When something unexpected happens in our lives, just like in the movies, everyone and everything seems to freeze, and the soundtrack playing in the background stops abruptly with the sound of a needle across vinyl.

A record scratch.

This podcast focuses on the courage and resiliency it takes to move through disruptive moments.

My guests share their transformational record scratch moments and offer tools to help us heal our wounds. We address varying topics including generational trauma, grief, PTSD, and what we can do to heal and be better humans.

Please subscribe to my Record Scratch podcast and follow me on social media: @karakavensky on IG, TikTok, FB, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

She has leveraged CliftonStrengths® as a competitive advantage accelerator since 2006. She focuses on highly motivated teams, including over 1,500 athletes and coaches at the middle/high school, college, and Olympic levels, and hundreds of global corporate teams on all the continents but the cold ones!

She is a Gallup® certified strengths coach, has a BS/MS in Engineering, and an MS in Leadership, was engineer of the year for IBM, and an instructor for Cornell’s online leadership development programs for tech execs.

She is the author of the book Destination Unstoppable: The Journey of No Teammate Left Behind, and a soon-to-be-released book, The Win Like a Girl Project: a courage, confidence, and self-leadership program for female athletes to become champions at the game of life.

website: maureenmonte.com

Twitter: @maureenemonte

FB: https://www.facebook.com/DestinationUnstoppable

FB: https://www.facebook.com/WinLikeAGirlProject

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Jimmy was a big band singer during WWII, and subsequently experienced an amazing life filled with fun and entertainment. Jimmy was a renowned broadcaster, both on radio and tv, then became a professional DJ, photographer, and videographer. He built his life around music and kept a pulse on Central Indiana entertainment.

Jimmy and the woman who would become his wife, Peggy, wrote thousands of pages of letters during their engagement while Jimmy was stationed overseas during WWII.

Part of the reason he was a prolific typist, is that he took (4) semesters of typing to graduate from HS in Lincoln, NE. After being drafted, he was stationed at Camp Atterbury. Typing was a highly coveted skill in the Army and Jimmy was stationed with a medical unit, where he would triage incoming patients. He was stationed within the 8th Air Corps in England.

Listen as Jimmy’s daughters, Bonnie McDowell Hinkle and Robin McDowell, and I reminisce about their dad and growing up with “showbiz” parents.

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A day before his 30th birthday Eric was diagnosed with Von Hippel Lindau disease, which had resulted in a tumor growth on his spinal cord. Eric was told that due to the trauma of the surgery he might never regain his ability to walk. This diagnosis and subsequent spinal cord surgery have not stopped Eric from participating in life to the fullest. This experience was the catalyst in encouraging Eric to found the Open Doors Organization.

Over the past 20 years, Open Doors Organization has proven itself to be the little non-profit that could, making a significant impact within the transportation and hospitality industries, not just in the US but worldwide.

Open Doors Org just release its 4th nationwide study on the travel patterns and spending of American adults with disabilities.

Listen as we discuss how powerful one voice can be on behalf of others.

opendoorsnfp.org

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Growing up in the Midwest, Paul Kapsalis dreamed of playing soccer at powerhouse Indiana University, but coaches said he simply wasn't good enough. After barely making the team, he fought through years of rejection, failure, and a career-threatening injury that sidelined him for an entire season. Then he surprised even himself by becoming captain of that powerhouse program. Listen to how he accomplished this and discover the lessons Paul has carried throughout his life and learn other valuable insights on his journey. He has chronicled his story in his autobiography, To Chase a Dream. Paul has also written The Leadership Code.

Listen as we explore Paul’s miraculous journey and legacy.

“Believing in yourself can take you far. Having others believe in you can take you farther.” — Paul Kapsalis.

Connect with Paul

https://paulkapsalis.com

Facebook:  Paul Kapsalis:  The Culture Coach

Website:  www.paulkapsalis.com

Twitter:  Paul_Kapsalis14

Email:  Paul@tochaseadream.com

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She is also one of the first female conductors to lead an orchestra, and the first to lead the Carmel Symphony Orchestra.

Born in New York City, Janna Hymes is a Fulbright scholar, recipient of a 1999 Geraldine C. and Emory M. Ford Foundation Grant, and a prizewinner of the 1998 International Conducting Competition in Besancon, France.

She studied under such prominent conductors as Leonard Bernstein, Gustav Meier, Otto Werner-Mueller, and Gunther Schuller, and holds degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati. She also studied at the Tanglewood Music Center, Aspen Music Festival, the Festival at Sandpoint (ID), and the Conductor’s Guild Institute.

Janna is normalizing diversity as a conductor of a mostly-classical orchestra. Listen to how she brings the joy of music to others and to herself.

Connect with Janna Hymes

CarmelSymphony.org

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He is also an author of the recently released: A playbook for improving Diversity and Inclusion in Entrepreneurship Centers and of a couple of other books on how to make the world a better place (this is not the title, I am ad-libbing here because he writes collegiate textbooks on Media Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a subject where he is a global expert.

Being an expert on entrepreneurship means Mike isn’t afraid of failure. In fact, Mike Green is fearless.

When he was 12 years old, he didn’t know how to swim so he jumped in the deep end of the pool. Prophetically, He later served in the Navy for 12 years.

As a Navy recruiter, when he spoke with the young men and women he would ask them, “What do you want out of life?” The #1 answer was: I don’t know.

Mike realized that by helping young people figure out what they wanted to do with their lives, he discovered what he wanted to do with his: Mike Green helps others succeed.

Connect with Mike Green

https://www.linkedin.com/in/amikegreen2/

Twitter: @mikegreen2

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karakavensky.com @karakavensky on Twitter, FB, IG 

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Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design

Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company

Fate is what brought Kim Dodson to her current position, for it was literally an accident while she was a junior at Purdue University that steered her career course. Dodson was involved in a fatal car crash that claimed the life of her fiance. After recovering from her own injuries, she changed her major from investment banking to pre-law. During the course of an internship for a Congressman, Dodson was introduced to lobbying.

Dodson worked for a law firm as a lobbyist representing the Amusement Parks. It was during that time that Dodson met Emily Hunt, a young woman badly injured in an amusement park accident that claimed the life of Hunt’s grandmother and rendered Hunt a quadriplegic. Hunt was lobbying for increased safety inspections at amusement parks. Dodson was representing the other side. After a hearing on this issue, Dodson returned to the law firm and told her boss that they needed a compromise. The managing partner said no. Dodson quit two months later. (the law firm no longer exists)

That summer, reports of abuse and neglect leaked out about the treatment of patients with special needs at state-run institutions. And she had no history of people with disabilities but was called to help in this effort, as it greatly offended her. Dodson called The Arc of Indiana. Then Executive Director John Dickerson was looking for a lobbyist. Now 20+ years later, Dodson is the Executive Director and advocating for equality for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Listen to Kim’s story and the importance of the Arc’s mission and their amazing accomplishments — and they are just getting started.

Connect with Kim

The Arc of Indiana — FB

@thearcin IG

arcind.org

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Tom is responsible for the development and implementation of sport-specific strength conditioning, flexibility, speed, and agility programs for the 8-time national champions IU men’s soccer program, as well as a multitude of other teams from track and field to men’s and women’s basketball, swimming and diving, and more. Tom doesn’t just work in fitness–he lives and breathes it, day in and day out.

Tom has completed countless triathlons, numerous cycling races, and 12, 24, 36, and 72-hour adventure races. But in May of 2012, Tom’s journey changed forever when he suffered a spinal cord injury while mountain biking and broke his C6 and C7 vertebrae, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. After a year of rehabilitation, Tom returned to Indiana University to where he continues to lead the strength and conditioning programs.

Listen to Tom reflect on his experience training the nation’s top athletes, and how his life-changing accident changed his perspective on day-to-day life. You will not only hear his insight on developing programs that challenge top-tier athletes and shape national championship teams–you will learn the value of optimism and hear what it truly means to use adversity to create opportunity.

Everything is possible. The impossible just takes longer. — Dan Brown

TomMorrisPerformance.com

@TomMorrisPerformance (IG) FB, Twitter

When Kathryn Bertine was six years old, she rode her bike to kindergarten in Bronxville, NY. One morning on the way to school, the chain fell off. She reattached the chain by herself and that day in class, her teacher asked the students what they wanted to do when they grew up. Kathryn confidently, and legibly, wrote out, “I want to be a fix-it woman. I want to fix broken things.” This proclamation could not have been more prophetic.

Documentarian, professional cyclist, author of four books, founder of the Homestretch Foundation, Kathryn Bertine is the Katherine Schwitzer* of cycling.

Along her journey of exposing and repairing the ugly misogyny and sexism within professional women’s cycling, Kathryn experienced ordinary and extraordinary miracles. The ordinary miracles nudged her along and provided validation that she was doing the right thing. The extraordinary ones saved her life.

HALF THE ROAD is her documentary (crowdfunded via Indiegogo) on the inequalities of women’s professional cycling. It has been a literal uphill battle but Kathryn found solace within the peloton and helped create (revive) a women’s Tour de France event, “La Course by Tour de France” (you must say the entire thing…as branding with Tour de France was initially an issue and only applied to the men’s race).

“The mission of The Homestretch Foundation is to level the playing field of salary discrepancy in sport, so that female professional athletes have the same wages and equal opportunities as male professional athletes. Regardless of an athlete’s socioeconomic and/or life circumstances,  we want all women to pursue their careers as athletes without compromise, inequality or injustice.”    

— Kathryn Bertine, Founder.

Kathryn helps me close out Season 1 of Finding Joy with Kara, and I could not have selected a more ideal conversation.

We conducted our podcast recording (coincidentally) on #EQUALPAYDAY with Megan Rapinoe testifying on Capital Hill and the same day that the NCAA announced an investigative review of how it treats its female athletes (“March Madness” is a brand only affiliated with the men’s tournament, not the women’s). As a mom of a dual sport (rowing + soccer) D1 Big10 female badass athlete, I am all too aware of the sexism and misogyny that exists within FIFA and university sports — and inside top business schools — but I had no idea how BAD it was within the world of women’s professional cycling (think Dark Ages, folks). There is so much work to be done in the fight for equality. We are in the early stages of this long game.

I strongly encourage you to not only listen to this interview, but watch Kathryn’s documentary HALF THE ROAD, and read STAND — it’s a journey you will not regret taking with her.

*Kathrine Schwitzer was the first woman to run the Boston marathon, at a time (1967) when men thought women couldn’t run that distance without their uterus falling out — no joke. You could not make up this level of ignorance.

(see kathrineswitzer.com)   It’s upon her shoulders that we stand.

Connect with Kathryn Bertine

CEO, Homestretch Foundation: www.HomestretchFoundation.org

Author/Activist/Pro Cyclist: www.kathrynbertine.com

Documentary Filmmaker: www.HalfTheRoad.com

www.homestretchfoundation.org / @HomestretchFdn (IG and twitter) / @homestretchfoundation (FB)

STAND by Kathryn Bertine is a powerful memoir on activism. It’s also a how-to manual for progress.

(see kathrineswitzer.com)   It’s upon her shoulders that we stand.

Connect with Kathryn Bertine

CEO, Homestretch Foundation: www.HomestretchFoundation.org

Author/Activist/Pro Cyclist: www.kathrynbertine.com

Documentary Filmmaker: www.HalfTheRoad.com

www.homestretchfoundation.org / @HomestretchFdn (IG and twitter) / @homestretchfoundation (FB)

www.kathrynbertine.com / @kathrynbertine (FB & Twitter) / @kathryn_bertine (IG)

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Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company

Phoenix is also the Partner and Chief Communications Officer of two financial tech firms that are changing the landscape of homeownership and credit worthiness for the American people. Rental Kharma and Achroma were created to level the playing field in bridging the wealth gap in America. RK reports your rental history on your credit report and Achroma is the first-ever anti-discrimination online mortgage marketplace, blind lending, circumventing all algorithms and systems that cause discrimination in the home buying process.

Our conversation goes beyond her corporate engagements. During the pandemic, Phoenix and her family experienced a devastating loss, her seven-month (in utero) son died. We discuss racial bias in the medical field and explore the potential for meaningful change.

Links and Resources

www.PhoenixJackson.com

http://www.phoenixaffect.com

www.rentalkharma.com

www.achroma.io

TEDx talk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5vKNn_HVkc&feature=youtu.be

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While battling postpartum depression, Dija found her creative outlet and has been blessed with a support network enabling her to follow her dreams. Dija encourages everyone to pursue their passions and not be afraid to shine.

Her work encompasses a strong sense of social responsibility and tackles issues related directly to mental health, racial equality, and racial justice issues through her powerful storytelling style.

Links:

https://medium.com/@dijahenry_70913

https://www.thebluehouse.co

http://youtube.com/dijahenry

Her daughter’s song: https://soundcloud.com/dessajoyy/silent-05292020

Dija’s mother-in-law’s nonprofit:

http://fhcenter.org

Connect with Kara

karakavensky.com

@karakavensky on Twitter

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https://www.hermaden.com

events & workshops: https://www.hermaden.com/calendar-of-events.html

Sharing this interview feels intimate, as this is one of the most personal podcasts that I have recorded.

Graehme Hall is the founder of The Hermaden (her - MADDEN) Institute. The mission of The Hermaden Institute is empowering people with the knowledge of who they really are, helping them discover their true power so they can create happier and more fulfilling lives. This should be the focus of all organizations! Graehme is a teacher, an author, and a messenger for how to create your own life. She shares lessons on energy, frequency, and how to attract the life that you are intended to lead. Graehme has such a loving presence as she encourages us to open up to possibilities.

We discuss the law of attraction, how energy works, PTSD healing techniques, and so much more. The Hermaden Institute encourages us to discover the power within ourselves to design the life that we are meant to live.

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@karakavensky on Twitter, FB,

IG https://www.facebook.com/karakavenskywriter/

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Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company

Betsy has created a few impactful documentaries: New York in the 50s based on a book by Dan Wakefield— a loving look at the generation of writers, poets, painters, musicians, and artists who planted the seeds for the cultural revolution of the 1960s

Something to Cheer About — the story of Oscar Robinson and his high school basketball team, who were the first all-Black team to win a state championship in the U.S. by overcoming racism and led to integrating college and professional leagues, and her 3rd documentary Althea & Angela — whose their race and religion made them outcasts and their game made them professional tennis champions — and she authored The Autobiography of an Orgasm and subsequent anthologies. and most recently authored Write On: A Daily Writing Practice for Anyone with a Story to Tell.

Betsy is one of the most loving, accepting, and most powerful humans on the planet for encouraging women to heal through movement and storytelling.

https://better.net/chicago/philanthropy/notes-from-zimbabwe-following-footprints-extraordinary-women/

http://betsybmurphy.com

Article:

https://karakavensky.com/orgasms-and-the-courage-to-write-about-them/

Connect with Kara

karakavensky.com

@karakavensky on Twitter, FB, IG https://www.facebook.com/karakavenskywriter/ https://www.instagram.com/karakavensky/ https://twitter.com/karakavensky

Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design

Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company

In this podcast we discuss how they upended their lives to pursue their deepest passions, knowing that you only have one life to live. We also explore how they satiate their innate sense of wanderlust during the pandemic.

Links and Resources

https://greatplainsguide.net/about-jeff/

workaway.com

cassiestockamp.com

Debbie Zipes can be followed on Facebook

Connect with Kara

karakavensky.com

@karakavensky on Twitter, FB, IG https://www.facebook.com/karakavenskywriter/ https://www.instagram.com/karakavensky/ https://twitter.com/karakavensky

Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design

Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company

Marlin shares his story with unabashed vulnerability, which is so refreshing since he’s an all-around badass athlete. IMHO, Fight for Life modules should be taught in every school across the country, regardless of socioeconomic circumstances.

He recently added tech founder to his ever-growing list of accomplishments. Marlin’s latest endeavor, which we did not discuss, is https://pulseanalytix.com

Links and Resources Mentioned

https://fightforlifefoundation.org

https://pulseanalytix.com

Connect with Kara

karakavensky.com

@karakavensky on Twitter, FB, IG https://www.facebook.com/karakavenskywriter/ https://www.instagram.com/karakavensky/ https://twitter.com/karakavensky

Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design

Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company

We explore the early challenges that led to Josh becoming the founder of a tech company — and being a gay tech founder in the Midwest! Corporate social responsibility is made possible through his company, which has a fun way of expressing an organization’s culture by where its heart is. It’s Josh’s bulldog, Huckleberry, who is the real star of the show!

Selfless.ly was the first BCorp and registered Benefits Corporation in Indiana and is a proud LGBTQ+ company!

Connect with Josh Driver

selfless.ly

@joshdrivershow

Connect with Kara

karakavensky.com

@karakavensky on Twitter, FB, IG, LinkedIN

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Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design

Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company

Shea BODYWORKS has experienced its challenges and when faced with the pandemic, Saidah recognized the need for her to step forward into the light as the head of her amazing product line. Easier said than done being a Black woman. Our conversation goes deep quickly. I realized just how little I knew about the depths of racism.

Shea BODYWORKS was selected as one of Yelp's Sweet 16 Businesses for 2020 for their Maskin and Relaxin virtual event. Saidah’s live virtual beauty tips filmed from her (stunning) kitchen make you feel like you are having a glass of wine with a friend while learning homemade recipes for facial peels. Saidah is an inspiration — and she’s a beautiful person inside and out.

Learn more at SheaBodyWorks.com

Connect with Kara

karakavensky.com

@karakavensky on Twitter, FB, IG

https://www.facebook.com/karakavenskywriter/ https://www.instagram.com/karakavensky/ https://twitter.com/karakavensky

Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design

Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company

Growing up in Beirut, Lebanon, Iva and her family lived through a war and moved to the United States. Iva’s journey is thoughtfully captured in her own words in her memoir, From Rifles to Roses: Memories and Miracles. In our conversation, we explore her journey and the miraculous story of her mom’s healing.

Iva Nasr (NUHsir) is a teacher, seer, mentor, and author working internationally. In her anecdotal and light-hearted way, she guides a Modern Mind: Open Up • Align • Focus • Shine ™.

Her private Intuitive Readings, classes, on-going dialogues, and life testimonials give hope and inspire mind expansion and action. Iva’s very being is a beacon of light for the world. Learn more about her at: www.IvaNasr.com

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@karakavensky on Twitter, FB, IG https://www.facebook.com/karakavenskywriter/ https://www.instagram.com/karakavensky/ https://twitter.com/karakavensky

Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design

Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company

Our conversation addresses his sagacious claim and explores how anyone can achieve internal peace. Charles is a Vietnam veteran, a yogi, and so much more. His book, Pathless Path: God, Grace, Guru is a powerful example of a journey to find peace.

Connect with Kara karakavensky.com @karakavensky on Twitter, FB, IG https://www.facebook.com/karakavenskywriter/ https://www.instagram.com/karakavensky/ https://twitter.com/karakavensky

Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design

Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company

Connect with Kara karakavensky.com @karakavensky on Twitter, FB, IG https://www.facebook.com/karakavenskywriter/ https://www.instagram.com/karakavensky/ https://twitter.com/karakavensky

Music by Adam Gibson of Adam Gibson Design

Mixing by The Brassy Broadcasting Company