Chasing Dreams With Aimee J.

Gregg Clunis is very connected to the concept of embracing change in order to create your ideal life. His podcast, https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/tiny-leaps-big-changes-motivation/id1071032154?mt=2at=10l7By ( Tiny Leaps, Big Changes) is all about embracing a new perspective in order to take steps towards improving your life. Gregg’s journey to success in personal development came out of the frustration he felt about existing personal development resources and his desire to give people access to something that could truly help make a shift. In this chat with Aimee J., Gregg talks about everything from college to entrepreneurship to success as a podcaster - and beyond. He shares his goals for the show, how he finally found freedom by following his dreams, and the book that changed everything for him, at the young at of 13. TWEET: Making tiny leaps towards your #dreams, on this episode of #ChasingDreams Realizing you can create the life you want.Gregg wasn’t your typical kid. He always knew he wanted to be

Through his vast experience in radio, podcasting, and digital media production, Russ Johns (http://futuremediaassociation.com/futuremediatv-2/ (Future Media TV), http://futuremediaassociation.com/ (Future Media Association), http://agency258.com/ (Agency 258)) is known to many as “The Modern-Day Renaissance Man”. His passion for helping others is clear and his talent at sharing branding tips, digital media strategies, and much more has led to a successful career as a coach. Russ and Aimee discuss how he found himself in the world of technology and why it resonates with him so much. They also discuss various platforms, strategies, and advice that can help you take things to the next level. Today, Russ juggles family life as the father of 2 sons with being a musician, author, speaker, and business owner. TWEET: Pursuing your passion while helping others, on this episode of #ChasingDreams Being launched into a career in technology.Before Russ found technology, he was in the advertising business as a billboa

Law Blank wanted to be an artist for as long as he can remember. He was creating from the age of 2 and art was a part of his daily life. Law worked in mediums like chalk, pencil and even dirt as a child, finding his voice and honing his craft through the years. Today, Law enjoys success as an artist and balances it all with a busy day job and family. In this chat with Law, Aimee J. explores his passion, purpose, and dedication to art, as well as how he found success as an artist shown in galleries around the world. TWEET: How to turn your passion into a career, on today’s episode of #ChasingDreams Chasing your dreams in spite of negativity around you.When you find your purpose and passion, it’s likely that you’ll hear a lot of negative voices around you. Law discusses how he dealt with negativity and how it actually inspired him to pursue his dreams rather than give up on them. He shares why the negativity didn’t dissuade him at all from chasing his dream of being an artist and why he gained strength from it

For Sabrina Johnson Turner, an interest in travel came early. Her independence and refusal to stay in the corner have translated into a fervor for travel and experiencing everything life has to offer. In this chat with Aimee J., Sabrina discusses her path to becoming a lawyer, her original plans for the future, and how she caught the travel bug. From finding ways to save big on flights around the world to staying true to the things that make her truly happy, it’s clear Sabrina has figured out how to blaze her own trail and live a life she loves. TWEET: Following your dreams around the #world, on this episode of #ChasingDreams Allowing your passions to dictate your path.Sabrina’s plans for the future evolved significantly during college and she explains how she found her true calling in life. From an early age, Sabrina wanted to design video games. But, during college she realized this wasn’t the path for her. While it’s clear Sabrina has the aptitude and intelligence for this career, she simply didn’t love it

Steve Thompson has built his business around his 2 passions: socks and giving back. His business, http://www.necessarygood.com/ (Necessary Good, LLC), is focused on giving back in a big way. Steve discusses the mission of Necessary Good, as well as the inspiration behind the company. It’s clear that Steve makes helping people a core focus of his life and the good that he continues to do with his company is certainly inspiring. Learn more about Steve and the conscious work Necessary Good does to make the world a better place, one pair of socks at a time. TWEET: Making the world a better place, one pair of #socks at a time Having an “a-ha” moment that shapes your future.Steve’s passion for socks goes back a few years. In fact, he has quite the collection of unique(and sometimes downright “crazy”) socks. For Steve, realizing just how much money he was spending on his sock collection sparked an idea. Fueled by a passion for helping people, Steve decided it was time to give back and pursue his passion for socks at

Michael Russo is at the time of this recording a full time college student and founder of Sticky Quotes, which we’ll talk about more later in this episode. Michael is double majoring in Business Management and Philosophy and is very active on campus, serving as President of the Entrepreneurship Club. One of his goals is to one day find a company in the clean/renewable energy industry that helps save the planet! He’s already saving the planet with his positive attitude and sticky quotes business, please welcome Mike to the show. TWEET: Learning what U don’t like 2 do is just as valuable as learning what U do like 2 do ~ Michael Russo A high school entrepreneurial club project that went big.Michael Russo was the very first student who signed up to participate in his high school’s new entrepreneur’s club. You could say the club itself was a startup. It was out of his experience as part of that club that his mentor encouraged him to take what seemed like a silly idea and make it into a business. That’s how S

Tanavi P was a closet nerd till she discovered the http://www.nbc.com/chuck (Chuck) and http://www.syfy.com/haven (Haven) fandoms. After working at http://www.thenerdmachine.com/nerd-hq/ (Nerd HQ), conventions quickly became her perfect pastime, where she realised she could combine her nerd curiosity with her love of journalism and become an entertainment reporter. She now also works for http://www.mcmcomiccon.com/ (MCM Comic Con) hosting the http://www.mcmbuzz.com/2016/03/19/live-today-from-the-mcm-buzz-stage/ ( MCM Buzz stage) and has moderated panels for http://www.walkerstalkercon.com/ (Walker Stalker Con). Her interest is mainly genre TV, but she is always looking for the next new thing to fangirl over! Today you’re going to hear Tanavi’s journey from non-nerd to full-on nerd. TWEET: If you have something you think you might want to do, just try ~ Tanavi Patel Getting into the fangirl lifestyle.Tanavi Patel never thought of herself as a “fangirl” of anything in particular, until she came across some

Fritz Leopold found his way into the recruiting world quite by accident. Since the age of 3, Fritz dreamed of being an architect. Through the process of chasing that dream, he realized it wasn’t as fulfilling as he’d hoped it would be. As new opportunities crossed his path, Fritz realized he needed to pursue his passion for helping others. Along the way, he found himself being invited to be a full time recruiter - and so, he found his true path. Today, Fritz works as a business technology recruiter for http://www.mckinsey.com/ (McKinsey & Company), where he is able to follow his purpose of helping others. TWEET: Don’t run away from your dreams and always be true to yourself ~ Fritz Leopold Getting to the heart of your dreams.Although dream chasing required Fritz to start over in an entirely new career, he wouldn’t change a thing. He discusses with Aimee J. the process of finding his purpose in the world of recruiting and what it’s like to make such a huge transition. Fritz shares the realities of making s

For Mat Poovan, the path to his dreams was filled with unexpected twists and turns. He always had lofty ambitions and a clear path to follow to achieve his goals. But, on the road to some of those goals, Mat found his true passion: Indian classical music. Specifically, it was the sitar that grabbed his attention. Mat discovered the sitar quite by accident, while attending class and studying ancient India. His teacher played Indian classical music in the background and the rest, as they say, is history. From there, Mat pursued his passion for music, but it was balanced with some other passions - creating a full life of being a business consultant by day and a talented musician by night. TWEET: Discovering your #dreams when you least expect to, on this episode of #ChasingDreams Following his path - even though it was unexpected.When Mat started school, he had already been studying the sitar for several years. He knew he had to be more practical about school, so he decided to major in political science with a mi

Today’s Dream Chasers are Cristin Kist and Jeffrey Gritman. Friends for more than 20 years, Cristin and Jeff started writing 5 years ago. From the beginning it was clear they had a passion for pop culture, science fiction and all things geeky, so the stories they were drawn to were, naturally, in the same vein. In today’s chat with Aimee J., Cristin and Jeff discuss how a story evolved from a concept into a multi-volume book series, and how they manage to stay focused on their dreams in spite of having super busy schedules. They share their passion for writing, telling stories, and making people life, and how this propels them towards their dream of being full time writers. TWEET: Discovering your #passion and going after it with everything you’ve got, on this episode Discovering a passion for writing.Cristin and Jeff are both avid writers on their own. But together, they craft unique and hilarious stories that attract a wide audience. They explain how the “http://www.prisondad.com/ (Prison Dad)” storyline wa

When it comes to following your dreams, http://CarrieOlsenVO.com (Carrie Olsen) is a true inspiration. From a young age, Carrie listened to cartoons and was drawn to the process of voicing those characters. In her career in human resources, Carrie found herself voicing online trainings and truly tapping into a passion. From there, she pursued voiceover work and eventually made it a lucrative full time career. Carrie shares with Aimee what it’s like to connect to your passion and go after it with everything you’ve got. From the hard work to the rewards you reap, she shares why it’s all worth it to do what you love. TWEET: Finding your passion and pursuing it with everything you’ve got, on this episode of #ChasingDreams Being aware of your limitations while trying to expand your range.Voiceover artists work hard - and they don’t just “talk” for a living. Carrie shares why being a voiceover artist takes much more than just your voice to be successful. She discusses how she learned about the industry and immersed

Dream-chasing isn’t about limiting yourself to one pursuit. For Stephanie Glass, it’s about balancing your life so you can pursue all of your dreams. As an IT and library sciences professional, she is passionate about managing information infrastructures and helping people access the information they need. Stephanie found her passion for library science quite by accident, but when she found it she knew she had to pursue it. She realized dream-chasing didn’t have to end there. And so, Stephanie has built a life around pursuing all of her passions - from IT to performing arts and beyond. In this chat with Aimee J., Stephanie shares her approach to balancing a busy life and maintaining focus on what matters most. TWEET: #Libraries aren’t just about books, they are about #information ~ on this episode Balancing your time when you pursue multiple passions.Stephanie’s love of performing goes back many years. In college, she chose to minor in dance because of her love of performing. Today, she finds herself making t

Chasing your dreams doesn’t always mean doing what you loved as a kid, but for Andrew Alliance that’s exactly what it means. Andrew grew up with a passion for video games. In fact, he wanted a Nintendo so badly, he agreed to clean his house for a week so his mother would buy him one. Since the very first game, it was true love for Andrew. He is incredibly passionate about gaming, which is how he landed gigs as Brand Ambassador for Playstation and Nintendo of America. He is the host of The Show Radio, which showcases his passion for gaming, tech, and entertainment. If you want a glimpse into following your dreams with everything you’ve got, this is the show for you. TWEET: Following your childhood dreams to create a life of purpose and passion. Find out more on this episode A passion for gaming that continued throughout his life.It all started in 1987, when Andrew got his very first Nintendo. Since then, he’s owned just about every system out there. Andrew discovered his passion for broadcasting thanks to atte

For Miguel Palmeiro, giving back is at the core of who he is and what his law firm stands for. He found his passion for the law while attending school as a pre-med student. Disillusioned with the field of medicine and wanted to find a way to truly give back, he decided to follow in his older brother’s footsteps and take a look at law school. After doing incredibly well on the LSATs, Miguel felt he had found his calling. He shares with Aimee J. how he chased his dreams, became a success, and still maintains focus on giving back to the people who made it all possible. TWEET: The importance of giving back and pushing forward, on this episode of #ChasingDreams Finding your purpose, even when it takes you away from your planned path.Miguel shares the importance of always striving to find happiness. His plan when he started school was to be a doctor. But, when he realized it wasn’t making him happy, Miguel knew something had to change. His passion for finding his purpose drove him to keep pushing forward to make hi

Today’s episode of Chasing Dreams features the youngest dream chaser ever on the show. Aimee J. chats with Sarika Mehta, an 18-year-old student at the Culinary Institute of America who is going after her dreams with everything she’s got. Sarika first fell in love with cooking in middle school. Over the years it evolved into her true passion and purpose. Sarika is passionately pursuing her dreams and shares with Aimee J. the process of figuring out her path and finding a way to go after it. TWEET: Chasing your dreams can start at any age, on this episode of #ChasingDreams Finding your purpose at a young age.When Sarika first started experimenting in the kitchen, she was in middle school. She shares the process of discovering cooking and how it evolved into her true path in life. Sarika first fell in love with the feeling of preparing food for friends and family and seeing how happy it makes them. She discusses how rewarding it is to see people appreciate what she’s created. Sarika goes on to talk about how foo

Self-care is one of the most overlooked areas of our lives. Without taking the time for ourselves, we’re often left drained, unfulfilled and just plain unhappy. On today’s episode of Chasing Dreams, Aimee J. chats with Dr. Jattu Senesie. Jattu is the founder of http://www.essenceofstrength.com/ (Essence of Strength), a business with a mission of helping people integrate self-care into their routine and truly find their purpose. After spending 7 years as an OBGYN, it was clear to Jattu that this wasn’t the right path for her. She found herself yearning for more out of life and 5 years ago, she decided to make a change. She didn’t have a plan, but she was determined to find her purpose. After experiencing the process of integrating self-care into her life, she realized it was the missing link for so many others. That’s why she decided to dedicate her life to helping people like her follow their true path in life. TWEET: Giving yourself permission to be #happy: on this episode of #ChasingDreams Why we forget abo

Dream-chasing isn’t always easy. The road is filled with unexpected twists, turns, and bumps. But, when you know you’re following your purpose, you have to keep going. On today’s episode, Aimee J chats with her friend Yuzun Kang. After tapping into his passion for creativity at an early age, Yuzun went on to join http://www.riotgames.com/ (Riot Games) as development manager and product owner. Getting there wasn’t easy, but Yuzun explains why every experience - even the difficult ones - was worth it. Today’s Chasing Dreams will leave you feeling as though anything is possible. TWEET: Don’t ask for permission; just go for it. Anyone can do anything. Find out more on this episode. Finding your purpose and what it takes to make it your reality.Once Yuzun saw beyond the stereotype of video games, he realized gaming is about taking an interactive experience and using it to communicate how we live our lives. After playing a videogame called Braid, Yuzun was inspired by the philosophical idea behind it and curious to

Following your dreams doesn’t come without risks. Like most dream chasers, when Caroline Page decided to go after her dreams, she faced a lot of uncertainty about the future. But she knew it was worth the risk. In her chat with Aimee J., Caroline shares the process of dream-chasing and how - in the end - she found her way to happiness. After spending many years in theater and believing this was the life for her, Caroline faced the reality that entertainment simply wasn’t the lifestyle she wanted. So she set out to chase her dreams and follow the passion she knew in her heart was her purpose. TWEET: “Every man dies. Not every man really lives.” #Braveheart. Find out more on this episode of #ChasingDreams. The decision to follow your dreams is the most important one you’ll ever make.Caroline first faced her life’s passion in high school during a mock trial. It was then that she found the path that would eventually lead her to happiness. Getting there, however, would mean she had to take some risks, face some fe

Following your dreams even when the deck is stacked against you.If being a dream chaser was easy, everyone would do it. In Aimee's chat with Joe Pardo of The Dreamers Podcast, she finds out how Joe pursued his dreams in spite of the many things standing in his way. With a passion for helping others that goes back to early childhood, Joe knew his life’s purpose would be in that area. However, a multi-million dollar family business and high expectations to maintain a connection to it prevented Joe from following those dreams for many years. Joe discusses the importance of letting go of what you can’t control in order to pave the way for a dream chaser’s life. Even though there were many naysayers along the way, Joe pressed forward and created a life that’s all about helping others. TWEET: A hard deal is a bad deal. Find out more on this episode of #ChasingDreams The difficulty of leaving the family business and choosing the road less travelled.The obvious choice for Joe - at least to outsiders - was to work at

Understanding the consequences of our actions and how distractions can create victims.When you consider how each decision we make can have a ripple effect in our lives, and the lives of those around us, it’s easy to relate to the story Ed Devitt shares. Through the all-too-common invincibility mindset of a teenager, Ed faced an unimaginable challenge that changed the lives of everyone around him. As Ed shares his powerful story, it’s clear that he has developed an unparalleled passion for life as a result of the obstacles he’s faced. Perhaps the most powerful aspect of Ed’s story is his willingness to take responsibility for his actions and share the reality of how each choice we make could have devastating effects. His story is as devastating as it is inspiring, which is why it’s an important one to share with all of you. TWEET: One choice can change the course of your life forever. Find out more on this episode The profound impact of the choices Ed and his friends made.As Ed delves deeper into the details o