Listen Now

Tami Salame began her career in local public television producing, writing and directing. One of her more recent projects is the biography, Geoffrey Gilbert: Gentleman of the Flute, which was nominated for a regional Emmy. Tami shares her experience producing that project and how she approaches story telling.

Bethanne Weiss is all about moving your assets out of the chair, not the bank. As a certified fitness and nutrition professional, Bethanne shares her unique, no nonsense approach to moving yourself to a healthier, happier you.

Andrew Patrick Byrd is a member of the Producers Guild of America. He's been involved with every aspect of film making and learned how to keep films on budget while working with Roger Corman and his team in Hollywood, California. Andrew is an educator and teaches film students the no nonsense way of making movies.  Check out his book on Amazon, Hollywood 101...A Real Independent Filmmaker Perspective.

Marcelo Carvalho talks about directing, writing and producing independent films. Never stop learning and honing your skills. Watch his 6 episode show, Liberty, on Amazon Prime Video.

Doug Edwards has been working with adolescents and teens for over 35 years. As a retired youth pastor, he's seen the value added to the lives of young people just by showing you care. Doug also started the Youth Worker On Fire Podcast where he talks with teachers, coaches, students and volunteers about the mentors that influenced their lives in a positive way when they were growing up. Take a moment and listen as Doug shares his years of experience in making a difference in the lives of today's youth.

I never really considered myself someone who may have a problem with any kind of vice in life, until I went to the casino for the first time. Going to the casino can be a lot of fun...unless you have trouble walking away from the tables. Listen as I tell my personal story of gambling and the effect it had on my life. http://www.gamblinghelp.org https://www.aa.org https://al-anon.org/

I kept hearing about this book, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and decided to check it out.  Listen to my brief book review and maybe you might enjoy it as well.

Have you ever been talking with someone and they constantly are looking down at their phone and trying to text or do something on social media?  Maybe you do that too.  It can be tough because everyone wants instant feedback and an immediate response.  This episode we talk about being present in our conversations and interactions with others. Remember, whatever happens in life is UP2U!

The book How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie had a profound influence on my life.  Written in the the late 20s, it encourages us to take a genuine interest in the lives of others. Not for selfish reasons and for what they can do for us but for friendship and to learn how we can help each other.  I share a story of when I worked in New York City at Liebert Recording Studios and one of the people I met. 

I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with my former high school teacher and coach, Clark Blake.  He has been such an inspirational figure in the lives of many young people and adults over the years.  Clark always has an encouraging word and is able to motivate others and bring out their best.   Coach Blake shares with us his experience in the Marine Corps, his years as a teacher and coaching the Eustis High School football team to a state championship.  He discusses his philosophies on health and fitness at whatever age you may be. Clark also talks with us about his work with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the influence his faith has had throughout his life.   Key Points 1. Don't Be Discouraged 2. Do something every day that's going to make you feel good about yourself. 3. Create relationships with those who you can confide in and be encouraged by. 4. Have a strong relationship in your faith. 5. Just keep pushing.  Do your best. 6. Have a great relationship with your family.

How do you manage your time? Time management is so critical in today's hectic life schedules. Many people have gone paperless but some of us still use a handwritten planner.  In this episode I discuss my downward spiral of slowly going from being an organized person to kind of flying by the seat of my pants. Eventually, I dropped the ball and something fell through the cracks and I realized what I was doing wasn't working.  We also learn 3 rules from author Dr. Todd Dewett about managing our day to day tasks.   Rule 1 - Apply the 80/20 test. 20 percent of the tasks we do are the most important. 80 percent of the tasks are the least important. The 80 percent still needs to be completed but their “less important” than the 20 percent. Our goal is to never spend more than 50% of our time on those tasks in the 80 category. Rule 2 – Find your Einstein Window. That’s the 2 to 4 hour period of the day when you’re at you peak mental ability. Once you know that time, that’s when you need to work on the critical 20 percent tasks. Often we procrastinate doing the more challenging things by doing all the 80 percent work because it’s easier. The problem is, we use our Einstein window, our peak mental time, for the less important things. We need to train ourselves to flip that around and work at our peak time on the 20 and resist the 80 until later. Rule 3 – Protect your Einstein Window. The first thing to remember is that “no” is not a dirty word. Learn to use no effectively so you won’t allow excessive interruption during your peak productive times. Yes, they’ll be emergencies that need to be handled but schedule non-emergency times for later. Just let people know, that yes, I can work on that but not at the moment. I am available at say, 1pm, would that be ok? Check your schedule and find a time that works for both of you. That was a revelation to me, people would need something done and I would drop what I was doing and take care of it. Do that on and off all day and you will never get to the important stuff. Everything can’t be an emergency. Now that I’m more organized, I’m going to work on protecting my Einstein Window. Put some of these ideas into practice, if only for 30 minutes a day, and see the benefits.

If you've ever felt stuck in a boring routine day after day, "being the eternal student" and learning something new can give us a little boost in motivation.

This episode we talk with author and entrepreneur Chris Curran about hitting rock bottom and how he was able to turn his life around. He was living in a friend's basement with no money, no job, no car and no heat in the middle of one of the coldest winters on record in New Jersey. Chris shares his story of how he decided to get serious and make a change for the better. Chris has written a book called "Leap Beyond Your Limits" and also hosts and produces podcasts for himself and others.  He can be reached at FractalRecording.com.

I've tried a number of crazy diets over the years and finally found one that I feel could be sustainable for me. Join me as I share this rollercoaster experience.

In this episode, we talk with Laila Silva who was born in Mexico City and immigrated to the United States when she was 11 years old. She tells us about her life journey as she learned English, adapted to a new culture and found the career she loves. Laila is now a senior TV producer who creates commercials in both English and Spanish. She also is a lifestyle, travel and fashion blogger and can be reached at LailasLittleFinds.com.

On the UP2U Podcast, Michael Helms talks about what motivates people and what drives them to get out of bed every day. We’ll learn from individuals who have overcome challenges and strive to be the best they can be. The UP2U Podcast was created for all of us. Each episode will empower us to take the next step to becoming the person we want to be. No more excuses! Whatever happens in life is UP2U!