Pasta Sauce & Daring Dreams (ft. Shelley Paxton & Chris Schembra)

Mic Drop

Guest Bios:

Shelley Paxton: Former CMO of Harley-Davidson, Shelley left her high-powered corporate career to pursue a more meaningful path, coining the term Soulbbatical. As an author, keynote speaker, and guide, Shelley helps others redefine success on their own terms, inspiring leaders to build bold, brave, and authentic lives. Shelley’s signature message—“I Quit So You Don’t Have To”—is the core of her keynote and forthcoming book.

Chris Schembra: Founder of the 7:47 Gratitude Experience, Chris has made a career out of helping people connect more deeply through shared experiences. From hosting intimate dinners to delivering workshops and keynotes, Chris focuses on fostering vulnerability and gratitude, encouraging organizations to build a culture of empathy and inclusion. His latest book, Gratitude Through Hard Times, delves into the transformative power of appreciation.

Core Topics:

Liberating Yourself from “Success-Empty” to “Success-Full”: Shelley advocates for a fundamental redefinition of success that goes beyond external accolades. Through her concept of Soulbbatical, she explores how true fulfillment comes from listening to your own voice, not society’s expectations. Shelley’s goal is to help professionals escape the trap of “success-empty”—having material success but feeling unfulfilled—and embrace a richer, more meaningful version of success by aligning with their core values and passions.

Fostering Human Connection as a Business Strategy: Chris emphasizes that human connection should be at the heart of every business strategy. By using gratitude as a tool for fostering genuine relationships, he challenges companies to build deeper bonds between employees and clients. His 7:47 Gratitude Experience—a shared meal centered around expressing thanks—demonstrates that something as simple as asking the right question can dismantle barriers, create a sense of belonging, and ultimately drive better business outcomes.

The Courage to Say “No”: One of the hardest, yet most powerful strategies for growth is learning to say no. Whether it’s declining opportunities that don’t align with your values or setting boundaries that protect your energy, they argue that success comes not from chasing every option, but from focusing on what truly matters. For Shelley, this principle shows up in her ability to pass on engagements that don’t resonate with her core message. For Chris, it’s about maintaining focus on his passion for creating meaningful connections, rather than chasing every possible business avenue.

The Impact of Living Your Values Daily: A key theme in both Shelley’s and Chris’s stories is the importance of living authentically. From Shelley’s tattoo of “Authenticity” to Chris’s “Focus Equals Growth” mantra, both speakers emphasize that true success comes from daily decisions that reinforce personal values. Whether it’s through their keynote messages or personal interactions, they model how consistently honoring one’s principles can lead to professional success and personal satisfaction.

Resources:

Learn more about Shelley Paxton:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• TikTok

Learn more about Chris Schembra:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Facebook

Learn more about Josh Linkner:

• Website
• YouTube
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• X
• Facebook

ABOUT MIC DROP:

Hear from the world’s top thought leaders and experts, sharing tipping point moments, strategies, and approaches that led to their speaking career success. Throughout each episode, host Josh Linkner, #1 Innovation keynote speaker in the world, deconstructs guests’ Mic Drop moments and provides tactical tools and takeaways that can be applied to any speaking business, no matter its starting point. You'll enjoy hearing from some of the top keynote speakers in the industry including: Ryan Estis, Alison Levine, Peter Sheahan, Seth Mattison, Cassandra Worthy, and many more. Mic Drop is sponsored by ImpactEleven.

Learn more at: MicDropPodcast.com

ABOUT THE HOST:

Josh Linkner — a New York Times bestselling author — is a rare blend of business, art, and science.

On the business front, he’s been the founder and CEO of five tech companies, which created over 10,000 jobs and sold for a combined value of over $200 million. He’s the co-founder and Managing Partner of Muditā (moo-DEE-tah) Venture Partners - an early-stage venture capital firm investing in groundbreaking technologies. Over the last 30 years, he’s helped over 100 startups launch and scale, creating over $1 billion in investor returns. He’s twice been named the EY Entrepreneur of The Year and is the recipient of the United States Presidential Champion of Change Award.

While proud of his business success, his roots are in the dangerous world of jazz music. Josh has been playing guitar in smoky jazz clubs for 40 years, studied at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, and has performed over 1000 concerts around the world. His experiences in both business and music led him to become one of the world’s foremost experts on innovation. Josh

is the co-founder and Chairman of Platypus Labs, a global research, training, and consulting firm. Today, he’s on a mission to help leaders Find A Way™ through creative problem-solving, inventive thinking, and ingenuity.

Learn more about Josh: JoshLinkner.com

SPONSORED BY AMPLIFY PUBLISHING GROUP:

Partnering with CXOs, keynote speakers, change makers, and other visionary leaders, Amplify Publishing Group (APG) is a leader in the hybrid publishing space with more than twenty years of experience acquiring, producing, marketing, and distributing books.

Passionate about ideas and voices that need to be heard, they're known for launching books that start engaging and timely conversations. At each turn, they have been at the forefront of innovation and have spearheaded a critical disruption of the publishing industry.

Learn more at: amplifypublishinggroup.com

ABOUT IMPACTELEVEN:

From refining your keynote speaking skills to writing marketing copy, from connecting you with bureaus to boosting your fees, to developing high-quality websites, producing head-turning demo reels, Impact Eleven (formerly 3 Ring Circus) offers a comprehensive and powerful set of services to help speakers land more gigs at higher fees.

Learn more at: impacteleven.com

PRODUCED BY DETROIT PODCAST STUDIOS:

In Detroit, history was made when Barry Gordy opened Motown Records back in 1960. More than just discovering great talent, Gordy built a systematic approach to launching superstars. His rigorous processes, technology, and development methods were the secret sauce behind legendary acts such as The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.

As a nod to the past, Detroit Podcast Studios leverages modern versions of Motown’s processes to launch today’s most compelling podcasts. What Motown was to musical artists, Detroit Podcast Studios is to podcast artists today. With over 75 combined years of experience in content development, audio production, music scoring, storytelling, and digital marketing, Detroit Podcast Studios provides full-service development, training, and production capabilities to take podcasts from messy ideas to finely tuned hits.

Here’s to making (podcast) history together.

Learn more at: DetroitPodcastStudios.com