Smashing Success Stories

Karen

Smashing Success Stories is meant to inspire people who want results without compromising who they are. This is for folks that want to stay true to themselves while living in a world that challenges our humanity. We get real. We get loud. We express ourselves, and most of all, we take action on the things that we are responsible for – including our dreams and our goals – and we learn to navigate forward in a time where obstacles are inevitable, but we’re stronger and smarter than the things holding us back. Sometimes, what’s holding us back is ourselves. We cover that, too. Motivational Minute every Monday – a quick burst of motivation to get the week started right! Thursdays are for full-length episodes, and each episode will either discuss a specific topic, showcase an interview with a guest, be a Theory Thursday where a subject matter expert comes on to either validate or disprove a theory, or cover a hot take with solutions. All shownotes for each full-length episode will include resources discussed in each episode. Subscribe, share, and stick around – we’re building Smashing Success Stories together

  1. 2d ago

    Conversation with Karen Lee-Coss

    This episode features an amazing guest - Karen Lee-Coss! Karen is a powerhouse! She’s genuine and authentic, always has insight to share, and anyone who knows her will undoubtedly tell you that she’s a rock star.  What I’ve always loved about Karen is that she’s fabulous, yet grounded. Wise from the challenges and experiences that life has given her, yet she’s incredibly hopeful. She’s honest while being kind, and has her shit together without being superior about it. I wanted to have Karen on the program because she has a beautiful message about going beyond just surviving difficult times. Her message is about finding purpose and meaning in every moment, and communicating an honest message of hope to uplift and support others. Karen shares about how some of the challenges she faces have also become blessings, insight into her choices when it comes to her mindset, and how to navigate through stress and fatigue while also being a full-time working professional, caregiver for her mother, a spouse, and a mom. She’s a woman of faith who is accepting, loving and kind, and she shares her positive message while including everyone; meaning, she’s not preachy nor judgmental.  We talk, we laugh, and we have an awesome conversation!  I’m still working on optimizing my microphone setup when doing in-person interviews and did my best with the resources available to me, apologies for any modulation issues! Resources: Caregiving: I Balance a Full-Time Job With Caring for My Mom and Teens - Business Insider https://www.businessinsider.com/caregiving-balance-full-time-job-caring-for-mom-teens-family-2025-9 Motivational Minute episodes go live every Monday. Full-length episodes go live every Thursday. Video episodes are uploaded to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@smashingsuccessstories  Check out Smashing Success Stories on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smashingsuccessstories/  Smashing Success Stories is BACK on Threads! https://www.threads.com/@smashingsuccesspod    Support is always appreciated! Likes, comments, and subscriptions are welcome! If you'd like to further support Smashing Success Stories, one-time and/or monthly Ko-Fi donations are available: https://ko-fi.com/smashingsuccessstories  Patrons get exclusive content and credit in videos; Patreon information can be found here: https://www.patreon.com/c/SmashingSuccessStories   Music credit to Purple Planet Music: www.purple-planet.com  #SmashingSuccessStories

    47 min
  2. Jul 2

    What We Feed Grows (Mindset series)

    Episode page (includes audio version of the episode): https://smashingsuccessstories.com/episode-05-what-we-feed-grows/ What We Feed Grows - concepts we’re going to discuss in this episode: How this topic got on my radarCore conceptThe challenges we faceCreating new patterns of thinking by breaking cycles and overcoming biasAction planComing Home channel on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@cominghomechanne A Native Woman's Near-Death Experience: Sent Back with a Purpose: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqOmoXTJFM4 Atheist Dies & Finds There Is Life After Death: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZfaPCwjguk Alcoholic Dies & Meets her Ancestors on the Other Side: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l15UGGvFsMA This one’s from The Other Side NDE (https://www.youtube.com/@TheOtherSideNDEYT):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7vnMIgoWe0 ALSO if you know of someone who has had a near-death experience, and/or a healthcare worker and/or caregiver that has a story to share about experiencing/witnessing this, I’d LOVE to speak with them and have them on the program! Go to https://smashingsuccessstories.com/Nominations/ and fill out the form, please and thank you 🙂 Man’s Search for Meaning by  Viktor Frankl: https://bookshop.org/p/books/man-s-search-for-meaning-viktor-e-frankl/f040ee34581bdc92?ean=9780807014271&next=t Tale of the Two Wolves: https://www.nanticokeindians.org/about/the-tale-of-two-wolves/ The twin brothers - I think it’s Les Brown that shares this story, and I spent half a day trying to find where he shared it (either in a keynote speech, or in his audio compilations) and I didn’t find it, so if you know where it’s from please let me know 😀Parable of the Two Travelers: https://www.theheraldtimes.com/editors-column-the-parable-of-the-two-travelers/opinion/ Eyesight vs mindsight from Les Brown - judging by appearance vs how you interpret what you see ~8 min in: https://youtu.be/W6nT2yFc5UA?si=mTQBoN8pxpMpLqdX Trixie on the podcast Why Won’t You Date Me on being open when dating: https://youtu.be/cFKfXbGq47A?si=rHLreUceM2K449pi Gabi Belle’s video titled “The Khia Asylum is thinly veiled misogyny”: https://youtu.be/y10y9c7fVnI?si=QhoOd8-o6ug1bAsaMark Rober’s TED talk: https://youtu.be/RDFGkBE2O50?si=vanMH5SuHLAdUX6qHow Hey Ya got super popularA good synapsis of the chapter that discusses how Hey Ya got popular - the synopsis is about halfway down the page: https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-power-of-habit/chapter-7-how-target-knows-what-you-want-before-you-do-when-companies-predict-and-manipulate-habits Book on bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-power-of-habit-why-we-do-what-we-do-in-life-and-business-charles-duhigg/887dd5b06e09f78c?ean=9780812981605&next=t Chase Greene: “You can have something that is truly great, but if it is not familiar, people will not buy it, people will not take advantage of it, people will not enjoy it.”: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQ47FdQiYL1/ Buskinghttps://www.reddit.com/r/Busking/comments/azzgbr/looking_to_start_busking_soon_and_i_want_to_play/https://www.facebook.com/groups/984716668226746/posts/25231369346468140/ The Punk Rock MBA, particularly 8:03-12:55 where he talks about how the Internet helped the band Sleep Token go EXTREMELY viral: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQGDyr7UUGUThe Charismatic Voice (Elizabeth Zharoff) with Wil Ramos reacting to The Summoning by Sleep Token: https://youtu.be/u2PKkmWmif8?si=Ud6Nt7BdpAgD8ysP The Summoning compilation reaction, which has over 300k views: https://youtu.be/4KSiD-0w7cE?si=2LINPWI08bSaEHy5(Healthy fandom groups) Buffering the Vampire Slayer: https://www.bufferingcast.com/ Know myself - personal inventory from the Judgment episode:Link to the episode/episode page on my websitePersonal Inventory guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/12AZlSNEBwXiNvQx8TogT4ljFyGkA5eGP4vLF3H59yr4/edit?usp=sharing I created a guide to compliment this episode - Exercises for developing a LEGENDARY mindset. Open the document and go to the upper left and select File, then Make a copy so you can leave notes and have your own copy of the guide 🙂 Motivational Minute episodes go live every Monday. Full-length episodes go live every Thursday. Check out Smashing Success Stories on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smashingsuccessstories/  Smashing Success Stories is BACK on Threads! https://www.threads.com/@smashingsuccesspod    Support is always appreciated! Likes, comments, and subscriptions are welcome! If you'd like to further support Smashing Success Stories, one-time and/or monthly Ko-Fi donations are available: https://ko-fi.com/smashingsuccessstories  Patrons get exclusive content and credit in videos; Patreon information can be found here: https://www.patreon.com/c/SmashingSuccessStories   Music credit to Purple Planet Music: www.purple-planet.com  #SmashingSuccessStories

    55 min
  3. Jun 25

    Progress

    SOUND WARNING - I get pretty shouty in this episode, if you're wearing headphones and/or driving be mindful of these timestamps: 11:13 16:27-18:13 21:32-22:09 25:27-27:19 and pretty much through to the end lol I'm passionate about this topic. I mean, this podcast is part inspiration, part passionate rants about systems of oppression :)  Episode 04 - Progress Key points discussed in this episode: The importance of looking forward instead of living in the pastThe impact of nostalgia on our minds and emotionsReverence for the past can be a powerful tool as long as it isn’t holding us back, and we aren’t using it as an excuse to move forwardThere are plenty of applications where tried and true methods have worked and still work, but were abolished because of factors (such as greed)Progress BenefitsWhere we run into issuesTHE SOLUTION References: Midnight in Paris (film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1605783/ Bag lady by Erykah Badu: https://youtu.be/OqN0jsSeqPo?si=5YkU9jM5Who914EpRafiki “it’s in the past” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZfGTL2PY3E PBS Terra and Floodlight News cover the surge in data centers and the harm they cause to communities:https://youtu.be/5p426fSlYH4?si=nzAEzxn0Gw7D5DFWExploiting workers - slave labor used for Cobalt mining in the Republic of Congo for use in cell phones (especially newer devices) and electric vehicles: https://humantraffickingsearch.org/resource/modern-slavery-the-true-cost-of-cobalt-mining/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=%28ROI%29%20PMax%20-%20DSA%20xCO%20xAC%20xGT&utm_id=22450466552&utm_content=&utm_term=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23504083602&gbraid=0AAAAADq-eHw-uNzbdAvJ5VCwLsYOAfbCo&gclid=CjwKCAjwidXQBhAZEiwA4egw6N-OhxtMX7r4aZ8wel32dxcikjyWlUvgNUHl3V--9aM0Yl1WrfHFHBoCezIQAvD_BwE https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/02/01/1152893248/red-cobalt-congo-drc-mining-siddharth-kara Even the Department of Labor acknowledges this!! This is from 2024! https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ILAB/DRC-FL-Cobalt-Report-508.pdfTuskegee Syphilis Study, a program that caused immense harm to the black community of Tuskegee. Later, President Clinton issued a public apology and The National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care at Tuskegee University was created. https://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/about/index.html https://www.thehastingscenter.org/newly-released-documents-from-untreated-syphilis-study-ethical-just-and-respectful-use-of-archival-materials/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=16567452402&gbraid=0AAAAACdtXhhig6ZOOByZ8Z2zO0PFJRT8j&gclid=CjwKCAjwidXQBhAZEiwA4egw6BRpmSHLPKUTPCS8iXCv3B1SMCx94rXOUJUwKjrvoz6VOXhJfDxEPhoClwQQAvD_BwE European settlers and the catastrophic effect on land that was well-maintained by First Nations’ civilizations - I thought of the Three Sisters planting method and how, over time, it became less of a common practice even though it was viable and sustainable With the loss of farmland and the introduction of European staples including sugar, flour and butter, this ancient diet was almost completely replaced. The results were catastrophic. (source: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220801-the-sacred-sisters-of-ancient-america )Agricultural yields quote from PubMed Central® (PMC) - a free full-text archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature at the U.S. National Institutes of Health's National Library of Medicine (NIH/NLM): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9288846/ THE SOLUTION: BE INVOLVED in groups and communitiesHave a clearly defined goalInnovate without causing harmConsiderations when working on a technology, solution, construction etc - is this project: EthicalCollaborativeBeneficial to manySharedA win all aroundBeneficial and not destructiveInspiringHow to prepare for inevitable change: Acknowledge that we often push back on change BUT we also ultimately adaptUnderstand that progress is gonna happen whether we like it or notRecognize the role we play, fight against the things that harm us and embrace the things that benefit usAs always, with all things, stick tight to our communities, help where we can, lift each other up, and stay strong, stay together through life’s ups and downsSupport is always appreciated! Likes, comments, and subscriptions are welcome! If you'd like to further support Smashing Success Stories, a one-time and/or monthly Ko-Fi donations are available. Patrons get exclusive content and credit in videos; Patreon information can be found here. Music credit to Purple Planet Music: www.purple-planet.com #SmashingSuccessStories

    34 min

About

Smashing Success Stories is meant to inspire people who want results without compromising who they are. This is for folks that want to stay true to themselves while living in a world that challenges our humanity. We get real. We get loud. We express ourselves, and most of all, we take action on the things that we are responsible for – including our dreams and our goals – and we learn to navigate forward in a time where obstacles are inevitable, but we’re stronger and smarter than the things holding us back. Sometimes, what’s holding us back is ourselves. We cover that, too. Motivational Minute every Monday – a quick burst of motivation to get the week started right! Thursdays are for full-length episodes, and each episode will either discuss a specific topic, showcase an interview with a guest, be a Theory Thursday where a subject matter expert comes on to either validate or disprove a theory, or cover a hot take with solutions. All shownotes for each full-length episode will include resources discussed in each episode. Subscribe, share, and stick around – we’re building Smashing Success Stories together