{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/5d42020745842932757e7134/6af426143925cd47eb49d28f?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Episode 427: From the Vault: Building Community Through Connection: How Vulnerability Creates Opportunity with Ben Berard","description":"<p><strong>Episode Summary</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Ready to stop performing and start connecting? Amber Fuhriman sits down with Ben Berard, founder of Volunteers of Vegas, to break down what it actually takes to build something from nothing, trust your gut when the money says otherwise, and create spaces where people stop asking &quot;who am I supposed to be?&quot; and start showing up as themselves.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Key Topics Covered</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>How to see the human behind the title and why stripping away job labels is the most powerful connection tool you have</li><li>Why people want to do good but don&#39;t know how, and how removing barriers to volunteering built a 300-person organization in seven months</li><li>How to trust your gut over the obvious financial choice, and what happens when you choose the path nobody recommends</li><li>What the Michelangelo approach to being yourself reveals about how we&#39;ve been conditioned to be controlled from age five</li><li>How micro-connections, not big gestures, rewire the way you see the world and create ripple effects across entire communities</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Notable Quotes</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Ben Berard</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>&quot;I&#39;ve learned that everybody else is taken, as cliche as that is. And I am so perfectly imperfect. I have so many flaws. There&#39;s not enough time in the day to go through them, but I&#39;ve learned to embrace myself and I&#39;ve learned to show up for myself.&quot;</li><li>&quot;When they shed their skin, they are so vulnerable, but they have to grow out of it. And we&#39;re supposed to change. We&#39;re supposed to grow. And you have to get rid of that exoskeleton, you have to let yourself be vulnerable, you have to get beat up sometimes in order to become the best version of yourself.&quot;</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Amber Fuhriman</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li>&quot;We&#39;re told to sit down and shut up from the time we&#39;re five years old and we get enrolled in preschool. And then we&#39;re told to be ourselves after we graduate from high school. And we&#39;re like, wait a second. I&#39;ve just been conditioned. For the last 12 years, you&#39;ve been telling me to shut up. Who the hell am I?&quot;</li><li>&quot;My bullshit&#39;s having a conversation with your bullshit. If we don&#39;t acknowledge that, we&#39;re not actually talking about human conversation.&quot;</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Call to Action</strong></p><p><br></p><p>Book a free strategy call with Amber: <u><a href=\"https://calendly.com/amberfuhriman/connection-call?month=2021-05\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://calendly.com/amberfuhriman/connection-call?month=2021-05</a></u></p><p>Join the Break Your Bullsh*t Box Community: <u><a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/share/g/185xJ6KALu/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.facebook.com/share/g/185xJ6KALu/</a></u></p><p>Check out Amber&#39;s Speaker Reel: <u><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPj5OBvjrr0\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPj5OBvjrr0</a></u></p><p><strong>Guest Info</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Ben Berard</strong> is the founder of Volunteers of Vegas, a barrier-free volunteer organization that has grown to 300 volunteers and over 20 partner organizations in its first seven months, now expanding nationally as volunteersof.com. He serves as Director of Membership for the Green Valley Rotary Club and on Rotary District 5300&#39;s public image team, runs nine TikTok accounts, and works full-time at Driven. Connect with Volunteers of Vegas at volunteersofvegas.com, where you can volunteer, request volunteer support, or express interest in bringing the model to your city.</p>","author_name":"Amber Fuhriman"}