Marli Williams - Let's Lead Together

This week on the Marli Williams Podcast, I am hanging out with the AMAZING transformational leader, Preston Smiles. Together we dive into the art and heart of creating experiences that truly transform and change people's lives. Discover the powerful balancing act of challenge and support in personal development, and why creating brave spaces, where people can lean in to some edgy, stretchy places to experience genuine transformation. Preston shares insights on breaking superficial workshop norms, emphasizing intimacy and real connections over performative elements to achieve retention and success. We both highlight the importance of loving people into their greatness. Learn how to make participants feel they're a part of a family and not just attendees at a seminar. This episode is a goldmine of wisdom for coaches, therapists, and anyone interested in creating, leading and facilitating transformative experiences.

Preston's Bio:

Unapologetically Himself, Preston Smiles is the epitome of someone who’s committed to the work and humanity. As an abundance Coach, thought leader,  Conscious businessman, father, husband, experiential speaker, and author of his newest groundbreaking book, Spiritual Millionaire Unlock the 7 Inner Laws of Abundance and Money and Love Louder: 33 Ways to Amplify Your Life (published by Simon & Schuster), Preston Smiles is a force to be reckoned with on the personal growth scene. 

Coaching over 100k  people since 2005 and leading cutting-edge workshops all over the world with his equally powerful wife, Alexi, Preston Smiles is on fire, like his HUGE personality. Winning awards like Millennial Mentor of the Year, gracing the cover of Inspired Coach Magazine, and being featured on some of the biggest podcasts and media platforms, such as Impact Theory and School of Greatness, Preston is touching the hearts and souls of thousands of people daily through his provocative social media videos and writings. As Jack Canfield has said, “Preston Smiles is unstoppable!”

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Have you ever felt lonely as a leader? Leadership can be a lonely place sometimes, but it doesn't have to be. Join us this week for an inspiring and thought-provoking episode with creative coach Jen Jones Donatelli in an episode that redefines leadership and building community. This conversation covers the ethics and challenges of forming deep connections while maintaining professional boundaries, and the human need for belonging and community. Together we discuss the difference between being the 'sage on the stage' to being the 'guide on the side', making the case for genuine relational leadership. They also touch on overcoming fears, finding purpose in new environments, and how leaders can support their mental health. If you're intrigued by the balance of leading with empathy, maintaining authenticity, and finding your tribe, this episode is packed with invaluable insights. Tune in to discover how to overcome leadership loneliness and how to create safe and supportive spaces for growth and transformation.

Jen's Bio:

Jen Jones Donatelli is a certified Co-Active coach (PCC-level), creative facilitator and founder of Creative Groove—a small business offering courses, coaching, and community around the art of creative living. Jen has also taught for schools and organizations including Loyola Marymount University, Ohio University, MediaBistro, StoryStudio Chicago, Literary Cleveland, and Chautauqua Institution. Prior to her work with Creative Groove, Jen worked in various forms of media and entertainment for nearly 20 years. Her resume spans feature films, award shows, talk shows, sitcoms, red carpet reporting, and print/online journalism for outlets including Glamour, REDBOOK, Business Insider, Playboy, Los Angeles Confidential and many more. Jen's work has taken her into the kitchens of Wolfgang Puck and Thomas Keller, hidden gems throughout California and Mexico, and even into Ozzy Osbourne’s bedroom. (True story!) She is a proud graduate of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University.

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On this week's podcast episode, I had the incredible opportunity to chat with brain training expert and money mentor, Mary Lou Rodriguez. Mary Lou's journey from having 16 cents in her bank account to becoming a 7-figure business owner is nothing short of inspiring.

In our conversation, we dive into the fascinating ways our brain is hardwired to keep us safe and how survival experiences can shape our perception of wealth and safety. Mary Lou explains that in order to strive for a wealthier future, we need to acknowledge and regulate our emotions and nervous system responses. We discuss practical activities like breath work, tapping, and grounding that can help in this regulation process.

An essential part of manifesting wealth, as Mary Lou emphasizes, is cultivating a sense of safety and practicing receiving. These elements help us come from a place of gratitude and openness, which are crucial when creating a compelling vision for the future. We also talk about the importance of acknowledging our own worth and completeness in the present moment, which allows us to create from a place of wholeness rather than desperation.

Our beliefs play a powerful role in our lives, especially concerning money. Mary Lou shares insights on aligning our thoughts, feelings, and actions with our desired outcomes. We highlight the danger of focusing on lack or what we don’t want, and instead, we encourage listeners to dream big and give themselves permission to create compelling visions for their future.

Throughout the episode, Mary Lou shares her personal experiences and the transformation she underwent from struggling with poverty to finding success. Her approach focuses on working from vision and intention rather than circumstances. This episode is packed with insights on practicing self-love, embracing life’s journey, and realizing that we all have the potential to live our best lives, regardless of our starting points.

Thank you for tuning in! Don't forget to share, review, and subscribe to the Marli Williams Podcast for more inspiring content.

Stay unstoppable and keep dreaming big!

Mary Lou's Bio:

Mary Lou Rodriguez is a Brain Training Expert in Wealth & Success and the CEO of a thriving expansion and growth company. With an international reach, she has helped thousands of clients shift their stories, upgrade their beliefs, and live their most unstoppable lives. She has had the privilege of sharing the stage with esteemed figures like Dean Graziosi and Brendon Burchard.

Using science-based methodologies rooted in neuroscience and spiritual laws, Mary Lou Rodriguez helps people shift their beliefs and master their thoughts for massive success in all aspects of life. Her powerful online programs, trainings, and brain training audios help people eliminate disempowering habits, fears, and self-doubt to achieve unstoppable confidence and manifest their desires.

Mary Lou believes in making an impact and making the world a better place. She invites you into her world, where she teaches frameworks and brain training tools that accelerate neuroplasticity for faster and long-lasting transformation. Her mission is to help over 100 million individuals break free from mental blocks, overcome self-sabotage, and rewire their brains for Wealth & Success.

Join Mary Lou Rodriguez to eliminate disempowering habits, fears, and self-doubt, and rewire your brain to manifest your best life and meet the millionaire inside of you! 

In this episode of the Marli Williams Podcast, I sit down with Adair Cates, a seasoned facilitator and leadership trainer. Together, we dive into the powerful insights of self-leadership, the importance of regulating the nervous system, and how shifting belief systems can lead to personal growth. Adair shares her own experiences with life’s challenges and how daily practices like breathwork and meditation have helped her thrive. We also explore conscious leadership and how intentional energy and presence can transform both personal and professional realms. With key takeaways on setting priorities, pausing for self-awareness, and leading with love and generosity, this episode is perfect for anyone looking to lead a more mindful and fulfilled life.

Adair's Bio:

Adair Cates is a transformational Conscious Leadership trainer, facilitator, and coach with over 20 years of experience in adult education, leadership development, and mindfulness.

As the heart and soul behind the Awakening Conscious Leadership Experience (ACLE) at xchange, Adair collaborates with a renowned faculty of experts [Rollin McCraty, PhD (HeartMath®), Raj Sisodia (Conscious Capitalism), Margaret Wheatley (Author/Berkana Institute), Julianna Raye (Unified Mindfulness), and Lynne Twist (Soul of Money Institute)] merging neuroscience, mindfulness, and breathwork to elevate and accelerate influential leadership from the inside out. 

She has designed and facilitated thousands of one-on-one and group conversations to unlock potential, promote well-being, and accelerate sustained change in organizations such as Microsoft, Meta (Facebook), EOS, TEDx and Conscious Capitalism.

As a mom of twins and three bonus kids, partner (in work and life) to xchange founder Jon Berghoff, and author of two self-development books, "Live with Intention" and "Fully Engaged," Adair brings a wealth of personal and professional experience to her work; however, her most important leadership role is in her home.

Her expertise in experience design and facilitation, coupled with her certifications as a Heartmath Resilience Trainer and PSYCH K® practitioner, allows her to deeply understand and embody the science, spirituality, and practices behind what she teaches, making her a sought-after trainer and coach in the field of Conscious Leadership.

Call to Action

Ready to unhook from limiting narratives and truly understand what it means to be "enough"? In this engaging and insightful episode, I join one of my mentors, Andrea Leda, to tackle the concept of "enoughness" in both our personal and professional lives. We share stories from our own quests for purpose, highlighting the importance of aligning our work with our soul-powered passions. Andrea dives into the complexities of feminine leadership and how small, consistent actions can collectively make a significant impact. I also open up about my approach to creating epic experiences and the importance of trusting our instincts and intuition over 'trying to get it right'. You’ll gain valuable insights from our discussion on how to overcome internalized scripts and biases, paving the way for personal and social transformation. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in leadership, community, and positive change.

Andrea's Bio:

Andrea Leda is a sought-after professional coach, teacher, and mentor with over 10,000 hours of coaching experience since she began her practice in 2010. She is dedicated to helping each of us learn to trust our own innate value and worthiness so that we are brave enough to show up for the work we’re truly here to do. 

By harnessing her deep and practical knowledge of powerful coaching techniques—including NLP, journal therapy, mental emotional release work, and BodyMAP coaching—Andrea equips women+ to feel empowered to love their small corner of the world and see it as enough. In her coaching work, she has been called "a force to be reckoned with and a brave woman who truly makes this world go round.” 

In 2022, Andrea founded Braver Coach—a mission, a community, and an educational platform for women+ who are reimagining impact by moving beyond the goal-setting and achieving arena of traditional self-development and leaving ample space to navigate the intricate terrain of our shared human experience. 

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