Strategic Financial Leadership with Alex Ibrahim, CFO of Yanolja

Introduction

In this episode of The Dr. Lycka Show, Dr. Allen Lycka welcomes Alex Ibrahim, a powerhouse in global finance and current CFO at Yanolja, a travel-tech leader with a global AI-driven platform. Broadcasting from New York, Alex brings over 20 years of capital markets experience, including a celebrated tenure at the New York Stock Exchange. Tune in as we explore Alex's career, insights on IPO strategy, team leadership, AI in finance, and building a 10x company.

From Fashion to Finance: The Journey Begins

Alex shares his path from the Fashion Institute of Technology to the Zicklin School of Business, then into finance. Recruited by the NYSE, he spearheaded Latin American relations and eventually led international capital markets, managing IPOs for major firms like Didi, Nubank, and On Running.

A Strategic Leap to Corporate Leadership

Leaving the NYSE after 22 years, Alex joined Yanolja to bring companies through the IPO journey from the inside. He now uses his deep understanding of global markets to guide strategic growth and capital initiatives for the Korean-founded tech company.

Evolving Leadership Styles

Transitioning from market oversight to internal leadership, Alex discusses how his access to top bankers and executives shaped his approach. His focus now is on strategic positioning, building investor confidence, and driving Yanolja’s expansion.

Guiding Through Economic Uncertainty

Alex emphasizes the importance of market timing in capital decisions. During downturns, IPOs and M&As pause—but savvy companies wait and strike when conditions stabilize, positioning themselves for growth.

Building a High-Performance Finance Team

Alex seeks team players with technical financial skills and cross-functional collaboration abilities. He values professionals who integrate with broader departments and align financial goals with company strategy.

Global Communication & Team Culture

Managing international teams from New York to Korea, Alex stresses the importance of structured communication, clear expectations, and a team-oriented mindset to ensure cross-border cohesion and execution.

Staying Ahead of the Curve

Alex stays sharp by consuming news from WSJ, FT, Bloomberg, and by engaging with industry leaders. He’s a lifelong learner, constantly evolving with market and technology trends.

Strategic KPIs & Resistance to Change

Key metrics at Yanolja include TTV, revenue, and EBITDA growth. When rolling out initiatives, Alex ensures transparency and shows how changes ultimately benefit all departments.

The CFO Role in the AI Era

The CFO role today goes far beyond spreadsheets. Alex describes himself as a “market-facing CFO,” frequently engaging with media, investors, and analysts—balancing finance with strategic storytelling.

Investing for Impact

Though he refrains from specific Yanolja details, Alex explains capital should go toward areas with clear ROI. Evaluating investment timing, scalability, and company-wide benefit is key.

Yanolja: From Startup to Global Powerhouse

Yanolja means "Hey, let's have fun!" in Korean. From modest roots streamlining hotel operations, it’s grown into a global leader with 1.3 million hotels and 20,000+ channels in 200+ countries. Today, it serves consumers and businesses with travel tech and AI-powered solutions.

BIO:

Alexandre Ibrahim is the Corporate CFO at Yanolja, based in New York. In this role, he leverages his expertise in capital markets to strengthen the company’s financial management and drive strategic initiatives, supporting its continued global expansion and growth. Ibrahim brings over 20 years of experience from his distinguished career at the New York Stock Exchange, where he played a pivotal role in facilitating Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) and capital raising for numerous global enterprises across Asia, North America, and South America.

Social Media:

(1) Alex Ibrahim | LinkedIn

Grow Through What You Go Through with Liz Carlson

Episode Summary:

In this heartfelt and energizing episode of How to Live a Fantastic Life, Dr. Allen Lycka sits down with Liz Carlson, a communication strategist, professor, public speaker, and advocate for neurodivergent individuals. With raw honesty, Liz shares her journey through personal challenges and professional evolution, revealing how she turns adversity into purpose, both at home and in the workplace.

Meet Liz Carlson

Liz Carlson is a dynamic force committed to human connection, growth, and authenticity. A seasoned corporate leader and MBA professor in Sioux Falls, she balances her professional calling with raising three neurodivergent children and supporting her husband through illness. Her experiences fuel her mission to bring light into the workplace through empathy, strategy, and sincere communication.

The Path to Communication Strategy

Liz’s transition from corporate leadership to higher education—and ultimately to communication strategy—was a gradual yet purposeful one. While teaching, her practical insights and engaging presence led to requests for workplace trainings and talks. With each "yes," Liz leaned into what energized her: sharing stories and empowering others through meaningful dialogue.

Merging Personal Experience with Professional Insight

Parenting neurodivergent children changed Liz’s lens on leadership. She discovered that what works at home—grace, presence, patience—also transforms workplaces. Her message is clear: when we understand and support neurodiversity, we create environments where everyone can thrive.

Breaking Free from Expectations

Liz discusses “cutting the leashes” of societal expectations, particularly for women. She challenges the binary notion that women must choose between motherhood and professional success, advocating instead for integration and authenticity. Her lived experiences inform her leadership and communication principles, blending presence and purpose.

Grace, Presence, and Priorities

Burnout is real, especially for high-achieving women. Liz opens up about hitting her personal limits and realizing that grace—not hustle—is essential. Rest isn’t laziness; it’s preparation. Presence is power. And understanding where “you end and others begin” brings clarity and joy to both work and home.

Three Tools to Elevate Workplace Connection

1. Listen to Learn – Enter every conversation with curiosity and no agenda beyond learning.
2. Be Intentional – Speak and write with purpose. Communicate clearly, concisely, and kindly.
3. Lead with Kindness – Choose inclusive, respectful language. Your tone builds trust and connection.

How Liz Lives a Fantastic Life

Liz believes we must "grow through what we go through." She views life’s challenges as opportunities for expansion, learning, and deeper human connection. And above all, she reminds us to have fun—to celebrate the belly laughs, the hugs, and the little joys of every day.

Connect with Liz Carlson:

🌐 Website: www.liz-carlson.com

🔗 LinkedIn: Liz Carlson

📺 YouTube: Liz Carlson Professional Development

📸 Instagram: Coming soon!

Connect with Dr. Allen Lycka:

🌐 www.drallenlycka.com

💌 Sign up for his Golden Pearls newsletter and discover weekly inspiration to live your most fantastic life.

BIO:

Liz is a communication strategist, a public speaker, business writer, college professor and a champion for people. Liz’s mission is to shine light in the workplace through connection, support and growth. This mission is fueled by the challenges of raising 3 neurodivergent children, battling illness and determination to follow her heart not just at home, but in the workplace.

Social Media:

Website: lizcarlsonpro@gmail.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lizcarlsonprofdev (currently getting updated, will be ready by 4/1

LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-carlson-1599baa/

Awakening to Energy: The Path to Healing with Dr. Sue Morter

Episode Summary:

In this enlightening episode of How to Live a Fantastic Life, Dr. Allen Lycka sits down with the inspiring Dr. Sue Morter—international speaker, pioneer in quantum field exploration, and best-selling author of The Energy Codes. Dr. Morter shares her powerful story of healing, spiritual awakening, and the transformational power of living from the soul. Together, they explore how unresolved energy impacts the body, how to awaken dormant circuitry, and how quantum science affirms our ability to shape our reality through thought and intention.

Meet Dr. Sue Morter:

Raised in a family of natural healers, Dr. Sue has never taken antibiotics and grew up understanding the body’s innate capacity to heal. Her journey took a transformative turn when meditation—initially a tool to ease migraines—led her into multidimensional states of consciousness. These transcendent experiences not only healed her scoliosis and headaches but launched her into developing a replicable system for healing: The Energy Codes

Living from the Soul, Not Toward It:

Dr. Morter explains the difference between chasing spirituality and embodying it. Living from the soul means experiencing life from your highest self—not your personality. It brings deep presence, creative power, and resilience. The shift begins by turning inward, reclaiming your energy from external stimuli, and becoming aware that we are made of light at our core.

How Blocked Energy Shows Up in the Body:

Blocked or unresolved energy can manifest as chronic pain, illness, digestive issues, or immune deficiency. According to Dr. Morter, most energy blocks are linked to buried emotional trauma or unresolved experiences. Healing starts when we learn to decode the body’s signals and process those stored emotions.

The Seven Energy Codes:

Dr. Morter introduces the principles behind her seven-step healing system:

1. Living in the Body: Stop living in your head and learn to listen to your body.
2. Sensory Differentiation: Recognize where different emotional energies reside physically.
3. Neurocircuit Rebuilding: Rewire your brain through awareness and intentional practices.
4. Heart Coherence: Harness the power of love as a frequency, not just an emotion.
5. Breathwork: Activate healing with deep belly breathing.
6. Chemistry Shift: Understand how your thoughts influence internal pH and health.
7. Source Connection: Awaken to your unbreakable link with Universal Intelligence.

BIO:

Dr. Sue Morter is a renowned international speaker, Master of Bio-Energetic Medicine, and a pioneer in Quantum Field exploration. As the #1 LA Times and USA Today bestselling author of “THE ENERGY CODES: The 7-Step System to Awaken Your Spirit, Heal Your Body and Live Your Best Life,” Dr. Sue shares profound insights on activating untapped energy and neurocircuitry within the body for healing and living into our full capacity. Her mission is to empower individuals to embrace their hidden potential and manifest their true, essential selves.

Social Media:

Website: www.drsuemorter.com

https://www.instagram.com/drsuemorter/

https://www.facebook.com/DrSueMorter/

YouTube: @DrSueMorter

Free Gifts for listeners:

Meditation: https://nt113.isrefer.com/go/HYHYLMed/LivewithAl/

Ebook: https://nt113.isrefer.com/go/HYHYLEbook/LivewithAl/

In this powerful episode of How to Live a Fantastic Life, Dr. Allen Lycka welcomes Lauren Morgan, founder of Wild Wisdom. Lauren is a trauma recovery and business coach, energy master, and transformational guide who integrates Ayurveda, shamanism, and hypnosis to help women overcome self-sabotage and reclaim joy. She empowers her clients to transmute pain into purpose and build heart-centered businesses grounded in resilience.

Personal Transformation

Lauren opens up about her harrowing early years—battling depression, self-harm, addiction, and a mysterious illness that forced her to leave her career as a biopharmaceutical scientist. Her story is one of survival and awakening. A vivid moment walking her dogs led her to confront her childhood trauma and make a life-altering promise to love herself and live fully. That moment of surrender marked the beginning of her spiritual and emotional rebirth.

The Healing Journey

Faced with an undiagnosed condition and daily seizures, Lauren turned inward. A mistaken Amazon delivery introduced her to Ayurveda, which catalyzed her healing. She soon encountered shamanic practice and hypnosis, diving deep into energetic and subconscious transformation. These modalities didn’t just help her heal—they became part of who she is. “I wasn’t just learning them,” she says. “They became me.”

Core Belief Work

Lauren describes “core belief work” as the process of identifying deeply embedded, often unconscious narratives that shape our lives—like not feeling safe or worthy. By bringing these beliefs to light, people can stop unconsciously organizing their lives around fear. She encourages exploring small joys and dismantling conditioned identities by asking: “What’s truly me?”

Embodied Leadership

According to Lauren, embodied leadership means walking with your fear rather than avoiding it. It’s about owning your quirks, leading through authenticity, and giving others permission to be themselves. “Even if it’s dancing silly in your socks in the kitchen,” she says, “that kind of joy can move mountains.”

Affirmations & Fire Symbolism

Lauren’s eBooks—From Trauma to Transcendent and Warrior Transcendence—contain powerful affirmations rooted in elemental healing. One favorite: “I am a warrior of light. I am stronger than I know.” Another honors fire: “Fire brings rebirth and transformation.” She explains how, like the phoenix or fire-germinated seeds, we too can rise anew from destruction.

Living a Fantastic Life

Today, Lauren lives mostly off-grid in a camper with her husband, building a life aligned with their values. Her advice? “Find what fills you up. Joy doesn’t need to make sense to anyone else but you.” She reminds us that by releasing pain, we create space for love, compassion, and play.

Connect with Lauren

Explore Lauren’s work at www.wildwisdomcoach.com or follow her on Instagram @laurenswildwisdom for free resources and inspiration.

BIO:

Lauren Morgan, founder of Wild Wisdom, LLC, is a dynamic Trauma Recovery & Business Coach and Energy Master. Drawing from her transformative journey with practices like Ayurveda, hypnosis, and shamanism, she helps women overcome imposter syndrome and self-sabotage. Lauren empowers her clients to turn pain into purpose and build heart-centered businesses fueled by wisdom and resilience.

Social Media:

Website: https://wildwisdomcoach.com/home

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenswildwisdom/

Unlocking the Power of the Heart with Dr. Lise Janelle

Episode Summary:

In this transformative episode, Dr. Allen Lycka welcomes renowned human potential expert and elite mindset coach Dr. Lise Janelle. Drawing from her background as a holistic chiropractor and decades of work in mind-body transformation, Dr. Janelle shares how reconnecting with the heart can unleash purpose, fulfillment, and emotional freedom. She introduces her powerful “Heart Freedom Method,” a practical tool that helps people release subconscious blocks and embrace their true worth.

Guest Spotlight: Dr. Lise Janelle

Based in Canada, Dr. Janelle has dedicated her life to helping people create meaningful, love-filled lives. Her approach is backed by neuroscience, psychology, and emotional healing techniques. Endorsed by transformational icons like Jack Canfield, her work emphasizes clarity, self-worth, and the transformational power of the heart. She’s also the founder of the Get Unstuck with Dr. Lise program and hosts transformational weekends.

From Tragedy to Transformation

Dr. Janelle’s journey began with profound personal loss. In the span of a month, she faced her father’s cancer diagnosis, the tragic death of her brother, and the end of a long-term relationship. These events launched her on a quest to understand how challenges can fuel personal growth. She learned from mentors like Dr. John Demartini and Dr. Scott Walker and combined their teachings into her signature method.

The Heart Freedom Method

This method blends neuro-emotional techniques with deep gratitude work to uncover and dissolve limiting beliefs stored in the subconscious. Through muscle testing and focused inquiry, clients discover the emotional blocks sabotaging their dreams. Once identified, those blocks can be cleared, allowing new possibilities to emerge.

Breaking Through Subconscious Barriers

Dr. Janelle explains how 90-95% of our decisions are driven by subconscious patterns, many formed in early childhood. These patterns often block people from wealth, love, or purpose—not out of malice, but from a misguided effort to protect us. By addressing the emotional roots, we can shift from limitation to liberation.

Emotional Mastery and Heart Connection

To live fully, Dr. Janelle says we must embody four heart-based states: love, gratitude, inspiration, and wisdom. Gratitude is the entry point—it opens the door to love, which brings clarity and inspired action. Releasing the illusion of unworthiness is essential, especially for parents raising emotionally healthy children.

Heaven on Earth: Living in Stage Two

Dr. Janelle describes two life stages: the unconscious “boot camp,” where we seek validation from the outside world, and the conscious stage, where we live from the heart. By moving into Stage Two, we stop reacting to life and start consciously creating a fulfilling existence based on purpose and self-worth.

A Life Mission Fulfilled

Since 1989, Dr. Janelle has followed her mission to help one million people reconnect with their hearts. Her message is simple but profound: everyone is worthy of love, and by listening to our inner wisdom, we can transform pain into power.

BIO:

Dr. Lise Janelle is a Human Potential Expert and Elite Mindset Coach who has been transforming lives since 1989. Drawing from her background as a holistic chiropractor and decades of experience in mind-body work, she developed the Heart Freedom Method™—a powerful system that helps individuals break free from subconscious barriers to success, love, and fulfillment. Recognized by transformational leaders like Jack Canfield, Dr. Janelle’s method is known for delivering rapid and lasting breakthroughs by reconnecting people with their hearts.

Social Media:

https://drlisejanelle.com

https://www.facebook.com/drlise

https://www.instagram.com/drlisejanelle/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlise/?originalSubdomain=ca

https://www.youtube.com/@drlisejanelle/videos

Compassionate Leadership: Building Trust with Don Johnson

INTRODUCTION

In this inspiring episode, Dr. Allen Lycka welcomes leadership expert Don Johnson to discuss a powerful, people-centric approach to managing and engaging teams. Johnson, who has worked extensively with Native American tribes, shares his insights on trust, vulnerability, and the profound impact of compassion in leadership.

THE JOURNEY INTO LEADERSHIP TRAINING

Don Johnson’s leadership journey began unexpectedly when he transitioned into HR training after a career shift. His firsthand experience with management gaps in people skills led him to develop comprehensive leadership training programs, delivering 20–30 workshops annually.

COMPASSION AS A LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION

Johnson emphasizes that many leaders are promoted for technical expertise, not interpersonal skills. Compassion, he says, is the missing link. Teaching people skills and encouraging empathy helps leaders better understand, support, and retain their teams.

BUILDING TRUST THROUGH VULNERABILITY

Trust is essential, particularly in tribal communities where Johnson has done much of his work. He advocates for vulnerability as a leadership strength, citing Brene Brown’s wisdom: “Vulnerability is courage.” Sharing personal stories fosters authenticity, which builds trust and encourages reciprocal openness from team members.

THE COST OF POOR LEADERSHIP

Johnson notes the top reason employees leave jobs is poor management. Despite corporate narratives suggesting otherwise, leadership behavior often underlies employee dissatisfaction. Compassionate leadership—especially during times of trauma—can reverse disengagement and improve retention.

COMMON MISTAKES AND HOW COMPASSION FIXES THEM

Neglecting emotional engagement leads to clock-punching workers with minimal involvement. Johnson links engagement to trust and urges organizations to prioritize both. Trust-based cultures result in higher performance, productivity, and well-being.

DR. LYCKA’S THREE CRUCIAL LEADERSHIP TRAITS

Dr. Lycka highlights empathetic listening, recognition, and celebration as key tools. Recognition should be frequent, sincere, and specific. Johnson echoes this, referencing studies that show high-trust companies experience 74% less stress and 76% higher engagement.

RECOGNITION IS POWERFUL—AND FREE

A simple, heartfelt “thank you” from leadership can transform morale. Johnson recounts a personal story where a CEO’s note reinvigorated his commitment and engagement. He encourages leaders to “catch employees doing things right” at least five times more often than pointing out errors.

REBUILDING TRUST PRACTICALLY

To regain trust, leaders must be first to trust, support employees through challenges, and foster psychological safety. Johnson urges a shift from fixed to growth mindsets and warns against biases that hinder connection.

NAVIGATING RESISTANCE TO CHANGE

Transitioning to a people-centric model can meet resistance. Johnson recommends active listening, responding to employee feedback, and building a culture where voices are heard. As trust grows, resistance diminishes, and collaboration flourishes.

BIO:

Don Johnson has focused his work on better people management. He still works with a Native American Tribe teaching leadership skills but also provides his facilitation skills to help other organizations change their leadership approach to managing people. Johnson believes that compassion is the key. A key component of that thinking is building trust, while we see trust in leadership deteriorating in most organizations.

Social Media:

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/trainyourmanagers/

FB Group/Today’s Leadership Coach https://www.facebook.com/groups/1505801136844593

FB Group/Your Positive Psychology Group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/445858270624734

www.manageyourstaff.org