Episodes
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When I think of Ioana Lupo’s story, I imagine a field full of beautiful wild flowers. It is a picture-perfect scene. Now, imagine one flower being plucked out, planted into a pot and placed in a dark room. Will it survive? Maybe. But will it thrive, blossom and add beauty to its surrounding? Unlikely.
It is the same with people. When we are in a favourable environment, we thrive and blossom. That’s how I saw Ioana Lupo’s mission drawn from her story — creating an environment where people flourish.
Born in Romania, she once wanted to be a geographer, drawn to unmapped land and the pull of exploring it. Life moved her into HR instead, and somewhere inside organisations and the people trying to survive them, she found the territory she was always meant to explore — not land, but the conditions that let a person flourish, or quietly take them apart.
Today she’s an executive coach for HR professionals — giving people the tools and resources to recognise what they need to flourish themselves and how to create flourishing environments.
In this conversation, we talk about her story, the leap from one continent to a completely different terrain, and the fear underneath most fears — not failure, not other people, but whether we’re actually capable of what we’re being asked to become. And what’s waiting on the other side once you find out you are.
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Locked in a shack at 5. No food. Two little brothers. Guatemala.
Ericka Kelly walked to America on foot. Was homeless as a teenager. Survived three abusive marriages.
Then somehow ended up in the White House. Working at the Pentagon. Reaching the highest enlisted rank in the US Air Force. Becoming a special agent under the Department of Homeland Security.
The girl who ate ants and dirt to survive didn't just make it — she made it into rooms most people never see.
And still, she'll tell you: self-doubt followed her into every single one of them.
This episode is about how she stopped letting it win.
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Missing episodes?
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When resilience is not an empty word but a story of life.
Marie Cosgrove was born to a mother with severe brain damage who had been raped. Her family told her she'd most likely end up homeless or a prostitute. She survived an abusive marriage and raised five children on her own.
And yet — she became a top sales rep selling medical equipment in a tough male-dominated industry. She bought the company that fired her. She became a serial entrepreneur. Now she's a full-time keynote speaker helping audiences turn adversity into opportunity through her Built to Rise Framework.
But here's what makes Marie's story remarkable: through all of it, she never lost her kind, loving heart. She had every reason to. She didn't.
That's her genius.
Listen to the full story
Check my book Your Story is Your Power to help you discover and express your unique genius message
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The world is drowning in noise yet is starving for meaning. This podcast is aimed to help people understand what makes them unique. Uncover and articulate your true differentiation. Turn your story into a powerful, relevant message. And connect it with a real need in the marketplace
