Making An Impact With Your Book, Your Message, and Your Life with Ben Gioia

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Today, we have a guest with a true heart for service. Book writing expert and author Ben Gioia has an unrelenting drive to help people make a bigger impact with their story and message.


Using strategies from his book, The Influence With A Heart Method, Ben helps coaches, consultants, speakers, and solopreneurs write high-quality books and get clients before they’re published. Ben’s proven method helps aspiring authors get unstuck and get their books done fast! His method enables authors, visionaries, and changemakers to create the life they want and a business they love… so they can make a difference with their message.

Ben and I met as volunteers at Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco, and it’s been such a wonderful friendship and collaboration!

Listen to this episode and join us as we discuss:

  • How Ben’s writing program helps aspiring authors write a book in 5 weeks

  • Why Ben switched from strictly marketing to helping others “influence with a heart”

  • Ben’s “secret sauce” of weaving spiritual teachings into his work so people can make a bigger impact with their message

  • Family influences and legacies, plus how Ben’s family history inspires him 

  • Substance abuse, addiction, a personal struggle of Ben’s (and why he never gives up)

  • An essential quality for public speaking (spoiler alert: it’s not confidence!)

Discover more about Ben Gioia during his interview on the Bowing to Elephants Podcast, which you can listen to here.

Enjoy the show, and let me know what you think!

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My deepest gratitude to you! 

Mag

P.S.

In case you missed it, check it out at bowingtoelephantspodcast.com and follow, rate, and leave a comment!




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Looking at Acupuncture as Healing Art with Gary Pelzner

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In the latest episode of the Bowing to Elephants Podcast, we discover the ancient wisdom of Chinese medicine and the healing art of acupuncture. Acupuncturist and registered nurse Gary Pelzner joins me today.

Gary’s been practicing five-element acupuncture since 1991 and happens to be my acupuncturist, too! A man of many talents, Gary also makes jewelry and grows the most amazing roses. I admire his enormous heart and commitment to the truth. We share a love of nature and a respect for its ability to teach us and soothe us. 

Listen to this episode today, and join us as we discuss:

  • The transformative healing powers of acupuncture

  • What the five elements of Chinese medicine are and why an imbalance among them causes issues

  • How Gary became a nurse and an acupuncturist

  • Objectivity and how to stick to your truth

  • Balancing work and personal life

Discover more about Gary Pelzner during his interview on the Bowing to Elephants Podcast, which you can listen to here.

Enjoy the show, and let me know what you think!

Follow, Like, and Subscribe:

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My deepest gratitude to you! 

Mag

P.S.

In case you missed it, check it out at bowingtoelephantspodcast.com and follow, rate, and leave a comment!




Mag Dimond
For The Love of the Baroque with Jeffrey Thomas
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If you have a deep love of classical music (especially Baroque), then join this lively and affectionate conversation with Jeffrey Thomas, the musical director of American Bach Soloists. Jeffrey has led over 25 cantata recordings with ABS, a group dedicated to producing historically informed performances.

Today, Jeffrey shares his journey from singer to conductor and his passion for guiding young musicians into musical careers. 

Listen to this episode today, and join us as we discuss:

  • Jeffrey’s work with American Bach Soloists

  • How his past as a performer helps him be a better conductor

  • The collaborative community of an orchestra

  • Bach’s religious background

  • The timelessness of classical music and the sense of peace Jeffrey feels when he listens to Bach

  • How music can transport you and transform your state of mind

Discover more about Jeffrey Thomas during his interview on the Bowing to Elephants Podcast, which you can listen to here.

Enjoy the show, and let me know what you think!

Follow, Like, and Subscribe:

iTunes

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My deepest gratitude to you! 

Mag

P.S.

In case you missed it, check it out at bowingtoelephantspodcast.com and follow, rate, and leave a comment!




Mag Dimond
Running for Her Life with Nita Sweeney
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Today, we discover how one woman used running to pull herself back from the brink of depression. Nita Sweeney shares how she went from being severely depressed and suicidal to running an ultramarathon and writing an award-winning book!

Her memoir, Depression Hates a Moving Target: How Running with My Dog Brought Me Back from the Brink, tells a compelling story of strength and perseverance. In this episode, Nita explains how she uses running, mindfulness, and writing to take care of her mind, body, and spirit. Prepare yourself for a story of true inspiration! 

Listen to this episode today, and join us as we discuss:

  • The events that led Nita to write her memoir

  • Why dogs are excellent mindfulness role models

  • How long it took Nita to get published (and why writers hoping to get published should never give up)

  • The exciting people Nita met while traveling and promoting her book

  • How Nita and her story help others suffering from depression

  • The fine line between using laughter as therapy or using it to mask the pain

  • Nita’s recent ultramarathon

Discover more about Nita Sweeney during her interview on the Bowing to Elephants Podcast, which you can listen to here.

Enjoy the show, and let me know what you think!

Follow, Like, and Subscribe:

iTunes

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My deepest gratitude to you! 

Mag

P.S.

In case you missed it, check it out at bowingtoelephantspodcast.com and follow, rate, and leave a comment!




Mag Dimond
Writers Finding Community During the Pandemic with Carol Menaker & Wayne Lee
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In‌ ‌the latest ‌episode of the Bowing to Elephants Podcast,‌ ‌I‌ ‌hold ‌my‌ ‌first‌ ‌roundtable‌ ‌conversation.‌ ‌C‌arol‌ ‌Menaker‌ ‌and‌ ‌Wayne‌ ‌Lee‌ ‌join‌ ‌me‌ ‌to‌ ‌discuss‌ ‌our‌ ‌respective‌ ‌book manuscripts.‌ ‌We‌ ‌explore ‌death,‌ ‌grief,‌ ‌and‌ ‌the‌ ‌racism‌ ‌that’s entrenched‌ ‌in‌ ‌our‌ ‌judicial‌ ‌system.‌ ‌ ‌

Carol, Wayne, and I met in a nine-month writing program called Write to the Finish. In this episode, we share our works in progress and what inspired us to write them!

Listen to this episode today, and join us as we discuss:

  • How the pandemic affects our writing, forcing us to slow down and appreciate the little things

  • My book in progress, For The Love of Food

  • How Carol's time as a juror on a Black man's murder trial inspired The Worst Thing We've Ever Done

  • Wayne's memoir, Service Husband: A Caregiver's Journey Through Disability, Suicide, & Recovery

  • What we discover about ourselves when we write!

Discover more about Carol Menaker & Wayne Lee during their interview on the Bowing to Elephants Podcast, which you can listen to here.

Enjoy the show, and let me know what you think!

Follow, Like, and Subscribe:

iTunes

Spotify

My deepest gratitude to you! 

Mag

P.S.

In case you missed it, check it out at bowingtoelephantspodcast.com and follow, rate, and leave a comment!




Mag Dimond
A Buddhist Teacher Considers Social Justice & Enlightenment with Trudy Goodman
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On the latest episode of the Bowing to Elephants Podcast, Trudy Goodman joins me to explore the racism woven into our everyday experience. As a Buddhist and psychotherapist, Trudy helps others lead more mindful, meaningful lives. She believes the tenets of Buddhism are ideal for fighting social injustice and that enlightenment is a never-ending process. 


Trudy is the founding teacher of the InsightLA Meditation Center and the co-founder of the Institute of Meditation and Psychotherapy. She’s currently writing a memoir about her spiritual journey. 


Listen to this episode today, and join us as we discuss:

  • Why Buddhists are well suited to battle social injustice and how InsightLA is evolving and diversifying

  • The United States’ history of oppressing people of color

  • Mindfulness-based stress reduction and what sets InsightLA apart from other meditation centers

  • Trudy’s memoir and what inspired her to write it, including the pivotal and painful moments that shaped her life

  • Marriage and what it’s like being married to a successful author

  • A more balanced way to think about Enlightenment 

Discover more about Trudy Goodman during her interview on the Bowing to Elephants Podcast, which you can listen to here.

Enjoy the show, and let me know what you think!

Follow, Like, and Subscribe:

iTunes

Spotify

My deepest gratitude to you! 

Mag

P.S.

In case you missed it, check it out at bowingtoelephantspodcast.com and follow, rate, and leave a comment!




Mag Dimond