It's been a while but I'm back with a new show geared towards Women's Confidence. I am transitioning the Surrounded by Idiots Podcast to the She Talks Confidence Podcast. So, the next few shows will be here but soon I will transition to the new show's podcast platform. I will let you know when and where, so in the meantime, I hope you enjoy this week's show. The new show will be an interview format, each week bringing on a powerful woman to share a story of Confidence or lack of Confidence and how she was able to learn and grow and become more empowered through her experience. I kick off the new format with a terrific guest, Gia Lacqua Gia is a widely-regarded empowerment coach and motivational speaker. She is also the author of the Limitless Little Leaders children's book series, a board member with the Girl Scouts of Northern NJ, a girl-mom, and women's advocate.  She brings 20 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry leading companies, teams, and individuals through strategic change and growth, and most recently served as Vice President of a Fortune 100 Company.  She holds a Bachelor's of Science in Human Development, and she is a Trauma-Informed Certified Coach. Her insights have been featured in well-known media outlets such as Thrive Global and Authority Magazine. As an empowerment coach she supports high-achieving women who are overwhelmed and unfulfilled find her inner harmony and reclaim her life so she can show up as the extraordinary woman she knows she is capable of being. In the show Gia talks about a terrible health scare that finally got her to prioritize herself, creating Confidence in who she is and how she wants to show up, everyday, for not only her daughter and her clients, but for herself. If you're interested in speaking with Gia, you can contact her at gia@gialacqua.com I hope you enjoy the show and, as usual, if you have any comments, send me a note at tony@javabud.com

Listen to this if you want to know exactly how to crush life. Amanda Gorman, American poet, crushed her poem, "The Hill We Climb" and in the process showed us all the formula for making a huge impact in the world. There are only a few times during your life that you come across something so surprisingly powerful you literally stop in your tracks and become entranced in the power of the moment. For me, these situations have been rare: * Whitney Houston singing the National Anthem after 9/11 * Nadia Comaneci scoring the first Perfect 10 in Olympic gymnastics history * Usain Bolt practically jogging the last 20 meters of the 100 meters race because he was so much better than everyone And to add to that list, Amanda Gorman. This 22 year old young woman embodies confidence, grace, class, intelligence and leadership. Her life, leading up to and including her poetry reading during the 2021 Presidential Inauguration of Joe Biden, includes a number of unfortunates and setbacks. Yet through it all, with help and guidance from a strong single mom, she has persisted and succeeded, and as a result bringing her gift along the way to lift up us all. Her formula for success is very similar to the classic Stoic Foundation of Life which is very simple yet powerful: Knowledge and Virtue Constant striving for more and better knowledge in order to think and behave with virtue, with integrity. In the show I talk about how she navigated the pitfalls to provide a perfect example of living a completely fulfilled life...one that we can all obtain if we just follow Amanda's example. Questions/Comments: tony@javabud.com #amandagorman #thehillweclimb #presidentialinauguration #stoicphilosophy #stoicism #transitioncoaching #bigchanges #tonydufresne #thejavabud

In this week’s podcast episode two perfectionists explain the struggle and how to imperfectly move forward into success. My good friend Mariah (themamalovemovement.com) shares her story about her struggles with her chosen college major and how she went about making some of the biggest and best changes in her life while battling her perfectionism. The topics we touch on during the show include: * The two types of perfectionism* The role of procrastination and overthinking with perfectionists* The power of patience, perspective and surrender in achieving anything* How to snap yourself out of being perfect in order to take action towards success Website: javabud.com Comments/Questions: tony@javabud.com #perfectionist #perfectionism #perfectionistcoach #imperfectsuccess #succeedingimperfectly #perfectionistpodcast #javabud #tonydufresne #themamalovemovement

Pucker up and get ready for a MUCH better 2021! In this week’s show I offer you a much easier and cheaper alternative to all the self-improvement programs that will clog your newsfeeds over the next couple of months. For the record, I’m a big fan of self-improvement but not when I’m overwhelmed by 1,000 different programs promising life-changing results in as little as four weeks. And I have a feeling this year will be even worse because of the Covid and political nightmares we’ve been trying to survive. Let’s be honest, we are all dealing with some level of PTSD because of this past year. That is why this week, I would like to share with you the KISS Method of Life Management Keep It Stupid Simple This method will not overwhelm you. It will not have you try to make big changes in your life. It will not try to upsell you unnecessary books or supplements. It will simply re-ground you and reset your expectations as you enter into your New Normal. Since you’re already listening to me, there’s a really good chance you have a solid foundation to work from. The system is based on the 4 Virtues of Stoic Philosophy which provide a simple guide to keep you on track as you try to reset into your new normal. Questions / Comments : tony@javabud.com Website: javabud.com Youtube: thejavabud #bestselfimprovementidea #stoicvirtues #newyearnewyou #regroundyourself #thekissmethod #keepitstupidsimple #freeguide #balanceandflow #personalcoach #thejavabud #tonydufresne

This week I share a great technique that eliminates anxiety by using the difference between probability and possibility. Have you ever gotten yourself all worked up about something that might happen and realize after that you wasted a lot of time and energy overreacting to what you “thought” was going to happen? * Speaking in public?* Confronting someone?* Health issues? What if I told you there is a way to eliminate anxiety by simply knowing the difference between probability and possibility? This tool is a mindset technique based on a simple understanding of knowing the difference between Probability and Possibility. In the show I talk about: * Living on a golf course and how being hit by a golf ball is a great example of possibility and probability* How someone’s reaction to walking along a golf course says a lot about their mindset* The two part formula for accurately assessing the chances of something really happening Comments / Questions: tony@javabud.com Website: Javabud Youtube Channel #possibilityvsprobability #takingrisks #whatismeasuredrisk #riskandsuccess #eliminateanxiety #eliminatefear #lifestrategy #biglifedecisions #makingtherightdecision #howtomakeupyourmind #empowermentcoaching #thejavabud #tonydufresne

Are you constantly chasing positive emotions in a maze right now? Trying to force your way through? Running up against the same dead ends then wasting time by getting down on yourself or upset then projecting that energy onto someone else? Then this week’s episode is for you. It’s a story about how my six year old granddaughter taught me a very powerful lesson in confidence and finding my flow by schooling me in a corn maze. A big problem I see and share with my clients is that we end up being our own worst enemy. Our high expectations lead to a lot of disappointment, anxiety and anger especially when we feel like we’re stuck and don’t have the answer to move forward. That’s why watching my granddaughter crush the maze was so powerful and a good reminder of how we can harness our inner, unshakeable confidence, tap into our flow and get things done. In the show I talk about: The curse of the driven, successful person and how to tell if you have itHow a six year old’s brain is so effective at completing challengesThe formula to stop overthinking and becoming more efficient in getting things doneWhat is Stoic Flow and how it can help you become unstuck?A Call to Action that any six year old can do Questions/Comments: tony@javabud.com Youtube Channel: TheJavaBud Javabud.com #unshakeableconfidence #havingmoreconfidence #actlikeachild #becomingunstuck #gowiththeflow #stoicism #stoicphilosophy #tonydufresnephd #thejavabud #philosophicalcounseling

In this week’s podcast episode I offer up proven ways to turn your Covid isolation frown upside down. With the colder weather limiting outdoor activities and less sun there will be higher degrees of isolation anxiety. The techniques I talk about are basic Stoic Philosophy concepts that have been successfully used by astronauts and researchers that spend months in isolation. Highlights of the show include: Advice from an astronaut who spent 11 months in space then came home and had to cope with the Covid isolation Solutions from Australian researcher David Knoff who spent a year in a remote camp in Antarctica The power in knowing the 3rd Quarter Phenomenon and how that helped a researcher survive two years in the Biosphere 2 bubble And finally, how to use the pillars of Stoic philosophy to cope and survive with our Covid isolation over the next few months Remember, anxiety is not caused by the circumstance, it’s caused by your thoughts and reactions TO the circumstance. Be good to yourself Be good to others Ask for help if you need it See you on the other side! Tony Questions, comments or personal coaching: tony@javabud.com Website with a link to my book on Amazon and a freebie: www.javabud.com Youtube channel: TheJavaBud #copinginisolation #covidcoping #copingwithcovid #copingwithisolation #isolationandmentalhealth #3rdquarterphenomenon #kristinakoch #spacestation #davidknoff #antarcticaresearchstation #stoicism #stoicphilosophy #usingstoicphilosophy #copingwithstoicism #isolationmindset #coachfortheselfemployed #relationshipcoach #consultantfortheselfemployed #helpfortheselfemployed #tonydufresne #thejavabud

This week I talk about how effective Covid is at determining whether a person is an aware, empathetic member of society or a toddler. Since the virus is still very unpredictable, none of us know if we could possibly die if we get it. So when someone successfully fights off the Coronavirus, there’s a sense of relief. And you would think they would also gain a higher level of empathy and awareness about how important it is to wear a mask and keep your distance. But unfortunately, there are A LOT of Covid survivors out there that don’t pass the character test. So, I wanted to share the following thoughts in the show about: * How Covid does a good job at exposing someone’s core character trait* The Curse of Awareness and the battle with high expectations and abject disappointment* How the Toddler Mentality has been given a voice and how destructive it has been* How the virus has tested my Stoic Philosophy foundation and* The transformational power of Strategic Surrender Comments / Questions: tony@javabud.com Website: www.javabud.com #covid19survivor #covidsurvivor #coronavirussurvivor #toddlermentality #perspectiveandempathy #livingwithhighexpectations #stoicphilosophy #usingstoicphilosophy #focusandflowcoach #leadershipcoaching #javabud #tonydufresne

This week’s podcast episode I share my life with Covid-19 over the past two weeks. Because this virus attacks the central nervous system, it’s not just the physical symptoms, but people also have to deal with significant mental, emotional and spiritual issues. And even though I would be considered a “mild” case, I have been dealing with all of those issues. So, I thought I’d share with you my covid experience including: * All the precautions I took and how I eventually got it from a very unlikely place* My first symptoms and why I thought I should get tested* How my life changed immediately after finding out I was positive* What physical symptoms I have and the typical symptoms I didn’t get* The most frustrating part about the physical symptoms* The psychological / mental stress that comes with battling the Coronavirus* The new study from the Lancet that sheds light on the significant unseen impact of the virus* The philosophical / spiritual questions that come up when dealing with Covid-19 Lastly, I would like to share my thoughts on how to process this virus if you get it or how to help someone you know that has or will unfortunately contract Covid. Don’t be fooled by that Orange Psychopath currently (but not for long) occupying the White House, this virus is serious and can impact you on a number of levels. Be safe, wear your mask and be responsible. Questions and/or comments: tony@javabud.com #covidsurvivor #covidsymptoms #ihavecoronavirus #covidmyths #covidfacts #covidandmentalhealth #coronavirusfacts #coronavirusmyths #livingwithcovid #livingwithcoronavirus #wearamask #tonydufresne #javabud #empowermentcoach #successcoach

This week’s podcast is about two semi-woke people coming to terms with the current state of divisiveness and thinking out loud about what we need to do now that the election is over. Because, once again, my show is about a touchy social topic, there are a lot of people that will never get this post because our social media platform friends can discern between constructive dialogue and hate speech. That being said, I hope, maybe after listening, you would be kind enough to post yourself or at least share with one other person, because the time is now to take real action to get back to becoming a united country. And, for those of you not living in the U.S., inside the show you will find a very satisfying Humble Pie Eating Contest. In the show, my good friend and author of the popular “Mama Love Movement” blog, Mariah Peric, talk about: * How a win is really not a win * The power of the Fear of Change and how we can change that* What Genie is out of what bottle and why that’s a good thing* How a country built on individuality needs to think like a team player in order to survive* What we can all do to start the healing process, become more woke and help the wokeless Questions and/or Comments: tony@javabud.com