Guided Goals Podcast

On this episode of GoalChat, host Debra Eckerling has a serious conversation about humor on this week's GoalChat with multi-hyphenate authors Amy Ferris, Mighty Gorgeous and Marrying George Clooney, and Rob Kutner, Snot Goblins and The Jews: 5000 Years and Counting. The panel talks about their experiences and projects - in addition to books, Rob is an Emmy-winning late-night TV writer and Amy has written screenplays, as well as their takes on writing, tapping into humor, and more. Is humor nature or nurture? While having a sense of humor may be a little bit of both, it is a tool for self-care, creativity, and kindness. Goals - Rob: Find something people are afraid of or intimidated by and find something stupid or ridiculous about it; put something creative into the world that wasn't there before - Amy: Watch for the things that bring us joy, be kinder to the people who are kind to us. Write, be truthful, love better. Final Thoughts: - Rob: You've got something to say that no one has ever said before

On this episode of GoalChat, host Debra Eckerling talks about Substack with Jim Fuhs, Fuhsion Marketing and co-host of Dealcasters, senior publicist Kat Neff from Llewelyn, and post-executive coach for women Viveka von Rosen, Beyond the Dream Board. The trio share their enthusiasm and tips for the platform in this entertaining, informative, and slightly tech-glitchy conversation. There are also some tangents on the changing scope of social media, some nostalgia for older platforms, and advice for success in any medium. What Substack Means to Each of Them - Kat: A resource for voices, opinions, and discovery - Viv: Quality content of my choosing, another place to share your voice, and a fresh start for your persona  - Jim: A multi-mode platform that allows you to build community using a variety of media Goals - Kat: Do an AMA on Substack - Jim: Read his article on how to get started on Substack - Jim: Start a Substack Chat by asking a question - Viveka: Substack is an awesome opportunity. Let the

On this episode of GoalChat, host Debra Eckering talks about Food and Productivity with Sarah Nathan, Megan Porta, and Babette Pepaj. Sarah is founder of NOOISH, a Jewish comfort food brand that has instant matzo ball soup as its first product; Babette is founder of BakeBot.ai, among other food ventures; and Megan is founder of the Pip and Ebby food blog and host of the Eat Blog Talk podcast. The panel talks about their shared love of food and cooking, as well as favorite food hacks and appliances: instant pot, air fryer, mixer, and oven. They also shard food lessons, cooking disasters, and more. Why They Love Food Babette: Every memory has a tie to food Sarah: Every food in the Jewish culture is tied to a holiday and tradition Megan: It's a good medium/excuse to bring people together Goals Sarah: Take an ingredient you think you don't love and try cooking it a different way Babette: Ask a good cook in your life teach you a recipe Megan: Take a food that is perceived unhealthy and healthify it

On this episode of GoalChat, host Debra Eckerling discusses graphic novels with Ben Berkowitz, co-writer of The Writer, along with his brother, Max, and actor Josh Gad, and cartoonist Chari Pere of the "Unspoken" Cartoonmentary series, among others. According to them, a graphic novel is a book-length work, where you explore themes and stories (Ben) through images and imagery (Chari). It's a quick clean, detailed way to tell a story. Ben and Chari talk about the process of creating a graphic novel, what and who inspires them, their dream projects, and more. Getting Started - Ben: Find the spark that makes you want to run with it - Chari: Be ready to run with it. Some projects are "not yet - Chari: You have an idea, look at other books in that genre, make a summary, turn it into beats, sketch thumbnails, get more and more detailed - Ben: If you are not doing the art, you need to build the team. (The Writer is illustrated by Marvel and DC Comics legend Ariel Olivetti, whom the Berkowitz Brothers pitche

On this episode of GoalChat, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Marcia Macomber, Kandas Rodarte, and Chris Stone about having fun with tech. Marcia Macomber is a radio host and website/graphic designer, Cornucopia Creations; Kandas Rodarte is an accountability coach and host of the Gratitude Geek Podcast; and Chris Stone, who co-hosts Dealcasters Live with Jim Fuhs, and is chief content entrepreneur, Cast Ahead. The panel talks about their love of tech, along with tools and tips for graphics programs, podcasting, AI, and more. Like any good system, techology works best when you explore different apps and tools, see which ones fit your needs/work for you, and implement them to the best of your ability. Why They Love Tech - Chris: It solves problems for me and the people I work with - Marcia: It connects us remotely and makes us more productive - Kandas: You can be adventurous without leaving the house Goals - Marcia: Try a new program, app, or service; search online for the solution you need, and see what's

On this episode of GoalChat, host Debra Eckerling talks about Social Media with grandfluencer Kristen Coffield, Active Grandparenting; octogenarian TikTok star Annie Korzen, author of The Book of Annie; and the anti-caterer/author Chef Rossi, The Raging Skillet. Kristen, Annie, and Rossi have all used the power of social media to share their voice and uplift/help others. They talk about authenticity, the value of social media, and more. How to Make Social Media Social Annie: Share simple pleasures, like enjoying food Kristen: Confidently step into your messaging, relatability Rossi: Set boundaries for self-care: stop using social media a few hours before bedtime, so you sleep better and are at your best Goals Kristen: Be consistent with your messaging and posting Annie: Wear bright colors, keep it short, "have you ever had this happen to you?" Rossi: Make people feel better via social media Learn More About Kristen Coffield: ActiveGrandparenting.com Annie Korzen: AnnieKorzen.com Chef Rossi: TheRagingSkil

On this episode of GoalChat, host Debra Eckerling talks about Sustainability with eco-conscious founders Noah Bleich, The TeaBook (he calls it "Sustainabili-tea"), chocolate educator Ruth Kennison of The Chocolate Project and Rick Nahmias, Food Forward Inc., which recovers surplus produce and distributes it to agencies who feed the hungry. While the panel agrees sustainability can refer to many things, as it is Earth Month, the focus refers to environmental concerns. What is Sustainability? - Rick: A mindset that leads to an action, it's how we lead our lives in relation to resources (Deb: "Sounds like entitlement is the opposite of sustainability" - Noah: Look at the word: sustain is a timeframe; ability refers to whether we can do it - Ruth: A question for others: what do you say it means? How to Be More Conscious Regarding Food Waste - Rick: Prevent food waste; clear your plate, give away excess food, take home leftovers - Noah: Remember, the "best by" date is a suggestion, formula is the only thing that

On this episode of GoalChat, host Debra Eckerling celebrates the quarter year with Stacia Crawford of Stay Ready Media and community builder Keith Spiro. Stacia and Keith are both featured in Deb's latest book, "52 Secrets for Goal-Setting and Goal-Getting." The panel shared some of their wins so far for 2025, along with upcoming goals. Stacia spent some time talking about achiving media goals, while Keith, who was one of my guests for the March Mixer, gave his take on that topic: creative outlets. Mid-Year Goals  - Keith: Complete new website - KeithSpiro.com - and watch the old sites that house his work fade out - Stacia: Systematize framework and documenting her process; hire a new assistant Gifted Goals - Keith: Take 2 minutes to write out 3 or more key tasks to work toward your big goals - Keith: For the next 2 minutes, make a list of people to reach out to/touch base with - Stacia: Take inventory of the story ideas you can pitch to a media outlet - make a running list - Stacia: Also keep a running li

On this episode of GoalChat, host Debra Eckerling talks about Branding with Ivonne Ribeiro, iBrandStrategist; Stan Robinson, Jr., Social Sales Link; and Troy Sandidge, Strategy Hackers®. The panelists share their takes on what branding is - Ivonne: Your reputation; Troy: proximity, positioning, power; Stan: What people say about you when you are not in the room - and what their brands are. They also give recommendations for starting or refreshing your brand, branding goals, and more. Goals  - Ivonne: Speak to your ideal clients, ask them what they think of you and your brand - Stan: Block time to think about your why - and who are you going to help - Troy: Disqualify to quantify. Take a social media detox from posting. Ask yourself what success would look like. Then, research. Consume and observe. Embody it. Reverse engineer it back to yourself Final Thoughts - Stan: Make a decision and follow through - Ivonne: Bridge the gap between strategy and creative - Troy: Don't get lost in the details, figure out th

On this episode of GoalChat, host Debra Eckerling talks about empowerment in honor of Women's History Month. Her guests: Karen Wang Diggs, author of "The Book of Awesome Asian Women," among others: Joanna Dutra, Motivator-in-Chief, The Creative Confidant; and Dayna Steele, author, entrepreneur, activist, and so many other things. A huge part of empowerment is knowing who you are and what you want, and being able to articulate it! The panel shared their definitions of empowerment, along with ways to empower yourself and others. They also talked about the words that they believe define them. Define Empowerment - Dayna: Owning your story and your projects; taking control of your destiny and your vision - Joanna: It's wrapped up with confidence; betting on yourself - Karen: The confidence and self-awareness for activism on behalf of community and future generations, and that address current situations Goals  - Karen: Spend more time in silence - a minute at a time - and go slow - Joanna: Find a piece of musi

On this episode of GoalChat, host Debra Eckerling discusses podcasting with Erik Fisher and Jürgen Strauss. Erik hosts Beyond the To Do List and Jürgen hosts the InovaBuzz podcast; Debra hosts Tastes Buds with Deb, as well as GoalChat. Podcasting is a gateway to conversations, relationship development, and information. The three talk about the value and benefits of podcasting, ways to make podcasting easier, tools and apps, and more. Goals - Erik: Listeners, leave a review of a podcast and send a note thanking them for their show - Jürgen: After you've been on or hosted a show, ask for feedback from your guest/host - Deb: Make a list: If you want to host, what's stopping you? If you do host, what's one thing you can do to enhance what you are already doing? - Bonus Goal: Pitch yourself as a podcast guest Final Thoughts - Jürgen: If you are interested in podcasting, give it a go. Remember to focus on sharing value - Erik: If you enjoyed this, check out my conversation with Deb on Beyond the ToDo List Lear

On this episode of GoalChat, host Debra Eckerling talks about community with Mike Brennan, Creative Chats; Jessie-Sierra Ross, Straight to the Hips, Baby; and David Shriner-Cahn, Smashing the Plateau. You can't reach your goals on your own; you need like-minds, supporters, and resources. Mike, Jessie-Sierra, and David share their experiences creating - as well as finding - communities, advice for making the most out of those experiences, and more. What is Community? - David: Being in a place with like minded people where you feel like you belong - Mike: There is a reciprocal quality; everyone rooting for each other - Jessie-Sierra: It's something you opt into, rather than something you are born into Goals - Jessie-Sierra: Find a volunteer opportunity - David: Visit a community where you think you can make an impact - Mike: Start small Final Thoughts - David: Remember, when you share your gifts, the world prospers - Mike: Clarity comes through action - Jessie-Sierra: Ask yourself why not? Learn More About

On this episode of GoalChat, host Debra Eckerling discusses well-being with artist and synesthete Heather Eck; speaker, advocate, and founder of The Miracle Project Elaine Hall; and author, astrologer, and expert in dreams Dr. Michael Lennox. The panel, who also share advice and experience in Debra's 52 Secrets for Goal-Setting and Goal-Getting, talk about self-care, creativity, colors, cooking, and so much more. Define Well-Being - Michael: It's a state of being; it's triggerable - Elaine: Listening to - and living from - the soul - Heather: Finding the sense of peace in your life Goals - Michael: Set the alarm for an hour before sunrise and see how that time of day feels to you - Heather: Look at the clothes you wore last week - what are the two most common colors - and think about how you felt wearing them; look up the colors online or email Heather and ask what they mean - Elaine: Remind yourself how precious, unique, and extraordinary you are - Bonus Goal: Prepare a meal Final Thoughts - Elaine: Hono

On this episode of GoalChat, host Debra Eckerling talks about Focus with Ed Brill, Jeff Goldberg, and Christine Toy Johnson. Since Ed is in product leadership, Jeff is a sales problem solver (The Sales Pro Network) and a stand-up-comic, and Christine is a playwright and actor, we approached the topic from tech, sales, and creative standpoints. As "focus" can relate to finding or staying focused, we discussed both, along with multi-tasking, boundaries, and more. This topic can relate to finding or staying focused, so the panel discussed both, along with multi-tasking, boundaries, and more. For "52 Secrets for Goal-Setting and Goal-Getting," Debra interviewed achievers in business, tech, entertainment, and more, including this week's guests. Goals - Ed: Try Bloks.app - Jeff: Make an appt with yourself for 30 to 60 minutes and explore what are you committed to - Christine: Be intentional about how you uphold your values Final Thoughts - Ed: Carpe diem - Christine: Stay kind, compassionate, and full of joy - J

On this week's GoalChat, Liz Heiman, Dave Sanderson, and Brynne Tillman join Debra Eckerling to talk about Networking. Liz is CEO and chief sales strategist, Regarding Sales; Dave is a speaker, #MiracleOnTheHudson survivor, and publisher of "Moments Matter" magazine; Brynne is CEO of Social Sales Link and host of the Making Sales Social podcast. The panel talked about strategies for IRL and online networking, introvert versus extrovert networking, and more. For "52 Secrets for Goal-Setting and Goal-Getting," Debra interviewed leaders, speakers, consultants, entertainers, and changemakers. Everyone in the book is a friend, friend of a friend, someone she previously interviewed, or all of the above. Brynne introduced Deb to Liz and also to Larry Levine, who introduced Deb to Dave. They all have secrets featured in "52 Secrets." Goals - Brynne: Go through your lists of people - and business cards - and connect with them on LinkedIn. Liz suggests, "I can't believe we are not connected," can be the first email -

On a productive GoalChat on Productivity, host Debra Eckerling speaks with Chris McKenney, founder and CEO of Mango, publisher of Debra's latest, "52 Secrets for Goal-Setting and Goal-Getting;" Troy Sandidge, founder of Strategy Hackers®; and behavioral epidemiologist and entrepreneur Kate Wolin. The trio all have secrets featured in 52 Secrets. Productivity is all about flow and communication. There's also an emotional tie. Stress impacts it negatively, joy enhances it. The panel talks about what productivity is and isn't. They also share their productivity habits, along with anecdotes and examples.  Goals - Troy: Cancel a morning meeting and use the hour for joy time - Kate: Slow down and take the time to reflect on what brings you joy, what your goal is, and how you will have impact - Chris: Take quiet time to reflect on the causes of a bad day, so you can deal with it, get a good night's sleep, and start the next day fresh Final Thoughts - Chris: Find your flow and find your team's flow - Kate: Learn f

On this episode of GoalChat, Debra Eckerling talks about Communication with brand storyteller Dave Bricker, Speakipedia; media consultant Paula Rizzo, Listful Living, and connector Michael Roderick of Small Pond Enterprises. The panel, which appeared together on an episode on Pitching last June, are all featured in Debra's new book, "52 Secrets for Goal-Setting and Goal-Getting." Communication is the goal of every interaction. Dave, Paula, and Mike talk about the value of communication, what makes a good vs a bad communicator, and more. What is Communication? - Dave: Assurance that someone else gets us - Mike: It's the first thing we learn but something we never master, we are a constant student - Paula: Give and take. It's listening as much as it is talking Goals - Mike: Reach out to someone you admire and show that you have done your research without expectation of response - Dave: Think about what you can do in terms of producing an outcome for another person that will make you both happy - Paula: Mak

On this episode of GoalChat, host Debra Eckerling talks about Teamwork with sales coach Jeff Bajorek, chef Katie Chin, and Jess Dewell of Red Direction. No matter what your project or business endeavor, having a team that leans into their strengths, while supporting each other and the big picture goals, is a recipe for success.  For Debra's latest book, "52 Secrets for Goal-Setting and Goal-Getting" (Mango, January 28), she interviewed achievers in business, tech, food, and entertainment - including Jeff, Katie, and Jess - to get their best tips for setting and achieving goals. This book is a wonderful example of teamwork in action. The panel shares their definitions of teamwork, attributes of good team members and leaders, and more. What is Teamwork? - Jeff: Collaboration for a common goal - Katie: Seeing the importance of your role within the team - Jess: Whatever you are coming together to do: message, purpose Goals  - Jeff: Be kinder to yourself - Katie: Commit to self-care on a regular/daily basis -

On this episode of GoalChat, host Debra Eckerling talks about being in project-mode with some of her favorite multi-hyphenates: Angela Miller Barton, Dayna Steele, and Cynthia Kortman Westphal. Angela is a personal trainer, yoga instructor, and program Coordinator for Wellcoaches; Dayna is a Rock Radio Hall of Famer, author, entrepreneur, playwright, and advocate; and is a music director, chair for the Department of Musical Theatre at University of Michigan, and co-founder of Broadway Vocal Coach. Angela, Dayna, and Cynthia all share tips in Debra's new book, "52 Secrets for Goal-Setting and Goal-Getting" (Mango, January 28). During the conversation - which was on the backdrop of the LA fires, since that is where Debra lives - the trio shared their strategies, backstories, and philosophies, related to their projects. How Do you Define a Project? - Angela: Something big that may be daunting - Dayna: An endeavor that can be broken down into pieces - Cynthia: Something that feels like it has an end Goals  - D

On this episode of GoalChat, Debra Eckerling talks about Action with Holly Homer, Kids Activities Blog and Pagewheel; actor Dylan Kenin, and Viveka von Rosen, Beyond the Dream Board. Holly, Dylan, and Viveka share their backstories, some of the things - failures and adventures - that led them to action, and so much more. Throughout the month, Debra is featuring those she interviewed for my new book, 52 Secrets for Goal-Setting and Goal-Getting (Mango, January 28) on GoalChat. Holly's tip is in the Productivity chapter, Dylan's is in Leadership and Teamwork, and Viv is in Communication. These are all part of taking Action. What is Action? - Dylan: Showing up, being present - Viv: Going with the flow - Holly: Baby steps, clarity comes from momentum Goals  - Holly: Up-level your activities, try a new thing each month - Viv: Use journaling to tap into your intuition; write one line a day - Dylan: Do the thing you are resisting Final Thoughts - Holly: Stop overthinking. Just do it! - Viv: If it's too hard, may