Harvard Leadership Professor: When Something's Bothering You And It's Not Changing | Soul Toll S1E1

Serial Entrepreneur: When Someone Tells You Your Energy Is Bringing Them Down | Soul Toll S1E5

Serial Entrepreneur: When Someone Tells You Your Energy Is Bringing Them Down | Soul Toll S1E5 DON'T HIRE SAD PEOPLE It sounds harsh until you sit with it. You can't change what's heavy in someone else's life. It's not your job to. And the people you build with, work with, live with — their energy ends up shaping yours, and yours shapes theirs. So who are you bringing close, and what are you bringing into the room when you walk in? If you've been thinking about the energy you bring, and the energy you're surrounded by, this is the conversation. ABOUT THE EPISODE In this episode of Soul Toll, host Anusia Gillespie sits down with serial entrepreneur Tivan Amour for a conversation about a philosophy he built a company on — don't hire sad people — and what happened when he had to apply it to himself. Tivan and his co-founder once had a stretch of bad hires. When they looked closely at the pattern, the people they were letting go all had something heavy outside of work pulling them down. They couldn't fix it, and they realized it wasn't theirs to fix. That insight became a philosophy. They got intentional about who they brought close, and the business got stronger. Tivan walks Anusia through how he holds it now, how he interviews for it, and why he thinks every interaction is a chance to set the tone rather than inherit one. Then the conversation turns. A few of his closest pickleball partners told him his energy was bringing them down on the court. He could have shrugged it off. Instead he started walking onto the court with intention, deciding to be a nine before he opened the gate. He started winning more. And he started to see that no matter how steady you are on average, you can be the heavy one in any given room and a philosophy is only as good as the rooms you carry it into. ABOUT THE GUEST Tivan Amour is a serial entrepreneur who has spent his career founding and scaling companies across manufacturing, e-commerce, real estate, and B2B software. He sold his last startup to a $2B company, where he built and led a global sales and support team of more than 140. He now serves as Founder and CEO of Upwind, a sales growth firm helping companies accelerate revenue through better outreach, stronger systems, and smarter execution. Outside of work, he spends time with his family, plays pickleball, and kiteboards. Learn more about Upwind: https://upwindcompanies.com/ CHAPTERS [00:00] Don't Hire Sad People [01:04] Lifestyle design as the frame [03:35] Why the philosophy works [05:09] The hires we had to let go [06:36] How do you interview for it [10:02] The word people flinch at [12:01] The conversation with my wife [13:11] What raising money actually costs [15:16] Turning 40 and chasing 30 [17:43] I wonder how sad people sleep [18:55] When you don't get to choose who's around you [19:50] Southern hospitality and what gets mirrored back [22:27] The pickleball partners who told me [25:00] The energy it takes to build something [26:30] You can be the heavy one at any moment [28:00] My version of gratitude [29:25] Everything is a game [31:20] How much control we actually have [32:34] Stop trying to change them SUBSCRIBE for new episodes of Soul Toll, dropping weekly. CONNECT Website: https://soul-toll.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/anusiagillespie LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/anusiagillespie Facebook: https://facebook.com/anusia.gillespie.5 Business inquiries: hello@soul-toll.com READ THE BOOK Soul Toll by Anusia Gillespie: https://www.amazon.com/Soul-Toll-Anusia-Gillespie/dp/B0FN9PSS2N PRODUCTION Director: Michael Dynice Writers and Producers: Anusia Gillespie, Lady Unicorn Executive Producers: Johnny Ray, Richard Messinger Lighting and Scenic Design: We Roadie and Grip Inc. Post Production and Editing: Streamography Produced for Warwick TV at Johnny Ray's Music Emporium WITH SPECIAL THANKS Eat Well Kitchen of Marblehead Johnny Ray's Music Emporium We Roadie and Grip Inc. Chic Streets Mabel of Marblehead The Yoga Loft Marblehead Ghislain Viau of Creative Publishing Book Design #SoulToll #TivanAmour #Energy #Entrepreneurship #LifestyleDesign #Upwind #Founders #IntentionalLiving #Pickleball #MindsetShift #AnusiaGillespie

NYT Bestselling Author: When One Chapter Of Your Life Wants To Be The Whole Story | Soul Toll S1E4

NYT Bestselling Author: When One Chapter Of Your Life Wants To Be The Whole Story | Soul Toll S1E4 BAD HEADLINES There's a chapter of your life you didn't choose. Maybe you were born into it. Maybe it happened around you. Maybe it happened to someone you love and you've been carrying it ever since. This episode is about what to do when that chapter keeps trying to be the whole story. If you've been carrying a bad headline, this is the conversation. ABOUT THE EPISODE In this episode of Soul Toll, host Anusia Gillespie sits down with journalist and New York Times bestselling author Phyllis Karas for a conversation about the chapters of our lives we did not write — and what it takes to finally name them. Phyllis has spent her career writing other people's bad headlines. Whitey Bulger's mob. The Onassis women. The mob wives of South Boston. In her new book Curse of the Blumenthals, she finally turned the lens on her own family — a 1935 car accident that killed six of her relatives in an instant, and a 1956 murder that may not have been what everyone thought it was. What emerges is not a tidy story about turning pain into purpose. Phyllis pushes back on that. So does Anusia. What they land on instead is something more useful: how to let a hard chapter sit alongside the rest of your life without ruling it. ABOUT THE GUEST Phyllis Karas is a professor of journalism at Boston University and a stringer for People Magazine. She is the author of ten books, including the New York Times bestseller Brutal: The Untold Story of My Life Inside Whitey Bulger's Irish Mob and The Onassis Women, which was the subject of a Dateline NBC special. Her work has appeared in Vogue, the Miami Herald, Boston Magazine, and Moment Magazine, where her piece on kosher slaughter received the Simon Rockower Award for Excellence. Read Curse of the Blumenthals: https://www.amazon.com/Curse-Blumenth... [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqazF1d09KcEJ4dHZpajc4N0oxQWpxSVpmN3Vhd3xBQ3Jtc0tub3ZMNVprdWZOdTRNekFOLXN2MC1HSzl2SUxOMmhlQzllUl9kNnoxX1ZRWnRjWjI0MC02SUZlSlNkaEZjenc0QXBaVGZ6RU1TYjdnOUtuZGU2bXVUdllpYzlCTndLZVR0VWI3dTBMRC1EZUNhQWNBSQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FCurse-Blumenthals-Phyllis-Karas%2Fdp%2FB0G2JTX8RH&v=teEyhatJNBI] SUBSCRIBE for new episodes of Soul Toll, dropping weekly. CONNECT Website: https://soul-toll.com [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbjFxSUd6bnY0bW1Dc21aazl4cFBINW9tSngyUXxBQ3Jtc0trUlRockdJbndScDFRTXhUOGlHQlJjeXRucEk4SDVkdDdfUkNhVktuNEhMaFo4UzExNEpma3FlNFF0aU9ORVJLSU8tOVVlTGVJWGM3OGs2YW90T3VyLTdURngxalIxR2xldjBJQkYzakFSeU93Ykg1dw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fsoul-toll.com%2F&v=teEyhatJNBI] Instagram: / anusiagillespie [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbGtsQUhZRmtteE16NmF4WXp1Q24yM0lsOVFKUXxBQ3Jtc0tsZnNibmZZOWdFQTZCb3FtS1RfWUlYeFRyY040UTRWWW5xUnVzY2RWLS1XM2Uxd0VQX3NVQ2JQeWp2MFdzcWl4TEZzSVM1cF8zOFY5UVhzTFQ1b090dmVoQzR6MnJjMVZWSjFJcl84QUVZQVlsTlI4WQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Finstagram.com%2Fanusiagillespie&v=teEyhatJNBI] LinkedIn: / anusiagillespie [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbDk1aDZaRnNucGppWnJSN01uNUpEQmtGRHdqd3xBQ3Jtc0trTnNJSGZSRVJPaHZBdU1nOUw4d3FOdGxZRTZ6cllDbVlNODZXRElFblhfNldIRVRoZVZLeEplUGdfNlFhNmRGSmdnVW0xeFVGNmFuNGRVOEc5UmctdEtOYjM1dGpvc2FQRzMwdkJTR2wzVktETS1Jaw&q=https%3A%2F%2Flinkedin.com%2Fin%2Fanusiagillespie&v=teEyhatJNBI] Facebook: / anusia.gillespie.5 [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbDRRbV9tUEsyc0dIVGNzekt2UU14aWs1Z0ZmZ3xBQ3Jtc0ttY3psZzRyVWs3TW1VSDRxN0E5VWlZM290QWg1UEVBQmVYR1p0WU1iNzNGOW85YXM1dHRpa01qcVNoVWlpNlhZbGVmLTduWVZhSnZpVTg4RTl2OWFvZG5KZGpuT1FCejlabkk0NU1vTVFkUm9VS0pqZw&q=https%3A%2F%2Ffacebook.com%2Fanusia.gillespie.5&v=teEyhatJNBI] Business inquiries: hello@soul-toll.com READ THE BOOK Soul Toll by Anusia Gillespie: https://www.amazon.com/Soul-Toll-Anus... [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbXBGcUdiNGJsTTlXNm0xVGpjdl9oMGs0UFdIQXxBQ3Jtc0tsSEFEQjloVkdsYXU1dWhmQW1zVFBnUU1JLWlad05wUlp5eG5yOUVYcktKNmxRM3Y2WUxZdEZEQ0dhSWFTODVna1lOeDJyYWxFYWdQcGJBRldnWElrYURoWmNzeEJpTTlKeWJWazhwOTA3WHc2SjUxSQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSoul-Toll-Anusia-Gillespie%2Fdp%2FB0FN9PSS2N&v=teEyhatJNBI] PRODUCTION Director: Michael Dynice Writers and Producers: Anusia Gillespie, Lady Unicorn Executive Producers: Johnny Ray, Richard Messinger Lighting and Scenic Design: We Roadie and Grip Inc. Post Production and Editing: Streamography Produced for Warwick TV at Johnny Ray's Music Emporium WITH SPECIAL THANKS Eat Well Kitchen of Marblehead Johnny Ray's Music Emporium We Roadie and Grip Inc. Chic Streets Mabel of Marblehead The Yoga Loft Marblehead Ghislain Viau of Creative Publishing Book Design

Harvard Leadership Professor: When Something's Bothering You And It's Not Changing | Soul Toll S1E1

In the season one premiere, Anusia Gillespie talks with Scott Westfahl, Harvard Law School Faculty Director of Executive Education, about conviction, courage, and the cost of ignoring what you see wrong. DROP ANCHOR There's something important bothering you. Something you feel strongly about and want to change. But something is in your way. This episode is about what happens when you stop waiting and drop anchor in what you actually believe. If you've been carrying something you want to fix, this is the conversation that gives you permission to start. ABOUT THE EPISODE In the season one premiere of Soul Toll, host Anusia Gillespie sits down with her longtime mentor and friend Scott Westfahl, a Harvard expert in leadership development and Faculty Director of Harvard Law School Executive Education, for a conversation about conviction, courage, and the cost of ignoring what you see wrong. Scott has spent his career closing the leadership gap in law, training the most influential leaders in the profession. In this episode, he walks Anusia through the inflection points of a career — what someone is really thinking at the start, in the middle, and as a seasoned executive — and what universally separates the people who follow their conviction from the ones who keep it on the periphery. ABOUT THE GUEST Scott Westfahl is a world-renowned expert in leadership development. He is a Professor of Practice at Harvard Law School and Faculty Director of Harvard Law School Executive Education, where he designs and leads programs for senior leaders across law firms, in-house legal departments, and government. His work has shaped how the legal profession thinks about leadership, talent, and the long arc of a career. Scott's Book Recommendation Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman https://www.amazon.com/Four-Thousand-Weeks-Management-Mortals/dp/0374159122 [https://www.amazon.com/Four-Thousand-Weeks-Management-Mortals/dp/0374159122] In this episode, you'll learn: * What conviction looks like * How we lose our own compass * The cost of maximizing productivity * The achieving brain vs. the awakened brain * When extrinsic success swallows the intrinsic * Why the change you keep trying to make at work isn't landing * What we're really avoiding when we stop reflecting * Conviction at the start, the middle, and the senior arc of a career * What success looks like when you finally stop to look * What to start, what to stop Follow Soul Toll on your favorite podcast app for new episodes weekly. CONNECT Website: https://soul-toll.com [https://soul-toll.com] Instagram: https://instagram.com/anusiagillespie [https://instagram.com/anusiagillespie] LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/anusiagillespie [https://linkedin.com/in/anusiagillespie] Facebook: https://facebook.com/anusia.gillespie.5 [https://facebook.com/anusia.gillespie.5] Business inquiries: hello@soul-toll.com [hello@soul-toll.com] PRODUCTION Director: Michael Dynice Writers and Producers: Anusia Gillespie, Lady Unicorn Executive Producers: Johnny Ray, Richard Messinger Lighting and Scenic Design: We Roadie and Grip Inc. Post Production and Editing: Streamography Produced for Warwick TV at Johnny Ray's Music Emporium WITH SPECIAL THANKS Johnny Ray's Music Emporium We Roadie and Grip Inc. Chic Streets Eat Well Kitchen Mabel of Marblehead The Yoga Loft Marblehead Creative Publishing Book Design READ THE BOOK Soul Toll by Anusia Gillespie: https://www.amazon.com/Soul-Toll-Anusia-Gillespie/dp/B0FN9PSS2N [https://www.amazon.com/Soul-Toll-Anusia-Gillespie/dp/B0FN9PSS2N] Tags: Soul Toll, Scott Westfahl, leadership, Harvard Law, executive education, mentorship, career, personal leadership

MIT Scientist: When You Can't Get Out of Your Head, Try Your Nose | Soul Toll S1E3

In episode three, Anusia Gillespie talks with Andreas Mershin — quantum physicist, 22-year MIT researcher, and Chief Science Officer of RealNose — about how smell, the most ignored sense you have, is actually a tool for co-creating your reality. SUPER NOSE? There's something that you are thinking way too much about. Overanalyzing. Instead of doing. But today, you're going to learn how to co-create your reality — using your nose. Your sense of smell. The most powerful and most ignored sense you have. If you've been stuck in your head, this is the conversation that gives you a tool you've had all along. ABOUT THE EPISODE In this episode of Soul Toll, host Anusia Gillespie sits down with quantum physicist and former MIT researcher Andreas Mershin for a conversation about smell as an untapped human superpower. Andreas spent over two decades at MIT studying machine olfaction — SniffTech — and how scent shapes emotion, memory, perception, and possibility faster than conscious thought. Inside the conversation: why our bodies emit a constant "scent aura" rich with information about our physical and mental states; how dogs can smell cancer before symptoms appear; and how you can use scent to access focus, calm, clarity, and courage. ABOUT THE GUEST Andreas Mershin has spent 22 years at MIT and is now Chief Science Officer of RealNose, using machine olfaction to diagnose disease. He is the co-author of Perceptual Engineering: How Olfaction and Other Senses Create Reality. His research explores how the senses, especially smell, shape what is possible for us as humans. Andreas's Book: Perceptual Engineering: How Olfaction and Other Senses Create Reality. Available at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GSWFGJ7Y [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GSWFGJ7Y] In this episode, you'll learn: * Why smell is the most powerful sense you've been ignoring * How your body emits a "scent aura" that broadcasts your inner state * What dogs detect that doctors can't and what that means for your health * How to use specific scents to shift on demand * Why your thoughts shape your reality more directly than you realize * How to stop overanalyzing and start co-creating * What deep engagement with one thing unlocks in the rest of your life * A simple practice you can do today to come back into your body Follow Soul Toll on your favorite podcast app for new episodes weekly. CONNECT Website: https://soul-toll.com [https://soul-toll.com] Instagram: https://instagram.com/anusiagillespie [https://instagram.com/anusiagillespie] LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/anusiagillespie [https://linkedin.com/in/anusiagillespie] Facebook: https://facebook.com/anusia.gillespie.5 [https://facebook.com/anusia.gillespie.5] Business inquiries: hello@soul-toll.com [hello@soul-toll.com] PRODUCTION Director: Michael Dynice Writers and Producers: Anusia Gillespie, Lady Unicorn Executive Producers: Johnny Ray, Richard Messinger Lighting and Scenic Design: We Roadie and Grip Inc. Post Production and Editing: Streamography Produced for Warwick TV at Johnny Ray's Music Emporium WITH SPECIAL THANKS Johnny Ray's Music Emporium We Roadie and Grip Inc. Chic Streets Eat Well Kitchen Mabel of Marblehead The Yoga Loft Marblehead Creative Publishing Book Design READ THE BOOK Soul Toll by Anusia Gillespie: https://www.amazon.com/Soul-Toll-Anusia-Gillespie/dp/B0FN9PSS2N [https://www.amazon.com/Soul-Toll-Anusia-Gillespie/dp/B0FN9PSS2N] Tags: Soul Toll, Andreas Mershin, MIT, smell, olfaction, perception, neuroscience, mindfulness

Renowned Spiritual Teacher: When You're Curious But It's All a Little Too "Woo" | Soul Toll S1E2

In episode two, Anusia Gillespie talks with Gurdeep Bhogal — a renowned spiritual practitioner whose work sits at the intersection of ancient yogic wisdom and modern spiritualism — about what it costs to keep the door to your inner life closed, and what's waiting on the other side. DIP YOUR TOE You're crazy busy. Just so busy. Doing, doing, doing. But what happens when you stop? Pause. Sit. Take a breath. And turn inward. This episode is about what's waiting for you when you do. If you've been curious about meditation, intuition, or the inner life but the language throws you off or you just don't know what it all means, this is your place to dip a toe. ABOUT THE EPISODE There's a part of you that you've likely never visited, and it has all of your answers. Maybe you've avoided it because the people who talked about meditation, energy, or yoga felt too out there. Too, dare we say, woo. So you smiled and changed the subject. In this episode, host Anusia Gillespie sits down with renowned spiritual practitioner Gurdeep Bhogal for a conversation about what it costs to keep that door closed, and what's waiting for you on the other side. Gurdeep walks Anusia through what it actually looks like to begin turning inward, the resistance most people meet on the way, and how ancient yogic wisdom and modern spiritualism converge on the same simple truth: you already have what you need. ABOUT THE GUEST Gurdeep Bhogal is a renowned spiritual practitioner whose work as a Psychic Medium, Trance Medium, Medium Development Teacher, Shakti Embodiment Teacher, Reiki Master Teacher, and Yoga Teacher sits at the intersection of ancient yogic wisdom and modern spiritualism. Gurdeep describes herself as an eternal student of the soul. In this episode, you'll learn: * Why "woo" works * What changes when you finally turn inward * Why so many people are reaching for this right now * How to tell where your energy is actually going * What soul-to-soul connection feels like and how to find it * What meditation looks like in real life * How to tell when your mind is running you instead of the other way around * A simple way to start tonight, even if you have no idea where to begin Follow Soul Toll on your favorite podcast app for new episodes weekly. CONNECT Website: https://soul-toll.com [https://soul-toll.com] Instagram: https://instagram.com/anusiagillespie [https://instagram.com/anusiagillespie] LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/anusiagillespie [https://linkedin.com/in/anusiagillespie] Facebook: https://facebook.com/anusia.gillespie.5 [https://facebook.com/anusia.gillespie.5] Business inquiries: hello@soul-toll.com [hello@soul-toll.com] PRODUCTION Director: Michael Dynice Writers and Producers: Anusia Gillespie, Lady Unicorn Executive Producers: Johnny Ray, Richard Messinger Lighting and Scenic Design: We Roadie and Grip Inc. Post Production and Editing: Streamography Produced for Warwick TV at Johnny Ray's Music Emporium WITH SPECIAL THANKS Johnny Ray's Music Emporium We Roadie and Grip Inc. Chic Streets Eat Well Kitchen Mabel of Marblehead The Yoga Loft Marblehead Creative Publishing Book Design READ THE BOOK Soul Toll by Anusia Gillespie: https://www.amazon.com/Soul-Toll-Anusia-Gillespie/dp/B0FN9PSS2N [https://www.amazon.com/Soul-Toll-Anusia-Gillespie/dp/B0FN9PSS2N] Tags: Soul Toll, Gurdeep Bhogal, meditation, intuition, inner life, spirituality, yoga, mindfulness