Better Place Project with Steve Norris Steve Norris

This is a story that inspires, that can instantly give us perspective on our own lives, and how so precious our time here on this earth is, and how it can all be taken away from us at any moment…or we may get lucky and get a 2nd chance.  Well maybe that’s what we all are getting when we hear this story. A 2nd chance to change the way we show up in the world.  A 2nd chance to live our life with joy and gratitude, a 2nd chance to appreciate all that we have, right here and now.
Today’s guest is Dr. Darcy Benway.  I’ve asked Darcy to come on the show to share her incredible story of learning one day less than 3 years ago that she had a fatal heart condition and was going to die unless she had a heart transplant.  Imagine being perfectly healthy, an athlete living your best life, to suddenly have a rapid decline and be sitting face to face with death. Darcy is going to bravely walk us through that experience…the days leading up to the transplant, the actual event, and the days thereafter, including dealing with the emotions of knowing that someone had to die, in order for her to live.
Also joining us on the show is her cardiologist, Dr. Joel Schilling, who does a fantastic job of sharing what goes on behind the scenes and with the patient before during and after a transplant.  Dr. Schilling is board certified in Cardiology and Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology. 
In light of April being National Donate Life Month, please consider registering to become an organ donor and give the gift of life.

Please visit:
https://www.barnesjewish.org/
To stay connected with Better Place Project and for updates and behind the scenes info, please follow us on social media:

Website:
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Twitter: @BetterPlaceProj
Email: BetterPlaceProjectPodcast@gmail.com

What if we taught the value of kindness, along with math in our schools?

What if we ran our businesses with kindness and math as our core principles?

What if we lead with kindness, in every single decision we made, and in every interaction we had with others?

As James Rhee demonstrates in his new book Red Helicopter - A Parable for our Times: Lead Change with Kindness (Plus a Little Math), leading with kindness and math may just change your perspective on your career, your relationships and your overall purpose in life. 

Listen to this in depth discussion about how the gift of a Red Helicopter to a young 5 year old ended up changing the trajectory of a women’s clothing store 40+ years later, by transforming the lives of the many who were inspired to do better, to be better. 

Follow James at:
@iamjamesrhee

www.RedHelicopter.com
To stay connected with Better Place Project and for updates and behind the scenes info, please follow us on social media:

Website:
https://www.betterplaceproject.org/
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@SteveNorrisOfficial

Facebook: Facebook.com/BetterPlaceProjectPodcast
Twitter: @BetterPlaceProj
Email: BetterPlaceProjectPodcast@gmail.com

 This week, I'm privileged to share an enriching conversation with James Rhee, the transformative leader who authored "Red Helicopter:  Lead Change with Kindness (Plus a Little Math)."  In our latest episode of Better Place Project, we traverse the landscape of societal evolution, dissect the true measure of success, and unveil the human side of business often obscured by balance sheets. James, with his unique blend of empathy and analytical precision, provides us with a roadmap for systemic change, drawing wisdom from lessons learned from his parents, the gift of a red helicopter, and the historic turnaround of Ashley Stewart, a plus-size women's clothing chain.

The journey to a meaningful life is often laced with childhood truths and the legacies we inherit. This episode peels back the layers of Rhee's personal anecdotes, from the formidable women who've shaped his path to the discomfort with societal elitism. It's a contemplative voyage through the principles that govern a balanced life, where intuition trumps comparison, and the scalability of teaching business concepts becomes apparent. The narrative extends an invitation to listeners, especially the youth and those at life's crossroads, to find meaning in daily work and to embrace success as a deeply human endeavor.

We close with a powerful call to action: to nurture kindness in the face of adversity and to understand the complex dance of societal challenges.  Rhee's father's compassionate legacy as a pediatrician and entrepreneur echoes throughout this episode, guiding our discussion on leadership, feedback, and the quiet wisdom of kind business practices. It's not just about the hard-hitting economics; it's the unquantifiable moments of life that bring us together. 

So join us on this journey, be moved by the stories, and let’s commit to treating each other with kindness, fostering a world that hopefully we will leave someday, better than we found it.

To learn more about James, and to order his new book, please visit:
RedHelicopter.com

To learn more about the Cure Alzheimer's Fund, please visit:
https://curealz.org/

Follow James at:
Instagram: @IamJamesRhee
To stay connected with Better Place Project and for updates and behind the scenes info, please follow us on social media:

Website:
https://www.betterplaceproject.org/
Instagram: @BetterPlaceProj

To follow Steve on Instagram
@SteveNorrisOfficial

Facebook: Facebook.com/BetterPlaceProjectPodcast
Twitter: @BetterPlaceProj
Email: BetterPlaceProjectPodcast@gmail.com

In this episode, I talk about the benefits of stepping out of our comfort zones.   Every time, throughout my life, when I've taken a big chance, challenged myself to do something I didn't want to do, or taken a huge leap of faith, it ended up working out wonderfully in the end.   So then I thought “I wonder if there’s any research around the benefits of stepping out of one’s comfort zone?  And as it turns out, there is a ton of research out there.  And it’s pretty stinking fascinating.  

So that’s what I talk about in this week's episode.  I share with you some of my stories (and maybe a failure or two) of SOOMCZ (Stepping Out Of My Comfort Zone), and share with you why, if you’re not doing it already,  allowing yourself, or even forcing yourself to step outside of your comfort zone might just change your life!
 
To stay connected with Better Place Project and for updates and behind the scenes info, please follow us on social media:

Website:
https://www.betterplaceproject.org/
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To follow Steve on Instagram
@SteveNorrisOfficial

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Twitter: @BetterPlaceProj
Email: BetterPlaceProjectPodcast@gmail.com

In this week’s solo episode, I’m going to pull back the curtain on Ayahuasca – I’m going to talk about what it actually is, why I felt called to do it, why it’s not for everyone (I want to say that right up front), at least perhaps not right now in your life, and I’m going to share intimate details about my experience traveling to the rainforest of Costa Rica for an ayahuasca plant medicine retreat, consisting of 3 ayahuasca ceremonies.  And I’ll tell you right now, it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life.
 
To stay connected with Better Place Project and for updates and behind the scenes info, please follow us on social media:

Website:
https://www.betterplaceproject.org/
Instagram: @BetterPlaceProj

To follow Steve on Instagram
@SteveNorrisOfficial

Facebook: Facebook.com/BetterPlaceProjectPodcast
Twitter: @BetterPlaceProj
Email: BetterPlaceProjectPodcast@gmail.com

Davidji is an internationally recognized meditation expert, stress-management counselor, corporate trainer and author of the award-winning Secrets of Meditation: A Practical Guide to Inner Peace & Personal Transformation, and of the upcoming book on managing your stress through meditation: Destressifying: The Real-World Guide to Personal Empowerment, Lasting Fulfillment, and Peace of Mind. He created the 21-day
meditation challenge, and his voice can be heard on more than 300 guided meditations,
including his best-selling CD, Fill What is Empty; Empty What is Full, and his latest release, the critically acclaimed Ayurvedic opera Journey to Infinity with sound healers SacredFire.

After a 20-year career in business, finance, and mergers and acquisitions, davidji began
a new journey to wholeness, which he found through meditation. He apprenticed
under Drs. Deepak Chopra and David Simon, serving as the Chopra Center COO, Lead
Educator and then as the first Dean of Chopra Center University, training more than
200,000 people to meditate and certifying more than 1,000 meditation teachers.
He has since left the Chopra Center to travel the world teaching the practical
integration of meditation, mindfulness, conscious choice making, and ancient wisdom
into our real-world, modern-day experiences. For more than 12 years davidji has
helped thousands of people around the world to be more reflective and less reflexive,
make better decisions, sleep better, enhance their relationships, experience
abundance, and live a purpose-driven life.

davidji is a certified Vedic Master, and every month, throughout the world, he hosts
empowerment workshops, life-change immersions, exotic spiritual retreats, and
teacher trainings.

To learn more about davidji:
https://davidji.com/

Buy davidji's books:
https://davidji.com/books/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/flowoflove

Instagram:
@davidjimeditation
To stay connected with Better Place Project and for updates and behind the scenes info, please follow us on social media:

Website:
https://www.betterplaceproject.org/
Instagram: @BetterPlaceProj

To follow Steve on Instagram
@SteveNorrisOfficial

Facebook: Facebook.com/BetterPlaceProjectPodcast
Twitter: @BetterPlaceProj
Email: BetterPlaceProjectPodcast@gmail.com