What happens when the business opportunity in front of you also connects with the way you want to live your life?

Michael Jacobson didn't set out to build a floral business. After starting his career in corporate consulting, he began asking bigger questions about purpose, service and what he wanted his life to look like. Time spent working at his aunt's orphanage helped sharpen that question. Eventually, an opportunity to help sell his uncle's flower shop showed him something unexpected.

The problems facing that shop weren't isolated. Michael saw similar challenges throughout the floral industry.

In this episode of MOJO: The Meaning of Life and Business, Jennifer R. Glass and Michael discuss how recognizing systemic problems can reveal business opportunities, why customer experience has to remain at the center of growth, what makes partnerships powerful, and why money can be the fuel for a business without becoming its ultimate destination.

They also explore:

• Why Michael believes business and service can coexist
• How pain in a market can reveal opportunity
• Why customer experience matters more than operational improvements alone
• What he learned while modernizing a traditional industry
• Why he chose franchising despite initially disliking the model
• The importance of finding people with complementary strengths
• How looking back from age 80 can help clarify what matters now
• Why success is ultimately a personal definition

Michael's story raises a bigger question for anyone building a career, company or next chapter:

Why are you doing it?

And once you have an answer, keep asking why.

ABOUT MICHAEL JACOBSON

Michael Jacobson is CEO of French Florist, a floral company combining traditional floral artistry with technology, operational infrastructure and a growing franchise model.

Connect with Michael: frenchfloristfranchise.com

PAID GUEST DISCLOSURE: Michael Jacobson paid an administrative appearance fee to participate in this episode. Payment did not guarantee editorial control, endorsement, or any particular outcome.

The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of MOJO, Jennifer R. Glass or BGSI.

What will your life mean when you look back on it?

Chris Eaton has experienced success by many conventional measures. A former U.S. Army officer, he spent years leading multimillion-dollar ventures. But after years of unaddressed trauma, PTSD, alcohol misuse and a suicide attempt in 2018, Chris began a very different journey.

Today, he is a death doula, life coach and co-owner of Trinity Yoga Wellness Center. He sits with people approaching the end of life while helping others think more deliberately about how they are living right now.

In this episode of MOJO: The Meaning of Life and Business, Jennifer R. Glass talks with Chris about trauma, purpose, self-care, mortality and what success really means.

They explore why constantly pushing difficult experiences aside can eventually catch up with us, how breathing and meditation can help create space between ourselves and our thoughts, and why self-care doesn't necessarily require hours every day.

Chris also offers an unusual exercise for discovering your purpose: write your own eulogy. What would you want people to say about you? Who would you want to have become? Then ask whether the way you're living today is moving you toward that person.

You'll also hear Chris explain why he no longer defines success by money or accomplishments. For him, success is finding your life's purpose, sticking with it and continuing forward even when life brings uncertainty.

Sometimes that starts with one deep breath and three words: “I got this.”

Learn more about Chris Eaton:
https://withchriseaton.com
https://www.trinity-yoga.com

CONTENT NOTE: This episode includes discussion of PTSD, alcohol misuse, suicidal thoughts and a past suicide attempt. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger or experiencing a mental health crisis in the United States, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

DISCLAIMER: The experiences, views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily represent those of Jennifer R. Glass, MOJO: The Meaning of Life and Business, or Business Growth Strategies International, LLC. This conversation is provided for informational purposes and is not medical, mental-health or other professional advice.

PAID GUEST DISCLOSURE: Chris Eaton paid a fee to appear as a guest on this episode of MOJO: The Meaning of Life and Business. Payment does not constitute an endorsement by Jennifer R. Glass, the podcast, or Business Growth Strategies International, LLC, nor does it determine the opinions or editorial discussion presented in the episode.

Why do some people stand out, get remembered, and get chosen while others with similar qualifications disappear into the background?

In this episode of MOJO: The Meaning of Life and Business, Jennifer R. Glass talks with Christian Hansen, author of The Influence Mindset and The Influence Mindset for Sales Acceleration, about how subtle changes in language can change the way people perceive you and your value.

Christian shares lessons from his experience in higher education admissions, MBA programs, corporate HR, financial services, and working with teams and organizations. His central point is simple: people do not choose you. They choose their perception of you.

Jennifer and Christian explore how that applies everywhere from networking events and sales conversations to job interviews and other situations where several qualified people are competing to be chosen.

In this conversation, you'll discover:

• Why being relatable can matter more than trying to appear remarkable.
• The difference between communicating knowledge, experience, insight, and wisdom.
• How to shift a conversation away from proving how accomplished you are and toward what your experience means for the other person.
• Why emotional connection becomes increasingly important once you've established relevance and credibility.
• How one realtor won Christian's business without being more qualified than the competition.
• Why helping customers see themselves as the hero of their own story can change the sales conversation.
• The two questions Christian uses to uncover what is emotionally at stake for a prospect.
• Why becoming memorable requires understanding where someone is in their decision-making journey.
• How small changes in language can influence whether someone remembers and ultimately chooses you.

Christian also explains what he calls a "selective environment," where performing well may no longer be enough because everyone being considered is qualified. At that point, the question changes from "Are you good enough?" to "Why should someone choose you?"

If you sell, lead, network, interview, present, or compete for opportunities, this conversation will give you practical ways to rethink the words you use and the impression you leave behind.

Connect with Christian HansenWebsite: thechristianhansen.com

Connect with Christian on LinkedIn and look for his books, The Influence Mindset: The Art and Science of Getting People to Choose You and The Influence Mindset for Sales Acceleration, on Amazon, Kindle, and Audible.

About MOJOMOJO: The Meaning of Life and Business explores the decisions, experiences, ideas, and lessons that shape how we live, lead, work, and build businesses.

Hosted by Jennifer R. Glass.

The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Jennifer R. Glass, MOJO: The Meaning of Life and Business, Business Growth Strategies International, LLC, or its affiliated brands.

Twenty-five years after September 11, 2001, there are moments from that day I can still see clearly.

One of them involves a man whose name I never learned.

As I tried to find a way home from Manhattan to New Jersey after the attacks, a stranger offered to help. He had room for four people in his SUV. I was one of them.

He got us across the George Washington Bridge and safely back to New Jersey. I have wondered for years who he was, and I have never been able to thank him.

In this special episode of MOJO: The Meaning of Life and Business, I reflect on that experience, the nearly 3,000 lives lost on September 11, the passengers and crew of United Flight 93, the first responders and service members who answered the call, and the way people came together in the hours and days following the attacks.

Twenty-five years later, I still remember the fear.

But I also remember the humanity.

And if the man who helped me get home that day ever hears this, I still want the opportunity to say thank you.

MORE ON MY 9/11 STORY

Michael Smerconish / SiriusXM POTUS interview:
https://youtu.be/mcqij0ahIZk

Deena Yellin's NorthJersey.com story about the search for the man who brought several of us home:
https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/2026/08/05/suv-driver-brought-several-nj-residents-home-on-terrifying-attack-day/91089375007/

The NorthJersey.com article may require a subscription.

ABOUT MOJO

MOJO: The Meaning of Life and Business explores the experiences, decisions, challenges and people that shape our lives. Some episodes are about business. Others are about life.

This one is about remembering.

#September11 #911Anniversary #NeverForget #September11th #MOJOPodcast

What does it mean to live a life of purpose? And before you decide where you want to go, do you really understand where you are?

On this episode of MOJO: The Meaning of Life and Business, Jennifer R. Glass speaks with Anni Eza, healer and co-founder of Seeds of Bliss, about radical acceptance, personal agency, purpose, relationships, the expectations we inherit from others, and what it means to choose your own path.

Anni describes radical acceptance as something like turning on the location services on your phone, except existentially. If you don't know where you are, how can you determine the path to where you want to go?

Jennifer and Anni explore:

• What radical acceptance means and why knowing your starting point matters
• The difference between accepting your circumstances and believing you cannot change them
• How “shoulds,” “musts,” family expectations, and societal conditioning can influence our choices
• Why agency matters when deciding what comes next
• What purpose and meaningful relationships can look like
• How seemingly small interactions can affect another person's life
• Why Anni believes our individual choices can influence people we may never realize we've reached
• Anni's definition of success and the mark she hopes to leave behind

The conversation also touches on depression, suicide, trauma, and mental health. Jennifer explicitly notes during the conversation that she is not qualified to treat suicidal ideation, and Anni acknowledges that some forms of depression require medical care.

Learn more about Anni Eza and Seeds of Bliss at seedsofbliss.life.

Disclosure: This episode features a paid guest appearance. Payment does not constitute an endorsement by Jennifer R. Glass, MOJO: The Meaning of Life and Business, or Business Growth Strategies International, LLC, nor does it provide the guest with editorial control over the program. Views, opinions, experiences, and claims expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host, the show, or Business Growth Strategies International, LLC. This episode is provided for informational and educational purposes and should not be considered medical, mental health, legal, financial, or other professional advice.

What if the thing you've spent years trying to hide is also connected to strengths you haven't fully recognized?

Raja Vaidya knows what it means to have other people make assumptions about what you can do.

Raja is a scientist turned keynote speaker, Grandmaster Black Belt, author and TEDx speaker who has lived with a stutter throughout his life. For years, speaking could be exhausting. Singing was different. So was martial arts. Both became places where Raja discovered ways to communicate, perform and lead without allowing his speech to define what he could accomplish.

In this episode of MOJO: The Meaning of Life and Business, Jennifer R. Glass talks with Raja about invisible disabilities, fear, workplace inclusion and what happens when someone else's perception of your abilities begins affecting your opportunities.

Raja shares what happened during his career in cancer research when colleagues routinely presented his work because meetings didn't accommodate the additional time he sometimes needed to speak. Those colleagues received visibility and promotions while Raja's own contributions became less visible. Eventually, one colleague left his name off a presentation altogether.

That experience helped force a change.

Raja began developing his speaking skills, joined Toastmasters and increasingly confronted the fear that had shaped many of his decisions. He eventually stepped onto the TEDx stage, not because his stutter disappeared, but because what he wanted to say became more important than his fear of saying it.

Jennifer and Raja also discuss:

• Why singing can change the experience of someone who stutters
• The difference between a limitation and someone else's perception of one
• How workplaces can unintentionally silence talented employees
• What leaders may overlook about employees with invisible disabilities
• How martial arts helped Raja develop a different approach to communication
• Why fear can protect us while also preventing us from pursuing opportunities
• The opportunity Raja gave up because he feared being interviewed on television
• What TEDx taught him about speaking when speaking itself is difficult
• Why Raja says, “Don't fake it till you make it. Believe it and become it.”

The conversation is ultimately about more than stuttering.

It's about recognizing how easily a perceived weakness can become a box, whether that box is created by other people or by ourselves, and what can happen when we begin challenging it.

Connect with Raja Vaidya and learn more about his speaking, coaching and work through the links below.

Disclosure: Jennifer R. Glass and Raja Vaidya participated in a reciprocal speaking arrangement in which each provided a speaking appearance for the other's platform. No payment was made by Raja Vaidya for this podcast interview.

Raja's LinkedIn

Raja's Instagram

Raja's YouTube

Raja's website

What if improving your workday began with stepping outside for a few minutes?

Julie Beckwith, co-founder of Living on the Patio, joins Jennifer R Glass to share how her relationship with outdoor living changed after the pandemic and a serious cardiac event. Their conversation explores how intentional time in nature may support stress relief, mood, focus, and overall well-being.

Jennifer and Julie discuss:

• Practical ways to spend time outside in cold, hot, or humid weather

• Whether sitting near a sunny window offers the same experience as going outdoors

• How to work from a patio, balcony, yard, or shared green space

• Simple ways to reduce screen fatigue and give your eyes a change of focus

• How apartment dwellers and city residents can bring elements of nature indoors

• Why employers may want to consider outdoor work and break spaces

• Julie’s definition of success and the joy she finds in helping people reconnect with nature

Learn more about Julie and access her resources at LivingOnThePatio.com.

Disclosure: Julie Beckwith paid an administrative appearance fee to participate in this episode. Payment did not guarantee editorial control, endorsement, or any particular outcome.

Health note: This conversation shares personal experiences and general educational information. It is not medical advice and should not replace guidance from a qualified healthcare professional. Some health and productivity claims discussed reflect the guest’s interpretation of available research and should not be treated as guaranteed outcomes.

What does it take to raise children who are not only happy today, but prepared to become responsible, resilient adults?

In this episode of MOJO: The Meaning of Life and Business, Jennifer R. Glass speaks with educator and author Martha Burich about the decisions parents make today and how those choices can shape a child’s relationships, confidence, behavior, and ability to handle real life.

Martha shares her Three Ls of Parenting:

• Love them enough to say no
• Lead by example
• Let them fail

Jennifer and Martha discuss why children need consistent boundaries, what can happen when parents repeatedly change a “no” to a “yes,” and why protecting children from every disappointment may prevent them from developing the strength they will need later.

They also explore:

• How to teach boundaries at different ages
• Why parents should consider whether they can enforce a rule before making it
• The difference between a mistake and intentional misbehavior
• Why failure and disappointment are important parts of development
• Praise versus encouragement
• Helping children rely less on approval from others
• How parents and grandparents can have different relationships with a child
• Why mealtimes may not be the best place for difficult family conversations
• How everyday parenting choices influence the adults children eventually become

Martha is the author of Yes, You Can Raise Happy, Responsible Children, a practical guide to building stronger relationships with children while helping them develop confidence, empathy, responsibility, and resilience.

Learn more about Martha and her work at MarthaBurich.com.

You can also find Martha Burich Parenting on Facebook and YouTube and connect with her on LinkedIn.

Whether you are raising young children, teenagers, or thinking about the lessons you learned from your own parents, this conversation offers practical ideas for raising children who are better prepared for life.

Connect with Martha:

Website

LinkedIn | YouTube