Dream Big Podcast for Kids

Eva shares her thoughts on the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and the 7 other innocent souls who perished in last week's helicopter crash. The whole world mourns the loss of a global icon like Kobe, but it is particularly difficult for the city of Los Angeles where Kobe played for 20 years on the Lakers. We live in Los Angeles, Eva's dad grew up a huge Lakers fan and interned for the team during college, and Eva had the honor of interviewing Kobe on the Dream Big Podcast. We know many parents are struggling with how to talk to their kids about Kobe's death. We hope that hearing Eva's thoughts on what Kobe meant to her and how we can honor his memory will be helpful during this terribly difficult time. Our deepest condolences to all the families that lost their loved ones in this unthinkable tragedy. For show notes and links to Eva's original interview with Kobe, please visit DreamBigPodcast.com/175

Eva has been in a handful of musical productions, but next weekend is the first time she will be performing in a starring role -- as Annie from the classic musical Annie! Eva has been super excited about the show, especially as the big date approaches, and so she thought she would share her top 3 secrets for dealing with stressful situations. Whether you have a big school project or presentation coming up, or you are going to be in a recital or performance like Eva, or you are playing in an important sports game -- this episode shares practical strategies for how to deal with your emotions. And rather than stress out, Eva shares how to channel those emotions in a way that allows you to step up and perform to the best of your ability. For show notes, please visit DreamBigPodcast.com/174

Our family is always on the lookout for powerful stories that we can share with our Big Dreamers. With the seemingly infinite amount of content online, stumbling across a truly amazing storyteller often feels like finding a needle in a haystack. Recently, we were introduced to the incredible Jay Shetty - who creates short videos typically centered around a story and then draws out lessons and key takeaways from that story. He recently released a video entitled "Ungrateful son teaches us all a lesson" that was particularly powerful. In the video, a teenage boy receives a Christmas gift from his mom, and let's just say he did not hide his disappointment. In this week's episode, Eva describes the teenage boy's reaction and the important lessons we can all learn about the truly important gifts in life. For show notes, please visit DreamBigPodcast.com/173

Eva had been asking for some time now if we could find an afternoon to set-up a hot cocoa stand in front of our house. Last Saturday, we finally had a day with no major plans on the calendar so we made it happen First, I'll tell you what we did NOT do. We did NOT sell hot cocoa for 25 cents, 50 cents, or even a dollar. We did NOT set up just a table with a basic cardboard sign. Let's just say this was NOT your typical hot cocoa stand. We had our youngest daughter Sophia singing and waving to convince cars to stop by. We had a live chicken taking pictures at our stand (I'm not joking). And yes, we had hot cocoa. But that was definitely not the main attraction. In just over 2 hours, Eva and Sophia had collected over $200 in front of our house, which gets very little foot and car traffic. Oh, and it wasn't even a cold day so the conditions were not ideal for Hot Cocoa. In this episode, Eva shares the secret to the smashing success of her hot cocoa stand. Our 3-part strategy can be used in ANY business (hint: this episode is great for our kid and adult Big Dreamers). For show notes, please visit DreamBigPodcast.com/172

In this first episode of 2020, Eva shares our most recent family adventure. We had been hoping to spend some time in the snow this holiday season, and finally got what we thought was the perfect opportunity when a storm had passed through California dumping snow on the nearby mountains. We packed up all of our gear, woke up super early to beat the traffic, and embarked on a 3-hour drive to the closest ski resort. Eva and Sophia were so excited to experience their first snow of the season, but as we reached the final stretch of the drive we learned that the resort was closed and we were unable to travel further up the mountain. We could have easily made a u-turn and headed back home, as we saw countless cars do. Instead, we decided not to let these unexpected circumstances ruin our mood, and ended up having one of our best days in recent memory. Eva shares what we ended up doing once we discovered that the ski resort was shut down, and why you should react similarly when unexpected circumstances occur in 2020. Life does not always go according to plan -- so learning to go with the flow, be creative, and turn negatives to positives will help ensure that 2020 is your best year yet. For show notes, please visit DreamBigPodcast.com/171

This episode is being published on December 30, 2019 -- so 2019 is about to be a wrap and we are on to 2020. This episode is about the ONE WORD that will be a central theme for Eva (and our entire family) in 2020. Be sure to listen to this episode to find out how if you make this ONE WORD the focus of your energy in 2020, it will surely be your best year yet. And you can apply this word to your family life, to your school life, and to your work life for the adult Big Dreamers. Listen to the episode to find out what the ONE WORD is that will make 2020 a life-changing year for you! As you can tell, we are not spilling the beans here, as we really want you to listen to this final episode of 2019 :) For show notes, please visit DreamBigPodcast.com/170

Eva recently came home from school excited to invite a man named Colin O'Brady on the Dream Big podcast. When we asked her why she wanted Colin to come on the podcast, she explained that her incredible teacher Ms Angel shared with the class that Colin and his team are currently attempting to row across Drake Passage - from the southern tip of South America to Antarctica. This has never been done before, which is no surprise given that Drake Passage is the most dreaded bit of ocean on the globe. In order to accomplish this feat Colin and his crew of six will be rowing 24 hours a day in a perpetual 90-minute rotation for 21 days straight. The crew will endure the iciest waters in the world, freezing temperatures, high winds, up to 50ft-high ocean swells, all while operating on limited sleep. We did some research on Colin, and it turns out that this is not the first time he has attempted to do something that had never been done before in human history. Eva was so inspired by Colin's story and his Ted Talk that she decided to create this episode about Colins' journey. She also shares some of the other world records he has set, and one of the main takeaways she learned from his Ted Talk. We hope that when Colin is back home and rested that he will come on the podcast to share his incredible story, and the secrets to how he has repeatedly been able to accomplish his "impossible" dreams. For show notes, please visit DreamBigPodcast.com/169

This week, Eva shares an incredibly valuable lesson from Admiral William McRaven's commencement speech delivered at the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. Admiral McRaven's message was so powerful that it went viral -- amassing tens of millions of views - and even inspiring a bestselling book entitled Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World. Admiral McRaven's entire address is only 20 minutes and is well worth watching in its entirety, as he shares the 10 most valuable lessons he learned during his training to become a Navy Seal. In this episode, Eva focuses on the very 1st lesson, which centers around why Admiral McRaven recommends to start every day by making your bed. If you are a parent who often nags your kids to make their bed in the morning (like we often have done with Eva) -- you can finally end that power struggle by listening with your kids to this powerful episode. For show notes, please visit DreamBigPodcast.com/168

We are always on the lookout for fun and unique stories to illustrate important life lessons. And recently we stumbled across a video online of Jesse Itzler sharing his experience inviting a Navy Seal to live with his family for 31 days and following his every command. Now, here's the catch. Jesse did this voluntarily. And the man he invited is none other than David Goggins -- who many regard as the world's toughest man. David is the only member of the U.S. Armed Forces to complete SEAL training (including two Hell Weeks), the U.S. Army Ranger School (where he graduated as Enlisted Honor Man) and Air Force Tactical Air Controller training. David also once held the Guinness record for most pull-ups in a single day and has run over 60 ultra-marathons. Why would Jesse (the owner of the NBA Atlanta Hawks who has enough money to never have to work another day in his life) decide to invite David into his home and subject himself to the most intense workouts imaginable? Well in this episode, Eva shares some of the hilarious stories from Jesse's experience, and most importantly, explains WHY Jesse made this decision. This is a really fun episode that you will love listening to as a family, and Eva even issues a mini-challenge at the end! For show notes, please visit DreamBigPodcast.com/167

It is hard to believe we are at Episode 166 of the Dream Big Podcast, including countless interviews with so many of the world's top performers. While each guest has a unique journey -- from NBA Legend Kobe Bryant to astronaut Chris Hadfiled to actress Evanna Lynch -- Eva has started to notice common patterns of behavior which she has applied to her own life. One such pattern is that so many of our guests have a morning routine or ritual. Essentially, the 1st hour of their day is very much the same, each and every day. As long-time listeners of Tim Ferriss' podcast, we know that Tim has asked hundreds of the world's best if they have morning routines, and virtually all of the guests have confirmed that they do. So in this episode, Eva shares why she decided to develop her own morning ritual and the 5 key elements she plans to include in her routine. Eva is super excited about this new morning ritual -- and hopefully it inspires other Big Dreamers to win their morning as well. Because when you win the morning, you are setting yourself up to win the day! For show notes, please visit DreamBigPodcast.com/166

It is a true honor to have one of Hollywood's most prolific and accomplished composers on the Dream Big Podcast this week. James Newton Howard has composed music for over 120 films, including the Academy Award-nominated scores for Defiance, Michael Clayton, The Village, The Fugitive, The Prince of Tides, and My Best Friend's Wedding, and Academy Award-nominated songs for Junior and One Fine Day. Our Big Dreamers can learn so much from Eva's interview with James. For instance, James famously wrote 3 hours of music for King Kong in just 5 weeks. It takes an incredible work ethic and dedication to pull off such a feat on a tight deadline. James also shares the importance of teamwork and all the incredibly talented people involved in a major Hollywood production. As we often say, you can't accomplish your Big Dreams alone. And James shares that even after his prolific 30+ year career in Hollywood, he is still striving to improve his craft with each and every project. Big Dreamers don't believe in perfection and are always looking to grow. There are so many nuggets to be learned! Enjoy the interview :) For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/165

In recent months, 3 different Big Dreamers from around the world wrote to Eva about how to deal with people who say mean things about them online. Jenny from Long Island who recently started a YouTube channel, and is upset that commenters in her channel make fun of the way she dresses. Charlie from Dublin, Ireland who is thinking about starting a podcast but is self-conscious about his lisp and thinks that haters will poke fun at his voice. And Tim from Sydney, Australia who started a blog and is frustrated by the mean comments that have been posted about his writing skills. When we received a number of questions on the same topic, we know it is time to record a podcast episode on the issue. Fortunately, one of our mentors Brendon Burchard recently created a video entitled "How To Deal With Haters." Eva was really moved by Brendon's advice, and shares Brendon's tips as well as how she has applied Brendon's strategies to deal with the cyberbullies who have said mean things about our podcast. For show notes, please visit DreamBigPodcast.com/164

We always look for guests with inspiring life stories -- those who overcame struggles that would have caused most to quit but instead chose to transform their lives to achieve their Big Dreams. Lori Harder is the epitome of the ideal guest. In her discussion with Eva, Lori shares an emotional story of being bullied as a child because of her weight. Rather than let the bullies destroy her life, Lori embodied the idea that "the greatest revenge is success" and transformed her body (and life) through fitness. And she didn't just dabble in fitness -- she went ALL IN and became a three-time fitness world champion and cover model. It was a true honor to have Lori on as Eva's guest, and we know you will enjoy their conversation. For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/163

In this episode, Eva answers a question from Jane who lives in Boise, Idaho. Jane wrote: "Eva, -- where do you get your confidence from? I've been a long time listener of the podcast -- and I'm amazed that you feel confident enough to have one-on-one conversations with Kobe Bryant, Evanna Lynch, General Stanly McRystal, astronaut Chris Hadfield and so many other amazing people who have accomplished so much in their life. I have been really struggling with my self-confidence I am super shy and don't feel comfortable talking in class. When my teacher calls on me, I wish I could crawl under a rock rather than speak up in front of my classmates. If you have any advice on how I can develop more confidence, I would greatly appreciate it." Eva shares how just 3 years ago she was so shy that she would refuse to place her own order at a restaurant, and explains how she has been able to build her confidence over the last 3 years so that she can now confidently interview world-class performers. It's been an incredible transmission that we have had the pleasure to witness as her parents, and this episode will be especially powerful if your child struggles with confidence. For show notes, please visit DreamBigPodcast.com/162

It is not very often that Eva interviews a guest who has had multiple full-length documentary movies made about them. Usually to do her research, Eva has to find numerous videos on Youtube and read articles authored by the guest to adequately prepare for an interview. With this week's guest -- Laird Hamilton -- our family watched the movie: Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton -- and we immediately knew that Laird was a Big Dreamer who we would love to have on the podcast. We were thrilled when he agreed! Laird Hamilton is best known as an American big-wave surfer and pioneer in the world of action water sports. Over the last decade, Laird has transcended from surfing to become an international fitness icon and nutrition expert. Many of today's top professional athletes and celebrities look to Laird for training guidance, including instruction in his unique underwater resistance workouts. It was a true honor to have Laird on as Eva's guest, and we know you will enjoy their conversation. For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/161

It is simply amazing that it has been 3 years since we launched the Dream Big Podcast. Our very first show, Episode #1 was published on October 19, 2016. Whether you have been part of Eva's journey since 2016, or have just recently learned about the podcast -- we wanted to thank each and every one of you Big Dreamers for listening to the podcast, for supporting the show, and for being Eva's inspiration to continue to record new episodes each and every week. We are proud to say that Eva has not missed a single Monday since we launched the podcast in 2016. Not a single one. In this episode, Eva reflects on the 3-year anniversary and explains how adopting the mantra "Everything is Figureoutable" (the title of Marie Forleo's new bestselling book) has been the key secret to launching the podcast and keeping it going the last 3 years. For show notes, please visit DreamBigPodcast.com/160

Born and raised in Caracas-Venezuela, Michelle Poler is a creative and passionate social entrepreneur, keynote speaker, fear-facer, and branding strategist. Michelle was not always a fear-facer. In fact, as a child and young adult, Michelle avoided all her fears and did everything in her power to never step foot outside of her comfort zone. In this podcast episode, Michelle shares how an assignment she received in graduate school changed her life forever. Indeed, Michelle has become so passionate about encouraging others to face their fears that she founded Hello Fears, a social movement that has reached over 70 million people worldwide and has empowered thousands to step outside of their comfort zone and tap into their full potential. For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/159

Towards the tail end of summer, Eva told Alex and I that she wanted to run for student council representative for her class. Only 2 students are selected per classroom (and last year over 10 had run!), so she asked if we had any tips on how to persuade her classmates to vote for her. We came up with a 3-part strategy, and we're happy to share that she was elected so the strategy worked! In this episode, Eva shares her top 3 secrets on (1) what she in the weeks before the election (likely the most important key to her victory); (2) what she did on the day of the election, including some great tips on what she said during her speech and why that was so effective; and (3) what she has done after the election. This is a great episode of any young Big Dreamer who hopes to run for student council one day, and there are important lessons for anyone who is interested in being a leader and gaining the support of your peers. For show notes, please visit DreamBigPodcast.com/158

Eva typically works super hard to secure guests for the podcast. We research guests, film personalized invite videos, diligently follow-up -- but every so often we hit the lottery and the opportunity for Eva to interview an amazing guest falls right in our laps. In this case, we received an email introduction from Humble The Poet (guest in Episode 146) connecting us with his friend Neil Parishca. In addition to being Humble's friend, Neil also happens to be the New York Times bestselling author of five books, including The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation, which together have spent over 200 weeks on bestseller lists and have sold over 1,000,000 copies. He hosts the Apple 'Best of 2018' award-winning podcast 3 Books with Neil Pasricha, which features live conversations with guests such as Malcolm Gladwell, Judy Blume, David Sedaris, and Chris Anderson of TED. He gives over fifty speeches a year to audiences such as Royal Families in the Middle East, SXSW, and Shopify. Prior to his current work, Neil completed his MBA from Harvard Business School and spent a decade as Director of Leadership at Walmart. For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/157

Last December, we were invited by our dear friends Jackie and Chris to spend the weekend at their cabin in Lake Arrowhead. The highlight of the weekend for Eva was riding her own go-kart for the very first time. There is a go-kart track in Lake Arrowhead Village, and Eva had just barely made the height requirement and was permitted to ride on her own. We were graciously invited again to join Jackie and Chirs this summer, so right away Eva asked if we could ride go-karts again. When we arrived at the track, the cashier told Eva she could not ride because she was not tall enough. Eva was understandably upset -- given that 8 months ago she had been allowed to ride so she had not even entertained the possibility that this would happen. In this episode, Eva shares two very important lessons with our Big Dreamers about how she responded to this "NO" -- and how she ultimately was able to get a "YES" and once again make riding go-karts a highlight of the weekend. This is a powerful episode because Eva could have easily let that "NO" ruin her day, and perhaps the entire weekend. For show notes, please visit DreamBigPodcast.com/156

This is Alex, Eva's dad, writing. Last month, I took Eva on a daddy-daughter date to Dodger stadium. Eva had been asking to go to a Dodgers game for some time now -- and I finally got the tickets and put it on the calendar. I turned out to be an incredible evening -- filled with memories that she and I will never forget. I always knew that Eva was a powerful young lady -- so I guess it should not have been a surprise that minutes after telling me it would be amazing to come home with a foul ball -- she indeed had a foul ball in her hands. I have many friends who have been to hundreds of games and have yet to catch a foul ball, and Eva got one at her very first game! As Eva shares in the episode, the whole day and evening was magical, and Eva shares a powerful lesson that I'm sure both kids and adults could hear about how to make your experiences in life magical -- even when it is not your very 1st Dodger game :) Enjoy!

In this week's episode, Eva shares her feelings about the recent passing of Sean Stephensen. This is the first time Eva has ever talked about death on the podcast, and as you know, the podcast is typically upbeat. But Sean was a guest on the podcast and someone our whole family considered to be a hero. While those who loved Sean were devastated to learn this tragic news, Eva does have an uplifting message about how Sean's legacy can and will live on. She also shares practical advice on how to deal with the loss of someone you admire. For those of you who are not familiar with Sean Stephensen, he was born with a condition called osteogenesis imperfecta -- causing him to have fragile bones that break very easily. By the time Sean was 18 years old, he had suffered more than 200 fractures in all parts of his body. The condition also stunted Sean's growth, and as an adult Sean stood 3 feet tall and lived his life in a wheelchair. Sean became affectionately known as a 3 foot giant, because despite all the medical challenges he has faced over his life, he made the decision to lead an extraordinary life. In the process, he inspired millions worldwide, including Sir Richard Branson, President Clinton, Tony Robbins and the Dalai Lama. He was also a great inspiration to our family. Before the Dream Big Podcast had landed big name guests and racked up millions of downloads, Sean agreed to be Eva's guest. He was so kind and gracious, and shared a powerful story that forever impacted the way our family looks at challenges (Eva shares that story on this podcast, but we encourage you to listen to the original interview). In the title of this episode, we refer to Sean as a hero. He was not a hero with a cape. Far from it -- he was confined to a wheelchair. But the doctors told Sean's parents at his birth that he would live 24-48 hours. He lived 40 years. The fact that he defied those odds and lived such an extraordinary life for that long is heroic. And he's a hero, Eva and our whole family will never forget. All our love to his incredible wife Mindie Kniss -- we are thinking of you and will never forget your amazing husband.

A few weeks ago, we took Eva to her first marketing event, put on by ClickFunnels which is the marketing software we use in our businesses. During the event, the CEO of ClickFunnels Russell Brunson shared the power of storytelling. Specifically, Russell explained that emotional stories are the key component to drive people to make buying decisions. And of course, stories can be persuasive in non-business contexts as well. Students who learn to tell persuasive stories can influence classmates to move in a certain direction in team projects, and will find it easier to make (and keep) great friends. In this episode, Eva shares the key takeaway on how to tell powerful stories, and provides an example to illustrate the difference between a boring and engaging story. We also suggest you start practicing the art of storytelling at the dinner table. If you are used to getting the one sentence answer to "How was your day at school today?" -- then encouraging your family to tell engaging stories will liven up the dinner conversation. Perhaps you can share some stories from your day at work to participate in the exercise as well. We learned about the skill of storytelling at a marketing conference, so this can be a helpful exercise for the adult Big Dreamers as well :)

This episode is being published around the time that most of our younger Big Dreamers are back to school after summer vacation. To start the school year off right, Eva thought it would be fun to do a Back To School challenge. Typically, in the first month of school, students tend to gravitate towards the groups of classmates that they will spend the majority of their time with throughout the school year. Eva challenges all of the students listening to choose friends with positive attitudes about school and life in general. She also explains WHY choosing to surround yourself with positive people will have an impact on how you perceive the world, and the scientific evidence to back it up! By the same token, she highlights the dangers of surrounding yourself with negative peers. This is such an important lesson to teach our kids at a young age, and a good reminder for the adult Big Dreamers listening as well.

The title of this episode is Luck is for Leprechauns and you are not green. It's a famous quote from one of the most motivational people on the planet - Eric Thomas. We can say that with confidence because his Youtube videos gets tens of millions of views -- and they are all about how you can find your purpose and then turn your dreams into reality. As you can probably tell from the quote -- Eric does not believe that you should wait around and hope your dreams come true. Eric is all about being proactive when it comes to your dreams. Eva shares why you need to be prepared to put in hard work to be successful, and provides examples of the legendary work ethic of former guests Kobe Bryant and Ruby Rose Turner. We have always told our Big Dreamers that dreaming alone is not enough - you also need to be willing to work and that's what this episode is all about! Thank you Eric Thomas for this powerful quote, which we know will resonate with our young Big Dreamers. For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/151

Today we welcome Felecia Hatcher -- who had literally the coolest job ever -- as "Chief Popsicle" of Feverish Ice Cream - a company she founded. For the past decade, Felecia has dedicated her life to inspiring a new generation of leaders and creating diverse tech/startup ecosystems. An author and globally sought after speaker, Felecia has been honored at the White House on two occasions for the impact of her entrepreneurship and the social impact of her work. You'll fall in love with Felecia's positive energy. We were inspired that she not only became a successful entrepreneur in her own right, but also has been paying forward by helping so many others to become successful entrepreneurs as well. For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/150

Recently, we became familiar with the work of David Goggins, bestselling author of Can't Hurt Me. David had an incredibly tough childhood --and was going down a very dangerous path in life. Ultimately he defied all odds, became an active Navy SEAL and then later a world class ultra athlete and world record holder. Now, unfortunately, we can't recommend the book for our younger Big Dreamers as it certainly not intended for kids -- but for our adult Big Dreamers -- we highly encourage you to check out David's inspiring work and follow his highly entertaining Instagram. While his content is not suitable for kids -- there are many important lessons David shares in his book and videos that younger Big Dreamers can benefit from. In this podcast episode, Eva shares David's thoughts on the most important conversation you'll ever have -- which of course is the conversation inside your mind. Your self-talk will determine whether you get started and whether you continue or quit when the going gets tough. We love David's advice on the subject and Eva shares some examples of how she has applied it in her own life in recent months. Enjoy this powerful episode! For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/149

This week, we are so excited to introduce you to the amazing Michael Hirsch and the incredible organization he runs in Oklahoma called Loveworks. We know that Michael is amazing and Loveworks is incredible because we actually flew to Oklahoma a few months ago to meet Michael and visit the summer leadership camp that was in session at Loveworks, which coincidentally is also called Dream Big. Michael had discovered the Dream Big Podcast, and was kind enough to invite Eva to be the keynote speaker at the leadership camp. This was Eva's first experience speaking on stage, and Michael and his team could not have been more gracious. Listen to this engaging interview to learn more about Michael, Loveworks, and Eva's experience speaking at the summer leadership camp. For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/148

We are super proud of all of Eva's accomplishments with the Dream Big podcast, the work she is putting into creating the Academy which will launch later this year, and how she continues to push outside of her comfort zone (most recently by delivering a Keynote at the Love Works Summer Leadership camp in Oklahoma). But we always emphasize that it is her values and character that are way more important than any fame, money, or accolades she can earn through the Podcast (and wherever her Big Dreams take her!). In this episode, Eva shares a powerful story about how money, fame and power cannot buy happiness. At the end of the day, your worth is not defined by the toys you have, the clothes you are wearing, the car you drive, the house you live in – what truly matters is the quality of the relationships you have and the memories you create with those you love. For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/147

Kanwer Singh aka Humble The Poet is a toronto-bred mc/spoken word artist with an aura that embodies the diversity and resiliency of one of the world's most unique cities. With tattoos, beard, head wrap and a silly smile, Humble commands attention. He stimulates audiences with ideas that challenge conventional wisdom and go against the grain, with dynamic live sets that shake conventions and minds at the same time. Humble's first book Unlearn: 101 Simple Truths For A Better Life is a best-seller that has been widely praised. His next book Things No One Else Can Teach Us will be released in fall 2019. Eva has an absolute blast chatting with Humble. He is so easy to connect with, had great energy, and dropped so many valuable insights during this fun interview. Thank you Humble for being Eva's guest! For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/146

If you are a long-time listener, you know that Eva has a little sister named Sophia. Sophia recently turned 4. She brings so much joy into our lives with her hilarious personality -- but she can be a handful at times (to say the least). Especially when she gets tired, and manages to stay up past her bedtime. Eva was on the receiving end of a sucker punch to the face a few weeks ago on an evening that Sophia was up too late, and Eva was understandably upset at Sophia for hitting her. Usually, Eva is able to release the anger rather quickly and forgive her sister -- but we noticed the feelings continued to linger for a few days. In this episode, Eva shares an experiment that she did with her dad involving a Water Bottle -- and how that experiment helped her understand why it was time to release the negative feelings towards Sophia and move on. It is an experiment you can try at your home as well -- all it takes is a water bottle and a few minutes! Enjoy the episode :) For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/145

Cal Newport is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University. In addition to researching cutting­ edge technology, he also writes about the impact of these innovations on society. Newport is the author of six books, including the New York Times bestseller, Digital Minimalism, which argues that we should be much more selective about the technologies we adopt in our personal lives, and Deep Work, which argues that focus is the new I.Q. in the modern workplace. Social media is a hot topic, especially with parents who are concerned how damaging and addictive it can be for our kids. Cal is super thoughtful and Eva was genuinely interested in his tips and strategies on ensuring that technology is a positive - rather than a negative -- force in her life. We hope your young Big Dreamers enjoy this powerful interview. For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/144

In this episode, Eva shares two recent experiences: performing a complicated rap at her school talent show, and delivering a 20 minutes keynote in front of a live audience. Many people assume that as the host of the podcast, Eva is super confident and has no fear of public speaking. But the podcast is recorded at our home with a microphone. Eva does many episodes in her pajamas! Performing and speaking in front of a live audience is a completely different skill set -- and Eva had to push way outside of her comfort zone. Both experiences went incredibly well -- and in this episode Eva shares the two strategies that she believes were the primary reason for this success. For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/143

Elena Favilli is an Italian writer and serial entrepreneur. She's the co-creator of the Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls series, which has broken records on the crowdfunding website Kickstarter for literary publications. Eva's wonderfully generous Aunt Ilene backed the Kickstarter campaign and gave the Rebel Girls series to Eva, who absolutely adores the books, artwork, and the amazing women featured in the books. We were beyond thrilled when Elena agreed to be a guest on the show, and share how she took her big dream of empowering young girls to believe in their ability to accomplish extraordinary things, and turned it into reality with the Rebel Girls series. For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/142

What do you think would happen if one of the world's best violinists – Joshua Bell -- performed in a busy Washington DC metro station during rush hour? Here's the catch --- no announcement was made. There was no promotion. Instead, Joshua Bell played incognito in a baseball cap and lay out his violin case to collect donations – as street musicians often do. In this episode, Eva asks you to guess how many of the 1097 people who passed by stopped to listen, reveals the shocking results of the experiment, and shares important lessons for all our Big Dreamers. For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/141

Kyle Maynard is a motivational speaker, bestselling author, entrepreneur, and ESPY award-winning mixed martial arts athlete, known for becoming the first quadruple amputee to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Aconcagua without the aid of prosthetics. Kyle shares his "No Excuses" mentality and the deeply emotional and rewarding experience of summiting Mount Kilimanjaro. For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/140

You've probably heard Eva share on previous episodes how much she loves horses. Horses are beautiful animals and we're lucky enough to have a stable about 20 minutes from our house. Eva occasionally take group classes and one of the things she has noticed is just how well horse owners take care of their horses, especially the horses that are participating in competition. What if we started to treat our bodies like a million dollar racehorse? In this episode, Eva shares why it is so important to take care of our bodies and gives her best tips on fitness (hint, get out and sweat!), drinking plenty of water, and eating your veggies. Parents: Eva maks a very compelling case for why kids should care about what they put into their bodies and we encourage you to have your kids listen to this one especially if you are struggling with their fitness and eating habits. For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/139

This week's episode is truly special. Eva gets excited for all of her interviews, but the truth is that she is usually not very familiar with our typical guest's career when we start the process of preparing for an interview. Eva is curious by nature, so she becomes more and more interested in the guest as we do our research. But in this instance, Eva actually requested that we reach out to Evanna Lynch, one of her favorite actresses from the Harry Potter films, to see if she would be our guest. When we got confirmation from Evanna's lovely assistant Lucy that Evanna would love to be on the Dream Big Podcast, Eva was beyond thrilled. She actually jumped for joy. It is moments like that -- when we see Eva's pure excitement in getting to talk one-on-one with someone she truly admires like Evanna Lynch -- when we realize how truly amazing this experience has been for Eva to host the Dream Big Podcast. For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/138

One of the most motivational mentors in the world right now is Brendon Burchard. Recently, we stumbled across a video of Brendon comparing people to power plants. Brendon explained that when a power plant is first built - it alone does not have any energy. The power plant takes energy from a source -- whether that's the sun or wind, and then transforms the energy into a usable energy that can be sent to your home. In other words, the power plant does not have energy -- it generates energy. Likewise, we don't have gratitude or happiness, we generate it. By the same token, we don't have sadness or negativity, we generate it. We take in energy from the outside world -- and we decide (yes it is a DECISION) -- how to transform and transmit that energy to the world. In this episode, Eva explores this analogy in great detail, applies the analogy to the incredible life of Kyle Maynard (who will be our guest in an upcoming June episode!), and then shares her wish for all Big Dreamers. This is a short, but powerful episode about Power Plants and what we can learn from Brendon's thoughtful analogy. For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/137

Sasha DiGiulian first began climbing at 6 years old, in 1998. She has won the World Championships for Female Overall, and has placed Silver in the Bouldering World Championships, as well as Bronze in the Duel. Sasha has been the undefeated panAmerican Champion 2004 to the present, and she is a three-time US National Champion. In this episode, Eva focuses on the mindset required to successfully ascend steep cliffs -- and how Sasha has worked on both her body and mind to become a champion climber. For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/136

Have you ever opened a gift either for your birthday or a holiday, and discovered that what was inside the box was not something you wanted? Let's say your Grandma gave you a sweater in a color that you are not a fan of -- and you really don't need any more sweaters any way. Now, if you tell your Grandma: "This is the worst present I have ever received. I hate the color. I don't even need a sweater. Take it back." How excited do you think Grandma will be to give you more gifts? Now contrast that to a situation where you receive a gift and you react with gratitude. "Grandma thank you so much. I love that you are always thinking about me and want me to stay warm this winter. You are the best. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." With a reaction like that -- do you think your Grandma will be more or less likely to want to get you more gifts in the future. In this episode, Eva explains how life works the same way! The more you find to be grateful for, the more you will have to be grateful for. For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/135.

Imagine you are destined to be a fitness sensation and even have a degree in health sciences, but instead you choose a career in a multinational corporate environment where you struggle to find inspiration and the drive to go on! You finally reach that point tagged 'rock bottom' and things have nowhere to go but uphill. That's the story of Natalie Jill, the uber-successful sports nutritionist and fitness trainer. Her story is amazingly inspiring and so is her journey to the top tier of fitness training. Her franchise program, Natalie Jill Fitness, began as an accident and it went on to become a huge success across the country. For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/134

Eva shares with what it means to make a decision in your life. A real decision that you will follow through and actually take action on. It all comes down to whether what you are deciding is a Must or a Should. Eva shares a fun example from her own life of when she decided that she MUST win a trivia game about her favorite series, Harry Potter. And she also shares how she applies the same principle of Must versus Should when making decisions about her Big Dream of inspiring millions of kids to Dream Big. You really should listen to this episode, but I'm asking you right now to decide that you MUST listen to it :) For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/133

Marie Diamond is a globally renowned Transformational Teacher, Leader, Speaker and International Best-Selling Author, Creator of Diamond Feng Shui, Diamond Dowsing and Inner Diamond Meditation Programs. She is also the only European star in the worldwide phenomenon "The Secret". In addition to all these accolades, she also happens to be a dear, long-time friend to my mom and our family. It was a true honor to have Marie as a guest to share her wisdom with our audience. For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/132

If you are a long time listener of the podcast, you know that Eva loves to find analogies from every day life to teach lessons about what it takes to achieve your big dreams. In episode 90, she even found a way to explain how the journey is similar to the Bean Boozled Challenge. And recently, we've done a number of episodes comparing the process of pursuing your dreams to the Chinese Bamboo Tree, Circus Elephants, Eagles and even Lobsters. We like to use these analogies and stories because it makes the lesson easy to remember. And what is easier to remember than brushing your teeth? You all do that twice a day, right? At least I hope you do! Make sure to listen to this episode where Eva shares what brushing your teeth can teach you about the road to achieving your big dreams! For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/131.

Kechi Okwuchi is a singer and motivational speaker. She was one of the two survivors in the Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145 crash on December 10, 2005 that claimed 107 lives, 60 of which were her schoolmates. Kechi spent the next seven months in the hospital with a majority of that time in intensive care and has endured more than 100 surgeries. She credits her faith, family, friends, and singing for keeping her going. We first learned about Kechi's story when she auditioned on America's Got Talent in 2017 as a singer, and finished the competition as a finalist. She later participated in America's Got Talent: The Champions in 2019, where Simon Cowell gave her the golden buzzer, sending her straight to the final. We fell in love with Kechi's talent and story, and were thrilled when she agreed to be a guest on the podcast. For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/130

One of the skills that will be most important in achieving your big dreams is learning to seek guidance from those who have already found success. Think about it... The most successful people in any field have dedicated years, if not decades, towards their journey. Can you imagine all of the lessons they were learning along that path? Many of those were painful lessons from mistakes that could have been avoided. Wouldn't it be nice if you can find mentors who can help you avoid those same pitfalls? Can you see how it would be extremely valuable if a mentor could steer you away from that same error so you can achieve your dreams even faster? Of course, the answer to all these questions is a resounding YES. That's why you want to listen to this episode where Eva shares her best tips and secrets for finding mentors. You don't want to miss this one! For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/129

Since this is the Dream Big Podcast, we know that all of you listening have BIG DREAMS. Many listeners have taken the time to write us emails to share their Big Dreams. Johnny, an 8 year old boy from Texas, wrote in and shared his dream of one day being an astronaut like Chris Hadfield who was our guest in Episode 30. Lisa from Rhode Island emailed us about her dream to be a professional dancer and actress like Ruby Rose Turner from Episode 128. And Sharon from Los Angeles told us about how she dreams of being a successful author one day like Alex Banayan, our guest from Episode 88. If you have heard these episodes, or for that matter any of the interviews I've done on the podcast, you know that Chris Hadfield, and Ruby Rose Turner, and Alex Banayan had to overcome numerous challenges and obstacles to ultimately achieve their big dreams. How did they do it? Well, clearly they wanted it bad enough to put in the work even when it was hard, even when the odds were against them. Recently, we came across a video of a very powerful speaker Eric Thomas telling a story that perfectly illustrates this point. Make sure to listen to the episode to hear the powerful story and its very important lesson. For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/128

Gratitude is an important theme on this podcast. In Episode 8, Eva even did an entire episode on 5 reasons to be grateful. In that episode, we shared many startling statistics about very difficult circumstances that so many of our fellow humans across the world find themselves living in. For instance 785 million people go to bed hungry. Over 100 million are homeless. Tens of millions are living in war torn regions. Over 2.5 billion do not have access to clean water and sanitation. And over 60% of the world's population still has no internet access. These numbers are tragic -- and as you live your life day-to-day it is understandable that you are probably not thinking about just how lucky you are to be YOU. In this episode, Eva shares two powerful gratitude tactics that she uses during in her daily life to remain grateful. For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/127

One theme that Eva talks about all the time on the Podcast is that on your road to achieving your big dreams -- you will experience setbacks, obstacles, and even failures. But Big Dreamers who are truly passionate about their dreams do not give up. Instead, Big Dreamers treat failures as a learning experience on the difficult journey towards achieving their dreams. Today, Eva shares some examples of famous people (Michael Jordan, Walt Disney, JK Rowling, Abe Lincoln and others!) who all experienced failure and could have easily quit. But because they persevered in the face of failure -- the world experience their unique gifts and will never be the same. For our show notes, visit DreamBigPodcast.com/126