At ‘89’ This Guy Took a 19 Day 11-Flight Trip Alone Then Gave a Workshop on The Blue Zones
Release Date: 07/18/2024
Time to Spread Joy (and Maybe Some Deductible Dollars): Who You Givin’ To?
The Debbie Nigro Show
Year-End Giving Reminder: The last few weeks of the year are when most charitable giving happens — people feel more generous, tax benefits kick in for those who itemize, and many folks use year-end bonuses or appreciated stock to support causes they believe in. It’s the perfect moment to make a meaningful impact, especially with an organization that stretches every donor dollar farther than you ever could on your own. Why United Way Might Be One of the Smartest Ways to Give Back To Business Monday You know how I like to start a Monday: a little caffeine, a little...
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Fun, Fast “Wellness Wednesday” highlights from The Debbie Nigro Show aka 'Keeping the Live in Alive!'
The Debbie Nigro Show
Once a week I do my best to share information that I come across that might benefit others like me trying harder at "Keeping the Live in Alive!" I've posted the entire live Wellness Wednesday radio show here but in case youre in a hurry, I've summed up this week’s show highlights. #CrepeConfession: My only use of the word 'crepe' used to be in combination with the word 'paper' as in 'crepe paper' until father time starting beating the tar out of my good looks. I didn't realize what a big problem crepe had become for the world. Now I'm doing my part to try and correct...
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Fun, fast “Wellness Wednesday” highlights from The Debbie Nigro Show—aka 'Keeping the Live in Alive!'
The Debbie Nigro Show
Once a week I do my best to share information that I come across that might benefit others like me trying harder at "Keeping the Live in Alive!" I've posted the entire live Wellness Wednesday radio show here but in case youre in a hurry, I've summed up this weeks show highlights. #CrepeConfession: My only use of the word 'crepe' used to be in combination with the word 'paper' as in 'crepe paper' until father time starting beating the tar out of my good looks. I didn't realize what a big problem crepe had become for the world. Now I'm doing my part to try and...
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Human Connection Is Medicine. Celebrate “Talk to a Stranger Week” with Pete Bombaci of GenWell
The Debbie Nigro Show
Every once in a while, the universe taps you on the shoulder and says, “Here ya go … this one’s one of yours.” That’s exactly what happened when I discovered Pete Bombaci, Founder & CEO of GenWell, Canada’s Human Connection Movement — and the man behind Talk To A Stranger Week, happening November 24–30 in Canada. As many of you know, I’m the author of How To Talk To Strangers: Advice From a Professional Stranger Talker, so when I found out about Pete’s work, I thought, “Yup. This is my kinda guy. He won't be a stranger for long! "...
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Human Connection Is Medicine. Celebrate “Talk to a Stranger Week” with Pete Bombaci of GenWell.
The Debbie Nigro Show
Every once in a while, the universe taps you on the shoulder and says, “Here ya go … this one’s one of yours.” That’s exactly what happened when I discovered Pete Bombaci, Founder & CEO of GenWell, Canada’s Human Connection Movement — and the man behind Talk To A Stranger Week, happening November 24–30 in Canada. As many of you know, I’m the author of How To Talk To Strangers: Advice From a Professional Stranger Talker, so when I found out about Pete’s work, I thought, “Yup. This is my kinda guy. He won't be a stranger for long! " LOL Pete and I are...
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Why a Virtual Assistant Might Be the Best Business Decision You Haven’t Made Yet
The Debbie Nigro Show
Are you overwhelmed, overextended, and still thinking “Eh, I’ll just do it myself—it’s faster”? Yes? Well the right answer should be NO. That’s entrepreneur delusion talking. I know I am one and I'm not the best dekgator and yes I too try and do far too many things myself. On The Debbie Nigro Show, I linked up with the fabulous Jenna Eichholtz, partner at VA Growth Solutions, who popped in from Pennsylvania to drop some serious wisdom about delegating like a boss—without actually becoming a bossy boss. Here’s the big takeaway: You don’t need a full team… you...
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From Courtroom to Bagel Boss: How Beth George Is Training a New Wave of Bagel Entrepreneurs
The Debbie Nigro Show
I always try and bring the sunshine and some good energy and often I like to bring some good bagels. Today if you use your 'smellavision' link ( only kidding there is none - yet lol ) it smells like fresh bagels! I want you to meet Beth George, former attorney turned bagel whisperer and owner of Bagel-ish in Beacon, NY, and wow… this woman is rising dough and raising entrepreneurs. Beth’s origin story is pure heart: in 2006 she started baking to help her son manage health and behavioral issues—researching the gut–brain connection long before it was trendy. That journey led her...
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Sometimes a Simple Act of Kindness Is the Miracle Someone Needs to Move Forward
The Debbie Nigro Show
On this week’s Keeping the “Live” in Alive segment of The Debbie Nigro Show, I was joined by my longtime gal pal (though we’ve never actually met in person!) Linda Arroz, who’s on an inspiring new mission in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Linda is helping raise funds for a short social impact film called Awakening Georgie — a powerful narrative about the hidden struggles of traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors and the miracles that can come from compassion. “Thirty percent of injury-related deaths in the U.S. are caused by a traumatic brain injury. That’s a lot. We need to...
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Ozempic Teeth? My Dentist Weighs In On This Surprising Side Effect
The Debbie Nigro Show
On The Debbie Nigro Show, I like to dig into stories that make you go, “Wait, what?!” This week’s head-turner: “Ozempic Teeth.” Yep, that’s the headline making waves, and I knew I had to call in my go-to expert, Dr. John Castanaro of Castanaro Dental in Yonkers, NY, to help get to ‘the tooth of the matter’. What Are “Ozempic Teeth”? GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy have taken the world by storm for their weight-loss benefits. But dentists are warning about side effects showing up in the mouth. According to Dr. Castanaro: “It’s not the drug...
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Montaukila Tequila —a Textbook Case of Entrepreneurial Grit!
The Debbie Nigro Show
On The Debbie Nigro Show, I had the pleasure of spotlighting Simon Cascante, founder of Montaukila Tequila. Boy oh boy his story sure is a shining example of one of my favorite sayings - “Risk It! or Regret It!" Simon skipped college, started bussing tables at the Lobster Roll in East Hampton, and took the long road to launching his own spirit’s brand. No investors. No celebrity endorsements. Just grit, Google, and a dream. That persistence led him to cold-call nearly a dozen distilleries in Mexico until one finally said yes—thanks to a VP who had once vacationed in...
info_outlineTalk About Risk It! Or Regret It!...
After reading one of my email newsletters (they’re free btw at DebbieNigro.com) where my headline was my question “What are you going to do with TODAY?”
James (Jim) Flaherty a subscriber replied to my email:
“About to leave (Mon Morning) for a 19 day 11-flight trip, visiting Flagstaff, AZ; Las Cruces, NM; and Houston and San Antonio before landing in the Baja of Mexico to teach a Modern Elder Workshop on THE BLUE ZONES, where there are more centenarians than anywhere else in the world. Trust you are well. Good column today. xo Jim
Jim Flaherty is a former ad agency guy, entrepreneur and writer. I made friends with Jim after randomly featuring his book on my show, which I randomly found on an old table, in a random old general store, in an old section of an old town in upstate NY. The only thing I won’t call old is Jim - even though he’s 89. This guy’s ageless!
And talk about Risk it or Regret It! I was exhausted just reading about the trip he had planned. I asked Jim to call into my show from the airport while waiting for his first flight. I wanted to know how the hell an 89-year-old was gonna do all that airport walking? I couldn’t! LOL
Jim said: “The only part of me that really doesn't function as well as I expect it to, because I always expect everything to work perfectly, are my legs. I can walk around the house, I can walk around an office, I can walk onto a stage and give a speech but I've had three surgeries starting with one bad surgery in Mexico years ago on my right le,g and now my left leg is just being 89 years old and tired. So I find when I get to an airport, and it's a mile or a half a mile between one thing to another, I have to have a wheelchair. And of course, it really, basically, it pisses me off because I never did.”
I was wondering how this 89-year-old was going to handle all those flights?
“I don't mind the fact that I'm going to have 11, I'm going to have 11 flights in the next 19 days. That doesn't bother me. I'm fine on a plane.”
Was this 89-year young guy going to rent a car and drive himself around the country in between flights?
“Yeah, I drive fine. I'm a good driver. I'm okay behind the wheel.”
I wanted to know more about that ‘Modern Elder Academy’ I’d read about, and Jim’s workshop he was giving on the Blue Zones.
Jim said:
“The founder, Chip Conley, is a wonderful, wonderful human being. Chip, who was going through his own kind of midlife crisis in his 50s and saw so many of his friends just at the end of their rope, decided, God, there's nothing for people going through what he called the messy middle. And they put a long age range on it, ranging from 35 to 75. People are going through the messy middle with one transition or another at all of those ages. So he put together this academy.
“And the reason it ended up with the name Modern Elder Academy is that the Airbnb boys who were all, you know, well, they weren't 12 years old, but they might have been, they were 20, 22, 23 years old, you know, when they started Airbnb, they didn't know their ass from their elbow, but they had a wonderful idea. And they, they asked Chip to come aboard, to tell them about hospitality, because he had owned a chain of hotels out in San Francisco. And, yeah, and one of them one day said, gosh, Chip, you're our modern elder. Because he was at that point like 52. And he thought, That's an interesting point of view of modern elders.”
Jim wants everybody in the world to look up modernelderacademy.com and put their name on the free mailing list. He said you get a free daily blog that is worth its weight in gold. And he said they have free monthly webinars that are just terrific. The workshops are too, adding that the workshops aren't for free, but he said he read the blog for two years before he signed up for one.
Jim said:
"Fell madly head over heels in love with the whole concept, went back eight months later for my second workshop and now they've invited me to help facilitate workshops.”
From what I’ve learned now about those Modern Elder Workshops … they seem to get people unstuck and give them clarity for their what’s next. Might interest some of you or someone you know.
Meanwhile goodness knows what’s next for 89-year dynamo Jim Flaherty. Senior Ninja Warrior Games? LOL Not sure but Jim wrote me a follow up note, “I’m wild (again) trying to triple my output so I can keep up with myself”!
Enjoy listening to this podcast of our live conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show.