Debra Fine | Adventures of a Conversation & Networking Expert
Release Date: 06/26/2025
Laura Zumdahl – Leading with Heart: Empowering Young Mothers and Communities
Tales From The Trails
In this episode, we sit down with Laura Zumdahl, President & CEO of New Moms — a powerful social impact organization supporting young mothers as they build strong families and pursue economic mobility. Laura also leads Bright Endeavors, a social enterprise that creates paid transitional jobs for young women through candle-making. Laura shares her early journey into community service, what drew her to support young mothers and families, and what continues to inspire her to lead with compassion and vision. She discusses New Moms’ evolving mission, the ripple effect of its work on...
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John Potter – Mastering the Court and the Craft
Tales From The Trails
In this episode, we explore the life and passions of John Potter, a dedicated tennis teacher and accomplished woodworker. With nearly five decades guiding students from their first swings to competitive college play, John has become a mentor both on and off the court. A USPTA Level 1 teaching professional, he is known for his focus on fundamentals, patience, and encouraging character development through the sport. John shares his journey into tennis teaching, his approach to helping beginners and advanced players alike, and memorable moments that highlight the impact he’s had on students and...
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Tarot, Life Coaching, and Self-Discovery with Rachel Fiorentino
Tales From The Trails
Join us for a fun and eye-opening adventure with Rachel Fiorentino — nurse, life coach, and Tarot reader — whose journey blends science, intuition, and self-discovery. In this episode, we explore how Rachel connects her nursing background with Tarot, uncovering the deeper meaning behind symbols, archetypes, and the famous Fool’s Journey, and how Tarot can help us tune into and trust our intuition. Rachel shares how Tarot can be a tool for self-awareness, empowerment, intuition, and personal growth, while also weaving in her coaching practices and Law of Attraction work for a well-rounded...
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Karen Adjei | Following the Path of Christ
Tales From The Trails
In this episode, our community will learn about the adventures in following Christ led by our beloved Culture Care Steward, Karen Adjei. With a bachelor’s degree in history (Asian American Studies) and a master’s degree in library & information science, Karen’s journey has beautifully weaved together her love for art, librarianship, faith and a calling to serve across cultures. Tune in to perhaps learn something new or gain a new perspective on life. We first explore Karen’s early love of history and storytelling, that includes her introduction to museums and their meaning. Her...
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Phil Farquharson | Life Adventures
Tales From The Trails
In this episode of Tales From The Trails, we explore the life adventures of my friend, Phil Farquharson. Having a penchant for fact-finding, and logging to memory, enables Phil to share valuable and fun stories. We first discuss Phil’s experiences growing up in Wisconsin and life lessons learned. Then we talk about Phil’s foray into geology studies from a life-changing summer when he had the experience of a lifetime to do field study work in the Grand Teton’s. When the Air Force called during his college years, he chose to enlist and serve his country, putting college...
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Elizabeth Arnold | Adventures in Running & Coaching
Tales From The Trails
Join us for a fun conversation with my friend Elizabeth (Liz) Arnold, a trail runner and marathoner, running coach and yoga teacher. Listen in as we discuss Liz’s adventures in running, her dedication for completing over 20 marathons, the joy in coaching, and all the life lessons running can teach us – including the owl that made a surprise visit. The conversation begins with Liz sharing about her early experiences with running, how it strengthened her mindset and mental health, helped her cultivate self-awareness and other personal growth skills. We touch on Liz’s experience...
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Debra Fine | Adventures of a Conversation & Networking Expert
Tales From The Trails
Episode 002 – A conversation with my dear friend Debra Fine, a renowned expert in conversation and networking skills, a motivational speaker, and a bestselling author. Listen to this great show to gain wisdom, many conversational tools, learn about the “magic sauce,” and enjoy Debra’s wonderful sense of humor. We begin the conversation discussing Debra’s early life and establishing roots in Colorado, followed by her early career and pivot to motherhood. She shares wisdom for creating building blocks through experience and skillset development in order to establish a foundation...
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Don Schwartz | Life Adventures
Tales From The Trails
We kick off the Tales From The Trails show, in our very first episode, by welcoming Don Schwartz to our community. His joy for life emanates from his lifelong adventures. We begin the discussion exploring Don's journey which began in his hometown of San Diego, CA. He shares how his youth led to shaping his life of adventure, passion for technology, and love for other cultures. Then we delve into how life's fate changed his course upon being drafted into the military. Don shares a deeply personal experience of the affects from combat fatigue from being thrown into the fire of the...
info_outlineEpisode 002 – A conversation with my dear friend Debra Fine, a renowned expert in conversation and networking skills, a motivational speaker, and a bestselling author. Listen to this great show to gain wisdom, many conversational tools, learn about the “magic sauce,” and enjoy Debra’s wonderful sense of humor.
We begin the conversation discussing Debra’s early life and establishing roots in Colorado, followed by her early career and pivot to motherhood. She shares wisdom for creating building blocks through experience and skillset development in order to establish a foundation in a passion career.
Then we discuss Debra’s path into teaching ‘small talk’ and having an epiphany moment. One opportunity leads to another, and her training career takes off. Throughout this portion of the show Debra shares key tools for conversation skill development, which can be critical in this epidemic of loneliness we face today or in business networking.
Next we learn about her journey with book publishing and the tremendous success found by hustling. Debra shares how Small Talk is the appetizer for any relationship. We also discuss her journey as a motivational speaker.
Finally, we round out the show learning about Debra’s adventures with Rotary International and also hearing some final thoughts about building community and her next adventure.
“Every conversation is an opportunity for success.” ~Debra Fine
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You can hire Debra to train your team or be a keynote speaker for an event through her website: https://debrafine.com/
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