NextTier Athletes founders and executives on confidence, connections, and getting athletes to the Ivy League

"Trees have no boundaries. They grow in every country." Interviewing the founders of the non-profit Trees for Me.

Founders of the New Jersey non-profit organization, Trees for Me, align with a core premise: It takes ten trees to support one life.  With that, founder Harini Rajesh and co-founder Anvita Gurumurthy, Sowmya Parthasarathy and Rupa Gurumurthy started this initiative to plant trees around the world. (Harini goes to Cornell university and Anvita is at NYU.)  "There aren't nearly enough trees in the world for everyone. And we intend to change that," Rajesh says. In our interview with the Sage Sayers, the week of Mother's Day, we hear of their progress made: $30k raised, 2,811 trees planted, and 281 lives sustained.  We hear from two college students whose applications to college became even better through launching a non-profit in their youths, because they had an uplifting story to tell. And we hear how launching a non-profit can bring families closer and teach us storytelling techniques, because motivating others to plant trees and fund those plantings requires excellent communication, organization, and persuasion skills.  You can follow Trees for Me here [https://www.treesforme.org/] and visit their instagram page here. [https://www.instagram.com/10treesforme/]Email the group at 10treesforme@gmail.com [10treesforme@gmail.com] if you'd like to donate, get involved, or plant a tree.  Debbi McCullough has written for the Economist, Financial Times of London, and Guardian. She is certified with the International Coaching Federation as a Master Certified Coach, in the top 4% globally, and is a communications thought partner to emerging and newly-promoted Fortune 500/100 leaders. Find her on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dgmccullough1970/].  Book her for a consult [https://calendly.com/hangingrockmedia/30min?month=2025-12]. Train your teams with her on Maven [https://maven.com/hanging-rock/listenlikeabossworkshop] and here.  [https://maven.com/hanging-rock/tell-your-work-story-well]

"Jesus is the Coolest Guy I Know." Writer Melinda Gonzalez on making Jesus less complicated (and way cooler) than religion made him look

We sit down with Melinda Gonzalez, an author and retired entrepreneur whose heart and purpose feel deeply rooted in faith and service. When her twin son and daughter both went to college, she felt a bigger pull to write the book she believes Jesus always wanted her to write.  "Jesus is the Coolest Guy I Know" [https://www.amazon.com/JESUS-COOLEST-GUY-I-KNOW/dp/B0GN9Z5HWN]takes all of her learnings from being a devoted Bible student for decades and draws lessons and memoir from her own twists and turns with life, relationships, fertility, and faith.  Her compelling guide convinces us that beyond the rituals, judgment, and perfection, the real Jesus was a masterful storyteller. He was the friend who never flinched at mess nor problems. He was the CEO of Creation. He was the Ladies' Man who brought dignity to women. And he was Heaven's Bouncer.  We learn too of the many decisions new writers must make, everything from our title, to chapters, to our point of view, and the book cover. You can find and support Melinda's book on Amazon here [https://www.amazon.com/JESUS-COOLEST-GUY-I-KNOW/dp/B0GN9Z5HWN] and join her Cool Jesus Club on Instagram here.  [https://www.instagram.com/cooljesusclub/] Debbi McCullough has written for the Economist, Financial Times of London, and Guardian. She is certified with the International Coaching Federation as a Master Certified Coach, in the top 4% globally, and a communications thought partner to Fortune 500/100 leaders. Find her on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dgmccullough1970/].  Book her for a consult [https://calendly.com/hangingrockmedia/30min?month=2025-12]. Train your teams with her on Maven.  [https://maven.com/hanging-rock/listenlikeabossworkshop]

NextTier Athletes founders and executives on confidence, connections, and getting athletes to the Ivy League

When Harvard University first year student Jonathan Rubin first launched NextTier Athletes five months ago, he did not anticipate the business reaching five figures monthly so soon from launch.  The consulting business, helping high-school top athletes get the inside edge from current Ivy League athletes, took off fast. "We had an idea. We knew time was limited, and we had to capitalize on it," Jonathan says.  From Harvard Square, we sit with Jonathan and his executives Jordan Gonzalez and Nicholas McCullough on their early launch, success, and the power of a personal brand. We also get an interesting take from teen entrepreneurs on confidence, and how to block out the inevitable fear when doing something big (and bold) like introducing yourself to powerful coaches, pitching yourself to parents, and launching a first venture.  You can read more about NextTier Athletes here [https://nexttierathletes.com/] and hire them to help your high school athlete get to an Ivy League college.  Debbi McCullough has written for the Economist, FT, and Guardian. She is certified with the International Coaching Federation as a Master Certified Coach, in the top 4% globally, and a communications thought partner to Fortune 500/100 leaders. Find her on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dgmccullough1970/].  Book her for a consult [https://calendly.com/hangingrockmedia/30min?month=2025-12]. Train your teams with her on Maven.  [https://maven.com/hanging-rock/listenlikeabossworkshop]

The art of conversation: How to expand our simple sentences (and stand out)

We hear the need for brevity to hook and engage our audiences. What if we're so brief, we struggle to expand or stretch beyond one sentence? Reading from Substack: How we can expand on our ideas and offerings to the world in interesting ways, and without sounding annoyingly "braggish." Tips, tactics, and analysis on the cultural and humility barriers that might be getting in our way.  You can read along to this reading here.  [https://betterthanabot.substack.com/p/the-art-of-conversation-how-to-expand] Debbi McCullough has written for the Economist, FT, and Guardian and is certified with the International Coaching Federation as a Master Certified Coach, in the top 4% globally. She's a communications coach to leaders at Fortune 500s/100s including Google. Find her on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dgmccullough1970/].  Book her for a consult [https://calendly.com/hangingrockmedia/30min?month=2025-12] on the communication challenge irking you most.

"Tell me your real story, about when you earned $250 a month." LinkedIn Coach Ashi Chopra on sharing our wins and struggles

If you seek motivation to use LinkedIn more liberally and well, start listening to and following LinkedIn Coach Ashi Chopra. She's a Mumbai-based entrepreneur who loves to help women (especially) tell their stories on LinkedIn, the world's largest social media site for business professionals.  We hear from Ashi on the missed opportunities of engaging on LinkedIn and that telling our audiences what does not work and what does work becomes vital. If we share only the highlights then nobody learns how we navigate our challenges, nor how we talked ourselves back into success.  You can find Ashi on LinkedIn here. [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashichopra/]You can enjoy our interview on YouTube here. [https://youtu.be/GvKAIsJ-D94?si=zmjLAc2z76gzsm0g]  Debbi McCullough has written for the Economist, FT, and Guardian and serves as a Master Certified Coach and communications coach to leaders at Fortune 500s/100s including Google. Find her on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dgmccullough1970/].  Book her for a consult [https://calendly.com/hangingrockmedia/30min?month=2025-12] on the communication challenge irking you most.