Tag: cause

Helping Professionals To Use Story to Transform Communities

Creative Capital Makes It Rain at Florida’s Spring PDP Weekend

The rain seemed to begin as soon as I started out on the expressway. I had an hour and a half before I saw signs of Jupiter so I busied myself with thoughts of the loose ends I needed to tie up from our production of the Lion King Kids. After directing 187 cast and…
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Be Your Own Caregiver

Bern Nadette Stanis (stahn-es) is best known for her groundbreaking role as Thelma from Norman Lear’s series Good Times. As the first black teenage girl with a recurring role on prime time television, she had the benefit of two families, her real-life family with her mother, father and siblings, and her TV one. The call…
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A New Series: Be Your Own [Fill in the Blank]

I was accepted as one of the fellows for the Founders Institute. It means that I’m getting invaluable mentorship from some badass business pioneers who have launched, helmed, and sold multi-million dollar businesses and then launched something else. One of the tremendous benefits I get from it (outside of getting my creative genius butt kicked…
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The light is in your hands. Share it.

My Answer to War and Violence

Israel – Palestine. Ferguson. Ukraine – Russia. New York. Family home. Workplace. Your neighborhood. The violence perpetrated one to another isn’t as far away as we’d like to imagine. That means it’s not as easy to put ourselves at a safe distance. If you have any connection to social media at all, you’ll see that…
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How to Work a Crowd

In a previous post, I spoke about the number one leadership killer. Although it’s crucial to be aware of that very common misstep that passionate visionaries make, it’s even more crucial to acknowledge a skill that is the backbone of leadership: crowd control. We’re not talking “police officers on mounted patrol” type action. I’m talking…
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tombstone

The Leadership Killer

I write on leadership because it’s my assertion that anyone can learn the skills to become a leader for a good cause. Not everyone is built for the task. I design events and experiences for all kinds of audiences. I’ve spoken in front of and facilitated experiences for professionals, youth, government officials, private clients and…
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Why the Right People Don’t Care: Part 2

Last week, I posted 3 of the 6 great reasons the right people don’t care about your cause. If you missed them, read more here. Today, I share the other 3, and one crucial thing everyone misses when looking for a sponsoring partner. Who are the right people? They are people with a) connections you…
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Why the Right People Don’t Care About Your Cause

I write compelling stories. They turn into grants.  Speeches. Marketing and collateral for interesting people. Branding for causes. Invariably, everyone who comes to me has the same problem: Great idea or cause… and no one cares. They approach a partner or funder and get denied. They put things out in social media and have no…
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5 tips to get your cause into print media (and why you’d want to)

They say getting into the media in a positive way is difficult. “If it bleeds, it leads.” Without a PR agent, I’ve been able to get at least one major feature for my events in print media every year consistently since 2005. (I took a break last year to produce a Broadway show for a local…
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How to Become a Leader No Matter Your Position

I’ve been on the board of 3 major community based nonprofits, and I’ve been called to help launch or consult with over two dozen more, including our local County Commission. At the forefront of every worthy cause is a gamechanger. Most gamechangers don’t have a position of power. But within them, there is a sense…
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