Somewhere in the Middle with Michele Barard

Author Lashone vs. Shaneek shares her journey to become an author

Lashone vs. Shaneek discusses pushing past the naysayers and haters as you pursue your goals on Somewhere in the Middle with Michele Barard

Lashone Vs. Shaneek, was born in Charleston. She is a mother of three and now resides in Charlotte, NC. Lashone writes action-packed mysteries filled with love and loss. Her characters are both feared and fearless, though ironically, in real life Lashone is afraid of looking in the rear-view mirror while driving at night and walking up the stairs in the dark.

Lashone is a hard-working dreamer, who started out writing a stage play but instead turned it into I, BEAUTY, her debut novel which is the first of a book series. She has an interest in everything from fantasy to forensic science. Her true passion lies within whatever she can create. In Lashone's world, everything is in balance, whether positive or negative.
Along with the graphic design skills that Lashone has picked up over the years, she has a great love for Blues & Jazz. Particularly, she developed a deep interest in writing lyrics, which led to a creative writing class in college. Lashone has written many things and is currently looking to publish her second book project. Equipped with her biggest daydream, Lashone intends to become a great author who will make her family proud.

TedX Speaker Rabbi Yonason Goldson shares his journey toward ethical affluence on Somewhere in the Middle

Rabbi Yonason Goldson shares his search for ways we can communicate with honesty and integrity

Yonason Goldson is the director of Ethical Imperatives, LLC. After graduating from the University of California with a degree in English, he hitchhiked cross-country, backpacked across Europe, lived in Israel for nine years, received his rabbinic ordination, then taught high school for 23 years in Budapest, Hungary, and St. Louis, where he and his wife now live happily as empty-nesters.

He’s published five books, including "Proverbial Beauty: Secrets for Success and Happiness from the Wisdom of the Ages," and "Fix Your Broken Windows: a 12-step system for promoting ethical affluence." He’s also published hundreds of articles applying ancient wisdom to grapple with the challenges of the modern world and to find fulfillment in our personal and professional lives.

TEDx Speaker, Author, and Coach Andrew E. Guy Shares His Experience in Education on Somewhere in the Middle with Michele Barard

Andrew E. Guy is a phenomenal inspiration to millions, TEDx speaker, author, and thought-leader who challenges people to shift their mindset from limited-belief to Creating A Greater impact of influence and a life with meaning and purpose. Whether he's delivering conference keynotes, facilitating staff development seminars, advising municipal leaders, or empowering students to higher performance, Andrew Empowers "YOU" to Create Your Greatest Impact in the four most important areas of your life.™

With over 15 years of leadership and staff development coaching, Andrew helps organizations to implement effective strategies that create a culture of community which inspires leaders, and employees to thrive through productive action and effective employee collaboration. His disruptive, high impact and highly interactive approach to engaging his audience make him unforgettable. Organizations gladly request Andrew as their speaker because of his ability to connect with diverse audiences through seminars and insightful learning.

As a certified educational consultant, Andrew also partners with school districts to empower educators and students. When he's not on stage, leading seminars and workshops, he's busy working on his latest projects and spending quality time with his family.

Attorney Candace Jones Joins Us on Somewhere in the Middle with Michele Barard

Candace Jones, The Attorney Next Door, shares her experience advocating for families and children, tips for families in distress, and how we can help advocate for kids in our own communities

Candace Jones is an attorney at law in my new home state of California. But get those stuffy images and greedy stereotypes out of your head. Candace became an attorney to help people and she’s here to help you. Too many people don't know the little things that can make all the difference in their lives. Sometimes you just need a friendly neighbor with some helpful insight. That’s why she calls herself The Attorney Next Door!
Calling herself The Attorney Next Door has been a long time coming. Candace believes law school doesn't teach lawyers how to help people. It teaches them how to think from different perspectives, see issues from multiple vantage points and argue different positions. It teaches lawyers how to research the law and apply it to different fact patterns. But it doesn't teach how to make these skills and services affordable and accessible to the general population. That's what Candace is all about.

ENCORE PRESENTATION - Somewhere in the Middle with Author & Speaker Bernard N. Lee, Jr.

Author & Speaker Bernard N. Lee, Jr. shares his experiences growing up in a military family in the segregated South and in Germany during the 50's

Bernard N. Lee, Jr. is the oldest son of a career veteran of the US Army. He traveled throughout the United States and Europe during his childhood. The places he traveled, the people he met, and the stories he remembers are shared in his memoir, A Look Back In Time: Memoir of a Military Kid In The Fifties.

Bernie attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., joined the Army ROTC Program, obtained a private pilot’s license, a regular army commission, and retired as a Captain from the Army Reserves. Upon graduating, Bernie joined AT&T in New Jersey, where he worked until his retirement in 2003. Bernie also taught classes at Somerset VoTech and led a group called PACE, preparing high school students for STEM programs in college.

Bernie is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI); Georgia Writer’s Association; Books by Brats, Writers Helping Writers, and Indie Author writers’ groups.

Bernie is also a member of the Nuremberg Alumni Association and the “How Big Is Your Dream Foundation (HBIYD?!)”.

Bernie resides in Conyers, Georgia, with Edwina (his wife of forty-one wonderful years), where he teaches “Chess for Advanced and Beginning students” in an after-school program.

ENCORE PRESENTATION - Somewhere in the Middle Welcomes Cheryl Cooley of Klymaxx

Cheryl Cooley of the all-female funk band Klymaxx shares about making funk music as a lead guitarist in the 80's and today

You know Cheryl Cooley from her amazing guitar playing as the lead guitarist of Klymaxx. The R&B all-female funk band, KLYMAXX is KLYMAXXTIC, and still going strong.

Their music is a staple on the radio and in dance clubs around the world. Belting out hits like, “The Men All Pause” and “Meeting in the Ladies Room” the group’s name is synonymous with classic women’s anthems. Their beautiful ballad, “I Miss You”, was Billboard Magazine’s #3 song of 1986 and still to this day is played when love is in the air. Continuing into the 90’s with the #4 R&B hit, “Good Love” followed their sultry Neo-Soul groove entitled, “Private Party” showed that they could flow with the changing music trends.

Much of the group’s success can be credited to Cheryl Cooley, Co-founder and original member. She has personally nurtured the group’s unique sound by overseeing the infusion of 80’s funk with a modern swag.

Cheryl's enthusiasm and vision have transformed KLYMAXX into a leaner, meaner entity producing live music that delivers dynamic vocals and uncompromised grooves.
These ladies are serious about entertaining their fans and continuing with the KLYMAXX legacy.

Somewhere in the Middle with Special Guest Executive Coach Donald R. Hunter

Somewhere in the Middle with Michele Barard welcomes Executive Coach Donald R. Hunter, who discusses overcoming fear and becoming an inspiring leader

Donald R. Hunter specializes in leadership, employee engagement and productivity. He dedicates himself to help leaders create transformation in their own performance and then in their organization, which results in highly productive employees, customer loyalty and increased bottom-line performance. Donald deeply engages with clients to create rapport and long-term relationships. He effortlessly expands his client’s leadership effectiveness. His magical intuition merged with his ability to quickly shift perspectives far exceeds his client’s expectations. Donald has designed an executive coaching program that establishes a foundation for each client and clarifies professional goals, then develops their ability to inspire. He combines this insight with his client’s talents and skills to create a coaching plan, used as an accountability and decision-making framework for continuous improvement. Donald’s mission, as a corporate manager and currently as an executive coach, is to strengthen his clients' performance and connect their passions to their key accountabilities.

Somewhere in the Middle with special guest Tresté Loving, Diversity & Inclusion Expert

Somewhere in the Middle with Michele Barard welcomes Tresté Loving, Diversity & Inclusion Expert, Specializing in Law Enforcement & Race Relations

Tresté Loving is President & Founder of The Institute for Racial Equity®, a law enforcement training program dedicated to improving race relations between law enforcement professionals and their communities. With over 25 years of global expertise, Tresté utilizes her military experience and dynamic speaking style to dismantle unconscious biases and stereotypes, combating discriminatory and prejudiced behaviors from the root. The result is long-lasting organizational improvements, including an end to profiling tendencies.

Dedicated to providing honest, straightforward data, Tresté has enabled police departments and Corporations to operate in a highly productive, strategic, and aware manner. Tresté’s speaking engagements take her all over the country so she can positively impact communities throughout the United States.

Somewhere in the Middle with Special Guest Writer and Editor Julia Black

Somewhere in the Middle welcomes Writer and Editor Julia Black who shares tips for writing and journaling to get our messages out

Julia Renee Black is a content writer with over 15 years of experience writing and editing many document types for various audiences. As a former technical writer, she is able to easily and thoroughly mold technical content into simple, clear language that the average person can understand. She understands the rules of website content, press releases, nonfiction and fiction books, blog posts, poetry, and technical documents. As a former teacher and corporate employee, she has a complete understanding of the most recent trends in grammar, punctuation, and diction rules and how those should be used in many writing scenarios. In addition to her comprehensive writing abilities, she has a thorough understanding of holistic health practices having researched and used them for her own health. She combined these skills when starting her business, Blacksmith Writing, which she created to offer copywriting and content writing skills to the health and wellness industry.

Somewhere in the Middle Welcomes Creative Entrepreneur Tracey Arial

Creative Entrepreneur Tracey Arial shares about creating the seasonal life she wanted and how feeling uncomfortable can serve in our creative and personal development.

Creative entrepreneur Tracey Arial lives a seasonal life.
In the summer, she helps Montreal residents grow and buy local healthy food and purchase compost and handcrafted items through the non-profit solidarity cooperative called Coopérative Abondance Urbaine Solidaire (CAUS).
During the winter, she encourages family historians, solopreneurs and small business owners to read and produce Notable Nonfiction through books, courses and private coaching.
Keep up with her work via her blog, monthly newsletters or her weekly Unapologetically Canadian podcast. You can also purchase her books and courses or hire her to help with your projects.
If you just want to laugh at her funny Friday blog posts, that’s okay too.
Please don’t ask her to laugh quietly, tell a polite lie or make a cup of decent coffee. Those skills are beyond her.