A Mindset of Abundance with Phyllis Ginsberg

In this episode, Desiree and Chrissy take a deep dive into mental health and the importance of positive thoughts while chatting with brain researcher and therapist Phyllis Ginsberg. This touches on anxiety, depression, EFT tapping, and positive psychology. If you’re looking to take a step toward thinking of what’s possible, this is number one.

Phyllis Ginsberg is known and beloved by lots of happier, healthier, and less stressed working professionals as their Survival to Thrival Expert. She’s the author of two books:Brain Makeover – A Weekly Guide to a Happier, Healthier, and More Abundant Life,” andTired and Hungry No More – Not Your Ordinary Guide to Reclaiming Your Health and Happiness.” Her 30 years of experience as a marriage and family therapist, and expertise in positive psychology, brain research, and EFT tapping, give her clients an edge in making lasting, profound changes in their lives. Quickly, they shift their stressful thinking to achieve calm, clarity, and creativity. That means that the quality of their lives and work gets better – often in a moment. 

External Links:

Connect with Phyllis Ginsberg

Website

FREE GUIDE: Cope with Stress and Overwhelm in 5 Minutes or Less

Cultivating Investor Relationships with Brian Folmer

You’ve got one shot to land an investor for your business; can you do it? Brian Folmer can and his startup FirstLook is thriving, even after launching just two days before COVID-19 shut down New York City. Brian teaches us about drafting your pitch to building a buzz to growing your business enough to be able to say ‘no’ to new customers.
 
Brian is a two-time founder who currently leads FirstLook, a subscription box full of emerging, high growth consumer brands for early-stage investors. Before FirstLook, he led BD & Strategic Partnerships at XRC Labs, International Operations at Victoria’s Secret, and founded a previous startup through a startup technology accelerator in Cleveland. Brian joined AKPsi while attending The Ohio State University. Today you can find him at the WeWork Consumer Labs in NYC. 

External links:  

Board of Directors 2020 Update

During the weekend of August 7th and 8th the Fraternity and Foundation Boards convened via Zoom for the first ever all virtual board meeting. The weekend-long meeting included a Voting Members session to discuss changes to the Fraternity based on the effects of the Coronavirus and the election of directors.

Alpha Kappa Psi is proud to announce the Fraternity Board of Directors for the 2020-21 year:

Chair
Eileen L. Howell, Wisconsin-Milwaukee ’78-Life

Vice Chair
Chrissy M. Vasquez, Arizona State ’98-Life

Treasurer
Naneen Christopher, Seton Hall ’05-Life

Secretary
Micheal E. Dickson, Central Washington ’02-Life

Directors
John M. Levering, Boise State ’95-Life
Debora E. Barrett, Montclair State ’98-Life
Miriam V. Tomaselli, Marist ’97-Life
Michael G. Dickerson, CFV, Virginia Tech ‘04-Life

Donald T. Sechler, Arizona State ’96-Life

 

Director – Emeritus
Ken B. Hastey, Saint Louis ’76-Life                                                                                        

Thank you to Nancy Huebner, Richard Battle, and Alexander Sultan for their time on the Board.  The terms for serving on the board ended for Brothers Huebner and Battle 8/8/2020, and Brother Sultan resigned his position on August 8, 2020.  Don Sechler was officially appointed to the Board to full the vacancy left by Sultan.

Alpha Kappa Psi is proud to announce the Foundation Board of Directors for the 2020-21 year:

Chair
Eliza J. Hernandez, North Carolina – Charlotte ’09-Life

Vice Chair
Timothy W. Daniels, Indiana ’06-Life

Treasurer
Lisa A. Calandriello, American ’97-Life

Secretary
Stephen E. Smith, Florida ’86-Life

Directors
Jeff E. Frank, Eastern Michigan ’86-Life
Rodney C. Turner, Alabama State ’93-Life
Joshua Boddiford, South Florida ’00Life                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Mat D. Johnston, Boise State ’12-Life
Lea S. Goodwin, Louisiana State ’99-Life

We want to thank Manuel E. Pravia and W. Frederick Thompson for their time on the Board as their terms ended on 8/7/2020.

 

Additionally, the Board of Directors voted on the Area VPs for 2020-21:

Area I – Maya S. Richardson, Arizona State ‘12
Area II – Jonathon T. Pritt, Marshall ’11-Life
Area III – Andrea Nemeth, Montclair State ’91-Life
Area IV – Stephanie N. Potter, Auburn ’00-Life

We want to thank Stephanie Van Dellen for her service to the Management Team as her term as VP Area I ended 8/8/20.

 

 

 

 

 

Entrepreneurship: Soul Carrier with Jenn Boonlorn

The Devil Wears Prada comes to life in this episode with Jennifer Boonlorn, creator of Soul Carrier, a line of luxury handbags and accessories. Jennifer tells us an amazing story of family heartbreak leading to business inspiration as she travels from Arizona to New York City to find her true north. A special discount code is available for our listeners at the end of the episode!

Soul Carrier was founded in 2011 by designer Jennifer Boonlorn. Raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Jennifer graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in business with the goal of becoming a lawyer. After losing both of her parents in a family car accident when she was a senior in college, she found it imperative to re-think her future path. Jennifer relocated to New York City to pursue a career in the fashion industry. 

External Links:

Connect with Jennifer Boonlorn

Soul Carrier website

Online Collaboration in Virtual Classrooms

College is a social experience, through and through. Though your journey to graduation is very much your own, most of your time on campus is spent engaging in real-world interactions, collaboration, and group work. In fact, educational studies performed at Vanderbilt showed a direct correlation between collaborative learning and a higher level of understanding in students.

The question is: What if your learning isn’t happening inside a classroom at all this year? The COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, leaving universities with a tough decision to make, namely whether students will return to campus or continue with online classes. Even if your school opens its campus, there’s a strong chance that a portion of your courses with be digital. However, online classes will require the same level of group work, even without meeting in-person. Before your college semester kicks off, let’s review a few important tips for collaborating across virtual classes.

 

Explore the Course Software 

When classes start, students can expect overview of the curriculum, a week-by-week schedule of relevant assignments, and usually some specific instructions for success. The same is certainly true in digital classrooms, but a wrinkle is added when new software is involved.

There’s a good chance your college already has Blackboard or another familiar online hub where professors can post assignments, offer additional materials, calculate grades, and generally keep the virtual work by students all in one, set place. But this software also is where the conversations and discussions live. You might use forums, shared docs, or web chat, all depending on your teacher’s preferences. Take some time before coursework gets underway to navigate around and make note of where all relevant work lives online.

 

Engage in Online Discussions

In-class discussions are a great form of collaborative learning, as they allow students to talk through their understanding of topics under the guidance of an instructor. However, when that same discussion is happening in a chat room or open forum, the academic experience can feel unnatural and even leave students disengaged with the process. But just like in front of your peers in college, the only way to get better is simply to trust yourself and try.

If class discussions are held in messaging platforms like Slack, or a course-specific web forum, it’s important to ensure your messages do not send the wrong impression. If you’ve ever felt attacked in a Facebook comment section, you know how easily tone can be misconstrued, or used purposely to insult others. Virtual classrooms should be a safe space for discussion, so do not use vulgar or insulting terms. Remember, these are new classmates, and your conversations will only get easier as you become acquainted online.

 

Prepare for Group Projects Online

Love them or hate them, group projects are a regular part of college courses. These collaborative efforts can be highly contentious, specifically when certain group members don’t pull their own weight. Vickie Cook, executive director of the Center for Teaching, Learning & Service at the University of Illinois at Springfield, agrees. “Group projects can be really great, and they can be a disaster. The most important thing is that they have a purpose,” she said.

Completing group projects in online classes can be even more trying because you’re unable to meet and discuss in-person. That’s why succeeding in group work during online classes requires careful planning and organization to enable everyone to complete their part. First, choose a leader for the group. This person should assemble and organize all the work, set meeting times, and maintain momentum for the project. From there, establish all tasks that need to be accomplished, and then try to align each of those with group members’ individual strengths. Also, it would help to use a preferred method of communication, whether that’s through Facebook Messenger, Skype, Gchat, or text messaging; keeping all discussions in one place will help with organization and record-keeping.

 

Make Virtual Learning Feel Just Like Real Life

The possibility of no in-person classes for the 2020-2021 school year is truly disappointing. However, virtual classrooms can still provide you with knowledge and insights from talented professors and peers at your college. It will take some adjustment, but by staying positive and trusting the instructors, you can get the most out of this year of college.