The Foundation To Creating Lasting Change

Understand And Appreciate Their World

The basics of public speaking, you’ll learn how to think on your feet, play off your audience, and banish anxiety and stress. (72418182e94860fb)

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Public Speaking Survival Kit - Brian Tracy

“Other people won’t make me happy, it has to be from within me.”  - Nina Dobrev

One of the things that even I struggle with is being complacent. It’s easy for all of us to feel comfortable where we are in life and settle for what we have.

In fact, it can be scary to try to push things even further.

Breaking out of that comfort zone and continuing to grow is the difference between being average and being great. 

Anytime you feel comfortable, that means you’re not challenging yourself and it’s time to make a shift. Maybe you need a new job or just to find ways to push yourself further. 

On this episode of The School of Greatness, we are joined by an inspirational and amazing actress, Nina Dobrev. She’s spent her whole life pushing the boundaries and keeps challenging herself any chance she can. 


You probably know Nina from the hit show The Vampire Diaries. Nina was born in Sofia, Bulgaria. She moved to Canada at the age of two and has lived in Toronto, Ontario ever since. From a very young age, she showed great enthusiasm and talent for the arts: Dance, Gymnastics, Theatre, Music, Visual arts, and Acting!

Modeling jobs led to commercials, which then turned into film auditions. Shortly after, she booked roles in the feature films Fugitive Pieces, Away from Her and the popular television series, Degrassi: The Next Generation.

We've become good friends over the past couple of years, and I'm constantly impressed by how Nina decides to push herself. Through all of her work, acting is her passion, and she sees it as an adventure that has just begun; she believes that the journey and the characters we create along the way will help us understand ourselves.

Discover all of that and much more, on Episode 590.


Some Questions I Ask:

Why did you get behind the #TimesUp movement? (8:20)

What can people do to stop the abuse? (12:48)

Did you have a hunger to work hard at an early age? (22:40)

Do you feel like you were good to everyone on your way up? (26:55)

What is the biggest insecurity you’ve overcome in your ‘20s? (28:10)

Did you see yourself being a star? (30:57)

When Vampire Diaries happened did you expect it to be a success? (33:21)

Did you see yourself doing things bigger than the show, or were you focused on the role? (36:20)

Did you struggle to find new characters to audition for? (40:20)

What do you enjoy more, being a character telling the stories or directing the stories? (44:38)

What’s a story you want to tell that hasn’t been told? (46:40)

What do you think is holding you back from being the woman you want to be? (47:35)

What’s the thing you are most proud of that most people don’t know about you? (52:30)


In This Episode You Will Learn:

About the abuse happening in Hollywood (10:55)

What it was like moving from Bulgaria to Canada (16:10)

The most important lesson her parents taught her (23:51)

Insecurities she had growing up (27:15)

Who taught her the most about abundance in her life (29:30)

Why she loves creating characters (32:45)

How she felt when Vampire Diaries took off (34:30)

What it was like choosing to leave a hit show (38:20)

What she's been writing (42:00)

What she wants to do next (46:15)

What it is about Audrey Hepburn that people love (47:10)

The greatest piece of advice she ever received (50:04)

A question she wishes more people would ask (55:44)

On Apple Podcasts

Nina Dobrev: The Balance of Acting, Advocacy, and Using Your Voice

I'm very happy to send you this new episode of The Mastery Sessions, which will walk you through a quick system to help you set up a spectacular life. In it you’ll learn how a legacy statement can sharpen your focus and reconnect you to what you want to stand for + why selecting your non-negotiable values is integral to living a life you’re proud of at the end.

Robin Sharma Mastery Sessions

A Quick System to Set Up Your Spectacular Life

SWEAT MORE IN TRAINING SO YOU'LL BLEED LESS IN WAR.

The nineties were a difficult time for me.

But I believe that I experienced that to give me the motivation to do what I’m doing today.

A rich life greatly lived is one that is also filled with challenges.

I want you to know that no matter what you’re going through, there is richness on the other side.

Take your wounds and turn them into wisdom.

On today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I talk with an incredible human who inspires leaders around the world: Robin Sharma.

Robin Sharma is a former lawyer who is now a top leadership expert. His work is embraced by rock stars, royalty, billionaires and many celebrity CEOs. He has sold over 15,000,000 books, and his clients include Starbucks, Nike, GE, The Coca-Cola Company, NASA and Microsoft.

Robin says that the most important relationship you have is the one with yourself. Awareness is the key to transformation.

You not only need to have the right mindset, you have to have the right heartset, healthset, and soulset, too.

So get ready to learn all about the Four Interior Empires on Episode 754.


Some Questions I Ask:

What has been your biggest test as you grow? (9:00)

How do you deal with self-doubt? (16:30)

What internal conversation do you have daily? (35:00)

When do you feel the most loved? (44:30)

What are you most proud of? (47:00)


In This Episode You Will Learn:

A philosophy for leadership (8:00)

The Four Interior Empires (14:00)

The 20/20/20 Formula (18:00)

Why your critics are actually your spiritual friends (25:00)

How providing “10x Value” could be the key to your success (43:00)

Learn about Day Stacking and the Ten Rituals of Daily Genius (58:00)

The School of Greatness

Master Your Heart and Mind with Robin Sharma

The Breakthrough Specialist, Co-Author Chicken Soup for the Soul, Teacher of The Secret and Author of No Matter What, Lisa Nichols shares valuable insight on achieving your dreams as she talks about her book No Matter What!

Dreamcast interview with Motivational Speaker Lisa Nichols

Run your own race

True Nobility lies in being superior to your former self - Native American

Robin Sharma on Running your Own Race

By age 22, Janet had graduated with a BA in Communications, majoring in Psychology, become a punk rock model, Dolly covergirl, movie actress, soapie star, restaurant owner, radio DJ and Australia’s youngest ever copywriter to win a Lion at Cannes.  

As co-founder of Oddfellows Ad agency, she went onto become the most controversial woman in advertising until, seeking a seachange, she and her family moved to north Queensland where they created a multi-million dollar waterfront property development.

At 48, she had it all, except the one thing she’d spent her entire life chasing: the deep contentment that comes from knowing your true calling.

It was a near death experience that provided the breakthrough she was looking for.  Instead of seeing the proverbial light or hearing a choir of angels, the voice that came to her simply stated:  

“Janet, you’ve let everyone down.”

In that second she knew precisely what  it meant. What she thought was selfless sacrifice in looking after her family and chain of businesses was in fact selfishness. She had denied herself and the world her great gift as a teacher.

Janet would spend the next 9 years immersing herself in Personal Development, gaining certification in NLP, Blair Singer’s Train the Trainer, Making the Stage, Master Facilitator, Ultimate Personal Development Program and Accelerated Learning and Master of Self Expression with Larry Gilman.

A lifetime of studying human nature and her rollercoaster of successes and failures became the basis for her breakthrough workshops.

As Janet says, “I’ve spent 40 years figuring out my place on the planet and if I can empower others to do the same and save them a decade or two in the process, I’ve done my job.”

Janet Hogan - How To Transform Your Mindset In Times Of Uncertainty

Riccardo Bosi is an Australian Business expert, leadership keynote speaker, Author of Greatness Awaits You, former Australian Army Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel and Leader of the AustraliaOne Party that vows to be the voice for those in Australia who are suffering and fed up with the crumbling foundations of leadership.

Riccardo Bosi - How To Be Influential Without Selling Your Soul

Lewis Howes is a NYT bestselling author, Lifestyle Entrepreneur, former pro athlete and world record holder in football. The goal of the School of Greatness is to share inspiring stories from the most brilliant business minds, world class athletes and influential celebrities on the planet to help you find out what makes great people great.