Behind The Story - Career Change, Life Change Jane Pollard

Here is what is shared and discussed in this episode:
Links and Resources:
Briana's company: STU Arts - https://www.stuartsdance.com/ Upcoming Workshops Weekly "Everyone Can Dance" classes, every Wednesday and Friday in Brussels. Stepping Academy Her Blog Her Facebook page Briana's favorite books The Big Magic by Elisabeth Gilbert. Creative Living as a concept and ways to make your life work and not be discouraged by fear The Alchemist, by Paul Coelho. One of Briana's favorite books that she re-reads every year. A modern classic and international bestseller The Idea in You: How to Find It, Build It, and Change Your Life, by Martin Amor and Alex Pellew. This book encourages you that if you have an idea, to take the steps and make things happen. How to Make Friends Anywhere: A guide to attracting and influencing people in any situation by Anna Everitt For more:
Right-click here and save as to download this episode to your computer You can find the shownotes to this episode on: http://behindthestory.be/podcast/episode13 Subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts Subscribe on Android
 Facebook The interview:
Briana Stuart moved from the US to Brussels almost a year ago. She felt so much at home and connected when she visited the country while traveling across Europe and Asia months prior, she decided to move and live here. She established an arts consultancy organization called STU Arts, that provides broad high quality arts-related services and consultancy. STU Arts focuses on performance, teaching, choreography and arts administration for independent dance artists, dance companies, and cultural arts organizations.
She grew up in Detroit, Michigan and studied Dance and Sociology. After her studies, she didn't feel like moving to New York like many dancers do, but rather try out opportunities in Washington DC. She worked as a performer and teacher at a dance company for two years.
However, she felt a calling to travel the world. As she explains, something told her: "Briana go travel". She wanted to discover dance and arts in different places, discover God's art abroad. She decided to finish her season with the dance company in Washington DC, and sell all her belongings, that included a car and small apartment. Everything moved very quickly from there. She bought a plane ticket and was on a her way to Ireland only weeks after. She traveled to 12 countries and 14 cities in Europe and Asia over a span of 6 months. In that period, she discovered Belgium as well.
When she returned to the US, she initially continued doing independent dance work, choreography, teaching and performing, but she missed traveling the world! She asked herself, "where was the one place you felt the happiest, and where did you find yourself the most connected?" Crazy enough, that was Belgium!
Why Belgium, I asked. She tells me that she met so many amazing people during her world trip and when she visited Brussels, she loved the energy of the city. From the melting pot of cultures and languages, to the eclectic cuisine and amazing arts scene. The people were so welcoming, open and interested.
She applied for a work visa called Professional Card in Belgium. It was granted because of her professionalism and artistic value. She was allowed to establish herself as a self-employed dance artist. In a short period, she developed a network, which is growing and growing.
Briana enjoys learning how different cultures have so many different ways to do things. Brussels has a productivity vibe, but is still very laid back. In Brussels, on a beautiful day, everyone is outside and enjoying themselves.  She also feels that in the states, you have a more 'go go go' mentality.
When she came to Brussels, she noticed that dancing here is more performative. More focused on what you want your audience to feel. In Brussels you never know what to expect when you go to a dance show. And she likes that element of surprise. In the states, there is more focus on te

This podcast episode is part of a new series, "Talking To Jane", in partnership with Start it @KBC, (Facebook) a Startup Incubator with the largest Startup Community in Belgium.
In this series, Jane interviews entrepreneurs of Tech Startups, put forward by Start it@KBC. You will hear their inspiring journey's and the role of incubators to start and grow their business.
Here is what is shared and discussed in this episode:
Links and Resources:
Marleen's company and Social Media Links: http://www.enfleur.be/en/home -  Her blog is on her website LinkedIn Facebook (closed)-Enfleurtjes Facebook (public)-Enfleur Marleen can be contacted through: Social Media Enfleur website contact form Email: info@enfleur.be VIB - VIB is a life sciences research institute, based in Flanders, Belgium. Marleen worked at VIB for 11 years doing Research Marleen get's business coaching from Stefan Schippers at Startit @KBC Marleen get's further business coaching from team at http://www.thinkwithpeople.be/ http://www.gova-benelux.be/ - Marleen got a lot of advice on ingredients from this company in Antwerp/Belgium, and she get's mentorship from the owner, who is a Formulator himself. Organizations and dermatologist that provide detailed consumer information on ingredients in skin care products. Marleen uses these sites often for consultatation: http://www.cosmeticanalysis.com/ https://www.ewg.org/ https://www.cir-safety.org/ Dermatologist Jetske Ultee - https://www.dr-jetskeultee.com/blog/ Dermatologist Perry Romanowski: http://chemistscorner.com For more:
Right-click here and save as to download this episode to your computer You can find the shownotes to this episode on: http://behindthestory.be/podcast/episode12 Subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts Subscribe on Android
If you would like to be part of my storytelling community, please join my Facebook group here The interview:
Marleen is owner of Enfleur Pure Natural. She started her company using her experience as a scientist, her passion for nature, and concerns about ingredients in cosmetics, to develop and produce her own brand of natural skin care products.
She has a Ph.D. in Biotechnology and she was (and still is) a scientist and an account manager in the Life Science field for years, before she ventured into entrepreneurship and started her own business.
As a child, Marleen was always interested in plants and animals. Around the age of twelve, she knew she wanted to be a biologist. After finishing her Bachelors in Biology, she did a Masters in Biotechnology and to obtain her Ph.D, she worked at the research institute, Vlaams Instituut door Biotechnologie (VIB), doing research projects in different domains. One of the projects she did was about ecotoxicology and she saw the impact some chemical components of consumer products had on our environment, causing pollution and affecting wildlife. These compounds can even end up in the fats of Polar Bears on the North pole. She believes with good efforts and good will we can help our environment and the generations to come.
Over the years, she got more and more inspired to develop her own skin care products. She experienced some skin problems from creams, other creams lost their effect, and she got concerned about the fact that we don't always get the correct information about all ingredients in commercial products. She then started developing creams with natural ingredients in her lab. Marleen would do research on the ingredients to determine which ones would work and be safe and which ones were toxic and even cancerous. Even though it was more a hobby doing it on a small scale, she decided to start the process of commercializing her products.
Education is key to Marleen, as cosmetic labels are not easy to understand and we are often not familiar with the ingredients. She consults specific databases on websites she trusts. But even information on good websites can be conflicting and contradictory. Also, a negative review o

For more on the podcast:
Right-click here and save as to download this episode to your computer You can find the shownotes to this episode on: http://behindthestory.be/podcast/episode011/ Subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts Subscribe on Android
If you would like to be part of my storytelling community, please join my Facebook group here Links and Resources:
Sarah's company and Social Media Links: http://saraharcher.co.uk http://www.lemon-squeeze.co.uk LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Lemon Squeeze Twitter Sarah Archer Sarah can be contacted through: Social Media Her website (request and registration forms) Email: sarah@lemon-squeeze.co.uk Listen to her podcast around public speaking: The Speaking Club Podcast - a weekly speaking, humour, pitching and mindset podcast. I especially would like to recommend podcast episode 019, Humour 101 for Public Speaking: on how to integrate humour in your speeches. Dollar Shave Club. Dollar Shave Club was founded by Michael Dubin 5 years ago, in business in online razors. They got so succesful, because of the humor and storytelling in the video's used for their branding. The engaging and entertaining content over the next 4 years resulted in Unilever buying the company for 1 Billion dollars! Squatty Potty used video with storytelling humor. Resulted in 400% in retail sales and 600% in online sales. Russell Brunson's epiphany bridge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKML2GyjuRQ Neuro Linguistic Programming Sarah recommends these books to aspiring entrepreneurs that she currently reads: Will it Fly by Pat Flynn. Sarah and I share the same podcast mentor: Pat Flynn. Sarah will launch an online course this year, and she wants to get it right! It should meet the needs of her clients! This Pat Flynn book is great for anyone who wants to make a business idea come to life! The Amours of Lillie Langtry, play written by Joan Greening and produced by Lemon Squeeze Productions, this summer 2018 in Edinbrugh, The Fringe. Sarah plays Lillie Langtry, who she describes as the Victorian version of Kim Kardashian, Oprah Winfrey and Madonna, all in one. The Days I knew, by Lillie Langtry - Her memoirs Never split the difference, by Chris Voss. Chris, a former FBI hostage negotiator, talks all about negotiations and influence. The interview:
Sarah is the founder of Lemon Squeeze Productions, in the UK, and all-round in her speaking business: comedian, actress, play writer, copy writer, author, keynote speaker, speaking coach and employee engagement specialist. She helps leaders and professionals on their quest to becoming high impact communicators, especially during change and transformation, combining her business and coaching background with her comedy experience.
Sarah is a qualified Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) practitioner, integrating a specific communication approach with personal development and psychotherapy.
She hosts the podcast: The Speaking Club Podcast, in which she brings hacks, tips and inspiring interviews and stories on public speaking. I recommend it as a great source, and it is very entertaining.
Sarah has been performing stand up comedy since 2003 all over the UK and in 2015 she took her first play 'Dearly Beloved' on tour. In 2016, her performance and business background led to writing her first book Cracking Speech Mate! - 'How to use humour to make you an amazing speaker'. Followed by her book Straight to the Top - 'How to create and deliver a killer elevator pitch'.
This year, 2018, she plans to come out with an online course.
She loves being in front of a large audience and being in control of their attention. She's actually more comfortable in front of a large crowd than doing networking. But whatever the audience size and difference in energy, she treats her speeches like a conversation.
She has always been interested in entertaining people, since a little child. There was a reward for her in making people smile. People give you their attention. Even in

Episode SHOWNOTES and interview summary on: http://behindthestory.be/podcast/episode10

This podcast episode is part of a new series, "Talking To Jane", in partnership with Start it @KBC, a Startup Incubator with the largest Startup Community in Belgium.
In this series, Jane interviews entrepreneurs of Tech Startups, put forward by Start it@KBC. You will hear their inspiring journey's and the role of incubators to start and grow their business.
Here is what is shared and discussed in this episode:
Links and Resources:
Tim’s company and Social Media Links: https://www.epihunter.com/ LinkedIn Facebook Tim can be contacted through: Epihunter website contact form Email: tim.buckinx@epihunter.com International Day of Epilepsy, 12 February 2018 – https://epilepsy.org/ This day Epihunter starts it’s crowdfunding campaign About Absence seizure About Convulsive seizure Imec.istart – Business Accelerator Program set up to support tech start-ups with coaching, facilities and funding International League Against Epilepsy For more:
Right-click here and save as to download this episode to your computer You can find the shownotes to this episode on: http://behindthestory.be/podcast/episode10 Subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts Subscribe on Android
If you would like to be part of my storytelling community, please join my Facebook group here The interview:
Tim Buckinx is Founder and CEO Epihunter.
He previously was Product Manager with Joyn and Digital Technology Marketing Manager with BOSE.
At 44 years old, he has just started his own company, Epihunter, to pursue his life’s goal: Developing technology that will improve the lives of patients with epilepsy. And he has a big vision.
He doesn’t come from an entrepreneurial family. His parents were in education. But during his career he was fortunate to do very interesting activities and he had some big opportunities. It all prepared him for his current big entrepreneurial journey.
Tim himself has a chronic blood disease, and needed to be very resourceful with his work schedule and job choices, often needing to find time for medical appointments. But he always had a mindset that everything is achievable, privately and professionally.
While every year, hundreds of students go into the job market in Belgium, he wanted to stand out in the crowd early on. So he was attentive and alert, always looking for opportunities, observing the needs of his environment. His goal has always been to make an impact.
Marketing is an enabler for impact, he believes, because you can see results from it immediately. And Tim is interested in bringing the message.
He started in B2B Marketing, selling cardboard boxes through catalog. He learned that things didn’t have to be beautiful to sell. Don’t look for perfection, look for what is needed.
Then the internet came, which really triggered him. He got to work for a clothing manufacturer. It was inspiring, because it was an old fashioned brand that used internet to bring clothes to all parts of the world. Then he moved on to other companies. Until he got a job at BOSE. He was the 4th member of BOSE at that time, and in no-time, he helped grow that team to 60 people.
Sales and Marketing, making the bridge between the technical side of things and the needs of the organization, became his specialty. With his team, he also noticed they needed to change the structure of the team, when more countries were added. So he started to adopt Agile working, before people even had heard of Agile. Because of their successful work, they were invited by corporate to roll-out the concept company-wide, for a new platform for BOSE globally. Tim was in his element. During the 3 years that followed, working with new cultures, his career sky-rocketed. He made it to management positions.
Then suddenly his life changed. His son got epilepsy at the age of six (his son today is 13). His wife immediately saw it was serious when their son started to t

Read the full shownotes for this episode on my website: http://behindthestory.be/podcast/episode9/
For more:
Right-click here and save as to download this episode to your computer You can find the shownotes to this episode on: http://behindthestory.be/podcast/episode9 Subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts Subscribe on Android
If you would like to be part of my storytelling community, please join my Facebook group here  
Mark's companies and Social Media Links: Origin.GG - Company website Origin.GG YouTube Channel - You can follow his VLOG here and follow what he is doing LinkedIn @Cashflo, which is his gaming handle Twitter - @Thumbtalkin, this was also the twitter handle of one of his first mobile apps he developed a while ago Instagram - @Cashflo, which is his gaming handle Mark can be contacted through: His Social Media accounts - Contact him any time. Mark is happy to answer any questions Email: cashflo@origin.gg Electronics Arts owns FIFA and the Madden franchise Activision Blizzard owns some of the massive games like Overwatch, HeartStone, Heroes of the Storm, Destiny. Twitch.TV - a very popular live game streaming service Gary Vaynerchuk The interview:
Mark Flood is Founder and CTO of Origin.GG, a new eSports platform that takes the pain out of the hands of eSports organizations and -teams. Taking care of all technical and functional things building and running these businesses, so that they can focus on their core activities like practicing and competitions.
Origin.GG provides the platform as a SAAS model, offers Consulting, Software tools, and is a marketplace. Mark would like this to become the eSports version of Salesforce.
Before Origin.GG, Mark owned Gamerwall, a tournaments hosting platform, that he sold after two years. Mark is a Brand Strategist and Software Developer. He loves the early stages of product fit to market and working in an extreme agile mode to adapt his offer to client needs.
Jane met Mark on Twitter. Mark is an absolute fan of Twitter. He filters through the negativity, and he says that out of 1000 people he interacts with, he will meet one person he continues to have good (business) relations with. Twitter is also the medium that is used a lot in the gaming industry.
Mark has always been an entrepreneur. He always found something to do to earn money, like doing business as a child, watering his neighbours' plants or selling t-shirts in High School. He got his entrepreneurial spirit partly from his father, a real-estate agent. That in itself is entrepreneurial, because you do not have a set salary.
Mark moved towards extreme accountability early on, in whatever he does. He believes that “every human being needs to own its destiny!” “You cannot control your situation, but you can control how you handle it.”
He loves owning his own thing, working on his own dreams. A piece of his soul is taken away when working for somebody else, he feels.
He has been involved as an active business participant in the competitive gaming scene for about two years now, with his former company, Gamerwall, an event hosting platform. He was drawn to the eSports Industry. He loved gaming as a child. His brother used to beat him at gaming, but it has always been a fantastic creative outlet. He was also always interested in internet technology startup. Then he noticed how this could intersect and from his passion and hobby, he could make a business.
eSports is competitive gaming. It is not yet as big as traditional sports, but very fast growing and trending in the right direction. Mark thinks eSports itself is more indicative of things that are more than competitive gaming. Many games are involved in eSports, but only a few have large enough competitive scenes to justify large prize pools.
Team games like Dota 2, League of legends, Overwatch are some of the top tier games where the prize money is very high and where you find the elite players who can live from competitive gaming. Behi

This interview is published in two parts. This is part 2.
For more:

Right-click here and save as to download this episode to your computer SHOWNOTES: http://behindthestory.be/podcast/episode7-2/ Subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts Subscribe on Android
If you would like to be part of my storytelling community, please join my Facebook group here If you like my podcast and our stories, please subscribe on iTunes or Android. That would help get more people find the podcast and benefit from the stories. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Cheryl’s company link: Digital Leadership Institute International (DLI) DLI Initiatives: AdaAwards.com – Global awards recognising outstanding girls and women in digital studies and careers and the people and organisations supporting them, with the Ada Award Ceremony annual flagship event held in a different country every year. inQube – Global network promoting women-led startups in digitally-driven and digitally-enabled enterprises with flagship “Move It Forward” female digital starter weekends carried out in different cities around the world on topics disproportionately impacting girls and women. DigitalMuse.org – Global network promoting ESTEAM skills to girls through creative endeavor, in order to increase the quantity and quality of stories by, for and about girls and women in digital media, with flagship initiative “Girl Tech Fest.” CYPRO – Cyber professional training and career placement program for women with work experience, focused on increasing participation of women in strategic IT professional careers such as cyber-security, data sciences, artificial intelligence, etc. Watch Cheryl’s Tedx Speech: Girls Are Going To Save The World Digital Belgium Skills Fund (DBSF): In collaboration with the King Boudewijn Foundation and through support of the European Commission, DBSF aims to increase social inclusion through digital skills, especially for young people.  Launched in 2016 by Mr. Alexander De Croo, Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium and Minister for the Digital Agenda, investing in initiatives that teach key digital skills, including basic coding and cyber security. Cheryl can be contacted through: E-mail: cheryl.miller@dlii.org LinkedIn Twitter Facebook