As we count down to a brand new year, we kicked off a Special Series that will feature the amazing global influencers who are speaking and sharing their brilliance at the LEAP AND SHINE CONFERENCE 2020 coming up in London, UK on February 21-22.

This week, we had a chance to ask London based creative entrepreneur, Mark Stephen Pooler, a few questions that give us a bit of insight into his journey and his perspective on what it means to SHINE.

1. When you think of the word SHINE, what first comes to your mind? And what does "Shining" look like from your Point Of View (POV)?

When I think of the word shine, I think of people who stand out from the crowd with confidence, who offer value and most importantly are helping others find their own inner shine. Shining, from my point of view, is not worrying about what others think, following your own dreams and passions coming from a place of love and inspiring others to follow their own dreams and passions to build a better future.

2. What would you say is your Shine Factor?

I would say my shine factor is coming from a past of bullying and severe drug addiction to building a new future of helping others. I always come from a place of truth and love. Today I am a radio host of 2 radio shows and help my clients with PR and to get featured in national press. I am also a public speaking coach and just became international no.1 bestselling author of Step into your brilliance an entrepreneurship guide for those who want to speak using the power of positive storytelling and social media to position themselves as an expert.

I am a true example of no matter your past or present circumstances you can create a new desired, chosen reality.

3. What are your thoughts about Mentorship and Influence, do you think there is a connection?

Mentorship is so important. I have invested tens of thousands in coaches and mentors.

You can learn important skills and avoid mistakes along the way. Also, having mentorship helps in a big way with confidence and getting results.

Influence, I feel comes with experience and a certain amount of success once you make progress in your own journey, others will naturally want to follow your lead. Mentorship and influence are definitely connected. People with influence would have been mentored and mentor others like me. I coach and mentor my clients in public speaking a journey I too had mentorship in, first.

4. Mentorship is a two-way relationship between the Mentor and the Mentee. Can you share two qualities you think mentees should exhibit in order to get the best out of their mentors?

Mentees should be open-minded to try new things and take action and also be a good listener and trust between mentor and mentee I feel is most important.

5. Can you think of one specific moment in which you dulled your shine and how you got your lustre/sparkle back?

One time I dulled my shine I would say was at the beginning of my Entrepreneurship journey when I did not have a total belief in myself and did not take as much action as I should to make progress. I got my shine back by working on myself with personal development to improve my confidence by working with coaches and mentors, going to trainings and seminars which lead to me growing my confidence and belief. That led me to create my first self hosted event and speak on stage for the first time, which allowed me to shine.

6. If you could BRAG about one particular Shine Moment in your career or business, what would it be?

I recently spoke in a secondary school on Drug Awareness this was a proud moment for me where I felt I was really giving value and helping children to make better decisions in life and not make the mistakes I made in my youth regarding addiction.

7. You are one of the Global Speakers at the February 2020 Leap And SHINE Conference in London. What should attendees expect from you at the conference?

Looking forward to speaking at The Leap and shine conference people attending will get from seeing me speak that no matter of your past or present circumstances you can create any future that you desire. I will share inspiration hope and most importantly action steps of how to move forward in business and in life.

About Mark Stephen Pooler

Mark Stephen Pooler is a Creative entrepreneur who has overcome the kind of adversity that most people cannot even comprehend. He has taken the resilience from his past trauma and turned that into an inspirational determination to help others. After years of being severely bullied, Mark turned to drug addiction and started down a dark road of self-destruction that nearly ended his life. After having the strength to overcome his addictions, he rebuilt his life stronger than ever. Mark is now a professional speaker, best-selling author, a speaker coach, and a radio host. Mark helps struggling entrepreneurs create a mindset and belief system that makes their success a reality. Mark inspires entrepreneurs to find and use their courage and strength to empower and lead themselves to success. He helps speakers, coaches and influencers to move forward, gain credibility and authority and get results using PR.

Connect with Mark at www.MarkStephenPooler.com

About The Event

The Leap and Shine Conference which started in 2016 as a Virtual Summit is an initiative founded by Clara Rufai, The Shine Strategist offering Creative, Interactive and Transformational opportunities by bringing together global Thought-leaders and Influencers for paradigm-shifting, life-defining discussions with the aim to inspire, equip and empower individuals to break free from their prisons of limitation and take a ‘LEAP’ into their ‘SHINE ZONE’.

The two-day event promises enlightenment, education, entertainment, and networking with a line-up of successful global achievers. The theme for the conference is “Ready to Shine” and targeted at individuals and business leaders seeking to grow momentum and build a network of fruitful collaborations.

Tickets are already available on sale at www.LeapAndShineConference.com.