Have you been looking for a way to create positive relationships with business professionals, managers, or employees? Maybe you’ve been trying to find a way, but the conversation never ends with the desired result. Today on A Shot of Inspiration, host Greg Stephens and Guest Gregory Sammis tell you why you may be talking about the wrong things–and how you can remedy that.

Greg Sammis, communications coach and master trainer of several years, will show you 3 ways that Crucial Conversations can help people build better relationships by teaching them to identify and manage emotions, effectively communicate, and resolve conflict during difficult conversations. His promise: if you are honest with yourself and why you’re having the conversation, remain transparent, and are willing to listen, you will see your relationships transform.

About Greg 

For close to twenty years, Greg has worked with individuals and teams around the world to develop their skills in communication, goal setting, and leadership.

Greg began his career as a high school teacher, giving students a solid grounding in both academic and life skills. Greg transitioned to the corporate world and took on Learning and Development Facilitator and Program Manager positions in bay area companies including Electronic Arts.

In his career, he has worked both as an internal and an external consultant, designing and delivering leadership and management development programs. He also facilitated ropes course events focused on communication and team building. His background in experiential education and brain-based learning, coupled with his open and friendly facilitation style, creates a safe learning environment where people can challenge preconceived notions, take risks, give and receive feedback, and ultimately learn skills needed for them to perform at the highest level possible and live lives of substance and contribution.

Greg has worked with teams across the globe, from Malaysia and Romania, to Casper, Wyoming. Along with international audiences, Greg has worked with students, teachers, and most recently teams of engineers, managers, and executives in Silicon Valley companies including such clients as Google, Genentech, Salesforce, VMware, and Zynga.

Website

Host Greg Stephens is joined today by Doug Cornfield, Author, Podcast Host, and co-founder of Disability Dream and Do, to talk about his “collision of souls” with famous athletes Dave Clark and Dave Simmons, his journey co-publishing a book, giving  inspirational speeches, and, as the end goal, helping host baseball camps for children with disabilities.

Learn why failure, as Doug explains it, is only an opportunity for growth, illustrated by heartwarming examples from his life of how people–and children, especially–are capable of so much more than they think if given the opportunity to learn. Be inspired to test your own limits and help others to grow to their potential on this episode of a Shot of Inspiration.

About Doug
Doug was a multi-sport athlete in high school and college who focused on Basketball and Track through his first year at Taylor University. After a National Championship in the 800m his freshman year at the NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) Track & Field Championships, Doug focused his full attention to running. Those efforts led to a full scholarship transfer to the University of Georgia (UGA) where he finished as a top contender in the SEC. Doug is still listed on several top ten performances of all time at his alma-mater UGA for both indoor and outdoor Track & Field. During his time at UGA Doug was a member of the Georgia All-State Cross Country Team. He also toured Europe in 1987 racing for Athletes in Action.

Races are not all that Doug won. He became a top sales representative for a fast growing company now known as NEST Entertainment. This led to an appointment as the East Coast Regional Vice President in 1992. Sales for the company grew from $500,000 per year to a cash flow of $500,000 per week in just three years. In the 1990s, Doug went on to work for several other companies as a sales consultant to test new products. In March of 2000 Doug joined Merrill Lynch moving to Corning, NY.

Doug returned to his entrepreneurial roots in 2009 when, during his time with Merrill Lynch, Doug met Dave Clark, the only professional baseball player to pitch from crutches. Doug’s son, Gideon, was born with neither arm developed and one leg shorter than the other and Doug was interested in meeting Dave to learn what Dave’s parents did and how they treated him as a child. Dave became both client and friend giving Doug a chance to learn more about this incredible man’s journey. Doug convinced Dave to partner and promote his amazing life’s story. They are now co-founders of the Dave Clark Foundation, Ltd. The Dave Clark Foundation organizes and hosts disability sports events to encourage others within the disability community to Dream & Do.

Pulling Each Other Along by Doug Cornfield and Todd Simmons

A Pound of Kindness by Doug Cornfield

Pulling Each Other Along  – Website

Pulling Each Other Along – Podcast

How do you navigate relationships so you can respect both yourself and the other person? Ashley Galassi, certified Master Trainer with Crucial Learning, joins Greg Stephens on this episode to discuss the value of boundaries and building frameworks for effective communication. She shares insight and stories about the work she does and how it transformed her life.

 Ashley’s Linkedin

Ashley’s Bio

Are you married and miserable? Divorced and desperate? Or did you just give up and you’re single and cynical? Is it possible to find happily ever after in a relationship? Bestselling author Evan Money joins Greg Stephens on this episode to offer a fourth option, one in which he marries his bride again every year, and loves it.

Tune into this episode to hear Evan’s story, why happiness is something you create and not a destination, and why you don’t need to compartmentalize your work, worship, and service in life.

About Evan 

Happily Married, #1 Bestselling Author, Global Entrepreneur and founder of the Marriage of Greatness movement. – Evan’s Website,

Evan Loves Susan

Sara Yamtich, founder of Conscious Conversion, joins Greg Stephens in this episode to discuss how she continues to chase the passion that she feels helping others find a new paradigm. They talk about her journey from clinical work to federal policy to creating a new holistic media marketing agency. Always following her wanderlust, Sara shares her experience going from Missouri to DC, from Atlanta to Costa Rica, and now living with nature on Maui in Hawaii. Tune into this episode to hear her insight on finding her passion and how you can chase yours.  

About Sara

Sarah is the founder and CEO of Conscious Conversion, a holistic multimedia marketing agency supporting spiritual entrepreneurs and thought leaders of the new paradigm. She has a Master’s in social work and a background that spans federal policy analysis and life coaching.

She also has significant digital marketing experience taking professionalism, team management and client care to a whole new level. She helps clients resonate deeply with their audience so they can transform the planet and give voice to the new earth.

Sarah is the host of Conscious Conversion, a weekly podcast of how we bridge the gap between business and spirit, money and meaning, technology and regeneration in a wildly changing world.

What does it take to save your life and relationships? From addiction, homelessness, or even just emotional distance with a loved one? Joseph Grenny, bestselling author and founder of The Other Side Academy (TOSA), joins Greg Stephens on this episode to deep dive into how redemption is possible.

Whether you’ve struggled with substance use for years, become emotionally distant with your spouse or other loved one, or even just have difficulty communicating with a coworker, we all have areas of our lives that need cleaning up. Some take more work than others, but we all need it, and it is possible for all of us.

Join Greg and Joseph as they discuss how you can change your life and the lives of those around you.

About Joseph

Joseph Grenny is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, dynamic keynote speaker, and leading social scientist for business performance. Over the past thirty years, Joseph has delivered engaging keynotes at major conferences including the HSM World Business Forum at Radio City Music Hall. Joseph’s work has been translated into 28 languages, is available in 36 countries, and has generated results for 300 of the Fortune 500.

He also helped found The Other Side Academy in Salt Lake City, mirrored after the Delancey Street Foundation in San Francisco. – Website,

Joseph Grenny’s TedX Talks

Host Greg Stephens invites a long-time friend to this episode to share her amazing story of forging a good life out of a traumatic event when she was younger. When Carry Altemus was 19, her mom ended her own life–right in front of her daughter.

In the months that followed, Carrie wrestled with feelings of anger and sadness, but also guilt. During an event with the Landmark Forum, she had a breakthrough about her own thoughts: that it was okay to feel and think those things that naturally came to her after that traumatic event–even if those thoughts were negative. Over time she learned to forgive, and be at home with herself.

Join this episode to hear her story and how she has created a beautiful life BECAUSE OF that hardship, not in spite of it.

About Carrie

Carrie Altemus owns a vacation rental business called Carrie’s Cool Properties, includes vacation homes in Austin, Wimberley, Lake Front in New Orleans, French Quarters in New orleans, Breckenridge and Salida, Colorado. Most  of the homes are over 100 years old. Co-Owner of Austin Music Rooms and owns two office buildings in East Austin. She is a former Seminar/Program Leader for Landmark Education for 10 years.

Life is hard. Sometimes it will knock you off your feet. That’s what happened when Melanie Gomez’s younger son was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder when he was just a few months old, and would require special needs the rest of his life. How do you respond to news like that?

Join Melanie and host Greg Stephens as she shares how she initially responded to their circumstance, and the inspiring change of heart and perspective she experienced over time. Discover the power of perspective (and how to change it from time to time), and how to find the buried treasure among life’s twists and turns.

About Melanie

Melanie Gomez is mom to two young men (25 & 22), the youngest was born with a rare genetic disorder.  While the road has been full of unexpected turns, there has not been a season that wasn’t full of unexpected blessings and joy. In addition to the full-time job of parenting alongside her husband, Tony, Melanie is also a Talent Development Manager for a large global corporation.  Wherever you find her – business world or mom world – Melanie’s passion and drive remain the same: Share the inextinguishable hope and joy that she has found with everyone she encounters.

Melanie’s 14-day devotional  Bundle of Joy is a deeply spiritual journey for moms who have recently received a diagnosis for their child, or still find themselves struggling to align their faith with their child’s diagnosis. Connect with her on instagram at @Redefine_Special or her blog website, RedefineSpecial.com where she shares encouragement and hope on a regular basis.

Her book: Bundle of Joy

We live in a world that is connected more than ever before. We can instantly connect via video with someone on the other side of the planet. Yet ironically, we often feel isolated and crave authentic connection. On this episode, entrepreneur, executive coach, and author of The Ripple Effect, Steve Harper joins host Greg Stephens to deep dive into why relationships are central to our success. Website

They discuss the power of tools and data in improving human behavior, why relationships trump prospects in sales, and how to be more authentic in life and business.

About Steve 

Steve Harper has become one of the most sought after speakers and business strategists on the power of deepening and strengthening the power of connections through a process he calls “Rippling.” Steve’s unique and refreshing approach to how and why individuals, organizations and even our society can and must reach outside the box to connect, is literally changing lives and impacting corporate bottom line dollars.

A serial entrepreneur, professional speaker, author and leading business strategist, Steve has successfully uncovered the secret to creating powerful long-lasting connections and their impact on one’s personal and professional life. Steve has transitioned his years of business experience and unyielding customer focus into a successful consulting practice appropriately named The Ripple Effect after his successful first book by the same title.

Steve has always maintained a unique focus on developing strong, long-lasting relationships with his clients, prospects and employees. By building a strong network of referrals and repeat customers, Steve has honed his ability to foster client relationships into a leveraged system for achieving solid business success. That system is represented in his book The Ripple Effect and through his speaking engagements and customized speaking and workshop programs.

Steve also owns two software companies, Owner Insite & Facility Insite both located in Austin, Texas.

Youtube

Sophia Jones was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at the age of four. Despite the challenges she’s faced with her health, she has remained positive and determined. Through her journey, Sophia has learned to be more patient both with herself and others. She has made great strides in her physical condition, overcoming obstacles that once seemed impossible. What makes Sophia so special is her unwavering courage in the face of adversity.

Do you ever feel like you’re stuck, sitting on the sidelines, and don’t know how to move forward? This episode is for you. Join Sophia and host Greg Stephens as she shares her incredible story of facing challenges head on with courage and determination.