Shaunda McDill is the Managing Director of the Pittsburgh Public Theater. She is a rare type of new leader coming of age in the modern American Theater – black women who are ascending to top roles in major theatrical institutions across the country. She has achieved her success by living life on her own terms and giving herself permission to tell her own story (a story founded in her strong, unshakeable faith and the lessons from the mentors who have shaped her life). She has carved nontraditional paths in her approach to marrying her husband, in her approach to motherhood, and in her approach to living her life as an artist. As Shaunda says, “I chose to struggle to produce the work in the way that I saw it. Instead of struggling to convince others of my humanity.”

Connor Schoen is the Co-Founder & Executive Director of Breaktime. When you speak with him about the epidemic of young adult homelessness, you see he has had a passion for this work most of his life. And his coming out experience as pansexual while he was a student at Harvard University working at a shelter where he serviced homeless youth (most of whom were thrown out of their homes because they were LGBTQ+) only increased that passion. There he saw the irony of his own situation, that there but for the grace of having a family that supported his process of embracing who he is, that homeless youth could have been him. It was a turning point that brought into focus for Connor what he should be doing with his life. And he boldly walked in the direction of that mission, by co-founding Breaktime to specifically address the causes of young adult homelessness and how to help move young adults from homelessness to job and financial security. It isn't easy work. It requires persistence and commitment. But for Connor and his team, it comes back to his life's central motto, "every single young person deserves the opportunities and support they need to reach their full potential. And we need to do everything possible to make that happen.”

Nigel Franklyn is one of the founders of Moss Wellness Consulting. He is the self-described Spa Whisperer who was recently featured on "The Tamron Hall Show," but more accurately, he is a person who lives a life of artistry and takes leaps of faith into the unknown. As he says, “I jump off cliffs now and I don’t worry because I really believe fully from my direct experiences that either I will find something soft to land on, or someone will teach me how to fly.” His global career as a spa and wellness aficionado began when his life was changed by a spa therapist in Atlanta who in one service gave him such an overwhelming feeling of nurture, it changed the trajectory of his career and life. He knew from that moment, his life would be devoted to bringing that sense of nurture and wellbeing to people all over the world. His paintings too, like his work in the spa and wellness worlds, are bold and brash, yet they tell a very personal story. A story of a man who lost his parents as a teenager. A man who stepped into the essence of his identity at six years old when he declared he wanted to marry Superman. A man who believes that in order to receive the benefits from something or learn something, you have to learn to surrender to the process. You can’t fight it or be overcome by fear of it. Because in the spaces of surrender we find faith and belief.

Ask Chris Hetherington what learned from his 11 years in the NFL playing fullback for teams like the Cincinnati Bengals, the Indianapolis Colts and the San Francisco 49ers and he will tell you he learned to be a pro, be accountable, to keep his word, and the importance of getting a good education. After smashing wedges on the gridiron, he took those lessons learned and then went on to have a career as a CEO in financial services and now today he is the Founder & CEO of Peels CBD, which is on the road to becoming a disruptive force in the CBD product market. The line is formulated from orange peels and has no traces of hemp, cannabis, or THC and can attract consumers who may have negative associations with traditional CBD products and marijuana. (How it all works he will explain in our conversation.) Along his unpredictable path, he discovered the Stoics, yoga and meditation. And now this elite athlete who once crushed it on the football field is now meditating twice a day and learning to breathe through life as opposed to making things happen through brute force. The through line in Chris’ remarkable life is his devotion to family - he calls his mom his hero, he loves his two sons unabashedly, and looks up to his big brother. He also lives life with physical and mental discipline, a commitment to team, and being a man of his word. If you say you’re going to do, then do it. That is what makes you a good person.

Travis Suit did the impossible. He swam from Bimini to South Florida. He crossed a Blue Desert to raise money for his daughter. As he says with tears lovingly filling his eyes, “I can’t help but see how beautiful adversity can be for transforming the perception of life into just a moment-by-moment miracle. I never knew the greatest gift in my life was going to be my daughter and this disease.” His daughter’s name is Piper. Her disease is Cystic Fibrosis. Which has transformed her life and his. Travis started a nonprofit called Pipers Angel’s Foundation that is helping Piper and the thousands of other people like her, fight this disease that leaves those who suffer with it, fighting to simply breathe. How does he view this adversity that walked unwanted into his family’s life? Travis says,

“Adversity is the starting line for courage.”

“Courage becomes the fuel for inspiration in our life.”

“And from there, Inspiration can really open the door to devotion.” Devotion to Piper. The reason he swam across the Blue Desert.

Susan Chapman-Hughes is a powerhouse of a woman, mother, and businessperson. She has sat in the top executive level of companies like American Express and Citigroup and on major corporate boards across the country. Her tenacity and belief in herself and her abilities come from the love and support of her two parents who were always staunchly in Susan’s corner. Her mother in particular taught her life lessons as a child that have become foundational to her world view today. Her mother gave her unconditional love and permission to try things even if she failed. She instilled in Susan a sense of self-confidence and the belief that she always belonged. That who she was, was good enough, and that she had a right to inhabit any space that she chose to occupy in her life. Lessons she instills in her daughter and the many young people, women, and people of color Susan mentors today. Her approach to life and business is straightforward and hopefully replicable. Your difference is your power, and you have a lot more power than you know. To meet big moments in life, you must do so with empathy. And people are always going to judge you, so navigate life in a way that works best for you.

Yissel Guerrero describes her life as existing in excellence. Excellence and resistance. Guided by a profound faith, this first generation American embodies the American dream. She achieved academically and studied at Emory University, and abroad in Geneva, Switzerland to earn a degree in political science. She worked in the field for Hillary Clinton’s Presidential Campaign in 2016 and then served in Boston’s Mayor Marty Walsh’s Administration during Covid. She was the State Government Liaison for the administration and was at the table of government for its response to the all-consuming pandemic and the social unrest stoked by George Floyd and Breonna Taylor’s murders. When you ask her how and why her life has unfolded and is unfolding in this epic way, she says that she was born for such a time as this. When you ask her what is next in a life already filled with history, she says “For the first time, my ‘next’ is living in the new place called ‘now.’”

Noel Asmar is the founder of Noel Asmar Group of Companies. An unconventional fashion house that designs uniforms and clothing for the worlds of spa and hospitality, the medical field, and the equestrian world – including the Canadian Olympic Equestrian Team in 2016. For Noel, her work goes beyond the latest color blocking trends or what’s showing on the runways in the myriad of fashion weeks around the globe. She views her work in fashion and design as a tool of empowerment, dignity and self-expression for the people who wear her creations. Her views of the world have been shaped by her life – roots in Canada and Beirut, an escape from the war-torn country of Lebanon on a Huber craft that took her to Cypress and running a business that has taken her around globe and brought her in contact with the high and the humble. How she lives her life? Noel says, “Eyes wide opened. Nothing lasts forever. Know that when you go into things. You can change your mind. Who’s judging?”

Joe Hudson has lived the life of a rebel. He lived in 26 places in 28 years, lived in van for a year, spent 7 years of his life meditating, and then went on to be a Hollywood director, venture capitalist and a philanthropist. Today, he is the highly sought-after executive coach and founder of The Art of Accomplishment, a platform for learning and personal development, that is focused on making overwhelmingly positive transformations in the lives and businesses he works with. And while his work is widely praised and received in the C-Suites of Silicon Valley, the real lesson of his message is not about spreadsheets and stock options. He focuses on great leadership and transformational living as being an act of getting in touch with your authentic self by embracing and understanding the emotions that animate you. Joe advocates for expressing love through setting clear boundaries, and believes that establishing an authentic connection with yourself, and others is the real superpower. As Joe says, “I am constantly looking at what allows me to be in deeper connection with myself and others.”

“The ineffable gift that is gold” is how a colleague and critic once described Marnye Young’s voice and talent behind the microphone. Known as the Audio Sorceress, she has leant her voice to narrating over 200 audiobooks and become the owner of a well-established and respected audio publishing company. But her real wizardry isn’t only her work in the recording studio. It comes from what she has learned from becoming a businesswoman, wife, and a mother of beautiful twin girls: owning her greatness, living with compassion and kindness for those who are different from her, and pushing open the doors so people can see and hear her.

As we start 2023 and begin to write new chapters of our lives, Marsha-Ann Donaldson-Brown reminds us that our goal is not to live our best lives. It is to live our only life. And we deserve to live this one existence free from brokenness, fear, self-doubt, and the shackles of expectations. Oftentimes, we create our own bondages because we are simply afraid. As Marsha-Ann did when she revealed that she suffers from Lupus, we must have the courage to speak our truths even if our voices and resolves sometimes waiver. We must be willing to release the things, people, and ideas that hinder our growth. In doing so, we will be experience what Marsha-Ann says of her life, “There are so many possibilities ahead of me. I feel like an eagle that’s soaring with the delicacy of a butterfly.”

Oceana Sawyer talks death in her book Life, Death, Grief & the Possibility of Pleasure. It has been her work as an end-of-life doula to help people make that transition, passing from the realm of the living into what lies beyond what we can see, hear, touch, taste, smell and think, while we live out our years on the planet together. She views her work as that of a witness and truth purveyor. And while many view death as something to dread or fear, Oceana has a different perspective. She says, “Anything’s possible between the ‘what was’ and ‘what’s becoming.’” It can be a very generative space because you’re not constrained anymore by what was.” She also points out, that every transition we make in life is a death and an opportunity to ask ourselves, what do we still have to offer? Far from being something fearful, Oceana views death and the process of dying as an extension, a reflection of the life we have lived.

This fall, Zelda Adams entered one of the top universities in the world – Columbia University. Like all the other freshmen in her class there are pictures of her parents dropping her off at the University and their tearful goodbyes. Unlike the other freshmen in her class, in the years of her life preceding Columbia, Zelda traveled around America for a decade in a RV with her mom, dad and sister shooting movies. Award winning horror movies that have become cult classics and caught the attention of the New York Times and Vogue, Rotten Tomatoes, and Shudder Films. Hellbender, The Deeper You Dig, and Halfway to Zen to name a few. And in between all of that, she has managed to make a career for herself modeling for some of the top brands in the world – Theory, Marc Jacobs, and Gucci among other great fashion houses. And create a #makeitvogue video on TikTok for Vogue. But what excites Zelda today about her new life at Columbia? She will tell you it’s the unknown story that is being written. As she says, the real story is where she will be in 20 years. It could be a whole new life for her.

Kevin Chadwin Davis has lived a life that many people cannot imagine. He witnessed the killings of his mother, sister, and brother at the age of three. The person who took their lives was his own father. And with an almost startling recall of detail, that life changing day for him in 1998 has seared itself into his memories. His life journey has been one of a man fighting for survival, facing the dark corners of a life he did not choose and yet must reckon with every day. His choices for survival have been complex, searching for his father’s love and understanding in the world of escorting. As he himself says, “What I was looking for in these men was parts of my dad that I didn’t have.” But his story doesn’t end there. He is now advocating for HIV and PrEP education and opening a candid conversation on the plight of sex workers. At the end of it all, Kevin still believes in the importance of forgiving people. He practices it daily.

Leon Logothetis has lived the life of an adventurer, traveling the globe in search of people willing to demonstrate acts of kindness to one another. He has chronicled his experiences in four books and a TV series called The Kindness Diaries. At the core of his work is his quest to live a life of vulnerability, love, and magnificence. His is a life not driven by the consumption of material items, but passing along kindnesses, some big and some simple, quiet gestures to his fellow human beings. What have his years of traveling and giving taught him? As Leon says, “It has taught me that we are all the same at base. We simply just want to be seen. We simply just want to be heard. And we simply just want to be loved.”

From arts organizations in Nebraska to the glittering lights of Broadway, Gennean Scott has spent a lifetime advocating for representation for people who are underrepresented in the arts. Her work as the Chief Diversity Officer for the Broadway League comes from a personal place. Growing up as a young dancer in America’s heartland, she had to find her way in the ballet world where there were no role models for her to look up to and overcome her own complex feelings about being one of one in many of the spaces she occupied. From being a single teen mom, to becoming an educator struggling to provide for her children, to her life today as the voice of change on the world’s biggest stages, her story is that of a person who pressed forward because as Gennean says, God put her here for a reason and he isn’t about to let her fail.

Dr. Devin Singh is an associate professor of religion at Dartmouth College, founder of a leadership and executive coaching business called Leadership Kinetics, and an author of some controversial books about the intersection between religion and commerce. Our conversation about the intersection of religion, politics, government and economics (and The Breakfast Club) is a joyfully intense back and forth that sometimes felt more like a good tennis match and less like a “podcast.” We peel back the layers to reveal how he quieted the voices of self-doubt and overcame violent trauma to answer some of the great existential questions that we’ve likely all faced - Who am I? What is my purpose on the planet? And how do I heal the brokenness within me?

Liz Brunner is an Emmy award-winning journalist. In times of crisis, the citizens of Boston turned to her for truth, guidance, and a familiar presence to lean upon for two decades. Today she has brought her skills learned from behind the anchor desk and life lessons gleaned from her ancestors from India to the Mayflower to her own media consulting business Brunner Communications, which helps people find their voice and lead with presence. In her new book Dare to Own You she synthesizes her life’s work into a key thought. She says, “Today, every single one of is a brand. And we have an opportunity to showcase our brand and who we are in our best authentic self, and it’s important to do so. You have to own who you are in order to do that.”

Skyler Maxey-Wert has lived a life of highs and ovations. From the moment he left home at the age of 13 to study at the American Ballet Theater School in New York City to moving to Dresden, Germany to dance with the Semp’Oper Ballett four years later, he has lived a big life on some of the world’s preeminent stages. That bigness continued this year when he received a triple standing ovation and golden ticket to Hollywood from the “American Idol” judges with his version of “For All We Know.” Through it all he has remained thoughtful about the successes of his life and the complexities we face in the world today. As Skyler says, the most important thing that he has learned from all that he has been able to experience as person and as a creative artist, is to know his worth.