Stephen Shapiro was one of the first guests to appear on Feisworld Podcast in 2014. Today, we are excited to bring him back to the show to talk about his brand new book released on March 3rd, 2020 called: Invisible Solutions: 25 Lenses that Reframe and Help Solve Difficult Business Problems.

• How he went about constructing the book and finished writing it (based on 10+ years of consulting experience)

• The "user testing" process, and how Stephen was able to gather and leverage user feedback to create the best version of his new book

• How this book compared to some of his previous books - Best Practices Are Stupid, Personality Poker in terms of the writing and marketing experience

• For those of you who are in the process of publishing your first (or second) book, Stephen answers the publishing industry questions and what you need to know as a new author

• For creative entrepreneurs (new and experienced), Stephen helps answer the question: "How do we stand out with so much competition in the market" .

• Where to seek valuable, trusted and actionable advice (and how to cut through the noises to focus on your work)

Julie Desmarais is a publicist at Cirque du Soleil. Originally from Montreal, Julie has been with the company for many years. We met for the first time during CRYSTAL opening in Boston two years ago. Most recently, I interviewed her backstage for the new Cirque du Soleil ice show called AXEL.

After dozens of interviews with circus artists, Julie became the first publicist we interviewed on podcast.

When you meet Julie and no matter how busy she is, she greets you with a big and authentic smile. She loves her work, and that love fuels her creative energy.

• What it means to be a publicist at Cirque du Soleil

• How Julie became a publicist for the company

• What it's like to travel on the road with performers, and how that changes the relationships among people (for the better)

• How to reinvent yourself in your career

• How YOU can apply for jobs in and outside of circus roles (costume, accessories, finance, infrastructure and more) at Cirque du Soleil: https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/careers/talent

• BONUS Career Tip: How to stand out from the crowd and make the right connections for your next career move

Jeremy Ten is a Canadian figure skater, a three-time Canadian national medallist (silver in 2015, bronze in 2009 and 2012). He competed in the free skate at seven ISU Championships. Jeremy strikes me as someone who's highly skilled and yet incredibly humble. After being interviewed by at least 5-6 reporters just before our conversation, he pleasantly accepted my invite to join Feisworld as part of a Facebook Live series, where I interview performers as I travel with my partner Adam Leffert.

AXEL is a different kind of Cirque show. After CRYSTAL (the very first ice show from Cirque), AXEL became the second success story of attempting something so out of the ordinary for Cirque. Artistic director Shana Carroll has been interviewed on Feisworld once before when CRYSTAL was in production.

Jeremy and I talked about AXEL, what it's like to be a traveling artist at the age of 30, transitioning from a professional, competing skater to a circus performer, plus Jeremy's skincare routine that keeps him looking young and refreshed.

Show notes, tools and other resources: www.feisworld.com/blog/jeremy-ten

Hey amazing humans, I recorded the episode originally for me to remember this rather incredible and memorable journey from January 2nd to February 6th, 2020, when I became my mom's caretaker. In many ways, it felt like the most difficult time I had to live through in a long time.

I want to dedicate this episode to anyone who's living through medical difficulties, caring for their families and friends, and those who work in the healthcare industries tirelessly to create miracles and care for strangers.

There are many lessons I learned through this experience, and I hope you'll share yours as well.

Love and hugs,

Fei

A listener named Jenny Lisk sent us a great question related to our freelance mini-series - "How can I Work as a Freelance Project Manager"?

Freelancing can speak more towards people who can work \ independently. Since project management requires a lot of coordination on site with team members, many people in this career path find it difficult to switch over to freelancing from working full-time.

Since my freelance career started as a freelance project manager, I want to dedicate this episode to those who want to consider the possibility of working as a freelance project manager.

This episode is longer than our traditional mini-episode (10-15 mins) because I want to deep-dive into some of the practical applications and advice related to freelance project management.

Please share your questions and feedback with me via [email protected], or @feisworld everywhere on social media

Happy Chinese New Year 2020!

It hasn't been an easy or quiet January. With my mom's medical conditions and the stomach flu I recovered from right before hitting the record button, life has been turned upside down.

Here's the story of me trying to get on back on my feet.

Hugs and much love, to you, your family and a healthy & happy 2020!

Hey guys, we are on YouTube now creating interviews, vlogs, unboxing content. Please come say hi and subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm85VUgZyONBCie0rZIrguw?view_as=subscriber

We are on YouTube! Please come say hi and subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm85VUgZyONBCie0rZIrguw?view_as=subscriber

Don't forget to connect with us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm85VUgZyONBCie0rZIrguw?view_as=subscriber

Today's episode is all about learnings from the past decade.

What's your story? Share them with everywhere on social @feisworld

Hugs, Fei

Hi guys, in addition to our regular Feisworld Podcast, we are now broadcasting and creating new content on YouTube, come visit us: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm85VUgZyONBCie0rZIrguw?view_as=subscriber

We'll be repurposing some part of the YouTube content to release on this podcast starting 2020.

Onward!

Fei

Allison Martin (LinkedIn) was born and raised in South Africa. She's the founder of UDoTest, the first company of its kind to help significantly reduce the unnecessary cervical cancer deaths in Africa.

Following a mobile and tech career, she noticed a significant lack of accessibility to medical services and care across Africa. After the first few experiences of getting her Pap smear, she figured that there must be a better and easier way for women to receive these tests - possibly in the comfort of their own homes. UDoTest was the start of something digitally different in South Africa and sub-saharan Africa with the intention of merging tech, healthcare and a much greater purpose all into one. The goal was to educate, increase awareness and disease prevention using simple and accurate methods.