Becoming a Sage with Dr. Jann Freed – Details, episodes & analysis

Esteemed for her professionalism by viewers, listeners, and her colleagues, the versatile Pat Miles became one of the Minneapolis region's premier television news anchors and radio talk hosts. After earning her master's degree in journalism at the University of Missouri, Miles worked in both radio and television news in Colorado before joining WCCO TV in 1978 as a reporter and weekend anchor. Her intelligent reporting and authoritative delivery soon brought her to the anchor desk of WCCO's 5:00 PM and 10:00 PM newscasts.

She covered every major news event for WCCO TV but was most proud of A Time to Weep, her documentary on the famine in Africa. In 1990, she moved to KARE TV, where she anchored the 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM newscasts and developed A Pat Miles Special, using her writing and interviewing prowess to tell the stories of notable Minnesotans. When she left TV news in 2001, she fulfilled a lifelong dream by becoming the host of The Pat Miles Show weekday mornings on WCCO Radio.

A role model for women in the industry, she has received numerous honors for her work in broadcasting and in the community, including the National Television Academy's Silver Circle Award.

A message of thanks from Dr. Jann Freed:

"In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I want to thank each of you for listening to 'Becoming a Sage.' My hope is that you find a gem of wisdom in each conversation. I learn something from each guest. Please know that I am grateful."

Mark C. Crowley is the author of Lead From The Heart: Transformational Leadership for the 21st Century and is on a mission to fundamentally change how people are led in workplaces across the globe. A regular columnist for Fast Company Magazine, his work has also been featured in USA Today, Reuters, Forbes, the Stanford Social Innovation Review, The Huffington Post, Gallup, The Financial Times, CEO Magazine (Great Britain), and The Seattle Times. His LinkedIn Pulse articles on inspiring a 21st-century workforce and managing millennials have been read over a million times. The second edition of his book debuted in August 2022 as an "Amazon #1 Release." It has been incorporated into the curriculum of eleven American universities, including the educational Ph.D. program at the University of Massachusetts Global and the University of Iowa’s MBA Program. Crowley's Lead From The Heart podcast ranks in the top 1.5% of all podcasts globally, with an audience spanning 175 countries. Before authoring his book, Mark spent over 20 years in the competitive financial services industry, holding two national-level leadership positions at one of America’s largest financial institutions, where he was named Leader of the Year. In a field often dominated by traditional management styles, Mark demonstrated that deeply caring for and supporting people—positively affecting their hearts—profoundly boosts sustained engagement, loyalty, and productivity. His book draws on groundbreaking medical research that reveals the heart’s pivotal role in driving optimal human performance. As a leadership pioneer, Mark shows that leading from the heart is not weak or soft management but rather the most informed and enlightened approach a manager or organization can adopt. Mark is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego, and the University of Washington’s Pacific Coast Banking School. He resides in La Jolla, California.

Margaret Wheatley, also known as Meg, embarked on her journey of caring for humanity in 1966 as a Peace Corps volunteer in post-war Korea. Her current endeavors are concentrated on cultivating and empowering leaders globally, advocating for them to become Warriors for the Human Spirit. These leaders prioritize service over self, exhibit unwavering resilience amidst challenges and setbacks, and effect positive change for the communities and causes close to their hearts.

Meg, the author of ten books, including the seminal work "Leadership and the New Science," has received accolades for her pioneering contributions from numerous professional associations, universities, and organizations.

Laura Rotter, CFA, CFP, is the owner of True Abundance Advisors, a heart-centered, values-based financial planning firm based in New York. After a successful career managing money for institutional investors including Citicorp and Para Advisors, Laura discovered mindfulness practices and was drawn to guide professionals facing a big life change to achieve both financial security and life satisfaction.

Since making her shift, she has been featured in CNBC, the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Westchester Senior Voice. She is on the advisory council of Impact100 Westchester, a women’s group giving organization, and volunteers with My Money Workshop, teaching financial literacy to underserved communities.

Dr. Pamela Maxson, an executive and leadership coach, mentor coach, trainer/facilitator, and author of "Finding Your Inner Bitch: How to live an authentic and wholehearted life," assists readers in tapping into and expressing their core selves.

Alongside her book, she has developed two related courses: "Develop Your Life" and "Mastering Midlife." With over 25 years of teaching experience at Duke University, Pam is the founder and principal of Periscope Coaching.

Susan Latremoille enjoyed a stellar 38-year career as a wealth advisor. During those years, she watched many of her clients move into retirement with high hopes and plenty of money, only to become disillusioned and depressed. She was frustrated because there was no place for her to turn to help them. After selling her wealth practice at the end of 2019, Susan was determined to do something about the problem. That led her to co-found Next Chapter Lifestyle Advisors, which supports financial advisors in providing information and education about lifestyle planning to their retiring clients. Susan Latremoille CPRC, FEA, ICD.D, MBA is a win-win solution. Advisors’ clients design and implement plans for a fulfilling, balanced, and purposeful life after their careers. This facilitates the advisor to integrate their client’s lifestyle plan with their financial plan. The advisor benefits by deepening the client relationship which improves retention, and by differentiating their practice with a much-needed value-added service.

Today Susan is a sought-after speaker who focuses on inspiring advisors to up their game while benefiting their clients.

By living simply, Douglas Tsoi retired at the age of 42 to do what he wanted with his life, which is to help people participate in grace. He runs a platform called The Appreciation Effect, holds events called the Gratitude Dojo, and runs experiments in reparative economic justice.

He also teaches personal finance with a spiritual lens in a class called Financial Freedom. Douglas is a trained Franciscan spiritual director and writes about the intersection of capitalism and spirituality on the Substack newsletter Money and Meaning.

Ali Schultz is a coach and the co-founder of Reboot.io. She weaves her business acumen with the innate wisdom of the body, the philosophies of the world’s wisdom traditions, and the“way of the horse” to help clients find their voice in service of finding themselves.

Ali earned her Master’s degree in Religious Studies from the University of Colorado at Boulder, studied Transformational NLP at NLP Marin, and completed the facilitator program at the Center for Collaborative Awareness. An avid horsewoman, she is also a certified EQUUS Experience Facilitator in Equine Facilitated Coaching. You can find her writing on ‘The Art of Being Human at Work’ on the Reboot Blog and also at the OnBeing project.

Dr. Michael S. Lewis, M.D., is a distinguished orthopedic surgeon and former consultant for the Chicago White Sox baseball team, Chicago Wolves hockey team, and the Chicago Bulls basketball team, with whom won two championship rings.
Previously, he served as the chief of staff at NorthShore University HealthSystem’s Skokie Hospital and received a teaching award from Rush University Medical College.
Dr. Lewis is an award-winning author who has published seven books, including One World: A View of Seven Continents (as seen on PBS TV), Seeing More Colors: A Guide to a Richer Life, Invitation to Joy: Viewing Birds on Seven Continents, The Ball’s in Your Court: A Doctor Shares Life Lessons from Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, Abraham Maslow, and other Inspiring Teachers, and Getting Wiser: 101 Essential Life Lessons and Inspiring Stories. He is also an accomplished photographer; his work is featured in galleries and permanent collections at Brandeis University and Boston Children’s Hospital.
Honored as a notable Chicago author, Dr. Lewis lectures nationally and internationally. An avid tennis player, he and his wife, Valerie, reside in Chicago, raising two daughters and two grandsons.

Her exuberance as a non-linear thinker and visionary in the brand intelligence space has always taken center stage. But Mary van de Wiel, dubbed brand psychologist and master provocateur by her corporate clients, brings 35 years of multicultural experience redefining brands and bringing emboldened thinking to organizations.

As Founder, CEO and Executive Creative Director of an independent branding & design agency with offices in New York and Sydney, she steered award-winning campaigns for Fortune 500 clients.

Since successfully selling her agency (on her own terms), Van launched her Brooklyn-based brand laboratory for serious play — consulting, coaching and leading her signature workshops. And right now, she’s moved her practice to central Mexico where her other top creative priority is her fashion and lifestyle brand called Black Line Crazy (BLC). In her Limited Edition Collection of wearable art and homewares, each piece is based on her bold abstract paintings. The Museum of Contemporary Art CHICAGO has already purchased BLC pieces for its Design Shop.

Also dedicated to helping university students identify their point of difference in an ever-changing employment landscape, she’s been a guest lecturer on branding at UCLA, The University of Sydney Business School (and many others) where she loves speaking about mixing the rigor of her vast business experience and the whimsy and joy of artistic pursuits.