Live and Lead for Impact with Kirsten E. Ross

You were born with individual strengths and a unique purpose. Don’t let fears, false beliefs, or life’s happenings diminish your influence! It’s time to Live and Lead for Impact! Host, Kirsten Ross, expert of transformation, will help you Defeat the Drama and Overcome the Trauma that can stop you in your tracks. You’ll gain focus, find confidence, and take bold action…. Unleash passionate, purposeful you! Make your impact as a business leader, family business employee, volunteer, parent, mom, dad. Find the tenacity to be a warrior for your unique impact! Let’s Go!!

EP 312 Leslie Kuster 01/26/2023

EP 312 Leslie Kuster EP 312 Leslie Kuster On this episode of The Live and Lead with Impact Podcast, Coach Kirsten is joined by guest, Leslie Kuster! Leslie Kuster is a successful entrepreneur whose goal is to guide women over 50 to find freedom and financial stability and fall in love with life again. Coach Kirsten and Leslie speak about how it’s never too late to create success, financial wealth and create a life of freedom. Leslie gives us an insight into the seven master keys women need to unlock a successful, money-making businesses through the likes of principles, tools and steps that Leslie trialled and tested for over 20 years. Coach Kirsten and Leslie discuss how mindset is one of the key differentiators between entrepreneurs and successful entrepreneurs. Leslie speaks about how you have to start from the inside out by getting aligned with what authentic success means to you and figuring out what your attitude and relationship with money really looks like in order to build a 6+ figure business. Coach Kirsten and Leslie talk through the challenges Leslie faced regarding money, what she wanted and what she yearned for. Coach Kirsten and Leslie also speak about a less commonly discussed topic when it comes to financial freedom and building a successful business: What does success do to your life? Leslie speaks about having imposter syndrome and fear of failure but also shares how she more so struggled with the worries of how becoming successful will change her life, affect her relationships and dealing with the change. Coach Kirsten and Leslie speak about Leslie’s currently big challenge of learning how to delegate and chose the right people for your team. Leslie shares how she has been struggling to build great teams to help her run her women’s clothing brand, Back from Bali, so that she can focus on her new consulting business without Back from Bali having to suffer through the loss of her attention. Leslie reminds us with her words of wisdom to those looking to start a successful business that success will look different for everyone based on what each individual wants and yearns for. Leslie states that you matter, you can and if you really want it then that’s you’re spirit talking to you and you have to listen as it’s not something everyone experiences! You can find out more information about Leslie and her businesses, or get in contact with her through the following links: If you enjoyed this episode and want to gain a deeper insight into everything Coach Kirsten has to offer you, head over to the following websites: /episode/index/show/defeatthedrama/id/25437714

Ep 311 Donna Dahl 01/19/2023

Ep 311 Donna Dahl Ep 311 Donna Dahl Please welcome Donna Dahl. She is an award-winning empowerment coach who has written six books. She was listed as one of the top 20 Empowerment Coaches in the world and her articles appear in print as well as online publications. She is the author of Lesson I Learned from the Tortoise a popular self-empowerment book. Donna explains what it means to be an empowerment coach and tells us it’s for people who want to make that next step in their lives, whether it’s a career change, a promotion in their job or a new side hustle. Donna opens up about how she was heavily bullied when she was in school which never allowed her to build any confidence in herself. She talks about how when she’d make a mistake playing piano at a recital, she’d feel awful for days. She also discusses a car accident she was involved in which shifted her entire world and forced her to reinvent herself. It’s these two life events which pushed her into being an empowerment coach. Kirsten asks about the strategies Donna used to navigate through her personal transformation, as Donna tells us about her completing her master’s degree in educational psychology, where she focused on memory and self-learning. Later she was asked to write an article for a magazine and quickly after was encouraged to write a book, which launched her coaching enterprise. If you think you might want to engage with Donna, some of the things you may be feeling like your current line of work isn’t a fit for you. You may ask yourself if you’re in the right field but looking for a new place to work which would fit better or perhaps you’re considering a whole new field. Kirsten asks about a current challenge Donna is facing, and she tells us she is struggling to find leaders withing corporations which are in need of support. Kirsten recommends connecting to the people who work with leaders and recommends networking and connecting generally. She recommends not falling into the trap of quantity over quality and to go with authentic curiosity. Donna finishes with her words of wisdom, where she recommends to take life as marathon, and spice it up with sprints. You can find Donna’s book on Amazon which is called Lessons I Learned From The Tortoise and reach out to Donna and connect with her on her website donnapdahl.com If you enjoyed this episode and want to gain a deeper insight into everything Coach Kirsten has to offer you, head over to the following websites: /episode/index/show/defeatthedrama/id/25327068

EP 310 Jeff Marconnette, Jr 01/12/2023

EP 310 Jeff Marconnette, Jr EP 310 Jeff Marconnette, Jr On this episode of The Live and Lead with Impact Podcast, Coach Kirsten is joined by Jeff Marcontette Jr. Jeff Marcontette Jr. shares his incredible story of how one life altering moment shaped the man he is today and gave him an opportunity to help others make every second count! Jeff Marcontette Jr. is a transformational speaker, author, coach, youth mentor and host of Make Every Second Count. Coach Kirsten and Jeff discuss the moment Jeff’s live changed forever when a semi-truck ran a red light and t-boned him, leaving him unconscious and leading to two weeks in a coma whilst many serious injuries including a traumatic brain injury that proceeded to affect his speech and movement. Jeff speaks about how he feels empowered when he gets the opportunity to speak to others and remind them why it's so important to make every second count, as not many people get a second chance at life but he is one of them. Jeff shares how he began his transformation speaker career two years after his accident and how learned that mindset is the most powerful tool we can use. Coach Kirsten and Jeff talk about how we cannot control the events that occur throughout our lives and to those around us, but what we can control is our reaction towards these events and how we chose to move forward from them. Coach Kirsten and Jeff work through some money mindset strategies and feelings of guilt that come with charging for your time and knowledge. Coach Kirsten reminds us that we must not de-value ourselves, even when doing what you do out of passion and not a desire for money. Coach Kirsten states that others cannot benefit and take value from sharing our experiences and life lessons if we don’t value then ourselves. Jeff shares some inspiring words of wisdom for those who want to make an impact in the world and expresses how transformational affirmations have been in his life, but how they only work if you have a consistent routine in which you use them. Coach Kirsten and Jeff encourage you to take the opportunities and make the jump on the things you have been putting off because tomorrow is never guaranteed so you need to make every minute count! To get in touch or find out more information about Jeff you can find him through the following links: If you enjoyed this episode and want to gain a deeper insight into everything Coach Kirsten has to offer you, head over to the following websites: /episode/index/show/defeatthedrama/id/25437684

Ep 309 Denise Fawn Schroder, Out of the Box 01/05/2023

Ep 309 Denise Fawn Schroder, Out of the Box Ep 309 Denise Fawn Schroder Denise is a top-ranked realtor in Oklahoma and the CEO of Schroder Real Estate Group with her husband, Troy. They have sold 650 homes in just 10 years and their mission and motto is "Serve like you are Chosen." Denise is a coach, speaker, marketing strategist, realtor and author of the new book, “Out of the Box”. Denise begins by talking about her desires of becoming a real estate agent 20 years ago, but she was told she couldn’t do it by her ex-husband and father of her children. She left that toxic relationship and met a FedEx driver who she fell for. They blended a family of 5 teenagers, quit their jobs to became self-employed and got into the financial service industry, but some advice from a friend turned out to be untrue, so they left that industry and decided to move back to real estate. Kirsten dives deeper into Denise’s past relationship, with Denise telling us she lost herself, but the new relationship changed her life in so many ways. She talks about the differences she gets between her current relationship and her previous one, and how much healthier she is now. Kirsten talks about how faith-based people often see themselves as fixers to the detriment. Denise talks about how she didn’t want the unhealed parts of herself to hurt anyone else, so she was able to focus on healing herself. She also talks about how the people around her tried to fix her, but there’s no magic pill or cookie cutter method, you have to put in the work yourself and go on the journey Denise also discusses her own guilt and shame and feeling like a failure, but found a place where her failures and mistakes gave her more credibility and to be a beacon of hope to others looking to find their way out of their own situations. Kirsten asks Denise about her big challenge right now, as she explains with her publisher dying 4 days before her book came out, she feels quite overwhelmed with all of the things she has to do on top of her book. Kirsten recommends paring down what goes on her list of things to do, and recommends a 24/7 blend. Kirsten also gives Denise a few tips on mindset and how she can better adapt her thinking to save her from overwhelm. Denise shares with us about her book, saying how she shares her unique marketing approaches, using a social media presence that was really different to what everyone else was doing by using things like TV, media, press release, human interest stories and podcast guesting. She also shares her tips on how to make yourself vulnerable on social media. Denise’s final words of wisdom are that no matter what phase of life we are in, God uses us every day, we’re all missionaries, so seek every opportunity to help others. We all have story, so share it with others because you never know what impact it could make, where she shares a wonderful story where a social media post of hers saved a life. You can find the book on Amazon called Out of the Box by Denise Schroeder at just $4.99 on kindle so please feel free to leave an honest review. Make sure to check out her website and her social media profiles: Instagram: FB: , Tik Tok: troyndenise If you enjoyed this episode and want to gain a deeper insight into everything Coach Kirsten has to offer you, head over to the following websites: /episode/index/show/defeatthedrama/id/25326948

Ep 308 Drs. Michael and Barbara Grossman 12/29/2022

Ep 308 Drs. Michael and Barbara Grossman Ep 308 Drs. Michael and Barbara Grossman For over twenty-five years, Drs. Michael and Barbara Grossman have taught thousands of couples practical skills to create a fulfilling romantic partnership. They have TV appearances on CBS, NBC, Fox, and CW. Tune in to this powerful interview to discover the secrets to having a fulfilling long-term romantic partnership with a genuine love that lasts forever through all the phases of life. Michael starts by explaining to us he is an anti-aging longevity doctor, who has been practicing since around 1973, and he absolutely loves it. Barbara adds they work with families who are married who are experiencing challenges keeping it all together and keeping their romance alive, while balancing work. Given Kirsten’s husband is 16 years younger than her, she is very interested in Michael’s longevity work! Michael talks about the dramatic effects menopause has on the woman’s body and how it can lower libido. Michael says he uses natural hormones which are bioidentical to help you live a healthier longer life, rather than synthetics, which can do the opposite. Barbara goes into some detail about their workshops and some of the strategies they give to couples. Barbara talks about what couples need to feel valued in a relationship, and says she teaches couples how to talk and how to reinforce and create love. Kirsten asks about what brought them together to do this work. Michael says the inspiration from the natural change which comes in a romantic relationship. He talks about how their relationship changed when Barbara went to graduate school and how they needed to pivot. Barbara also shares her perspective on that change and talks about how they decided to share their knowledge with others. Kirsten asks them about challenges they have in their business and Michael shares that their main problem is they have so much content out and coming out very soon, they don’t know how to market it all or get out and do the events. Kirsten suggests finding the right people you can trust to be around and help make the key decisions. Kirsten also suggests a bunch more solutions such as looking towards people who are willing to put in the work and understanding the importance of it, as well as business owners who may be susceptible to life balance issues. Finally, the guys share their words of wisdom, with Barbara sharing with us that no matter how you feel, there is a way to grow your relationship and have it be magnificent. Michael adds you need skills to make these things happen and most don’t learn them from their parents, so you need to go out a learn them for yourself. Barbara shares with us that herself and Michael are competitive ballroom dancers and have a dance show where they incorporate the stages of development of a relationship into their routines. You can check out Barbara and Michael’s new book called ageless Love: Prescription from Mind, body and Spirit, or their previous book, Secrets to Deep and Effortless Meditation which you can find at . It’s also where you can all the information on their courses and classes if you’re interested. If you enjoyed this episode and want to gain a deeper insight into everything Coach Kirsten has to offer you, head over to the following websites: /episode/index/show/defeatthedrama/id/25326840

EP 307 Gary Barnes - He shared stages with Zig Ziglar 12/22/2022

EP 307 Gary Barnes - He shared stages with Zig Ziglar Ep 307 Gary Barnes Gary Barnes is a High-Performance Business and Sales Strategist, National and International Speaker (over 1000 talks). A #1 International Amazon Best-Selling Author and been featured on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS & TEDX. In 1988 Gary was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and told he would be in a wheelchair or dead within 10 years. He has flown a World War II P-51 fighter, flown on a trapeze, driven in a Destruction Derby and climbed 14,000 foot mountains. He’s a drummer & Police Academy Graduate. Gary starts by talking about his adventures and how he actually dislikes the nervous energy beforehand, and much prefers the feeling after completing something, saying it’s a feeling of satisfaction. He also talks about the brainwaves of fear and excitement being the same, and with his police training he has been trained to run towards gun fire. Gary tells an amazing story about going to see Zig Ziglar at one of his last appearances in Denver and how two ladies behind him were ragging on him after the show. This helped Gary realize that if Zig Ziglar couldn’t capture and entire audience, there was no hope for him, so his mindset switched to if he could help one person, that’s enough for him. Later, Gary talks about getting on stage and when people ask him how it went he tells them to ask someone in the attendance because he doesn’t know what he said because he was in the moment. You’re looking for a relationship with audience and your conversation to be the same both on and off stage. Kirsten asks Gary about training speakers and the impact he’s making. Gary explains that it was happy accident after the success of his financial planning firm. People began to ask him how he grew his business to such a high level and began trading his knowledge for hamburgers! He talks about how he blends life into his business coaching. Gary also talks about his style of coaching which is to ask a lot of questions and tailor it to the client, rather than telling them to do it his way. Gary goes into detail about some of the issues he has with writing given his condition which doesn’t allow him to type quickly, where his brain moves much quicker. So instead he uses a software called Dragon which allows him to speak and it transcribes for him, so he was able to speak his book. ‘Make a difference’ is part of Gary’s mission statement, as well as to empower. He explains he isn’t looking to connect his power to you but to help you connect the power which is already within you. He goes on to talk about how when doing his chaplaincy he had to deal with his mortality through writing his own epitaph, which helped him have the mindset like Steven Covey said, ‘start with the end in mind’. Later, Kirsten asks Gary what challenges he’s going through right now. Gary explains his challenge is with a word he adopted a few years ago which is expansion and the expansion of opportunity. She recommends breaking everything down into manageable chunks, having some patience and not comparing yourself to anything. Gary shares his final words of wisdom, which came to him in a dream, which is ‘are you a spectator or are you a participant?’ There will be times when you’re a spectator and that’s ok, but it’s important to think about your engagement and whether your participating to the fullest extent. For more on Gary, you can visit or check out his Facebook page and his fan page . He’s also on Twitter so you can find him at @GaryBarnesMax, and on LinkedIn at If you enjoyed this episode and want to gain a deeper insight into everything Coach Kirsten has to offer you, head over to the following websites: /episode/index/show/defeatthedrama/id/25203144

Ep 306 Meena Kumari Adnani 12/15/2022

Ep 306 Meena Kumari Adnani Ep 306 Meena Kumari Adnani On today’s episode of The Live and Lead for Impact Podcast, Coach Kirsten is joined by Meena Kumari Adnani. Meena Kumari Adnani is an international High Performance & Business Coach for women, a motivational speaker, and a best-selling author. She is a qualified solicitor in England and Wales and an attorney in New York. For 25 years she held senior-level positions in high-profile companies. Her amazing story is about losing all of the wealth that she made as a Lawer ever since graduation due to trusting the wrong person to manage money. Meena has managed to find strength, change her career and make the same money back in just two years, as an entrepreneur. Meena starts by telling us her story, explaining how she has pivoted from practicing law and has focused on doing business development, sales and marketing for quite some time now. In 2016, Meena received a call from her financial manager saying she had lost everything, her multiple six figures went down to zero, leaving her with nothing. She talks about how it changed her forever and how it made her become more aligned with her higher self. Through hard work, she managed to build herself back up in 2 years to 7 figures. Kirsten asks about what Meena found within herself during that period. She explains how her legal background helped her look at things in an objective way. She took personal responsibility for what happened and asked herself what part she played, rather than looking at others and blaming them or blaming circumstances. Meena says that if she had taken the time to understand wealth and taken the responsibility, she would not have had the belief she was good with money. Talking about the impact she is making in the world, Meena explains how she works with women entrepreneurs, working one on one as well as having a personal empowerment program called Empowered Women Academy, which helps women shift their mindset. She also helps women build success and create wealth through building self-belief. A challenge Meena is having right now is finding the right people to help the business grow, such as social media managers and virtual assistants, which she partly puts on herself as she has not given herself the time to look. Kirsten recommends leaders getting really clear about the tasks someone will be doing, and working out whether those tasks can live within one person. The once you have decided how many people you need, you can focus on what the specific skill set they need is. Meena finishes off with some words of wisdom as she shares with us to never stop growing. In order for you to reach that next level, you yourself have to grow to that next level. For more on Meena, you can visit where you can find all the information you need, including her book and her programmes. You can also email her at or reach out via LinkedIn at . If you enjoyed this episode and want to gain a deeper insight into everything Coach Kirsten has to offer you, head over to the following websites: /episode/index/show/defeatthedrama/id/25202553

EP 305 Whitney Coupland -Overcoming Autoimmune Naturally 12/08/2022

EP 305 Whitney Coupland -Overcoming Autoimmune Naturally Ep 305 Whitney Coupland On today’s episode of The Live and Lead for Impact Podcast, Coach Kirsten is joined by Whitney Coupland. Whitney Coupland is a Certified Nutritional Practitioner and Life Coach. In her online coaching practice, she helps people with autoimmune diseases navigate the diet, lifestyle, and mindset aspects of healing so they can start feeling like themselves again. Whitney goes into detail about how she got into the practice, starting all the way back when she was 12 years old when she went for a polar dip and realised her arms and hands were numb, which she found out was Raynaud’s Syndrome, and autoimmune condition. She also found when she was pregnant at 29 she had a second autoimmune disease called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. She explains her work in the world is to help people like her, and Kirsten relates with her son having PAONS. Whitney works one-on-one with her clients right now, mostly with people from the US and Canada, but also expanding to some in Europe. She explains she helps people find joyful ways of eating which will help them heal their bodies. She also talks about how she sets herself apart from others by focusing on what her clients want to do and what they enjoy and working around that, as well as continuing with social media using a few techniques to keep up engagement. Kirsten asks Whitney what is something which is standing in the way of her making a bigger, bolder impact. Whitney explains her current challenge is messaging and how she feels like she is missing a large portion of people who don’t realise their condition is autoimmune. Kirsten suggests targeting some particular symptoms of autoimmune rather than using that phrase to make people realise that’s what they have and get their attention with what their life could be like with autoimmune treatment Finally, Whitney finishes off with her words of advice, which are realising it’s not about her. She explains how it’s more important to get the message out there and help people rather than how she looks or comes across. To learn more about Whitney you can visit her website at whitneycoupland.com, head over to Instagram , and check out her YouTube channel If you enjoyed this episode and want to gain a deeper insight into everything Coach Kirsten has to offer you, head over to the following websites: /episode/index/show/defeatthedrama/id/25165287

Shauna A. Wekherlien, Tax Goddess 12/01/2022

Shauna A. Wekherlien, Tax Goddess EP 304 Shauna A. Wekherlien, Tax Goddess On this episode of The Live and Lead with Impact Podcast, Coach Kirsten is joined By Shauna A. Wekherlien! Shauna A. Wekherlien, CPA, MTax, CTC, CTS, Tax Goddess is a highly sought-after Certified Public Accountant and founder of Tax Goddess Business Services, PC, established 2004. Tax Goddess is a global team of 65+ specialists that uses plain language (not tax code) to help business owners, investors, and entrepreneurs create plans of action to increase the business owner’s bottom line, reduce costs, significantly reduce taxes, increase cash flow, and perform what-if scenario options so that owners know what decisions to make and which paths are best suited to their particular situation. Throughout this episode Kirsten and Shauna speak about what truly inspired and motivated Shauna to leave her astrology studies to become this amazing Tax Goddess who’s able to positively impact people lives daily. Shauna shares how her mom is her No.1 idol and after seeing her struggle with the IRS and seeing her mom feelings taken advantage of she decided it was her calling to help others in her mom’s position. Kirsten and Shauna also work through some challenges Shauna is currently facing that are preventing her from making bigger and bolder impacts every day. Kirsten creates some easy-to-implement strategies to help Shauna overcome the ‘quiet quitting/great resignation’ we’re currently seeing among all workforces. Kirsten encourages Shauna, and others in similar positions, to re-evaluate their hiring procedures: instead of telling people what you need from them, show them what you have to offer them – and commit to it! Shauna expresses her passion throughout the entire podcast so it’s no surprise that her best advice to us listeners, is to quit what you’re doing if you’re not super passionate about it, find something else you’re interested in and if that’s not doing it for you, quit and find something else and continue to do that until you find something that makes you excited every day! To learn more about Shauna and the amazing opportunities and strategies she has to offer head over to her website: . You can also contact Shauna through all social media platforms @TaxGoddess If you enjoyed this episode and want to gain a deeper insight into everything Coach Kirsten has to offer you, head over to the following websites: /episode/index/show/defeatthedrama/id/25130154

302 Angela Gentile - Sweat Remix, Zen-Rage-Heal 11/21/2022

302 Angela Gentile - Sweat Remix, Zen-Rage-Heal On today’s episode of The Live and Lead for Impact Podcast, Coach Kirsten is joined by Angela Gentile to discuss a multitude of insightful topics such as discovering the power in slowing down, changing the way we approach fitness and habits we can insert in our lives to help avoid burnout among many more! Angela Gentile is the founder of the Sweat Remix wellness brand. Angela designed this brand with the intention of motivating you to start and sustain physical exercise, guide you towards greater self-awareness. Angela also provides keeping it real life coaching. With a variety of online fitness classes and her signature #ZenRageHeal process, she and Sweat Remix provide folks with an intentional approach to fitness with sustainable results. Her Inner Compass course helps clients with a full mind, body and spirit transformation to help folks be the badass they were meant to be in just 12 weeks. With an undergraduate degree in English from Fairfield University and a graduate degree in Educational Leadership from Western Governors University, she traded in her decade long teaching career to launch a business helping folks change their body, mindset and life through movement, meditation and mental health coaching. If you’ve been stuck and feel ready to move and grow, this trailblazer creates opportunities for folks to live strong, authentic and EPIC lives. Kirsten and Angela discuss how her classes provide an open and honest space for people to be 100% who they are by beginning and ending each session with grounding exercises. Angela encourages us to view our lives as seasons instead of trying to be super successful in our everyday lives and gives us some advice on how we can stop putting so much pressure and expectations on our daily lives, to help avoid burnout. Kirsten also coaches Angela through imposter syndrome and people pleasing so that she can fully focus on being 100% who she is and spread her message to help others. Kirsten and Angela end the episode by sharing some fantastic advice on how you can commit to what your purpose is calling you to do by surrounding yourself with people who support and understand your vision. To learn more about Angela and her fitness, mindfulness and life coaching opportunities head over to Instagram: If you enjoyed this episode and want to gain a deeper insight into everything Coach Kirsten has to offer you, head over to the following websites: /episode/index/show/defeatthedrama/id/25090299