Arianna Merritt, MEd | Health Educator & Digital Creator

Director of Athletics Dr. Ivan Joseph's Self-Discovery Lesson on Practicing the Skill of Self-Confidence

As the Director of Athletics at Ryerson University in Toronto, Dr. Joseph leads the university’s sports community of 12 varsity teams, more than 20 multi-tiered intramural leagues, several sports clubs, and other extensive offerings. He shows the participants how to be their personal best athletically and mentally, both as individuals and as a group.

In his former role of recruiting student athletes, he was often asked what skill he was most searching for when looking for potential members to his teams; was it speed? Strength? Agility? In Dr. Joseph's TEDx Talk, he answers this question, explaining how self-confidence is not just the most important skill in athletics, but in our lives! Watch Dr. Joseph’s talk here:

Rise & Shine Interview: Tara Fall

Ever wondered what results from reaching out to someone whose story inspires you? A new friendship can form and you find strength to persevere. I'm excited that today, Tara Fall, is “Speaking From the Heart” and sharing her experiences with all of us. I found her through her blog (http://findingstrengthtostandagain.wordpress.com/) by chance last year and am so blessed to have connected with her. I think her story is so inspiring and should be shared with others. She has really inspired me to go after my dream, to persevere, and to overcome obstacles with optimism. Check out the video of her story below before you read her interview to see what I mean.

Rise & Shine Interview: Scott Vannatter

Scott L Vannatter is the oldest of two children, having one sister. He was born in New Castle, Indiana and lives in Middletown, IN in his grandmother's home with his cat, Tamika. Scott is a published author of 7 short horror stories, 4 of which are currently in print and on sale with Amazon in both anthologies (paperback) and on Kindle. Scott has 2 Master's degrees, worked in computers for nearly 23 years and nearly 6 years as a special education teacher. A massive hemorrhagic stroke in May of 2010 made him stop teaching and start writing. He is, currently, an Independent Marketing Director for Team National. He has been divorced twice and has two wonderful children, one male and one female both 30 years or older. He is happy with life and believes that "all things work together in the end; if it hasn't worked out, it isn't the end."

Rise & Shine Interview: Tina Benigno

Ever wondered what results from reaching out to someone who shares similar professional interests to you? A new connection and friendship can form. I'm excited that today, Tina Benigno, who I met from reaching electronically out while living in Toronto, is “Speaking From the Heart” and sharing her experiences with all of us.

Rise & Shine Interview: Jesse Ruben about Writing

Ever wondered how a singer/songwriter develops the courage to speak from their heart? I'm excited that today, Jesse Ruben, is “Speaking From the Heart” and sharing his experiences with all of us.

I had to ask Jesse to be part of this series after reading an article in a local paper about his visit to Vancouver Island to encourage children to persevere. As an educator, I know how much of an impact he made by connecting with these young people in person. Read an article about his visit here or check out his blog post about the visit. I was so touched by his generosity that I had to reach out to Jesse as I wanted to help spread his message further.

Rise & Shine Interview: Gabriello Pitman

Ever wondered how writing can inspire the journey of a professional performer? I'm excited that today my friend, Gabriello Pitman, is “Speaking From the Heart” and sharing his experiences with all of us.

Gabriello is a performer, an entrepreneur, and a professional coach based in Toronto, Canada. I met Gabriello before he became an entrepreneur and was pursuing his PhD in Physics at the University of Toronto. We met and became friends as we were both residents of Wycliffe College's graduate residence. You can check out the story in his own words on how he discovered his calling here. Gab used to come in the television room at the residence and perform card tricks for us. I had to ask Gabriello to be involved in this series as he continually inspires and encourages me on my journey. Plus, he is a fun guy to be around, and has quite the range of facial expressions (as do I :)).

Rise & Shine Interview: Vanessa Grillone

I'm excited to start the series by featuring the amazing Vanessa Grillone. I discovered Vanessa's blog, My Pen, My Voice, this past January on the Canadian Weblog Awards site where both our blogs were nominated. I had to connect with her as we share similar interests, live/lived in Toronto, and both have self-published books. Vanessa is a writer, blogger, and book-lover looking to find her place in the publishing world. She contributes to ChicDarling.com and Workstory.net; she also writes for her own lifestyle blog on VanessaGrillone.com . Vanessa can’t stop writing and can be annoyingly optimistic, but she doesn’t care—she loves life.

Rise & Shine Interview: Celenia Serrano

Celenia Serrano works for a private consulting firm based in Toronto, ON. Her true passion lies in promoting gender equality in lesser developed countries and understanding the economical and social barriers to development. It is her mission to challenge the antiquated gender roles in her own culture and promote an equal partnership between males and females. When not at work, Celenia participates regularly in yoga, in playing music and in staying active with the many dogs and horses on the farm.

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