatest accomplishments.

[interview]

The Interview

Name: Leah Culver
Location: San Francisco, California
Occupation: Co-founder of Pownce, techie

What challenges did you face in your line of work, and have you ever felt like giving up?::

It’s very difficult to keep a large site running performing well and that is probably my biggest challenge. I really believe in the concept behind Pownce so I’ve never really considered giving up on the project.

The other challenge deals with information overload and management. Lots of email, news to keep up with and so on.

What does your work environment look like?::

Like this:

What do you consider your greatest failure and why?::

I’ve failed at so many things! I never became a supermodel

Actually, my greatest disappointments have probably been not qualifying for National Honor Society in high school and getting extensively interviewed by Google and rejected. It’s funny because instead of National Honor Society, I joined a group for doing weekend volunteer work which was great. And if Google had hired me, Pownce probably wouldn’t exist.

What do you consider your greatest achievement and why?::

Pownce is definitely the best thing I’ve ever built. I’m very proud that Pownce supports open standards and that so many great people are part of the Pownce community.

How have you thrived despite negative comments from others?::

If you do anything interesting, you’ll get criticized. If people aren’t saying anything negative about you or your work, that’s actually a bad sign.

Who (and or what) inspires, motivates you?::

I’m very motivated to be a great developer. I’m certainly not very good now, so there’s plenty of room to grow. I’m inspired by a lot of people who are doing cool things on the internet like the Django developers.

Do you have any favorite quotes, pictures, internet links that you would like to share?::

http://pythong.org

Ping Pong at work:

What are the most important things you have learned in your life so far?::

Bravery, ambition, and resilience matter more than pride.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?::

I’m very bad at answering email in a timely manner. I’m quite good at crossword puzzles.

What are you goals for the future?::

Play around with CouchDB, Erlang, GIT, and Beanstalk… those are on my list of odd projects to check out in the near future. In the long term I’d like to play a small part in changing the way people interact online. Certainly it’s a lofty ambition.

What are some things that people might not know about you?::

I love black licorice.

[sources]

“Leah Culver” – jdlasica on Flickr [Online Image]

[/sources]

[/interview]

• Interview with Noah Kagan – The Amusing Entrepreneur
• Interview with Saul Colt – Marketing Magician
• Interview with Paul Stamatiou – The Passionate Technologist
• Interview with Zack Domes – Disciple of Simplicity
• Interview with Jimmy Wales – The Knowledge Benefactor

[interview]

The Interview

Name: Paul Zollo
Location: Hollywood, California
Occupation: Photographer, songwriter, singer, author, journalist

How did you get into photography and why?::

I have always enjoyed photography since I was a kid, experimenting with little cameras and polaroids, too. But except for the instant response of the polaroids, I was frustrated by the lag time between the process of taking a photo, and the ability to see it developed. I am a musician-songwriter as well, and I love the instant response of an instrument. The moment you play a chord on a guitar, for example, you hear it. I also knew nothing of darkroom technique, so I moved away from photography except for the occasional dabble. Later I started to do a lot of music journalism – interviewing great songwriters for magazines and also books I have written (including Songwriters On Songwriting).

I fortunately met the legendary Henry Diltz, rock photographer extraordinaire, and thanks to his great generosity of spirit, he started photographing the many great songwriters I would interview. This was still the age of film. I had worked with a few other photographers, but they never got the natural, exultant kind of photos Henry always scored. So, although he didn’t know it, I basically apprenticed with him, and studied his way with people, his amiability, his ability to slide into comfortable situations with people and capture their genuine spirit, as opposed to posing and styling them. So I learned a great deal – not just about how to create and frame a good portrait, but how to interact with a photo subject.

With the advent of digital photography and high quality SLR cameras, I starting taking photos again. And digital, of course, affords me the instant response I had always wanted – and with photoshop the ability to darkroom photos quickly and easily – and so I started doing all my own photos for my interviews, as well as branching out into the whole great world of portrait photography, taking photos of everyone – friends, family, strangers, musicians, famous people, people wanting to be famous, performers, dancers, etc. – and living in Hollywood, everyday presents me with an amazing panoply of humanity to photograph. So for the last many years, I have been deeply and passionately involved in taking portraits mostly – as well as other kinds of photos – and have had my work published in many magazines, and also in art galleries and restaurants.

What challenges did you face in your line of work, and have you ever felt like giving up?::

As it’s not my only line of work, photography remains mostly something I do with a lot of passion. I love getting any photographic assignment, as taking photos for me is always a joy. I love the process of it. And I love what the post-processing you can do with a photo in photoshop. The challenges are many: overcoming my natural shyness so as to approach strangers – even those who often seem quite unapproachable – to request a photo; learning how to take performance shots in low-light situations and from a distance; mastering the technical aspects of photography such as use of lenses, exposures, lighting, etc; learning my way around photoshop; and learning the art of action photography. Those are the main ones. No, I have never wanted to give up. Not yet anyway. [pqr]I have a perpetual hunger to do more.[/pqr]

What do you consider your greatest failure and why?::

I haven’t had one major failure as much as many small failures – but we learn from our mistakes. For example, I went on a shoot with only one memory card – when I was first starting out – and quickly filled it up, and was unable to take more shots without deleting existing ones. Now I know to have a few cards. And there were the times I took photos too rapidly – swept up in the excitement of an event – and didn’t get sharp focus. And other small failures like that. But all have been learning experiences.

What do you consider your greatest achievement and why?::

My greatest achievement photographically, I would say, is being able to realize a vision for a photograph. Often I have had notions of something I wanted to do, and then I set off to achieve that vision – and to realize in a picture what was just an inspiration. For me, one of the enduring beauties of photography is the ability to do that – and in a short period of time – come up with a concept, and make it real. For example, I have done many photos of the great L.A. band The Fuxedos, led by Danny Shorago. And I was doing a photo essay on bands for the L.A. magazine Campus Circle, and wanted to include the Fuxedos. In their show, which is wonderfully theatrical and surreal and often hilarious, Danny dons many guises and costumes and uses props. So I wanted to give a photo that kind of flair, and thought of inviting people to pose as his various characters. Danny liked that idea, but wanted to pose as the characters himself – and have me photoshop him in. So I posed the whole band on a stage with him in the middle – and props around – and then he put on different costumes and I shot him separately, and then photoshopped two versions of him on either side of the photo so in the end there were five Dannys. And I collaged in some other colorful elements – and was able to create exactly what I had envisioned. And I have done this many other times – given myself a challenge, and then realize the vision of that challenge. And in photography, I think, more so than other arts, perhaps, this is achievable – as if you fail, you simply try it again – and keep working till you get what you want.

How have you thrived despite negative comments from others?::

Just the realization that everyone has their own responses to work, and what doesn’t or interest one person can often captivate and compel another. But it all starts with the passion of the artist. I love my work – and there is satisfaction in creating a compelling photograph that is mine alone – before anyone sees it. And that sustains me. Then when I get a positive response from others, it’s even better. But I am very used to the process of getting indifference. And part of an artist’s life in this world is understanding people are overwhelmed everyday by all the informational input they take in, and so creating anything that busts through that barrage of input is hard. To get someone to slow down for a moment and look at a photo – that isn’t always easy. Which is why I love Flickr so much – because it is a community of (mostly) serious photographers, who love looking at photographs as much as taking them, and responding to them. It’s a place where people from all around the globe – literally – stop and look. And that is rare and it’s an amazing and beautiful thing, this intercontinental global connection of artists and their art.

Who (and or what) inspires, motivates you?::

I am inspired daily by great photographers past and present, and I am inspired daily by the endless variations and beauty of the human experience. I sometimes think I’ve already crested in a way, and there is nothing new under the sun to photograph. But I quickly realize there is an unlimited amount of different kinds of people within different situations to photograph. Every day is new, and I am inspired simply by going down a certain street or to a certain place and photographing what I see there, and realizing the random act of going to that place resulted in these very specific and timeless photographs. And understanding that perhaps what seems random isn’t random at all, and that as we lead we follow. It’s something I’ve learned in writing songs – leading and following at the same time, being the artist and the recipient of the art – guiding but responding simultaneously – and allowing what is timely to become timeless.

Do you have any favorite quotes, pictures, internet links that you would like to share?::

Mark Twain said, “To a man with a hammer every problem in the world becomes a nail.” I think that says so much.

Buckminster Fuller said that if you are drowning and a piano-top floats by, it will serve as a good life-preserver, but one shouldn’t then assume the best life-preservers are piano-tops – and that “piano-top thinking is prevalent.”

Randy Newman said, “Don’t let the critic become bigger than the creator.”

The photographer Lisette Model, who was one of Diane Arbus’ teachers, said, “The most mysterious thing is a fact clearly stated.”

Ansel Adams said that sometimes he gets to a place just as God wants him to click the shutter. I know what he means.

Arbus said that a photograph is a secret about a secret. I don’t completely agree, but I like the quote and the poetry of that.

Henri Cartier-Bresson said he wasn’t interested in the photo once he took it, and that “hunters, after all, are not cooks.” I like that idea, too, but don’t share that feeling at all – I like the cooking as much as the hunting, if not more.

I agree more with Ansel Adams, who said that you don’t take a photograph, you make it. And Adams again, who said “there are no rules in photography, there are only good photographs.”

And Paul Simon said, “I am more interested in what I discover than what I invent.”

What are the most important things you have learned in your life so far?::

That the only thing that limits us are the limitations we create. That what people appear to be externally might be vastly different from what they truly are. That people’s assumptions, on which they base their reality, are frequently false. That there are no rules except the ones we write for ourselves – even including the rules created by those we admire and emulate. That most people want little more than for somebody to really listen to them. That nothing holds us back as much as fear, and that transcending fear is a daily challenge. That life constantly presents us with obstacles, and the challenge is to stay on the beam, stay focused and positive, and more than anything, not to be derailed. [pq]That the thing that ends the journey is giving up.[/pq] That looking to other’s for acceptance is often the wrong place to look.

That fame doesn’t necessarily equate with greatness, but that it sometimes does. That fame can be a big burden but also a blessing. That although we exist in time, we can aspire to create that which is timeless, and there is much in life and in love which is timeless. That there’s a whole lot more to reality than what we can see, and what we measure. That there’s strength in admitting mistakes, and a universe to be gained by learning from mistakes, not spinning in the same circles, and not always “crashing in the same car,” as David Bowie wrote. That asking questions and admitting what you don’t know leads to a lot of wisdom. That the point of power is in the present, and what is present will rapidly be past – so that the things we do in the present change the world – both the outer world we live in, and the inner world of the spirit. That being a father is one of the greatest gifts life offers.

That great pizza is great. That the future isn’t at all as futuristic as we dreamed it would be. That Darwin and Freud were both wrong. That the only real evolution is the evolution of the spirit, and in that respect we have a ways to go, but have made more progress than most people recognize. That a vision of a world beyond war is achievable. That everyone is unique, but also the same. That all adults were children once, and part of them is still a child. [pqr]That love takes effort but it’s worth it.[/pqr] That patience is a virtue, and a necessary one. That faith matters. And that we should focus on gratitude for all we have everyday.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?::

Strengths: love of art, passion and creativity, energy, gratitude, loyalty, love for other people, humor, music, learning, not assuming I know everything there is to know.

Weaknesses: impatience, procrastination, disorganization, intolerance, laziness, self-obsession, egotism, sorrow, vanity, envy… can someone stop me already?

What are you goals for the future?::

To keep hope alive and not to be derailed. To complete and get published a big volume of my photographs with essays to be called Angeleno. To be a great dad and son/brother/husband/friend. To write good songs and finish a new album. To write more books. To have fun.

What are some things that people might not know about you?::

I love the history of Hollywood – the town, not the industry – and wrote a book of Hollywood history called Hollywood Remembered.

[sources]

“Zollo In Concert At Kulak’s * Photo by STEPHEN LUBMAN” – P.S.Zollo on Flickr [Online Image]

“Paul Zollo – Photo by Debbie Kruger” [Online Image]

“Paul and Joshua Zollo” – magnolia83912 on Flickr [Online Image]

“Paul Zollo” – Wikipedia Entry [Online Article]

“Paul Zollo” – Facebook [Online Social Site]

[/sources]

[/interview]

• Interview with Paul Stamatiou – The Passionate Technologist
• Interview with Jimmy Wales – The Knowledge Benefactor
• Interview with Saul Colt – Marketing Magician
• Week 1: What I’ve learned so far
• Interview with Professor Walter Lewin – The Physics Magician

[interview]

The Interview

Name: Laurie Henry
Location: Texas
Occupation: Teacher, Entrepreneur, and co-founder of Trinity Science Solutions

What challenges did you face in your line of work, and have you ever felt like giving up?::

The challenge I have faced while being the science coordinator was feeling free to fully be who I am in my working environment.  I am a very creative person.   I am also very animated and love living out loud.   I felt that I was stuffing my creative side and who I am to fit into the mold I was supposed to be while being science coordinator.  That is why Terri and I started our business.  It allows us to do what we love and what we do best while being true to ourselves.  It has always been a dream of mine to have my own business.  Now with Terri as my business partner, I am able to do just that. I have never wanted to give up, just change directions.  Changing jobs is not giving up.  My dreams are beyond a job.  I will not give up on my dreams.  I can, however, change routes to get there.

The challenge I currently face is being disciplined to keep moving forward in the new business venture.  I have no boss to watch over me now so I am working because I want to develop the best business Terri and I can.  We are excited to see how far we can take it.  Since this is new to Terri and me, we have to educate ourselves on running a business, marketing, following all of the laws, etc.  But it is exhilarating and we’re learning a great deal.  The future is so bright we can’t help but shine!  

What does your work environment look like?::

I work out of my home or Terri’s home.  We each have a home office.  Well…..mine is in process.  It was my son’s bedroom until he went away to college.  This summer I am painting and transforming it into a home office/creative projects rooms.  I also make stained glass things and wire and beaded crosses. So I will make a work table for that as well in the room.  We’ll present our program in school gyms.  So that will be my other work environment.  

What do you consider your greatest failure and why?::

My greatest failure would be the past year as Elementary Science Coordinator.  I consider it a “great” failure because if it weren’t for that experience I wouldn’t be starting this awesome business with Terri and I would miss my dream career!In this case failure was a great thing!

What do you consider your greatest achievement and why?::

A couple of things come quickly to mind professionally.  First I was the teacher of the year for our district in 2005.  That was a really wonderful thing.  There is nothing more special in a working situation than being awarded by your peers and your community. 

The second achievement would be, having a child that has never passed a single state test passing his first with you as his teacher.  I love my students.  They know I believe in them and love them.  Being loved and respected by them is a wonderful gift.

 I also believe that taking an idea and turning it into a business is a wonderful achievement.  Thanks to Terri, this is happening!

Personally, my greatest achievements are being married for 24 years to a wonderful guy Joe and having two sons, Cory and Cody that have great big hearts.  I also consider it a big achievement developing the mindset that dreams can happen and life can be an exciting adventure to journey through.  

How have you thrived despite negative comments from others?::

It really depends on the negative comment. If the comment has truth in it then I want to learn from the comment. I would rather have “truth in love” than empty compliments. I look at my journey as one where I want to be the best person I can be and experience the most I can from my relationships and life. Receiving constructive crtisism can help me get there.

If the negative comment is meant to be hurtful, I look at it with the idea that it’s not about me. They said what they did because of struggles they are having within themselves.

Looking at negative comments this way makes it much easier to either learn from them or forgive and move on.

Who (and or what) inspires, motivates you?::

I’ll make a list.

Inspires-

• Jesus Christ: He overcame the most intense difficulties to complete his mission of being the Passover Lamb for mankind.  He sets the direction of my life and gives me my purpose.
• A man at Wal-Mart: He was a double amputee walking on two prosthetic legs and a cane while pushing his cart.  I pondered all he had to overcome to be able to do that and thought, “Wow, if he can overcome his difficulties to actually walk around the store, I can overcome difficulties and accomplish my goals as well.

  Motivates-

• My husband Joe who thinks I’m the best thing since buttered bread.  He supports me and all my crazy ideas.  He loves me just like I am.  He motivates me to go for my dreams.
• My mom and dad: They believed in me and loved me greatly.  They taught me their great values and love for family.
• Corey Allan: Corey was my counselor who led me to realize that I can live life fully alive and enjoy the adventure I travel.  Life is a journey not a destination.   He helped me gain the courage to dream and then follow my dreams both with my personal life and with my professional life.  He changed the course of my life motivating me to truly believe in myself and that life can be full so go for it!   He has a great blog at www.simplemarriage.net.
• Josephine Merkle: My YA YA sisterhood friend.  She is the most encouraging person I know.  She has put the knot in my rope many times so I could hang on.  

Do you have any favorite quotes, pictures, internet links that you would like to share?::

“Take the first step in Faith.  You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“You teach people how to treat you.” – Unknown

“We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” – Gandhi

“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside themselves, dreams; who looks inside, awakens.” - Carl Jung

“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” – The Apostle Paul

Links:

www.simplemarriage.net Great blog on marriage fully alive

www.trippingthemuse.com Super blog on writing creatively

www.manmailsite.com/ Great blog on being a manly man (I have learned so much about that mysterious creature!)

www.adaringadventure.com/blog/wordpress/ Tim Brownson is the Life Coach who hosts The Discomfort Zone.  He offers a great deal of insight on life and has a wonderful wit. 

What are the most important things you have learned in your life so far?::

• To go for your dreams.
• To live out loud, being who you are and letting others deal with it.
• Failure or criticism is an opportunity to grow.
• When others are hurtful, the problem, more than likely, is about something in them and not you.
• Trust in God because he has a plan for you.
• Love your spouse deeply but be your own person.  Be differentiated in your relationship with your spouse and others. 
• Live simply.
• Express yourself creativity.
• Give to others whenever you can.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?::

Unique strengths:

• I love adventure and relationship
• I am a great teacher, kind of like Ms. Frizzle
• I am creative
• I connect with kids
• I am wacky
• I am a total science nerd – Science ROCKS!!

 Weaknesses:

• I struggle with organization
• I struggle with saying NO (but I’m better)
• I have an addictive type of personality.  I get hooked on things like computer, books, i-pod.  I have to watch it. 

What are you goals for the future?::

My goals are to buy some land at Beaver Lake outside of Eureka Springs Arkansas and build a log cabin to live in with my husband.  I want to kayak, canoe and boat around the lake, hike the land and spend the days playing pioneer with Joe and being creative.  Maybe open a shop in Eureka Springs. 

Professionally, I want Terri and I to take Trinity Science Solutions and our Big Canyon Balloon nationally. We want to develop other inflatable science experiences for schools as well as support science education with staff development and other products. We want to be known for excellence in our field.

I want to skydive in a couple of years to honor my 50^th birthday.  I want to white water raft down the Colorado River, scuba dive at the barrier reef, and see polar bears and beluga whales in the north.  I want to experience as much of creation as possible. I love nature.

I want to take my relationship with God as far as possible on this side of eternity and continue it on the other.  I also want to take my relationship with my husband to its limits as well.  I think we only skim the surface of life with our relationships and with living fully.  I want to go deeper.  

[/interview]

• Interview with Professor Walter Lewin – The Physics Magician
• Interview with Zack Domes – Disciple of Simplicity
• Interview with Neil Patel – Internet Marketing Guru
• Interview with Paul Stamatiou – The Passionate Technologist
• Interview with Leah Culver – The Social Networker

Her sincere desire to help out those in need is seen through her generosity. She is a beautiful woman, not only because of her physical qualities, but for her big heart. Her success comes from every smiling face that she helped create.

[interview]

The Interview

Name: Jenna Edwards
Location: Miami, Florida
Occupation: Founder of Queen for A Day

What challenges did you face in your line of work, and have you ever felt like giving up?::

My biggest challenge is convincing people that Queen for a Day offers a legitimate psychosocial service, that we are more than a cute art-and-crafts project. Sometimes I wonder about ways I can better convey that message, but I’ve never considered giving up because of it.

What does your work environment look like?::

I’m moving soon, so I just packed it up. I like to be enveloped by my work so I don’t forget anything. As long as I can see it, I won’t forget to do it. I end up spreading out my various projects and covering the walls with notes and calendars. But I also like to be organized, so I have a lot of folders, boxes, and drawers.

What do you consider your greatest failure and why?::

My greatest failure is not being able to answer the simple question, what do you do for fun? At both Miss America and Miss USA, I was stumped by this question. It’s not that I don’t have fun, I just have fun through work—I don’t have free time!  I often wonder what the outcome of either pageant could have been had I been able to recover from the stumble.

What do you consider your greatest achievement and why?::

My greatest achievement has been my ability to put on blinders and focus on success. When I first started Queen for a Day, I never thought about people saying “no” to my requests for donations and support. As an adult, it is quite easy to roadblock myself and allow the possibility of rejection to keep me from even trying. At those times, I miss the innocence of my youth that didn’t consider rejection as an option.

How have you thrived despite negative comments from others?::

I took to heart the perspective of preferring respect over liking. I found I couldn’t make everyone like me or approve of my choices, but I could gain their respect. That gave me the ability to rise above the negativity and eventually find humor in it.

Who (and or what) inspires, motivates you?::

Fear of regret motivates me. The last thing I want in life is to look back and regret doing/not doing something. Productivity inspires me…seeing projects finished, seeing connections come together and movements forming, marking items off my “to do” list, and getting feedback from finished projects.

Do you have any favorite quotes, pictures, internet links that you would like to share?::

If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it.
The miracle is in the people.
A long journey begins with a small step.

What are the most important things you have learned in your life so far?::

Showing vulnerability is attractive; it’s the little things that make the biggest impact; God still speaks (and he has a sense of humor, too!); I don’t give myself enough credit; I’m a really strong person; my mother is one of the coolest people I know.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?::

Strength: discernment, sense of humor; weakness: asking for help.

What are you goals for the future?::

My goal is to build up the budget for QFAD to hire a staff,  host a conference for volunteers and local chapter directors, and include pediatric HIV/AIDs patients in the program; I want to become more involved in the fight against homelessness and have begun with Community Partnership for Homeless in Miami; I want to lobby for Veterans’ Affairs and am already learning from my participation in local veterans’ groups in South Florida.

What are some weird things that people might not know about you?::

I collect Snoopy ornaments. I like NASCAR (and have driven a race car). I can live on cereal for days. I’m featured in a book “Treating Yourself Like Royalty.” I play golf. 90% of my closet is Diane Von Furstenberg.

[/interview]

• Interview with Noah Kagan – The Amusing Entrepreneur
• Interview with Neil Patel – Internet Marketing Guru
• Interview with Leah Culver – The Social Networker
• Interview with Saul Colt – Marketing Magician
• Interview with Tim Brownson – The Goal Specialist

His accomplishments include:

• Graduating from UC Berkeley
• Working for Facebook
• Working for Mint Software

If you want to see the rest his credentials, it is displayed here. His latest project is Kickflip Inc. and it is still under construction. But if you’re in anticipation to know what it’s about, he reveals that “it’s a place where you make cool things.” His site Okdork.com provides you with posts ranging from high gas prices, to the creation of social networks. Check out this interview to find out what makes Noah so unique.

[interview]

The Interview

Name: Noah Kagan
Location: San Jose, California
Occupation: Blogger, entrepreneur

What challenges did you face in your line of work, and have you ever felt like giving up?::

The challenges are getting our next project out as soon as possible with realizing it needs to be high quality. I have felt like quitting many times and even took some time off to think about the work I am doing. I think people need to give meaning to their work in whatever way they can.

What does your work environment look like?::

White Macbook located at various free Wifi places across San Francisco.

What do you consider your greatest failure and why?::

Greatest failure. I never think about this, mostly think about the mistakes I have made and what I can learn from them. Now regrets are another story

What do you consider your greatest achievement and why?::

Greatest achievement: Community Next 1, I coordinated relatively large scale things and people didn’t hate it, Kickflip is my first real company with large potential. It’s nice that it can support 3 people and let thousands of people play our games.

How have you thrived despite negative comments from others?::

Almost everything I’ve done people said wouldn’t work. I think if people say it will not work or suck it is generally a good sign.

Who (and or what) inspires, motivates you?::

Don’t really have anyone or thing. It just comes in phases through things I read or people I see doing cool stuff. Most likely Max Levchin for his tenacity, focus, work-ethic and math based decision making.

Do you have any favorite quotes, pictures, internet links that you would like to share?::

Squeaky wheel gets the grease.

What are the most important things you have learned in your life so far?::

Make things meaningful yourself.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?::

Is this a date question? My strength is I do things. My weakness is I don’t think through things enough. I’m working on it.

What are you goals for the future?::

Work on this company, kickflip (kickflipping.com) travel, family, friends, simple.

[/interview]

• Interview with Saul Colt – Marketing Magician
• Interview with Leah Culver – The Social Networker
• Interview with Jimmy Wales – The Knowledge Benefactor
• Interview with Alexis Ohanian – Leader of the Alien Social Revolution
• Interview with Neil Patel – Internet Marketing Guru

Do you wish you had someone to guide you, to hold your hand and lead you in the right direction? It is Tim’s passion to help people reach their fullest potential and succeed in life. He’s like the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella. Only he doesn’t go around waving a wand! Instead he uses something more powerful than a magic wand, MOTIVATION! In this interview, you will see how much he truly cares about people. 

[interview]

The Interview

[twitter::TimBrownson]

Name: Tim Brownson
Location: Orlando, Florida
Occupation: Life Coach

What items do you always carry with you?::

I try and remember my glasses because without them I’m a bumbling idiot and sometimes with them too. Other than those and my cell phone that’s pretty much it, I’m a light traveler.

What challenges did you face in your line of work, and have you ever felt like giving up?::

Getting clients is the biggest challenge by some way. People sometimes forget that Orlando is in the south and as such is not quite as open to the idea of coaching as say somewhere like New york or LA.  I have to supplement face-to-face coaching with telephone work. I prefer the former but telephone coaching can be fun too. I still have clients back in the UK and all over the US. I am looking at doing video coaching but the only problem with that is I like to roam about the house when I’m on the phone, for some reason it helps me to focus better. I have felt like giving up once or twice but not recently. I was earning a 6 figure salary prior and saw my income dip to $10k!! That meant a lot of changes and it was tough to start. The fact that I love it always makes it worthwhile though. We want money because we think it’ll make us happy, so if we’re already happy what do we need it for, other than our basic needs?

What does your work environment look like?::

My office is pretty small as you can see. I give clients the option of a sofa or a Lazy-Boy chair. and then I work from my chair at my desk. I hate it when my office is a mess so I’m usually fairly tidy and other than 2 bookshelves and my Mac and printer, there’s not much in there.

What do you consider your greatest failure and why?::

Greatest failure? That’s a tough one because I don’t really like thinking in those terms. I guess if I had to answer, it would have to be not leaving sales sooner. I was almost 40 before I realized I was burning out and by then I’d made myself pretty stressed, given myself a hiatal hernia and drunk way too much alcohol. Failure is too strong though because I needed that learning experience to prepare me to do this and without it I wouldn’t have got into coaching.

What do you consider your greatest achievement and why?::

Personally it’s my marriage. I’ve been married 12 years and never once regretted it. I have no wish to be with anybody else, ever. Although I must confess to loving women’s company and I can be a bit flirty at times! Professionally I guess it was getting a publishing deal for my book. I’m only half way there with that though, because now I have to get out there and sell it.

Who (and or what) inspires, motivates you?::

It may sound cheesy, but I just love helping people. My goal is to be so good and respected at what I do that I can charge exorbitant fees. This will allow me to do lots more pro bono coaching for people that can benefit most but can’t necessarily afford it. I’d like to do 80% pro bono and the other 20% will have to pay me a heckuva lot to subsidize that. People I respect and motivate me would include Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, John P Strelecky and Richard Bandler. It’s not a particular fashionable thing to say, but I also like Tony Robbins simply because he brought NLP to the masses. Few people know he’s doing NLP because he often uses his own terms and expressions, but he allows me to explain to people more clearly what I do and he can give potential clients a frame of reference.

Do you have any favorite quotes, pictures, internet links that you would like to share?::

The Helen Keller quote “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature.” is where I took my company name from, so obviously I love that. One of my other favorites is by Frank Outlaw and is “Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.” I love that quote because everything comes back to our thoughts and if we control them we control our destiny. In terms of websites I love anything to do with the St. Louis Rams and www.ted.com.

What are the most important things you have learned in your life so far?::

Haven’t you got any tough questions? LMAO. I think the most important thing that I’ve learned is that mine is only one of 6 billion realities. The moment that we cannot accept or own reality or feel that we need to force ours onto somebody else is the moment that unhappiness, misery and suffering creep in.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?::

Professionally speaking, I think that my strengths are my sense of humor and ability to use analogies, similes  and metaphors to explain clearly what I mean to people. I’m not sure if any of them make me unique as such, but they certainly help me to be a better coach.

What are you goals for the future?::

First and foremost to carry on having fun and loving what I do. As I said, I also want to be a best selling author, sell 1,000,000 copies of my book and hit the New York Times Top 10. Then I will be in a position to pick and chose my work and whether or not I need to charge or not.

[/interview]

• Interview with Neil Patel – Internet Marketing Guru
• Interview with Craig Newmark – The People Person
• Interview with Jimmy Wales – The Knowledge Benefactor
• Interview with Vered – A Mother Knows Best
• Interview with Noah Kagan – The Amusing Entrepreneur

While she provides advice and tips on being a parent, her posts gravitate toward what’s on her mind. She’s not afraid to think out loud, nor express her feelings and voice her opinions. Make sure you stop by her site for her “Wordless Wednesdays” and “Best Shot Mondays” on these days you will find the best topics worth pondering over. Her attitude, and view towards life is definitely one to be emulated. Read her interview to find out why.

[interview]

The Interview

[twitter::Vered]

Name: Vered DeLeeuw
Location: Silicon Valley, California
Occupation: Blogger of Momgrind.com, Community Director for www.uptous.com

What items do you always carry with you?::

A notepad and a pen to jot down ideas before they escape me. I have one in my car, one on my bedside table and one in every room in the house.

What challenges do you face in your line of work, and have you ever felt like giving up?::

I am Community Director with a silicon valley startup, www.uptous.com, where we created a social network for parents. My main challenge right now is to get people to join our beta. It’s a challenge, because people are always reluctant at first when you ask them to change old habits and try something new. I whine endlessly about it, but it never occurred to me to give up. I like a good challenge, and I wholeheartedly believe in our product.

What does your work environment look like?::

I work from my home office. My home is airy, filled with natural light, and clutter-free. Clutter makes me miserable so I avoid it at all costs.

What do you consider greatest failure and why?::

I don’t enjoy life as much as I could. Life blessed me with so much, yet I don’t always remember to count my blessings. I am working on it, and trying to become more appreciative of what I’ve got.

What do you consider your greatest achievement and why?::

My children, because raising them has been the hardest work I’ve ever done, but the results are phenomenal. My children are intelligent and interesting. They think independently and challenge me every single day with their questions. I learn so much from them.

Who (and or what) inspires, motivates you?::

My children do. My oldest is gentle, caring and kind. My youngest is vibrant, full of life and absolutely fearless. I want to be more like them!

What have you learned in your life so far?::

Let go of perfectionism. Don’t focus on the goal so much because it’s unimportant. Relax and enjoy the ride.

Do you have any favorite quotes, pictures, internet links that you would like to share?::

I have many, but today I listened to Tears for Fears’ “Mad World” and this struck me as very, very true:

“All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere”.

I like this message because it reminds me of my resolution to SLOW DOWN, relax and enjoy life.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?::

Strengths: I am a very loyal friend. I like to laugh and do not take myself too seriously.
Weaknesses: I am incredibly hard on myself. I am too impatient with others.

What are you goals for the future?::

I want to learn to relax, take it easy and stop being so demanding of myself and of others. I want to remember to count my blessings and enjoy every single day.

[/interview]

• Interview with Zack Domes – Disciple of Simplicity
• Interview with Jimmy Wales – The Knowledge Benefactor
• Interview with Professor Walter Lewin – The Physics Magician
• Interview with Noah Kagan – The Amusing Entrepreneur
• Interview with Leah Culver – The Social Networker

She has touched the lives of others and has given us a reason to look at our lives with confidence. In one of her recent posts, “Self Fulfilling Prophecies: Getting Your Life Back,” she reveals the keys to thinking differently and learning to love yourself. Her primary goal is to make a difference in someone’s life, if you read the comments from her readers, she has done just that. Meet JEMi your new best friend.

[interview]

The Interview

[twitter::InMyHeels]

Name: JEMi
Location: New York
Occupation: Blogger

What items do you always carry with you?::

My pocketbook has my aresenal of goodies that I treasure and comes with me wherever I go. I never feel like I am without because it always contains:

• Bible
• Wallet
• My keys with store cards for everywhere I frequent including two gyms!
• Schedule book
• Workout training log
• The perfect lipgloss and mascara
• Visine
• Lotion

What challenges do you face in your line of work, and have you ever felt like giving up?::

I am fortunate right now in that I have the opportunity to just be a college student slash blogger. This means I am a nomad with my laptop. I write wherever I want to write and sometimes that means bed while other times it means in the library at the local medical school.

What do you consider greatest failure and why?::

To be honest, I don’t have an answer to this question and for that I am grateful! I used to think that my incompletion of a practical nursing program was my greatest failure however looking back, I realize I was going through some extraordinary matters and did well for me. I picked up so much that I apply to my life right now and if anything – I feel 10x more capable because of it. Who would’ve thunk it!

What do you consider your greatest achievement and why?::

www.InMyHeels.com hands down. It allows me to help others on a regular basis. It is also completely reflects my personality and creativity. It is opening doors that I never thought existed AND it is only the very beginning of the quest for my career which includes the title Writer. It excites me. The readers are so valuable to me and I secretly think they give me more than I could ever give them – an overflowing gratefulness for them

Who (and or what) inspires, motivates you?::

My mom inspires me. You know what gets me? For years people would say “You two are SO much alike. You look alike, act the same, etc” and we would both look at each other and say “We don’t get it.” I am honored to be her daughter. She’s strong, beautiful, positive, cheerful and if she’s any indication on what I’ll be like in 20 years – well I’m one lucky gal!

My readers also inspire me! Sometimes I receive letters from readers that touch my heart so deeply and fill me with such a sense of happiness. To know that the purpose of this site has served at least ONE person – it means the world to me. And sure enough, people reach out. All this to validate THE inspiration who is–

My late husband. Losing him catapulted me into an unfamiliar world of hopelessness. I was mortified by the impact of the grief and I thought to myself “Oh my God.. some people actually FEEL like this on a regular basis!” Writing allowed me to feel like I contributed to this world on his behalf as well as mine to help others feel the good side of life. Writing allows me to feel like I am with him. I promised myself that he would not have died for nothing – that I’ll do this for the both of us.

So here I am!

What have you learned in your life so far?::

Learning to live in the present moment and giving the very best of me for each task – menial or otherwise – filled me with a rich sense of aliveness that I don’t want to lose. It allows me to chase passions without feeling like I am always without because the current moment ALWAYS counts!

Do you have any favorite quotes, pictures, internet links that you would like to share?::

“Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change” – Wayne Dyer.
That quote was life changing for me.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?::

My weaknesses - Cold Stone’s ice cream!
I tend to be very trusting although I don’t see it much as a weakness.. just something to be mindful about.

My strengths – my love for happiness in life. I smile quite often and am considered warm by others. Also showing empathy and writing!

What are you goals for the future?::

• I want to make it into medical school so that I can get into the field of mental health
• Publishing books that people love because it truly serves a need
• A-list blogging
• The transformation of my physique!
• Finding that true love again

[/interview]

• Interview with Craig Newmark – The People Person
• Interview with Justin Hernandez – Professional Dreamer
• Interview with Noah Kagan – The Amusing Entrepreneur
• Interview with Vered – A Mother Knows Best
• Interview with Neil Patel – Internet Marketing Guru

1. Started and maintained a successful tech news blog and managed to differentiate himself from the sea of monotony
2. Starred Nike commercial
3. Hosted events for General Motors – he ain’t stammering Stammy
4. Interned at Yahoo!
5. Started his own web company, Skribit – a great original idea which has taken off nicely (look in bottom right hand corner of this page) and most importantly
6. Interviewed by Tivate.com – nice plug huh? .

Stammy is a nice easy-going guy with a positive attitude. The most difficult thing about him is pronouncing his last name (Stam-uh-tee-you), hence the nicky Stammy. In this interview, Paul talks about his accomplishments, shows us his work desk, reflects on his public speaking skills and admires his idol Steve Jobs (with quote!).

[interview]

The Interview

[twitter::Stammy]

Name: Paul Stamatiou (Stam-uh-tee-you) a.k.a Stammy
Age: 21 years old – from Houston, Texas
Occupation: Blogger, entrepreneur, techie, programmer, public speaker

What challenges did you face in your line of work, and have you ever felt like giving up?::

I have three “lines of work” – being a student at Georgia Tech, writing on PaulStamatiou.com and working on Skribit.com. The biggest challenge is time management and just finding the time to get everything done. [pqr]I’ve never felt like giving up but I’ve had to re-prioritize things from time to time to get it all done[/pqr]. In the past few months Skribit has been growing considerably and a lot of my time has gone into developing for it.

The other challenge deals with information overload and management. Lots of email, news to keep up with and so on.

What does your work environment look like?::

I recently moved into an apartment by myself, which is a huge change from living in dorms and in an off-campus house with several roommates. It’s a lot easier to allot time to get work done without being distracted or having the urge to jump in on a game of Mario Kart Wii with my roommates. The best part of my work environment at home is the fiber Internet connection. It has changed the way I do things and I now rely more on online storage.

What do you consider your greatest failure and why?::

Hrm, that’s a hard one. I’d say not having gotten into programming sooner. I didn’t start really tinkering with web development until I started my blog in 2005. Prior to that I only had a bit of Java experience from a high school course and another computer science class during my freshman year in college. I know a few people my age that are just incredible developers and it makes me wonder what could have been if I had gotten into software much younger, instead of teaching myself to solder and build circuits. I spent my first year at Georgia Tech working towards a computer engineering major until I finally decided I was more interested working closely with the Internet.

What do you consider your greatest achievement and why?::

My greatest achievement is by far having maintained and built up my blog for 3 years to the point it’s at now. My blog has helped me meet many interesting people and learn from them. People at Yahoo! found me from my blog and got me my summer internship, Nike found me from my blog and put me in an online Nike commercial, General Motors found me from my blog as well and has flown me out to various car events. The Internet excels at aiding people in finding others with similar interests and my blog has tapped right into that.

How have you thrived despite negative comments from others?::

I take it all as constructive criticism. You gotta make your haters your motivators haha.

Who (and or what) inspires, motivates you?::

It is hard to pinpoint what inspires or motivates me as there are so many sources. I always pay close attention to others in my field to see how they’re doing things and what they’ve done. In the last year or so I have really embraced the startup culture. While I don’t exactly follow it to the letter, I love reading about it and things like Paul Graham’s essays. It has really shaped the direction I take when working on Skribit.

Do you have any favorite quotes, pictures, internet links that you would like to share?::

My favorite quote comes from Steve Jobs. It definitely aligns with the way I feel when working on new projects.

“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

One of my favorite pictures is of Steve Jobs at home in 1982. It shows his different style of thinking.

What are the most important things you have learned in your life so far?::

Whenever I start a new project [pqr]my goal is being able to look back on it and say that it was worth doing[/pqr]. Nothing feels better than getting things done and while I don’t live by the whole GTD craze, I enjoy being productive and having something to show for it. My blog is a great example of that and now it’s like a personal portfolio and resume. I only have so much time in my life, barring the long-awaited invention of some eternal youth potion, so I might as well make it count.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?::

I would say that I am good at getting my point across, whatever that may be. I was an editor on my high school’s yearbook staff and now with my blog I seem to have honed my communication skills. Although I will admit I make for a crappy public speaker and I generally talk very fast (see my Nike commercial for reference).

What are you goals for the future?::

My main goal for the near future is leading Skribit to success and being able to work on it full-time upon my graduation. Basically, just having a job I actually enjoy.

[sources]

PaulStamatiou.com – tech news/reviews/guides [Online Blog]

Skribit: Blog Topic Suggestion Application [Creative Venture]

“Paul Stamatious’s Yahoo Internship”- inju on Flickr [Online Image]

“Paul Stamatiou”- Laughing Squid on Flickr [Online Image] (LaughingSquid)

[/sources]

[/interview]

• Interview with Noah Kagan – The Amusing Entrepreneur
• Interview with Saul Colt – Marketing Magician
• Interview with Neil Patel – Internet Marketing Guru
• Interview with Jimmy Wales – The Knowledge Benefactor
• Interview with Rob Malda a.k.a CmdrTaco – Tech News OG

Okay, so now that you get that I love Reddit, let’s move on to one of the founders, Alexis Ohanian. He’s the guy in charge of drawing the the Reddit Alien and giving him his unique style and flair. In this interview [pq]he’s suprisingly candid about what motivates him – and it’s nothing less than a kick of negativity in the face[/pq]. I would have loved to see his “wall of demotivation” that inspired him during the early Reddit days. You’ll also find out that he’s a damn nice guy and what his goals are for the future. Enjoy the interview!

[interview]

The Interview

[twitter::kn0thing]

Name: Alexis Ohanian
Age: 25
Occupation: Entrepreneur, Graphic Designer, Musician

What are are your nicknames and why did you receive them?::

Actually, I insisted on not having any nicknames and always went by Alexis. But maybe I never heard any that I really liked.

What items do you always carry with you?::

If the day is going well, I’ll have my keys, phone, and wallet on me. I usually have a laptop and a book with me, too. It justifies the existence of my manbag.

What challenges do you face in your line of work, and have you ever felt like giving up?::

These days, the challenges are far less perilous than when we were a startup. Back then, I felt like giving up every few days — especially given some family issues that arose — but the thought of actually doing it never crossed my mind. I suspect it’s part of the delusion that comes with starting a company — that, and a very supportive family.

What does your work environment look like?::

That changes depending on where I am at the moment, but it almost always includes this laptop.

What do you consider greatest failure and why?::

Ahh, the advantage of only having a few years of experience on a large project that turned out to be a success…

Before reddit, I’d started a forum that grew to a few hundred members discussing world news, politics, etc. but eventually flamed out. It was a great experience in community management and my ambitions for that site certainly got funneled into reddit.

What do you consider your greatest achievement and why?::

reddit.com – a lot of people are better informed/entertained because of it and I think we’ve somehow contributed to a decline in the United States’ GDP (breadpig is a close second)

Who (and or what) inspires, motivates you?::

1. Since I was a child, my parents.
2. During reddit, it was typically any naysayers and trolls. [pqr]I even kept a wall of negative-reinforcement that had quotes and clippings[/pqr].
3. More recently, Barack Obama.
4. I’ve also long been motivated by rainbows.

What are the most important things you have learned in your life so far?::

• People matter, things don’t.
• Be skeptical — especially of any advice given by 25 year olds

Do you have any favorite quotes, pictures, internet links that you would like to share?::

• “Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. At the outside, you’ve got about a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of: [pqr]Goddamn it, you’ve got to be kind![/pqr]” — Kurt Vonnegut
• I also regularly look to this regularly for inspiration: http://despair.com/limitations.html
• And this, I start every day with this video to ease me into my morning coffee, then watch it an unhealthy number of times throughout the day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j2YDq6FkVE&feature=related

What are your strengths and weaknesses?::

Answering job interview questions (I’ll let you decide if that’s a strength or weakness)

Me: It’s definitely a strength. You did great on your interview – you’re hired! See on you Monday.

What are you goals for the future?::

1. Happiness
2. Working on interesting problems
3. World peace – Or at least 2 out of 3.

[sources]

“Monkey Steals Peach” – Gem #1 from his Flickr [Online Images]

“Best Haircut Ever?” – Gem #2 from his Flickr [Online Images]

alien artist blog [Online Blog]

breadpig [Online Bidness]

reddit [Social site]

[/sources]

[/interview]

• Interview with Zack Domes – Disciple of Simplicity
• Interview with Craig Newmark – The People Person
• Interview with Professor Walter Lewin – The Physics Magician
• Interview with Leah Culver – The Social Networker
• Interview with Jimmy Wales – The Knowledge Benefactor