YOUNIVERSITY - Pursue Life Fearlessly

We close my “Follow the Leader” series with...bum bum bum...ME! Tyler Greene from The Story Producer interviews me on our season finale and we cover a lot of ground - leadership as influence, self-awareness, mediation and the inner voice. We also talk about how our minds are hard-wired toward fear and the purpose of anger. You don’t want to miss this one! My Website: annmariechereso.me Instagram: instagram.com/annmariechereso Twitter: twitter.com/annmariechereso Facebook: facebook.com/bringithome.me LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annmarie-chereso-a3ab2311 For more information on Tyler and The Story Producer, visit thestoryproducer.com.

On today’s bonus episode, I go deep on the Enneagram with Debbie Burditt, founder of The Enneagram Group. Debbie describes the Enneagram most simply as a “profoundly accurate personality system” that includes 9 different types that help us untangle our understanding of ourselves and become more self aware. In this episode, we go deep into each type and cover a lot of ground - underlying worldviews, focus of attention, blind spots, emotional drives and much more. Take the test at the link below and listen in to find out more about your type! Use discount Code BREATHE for $5 off. TAKE THE TEST & GET MORE INFO: enneagram.is

My “Follow the Leader” series continues with Zaniya Lewis. Zaniya is the Founder and CEO of the #YesSheCanCampaign, a non-profit that uses live events and technology to provide educational resources, programming, and professional development to girls, young women, and youth nationwide. In this conversation, we talk about obstacles as opportunities, the benefits of empowering your team and the power of continually reinventing yourself. Zaniya also tells us the incredible story about the time that she won a contest to visit First Lady Michelle Obama. Website: yesshecancampaign.org 17 Magazine Feature: bit.ly/2EBI6BJ Facebook: facebook.com/yesshecancampaign Instagram: instagram.com/zaniyaklewis Twitter: twitter.com/yscampaign LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/zaniya-lewis-6ab09512b

I continue my “Follow the Leader” series with Alonzo Cee. Alonzo is a leadership educator and social justice advocate who currently coordinates Leadership Programs at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. In this conversation, we talk about systemic racism, learning from our individual and collective mistakes and feedback as an act of love. Alonzo also tells us about how his passion for numbers has made him a better storyteller. Alonzo’s “I Am Tired” IG Video: https://bit.ly/3ekEv7d Website: alonzocee.com Facebook: facebook.com/alonzocee23 Instagram: instagram.com/acee_23 Twitter: twitter.com/a_cee23 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alonzocee23

I am so excited to kickoff our “Follow the Leader” series with my friend and mentor, Jim Dethmer. Jim is a coach, co-founder of The Conscious Leadership Group and co-author of The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership. In this conversation, we talk about leadership, self awareness, influence, our fears about our white privilege and Jim shares his advice for the next generation of leaders. He also provides unique insight on Annmarie “Then” - 7 years ago! - and Annmarie “Now.” Listen in and get all the inspiring goodness that is Jim Dethmer. Website: conscious.is Facebook: facebook.com/consciousleadershipgroup Twitter: twitter.com/consciouslg LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-dethmer-457a787

How many times have you wanted to give up when headed towards a goal, big or small? Are you paying attention to your thoughts when you are frustrated, disappointed, or let down? Our guest this week has a few things to teach you. Deborah Olatunji sees the problem and looks for a solution. In high school, she was frustrated with her classes and didn’t feel like she could answer the question “What does education mean to me?” so she set out to define that for herself. Unlike most high school Juniors, Deborah wrote a book about her experience called Unleashing Your Innovative Genius: High School Redesigned. She tells us that the one thing she wants to change about education is what Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie calls “the myth of the single story.” Our schools don’t teach World History, but instead the history of the United States through a white lens (3:40-5:45). When she had this insight, Deborah tackled the problem from multiple angles using an affirmative mindset. Instead of falling into despair and neglecting her studies, he changed the way she learned herself and found new ways into the material while also deepening her relationship with the educators in her life; in this way, she was able to overcome limiting beliefs, find new ways into the material and transform her experience. Now as she goes into her Freshman year at UPenn with uncertainties about whether she will start on campus or digitally, Deborah rests easy knowing that she is firm in her faith (21:40 to 23:31), clear on her path (32:17 to 34:05) and ready to tackle the uncertainty that life will inevitably throw her way (34:05 to 36:25). This is an episode about empowering yourself, transforming your own experience and living from a place of purpose. Website: www.deboraholatunji.com Facebook: facebook.com/deboraholatunji2020 Instagram: instagram.com/deb_olatunji Twitter: twitter.com/deb_olatunji LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/deborah-olatunji

Sophie Beren never quite fit in during high-school, so she forged her own path centered around her most important value: unifying people. She broke out of the small Midwestern bubble of her youth and went to college, promptly joined every Jewish student group possible and discovered in no time that she and her fellow freshman were aligning only with people who had similar interests. In response to this discovery, she formed Table Talk which helped students connect who wouldn’t otherwise meet outside the classroom. She quickly realized that this was “a common cold” on college campuses, so then she scaled it and spread to over 80 high-school and college campuses (9:20 - 12:36). It became clear that this issue was even bigger than those 80 places, so she then created a digital content platform to learn, connect and empathize around these difficult topics: The Conversationalist was born (13:26 to 15:00). In the second part of our conversation, Sophie opens up and tells us about the challenges of being a young entrepreneur (26:30 to 30:00), her biggest fear (31:30 to 32:30) and ends by opening up to Annmarie about one of her most vulnerable personal truths (34:45 to 36:30). This is a conversation about conversations, speaking your truth without fear of judgement, getting out of our own way and being vulnerable so other people can too. Website: www.theconversationalist.com Facebook: facebook.com/theconversationalistofficial Instagram: instagram.com/theconversationalist LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sophie-beren-5287b971

Ina Bhoopalam grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska, surrounded by people who didn’t look like her, which forced her early on in her life to find ways to communicate across differences. When she encountered bullying in high school, Ina transcended the standard “he said/she said” trap that bullying can so often engender and decided to address the root of the problem by helping others who were being bullied; for her, solving the problem was a coping mechanism and a way to heal her inner Little Ina (20:15 to 23:08). Ina created DREAM Equal, which is now a non-profit aimed at empowering “all people to realize their full potential regardless of gender;” at first, it was created solely to help young girls from the age of 6 and then evolved to incorporate a more inclusive and intersectional view of gender equality (30:05 to 34:15). Annmarie and Ina agree that the root of our separation is the gender stereotypes that are ingrained in our culture through everything that we see and do (36:15-39:18). When asked to give advice to those who are bullied, Ina says her advice is actually for both the bullied and the bullied: “Think about what you’re feeling. Think about why you’re feeling it. And then think about the other people who are probably feeling the same way as you. Figure out why they’re also feeling the same way as you. And then start changing the “why” and fix the problem (39:25-40:00).” Website: inabhoopalam.com Instagram: instagram.com/inabhoopalam LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/inabhoopalam Twitter: twitter.com/inabhoopalam

Laurie Archbold left her corporate job to move to Washington State to connect with nature more deeply and found something called the Compassionate Listening Project, a non profit that teaches powerful skills for peacemaking. Laurie quickly became a facilitator of this work herself, leading training sessions in the United States as well as Journeys, a conflict transformation workshop for Israelis and Palestinians. In this conversation, Laurie and Annmarie discuss what makes some listening “Compassionate” and how we can honor people by deeply listening to what they have to say. She also breaks down the 5 Practices of Compassionate Listening - 1) Cultivating Compassion, 2) Developing Fair Witness, 3) Respecting Self and Other, 4) Listening from the Heart and 5) Speaking from the Heart. Perhaps most powerful, Laurie encourages us to remember that ‘An enemy is someone’s story you haven’t heard.” Website: https://www.listeningwillow.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CompassionateListening Free Compassionate Listening Workshops: https://www.compassionatelistening.org/workshops

A few weeks ago, Annmarie co-hosted a webinar with New York Times bestselling author Julie Lythcott-Haims (How to Raise an Adult). 7 young adults joined an audience of over 500 parents to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on their lives. This episode compiles highlights from that webinar which provide a unique perspective from the young adults on what they most need from adults right now. Annmarie also offers three essential building blocks for being in relationship with each other during these unprecedented times - trust, mutual respect and transparency. Julie's Website: https://www.julielythcotthaims.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jlythcotthaims Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HowToRaiseAnAdult Twitter: https://twitter.com/jlythcotthaims LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-lythcott-haims-0541005

Alexa was an ambitious and creative 19 year old with high hopes for her future. Sitting in class one afternoon, she noticed a huge lymph node pop up on her collarbone. She had been feeling fatigued and experiencing symptoms like night-sweats and rashes. Putting all of that together, she went to the doctor and a few weeks later she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Throughout her journey to heal, Alexa learned that trusting her inner voice and being in touch with her own vulnerability were the keys to beating the illness. Alexa is now a published author and spends her days trying to inspire others to take action in their own lives. On Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/alexacucch Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/alexacuc LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexacucchiara Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/alexacucch

This week, Annmarie talks with Rahul Kulkarni, a social entrepreneur who created and runs The Sukhi Project, a mental health advocacy and technology company that seeks to bridge the gap between mental wellness and culture understanding. Sukhi means happy in Sanskrit and that’s what they exist to promote. Rahul knows how to stay calm in the eye of a storm, trust whatever is occurring, stay focused on his goal and remain flexible and agile when conditions change. Listen in as we explore how he is calling upon his talents, skills and work ethic, combined with his meditation practice, a deep trust in himself and the world to pursue his passion and fulfill this vision to build a bridge between peoples cultural background and mental health. The Sukhi Project Website: https://www.thesukhiproject.com On Twitter: https://twitter.com/thesukhiproject Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesukhiproject LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-sukhi-project Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesukhiproject

On this week’s episode, Annmarie talks with Satvik Sethi, a mental health advocate and student at Binghamton University. They discuss Satvik’s mental health advocacy work, which began when he was in junior high school. He also recently created a Covid-19 website: a place for people to get all the reliable information they need in one place. They wonder how the world might be changed by this pandemic, including for the better. As work and school transfer to online interaction rather than in-person, they imagine remote work will become more accessible for people with disabilities and other challenges. Satvik on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SatSethi14 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/satviksethi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/satviksethi Runaway: https://www.runawayapp.com Project Covid: https://project-covid.lfrinternational.org

On this week’s episode, Annmarie checks-in with Ashwath Narayanan and Ethan Somers, students from George Washinton Unviversity and co-founders of Culture Media Co, on the Coronavirus pandemic and how it’s affected their lives and business. They discuss our collective lack of freedom, how uncertainty is feeding fear and the role technology has played in helping us stay connected in a time of disconnection. They also walk us through some of their daily routines amidst the disruption, discuss...

Carleigh Berryman grew up in a family of wildly successful entrepreneurs who valued and appreciated the older generations. In college, Carleigh resisted the tempting urge and social pressure to pursue a lucrative Marketing Consultant path and instead successfully secured seed money for a unique virtual reality company for seniors. In American culture, we spend very little time investing in our elderly populations. Her company - Viva Vita - is a tech-enabled services business that disrupts that impulse by selling virtual reality tours as an activity to retirement communities to bolster their activities calendar, appear attractive to future customers and to engage their populations in a novel way for better mental wellness. In this interview, we discuss the formation of Viva Vita, what it takes to stand up for your idea (even when it’s not popular), the challenges of entrepreneurship, the value of a strong mentor and how to take care of yourself through all of that. Carleigh is a rare breed, both a head and heart-centered leader who encourages people to be open to the world, embrace uncertainty, work hard with genuine passion and, most important of all, care deeply about your work. More Viva Vita: https://www.vivavita.org More Carleigh: https://www.carleighberryman.com

Hawat Kasat has spent each moment of his life trying to leave the world a little better than he found it. He identifies as an Artist, Author, Educator, Yoga Instructor, Community Organizer, and Non-profit Leader; in our interview, however, he reveals that he most identifies with the label of Poet. In this episode, Hawah tells us about his experiences on the front-lines of social activism early in his life, as well as the time he spent in India learning how to meditate. Both sets of experiences - the political and contemplative - created a visionary leader who now runs One Common Unity, a non-profit he co-founded over 18 years ago that supports peace education and the building of a non-violent culture through music and art. We learn that the common threads in all of Hawah’s experiences are curiosity, consciousness and joy. And while he always feels like there is more to be done, there’s no question that he’s an example to us all for how to make a positive impact on the world. More Hawah: https://hawah.us

This week, we continue our two-part conversation with Fran Roth, from the wildly popular Instagram account How Do You Adult? We start this episode by walking through Fran’s college experience and how she navigated that time with authenticity, vulnerability and, ultimately, a trusting relationship with her own feelings. Fran then opens up about her relationship with her boyfriend and gives us excellent advice about how to adult rin work and life. She closes with her definitions of success, happiness and a vision-cast for the future of her Instagram account. Follow Fran: instagram.com/howdoyouadult

Fran Roth started sketching her feelings as a hobby and her friends told her what she was making was really good. As the doodles grew in popularity online, Fran followed her impulse to buy an iPad to create more digital drawings, got an instagram account and the rest is history. Her wildly successful account How Do You Adult? now has nearly 195,000 followers and that audience grows daily. Annmarie and Fran talk about feeling your feelings, managing anxiety, the purpose of panic, how to communicate your desires with respect and creating space for our fullest and most authentic expression. Follow Fran: instagram.com/howdoyouadult

Mark your calendars - Season 2 of YOUNIVERSITY kicks off on Wednesday, March 4th with Part 1 of a two-part special episode featuring Fran Roth, the creator of the wildly popular Instagram page HOW DO YOU ADULT. In the meantime, enjoy this trailer that looks back at last season and forward to what we're cooking up next.

One anecdote to stress, anxiety and overwhelm is to bring more conscious play into your day. This week we are talking about the importance of balance between work, rest and play! So many of us forget to play and think play is not important as grown-ups. We take everything so seriously! We believe we don't have time to rest, relax, play, and chill out, so we push ourselves until we get sick, overwhelmed or exhausted. When we honor our need to rest, renew and play we re-charge and maximize our energy. We are then more available for creativity, innovation, well being and productivity. The play brings us back to a state of flow.