Collaborating with Ben Zander: We Made the Ninja Cry

I had been turned on to Benjamin Zander’s purely excellent 2008 TED talk about Music and Passion by my friend Jim McCarthy, the CEO of Goldstar.com who had attended the very first TEDActive in February of 2008. Mere weeks later he showed me the archive footage of his favorite talk that year, Benjamin Zander. I was […]
From SXSW V2V: How to Use Neurobiology to Make a Successful Pitch

Thank you to everyone who joined us at SXSW V2V 2015 today! You are a 5 out of 5 star audience! Thank you to: Shelfie – Take a #Shelfie of your bookshelf and get ebooks for FREE. Available iOS (http://www.shelfie.com/) Android (http://www.shelfie.com/). Tag photos: Shelfie.com and Igloohome.co – Igloohome brings convenience and cost savings to hosting guests […]
Absolutely Great TED talks: Benjmin Zander
What do people remember about a train? The Engine and the Caboose! The opening and closing of your speeches have a special impact. Make them excellent every time. From the opening to the ending Ben Zander is there for the audience. He includes and inspires everyone, on purpose, and he has the audience hanging […]
Invaluable Resources for You

You are up to great things … and it is my intention that this list of resources makes a difference for you and what you’re out there causing in the World! This is a list of resources I’ve created by curating the best of the many things I’ve come across for you. The focus is […]
A Hero of Mine Has Just Died
I just got the news that Tomas Dobrovolskis of Vilnius, Lithuania has died. A very bright light in the world has just been extinguished. He performed at TEDxVilnius last year and was going to do a workshop at TEDxKids in Vilnius coming up. He was someone I connected with immediately. His impish smile and his many […]
Are You Using the Real Power of Story?
Here is a link to a great article: 6 Storytelling Tips to Tell Your Business Story Like a TED Pro in Business2Community.com about an event we did with @JanssenLabs in Boston recently. A big thank you to @ChappyMargot for listening so intently and writing such a good article. Also, thank you to @CraigProSpeaker for the 5 Cs of Storytelling and […]
The REAL Reason I Love Attending TEDActive
Yes, the speeches are amazing. Yes, the locations are beautiful. Yes, the accommodations are posh. AND, what is the REAL reason I go well out of my way to attend TEDActive every year? It’s the people. As the final person in the video says: “I’m part of a tribe that will continuously inspire me for […]
Who Wants to Make a Difference?
At TEDxVilnius I got a last minute opportunity to share something I call the compliment experiment. If you’re someone who wants to make a difference in the world, and I bet you are, then you might enjoy this short talk. I’ll let it speak for itself. [vimeo]http://vimeo.com/88798731[/vimeo]
One big lesson I’ve learned working with TEDx speakers
What people want is one of the most frightening things to give. People want you. The real, authentic, you. If you don’t believe me watch these two great TED videos. The Power of Vulnerability. Boy did she get more than she expected speaking at a little old TEDx! And then, she was invited to speak at […]