Chinwe Esimai: Immigrant Women Inspire Brilliance Beyond Borders
Life’s Tough, YOU Can Be TOUGHER!
Release Date: 03/16/2022
Joe Foster: The True Story of Building a Billion Dollar Brand by Finding the “White Space”
Life’s Tough, YOU Can Be TOUGHER!
In this episode host Dustin Plantholt speaks to Joe Foster, a name you may not recognize although it’s been in his family for generations. It might surprise you to learn he’s built a multi-billion-dollar global company, whose name you’ll know as well as your own. The reason you may have never heard of Joe Foster is because his business was never about him. It was about being the best in sport shoes. Does the name Reebok ring a bell? Foster tells the fascinating story behind how the company got started and how he named it. The shoe business wasn’t new to him. In fact, his...
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Life’s Tough—David Green is TOUGHER
Life’s Tough, YOU Can Be TOUGHER!
In this episode of “Life’s Tough—YOU Can Be TOUGHER!” host Dustin Plantholt talks to David Green, Founder of Hobby Lobby as he shares his unconventional leadership wisdom and his billion-dollar success story. In 1970, David Green and his wife borrowed $600 to make miniature picture frames out of their garage. Two years later their small home-based arts and crafts business was making enough money for them to afford a modest commercial space, and thus Hobby Lobby was born. Green recalls in the early years how they were struggling to survive. They stayed...
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Chief Rabbi Elie Abadie: On Service and Respect as the Foundation of a Beautiful Life
Life’s Tough, YOU Can Be TOUGHER!
In this episode host Dustin Plantholt speaks to Rabbi Elie Abadie, MD, spiritual leader, renowned international lecturer, gastroenterologist, husband and beloved father and grandfather about what it means to truly embrace diversity and how to balance our many roles in life. This is really a conversation on how to have a beautiful life, and if anyone is qualified to summarize such a topic, it’s Rabbi Elie. Although he knew he wanted to be a doctor by age five, because in the Sephardic Jewish tradition it is common to have a dual career of both rabbi and any other profession, Rabbi...
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Chinwe Esimai: Immigrant Women Inspire Brilliance Beyond Borders
Life’s Tough, YOU Can Be TOUGHER!
In this episode host Dustin Plantholt speaks to Chinwe Esimai about her new book, Brilliance Beyond Borders: Remarkable Women Leaders Share the Power of Immigrace (a word she coined to represent an immigrant’s expression of her highest purpose and potential). Much like the women she profiles, Chinwe too is a trailblazer in her field who immigrated to the U.S. from Nigeria as a teenager. Growing up outside of the culture allows immigrants to bring a fresh perspective to whatever they do. Talk around the dinner table in Nigeria was centered on world events and she began...
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Life’s Tough—Denise Ilitch is TOUGHER, Carrying on a Family Legacy of Hard Work and Listening
Life’s Tough, YOU Can Be TOUGHER!
In this episode of “Life’s Tough—YOU Can Be TOUGHER!” host Dustin Plantholt talks to Denise Ilitch, an owner of Ilitch Family Companies and President of Ilitch Enterprises, an empire begun by her parents when they opened their first restaurant in 1959— Little Ceasar’s Pizza Treat in Garden City, Detroit. The oldest of seven children, Denise learned early to serve and to speak up. With humble beginnings she saw her parents build success from the ground up. Neither of her parents went to college or had formal business training. She says they were “incredibly bright and...
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Life’s Tough— Erik Weir is TOUGHER, discussing financial strategies that can transform your life
Life’s Tough, YOU Can Be TOUGHER!
In this episode of “Life’s Tough—YOU Can Be TOUGHER!” host Dustin Plantholt talks to Erik Weir, one of the most sought-after wealth advisors in the Unites States, whose clients range from celebrity recording artists and professional sports icons to those on the Forbes World’s Billionaires list. Erik shares with listeners his story, his philosophy and wisdom for achieving goals despite obstacles, something he knows all about. When he was just five years old, Erik was in a traumatic automobile accident. Police rushed to the scene and told him to stay in the car, although he was...
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Cheryl Miller, Co-Author of “Business Doing Good”
Life’s Tough, YOU Can Be TOUGHER!
Dustin Plantholt’s Life’s Tough: YOU can be TOUGHER! podcast this week features Cheryl Miller, Owner of Quantum Consulting and Training. During her interview with Dustin, Cheryl Miller tells of her past personal challenges as a homeless single mom with two kids born into the welfare system. With the help of others along the way, Miller managed to overcome many uphill battles and obstacles—eventually graduating with a Bachelor's and a graduate degree. Miller had become a teacher and then worked for over 18 years in the nonprofit sector...
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Coach Rob Mendez Writes a Book, "Who Says I Can't?"
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Special Interview with Queen Diambi of the Democratic Republic of Congo
Life’s Tough, YOU Can Be TOUGHER!
In this episode of Life’s Tough—YOU can be TOUGHER!”, host Dustin Plantholt interviews Her Royal Highness Queen Diambi Kabatusuila Tshiyoyo Muata of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In this episode, Queen Diambi, whose name means “the bearer of good news,” shines her best light and shares important truths about the African continent. This engaging interview begins with the story behind Her Royal Highness Queen Diambi’s full name. Then, we learn more about the beauty and diverse history that Africa embodies—along with a section debunking misconceptions about...
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Life’s Tough – but David Vaskevitch is TOUGHER: Self-Taught Computer Programmer Building Microsoft from the Ground Up with Bill Gates
Life’s Tough, YOU Can Be TOUGHER!
The latest podcast episode of “Life’s Tough—YOU Can Be TOUGHER!” is about David Vaskevitch, former CTO (Chief Technical Officer) for Microsoft and founder of Mylio, a product that digitizes and organizes a lifetime of memories. From a childhood with his head in the books to a young adulthood in the 1960s surrounded by the latest computer technology, David taught himself how to program and was hired as “Employee 901” at Microsoft under Bill Gates’ advisement. In this episode, David shares his life experience and details how his innovative spirit propelled him further in his...
info_outlineIn this episode host Dustin Plantholt speaks to Chinwe Esimai about her new book, Brilliance Beyond Borders: Remarkable Women Leaders Share the Power of Immigrace (a word she coined to represent an immigrant’s expression of her highest purpose and potential). Much like the women she profiles, Chinwe too is a trailblazer in her field who immigrated to the U.S. from Nigeria as a teenager.
Growing up outside of the culture allows immigrants to bring a fresh perspective to whatever they do. Talk around the dinner table in Nigeria was centered on world events and she began to ponder and discuss how to make the world a better place. Her journey to become the managing director and chief anti-bribery officer at Citigroup, Inc., the first person to hold this title in the bank’s history, is an inspiring one to say the least.
One strategy Chinwe uses to excel in her own life is to not focus on the borders, any potential barrier to moving forward. Although immigrants' cross physical borders, there are other borders that can be impediments to success, including the ones we impose on ourselves. By shining a light on immigrant women who have honed the traits that shaped their success, she hopes to spread the message that we all possess a unique genius and can create incredible legacies.
Prior to joining Citigroup Chinwe spent five years at Goldman Sachs in various regulatory risk-management roles and served as a law professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. She was fortunate to have mentors who helped to build her confidence so that when the time came, she could step into a new role that, in many ways, was meant for her, even though she was taking a risk. “Readiness doesn’t mean you have all the answers. There will still be challenges when you step into it.”
What does it take, specifically for immigrant women, to go from surviving to thriving? Oddly, failure is an essential ingredient to their success. Many immigrant women have faced trauma, but the ones who move forward seem to use any rejection they face as a call to action. Other ingredients include…
(1) The ability to go within and be thoughtful about what you are uniquely suited to do. What frustrates you? Where are you passionately curious? Begin with reflection and determine to honor your unique talents and gifts.
(2) Commitment to innovate over time. Learn to pivot and seize opportunities that come your way.
(3) Take ownership of your decisions. Some people want mentors to feed them answers. Keep in mind a mentor doesn’t have to be someone like you—have the same gender or lifestyle.
“The journey of life is about growth. It’s about ongoing examination, reexamination…honoring and finding the time and space to listen to that inner voice,” adds Chinwe.
Her mission in writing the book is to democratize genius because we are all geniuses. Each section of the book concludes with a step-by-step guide to help readers achieve to their own extraordinary results, as well as an Immigrace Journal, a guide on how to serve the world and build a remarkable legacy.
Brilliance Beyond Borders by Chinwe Esimia is now available wherever books are sold. Connect with Chinwe on social media on LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
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