Live Your Best Life
with Liz Brunner
Teach. Motivate. Inspire. These are the themes that run through my conversations with people who are living their best lives.
Guests on “Live Your Best Life with Liz Brunner” are best-selling authors, international executives, public personalities, thought-leaders, health and fitness experts, award-winning chefs and role models who are recreating their lives in interesting, unique ways. They have taken all of their life experiences, the good and the bad, the successes and even the failures, and used that knowledge to not only create their “next chapters,” but to inspire others as well.
My grandmother was fond of saying, “no knowledge is ever wasted.” It’s so true. I have personally used all of my “knowledge” to “re-create” myself several times from High School music teacher, to working in retail, to a 28-year award-winning TV career, and now to entrepreneur. I call it “re-creation” because to me it’s about “connecting the dots” of all of our life experiences and skills, and using them to create our next chapter and to live our best, most authentic life. My guests are re-creating their lives in interesting, unique ways.
As a certified professional executive communications coach and motivational speaker, I not only work with Fortune 500 and C-suite executives on their communication/presentation skills, but I also help them learn the tools they need to become their best authentic selves and live their best lives. Join us for inspiration!
Jamie Hess
In her early 20s, Jamie Hess was a PR hotshot climbing the ladder of success and living the glamorous high life in New York City. To the outside world, it looked like she had it all together. But on the inside, fearing she could never live up to her perfect trailblazing television mom, Joan Lunden, she held a secret. She was a high functioning cocaine addict, barely able to keep her head above water.
Anthony Bourke
Anthony Bourke is a winemaker, an F-16 fighter pilot and a successful business entrepreneur. And that's just the shortlist of his accomplishments. Today he's taking all of those experiences and helping others discover how not only to live their best life, but to do it at peak performance.
Wendy Tamis Robbins
For almost 40 years, Wendy Tamis Robbins’ life on the outside appeared to be perfect. An all-star athlete, Ivy League graduate, successful attorney, but on the inside, she was unraveling every single day, suffering with nearly debilitating anxiety, panic attacks, obsessive compulsive behaviors, bouts of depression, eating disorders, and even thoughts of suicide. Today, she has transformed her anxiety into her superpower, and she is helping others do the same.
Matt Emerzian
Being human is tricky because we all want to feel loved, to feel like we matter. And yet we're looking in all the wrong places. Matt Emerzian speaks from his own personal experience. He had a dream job in the music industry, working with some of the biggest stars like U-2, Usher, and Avril Lavigne. But it all came crashing down after a complete mental breakdown and in that brokenness, he discovered that none of that mattered. Today, he's helping millions of people discover how much they matter.
Jacqueline Lapuck
Ever since she can remember, Jacqueline Lapuck has always been drawn to sparkly things. What started out as a hobby has now turned into a thriving jewelry business. But there was a point on her journey where she wasn't sure she would even be able to continue making the jewelry she loved because her body was literally attacking itself. Jacqueline was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
Justin Wren
From professional mixed martial artist and UFC fighter to international missionary and social activist, Justin Wren has gone from fighting people to fighting for them. He knows what it feels like to be wrong and has dedicated his life to making a positive impact, finding his calling deep in the rainforest of the Congo. Beyond his impressive MMA career, Justin is a motivational speaker, author and founder of “Fight for the Forgotten.”
Nina Sossamon-Pogue
Nina Sossamon-Pogue is known as an expert on resilience and with good reason. She has enjoyed success at some of the highest levels of sports, television, news and corporate America, and at the same time, endured failures, traumas, including a devastating car accident that put her at the center of a major news story.
Dr. Carl Allamby
After 25 years owning his own auto repair shops, Dr. Carl Allamby went from fixing cars to fixing people, from being a master mechanic to medical doctor. His dream of becoming a doctor may have been delayed, but at the age of 52, it would not be denied.
Bridgett Burrick Brown
For more than 20 years, Bridgett Burrick Brown was a sought after model living in Paris, Miami and all around the world. And yet, she struggled with her own body image, yo-yo dieting, often told to lose weight, (even at a size four). Determined to redefine what beauty meant for herself, she walked away from the modeling world and started a movement to change the narrative of what it means to be beautiful from the inside out.
Stacy Peralta
Stacy Peralta paved the way for extreme sports and is a pioneer in skateboarding. He went on to tour the world as the first ever professional skateboarder. As an entrepreneur, Stacy was among the first to see the earning potential of skating. And today, his passion for the sport has transitioned into being an award winning documentary filmmaker.
Barbara Vacarr
Barbara Vacarr is no stranger to reinvention. She's been called a force of nature, an entrepreneur, and a celebrated change agent in higher education and mental health. Today, as a transformational consultant and leadership coach, she empowers people to look within, so they can call forth their highest best selves.
Ben Mezrich
"Bringing Down the House," "The Accidental Billionaires," "The Antisocial Network…" if you’ve read any of these non-fiction books, then you know who Ben Mezrich is. From being $2M in debt to becoming an international and New York Times best-selling author with more than 11 million copies sold, Ben has written more than 25 books and next chapters with critical acclaim.
Bradley Rapier
More than 20 years ago, Bradley Rapier walked away from pursuing a career in medicine and pioneered a movement in Los Angeles that rocked the dance community, and changed the landscape of hip hop on film and live TV. Today, as a world renowned choreographer, producer and speaker, he is showing people how to groove beyond the obstacles of life and embody the endless creativity, joy and power of the urban dance movement.
Christine Sperber
Professional snowboarder, owner of luxury resorts, passionate activist, seasoned entrepreneur, just a few of the careers Christine Sperber has had before her latest venture, part owner of what's been called, “the world's first midlife wisdom school.”
Sterling Hawkins
Sterling Hawkins was living the high life, co-owning a multimillion dollar company, flying first class and working in a swanky office when it all came crashing down. He went from living in a penthouse to his parents house in his 30s and has spent his life coming back from the brink.
Cory Almeida
For 15 years, Cory Almeida was one of the most highly sought after hype men in the entertainment industry. He's opened for Maroon5, he shared the stage with Pitbull, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z…just to name a few. He's worked the crowds for shows like The Voice, America's Got Talent and American Idol…and he has quite a few interesting stories to tell about all of that.
Pam & David Griffin
Combining their 50 plus years of corporate experience, Pam and David Griffin left their jobs, took a leap of faith, and became chocolatiers who now have a worldwide following with an in-store experience, as well as their very unique virtual classes for chocolate tastings!
Pirie Jones Grossman
Pirie Jones Grossman had huge success in the TV entertainment industry; hosting, reporting, producing, acting and modeling on major shows and networks. On the outside her life looked fabulous. But on the inside, she was hiding a traumatic, grueling childhood. Today, she has transformed her own life and as a speaker, life coach and best-selling author, she's helping others heal their own lives.
Olivia Howell and Genevieve Drezien
We all know that the one thing that is constant in life is change. And whether by choice or by circumstance, change is often about new beginnings, brave choices and fresh starts. Olivia Howell and Genevieve Drezien know all about all of that and more. They are on a mission to help anyone who is embarking on a fresh start no matter the reason with everything they need to know and do.
Nikki Lanier
When I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Nikki Lanier, I was struck first by her impressive resume. This highly accomplished woman served as a senior vice president with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, 18 years as a Human Resources executive and employment attorney with many accomplishments along the way. But one central theme has always been there during her professional journey: advancing racial equality.