Small Steps. Big Change.

Ep 10: Small Steps with Marisa Renee Lee: Healing From Loss & Navigating Through Grief

Many of the conversations we have had on this podcast have been around subject areas or circumstances that many of us, but not all of us, go through. This discussion with Marissa. Renee Lee is one that can connect with everyone. Losing a loved one or having a really bad experience in life happens to us all. Marissa joins us to discuss the idea that healing from loss does not mean moving on, but instead that we need to strive to love those we have lost even after death. And when you really dive deep, you can sometimes find love that you didn't even feel when they were alive Marisa Renee Lee is a called upon grief advocate, entrepreneur, and bestselling author of Grief is Love: Living with Loss. Deemed "the friend we all wish we had in times of need" by Elaine Welteroth, Marisa is able to utilize research-based advice and wisdom to help others navigate the complicated and dark emotions we face when experiencing loss, offering unique insights for women and Black communities.  In addition to her work in the grief space, Lee is a former appointee in the Obama White House and CEO of Beacon Advisors, a mission-driven consulting firm primarily focused on racial equity. She is a rabble-rouser of social healing: former managing director of My Brother's Keeper Alliance; co-founder of the digital platform Supportal; and founder of The Pink Agenda, a national organization dedicated to raising money for breast cancer care, research, and awareness.  Lee also regularly contributes to The Atlantic, Glamour, Vogue, MSNBC, CNN and serves as an expert for Ritual's wellbeing app. She is a Harvard graduate and an avid home cook. Marisa lives in Virginia with her husband Matt, their newborn son Bennett, and their dog, Sadie. Join us in this conversation to hear the small steps Marisa Renee Lee took to better navigate grief.   Want to learn more from Marisa Renee Lee? >>Visit marisareneelee.com [https://www.marisareneelee.com/] >>Grief is Love: Living with Loss  [https://www.target.com/p/grief-is-love-by-marisa-renee-lee-hardcover/-/A-84196806] >> Follow on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/marisareneelee] >>Follow on Instagram @marisareneelee [https://www.instagram.com/marisareneelee/]   Connect with Andrew Sullivan on Instagram @thesmallstepspod [https://www.instagram.com/thesmallstepspod/] Watch Small Steps, Big Change on YouTube @Small Steps Big Change Podcast [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC03ZisXSPsXBFo3xr0-Wag]

Ep 9: Small Steps with Samara Bay: Using Your Voice to Lead Us to a Better Future

We have focused a lot of our time on this podcast hearing from people who have done the inner work to not just survive but thrive. However, what do you do once you have that inner power? That's where Samara Bay comes in.  By redefining what power and authority sound like, Samara will teach us just how to use our voice to move the world toward a better tomorrow. Samara Bay is an author and speech coach whose clients are candidates for US Congress, C-suite executives, international diplomats, high school girls, and Hollywood celebrities.  Her Penguin Random House book, Permission to Speak is a revolution in how to think about your voice and everyone else's.   I've never had a more timely guest-   Samara, you're just what we need right now and it is an honor to bring you on Small Steps.  Join us in this conversation to hear the small steps Samara Bay took to use her voice to help lead us to a better future.    Want to learn more from Samara Bay? >>Visit ladialectcoach.com [https://www.ladialectcoach.com/] >>Follow on Twitter @SamaraBay [https://twitter.com/samarabay] >>Follow on Instagram @samarabay [https://www.instagram.com/samarabay/] >>Permission to Speak [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/667566/permission-to-speak-by-samara-bay/] is available for pre-order now@samarabay.com, and it'll be available in bookstores February 7th, 2023.   Connect with Andrew Sullivan on Instagram @thesmallstepspod [https://www.instagram.com/thesmallstepspod/] Watch Small Steps, Big Change on YouTube @Small Steps Big Change Podcast [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC03ZisXSPsXBFo3xr0-Wag]

Ep 8: Small Steps with Robert Walker: Measuring Our Lives by the Impact We Make

This conversation is with a special guest, Robert Walker, who is also my friend and mentor. Robert Walker is known to his friends and colleagues as Bob. Bob founded American Program Bureau (APB), to provide an open forum for individuals to voice their opinions and point of view. Today, APB has the largest speaker roster in the industry, from entertainers and politicians to business leaders and renowned public intellectuals. A pioneering force in the lecture industry, Bob and the team at APB Speakers created the medium for people to see the most exciting and popular personalities, hear cutting-edge ideas, and experience the leaders, activists, and innovators, unedited and unfiltered by mass media.  Upon founding APB in 1965, Walker reinvented the traditional lecture by creating infotainment to transmit the innovative intellectual excitement of a dynamic time and an entertaining format. From colleges to town halls, community forums, corporations, and trade and professional associations, this fourth medium offered audiences what they could not get elsewhere. To this day, under Walker's guidance and leadership, APB's culture of innovation continues to define each era while always looking into the future. Join us in this conversation to hear the small steps Robert Walker took to put purpose over profit and show us how to measure our lives by the impact we make.   Want to learn more from Robert Walker? >>>Visit apbspeakers.com [https://www.apbspeakers.com/] >>>Connect on Twitter @Robert Walker [https://twitter.com/rpwapb] >>>Connect on LinkedIn @Robert Walker [https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertpwalker/]   Connect with Andrew Sullivan on Instagram @thesmallstepspod [https://www.instagram.com/thesmallstepspod/] Watch Small Steps, Big Change on YouTube @Small Steps Big Change Podcast [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC03ZisXSPsXBFo3xr0-Wag]

Ep 7: Small Steps with Joanne “Coach P” McCallie: How to go from Survivorship to Thrivership

Episode 6 with Chamique Holdsclaw dove into overcoming adversity and rebounding from trauma. This week’s guest, Joanne P. McCallie is also known as Coach P to her players and colleagues, has a very similar story to Chamique. As a coach, the stigma can be even worse. Coach P shows us the power of storytelling, and drives home the need for more education, action, and overall change to the stigma-filled narrative about brain health. Joanne “Coach P” McCallie is a former NCAA Division I women’s basketball head coach for 28 years, leading teams at Maine, Michigan State, and Duke, making National Coach of the Year, and winning numerous championships at all three schools. She is the only coach in history to win Coach of the Year in four different conferences, and then achieved that five times. And she is the only Division I head coach to lead two different programs to 30-win seasons with three National Championship game appearances. Coach P was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder at age 30 while coaching at Maine. It was something she wanted to reveal for decades but was counseled that it would be career suicide and distracting to her teams. In 2021, she decided it was time to talk and became a mental health advocate and speaker, sharing her story to inspire and educate others on how to “win without losing yourself.” The result was her best-selling book, Secret Warrior: A Coach and Fighter, On and Off the Court, and numerous speaking engagements where she shares her story. Join us in this conversation to hear the small steps Coach P took to go from survivorship to thrivership.   Want to learn more from Joanne P. McCallie?  >>Connect with Joanne on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanne-p-mccallie-68327b1a9] >>Follow her on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/JoannePMcC] and Instagram @coachp4life [https://www.instagram.com/coachp4life/] >>Secret Warrior: A Coach and Fighter, On and Off the Court [https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Warrior-Coach-Fighter-Court/dp/1646632907]   Connect with Andrew Sullivan on Instagram @thesmallstepspod [https://www.instagram.com/thesmallstepspod/] Watch Small Steps, Big Change on YouTube @Small Steps Big Change Podcast [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC03ZisXSPsXBFo3xr0-Wag]

Ep 6: Small Steps with Chamique Holdsclaw: Overcoming Adversity and Rebounding from Trauma

Growing up, Drew recalls seeing the Holdsclaw jersey hanging on the wall in sports stores, although he never really knew exactly who Chamique Holdsclaw was. The only thing that Drew knew was that she was a really good basketball player– no one knew what Chamique Holdsclaw was going through behind the scenes. This conversation will be all about that part of Chamique’s life. You will hear her personal story of resilience as well as a message of the importance of self-care, prioritizing mental health, asking for help, and knowing that you are not alone. From the rough edge courts of New York City and recruited by Coach Pat Summit for the University of Tennessee's, Lady Balls, Chamique Holdsclaw was hailed as the female Michael Jordan- impressing crowds with her artistry, athleticism, and drive. A three-time NCAA champ and number one draft pick in the WNBA, Holdsclaw seemed destined for a spectacular professional career until her long-suppressed battle with mental disorders emerged to derail her career and threaten her life. Join us in this conversation to hear the small steps that Chamique Holdsclaw took after hitting her rock bottom moment.    Want to learn more from Chamique Holdsclaw on how to overcome adversity and rebound from trauma? >>Follow Chamique on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/chold1/?hl=en] and Twitter [https://twitter.com/chold1] @ChamiqueHoldsclaw    Connect with Andrew Sullivan on Instagram @thesmallstepspod [https://www.instagram.com/thesmallstepspod/] Watch Small Steps, Big Change on YouTube @Small Steps Big Change Podcast [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC03ZisXSPsXBFo3xr0-Wag]