This podcast is all about stories, past experiences, and anecdotes from my trips and adventures. Because of my work as a tour guide for 11 and a conference interpreter for 15 years after that, I was able to travel the world and meet so many amazing people on the way. I will be hosting some of them on this podcast and together with my guests, we will talk about our most memorable journeys. Let me entertain you, remind you of a past holiday or activate your wanderlust. Let me remind you that life is beautiful and that at the end we will only regret the things we didn’t to and not the things we did. Life is too short to stay in the same place. About me: I was born in Switzerland and have been living in Cyprus for almost 30 years. From a very young age and due to a challenging childhood, all I wanted to do was leave home as soon as possible and discover the big wide world. That’s why, at 13, I started taking small jobs to pay for English and Spanish lessons to make my travel dreams come true! Today I not only speak 6 languages but have also been to over 100 countries and have created a life that I love
Les Brown - You have Greatness within You
As one of the world’s most renowned motivational speakers, Les Brown is a dynamic personality and highly-sought-after resource in business and professional circles for Fortune 500 CEOs, small business owners, non-profit and community leaders from all sectors of society looking to expand opportunity. For three decades he has not only studied the science of achievement, he’s mastered it by interviewing hundreds of successful business leaders and collaborating with them in the boardroom translating theory into bottom-line results for his clients.As a premier Keynote Speaker and leading authority on achievement for audiences as large as 80,000—Les Brown energizes people to meet the challenges of the world around them. He skillfully weaves his compelling life story into the fabric of our daily lives. The thread is forever strengthened, touting why you can’t afford to be complacent and to aim high, achieve and actively make an impact on the world.Les Brown never tires of using his energies to transform the world, well-beyond the podium and public appearances, meshing traditional and social media to empower his audiences. Hundreds of thousands are watching him on YouTube and tens of thousands interact with him regularly on Facebook. He has a keen way of turning what he touches into gold. Over 20 years ago, he won a Chicago-area Emmy® for his unsurpassed fundraising pledge drive for the Public Broadcasting System. Followed by several bestselling books and hosting popular national talk shows on television and radio.Addressing audiences from Denmark to Dubai, Canada to the Caribbean, Les Brown is invited back again and again for his powerful message and the ability to connect deeply with people from all walks of life. It isn’t just his great smile and his way with words that motivates people to take action like never before; when people face roadblocks or adversity it is the depth of his knowledge on achievement that creates lasting results.Les Brown’s straight-from-the-heart, passion and high-energy, motivates audiences to step beyond their limitations and into their greatness in many ways. Over the past decade, Les has expanded his role from keynote speaker to Master Trainer, creating the kind of workshop learning experience that got him committed to personal-and-professional development many years earlier. His charisma, warmth and humor have transformed ordinary people into extraordinary achievers by using his own life, and his in-depth study of others’ challenges, to build an understanding of what works, what doesn’t work, and why.Revered as an icon by his colleagues, Brown received the National Speakers Association coveted Council of Peers Award of Excellence (CPAE), and ultimately, its most prestigious Golden Gavel Award for achievement and leadership in communication. Toastmasters International also voted him one of the Top Five Outstanding Speakers. Worldwide. Legions of followers flock to stadiums and arenas to hear a man who never stops believing that with proper guidance and training you can achieve anything you desire in life.A stumbling block in elementary school was when he was mistakenly declared, “Educable mentally retarded,” teachers did not recognize the true potential of little Les Brown. However, he used determination, persistence and belief in his ability to go beyond being a sanitation worker to unleash a course of amazing achievements including broadcast station manager, political commentator and multi-term state representative in Ohio.Les Brown is committed to motivating and training today’s generation to be achievers and leaders as he introduces new audiences every day to It’s Not Over Until You Win, Up Thoughts for Down Times and Fight For Your Dream. Les Brown’s audio series,“Choosing Your Future,” remains his all-time bestseller for its acclaimed impact worldwide.In...
2/6/2024 • 28 minutes, 1 second
Dr. Fab Mancini - What is the key to happiness?
Dr. Fabrizio Mancini is a renowned health and lifestyle expert with over 30 years of experience as a wholistic health provider, author, and speaker. He has inspired audiences worldwide through his media appearances on shows like "Dr. Phil," "The Doctors,” “CNN News” and "FOX News," as well as “Univision”, “Telemundo” and “Televisa”. His engaging lectures have transformed audiences in most States and over 25 countries. Dr. Fab is an international best-selling author of books such as "The Power of Self-Healing" and "Chicken Soup for The Chiropractic Soul.” He is the host of his radio show with Hay House “Self-Healing with Dr. Fab”, his Podcast “The Fab Life” and his TV Series “Thriving in the New Normal”.Dr. Fab became one of the youngest Presidents of a College or University at the age of 33, Parker University, and continues to serve as President Emeritus. He has received numerous awards and accolades for his contributions to the field of wellness and leadership and has been featured in many documentaries. For his contributions in the healthcare and education systems, the President of Mexico named the library of UNEVE University after him.Dr. Fab’s passion for health and personal development has inspired and empowered millions worldwide to unlock their full potential. He also mentors over 100 CEOs and serves as a global consultant to companies that are making a positive impact on the world.https://drfabmancini.com/
1/30/2024 • 48 minutes, 13 seconds
Pien Perree - Spanish blood, French surname, Jewish ancestors, Dutch parents and living in Cyprus
Pien wrote a book as combination of her modelling (now since 44 years) with autobiographical short stories. Especially the change in her life since 27/4/1996, her devastating car-accident when she was 28 years old, gets attention. And her life before that date and after. Since more than 4 years her lifestyle changed a lot with functional medicine and nutritional therapy and gives her much more energy. Living with brain damage is her challenge which she meets with great courage and hope.She was born in Breda, South of the Netherlands, close to Belgium border and she studied in Amsterdam.Lots of travelling was done because she was following men in her life as she says so beautifully herself, especially with one of her men, a psychiatrist, she took longer trips to South Africa and Indonesia and later they saw Rome, Florence, Toscana and more times we went to Spain. And he had a holiday house in the Dordogne were they were twice a year.Today she lives in Paphos, Cyprus and spends a lot of time helping people in need and cheering people up with her positive and happy attitude.
1/23/2024 • 34 minutes, 55 seconds
Gregory Schaad-Jackson - A multicultural chef who started off as a management consultant
Born in the USA, growing up in Switzerland, Venezuela and finally settling in the United Kingdom, Gregory was raised in 4 major global languages and continues to remain fluent in both spoken & written English, French, German & SpanishIn his first position at Marcus Wareing at the Savoy Grill, Gregory gained the necessary experience in cooking Michelin-starred quality food under the tutelage of acclaimed Kiwi Chef Josh Emett. As he was promoted through the ranks he gained considerable insight into the factors influencing the management of a multi-million-pound turnover restaurant.Gregory went on to be sous chef as part of the opening brigade at the Gordon Ramsay group’s first venture in the USA, in New York’s London Hotel, where he worked until 2007.Gregory left Gordon Ramsay Holdings to help grow his family’s boutique catering company, Sissi Fabulous Food Ltd from a small home-based private chef business to a large events catering firm. As the Head Chef, Gregory brought his culinary expertise to the development of new menus and to the execution of the dishes at the events. As company director he used his considerable business experience to market the company and continually improve the supply chain management. To this day Gregory has evolved his role in the company as the team grew to become Executive Chef and Operations Director. Major global corporate clients have included The Duchy of Cornwall, Louis Vuitton, HSBC, MINI (BMW).Since 2012 Gregory has been regularly in demand as a Food & Beverage consultant by a number of global hotel and restaurant chains including Holiday Inn (IHG), Genting Casinos and East Coast Concepts.Gregory has recently trained as a Diet & Nutritional Advisor and has consulted on vegan restaurant menu concepts. He has consulted in Germany, France, Switzerland and the UK.https://gregorysj.com/
1/16/2024 • 41 minutes, 25 seconds
Dick Wybrow - Thriller and humor author, depending on how many cups of coffee he's had
Dick Wybrow was born in Canada, grew up in the US, and now lives in New Zealand (the past 10 years). In this episode, he shares what he knows about this beautiful country. On a personal note, he is a bestselling author on Amazon, writing humorous supernatural fiction.He is also a former CNN producer, major market rock jock, and stand-up comedian. His radio and stage work has gifted him with the ability to entertain an audience.Dick Wybrow is a thriller and humor author. Or, depending on how many cups of coffee he's had, a humor and thriller author.https://www.dickwybrow.com/
1/9/2024 • 39 minutes, 30 seconds
Samatha Wood - Foodiva, the Restaurant Whisperer of Dubai and beyond
Samantha Wood is a British-Greek-Cypriot resident of Dubai for 23 years who wears a number of hats – a food writer, event organiser and communications consultant with nearly three decades of experience in the UK and the Middle East across a diverse range of industries including food & beverage, hospitality and tourism.Samantha left the corporate PR world to set up her own business in 2011 – an impartial restaurant review website, http://FooDiva.net , which has won a steady stream of 12 awards. In 2021, she was honoured with the UAE Golden Visa, a ten-year renewable residency in the category of talented creative individuals – and also joined the UAE Restaurants Group as Board Advisor.Power 50 by Caterer Middle East 2020; 2019; and 2017Top 100 Dubai websites to follow – the highest ranked food websiteAhlan Hot 100 influencer 2016 and 2015Best Food Blogger in the BBC Good Food Awards 2015ProChef Middle East Food Ambassador 2014Expat Star Awards 2013Gold in Expat Blog Awards UAE 2013 and 2012Runner-up Best Blog in Dubai, Ahlan 2011Samantha curates ticketed and bespoke chef-led #ThreeChefsDinner and #DineAroundDubai experiences, whilst also organising events and B2B fam trips for industry trade, chefs and media. FooDiva has featured prolifically in local and international media including multiple segments on CNN’s travel programmes, France 5 TV and Dubai TV. Furthermore, she takes on freelance writing and broadcasting commissions, including a regular guest on Dubai Eye 103.8FM’s food programme. Samantha is a member of the global Guild of Food Writers, holds a WSET Level 2 wine and spirits qualification, and is a speaker and industry awards judge on her favourite subjects – food, restaurants, travel and communications. At the start of the pandemic, she launched a pro bono social media campaign, #UAERestaurantsUnite to support the F&B industry which has morphed into a long-term strategy championing the country’s homegrown dining scene.With her advisory hat, Samantha provides strategic consultancy support in F&B (restaurant ventures, chef consultancy, guest chef activations, pop ups/ supper clubs, mystery shopper reports & menu writing) - and on a brand level (marketing communications, public relations, crisis communications, social media strategy, website & newsletter content, fam trips, event organisation & copywriting).
1/2/2024 • 38 minutes, 41 seconds
Evelina Ezkenazi - Founder of Saffron Kitchen Project, an organisation aiming to aid vulnerable communities in Athens
I met Evelina because my daughter Natalie was volunteering at the Saffron Kitchen Project in Athens. Fascinated by the project, I happened to meet Evelina and want to share what this amazing person does to make the world a better place. You can support her by checking out the link at the end of these show notes and donating.Evelina's six years in the food industry, working and training in restaurants and ultimately setting up her own catering company, helped her to recognise the importance of food and the joy it can bring to people. She spent the following five years working in humanitarian aid, running a warehouse in a refugee camp and setting up as well as managing an education and community centre. This helped refine her aptitude in working with vulnerable people and running teams of staff and volunteers. All of this experience has equipped her with the necessary skills to start Saffron Kitchen Project, whose goal is to provide both opportunity, and a sense of community, for refugees and vulnerable people.Her favourite meal is pasta cooked by someone else (obviously by someone who can cook pasta).https://www.saffronkitchenproject.org/https://www.saffronkitchenproject.org/donation
12/26/2023 • 34 minutes, 26 seconds
Fernando Diez - About Galapagos and Patagonia
Born and raised amidst the natural wonders of the Galapagos Islands, Fernando Diez is a proud Ecuadorian who has dedicated his adult life to sharing the unique beauty and rare wildlife of this enchanting archipelago with adventurous travelers from every corner of the globe. Fernando is the proud son of the founders of Quasar Expeditions, a high-end expedition cruising company that pioneered small group travel in the Galapagos Islands 37 years ago. His parents dream? To show this precious eco system to the world, ensuring its preservation for future generations through responsible tourism. Beyond his role at Quasar Expeditions, Fernando is loving father of 3, a proud husband and a man of many passions. He is a skilled photographer, an avid scuba diver, a high-altitude climber and overall just a lover of nature and the outdoors. A natural story teller at heart, Fernando has an ability to bring the stories of this unique archipelago to life, connecting listeners with the magic of the place that possessed Charles Darwin's mind.
12/19/2023 • 37 minutes, 46 seconds
Hebba Bakri - About Egypt, Lufthansa and the Longchamps Hotel in Cairo
I met Hebba Bakri a few years ago when I was visiting my dear friend Nihal in Cairo. I was immediately drawn to her fascinating personality.For many years, Hebba was running the Longchamps Hotel in Zamalek/Cairo which she had inherited the from her German mother. As a well educated Egyptian, whose father had been a pillar of the Egyptian tourism industry, Hebba had worked at several of the finest hotels in Egypt, Bahrain etc, such as the Mena House, and later served Lufthansa, the German airline for many years. Well traveled and well versed in the tourism industry, Hebba speaks a number of languages, including English, German and French, fluently. She also insisted that her staff be multilingual. She certainly leans a bit towards a European attitude about most things, and her strong German ties reveal themselves in the cleanliness of the Hotel Longchamps. Today, her skills as a hotel manager and operator have also been rewarded with positions on various Egyptian Hotel Association committees.Unfortunately, when we recorded this episode, Hebba announced, that after seventy years under two generations the time has come to say goodbye and retire gracefully while the Longchamps is recognized as the best small Boutique Hotel in Cairo . She remains a legend in the Egyptian tourism industry and will share her time between Germany and Egypt.
12/12/2023 • 34 minutes
Linda Attram - Grenada, Ghana and a 2nd Dan Black Belt in Taekwondo
Linda Attram was born in the UK of Caribbean heritage and is happily married to her loving Ghanian husband. She came from humble beginnings, a very shy girl who lacked confidence, self esteem and identity. Linda left school with little education but a burning desire to change, she chose to re-educate herself to university degree level which led to her former career in HR management and is now a successful entrepreneur.For the past 24 years Linda Attram has been running successful property businesses including a multi-million pound property portfolio in London, Ghana and the Caribbean that includes, building development projects, property management and serviced accommodation. Linda is a devoted wife, mother of ‘Three Precious Diamonds’, a meticulous businesswoman, best selling author, public speaker, mentor and a 2nd Dan Black Belt in the martial art of Taekwondo. Linda incorporates the tenets of Taekwondo - courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self control and indomitable spirit in training and in her personal and business life. Linda is a Global Woman Club Regional Director - Accra, Ghana and leads, inspires and empowers a beautiful diverse group of global women to reach their business potential and goals. Linda was honoured with the prestigious Global Woman ‘Exceptional’ Award in 2020, Global Woman Club Best Director of the Year 2023, Inspirational Awards - Inspirational Mother of the Year 2023. Born in the UK of Caribbean heritage, Linda came from humble beginnings, a very shy girl who lacked confidence, self esteem and identity. She left school with very little education, but with a burning desire to change, she chose to re-educate herself to university degree level which led to a successful 18 year career in Human Resources Management together with over 20 years industry experience in property as an investor and developer. Linda’s Mission is to Inspire and Empower Women Globally to Be More and Achieve More. You can read Linda’s Story in the Amazon Best Selling Book that she Co-Authored: The Mind of Female Entrepreneurs, How to Think and Act to Succeed in Business.You can follow Linda at: www.facebook.com/linda.attram http://www.instagram.com/inspiringmothersinbusiness www.linkedin.com/in/linda-attram
12/5/2023 • 37 minutes, 26 seconds
Dr. Igor Cetojevic - About Biofeedback, Energetic Medicine and Djokovic
Dr. Igor Cetojevic is a Health Teacher and a medical doctor and he is the greatly renowned holistic & energetic medicine specialist who helped Novak Djokovic become the world’s number one tennis player. He spent a year on tour with Djokovic until 2011, when he won Wimbledon for the first time and became world number oneHe is a Medical Doctor and acupuncturist, qualified at the Medical University of Sarajevo in 1988. He then studied Chinese Traditional Medicine at The European Center for Peace and Development in Belgrade, Yugoslavia with advanced seminars and hospital experience in Beijing, China. He also holds a diploma from The Indian Institute of Magnetotherapy, New Delhi. He has done intensive research on how geopathic and other radiation affects people’s health and well being and what can be done to minimize its negative influence.While on a lecture tour in South Africa in 2001, Dr.Igor was introduced to the QXCI biofeedback system. Sensing that this was a revolutionary tool he traveled to Budapest to meet its inventor, Prof. William Nelson. Applying his vast medical knowledge in conjunction with the QXCI and now the more advanced SCIO, has produced remarkable results for his patients. He is now one of the leading SCIO practitioners and trainers, offering presentations at the World QX Conference in Budapest and advanced seminars.After attending many international conferences as well as chalking up countless hours of practice, Dr. Igor is now an Advanced International Instructor for Quantum Technologies and Managing Director of Quantum Medicum (Belgrade).https://www.drigor.org/
11/28/2023 • 40 minutes, 20 seconds
Niaz Hekmat - Born in Iran, living in Dubai, in love with Turkey
I met Niaz in Dubai where she lives with her family during our Master Coach training. We called her the Rumi girl because she is passionate about anything Rumi. She was born in Iran and is married to a man from Turkey, living in Dubai, how much more international can it get?Niaz Hekmat is a trained and certified RSCI Master Life coach, a Relationship Coach, Master NLP Practitioner, Master Hypnotherapist,and Master Time Paradigm Technique Practitioner. She has 20+ years of research and study of various related sciences such as psychology, ancient philosophies and teachings, human motivation , quantum physics, and psychoneuroimmunology, and 1000+ hours of coaching .Hekmat like many of us, worked in a high-stress job in a management position for years however a series of life-threatening health attacks, woke her up and finally pushed her to take control of her life. She structured her passion and years of research into the human psyche and happiness, and found her true self through a rebirth. Due to her personal interest in learning about human happiness, motivation and the sciences behind it, from a young age, and her own challenges in the corporate world, Hekmat realized her calling was to help others learn to live a happy purposeful life and realise their true innate powers.Today she has combined her coaching skills with her years of research to reach out to the conscious and unconscious minds of others in her talks and seminars. She strives to train and educate others about their true potential and most importantly how toBelieve itAccess it, andOwn it.She is also transferring her learnings through a book she is currently working on, her blog, workshops and retreats in Dubai. She is also working on a YouTube channel where she plans to make a Q&A session for her followers.
11/21/2023 • 38 minutes, 57 seconds
Bilal Kola - From an Albanian communist concentration camp to international, motivational speaker and coach
Bilal Kola was born in an Albanian communist concentration camp, his early years were marked by hardship, but they also sparked a deep desire for success drawn from the pages of Western novels.Motivated by his family’s legacy of resistance against oppression, he made a vow to study law and fight for justice whenever given the opportunity. When communism fell in 1991, his father met Lord Julian Emery (a friend of his Bilal’s grandfather) and with his help, the dream started to become reality. His journey took him from Albania to London, where he pursued law studies and specialized in international business law.Completing a Ph.D. in Strategic Leadership further enhanced his understanding of leadership and shaped his career in both public and private sectors. As Dr. Bilal embarks on a new journey as a motivational speaker and life coach, his story remains an inspiration for those who truly believe in lifelong learning and pursuing their passions.https://bilalkola.com/https://www.amazon.co.uk/12-Mindsets-Improve-Life-Radically-ebook/dp/B0CMG6BLKS
11/14/2023 • 47 minutes, 21 seconds
Rebecca Thomas - When it's summer all year around
Rebecca Thomas has over 20 years of recruitment, career coaching, transformational and intentional travel experience. She's emigrated twice, lived in three different countries and taken three career breaks. Travel has enriched her life, taught her a lot of what she knows and has helped her to live her best life. In 2022 leaving the corporate world behind her and becoming location independent she is ecstatic to marry her passion, profession and purpose.She's an ocean loving, yoga practicing, story seeking, cocktail drinking, regenerative tourism advocate, who lives for tasty food and beautiful places all with the people she loves. She believes it’s all possible once we find balance!Rebecca is a transformational coach who inspires, challenges and supports you to get the most out of your career break or sabbatical experience. She works with high performers who are craving something else and may even feel as though opportunities are passing them by. Supporting pre, during and post a sacred period of time off work, individuals return with the balance and clarity needed to be the best version of themselves.https://feelgood-getaways.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccasianthomas/
11/7/2023 • 34 minutes, 55 seconds
Mohamed Hadid - About being born in Nazareth and his Palestinian Heritage
Mohamed Anwar Hadid is an American real estate developer. He is known for building luxury hotels and mansions, mainly in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles and the city of Beverly Hills, California as well as for being the father of Gigi and Bella Hadid,Mohamed was born in a Palestinian Muslim family in 1948 in Nazareth to Anwar Mohamed Hadid and his wife Khairiah Hadid. From his mother's side, he claims descent from the 18th-century Arab ruler of northern Palestine Dahir al-Umar. His story is one of many refugees and in this podcast episode he talks about his life in the Middle East and North Africa before his family moved to Washington when he was 14 and went to school in the US without knowing much English. He studied at North Carolina State University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.He started his career restoring and reselling classic cars and when he visited his parents on the island of Rhodes, Greece, he opened the Aquarius Disco Club with two partners.The rest is history.
10/31/2023 • 55 minutes, 21 seconds
Yelena Kalendareva - The fascinating journey of Yelena and Aneley Cosmetics
She was born in the ex Soviet Union and moved to the US as a teenager. In this episode we talk about how her journey began and what an amazing life she created for herself and her beautiful family. Yelena is a dedicated mom of 6 wonderful kids, a wife to an amazing, supportive husband and a local and international Healthy Beauty Expert. She answers all my questions about being married to an orthodox jew and how life is beautiful for them.Initially she studied to become a psychologist but after graduating she realised that she only loved the concept of psychology, not the actual work. After a few detours, Yelena found her passion in the cosmetics industry and established her own company which she decided to call Aneley Cosmetic.Aneley Cosmetics is made with pharmaceutical-grade minerals that are perfect for use immediately after skin treatments, such as facials, waxing, microdermabrasion. It is vegan, cruelty-free, PETA certified, Kosher for Passover, natural, organic, ethically sourced minerals, anti-inflammatory and breathable. It does not clog pores, and it’s perfect for sensitive, allergy-prone and problematic skin. the powder products are also approved for use on Shabbat for Jewish Orthodox women.
10/24/2023 • 36 minutes, 29 seconds
Barbara Schertenleib - From Switzerland to Thailand by bicycle
I don’t even remember how I found this amazing lady but once I started following here, I just got more and more impressed by her way of thinking and her traveling. She has a Masters degree in Education and also works as a nurse anaesthetist. She cycled through Australia, New Zealand and Morocco but her most memorable journey is definitely cycling from Switzerland to Thailand, 16’008 km in 7 monthsIn this podcast episodes she tells me that she started cycling because she couldn’t afford a car and then it became her ultimate passion. There are so many things that we don’t realize when someone travels by bike, crossing borders, police behaviour, sleeping near petrol stations in Iran because she felt save etc, etc.#cycling #thailand #traveling
10/17/2023 • 47 minutes, 9 seconds
Francesca Pinoni - Helping to increase the amount of happiness in the world
Talking to Francesca Pinoni about growing up in San Francisco, living in Cyprus, the importance of community, walking The Camino, how she opened the first “New Age” Shop in Limassol, Cyprus, how she co-founded, the Mind, Body and Spirit Exhibition in 2001 and bio resonance.Born in San Francisco, CA, Francesca completing her BA in Theatre Arts from the University of California at Santa Cruz, lived and worked in London for several years, then met and married a lovely man from the Mediterranean Island of Cyprus. They moved there in 1981 where their son, Alex, was born. She owned and ran Splash!, gift shops full of pretty things until her second marriage to Dr. Igor Cetojevic, from the former Yugoslavia.Francesca Pinoni is a qualified yoga teacher and has studied various natural healing modalities including Reiki (Usui & Karuka Master), magnetotherapy, and biofeedback/bioresonance and Puruvian Shamanism. Her hobbies include dancing, music (Frame drum & djembe), art ( painting, pastel & mosaics), poetry and traveling.Besides collaborating with her husband Igor on "Your Health; It's a Question of Balance", Francesca has published a novel for young adults under the pen name, Chess Capino, called "To the Rhythm of the Moon"Together, they moved to the U.S.A. and lived in Woodacre, CA between '97 and 2000 then returned to Cyprus. Francesca is active in amateur dramatics, designing costumes for Shakespeare productions at the ancient theatre at Curium and also at Dominican University in Marin County, CA, doing costumes and also writing plays which were preformed as part of their one-act play festival.
10/10/2023 • 36 minutes, 48 seconds
Toolika Rani - Ex Indian Air Force Officer and Mountaineer
Toolika is a Brand Ambassador of Uttar PradeshEx- Indian Air Force Officer/ Mountaineer (Everest Climber)/Motivational Speaker (TEDx, Toastmaster Keynote Speaker)/ Author/ AcademicianBrand Ambassador SVEEP program of Election Commission of India, with Uttar Pradesh Govt/Ambassador of India, Women Empowerment, World Leader SummitSquadron Leader Toolika Rani is a multifaceted personality who has exhibited exemplary courage, determination and grit to prove her mark in several challenging fields. She has served in Indian Air Force for ten years and as Outdoor Training Instructor in Air Force Academy, Hyderabad, has trained hundreds of future officers in outdoor military training, including India’s first three female fighter pilots.With 24 mountaineering and trekking expeditions in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Iran, Africa and Russia, she is the first woman from the state of Uttar Pradesh to climb Mt. Everest in 2012, and is the first Indian woman to climb Asia’s highest volcano Mt. Damavand in Iran.A phenomenal speaker, she has delivered over 350 talks and interviews in India, USA, UK, Canada, Bulgaria, Italy and Malaysia, on forums such as TEDx, Toastmasters, Rotary International, Bayer Multinational Company, California Speakers Summit, ITC Infotech, Renault India Pvt Ltd, BHEL, Soliton Technologies Pvt Ltd Bangalore, Madras Management Association Chennai, educational institutions such as Lucknow University, Shri Ramswaroop Memorial University Lucknow, Manipal University Jaipur, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Vadodara, Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi, CCS University Meerut, Byju’s, and Schools and colleges all over India, and multinational Radio broadcast in 50 countries, Doordarshan, Gyanvani (Education FM of India under IGNOU), Akashvani, CMS global community Radio and various TV channels and govt events conducted by Central Bureau of Communication, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt of India, Nehru Yuva Kendra, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, and Ministry of Higher Education.She speaks on India’s G20 Presidency and the Role of Youth and Women in it’, Power of Mind, Visualisation, How to Overcome Fear of Failure, Success Mindset, Stress management, Bouncing Back, Importance of Emotions in Material Success, Mental Health, Human Unity, and Gender Equality, and a range of other topics related to youth, women, diversity and inclusion, leadership etc. She is presently the G-20 Brand Ambassador of Higher Education Department, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh. She is also the Ambassador of India, Women Empowerment Committee, in World Leader Summit ecosystem, and was the Brand Ambassador, SVEEP program of Election Commission of India, with Uttar Pradesh govt, to generate voter awareness in 2022 elections.Her short stories, poems and articles on gender issues, travel and adventure sports, Buddhism, Tibetan community, environment and humanity are regularly published. Her highly adventurous and inspiring book ‘Beyond That Wall: Redemption on Everest’ has been published in October 2021 from Delhi, has received Sahitya Shree Award, and was displayed in International Kolkata Book Fair in March 2022. A discussion session was organised on this book in Military Literature Festival, and Lucknow Literature Festival. Toolika was awarded the ‘Young Writer Award’ for her book BEYOND THAT WALL by Military Literature Festival, Lucknow. She has contributed a chapter in the book 'Humans of Nurture Life' and is the co-author of the book 'Reach for the Sky and the Stars'. A co-authored book titled ‘Healing and Growth’ has been published and launched globally on 01st Dec 2022 from USA, and has been at Amazon rank 01.For her outstanding achievements, she has been felicitated with 18 awards including Rani Laxmi Bai Bravery Award from Uttar Pradesh govt., Proud Indian Parliament Award by Central Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, U.P. Women Leaders Award,...
10/3/2023 • 37 minutes, 38 seconds
Sandra Da Silva - Not an easy journey but definitely worth it
Internationally certified NLP Trainer, Personal Mindset Mentor & Coach, Timeline Therapist ™, Hypnotherapist, Speaker and Reiki Master. Founding member & secretary to BPW English speaking club. Sandra possesses considerable expertise and an array of methodologies, providing holistic assistance to individuals and businesses. She grew up in the UK, is originally from Portugal and now lives in Cyprus.She has spent 30 years working in the corporate world, and this experience is a part of her life training which has prepared her for what she does today. She had the pleasure (most of the time) working with people from all over the world, gaining an understanding of “people” as well as developing skills in leadership and communication. While this was rewarding, it did not ignite her soul. Somewhere deep inside she knew she was supposed to be making a difference in peoples lives, she just didn’t know HOW.The institution she was working for closed, and this was a major turning point her my life. She was now jobless and had no idea what was next. At the time she didn’t know that this was a blessing in disguise as it led her on the most incredible journey of becoming who she is today.Faced with uncertainty, broken after her divorce, lacking confidence and direction. Not to mention the fears and limiting beliefs that kept her imprisoned within her own mind. The constant self-sabotaging thoughts, that always played over and over; you know the ones, “you’re not good enough, who do you think you are? you’re a failure, you’re not intelligent or smart, you’re not destined to be successful or abundant.”Fast forward to the present day and ……………….HELL YES she is successful, HELL YES she is intelligent, HELL YES she is financially abundant, HELL YES she is abundant in health and love and so much more.https://sandradasilva.net/
9/19/2023 • 28 minutes, 47 seconds
Saskia Constantinou - SaskiaUnreserved on CBC Radio 4
Saskia is the producer and presenter of her own programme ‘SaskiaUnreserved’ for the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation’s Radio 4, which has been recently named RIK Classic.Saskia was born in Famagusta, Cyprus. Following the completion of her BMus(Hons) from the University of the Witwatersrand, she joined the National Symphony Orchestra of South Africa as a violinist where she played under conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Victor Yampolsky, Yehudi Menuhin, Enrique Batiz, Efrem Kurz and Carlo Franci. Her entrepreneurial spirit and love of travel led her to open a tour operating company with its own aircraft and a cargo department.Due to continuing violence in South Africa, Saskia moved to Cyprus in 2000, and joined the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation, where she developed her own daily, classical music programme, PM Classics. Saskia also worked as a music critic in Cyprus, and had her own column in major English-language newspapers such as the Cyprus Mail and Cyprus Weekly. Interviews over the years have included personalities such as Nelson Mandela, Placido Domingo, Grigory Sokolov, Mahan Esfahani and Norman Lebrecht amongst others.Saskia furthered her qualifications by attaining an MBA from Aspen University, USA in 2011. She was awarded the accolade Cyprus Business Woman of the Year in 2010 for the launching of an online ticketing system and for initiating the children’s gardening programme “Green Fingers”, which to date, has been attended by over 8,500 children. She has been CEO of Apollon International Connections, which developed into a multi-faceted company dedicated to the organisation and promotion of international concerts and festivals, in prestigious venues such New York’s Carnegie Hall and London’s Cadogan Hall, as well as launching the Cyprus International Food Festival.In 2018, the ‘no-holds-barred’ programme – ‘SaskiaUnreserved’ was launched on the newly formed Classic Channel of the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation. As producer and presenter, she interviews high profile achievers across a broad spectrum of subjects interspersed with a selection of classical music.Saskia is passionate about gardening, basketball and travel, and takes every opportunity to do so with her daughter, Sandra.
9/5/2023 • 35 minutes, 32 seconds
Chris Droussiotis - About Japanese culture, the American dream and Cypriot jokes
I met Chris (Christie, as we call him) about 40 years ago when he was doing an internship in a hotel in Limassol, Cyprus because he studied hospitality in the US. At the time when the tourism industry in Cyprus was booming, it seemed appropriate to study hotel management.However, the Cypriot hospitality industry wasn’t his destiny, he ended up becoming a very successful banker, working for various Japanese banks and stayed in the US.In April 2018, Chris left SMBC and joined, as a Senior Managing Partner, Kinisis Ventures Limited (KV), a business accelerator company that helps international start-ups expand in the U.S. market.In addition to Columbia University, Chris is an adjunct professor for various colleges and universities including Fordham University, Baruch College, and Seton Hall University.In his free time, Chris loves to tell jokes, mostly in Greek and sometimes in English.https://www.youtube.com/@chrisdroussiotishttps://kinisisventures.com/
8/22/2023 • 35 minutes, 25 seconds
Marios Michael - Cleared for takeoff - A Captain's most memorable journeys
This is an episode with a retired Captain with a wonderful sense of humor, lots of stories to tell and a ton of useful information to share.Marios Michael studied at the Oxford Air Training School and worked as a pilot for Air Anglia in the UK before he moved back home to Cyprus where he started working for the national Carrier Cyprus Airways in 1982. Who knows, maybe he flew me to Cyprus the first them when I came here to work.At some point, he outgrew the airline because he wanted to fly more intercontinental and ended up spending 20 years flying for Emirates Airlines. Definitely a life journey that needs to be shared with others whose favorite smell is airplane kerosine.Marios Michael is retired and still loves flying around the world, now as a passenger.
8/8/2023 • 38 minutes, 17 seconds
Grete Brokiene - Mrs Lithuania, The nutrition Coach
Grete Brokiene was born and raised in Lithuania and spent a lot of time at Vilnius airport because her father worked there and she was looked after by him sometimes. When she was younger, people used to call her Paris Hilton of Lithuania because her father is a hotel owner.She studied law but didn’t really like it much and decided to become a flight attendant with Wizz Air.With over 8 years of experience in sale & marketing industry, after her kids were born she managed to turn my biggest passion & hobby - nutrition & wellness into succesful business. She is now working on improving women health through diet and lifestyle changes. She uses an integrative approach, which means addressing the physical, social, cognitive, behavioural, spiritual and energetic aspects of life while calling attention to femininity and self-love.Known as Mrs Lithuania and a mother of two children, she offers "One month - for all life programme" for the women who wish to fall in love with themselves by working on their eating & lifestyle habits. It is based on individual needs, which states, that fundamental background on nutrition & understanding of nutritional needs does not purely consist of food, but is also a part of socio-cultural backgrounds, and therefore in order to achieve feeling and looking great, requires a deep, intuitive understanding of yourself.https://www.gretebrokiene.com/
7/25/2023 • 33 minutes, 47 seconds
Alexander Toufexis - Off to China for a year
Alexander Toufexis or Alexi as we lovingly call him is my son and he and his sister were on episode 11 where we were talking about all the traveling that we did together when they were kids. A lot has happened since and here he is again:Alexander Toufexis grew up in Cyprus, where he attended an English school. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, which he received from the University of Zurich, with a minor in Chinese studies. This means that he is fluent in 3 languages and is on his way to acquire a 4th. He will facilitate this goal by attending a language course at Nankai university in China for a year. He loves to travel and has been to over 20 countries at only 25 years old. He is also very interested in history, politics and philosophy, and bringing about change in the world is something that he holds very dearly in his heart.
7/11/2023 • 33 minutes, 28 seconds
Lisa Morris - A real Travel Guru
When I read Lisa Morris' Bio, the words Travel Guru immediately caught my attention.Lisa began her professional career in theater at age 5 and has worked in numerous positions within the entertainment industry including: performer, talent agent, casting director, investor, teacher, and development associate.After personally touring for 14 years, Lisa realized there was a better way to handle travel and improve life for those out on the road. She actually "gets it" for what is needed out there. She combined her knowledge of travel and her show business expertise to create Road Concierge Inc.Having worked in nearly every facet of the entertainment industry, Lisa has developed a network of invaluable relationships. Her established industry connections, exceptional work ethic, and keen business acumen have resulted in substantial savings for clients, and a higher quality of life for all the road warriors out there.She founded Road Concierge, a company that provides travel, concierge, and logistical support for road shows, films, television, and corporate clients. They professionally handle all travel needs at NO cost to productions, and have excellent relationships with travel industry vendors. They get the best rates and provide superior customer service.https://www.roadconcierge.com/staff.html
6/27/2023 • 33 minutes, 9 seconds
Sahara Rose de Vore - Hey You, Just Go!: 80 Countries by Age 30!
Sahara Rose De Vore is a Wellness Travel Coach and the Founder of The Travel Coach Network, a global community of travel coaches. Sahara went from broke college student to traveling to 84 countries solo to becoming the CEO of her travel businesses.She believes that there is more to a travel career than just blogging and booking trips which led her to creating the world's first and only ICF accredited certification program for travel coaches. Sahara is a published author, global speaker, TEDx speaker, and has been in over 160+ media outlets for her travel and business expertise including Forbes, Travel Weekly, Conde Nast Traveler, and CNN Travel. Sahara was also named one of 2023’s Most Influential Women in Travel by TravelPulse.Website: https://thetravelcoachnetwork.com/website: https://sahararosetravels.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sahararosethetravelcoach/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetravelcoachnetwork/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sahara-rose-de-vore-4b8bb394/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaharaRoseTheTravelCoach/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/travelcoachnetworkPodcast: https://anchor.fm/thetravelcoachnetworkFree Beginner's Guide to Travel Coaching: https://thetravelcoachnetwork.mykajabi.com/main-email-series-and-workbook
6/20/2023 • 39 minutes, 17 seconds
Yasmine Saad - Beirut - Paris - New York - Marbella - A very worldly clinical psychologist
Dr. Yasmine Saad is the two-time international best selling author and a top-rated, award-winning, NYC licensed clinical psychologist, with a globally-renowned reputation. I met her at the Global Woman Conference in New York and instantly loved her. She’s charismatic and very professional and she shares her knowledge in a caring way.Her mission is to help people decode their thoughts and emotions so that they can live the life they want and be free of the negative chatter in their mind. She is the creator of the Inner Message Approach™, a unique process that introduces people to the wisdom hidden in their thoughts, desires and emotions so that they can find their way to their best selves. She has been changing the world of psychology for the past 15 years by teaching her UCU “You See You” method to psychologists so that they can help their clients get to the essence of who they are and reach their potential.As a clinical psychologist and founder of Madison Park Psychological Services, an award-winning psychotherapy and assessment group practice, she has helped thousands of people transform their lives in one encounter by providing actionable steps to finding balance and wellbeing. Her group practice is dedicated to tailoring psychological services to multicultural clients using the most effective treatment options and a holistic care framework. Dr. Saad's team is formed by the top 5% psychologists nationally and their work has resulted in more than 200+ 5 star reviews online.Dr. Saad enjoys introducing people to new, eye-opening perspectives and has been invited to speak at summits and conferences nationally and internationally. She has shared stages with leaders in the field of self development such as Bob Proctor, Dennis Waitley, Les Brown, Dr. Joe Vitali, and Dr. John Demartini. Her expertise has been featured in 100+ media outlets including ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, BBC, USA Today, New York Post, HuffPost, Newsweek, and Forbes.
6/13/2023 • 37 minutes, 25 seconds
Sora Vernikoff - A New Yorker's Point of View
I met Sora Vernikoff online because she is a member of the Global Woman Club New York of which I was in charge for a while. I immediately noticed her sharp mind and her great sense of humour.I so appreciated that she travelled to Cyprus to celebrate my Club’s 3rd anniversary last year and I so enjoyed seeing her again recently in the Big Apple. She is a retired English teacher from Brooklyn which an amazing world view and a lot of stories to tell because she has travelled all over the world.Sora Vernikoff is also your Overthinker’s Coach at www.overthinkerscoach.comShe began her coaching career by healing herself of compulsive overeating, developing an easy to use eat and stop yourself, no-diet, weight-loss program and writing a Best Selling and Award-Winning Book titled Eat What You Want! Stop When You Want! A No-Diet, Weight-Loss “Management” Program. Sora then developed a sister mind “management” program that lets the unhappy thinker immediately zap negative and self-doubting thoughts and is presently writing a book on how to use the program.You can learn more about Sora and her Positivity Program at www.overthinkerscoach
6/6/2023 • 39 minutes, 30 seconds
Trish Mangold - Chased by birds in Australia
She was born in California and moved to Australia at the age of 7 where she learned that children down under walk to school. She moved back to the US in her late teens and travels all over the place.We met the first time here in Cyprus where she ended a cruise on the largest private residential yacht on earth called “The World” which she had boarded in Jeddah.We met again not long ago in Los Angeles where she lives and works as a Holistic Health Practitioner. She is an energy medicine expert and has a unique framework, rooted in enzyme therapy, peptide bio-regulation and personalized frequency medicine, that ignites our body’s healing capacity so you can overcome chronic conditions, symptoms of imbalance and boost resilience to stress and disease.We need other coaches, counselors, change makers and passionate leaders to unite in a movement, a paradigm shift away from sick-care and disease management, towards the science and proven methods that actually turn on the body’s healing and regeneration. Too many are suffering unnecessarily, falling through the gaps, and it's not good enough when there is science and proven strategies for a beautiful life instead.IG@Trish_Mangoldwww.elevate-vitality.comhttps://www.instagram.com/trish_mangold/Book Your Symptom-Fix Strategy Call Nowelevatewithtrish@gmail.comLower chronic inflammation and toxicity 7-Day Reset
5/30/2023 • 35 minutes, 52 seconds
Joy Rika Miyatake - Free diver and Yoga Therapist - It's all about the breath
Last year I met Joy at the Global Woman Summit in London and we went on a tourist bus tour together; very recently I met her again at a conference in Los Angeles and every time this quiet lady fascinates me a little more. I knew that she was a certified yoga therapist and works as a guide to clearing intergenerational trauma. Then I found out this:Joy Miyatake is an ocean-loving free diver, spearfisher, yoga therapist, and photographer. She combines her passions for the water and yoga to create a unique healing experience that she shares with people leading retreats all over the world. She has a photography studio in Gardena, California where she offers portrait as well as remote underwater photography.
5/23/2023 • 35 minutes, 47 seconds
George Michaelides - A Cyprus tourism pioneer and yes ABBA began many years ago in Famagusta
I met George Michaelides when I came to Cyprus over 40 years ago for the first time as a very young tour guide. He was a professional and I was in awe of all he knew. Today he is one of the legends of Cyprus tourism and it is always a pleasure to talk to him.He was born in the occupied town of Famagusta and played volleyball with Paul Newman when the movie “Exodus” was made there at the beginning of the sixties. In this episode he also tells me which celebrities really were in Famagusta and which stories are a myth and yes, Fifty years ago a Famagusta hotel gave free board and lodging to four Swedes to entertain Unficyp soldiers. Neither the singers nor the audience had any idea what the future had in store. The Swedish pop group Abba’s official main web page opens with the words, “It began 50 years ago in Sweden”. Well, yes and no. It kind of, sort of, actually began in Cyprus.After 14 years at the Cyprus Tourism Organization as Chief Tourist Officer (Head of Marketing and PR) and 16 years at the Louis Group as Senior General Manager Marketing George Chr. Michaelides has set up as of January 2007 his own consultancy company. A pioneer in the fields of conference and incentive travel as well as in marketing of cruises George Michaelides provides professional expertise in tourism marketing with emphasis on special interest tourism.He is on the board of the Cyprus Travel Writers & Journalists Society
5/16/2023 • 42 minutes, 6 seconds
Nicos Chrysostomou - Travel is still the most intense form of learning
I got very inspired by Nicos Chrysostomou when I recorded this episode with him. He is a charismatic speaker and to him life is an art.As a young man he studied architecture in the US at Taliesin the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture in Phoenix Arizona and all his life's journey is embroidered with travelling and working all-over the place and he has countless stories to tell.Today he is an independent university admission consultant with a proven track record of success. He take great pride in his work and is extremely passionate about what he does. His expertise lies in helping students navigate the complex and often overwhelming discovery of academic direction and the university application process, guiding them through every step of the way. With his years of experience and personalised approach, he has helped countless students gain admission to their dream schools, and he is always looking for new and innovative ways to improve his services and help even more students achieve their goals.Phone 99651571Address 8a Ypatias Str., Strovolos 2014, CyprusEmail nicos@steppingstones.edu.gr
5/9/2023 • 40 minutes, 10 seconds
Robert Simic - Not your ordinary trainer, more like a life changer
I came across Robert Simic by coincidence because I was looking for a life coaching institute and he kept appearing on my google feed. Of course we all know that there is no coincidence, it was absolutely meant to be because in all this vast self development business, I have never met anyone like Robert. His method is incomparable to any other and his teachings have changed hundreds of lives including mine.Robert is the Founder of RSCI Coaching Institute and the Creator of the most transformational method on the planet, the RS Method. He is a charismatic presenter who engages you with his heart as you grapple with the content.His life story is an inspiration, starting with humble beginnings. Robert Simic was born in Belgrade, Serbia – a politically challenged country. At the age of 22, he left Serbia looking for greener pastures.He worked in Europe – from washing cars in Greek islands to night shifts in Germany, until he decided to move to South Africa and explore his options there.He worked as an office manager and became an integral part of a successful company. In this process though, he traded his entrepreneurial attitude for certainty and a secure salary. The hope of a secure future was short-lived when he was unexpectedly retrenched.However, what seemed to be his worst nightmare became the wake-up call that began his quest for true empowerment. Robert confesses to having spent much of his life chasing security and significance until he discovered the gifts that come with being a truly empowered human being.Robert is deeply inspired to continue helping people break through their perceived barriers and achieve their dreams with the knowledge he shares in his coaching, workshops, and training.https://robertsimiccoachinginstitute.com/
5/2/2023 • 49 minutes, 34 seconds
Panos Almyrantis - General Manager at Grand Hyatt Athens
Panos Almyrantis is an acclaimed professional in the tourism industry and has an outstanding academic background with several recognitions and a multi-year experience in the management of top hotels in Greece and abroad.Committed to promoting authentic hospitality, Panos is also chairman of the organizing committee of the "Greek Hotel of the Year Awards", a position he has held since 2020.Panos holds several distinctions in sales management, operations and hotel management in Greece and abroad. In 2014, he was named European Hotel Manager by EHMA. He is currently the President of the European Hotel Managers Association.https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/greece/grand-hyatt-athens/athgh/maps-parking-transportation
4/25/2023 • 36 minutes
Scott Gurian - 18,000 miles from the UK to Mongolia and back
Scott Gurian calls being a journalist a vocation rather than a career. Journalism is rarely a 9 to 5 profession but he tries to go even further by focussing primarily on stories that get him and his audience out in the field and into the middle of the action, from trailing the Zapatista Indians across Mexico to interviewing rioters while choking on tear gas in Quebec, waking up at 4am to speak with tourists making a sunrise pilgrimage to Cambodia's Buddhist temples, or sleeping on a couch in a shelter with storm victims in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.He is the host and producer of “Far from home”, an immersive, first-person, documentary-style travel and culture podcast that aims to take listeners outside their comfort zones and bring them along on unexpected adventures and chance encounters with interesting people around the world. On past episodes, he has driven 18,000 miles from the UK to Mongolia and back, visited Iran as an American tourist, wandered through abandoned buildings in Chernobyl, and participated in a hallucinogenic healing ceremony in Peru.Before launching his podcast, he worked for nearly two decades as an interviewer, reporter, editor, and producer, covering everything from breaking news to features, investigations and documentaries, on topics ranging from politics to arts and culture.https://scottgurian.com/
4/18/2023 • 41 minutes, 7 seconds
Deborah Ives - Over 50, traveling solo and loving it
I found Deborah Ives because of her huge Facebook group Solo In Style: Women Over 50 Travelling Solo & Loving ItShe was married for almost 20 years and her ex and her took the most fabulous trips to far flung places. When she found herself unexpectedly divorced 9 years ago she decided that if she wanted to have the kinds of holidays that she enjoyed she would have to take a leap of faith and travel solo. As a women it can definitely be a bit tricky to get the best out of the experience, and certainly a little unnerving if you are at a ‘certain age’ when considering it for the first time. Everything from choosing where to go, where to stay, where to eat, how to best see the sights, through to avoiding being the single person that the boring couple takes pity on and insists on including in all their meals! She didn’t want to backpack or share a room and she didn’t want to be herded around in a group following a strict, inflexible itinerary, but she wants to be safe and have some fun. She remembers how scary it felt and how nervous she was when she took her first solo trip, but it ended up being the most fabulous experience, etched in her memory for ever more (which is good because she dropped her camera overboard as she took a ferry to a remote dive island losing her camera and all her wonderful photos) and from then on she was hooked!https://deborahives.com/
4/11/2023 • 38 minutes, 53 seconds
Matt Fiddes - Fitness and Martial Arts Expert and Michael Jackson's friend and bodyguard
Matt Fiddes is one of the most respected Fitness and Martial Arts Experts in the world. Having been established for 20 years, Matt Fiddes has built a global Fitness Empire with over 700 schools in the UK and worldwide.He is a 7th Degree Black Belt Master in Tae Kwon Do and holds Black Belts in Kickboxing and Kung Fu is now one of the most in-demand personal trainers thanks to front covers and interviews in newspapers and magazines worldwide. He has numerous celebrity clientele including actors, supermodels and singers. Undoubtedly Matt’s biggest client was superstar Michael Jackson. Introduced to Matt by his close friend Uri Geller, Matt was Michael’s personal UK bodyguard for over a decade before his tragic death in June 2009.Matt Fiddes launched "MF Dance", which offers Street dance programmes for children and adults worldwide and MF Pilates, a refreshing mind-body workout, which promotes strength, weight loss, muscle tone and flexibility.In October 2016 Matt become headline news across the globe when he provided his expert advice, as a bodyguard and self-defence consultant on the Kim Kardashian robbery in Paris which made worldwide news. Matt was interviewed by Piers Morgan for Good Morning Great Britain, Sky News, Inside Edition, USA Today and Good Morning America, to name but a few. Renowned for his business acumen, Matt has also featured as the cover star for Start Your Business and Business Leader Magazines.https://www.mattfiddes.com/
4/4/2023 • 35 minutes, 12 seconds
Melody Garcia - deeply involved to help transform lives and serve others
Melody is a social conscious leader, international key note speaker, author, multi media powerhouse and she is involved in many UNICEF projects.She recently received a Presidential Service Achievement Award.CORPORATE LEADERSHIPMelody has over 20 yrs in working for Fortune 100 companies in building winning teams, Proffit & Happy Employees. Her leadership led to a string of personal successes. Melody has solid results in sales, business retention, scalability, authentic connectivity & service. Melody paired her own personal growth, self-development with professional knowledge. She is certified in Leadershift, Six Sigma (green belt) & more.MEDIAMelody Garcia became a “triple threat” in media space with a podcast on iHeart radio , iTunes, Spotify & Spreaker titled “ Life Unscripted”, a contributing Writer in a global magazine with Press Credentials & a TV show co-host. Her message in all media forms has access to millions of listeners, viewers. She is a multiple award winner & has interviewed iconic global influencers like Dr. Steve Maraboli, Trent Shelton, Kelly Wright, etc.AUTHORMelody is a #1 International bestSelling Author, with her co-authored book titled " Women Who Influence" which has also been accepted in the Library of CongressSPEAKERMelody Garcia has shared platforms and stages as a keynote speaker or panel contributor with some of the world’s most influential change makers and motivational figures Mr. Les Brown, former First Lady Michelle Obama, Alex Cunningham of Cardiff Lexington, and more. Beyond inspiration, Melody’s powerful messages helps drive a transformational change. HUMANITARIAN UNICEF: Melody founded & leads the 14th Congressional Action team in the United States for Unicef, representing 190 countries for children advocacy, leading a strong team of volunteers.One of Melody's biggest milestone was single-handedly creating a humanitarian focused benefit event titled "One Night, One Voice" that aided over 20,000 people.LEGACYMelody is about creating legacies & is a true modern day multi-talented “Renaissance Woman".
3/28/2023 • 40 minutes, 56 seconds
Manuela Nicolosi - Football Referee, part of the first all female team to officiate a Men's European Final
I met this amazing young lady at the Global Woman Summit in London last year and was impressed by how grounded and inclusive she was. She is a trailblazer of women’s sport and has been part of the first all female team to officiate a Men’s European Final; she is paving the way for women who follow her and showing them that anything is possible.She spends time with young women at schools and fuels their confidence with her wonderful positivity and shows them the way to becoming unstoppable. She has decided to become an entrepreneur in order to inspire women young girls, helping them in empowering themselves so that they can build up their own success.She has spent more than 10 amazing years on Football pitches around the World as a Referee, achieving the Big Dreams of :- Refereeing the Final of the Women’s World Cup in 2019- Being selected for 2 Olympics (Rio and Tokyo) and 2 Women’s World Cup (France and Canada)- Being part of the first ever female trio to referee a Men's European Final, the 2019 SuperCup in Istanbul At the same time, she has dedicated more than 15 years in helping big companies CEOs and CFOs in improving their Cash Flow and in implementing tools allowing them to have a concrete control on their performance.
3/21/2023 • 34 minutes, 6 seconds
Mary Ann Thompson Frenk - Humanitarian, Author, Sculptor, Public Speaker
I met Mary Ann for the first time here in Cyprus and was impressed by her charisma and confidence on stage but even more by her kindness and approachability off the stage. When I met her again recently at a Global Woman Conference in London, my impression of her was once more confirmed, she is an amazing human.Mary Ann is the recipient of the 2018 Civic Pioneer Award, considered one of the highest recognitions given by Congress to a USA female citizen. She is a co-founder of The Memnosyne Institute with her husband, Joshua Raymond Frenk, which includes programs, FoodSourceDFW one of the leading initiatives fighting food waste in the nation (led by Rev. Dr. Todd Collier) feeding 5,000 families a day in Dallas alone and $55,077,154.00 of food saved to date.She is also a published writer, internationally award-winning sculptor, human rights/environmental activist, social-responsible investor/conscious-capitalist and international speaker, including at the UN, White House, House of Lords, Parliament of World Religions to 3,000 people and for the 2020 Dallas Women’s March to 5,000. She led The Memnosyne Institute team in negotiating the first treaty/alliance in 300 years between Hopi and Navajo nations.She is so much more than anything written above, find out and tune in to this episode.
3/14/2023 • 37 minutes, 47 seconds
Yuliya Yelistratova - The professional triathlete, Olympian and my quarantine neighbour
When I got locked up in a two week’s quarantine coming back from Argentina in March 2020 at the Aldiana Hotel in Cyprus and wasn’t allowed to leave my hotel room, I used to hear someone go outside in the morning and come back after a while. I found out that my room neighbour was Yuliya Oleksandrivna Yelistratova, a Ukrainian professional triathlete, European U23 champion of the year 2009, Number 1 in the ITU ranking (women's standing) of the year 2009 with by far the highest “total number of races” (6), several times national champion in various categories and member of the Ukrainian national team. She competed at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics.At this point the Tokyo summer Olympics were not cancelled yet and Yulyia was allowed to go running and swimming in the morning and she had her bicycle on the balcony of the hotel. We started talking and she actually came to me for a hypnotherapy session after we were released.I decided to get back in touch with Yuliya and find out how she and her family are doing and coping with this sad war situation. Tune in and find out.https://olympics.com/en/athletes/yuliya-yelistratova https://www.instagram.com/yuliyayelistratova/?hl=en
3/7/2023 • 34 minutes, 3 seconds
Heather Markel - Ditch your desk - discover your destiny
Heather grew up as an only child in New York City. When she was 16, she was encouraged by her stepmother to live with a host family in another country. Heather chose France, and ended up living with a farm family in Normandy. She was a shy teenager, but with the help of her French host mother and a family cow named Amazonie, she was pushed out of her comfort zone and into her self-confidence. That experience eventually led to studying abroad during college, where she spent a year in Italy, France and England, and worked in Switzerland during the summer. Throughout this time, Heather learned the value of immersing herself in different cultures and languages as opposed to being a passing tourist.After high school, Heather earned her BA in International Relations at The George Washington University. She then spent more than 25 years working in the corporate world. In 2017 she decided to take a 3 to 6 months break and 6 years later she is still on the road. She realised that travelling the world is more fun than sitting at a desk and became a full time nomad.https://heatherbegins.com/
2/28/2023 • 32 minutes, 34 seconds
Palle Bo - The Radio Vagabond and digital Nomad
Palle Bo is a long-time radio producer from Denmark. With a background in advertising, he started in radio in 1985.In his career, he has been a morning host, sales manager, station manager, and co-founder and still co-owner of 17 radio stations.At the age of fifty, Palle Bo made a decision to change his life. As his daughters were grown up and moved out of the house, so did he.He sold his house, his car and all his furniture and became a digital nomad, travelling full-time with a goal to visit every UN Nation in the world and every state in USA.Currently, he is the founder, owner, and CEO in Radioguru; a production and consultant company where he develops radio campaigns, produces podcasts and sound design, runs courses and workshops for radio stations, and does lectures on radio advertising, podcasting, and creativity.https://www.theradiovagabond.com/about-palle-bo/
2/21/2023 • 42 minutes, 45 seconds
Dayna Reggero - Award Winning Documentarian, Filmmaker and Founder of the Climate Listening Project
Dayna is so much more than what is written in the titl_e._ She is a film director, story teller, connector, dreamer and a healer. She loves what she is doing, and she is exactly where she wants to be.She started travelling all around the USA as an All-American and Division 1 long distance runner. Dayna’s work started at 19, when she began appearing on television with animals to promote connection to nature.By trade, Dayna Reggero is an environmentalist. Her work spans over two decades and ranges from filmmaking to beginning her career as a spokesperson. However, her most skilled work might come in the form of organizing conversations, or simply starting them.Dayna has been interviewed by CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX networks and coordinated with Animal Planet, TLC, and the Food Network for features. Her efforts have been featured by the Jane Goodall Institute. Her work was selected by National Geographic as an Open Explorer Expedition and featured in the nationwide PBS series EcoSense for Living.In 2022, Dayna joined Jane Fonda and Roishetta Ozane for special Fire Drill Friday climate action in DC.https://daynareggero.com/bio/
2/14/2023 • 38 minutes, 48 seconds
Simon Belmont - FlymanSimonA350 - Pilot, Author and Fear of flying Coach
He is a Virgin Atlantic Long Haul Airline pilot with coming up 25 years experience in the aviation industry. He started out as a jet engineer and then became a fast jet pilot (Hawk, Tornado F3) and then 10 years flying the Boeing C17 as a training captain. The highlight of which was flying the Prime Minister David Cameron on his first flight to Afghanistan. Finally he landed his dream job as Virgin Atlantic pilot on the Airbus A330/A340. One of his passions is to help people overcome their fear of flying and on his Tiktok account, where some of his posts have over 1 Million views, he explains why and how flying is the safest means of transportation. He is in the process of writing a book about how to overcome fear of flying. https://stan.store/FlymanSimon
2/7/2023 • 38 minutes, 6 seconds
Celebrating myself - The 10 best episodes and where do we go from here
I can't believe that I have actually uploaded 100 Episodes and that i am still having so much fun. I am really looking forward to the next 100 and I am also talking about which episodes had the most downloads so far.I started my podcast during the pandemic because when I couldn't travel anymore, I felt like I was missing a limb and decided that if i can't travel, at least I can talk about itI was a tour guide for 11 years in my twenties and I worked as a conference interpreter all over Europa for 17 years. I am the Regional Director of the Global Woman Cyprus and attend conferences all over the world, I am an international motivational speaker and definitely a travel addict. I also made sure that my two beautiful children love to travel and as soon as they were big enough, I showed them the world. I have had some really cool guests in some of my episodes, just check the list and listen. I appreciate your loyalty and promise that I will keep entertaining you the best way I can. Happy listening!Check out what else I do and support me if you can!https://thesoulkit.com/
1/31/2023 • 39 minutes
Hector Toufexis - My travel partner on this journey called life
I believe that the person who deserves most to be interviewed for this milestone episode is my husband Hector who puts up with all my crazy ideas and supports everything I do. How much can one say about a whole life in 40 minutes? Well, we tried with Hector to talk about his most memorable journeys but also about the once we took together. Hector was born in Famagusta, Cyprus and he lost his home in 1974 when Famagusta was turned into a ghost town as its Greek Cypriot inhabitants were forced to flee. The invasion happened during a trip to visit relatives in New York and after a year of schooling in the US, he came back and lived with his family in Limassol while going back and forth to Nicosia to study at The English School.He then went back to study in New York and he holds a Bsc in Business and an MBA in International Finance both from St. Johns University in New York.He is a joint Managing Director at Orphanides & Murat, a company that was established in Famagusta in 1934. In this episode we talk about how we drove a Range Rover from England to Cyprus, how I broke the news to him in a hotel room in Toronto that i was pregnant with our first child and much more. Enjoy listening to this very personal story.https://orphanidesandmurat.com/
1/24/2023 • 39 minutes, 44 seconds
Becky Mullins - PR is all about networking
Born to parents who loved travelling; her father started working for Baron Charles Forte as a valet at the age of 16 and stayed loyal all his working life. The family spent time on many of the Trusthouse Forte properties or travelled around France in a small van. Becky worked as a model in her young years and unfortunately ended up in an abusive marriageToday, Becky Mullins is the Director at We are FEP, a London based creative production agency in East London an in-house photo studio. She has many years of experience in the PR and media industry. The company works with brands on all creative shoot content and event production beginning with concept through to producing high calibre outstanding experiences including runway shows, event production, product and brand launches, pop ups, and parties. They enable brands to create innovative, engaging content and memorable events. From small intimate experiences to large full scale productions.https://wearefep.com/
1/17/2023 • 35 minutes, 51 seconds
Kate MacGregor - Anyone can learn to have the lifestyle they dream of
Kate is the founder of "Out of Office". She was born and raised in New Zealand, and we have been virtual friends on Facebook for a long time, following each other's travelling. We both have similar stories to tell because she also started off her journey as a tour guide when she moved from New Zealand to London and accompanied trips to Europe. I love her sense of adventure and her zest for life.After two decades of wearing many hats within fast paced industries such as tourism, events, conferencing and hospitality, she began my entrepreneurial journey.In search of the elusive work-life balance, with the aim to support her love of helping others in business as well as her love for exploring the world - she developed her very own 'life by design', in the form of a digital nomadic life, serving businesses while following summer around the globe. https://www.nzoutofoffice.com/quick-links
1/10/2023 • 35 minutes, 46 seconds
The Pageturners - A group of fun women and a pile of books
These 5 amazing ladies met each other because they are all members of the Global Woman Club, a women empowerment platform which aims to unite professional women around the world, regardless of their age, culture or race. To encourage them to stand in their power, invest in themselves and grow their skills and abilities by learning, and leadership development.The idea was initiated by Maggie McLaren who lives in Scotland, a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist who loves to read and write herself and has published some books herself. She got in touch with Sora Vernikoff, the author of the book: Eat what you want, stop when you want, Anna-Maria Athansiou, the author of SEVEN romantic novels, Anna Nicolaides, a barrister, philanthropist and avid reader and Rebecca Christodoulides, a nutrition and lifestyle coach and they all decided to create a virtual book club and meet regularly online to discuss the books they read. A beautiful friendship was created even though they only knew each other online. In November 2022, they all got together in Limassol, Cyprus and the rest is history.
1/3/2023 • 48 minutes, 14 seconds
Micaela Passeri - Transmuting your fear into courage is a journey
Micaela Angela is an Inspirational Fashion Designer turned Emotional Intelligence Coach and she is the Regional Director of the Global Woman Club Los Angeles. She was born in Florence (Italy) to an Italian father and a mother from the US, studied in San Francisco and eventually ended up in LA without leaving her roots in Italy. She is currently renovating her apartments in Florence in order to be able to enjoy the best of both world. Micaela loves "Club hopping" which means, attending Global Woman Club events all over the globe and networking with women and sharing positivity and inspiration. She is an Award Winning Emotional Intelligence and Business Strategist, Coach, International Speaker, Author and Community Leader. She helps entrepreneurs maximize their monetization by showing them how their emotionality is directly correlated to their income potential and supports them in manage their emotions around #Money, #Success and being seen.http://loveyourevolution.com/about-me/
12/27/2022 • 38 minutes, 21 seconds
Harry Mitsidis - one of the world's biggest travellers
Harry Mitsidis achieved his aim of visiting every country in the world, as defined by the United Nations, by the age of 36, with his last country being Equatorial Guinea. In the meantime, he is 6 countries short to having visited every country in the world twice. Harry Mitsidis was born in 1972 in London, U.K. to a Greek father and a South African mother. He took an early interest in aviation and film, but studied sociology in Greece and at the University of Oxford. After working as a lecturer in sociology and business in four countries, he decided that exploring the world was by far a better undertaking. He is the founder of NomadMania which is one of the leading websites in the world of systematic travel. Its members include many of the generally recognized biggest travelers in the world. The project proposes a division of the world into 1301 regions based on a country’s size, population, cultural importance and cultural diversity, economic strength and international tourist arrivals.https://harrymitsidis.com/https://nomadmania.travel/
12/20/2022 • 40 minutes, 33 seconds
Klaus Derendorf - Founder of the INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT LOUNGE - a traveller's happy place during he pandemic
During the pandemic many travel addicts like myself were suffering from serious withdrawal symptoms but as the saying goes, an addict will always find a way... In the fall of 2020 an app called Clubhouse was founded, a place where people could meet and talk in different virtual rooms. Klaus Derendorf knew what his tribe was missing, he knew that an airport lounge is what we needed and he created a room called THE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT LOUNGE which is a very special place where people from all over the world meet and engage in stimulating conversations about travel, the world and humanity. No politics or pitching of any kind of product or service is allowed. I used to wake up in the morning, open my app and start talking to people from all over the world imagining that I was in Los Angeles or Sydney or Hongkong and not in my PJs on my sofa in Limassol. We talked about culture and countries and so many stories were told and friendships were formed; after the pandemic people started meeting each other in person.Of course Klaus Derendorf is so much more than the founder of a Clubhouse room. He has 20+ year track record in global media, tech & venture financing with high level professional relationships in banking, family offices and VC. He is an experienced company director, business developer & investor with strong EQ, technology, marketing, analytics and management skills as well as a forward thinking growth driver & team builder. He is passionate about discovering, supporting and building the next game changing platforms, services and products with incredible teams. People over product. ESG & sustainability metrics matter.He has a trilingual multi-cultural background and education with extensive business experience in English, Spanish & German across the Americas, Europe, Australia and Asia. He is a former award winning music producer and company founder with sales in excess of 20 Million units including six number 1 albums and singles. Producer on international talent TV shows X Factor, The Voice & Got Talent and he served on the Board of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Recording Academy (Grammys). Soccer and Formula 1 fan.His latest venture is being Head of Web3 Operations at Creative House
12/13/2022 • 30 minutes, 32 seconds
Noémie Frischknecht - From Lawyer to Flight Attendant because the comfort zone is where our dreams go to die
I always wanted to be a flight attendant and despite making most of my dreams come true, I never was. After the pandemic, when all airlines were desperately looking for staff, my best friend Ruth told me to apply but, hello, I am 62 years old. Even though I knew that I wasn't going to do it, I still did a little research, googled a little here and there and found this amazing young lady:Noémie Frischknecht studied law, then passed the bar exam and worked in two previous legal jobs, before she started working at SWISS in January 2018. This was the time right before the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) came into effect. Noémie had been entrusted with the creation and implementation of a Data Protection Management System within SWISS, which included designing processes, training business units and giving legal advice to SWISS management. Even though Noémie enjoyed her job, she knew, that life is short and that it is up to us to follow our dreams and create a life we love. Being a lawyer in Switzerland pays well and offers a comfortable lifestyle but her NLP trained mind also knows that the comfort zone is where our dreams go to die. She has a website called "Peak-performance - one heart at a time) where she helps people bring out the best in them, no matter at what point they are in life. She took a leap of faith and decided to become a flight attendant because she wants to experience the whole spectrum of life and work with all sorts of different people and see the world even more. She followed the complete training of Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS), learnt that the main priority is safety; she learnt to ditch, firefight and improved her medical knowledge including the ability of performing CPR, which is expected from every Flight Attendant.Now she is flying, she has completed all her training for long haul and short haul flights and whoever has the luck to be a passenger on a flight with Noémie is blessed because she is a very special person.https://peak-performance.org/https://www.instagram.com/arcticflyingfox/
12/6/2022 • 35 minutes, 50 seconds
Leanne and Lyle McCabe - Beach Travel Wine
Inspiring conversation with these two beautiful people from Australia who decided to go "walk about" later in life. They are both on their second marriage and have 4 married adult children and 7 grandchildren - so far. Being active and healthy is a priority for them. Leanne is a walker and tries to do some Pilates and Yoga and Lyle is a swimmer and swims at least 1.5km most days.Lyle and Leanne sold their motel business on 1st April 2019 (no it’s not a joke) in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, Queensland, to embark on our dream life of beach, travel and wine. (You know what happened then!!)Travelling is something they hope to do more of. Between them, they have been to over 40 different countries. They have some great stories to tell since they have been travelling together and they love Spain and their experience there; they love everything about wine. Probably one of the most memorable week’s away that they will ever have is the week they spent in the Maldives and two of their favourite holidays have been to Queenstown NZ, sharing a five bedroom house overlooking the lake and snow capped mountains with their three children, partners and grandchildren. This was as close as you can get to the perfect holiday - family, fun, food, wine, and nature at its stunning best. Lyle skied like he had never stopped. Very impressive.There is so much more to share about what they have done and where they have been – but what they are most excited about is sharing the next adventure stage of their life with us all and hope to make it fun and interesting. They are very lucky to live in an amazing part of the world, Kings Beach at Caloundra. They have downsized into a small two bedroom, two bathroom apartment which rewards them with lovely ocean views from every window.Please check their website https://www.beachtravelwine.com/
11/29/2022 • 40 minutes, 27 seconds
Dr. Olivier Seiler - The Life of an Air Ambulance Doctor
I met Dr Olivier Seiler at an International travel insurance conference to which I accompany my husband Hector every year. In a restaurant in Athens he recited parts of the Odyssey in ancient Greek and I was impressed, not only by the ancient Greek but by his kindness. For nearly 30 years, Olivier Seiler was the Chief Medial Doctor of REGA, which is a private, non-profit air rescue service that provides emergency medical assistance to people in Switzerland. Having a travel insurance is important because when the unexpected happens, it is good to receive the necessary care. In this episode we talk with Olivier about how he decided to become a "flying doctor" and why he did this challenging but also very rewarding job for nearly 30 years. It is not an easy task to be confined to the space of an air ambulance jet even though it is equipped with every possible medical appliance. We also talk about the importance of good communication between doctors and respecting local customs and practices anywhere in the world. https://www.rega.ch/en
11/22/2022 • 31 minutes, 22 seconds
Jeannette Macchi Meier - About the wild years and finding the meaning of life through God
When I walked into a conference room at a hotel in Dubai recently, a very kind and beautiful blond lady smiled at me and said hello to me in Swiss German. I knew that I had seen her before, and we were debating about where this could have been until she told me that she used to be on a TV program called "Fenster zum Sonntag" which can be translated as "Window towards Sunday". It turned out that I had seen her but she had obviously had not seen me, because I had seen her on TV. She was a TV presenter for 10 years.She was a rebel in her young years and travelled around the world as a singer of the band E-Rotic, and at some point she was nominated for the title of Miss Switzerland. As a young women she was attacked by someone with a knife and talks about he incident in this episode. She also talks about how she found more harmony in her life through God and how she ended up living with her family in Dubai because of her husband's job. She is the President of the the Swiss Ladies Club of Dubai which was initiated in 2004 to organise meetings for all Swiss ladies resident in Dubai. It is a forum and platform to share experiences and mutual interests in an informal, constructive and positive way.https://www.swissladiesdubai.com/
11/15/2022 • 35 minutes, 11 seconds
Dr. Rachel Dodds - What is sustainable tourism and "Are we there yet"
On a recent flight from Dubai back to Cyprus on Emirates Airlines I watched the documentary "The Last Tourist" which points out that travel is at a tipping point. In the movie, various tourism expert reveal the real conditions and consequences of one of the largest industries in the world. One of the cast members of the above documentary is Dr Rachel Dodds, who is the Director of Sustaining Tourism – a boutique consulting firm. She is also a full Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University in Canada where she joined the Ted Rogers School of Tourism & Hospitality Management in 2006. I was delighted when this busy lady decided to take the time to be on my podcast. Having been trained to look at many different aspects of tourism, Rachel knows that sustainability means long term planning and management and that experience and understanding of diverse cultures and environments is a fundamental part of tourism. She also has seem many of the issues that lead to overtourism and perhaps undertourism and understands how to plan for them. Rachel has furthered her understanding of the industry through both her personal and work travels. She has now has traveled extensively to six continents and over 80 countries.Rachel has written, co-authored and edited articles about sustainable tourism, tourist motivations, CSR, islands, tourism development and planning and urban sustainability. She has published a book about sustainable tourism policy (2005), planning and island sustainable tourism (2010) and overtourism in 2019. Her latest publication is a children's book called: Are We There Yet?Traveling More Responsibly with Your ChildrenThis book will help you make responsible and sustainable choices before, during and after your trip. It will also help you to navigate travelling with children and will give you tips and inspiration for how to raise resilient, responsible kids who will grow to love travel as much as you do!https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61261282-are-we-there-yethttps://sustainabletourism.net/
11/8/2022 • 35 minutes, 18 seconds
Leila Atbi - From Algeria to Abu Dhabi - a self-discovery journey from conviction to freedom.
I met my soul sister Leila during my master coach training in Dubai and I felt very drawn to her from the very beginning. She is a beautiful soul and has a beautiful smile and that fact that we can converse in French made her even more attractive to me. She studied Microbiology in Algeria but due to political instability and unrest in her home country she moved to Abu Dhabi nearly 25 years ago and worked as a French teacher and head of Department at a private school before she educated herself in the Personal Development field In this episode, she talks about her first trip to France, her trip around the world on a ship as the wife of the captain and how Nelson Mandela was freed while they were in South Africa and how they got stuck in the Port of Constanza during the time that Nicolae Ceausescu was executed in Romania. She is also telling me her journey about how she decided to remove her hijab and that her love for God has not changed because of it and how she thoroughly enjoys the swimming in the sea. She is a Master NLP Coach and Master Hypnotist and the co author of one the international bestselling books series "Magnetic Entrepreneur. A Personality that Attracts. She is also a certified Business Coach. https://leilaatbi.com/
11/1/2022 • 38 minutes, 13 seconds
Tatiana Stupak - The mountain climbing pianist soon to be in the Guinness Book of Records
Tatiana Stupak (piano) started learning the piano at age five, studying at the Special School of the Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory in St. Petersburg, and after that, for a further five years, continuing at the Conservatory itself. She is the winner of international music competitions including the Leipzig Bach competition. Tatiana is very well known in Cyprus, having played piano at more than 80 events in the last few years, both as a solo pianist and accompanying other musicians. Since 2018, she has played piano solos at The Big Choir Project concerts.She has developed a second major interest since early 2019: mountaineering! Her goal is to climb the 7 highest mountains of 7 continents. Having had no previous climbing experience, she succeeded in reaching the summit of the highest mountain in Europe (Elbrus) and Africa (Kilimanjaro). Just recently she climbed Mount Damavand, the highest peak in Iran and Western Asia and the highest volcano in AsiaShe plans next to climb the highest peak in South America, Mount Aconcagua in Argentina while playing music and she is attempting to get in the the Guiness Book of records; she loves adventures of all kinds. For example, in 2018, she took a hot-air balloon flight in Cappadocia; in the summer of 2019, she did her first sky-dive, at Kingsfield Airfield in Cyprus. She also took a trip to frozen Lake Baikal early in 2020, where she played the Russain Gusli instrument. And she leaned free diving in 2020 as well, and proved it, by being filmed playing a piano on the bed of the Mediterranean. She like to combine her musical talents with her adventures, whenever possible. She arranges charity concerts for children and for the church, and brings famous musicians from Russia, for example from the Bolshoi Theatre.She opened the Tatiana Stupak School of Music in 2018, where students can enter for examinations set by the Royal Schools of Music and by Trinity College. Students may also take part in public concerts, to gain experience in performing before audiences.In 2018, Tatiana won awards on being chosen in competition, as Russian Cultural Woman of the Year in Cyprus.In the summer of 2019, having organised fund-raising concerts on several occasions for the Institute of Neurology and Genetics, she was invited to play piano solos at a concert at the Presidential Palace, where President Anastasiades presented her with an award on behalf of the Institute.She has been interviewed many times on Cyprus radio and TV channels. Early in 2020 she was interviewed on the subject of children and music, and the interview was shown on Smile TV; previously she appeared live on TV ONE’s charity show, DanSing for You, not as a pianist, but as a dancer. Most recently, she was interviewed by RIK1 TV, and the interview was broadcast in July 2020. Also during 2020, over a period of a few weeks, she made live broadcasts on the Internet, giving illustrated talks about ten classical music composers.Tatiana maintains two YouTube channels: one for herself, and another for her music school.http://tatianastupak.com/biographyhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPa-fpO17yX0y1aN51Yu_WA
10/25/2022 • 41 minutes, 26 seconds
Gil Antolin - Luxury World Traveler - The Mortgage Crash was a blessing in disguise
Gil Antolin founded Luxury World Traveler as a way to share his passion for travel with the world. What started as a hobby by creating an Instagram account in 2013, has now become much more.Antolin visited Uganda, Africa ten years ago as part of a mission trip. While there his group spent time volunteering at an orphanage, help fund the school and take to the needs of the children. Antolin became overwhelmed with gratitude at the reaction of the students and had a life altering experience. From that day on he was convinced that whatever path he took would incorporate travel and create a positive impact on the world. Shortly thereafter, Luxury World Traveler was born and has gradually become one of the globe’s most trusted travel marketing companies, focused on the future and how we can impact the industry and the rest of the world positively, meaningfully, and sustainably. He has tapped into a unique market of over 5 million globetrotters worldwide who seek something more of their travels. More than just a social media platform, he aims to bring these extravagant opportunities to life by booking these experiences for his community of avid travelers via their travel booking agency. It’s why he partners with over 400 luxury hospitality brands to showcase the most compelling destinations in the world. By harnessing ideas that appeal to discerning travelers, he creates maximum reach across all social media channels and helps his clients succeed by reaching the widest base of engaged consumers possible. To date, he has created over 10 billion social media impressions for our clients. A sense of wanderlust. A desire to see more. A commitment to life as an adventure. The journey begins with Luxury World Traveler, a global travel community that celebrates the nomadic spirit with a rich combination of inspirational and aspirational experiences, photographs, and opportunities for luxury seekers all over the world.https://www.luxwt.com/about-gilantolin
10/18/2022 • 44 minutes, 56 seconds
Dick Atkins - What happens when you end up in jail in a foreign country
Traveling without insurance is a gamble. Nobody knows that better than my friend Dick Atkins, owner of Dick Atkins, Esq. an attorney from Philadelphia who specializes in assisting companies and individuals on legal issues in foreign countries. He is an owner of International Recoveries, LLC and lectures at travel insurance conventions. He is on the Board of Directors for the United States Travel Insurance Association.Atkins has literally been bailing out North Americans and North American Corporations abroad since over 30 Years. He also represents foreign nationals on U.S. soil. U.S. Embassies, U.S. Insurance and other large corporate entities. For those who remember the movie "Midnight Express" and how Billy Hayes, a young American got caught trying to smuggle 4 1/2 pounds of hashish out of Turkey in 1970. Thrown into a hellhole of a Turkish prison, he's tortured by sadistic guards, betrayed by corrupt lawyers and toyed with by capricious judges before he finally escapes. This movie is based on a real story.Each year, on average, 1,000 Americans are arrested in foreign countries on drug charges. While many are quickly released, roughly 1, 600 are currently rotting away in foreign prisons, often in conditions similar to those endured by Hayes.Prison conditions in much of the world are pretty horrible, acknowledged Dick Atkins, and the criminal justice systems in a lot of countries are just as bizarre as the one in the movie. It's important to remember that when you travel abroad, your rights as an American citizen don't come with you."
10/11/2022 • 39 minutes, 26 seconds
Monica Glenn de Zea - The compassionate language teacher who survived a plane crash
I met Monica in a Facebook group of Swiss living abroad because I wanted to talk to someone who was born in my homeland but grew up in another country and so I asked in the group if someone would be interested in talking to me. Monica came forward, not only was she born in Switzerland but also in my hometown Lucerne but only until she three years old and I wanted to talk to her about a recent trip down memory lane with her family.When I started doing a little research, which I always do before I speak to my guests, I discovered something amazing: Monica and her husband William are both survivors of the TANS Peru airliner that crashed in 2005 near Pucallpa, Peru. They were on their honeymoon. In the crash, over 40 people were killed while 57 survived, some of them ended up badly burnt. The plane crashed in Peru's northern jungle during a storm. Definitely worth listening to.
10/4/2022 • 37 minutes, 22 seconds
Andre Perez Gomez - I'd rather have a passport full of stamps than a house full of stuff
His Instagram handle is @aptraveler and we met on Clubhouse. He has explored 107 countries so far and loves the world. His Swiss roots come through when he talks about punctuality, correctness and being polite. As a cancer survivor, Andre has realised how precious our time on earth is and has decided to see it all and savour every moment. His stories are heartwarming and colourful. His pictures have won several photo competitions even though he just uses an Iphone 12. Initially I thought he was a country counter but he is not, he enjoys every country with all his senses, find out and listen.
9/27/2022 • 41 minutes, 40 seconds
Irene Rosmarie Heim - Love for travel, nature and baking
I met Irene in a Facebook group of Swiss Women Abroad and loved her positive and joyful manner. In September 2018, my kids and I travelled to Canada and started a road trip from Calgary to Vancouver through Banff and Jasper National Park. On this occasion, we met with Irene for dinner and she gave us lots of great tips for our tour.When I asked Irene to be my podcast guest, she was a little hesitant and not so sure because she felt that her English may not be good enough or that she won't be interesting enough. Little does she know that she has so many amazing stories to tell, like that she visited Zurich airport with her parents at the age of 6 and ended up unexpectedly on flight. She tells stories about her life as an au pair girl in England or how she invited her husband for a dinner at the River Cafe in New York and sat next to Steve Martin.She talks about her work as a bus driver through the Canadian Parks and driving a school bus in the Canadian winter when the temperatures are way below zero. She also talks about her love for baking and that life is not meant to live in only one place. She is amazingly entertaining and I so enjoyed recording this episode, It's definitely one that you must listen to. Check out her cakes and creations.
9/20/2022 • 38 minutes, 51 seconds
James Hammond - when you live to travel
I met James Hammond because he invited me to be his guest on his travel podcast "Winging it" where he talks to travel aficionados about anything to do with globetrotting. Originally from the UK, he is currently based in Vancouver, Canada but he has plans, big plans indeed. So far he has visited 50 countries and talks about his experiences and the different kind of travellers he has met. James has a great sense of humour and talks about things as they are. His stories are inspiring and will make you book your next trip. Here are the answers to his quick fire favorite thingsQuick fire favourite thingsFavourite beach? – Anywhere on Aitutaki in the Cook IslandsFavourite coffee? – Tanna Coffee in VanuatuFavourite city? – New York City, USAFavourite trek? – Poon Hill, NepalFavourite country? – JapanFavourite party place? – ThailandFavourite landmark? – Temples in Bagan, MyanmarFavourite cuisine/food? – IndiaFavourite activity? – Skydiving in Taupo, NZFavourite country to live in? – AustraliaFavourite lake? – Lake Moraine, Alberta, CanadaWhich country is the best value for your money? – Boliviahttps://jameshammond.org/wingingitpodcast/
9/13/2022 • 39 minutes, 55 seconds
Martina Kwan - the race car driver who dares to be different
Martina Kwan is an International Best Selling Author. Born in Hong Kong to a German mother and Chinese father, Martina Kwan was destined for a life that was different. She spent her childhood in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, but credits living in war torn Beirut, Lebanon between the ages of 8-10, as an experience that defined much of her fearlessness today. Her unique path in life has shaped her into a woman of drive and determination.After earning two Master of Science degrees, she worked in the male dominated finance and accounting fields in New York City with KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Wall Street’s Lehman Brothers. Eventually, she landed Senior Management roles with Ian Schrager properties, the Hudson Hotel and the Paramount Hotel. Ultimately, Martina's strong entrepreneurial spirit led her to leave the corporate world to open her own business, the award-winning furniture company, Neoteric Luxury Outdoor Collections. She had previously won Telly and Emmy awards with the first company she founded, So! Animation.Daring to be different is what drives Martina today...literally! Three years ago, at the age of 50, Martina knew it was time to take a car racing hobby she occasionally enjoyed to the next level. Proving that it’s never too late, she decided to become a race car driver.Her marque of choice is Porsche, which she drives exclusively. She started going to racetracks in California in 2015 with the Porsche Owners Club and quickly picked up the right line around a track. She’s earned a first place with the Porsche Owners Club MS racing class in 2017 and a first in the Club’s M4 racing class as well as picking up the Most Improved Time Trial Driver Award. She holds track records and is a National Certified Porsche Club of America Driving Instructor. Martina’s goal is to inspire young women and girls to be themselves and Dare to be Different! https://www.martinakwan.com/
9/6/2022 • 37 minutes, 45 seconds
Veronica Tan - Co Founder of Success Resources
Did you know that Veronica Tan was an arms dealer? (only joking but in fact in her first job she worked for a company that was selling arms. Her first long distance flight ever was from Singapore to Athens (Greece) which is very near me and I hope that she'll visit me in Cyprus soon. Veronica co-founded Success Resources with her husband Richard Tan in 1992 and little did they know that their company would turn into the world's largest education seminar company. Annually they host and produce 500+ entrepreneurial events across 37 countries including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa, USA, Europe, Middle East, South America, and the UK. SR will empower 350,000+ entrepreneurs this year alone and have impacted 12 million people over its history.Success Resources has attracted internationally acclaimed speakers for its events, including Tony Robbins, Robert Kiyosaki, Michael Porter, Tom Brady, Sara Blakely and former US President Bill Clinton.Veronica's mission is to be a force in helping individuals, enterprises, and organizations to succeed. She believes in life-long learning and with Success Resources she works to establish this culture globally. She loves discovering new places and combining business and pleasure.
8/30/2022 • 34 minutes, 11 seconds
Jennifer K. Hill - Count your awe, serendipity and miracle moments every day
Jennifer K. Hill is a successful entrepreneur, author, speaker, TV & Radio host, and thought leader. She has written two books, and has authored two popular white papers. In this episode, she shares many travel stories, covid adventures with us and how she moved to Lisbon.Hill built and sold her first company by the age of 38 to Marcum Search LLC (a subsidiary of Marcum LLP), where she became President of their California Division. She has hosted popular TV shows on Awake TV Network with Dr. Deepak Chopra, Dr. Rollin McCraty, Dr. Dain Heer, Dr. Bruce Lipton, Dr. John Demartini and many other leaders from around the world.Hill has also moderated events including a 2020 talk at UCI with Dean Bill Maurer, Professor Don Hoffman, and Dr. Deepak Chopra. She recently hosted the Global Coherence Initiative’s largest event of the year with over 600 people from around the world, which featured Gregg Braden, Howard Martin, and other noted thought leaders.Hill has worked for years with renowned celebrity vocal coach, Arthur Samuel Joseph. She recently collaborated with Joseph to create the “Achieve, Reclaim and Command your Destiny” program. When she is not hosting or speaking, Hill loves to give back and has built two schools in 3rd world countries. She recently co-founded Om-Heals.com, an energy medicine marketplace platform to connect energy practitioners with users seeking to reconnect with their health and vitality.https://www.vocalmasteryforleaders.com/https://metabizics.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferkhill/https://www.instagram.com/jenhillspeaker
8/23/2022 • 41 minutes, 35 seconds
Caroline Evans - the Herbalist from Heaven on Earth
I love talking to Caroline and we zoom quite often, this time we recorded our conversation and turned it into a podcast episode. She gives great natural heath tips and makes every exchange valuable. Caroline is a trained Master Herbalist, Naturopath, Nutrition Consultant, Holistic and Behavioural Iridologist with over 25 years of experience in the natural health field. We are talking about how she grew up in Oman, how she ended up in a small village in Cyprus looking after a huge herb garden and creating her own little heaven on earth but also how she found the love of her life in Cyprus and travelled in a double cabin car over land from Cyprus via Turkey, Bulgaria etc back to the UK where she lives with her husband and three children and works now. Caroline is well trained in seeing the connections between symptom manifestation, their physical, mental and emotional origins and the root cause of any dis-ease in the body. She works by unravelling the layers, bringing you back into symptom less health-filled balance.She believes strongly, “Your health is your greatest wealth” and educates and guides her patients to achieve this.
8/16/2022 • 46 minutes, 20 seconds
Paul Lambis - Award winning Screenwriter, Author and Director
I am talking to Paul Lambis who is an award-winning screenwriter, author, playwright and director, born in Johannesburg, South Africa. Educated at the Johannesburg Art Foundation, he is based in Cyprus and is the Founder and CEO of Silver Thespian, an independent theatre and film production holding company. As an established and award-winning playwright in Cyprus, Lambis has written, produced and directed theatrical productions such as 74 and Melina: The Last Greek Goddess to widespread critical acclaim.In 2016, Lambis received the “Best International Screenplay” award from the Screenwriter’s Guild of Greece for his full-length feature 74 – based on his original theatrical production of the same title. In 2018, his theatrical production Melina: The Last Greek Goddess received first prize at the United Solo Theatre Festival in New York and was awarded the “Best International Show” on Broadway. In 2019, his multiple award-winning screenplay 74 received first place for "Best Screenplay" at the 14th International Cyprus Film Festival. The screenplay is currently in development and planned to be filmed on location in Cyprus.Paul Lambis is also the host of #Culturescope - a lifestyle and entertainment web show, exclusive to Cyprus Mail.https://www.paullambis.com/
8/9/2022 • 39 minutes, 4 seconds
Demetris Pierides - Patron of the Arts, multitalented Cosmopolitan and defender of Cyprus' archeological treasures
Dimitris Pierides is 85, an absolutely charming gentleman of the old sort with a beautiful mind and a heart full of amazing stories. We talked about Art, cars, Cyprus and life, definitely worth listening to. He is the son of one of the most emblematic families of Cyprus, born in 1937, luckily in a house that mostly resembled a museum and belonged to his grandfather Dimitirs Pierides, who also bore the name of his own grandfather, a renowned scholar of the 19th century, who was one of Kapodistria’s partners and an antiquities collector. Their colonial home in Larnaka was filled with antiquities that on one hand made it hard for little Dimitris to play in the house, but on the other, prepared him to welcome his illustrious destiny. “Those were the years of innocence” he remembers. “Growing up in a big home, filled to the brim with ancient Cypriot artifacts collected by five generations of Pierides’, it was obviously not the ideal playground for my friends and I. At the age of 18, Dimitris Pierides enrolled at the University of Lausanne where he studied Economics and Law. He soon became very popular and during the period between 1957 and 1960 he served as chairman of the Greek Students’ Union. According to him, those were wonderful years that formed the basis of his subsequent cosmopolitan spirit. “I studied in the heart of Europe, in an exquisitely civilized place. I frequently travelled by car to many of the neighboring countries, very often to Paris and London. I also travelled to Germany, as well as Belgium, the Netherlands and Austria. As for Italy, the European jewel, I have visited her dozens of times over the years” he adds with emphasis. In the summer of 1974, the Turkish invasion changed everything. Dimitris Pierides emerged from the ashes, not unscathed though: “A huge part of my fortune (approximately 85%) was simply gone in just a single morning of August 1974. I was bluntly told then, that whatever I had created during my most productive years, no longer belonged to me” he remembers. But the great damage to Cyprus’ historical heritage had already started in the mid-60’s. According to him it was some years before the invasion, in 1964 to be precise, when Turkish-Cypriots isolated themselves in their villages and systematic large-scale illegal excavations took place, making antiquity smuggling a thriving activity. “I managed then and for a period of 10 years, to prevent the smuggling of over 600 unique ancient Cypriot artifacts, by buying them”. From then on, “things went from bad to worse”.https://www.visitcyprus.com/index.php/en/discovercyprus/culture/museums-galleries/111-pierides-museum-bank-of-cyprus-cultural-foundation
8/2/2022 • 33 minutes, 7 seconds
Tatiana Shukouroglou - Founder of "Take Care of Your Thoughts"
I met Tatiana because of the Global Woman Club when she joined a speakers campaign and then realised that she also lives in Cyprus and here is what she says about herself: “The more you give the more comes back to you”. I know it sounds a bit cliché, but it is absolutely true. I give the following metaphor/analogy when I teach children about giving back: “ Imagine you have a big cup full of goodies: Good health, a lot of toys and clothes, cleverness, good at sports, pretty face, a lot of friends… and God gives more and more. Your cup now overflows and it spills out. What can you do? You can only give some to someone else whose cup is not full, so that you can keep the extra that God is giving you.” This is such a nice vivid picture and is the way I learned to act. If you have extra time, go help people, if you have extra clothes give some. If you have a good appearance, give a compliment.As an adult, I joined different NGO’s and offer my time as much as I can. This is how I feel I show my gratitude to God for always filling my cup with goodies!My passion and my purpose in life is to help people (and lately ladies) achieve their goals. I believe we are all born with enormous inner strength. Through my skills as an NLP and RTT Practitioner and as a hypnotherapist, I can help my clients find this inner strength and create the life they dream!What I have come to realize through the years, while moving from different skills and industries, is that you should never feel stuck at where you started. Myself being an example: I started with a Business Administration Degree, then moved on and combined it with Interior Design. I then got educated on creating programs and educating children to empower them with important Life Skills. Then I moved on to be a certified NLP practitioner, and last but not least I became a certified RTT® Practitioner and Certified Hypnotherapist. My absolute conviction is that it is never too late to help people at any age, be what they always wanted to be. This is what gave me the drive to go onto these last two skills. I know now, that your results are linked to an imprint and to the beliefs that were created inside your subconscious mind from past experiences and to your present constant thoughts. The good news is that we can create or re-create your present status by changing that imprint, the beliefs and your thoughts. My personal experience due to my personal results are what drove me to this path of getting to know my deeper self. I am married to a wonderful husband and I have two great sons, and all three of them are my best supporters. I could not have made it through all these stages of my life without their true belief in me.Of course, my great belief in God and the continuous gratitude I feel for my great life, helped me surpass different challenges, and finally reaching the place I am now, a place I always belonged. And this is to help people.
7/26/2022 • 33 minutes, 4 seconds
Sami Zeidan - Al Jazeera News Anchor, Reporter, Media Trainer and Podcaster
I met Sami at the Global Woman Summit in London and he is one of the most approachable and kind people I have ever met. He immediately agreed to do this interview and I so enjoyed talking about life and the world and listening to Sami singing :)Sami Zeidan is an award-winning journalist who for more than a decade, has anchored, reported and executive produced with some of the biggest names in television: CNN, CNBC, NBC and Al Jazeera.Prior to joining Al Jazeera English, Sami presented a number of shows broadcast on CNBC Arabia, CNBC Europe and CNBC Asia. He also presented and wrote news shows with CNN International (USA).Over the years Sami has reported from many a seat of power including the United Nations, the White House and The European Commission, as well as from conflict zones ranging from the Korean Peninsula to the different hotspots in the Middle East, including live war correspondence.Sami Zeidan has years of experience in training, teaching, and practicing journalism. - Sami has trained anchors, reporters, and producers at Al Jazeera, CNBC, and NBC. - Sami has presented, reported, and produced with the biggest names in television including Al Jazeera, CNN, CNBC, and NBC affiliates. - His assignments have taken him from the White House to the UN, and through war zones from Gaza to Syria. - Sami has taught at the 1st School of Journalism in the world, the University of Missouri-Columbia, USA, established in 1908.Check out Sami Zeidan's podcast "Essential Middle East"https://www.aljazeera.com/podcasts/essential-middle-east-2
7/19/2022 • 34 minutes, 49 seconds
Ajay Goyal - Inspiring global Entrepreneur and Founder of Zening Resorts
Ajay Goyal is a global entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist and writer. He is the founder and owner of Europe's first five star yoga themed sustainable resort hotel Zening Resorts and he invested millions of Euros in Cyprus during the financial crises in 2013. Unfortunately he came across some unethical people and had to deal with many bureaucratic obstacles as a foreign investor. Even though he had to give up his Zening dream in Cyprus, he talks very highly of the island and is a Cypriot Citizen now. In this interview he talks about how he grew up in India in a very academic family and how he decided to expand his horizon in Russia where he ended up being in front of the tanks on the Red Square in Moscow in 1991. Ajay Goyal founded the Norasco Group in Cyprus in 1993 with branches in Switzerland, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Singapore and India . He is the founder of over than 20 ventures. He is presently founder and CEO of AGV ( Ajay Goyal Ventures, a Norasco company), an E learning, E commerce, Travel, Reg Tech and Health Tech incubator investing in European startups. Goyal is author of book Uncovering Russia. Goyal was Publisher and Editor in Chief of The Russia Journal newspaper published from Moscow , Russia and Washington DC, United States group from 1998 until 2005.
7/12/2022 • 43 minutes, 41 seconds
Jay Noland - About The Science of Getting rich
I met Jay Noland on Clubhouse and liked the sound of everything he said but I also liked the sound of his voice. He grew up on a hog farm in Kentucky with his grandparents. The wealth his grandparents had was not in their bank account, but in the lessons and values they instilled in him… INSTILLED in him as was the determination to succeed. He was naturally gifted in sports and mostly as a baseball player. He was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 1988. During his career, he also played with the Colorado Rockies and Seattle Mariners. He won 2 Minor League Championships in 1991 and 1992 with San Diego Padres. He was the back to back Stolen Base League Champion in 1991 and 1992 as well. He signed his Major League Contract (ML Invite) with Seattle Mariners in 1995. He retired from baseball due to a career ending injury in 1995.Jay Noland started his entrepreneurial career in November 1995. He has since built multiple multi-million dollar companies. His main focus is on Confidence Training. He believes "a strong person can do anything." He believes in experiencing life all-out, all the time, and he believes in anyone who is willing to take steps to believe in themselves.He says true success is mastering the 6 pillars of life. The 6 pillars are emotional, mental, physical, social, financial, and spiritual. Check out Jay's annotated version of Wallace D. Wattles "The Science of getting rich" https://www.amazon.com/Science-Getting-Rich-Annotated-Universal-ebook/dp/B0B1TCC4F3
7/5/2022 • 41 minutes, 4 seconds
Savvas Perdios, Deputy Minister of Tourism of Cyprus
Savvas Perdios was born and raised in Nicosia and has been the Deputy Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Cyprus since January 2019.He studied Accounting and Finance at Warwick University (2002-2004) and International Hospitality Management (BA, 2004-2008) at the École hôtelière de Lausanne, SwitzerlandIn this podcast episode we talk about how lucky Savvas considers himself because he can practice his hobby for a living. He is a hospitality expert through and through and has started summer jobs at a very young age inhotel departments like kitchen, maintenance, service, banqueting, housekeeping and guest relations.Between 2008 and 2010 after completing his studies, Mr Perdios worked for internationally-known companies like Design Hotels in Mykonos and Kempinski Hotels in Switzerland.Savvas Perdios has lots of wonderful plans and ideas for Cyprus and wants to show the world how much more than sun and beach this island has to offer and I couldn't agree with him more. Listen to the episode and come and visit us.
6/28/2022 • 44 minutes, 59 seconds
Doug Gordon - Global Man of the Year
Doug is Global Goodwill Ambassador for Dublin, Ireland which was awarded for his inspirational work giving back to the community where he did talks and mindset training and then gave all the money to charity.At the time when we recorded this interview, Doug was nominated for the “Global man of the year award” with Global Woman’s Magazine over the last year for doing thousands of hours of Mental Wellness work for free to help people during the pandemic. In the meantime he has won the award. He also runs a radio show called Inspirational People, Inspirational Stories on 103.2 Dublin City FM which again he does to give back to the community. He has had a super mix of NY Times bestsellers, heroes, sports stars and up and coming authors giving them a platform to promote their services and tell their story. The show goes out to over 2 million people every week.Doug has just finished writing a book to help and inspire people to better lives which is due to be published with an American publisher and has testimonies from 3 NY Times bestsellers, a film star, a Guinness book of records holder and a multimillionaire TV Celebrity businessman.Previously Doug spent 21 years in the investment world as an Investment head for some of the largest fund managers in the world. He was recognised in the national press for growing an Asset Management business from $50m pa sales to $1.75Bn pa sales in 6 years.Since then stress and health issues led to a near death experience and then him changing his career into becoming a master teacher healer, a coach, business consultant and international speaker, having spoken on some of the largest stages in the world.He has coached and consulted with Hollywood stars, NY Times bestsellers, large corporations like Dell, Facebook, Salesforce, Bank of Ireland, Oeey Asset Management, Davy, Ocuco, and many more.He also played hockey at national league top division level in the U.K. and Belgium captaining and coaching international level playershttps://dougdgordon.com/
6/21/2022 • 42 minutes
Angelos Loizou - Past Chairman of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation and lots more
I loved going down memory lane with Angelos Loizou and talk about tourism in the eighties and how things have changed. Angelos is a Chartered Accountant Fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). He has retired from PWC in Cyprus from the position of COO and member of the Management Board. During his 30-year career with PwC he has served in a number of positions and was in charge for the development of various services of the firm including Corporate Legal and Secretarial, Local Compliance and Hospitality and Leisure Services. His role in Operations included interalia IT and Property management and has traveled extensively. He is a member and past Chairman of the board of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC) and a Member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Cyprus, having wide experience on various financial consultancy matters.He has served as the Chairman of the Board of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (2014-2018) during which period tourism has increased by 63%.He has assisted the District of Pafos as the Project Manager, in their successful bidding endeavors as the European Capital of Culture for 2017.
6/14/2022 • 37 minutes, 22 seconds
Rita Jammet - The Champagne Queen and Chief Bubble Officer at La Caravelle wines/champagne
Rita Jammet was born in Saudi Arabia to parents of Iraqi origin, she went to boarding school in Lebanon and Switzerland, married André Jammet, a French man and ended up living in New York. She has led an exotic and charmed life as the co-owner of the acclaimed La Caravelle restaurant for 20 years, as the proprietor of La Caravelle Champagnes / Wines, and as the mother of three accomplished sons (one of whom is the cofounder of Sweet Green). Rita has been an inspiration and role model for women in hospitality for decades. It’s frankly no surprise she’s now known as the Chief Bubble Officer of her company, and if New York were to have an ambassador of hospitality, it would be her. She talked to me about her childhood in Saudi and Lebanon, about moving to Switzerland and her honeymoon to the US. She is a very charismatic lady who you would want to listen to forever. Rita is a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier NY. She was awarded the Order of Agricultural Merit by France's Ministry of Agriculture and Food. She is also a board member of the New York State Restaurant Association, Manhattan Chapter. Her many charitable involvements include: Mount Sinai Hospital, French American Aid for Children, Les Dames d’Escoffier, the Comité Colbert, Spoons Across America, AIWF Days of Taste* New York, and the Food Council of City Harvest. https://www.lacaravelle.com/ritajammet
6/7/2022 • 40 minutes, 29 seconds
Why I was honoured with an award for travelling with the police for 17 years
A few weeks ago, I was invited by the POAXIA – Greek Federation of Police Officers to spend three days in Crete on the occasion of the 11th Congress of CESP (Comité European des Syndicats de Police). I was honored with an award for my services as an interpreter and administrator for 17 years.In 2003 I started doing occasional interpreting at the Limassol Police station and one day someone asked me if I would be interested in accompanying delegations of police officers to conferences and translating for them. I said yes even though I had no idea if my Greek would be good enough for the job but I also know that some opportunities only come once and we have to grab them before the door closes. 17 years and over 100 trips later, I can look back at so many most memorable journeys, from meeting statesmen, presidents, and ministers to river rafting from Montenegro into Bosnia, running through airports with people who didn't like to run, being more or less left on my own to run the association for a year and giving interviews to radio stations while I was attending my coaching training. The highlight was attending a congress organized by the NYPD (New York Police Department) in Las Vegas and find out how things are done in a big way.Find out more about me:https://thesoulkit.com/
5/31/2022 • 29 minutes, 54 seconds
Edna Schur - about fertility treatment and trips to create babies
I met Edna by pure coincidence on Facebook and when she contacted me, I was fascinated by her story. She was born in Zurich, Switzerland to a mom who was born in Argentina to parents from Ukraine and a dad whose parents had fled Nazi Germany to Israel.She met her South African husband on a dating site which she was following while she was studying in Jerusalem and they finally met up in Australia. Are you dizzy yet?Edna Schur has started her career with Naturopathy, Nutrogenomics, then with Traditional Chinese Medicine. After studying in Israel, Australia and Switzerland, she has developed an interest in Genetic Mutation such as MTHFR, COMT etc. together with her interests in psychosomatics and therefore epigenetics, she got to know about Functional Medicine and studied it in 2018. She is a natural or functional Medicine PractitionerI loved her openness about her IVF story and how she traveled to South Africa and the Czech Republic to "make/create" her babies. She is a beautiful conversation partner with a wonderful sense of humour. Listen in.https://www.ednaschur.net/
5/24/2022 • 48 minutes, 28 seconds
Giselle Rufer - The watch lady, founder of Delance watches
txtThroughout her life, Giselle Rufer has experienced spectacular highs and devastating lows, shed tears that would overflow a river, laughed so hard it would make the angels smile, and felt unbelievable pride—as a daughter, as a woman, a wife, a mother, and an entrepreneur. That is the wonder of life and living it to its fullest glory is the gift we can all create. She says that she was born a dreamer and in fact, she has made all her dreams come true, starting from studying in Lausanne and Berne while bringing up her children and ending up being the first women in Switzerland to receive an engineering degree. She launched the children's watch brand Flik Flak for the Swatch group and later on worked as a marketing manager for OMEGA in a very male dominated watch industry. In 1994, at the age of 50, she quit her job, enrolled in a six-month university course on entrepreneurship, learned how to write a business plan and went to banks in search of a loan, but no one wanted to lend her money when she presented her ideas to launch her brand Delance, a watch made for women by women. Refusing to admit defeat, she cashed her pension plan, borrowed money from friends, and amassed enough capital to introduce her first collection of 50 watches in 1995. The collection, with an instantly recognizable signature diamond shape, finely crafted, jewel-like but ruthlessly reliable in the best Swiss tradition, sold like hot cakes. The next edition ran to 500 pieces.Delance makes watches to order and tailors them to celebrate specific occasions. Buyers can customize them by choosing the color and material, or having their birth stones and personal symbols encrusted in the case.She beautifully tells her story in the book "Butterfly in a storm" and has been a featured speaker at many conferences. She enjoys to share her experience with all those who dream of creating their own business or achieving a dream.https://delance.com/en/https://www.amazon.com/Butterfly-Storm-Watch-Giselle-Delance-ebook/dp/B01CGFBGBI
5/17/2022 • 54 minutes, 49 seconds
Farah Shammas - Managing Director at St Raphael Resort and Marina and so much more
Farah Shammas is the Managing Director of the St Raphael Resort and Marina in Limassol, Cyprus an award winning 5Stars resort which was created by her renowned grandfather Shukri Hanna Shammas who was featured in who is who before Google, when we had books. She is also an award winning motivational speaker and author. That alone sounds impressive but she is so much more than that. She is a passionate mother to her three children and a huge advocate for veganism. She is the author of the book, "40 delicious vegan recipes: Cook book and guide" and she recently launched a children's book called "Theo the Pig" for which she did the art work herself. Her "Cook Vegan" Facebook group has over 6000 members. Last but not least, she is an amazing human who contributes as much as she possible can and treats everyone with kindness, respect und responsibility. She is a very supportive member of the Global Woman Club Cyprus and I am proud to call her my friend.https://www.straphael.com/https://www.facebook.com/groups/cookveganhttps://www.amazon.com/40-Delicious-Vegan-Recipes-Guide/dp/B08ZBJFMFSTheo the Pighttps://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09Z6MBV2M/ref=cm_sw_r_wa_api_i_HG6GTKE1QV91P35Q5PP2https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09Z6MBV2M/ref=cm_sw_r_wa_api_i_ZN2DAXZF4KZGKZMBZCY4https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Z6MBV2M/ref=cm_sw_r_wa_api_i_YBNWWWXD0QP17DA3TST6
5/10/2022 • 37 minutes, 19 seconds
Zoran Todorovic - The visionary who lives with the misfits in Ibiza
I met Zoran when I was looking for a job after my first child was born and we worked together here in Cyprus for two years. He had moved to Cyprus from the then called Yugoslavia to escape a looming war which broke up the country. He was and still is one of the most charismatic people I have ever met and you will hear in this episode that with his boyish but so convincing charm he actually convinced a beautiful lady who is now his wife with just one phone call that she is the one. Today he is a leading international master coach, notable author, sought after speaker, visionary and a passionate activist of the evolution of human consciousness. As a TNM Coaching Academy trainer and mentor, he brings 20 years of coaching and mentoring experience and helps people tap into their highest potential. He has been coaching hundreds of people all over the world but mainly in China, being the visionary he is, he recognised the potential. He lives with his family in Ibiza and guess where he is planing to live in the future? You will have to listen to the episode to find out. https://zorantodorovic.space/https://tnmcoaching.com/
5/3/2022 • 38 minutes
Amel Derragui - Turn your challenges into opportunities with Tandem Nomads
When you are born in India to parents from Algeria and you study in France and the US and you meet your Austrian husband at the Turkish Residence in Teheran, you have lots of most memorable journeys to talk about. Amel Derragui is a business and marketing coach, speaker and podcast host at Tandem Nomads. After a career in advertising, she quit her job to join her husband abroad and launched her first business consulting corporate companies while living on the move. Six years later, as she saw a critical need to support other expat spouses and global nomads in finding their own source of fulfillment and financial independence, she launched Tandem Nomads. Through her podcast show, online courses, workshops and coaching services she helps global entrepreneurs start or grow a successful portable business that is aligned with their lifestyle. Amel often speaks for various international organizations such as the IMF and World Bank to provide guidance on how to use entrepreneurship as a solution to dual career challenges and how to make a business truly portable. Her work on the topic of entrepreneurship and women empowerment is featured in various media such as Forbes Magazine and Global Living Magazine.https://tandemnomads.com/
4/26/2022 • 38 minutes, 32 seconds
Constantinos Yiorkadjis - Mayor of Nicosia, the last divided capital in the world
Constantinos Yiorkadjis has been the Mayor of Nicosia since December 2011 and is on his second term. Nicosia is the capital of the Republic of Cyprus, and it is the last divided capital in the world. The scars of the past conflict are brutally evident and come in the form of an UN-patrolled buffer zone. Roads end at barrels and barbed wire and buildings with bullet holes decay slowly. It has been 48 years since the invasion of the Turkish Army in 1974 and since the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots have been apart when Turkey invaded and occupied one-third of the island. Mayor Yiorkadjis is the son of Polycarpos Yiorkadjis who was a Minister of Interior and Fotini Papadopoulou, a descendant of the Leventis family and foundation which supports educational, cultural, artistic, and philanthropic causes in Cyprus, Greece and elsewhere. His stepfather was Tassos Papadopoulos who served as the 5th President of the Republic of Cyprus. Constantinos Yiorkadjis studied at the University of Boston and before he moved back to Cyprus worked in Greece and Romania. He lives with his family in Nicosia.https://www.nicosia.org.cy/en-GB/home/
4/19/2022 • 32 minutes, 19 seconds
Christina Covotsou Patroclou - Dedicated Rotarian and fun travel companion
Christina talks about many of her travel memories all over the world with friends and later on with her family.She is an amazing organiser whether it's for a family trip to Greece, a huge conference in Cyprus or bringing the President of Rotary International, Ian Riseley to Beirut during her year as the first female District Governor of District 2452 and arranging that the conference is held under the patronage and participation of the President of the Lebanese Republic General Michel Aoun.She is a very dedicated Rotarian ever since she was a young woman, following in the footsteps of her father. She is the founder and President of the first Rotaract Club in Limassol (Amathusia) and a charter member of the Rotary Club Limassol Berengaria Cosmopolitan. Most of all, she is a wonderful travel companion, a friend and when I am at my wit's end, I call Christina. Our kids have grown up together and attended the same school, we have shared many meals which we cooked together and many inspiring and supportive conversations over coffee. I look forward to new adventures and to another interview in 10 years. https://thesoulkit.com/
4/12/2022 • 37 minutes, 46 seconds
Declaration of love to my island in the sun - 40 years in Cyprus in a nutshell
End of March 1982 I arrived in Cyprus for the first time, and I have been talking in the first episodes of this podcast about how I had no idea where I was going. I very much enjoyed my 6 summers as a holiday Rep and I so appreciated the life here. However, my personal life wasn't working out, and so I left in 1988, not planning to ever come back but as John Lennon said, "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans"I came back in 1994, got married in 1995 to my husband Hector, and by 1997, I was the mother of the two most beautiful babies in the world. Even though I loved spending time with them, I needed something to do, and I started importing quality wooden toys from Germany and opened two shops; it wasn't a very successful mission and I gave up after a few years. My most enjoyable appointment was working for the Cyprus Police Association as an interpreter for 17 years, predominantly because I got to travel again and met amazing people all over Europe and beyond. Cyprus has become my home, I became a Cypriot citizen, I speak perfect Greek. Our children are now grown up and live abroad but they love coming back because the island grounds them. I trained as a Hypnotherapist, NLP Practitioner and I wrote a book called "The Soul Kit - first aid for the soul"I am the Regional Director of the Global Woman Club Cyprus and I love connecting women and networking, I love people. I love my island in the sun as I lovingly call it, I love nature, the sea, the mountains (this winter I did what I had wanted to do for many years, I swam in the sea in the morning and skied in the afternoon). I love the traditions, the cooking, and baking and most of all, I love the community and my beautiful friends. I love this podcast which also celebrated its first birthday. Basically, I love my life.https://thesoulkit.com/
4/5/2022 • 25 minutes, 59 seconds
Dr Tracy Kemble - Owner of Mrs. Globe and writer, human potentialist & an uncompromising optimist
She is a born-and-raised California girl and was Mrs Globe in 1996. Also in 1996 when Albania hosted the Miss Europe contest and she helped presenting it, she decided to visit neighbouring Greece and find her husband's birthfather. Her mission was successful and she's been in love with Greece ever since and spends half of the year there and the other half in California. She organizes "The Divine Conference" every year in Greece. Dr. Tracy is the owner of Mrs. Globe®, the world's largest international beauty event for Misses in the world. Celebrating 20 years of success, the MG brand is licensed in over 70 countries, globally. Dr. Tracy is also the registered brand owner of Mrs. U.S.of A.®, Mrs. North America®, and Mrs. Globe Classic®.She is the founder of The W.I.N. Foundation, a non-profit that specializes in programs of recovery and empowerment. Her life-changing program "Right Living" has been taught to over 60 countries around the globe and translated into 3 languages. Founded in 1996, over 150,000 lives have been helped through the programs of empowerment offered by WIN. In 2010, Dr. Tracy and WIN was commissioned and endorsed by Miller Coors Social Responsibility for her break-out program "Raise Your Standards"; a "drink responsibly / date responsibly" program that was implemented in over 50 universities across the USA. Due to her 20 years of transformational work with women, Dr. Tracy has been recognized by media and world figures, including Hilary Clinton and former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
3/29/2022 • 35 minutes, 35 seconds
Jemima Cooper - Classical Ballerina turned multi-passionate "life-go-getter"
Jemima Cooper (Jem) is a former professional classical ballerina turned endurance athlete, psychology grad, entrepreneur, multi-passionate ‘life-go-getter’ business consultant and coach. Jem brings her experiences from the world of sport, peak performance mindset, overcoming severe illness and business to support ambitious entrepreneurs to step up to a higher level of alignment, personal power, autonomy, and ultimately - RESULTS. Her signature program is the MOMENTUM Mastermind - supporting entrepreneurs to scale to 6+ Figures with lifestyle-aligned (overwhelm free!) businesses! Jem currently lives in Mallorca Spain and splits her time between Spain & Switzerland and jet-setting as often as possible!Find out more about Jem @jemcooper on instagramLearn more the Momentum Mastermind at www.momentum-formula.com
3/22/2022 • 40 minutes, 26 seconds
Amanda Rachel Moss - The PR Badass who can make you famous
She is a multi-award-winning, highly connected journalist with 30 years of experience working with national media and PR.She started her training in a local newspaper before moving up to national newspapers and magazines including The Daily Star and The Daily Express She has worked in television production and post-production such as ITV and Carlton Food Network on programs such as Emmerdale, Heartbeat, and HollyoaksShe is the founder of the award-winning Lifestyle Magazine in Liverpool and Lifestyle magazine in CyprusShe is a regular contributor to radio and television panel discussions on consumer, fashion, lifestyle, and parenting issues ( as a mum of 6)She is the producer of Liverpool Fashion Week and runs shows in Los Angeles and CyprusShe understands the media and is well connected in the media and fashion industry. She is a social media micro-influencer with over 30,500 followers across her platforms, with high engagement levelsShe is a passionate, authentic professional who understands the needs of her clients. She maintains strong relationships with all her clients who return year after year, creating campaigns that make a difference. She makes it personal, your business is her businessPlease subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
3/15/2022 • 37 minutes, 31 seconds
Kicki Pallin - Working for TWA when we dressed well to fly
Kicki Pallin is a publisher, author, editor and artist. At Pallin Publishing, she looks for miracles around her every day, and lets them inspire her work, her live and her art. At the Global Woman Club, she is a project manager and helps women turn into bestselling authors, and she is a journalist at the Global Woman Magazine. Her book ”East, the Long-Trunked Elephant” has travelled to all corners of the world, and it is part of her mission to do all she can to make the world a better place for future generations. She wrote the book about East to teach small children that even though we're all different, we can all find self-love, compassion and kindness on this journey called life. Both for ourselves and others. We are more alike than different ... and our perceived weaknesses can turn out to be our greatest gifts. As a host of "Most Memorable Journeys" I was especially interested in Kicki the Regional Manager of Trans World Airlines when she was a young woman and how travelling was different then. Tune in and find out how people were chosen for an upgrade to business class. Kicki is a very warmhearted and caring woman who's dream it is to one day have an orphanage, and we all know that dreams come true when we really believe in them. https://www.pallinpublishing.se/Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
3/8/2022 • 36 minutes, 53 seconds
Eden Dema - Talking about Bhutan - her beautiful country in the Himalayas
I met Eden Dema on Facebook and I had never met anyone from Bhutan before. I was immediately intrigued by her posts, talking about nature, culture and cooking and I wanted to find out more. Eden has a Bachelors Degree of Arts (Economics and Mathematics) and she did a Masters Degree in Economics in Paris and she loves France. Through her work for the Central Bank of Bhutan she got to travel the world and told me about her favorite places and how my home country Switzerland made her feel a little bit like her home country Bhutan. We also talked about how her dad saved money all year to take the family on a yearly holiday to India. Eden and her family love cooking, local and international dishes and once more I realise that no matter where we come from, we have so many things in common. Bhutan is a fascinating country in the Himalayas and according to the latest report from the World Population Survey on the happiest countries in the world. Tune in and find out.Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
3/1/2022 • 27 minutes, 37 seconds
Miranda Tringis - The beautiful Herbalist who loves tea and butterflies
Miranda Tringis is a Dutch-born entrepreneur and herbalist, living in Cyprus for 30 years now. She studied Traditional Western Herbalism and French Aromatherapy. Miranda and her husband Adamos are the founders of Cyherbia Botanical Park in Cyprus, where visitors can learn about the herbs of Cyprus in 9 themed herb gardens, witness the extraction of essential oil in the distillation room and go on a green adventure in the maze and woodland walk around Cyprus. In the woodland, there is a fairy village to discover, and a witch’s cottage where the door to childhood imagination is opened once again.The Cyherbia project started out as a wild dream, turning a barren field into a green oasis where many bird species find refuge. The park opened in 2012 and has been growing ever since. Miranda is a regular guest on Cyprus TV shows, where she shares her herbal knowledge with the public. She teaches seminars and workshops at the park and at conferences and leads a research program at a local university. She has created educational programs for schools through which children learn in a playful way about the benefits of local plants and how to nurture and care for the natural world. Miranda has created a large variety of organic herbal products at Cyherbia, ranging from tea blends to essential oils, tinctures, and cosmetics, available at the botanical park and online. Cyherbia now employs 8 staff and has won several business and environmental awards. https://www.cyherbia.com/
2/22/2022 • 39 minutes, 12 seconds
Nesting on my island in the sun and getting ready for babies
In August 1994, we had driven our green Range Rover from England via Switzerland to Cyprus and I had moved in permanently with my then-not-yet husband. I started working as a Sales Executive at the Sheraton Hotel in Limassol and luckily also got to do a little traveling for this job which otherwise I didn't like and decided to give up after not even a year. I was 35 years old and partly ready to settle down and on the other side terrified to commit to anything "forever" because I hadn't lived anywhere for more than 2 years in one stretch since I had left home at the age of 18.I needed a little time to think and decided to get in touch with the tour operator which I had worked for and asked to be assigned to a round trip in the US and was offered a tour that started in Boston and ended in Toronto. Little did I know that I was already pregnant when I left Cyprus.My then not yet husband joined me at the end of the round trip in Toronto and I broke the news to him on the 34th floor in a downtown Sheraton. He nearly fainted but got used to the thought after spending some time in New York and Boston before we both went back to Cyprus.Long story short, two years later, me, the globetrotting party girl was a mother of two babies.... tune in and smile. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexisIf you want to support me, buy one of my products, here's the website: https://thesoulkit.com/shop-now/
2/15/2022 • 20 minutes, 1 second
Anna Grichting - Architect, urbanist and Jazz Singer who loves swimming with the dolphins
Dr Anna Grichting is a Swiss architect, urbanist and musician who’s spent her career using arts and design to create a more beautiful, biodiverse and sustainable world, through co-creative, interdisciplinary and holistic approaches to design projects - especially at the city level.Dr Anna has lived, practiced and studied in England, Ireland, Switzerland, the USA, and the Gulf region, and conducted research in Cyprus, Korea, Berlin and Qatar. She is interested in holistic and systems approaches to Design and her academic experience includes teaching at the Universities of Geneva, Harvard and Qatar, developing an Education Initiative for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture and teaching the Balkans Peace Parks Academic Expedition Summer Course. She’s also an accomplished jazz singer and recording artist who has worked with musicians all over the world, incorporating different spiritual traditions. During lockdown, she entertained her neighbours with her songs from the balcony.https://www.annagrichting.com/
2/8/2022 • 40 minutes, 27 seconds
Vakis Papanastassiou - an accomplished neurosurgeon and a multifaceted, compassionate human
Vakis Papanastassiou graduated from the University of Manchester and obtained the title of a special Neurosurgeon from Oxford University / Royal College of Surgeons. He's also a part-time clinical professor at the University of Nicosia but I was less interested in Vakis the doctor but much more in Vakis the multifaceted human. He was bitten by the travel bug as a young boy when his family loaded their car on a ferry to Greece and took him on road trips through Greece and Italy and ex Yugoslavia. I was fascinated by the fact that he has visited both the Arctic and Antarctic and during the interview I also found out that he climbed Kilimanjaro.He loves watching nature and taking photographs and has published a book called "The birds of Evretou Dam" and talks about what nature can teach us about life. Prof Papanastassiou isn't only a brilliant neurosurgeon but a man with a wonderful worldview and a love for nature, food, and wine.
2/1/2022 • 35 minutes, 27 seconds
Adamos Marneros - The last landing at Nicosia Airport and working for the Sultan of Brunei
I was immediately impressed by Adamos' personality, a gentleman and true aviator of the highest class. I met him to talk about the last landing at Nicosia Airport but then I got so much more than I had hoped for. He was born to a family of 8 children and told me that his dream was from a very young age to become a pilot because he was fascinated by anything that flies. He talks about how he got to England to learn how to fly and how he found work as a pilot and how he ended becoming chief pilot at Cyprus Airways.On July 15,1974, a military coup took place in Cyprus instigated by the junta in Athens, giving Turkey the pretext to invade five days later.The plotters overthrew the President of the Republic of Cyprus Archbishop Makarios and installed a “marionette” government under journalist Nikos Samson.Their aim was to unify the island with Greece, the Union being a nationalist ideal for some Greeks and Cypriots as well. Five days later, the Turkish army invaded Cyprus and their occupying forces remain on the northern part of the island to this day.Adamos' story did not finish at the airport during that morning of July 20th 1974. He was also very lucky to survive the next couple of days and then continued working out of Larnaca airport which was hastily developed towards the end of 1974 after Nicosia was forced to close and opened in February 1975.He ended his fascinating aviation career as the personal pilot to HM The Sultan of Brunei and is now retired.
1/25/2022 • 53 minutes, 44 seconds
Markus Blum - With Horses in the Canadian Wilderness and Camels through the Australian Outback
Ever since their adventures have been broadcasted on Swiss Television SRF DOK, Markus and Sabrina Blum are well known throughout Switzerland.In this podcast, Markus Blum talks with pleasure and much enthusiasm about their impressive adventures in the wilderness of Canada and the Outback of Australia but also about how it all began and how he met Sabrina in Australia. Which real outdoor fan does not dream of the legendary wilderness of Canada! Sabrina and Markus Blum have fulfilled this dream. Inspired by the world bestseller “The Snow Child” by the adventurer Nicolas Vanier, the Swiss family goes on a great journey and follows the traces of the snow child to his homeland.On a farm they learn the vital handling of riding- and pack horses. Together with their 18-month-old daughter and five newly purchased horses, they ride through the magnificent mountain world of British Columbia, without meeting a single person. Despite the heavily loaded horses and the food they carry, the family is dependent on feeding on nature. Their food often consists of what they have caught or hunted: Fish, grouse and ptarmigan.On their way they experience countless adventures until they finally find the dreamlike little log cabin at Lake Thukada. In recent years, the family has lived not only in summer and autumn, but also in deep winter and high-risk spring in the Cassiar Mountains of western Canada, and also spent many months in the log cabin at Lake Thukada.After their trips to Canada, Markus and Sabrina Blum wanted to set off for another horse adventure with their two daughters. But a new idea had to be born when their youngest daughter suddenly got a horse allergy. Their new plan: Crossing the Australian Outback with camels and a wagon. Six months of preparation on site and a three-month trip through impressive desert landscapes follow.In November 2016, the Blum family leaves for Australia. While the children Amira and Naira go to school in the small South Australian village of Hawker, Sabrina and Markus start training untamed camels coming directly from the desert. Dealing with the still wild, stubborn animals and temperatures up to 50° Celsius demanded everything from them. After six months of hard work, great persistence and many setbacks,Markus and Sabrina harness the camels in front of the wagon they have built especially for this purpose and travel with their children through the impressive desert areas of Australia for three months. On this journey they trust in themselves and in the reliability of the animals, far away from the rhythm of everyday life.Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
1/18/2022 • 53 minutes, 52 seconds
We drove a green Range Rover from England to Cyprus and lived happily ever after
I had tried to live a "normal" life back in my home country Switzerland after 11 years of living and working all over the world but somehow I realised that I wasn't cut out for "normal". In August 1994, I decided to take a leap of faith and move to Cyprus where I had lived and worked 6 summers as a tour guide but this time, I was moving there to stay, forever as they say. We had decided with Hector, my husband to be to give it a shot and move in together after we had known each other for 10 years but never actually lived together.I decided to exchange my bright red sexy sports car with a boring green Range Rover and it had to be bought in England because we were going to drive it to Cyprus where they also drive on the "wrong side of the road" or the left hand side. In this episode I am talking about how we drove from England to Switzerland, filled the Range Rover to the brim with my belongings and went on through Italy, via ferry to Patras in Greece, across the Peloponnese Peninsula to Piraeus and on another ferry to Limassol, Cyprus where I have been living happily ever after since then. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
1/11/2022 • 19 minutes, 22 seconds
Dominick Domasky - That which does not kill us only makes us stronger
Dominick Domasky is an inspirational author, storyteller and founder of the inspiration sharing and publishing platform Motivation Champs. Dominick is the author of the inspirational books, The Journey of a Grunt, How to Write a Book in 2020, and creator and co-author of the hit book GoAsk Your Dad. His greatest accomplishments are his two children, and he aspires to be the best husband father he can be. Dominick and MotivationChamps share inspiration, smiles, and positivity 24/7 and help others do the same. This mission is accomplished through publishing, screenwriting, a large social media footprint, in person events and work with nonprofits.My Name is Sharon, the newest book by Dominick chronicles the pain a family feels when their mother's advanced memory loss collides with a global pandemic. This timeless love story attempts to put a face on Alzheimer's Disease and explain the grief and guilt felt by the familiesquietly mourning the loss of the living. The loss of a loved one is never easy; however, we attempt to find comfort in the special memories we shared together. My Name Is Sharon is a journey through a collection of precious family memories. We uncover the deep bond between mother and son and learn Sharon will be remembered as far more than a victim of disease.Dominick’s inspirational book The Journey of a Grunt was not written from a pedestal, but from the trenches of digging ditches, picking up cigarette butts and overcoming countless failures. The Journey of a Grunt is a positive, humorous story that takes us from adolescence to adulthoodand tackles life’s teaching moments along the way. This book look is a pop culture, modern-day look into the meaning behind each job, task, and chore. Its pages will make you laugh, smile, reflect, and most of all inspire.Go Ask Your Dad was conceived by Dominick be a tool for fathers and caregivers to refer to in times of triumph or turbulence. Domasky admits he is not a perfect father; so, he enlisted the help of twenty-one passionate fathers from across the globe to answer the questions offatherhood. The dads who co-author Go Ask Your Dad are from different faiths, cultures, and upbringings and come together to create a tool that will help today’s father succeed in an ever-changing world. Today’s fathers must be prepared to navigate the subjects of broken homes, teenpregnancy, social media updates, and drug addiction, but be strong enough to understand that true fatherhood is all about unconditional love and raising your children to be the best that they can be.Mr. Domasky is not a gold medalist or business titan, and he’ll be the first to admit he’s just a guy who has failed, been benched, suffered setbacks, lawsuits, punches to the face, and got up and brushed himself off. Dominick has no ill will of the past but looks back and finds humor andstrength. As the old saying goes, “That which does not kill us only makes us stronger!”Dominick can be contacted for events, speaking engagements, or publishing opportunities at www.motivationchamps.com He can be found daily at Motivation Champs across most social media platforms sharing smiles, positivity and messages of inspiration.Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
1/4/2022 • 33 minutes, 6 seconds
End of year review, my dreams and my wishes to you
It's been a fascinating year and we all had to deal with challenges which we never thought we would face. Covid crossed many plans and drove us up the wall. When I couldn't travel anymore the way I was used to, I felt like I was missing a limb but then I decided that if I cannot travel anymore, at least, I can talk about it, and so I started this podcast. Despite everything, I managed to leave Cyprus four times and loved every minute of my travel as usual. Let's have a look at the past year together, yours and mine. Let's start dreaming again and be hopeful for 2022. I want to thank you for subscribing and listening to my episodes, for your contributions and for your love and I want to wish you and your loved ones a very happy new year. Always believe that everything is happening for your highest good, may your heart be filled with happiness.Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
12/28/2021 • 22 minutes, 53 seconds
Tamara Loehr - Ethical entrepreneur and creative powerhouse from Australia
My first Australian podcast guest...The ethical entrepreneur and creative powerhouse Tamara Loehr has spent her life making disruptive change for good by ‘doing the opposite’. Now she’s encouraging other women to leverage their personal power for global impact.She is the Co-Founder of the House of Beusail brands which is a range of Beauty and Wellness brands that are 100% vegan, female founded, cruelty free, sustainable, indie, made in non-polluting countries and gives back and committed to zero waste. She is also the author of the book "Balance is BS"! A handbook that will change the 42%+ of women who are now the breadwinners. We know “balance” doesn’t work. Tamara has figured out a solution after 20+ years as a global entrepreneur. A new way to approach your busy work and life.How to ditch expectations, uphold your values and embrace a work-life blend.https://www.loehrblend.com/
12/21/2021 • 40 minutes, 42 seconds
Mirela Sula - empowers woman locally and connects them globally
She is the founder and CEO of the Global Woman Club and with her background in media and psychology, she helps women go global. She has shared the stage with Grant Cardone, Gary V, Robert Kiyosaki, Kim Kiyosaki, Les Brown, Jack Canfield etc. and she shares her experience and helps female entrepreneurs start their business, leverage it, scale it and take it global.She has come a long way and her story is very inspiring. From a small village in Albania where before 1991 not even dreaming of having a career abroad was allowed, she made it the hard way but with lots of determination. The motto is: If you want to empower a women, give her a microphone and thousands of women in the world have had the opportunity to hold this microphone thanks to her. Improving public speaking skills is a huge boost for the self esteem and getting the opportunity to speak at an even like The Global Woman Summit is a very empowering experience. She is also the CEO and editor in chief of the Global Woman Magazine and helps people share their stories by contributing to the magazine. I am proud to be the Regional director of the Global Woman Club Cyprus and New York where I have the opportunity to help business women and female entrepreneur grow and get more exposure because as Mirela says: "If you are amazing but don't tell anyone about it, you are just a hidden talent."www.globalwomanclub.comwww.globalwomanmagazine.comwww.globalwomansummit.comwww.globalwomanacademy.comPlease subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
12/14/2021 • 51 minutes, 41 seconds
Josh Rosen - or should I say Donald Trump, or maybe Joe Biden?
Josh Rosen is a comedian/impressionist based out of South Florida. He uses his talent and mimicry to portray spot-on impressions of dozens of individuals including President Joe Biden, former Presidents Donald J. Trump and Barack Obama, Woody Allen, Larry David, Rodney Dangerfield, Matthew McConaughey, Jimmy Fallon, Owen Wilson, and Bernie Sanders to name a few. When I met him on Clubhouse, I knew that I would have to share him with you and make you laugh. Josh performs in comedy clubs across the country having recently opened up for comics Jeff Ross and Michael Rapaport at the South Florida Improvs.He posts daily content on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook Twitter, Clubhouse and YouTube. (social media links below) https://linktr.ee/JoshRosenImpressionsPlease subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexisSocial media IG:https://www.instagram.com/joshrosenimpressions/FB: https://m.facebook.com/joshrosenimpressionsYouTube ttps://youtu.be/qBlzgCJi640Clubhousehttps://www.clubhouse.com/@joshuarosenTwitterhttps://mobile.twitter.com/trumpimpressionTikTok: @JoshRosenImpressions
12/7/2021 • 26 minutes, 2 seconds
Roswitha Gassmann - How I crossed all borders
Roswitha Gassmann is a Swiss author and tour guide and even though she is retired, she still accompanies an occasional tour group because she loves spending time with people and she loves culture. We worked for the same tour operator years ago. In this episode she talks to me about how she reluctantly became a tour guide and then did the job for over 40 years. Things were very different before the internet, we had to deal with stuff that is unimaginable today. She is the author of the book "Wie ich alle Grenzen ueberschritt" or in English, "How I crossed all borders"She is an amazing lady with lots of fascinating stories and a great sense of humor. Tune in. https://www.orellfuessli.ch/shop/home/artikeldetails/A1061028183
11/23/2021 • 36 minutes, 30 seconds
Marianna Rosset taught me how to notice when my guardian angels are around me
Marianna Rosset writes books and songs, acts in movies, loves and lives life to the full. She believes that we are all capable of turning our lives into fairy tales. After looking for her true purpose and striving to do everything and be everywhere, travelling widely etc. she became a happy wife and mom of three beautiful children. That doesn't stop her from studying enthusiastically and participating in business project and act and produce movies like Portrait of God (2019), S.O.S. Survive or Sacrifice (2020) and The Ghosts of Monday. Her company is called Altadium group and in her capacity as a movie producer, her and her husband ended up representing Cyprus on the red Carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, promoting the island's film industry by making the world aware of its shooting diversity and overall potential. I love her book Fanyasha, a beautiful angel that can tell people about happiness and love, suffering, dreams and how to find yourself in this big, wide world. Fanyasha helps make the world a brighter and kinder place, helps adults and children to believe in miracles, and helps them to find their way and understand that everything in this world happens for a reason.In 2020, Marianna Rosset was the winner of the Red Diamond Russian Business woman of the year award.http://mariannarosset.com/index.htmlhttps://eng.fanyasha.com/https://altadium.com/
11/16/2021 • 42 minutes, 57 seconds
Cherie Mathews - Breast Cancer Survivor, Investor and Badass Motorcycle Rider
Cherie is a former IBMer in the field of Computer Engineering and research and development. Cherie believes it is truly possible to change the world by taking ideas that solve problems and putting action behind them to watch them grow. She has travelled all over the world and loves to ride motorcycles over high mountain passes in Europe and especially Switzerland. We meet in Global Woman Club Zoom rooms and Clubhouse rooms and have never actually met in person, even though I feel that she is a soul sister. She is also a twenty-year breast cancer survivor and turned a bad thing into a good thing for others, she is the Founder and CEO of an Austin, Texas-based company called Healincomfort that has won many Innovative Awards and has been nationally and internationally recognized. The name of her company Healincomfort, appropriately named because from personal experience it was the last thing that occurred. Healincomfort is dedicated to helping women and men heal in comfort and dignity after mastectomy surgery in their battle against breast cancer with her award-winning, patented, and innovative post-operative garment. Cherie chose to bootstrap her business as a social experiment with one thousand dollars to learn if people still believed in a good product would they share it with others and whether it was possible to grow a business organically and by word of mouth. https://twitter.com/healincomfortHttps://www.Instagram.com/cherie_b_mathews
11/9/2021 • 39 minutes, 29 seconds
Jordan - Camel riding in Petra and stargazing in Wadi Rum
Ever since I saw a picture in Queen Noor's book "A Leap of Faith - Memoirs of an unexpected life", with her and the late Kind Hussain I, sitting on a motorcycle with Wadi Rum in the background, I have been dreaming of going there. Against all Covid19 restrictions, rules and regulations, my best friends and I spent 4 wonderful days in this beautiful country and tried everything from Kohl eyeliner to camel riding, stargazing in the desert and floating on the dense water of the Dead Sea.My dream finally came true and I got a lot more than I had bargained for. Walking through world famous Petra which is famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit system, Petra is also called the "Red Rose City" because of the colour of the stone from which it is carved. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. Then onto Wadi Rum where we enjoyed a bouncy 4×4 jeep drive over sand dunes and climbed up huge rock formations to view the sunset and camping out under the stars in a Martian landscape, well, we "glamped" and stayed at the UFO Luxotel. Yes, Wadi Rum is worth visiting. It is basically a giant sandpit to play in and observe the beauty!Ending the short trip with an overnight at the Moevenpick Hotel and Resort on the Dead sea, covering ourselves with mud and floating on the water was just another highlight. Jordan, I will be back soon. https://www.facebook.com/dryverjo (our drivers)https://www.petraguesthousehotel.com/ (Hotel in Petra)https://www.facebook.com/shadi.petra.7 (staying in a cave)https://luxotel.com/en/wadi-rum-ufo/ (Hotel in Wadi Rum)https://www.movenpick.com/en/middle-east/jordan/dead-sea/resort-dead-sea/overview/ (Hotel on the dead Sea)
11/2/2021 • 24 minutes, 31 seconds
Jose Marie Chan - He is the reason why Christmas is always in our hearts
Jose "Joe" Mari Lim Chan (born March 11, 1945) is a Filipino singer, TV host, songwriter and businessman in the sugar industry. He is currently chairman and CEO of Binalbagan Isabela Sugar Company, Inc. and A. Chan Sugar Corporation. He is also the chairman and president of Signature Music, Inc.When I met Jose Mari Chan in a Zoom room with the Global Woman Club Manila and their wonderful director Rayla Allertsen, I knew, that I needed to take this opportunity and ask him to be my podcast guest and he said yes. In this interview Jose Mari tells me about how his father left China and went to live in the Philippines, how he met his wife and why he loves Switzerland.One of Chan's most famous song is "Christmas in our hearts" which has become a Filipino Christmas classic but many other Christmas songs and this phenomenon that earned him the unofficial title of “the king of Christmas". In the Philippines, the build up to Christmas starts on September 1, and truth to be told, when Rayla recently arrived at Manila airport from a trip abroad, she was welcomed home with Jose Mari Chan's music. According to Wazzup.ph, the three most famous characters during Christmas season are: 1. Jesus Christ, 2. Santa Claus, 3. Jose Mari ChanHe is a wonderful, warm person and he sang for me and for you if you listen. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
10/26/2021 • 40 minutes, 56 seconds
Switzerland - When you get to know your country because of the Miss Hongkong Contest
I was born in one of the most beautiful countries in the world and it took me many years to realize that. As a child growing up with my grandparents who didn't know how to drive a car, I didn't have anyone to take show me around and after I became a tour guide at the age of 20, I spent the next 11 years mostly living all over the world. When I got assigned to an incoming tour from a group from Hongkong, I got very excited. I got the know my country while assisting the 20 contestants of the Miss Hongkong Contest 1991 and a few months later I showed my picture book country to a group of Germans who traveled with the Diner's Club and who had spent a lot of money on this tour.Travel with me from Lucerne to Mount Titlis and from St Moritz to Zermatt, find out why the Swiss don't export wine and why William Tell took out two arrows of his quiver. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
10/19/2021 • 23 minutes, 18 seconds
Jeannette Linfoot
She has over 30 years of experience in business and is the former CEO of Saga Travel and MD of emerging Markets at TUI and generally a Travel and Hospitality Expert. She is the host of the podcast "Brave, Bold, Brilliant" which is in the top 2% of all podcasts in the world. She is fun to talk to and easy going and I very much loved discussing frozen eyelashes as well as buying companies in Moscow.She is a down-to-earth, an approachable business leader with a zest for life and her motto is: We only have one life, so live with passion and not regrets BRAVE. BOLD, BRILLIANTJeannette Linfoot's websitehttps://www.jeannettelinfootassociates.com/Jeannette Linfoot's podcasthttps://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/brave-bold-brilliant-podcast/id1524278970Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
10/12/2021 • 37 minutes, 46 seconds
Thailand
Thailand - my unexpected winter in the land of smiles I was planning to spend the winter skiing and traveling but then I received this unexpected call to go and work in Phuket. I know that sometimes opportunity only knocks once and when we say no, it never comes again. That’s why I said yes and three days later was on a Thai Airways Jumbo to Bangkok.Listen to my episode and find out what happened and how much fun I had.Yes Sir and Sawadee Ka!Check out his website: https://www.marketing-probst.ch/Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
10/5/2021 • 24 minutes, 59 seconds
Roman Probst
Roman Probst is the Founder and Managing dDrector of Marketing Probst Gmbh. He is also a Start Up Coach at the ZHAW Zurich University of applied sciences. He is my podcast guest because of his life as a globetrotter which started with being a tour guide at various seaside holiday destinations on several continents – first as part of a team and then as sole leader, and finally as team manager for Egypt/Israel. He has acted as a fill-in for emergency situations and as a travel guide in Asia, Europe, South America. He was part of the team of the Millennium World Tour in 2000 which took a group of people around the world for the beginning of the 21st century. You are going to love him, listen carefully :)Check out his website: https://www.marketing-probst.ch/Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
9/28/2021 • 30 minutes, 27 seconds
Australia - Down under during the domestic pilots strike
I had negotiated this trip in exchange of hard work in the USA and when it actually happened, I was a little overwhelmed. It was my first trip to Australia ever with a very large tour group and a complete airline chaos in the country. Let me tell you, how we improvised and turned this trip in the a huge success with the biggest tip I ever received in all the 11 tour guiding years. Find out about what's under the toilet lid in the Northern Territory and if the Ghan has wooden seats. Listen to my apology to the Anangu people for climbing Ayers Rock and many more snippets about the continent down under. Fly with me to Kangaroo Island and let's visit the little penguins on Philip Island. Let me know if you like my podcasts, send me a message and share with all your family and your friends.•Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
9/21/2021 • 26 minutes, 51 seconds
Kiera Chaplin - a superstar without airs and graces
Kiera Chaplin is a top model, entrepreneur, actress and singer from Northern Ireland. She is the granddaughter of the English filmmaker Charlie Chaplin and the great-granddaughter of the American dramatist Eugene O'Neill. She is also an adventure seeker, fashion lover and an eclectic creator but most of all she is a very kind and charismatic person who serves others and helps others grow. She is involved in many charity organisations and foundations and in 2018 Kiera Chaplin created the Chaplin Awards in Asia. It is an award that goes to an actor or filmmaker whose work embodies Charlie Chaplin's qualities of realism, diversity and courage within their craft.I am grateful to Kiera for this beautiful interview and I hope that you will enjoy listening to it as much as i did recording it. Here's the link to The Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles du Maroc that Kiera mentionedhttps://www.rallyeaichadesgazelles.com/en/Here's the link to Kiera's beautiful scarf collectionhttps://janaviindia.com/women/collections/janavi-india-x-kiera-chaplin.htmlHere's the link to Kiera's song "Love feels so much better with you"https://youtu.be/gsIxf5jzgio
9/14/2021 • 31 minutes, 8 seconds
The best of the West and how I spent a day with Tony Robbins
I accompanied lots of round trips in the West of the USA. It's a beautiful part of the world and one goes from highlight to highlight. It took me a while to warm up to Los Angelos, I instantly loved San Francisco, I was always fascinated by Las Vegas and if I needed to choose, I would want to live in San Diego. Find out how I met Tony Robbins, what happened in Vegas and why we stopped in Mammoth Lakes. I am still hoping to get invited to a beautiful villa in Malibu and would love to have dinner at Nobu. Never take me too seriously, I mean well. If this podcast channel inspires you, feel free to help me produce more content by donating to:https://www.patreon.com/join/ElisabethVilligerToufexis?•Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
9/7/2021 • 22 minutes, 48 seconds
Manfred Ritchard - my most eloquent friend, who showed me where the money is
I met Manfred Ritchard in New York in November 1986 because my friend Eliane who later became his wife wanted to meet up with me even though Manfred had other plans. The next time I met him at the helicopter pad in the Grand Canyon while our clients were flying over the gorge and he gave me hundreds of useful tips how to earn more money during my roundtrips in the West. We have known each other for many years and have lots in common; we both worked as tour guides for Kuoni, the largest Swiss tour operator. Today, Manfred Ritchard is a very successful trainer, motivational speaker, and lecturer. He is well known in the Swiss travel industry and has been supporting many well established companies in introducing innovative sales concepts. HeI admire his eloquence and expertise, and I love his sense of humor. Check out his TED Talk "Coping with Robots" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylR8UFm6e1o&ab_channel=TEDxTalkshttps://www.manfredritschard.ch/•Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
8/31/2021 • 44 minutes, 51 seconds
The world needs more Canada and where I found out that I was pregnant with my daughter
In this new episode, I am publicly declaring my love for Canada and how much I enjoyed traveling to all the beautiful places there. Do you want to know where my sexy red Delsey suitcase was bought and where it ended up or where I found out that I was pregnant with my daughter? Tune in and enjoy!Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
8/24/2021 • 22 minutes, 32 seconds
Simone Lugeon - my Swiss French Connection
Simone Lugeon started working for Kuoni (Switzerland's biggest tour operator) during her student years and did the tour guide training with me. We immediately became friends, and I was very impressed with her flawless Swiss German even though her mother tongue is French. In this episode, we are talking about some boring Rhine Cruises and how she nearly lost a client in Boston but also about her wedding to Arne on the beautiful lake of Geneva which I attended. The last time we met was in 1994 when she came to Cyprus with her firstborn boy. After that, we kind of lost touch because life took over and both our families grew. When we got together for this interview, we picked up the conversation from where we had left it off over 20 years ago. She had moved to Singapore, then to Myanmar, then to Vietnam and now owns a hotel in Seam Reap, Cambodia.Simone is a true tourism expert and has lots of stories to tell, some are most memorable journeys. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
8/17/2021 • 37 minutes, 33 seconds
Argentina - Quarantine instead of Malbec and Tango
On March 11, 2020, the day the World Health Organisation declared Covid19 a pandemic, I traveled 18 hours from Cyprus to Buenos Aires because I thought this will be over when I come back two weeks later. I had arranged to meet my daughter Natalie and her boyfriend Saemi in Argentina's capital to travel around the country, explore the vineyards of Mendoza and admire the Andes. I am stubborn and nothing could have stopped me from going on this trip. Little did I know into how much trouble I was getting myself and that the Cypriot Government would lock me up for two weeks when I finally managed to come back. You know what? I would do exactly the same again, I had a wonderful time and even if I only managed to stay in Argentina for three days, it was worth every minute. I got to hug my daughter, made a friend who dances the Tango, had one of the best steaks in my life, saw a rainbow from above and had a Margarita at the airport lounge in Sao Paulo.... Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
8/10/2021 • 35 minutes, 51 seconds
Katie Melville - How does a good, catholic girl from Alabama end up in Abu Dhabi
I know a fun person when I see one and when Katie turned up in my exercise class, I immediately thought that she is a genuinely kind, clever and special person. We started having coffees after class, and I asked how she ended up in Cyprus all the way from Alabama and then found out that she has lived in many other places before. She is definitely my kind of girl, and I love having her as a friend and neighbour. This episode is dedicated to her and her husband Nash's beautiful baby Alex who was born after we recorded this conversation. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
8/3/2021 • 26 minutes, 54 seconds
From the Big Apple to the Big Easy, travelling from New York to New Orleans
New York, New York, if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere and this is where I realized that I could. Travel with me from New York to the Jersey Shore and via Philadelphia to Washington DC. Find out where the word lobbying comes from and why the White House is called the White House and then we continue to one of the most beautiful towns in one of the most beautiful states: New Orleans in Louisiana. Let's gooooo!Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
7/27/2021 • 23 minutes, 29 seconds
Talking to a real princess - HRH Princess Zama Zulu of South Africa
She is the first princess that I interview as a podcast guest and at first I didn't know how to address her but she made me feel comfortable with her kind and sweet way. She has many stories to tell, about how to keep up royal appearances even when her heart tears apart. Princess Zama Zulu is a descendant of King Shaka Zulu who was a Zulu chief (1816–28) and the founder of the Zulu empire in Southern Africa. The princess talked to me about her life as an abandoned child and how she got assaulted by her stepmother and how she used all the obstacles in her life as stepping stones. She is the author of the book "A Zulu Princess Warrior"Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
7/20/2021 • 34 minutes, 19 seconds
Florida - Henry Morrison Flagler, Mickey Mouse and Thomas Alva Edison
Did you know that St Augustine is the oldest continuously-inhabited European-established settlement in the contiguous United States and did you know why Walt Disney built Disneyland in Anaheim and later created Disney World in Orlando. Florida as a state full of diversity and a very different East coast to the West Coast. I travelled all over Florida and met Mickey Mouse personally but I also know the most quiet benches to sleep on in Epcot Center. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
7/13/2021 • 26 minutes, 20 seconds
Talking to Monette Hamlin in Manila about life, love and her beautiful country of over 7400 islands
Monette Hamlin served on the Tourism Promotions Boards of the Philippines as a director representing the Meeting, Incentives Travel, Conventions, and Exhibitions & Events Services & Facilities Sector for three years. She is my friend and the perfect person to talk about journeys, life, travel and her beautiful country of 7400 islands. Monette is also the founder and president of TeamAsia, a 29-year oldaward-winning integrated marketing experience firm that buildsbrands through branding & design, digital marketing, contentmarketing, events & activation, video production. Monetteconcurrently serves as chairwoman of the Women’s Business Councilof the Philippines (WomenBizPH); chairwoman of HopkinsInternational Partners, Inc.; president of the Government-AcademeIndustry Network (GAIN), and Vice President for Conventions of thePhilippine Association of Convention/Exhibition Organizers andSuppliers (PACEOS).Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
7/6/2021 • 35 minutes, 2 seconds
Egypt is a magical country
Egypt isn't only Cairo and the pyramids, it's carving a path out throughmillennia by the Greeks, Romans, Medieval pilgrims, Egyptologists and, now, travelers. But beyond the astonishing antiquities, it’s a magical country that swirls with myth, legend and mysticism. Egypt is also geographically a very fascinating place. It is kind of a Middle Eastern nation in the north of the continent of Africa and also partly Asia while it borders the Mediteranean Sea in the North and the Red Sea in the East. I visited Egypt with many tour groups and when I was preparing this episode, I realised how much I want to go back and do it all again. Follow me!Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
6/29/2021 • 22 minutes, 53 seconds
Baria Alamuddin - award-winning international journalist and broadcaster, mother of Amal Clooney
Baria Alamuddin is an outspoken award-winning political journalist and broadcaster in the Middle East and the UK. She is the editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has interviewed numerous heads of states like Margaret Thatcher, Benazir Bhutto, King Hussain of Jordan, Yasser Arafat and Fidel Castro, to name a few. Baria was the last journalist to interview Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Baria Alamuddin is also the mother of Amal Clooney who is a celebrated humanitarian, high-powered barrister, mother of twins, and fashion icon—who happens to be married to a George Clooney.Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
6/22/2021 • 43 minutes, 19 seconds
1988 - A complicated year and lots of new adventures in New York, Florida and Puerto Rico
1988 was a complicated year, I came back to work in Cyprus even when I knew that it wasn't a good idea. However, I made a new friend, Daniela, and we travelled to New York, Florida and Puerto Rico together. It was also the year, where I moved on, to a new employer with lots of new adventure opportunities. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
6/15/2021 • 21 minutes, 55 seconds
Elena Tanou - Vice President of Top Kinisis
Elena Tanou is a prominent and highly respected business professional and the Vice President of Top Kinisis Travel Ltd, the largest tour operator in Cyprus. She is involved in the Cyprus economy and the Nicosia Chamber of Commerce. We share a common passion, we love to travel with tour groups all over the world, and in this interview, we compared notes.Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
6/8/2021 • 39 minutes, 8 seconds
The day I met a Saint - India and Nepal
India isn't just a country, it's a subcontinent and every state is different, I travelled all across India with various tour groups and have the most amazing memories. I lost my suitcase, opened the wrong hotel room door, stepped with my sandals in cow dung and met Mother Theresa by coincidence. I would love to go back and do it all again.Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
6/1/2021 • 23 minutes, 40 seconds
Glenn Lundy #RiseandGrind
Glenn Lundy is the host of the daily morning show #RiseandGrind which has taught hundreds of thousands of people about "The Morning 5 - 5 Steps to an extraordinary life" and he was recently featured in Forbes Magazine. He's also a father of eight and a wonderful husband and he told me how he was nearly arrested on his first flight ever.Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexis
5/25/2021 • 37 minutes, 16 seconds
A failed job interview and a trip through Europe
Everything happens for a reason. I didn’t get a job as a Lufthansa flight attendant but I got the opportunity to travel to various cool cities around Europe as a tour guide. I have learned to grab opportunities when they appear.Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexisTwitter: exinal
5/18/2021 • 24 minutes, 39 seconds
Interview with my gorgeous children Natalie and Alexi
Most memorable journeys with my most precious travel companions. When I was 37 years old, I suddenly found myself with two small babies after I had been used to a glamorous life, jet setting all over the world. I absolutely loved being a mother to those two exquisite creatures but I also missed travelling and I knew what I needed to do. I needed to make them love travelling as much as I do. They grew up trilingual which was a good start and after initial trips to Switzerland, my home country and holidays in Greece, which is a short flight away from Cyprus, we started going further and further and explored the whole planet together. I loved and still love traveling with my children and we have done some crazy things together like going to a Heavy Metal Concert in New Jersey, feeding kangaroos in. Australia or canoeing in Canada, etc. I couldn't think of any better podcast interview partners in my life...Natalie has graduated from the famous Ecole Hotelière de Lausanne and Alexi is studying psychology at the University of Zurich. My children are the light of my eyes. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexisTwitter: exinal
5/11/2021 • 46 minutes, 2 seconds
Good Bye Cyprus and hello Cyprus
These beautiful Cyprus summers were carefree and entertaining. They had a big impact on my life and I made lifelong friendships. I worked very hard and established myself within the company. I was ready to go further and explore the world even more. I was growing up....Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexisTwitter: exinal
5/4/2021 • 21 minutes, 58 seconds
Once a guide, always a guide...
Carmen Flaminio is a retired tourism expert in Dubai but then she trained as a local guide for The United Arab Emirates and the Louvre in Abu Dhabi because she loves what she is doing. A conversation going back to good old times of tour guiding.Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexisTwitter: exinal
4/27/2021 • 38 minutes, 27 seconds
Maldives - My shoes didn't fit anymore and my passport was mouldy
My first long-distance flight and my first long-distance destination. The Maldives are paradise on earth but it gets a little boring after a few months, and there were a few surprises when I went on my visa trip to Singapore.Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexisTwitter: exinal
4/20/2021 • 22 minutes, 13 seconds
Rob Moore - The disruptive Entrepreneur - I call him Mr. Podcast
Rob Moore is Mr Podcast, The Disruptive Entrepreneur with 700 episodes and this is my 7th episode; he inspired me to start a podcast with his course and came to talk to me about his most memorable journey and lots more.Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexisTwitter: exinal
4/13/2021 • 29 minutes, 52 seconds
Surviving the Tunisian bread price revolution
In this episode, I am talking about how I left Europe for the first time and spent a winter in Tunisia. I found out where the women with the little suitcases went and learned how to haggle with the fruit and vegetable sellers.Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexisTwitter: exinal
4/6/2021 • 20 minutes, 50 seconds
Interview - Partners in crime - Talking to my lifelong tour guide friends
In this episode, I am having a chat with my two beautiful friends Ruth Widl and Bernadette Andrey who were tour guides like me many years ago. They have been my companions on my travel journey and my life journey for many years. Our common passion is traveling and talking about it. I met Ruth because she was briefing me for my first ever trip to Egypt and Bernadette was part of the Kuoni New York City team. Find out how we started off and how we all ended up in Thailand together. We had lots of fun doing this episode.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexisTwitter: exinalYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5BvLBYZ5zdZzy5VsUTzZkQWebsite: https://thesoulkit.com/
4/2/2021 • 35 minutes, 58 seconds
Cyprus - Finally a nice place to stay, things were looking up
In this episode, I am talking about how life in Cyprus got better and better and how the island developed. I was definitely there to stay for a while even though I had to convince the head office every year that I was not replaceable.Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexisTwitter: exinalYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5BvLBYZ5zdZzy5VsUTzZkQWebsite: https://thesoulkit.com/
4/1/2021 • 27 minutes, 51 seconds
Cyprus - And suddenly my name was Lisa....
In this episode, I am talking about how I arrived in Cyprus for the first time many years ago and realized that they were driving on the wrong side of the road. Today, Cyprus is my home, my island in the sun but in those days I never thought that I would end up here.Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexisTwitter: exinalYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5BvLBYZ5zdZzy5VsUTzZkQWebsite: https://thesoulkit.com/
3/31/2021 • 27 minutes, 55 seconds
I told a Greek pharmacist that my friend got bitten by a swordfish while riding her moped.
In this episode, I am talking about how I dealt with wasps, strikes, and windsurf disasters. My season in Skiathos was a lot more challenging than I had expected and singing with a famous star was not initially on the program.Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from youYou can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexisTwitter: exinalYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5BvLBYZ5zdZzy5VsUTzZkQWebsite: https://thesoulkit.com/
3/30/2021 • 25 minutes, 10 seconds
How a little girl from the Swiss mountains made her dream come true
In this episode, I am talking about how I managed to get a job as a tour guide in Greece even though I was not only untrained but also too young and how it turned out to be my most amazing learning experience. When you know what you want, the universe will present you with the opportunities to do what you want. It was a long and very tiring summer but after this, everything else was easy and sometimes when we think that we are in a dark place, we think that we are buried but we are planted and during this summer in Rhodos, the seed to my life long globetrotting was definitely planted. Please subscribe, comment, like, and share this podcast with your family, loved ones, and friends.I would love to hear from you.You can find me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisabeth.toufexisInstagram: elisabethvilligertoufexisTwitter: exinalYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5BvLBYZ5zdZzy5VsUTzZkQWebsite: https://thesoulkit.com/
3/30/2021 • 21 minutes, 30 seconds
The journey begins - Life is beautiful and in the end we will only regret the things we didn't do.
Welcome to my Podcast. My name is Elisabeth and I would like to invite you to join me and listen to my most memorable journeys. But how did all this start? I was definitely not born with a travel gene. I was born in a small village in Switzerland, but I realized very early that I wasn't cut out for village life. I wanted to see the world, and when I started learning languages at school, I knew that this was for me. I wanted more. I started working at a very early age, and my first job was clearing tables in a ski lodge and there were some American guys working with me and I was just so fascinated by the way they talked and started learning a few words and started being able to communicate with them a little bit.With this podcast, I want to entertain you and take you with me on past and contemporary journeys, it may prompt memories of a past holiday or activate your wanderlust. Let me remind you that life is beautiful and that in the end, we will only regret the things that we didn't do and not the things we did. Life is too short to stay in the same place all the time. We have nothing to lose and a world to see. So please subscribe to my channel, and if you have a fascinating story to tell, get in touch with me.You can find me on:FacebookInstagramTwitter: exinalLinkedInYoutubeWebsite