Mature Preneurs Talk With Diana Todd-banks

Douglas Vermeeren did just that! With an illustrious international background, as host I asked Douglas to elaborate and address the over 50’s demographic and how his findings, research and writing can benefit this massive market. An internationally renowned speaker, leader, mentor and filmmaker he has interviewed 400 of the world’s business and motivational leaders to glean the wisdom that creates Personal Power Mastery, the skill of leading a life of achievement and success on every level and how that can apply to the over 50’s market. Furthermore, like Hill he has distilled that wisdom into a book. Vermeeren’s ‘Personal Power Mastery,’ which has been lauded by icon, Bob Proctor, as “A Masterpiece.” The book is being hailed by many of the preeminent leaders of the personal growth movement as a blueprint for overcoming limitations, bad habits and beliefs so you can move forward. But as Douglas describes with his new program it’s important to understand that the 3 three words in the title each have a powerful

Kerrie Mercel said at 56 she found herself in bed barely able to walk. Diagnosed with an "incurable" autoimmune disease then supplied with enough steroids to take 20 years off her life she spent the last 4 months of 2016 mostly in bed. As a full time, hands on, property developer and renovator she found it impossible to keep working in her business. In the months she spent in and out of bed Kerrie said she had been given at mindset tool by a friend, - called The Sedona Method. This allowed her to let go of old thoughts, feelings and beliefs. The more she let go the better she got and was finally able to start living again. During that time Kerrie created a card and board set called Clarity, which had one missing piece, a releasing tool. Kerri wrote to the Sedona people requesting could she use their technique in her product. They said yes. Clarity allows you to access answers to questions you have hidden inside then using the Sedona Method allows you to release the energy that you’ve been holding on to. This

Craig says if you answer yes, then its time to be brutally honest with yourself even seek help as he did despite his amazing earlier business life. With a life of turning points or pivot points, all have been part of his valuable learning journey. From Bank officer, restauranter and business owner, Head of Foreign Exchange and Commodity Trading for a large bank, to an Executive in large Global firm, to now being a happy Business Coach in Perth, Australia As with many in the corporate world they become aware of not being happy, feeling overworked and stressed and no longer fulfilled. These feelings are indicators it’s time to be honest with yourself which Craig did and strongly urges others to do. Yes it’s time to leave, but then what? This often means starting your own small new business with no client base and no staff, which can become a psychological fitness test requiring resilience, research and satisfaction with small gains at first. But it’s worth it, says Craig providing a profound observation along w

Jeremy Stone said an amazing 7-week creative immersion in New York City gave him the courage to leave a 30+ year corporate career in a global professional services business. Needing to do something very different, Jeremy wanted to put himself out there, to feel, tingle, breathe and this was the catalyst to cause he and his wife to move to NYC and enrol in acting, painting, sketching and yoga classes. They also committed to getting to know one new person for everyday they were there, and were inspired by the stories of so many people, including local ‘creatives’, entrepreneurs and students and those connections are still ‘alive’. The couple lived like locals, explored like tourists and learned with the freedom of 5-year old’s. The experience tapped into the right side of the brain and was so amazing and beneficial, says Jeremy, which is why he and his wife co-founded Creative Cities 21 with the purpose to help people grow and re-energise through creative escapes in great cities of the world. The experience can

Dedra Jorden acknowledged being in Corporate America for a long time can take its toll, and it did. As a Human Resources Professional working with employees and management, Dedra was under a tremendous stress at work and found herself exhausted, and sick a lot. Ultimately being diagnosed with early stage breast cancer, she realised making major changes in her life became of paramount importance. As Dedra recovered from surgery, she went back to her regular personal hygiene routine with painful allergic reactions occurring quickly to the commercial antiperspirant she used.  Throwing it out she researched natural ingredients and started making and selling her own natural deodorant.  As with many events and difficulties in life, little miracles can occur and they did for Dedra. She always wanted to be an entrepreneur, so the path felt right making natural products, and despite the ups and downs that occur as time goes by ‘good’ things did happen and you can feel strong again. Throughout this podcast Dedra offers

James Drury is powered with energy and creativity and started 3 companies after the age of 50.  Working for a Medical Auction company assisting hospitals disposing of outdated and excess medical equipment, he used his 25 years of Medical Sales to explain to the management of hospitals what equipment had value and what equipment needed to be disposed of.  During that time James obtained his Auctioneer License in Illinois, which propelled him into what he does now.  In the craze of 2000, the Medical Auction Company was sold to a dot-com, and when the crash occurred he was out of a job, but did have his Auctioneer License but and the foresight to obtain his Real Estate Broker license so when the next big crash occurred in 2006 he was able to auction Real Estate. In Illinois, people who hold a professional license are required to take Continuing Education Classes to keep their license current. James did that but concluded he could teach the class. Within a week he obtained a license to teach Real Estate Continuin

Sas says her previous life as a software developer, being a published author of 7 books on programming and speaker at many International conferences on related topics, didn’t really prepare her for the life she longed for – a simple life in the country with her family chasing her dreams of one day opening a sustainable café on a large area of land in the country. Leaving city life for four years, Sas and her husband worked 7 days per week and fell into bed exhausted most nights.  Overcoming the opposition of neighbours and lots of red tape to achieve their dream and open their café, Swan Valley Gourmet Café, in Western Australia, they finally were able to fulfil selling food made with items grown on their farm. Living in an unfinished house the café is now steadily growing in popularity and has become a hub for community initiatives. Having a strong commitment to community, Sas set up a local sustainability group that boasts over 4000 members. An experienced workshop presenter, she runs sessions on topics as

Rosie Christopherson finally realized she had a quiet goal. The sad indictment she discovered while working for many years in human resources in Melbourne, established that quiet goal. Constantly seeing more and more greedy companies not putting people before profits, she was sure there had to be a better kinder way to conduct business. If she was to actually achieve that, it would mean living in a much less consumeristic way for her partner and herself plus making other life changes.  Listen to this podcast to learn what Rosie and her partner did. They made a bold move while staying open to different opportunities that they hoped the universe would provide, and it did!  Because Rosie had tarot in her life since a young woman this allowed them to spend part of their year in India where Rosie studied reiki and reflexology at a deep level. Unexpectedly the universe opened up again allowing them to turn into reality that quiet goal Rosie had way back in her human resource days. They did that after many struggles

To say Liliane’s midlife turning point was an unusual one is an understatement. In Spring 2016 she was writing a novel alongside her students, in a course she was teaching and in the aftermath experienced some massive life changes. The novel was called WANTED: GREENER GRASS and was about a couple whose relationship had become flat and unsatisfying, and what they do about it. In the month after Liliane finished writing the book, she celebrated her 29th anniversary with her much-loved partner.  Although they had different lifestyle values Liliane wasn’t look for anyone new. However in the same month a new man came into her life who shared many of her desired lifestyle values – for example, he was an ex-semi-professional dancer of Latin and Ballroom styles; Liliane had been dancing for 20 years but without her life partner who didn’t dance. Within six weeks of meeting the new man she found herself facing the same dilemma that her main character faces at the end of the novel she had just completed. It was true ca

Merle Temple is the author 4 books of the Michael Parker series: Deputy: Once Upon A Time in Mississippi, A Ghostly Shade of Pale, A Rented World, and The Redeemed: A Leap of Faith. A fifth book, Blood On The Ground, will be released in the fall (US winter) of 2018. Merle’s books chronicle a series of stranger than fiction historical events that only Merle could write about with such authenticity, because he lived them. His writing is so cinematic that a movie or TV series leaps off the pages as you read the books and that will happen. A native of Tupelo, Mississippi, Merle’s books are drawn from his experiences as a deputy sheriff, an agent in the first "drug wars," the first captain in the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, a manager in the corporate world, a campaign chairman in the corporate and political wars, and an evangelist in prison. From here Merle’s story becomes even more murky and sinister, but finally there’s a great outcome, which makes listening to this podcast a must. Even though Merle was put

Brandon Peele knows the hard way, the wonderful way, how life can change dramatically for the better if you work at it. He knows the pain of spending a quarter-century living someone else's life, which ultimately drove him to drugs, drink and prison. Therapy and a lot of searching and learning enabled him to find a connection to his purpose but as he says none gave him the bone-rattling clarity nor the grit to be unstoppable. He still had something he needed to discover which he did then his life certainly changed Finding his purpose Brandon helps individuals and organizations discover their higher purpose creating breakthrough results.  Since 2012, he’s guided over 2,000 people from 50+ countries with his work having been featured in major international print and electronic media outlets as well as major international organisations. Brandon’s continuing goal is to create a culture and political economy that empowers every human to discover their purpose, have a career that expresses it, and be well compensat

Working as a Software Engineer at a big company in San Diego, like many people, Jennifer felt trapped and depressed at a job that paid the bills yet innately she knew there was much more to her life. Many people feel the same way but don’t know what that direction is and live their life without fulfilling those feelings. On the bright side now there are ways to discover what your purpose might be.  For Jennifer, to cope with the situation she studied bodywork and alternative healing and while working on people, started to feel the “energy fields” emanating from people. The feeling was profound and unexpected and so she studied more energy healing, then met Richard Gordon, the founder of Quantum-Touch, fell in love with the vision, receiving a very clear message from the Universe that energy healing was for her. After training in Quantum-Touch, Jennifer quit her software job, took a leap of faith, and followed her heart taking over as CEO of Quantum-Touch in June 2002 and remains CEO still today promoting opti

At 48 years of age, Debs life flipped over and left her with a son, no viable career and suddenly premenopausal, she was in shock ‘menopause’ started so young for her!  Not prepared for that, it took Debs 6 years of learning, experimenting and tears to manage her symptoms, but also to hear the lessons nature was teaching her. She slowly began to emerge with renewed strength, wisdom and vitality. During the 6-years Debs studied and became a Yoga teacher deepening her own spiritual training but one thing eluded her, how to make a living from her spiritual gifts. Going back to work in an office she became ill. In the ensuing recovery period, she had a dream and ‘heard’ a voice say, “You have four presents all wrapped in shiny paper, gifts on four levels, go and share them with perimenopausal women”. That was unexpected, but that dream was powerful and she knew, going back to office life was not an option. What became an option Debs created a retreat, advertised it and to her delight gained clients.  Life offers

Francesca’s stories of her earlier life are fascinating which you will hear on this podcast. Volunteering in wonderful locations and even one real job where she worked for a spiritual tour company that took her to the Amazon and Peru and was introduced to the healing power of Iowaska (a plant which has numerous other names). During this life phase Francesca had a big ah ah moment that truly touched her soul as she realised being immersed in nature was a needed ingredient for her life. Returning back to the UK and still in her fifties, Francesca felt confused at first but then nature presented itself and became a big part of Francesca’s life and still is. During her self-discovery where she was depressed for a while Francesca discovered many women felt the same only more so. Many don’t feel they have anything to offer but of course they do. Francesca firmly believes when you learn to follow your heart magic happens, and when you do that and listen to your heart to take a huge step into the unknown, magic can u

After touring around the world on the pushbike tour in 2000 which Stephanie Cunningham and her husband did for months, they arrived in Australia and ultimately decided to stay, only to be confronted with visa work restrictions. Unable to work, what do you do? It’s time to reinvent retirement and find another way to be productive and be involved in a venture that is extremely fulfilling in numerous ways. Before embarking on the pushbike tour Stephanie was a policy analyst, drafting legislation and policy at the state level but in another country. As the visa work restrictions eased, this energetic mature preneur decided to be a yoga teacher, because she wanted to change the public perception of Yoga, which is that yoga is for the young, who is flexible, and it’s very difficult, all of which is extremely misleading.  How to achieve her goal, Stephanie chose a different approach, podcasting, where she talks to yoga teachers around the world, which she feels the medium shows that yoga is for everybody, as a resul

Karen Ely is a nationally recognized women’s retreat facilitator, inspirational speaker and author who has facilitated hundreds of personal growth programs for thousands of women in the United States, Canada, South America, Africa and Europe. Like everyone, there’s always an inspiring ‘back story’ and for Karen her personal journey has been from suburban housewife and mother to business owner, and her commitment to issues affecting women led her through a vibrant 30-year career in non-profit management some of which included domestic violence to sexual assault and drug prevention to welfare-to-work. But Karen’s story jettisoned forward at 40-years young, as she became an author and retreat facilitator, and in 2003 became founder of the Sedona Women’s Institute, in Sedona, Arizona. The mission was and still is that of providing guidance, tools and support for women seeking authentic lives of peace and meaning. Her retreats, mentoring, workshops, tele-workshops, books, newsletters and social media posts have to

Lynn Robinson’s lives and breathes the topic of Intuition.  As a leading world authority, bestselling author and international speaker on the topic of developing and trusting your intuition, she teaches how to tap into the power of your “Inner GPS.” Throughout the two Podcasts, you will gain an insight into her skills and knowledge on the topic. Like so many people who are bored with their current job or work, before embarking into the world of Intuition much as she wanted to, Lynn was terrified to go out on her own. However, she decided to “feel the fear and do it anyway.” Initially how her career started was a story of unexpected surprise, because her intuitive reading business was launched over thirty years ago when she followed a hunch at a friend’s funeral. The result? Over 500 clients clamored for her intuitive insight the following month. Her clients consistently praise her uncanny insights as “spot on.” Having authored seven books on intuition these have been published in over 15 languages. ‘Put Your

Lynn Robinson’s lives and breathes the topic of Intuition.  As a leading world authority, bestselling author and international speaker on the topic of developing and trusting your intuition, she teaches how to tap into the power of your “Inner GPS.” Throughout the two Podcasts, you will gain an insight into her skills and knowledge on the topic. Like so many people who are bored with their current job or work, before embarking into the world of Intuition much as she wanted to, Lynn was terrified to go out on her own. However, she decided to “feel the fear and do it anyway.” Initially how her career started was a story of unexpected surprise, because her intuitive reading business was launched over thirty years ago when she followed a hunch at a friend’s funeral. The result? Over 500 clients clamored for her intuitive insight the following month. Her clients consistently praise her uncanny insights as “spot on.” Having authored seven books on intuition these have been published in over 15 languages. ‘Put Your

Karen Chaston was CFO of an Australian publicly listed company, so you would think that life would be pretty sweet. After all, isn’t rising to the top in your chosen field, what defines you as being successful? Many people think it is. For Karen, the constant effort of juggling work, family, the big house and cars, and the stress was taking its toll on her even before tragedy struck when her son unexpectedly and suddenly died at a young age. After a break, Karen went straight back to work, working more, eating more and drinking even more, just to get through her very long days. It took another 15 months when she chose redundancy, which allowed Karen to ‘wake up’ and take a long conscious loving breath. One that allowed her to sit back and evaluate exactly where she was in life and where she wanted to be - a good life lesson for anyone suffering stress and doing tasks they don’t enjoy doing.  By learning new concepts, slowly her awareness changed, and Karen realised not only how diseased she was, the horrible

A business, management and publishing expert with more than 20 years experience based on his bestselling books, Dr Lussier has been a prolific author of 444+ publications a remarkable achievement.  His innovative insights help those succeed in entrepreneurial ventures, especially those over 50, as they are uniquely poised to understand the burgeoning and lucrative Boomer Economy.  Dr Lussier has been published in many academic journals and numerous other journals. Testament to all that over one million people globally have used his 12 publications, entrepreneur, business leadership and team building books, earning him an unsurpassed national and international reputation as an author and keynote speaker. He has helped hundreds of institutions and individuals in over 75 countries.  His most recent book ‘Publish Don't Perish, The Top Secrets to Get Published' helps academics and aspiring authors do just that. During this podcast Dr. Lussier discusses these 3 topics: 1) The most important ingredient for success (