How to Live Your Legacy Now

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The Ripple Effects of Giving Back

Giving back is admirable. But in the midst of a busy and successful career, it’s can be easy to put off giving back to the community. Donating financially is impactful, especially now, but many people feel a tug that they want to do more. The freedom to retire offers opportunities to do just that. Our guest today, Barbara Greenspan Shaiman, encourages people to think about the impact on future generations. She urges people to get involved and to live your legacy now.

Barbara and I discuss:

What inspired her to become involved in social activism
Why she created a not-for-profit Champions of Caring
What drives her to do what she does
What it means to Live One’s Legacy
What she sees inspires people to give back in retirement
Why people put off living their legacy and what often gets in the way
Her advice for someone who wants to Live Their Legacy – Now

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Bio

A noted educator, businesswoman, and social entrepreneur, Barbara Shaiman has used her skills and ability to empower others to create social change. She began her career as a teacher, developing curriculum for at-risk youth, and later directed Eisenbud & Associates, an executive search firm that specialized in recruiting physicians and healthcare executives nationally. As a leader in this field, she presented frequently on human resources issues at conferences.

In 1995, she founded Champions of Caring, a non-profit organization that has empowered more than 10,000 youth in Philadelphia and South Africa to become leaders in service and active, engaged citizens.

The daughter of Holocaust survivors, Barbara’s mother was incarcerated in the Auschwitz Concentration Camp and is the sole survivor of a family of 65 people. Her father worked for Oskar Schindler, on whose story Steven Spielberg’s film Schindler’s List was based. This family legacy, coupled with her professional experience and work with Champions of Caring, has motivated Barbara to help others to live their legacies.

For 20 years, Barbara has created programs that have inspired and empowered youth with the skills to create service projects to address local and global issues and create cultures of caring within their schools and communities.

With her strong background in human resources, entrepreneurial spirit, and 30+ years speaking publicly, Barbara created Embrace Your Legacy to share her message and encourage youth and adults of all backgrounds, locally and internationally, to embrace and live their legacies.

Barbara often is called upon to share her message at community events, conferences, and workshops. Her audiences include corporations, financial advisors, universities, educators, faith-based communities, women’s groups, service organizations, trade associations, and professional groups.

Through speeches, workshops, and consulting, she shares her highly effective and replicable 10-step approach to provide participants with the necessary tools to create social change in an informed and creative way.

Barbara earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and education from Hunter College in New York City, and a master’s degree in education from North Adams State College in Massachusetts.

Barbara has served on the boards of numerous community organizations, including the Greater Philadelphia Consortium of Holocaust Educators, The Transition Network, Chemical People Project, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Red Cross, and Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. She founded the Philadelphia chapter of Life Planning Network and has served as board chair of the Women’s Division of the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires and the Memorial Committee of the Six Million Jewish Martyrs for the Greater Philadelphia Jewish Community Relations Council.

Residing near Philadelphia, Barbara speaks five languages and loves to travel. Her greatest joys are her children and grandchildren.

Wise Quotes

On Living Your Legacy

“Well, to me, it’s about what is your story? Can you create and write your own story of your life? We’re born tabula rasa with a blank slate. And of course, circumstance has happened to us, a lot of positive and negative, but how we deal with that is really the core issue. And truthfully, I started this book as an ethical will for my children and grandchildren. I wanted to share my values with them, and what was important to me in life. And I wanted my voice and my writing to be heard so that when I am gone, they can look at this and say, this is what she was really all about. And my husband was an estate planning lawyer. And he said to me, you know what? I think this is bigger than just the family. Take out the very personal things and leave that as a separate document, but write this book and have people really reflect on their lives and the vision they had for how they were living their lives.”

On How You Show Up

“David Brooks talks about two kinds of values: Resume Values, and Eulogy Values. Resume Values, as we all know, cover I had this job from this time to this time, and this is what I accomplished. These are my skillsets, but let’s look at those Eulogy Values. What are the things that you did to live through your soul, to make social change, to live your values, to share those values with others? So I think legacy living is something we do all the time and it doesn’t have to be huge. It’s did I show up as a mench today? Was I kind? Was I caring? Did I make a difference in someone’s life? So it is what you live and how you live your life with your values in the forefront of your thought process?”

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