ExceptionalPeopleMagazineJulyAugust2010-Part One by Atela Productions, Inc.

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Am I Prepared to Become Self-Employed?

Increasing Your Cash Flow with a Small Business

Creative Perks for Small Businesses

July-August 2010

CONTENTS

Empowerment

Extraordinary Profiles

Ten Ways to Get Your Traditional IRA in Shape for a Healthy Retirement

Four Keys to Go from Fearful to Fearless in Your Next Interview

The Most Common Management Communication Mistakes

Powerful Ways to Thrive in the Midst of Change, Disappointment and Failure

Create Your Vision of the Future

Dealing with Difficult Colleagues, Bosses and Clients, Pt. 2

Seven Ways to Improve Your Relationships

Cover Story— Ernie Hudson—A Versatile Hollywood Actor

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Louis Herthum— A Profile in Courage

Ana Maria Alvarez—Fusing Dance with Life

Minding My Business 26

Marlene Gordon—The Next Stage of THE NEXT STAGE

Dr. Clint Pearman—America’s Mental Toughness Coach

It is said that your eyes are the windows to your soul. If I look into them, what shall I see? A true reflection of the person before me?

Letter From The Founder

Greetings to My Readers, Our July/August issue has arrived. We recently added our West Coast Bureau headed by Sharon Raiford Bush, an extraordinary, awarding-winning journalist. We want to thank all of our West Coast supporters who share our vision and believe in our mission to change the world. In the future we will honor celebrities who are not only excellent at their craft but also committed to making a difference in the world. On one cover of this issue, I am pleased to introduce Actor/Humanitarian Ernie Hudson whose extraordinary acting abilities have drawn support from diverse audiences. He not only shares details about his tough life experiences but heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s passionate about helping others such as Women of Destiny, an organization providing services to battered women and children. We are honored to feature exceptional Actor/Producer/Humanitarian Louis Herthum whose heroic acts of kindness helped rescue over 50 people during the devastation left by the Hurricane Katrina. We also highlight successful entrepreneurs such as CEO and Networking Authority, George C. Fraser, who shares priceless insights to building business and professional relationships. We have included other exciting features, as well. We are excited about the future of Exceptional People Magazine and we look forward to continuing to enrich the lives of people worldwide, both personally and professionally. Please send your comments to us at: 2961-A Hunter Mill Rd., Oakton, VA 22124 or visit our website at www.exceptionalmag.com. We look forward to hearing from you. As always, thank you for being a subscriber and for allowing us to inspire you. Without you, our vision would not be possible. Sincerely,

Extraordinary Profiles

“Cast of Ghostbusters”

Ernie Hudson A Versatile Hollywood Actor

COVER

STORY

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Extraordinary Profiles

The one and only Ernie Hudson -- this gentle giant has consistently made his mark on the world of acting.

my personal story, thereby giving them inspiration to reevaluate their lives.”

He’s not only a gentle giant on screen who likes taking on good guy and heroic roles but off screen he is a person who truly cares about others.

Over the years, Hudson has raised funds and supported charitable organizations and groups like Women of Destiny, which provides needed services to battered women and children and Union Rescue Mission, the largest mission for the homeless in the United States.

Most noted for his roles in feature films such as Ghostbusters and The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, he’s full of surprises and his acting abilities have drawn support from audiences of varied backgrounds. Hudson’s ability to take on diverse roles has enabled him to stand out among actors with such talents. His versatile style has garnered him success in roles as varied as the talent he possesses. With over 150 film, television and stage credits, Hudson has proven that in a field as challenging as show business, longevity is possible. He has proven that persistence is the key to achieving success.

You don’t have to have a passion for acting to learn great life experiences from Hudson. His success as an actor and his approach to life serve as examples. The Editor-in-Chief of Exceptional People Magazine was delighted to have Hudson share some of his most memorable experiences.

One would never have guessed that acting was not his first love. “Being an actor never occurred to me. I got married very young and we started a family. I had no clear plans or clear idea of what my life would be,” says Hudson. Unfortunately, Hudson did not have the privilege and joy of knowing his “The Crow” father. He was raised by his grandmother. He took to heart many of the lessons, unforgettable stories and the philosophies that he Monica: You wanted to become a writer, but along the learned from her and used them as a guide to chart his way your dream changed. Why did you decide to become life’s course. an actor? Growing up without a father did not deter this humble Ernie: I got married very young, right out of high school young man from becoming a great actor. Through trial and we had kids. My oldest son was born when I was 18 or and error, Hudson has learned lessons of truth, patience, 19. So my main consideration has always been the kids and integrity and compassion. my family responsibility. I found acting more accessible. I could audition, it’s pretty cut and dry. Whereas with writIn addition to acting, Hudson is also passionate about ing, there are drafts and there are meetings – it’s very hard helping others. He is committed to mentoring Black men to pin it down. With writing it was more difficult to figure and counseling them on the importance of fatherhood. “I out where the paycheck was coming from. I think that was am passionate about helping men redefine their role as the primary reason for focusing more on the acting, even fathers, leaders and taking their position in the commuthough I’ve got to say that I found acting much more enjoynity, as well as in their homes,” says Hudson. “I don’t able and more fun than the writing. have all the answers but I want to do my part by sharing

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Monica: You served a short stint in the Marine Corps. Did that experience contribute to how you approached the roles that you portrayed?

realized that I had to become more thoughtful with my choices. To me, getting married was a lifetime commitment, and there were no do-overs or seconds.

Ernie: Before I got out of high school, during my last year I joined the Marine Corps. And as soon as I completed high school, I joined the service. I was there for about nine weeks and because of my allergies and asthma problems, I was given an honorable discharge after about nine weeks in the Marine Corps.

It was something beyond me and my grandmother who raised me would say that’s when you have to turn to God. That’s when you get on your knees and say, “Okay. God, I can’t handle this, I need some help.” And then things begin to fall in place a little better when you really surrender to it.

Being in the Marines definitely made it very clear to me that I had to take charge of my life. I really hadn’t got to that point. I didn’t really get the seriousness of it. When I joined the Marine Corps in 1964, it was the first time most of us had even heard of Viet Nam. The war hadn’t offi-

Monica: There was a period in your life when you pursued roles just to make a living and to put food on the table. Acting became a necessity, not just a dream but you stayed with it. What does that say about your determination as an actor? Ernie: Well, a couple of things happened for me. Number one, after that, I realized that I needed to do something. I said a prayer and figured out a way to get into college, which I had never even dreamed of doing. In college is where I discovered theater and acting. Acting for me was beyond a dream. It was something that I was almost embarrassed to ask for in prayer.

“Ghostbusters” cially started but it was a real wake-up call for me. When that didn’t work out the way that I wanted it to, it became very clear to me that I had to get serious about my life. Monica: So what brought clarity into your life? Ernie: Well, I came back home, and I thought, “Okay, I’ve got to take life a little more serious.” When I returned home I got married and my wife became pregnant. I had no clear plans or clear idea of what my life would be. I think it was my wife getting pregnant and the reality that I was becoming a father that was the biggest wake-up call for me. That was the point that I realized maybe I can’t figure this out with the way I’m looking at things. So the Marines made me aware that I had to get serious, but afterwards I 6 | Exceptional People Magazine | July August 2010

So becoming an actor was one thing. Regrettably, my marriage ended and my children came to live with me – they were seven and ten at the time – suddenly, it was necessary for me to look at it as a means for putting food on the table. I had my dreams. We all have our dreams. The important thing for me was paying the rent and taking care of my family. I don’t think I’ve played the game well. I’ve just managed to work, and that was the most important thing for me. Monica: You have an amazing list of acting credits, a testimonial that you have perfected your skills as an actor. Ernie: When you have children and you have that kind of responsibility and everyone around you is saying you should quit and get a real job, a job that has some kind of guarantee, you make it work.

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I found it difficult to say to my children, two young boys, that you can follow your dreams and you can accomplish anything that you want to; while at the same time saying I can’t accomplish everything that I want. There had to be a way for me to succeed and I’ve made a very good living as an actor. I’ve been very blessed but the kids helped me find a different approach to it than if I had been a single guy in Hollywood.

the people that set examples that I didn’t notice when I was a kid, but now that I’m older, I realize just how important they were to me and the examples that they set.

Monica: What would you say are some of the key factors to having a long acting career, as well as a lasting working relationship with Hollywood?

Monica: Many of the roles that you have portrayed were good guy roles, the heroic guy. What inspired you to seek such roles?

Ernie: I don’t have any illusions in terms of Hollywood. Hollywood is Hollywood. I don’t take anything for granted. It’s a business and it’s an insane business. So my approach is I can only cash a real check. My job is to convince them that I’m the best person for the role.

Ernie: Growing up and not having a father; I had my brother and I had four uncles who were very influential.

There are actors whom I admire, whose work I can appreciate, but I don’t have heroes in that sense. I’m very happy for people who accomplish the things they accomplish, but my heroes are more connected to my childhood.

There have been some disappointments along the way, a lot of disappointments in many ways, but that’s the nature of the business. I think most businesses are like that. I want to love the business that I’m in. I want to love the craft that I have chosen, but I don’t put any more expectations into it than necessary. I approach it from a point of reality. Monica: When you experienced those disappointments, who supported you? Ernie: I think that’s always a difficult thing. My current wife and I have been married for 34 years. We met about a year after my first marriage ended. For nine years before I remarried I was a single parent, and I wanted to make sure they were old enough to attend college before I married again. But she’s always been, for the last 34 years, a grounding person in my life. She’s always been a friend. She’s always been someone that I can talk to. She never threatened to end the relationship or leave me or make me feel there are certain things that I can’t do. I appreciate her for that. She’s always been my support. Monica: As an actor, who has had the greatest impact on your life and why? Ernie: Acting is only a part, not the larger part of my life. I mean, it’s certainly how I make my living, but I also have a family. We all have these very different roles. So the biggest impact in my life was the way I grew up,

“The Hand That Rocks the Cradle”

There was a guy in my neighborhood, in my church, Brother Cole, and he wasn’t particularly heroic. He didn’t have a title, but I always admired the way he carried himself. He was a person that everyone listened to because of the way he carried himself. Even the so-called gangsters respected him. He was a good person. I think in some of the characters I’ve played, I tried to portray the kind of integrity that I believe my uncles had. I’m always aware that children are looking at me in the same way that I would look at Brother Cole. I never got a chance to tell him how much I admired him. I think we do impact people, even the ones we don’t know. There are people watching us who we’re totally unaware of, but what we do has a huge impact on their lives. So a lot of the charJuly-August 2010 | Exceptional People Magazine | 7

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Extraordinary Profiles

acters that I play -- and especially being AfricanAmerican -- I think it’s important to bring something to the screen other than what’s on the page. I don’t want to betray the trust of a kid who’s watching me, who I may not know. I know that we don’t want to live our lives for other people, but on the other hand, I believe we have a certain responsibility to each other.

Monica: Apparently what she told you and taught you over the years certainly served as a foundation for you and your family. Ernie: I’m very blessed and thankful, and I never felt disadvantaged. We certainly didn’t have any money, but I never felt the pain of despair because we always had everything we needed.

Monica: Is your grandmother alive? Ernie: No, she died in ’79, and I still have dreams about her. I have a brother who is three years older, and when he and I talk about her, it’s almost like we’re talking about two different people. From the beginning, she took me to church. When we came home after service, I had many questions. I would say “Jesus walked upon the water,” and she would ex-

Monica: What does the future hold for Ernie Hudson, the actor? Ernie: I’m always looking for roles that have parts, meaning where you can come to work and put your all into them. There just aren’t that many parts that come along. My grandmother told me, “You’ve got to make peace with what is.” Monica: Have you ever thought about creating your own television show?

“The Congo” plain it to me in terms that she thought I could understand. It was those lessons that shaped my philosophy in life. I had the hardest time understanding why I didn’t have a father. We grew up in the projects, so a lot of kids didn’t have fathers. But I just didn’t understand why. I knew my mother died and my grandmother would say, “God is your father.” I would reply, “Yeah, mama, but God is everybody’s father,” and then she’d reply, “Yeah, but everybody doesn’t know it.” So my trust is in that greater faith. I learned her story, and I understand that you’ve got to talk to your children. You’ve got to communicate. 8 | Exceptional People Magazine | July-August 2010

Ernie: That’s where I am now. I’m writing a play now and finishing it up. You can sit back and become frustrated, or you can say God gave me the ability to write, and I have things that I want to say. We have the power to create, and if we don’t -- the tendency, especially for my generation is to sit by the door and become frustrated and complain. I admire the young people who are out there producing and making things happen. We’re going to have to tell our own story on a personal level. Monica: Can you talk about your Broadway performance for President Barack Obama? Ernie: They didn’t let us know that he was coming. They just said a senior White House staff official would be attending. I think the public knew about it before we did. The day he came, 44th Street was barricaded. When the show began, the President and Mrs. Obama were seated. The crowd began applauding and flash bulbs were going off in every direction. It took about ten minutes just to settle everyone down.

people The play was August Wilson’s play, “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.” It’s a wonderful play. When the second act began, the crowd became excited again. Finally, the Secret Service rushed the President and Mrs. Obama off. We didn’t get a chance to meet them, and I was okay with it. I know a lot of the younger people were really disappointed. I was very happy to perform for them, and I believe it was their first official date after Obama became President. That was very cool. But a part of me thought, “He’s in my house now. This is what I do. Have a seat, Mr. President, and let me do my job.” As excited as I am to say that I performed for President Obama, I’m happy that he can tell his grand kids that he saw Ernie Hudson on Broadway.

Extraordinary Profiles

There were times when the roles were switched because I didn’t have a Dad. I tried to be Mr. Mom the first year they were with me, and it wasn’t working very well. They said, “Well, Dad, we know how to cook. Mom taught us how to cook.” So they did the cooking and most of the shopping. There were times when I was frustrated or just heartbroken because I didn’t get a role. They would say, “Dad, Dad, Dad, just sit down. Now what’s wrong?” And I would tell them I didn’t get the part. They would reply, “Dad, it’s going to be okay,” and so we sort of raised each other. With my younger kids, mom was always there. They had mom 24/7. We had the agreement that she wouldn’t work until the kids went to college.

I don’t think there are any special people. A lot of people do a lot of extraordinary things, but the role that he’s playing as President, that’s in another realm that I can’t imagine. He walks the talk and I admire him. He’s just extraordinary. I’m just so thankful to witness what’s happening. We, as a people, have had so many bad examples of what not to do, but here’s a man who is educated and smart. So, if you want to see the light, it’s here now. There are some who will turn away from the light. But he inspires me. When truth is there, no matter whose story it is, everyone can relate to it. Monica: You mentioned that it was a life-altering experience for you when your young children came to live with you. What did that life-changing event tell you about yourself and your ability to raise two young boys on your own? Ernie: I got married so young, right out of high school. I enlisted in the Marine Corps in July, and by September I was back home, got married and tried to be a husband and a father. Then we both discovered college. My wife never had to work, so I had to work and pay the bills, while attempting to obtain an education. By the time my marriage ended, I thought she would take the children, but it didn’t work out that way. I could not bear the thought of anyone else raising my children, so the kids came with me. We lived in a one-bedroom apartment; the kids took the bedroom, and I slept on the couch. As Al Jarreau would say, we got by. Kids become a mirror and I promised them I wouldn’t lie to them. “I’m going to tell you the truth whether you want to hear it or not.”

“Stargate SG-1”

Monica: So what are some things that you learned from your boys during the first year they came to live with you? Ernie: The biggest thing was realizing that there were things that I didn’t know. I remember coming home, and my neighbor said, “Your kids were being chased home from school the other day.” I talked to them and found out that some kids were picking on them. They were new to California. I had never been picked on as a kid where I grew up, I was considered the toughest kid in school. I guess I was one of those odd kids who carried the Bible with me but if you upset me, I would beat you across the head with the Bible. July-August 2010 | Exceptional People Magazine | 9

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Extraordinary Profiles

Later on I thought I could not have been that intense, but after attending my 40-year high school reunion, I learned from some of my classmates that I was that bad. I think I always had a problem fitting in. I would try to explain things, and kids didn’t get it, so I would beat them up until they got it. You have to learn there are certain things you can’t do. I realize that I had the protection of my grandmother. That’s another thing, men don’t realize that their presence in the home changes the way the neighborhood sees that home. My grandmother had her arm of protection on me. People understood that I was

My sons would excitedly say, “Dad, there’s this new pair of sneakers or bicycle,” or whatever they wanted. I would have to say, “Guys, the rent’s due, I’m trying to keep the lights on, and there’s no money now.” And they would go, “It’s okay, Dad. It’s all right. We don’t really want it.” How do you not get the bike? Somehow I’m going to find a way to get the bike, and I always found a way. There are times when kids will give you that extra. It gives you that deeper reserve and that’s what my kids did for me. They gave me the courage to fight, to not compromise and not take no for an answer. My kids traveled all over the world with me to places that, as a kid, I never thought I would see. That’s the wonderful thing about this business. I tell my kids, “I’m here for you”. Standing up for them makes me stand taller, and that’s what so many black men don’t get, that you’ve got to stand. You’ve to be there for your kids. There’s something missing. I think a lot of times fathers don’t feel their role is important enough and often the mother tries to make it easier. My grandmother depended on me. As a kid I went out into the fields and picked fruit. I only made a dollar and a half, but I brought the dollar and a half home. She made me feel as though that dollar and a half saved our lives. So my contribution was important. Monica: As you mentioned earlier, you recently celebrated your 25th wedding anniversary. It’s a rarity to be married that long and to work in Hollywood. Why do you believe your marriage has succeeded? What are some of the things the two of you have done to make your marriage work?

“Spacehunter”

hers, and the respect they gave her protected me from a lot of things. So there were things that I just didn’t get. I didn’t get how somebody could chase you home. It was beyond me. My older boys and I talked about everything. We’d have discussions. My oldest son introduced me to one of my favorite books, The Dharma. My older son taught me how to play chess. My younger son introduced me to a book called “Jonathan Livingston Seagull.” It’s an exchange that goes both ways. 10 | Exceptional People Magazine | July-August 2010

Ernie: Well, first, I don’t think it’s as much of a rarity as people think. My wife was always there. She’s allowed me to make some really stupid mistakes and she let me know that I’m a better person and I could do better. I credit her for our 25 years of marriage. I think I’m a decent person and I love her. Sometimes I think people see things in you that you don’t always see in yourself. When you begin to see those things in yourself, then you see it in everybody. I think that’s what she does. She looks at me in a way that makes me say I believe I can do this thing. I appreciate my wife’s trust in me. She has allowed me to make mistakes. She’s always had faith in me and I appreciate that. Monica: What is the greatest wish that you have for your family? Ernie: That they love each other. I don’t want to live anybody’s life. I tell my kids this is my journey. I’ve done it

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my way. On the same token, I want them to live their lives. I can give them my opinion, but it’s their lives. I want them to love each other and treat each other as family. I know that they all love me, but I just want to make sure that they all love each other without me in the mix. Monica: What are the things that you are most thankful for? Ernie: I’m most thankful for my faith in God, my faith in Source. I believe very strongly that you need to have something that sustains you. I’m very thankful to live a life that hasn’t been filled with revenge or ended in some kind of terrible result. I’m thankful that I haven’t had a desire to hurt or take advantage of anyone, that I’m aware I have everything I need without wanting for something that I don’t have. I’m thankful to have found a way to make a living, but I believe that if you’re open and you’re not locked in, you will overcome many barriers. My grandmother would say, “People are very confused about the crucifixion of Christ because it wasn’t about the crucifixion, it was about the resurrection. But in order to be resurrected, you have to be willing to die.” You have to be willing to let go, and so I’m very thankful that I’ve learned to let go and to be open to what God has in store. I’m thankful my children are healthy and happy. I’m just thankful that my life is not filled with darkness. Monica: What legacy would you like to leave your family, friends and your fans? Ernie: Well, I don’t know because I’m not sure how I’m perceived. You would think after all these years I would have a better idea. I just live my life to the best of my ability and I try to treat people fairly and try to be an example to others. That’s the only legacy that I have. I’ve tried to love and allow myself to be loved. ♦

“The Oz”

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Herthum co-starred in CBS' Murder, She Wrote.

Louis Herthum

A Profile in Courage

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Extraordinary Profiles

Sharon

Raiford

Because of its heart-throbbing reputation of being the historic apex of fussy film studios and melodramatic movie stars, the word “Hollywood” is used regularly as a metonymy, or figure of speech, of American cinema. It is here in Tinseltown where promises are unrealized, feelings are oftentimes discarded and big dreams can, in fact, be made out of clay. A magnet for idealists, young hopefuls have migrated in droves to this starstruck locale on a daily basis for decades with little more than a money-clip of hope in one pocket and a prayer in the other. Actor/director/producer/activist/adjunct professor Louis Herthum was different. When he decided to bid farewell to his tranquil birthplace of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1982, the then-26-year-old handsome man -with piercing blue eyes, a thick mane of perfectly coiffed hair and photo-ready physique - had already sampled some of the toothsome spoils of show business. “My first desire was to be a stunt man,” said Herthum as he recalled sitting in a movie theater in 1968 with his father, watching Bullitt, starring action hero Steve McQueen. It was that famous car-chase scene that hooked the then-12-year-old. So Herthum did whatever he could to break into the industry. Throughout his teen years and well into his

Bush

20's, he modeled and appeared in television commercials. It was 1981, the year that marked Herthum's moment of absolute reckoning. That is when his agent arranged for him an audition for The Rainmaker, a Baton Rouge Little Theatre stage production. “This scared the hell out of me,” remembered Herthum. “I thought, literally, that if I can’t muster the courage to go read for this play, how will I ever muster the courage to jump off a six story building when I get to Hollywood?” The aspiring daredevil got the job, received ovations for his work and critical acclaim for his subsequent performances in such musicals as Oklahoma and Grease. Herthum quickly landed a small role in The Toy, a major motion picture starring the legendary comedic duo of Richard Pryor and Jackie Gleason. By 1984, Herthum was cast in Louisiana, a war drama starring Margot Kidder. There was no denying that this Southern gentleman with a firm grip and boylike charm was bitten by the Hollywood bug and stung by a swirling swarm of optimism. So Herthum, whose determination was as solid as his square jaw, laid down the welcome mat in a hot spot where sharks do not always swim in those cobalt blue waters of

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Like a long shadow cast by the setting sun, Herthum re-shaped the silhouette of his being by stretching it strategically into what appeared to be a larger-than-life image. Some may liken it to designing a diagram of a specialized engine, that dynamical force which causes the ambitious to “I had to deal with the harsh realities of life in keep putting one foot in front of the other – LA,” said Herthum. And unlike most of his despite obstacles and unexpected drawcompetition back then, Herthum was not backs. blinded by faith; he was driven by it. Herthum achieved success not by changing “Being a person in LA is like being a grain of who he was, but contouring the figuration sand on the beach,” Herthum stated in a letter of his life. It was he who designed the way to his supportive family. “And being an actor in which he would, from this point on, be in LA is like being a grain of sand in a buck- perceived by others. In 1984, Big Brother was not the only one watching. So was etful of sand.” Mother. Herthum said his goals were more esoteric than detail-oriented in a set pattern. All he Soft-spoken Claire Herthum was a strong, wanted to do was prove to himself that his gracious and independent matriarch who inner urge to make it in Hollywood as a shared her love evenly among her three daughters and their high-spirited baby working actor was more than an itch. brother. Mrs. Herthum reared There was no turning back for this man of her only male offambition. Defeat was not an option because spring to be Herthum had not written it into his script. the Pacific Ocean. Sometimes they wear expensive suits, puff on smelly cigars and slouch behind mahogany desks, prepared to offer hopefuls a heel-clicking dish in an industry where the strong survive and rejection is stock footage.

For the next ten years, it was “live or let die” for this transplant from the Mississippi River Delta, this “yes ma'am, no sir” kind of wellmannered guy who was reared on such delicacies as crayfish gumbo peppered by old-fashioned hospitality. This cinema lover was ready to jump off the roof and let the powers-to-be know that he had arrived and was not planning to be knocked down easily.

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people a leader, the viceroy of his own destiny. It was a tall order that Herthum accepted with controlling possession. “Convincing my family about the move to LA was probably one of the easiest things I have ever had to do,” said Herthum. “They believed in me wholeheartedly and knew it was the right thing for me. So it was, as I say, a piece of cake. They always were and have remained my biggest and most staunch supporters.” Within only a 20-year span of time, Herthum had exceeded everyone's expectations, including his. He was able to add the titles of producer, director and even stunt man to his lengthy list of credits. Attribution as a writer would come later. A man of fine repute, Herthum became a household name after joining CBS' Murder, She Wrote, playing opposite singer-turned-actress Angela Lansbury. “That was one sweet gig,” said Herthum. “When I joined the show, it was in its eighth season. The crew was a fine-tuned machine comprised of some of the nicest, hardest working people in the business.” Herthum was a mainstay for five years, a long time by Hollywood standards. “Working with Angela was one of the most memorable and wonderful experiences of my career,” said Herthum, who has encountered numerous top-drawer moments throughout his life, some anticipated, others unforeseen – like what happened in 2005 during the horrid aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Herthum was producing a film in Baton Rouge when one of the deadliest storms in the history of the United States smashed into Louisiana, destroying the levee system that was supposed to protect the most unique par-

Extraordinary Profiles

ish in America. After four days of watching on TV devastating events unfold, Herthum and two others took off for New Orleans, a once robust municipality now crippled by the storm's powerful surge. Residents begged for mercy as nature dealt one sucker punch after another. “The city was like something out of a post-apocalyptic film, incredibly surreal,” said Herthum, who had only witnessed scenes like that on celluloid, not in real life. “We were able to get approximately fifty people or so rescued from their flooded homes and pass out MRE's [Meals, Ready to Eat] and cases of water to those who would not leave. “We removed two bodies from the street.” Although his courageous rescue efforts have been applauded, Herthum said he does not consider himself a hero, at least not in a singular vein. “There were hundreds just like us who wanted to help but were not allowed to...it was the most unforgettable day of my life,” he said. Throughout his entire life, Herthum has contended with personal storms of perfection, those intimate challenges or opposing forces which can thwart a competitor's desire to thrive, prosper and grow. “It was the constant struggle in my early years in LA to believe in myself and my ability enough to become a successful actor,” said Herthum. “I thought I was good enough but that seed of doubt, which often comes after rejection, can kill you. Now I dare them not to hire me.” With that type of a hard-nosed approach, Herthum has achieved substantial honors and a notable position to continue to make

Herthum and news reporter Rio Tenango volunteered to help New Orleans by collecting bodies and distributing emergency food and water to those who survived the wrath of Hurricane Katrina.

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a difference in his hometown, the capital of Louisiana. In 2006, Herthum was appointed by Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden to act – not as a performer, but as an advisor to the Baton Rouge Film Commission in an effort to help bring lucrative film projects into the recovering state. Herthum lobbied breathlessly for a bill that now awards out-of-state film production companies and studios a 30% tax incentive for choosing État de Louisiane as their ideal location site. “Without [this incentive], there is no doubt that the state would not be enjoying the success it currently does,” said Herthum. “We now have a state-of-the art, $35 million studio in Baton Rouge.” The 2011 release of Battle: LA, starring Michelle Rodriguez, was filmed in Baton Rouge. Universal Pictures' highly anticipated epic war film, Battleship, will also provide muchneeded revenue and vast employment opportunities for the entire state.

the School of Entertainment Technologies. He advises the commission on everevolving methods to improve enrollment and curriculum in order to help students become better prepared for the work force. “You simply must act in order to be a good actor,” Herthum said. “I tell students to get into a class but only after being sure that the class is legit and that the person teaching it has real credentials to do so. In areas like Louisiana, which is experiencing a huge influx of film and TV projects, many impostors have moved into the area and have touted themselves as something they are not.” Herthum advocates participation in play productions, student films and commercials. “Do anything and everything that can build your confidence and skills. And most important,

In addition to being a doting father while juggling a hectic life in the entertainment industry, Herthum still finds time to mentor countless numbers of young people with showbiz ambition. With his experience as an adjunct professor for Tulane University in the area of film production, Herthum was asked by the Dean of Liberal Arts Herthum in a scene from the thriller, at the Baton Rouge Com- The Last Exorcism. munity College to counsel the board of directors at

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learn how to audition. This is something I stress heavily in my classes. Without a strong ability to audition, your talent, though maybe amazing, won’t matter. You have to show them what you can do in the room,” he said. Herthum added that location is also an important element not only for the studio, but for the would-be performer. “If you live in an area where production is booming, like Louisiana, Georgia, New Mexico, Michigan, North Carolina and the like, stay there and get as much work and experience as you can before you head off to LA or New York,” Herthum said. His recommendation for would-be directors is simple. “Make a movie. It is pretty easy to do this these days with the availability of HD cameras and editing equipment,” he added.

Extraordinary Profiles

With great confidence in his own savoirfaire, Herthum said he enjoys pushing his capabilities to the limit by portraying characters unlike himself. “I was in a film called Red Ridge and I played a despicable character. Sometimes that lends for the best performances,” said Herthum, founder and president of Ransack Films. Even if some characterizations cause his family and friends to cringe, Herthum still likes to end his day feeling good about his work – yet another slice of sound wisdom he shares willfully with others. “Never simply do the best you can, do what it takes,” said Herthum. “Fortune favors the brave. So have the courage to just do it.”

As for producing, Herthum suggests that aspiring filmmakers apply for a position as a production assistant, for instance, to learn firsthand about what it takes to make a movie. “When I produced my first film, Favorite Son, I had no idea,” said Herthum. “I just knew that I wanted to make a film and I was not going to let anything stop me.” Herthum is currently on the HBO series, Treme. His fans can also look for his extraordinary talent in many other television and film projects, including The Last Exorcism, The Gates and Grimm.

July-August 2010 | Exceptional People Magazine | 17

“The Gates" stars James Preston as Lukas Ford, Louis Herthum as Simon Ford, Colton Haynes as Brett Crezski and Rachel DiPillo as Lexie. (ABC/BOB D'AMICO)

The publisher thanks Lionsgate, Disney and ABC for providing exclusive photos of Louis Herthum for this publication.

Ana Maria Alvarez

Fusing Dance with Life

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For the past five years the CONTRA-TIEMPO Dance Company has changed the lives of many young African Americans and Latinos through its dance and residency programs. Fusing dance with culture, politics and life, CONTRA-TIEMPO espouses that though the world is filled with people of diverse ethnicities, we can work together to achieve a common goal. For Founder Ana Maria Alvarez, the goal is to change the world through dance. “Our unique Urban Latin Dance Theater brings to life voices that are not traditionally heard on the concert stage, while building community spirit, facilitating dialogue and moving youth to imagine what is possible in the world,” says Alvarez. Through her programs, Alvarez has created a platform for young people and adults to learn the power of communication through dance rather than violence. Many of the performances are a reflection of the communities that the company serves in Los Angeles, California. Her strategy is to use dance to transform tension into a powerful catalyst for building alliances of self awareness, truth, compassion and appreciation for other cultures. Since its inception, CONTRATIEMPO has allowed young men and women to engage audiences around the world with a blend of Salsa, West African, Afro-Cuban and Hip-Hop beats, while addressing race, gender and inequalities. Cultural awareness between Latinos and African Ameri-

cans is also a major focus of the organization. Members of the dance company include immigrants, teachers, activists, organizations and other dedicated citizens of Los Angeles. Through an intense desire to make a difference in young lives, Alvarez developed an arts education curriculum that reached over 12,000 students between 2008 and 2009. Members of the company teach K-12 in the school system, providing residency programs to public school children whose funding for arts education has been cut or reduced. Armed with a B.A. in Dance and Politics from Oberlin College and an MFA in Choreography at UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Culture, Alvarez began building a foundation for CONTRA-TIEMPO. It was during this time she discovered dance as a strategic tool that could be used to unify cultures, fight bigotry and positively impact how we interact with each other. Exceptional People Magazine spoke with Alvarez about her commitment to create unity and build strong alliances in her Los Angeles community and beyond. Monica: Tell me about CONTRATIEMPO and its mission. Ana: Our mission is to transform the world through dance. I know that sounds really large and lofty, but it is what we’re about, using dance to transform the world. Our work primarily uses dance to address issues of race, gender and immigration. It

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takes voices that are not traditionally heard on the concert stage and puts those voices in a place where they’re being heard and respected. Monica: What was the motivating factor to start this school? Ana: I attended graduate school for choreography at UCLA’s Department of Arts and Cultures. I found that I had a lot to say and I wanted to express that through dance. So I created a dance piece called CONTRATIEMPO, which uses salsa as a metaphor for pushing back, standing up and having a voice. Through this piece, I began to explore dance as a tool to discuss a number of other issues. As we created this piece, people became interested in having us perform for young people. We began to realize that what we were doing really spoke to people. This was during the time that George Bush was making a number of decisions regarding immigration policies. People were being deported and families were being split up. When people said they didn’t believe what was happening, it was viewed as being antiAmerican. The company -- which wasn’t a company then -- was just a group of artists and dancers. When we started thinking about this issue, it was like taking a stand and saying you didn’t agree with something but it was the most American thing you could possibly do. It’s similar to salsa, when you push back and engage, you exist within your partnership. In our culture pushing back and engaging is what gives us a voice. I don’t know if that makes sense.

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Monica: How can dance change the world? Ana: Well, dance has the capacity to teach people to view themselves as strong, powerful individuals. Partner dancing, in particular, teaches human beings to relate to one another, to compassionately listen to one another. These are really important things in terms of having a peaceful world, having a world where people who are feeling hurt are also communicating effectively and moving forward in a progressive way. I think many problems in our world have to do with miscommunications and people unwilling to listen to one another. Through partner dancing, the curriculum that we use with youth is based around the idea of compassionate partnership and listening to others. You are able to see yourself within the context of the community and use your body as a way to convey this concept, the idea that you are part of something much larger than yourself. Monica: How is the program structured?

Extraordinary Profiles

we would love to create a piece about continuity and change.” We would work on that theme. If they say, “We’re studying Latin America and we’d love to relate what we’re doing to the study of Latin America,” that becomes more of a cultural dance form. We may go into elementary schools and they’re studying the life cycle of the butterfly. We will find a creative way to use dance to relate how scientific concepts can come to life for the kids. We use dance in a way that is related to what they’re studying, while simultaneously teaching social skills and concepts of community and empowerment and social responsibility. That’s our in-school program. We tour nationally and internationally. We perform in theaters. We also have a Cuban exchange program where we take artists to Cuba for an intercultural exchange between Cubans and Americans. It’s the idea of breaking down barriers between our countries and building relationships between artists from different countries. Monica: Is Salsa the basis for all of your routines?

Ana: The company has several components. We have art residencies where we go to schools and perform for the entire student body. We work on 10 or 20-week projects where several of our artists teach kids each week. They develop technique and training to begin developing an urban dance theater piece that reflects their concerns, issues and ideas. We conclude the residency project with a performance for the community, parents and teachers.

Ana: Yes. Our work is Salsa-based, but we also incorporate Afro-Cuban, Hip-Hop and contemporary dance into the choreography. Our company is incredibly versatile in that we have lots of different types of dancers and movers, people who break dance as well as ballet, modern Afro-Cuban and West African. Everyone has a specialty, but the one form that we all know is Salsa.

Teachers may say, “We’re studying the idea of continuity and change and

Monica: What age groups do you focus on?

Ana: Our arts programs are for kids K through 12. We have programs in elementary, middle and high schools. Usually, if we do a residency, it’s a 10 to 20-week residency, depending on how long the school wants us to stay. There are one or two schools that we do an entire year, but most of our residencies are between 10 and 20 weeks, and it always includes a performance with the company. The company performs as well as teaches. Monica: From the time children begin until they move on, what changes do you notice in them? Ana: An incredible growth in their sense of themselves. There is a real shift in young people viewing themselves as important, that their voices matter and that they have valuable things to contribute to the group. Many times students seem to lack ideas or they say, “I don’t know. I can’t” and then by the end they’re teaching us how to move and dance. They assume the leadership of owning their own power, which I think is really wonderful. I also notice, when we first begin working with them, they don’t want to touch each other, and they don’t want to touch hands. When we come in, we work with them on that. Connecting with one another is an important part of the dance. By the end they’re embracing one another and dancing with one another like it’s no big deal. We make it clear that dancing is not gendered, meaning it doesn’t always have to be a boy and a girl dancing together, that boys can lead and follow and girls can lead and follow. At

July-August 2010 | Exceptional People Magazine | 21

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Extraordinary Profiles

first we get a little resistance to that but they adjust. Monica: The fact that you let them know that it’s fine to join hands, to get closer, I think helps them to move forward socially. Ana: Exactly. Exactly, it helps them feel more comfortable with each other and with themselves. Monica: How is the program funded? Ana: Two years ago we were funded by the City of Los Angeles. There was a program called the ACPM program that provided funds for professional artists to visit schools. That funding was cut in the last two years. A hundred percent of it is gone. One reason I love being able to share what we’re doing is because it helps us get the word out so that people can support the work. We are currently funded through various grants. Some Title I schools, meaning some of the most underfunded schools, have specific funds that they are allowed to spend towards arts resources. We have also created community partnerships. For instance, we just had a community partnership with the UCLA Design for Sharing Program, which is an arts program at UCLA where artists are brought into the schools to work with young people. They just expanded their program to include us working with a school in the Pequot Union District here in L.A. They funded four 20-week residencies for us this year. We’re trying to format creative ways for sponsorship or fundraising. Do-

nors have definitely helped keep the program going, but it’s always a struggle.

we will continue to create amazing work to address social justice issues through dance.

Monica: What is your long-term vision for the program?

Monica: As founder what has been your greatest satisfaction in managing CONTRA-TIEMPO?

Ana: My long-term vision for this company is that our work continues to expand, that we have a center in Los Angeles where we have a stable home base, a place where we can have lots of art programs. Currently, we work in a lot of different schools and community centers. I foresee us having two companies, a company that specializes in the arts and a company that tours nationally and internationally. I see our company becoming a household name in about five more years. We’re currently touring so much and sharing our work all over the country and the world. I see CONTRATIEMPO’s program being something that more people will have access to. Monica: Will the program continue to have core students from the Los Angeles area or will students from other areas participate in the program also? Ana: We’ve been conducting a residency program in New York but our main programs are currently in L.A. I would love to expand the program to include cities outside of Los Angeles. A model for that is Culture Shock. The model consists of a curriculum and the components of the program have been replicated in several different cities. They have several different hubs. I definitely see that becoming a reality for my dance company, that

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Ana: There are lots of them, but one that I can immediately think of is just how important the work has been and how hungry people are for it. It’s very satisfying as an artist to feel that there’s a need for what you’re creating. It has definitely been very satisfying and has made my labor of love worthwhile. Monica: You have been incorporating things that affect our daily lives into many of the dance routines. How is that accomplished through movement? Ana: When people come to our shows, they can’t believe what they see. They say, “God, you know, you explained what it was, but I didn’t get it until I saw it live.” So I can explain what it is, but you don’t really get it until you see it live. We take an issue and create an entire movement piece around that issue. We sometimes use text. We use what I call literal-visual, meaning images that have a literal meaning but create a depth of understanding for the audience. To give you an example, we have a piece called “I Dream America,” where there’s a segment about Hurricane Katrina and we use Ray Nagin’s radio interview where he becomes emotional and appears to be at his wit’s end. The composer we worked with used Ray Nagin’s voice in that interview to overlay the music.

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Extraordinary Profiles

A poem that we use in the piece was written by one of our students who was studying Langston Hughes. She used Langston Hughes’ work to inspire a poem that she wrote in the voice of her mother crossing the border from Guatemala. As a 12 yearold, she connected the AfricanAmerican experience during the Civil Rights Movement to her mother’s That creates a storm and a soundscape for the piece. So even though the piece was choreographed, the dancers are talking, they are moving and dancing, his voice creates a foundation for what this piece is about. People understand what the work is about, but when they see the dancing, the music and the voiceovers, that creates a depth of understanding that isn’t possible when you talk about it. It gives you an emotional and visceral reaction. It sparks conversation and gets people thinking and talking and engaging with issues that we sometimes don’t want to think about or discuss. Monica: On average, how many performances are given in one year? Ana: I would say we do about 40 to 50 performances a year. Monica: I love hearing stories about bringing people of different nationalities together through dance and the arts. Ana: There’s a lot of Black/Latino tension in Los Angeles. Our company is Black and Latino. We represent what’s possible when the communities work together.

experience as an immigrant coming into this country. It was so incredible that it became the impetus for our new piece. We were very inspired by the idea of people connecting in our country and becoming powerful through their relationships with one another. Monica: So the positive effects that you see within the company among the youth are spilling out into the community. Ana: Definitely, definitely. ♦ July-August 2010 | Exceptional People Magazine | 23

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Minding My Business

Marlene Gordon Pfeifer

The Next Stage Of THE NEXT STAGE

Minding My in I have had many mygreatlife,stages but The Next Stage Tour Company has taken me on a journey of great discovery that I have been able to share with others since 1978. My mentor was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749-1832. He said: “Whatever you can do or dream you can begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” I knew that if my dream wasn’t a good one, I could always return to work as a legal secretary. Thankfully, that never happened and many beautiful traveling dreams came true. It was more work than I ever imagined and more exciting and more wonderful than I ever dreamed. This was because of some of the great destinations and trips that I planned and directed and because of the truly beautiful country we live in. We encountered many fascinating people along the way. Even so, I am at a cross-road, trying to decide what road to take. I need to pull up a boulder, sit down and rest and think about the “next” stage of The Next Stage. This doesn’t mean that this is the last stage. That’s too final for me. I don’t believe that there is an exact age for retirement. I will renew my business license in September, even if I make some twists and turns in the road. I wish to pause and reflect on where I am and where I’ve been. I want to decide where to go at this stage of my life. Going, going, gone isn’t where it’s at for me these days, nor is standing still. It’s not time for the rocking chair. I believe it’s a time to sit back and remember some of the experiences I’ve had as an entrepreneur and tour director

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during the past 32 years. I intend to write a book about many of the unusual, incredible experiences. I’m grateful for my upbringing. Being with my mother was like wearing binoculars, as she pointed out the thousand shades of green, the texture and feel of leaves and the colors of a wildflower. I didn’t travel far as a child except for a train ride from Philadelphia to Los Angeles at the age of one. My only long-distance traveling experiences were vicarious because of a merchant marine friend of my aunt Fannie. His name sounded like “His-Sock” but I am sure it was spelled differently. He had a foreign accent but I don’t know where he was born. To me, he was a man of many islands and countries. I was five years of age when my family lived with my Aunt Fannie and her Russian husband Baruch in a house on Allesandro Street in Los Angeles. I remember, as a very young child, begging her friend HisSock to tell me about the different places he had been. I loved his colorful stories. They were better than children’s fairy tales. Once he brought me a very small China tea party set so that I could pretend to serve tea to my doll. My traveling experiences as a child were with my mother via public bus. My mother Bette was a seamstress in the garment industry in Los Angeles, but before that she was a secretary and sewed costumes for actors in the plays that my father Harold wrote, produced and directed in Philadelphia. My parents took horse-driven rides with Mennonite and Amish farmers in the Pennsylvania countryside. They canoed on rivers and hiked in the woods of the Poconos before my sister Norma and I were born. We didn’t have a car or money to take vacations like my friends. But my older sister and I always had pretty dresses our mother made or bought for us. My mother let me select public bus stops in East Los Angeles, and let me decide where we would get off the bus to explore. She often brought a bag of bread along, so that we could break it up to feed the birds or ducks if we were near a park. It’s nice to remember these things and share with the readers of Exceptional Magazine that you don’t need a lot of money, a car or a college degree to experience the wonders of nature and the treasures in and beyond your neighborhood. You can find beauty in nature in city parks and interesting people in city parks and your backyard too.

July-August 2010 | Exceptional People Magazine | 27

Minding My

Business We have sat where the Chumash sat with sparkling pieces of abalone shells all around us on Santa Cruz Island, one of the California Channel Islands not far from Ventura. Back in L.A., I have also pioneered a series of tours in search of the Real L.A., including In Search of Ethnic L.A., Wacky L.A., Magical L.A., Victorian L.A., Underground L.A., Behind the Scenes in L.A. and women who have left their mark in history in L.A. I included our famous Insomniac's Tour, an all night tour of L.A.

I have designed tours that have taken “Next Stagers” to the Northwest Territories in Canada to see the Polar Bears by day and the Northern lights by night, to the caves of the Tarahamara Indians in Copper Canyon, which is four times larger than our Grand Canyon. We viewed Haley's Comet on boats and traveled to the darkest recesses of the Colorado River in Arizona. We traveled by bus to the tip of Baja to see the solar eclipse of the sun and shadow of the moon, where awesome hot pink tongues of gas were flaring out from the sun's corona. We've been blanketed and bundled for husky dog sled rides in the snow and horse-drawn jingle bell sleigh rides at Lake Louise and Banff in Canada. We've floated over wildflowers in hot air balloons in spring, and we've seen the Aspens shimmering and shaking leaves of gold in the U.S. and the Canadian Rocky Mountains. We've been on river trips from white water to peaceful floating trips. We've taken many railroad trips in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, as well as Hong Kong. We've toured on deluxe private railroad cars with gourmet food dining cars. I've included picnics and surprise entertainment in unusual places. I've allowed time for people to canyon gaze sitting on a huge rock or join others on a hike or a mule trip. Everyone is an individual and it's good to be able to express one's own personality on Next Stage Tours.

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I’m taking time to look back, to focus and imagine new destinations. I enjoy photography and exploring nature in and beyond Pasadena, as shown in some of the pictures in this article. In April I was the freelance photographer for the musical “Harry Who?” at the Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena. It was a three-week assignment that resulted in photo credits in Pasadena publications. I also made my first Youtube of “Flowery Thoughts and 1,000 Shades of Green.” I’ve begun writing my first book about The Next Stage. The Arroyo Women Writers of Pasadena have told me to stop talking and to start writing. They are a terrific group of ten writers, many of whom have published books, poetry, travel articles and a variety of newspaper stories of every genre. Taking more time to be with family and friends is another bonus. I also enjoy my volunteer work with the Pasadena Symphony Pops Orchestra and the docent organization of Las Angelitas del Pueblo. I am the activities director for ethnic and cultural tours in Los Angeles, and I have been a member of this historical organization for 33 years. We provide free tours for local students and visitors from all over the world. If you visit Los Angeles, come take a free one-hour tour at historic El Pueblo Monument, also known as Olvera Street. I love the theatre and have been ushering for the Pasadena Playhouse for the past ten years. Life is full of opportunities and choices. My Next Stage Tour business has given great meaning to my life and I am so happy I took the road less traveled to discover interesting and beautiful destinations. I met my dear husband John on The Next Stage. He came on every tour I sponsored for 18 years. He either loved me or my tours! He was my favorite and best client. As we became

Minding My

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better acquainted, he came over to my apartment to help me carry a heavy ice chest full of refreshments down the stairs for bus trips. Eventually he asked to take me “down the aisle.” I have made so many friends because of my tour business. Many are delightful restaurant owners, chefs, gardeners, waiters, historians, naturalists and interpreters from places that we visited. Some of these people have become special personal friends. My dear husband John Pfeifer passed away four and a half years ago. The good people in my life and the love of my tour business have kept me going. Nature, history, music and cultural events have always made my heart happy. Attitude is self-propelled and uplifting, with a little imagination and work, it takes us to where we want to go in life. Albert Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” I’m going to test his theory. You may want to stop and rest and take the test too. It’s amazing what can happen with a little imagination. Won’t you join me? ~Marlene Gordon Pfeifer

July-August 2010 | Exceptional People Magazine | 29

Dr. Clint Pearman

Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mental Toughness Coach

Minding My As the founder of Copenology, the brain science of optimum human performance, Pearman has applied Copenology principles in a variety of fields, ranging from recruiting in the United States Marine Corps to Navy sailors trying to lose weight. He also provides personal relationship coaching. He is the chief researcher and founder of NACOPEN, the North American Center for Optimum Performance Enabling Neuroscience, a research and development company focused on identifying and synthesizing cutting edge brain science research.

Dubbed America’s Mental Toughness Coach, Dr. Clint Pearman has discovered why people don’t fully utilize their God-given talents and why so many of us are not living up to our true potential. After graduating from high school, Pearman spent the next 31 years of his life in the world’s premier leadership and mental toughness training organization -- the U.S. Marine Corps. In the Marines Corps he observed the methodology used to prepare young soldiers to become some of the most mentally tough people in the world who excel under adverse conditions and in extreme environments. As a high school athlete, he maintained a winning attitude garnered from his coaches, his father and his older brother. He uses the knowledge that he obtained through education and research to train sales teams at major corporations. In addition, he motivates individuals to realize their capabilities and to view obstacles as opportunities.

The Editor-in-Chief of Exceptional People Magazine was delighted to have Pearman share key elements of the methods he utilizes to help people reach their potential and achieve success. Monica: You are often referred to as “America’s Mental Toughness Coach.” How did you earn that title? Clint: I joined the Marine Corps right after high school, spent 18 years on active duty and then got out and went into the reserves. While in the reserves, I noticed that the Marines develop people in a special way. It’s interesting because when you think about what the Marine Corps does, they take a person, 17, 18, or 19, right out of high school or 26 or 27, right out of college, provide basic training, and place them in the world’s most dangerous, stressful and challenging conditions. The Marine Corps expects them to succeed and excel in this environment. When I was in the reserves, I began observing and studying this technique. I wanted to know what the Marine Corps does that allows them to expect people to excel in this type

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of situation, when most people would not survive under those conditions. Over the next 10 years, while in the reserves, I did what I call an informal investigation or an informal study of the Marine Corps. My last two years I was mobilized and put on active duty for the global war on terrorism. I put in for retirement in 2004. It was denied, and I was mobilized, which gave me almost 18 months of intense research into this. At the end of those two years, I figured out what the Marine Corps was doing, not only the formal Marine Corps, but the individual Marines that were tasked with training other Marines. I figured out what we were doing to prepare people for the environments they were about to encounter. When you look at companies that perform at an optimum level, like World Vision or USAA -- that happens to be the world’s number one customer service company -- whether they’re aware of it or not, they are applying the techniques that the Marine Corps uses to develop their people. Once I accumulated this data, I realized it was essentially mental toughness. They developed mental toughness in their Marines. That allowed them to use their minds and brains to focus on each step of an individual goal until it was completed. In other words, they taught people how to focus on individual steps of an individual goal until they were completed. And I realized anyone could accomplish anything if they learned how to focus on each step of a single goal until it was completed. Focus your thoughts and behavior, that’s what mental toughness is. I started teaching this my last 12 months on active duty when it became apparent that these things apply to human performance.

July-August 2010 | Exceptional People Magazine | 31

Minding My

Business After that, the Marine Corps begins to condition your body for optimum performance. They put you through intensive physical training from the beginning and maintain that for the next -- well, until you retire. So the second component I learned is to be physically conditioned. In order to live up to your potential, your body has to be able to perform what your mind wants it to do.

Monica: What has serving in the Marines for 30 years taught you about life and how to survive during the most trying times? Clint: We could talk for the next ten hours on that alone. I’ve learned lots of things, but that last 10 years while I was in the reserves and then the last two on active duty is where I literally formulated the concept of the mental toughness paradigm, how to use your mind and brain to live up to your potential and avoid, what I like to call underachievement. If I were to give you maybe three things, one, it is mental programming, and that’s what the Marine Corps does. Some people might call it brainwashing, but I like to say if you’re being brainwashed for positive things or you’re being brainwashed to learn how to live up to your potential, that’s a fantastic form of brainwashing, and that’s what the Marine Corps does. From the day you enter into boot camp, the Marine Corps begins transforming you and it begins with changing the way you think, changing your beliefs, changing your mental paradigms. So the first thing is mental programming.

The third most powerful thing I learned was, once your mind is programmed properly and your body is conditioned to produce what your mind wants it to do, the only thing left to do is to figure out a way to automate that behavior, to put it on autopilot. That essentially involves developing goals. We are always goal-driven in the Marine Corps. We always have goals and plans that tell us what to do. If the first part of the plan doesn’t work, it’s okay because there’s always a back-up plan. I would say those are three of the most powerful things I’ve learned over the 31 years I’ve spent in the Marine Corps, one, to always be mentally prepared; two, to be physically prepared, and, three, to know what I want to accomplish through goals and plans. Monica: You are also a success coach. What methods do you employ to bring people to the intersection of true potential and success? Clint: Oh, that’s a great question, and it’s pretty simple. I believe those three things that I just named if you’re pursuing something extraordinary and you’re trying to accomplish something significant in your life. One of the main reasons people hire coaches is they have a goal that they’re trying to achieve and they want help.

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Through my coaching philosophy, I apply those same three principles. There are many smaller elements that are involved that we could touch on, but those are the three major components. One, you’ve got to program your mind because you can accomplish any goal you set if you have the proper mindset. Following the mindset you need the physical conditioning. If your body is conditioned to accomplish what you want to accomplish – a lot of times people might interpret that as needing world-class Olympic conditioning. Well, not really. Let’s say you have a 9:00 to 5:00 job and you’re trying to build a business as a side line. That’s going to require a lot of energy and endurance. What if you’re not physically conditioned to work your 9:00 to 5:00 and come home to build your business? We say in the success arena, “Your 9:00 to 5:00 is just the starting point for building your future because you’re future begins after your 9:00 to 5:00 ends. That means you may need to be in better physical condition to build a business than you needed to work 9:00 to 5:00 because now you’re putting in double the hours. And believe it or not, a lot of people never live up to their potential because they’re physically incapable of everything that’s required. You hear people say, “I’m tired.” Well, that’s an example of not being physically ready. The third thing I tell my coaching clients is goal-setting and planning. Once your mind is right and your body is right, you simply need the plan. I sometimes refer to that as the GPS. Turn on your GPS, put in the program and take off. Your mind and body will automatically steer you in the direction of your goals and plans

Minding My

when they’re physically and mentally programmed. Monica: I have often observed that people are not motivated to accomplish the dreams and goals that they have. Why do you think some people are self-motivated and others are not? Clint: That’s another great question. First, I would say this. One of the things that hold people back from living up to their potential is – and then we’ll get into the more specific motivation – when we’re born, we are totally dependent on someone to take care of us. We’re incapable of doing anything on our own, but we eventually grow to be codependent. Somewhere around six years old we become codependent, we can do things on our own, but we still need our parents to continue our development. After codependence, the later stages, around 13 or 14 years of age, we begin observing the actions of the adults and we start observing what I call independence. It’s at that independence stage, or when you start to transition from codependent to independent,

Business

where a lot of people make the mistake of believing independence is the final stage. They watch adults and the older people in their lives function in what they view as independence, and they think, “That’s what I want to do.” You hear it often from children and teenagers. They say, “I can’t wait to get out on my own.” What they’re referring to is the independent stage of life.

have the vision, you need to make a concrete, solid decision to accomplish it. It’s amazing how many people have a vision of what they want to achieve, but they’ve never decided accomplish it. And what I mean by decision is go beyond just saying, “I’m going to accomplish it.” Your decision has to involve being committed, no matter has long it takes as long as it’s legal, legitimate and honest.

We fail to progress when we stop at independence. We think, “Now I’m out on my own. I graduated from high school or college. I have my own job. I have my own car. I have my own house,” and we get stuck in the independent stage. Independence is not the final stage.

The third component is to believe that you can achieve your goal. You have to learn how to engineer that belief. And the fourth component is to develop a passion for what you want to accomplish. When you develop these four components, motivation is not an issue.

Now what happens is people stagnate in that independent stage, and they never grow to their potential simply because they fail to realize the fourth stage of human optimum performance is interdependence. Interdependence is that stage where you learn to work with others. That is when your life begins to flourish.

Monica: You have a passion for exploring the depths of brain science. Why are you intrigued by the subject?

Once in the interdependent stage, this is where success really takes hold. When you’re not motivated, it’s generally because your mindset is not programmed properly to do what you want to do, and I say there are four components that involve motivation. You can become motivated from external sources, watching a motivational movie, listening to a motivational speaker, reading a motivational book. All of those things will motivate you temporarily, but the goal is to become inspired where you go to the next level of motivation. And in order to become inspired there are four factors. You need a vision of what you are trying to accomplish. Once you

Clint: Great question. With a psychology background, my coaching and my performance development, all my training was done through what I knew about psychology. About six years ago I started reading research that came out of something known as the Decade of the Brain. In the mid‘80s, scientists with the National Institutes of Science and Health began lobbying Congress for funding. They needed funds to perform research because they felt that they were on the verge of some unbelievable breakthroughs. Already being in the environment of succeeding and having a background in psychology, I was able to visualize this research and see how it could be synthesized and redeveloped into human performance. That’s what motivated me to pursue the subject of brain science. I became aware of the enormous amount of research that could be applied to determine when

July-August 2010 | Exceptional People Magazine | 33

Minding My we learn to live up to our potential and that’s what I focused on. I found there was an enormous amount of research in this area. I coined or I called it Copenology. Essentially Copenology is brain research that can be applied to human performance. Monica: Over the years I have realized that we can be great procrastinators. Is there a connection between procrastination and brain science? Clint: Of course. In fact, procrastination is one of the keys or one of the most important solutions that Copenology can solve. When you think about the science of Copenology and then you think about procrastination, Copenology is ideal for solving a person’s procrastination problems because what Copenology does is change the mindset. I often tell people there is no such thing as procrastination. It’s a mindset. When we think of procrastination, what we’re really thinking of is priorities. We don’t procrastinate; we simply don’t do what we want to do. We do what our mind is programmed to tell us to do. For example, if you have a goal to lose weight and you procrastinate about going to the gym, what you’re really doing is prioritizing something else. You’ve decided to do something else instead of going to the gym. Well, if we can program your mind and brain to do what you want to do, you won’t procrastinate anymore. And that’s what Copenology is all about, learning how to reprogram that first element of the three components, learning how to reprogram your mind to achieve your goal. When you ask is there a tie between procrastination and brain science, there is a direct connection. Procrastination is all about how your mind is set up. Brain science can teach you how to reprogram your mind.

Business Monica: For many years you have helped corporate America improve productivity and develop teams that are motivated to achieve excellence. How do you apply your mental toughness methodology to the corporate arena, and what do you find most rewarding when you teach corporate America about excellence? Clint: Excellent. Great question. The first thing you should understand when you ask that question is our brains are involved in everything we do. When you learn how to manage your brain, you can control almost everything you do. One of the major challenges in corporate America is we’re learning how to manage behavior, functions and processes, which are all controlled or directed by our brains. But if the brains are not functioning properly, you can’t expect those other processes to function properly. I teach people how to develop the power of their brain to do the things they need to do. Let’s take a company that has a sales force. We know sales are 90 percent mental. Unless your salespeople are taught to develop mental power, they can never perform up to their potential because they lack mental toughness and development of a mental program that helps them get through obstacles, rejection and setbacks. And once you develop mental toughness, you no longer see obstacles. They’re simply viewed as something you need to overcome. Another example might be the customer service department. Customer service is all mental, and until your customer service people understand how to develop a mental program so that they see their customers in the right light, they’ll never learn to provide exceptional customer service.

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Monica: I’ve noticed that when someone asks you how you’re doing, you always say, “Fantastic”. How do you put yourself in a fantastic frame of mind? Clint: Oh, that’s an excellent question. Let me start by saying this. First, today science is teaching us and telling us that the mind-body connection is unbelievably important to our health and well-being. In other words, how we think, how we use our minds is important. In fact, more than 90 percent of the illnesses we suffer from today have a mental mindset component which is primarily stress-related. I say that to say this, the reason I always respond with “fantastic” is because I understand how important our minds are to our health, and I want to live a healthy life as long as I possibly can. That begins with controlling how your mind affects your body. Your brain literally affects your body. You can think yourself into being sick, and you can think yourself into being healthy. First, you have to decide you want to be fantastic when you first wake up and begin the mental process by saying it. It doesn’t matter whether you are feeling fantastic at that time. If you begin telling yourself you are fantastic, you will program yourself to believe you are. Monica: What can you pass on to others about achieving success by using your mental toughness method? Clint: Your mind and brain controls everything you do. When you learn to control your mind and brain, then you’ll live up to your potential.

Am I Prepared to Become Self-Employed? What It Takes to Run Your Own Business By Kathi Calahan

Employee vs. business owner, it's a scary dream for most, but attainable. If you are seriously looking to become self-employed there are a few factors you should consider before taking the leap. Ask yourself these questions: 1. Do I have the long term drive to make my business a success? 2. Will my values be met by the business I want to build? 3. Do I know the legal and tax laws required for being selfemployed ? 4. If I don't know how to do something, can I find a career coach or other help? 5. Do I have a plan? 6. Do I need a partner? 7. Can I continue to pay my bills while I get my business up and running? 8. What do I know about marketing my business? 9. Are the products or services I plan to offer wanted by the public and are people willing to pay me for them?

SELF-EMPLOYED IN A BETTER INDUSTRY Kris was a college-level teacher and now in her 50's has made a decision to incorporate her interest in writing into a livelier, fun-in-the-sun environment. Searching and not finding employment locally, she is now revamping her

Minding My

Business

resume to highlight transferable skills and looking for freelance work in the islands. Her Vermont apartment is tiny and easy to maintain while she's away in her new career. Her new self-employed goal is to teach journaling workshops at various resorts and spas. Because of her love for islands, she is narrowing her search to destination resorts on islands only. She can expand her possibilities and think outside the box by asking what else could she do with her writing skills. She could expand her own business by offering to teach guests how to write a short play and then performing it during their vacation stay. Or, she could freelance her writing excellence into marketing vacation spots for host companies. She could even write and sell how-to books for other budding writers. Her list of possibilities is endless in a changing market and yours can be too. Just highlight your best skills and take them into an industry you find exciting.

first have natural musical abilities, a love of center stage and awareness that receiving applause and admiration can be like a drug you will always chase." When I asked him why he is no longer self-employed in the music industry he explained, "I knew that I needed a home base and really got tired of the traveling. One day I was putting everything I owned into the trunk of a car, getting ready for our next gig, and realized I had forgotten where I was. I didn't even know which coast I was on." Today Kevin is employed as a Public Works Director for a town in Arizona and continues to sing karaoke in Laughlin, Nevada occasionally. He says it's hard to let go of the rush that audience applause provides, but if your most important value is a regular home life, then an on-the-road business is not for you. If you want to develop your own business, use Kevin's awareness as a role model and make sure your values match your business.

SELF-EMPLOYED WITH A BUSINESS PARTNER

SELF-EMPLOYED, FIND A PROBLEM, PROVIDE A SOLUTION

Another woman, Charlotte, from Pennsylvania, is finding the doors to her human resource expertise closing around her. How might she re-traffic her skills and abilities into a new market? She has a stellar background in planning, preparation and all behind-the-scenes work. Not particularly interested in being the front-woman for a company, she can now take her work history and switch gears slightly by becoming a wedding planner, or a consultant for the convention industry. When asked if she likes meeting and greeting people, her answer was a quick, "No!" So maybe a wedding planner wouldn't be the best choice for her. Knowing that she is more comfortable behind the scenes, she can now transfer her skills into an environment that needs what she has to offer, and although it may be a different industry, she will still be able to use her gifts well. If you are considering becoming self-employed, do like Charlotte did and know whether you are best suited on the front line or behind the scenes. This is a perfect example of the need for a business partner who is better suited with public contact.

SELF EMPLOYED, BUT A MISMATCH OF VALUES Kevin Manley started out his professional career as an entrepreneur. He formed his own band and toured the United States. He had natural skills in musical talent, stage presence and organization, perfect skills for someone who wants to build a band. To succeed, he says, "You must 36 | Exceptional People Magazine | July-August 2010

Kate Cronan Sawert has made a career out of her interest in the health field. She is now self-employed in the same industry. She says she was disheartened by the American health care system and quickly began planning her own business. She truly believes that the only way she can make a quality difference is by becoming self-employed. Today she has formed her own company, Self Health, Inc. (www.sawert.com/selfhealth) that provides health education and wellness information to the general public. Her book, Self Health offers insight into what is causing your energy drains and strategies for healing them. What satisfies her most is the excitement on the face of her clients when they learn that anything is possible regarding their health. Kate knows that with her own business she can be more problem/solution oriented in her care. She advises anyone considering the option of running his or her own business to be skilled in willingness, tenacity and to have the ability to ask for help. For Kate, her life's work was built around a problem in her industry. Because health education has become more integrative in the last twenty years, this entrepreneur has found a cutting edge position for her talents, skills and values in her own business. If you want to start your own business, use Katie as a role model; find a problem and provide a solution. If after careful evaluation of what it takes to operate your own successful business you find that this is the path for you, learn as much as you can from others who have gone before you and here's to your career success!

Minding My

Business

Increasing Your Cash Flow with a Small Business By William R. Patterson

Starting a small or home-based business is a great way to immediately increase your cash flow and begin building wealth. By starting a small or home-based business, you are likely to increase your tax deductions, so you can work with your accountant and adjust your withholdings to free up more cash flow throughout the year to invest or operate your business. This is preferable to letting the government hold your money all year without paying you a dime in interest. The government encourages business ownership and rewards entrepreneurs with increased tax credits, deductions and shelters. And not only do you have these lucrative tax benefits through your business, you also have the opportunity to stash away more money for retirement by setting up a SEP IRA, Keogh plan or 401(k) for your company. When it comes to financing your business, there are quite a few options available. For smaller companies, you can part-

ner with others, pull in sponsors and develop trade lines of credit, which are surprisingly easy to get for those with the right knowledge and properly structured businesses. If you need to travel, purchase office supplies, computer equipment and other necessities for your business, this can all be done through your company using business credit that does not require a personal guarantee and you can receive major tax deductions for doing it. Remember, in order to build significant wealth, it is important to move away from a one-to-one relationship with money, where you trade an hour of your time for a specific dollar amount. Instead, dramatically increase your leverage by mastering the ability to create a product or service once, that you can sell infinitely.

July-August 2010 | Exceptional People Magazine | 37

Minding My When you own a small business, you often can’t offer expensive perks to your employees for a job well done. At the same time, strong competition for top employees is causing compensation costs to soar, as small companies compete with large corporations with deeper pockets. Smaller companies may need to be more creative to produce perks and benefits to motivate and keep employees. When developing a rewards system, create perks that can be distributed company-wide and others that may single out specific individuals who have done a great job. A few ideas include:

Business

• Give an extra half or full day off to

• Ideally, aim to link bonuses to net

show appreciation for exceptional workers. However, this should be exercised with caution, as it is likely to lose impact over time; also place a heavier burden on the remaining staff.

yearly profits to ensure all employees work towards common company goals - profit related pay. A “no upper limit” scheme will invariably prove to be a strong motivational factor for all concerned - a highly profitable year will mean that bumper bonuses will be paid, but these will always remain in line with overall company performance.

• Never underestimate the power of good old-fashioned cash. The most familiar reward method - bonuses is proven motivators and is always appreciated by employees.

• If a customer calls or writes to praise an employee, announce it at your next staff meeting and congratulate the employee personally where possible.

While these smaller rewards and gestures are a relatively light financial outlay, they can be just as motivating as big expensive programmes, if handled correctly.

Creative Staff Perks for Small Businesses By Donna Carletta

• Organize a meal at a local restau-

• If you are the owner or manager of

rant to employees who put in extra hours to complete urgent projects.

a small company, recognize good work by personally distributing payslips each period. Add a word of thanks and encourage more of the same good work.

• Offer a movie voucher or book token as a small gesture of appreciation for those who give excellent service to customers.

38 | Exceptional People Magazine | July-August 2010

Creative rewards will pay off with loyal employees who will continue to work hard to make the company increasingly successful. When you care about your employees, they will care about the company.

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Food For Thought

ISSN 1944-9062 Founder and Editor-in-Chief Monica Davis

“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” Arnold Schwarzenegger

Editors Jon Crump Marla Gem Beatrice Roots

Company Writers Donna Carletta Kathy Kentty Pat Markel

Other Writers and Contributors

“To live happily is an inward power of the soul.” Marcus Aurelius

“Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.” Albert Einstein

“When you love someone all your saved-up wishes start coming out.” Elizabeth Bowen

Angie Brennan Annemarie Cross Catherine Galasso-Vigorito Dean G. Campbell Dorothy Rosby James Adonis Kathi Calahan Margaret Paul Rosalind Sedacca Sharon Raiford Bush William R. Patterson

Exceptional People Magazine is published bimonthly by Atela Productions, Inc. The opinions of the contributors are not necessarily those of Atela Productions, Inc.

Atela Productions, Inc. 2961-A Hunter Mill Rd. PMB 624 Oakton, VA 22124-1704 www.exceptionalmag.com

For advertising information please contact The advertising department at 703-865-8308.

“My best friend is the man who in wishing me well wishes it for my sake.” Aristotle

Copyright © 2010 All rights reserved. Exceptional People Magazine is a copyright of Atela Productions, Inc. The contents of this publication may not be printed, copied or distributed without the express written consent of the Publisher.

July 4, 2010

FREEDOM.

What does it mean to you?

Unity. Inclusion. Togetherness. The Perfect Picture. Humanity is diverse, but together we are one -- the human family.

Celebrate the differences in all humans.

Empowerment

Approach life with confidence.

Potpourri

Empowerment Ten Ways to Get Your Traditional IRA in Shape for a Healthy Retirement Retireme

By Dean G. Campbell

Regular exercise and a proper diet can be the foundation for a healthy body. Similarly, taxadvantaged saving in an Individual Retirement Account can be the foundation for healthy finances in retirement. To make sure your traditional IRA is as fit as possible, regular maintenance and good habits are required. Here are a few guidelines. 1. Give your traditional IRA the proper diet. Many advisors recommend consistent and maximum contributions to an IRA, even when they are not tax-deductible (contributions not deductible when made are not taxable when withdrawn after age 59½). Contributions to an IRA grow tax-deferred, meaning that no taxes are due on the earnings until money is withdrawn. Tax-deferred growth can have a dramatic impact on your retirement savings over time. 2. Exercise all available tax options. Having made the point about the power of taxdeferral, it is still important that, whenever 44 | Exceptional People Magazine | July-August 2010

possible, traditional IRA contributions be used as a tax deduction. IRA investors often assume that they are not eligible for a tax deduction when they are. 3. Know the rules. Each person under 70½, with earned income, may contribute to a traditional IRA. If you are married and working, with a non-working spouse, you may also contribute to your spouse’s traditional IRA. 4. Keep good records. When non-deductible contributions are withdrawn from a traditional IRA, they are tax-free -- so it’s important to keep track of them. In a separate file, maintain a list of contributions. If you wait too long to compile this information, you're likely to make mistakes and end up paying more taxes than necessary. 5. Invest wisely. Once you have made your traditional IRA contribution, you must make decisions about how this money will be most

Potpourri

effectively invested. Seek the counsel of a professional financial advisor to assist you with the management of IRA assets. 6. Have regular checkups. Personal, economic and market conditions bear watching, since they may suggest modifications to your investment selections. A selfdirected traditional IRA allows you to use virtually any investment vehicle and make appropriate changes as needed. 7. Resist bad habits. You’ve spent a lifetime building a retirement nest egg in your tax-advantaged retirement plan. You shouldn’t consider this money a windfall to be spent on a new car or boat you've always wanted. Taxdeferred retirement dollars cannot be replaced. If you change jobs or take an early retirement, resist the temptation to take receipt of the money in your retirement account. Rolling the sum into an IRA rollover account is generally the best alternative. You’ll be glad you did, because a “hands-off” policy during the accumulation years could make a substantial difference in your lifestyle during retirement. 8. Learn about rollovers before you effect one. The rollover rules for retirement distributions are fairly straightforward, but it is important to understand them fully; a wrong move could cost you a sizable portion of your savings. Talk with your financial advisor and your tax advisor well in advance of your retirement distribution.

Empowerment

9. Consolidate your IRAs. Many people have several traditional IRA accounts at a number of different financial institutions. While most people are in this situation by accident, some do it intentionally because they mistakenly believe it will provide diversification. Since most IRA accounts incur fees and other expenses, having several different IRA accounts could work against the long-term goal of accumulating assets. And while diversification can be an important element of good money management, you shouldn’t need a number of different accounts to accomplish it. One self-directed IRA account could handle many years of contributions and many types of investments. 10. Plan the withdrawals. Even though mandatory distributions from a traditional IRA are required at age 70 ½, deciding when to begin withdrawing from your IRA and who should be the beneficiary are important factors in your overall estate plan. If your IRA is sizable, you may be subject to an unexpectedly large tax bill on withdrawals, or your heirs may pay additional estate taxes. Is it better to start withdrawing now or let the funds grow tax-deferred? Who should be your beneficiary — your spouse, a child or grandchild, or your trust? The optimal solution must be based on your specific situation and should be discussed in depth with your financial advisor and your tax and estate planning professionals.

July-August 2010 | Exceptional People Magazine | 45

Potpourri

Empowerment Four Keys to Go from Fearful to Fearless (and fantastic) in Your Next Interview By Annemarie Cross

Just thinking about attending an interview for their dream job is enough to cause unrest, panic and fear in even the most talented of professionals. “What should I expect?” “What questions do you think they’ll ask me?” “How do I know if my answer is what they are looking for?” “What should I do/not do to ensure I build rapport with the interviewer?” “How should I respond if they ask me a difficult question?” are but a few of the numerous questions I’m asked by panicked clients during the initial stages of an interview coaching session. For some people, however, the thought of attending an 46 | Exceptional People Magazine | July-August 2010

interview can literally be debilitating. One of our CC xPress subscribers claims that when walking into the interviewer’s office, she ‘leaves her brain at the door’ rendering her incapable of answering any questions in a professional and articulate way. Quite the opposite to how she conducts herself during the normal course of her working day. Does this sound like you? Are you worried your fear and anxiety are impacting negatively on your ability to communicate effectively during the interview? If so, here are four simple (yet powerful) steps that will enable you to go from fearful to fearless, so that you can enhance your communi-

Potpourri cation skills to deliver relevant and memorable responses the next time you attend an interview. Step One: Precede The first and most important step, and which is unfortunately something that is often overlooked by many job seekers. Miss this step and you could potentially jeopardize your candidacy.

Empowerment

confirms the value and professionalism you offer the organization. Identifying the quantified result follows the WIIFM principle (what’s in it for me) confirming the successes your previous employer gained through your direct involvement. This is your promise of value that you offer the new organization should you be invited to join their team. Step Three: Practice

This step involves thorough research of the position and the company to pinpoint exactly what they are looking for in an ideal candidate in terms of skills, qualifications, experience and strengths etc. This information can be found by reviewing the job advertisement, position description, and/or corporate website. Step Two: Preparation Once you have identified the organization’s requirements it’s important to confirm that you have the experience, skills and strengths they seek by identifying relevant examples of situations that demonstrate these strengths in action. You can discuss situations from either your previous and/ or your current experience as long as they are relevant and follow the C.A.R. principle when delivering your response.

As the saying goes ‘practice makes perfect’ and this is also a very important step to follow when preparing for upcoming interviews. Rehearse and refine your responses by practicing your (previously developed) examples out loud, in front of a mirror or a friend/family member, or your career coach. You need to ensure you’re comfortable with what you are saying and practicing your responses will allow you to iron out any stutters, so that on the day of the interview, you’ll able to communicate articulately and professionally. Step Four: Picture Top athletes use visualization in their fitness regime to enhance their performance levels and so can you, in preparation for your upcoming interviews. Find a quiet setting (free from interruptions) and begin picturing yourself progressing well through the entire interview.

C.A.R. stands for: C = challenge Providing brief information about the challenge (situation or project) will allow the interviewer to understand the context in which you were working. A = action Pinpointing your actions and involvements to overcome the challenge (or contributions within the situation or project) will confirm your strengths and expertise.

Imagine yourself building rapport with the interviewer easily and effortlessly. Visualize yourself being calm and in control. See yourself answering the questions professionally; being able to provide relevant examples to each of the questions the interviewer asks you. Hear the interviewer congratulating you on your successes and confirming you are exactly what they are looking for in a potential candidate. Remember, what you concentrate on, expands. So make sure you are concentrating on positive, helpful and uplifting things to continue building and enhancing your interviewing skills.

R = result Confirming the outcome and impact your actions (strengths) had on the challenge (situation or project) July-August 2010 | Exceptional People Magazine | 47

Potpourri

Empowerment

The Most Common Management Communication Mistakes By James Adonis One skill that managers can learn so that staff engagement is amplified and workers are unified is communication. What you say and how you say it determines how employees perform. Generally, there are nine major mistakes that prevent managers from becoming competent communicators. 1. Not dealing with uncertainty. According to Human Synergistics, Australian managers have the highest rate of avoidance leadership in the western world. Rumors are fueled when there are obvious changes at work that managers don’t discuss. This causes anxiety. Be clear about what's going on. Speak openly and honestly with your employees and seek their feedback. 2. Forgetting the Power Principle. The 'Power Principle' states that no matter how well you know your staff, you're the supervisor. This means that you're their superior and they will filter the information that they tell you. To become a masterful communicator, you should maintain an open relationship with your team. For example, make it easy for them to tell you bad news by not overreacting when you hear it. Instead, welcome it. 3. Being dishonest. Keeping sensitive topics secret is one thing, but lying to your team is a different issue. If you are not truthful, your staff will not be productive. As Abraham Lincoln said, "If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem. It is true that you may fool all of the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all of the time; but you can't fool all of the people all of the time." 4. Making decisions without explanations. Managers running a high volume business in the heat of the moment can't be blamed for issuing instructions without a second's thought. But the possibility of any decisions and directions being embraced by your team are reduced significantly when you don't take the time to explain the reasons behind them. Provide your employees with clarity on your thinking so there's no calamity in their thinking. 5. Over-relying on email as a communication tool. Try to avoid the use of email as much as possible. It's 48 | Exceptional People Magazine | July-August 2010

amazing how a tool that has revolutionized productivity in workplaces around the world has become a hindrance to the very productivity it created. Relationships, which are the cornerstone of employee engagement, are fostered via face-to-face communication. Email can sometimes distort your tone and what you intend to communicate isn't the message that's delivered. 6. Misjudging your employees' intelligence. Employees tend to comprehend more than you think they do, especially since people are more highly educated now than at any point in history. An employee, especially a Gen Y'er, may not fit in, but that doesn't mean that they can't grasp precisely what's going on. So don't talk down to them. No matter their age, treat them like adults that you respect and admire. 7. Neglecting to provide recognition. A common trap that managers fall into is that they're constantly watching for employees doing wrong, which is fair enough, because performance needs to be improved. But with such an intense focus on what's amiss, they often fail to notice what’s great. Be as vigilant in noticing your employees doing a good job, so that they can be recognized for that. Most people value acknowledgement above anything else. 8. Sounding too business-like. The business world has a tendency to transform people into clones. They begin to sound the same, look the same, and act the same. While it's important to be professional, try to avoid using ridiculous clichés like "let's take this off-line,” over-used phrases like "moving forward" and business jargon such as "above board.” It's better to address your employees as real people. 9. Talking too much. The most powerful communication method is listening. The best listeners eliminate distractions, ask questions, withhold judgment, and watch for unspoken clues in their employees' body language. There's a big difference between acting like you're interested and genuinely being interested. You may hear what you don't want to hear, but what your employees will experience is a manager who cares. Communication is the exchange of understanding, which means that what you've communicated to an employee has been received in the way that you intended, and you've received a response to let you know that that's the case. Anything less isn't communication.

Powerful Ways to Thrive in the Midst of Change, Disappointment, and Failure

By Vicky Therese Davis, William R. Patterson, and D. Marques Patton

There will be many times in our lives when we are forced to deal with change, disappointment, and failure. These events should not be viewed negatively, but as opportunities to uncover routes to greater success. Life often presents us with these opportunities, yet they are disguised as obstacles, roadblocks, and detours. If we exhibit keen insight, these “obstacles” will offer us lessons that could be learned by no other means. It is up to us to overcome emotional let downs and find ways to thrive in the midst of these temporary setbacks. In the face of great challenges, here are a few ways to get you back on track. Assess and Correct In order to correct our missteps, it is of paramount importance that we understand the root cause of our failures. Determine if the basis was flawed planning, faulty execution, or competitive pressure. When you understand the cause, it becomes much easier to design an effective countermeasure.

Look for the Message or Meaning in Failure Through change, disappointment, and failure, there is a message being communicated; a weakness that is being brought to your attention. Failure is one of life’s most valuable teachers. It will redirect your course to more favorable paths. Change Direction With your analysis, determine if your failure was based on an improper course. Don’t let your ego blind you to the fact that you may need a new plan. Failure often reveals subtle details that can lead you to enormous success on your subsequent attempts. It may be appropriate to change direction. Look for the lessons revealed in your efforts, whether they are success or failure. Evaluate your method to determine if it is still the most logical course of action. Compare Yourself to Successful Organizations and People Seek to identify and adopt the best practices of the most successful organizations and people. By modeling their behaviors, strategies, and tactics, you follow a proven roadmap to success. Also presented is the opportunity to improve upon methods to uncover breakthroughs that can help you dominate in your field. July-August 2010 | Exceptional People Magazine | 49

Consult with Experts Another surefire way to get back on track is to consult with experts in the field. They can give you insights into areas you might have overlooked. Seek professionals who can help you identify and improve the areas that most directly impact your success. The benefits will far outweigh the costs. Form Strategic Partnerships A smart way to recover from setbacks and position yourself for future accomplishment is to form strategic partnerships. The right partnership will create a synergy that will multiply the return for all parties involved. One of the key factors to look for in a partnership is someone that compliments you and your organization, whose strengths are your weaknesses, particularly in the areas of your life and business that have the greatest impact. By forming such partnerships you will see immediate returns because you have aligned yourself with experts; the development time will be much shorter. Think Bigger Often times we miss opportunities because our thinking is too narrow. Fortune favors the bold; think large, be decisive. Thinking big will put you in contact with different types of people that agree with your way of thinking. 50 | Exceptional People Magazine | July-August 2010

The relationships you forge are a direct reflection of your mentality. Thinking on a larger scale will create a different level of interest in your project. Many times it can be easier to raise ten million dollars in funding than one million. Focus Opportunities also exist in a narrow scope. To make advancements, consider the archerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s concentration. By concentrating on fewer, but key areas, you can thrive in the midst of change, disappointment, or failure. Evaluate the areas of your life or business that have the greatest impact on your success and direct your focus there. Get More Knowledge/Education/Retrain There will be times where you realize your skill set or the skill set of your staff is insufficient to meet the competitive demands of your field. Therefore, it is imperative that you constantly look for opportunities to keep your skills updated. In your pursuit, determine if your lack of knowledge was a contributing factor to your lack of success. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t update your skills, you will find failure at your doorstep. Others in the market place are constantly improving; you must do the same if you expect to effectively compete.

Potpourri

Empowerment cial, estate and care planning becomes much easier.

Create Your Vision of the Future

There are many decisions to make as you look to the future. Here are a few areas of concern to think about:

• Have an investment plan. A plan eases worry for you and your family. It includes current and future savings projections, expense projections, investment ideas and insurance planning.

• Determine whether a special-needs

By Dean G. Campbell By Dean G. Campbell When you’re busy taking care of a family member with a disability, taking time to plan for the future falls to the bottom of the to-do list. There doesn’t seem to be any room in the day for handling complex planning when driving to doctor visits, shopping, cooking, feeding loved ones and managing the other activities of daily living. Investment planning and decisions about care providers, trustees and wills can feel overwhelming -- but postponing plans for the future can result in your family members not getting needed care if you become unable to take care of them. To begin the planning process, start by creating a vision of the future you want for your family -- including you, your disabled child, sibling or parent and other related people. This step helps make the transition from fearing the future to taking action to create the future you want. You may make mistakes along the way -- but you can always adjust the plan.

Make the vision as simple or complex as you like. Here are some questions to answer:

trust is appropriate. Special-needs trusts enable family members to draw on funds for supplemental needs without endangering government benefits.

• Find a qualified trustee to balance • What type of life do you expect for your loved one when you are not there to provide care?

• Do you expect government or family funding to be of importance?

• Do you want a basic level of care, or a life enriched by the activities you currently provide?

• Who will look in on your family member regularly?

• How will she get to the doctor’s office? • What kind of spending will he need

for medicines, clothes and housing? The process of creating a vision is not easy – we can’t imagine anyone else providing the care, love and patience that we do. But once we have looked ahead and tried to imagine the future, finding the resources through finan-

spending dollars for appropriate needs against having assets to generate income over the course of a lifetime, and to handle taxes.

• Locate care providers and coordinators to assume day-to-day care for your loved one when you’re not there. This task can be hard for any family to face -- but with the help of professionals to guide you through the process, you can take steps to ensure that your loved one is cared for if you can’t be there. Campbell Retirement Planning Centers does not render legal, accounting or tax advice. Please consult your CPA or attorney on such matters. The accuracy and completeness of this material are not guaranteed. The material is distributed solely for information purposes and is not a solicitation of an offer to buy any security or instrument or to participate in any trading strategy. Provided by courtesy of Campbell Retirement Planning Centers, 5334 Dixie Highway, Waterford, MI 48329. Securities offered through Sigma Financial Corp. Member FINRA/SIPC

July-August 2010 | Exceptional People Magazine | 51

In the last issue ing with her boss, we began our was successfully able four-part series to restore a seemon how to imingly impossible relaprove your relationship. tionship with difficult people Geoff’s story – a in the workboss having diffiplace by using culty in communithe DISC lan- Using the DISC Language to Enhance Your Workcating with his Perguage. To sonal Assistant briefly recap the place Relationships—Part 2 story, you will In this article, we recall that my move to the second By Annemarie Cross client Julie was letter in the DISC experiencing language – being the tremendous difficulty with her new Using the DISC profiling assessment ‘I’ Factor. Just to recap, the I Factor boss (who had only just taken over (the DISC language) Julie recognized stands for Influence; how a person the reigns three weeks prior), and was the characteristics of her boss’ behav- influences others to their point of seriously considering handing in her ior and communication preferences view. People who are high in the ‘I’ notice. and by adapting her communication Factor are enthusiastic, trusting, talkaand behavioral approach when deal- tive, sociable, optimistic and confi-

Dealing with Difficult Colleagues, Bosses and Clients:

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Potpourri dent. They like to be involved in just about everything, use lots of gestures and facial expressions when speaking, and wear their heart on their sleeves, so you’ll certainly know when you have challenged them. Geoff was a senior executive in a large manufacturing company and came to see me due to issues he was having with his newly hired personal assistant - Rebecca. She had come highly recommended from his peers, had delivered some impressive results throughout her career, and was highly skilled in her work. However, her constant talkative and somewhat boisterous attitude (which Geoff had initially thought was her trying to fit into the organization) was in fact her natural style. Four months on, she was often found chatting in the corridors with other staff, was causing meetings to run over schedule due to the small talk and conversation she elicited with other staff members, and, at times, tended to act impulsively. Geoff, being high in the D Factor, was a very results oriented person and didn’t really make time for what he claimed was ‘idle chit chat’. Rebecca’s behavior and communication style was completely foreign to Geoff, and not wanting to lose a skilled team member (should she decide to leave due to the possible build up of friction between them) he asked for some ideas on how he could solve these communication issues. Adapting and enhancing your communications and relationships with someone with a high ‘I’ Factor Geoff’s description of Rebecca’s communication style pinpointed her as someone with a high I Factor – standing for influence.

Empowerment

To optimize his communications and ultimately his working relationship with Rebecca, following were some dos and don’ts that were recommended to Geoff.

• Discredited her ideas, but rather

When communicating with Rebecca, it was important for Geoff to:

• Fired instructions at her, telling her

• Give her an opportunity to talk

• Required her to complete the

about her ideas, other people and her emotions;

• Assist her in developing ways to transfer talk into action

• Share his ideas and experiences with her

• Recognize and thank her for her accomplishments

• Give her an opportunity to motivate and influence others

• Show her that he accepted her • Explain the details however not to dwell on them

• Communicate with her in a friendly and jovial manner When speaking to Rebecca, Geoff no longer:

encouraged her to share her thoughts and successes when she felt she had something to contribute

what to do

highly detailed work Adopting the above strategies allowed Geoff to enhance his overall interactions and communications with his personal assistant Rebecca, who was continuing to deliver great results within the workplace. Geoff even began to develop a newfound respect for Rebecca’s ‘talkative’ behavior, as she was an excellent relationship builder. Allowing Rebecca to bring her natural, strong influential communication skills to the table enabled the establishment of some strong alliances with key stakeholders he had been trying to ‘woo’ for over 12 months. Recognizing and allowing Rebecca to leverage her strengths and talents had allowed her to feel more comfortable within the workplace and had also opened the door to some positive and lucrative business opportunities - a true win-win situation!

• Stopped her from speaking (if he thought it irrelevant and not ‘problem solving’ focused), but rather allowed her to share her thoughts

Next time we’ll identify how to enha nc e your c o mmun i c a t i ons / interactions with someone who has a high ‘S’ Factor. Stay tuned!

• Prevented her from minimizing her interaction with others, by encouraging her to take her breaks in the lunch area with other staff so that she could enjoy the company and conversation of other staff

To your success! Annemarie

July-August 2010 | Exceptional People Magazine | 53

Good relationships don't just happen. I've heard many of my clients state that, "If I have to work at it, then it's not the right relationship." This is not a true statement, any more than it's true that you don't have to work at good physical health through exercise, eating well, and stress reduction. I've discovered seven choices you can make that will not only improve your relationship, but can turn a failing relationship into a successful one. Take Responsibility for Yourself This is the most important choice you can make to improve your relationship. This means that you learn how to take responsibility for your own feelings and needs. This means that instead of trying to get your partner to make you feel happy and secure, you learn how to do this for yourself through your own thoughts and actions. This means learning to treat yourself with kindness, caring, compassion, and acceptance instead of self-judgment. Self-judgment will always make you feel unhappy and insecure, no matter how wonderfully your partner is treating you.

your upsets. Since blaming one's partner for one's own unhappiness is the number one cause of relationship problems, learning how to take loving care of yourself is vital to a good relationship. The Inner Bonding process is a pathway toward this self-care. Kindness, Compassion, Acceptance Treat others the way you want to be treated. This is the essence of a truly spiritual life. We all yearn to be treated lovingly - with kindness, compassion, understanding, and acceptance. We need to treat ourselves this way, and we need to treat our partner and others this way, which is one of the results of practicing Inner Bonding. Relationships flourish when both people treat each other with kindness. While there are no guarantees, often treating another with kindness brings kindness in return. If your partner is consistently angry, judgmental, uncaring and unkind, then you need to focus on what would be loving to yourself rather than reverting to anger, blame, judgment, withdrawal, resistance, or compliance. Kindness to others does not mean sacrificing your-

For example, instead of getting angry at your partner for your feelings of abandonment when he or she is late, preoccupied and not listening to you, not turned on sexually, and so on, through the practice of Inner Bonding you would explore your own feelings of abandonment and discover how you might be abandoning yourself. When you learn how to take full, 100% responsibility for yourself, then you stop blaming your partner for 54 | Exceptional People Magazine | July-August 2010

self. Always remember that taking responsibility for yourself rather than blaming others is the most important thing you can do. If you are consistently kind to yourself and your partner, and your partner is consistently angry, blaming, withdrawn and unavailable, then you either have to accept a distant relationship, or you need to leave the relationship. You cannot make your partner change you can only change yourself. Learning Instead of Controlling When conflict occurs, you always have two choices regarding how to handle the conflict: you can open to learning about yourself and your partner and discover the deeper issues of the conflict, which is Step 2 of Inner Bonding - or you can try to win, or at least not lose, through some form of controlling behavior. We've all learned many overt and subtle ways of trying to control others into behaving the way we want: anger, blame, judgment, niceness, compliance, caretaking, resistance, withdrawal of love,

explaining, teaching, defending, lying, denying, and so on. All the ways we try to control create even more conflict. Remembering to learn instead of control is a vital part of improving your relationship.

Seven Ways to Improve Your Relationship Dr. Margaret Paul

For example, most people have two major fears that become activated in relationships: the fear of abandonment - of losing the other - and the fear of engulfment - of losing oneself. When these fears get activated, most people immediately protect themselves against these fears with their controlling behavior. But if you chose to move into the Inner Bonding process and learn about your fears instead of attempt to control your partner, your fear would eventually heal. This is how we grow emotionally and spiritually by learning instead of controlling. Create Date Times When people first fall in love, they make time for each other. Then, especially after getting married, they get

busy. Relationships need time to thrive. It is vitally important to set aside specific times to be together - to talk, play, make love. Intimacy cannot be maintained without time together. Gratitude Instead of Complaints Positive energy flows between two people when there is an "attitude of gratitude." Constant complaints create a heavy, negative energy, which is not fun to be around. Practice being grateful for what you have rather than focusing on what you don't have. Complaints create stress, while gratitude creates inner peace, so gratitude creates not only emotional and relationship health, but physical health as well. Fun and Play We all know that "work without play makes Jack a dull boy." Work without play makes for dull relationships as well. Relationships flourish when people laugh together, play together, and when humor is a part of everyday life. Stop taking everything so seriously and learn to see the funny side of life. Intimacy flourishes when there is lightness of being, not when everything is heavy. Service A wonderful way of creating intimacy is to do service projects together. Giving to others fills the heart and creates deep satisfaction in the soul. Doing service moves you out of yourself and your own problems and supports a broader, more spiritual view of life. If you and your partner agree to these 7 choices, you will be amazed at the improvement in your relationship!

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Exceptional People Magazine Welcomes its West Coast Bureau

We Thank all of Our Supporters Artofonic Symphony Orchestra of Budapest Disney/ABC

Lionsgate Entertainment

Hollywood Producer Eli Roth

Actor/Humanitarian Raul Julia-Levy Actor Steve Railsback

Celebrity Photographer Michael Doven

Exceptional Children's Foundation

Spotlighting Exceptional Entertainers

Hungarian Music Composer Levente Egry

Actor/Director/Producer Louis Herthum

Singer/Actress/Minister Della Reese

Actor Ernie Hudson

Sharon Raiford Bush West Coast Bureau Chief

Sharon called upon actors Blair Underwood and Ronny Cox; American race car driver Dale Earnhardt, Sr.; and wrestling champion Randy Savage, among others, to help her raise money to feed and clothe thousands of impoverished children throughout the Carolinas. She worked side-by-side with President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter in helping to establish the Carolinas' inaugural Habitat for Humanity project. The first home built in that area contains nails and lumber put in place by Sharon, actress/activist Jane Fonda and a host of other volunteers.

Multi-award-winning journalist Sharon Dahlonega Raiford Bush helms our West Coast Bureau, located in Los Angeles, CA. Sharon is best known for being the nation's first AfricanAmerican female TV weather anchor of prime time news. It was an honor bestowed upon her by President Gerald R. Ford when WGPR-TV began broadcasting in Detroit, MI. The former freedom fighter, who participated in peaceful civil rights demonstrations as a child with Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., further helped desegregate news anchor desks for ABC, CBS and NBC affiliates in North Carolina and Tennessee. Sharon is a dedicated public servant. She co-hosted the St. Jude Children's Hospital's annual telethon with Danny Thomas to raise money for cancer research and treatment.

Sharon's contributions to American history have been archived by the Charles H. Wright African American Museum in Detroit, and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. She provides Exceptional People Magazine with uplifting stories about artists who are giving back to their communities and making a difference in the world around them. “I delve far beyond the reaches of entertainers' resumes and lists of credits,” said Raiford Bush. “I want to know what makes them tick, what really makes them an exceptional human being.” She is married to veteran actor, Grand L. Bush, the recipient of the 1994 Gil Garcetti Courageous Citizen Award for saving the life of a shooting victim. Most recently, Sharon helped organize the Donald Trump Celebrity Invitational Golf Classic and Awards Banquet to raise money for the Salvation Army's youth-oriented programs. Contact Sharon by sending an email to: EpmagWest@aol.com.

To help Memphis, Tennessee's struggling blues community, she executive-produced the National Blues Music Awards, a stellar show that brought together the exceptional and collective talent of B.B. King, Albert King, Charlie Rich, Willie Nelson and Stevie Ray Vaughan. July-August 2010 | Exceptional People Magazine | 57

Extraordinary Profiles— Resources Side One Ernie Hudson, Pg. 4, A Versatile Hollywood Actor www.ernie-hudson.com Louis Herthum, Pg. 12, A Profile in Courage To Learn more about Louis Herthum, visit the Internet Movie Database: www.imdb.com/name/nm0381043/.com Ana Maria Alvarez, Pg. 19, Fusing Dance with Life, www.contra-tiempo.org Marlene Gordon, Pg. 26, The Next Stage of THE NEXT STAGE, www.nextstagetours.com, www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAT5EkqfQDM, www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-HYFi8MHQI Dr. Clint Pearman, Pg. 30, America’s Mental Toughness Coach, www.clintpearman.com Photo Credits CONTRA-TIEMPO, Pg. 20-23, by Tyrone Domingo and the CONTRA-TIEMPO Dance Company Marlene Gordon, Pg. 26, by Gloria Klaparda

Side Two George Fraser, Pg. 3, World’s Networking Authority, www.frasernet.com Ron Clark, Pg. 10, Ron Clark Academy, www.ronclarkacademy.com Karen Mager, Pg. 18, A Rose By a Different Name, www.crememagnolia.net Photo Credits George Fraser, Cover Photo and Pg. 2, by Georgio Sabino The Ron Clark AcademyRon Clark Academy Group, Pg. 11, by Alex Martinez Top of Page Photos, Pg. 12 and 14, by Yang Huan-Shih Photo Top Left, Pg. 13, by Jenni Girtman, Atlanta Event Photography Additional Credits Recipes: Emilia Klapp, Pg. 31, www.emiliaklapp.com, Chef Sean Thomas, Café 1017, Pg. 32, www.cafe1017.com Photo Enhancements: Mindy Belcher, Photographer - www.everaftervisuals.com Graphics: Jeff Hayes, http://www.plasmafiregraphics.com

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