Today, I want to talk about accepting and embracing the wonderful gift of imperfection. As someone who has struggled with perfectionism, I realize it’s been holding me back from creating content lately, including this podcast. Oddly enough, as a speaker, podcaster and content creator, I am not comfortable in the spotlight. The amount of times I’ve shied away from posting videos or recording interviews because I hated how I looked that day, or the lighting was off, or I just didn’t feel...

Dayna Abraham has developed a guide for parenting “challenging” kids - those with big emotions, power struggles; the misbehavers and neurodivergents. Her new bestselling book “Calm the Chaos - a Failproof Roadmap for Parenting Even the Most Challenging Kids'' is aimed at reframing what we typically label as “challenging” behaviour as an opportunity for adults to learn and empower their kids to reach their full, innate potential.  In this episode, Abraham talks about how her framework helps...

To make a big dream happen, you have to break it into small, individual steps and focus on the next first step. This way, you can make even the wildest, even most absurd, idea a success. This episode is a story about how my 13 year-old step son Ry and I co-created a song with the help of a celebrity music producer, without ever meeting him, and with almost zero musical abilities myself.  I just really wanted to make a song with Ry, and focused on the next first step.  Listen to the end to...

Perfectionism is a killer of hopes and dreams. The challenge is learning to accept and embrace the messy, imperfect steps necessary to create momentum. It’s how every successful person gets to the top of the mountain, and why so many people never reach it. This quick episode is about my holistic approach to doing things the most human way possible: imperfectly. Please listen, share and I hope this lights your fire to keep taking messy, imperfect steps forward to your ultimate “yes!” In this...

We often never know how far an act of kindness can go or how it can change someone’s day, or their entire life. Here’s a quick story of kindness from a recent trip to the grocery store, which started with something rather unkind.  Too often, people are dismissed and not looked at for the wholeness of who they actually are. Everyone has bad days. But everyone deserves our kindness.  Please listen, share and let me know what you think - leave a review or DM me on Instagram @shellivarela

This holiday season was a difficult one for me, and in this episode, I explain why & what I learned from it.  In the very days leading up, one of my absolute closest people fell ill and died quite suddenly. I spent Christmas Day in the hospice at her side, spending those final inevitable moments in deep sorrow and reflection. But those moments also reminded me of a valuable life lesson - woven beautifully into one of my favourite John Mayer songs.  Please listen and share with someone...

At some point we developed this fear of asking questions. For so many people, the thought of potentially hearing “no” is crippling enough to pass up the incredible possibility of “yes.” But as the saying goes, “you’ll never know until you ask,” and not asking at all, ironically, leads to that same dreaded “no” by default. So how do we find the courage to ask questions?  In this episode, I’m sharing two occasions where - scared as I was - I took a shot at asking. One resulted in a business...

When Netta Gorman stopped eating sugar, it not only changed her life, but also the lives of hundreds of others. She now helps people eliminate sugar through her coaching programs and immensely popular “Life After Sugar” podcast.  But Netta’s journey to the land of no sugar, flour or sweeteners wasn’t easy (as we’ve all tried and mostly failed). But after a lifetime of digestive issues, doctor’s visits and failed efforts, Netta caved to this small but life-changing recommendation of a...

Jealousy and comparison can shatter us. But when we focus on others’ success, money, fame, appearance, situation or whatever, we forget the truth - the truth of our own gifts and the true story of what’s beneath the surface.    I wanted to share this quick story about a girl in my high school - hands down the prettiest and most popular girl in the school. Every fibre in my short, geeky body badly wanted to be her. Turns out, there was so much more to the story, and it made me forever...

To build a positive company culture, you first need to show that you care about your people. Sounds like a simple concept, right?  Then why does so much toxic company culture still exist? It’s because leaders need to learn more about what drives their people and why, and most importantly, genuinely care. In today’s episode, I’m going to explain how leaders can build far more successful businesses and create a much more positive work environment using the power of story. The perfect example:...

If you’ve ever struggled with finding your true place in the world, Bara Mann’s story will inspire you. Despite a successful career as an engineer, she always felt out of place. After a fluke introduction to meditation and mindfulness, she knew it was time for a change.  So took a leap of faith and quit, not knowing what was next. What happened next was pure magic.   Bara is now a Transformational Life Coach and Speaker, specializing in helping people overcome their patterns and limiting...

Sometimes we try so hard to force an outcome, we lose sight of why we were doing it in the first place. The good news: it’s not about lack of effort. It’s just the wrong kind of effort. In this short episode, I’ll share exactly what to do the next time you’re struggling to accomplish something that is just not happening, no matter how much time and effort you’re putting in. This little change will make all the difference.   Please share this with someone who is struggling toward an outcome....

I wanted to share this quick story of a moment in grade 5 that changed my life. As kids, we all know how powerful peer pressure can be. It’s much easier (and often safer) to follow what everyone else is doing, rather than speak up - especially when you’re painfully shy and bullied, like I was. And for many of us, this carries into adulthood, too. But here’s what happens when you stand your ground, separate yourself from the crowd and stick to your beliefs.   Please share this podcast with...

Logic can keep us safe, but it can absolutely crush our true essence. Truth is, the people who accomplish the things that light their soul on fire follow their magic, not their logic. Here’s a quick listen to explain why (recorded in a park in Toronto, to please excuse the skateboarding in the background).   Please share this podcast with someone you know who is letting logic get in the way of their true potential. And never be afraid to let your freak flag fly.   In this episode, you’ll...

This quick story was one of the most surreal experiences of my life. It’s a moment with a stranger where I truly realized how sharing your story can help others.   An aspiring young female firefighter had tracked me down and asked to meet for coffee. Throughout her training, she had been rewatching this TED Talk I did on becoming a female firefighter.    The day we met in person, her phone rang. That moment, both our lives changed.    There is somebody out there that needs your help....

Everyone has something to give to the world. In this episode I’m going to share 3 things about storytelling and finding your truth that will motivate you to share more of your experiences, gifts and earned wisdom to change people’s lives. And I’m also going to explain why so many people get stuck thinking they don’t have a relevant or inspiring enough story to share. It’s actually the ordinary stories that matter more than the extraordinary ones.    In this episode, you’ll learn:   Why...

Sarah Wilkes helped me survive my absolute biggest lifelong fear - the death of my dad. She wasn’t just there for me, she taught me how to see lightness in death, how to accept and navigate grief and how to keep my dad with me long after he was gone.   If you’re grieving the dying or death of a loved one, this will help you see death from a whole new perspective.   Sarah is a Reverend and Spiritual Advisor who has worked in palliative care and emergency services. This was an impromptu...

Rachel Pedersen became known as “The Queen of Social Media” for one main reason: realness. In a universe seemingly dominated by male business gurus, hustle culture, perfection, makeup and filters, Rachel helped open the doors for businesswomen to leverage their no makeup, no filter, sweats-and-slippers authenticity on social media.  And she comes by it honestly.   In less than a decade, Rachel went from single mom living on welfare to founder and CEO of two multimillion-dollar...

Mindy Schulz survived a parent’s worst nightmare. Now, she is turning her horrific story into an inspiring presentation. She recently called me for some advice and tips on public speaking and how to properly tell her story for an audience. With her blessing, I recorded our coaching call and am offering it to you - raw and uncut - in this podcast.   Mindy’s backstory:   In 2016, Mindy was walking her 5 month-old son Tristan when they were hit at a crosswalk by a distracted driver. Tristan...

I’ve learned more about being a better human from dog trainer, Susan Garrett, than anyone I’ve ever met. She is as much a life coach as she is a renowned dog trainer and world dog agility champion. Her teachings for dogs are all rooted in kindness, creating the proper environment and leaning into each dog's unique qualities, rather than forcing them to be what they’re not. All things that we humans can use to better our own behaviour.   Susan is one of the world’s most successful dog...

For visionaries and entrepreneurs with a million great ideas for impacting the world, but who struggle with practically and tactically executing them, there's people like Summer Slevin. She's an integrator - the counterpart to every visionary - who implements the systems, procedures, technology, analytics and efficiencies for anyone who wants to create an online course, class, membership or mastermind. As part visionary herself, she's now developed a business called The Time Rich with courses...

For entrepreneurs and business owners who don’t have a marketing person on staff, Akilah Thompkins-Robinson developed a do-it-yourself SEO software (Search Engine Optimization) for you. It’s called “SEO Assist” and was created to help people with incredible stories to tell be someone's #1 in a search engine like Google.  A pioneer of early website development in the 1990’s, Thompkins-Robinson is now an SEO Strategist, Tech Founder, author, and speaker, who helps online businesses to stand...

Tom Chi’s list of accolades - much like his work - stretches from here to outer space: Co-founder of Google X where he helped develop Google Glass & self-driving cars, he’s launched things into space, built award-winning robots, worked on the development of Microsoft Outlook and Yahoo Search, has released over 20 albums as a musician, and even released a comic strip.  He began his career at 15 as an astrophysical researcher…immediately after getting rejected for a job at Burger King.   ...

Lara McCulloch teaches businesses how to disrupt their industry and become the only choice instead of ‘one of many’. In over 25 years as a Brand Positioning Strategist & Growth Consultant, she’s advised multinationals like Johnson & Johnson, Kraft, Shell and Benjamin Moore as well as small businesses around the globe.    But instead of teaching how to get more leads and customers, Lara shows entrepreneurs, coaches, speakers, doctors how to create better content, fix their processes,...