About: Ana Melikian, Ph.D.

Mighty Networks & Community Mindset with Gina Bianchini

By: Ana Melikian, Ph.D. | Posted in: Podcast Episodes | Friday, May 20, 2022 - 5:00am



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“A community sits at the center of how we do this: how we go through life together and how we learn from other people’s stories, experiences, and ideas; how we tackle things that we didn’t think were possible; how we find meaning and purpose from being a part of something bigger than ourselves.”

Gina Bianchini

Today, Gina Bianchini joins me to talk about how to create thriving and successful communities.

She explains why social media isn’t a community and offers her insight on how to identify a real community. She shares an example of a thriving community and explains why just about everything can be traced back to community.

Gina discusses what it really means to be a social animal and talks about Mighty Networks, explaining what it is and why it’s needed. She points out that human beings aren’t one-size-fits-all, and neither should be communities. She also talks about the community formula.

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Beauty, Humanity, and B Corps with Jennifer Norman

By: Ana Melikian, Ph.D. | Posted in: Podcast Episodes | Friday, May 13, 2022 - 5:00am



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“Every company is in the wellness business, whether they know it or not.”

Jennifer Norman

Today, Jennifer joins me to talk about beauty. She defines what it means to be beautiful and explains why she started The Human Beauty Movement.

Jennifer notes the importance of creating good role models and safe spaces, and she emphasizes the power of self-care. She offers her thoughts on B Corp and shares the triple bottom line of running a business well.

She also shares the story behind her SuperCaptainBraveMan series, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity and the need to encourage asking questions.

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Fighter Pilot Mindset with Kim “KC” Campbell

By: Ana Melikian, Ph.D. | Posted in: Podcast Episodes | Friday, May 6, 2022 - 8:15am



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“It’s not the fear that matters; it’s what you do when you are scared that matters.”

Kim Campbell

Today, Kim joins me to share her story and what she’s learned from it. She shares why she decided to become a fighter pilot and talks about her experience as one of the few female fighter pilots at the time.

Kim talks about when her airplane was hit by a missile over Baghdad, sharing what it was like in the moment and what she took from the experience afterward. She talks about the importance of a wingman and explains why we need a wingman culture.

She defines the fighter pilot mindset, and she shares her thoughts on the power of small acts of courage. She points out that it’s easy to blame an individual when someone goes wrong, but it’s the leader’s job to set the precedent of tracking down and learning from the problem’s root cause.

She also discusses the importance of showing the human side of leadership.

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Decluttering Your Mind with Harriet Stein

By: Ana Melikian, Ph.D. | Posted in: Podcast Episodes | Friday, Apr 29, 2022 - 8:00am



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“Mindfulness is not about stopping anything. There’s no stopping. It’s just noticing our thoughts—with compassion, with non-judgment.”

Harriet Stein

 

Today, Harriet joins me to share her story and talk about what she does. She explains why mindfulness is for you—even if you don’t think so.

We talk about the concept of monkey mind, and she urges you to take control of your mind. She emphasizes the importance of avoiding multitasking, and she discusses why your relationship with the past is probably determining too many of your actions and perspectives.

She explains what beginner’s mind is, and she distinguishes between planning and worrying. Finally, she notes the hallmarks of mindfulness.

 

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Online Learning Post-Covid19 with Danny Iny

By: Ana Melikian, Ph.D. | Posted in: Podcast Episodes | Friday, Apr 22, 2022 - 7:43am



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“[Information] is a great way of expanding your horizons of what’s possible…but it’s not very good for developing competence.”

Danny Iny

Today, Danny joins me to talk about the different ways to learn. He discusses his love-hate relationship with formal education and talks about the different powers and limitations of information.

He notes that formal education is a misfit for more people than we generally suppose, and he shares his definition of learning. He lists the three steps of a learning journey and talks about the pros and cons of online learning.

He explains why not to disregard online learning as ineffective right away, he talks about the hybrid approaches to learning, and he offers his insight on succeeding (and not just trying) outside of your comfort zone.

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Becoming More Resilient with Vered Kogan

By: Ana Melikian, Ph.D. | Posted in: Podcast Episodes | Friday, Apr 15, 2022 - 8:11am



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“Our outer world is a reflection of our inner world.”

Vered Kogan

Today, Vered joins me to talk about resilience. She shares practical tips for resilience and explains why we resemble batteries. She notes that, when your battery is depleted, you can’t be at your best. She shares her practical tips for keeping your battery full and stopping leaks.

She notes that any change involves grief, emphasizes the power of labeling how you feel, talks about the four domains of resilience, explains the meaning and importance of coherence, and guides us through a Quick Coherence Technique.

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The Happiness Pie

By: Ana Melikian, Ph.D. | Posted in: Podcast Episodes | Friday, Apr 8, 2022 - 8:00am



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“We cannot force positivity. Yet, we can create conditions that facilitate positive emotions to happen.”

Ana Melikian

In The How of Happiness, Sonja Lyubomirsky introduces the concept of the Happiness Pie. She explains that, while research suggests that 50% of our well-being is determined by our genetics, only 10% is determined by life circumstances. The remaining 40% can be determined by intentional activity—what we think and what we do.

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Investing Mindshift with Marcia Dawood

By: Ana Melikian, Ph.D. | Posted in: Podcast Episodes | Friday, Apr 1, 2022 - 6:39am



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“Are you really solving a big problem, or do you have a solution that’s in search of a problem?”

Marcia Dawood

Today, Marcia joins me to share her story and her advice. She talks about why most companies don’t make it and shares how she minimized the risks associated with startups.

She shares the questions you should be asking yourself about your startup, as well as tips on what investors love to see. She emphasizes the importance of a flexible mindset, explains why an investor’s “No” doesn’t always mean “No,” and shares why you should ask for advice if you want money, and vice versa.

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The Courage Mindset with CB Bowman

By: Ana Melikian, Ph.D. | Posted in: Podcast Episodes | Friday, Mar 25, 2022 - 8:00am



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“My intent is not to shame or blame. My intent is to create awareness.”

CB Bowman

Today, CB joins me to redefine courage. She explains that our classic understanding of courage is too lofty and unattainable and that the real thing is much more down-to-earth. She gives examples of everyday tasks that take courage and defines courage as the ability to act despite adversaries and despite supporters.

She notes the importance of creating awareness, and she posits that everyone holds responsibility for how what they say comes across to others. She also introduces her 6-step process of courage.

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The Howard Stern Show – How to Show Up and Create a Best Selling Book: A True Story by Debbie Allen

By: Ana Melikian, Ph.D. | Posted in: Podcast Episodes | Friday, Mar 18, 2022 - 1:33am



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“You’ll never have it perfect. You just have to jump in sometimes with as much knowledge as you have, and go from there.“

Debbie Allen

Today, Debbie returns to the show to share her story—in particular, the story of how she got on the Howard Stern Show. She talks about how to toot your own horn and stand up for yourself and shares the story of how she challenged Howard on the air.

She notes the value of asking: what do I have to lose? She also shares what she learned about entrepreneurship with and from her dad in his successes and failures.

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