The Debbie Nigro Show

I love gritty and gutsy women who make it in business against all odds. I am one, and so I am always drawn to the same.    We all have stuff. We all have crap. We all have horrific things that happen to us emotionally and financially that make us think, how the hell am I ever getting out of this? Often you don't even know where to begin.   Sometimes just listening to someone else’s story lends a clue. Especially when it’s a real-life lesson in resilience and survival. This story I’m about to share is very powerful. Because it’s about the power of believing in yourself.   Today you're going to hear the extraordinary story of Marcy Manfredonia. This now successful entrepreneur rose from extreme emotional and financial hardship. You will be inspired. She turned nothing and I do mean NOTHING, into something else!   Three Successful businesses now and counting. National Maintenance, Custom Candle Co. and CBD Live Natural, with plans for plans for more entrepreneurial ventures in the hopper. She’s Unstoppable.  Most amazing is that she never even learned how to read or write as she had to drop out of school young to take a job to help support her family.   This is one of the most authentic interviews I have ever done with one of the most authentic people I have ever met. If you’re not a Marcie fan after listening or reading, I’ll eat my hat.   I do think you should listen to this one vs read about it. Why? Well, let’s just say Marcie’s story told in her deep voiced Bronx Italian accent might just remind you to never judge a book by its cover. I’ll take the liberty to say that because I’m also Italian (American), have been judged wrong along the way by many, and also have a pretty deep voice for a female. I often talk a little too NY fast for some, but if you want to hear two gritty and gutsy female entrepreneurs talkin’ no BS about how to push through when life gets tough - you should listen. Also, in the spirit of May being Mental Health Awareness Month and knowing full well how many people struggle with emotional, financial and relationship challenges – I felt showcasing Marcie’s story would encourage a whole lot of people - to never stop believing in themselves! I had met Marcie some years ago at an event held at her cool store in Bedford Hills, NY. She held a sort of networking party and I was invited by a lovely friend so I went. I was in awe of her beautifully designed store filled with magical candles and gifts on one side (Custom Cando Co.) and on the other an entire classy line of CBD and related products (CBD Live Natural) The party was set up father back in the store where there was a bar set up and beautiful appetizers and art. Then there was Marcie. To say Marcie has a presence that stands out would be an understatement. She’s tall and attractive, always dressed a little sparkly, and has a unique deep voice with a Bronx Italian accent. She bubbles with enthusiasm, confidence, and compassion. That day I overheard her telling another guest about her years of suffering from fibromyalgia and anxiety and trying every possible way to get out of pain to no avail - until her son suggested she try CBD which she didn’t understand and was afraid of but tried out of desperation. It worked and changed her whole life. Thus, her decision to start her CBD Live Natural store to try and help others get out of pain. Marcie spends a lot of time trying to help others. In fact, I learned it was at a American Cancer Society fundraiser that she threw to raise them some money, that a women from Whole Foods flipped out over her table decorations. Marcie made impressive centerpieces filled with candles flowers and candy out of recycled pink bottles that her son found in NYC which she cut and polished. When that someone said wow you should make this into a business - Marcie did. Her company Custom Candle Co. will take any bottle of wine or champagne that represents a memorable occasion to you (wedding anniversary, birth) and cut it and polish it and fill it with any one of her long-lasting great smelling candles in any scent you want. Marcie’s candle business has sustainability at the core and all her candles are made from soy and recyclables - often bottles donated from restaurants so they don’t go to the landfill. Marcie and I only spoke briefly that day at her party, but we had one of those good energy connections and both agreed we should stay in touch.   But years went by, until last month in a clothing store in Scarsdale, NY. I heard her voice. Blocked by racks of clothes that kept me from seeing her, I thought, hey that's Marcie from the party that I met, and I loved. So, I went over to her, and she was like “Debbie what happened to you?” “I always thought we should connect it again”. “I even asked my friend who invited you what ever happened to that woman?” So, we start talking, and I asked her to share a highlight of what’s going on with her, and she mentioned she’d just won a bid for a job she was excited about. Who knew she owned a big construction company too? Wow I’m thinking there’s a lot more to this woman than Candles and CBD. So, I’m telling her a little about my ventures and of course my show where I always feature innovators and she said, “I'll be a sponsor”. And I realized at that moment we were a perfect business match. She is the epitome of gritty and I'm the epitome of gutsy and we both always come from the heart. Together businesswise I thought, wow we could be dangerous. (Dangerously fun too.) I understood Marcie’s businesses, but I wanted to understand Marcie better, so I invited her to sit in the studio with me. I always try and go above and beyond to help people who support me and often end up making exciting strategic business matches for them they didn’t see coming. But I like to understand the person I’m dealing with first, not just the business.   Like me, Marcie lost her dad when she was young. Never easy. I was 23 but she was only 16 when her dad passed. “What happened was I didn't really go to school. I had to help my mom take care of my dad. So, growing up it wasn't easy because I had to go get a job. I worked at Woolworths, McDonald's whatever I could do. When my dad passed away, I felt like, now what am I going to do? I met my first husband and we got married at 18 because I thought I needed somebody to take care of me. And I always felt stupid because I didn't go to school. I couldn't spell or read. And then I got into that relationship. I stood 18 years, but it wasn't a good relationship. ‘ “And I always heard, you're no good, you can't do nothing. “ “You go through the battering. And you stay, and I stood just to raise my children.” Marcie one of 4 girls herself, had four boys. Her mother was a widow and was a stay-at-home mom, Italian, typical, back in the day, whose official job was housewife and who did her best at that job, but then her mother got breast cancer.   “I think I was thirty-three. And I juggled and took care of her, going back and forth to chemo. I hate to get emotional. I'm sorry. I think it's okay. I would have my four little boys; one I would have on the backpack of me. I would walk, go there, take care of her, get my kids to school, and it was a lot. It was a lot. And I just stood until the day she passed. That was the day I knew I was able to have the strength to leave my ex-husband. “ About to be a single mom, scared to death but knew she had to leave the abusive relationship. Like many women in abusive relationships, it’s hard to explain it to anybody. Which is why I’m talking about this loud on the radio during this conversation during Mental Health Awareness Month. Thank God the world is talking about these kinds of crazy awful situations now and encouraging people to talk about these situations and get some help because they are not alone. There was no help back in the day. “You buried this stuff, and if you talked about it , what happens is people think you're crazy, or you have those older people, your family would say, you know, just take it, where else are you going to go, you have a house, you have a roof over your head, and that's what they would always say, and then you would think to yourself, maybe I should be a little nicer, maybe I do deserve it, and you start thinking that, but when you try to get away, it's even harder. I always found myself going back. You know you don't want to go to shelters and sleep on the floor and so you always find yourself going back. And I was so I was at the breaking point, and I had to get out even though I realized I have no backup plan. But I knew if I was gonna get out of it and get my kids out of it, I had to do it.” Talk About A Risk It or Regret It! Moment. Marcie went and got financial assistance. She wanted to get a small little apartment. She was on public assistance for six months. But she said she felt belittled. “I hated going down there. I had to go down to 61st Street. The kids would sit on the floor while we waited to get a check. The only reason why I did that because my boys had asthma and I needed the health insurance. One day I went back down and said, listen, I don't want to be on this because if I stay on public assistance, I'm going to be like everybody else. Could I just have the health insurance? The guy said it’s all or nothing. And I don't know where the guts came, but I said, then it's nothing.” And just like that with four little kids with no money, Marcie borrowed money from a Shylock to get though. She juggled and paid it back. Marcie told me she called a job ad for a power washing company she saw in the paper and when the guy answered the phone she said, “I'll never forget this in my life, if you give me this job, I really need it because I want my son to go to St. Teresa's to be able to go to a public or Catholic school and I need some extra money. I promise you, three weeks I'll work for you for free. Just give me the opportunity. I don't really spell it

A stolen password can be all it takes for hackers to disrupt a life, a business, or the world.    The safeguarding of our identity has never been more critical. Constantly evolving AI-enabled DEEPFAKES are now creating enormous security and safety challenges.   Enter iVALT, a revolutionary game-changer in cyber security.   iVALT Founder & CEO Baldev Krishan Ph.D. joined me to talk about their groundbreaking solution. He is a 2X Nominated “Entrepreneur of the Year” in Silicon Valley with 20 patents.   Fixing the Weakest Link.   Over $170B was spent last year in cybersecurity, yet some of the biggest failures came from the “weakest link in cybersecurity” – a simple phone call by a hacker.   Before iVALT, there was no way to decisively identify the person at the other end of a phone call. Caller ID is easily spoofed, SIM swaps are common, KYC can be compromised, and hackers are highly skilled in just using psychological manipulation to get what they want.   The iVALT mobile app empowers individuals and customer facing workers to demand clear identity on any call (including biometrics) in 1-click. Most social engineering attacks could be stopped by iVALT before any real damage can be done.   Baldev and I talked about the alarming reality of identity theft, highlighting how even seemingly secure methods like multi-factor authentication fall short in the face of sophisticated hackers.   I myself just went through 'cyber hell' when a hacker stole my password from my web hosting site and started buying domains around the world with my credit card. To prove my own identity and get my own website back and functioning, took me one month of pure aggravation! It was honestly outrageous!   Baldev revealed the flaws in current authentication systems and the urgent need for a more robust solution.   What Is The Solution?    “iVALT”, said Baldev, “is a game-changing technology offering five plus factors of authentication." “Our platform leverages biometric data and other variables to create a virtually impenetrable authentication process.”   It seems that with a simple app installation and one-time setup, users can bid farewell to the hassle of passwords and embrace seamless, secure authentication.   With five patents granted and ten pending, iVALT is uniquely positioned to provide the strongest level of identity verification and access management at scale. something no one else in the $30 billion identity market can currently provide he said.   Thought more people should know more about this innovation. iVALT is emerging as a pioneer in shaping the future of identity protection.   Enjoy being one of the first to know about this game changer and meet Founder/CEO Baldev Krishan in this podcast of our live conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show.

Fire Chief Rebecca Strobl Turned Her Knowledge of Life-Saving Skills into a Business to Train Others How To React In Emergencies.   I don’t know about you, but I could use a refresher course in how to do CPR, and what exactly to do first when someone’s bleeding badly, even what to do if someone is in shock.   In a recent episode of the Debbie Nigro Show, I decided to shine a spotlight on Rebecca and her company New Day Education and Motivation located in Waleska, Georgia because I thought the work she was doing was critical and felt every community should have a Rebecca.    Rebecca Strobl has inspired me to go get a hands on refresher course in how to react in emergencies. Apparently I don't own the market on being a nervous reactor when something insane happens as most people without the right skills do panic.   By leveraging her expertise and passion, Rebecca Strobl is making a difference one life-saving skill at a time, inspiring others to join her in creating safer and more prepared communities.      With a background as a retired volunteer fire chief and extensive experience in the security industry, Rebecca saw a need for widespread training in emergency response.    Starting as a lieutenant in the fire department, she saw a gap in knowledge and took it upon herself to provide comprehensive training not only to firefighters but also to individuals in various industries.   One of the key takeaways from my conversation with Rebecca was the importance of hands-on training in emergency situations vs watching a video.   Rebecca is adamant that of in-person courses matter, because participants can practice CPR, use AEDs, apply tourniquets, and learn to manage shock effectively.   She highlighted the difference between simply knowing what to do and having the confidence to act decisively in critical moments especially the average person who does not have a background in using these skills on a regular basis.   Rebecca stressed the significance of being prepared for emergencies by having essential supplies on hand. She recommends items like CPR masks, tourniquets, dressings, bandages, and emergency blankets for addressing the three primary killers: lack of breathing, severe bleeding, and shock.   Rebecca's passion is to empower individuals to with the knowledge to be able to save lives. Her dedication to teaching life-saving skills extends beyond traditional training methods, as she utilizes engaging and interactive techniques to ensure participants feel confident and prepared to respond in emergencies.   She is doing remarkable work and I encourage listeners to explore opportunities for training with New Day Education and Motivation if you are in the Georgia area.  I encourage other communities to follow her lead in offering training for these lifesaving skills.   Rebecca's mission to equip communities with life-saving skills is a true testament to the impact that individuals can have when they are empowered with knowledge and training.   To learn more about Rebecca Strobl and New Day Education and Motivation, visit their website at newdayeducationandmotivation.com.   You’ll get a good life saving education in this podcast of our live conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show.

 TJ Hills, the renowned author of "Sex, Drugs, Babies and Breast Cancer’.  joined me in the studio for a lively and very enlightening conversation to delve into the pivotal topic of estrogen, genetic testing, and its profound impact on women's health.   She’s passionate about educating women about estrogen exposures and genetic nutritional tools in cancer prevention. Her message is universal as cancer touches the lives of many.   Sharing Wisdom from Her Own Personal Experiences   TJ shared her journey from a bustling Wall Street career to confronting breast cancer, highlighting the tendency to prioritize everything over personal health. Something we both know women in general typically do.   But TJ stressed the need for women to cut the nonsense and prioritize their own health over ‘other things to do first’, as neglecting it can have profound consequences.   Her Insights on Estrogen and Genetic Testing   TJ has become consumed with her mission to share her knowledge about the significance of understanding estrogen metabolism genes and their impact on women’s health decisions.   She explained the essence of genetic testing, which focuses on how the body processes estrogen rather than simply measuring estrogen levels.   Having this knowledge she says, has everything to do with very practical scenarios, like decisions women make about birth control pills or bioidentical hormones which are influenced by genetic predispositions.   Founder, Better Estrogen Health Foundation   TJ's Foundation offers free estrogen nutrition toolkits and nutritional consultations, aiming at empowering women to make informed decisions about their health.   With advancements in technology and artificial intelligence, access to genetic information for disease prevention is becoming more feasible.   TJ is urging women to take proactive measures and so they can make informed choices.   Through education, awareness, and accessible resources, she says, the journey towards healthier living becomes not only feasible but imperative.   Meet TJ Hills and get educated in this podcast of our live conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show.       T.J. Hills is a Founding Board Member of the Better Estrogen Foundation whose mission is to save lives by educating women about estrogen exposures and how genetic nutritional tools may prevent cancer.  In breast cancer remission since 2009,T.J. Is the Former CEO and Board Member of the Estrogen Gene Test Co and Hormonal Cancer Foundation.  She spent 35 years on Wall Street advising Institutional Investors about research and data. She is a powerful speaker who has appeared on National TV, radio and print outlets across the country and spoken at major medical and corporate conferences as well as large and small women’s groups inspiring women and their physicians to take control of their health starting with a simple estrogen gene test.

I’ve been focusing on people who make the world a more beautiful place this week. People who through their work, their ethics, their integrity, their talent, their genius just makes it happier for the rest of us.   Charles Fazzino has been called one of the most famous pop artists in the world.   I've been a huge fan of his style of pop art since the minute I first saw it in a window decades ago in New York City. I would stand there and stare in the window amazed at every little intricate pop-up thing he thought of to make a piece come to life. Often because I was in NYC it would be NYC buildings and street scenes. But Charles does that for many cities around the world.   Charles likes to be called a pop culture historian. And I know he's got a bit of a sense of humor because of the way he does the layering of the pieces in his 3D art where he shows the best of pop culture and the best of people's lives in places and events around the world. And I do mean around the world. He’s become internationally renowned.   He gets commissioned to do pieces for the Grammys and The Olympics and The Super Bowl every year. When I saw his Super Bowl piece this year I was sparked to take a shot at seeing if he was around to join me on my show. We live in the same city but have never met.   I figured he’d say yes because I know he has a warm heart. He donates a lot of his pieces of art to help good causes raise money, one of which I personally helped auction off years ago at a charity function.   For those who still have never seen an unmistakable Fazzino work of art, I asked Charles to explain it to somebody in words? “Yes, easy. I always tell people, if you're not looking at my artwork, or you're just seeing it online, or looking at it in a book or a magazine or whatever, it's hard to see the three dimensions. So, I describe it that it's kind of like a pop-out book, even a pop-out children's book, even though they're not, you know, children's artwork."   "When I was a kid, my mother was from Finland and she always collected these European pop-out books, and she had them all around the house.  My brother's sister and I were always enthralled with these cool pop-out books from Europe that were handmade, and she had hundreds of them.  So, when I went to school, I kind of, you know, I wanted to make a pop-out book and that's kind of like how it all started.”   Most of the time Charles is sitting at his desk and drawing artwork that touches many people young and old. The intricacy, the colors and the designs make people happy.   I asked him one of my signature questions. How does your head work inside?   Meaning what is going on in his head all day long to be able to produce these kinds of unique pieces of work?   “Well, I think it's a lot of my if I was just an artist sitting in my studio drawing, I don't know if I'd have so many ideas as I do. And I can't even implement the idea. I get it, you know, it's just very, there's so many things I want to draw and so many things that I want to show through my artwork, but not enough time and not enough hours in the day to do it. So I think the travel, when I travel to certain places, it really gives me and opens up my eyes to a lot of the world. I always come back with new ideas. I always carry a little sketchbook. I have my phone at the ready whenever I'm traveling, taking pictures, and it helps and reminds me of what I saw and always gives me these new ideas. People always ask me, where do you come up with all these ideas? I say, well, a lot of it has to do with places that I go.”   One of his latest pieces pays homage to our oceans to bring awareness. It’s a departure for Charles artistically, because instead of drawing buildings he’s drawing sea life, and coral, and all the things that are under the sea. “When you look at the piece, he says, “three quarters of it is ocean, but above the ocean, you'll look, and you can see cities from around the world and all of those cities that are impactful in our environment." What about those helmets he does for the NFL? “So many years ago, it was in 2001, when the NFL licensing committee asked if I was interested in commemorating Super Bowl because they saw what I was doing for Major League Baseball. And I was like, sure. They said, we'd like you to be our official artist. And I was like, sign me up. Sounds good to me. And I've been doing that now for 23 years.” "They just continue to, you know, let me know where the venue is going to be and, you know, what I should draw and then, you know, how it should be depicted and so forth. And then I make their official poster every year. So many years ago, when I first started that, they sent me helmets in the mail and they said, see what you can do with these helmets and used equipment. And I received this huge, huge box. And it took me a few years to figure out how to make the three-dimensional drawings tick off and stick onto the helmets and make them look beautiful." "So, I've been doing those for many years and we sell them and show them every year at whatever Super Bowl, wherever the city is that the Super Bowl is being hosted in. And we set up a whole collection of my helmets and so forth. And we do the same thing for Major League Baseball. I paint on baseballs and bats and batting helmets." I love to be challenged and paint people's wishes.   Enjoy meeting Charles Fazzino in this podcast of our live conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show.    

I can’t get enough of my friend Alvin Clayton. He is bursting with talent and great energy, and I think he makes the world a more beautiful place through all he does and especially through his art through which he tries to speak to people’s humanity.  Recently I felt compelled to introduce Alvin to as many people as possible who may not know about him just to be able to see the amazing art he creates. Famous people collect his stuff. People like Robert De Niro and Denzel Washington and Halle Berry just to name a few. Alvin has a fabulous restaurant in New Rochelle, NY called Alvin & Friends which has won many awards. The food is contemporary Caribbean with a Black American South influence, that caters to a discerning customers, and the vibe is always cool with live music often.  A self -taught artist inspired by Matisse, Alvin's extraordinarily colorful art literally blasts from the walls of his restaurant. My boyfriend Dave and I often pop in to Alvin’s for a drink and we love when Alvin comes over for a hug and hello and pulls out his phone to show us photos of the latest, greatest pieces of art he has created.     Every single time I think to myself, my God this guy is ridiculously talented!   “Well, I think what I try to do with my art is it speaks to people's humanity. And I think our humanity is very much connected and is a common ground. And I think if you reach to humanity, color becomes out of the picture. You get yourself into that situation. So, what I try to do with my art is to bring the viewer into that moment or that situation and say, wow, you know what, I've experienced that with my friend. And it's not about color because we all experience it.”    I don’t know how Alvin Clayton does it all. He’s married 30 years to a  brilliant beautiful woman, has three children, runs a bustling restaurant that is usually packed with interesting people from all walks of life, then goes home and stays up all night painting. He’s a good-looking son-of-a-gun too and must not eat all that fabulous food he makes because he’s been a professional model for 25 years. Alvin was the first African American to have eight full pages in GQ magazine. He’s worked for every catalog you could think of, and done major campaigns for Banana Republic, and has shot for Ralph Lauren.   Maybe it’s all that worrying he does that keeps him thin. LOL  “There could be 99 people in my restaurant having an amazing time and possibly one person that did not have the perfect experience and that would wake me out of my sleep. I mean, I’ve gotten a bit better on it, but that still bothers me. I'm genuinely people-oriented, and so my whole thing is to seeing people being in a good space and I think that's what I do with my art too.   Alvin Try’s To Paint Solutions To The Issues Bothering Us   “I mean I paint what some of the issues are that are bothering us and dividing us or whatever, but while I'm painting that I'm also thinking okay we know what the bad things are, what are the solutions, right? And so that's always the final chapter of whatever I do, it's solution.” Alvin believes, “We have more in common than we do that separates us”.   About His Painting of a Woman with Alzheimer’s He Just Showed Me “Yes, so I was sitting next to this woman in the Dr’s office, her daughter brought her in actually, she had Alzheimer's and the daughter had to go in for her appointment. She asked me if I could keep an eye on her mom while she was in. I said, of course. And so while she was there, I was looking at her. She was dressed really lovely. You could tell she had style and grace. And there was something about her aura that just seemed to be, you could tell she was a beautiful person even though a lot was missing right now. And she was going into her pocketbook and somehow this image came out that she's searching for a pocketbook of lost memories. And so I took her picture and did this painting with my colors and everything else, I researched what the symbol was for Alzheimer's and so on the pocketbook that she had, instead of having a Saint Laurent or one of the trademarks, I had this insignia for the Alzheimer's Association. Even though the disease is devastating I felt she looked angelic”.   My Gift Is Not Art But Rather The Art Of Seeing Opportunities Others Don’t After seeing this work of art, Alvin created, it sparked my art of seeing opportunities between people and then bringing them together to make something actually happen instead of just thinking about it or talking about doing it ‘someday’. It’s what I really get a kick out of doing for people. My media world is filled with innovative people from many worlds, and I get to know and understand people on a deeper level than most through what I do. These conversations and relationships stick inside my head like Velcro. (I’m always ripping off two separate pieces of Velcro from inside my brain and sticking them together for match lol. Funny I never explained it like that before but makes sense to me.) I’d just done an interview with the Chairmen of an upcoming Alzheimer's Association Gala fundraiser so I introduced the idea of a collaboration where Alvin’s Alzheimer’s painting could somehow be used to help raise funds for the organization. It’s in motion! Enjoy this podcast of our live conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show. In case you haven’t noticed ‘Someday’ has arrived and when it comes to trying out new ideas you know what I always say … “Risk It or Regret It”! Get in touch if you need to brainstorm who’s inside my head that could be a match for whatever you’re passionate about. Debbie@DebbieNigro.com Follow @AlvinClaytonArtists on Instagram. While you’re at it you can follow me too @therealdebbienigro

I'm All About Innovation and Innovators So I Love This Story. In his new book “Clean Economy Now: Stories from the Front Lines of an American Business Revolution" Bob Keefe the Executive Director of E2 a national nonpartisan business group of 10,000 business leaders which has been around for 25 years, describes his recent travels across the country.    He wanted to witness first-hand all the clean energy projects in motion because of the significant private sector investment and job creation that’s happened incredibly fast over the past 20 months since The Inflation Reduction Act.   Bob checked in on my show live from the Annual Society of Environmental Journalists, at the University of Pennsylvania co-hosted by the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media, in collaboration with the Annenberg Public Policy Center. . He joined me live just minutes after the recent earthquake we had in the northeast rattled my radio studio in Greenwich CT.   Though the quake did hit parts of PA, and Bob and I had some fun talking about earthquakes in general since Bob is from L.A., Bob said he didn’t really feel it, but what he mentioned he was feeling is an economic earthquake.   It's an economic revolution like we haven't seen says Bob. And he’s making sure we are all paying attention.   “I truly believe that we are at the advent of an American economic revolution, the likes of which we have not seen in this country in generations, maybe if ever. And let me tell you why I say that.   “Right now, my organization is tracking clean energy job projects around the, or clean energy projects around the country since the passage of the landmark IRA, the Inflation Reduction Act and some other policies 20 months ago. And what we know is this, there are more than 300 major factories and other projects, clean energy projects, coming out of the ground across America right now. $118 billion worth of private sector investment. That's companies that are putting money into these projects. “ “These aren't government grants or loans. These are companies investing in America. A hundred thousand jobs have been already announced just in those past 20 months. When in this country have we ever seen 300 factories and other major projects coming out of the ground? When have we seen this kind of investment?” “We have foreign companies that are investing in the United States and creating jobs here now versus taking American jobs and doing stuff overseas. And it's not just creating all this economic growth, it's putting America on competitive again with the rest of the world.”   “We understand that we can't have a good economy without a good environment, and we can't have a good environment without a good economy. “   Bob points out that In New York alone there have been about a dozen major projects that E2 has tracked. $800 million worth of private sector investment in New York from companies, 3,000 plus jobs created. Bob and I talked about the offshore wind farm, the nation's first commercial offshore wind farm that just opened off Montauk, New York. Twelve turbines are going to provide enough juice for about 70,000 homes said Bob. And Bob mentioned there's another company that's building a converter station to essentially take offshore wind energy and convert it and get it onto the grid into people’s homes.   Bob and I discussed many specific projects, besides the offshore wind farms including solar panel factories, battery technology and the potential of hydrogen as a clean fuel. I was captivated by what’s happening and I think you will be too.   There’s company called Air Products is now going to clean hydrogen and they’re building one of the first factories in Messina, New York. In Connecticut, there's a company called Mott Corporation that's building filtration systems for use in things like this hydrogen. And mentioned there's another company called NEL, N-E-L, that relocated here from the Netherlands who are building something called electrolyzers that are going to be used by hydrogen plants like the one being built in Messina to produce hydrogen. Right now he said, there are something like 30 or 40, battery factories being built in America and about 60 solar factories popping up all around the country.   And l this is happening in places that Bob points out, you would not expect it to happen.   “As part of the book, I started off in a place called Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Well, Kings Mountain is home to an old lithium mine that was first established in the 1950s. At one time, it supplied lithium for the Manhattan Project, right? We all know what that is. Well, we have a company now that's restarting that mine because to supply batteries to manufacturers throughout the Southeast and other places. “   Drive down the street to Dalton, Georgia. And Dalton, Georgia used to be the carpet capital of the world, maybe it still is. Well right now a company called Q-Cells is building what will be the biggest, one of the biggest solar panel factories in the Western Hemisphere. Wow. In little old Dalton, Georgia. You know go a little further down the street in Georgia to Savannah and Kia and Hyundai are building one of the biggest electric vehicle factories on the planet. This is incredible stuff happening. “   I learned that Georgia is the number one state for clean energy projects right now. And that North Carolina has more investments in clean energy projects than any state. But big things are also happening in Alabama, Louisiana, New York, and I Connecticut.”   Arnold Schwarzenegger did the foreword to Bobs book.   “When I think about how far America has come in building a cleaner economy, I can't help but smile. It's hard to imagine we can fail, but make no mistake, we can If we do, it won't be a failure of innovation, of business. It will be a failure by us to come together to keep this great progress going. It will be a failure by us, collective us, to put aside our ideologies and political divisions and our complacency. It will be a failure for us too.” “If we do fail, it won't be a failure of innovation, or of business. It will be a failure by us to come together to keep this great progress going. It will be a failure by us, the collective us, to put aside our ideologies and political divisions and our complacency. “   Enjoy this fascinating interview about the current American Economic revolution in this podcast of my live conversation with Bob Keefe, Executive Director of E2, a national nonpartisan business group of 10,000 business leaders, on The Debbie Nigro Show.

Stephanie Stuckey a lawyer by trade, who spent 14 years in the Georgia House of Representatives and was also appointed along the way by the mayor of Atlanta as Atlanta’s 'Chief Resilience Officer', is sure showing how resilient she is. And how resilient her family business is!   Stephanie is now on the road herself promoting Stuckey’s Corporation - the iconic roadside stops famous for its pecan candies and souvenirs that her grandfather founded in 1937. She bought the company in 2019 for $500,000 and has been spearheading the brands big return.   It’s a big year for brand comebacks as evidenced by news that other companies like Crocs and Claire’s have made significant comebacks in recent years after hitting a low point financially and culturally in the late 2010s . According to Retail Brew the top executives of both those companies pointed to strategic shifts that emphasized allowing customer feedback to guide decisions.”   Stephanie Stuckey, the 3rd generation CEO of the family business, is creating a great business comeback story too. She’s making Stuckey’s both profitable and a household name again! And doing a great grassroots job of it.   When Stephanie bought Stuckey's, the company was operating at a deficit and had only 13 original free-standing stores in 10 states that still had the signature original teal roofs in addition to around 65 licensed Stuckey's Express store-within- a -store locations.   In 6 months, she restored Stuckey's to profitability, by shifting the focus from licensed Stuckey's store locations to the company's classic line of candies. She also expanded the brand back into manufacturing when she bought a pecan shelling and candy plant in Wrens, Georgia in 2021. Candy and nut sales have since increased to almost 50% of the company’s revenue as the brand expands to more national retail locations.   Stephanie is now taking road trips to promote pecans and the "great American road trip' both a big part of Stuckey's Corporation growth.   “I'm all over the country and here's why I'm traveling. I am giving speeches, and I am attending trade shows. So, it's not checking on stores per se because we don't own or operate the original Stuckey’s that were still standing. We have the rights to those stores and to our name so they can they pay us a licensing fee, but we don't own those stores. So really my trips are about I give speeches and I love talking to groups and sharing the Stuckey’s story. So, I speak at a lot of conferences, mostly corporate and associations and then I attend trade shows to get more retailers to sell our product and then wherever I go, part of the deal is usually my travels covered by the host of the event. My travel includes that I get a rental car so I will carve out an extra day. I'll ask for that's where I take a lot of road trips." "And then I'll pull over and I'll find out from our team where is there a store in the area that carries Stuckey's products. So, there could be a little local ice cream shop that sells our candy, or we could reach off the chain so we're in Hobby Lobby and at home. So I like to also stop at retailers that don't carry our product and take photos and I evaluate what their back set looks like and then I'll reach out to them and say I love your store by the way I was here here's a photo of me at your store I would love to see you carry our product that's what's missing on your shelf and I've picked out a lot of accounts that way." "I'm road tripping, but I'm also hustling. We're always hustling if we're entrepreneurs.” Stephanie Stuckey hopes to eventually own a handful of Stuckey’s interstate stores to revive the original premise behind the company as a “roadside oasis” while continuing to build up the pecan side of the business to secure its future for another 85 years.   Speaking of pecans Stephanie shared a little a secret her grandfather taught her about how to open pecans. “You get two pecans in your hand, and you squeeze them together and it will crack them.”   I’m really enjoying watching this female entrepreneur bring her family brand back to life from the days when her grandpa started this as a roadside stand. Stephanie has a new book out called “UNSTUCK” which is available on her website as well as Amazon for the same price, but if you buy it on the Stuckey’s website it’s autographed.    “The entrepreneurial journey is so much more fun if you bring others along for the ride” she said.   I'm along for her ride! And she did invite me along for the ride because I too am a lover of road trips. Told her you bring the pecans, and I’ll bring some meatballs. Makes sense I think for a Georgia gal traveling with a NY gal. LOL   Speaking of NY, Stephanie hasn’t been here in 4 years and would love to do some ‘speaking and Stuckey’s business’ in NY.     I love her story and her entrepreneurial spirit. Meet Stephanie Stuckey in this podcast of our live conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show.   The Debbie Nigro Show on  WGCH Radio. If you want to catch the show it airs Weekdays 11-12noon ET in the NY/CT area on 1490 on the dial. But you can listen from anywhere, just hit the ‘Listen Live’ button on WGCH.com. You can find podcasts of feature interviews on DebbieNigro.com. Sign up for the free 'Risk It or Regret It" newsletter too. It's fun, relevant and motivating.

Seven Million People Are Living with Alzheimer’s Disease in the US. 80,000 in CT alone & twice as many unpaid family members and friends are providing their care. But the money being raised is making a difference.    Nobody signs up for a brain disorder that gets worse over time. Alzheimer’s is a gradual decline in memory, thinking, behavior and social skills. These changes completely affect somebody's ability to function.    The bad news is the number of people with Alzheimer’s is increasing, but the good news is there are real advancements in treatment. These advancements are being made possible by the continued donations to this cause.    There’s a big gala benefit coming up in April in Greenwich CT (where I do my live show from) that hopes to help families in this dementia journey.   I invited Tim & Kelly Helstein the Chairs of The Alzheimer’s Association upcoming ‘Celebrating Hope Gala’ being held April 26th at the Delamar Greenwich Harbor in in Greenwich CT, to explain where the money raised goes to. They’ve been caregivers and know how hard it is.   Tim whose mom passed from Alzheimer’s shared; “My mother's life ended way too soon and no sot only is it something that Kelly and I are doing to honor my mother through this but also to help educate and care and prevent the future generations from having to go through what my family, what my father, what Kelly and I have had to go through. You know, we spend our days telling stories to our kids who love it. In the morning, they always say, you know, tell us a new story about Nanny. Tell us a story that was really funny.” “It's because she can't share it herself. So really what Celebrating Hope is about is not only bringing awareness and celebrating all those who have moved on because of Alzheimer’s, but also celebrating the hope that we can change this, that tomorrow is a new day, that tomorrow the sun rises and there will be what we call a white flower, the first person who has overcome and has been cured from Alzheimer's. And science has been doing so much and the doctors and the FDA, and so we're excited to see what tomorrow does hold but it's going to be a gathering for all of us to really celebrate that hope.”   Kelly Helstein, Tim’s wife shared;  “Like Tim said you know we have three young kids and they are missing their grandmother so much and that’s a good background story about why we're involved, but also I want to point out that it's just a great way to honor those who are struggling with the disease. You know, that's the first reason we stepped into this role, but also it's giving us a platform to raise awareness and funds to support research and almost just empower others who  are going through the same experience just to link arm in arm and say, us too, and just share our story with them and they share it with others and just create awareness all around.”   The Alzheimer’s Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer’s care, support and research.   Kristen Cusato, the Director of Communication for the Alzheimer's Association Connecticut Chapter & New England Research Champion also joined the show. She discussed the risk factors associated with Alzheimer's disease and emphasized the importance of lifestyle interventions to reduce the risk.   Kristin also shared there are real advancements in treatment and that the availability of these treatments can change the course of the disease.   The powerful CT chapter offers 24/7 support for the public, healthcare professionals and caregivers. This chapter has influenced public policy changes and provided support to Alzheimer’s and dementia research in the hope of finding a cure.   There are many fundraising events held around the country to support Alzheimer's research and awareness. And the money is really making a difference. I encourage you to participate and support Alzheimer's research and awareness efforts.   The  11th Annual ‘Celebrating Hope Gala’ is being held in Greenwich, CT April 26th. Enjoy this podcast of our live conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show.    The Debbie Nigro Show on  WGCH Radio. If you want to catch the show it airs Weekdays 11-12noon ET in the NY/CT area on 1490 on the dial. But you can listen from anywhere, just hit the ‘Listen Live’ button on WGCH.com. Catch the podcasts of interviews after on DebbieNigro.com

Have you heard about the AMAZING Prospector Theater in Ridgefield CT?   The Prospector Theater is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to providing competitive and inclusive employment to people with disabilities through the operation of a premium, first-run movie theater.   Employees of the Prospector, referred to as Prospects, are encouraged to sparkle, shine, and transform their passions into professions.   The Prospect Productions team creates high quality digital content for the Prospector Theater. Prospects working on the Production team learn in-demand trade skills such as storyboarding, filming, editing, sound & lighting design, post-production, audio engineering, photography, graphic design, animation, visual effects, and much more!   Video productions are used for pre-show content, educational experiences, PSAs, operating procedures, and entertainment!    Over the last four years, Prospects have created over 1060 videos, garnering more than 17,000,000 views worldwide.   The Prospector Theater was founded by Valerie Jensen whose lifelong work started when her sister, Hope, was born in 1979 with Down syndrome.   Valerie Jensen and ‘Prospect’ Gabe Kavookijan joined me on the air to celebrated World Down Syndrome Day (March 21st).   Meet them both on this podcast of our live conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show and hear all about the cool things they’re doing at The Prospector Theater in Ridgefield CT and …hear all about their new 'Down To Sparkle' Flavor of Popcorn!    They have many flavors and buying popcorn

There are surely a lot of real estate people in the country, but Tiffany McQuaid figured out a way to really stand out.  Her real estate agency in Jupiter Florida has been called the most innovative agency in the country. What makes her stand out above all others in the space? She said all her efforts have ‘caring at the core'. Tiffany does ‘little things’ in her business that bring people joy. It’s something she’s been doing since she was a little girl.  She decided to write a book about what works so well for her, to share with others Her book just out is called “The Nth Degree” How To Stand Out By Going All In” by Tiffany McQuaid with Bruce Littlefield. In our live radio conversation Tiffany shared the difficult story about how she came to realize how much ‘little' things matter to people. On Christmas Day when Tiffany was 10, her Dad took his life leaving her Mom alone to raise her and her sister. Her Mom was obviously struggling badly, but Tiffany would try and do little things to make her smile. She noticed those little things mattered a lot.  When Tiffany speaks of her success and how all her efforts have ‘caring at the core', it’s those little things she does for others and clients that she is referring to.  She says it’s the key to what unlocked her real estate success and what will unlock your success. “Well, I think without a doubt, I would say like this little creative flair that allows you the opportunity to not just be a black and white broker, just looking at things as they're presented, but instead kind of pulling back and looking at ways to fill voids and be different and unique and create what I'd like to call delightful or surprise and delight. I love to do that, which ultimately creates memorable experiences. And in doing that, it's just not status quo. I think so many people, and whether it's companies or individuals, we tend to go through life sometimes just maintaining, you know, we're just maintaining our day, we're staying in our comfort zone, we're, you know, doing what's expected of us and not really pushing ourselves sometimes to really find a way to be different and get out of that comfort zone and be uncomfortable. What’s the significance of 'INth' in the INth Degree? And what do they have to do with showing people how to recognize opportunities for themselves? Tiffany says “The book breaks down into seven keys and all of the keys start with the word "IN'. So everything from INtrepidness, which kind of goes through all of my life bumps and failures and bruises, you know that I think everyone can relate to those stories and kind of guide you through some opportunities and there's even what's kind of cool and what I felt was so important when we were putting this together was INteractiveness." “Throughout the book there's what we call INquiries. So you know as I'm talking about different things that I've gone through an INquiry will pop up to kind of get you thinking. So from INtrepidness to INvigoration, and INtention, INspiration, INgenuity, INcentive, INfluence, every single one of those all touch base and you will walk away with something I am confident. You will walk away with something from at the very least each key, if not multiples from each key. They're very easy to employ into your life and they all work for me.”   Enjoy this podcast of my live conversation with Tiffany McQuaid on The Debbie Nigro Show.

Pinky Cole aka Slutty Vegan is WOW. There are a thousand reasons why. She’s a very innovative gal, entrepreneur, and really good human.   Pinky Cole owns and operates the celebrity backed restaurant chain ‘Slutty Vegan’ with 11 locations and counting including Atlanta, Birmingham, Baltimore, Dallas, and NY. She’s opening a new location in NYC this weekend on Bleecker Street making that 3 spots now in NY with the others in Harlem and Brooklyn.      “When you walk into Slutty Vegan, you will see yourself “, said Pinky. “It doesn't matter if you are white, black, blue, yellow, gay, straight, you belong here, and this is a safe space for you and I want my business to continue to speak for that. So Bleeker will speak to all those things and I'm excited about it and I'm excited about our expansion. “   “You know, and this is my first time announcing this, Bleeker Street is an ode to the LGBTQ community and the movement, right, and LGBTQ rights. So, a lot of the decor and the aesthetics will speak to that. And I'm very intentional on my approach and how I decorate my stores because I want everybody to see themselves, right?”   Last year Time Magazine named Pink Cole to their ‘100 Next List”   Pinky Cole has also won the ‘Compassionate Chef Award’, has her own foundation to empower generations of color to break the cycle of poverty, and a new book “I Hope You Fail” to show by example how failures and setbacks are steppingstones in disguise.   Famed restauranteur Danny Meyer, wrote that her fans adore her sassy, sexy attitude and that she not only reinvented the way people think about a vegan restaurant, but she’s also turned classic roadside burger fair into a rollicking party.   It’s worth mentioning that according to the latest statistics only like 5% of Americans identify as vegan or vegetarian, but most people want to eat healthier these days and so many who don't call themselves vegans or vegetarians are drawn to the food Pinky makes and creates because Pinky makes it fun.   Pinky Cole’s Mission is Powerful   Pinky Cole does everything with intention. She wanted to create food that was accessible to people who are in underserved communities and residents of food deserts that was healthy and comforting and fun, and boy did she nail it.   Aisha Pinky Cole, American restaurateur, operator, and owner of Slutty Vegan, was born and raised in Baltimore. Her parents were Jamaican immigrants and Rastafarians, and her mother was a musician in a reggae group, I probably would have partied with. I love reggae music.   Pinky grew up following a traditional Rastafarian vegetarian diet, eating rice and peas and legumes and beans which is how it all began.   The SLUTTY VEGAN Name   After reading all about her I thought I love this girl. But am I really gonna promote a slutty vegan on my show? LOL. Well, everybody else did so sure!   Nobody knows better than me that in order to get attention in this world, the words you choose matter. But Pinky knew that.   “That name helped me to build a $100 million brand. All righty, all righty, all righty. OK, so I'll start there. Was it easy? Yes and no. The yes part of it being easy was the fact that I'm trained as a television producer, so I know what's going to make people pay attention. I know what's going to make them say, oh, damn, I've got to pay attention to this, right? But then on the flip side, there are a lot of people, conservative people who live in our country, right, who haven't adapted to the idea that you can re-engineer words, right? You can put your own meaning to words. And that's exactly what I did. When I came up with slutty vegan, I knew that I had to be in your face, racy and raunchy in order for you to think about vegan food, because if I would have named it Pinky's Vegan, you wouldn't come to get it. You wouldn't want to eat it. “   The Pinky Cole Foundation is like Urgent Care   Pinky started a foundation to formalize a way to give her money to people who need help because she just loves helping people.   “I found that there’s a generational wealth gap, a big one”, she said. “And I wanted to help bridge that generational wealth gap by providing opportunities for entrepreneurs and creatives. “   “So my foundation is not like the average foundation. You know how some foundations have all these thrusts and all of these programmatic things? This ain't that.”   “What this is, we are like urgent care. If there is an immediate need, we solve an immediate problem. So we paid the rents for local businesses. We provided fruits and vegetables for people in the community. I've given out 800 LLCs to a graduating class of seniors so that they could be able to jumpstart their pathway to entrepreneurship. We've partnered with the Department of Juvenile Justice to provide second chance opportunities to ex-offenders. We've paid for lights. We provide life insurance in partnership with Prudential to black men who make $30,000 or less in Atlanta.”   “So, when you talk about doing the work, I've been doing the work for a long time, and yes, business is good. Like burgers, pies, and fries, and helping people to reimagine food is the name of the game. But what we do with the resources and that platform is help people and build a sense of community and collaboration and showing people that we can be a resource to you to be able to follow all your wildest dreams. I believe that that truly is my life's mission.”   Pretty Amazing Stuff eh? I told you she was a WOW!     Then There’s Her Book: “I Hope You Fail”   Pinky shows by example I her book how failures and setbacks are stepping stones in disguise.   “You know, it's funny, she said. “I did a commencement speech at my alma mater. I was the youngest commencement speaker. The theme was, I hope you fail, and that was the inspiration for the book. I talked about how when I was in college, I was everything. I had every title. I was the head of the sorority. I was all tof he things. I was the queen of the school. Then when I graduated, I couldn't find a job. Nobody would hire me.   As I maneuvered through life, I realized that life is going to life. Things are going to happen whether we'd like to believe it or not but it's about how you re-engineer when bad things happen. For me losing my restaurant in Harlem and having a grease fire and my car getting repoed and me losing my apartment, to my wages getting garnished, to getting sued and slutty vegan, a lot of things have happened to me but all of those things that happened did one thing and you know, just the education of it all allowed me to be better when it happened all over again.”   So this book is for the person who's trying to figure it out that has had things happen to them and don't know how to get out of that crunch. Like, we've all been at the bottom at some point. But if you re-engineer your mind to think optimistically about when bad things happen, you will be alright. And that's exactly what this book does.   You're talking to the choir here. Amen.   Her Message To MOMPRENEURS “And I just want to say this, I don't know if you know this, I had a baby in 21, I had another baby in 22 and I had another baby in 23. So not only am I building an empire, I'm a mompreneur. So for all of the women that are listening to this program, I want to encourage you that like nothing is impossible and don't let anything stop you. You can literally achieve your dreams. I'm doing it in real time. Is it hard? Absolutely, but I make it work and I make it great, and I get to do what I love and be a mom which is what I love as well and do it with a smile. Sometimes a headache but I can do it with a smile.”     You’ll really enjoy meeting Pinky Cole aka Slutty Vegan in this podcast of our live conversation on the Debbie Nigro Show.  

I’ve had some very interesting experiences with psychics and psychic mediums throughout my life. I’m always open-minded and do believe that some on this planet can see farther than the eye can see. On more than one occasion, I’ve had a psychic contact me out of the blue for one reason or another. (vs me asking them to contact someone. LOL) I probably haven’t seen Francine Tesler in over 20 years. She’s a psychic medium and medical intuitive, best known as the psychic, for people who don't usually go to psychics. She’s been making psychic predictions since she was 6 years old. She would see those that had passed on and shock everyone with her accuracy.  Something recently came into her head to call ME. So naturally she got in touch. I was happy to hear from her as I remember having great affection for her. I Invited her to stop by the radio show to speak to a story I just read on Medium.com (which is not a site for Mediums rather a medium for writers to share their work with 100 million readers). The story “Predictions for 2024 By Celebrity Psychics” said…” The year 2024 will be a time of awakening and alignment as more people will tune into their intuition and follow their soul’s purpose. This will create a positive ripple effect in the world, as people will be more authentic, compassionate, and creative.” I’m all for anything positive on this planet and I have in fact noticed more people lately trying to find their true purpose. So Francine came to the studio and I asked her one of my  signature questions I often ask guests on my show. “How Does Your Head Work Inside?”. Francine said, “I'm originally an artist by trade and I get images that like a slideshow and fragments and I hear things in my head. Yeah, but this week, my hair stands up on my arms. And it was like, you have to call Debbie. And I'm like, you know, reach out to her and I didn't have your number. And that's why I sent you the email and blah, blah, blah.” "Why do you think you thought of me?", I asked her. “I think we're meant to be connected again”. I myself have been noticing a trend picking up since Covid, where people are now wanting to reconnect more. Are you seeing a trend in that I asked her?  “Yes. More happening with each month that passes this year”. “More spirituality. People are starting to listen. I'm teaching. When I do my readings or when I do my message circles or my open galleries, I do teach and explain to people that they have to listen to their voice because everyone is psychic to some point.”   Being a psychic ain’t easy... “You know I actually didn't know I was a medium until I had already been doing this probably for at least 10 years because I didn't know the word for it  all those years ago. I've been doing this now full-time 40 years. When I first started, it wasn't acceptable and people used to call me Madame Zaza or Grandma Strega, you know, Grandma Witch, and it was a really difficult time.” “But you know what? I'm an artist. I found my own thing and I knew that I was getting these images and hearing things and seeing things and there was a reason. So I always gave people the messages. Now as I'm older, I deliver them a little bit more tactfully and make them more edible because I have a good sense of humor.” “Everyone calls it the psychic Tourette's. I go into the grocery store and I will walk over to people and say, look, I don't want to bother you. I'm a psychic medium, blah, blah, blah. I got an impression. I'm told to tell you this. And then they look around for cameras. But I try to help people and give a message.”   I've always noticed people are a little weird when they're around psychics. All they want to know is, what a psychic knows about them? They always want to talk about it. But most people don’t want to hear any bad stuff. I wondered how that has affected Francine’s personal life.  “Do you have a personal life?”, I asked her. “Not really. As far as my personal life goes, most guys are scared of it. They don't even want to shake my hands believe it or not and you know either they come in and they try to challenge me to see what I know. You know I'm saying. but it's hard when it comes to yourself. It's hard to be objective. You know you know it is what it is.” BUT, professionally men aren’t scared of Francine at all. She has a lot of male clients that come to her for business consultations. Mostly by phone and Zoom. “Are you a business psychic?” I asked her, because I often joke that I'm a business psychic. LOL. I'm just highly intuitive when it comes to business. I know where the matches are. I know what people should do. I'm like, what do you mean you haven't thought of that? I see opportunities for people, and I have some fun with that skill as a consultant. Yes, Francine does help many businesses with her skills as a psychic. She’s also a medium, and a medical intuitive. She’s currently re-branding herself and her website. It’s probably why she thought of me. She knows I love helping people re-think new opportunities for themselves. Call Francine if you need her. Or who knows, she might call you. LOL Meet Francine here on the podcast of our live conversation from The Debbie Nigro Show.  

 I need to shine a light on Saratoga NY one of the kindest places in America.  That’s where the idea for a viral event that took place across the country this year called “Leap of Kindness Day’ emanated from. It was held on …you guessed it…Leap Day! I love Saratoga. Been there enough times to know I could live there.  I invited Todd Shimkus the President of The Saratoga Chamber of Commerce, and originator of the kindness idea, to join me on The Debbie Nigro Show to talk about ‘The Kindness Movement’ they started in 2016.  Leap of Kindness was such a great idea, that 250 other Chambers of Commerce in the US and Canada joined in the movement this year to encourage the spread of meaningful kindness vibes and deeds.  It’s always worth my time to showcase people on this planet doing beautiful things because most people are good, and I know we sometimes forget that because the world we live in is tough.  Speaking of good things, Todd shared all the cool stuff coming up in Saratoga, NY this year.  “Oh my God, we have so much going on in our community, especially as we head into this summer. You know, the New York City Ballet is coming back to SPAC, the Philadelphia Orchestra, we are their summer home. They've got some extraordinary performances there. We've got the Universal Preservation Hall, which is new coming out of COVID. It's a fully restored church that was acoustically designed to allow people to perform and the sound to be just amazing for musical events. Cafe Lina, which is one of the oldest venues you'll find for music as well is here. And then of course the Saratoga Racecourse, and our casino. We are hosting the Belmont Stakes Saratoga on June 8th for the first time ever. And it's sold out for Saturday, June 8th.“50,000 people will be at the racecourse that day. There's still tickets available for Thursday and Friday and Sunday around that. And we expect a week-long celebration of that just amazing event, especially if there's a Triple Crown potential for one of the horses.”   That Saratoga Racecourse is special. Sports Illustrated named it one of the  world’s greatest sporting venues. As I kid I remember that every Summer for years and years, my parents and all my aunts, uncles and their friends would go to Saratoga in August and always stayed at place called The Gideon Putnam, and always left all us kids home.   It was decades later that I finally went there myself and got to see what all the fuss was about. It’s an incredible place. I was so annoyed they never took us kids all those years! LOL  Saratoga Racecourse is a Thoroughbred horse racing opened in 1863 and is considered to be the oldest major sporting venue of any kind in the country but is actually the fourth oldest racetrack in the U.S. according to Wikipedia. You will feel the nostalgia there and you get to see all the beautiful horses up close. There’s a lot more too in Saratoga that captured my soul and I’ve gone back a few times to enjoy the food, the music, and the beauty of this charming place.  And Saratoga has active mineral springs. I just learned there are currently 21 public mineral springs in various locations throughout Saratoga. Most of the springs are naturally carbonated and no two springs taste exactly alike. That’s because each spring has its own distinct mineral makeup and flavor profile. There are supposed   health benefits from clearing skin, to helping digestion, and even strengthening blood!  You can even Design Your Own Mineral Springs Private Tasting Tour.  I should also mention it’s supposedly the home of the original potato chip. That alone is worth a tasting trip to see about that! Enjoy this podcast of my live conversation with Todd Shimkus the President of The Saratoga Chamber of Commerce on The Debbie Nigro Show.

When it comes to politics these days you can be sure there are LOTS of divisive conversations going on. It’s not expected that we’ll all agree on the important topics, but come on everybody - can’t we at least learn how to respectfully disagree? Before you argue with, block, curse out or cut off individuals due to their political views, learn how to respectfully disagree and build bridges instead of barriers. We need to challenge our own perspective because we all think that we're right, I guess, until we realize maybe we're not 100%, right. That’s the message Justin Jones-Fosu is shouting from the rooftops in his upcoming book “I Respectfully Disagree: How to Have Difficult Conversations in a Divided World”.  Justin is international speaker and the founder of Work. Meaningful. He shares some great advice on how to handle extreme political conversations. We had a much-needed conversation about this topic live on my radio show and Justin pointed out, “It's been bad for a long time, but it's with the rise of media and everybody having a voice and platform that It's gotten really bad. Even in workplaces, three out of four people say that their management can handle, should handle conflict better.” “But just think about anecdotally, as we see online, as people talk to each other, there's these two things that are happening.” “One of, we see a respectful disagreement, disrespectful disagreement. But Debbie, there's also an interesting phenomenon we found in our studies, is this other thing called ‘disrespectful agreement’. “And I see it in a lot of the audiences and corporations I go in, is that people are in front of your face, they're like, oh Debbie, I think that music was amazing. And then behind the scenes, they're talking to the producer, like, why would you even play that?”” “And that's one of the things that's also causing disrespectful discriminates as well, is because people are passively, or what the new generation is calling gaslighting others.” I couldn’t agree more with Justin that people need to try harder to build bridges to people rather than barriers from them. He shares some good suggestions about how we all can start to go about doing that better.  “I think the foundation for us lies in the statement I've been making for about the last decade is that we can vehemently disagree with someone's ideology and yet still passionately pursue their humanity. That's the starting point. Because oftentimes we consistently attach ideology with identity.  And so I'll start with challenging perspective because I think that speaks to what we do. I mean, it starts before any disagreement happens. It's the posture, the position that we put ourselves in. “ Justin Shared a Practical Example: “One of the things I started to challenge myself to do is this thing called Circles of Grace, where it's the thing that my mom taught me. My mom took us to events that we didn't know a lot about and that we also disagreed with. And so when you constantly are putting yourself in positions of learning and hearing other people's perspectives, so every six months I go to events, experiences, or I engage with people that I either don't know a lot about or that I disagree with. And that's helped me to consistently challenge my perspective and learn.” I’m glad I took the time to chat with Justin. Besides being an author Justin Jones- Fosu is also a full-time dad-e, and social entrepreneur. He speaks 50-60 times a year for professionals, corporations, organizations, and associations. His clients include some of the biggest names in The Fortune 500 to the best spelled names in Fourth Grades across the country he says. LOL I also really like that he’s fun. Like me, he often uses humor to get a serious message across.  I think it would be meaningful for you to take a few minutes to listen to this podcast of our live conversation from The Debbie Nigro Show. Might save some of your relationships!

 Juan Vides is the CEO & Founder of TechAcs Corp. His love for tinkering with computers as a kid, led to his now 25 years of experience in the digital marketing industry.  He Can Get You On the 1st Page of Google!  Attorneys especially seek out his services.   Juan Vides is a WOW. A class act who counts his blessings every day.   At four years old he fled civil war in El Salvador with his family and through hard work & education became an American citizen and created a very successful life and business on Long Island.   Besides building 1000’s of websites, and perfecting SEO & social media marketing for clients. Juan really knows how to network. He understands as I do, that people do business with people they know, like, and trust.   Juan created a formalized platform for entrepreneurs all over the globe to network that zooms every week called ‘Winning On Wednesdays’. Between 60-90 people join the zoom at 11am and share their professions and passions.They break out into individual groups and get to know each other and share what they need and know  to create relationships for the future to help one another.   Yes WOW. Juan serves on various Boards both for-profit and non-profit and has been featured on Fox News in an episode of The American Dream.  He’s the real deal. And charming too!  Enjoy meeting Juan in this podcast of our live conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show on WGCH Radio.  The Debbie Nigro show airs live 11-12 noon in the NY/CT area on 1490 WGCH and around the world on the digital live stream at WGCH,com.

‘Random Run In’ with NASA photographer Max Evans on the Port Canaveral Pier the day #odysseus was supposed to go to the moon.  My significant other ‘Dave’ and I went to visit his son Keith who moved from NY to Fla. near Cape Canaveral. We were jazzed we’d accidentally be on time to see the launch of the first craft to the moon in 50 years! “Odysseus” was launched by a private company named “Intuitive Machines”. As we all now know, the spacecraft did make it to the moon and even though it landed on it’s side was still able to send information back to earth. The mission was in fact a SUCCESS!   As luck would have it the big launch set for the last night we’d be there, was delayed till the next day and we missed it. Total Bummer.  Thankfully guys like Max Evans, who I ran into, are around to capture moments like this for the rest of us.  Max Evans, a NASA Space Flight photographer was on that fishing pier across from the launch pad that day. He was observing hardware movement at Launch Complex 36 in anticipation of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket launch.  Max has been shooting for nasaspaceflight.com for almost 12 months and has spent 4 years telling the story of modern spaceflight. He feels fortunate to be a part of the space industry. His job is to capture moments of space missions for those of us who cannot see them in person. He feels fulfilled being part of something larger than himself, contributing to space exploration efforts like SpaceX’s goal of making life interplanetary.  Given the chance Max said he’d ‘absolutely’ be willing to travel to space himself. (Sadly I won't be traveling with him beacuse I'm claustrophobic)  Oh, and wanted to mention Max gave me a cool NASA Space Flight Patch. I’ll let you know where I decide to put it.  LOL  Of course, I invited him to join me on The Debbie Nigro Show to talk about his cool job as NASA’s Space photographer.  I love ‘Random Run Ins’ They’re some of my most fun interviews.  Tune in Live weekdays from anywhere to hear The Debbie Nigro Show on WGCH.com .

 All Women Who Like To Make People Laugh Should Check out GOLD Comedy!  You may just find your people.  GOLD COMEDY is a comedy school, professional community, and content studio where women + non-binary folks grow their comedy careers and creative side hustles, build powerful networks, and make funny stuff.   I’m personally all about using humor to address serious matters. Humor gets people to pay attention. That I know. So naturally I was drawn to Lynn Harris, the CEO and founder of GOLD Comedy when I came across her profile on LinkedIn which read:  Founder | brand-builder | writer | producer | podcaster | multi-hyphenate using the power of comedy and humor to connect, humanize, and transform. Lynn’s done stand-up comedy in Boston and New York and has had many comedy adjacent roles, including using comedy to make tough issues more accessible while working for a human rights organization. One past success includes her infamous internet co-creation called ‘Breakup Girl’.  GOLD Comedy offers classes, celebrity speaker series, digital shorts teams, mics, shows, and more to help build expertise, careers, and resumes for women and other “others” who are chasing showbiz dreams or all the other opportunities and outlets that comedy provides.  Lynn shared that GOLD Comedy even creates opportunities for women to ‘collaborate’ on comedy content, including forming teams to produce digital sketches. These teams retain ownership of their content, with GOLD Comedy even subsidizing some expenses.  Why GOLD? Dudes still dominate the comedy world and access to it. Twice as many ads feature men being funny versus women. Standup lineups are still up to 70% men. Amy Schumer is STILL the only woman ever to make the Forbes 100 list of top-earning comedians.  Even though women are more and more visible in comedy, men still control and define it. Women have more challenges in the comedy industry, including the perception of women comedians and the male-dominated landscape of late-night TV and stand-up comedy. And let’s face it, comedy is mostly a late-night activity, which can be challenging for women, especially those with families.  GOLD Comedy is here for the gals.  Rachel Dratch is an advisor, and their guests + mentors have included Margaret Cho, Paula Pell, Judy Gold, Rachel Bloom, Ashley Nicole Black, Patti Harrison, Paula Pell, Bridget Everett, and staffers from The Daily Show, SNL, A Black Lady Sketch Show, Broad City, Search Party, Inside Amy Schumer, and more.  You must check out a fabulous GOLD Comedy bit on You Tube called ‘Spanx for Nex’! It’s a riot.  Tune in to this fun podcast of our live conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show.

Loren Stephens found her way to LA from NY in a career and life transition. While there away from her Mom, she convinced her mother, ‘a grand dame’ to let her write her write her memoir. In doing so, she was sparked to launch a business writing other people’s memoirs.   Loren who is now “Hollywood’s Go-To Ghostwriter” founded two companies. ‘Bright Star Memoirs’ geared toward helping entertainment and sports figures tell their life stories.   And ‘Write Wisdom’, to provide support and guidance for ‘anyone’ interested in writing their life story.   Every life is unique, but not everyone has the self-confidence or skill to tell their story without help. Not even celebrities.   Her latest celeb book out is a dazzling Hollywood memoir with Jeff Margolis who produced television’s most memorable variety series and specials over the past fifty years—from iconic variety shows of the 1970s to 8 Oscars!   “We’re Live in 5”, is the ultimate behind-the-scenes tour says Loren, with a foreword by Billy Crystal. It’s a tell-it-as-it-is with all the glamour you expect, along with a deeply revealing human portrait of working with larger-than-life personalities at television’s most dizzying and demanding heights. It’s also a great insider education for anyone aspiring to be an entertianment producer.   Loren Stephens own personal essays and short stories have been published in numerous literary journals and newspapers including the Los Angeles Times; the Chicago Tribune and more.   A New York native, Loren’s love for the theater, film and writing is what really led her to Los Angeles. As an executive producer, she received an Emmy nomination for the PBS documentary, Legacy of the Hollywood Blacklist, narrated by Burt Lancaster. Her debut historical novel, ‘All Sorrows Can Be Borne’, was originally published in 2021 by Rarebird.   Loren is a member of Greenlight Women, a dynamic and diverse community of women over forty in media and entertainment. She also serves as a National Commissioner of the Anti-Defamation League.   Enjoy this podcast of our warm insightful conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show.

 Misty LaBoy Knows a Thing or Two About Negative Self-Talk.  A health and beauty industry leader for over 20 years (in the top 2% of multiple billion-dollar health and beauty organizations) her career success did nothing for a long while to offset her personal struggle with weight and self-image. Even after successfully losing 60 pounds, she had to work on her internal feelings to maintain her weight loss. She believes lifestyle changes, including mindset changes, are more effective than diets.  Misty believes it so much she made a business out of it!  Misty Laboy who has produced countless live events and trainings brings a wealth of knowledge to help people dealing with rejection, doubt, people pleasing, etc. by teaching them how transform to think look and feel their best. She joined me on my radio show to some tips to help you get rid of your own negative self-talk.    Misty emphasizes that negative self-talk is a significant challenge for many people and that individuals have the power to be either their own critic or cheerleader. It’s a matter of choosing to think differently since negative thoughts are typically not beneficial.  I personally always like to talk about what I call our “higher brain" vs our "lower brain". Our lower brain seems to be a troublemaker, even when our higher brain knows better. LOL  Misty suggests that self-awareness is crucial in recognizing and changing automatic negative thoughts. She recommends reframing negative thoughts to combat them. For example, changing "I hate my fat stomach" to "I'm working on leaning out my stomach" can make a significant difference.  Social media, says Misty, often has a negative impact on self-image, especially among women, especially when they start comparing themselves to the unrealistic highlight reels of others online.  But Misty does loves social media that sends the right messaging. She’s an avid podcast listener and liked my upbeat messaging so much when she found me on Spotify that she reached out to be on my show and share her knowledge. I’m glad she did.  Misty’s Course and Coaching:  Misty offers a 12-week course focused on self-love and self-worth, addressing core issues and including one-on-one sessions tailored to individual needs. Misty feels comfortable discussing a wide range of subjects from self-love to alternative lifestyles and has diverse expertise and interests.  For example, she mentioned she is in a polyamorous relationship, and has both a husband and a boyfriend, and they are teaching a seminar on the topic. That will have to be a whole other show!  Enjoy the podcast of our live conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show on WGCH Radio.