Backstage Pass: Ep. 11 - Nando Parrado: More Than Heroes - The Ultimate Story of Love, Teamwork, and Trust

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Backstage Pass: Ep. 11 - Nando Parrado: More Than Heroes - The Ultimate Story of Love, Teamwork, and Trust

Backstage Pass: Ep. 11 - Nando Parrado: More Than Heroes - The Ultimate Story of Love, Teamwork, and Trust

Nando parrado bio

Nando Parrado is the hero of the 1972 Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 rescue. Parrado's story has been referred to as the greatest survival story of all time as he recounts the extraordinary tale of how he and 15 of his teammates survived for 72 brutal days after their plane crashed into the frozen Andes Mountains over 50 years ago.

The most recent cinematic retelling of their story is the Netflix film, Society of the Snow, which has introduced a new generation to Nando's heroic journey. The film was spearheaded by Oscar-nominated director J.A. Bayona and has received international attention along with winning numerous awards including 12 Goyas.

For over three decades, Parrado has moved global audiences through sharing his story of survival, resilience, and determination in the Andes. While it is almost certain no one has experienced surviving a plane crash at cruising altitude, Parrado believes every listener can strongly relate as we all have our own Andes to conquer.

His story has continued to remain in the limelight - first being told in Pier Paul Read’s 1973 publication of Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors. In 1993, Ethan Hawke portrayed Parrado in the movie Alive. Parrado soon debuted as #10 on The New York Times bestseller list as a first time author with Miracle in the Andes in 2006. The riveting story was retold in The History Channel documentary I Am Alive: Surviving the Andes Plane Crash in 2010 as well as in a 2023 ABC 20/20 episode Prisoners of the Snow.

Nando and his family reside in Uruguay where he is enjoying early retirement after a successful career in television and entrepreneurship running real estate developments, an ad agency, and a chain of hardware stores. He is now focusing on family and his many hobbies which include boating, historic race cars, and travel.

 
 

Show notes

We wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for Nando Parrado, the first speaker ever booked by GDA Speakers 25 years ago. Nando is the hero of a 1972 plane crash in the Andes Mountains, which he discusses in today’s episode, and he’s lived through one of the greatest survival stories of all time. His story continues to resonate with audiences today; when he attends as a speaker, he promises to give the audience the best speaker experience they’ve ever had. We also discuss GDA Speakers' 25th anniversary and Nando's continued involvement and influence in the company.

Key topics in this episode include:

  • What audiences find so engaging and appealing about Nando’s story.

  • How he celebrates his survival and honors those who were lost.

  • Why Nando is visiting the podcast office today.

  • Why Nando was chosen as the first speaker booked at GDA Speakers (and how he filled a tall order).

  • Where he’s speaking next and why it’s such a big accomplishment.

  • The secret to his survival and why it’s a miracle that Nando is here today.

  • The small ways people survive every day and why it matters.

  • What to watch for in an engaged audience and how to know if they’re all in.

  • Nando’s experience with the movie Society of the Snow.

  • Why he says speaking is a part of his life (and what the other important parts are).

  • His thoughts on going to the Oscars and what it was like.

  • How he selects speaking engagements to do (and why he says no sometimes).

  • The reasons why Nando gets booked again and again.

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Backstage Pass: Ep. 10 - Ron White: Memory Mastery - The Key to Winning in Business and Life

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Backstage Pass: Ep. 10 - Ron White: Memory Mastery - The Key to Winning in Business and Life

Backstage Pass: Ep. 10 - Ron White: Memory Mastery - The Key to Winning in Business and Life

Ron White bio

Ron White is, without question, one of the top memory experts in the world.

Ron White is a two-time national memory champion. He won the USA Memory Championship in 2009 and 2010. Ron held the record for the fastest to memorize a deck of shuffled cards in only 1 minute and 27 seconds. He held this record for two years and is a top memory expert.

Ron’s desire is not that you see him as the person with the best-trained memory, but that he teaches YOU to have the best-trained memory!

Ron speaks to audiences of all sizes around the world, including Singapore, Indonesia, Ireland, Kenya, South Africa, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ghana, England, Italy, Germany, Spain, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Canada, The Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and Belgium.

Ron has appeared on Good Morning America, Martha Stewart Show, FOX and Friends, the CBS Evening News, CBS Early Show, FOX, and NBC. He has also been written about in newspapers from the New York post to the Dallas Morning News.

Ron is a part of the History Channel show Stan Lee’s Super Humans as The Memory Expert. You also may have seen him on the National Geographic Channel show ‘Brain Games’ as their memory expert in season 1. He has been the guest on over 200 radio programs and is the author of over a dozen CD albums and books. In every talk, Ron shares that he is no different from anyone. He teaches that everyone can learn how to improve their memory.

Ron is an averaged-brained guy who loves baseball, country music, and Texas. And, he just so happens to have trained his memory to a freakishly good level to become a top worldwide memory expert.

Ron joined the US Navy as a reservist after September 11th and completed a tour in Afghanistan during 2007.

As a tribute to the fallen, Ron has memorized the names of more than 2,300 American service members killed in Afghanistan. He travels the USA writing the names on a 52-foot long wall from memory. It took 10 months to memorize the 7,000+ words.

 
 

show notes

Today we’re joined by two-time USA memory champion Ron White. His presentation addresses the skill of memorization and why it’s so important in business and in relationships. Not only that, but having a good memory can boost your confidence as well because it allows you to fortify what you know—whether that’s product knowledge, sales information, or a speech of your own. Being a great speaker is the sign of a great leader, and a great memory is where that begins.

Key topics in this episode include:

  • The events that fell together for Ron and Gail to meet.

  • The person Ron met who introduced him into the world of all things memory.

  • How Ron became a foremost memory expert and solidified it.

  • Why Ron is making a return to competing soon.

  • The many different situations that memorization can help you in.

  • How learning to remember things well fosters confidence in adults and children.

  • Why Ron is a great speaker for kicking off any event.

  • Ron’s service history and how he’s used his gifts to honor fallen soldiers.

  • The incredible connections he’s made through his speaking events.

  • The program his customers kept asking him for and how well it did when he delivered.

  • The biggest trick to remembering anything (with examples).

  • Why most people struggle with memorizing names, and what to do instead.

  • Ron’s interest outside of speaking and how it’s changed his life.

  • What Ron wants planners to know before they book him (and why they should).

  • What makes him different from other memory experts.

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Backstage Pass: Ep. 9 - Sandra Joseph & Ron Bohmer: Broadway Edu-tainment

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Backstage Pass: Ep. 9 - Sandra Joseph & Ron Bohmer: Broadway Edu-tainment

Backstage Pass: Ep. 9 - Sandra Joseph & Ron Bohmer: Broadway Edu-tainment

Sandra Joseph & Ron Bohmer bio

Sandra Joseph and Ron Bohmer have been called “Broadway royalty” and “a real-life fairytale romance.” As a 20+ year married couple who have worked together for decades, they will be the first to tell you that personal and professional partnership is no fairytale. Through keynotes, concerts, and fireside chats, these two showstoppers invite you to peek behind the curtain as they share moving, inspiring, and often hilarious stories AND SONGS from their celebrated careers and lives on and off stage. In this masterful “inspir-tainment,” these two world-class performers speak and sing about overcoming obstacles, dropping the “mask”, and practicing presence over perfection.

Sandra and Ron met on the stage of the Kennedy Center Opera House just moments before stepping into their roles as the Phantom and Christine. They fell in love both on and off the stage in 1997. Nearly three decades later, their story has transcended Broadway stages and concert halls worldwide into a 20+ year marriage and professional partnership.

Sandra holds the record as the longest-running leading lady in Broadway’s longest-running show. For 10 years and more than 1,500 performances, she starred as Christine in The Phantom of the Opera. She is the bestselling author of Unmasking What Matters: 10 Life Lessons from 10 Years on Broadway and the co-author of Your Creative Soul: Expressing Your Authentic Voice with 5-time New York Times bestselling author, Caroline Myss.

Media appearances (to name a few):

  • The Today Show

  • CNN

  • The View

  • The Oprah Winfrey Show

  • Oprah: Where Are They Now?”

Oprah has called Sandra “a Broadway legend and an inspiration.”

Ron is one of Broadway’s most accomplished leading men, having starred in over a dozen Broadway productions in a career spanning three decades.

Starring roles (to name a few):

  • The Phantom in The Phantom Of The Opera

  • Joseph Smith and Jesus in the mega-hit The Book of Mormon

  • Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard (Jefferson Award nomination)

  • Alex in Aspects Of Love (LA Robby award)

  • Enjolras in Les Miserables

  • Coach Bolton in Disney’s High School Musical

  • The title role in The Scarlet Pimpernel (National Broadway Theatre Award nomination)

  • Father in the Tony-nominated revival of Ragtime

  • Frid in the Tony-nominated revival of A Little Night Music with Bernadette Peters.

Ron has appeared as a concert soloist with symphony orchestras worldwide including Radio City Music Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and New York City’s Town Hall. As a singer/songwriter, Ron has recorded three solo albums including his latest release, Legacy.

Together, Sandra and Ron leave audiences moved, entertained, exhilarated, and maybe even a little more in love.

 
 

Show notes

In this episode of Backstage Pass, we’re joined by Sandra Joseph & Ron Bohmer. Often referred to as Broadway royalty, this couple fell in love both on and off stage in 1997. They’ve been married for over 20 years and have formed a beautiful business partnership. The speaking events they do together are often about overcoming fear and rejection, following your heart, and the importance of dropping your mask and being your authentic self.

Key topics in this episode include:

  • The role that made Sandra the longest leading lady on the longest running play.

  • A gift that helped Sandra keep her edge after a decade into performing.

  • How a shift in underlying motivations can recharge you.

  • Why it’s important to be who you are, flaws and all.

  • Why Sandra said she’s the least likely Broadway star you’d ever meet.

  • How being vulnerable can actually help you achieve your dreams.

  • What made Ron and Sandra’s first conversation unique.

  • The pressure people feel to show up a certain way and how it burdens them.

  • How having a deep dive with a client before a speaking event improves the event.

  • Sandra’s motivation for becoming an author and speaker.

  • How a theater background has equipped them to make events especially engaging.

  • The role their daughter landed and how it’s been a bonding experience for their family.

  • How Ron and Sandra give back to the community and why they are passionate about it.

  • Their favorite parts of what they do and why their audience gets lit up from them.

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Backstage Pass: Ep. 8 - Heather Davis: Behind The Scenes With A Seasoned Event Strategist

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Backstage Pass: Ep. 8 - Heather Davis: Behind The Scenes With A Seasoned Event Strategist

Backstage Pass: Ep. 8 - Heather Davis: Behind The Scenes With A Seasoned Event Strategist

Heather davis bio

Heather L. Davis, JD, CLU®, ChFC®, CAP®, has been with New York Life since 1999. She is part of the leadership team at The Nautilus Group where she heads the Marketing, Meetings and Agent Development team. Prior to this role, Heather managed a team of consultants at New York Life’s Advanced Planning Group and was a member of the special cases unit at Nautilus where she created customized business and estate analyses for high-net-worth clients. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa and as a Superior Scholar from the University of Nebraska, where she received both her Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor. She is also a member of the Texas State Bar Association.

Show notes

In this episode of Backstage Pass we’re joined by events strategist Heather Davis, Corporate Vice President with New York Life. She drives high-impact outcomes through oversight of three domains: marketing, meetings, and training and development. This conversation has Heather share what makes a speaking event successful, why some speakers are invited back, and the biggest hurdles she faces as an events strategist. She also spills about what a recent speaker did that surprised her—and what she expects to see in the event and speaking space next.

Key topics in this episode include:

  • The services Heather provides and the individuals who look for these services.

  • The overall objective of the annual meeting that Heather coordinates.

  • How having a small event team influences the planning process.

  • Signs of a successful annual meeting (and why measuring it matters).

  • How many contracts Heather has facilitated.

  • What encourages Heather to book a speaker again (or never again).

  • Why you should book speakers as far in advance as possible.

  • Whether a speaker’s video is actually helpful in decision making or not.

  • The biggest challenges Heather has in strategizing events.

  • Why speaker customization is so important.

  • How she approaches booking speakers and who she trusts with the heavy lifting.

  • The type of speaker that Heather needs right now who are also hard to find.

  • What a recent speaker did that surprised Heather.

  • Heather’s predictions for future events and what’s already changing now.

  • Recent speakers that stood out for Heather in a positive way.

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Backstage Pass: Ep. 7 - Lisa Bodell: Eliminating Complexity Through The Power of Simplicity

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Backstage Pass: Ep. 7 - Lisa Bodell: Eliminating Complexity Through The Power of Simplicity

Backstage Pass: Ep. 7 - Lisa Bodell: Eliminating Complexity Through The Power of Simplicity

Lisa Bodell bio

“Complexity is crippling our organizations. It’s stifling our people and keeping them from doing their most meaningful and impactful work.” Lisa Bodell, a global leader on simplification, collaboration, and innovation, has a solution. Lisa shows organizations how to eliminate complexity and leverage simplicity – unleashing creativity and sparking the energy so essential to innovate and compete in a rapidly changing world. FutureThink, which she founded in 2003, works with leading brands worldwide and has become the largest source of innovation research, tools, and training in the world. Lisa is the author of two groundbreaking books, Why Simple Wins: Escape the Complexity Trap and Get to Work That Matters and Kill the Company: End the Status Quo, Start an Innovation Revolution. She ranks on the list of Top 50 Speakers Worldwide and captivates audiences with her energy and humor. Lisa’s keynotes leave audiences inspired to change and arms them with radically simple tools to get to the work that matters.

After earning her business degree from University of Michigan, Lisa launched her career at Leo Burnett in Chicago, where she discovered a gift for uniting strategically-driven ideas with forward-thinking themes. She went on to build two successful businesses before moving to New York and focusing on the simplification and innovation space with FutureThink.

Lisa brings a compelling perspective to the sought-after topics of simplification and innovation to over 100,000 people each year. A thought leader and serial entrepreneur, her transformational message has inspired executives at top-ranked organizations such as Google, SAP, Citigroup, and the Department of National Intelligence.

Lisa has contributed her expertise to a wide variety of media. She is a monthly contributor to Forbes and has frequently appeared in other media including: Fast Company, WIRED, The New York Times, Inc., Harvard Business Review, and CNN. She has also been featured in many major books such as Warren Berger’s A More Beautiful Question, Adam Grant’s Originals, and AfterShock, the 50-year celebration based on futurist Alvin Toffler’s Future Shock.

Lisa has taught innovation at both American University and Fordham University and has a TED talk on the topic. She has served on the board of advisors of several organizations, including the Global Agenda Council for the World Economic Forum, the United States National Security Agency, the Association of Professional Futurists, and the Novartis board of Diversity & Inclusion.

 
 

show notes

Today our guest is the founder and CEO of FutureThink, Lisa Bodell.  Lisa is a futurist and a global leader on collaboration and innovation. She ranks in the top 50 speakers worldwide, and she is also a two-time best-selling author. She’s an expert in helping people discover how to eliminate complexity through the power of simplicity. In today’s conversation, she shares why emphasizing productivity doesn’t work, and why simplifying your work is the way to go.

Key topics in this episode include:

  • Why so many people are at a breaking point right now.

  • How being organized differs from being simplified.

  • The benefits of simplifying your work and your life.

  • A better way to say no (that actually feels good).

  • The importance of leaning into saying “yes, if” statements.

  • Why people want their time back and how being selfish with it helps.

  • How your work culture influences the complexity of your work.

  • What makes Lisa a more sought-after speaker and why.

  • Why Lisa says simplicity is agnostic and who her main audience is.

  • Why productivity isn’t the answer in the workplace (and what matters more).

  • How Lisa applies the things she speaks about to her own life.

  • How killing stupid ideas has made Lisa’s team even better.

  • The secrets to making a speaking event a home run.

  • What the best rooms are to find yourself in and what makes the best group.

  • The surprising thing Lisa learned about herself as a speaker.

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