Success 2.0: Recent Episodes
CJ McClanahan, Speaker, Author, Recovering Overachiever
In order to achieve great things, you need absolute clarity about where you want to go and why. It’s time to determine where you are now so the path to greater productivity becomes clear - CJ will help make that happen.
Succes 2.0 is for the executive, entrepreneur, and business leader to find out what uniquely drives you to be more successful.
Through interviews and conversations on specific topics, you’ll unlock the ultimate source of energy and motivation to help you cut down distractions, free your time from interruptions, and finally focus on the projects and people that matter most.
Mike Rucker, PhD
Dr. Mike Rucker is an organizational psychologist, behavioral scientist, and charter member of the International Positive Psychology Association. He has been academically published in the International Journal of Workplace Health Management. His ideas about fun and health have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Fast Company, Psychology Today, Forbes, Vox, Thrive Global, Mindful, mindbodygreen, and more. He currently serves as a senior leader at Active Wellness.
What We Discuss in this Episode:
- Why our approach to happiness is broken (3:45 to 5:45)
- How to tell when you’re disconnected from joy and the role of Toxic Positivity on our lives (5:45 to 10:55)
- Emotional flexibility and changing the end goal of a successful outcome (10:55 to 16:00)
- The connection between oxycontin and finding joy (16:02 to 18:54)
- Why fun is such a critical component of our lives, productivity, creativity, and work (18:55 to 23:40)
- Tangible ways to focus on leisure that open you up to achieve at even higher levels (23:40 to 28:19)
- The concept of thriving versus flourishing and how to create frameworks for your employees to flourish (28:20 to 32:04)
- Quick tricks to move toward fun and move through agonizing activities (32:04 to 34:18)
Mentioned in the Podcast:
- The Fun Habit by Mike Rucker (or, the first three people who email CJ get a free copy!)
- Dr. Paul Zak and his work on happiness and community
- Take The Achiever’s Compass for your personalized assessment to start enjoying your journey today!
Dr. 'Deji Ayoade shares his story from extreme poverty in Nigeria to becoming the first African immigrant to become a nuclear missile operator in the United States Air Force and serve in three U.S. military branches. He’ll walk you through his mindset in the face of extreme obstacles and how he found gratitude along the way.
How do you build a foundation for a happy and joy filled life, regardless of your circumstances?
Kristi Nelson, author of Wake Up Grateful will help you understand why living gratefully is so difficult in our world, and how gratitude as a habit - not an occasional trick - will change your life.
As always, we’ll leave you with simple, proven tools to get you in the right direction. Thanks for letting me be a part of your journey!
What We Discuss in this Episode:
- Kristi’s battle with Stage IV cancer and why such a difficult time moved her to establish a foundation of gratitude (2:00 to 4:15)
- Why gratitude is so difficult in our culture and time (4:15 to 10:35)
- How to harness comparison to unlock joy (10:35 to 14:10)
- How to go from understanding gratitude to practicing gratitude (14:10 to 33:17)
- The vision behind Grateful Living (33:17 to 36:26)
Mentioned in the Podcast:
- Wake Up Grateful, by Kristi Nelson (email CJ for a free copy!)
- Free Wake Up Grateful Discussion and Study Guide by Kristi Nelson
- Take The Achiever’s Compass
Dr. Daniel Z. Lieberman, co-author of the international bestseller of The Molecule of More joins CJ to understand exactly why we believe a Yeti cooler keeps our drink that much colder. Join them to learn the impact of dopamine on your decisions and the tangible ways you can take control from unconscious to conscious.
What We Discuss in this Episode:
- What is dopamine and why don’t we talk more about it? Why is it that the people who are most able to afford a beach house are the least able to enjoy it? (6:15 to 12:49)
- What are the forces influencing the decisions you make and how can we become more aware of them? Why is it that self-development and growth isn’t “10 easy steps”? (13:45 to 17:)
- How do you control your unconscious mind… and why should you care about it? (23:40 to 34:50)
Mentioned in the Podcast:
- Email CJ to receive a complimentary The Molecule of More or Spellbound: Spellbound: Modern Science, Ancient Magic, and the Unconscious Mind
- Take The Achiever’s Compass
Dr. Daniel Z. Lieberman, co-author of the international bestseller of The Molecule of More joins CJ to understand exactly why we believe a Yeti cooler keeps our drink that much colder. Join them to learn the impact of dopamine on your decisions and the tangible ways you can take control from unconscious to conscious.
What We Discuss in this Episode:
- What is dopamine and why don’t we talk more about it? Why is it that the people who are most able to afford a beach house are the least able to enjoy it? (6:15 to 12:49)
- What are the forces influencing the decisions you make and how can we become more aware of them? Why is it that self-development and growth isn’t “10 easy steps”? (13:45 to 17:)
- How do you control your unconscious mind… and why should you care about it? (23:40 to 34:50)
Mentioned in the Podcast:
- Email CJ to receive a complimentary The Molecule of More or Spellbound: Spellbound: Modern Science, Ancient Magic, and the Unconscious Mind
- Take The Achiever’s Compass
Rebecca Ward is a licensed therapist, executive coach, speaker, and author. Today, CJ and Rebecca will unpack the connection between fear and stress, the impact our thoughts have on our physical well-being, and ways we can start to feel better today.
Rebecca Ward is a licensed therapist, executive coach, speaker, and author. Today, CJ and Rebecca will unpack the connection between fear and stress, the impact our thoughts have on our physical well-being, and ways we can start to feel better today.
In the hybrid world, there are more ways to communicate than ever before, but finding true connection and engagement still eludes many of us. Without the ability to effectively engage an audience and inspire action, new ideas struggle to be implemented, adding frustration and failure to the workplace. Richard shares how to develop your skill to speak and communicate with others to get the results you’ve planned no matter what room – virtual or otherwise – you’re in.
In the hybrid world, there are more ways to communicate than ever before, but finding true connection and engagement still eludes many of us. Without the ability to effectively engage an audience and inspire action, new ideas struggle to be implemented, adding frustration and failure to the workplace. Richard shares how to develop your skill to speak and communicate with others to get the results you’ve planned no matter what room – virtual or otherwise – you’re in.
Kute Blackson has been called the mindfulness guru that billionaires go to for advice. He’s been featured on Larry King Now, Dr. Drew, NPR, Fox and Friends, Mind Body Green, and many more. Listen in as Kute uncovers the possibility that surrender, instead of being passive, is the most courageous act you can do to achieve more joy in your life
What We Discuss in this Episode:
- “None of us has control in life. Our demand that life go the way we want is what causes so much suffering. Know that the degree to which you surrender determines the degree to which you are alive, the degree to which life can use you, the degree to which you can enjoy life.” -Kute Blackson’s Mother
- Understand that the ego is not who you are. It is a process not a thing. Ego is a construct of patterned conditioning. Once we can step back and observe that, we can understand that the ego means well and the mechanisms we’ve built based on fear start to melt away.
- We have to be willing to feel the feelings that we learned as children to suppress. Then, we can start to identify who we are and what we believe.
- Three questions to get to truth: What lies am I telling myself? What am I pretending to not know? What is that lie costing me?
- When we feel pain, we distract ourselves so that we don’t have to deal with it. But the pain is a signal that is showing us a part of ourselves that is out of alignment. Ask yourself, what is the message of this pain? Then, we can course correct and get back in alignment.
- When you let go, there will be many times that you lose things. But when you follow your soul, you will have the comfort and peace of knowing that you are in integrity of your own self.
Mentioned in the Podcast:
- The Magic of Surrender: Finding the Courage to Let Go by Kute Blackson
- Boundless Bliss Bali, a 12-Day Bali Event with Kute Blackson
- The Surrender Summit – Virtual 5-Day Event, July 12-16, 2022
- Take The Achiever’s Compass
Steve White’s path from the housing projects to president of Comcast was punctuated by defining, and often heart-wrenching, moments. Moments that lead him to associating uncompromising with never giving up, always looking to learn and improve, investing in yourself, and maintaining a positive attitude through it all.
Peter Block is an author, consultant and citizen of Cincinnati, Ohio. His work is about chosen accountability, and the reconciliation of community. Peter challenges us to get back to the basics of community that will transform how you see your life and purpose.
Jan Broders went from fast-tracked success in the hospitality industry, to extreme burnout at the age of 27, requiring months of clinical rehabilitation. He then took a journey in exploration of the central question, "How can I live a successful, ambitious and prosperous life without compromising my health and happiness?" Let’s dive in.
Fear and uncertainty have been undermining performance and well-being in the workplace for as long as we have had workplaces. Gaurav Bhatnagar and Mark Minukas show you how to reframe your ― and your employees’ ― relationship with fear and anxiety to create a learning culture of engaged workers at the top of their game.
What We Discuss in this Episode:
- Fun in the workplace - how can it be cultivated to retain valuable employees?
- Fun vs Work: Why the meaning of these two terms are commonly blurred
- How is ‘fun’ defined from the employee perspective, how is it defined from the employer perspective, and how can workplaces achieve a harmonic balance?
Mentioned in the Podcast:
- Take The Achiever’s Compass
Bob Nelson
Best-selling Author, Keynote Speaker, Consultant
“Dr. Bob” Nelson is the world’s leading authority on employee recognition, motivation and engagement. He is president of Nelson Motivation Inc., a management training and consulting company specializing in helping organizations improve management practices, programs and systems. Dr. Bob is a much sought-after Keynote Speaker, Consultant and Executive Coach.
What We Discuss in this Episode:
- The BIG THREE life changing habits that ensure business success.
- Leading a life by design vs. Living a life by default: What’s the difference and how does it affect business success?
- Why are personal visions crucial to entrepreneurship and how to develop a personal vision you can stick to?
- What does having both the right mindset and skill set have to do with achieving success and doing what matters most?
- When the fear of failure hinders success, how to circumvent these fears and create a bulletproof plan for steady growth.
Mentioned in the Podcast:
- Take The Achiever’s Compass
Rob Shallenberger Bio
Rob Shallenberger is one of the world’s leading authorities on leadership and execution. He’s trained and coached hundreds of companies around the world, to include many Fortune 500 organizations. He attended Utah State University and went on to earn an MBA from Colorado State University. He served as an F-16 Fighter Pilot in the Air Force for 11 years. He was also an Advance Agent for Air Force One and traveled the world working with foreign embassies and the Secret Service.
What We Discuss in this Episode:
- Why is emotional intelligence important for professional development and team building?
- How emotions play a pivotal role in our everyday decisions, daily communications, relationship building, and the essence of basic human drive for success.
- Can we develop emotional intelligence or is it an intrinsic trait that only a select few understand?
- How can we determine if we have emotional intelligence or not? What constitutes emotional intelligence and how can we use emotional intelligence for positive outcomes in the workplace?
Mentioned in the Podcast:
- Take The Achiever’s Compass
Robin Hills
Business Psychologist, Emotional Intelligence Trainer
Robin Hills is the author of two books in The Authority Guide Series - The Authority Guide to Emotional Resilience in Business and The Authority Guide to Behaviour in Business.
Ei4Change is a company specializing in training, coaching and personal development focused on emotional intelligence, positive psychology and neuroscience.
His experience ranges over 35 years' working with small start-ups to large multinationals in commercial areas, in project management and in line management. He works practically with the business applications of emotional intelligence in leadership and management working independently and with teams of business coaches.
Hills’s specialist interest lies in applying the outputs from personality and behavioral assessments to increase productivity and success at work. These assessments include Myers Briggs Type Indicator (Step I and II), DISC (to an advanced level), and Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i 2.0), which includes a 360 assessment (EQ-i 2.0 360). Robin is also a certified TetraMap facilitator.
Since 2013, Robin has delivered keynotes and invited presentations at international conferences on emotional intelligence and neuroscience in the UK, the US, South Africa and India, as well as online.
What We Discuss in this Episode:
- One of our society’s biggest challenges is our lack of emotional intimacy. We learn to replace emotional intimacy with achievement, and we stay there until we realize it’s empty.
- We live with four emotions: excitement, boredom, fear, and anger.
- Getting yourself off the achievement treadmill can seem impossible. Try this simple exercise: Rate your calendar on a scale of “I’m really looking forward to this” and “I’m really dreading this.” Then ask yourself, what do the events I’m looking forward to have in common, and vice versa?
- When you focus on achievement, you’re running on adrenaline, and that is a young person’s game.
- When you ask someone how they’re doing and they say, “great,” they’re usually good. If they say they’re doing fine, they’re usually not.
Mentioned in the Podcast:
- Goulston’s TEDx “What Made You Smile Today?” and #WMYST Challenge
- Take The Achiever’s Compass
- My Wakeup Call with Chip Conley
- Daring to Care: How to Build a Heartfelt Company
- Jason Reid’s TEDx, “The most important conversation you will have with your kids”
- Defeating Self Defeat by Dr. Goulston
Dr. Mark Goulston
Originally a UCLA professor of psychiatry for over 25 years, and a former FBI and police hostage negotiation trainer, Dr. Mark Goulston’s expertise has been forged and proven in the crucible of real-life, high stakes situations.
An influencer who helps influencers become more influential, his unique background has made him an indispensable and sought-after resource and change facilitator to Fortune 500 leaders, entrepreneurs and educators across the nation. He lives with his wife in Los Angeles, California.
What We Discuss in this Episode:
- The only limits we have are the limits we have set in our minds. The Sedona Method helps you unlock the unlimited nature of your life and let go of the obstacles and baggage that hold us back.
- Letting go and living simply is natural. Children do it all the time. Holding on is hard. Adults do it all the time. That’s why we’re so tired at the end of the day.
- Experiences and stuff aren’t going to complete you. You are already whole and complete as you are.
- We often know what the solution is, but we can’t quiet our minds enough to see it. When you let go, you let go of your beliefs of the past that are preventing you from reacting in this moment.
- When we’re wanting to control the outcome, we are looking to the future or the past and not dealing with what we can deal with now. Now, however, is the only time we can do anything.
- We either imagine a terrible future, stress about what we this is known about the future, or we’re rehashing the past. We’re not dealing with what is.
- Responding to uncertainty is something we do all day long. If we handled uncertainty, surprise wouldn’t exist. We need to respond appropriately in this moment.
- Living in the moment is the natural outcome of two things: letting go and recognizing the truth of who and what you are.
- The mind is all about the past and future. You can describe what just was, but not what is now. The now is faster than the mind. It’s more immediate.
- It’s not about getting in the now, you’re already there. It’s about noticing what is now. You don’t need to try to be what you already are. You just need to notice it.
- Instead of being opposed to the problem, be for the solutions.
- It’s possible to be ecstatically happy, even when you’re sitting doing nothing.
Mentioned in the Podcast:
- Happiness is free and it’s easier than you think, by Lestor Levinson and Hale Dwoskin
- The Sedona Method free resources
- Take The Achiever’s Compass
Contrary to conventional wisdom, a legacy isn’t what’s written in your obituary. It’s what you create every day. And with a dark pandemic driving 51% of us to think more about our mortality, it’s high time we started today. Join CJ McClanahan on Success 2.0 as Alan Weiss, PhD, identifies how to create your legacy – today.
What We Discuss in this Episode:
- Life is not about a search for meaning, it’s creating meaning. It’s not a search that has a destination, it’s happening organically every day.
- Creating meaning entails identifying why the world is different because you lived in it. Have you led a trusting life, have you planted a garden, have you impacted someone in your circle?
- The last 30 years have created enormous pressure to compare to ourselves to others. Further, instead of becoming more knowledgeable, we’ve just gotten louder.
- In focusing on the needs of others, you help yourself. When you teach others, you learn more than they do. The act of helping others builds you as a person.
- Celebrate when you identify that you’re drowning in stress and information. Isolate the sources that are the most valid to help you become the person you want to be.
- Whether you’re an optimist or a pessimist will determine how your life plays out that day. We must train our brains to move toward the positive end of the spectrum more frequently.
- Part of being alive and finding meaning is being in touch with the physical world around you.
- We don’t focus on the simple, because we’ve convinced ourselves that the simple can’t be true.
Mentioned in the Podcast:
- Email CJ McClanahan for the offering mentioned in the podcast.
- Your Legacy is Now by Alan Weiss, Ph.D
- Subscribe to Alan Weiss newsletter and video resources
- Take The Achiever’s Compass Assessment
Alan Weiss, PhD
Alan Weiss is a consultant, speaker, and bestselling author. Described by the New York Post as “one of the most highly regarded independent consultants in America,” his consulting firm, Summit Consulting Group, Inc., has attracted clients such as Merck, Hewlett-Packard, GE, Mercedes-Benz, and more than 500 leading organizations. His new book is Your Legacy Is Now: Life Is Not a Search for Meaning from Others—It's the Creation of Meaning for Yourself (Routledge; March 18, 2021). Learn more at alanweiss.com.
We all struggle with the big question - are you living out your life’s purpose?
Dr. Kenneth Haman is Managing Director of the Alliance Bernstein Advisor Institute and has been a practicing psychotherapist for over two decades.
Join us as Dr. Haman unpacks your purpose and provide you with simple tactics to live your purpose every day.
What We Discuss in this Episode:
- High performing professionals can get trapped into thinking that if I can achieve (insert goal), then all my problems will disappear. Only then will they consider pursuing their purpose. The problem is, they never get there.
- The majority of people are filled with regret at the end of their lives. They are stuck reading the narrative of their lives and they hate what they’re reading.
- You can trust that the universe is bumping into you all the time. Start paying attention to that, and listen to what your natural inclinations draw your toward.
- Learned helplessness is the thought that I need something outside of myself to make life happen. To be intentional is to stop waiting for things to happen.
- Navy Seals are trained that when you have hit a wall, and are completely done, you still have 80% in you.
Mentioned in the Podcast:
- Take The Achiever’s Compass Assessment
- Alliance Bernstein Advisor Institute
- Simon Sinek, Find Your Why
- Mike Rowe, TED Talk: Learning from Dirty Jobs
- Ability Potentials: Aptitude Testing and Career Guidance
- Connect with Dr. Kenneth Haman
Get 20% off Dr. Jud Brewer's Unwinding Anxiety app 1. Sign up for Unwinding Anxiety online. 2. Fill out your Account Information (Step 1), and enter coupon code SUCCESS2021 under Step 2. 3. Once your account is set up, download the mobile app from Google Play or the App Store.
What We Discuss in this Episode:
- Anxiety can be perpetuated as a habit. To break this habit, we have to identify the cycle of anxiety.
- The “first gear” is to map out triggers, behaviors, and results. If we are not even aware of the habit, we’re actually moving in reverse.
- The “second gear” is identifying the reward hierarchy of the result. Once you have set the reward, you stop thinking about any of it and merely continue in the result. With bad habits, it is critical to identify what you’re gaining from this behavior. Once you do this, you can drop the bad habit’s reward value and step out of the habit.
- The “third gear” is the bigger, better offer. In this stage, mindfulness can take the place of the bad habit and become the reward.
- Curiosity feels better in our brain than worry. Mindfulness helps us switch to being curious about our feelings, instead of avoiding. Further, when we observe thoughts, we are not as attached to them.
- In modern society, science has become a religion. Putting scientific language behind these ancient philosophies helps people give it a chance.
- Whether it’s a good habit or a bad habit, mindfulness helps us see very clearly what we get out of the results we’ve hardwired. For example, does it help us feel better to be divisive or work together? We can’t logic through this to change our behavior. It must come from experience. Mindfulness unlocks that ability.
Mentioned in the Podcast:
- Email CJ to access the offer mentioned in the podcast: cj@cjmcclanahan.com
- Unwinding Anxiety book, by Jud Brewer
- Unwinding Anxiety app
- Eat Right Now app
- Craving to Quit app
Jud Brewer, MD, PhD
Dr. Jud is a thought leader in the field of habit change and the “science of self-mastery,” having more 20 years of experience with mindfulness training with his scientific research therein. Dr. Jud is the director of research and innovation at the Mindfulness Center and associate professor in psychiatry at the School of Medicine at Brown University, as well as the executive medical director of behavioral health at Sharecare, and a research affiliate at MIT. Previously, he held research and teaching positions at Yale University and the University of Massachusetts’ Center for Mindfulness.
As an addiction psychiatrist and internationally known expert in mindfulness training for treating addictions, Dr. Brewer has developed and tested novel mindfulness programs for habit change, including both in-person and app-based treatments for smoking, emotional eating, and anxiety (Eat Right Now, Unwinding Anxiety and Craving to Quit).
Based on the success of these programs in the lab, he co-founded MindSciences, Inc. – acquired by Sharecare in 2020 – to create app-based digital therapeutic versions of these programs for a wider audience, working with individuals, corporations, and hospital systems to put effective, evidence-based behavior change guidance in the hands of people struggling with unwanted behaviors and “everyday addictions.”
Modern Science, Ancient Wisdom
Dr. Brewer has also studied the underlying neural mechanisms of mindfulness using standard and real-time fMRI and EEG neurofeedback, adding to the understanding of the brain’s “Default Mode Network” and the role of the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) in self-referential thinking. He regularly gives talks on the intersection of modern science and ancient meditative practices, helping to expose a modern audience to specific techniques and insights first discovered 2,500 years ago.
He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, trained U.S. Olympic athletes and coaches, foreign government ministers and corporate leaders. His work has been featured on 60 Minutes, TED (4th most viewed talk of 2016), TIME magazine (top 100 new health discoveries of 2013), Forbes, CNN, BBC, NPR, Al Jazeera (documentary about his research), The Washington Post, Businessweek and others. His work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and American Heart Association, among others. He is also the author of The Craving Mind: from cigarettes to smartphones to love, why we get hooked and how we can break bad habits (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2017).
Jud and his wife Mahri live in Massachusetts where they enjoy biking, hiking, and meditating with their two cats, Ananda and Julian of Norwich.
What We Discuss in this Episode:
- Achieving is an elusive goal. Overachievers thrive on lists, and getting things done. The problem is, we are achieving for an external outcome to validate ourselves, not to fulfill ourselves internally.
- How much we love ourselves, how secure we are, and how much self-esteem we have is directly correlated to how much we have to augment externally.
- Most high achievers choose to pursue for one of three reasons: power/authority, desire to win, and drive to be known.
- The goal is not to stop making the world a better place. The goal is to subtly shift your perspective to change how you fulfill your inner desire and drive.
- Many of our goals come from what society says we should have or should do. Initiate an internal check, “what is this for?” “What am I trying to create for myself/my business/my family?”
- “Complacency is the proverbial kryptonite to high achievers.” In other words, ‘satisfaction’ means that I have nothing to do, or accomplish. If I don’t have anything to accomplish, I don’t have a purpose.
- We create stories of why we behave the way we do.
- Ask yourself the following questions: “How do I know I am happy? What do I have to observe in my reality?” “How do you want your life to look like going forward personally, with my family?” then, figure out how the business drives that.
- We spend so much time in our lives that we don’t work on our lives.
Mentioned in the Podcast:
- Chris Yonker News and Events
- Take The Achiever’s Compass Assessment
- Jim Loehr, The Power of Full Engagement
- The Greatest Years of your Life Workbook
What We Discuss in this Episode:
- We are more connected than ever. Even outside of the pandemic, this leads to more stress and anxiety than ever before.
- We give ourselves the worst pain because the worry and anxiety about the future is worse than the pain of the moment.
- It starts with acknowledging the problem. We have to admit that we are obsessed with controlling the future.
- The work-life balance is a myth. The minute you can take work home, you are able to work from home. Don’t respond to or check emails after a certain time.
- Plan your time off. Whether it’s spending time with family, or reading a book, or watching a movie, but don’t leave it unstructured because you will quickly fall back into glancing at your email or opening your laptop.
- Instead of using your cell phone as an alarm, spend the $10 and buy a small alarm clock. If your phone is next to your bed, you will check it.
Mentioned in the Podcast:
- Take The Achiever’s Compass Assessment
What We Discuss in this Episode:
- Today’s promise: Tonight, I will get caught up. Guess what happens? You don’t. So, then, it becomes Tomorrow’s Promise: Tomorrow, I will get caught up.
- You can overcome this anxiety and stress. However, these tactics, while simple, take discipline.
- Embrace the fact that you will never be caught up. This paradigm shift is critical before moving on to the next tactic.
- Once you recognize that you cannot get everything done, you begin to prioritize your tasks. Identify a small number of particularly important personal and professional goals.
- Before the week has started, set aside 10 minutes to plan how you will spend your time.
- Critical questions to answer: How much of your calendar is open? How much of that open time do you control?
- Resist the urge to plan a 70-hour week.
Mentioned in the Podcast:
- Take The Achiever’s Compass Assessment
- Patrick Lencioni, “If everything is important, then nothing is important.”
What We Discuss in this Episode:
- Take The Achiever’s Compass for a personalized report of how you can start finding joy in the journey.
- As achievers, we are wired to ‘win.’ There is an upside – more money, more vacations, more opportunities. However, if we don’t stop comparing our success to others, we will never be able to find joy.
- Comparison forces you to constantly raise to goal. No matter how much you have, there will always be someone else who has more.
- Social media has aggravated this issue, inundating us with constant reminders of other people who have outachieved you. But you don’t have to let this take control of your life.
- Consider redefining success this way: Your ability to utilize your unique talents, build meaningful relationships with people you care about, and live in the moment.
- Embrace your uniqueness. Recognize the fact that there are paths you do want to take, and do not want to take, in light of that uniqueness.
- Stop and recognize when you do it. Don’t try to stop doing it altogether, because it’s impossible to repress the initial thought.
- Live gratefully, give generously. It is difficult to compare yourself negatively to others when you are truly grateful for what you have.
What We Discuss in this Mini Episode:
- In 1992, CJ discovered that he had chronic anxiety after he couldn’t bring himself to get out of bed, or leave his house. That started a lifetime of helping professionals manage stress and anxiety. During this pandemic, stress and anxiety is on the rise. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
- In Buddhism, stressed and anxious minds are referred to as a “monkey mind.” The thoughts just swing from tree to tree, back and forth, and sometimes it can be absolutely overwhelming.
- No goal is more important than enjoying the present moment (unless you’re in a survival situation).
- Fighting anxiety makes it worse. When you are mindful, you are an observer of your thoughts. This practice lessens the pain that your thoughts cause create. It reduces stress, increases happiness and self-esteem, and improves your relationships and immune system.
- Here’s the secret – stop trying to be mindful. It’s not an award you can win or an item you can check off your list. It’s simply a state of being.
- Start small. Try driving in silence the next time you go somewhere. Roll down the window and listen to the wind. Count your breathe for 30 seconds. Resist the need to interact with anything while standing in line at the coffee shop.
- When you struggle to be mindful, forgive yourself. You cannot keep thoughts from coming into your mind. Tell yourself that you are doing your very best, then try to make small improvements every day.
Mentioned in the Podcast:
- Take The Achiever’s Compass Assessment
- “Ordinary thoughts course through our mind like a deafening waterfall.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn
- Lake Odessa, Colorado – totally worth the hike
- Headspace meditation app
Since founding her consulting firm in 1980, Eileen McDargh has helped organizations and individuals transform the life of their business and the business of their life through conversations that matter and connections that count. She believes that resiliency is a critical life skill and one that requires the energy of connections.
What We Discuss in this Episode:
- Burnout is “to exhaust one’s resources by attempting to live up to some unrealistic expectation imposed upon you by yourself or society.” – Herbert Freudenberger
- There are several causes of burnout. One is our own inner voice demanding that we do more, be more, accomplish more. Another is loss of focus we have through constant interruption and distraction with digital devices. Further, the sense of disconnection and loneliness only exacerbates burnout.
- Amidst the global pandemic, people are working longer and harder at home. We no longer have the space to detox (commute to and from work, for example), and we are worried about proving how hard we are working based on our results.
- To deal with burnout, you must first recognize it in your life. Expand your understanding of your options by changing your inner voice from, “I have to do this,” to “I choose to do this.”
- There are some people who are more instantly resilient than others. However, we can be taught to be resilient. Eileen’s definition of resiliency is, “to grow through challenge or opportunity so that you end up wiser, smarter, on the other side.”
- To build resiliency, start small. Identify small things that are within your control and let go of the things that are not. Understand where your time goes. Doing something kind for someone else expands our resiliency.
- What are the small ways you can make small improvements to slowly and steadily move yourself in the right direction. “An inch is a cinch. A mile takes a while.” – Eileen McDargh
- “The only place I have any power, is this moment right now.” – Eileen McDargh
Mentioned in the Podcast:
- Burnout to Breakthrough, by Eileen McDargh
- Herbert Freudenberger
- Otter Products
- Take The Achiever’s Compass Assessment
You can reach Eileen at:
Twitter: @macdarling
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eileenmcdargh
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Professional-Speaker-Eileen-McDargh-CSP-CPAE/405748766188727
Website: https://www.EileenMcDargh.com
Email: Eileen@eileenmcdargh.com
Telephone: 949-496-8640
What We Discuss in this Episode:
- In 1970, the person who works the hardest wins. But it’s 2020. Effort and “being busy” no longer equals achievement. Production toward what matters most equals achievement. You must prioritize and plan your week in advance.
- Can you put your phone away, or does it control your life? Addiction to anything negatively impacts your quality of life. Take your social media apps off your home screen. Don’t take your phone with you everywhere – or, take a small step by turning on airplane mode every once and a while.
- Get intentional about practicing gratitude. “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” – Melody Beattie
- “You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” – Jim Rohn
- “Life is only about relationships.” – Dr. Greg Sipes However, not every relationship in your life is equally important. Who are the top ten most important people in your life? Seriously. Write down their names.
- Having hobbies allows you to spend time doing things that are not related to work. Further, it opens you up to sharing time with other people, who might have different backgrounds and perspectives from yours.
- When you feel connected to others and to a higher purpose, you experience more peace and contentment. Give a community of faithful people a chance. Build some quiet and meditation into your life.
Mentioned in the Podcast:
- Take The Achiever’s Compass Assessment
- Melody Beattie
- Jim Rohn
- Dr. Greg Sipes
- When Good Things Happen to Good People, by Dr. Stephen Post
What We Discuss in this Episode:
- Resist the urge to judge yourself – no one is perfect. Perfection is your enemy. Make it your goal to make small improvements every day.
- Money is the easiest way to measure success. Because of that, watch your environment – if you’re with people who live lavishly to ‘keep score,’ you will be guilted into spending lavishly. “Comparison is the thief of all joy.” President Theodore Roosevelt
- Amidst the Coronavirus pandemic, we are asking if what we are doing matters. Ask yourself, “Where do I want my career to go?” and “If everything in my life is going perfectly three years from now, what are you making, what are you doing?”
- The food you put into your body fuels the energy you have in the day. Eat small meals throughout the day of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains.
- Exercise reduces your stress, increases your endorphins, and changes how you feel. Block one hour in your day for exercise. Keep yourself accountable by signing up for a race, or working out with a friend.
- Living in the moment is the single greatest factor that impacts our happiness. It is also the most difficult tactic to practice. The less you multi-task, the easier it is to be in the moment. Block time in your day for silence, perhaps meditation. Using silence trains your brain to be in the moment, to still the outside noise.
Mentioned in the Podcast:
- Take The Achiever’s Compass Assessment
What We Discuss in this Episode:
- We want to go back to the 2019 economy and keep our business exactly what it was. We crave consistency. But the world has changed. How do we approach the future and capitalize on the upside of updating your business model?
- Your clients and customers want you to bring the most uncertainty as possible. But, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
- Becoming an expert in your client’s industry will take some time, research, and getting out in front. It will take energy and intentionality on your part - but, be sure - your competition is already doing it.
- Pivoting is not easy. You will not be able to do it immediately after reading a 250-word article, or, dare I say it, listening to this podcast. But CJ will give you the two critical questions that you need to start playing with to change your anxiety to excitement.
- Embrace the realization that you are better at change than you think you are. Focus on what you can control in the next 8 hours. That’s all you have to do.
Mentioned in the Podcast:
- Take The Achiever’s Compass Assessment
- A Beautiful Constraint by Adam Morgan and Mark Barden
- The Road Less Travelled by M. Scott Peck
What We Discuss in this Episode:
- In any crisis, we ask, “What am I doing with my life?” and start the process to find meaning and purpose in our lives.
- The fear that if we stop achieving – for even a moment – that it will hinder our growth.
- Decreasing stress and anxiety is tied to the chase for perfection. If you don’t stop chasing perfection, you will not discover your true purpose.
- Why relationships are critical for your success – and happiness. As Dr. Greg Sipes says, "Life is only about relationships."
- Unfortunately, we don’t live forever. Mental health and physical health are cornerstones to your sense of well-being.
- The one tactic that will help you increase your awareness of others and increase your sense of purpose.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- The Second Mountain, by David Brooks
- Why Good Things Happen to Good People, by Dr. Stephen Post
- Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
What We Discuss in this Episode:
- Who were we before we experienced COVID-19
- We want our society and our businesses to get back to winning. How do you win in the second half of COVID-19?
- How to shift your professional mindset from offense to defense, safely
- Tactics for shifting your mindset to grow your business and your career
- The power of your words and how that impacts your professional trajectory
- Clarifying your value, product, service, so that you can answer questions from customers
- Shifting your paradigm from big goals to smaller, daily goals
Get real and get vulnerable with CJ McClanahan as we talk about living in the post-COVID-19 era.
In this episode of Success 2.0, CJ McClanahan (@cjmccoach) explores the simple tactics you can practice to thrive and decrease stress, even during times of uncertainty.
Mentioned in this episode:
- In a time of stress, the brain screams to ‘go faster.’ Most of us are working from home right now and are pressed to move faster and do more. That constant activity and stress leads to bad decisions which actually increases our stress level.
- Keeping your routine does not mean keeping it perfectly. Keeping your routine means keeping it as closely as you can.
- We can behave irrationally and in a reactive fashion during a crisis like COVID-19. Instead, we need to act in a rational and intentional fashion. However, in a crisis it’s hard to be completely rational. Everything seems to be changing right now. Our responsibility is to lay out as many predictable events as possible.
- In a time of crisis, you might wonder ‘what if my clients don’t value my service anymore and they think they’re going to get value somewhere else?’ or, ‘what if my clients don’t need my service anymore?’ At some level, we are always wondering if I am adding enough value.
- You can handle uncomfortable situations for one day. If I asked you what is worrying you today, you would probably give me a scenario that is two week, two months, down the road. What can you do about this today? What is the best effort I can do today, based on all the information I have right now?
In this episode of Success 2.0, CJ (@cjmccoach) explores the concept of “saying no” and how embracing it is a must if you want to grow your business, transform your career, or get greater satisfaction out of life.
Mentioned in this episode:
- How Apple struggled to find its footing after letting go of Steve Jobs, and how bringing him back on as CEO set the stage for Apple to become one of the most valuable companies of all time.
- Why having too many options has had a negative impact on how we spend our time and the joy we get from our decisions.
- What a social media detox can do for your mental health and how to do it effectively.
- How to shift your paradigm so that your default answer is no, rather than yes, and why people will be grateful for it.
- How to understand what is most important in your life (a.k.a. “show me your calendar, and I’ll show you what’s most important to you.”)
- What it means to “create a trap” for yourself that will ensure you succeed.
CJ’s tactics for mastering the art of no
- Make a paradigm shift
- Get clear on what’s most important to you
- Take back control of your calendar
- Quit something immediately
- Forgive yourself when you fall short of your goal
Recommended resources
- The Overachiever’s Toolkit exercises
- The Courage to Quit blog
- A New Definition of Success blog
- What is the Low Information Diet? blog
- Tips for Managing Information Overload blog
- Never Get it All Done podcast podcast
A former consulting actuary to Fortune 100 companies – such as Sony Music, Proctor & Gamble, and Exxon – David Wood (@SolutionBox) left his cushy Park Avenue job 20+ years ago to explore both the outer world, and his own inner world.
What We Discuss with David Wood: * How childhood trauma impacts individuals differently. * Why David left the actuarial arts to become a lounge entertainer, then life coach. * What he did to become the top-ranked coach on Google (back in the day). * Where you can learn to become a coach. * And so much more....
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(Are you secretly coaching, but not getting paid for it? from David Wood via YouTube)
Please Scroll Down for Full Show Notes and Featured Resources! The Two Rule Foundation helps inspire professionals to live gratefully and commit more of their resources to help those in need. The foundation can help you determine who you should give your money to and how.
More About the Show Unhappy in his marriage, David and his now ex-wife turned to a personal development program with the hope of learning more about themselves, what they wanted out of life and their marriage.
They freaked me out initially. They’re all smiling way too much… I’m going to just get in and out, and I’m not drinking the Kool-aid.” David says.
“But what happened is that they cracked my cynicism. I thought they were just out for my money, but I realized they actually cared about people.”
From that point on, David was hooked. Vowing to never another course, David found himself in the second level of the program, where he naturally started to coach people.
If they were stuck, he’d ask ‘what’s it gonna take for you to get unstuck?’
“I think I changed a woman’s life overnight in that course. It was such an amazing feeling to watch her walking on air after 10 years in an unhappy marriage, have her and her husband to have a massive breakthrough, I’m ‘I want more of that!’” Woods says.
So he took the third program because it was promised he’d be trained to become a coach.
He knew he wanted to move back to Australia (from New York), so he quit his job, giving himself six months to discover if there was anything else he’d like to do. If he didn’t find anything he’d look for a position with a familiar role.
During his self-funded sabbatical, he wanted to work as an entertainer, frequenting local restaurants, bars and resorts, while beginning a coaching practice. After six months, he decided to spend all his energy on coaching, and soon realized an opportunity to use his technical capabilities to gain clients through search engine optimization. “I was ranked number 1 4, 7 & 9 on the search engine [for life coaching].” Wood says.
From there, he started creating products to help clients, then moved into helping other coaches build their business and recently has pivoted back to coaching individuals at a high-level.
Thanks, David Wood! If you enjoyed this show with Life Coach David Wood, let him know by clicking on the links below and sending him a quick shout out on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram.
Click here to connect with David on LinkedIn
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Mentioned in This Episode: * Willis Towers Watson (formerly Towers Perrin) * Landmark Forum * Coach MBA * Solution Box * Brené Brown * Play For Real * Conscious City Guide * Authentic Relating Games Night
Art Barter (@Art_Barter) is the CEO of Datron World Communications, Inc., Founder of the Servant Leadership Institute, and author of the books Farmer Able, The Servant Leadership Journal, and The Art of Servant Leadership II
What We Discuss with Art Barter: * How Art grew Datron from $10MM to over $200MM in six years. * Servant leadership as a business growth strategy that speaks to the heart of an individual and a company. * Driving employee giving to the tune of $16MM. * How to implement servant leadership inside an organization. * And much more...
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(Art Barter Full Keynote / 2016 Servant Leadership Conference from Servant Leadership Institute via YouTube)
Please Scroll Down for Full Show Notes and Featured Resources! The Two Rule Foundation helps inspire professionals to live gratefully and commit more of their resources to help those in need. The foundation can help you determine who you should give your money to and how.
More About the Show Starting as a “sweeper” at Disneyland in Anaheim, California while studying Business and Finance at Cal State Fullerton, Art moved into character wardrobe and then into the accounting and finance division, which lead to a full-time position after graduating.
“Disney was a great place to work, a lot of fun,... but it takes you a long time to get ahead there. I was a young guy out of college and wanted to get ahead real fast.” says Barter.
Not long after graduating, Art left Disney and took a job with a company that manufactured check printers.
“I fell in love with building things,... and I’ve been in manufacturing ever since.” Barter says. After spending 10 or so years there, Art transitioned to a company that made specialized motors for everything from bonesaws to NASA observatory telescopes to F18 fighter jets for the U.S. military.
After another ten years, Art learned about a defense contractor called Datron that made telecommunications equipment for foreign militaries. Having been exposed to international travel in his previous positions, he was very excited when his first assignment took him to Zimbabwe to help the finance $15MM in high-frequency radios for the local military to support upcoming elections.
It took two years to raise the capital, and although the Zimbabwean government was (and is) known for corruption and violence, the country had the lowest levels of election-related violence in its history.
“It was an opportunity to help save lives,” Barter says. “All the generals I deal with and all the militaries around the world, they just want to provide sovereignty for their country and security for their citizens… they don’t want to attack anybody, they just want to protect.”
In 2004, after a year of intense investigation by the Department of Justice into the company’s relationships with foreign powers, Art learned that it had been triggered by a company that wanted to drive Datron’s value down in order to purchase it at rock-bottom pricing.
It was then that Art decided to make an offer to buy the company instead. Long story short, he got it, at a purchase price of $4.7MM. With Art’s leadership, he grew the company to over $200MM in just six years.
“We decided to run the business a different way - create a great purpose, give people a way to live that purpose.”
That difference was servant leadership.
Thanks, Art Barter! If you enjoyed this show with Servant Leadership Institute founder Art Barter, let him know by clicking on the links below and sending him a quick shout out on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Click here to connect with Art on LinkedIn
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Mentioned in This Episode: * Disneyland * Disney jobs * Cal State Fullerton * Datron World Communications, Inc. * Zimbabwe * Titan Corporation * Foreign Corruption Practices Act * Department of Justice * Servant Leadership Institute * Ken Blanchard * Farmer Able * The Servant Leadership Journal * The Art of Servant Leadership II
Paul Churchill (@PaulChurchill) is the Founder/Host of Recovery Elevator, an alcohol recovery and sobriety podcast and online community. Since launching the podcast in 2015, Recovery Elevator has amassed over 3-million downloads and is in the 95-percentile of all podcasts on iTunes.
What We Discuss with Paul Churchill: * How Paul’s entrepreneurial spirit put him in a position to develop alcohol dependence. * Using a podcast to create accountability and grow a community that values real human connection in sobriety. * Why relapses can actually a good thing when someone is dealing with alcohol problems. * Thinking about addiction as a byproduct of an increasingly disconnected society. * And much more...
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From the omni-channel marketing and multi-million dollar sponsorships to major sporting events and happy hour, modern society would have you think that alcohol is a harmless beverage that leads to good times, deep connections, and career advancement. Yet, for tens of millions of Americans, and hundreds of millions globally, alcohol has a much darker, life-altering side.
In this episode, we talk to Recovery Elevator host Paul Churchill about his path to sobriety and how his personal accountability method created an online recovery community that has since helped thousands of alcoholics across the globe gain the upper-hand on their addiction, get their lives back, find meaning and joy, and much more. Listen, learn, and enjoy!
*(I've Been Duped by Alcohol* from *Paul Churchill*via *YouTube*) **Please Scroll Down for Full Show Notes and Featured Resources!** **The Two Rule Foundation helps inspire professionals to live gratefully and commit more of their resources to help those in need. The foundation can help you determine who you should give your money to and how.**
More About the Show A lot has changed since Paul Churchill got sober and published the first episode of the Recovery Elevator podcast.
“When I was in Spain I started DJ-ing clubs, and those were mega clubs,” says Paul. “I was DJ-ing until 7-8am. I’d close my bar at 3am, then go DJ at a club until 7 or 8am.”
“It was the best and worst time of my life. It’s what propelled me forward on what I’m doing now [Recovery Elevator]. Basically what happened is I became addicted to alcohol – I was blacking out 5-7 nights per week. But at the time I was telling myself it was normal. I was 25, 26 years old – that’s what people my age do.”
“Eventually, I ended up walking away from the bar in Spain. My body was physically shutting down – mentally, physically the signs were there – it got kind of scary there at the end.”
Shortly thereafter, Paul decided to sell his bar and move back home with his parents, thinking he'd be able to leave the drinking behind him in Spain. He saved up some money, got into grad school, but found the drinking continued to follow him. On January 1, 2010, Paul decided to get sober. Long story short, it only lasted 2.5 years before he was back "field testing" (i.e. relapsed).
During this time, Paul was DJ-ing weddings, parties, and school events. By happenstance, he got into operating arcade games at bars and business was booming. "All these businesses just fell into my lap," says Paul, "there were opportunities that if you just walk around life with your eyes open, they will just show up."
In mid-late 2014, Paul had gotten sober again, but wasn't interested in joining AA. Instead, he had the idea of starting a podcast focused on sobriety and recovery to help him with his accountability.
"I knew if I didn't create accountability, it was going to be rough."
On February 12, 2015, Paul uploaded his first podcast to iTunes, where he revealed his struggle with alcohol on the world wide web. In that first show, Paul explains that his motive is selfish–it was his way of creating accountability for himself–and that if he were to relapse, he'd make it known.
Thankfully, as of this recording, Paul has uploaded a new episode every week without fail, maintained his sobriety. In the process, he's built a community of people seeking the means to address their issues with alcohol and addiction, culminating in a 700+ member online recovery community and has hosted more than 10 sober travel retreats, with more planned and in the works.
Thanks, Paul Churchill! If you enjoyed this show with sobriety advocate and Recovery Elevator podcast Host (and Founder) Paul Churchill, let him know by clicking on the links below and sending him a quick shout out on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Click here to connect with Paul on LinkedIn
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Mentioned in This Episode: * Recovery Elevator * Big Sky Arcadia * Alcoholics Anonymous * Cafe RE * Sober Travel * Sobriety Tracker * Free Course: Navigating Your First 5 Days in Sobriety
Lee Caraher (@LeeCaraher) has been in PR and Communications her entire career. She is the founder, President and CEO of San Francisco-based integrated communications company Double Forte and is the author of The Boomerang Principle and Millennials & Management.
What We Discuss with Lee Caraher: * Lee’s rise from graduate to senior executive at North America’s largest PR firm. * How Lee launched her own PR firm * Why Lee enjoys working with Millennials so much * Implementing clear communication strategies within multi-generational workforces
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**Please Scroll Down for Full Show Notes and Featured Resources!** **The Two Rule Foundation helps inspire professionals to live gratefully and commit more of their resources to help those in need. The foundation can help you determine who you should give your money to and how.**
More About the Show Lee started Double Forte in 2002 determined to create a culture that fully supports its talent, even when they choose to move on. After failing miserably at retaining Millennials, Double Forte went back to the beginning and created a culture where all generations thrive; as a result, turnover is low, and when employees do leave, overwhelmingly they stay loyal to the firm – sometimes even returning.
With her foundational work, Lee shows leaders how to create the best possible workplace culture so their employees will stay longer than they intend, and when they do leave, advocate for the company, defining a new loyalty contract and a new model of business sustainability.
The Come Up After graduating with a degree in Medieval Studies (go figure), she transitioned in communications working for the Weber Group. A few years went by and she took a VP position at The Bohle Company, a small communications firm out of Los Angeles. Another few years there, and she was recruited for a similar role, but at a much larger company called MSLGroup.
At MSL, she was in charge of the team working with one of the world’s largest companies in video games, SEGA of America. SEGA liked her so much that within 10 months of being at MSL, she was offered asked to come on as the VP of Corporate & Consumer Communications, overseeing the work of over 700 people. Five years later, just before the launch of the DreamCast, Lee was asked back to Weber Group (now Weber Shandwick), but this time in an Executive Vice President role.
Another five years past, and Lee decided it was time to venture out on her own. In September 2002, Double Forte was formed. Now nearly 17 years later, Double Forte has offices in San Francisco, New York and Boston and employs dozens of people full-time.
The Shift to a Millennial Workforce When Lee started Double Forte she already had extensive experience recruiting and retain top-talent. At the time, they were looking for senior leaders with 10+ years of experience. However, during the time of the Great Recession (2007-2010), Lee recognized a lack of new talent making their way to the field.
Lee realized that there was no way they’d be able to find the perfect candidates to fill the company ranks, so they decided to take inexperienced millennials and give them on-the-job training.
Lee’s first millennial was a 22 year old woman named Stephanie. Little did Lee and the rest of the company know, Stephanie was also the owner of an emotional support animal, who would come to work with her under ADA mental health laws.
Despite the added fur to the team, Stephanie was a rockstar, and Lee decided to go all in on hiring millennials. The following year, the company hired six millennials within eight weeks of each other, and after three months, all of them were gone.
Lee was flabbergasted. In all her years, never had something like this ever happened.
“In my career – hundreds, thousands of people that worked for me – I had never 100% failure… in people,” Lee recounts. “There’s no way, in 25 years of hiring great people, that it was bad here. We didn’t hire people wrong, we kept them wrong. One person could’ve been a bad hire, but all of them couldn’t have been.”
It was then that Lee set out to understand what was going on with millennials; where was the disconnect? How do you motivate them?
Thanks, Lee Caraher! If you enjoyed this show with communications executive and author Lee Caraher, let her know by clicking on the links below and sending her a quick shout out on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Click here to connect with Lee on LinkedIn!
Thank Lee on Twitter!
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Follow Double Forte on Instagram!
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If you’d like to ask a question with a chance of having me answer it on the show, please leave me a voicemail by clicking below: This is a great way to cross-promote your blog or website because if I use your question on the show, I will link to it in the show notes!
Mentioned in This Episode: * The Bohle Company * MSLGroup * SEGA of America * SEGA DreamCast * Weber Shandwick * Double Forte * Emotional Support Animal – registration * The Boomerang Principle * Millennials & Management * LeeCaraher.com
Bob Dusin (BobDusin) is Partner at HPWP Group, a Georgia-based leadership development and training company, and the co-author of the book Creating the High Performance Workplace: It's Not Complicated to Develop a Culture of Commitment. Bob spent much of his career in engineering, but it wasn’t until he got cherry-picked for a role in Human Resources that he really found his passion.
“I was a pretty good engineer, [but] I was probably more miscast as an engineer to begin with, and then I got into what’s more of my true calling” – Bob Dusin
What We Discuss with Bob Dusin: * How an engineer becomes leadership consultant
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Identifying the five-percent of employees that cause 95-percent of the headaches
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Building trust and respect as a leader
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Creating a work environment that employees enjoy and want to be apart of
Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider leaving your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!
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Please Scroll Down for Full Show Notes and Featured Resources! The Two Rule Foundation helps inspire professionals to live gratefully and commit more of their resources to help those in need. The foundation can help you determine who you should give your money to and how.
More About the Show Starting out as a project engineer, every few years Bob made a jump up in the org chart; becoming project manager, then sales manager at Ceco Concrete Construction.
In the mid 90s, Bob started his own construction business, but just after two years into business, his old company made him an offer to manage the Human Resources department. It not only meant a significant pay raise and great benefits, he found a passion for recruiting and developing highly effective teams.
For 11 years, Bob lead the charge for growing the team that was Kansas City’s largest construction company. During those years, Bob fell in love with building people and elevating their work. After more than a decade at the helm, he decided to take his talents on the road, founding a business management consultancy.
While guest speaking at a leadership conference, Bob met Ken and Sue Bingham. They had started a leadership training organization called the High Performance Workplace, and they thought Bob would be a great fit.
It didn’t take long for Bob to get onboard. In 2011, Bob joined Ken and Sue and has since become a prominent speaker, coach, and recently co-authored a book with Sue entitled “Creating the High Performance Workplace” available now on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble marketplaces.
Thanks, Bob Dusin! If you enjoyed this show with leadership consultant and engineer Bob Dusin, let him know by clicking on the links below and sending him a quick shout out on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Click here to connect with Bob on LinkedIn
Thank Bob on Twitter!
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Follow HPWP Group on Instagram!
Click here to let CJ know about your number one takeaway from this episode!
This is a great way to cross-promote your blog or website because if I use your question on the show, I will link to it in the show notes!
Mentioned in This Episode: * Ceco Concrete Construction * Arthur Andersen * WIIFM: What's In It For Me? * The Five-Percenter * High Performance Workplace * Creating the High Performance Workplace on Amazon
Michael O'Brien (@RoadieOB) is former pharmaceuticals executive turned leadership consultant and the author of SHIFT: Creating Better Tomorrows. After recovering from a horrific cycling accident involving a speeding SUV and coming within minutes of death, Michael shares with us the process he's gone through to give his life true meaning. "One big thing that came out of it is a greater sense of purpose – why do I want to pursue the things I want to pursue?" – Michael O'Brien.
What We Discuss with Michael O'Brien: * Michael's career path before his horrific accident. * His 'Last Bad Day'. * The road he traveled to recover from his injuries. * Why he practices meditation to focus on living in the present and being grateful. * How he uses his experiences to inspire company leaders.
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(We Go Where Our Eyes Go- TED X Las Vegas from Michael O'Brien via YouTube)
Please Scroll Down for Full Show Notes and Featured Resources! The Two Rule Foundation helps inspire professionals to live gratefully and commit more of their resources to help those in need. The foundation can help you determine who you should give your money to and how.
More About the Show Michael was in New Mexico for a big company meeting that would last several days.
He had it all planned out. Instead of resorting to the lack-luster hotel gym, he’d bring his bike, and cross a state off his cycling checklist. It was July 11, 2001, and Michael discovered a two-mile loop originated at the hotel that he could ride before the day’s meetings began.
Three laps went smooth as planned. Michael was enjoying the sunshine and dry roads. On his fourth lap, as he rounded a bend in the road, an SUV going the opposite direction crossed over into his path, hitting Michael head on at 40 mph–himself going around 20 mph.
In an instant, his life would forever change. As the SUV made contact with Michael’s body, his momentum hurled him over the hood and face-first into the windshield, then coming down in a thud, while sliding several feet on the asphalt.
The accident shattered the bones in face, snapped his scapula, cracked ribs, broke his arms and wrists, and shattered his left femur. As he was being medevaced to the nearest hospital for emergency surgery, he learn he’d severed his femoral artery and was bleeding out.
He was given 34 units of blood, and spent dozens of hours in surgeries to mend his broken everything.
“The doctors told my wife... if I was 10 years older or not in good shape, I would have certainly passed around before he’d gotten to the hospital.” O’Brien recounts.
Get Michael O'Brien's book SHIFT: Creating Better Tomorrows. All the profits go to support girls in Africa through World Bicycle Relief.
THANKS, Michael O'Brien! If you enjoyed this show with management change leader Michael O'Brien, let him know by clicking on the links below and sending him a quick shout out on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
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Mentioned in This Episode: * Zig Ziglar * SHIFT: Creating Better Tomorrows * The Pace Line Academy
Dave Neff (@DNeff84) is the Founder and CEO of EDGE Mentoring, a faith-based intergenerational mentoring organization focusing on bridging the professional engagement gap. EDGE spans 40+ states and multiple countries and gathers thousands of professionals annually for its EDGE|X leadership conference.
“We’ve created a third space that’s outside the home. It’s not where you go to work or church. It’s a third place, like Starbucks, for millennials to engage in whole-life, intergenerational mentor relationships." – Dave Neff
What We Discuss with Dave Neff: * Dave’s first experience with mentorship and how it developed organically. * What is the professional engagement gap and why it impacts most millennials. * The philosophy surrounding EDGE Mentoring and how it formed. * The balance of work, life, and faith. Can it be managed? * The misunderstanding of millennials contributing to their bad rap.
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Please Scroll Down for Full Show Notes and Featured Resources! The Two Rule Foundation helps inspire professionals to live gratefully and commit more of their resources to help those in need. The foundation can help you determine who you should give your money to and how.
More About the Show Dave Neff’s career started by working for the Indiana Pacers after graduating from Ball State with a degree in Sports Administration. At first we worked in ticket services, sales, then the sold the suites at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
In 2011, Dave switch careers at taking a position in marketing for ExactTarget (now a subsidiary of Salesforce) in downtown Indy.
While working for the Pacers, Dave sold a suite to an animal health company called Elanco that operated under Eli Lilly. what started out as a business relationship between Dave, Jeff Simmons and the company he lead turned into a mentoring relationship.
In 2009, Dave was asked to join a twice-a-month mentoring call Jeff was starting with 3 other young professionals. But this wasn’t some bible study, it was whole-life, touching on the spiritual, personal habits and discipline, and career.
As time went on, they added more mentees with various backgrounds and they quickly became very close, taking trips and networking, even participating in each other’s weddings.
After the acquisition of ExactTarget by Salesforce, Dave was faced with a choice – either stay and ride out the transition, or try something different. He looked to his mentors in the company, and nearly all of them were leaving. So he decided to go a different direction too.
In 2014, Dave founded EDGE Mentoring, a young professionals mentoring organization aimed at connecting faith-driven professionals with like-minded peers.
Dave had a deep upbringing in the Christian faith. He grew up in a very conservative Evangelical household, attended a prestigious private Christian high school in Indy, and was involved in CRU in college.
“While there was a some great merit [to my church], and I learned the Gospel,... you didn’t hear the word grace a lot about grace,” Neff says. “It was sort of this very prideful ‘this is my faith, and if we don’t line up on every jot and tittle, then we aren’t on the same team.’”
Instead, leading his faith-based mentoring organization, Dave strives to seek out and surround himself with people that don’t believe exactly what he believes.
Now in its fourth year, EDGE is quickly becoming the go-to resource for young professionals of faith to to explore deep connections with like-minded peers and learn from mentors they can look up to.
Want to become EDGE Mentor? Click Here to Apply!Interested in being the newest EDGE Mentee? Click Here to Apply! Thanks, Dave Neff! If you enjoyed this show with management change leader Aaron Levy, let him know by clicking on the links below and sending him a quick shout out on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Click here to connect with Dave on LinkedIn
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Connect with EDGE on Facebook!
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Mentioned in This Episode: * Ball State University * Indiana Pacers * ExactTarget (Salesforce) * Elanco * EDGE Mentoring * EDGE|X Conference * Heritage Christian School * CRU * Harrison Center For the Arts * Shepherd Community Center * Lake Institute * Morales Group
Chicago-area native, Aaron Levy (@RaiseBarCo) is the Founder and CEO of Raise The Bar, a consulting firm that focuses on creating systems that help companies attract and retain millennial talent in the increasingly competitive workforce.
“Before you ask ‘Does this person have the skills to be a manager?,’ you should ask ‘Does this person want to be a manager?’” - Aaron Levy
What We Discuss with Aaron Levy: * Aaron’s love of hockey and studying filmmaking at University of Texas.
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The health & well-being coaching company he started with his brother while in college.
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Why knowledge does not cause movement to taking action toward change.
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Why upper management believe millennials are entitled, impatient and hard-to-please.
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How the philosophy of work and paying for hours worked is a byproduct of the Industrial Revolution.
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Please Scroll Down for Full Show Notes and Featured Resources! The Two Rule Foundation helps inspire professionals to live gratefully and commit more of their resources to help those in need. The foundation can help you determine who you should give your money to and how.
More About the Show Before Aaron Levy even started his career, he was asking himself what causes people to do what they do, or not do. Fascinated by understanding what goes through people’s head, he and his brother, a physician in Chicago, started a health & wellness coaching business. The goal? To help people address and create habits that lead to positive change in their lives. For the better part of the next decade, Aaron, his brother and their team would try every approach possible to give people the the information the needed to make the changes they wanted in their lives. But for some reason, only a small percentage of the people would make lasting behavior change. As they spoke with others in the industry, these results were not uncommon.
Leaning Into Purpose Aaron took what learned about human behavior from being in the heath & wellness industry, and began applying his teaching to the world of management in business.
It was a if a lightbulb went on signaling that his next frontier would involve helping to reform the relationship between nature of work and the people that perform it.
In 2016, Aaron founded Raise The Bar Consulting, LLC with the mission to transform the manager role by empowering managers with the tools, skills and training to be better leaders of people.
Disrupting the Status Quo Since founding Raise The Bar, Aaron has made it his goal to connect with as many people in the biggest way he can.
Aaron is involved in mentoring for the Heartland Alliance, helping refugee children acclimate to their new environment, and 1871, a Chicago organization at the crossroads on technology and entrepreneurship.
In addition, Aaron is the Founder of Startup Grind Chicago, a Google-backed entrepreneur community. He's a committee member with the American Heart Association and advisor for the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Aaron writes for Forbes, Entrepreneur and the Harvard Business Review, a member of the Forbes Coaches Council, and is a contributing writing for Thrive Global.
THANKS, Aaron Levy! If you enjoyed this show with management change leader Aaron Levy, let him know by clicking on the links below and sending him a quick shout out on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Click here to connect with Aaron on LinkedIn
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Connect with Raise The Bar on Facebook!
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If you’d like to ask a question with a chance of having me answer it on the show, please leave me a voicemail by clicking below: This is a great way to cross-promote your blog or website because if I use your question on the show, I will link to it in the show notes!
Mentioned in This Episode: * Texas Ice Hockey * Why Behavior Change Is So Hard via Harvard Medical School * The RSA * Why Most Managers Are Lousy via Medium * Age Discrimination Is Not Only A Problem For Older Professionalsvia ComplianceX * Raise the Bar Consulting * Startup Grind Chicago * 1871 Mentors * Forbes Coaches Council * Thrive Global
Ray Hilbert (@RayHilbert) is the Co-Founder of Truth At Work, one of America’s leading and fastest growing marketplace ministries and the host of the faith-based business podcast Bottom Line Faith.
**“Part of being created in God's image is being a worker, being a creator - so part of the answer of how this works together is there is no separation between growth and faith in business." – Ray Hilbert**
What We Discuss with Ray Hilbert: * Ray's career trajectory from family-run small business to international conglomerate to becoming an entrepreneur and co-founding a faith-based business.
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Why Ray was forced to liquidate his businesses in his late 20s.
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His experience leading a hyper-growth men's ministry.
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What lead Ray to starting a workplace ministry.
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Ray's understanding of work as a trait from God.
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How to get involved in Round Tables for professionals of faith.
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His book coming out in 2019.
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Please Scroll Down for Full Show Notes and Featured Resources! The Two Rule Foundation helps inspire professionals to live gratefully and commit more of their resources to help those in need. The foundation can help you determine who you should give your money to and how.
More About the Show Ray Hilbert started his career working for a small family-run business in his early 20’s, but he quickly learn there was not much of a career ladder. After a few years, Ray moved into the corporate world, taking a sales and business development position at one of the largest companies in the world at the time.
Though he was never asked to do anything illegal, but he was asked to entertain his clients in ways that pushed him well beyond his comfort zone and morals. Going from a place very Biblical in nature, concerned with people to a large, internationally-traded public firm was a very different experience.
After a few years there, Ray decided to scratch an entrepreneurial itch. He started a business and had immediate success. That is... until he was approached about a partnership and investing in a second company. He asked his wife, his family, friends and his pastor. They all warned him against it. He was doing so well.
Against his better judgment, Ray went into the second business, and both businesses failed. Devastated and deep in debt, Ray was forced to liquidate both companies to pay his creditors. At just 28 years old, he was broke, with a wife and children, and he didn’t know what he was going to do.
Not long after, however, he got a phone call from in a small start-up ministry called Promise Keepers that was looking to expand from its team of a dozen members. After 18 months after Ray was hired, Promise Keepers was holding conferences with over 60,000+ in attendance, and employed over 600 full-time staff.
After having thousands of conversations, many of which resulted in questioning what God wants for His people in their businesses and careers. In 1998, Ray founded Truth At Work which helps business leaders build and lead their companies and organizations on proven biblical principles and practices.
If you’re looking to get involved with a faith-based business leaders, consider joining or starting a Round Table through Truth at Work.
THANKS, Ray Hilbert! If you enjoyed this show with Christian business leader Ray Hilbert, let him know by clicking on the links below and sending him a quick shout out on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Click here to connect with Ray on LinkedIn
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Click here to let CJ know about your number one takeaway from this episode!
Mentioned in This Episode: * Anderson University * Taylor University * Promise Keepers * Truth at Work * Genesis 1:1 * What is Faith? * Homes of Hope International * YWAM San Diego/Baja * Youth With A Mission International * Bottom Line Faith podcast
CJ McClanahan (@cjmccoach) and Logan Brown (@realloganbrown) field your questions and comments for Mentor Minutes!
If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming Mentor Minutes episodes, drop us a line at questions@cjmcclanahan.com. Now, let's dive in!
On This Week's Mentor Minutes, We Discuss: * What should you consider when deciding whether or not to start a business with your significant other? * How can you be a better entrepreneur and business person when you are a perfectionist?
- How should a CEO of a non-profit approach stepping down and appointing a successor?
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How do you get introverted employee to open up and express their “why?
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What challenges have CJ and his wife faced in working together, and what has been the most rewarding part of working together?
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How can you try to limit the impact of social media has on your children?
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What can managers or supervisors do to engage and motivate millennial employees?
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Recommendations of the Week: Give Yourself a Break* and Irresistible.***
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Have any questions, comments, or stories you’d like to share with us? Drop us a line at questions@cjmcclanahan.com!**
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Connect with CJ* on Twitter at @CJMcCoach and LinkedIn***
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Connect with Logan* on Instagram at @logand.brown and on LinkedIn, and check out his blog: The Realationship Project.***
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The Two Rule Foundation is on a mission to helps inspire professionals to live gratefully and commit more of their resources to help those in need. The foundation can help you determine who you should give your money to and how.
Looking to get more out of all your hard work? Enroll in ThriveMap University, and online video training program for professionals. 100% of the proceeds are donated to the Two Rule Foundation.
Bryan Falchuk (@BryanFalchuk) has been an overachiever his whole life. When his life started to crumble, he took a step back, put on his consultant's hat and examined what was holding him back.
No long after, Bryan drop a lot of weight, reorganized his daily routine, became a vegan, and developed a life-transformation system he calls "Do A Day."
“I felt like an idiot every single day, and that was exactly what I wanted. I grew a lot at Tuck, but the amount of growth I went through during those two years at McKinsey was on a whole other level.” - Bryan Falchuk
What We Discuss with Bryan Falchuk: * How Bryan escaped the Dot Com bubble just as he was starting his career. * Working at McKinsey & Co. as a 20-something who knows nothing. * His wife's battle with chronic lyme disease. * How Bryan has kept off 100 lbs. of excess weight. * The 'Do-A-Day' framework. * His current role in the c-suite.
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(Can 3 Simple Numbers Rescue Troubled Relationships? from Bryan Falchuk via TEDxTalks)
Please Scroll Down for Full Show Notes and Featured Resources! The Two Rule Foundation helps inspire professionals to live gratefully and commit more of their resources to help those in need. The foundation can help you determine who you should give your money to and how.
Looking to get more out of all your hard work? Enroll in ThriveMap University, an online video program for professionals. 100% of proceeds are donated to the Two Rule Foundation.
More About the Show Bryan Falchuk had everything going for him in his career. He avoided the Dot Com bubble bursting by graduating a year early and taking a full-time internal strategy role at Liberty Mutual Insurance. A few years a couple job titles later, Bryan went back to school, earning his MBA in Business from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth University.
Afterwards, Bryan accepted a consulting position at the McKinsey & Company, where he stayed for nearly three years. Leaning on his experience in the insurance industry, Bryan took himself back into insurance and spent over six yers traveling the globe with UK-based Beazley Group.
However, while everything was looking up in his career, life at home wasn't so joyous. For decades, Bryan's wife had suffered terrible, seemingly-unprovoked 24-48hr illnesses. For a day or two at a time, she'd be a sick as she'd ever been, and then it would subside. And in 2011, she suffered another episode, only this time for weeks she wasn't getting better.
"It all came to a head on June 30th, when she was down to about 100 lbs. and losing two pounds a day," Falchuk says. "Her doctor called to tell me he was going on vacation for six weeks and he'd check in when he was back. If you do the math on that, she wasn't going to make it six weeks."
Bryan says this was his light bulb moment.
THANKS, Bryan Falchuk! If you enjoyed this show with best-selling author, coach, speaker & consulting professional Bryan Falchuk, let him know by clicking on the links below and sending him a quick shout out on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
Click here to connect with Bryan on LinkedIn
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If you’d like to ask a question with a chance of having me answer it on the show, please leave me a voicemail by clicking below:
This is a great way to cross-promote your blog or website because if I use your question on the show, I will link to it in the show notes!
Mentioned in This Episode: * Bowdoin College * Internships at Liberty Mutual Insurance * Tuck School of Business * McKinsey & Company * Undergraduate Development Program at Liberty Mutual * Chronic Lyme Disease * Do A Day Book use coupon code SUCCESS2 at checkout for an exclusive discount * NewBodi.es * Bryan Falchuk at TEDxSevilleSq
Before joining the faculty at Harvard University, Dr. Matthew T. Lee spent many years as a criminologist, studying and researching the dark side of the human mind and behavior.
Today, Dr. Lee studies concepts of love and is the Director of Empirical Research for the Program on Integrative Knowledge and Human Flourishing at Harvard University.
“Why would a missionary continue to go out into a dangerous circumstance, putting their life in jeopardy, contracting deadly diseases, when everyone else pulls out? What keeps them going, and what can the rest of us learn from these spiritual exemplars?”- Dr. Matthew T. Lee
What We Discuss with Dr. Matthew T. Lee: * How Dr. Lee landed a position at Harvard University researching love, after spending many years studying the darkside of human nature. * The correlation between altruistic service and personal gratification. * Dr. Lee’s work with kids in recovery from alcohol, drugs, and various forms of delinquencies. * Systems for creating more ‘loving’ environments in the workplace. * How compassionate company cultures help businesses to flourish.
He is the co-author of The Heart of Religion: Spiritual Empowerment, Benevolence, and the Experience of God’s Love, published by Oxford University Press, in addition to 50+ articles/book chapters and four other books.
In episode 110, Dr. Lee shares his insights around concepts of benevolence, compassion, volunteering and experiences of divine love in this riveting episode you’ll want to listen to again.
Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider leaving your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!
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**(****Connect with CJ)** **Please Scroll Down for Full Show Notes and Featured Resources!** **The Two Rule Foundation helps inspire professionals to live gratefully and commit more of their resources to help those in need. The foundation can help you determine who you should give your money to and how.**
Looking to get more out of all your hard work? Enroll in ThriveMap University, an online video program for professionals. 100% of proceeds are donated to the Two Rule Foundation.
More About Dr. Lee As an assistant professor researching the dark side of human nature, Matt made a comment to a colleague that he wished to teach a class on love, but because he wasn’t tenured he wasn’t comfortable exploring it with the administration.
While he never gave up on his dream, it took him several years of just being grateful for the opportunities that came his way, he was introduced to Dr. Stephen Post, who requested Matt join him at the organization he formed called the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love, funded by the John Templeton Foundation.
Without hesitation, Matt took the position as and served as Vice President and Project Director for a $2.3M grant called the Flame of Love aimed on fulfilling the “Great Commandment”—loving and knowing God’s love and then reaching out to love others.
“It’s interesting that so many people have had experiences of divine love - real meaningful experiences,” Lee says. “Roughly 80-percent of Americans have this experience that increases their compassion for others, makes them want to reach out to somebody in need, whether it’s a friend, a stranger, or perhaps sometimes even an enemy.”
Going further into his research, an overwhelming pattern began to appear. Lee would discover scientific evidence that supported the hypothesis that serving others leads to greater levels of perceived happiness.
“What people discover… is when they serve others, they begin to appreciate the sacred quality of life and the sacred quality of relationships that they didn’t fully appreciate before,” Lee says.
In the recent years, Dr. Lee has been working with kids in recovery from substance abuse and delinquencies and saw that a lot of them came from adverse backgrounds -- they had been neglected or victimized in some way -- and many of them adapted by becoming depressed, self-centered or narcissistic.
However, when these same kids are in recovery and start getting involved in the twin virtues of Love and Service, the world shifts for them.
“There’s a difference between work that’s interesting and rewarding, and work that is truly significant,” Lee says. “It may be that the work is truly significant is not the work we do for a paycheck, it’s not what we do for the most of our waking hours that give us meaning.”
THANKS, Dr. Matthew T. Lee! If you enjoyed this show with Harvard University Director of Empirical Research Dr. Matthew T. Lee, let CJ know by clicking on the link below.
Click here to let CJ know about your number one takeaway from this episode!
Mentioned in This Episode: * Program on Integrative Knowledge and Human Flourishing * The Institute for Research on Unlimited Love * The Hidden Gifts of Helping by Dr. Stephen G. Post * The Heart of Religion by Dr. Matthew T. Lee, Margaret Paloma, and Dr. Stephen G. Post * Compassion and Healing in Medicine and Society by Dr. Gregory Fricchione* * *The Philosophy and Life of Søren Kierkegaard * Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl * Benson-Henry Institute For Mind Body Medicine * The Compassion Lab * Heart to Heart * On the Promotion of Human Flourish by Harvard School of Public Health
Unlike her siblings, Isabel Hundt (@IsabelKHundt) has always seen things differently, both in the figurative sense, and literally. Isabel has a rare quality called synesthesia. What this means for Isabel is sounds, number and emotions appear to have colors. If you are sad, and are feeling ‘blue’, she can actually see a blue aura around you.
Isabel grew up in East Germany during the Cold War, the oldest of five children. As a twelve-year old, she had a vision of speaking on stage in front of thousands of people. However, she wasn’t speaking German -- in her vision she was speaking English.
"Everything I've done after the age of 18 was always with the goal of coming to the U.S."- Isabel Hundt
What We Discuss with Isabel Hundt: * How Isabel became enraptured with the English language and the United States. * Isabel's battle with depression as a student at the University of Stuttgart. * Her experiences working as an au pair during her late teens and twenties. * How she became a life coach, then a business coach, then a spiritual coach. * What it means to be an empath and how to recognize the signs.
Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider leaving your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!
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Please Scroll Down for Full Show Notes and Featured Resources! The Two Rule Foundation helps inspire professionals to live gratefully and commit more of their resources to help those in need. The foundation can help you determine who you should give your money to and how.
Looking to get more out of all your hard work? Enroll in ThriveMap University, an online video program for professionals. 100% of proceeds are donated to the Two Rule Foundation.
More About This Show After switching universities and changing majors from studying economics to sociology & psychology, Isabel thought she knew exactly how life was supposed to look like.
In her mid-twenties, and still without her degree, Isabel was determined to have a normal life. She condensed her studies from four years to three so she could get her career started and make her way back to America.
Shortly after graduating, she discovered the whole time she was in school her boyfriend had been cheating on her the whole time they were together, and some of those women harass her and say terrible things.
However she didn’t let that stop her. Instead, she dug her heels, asking herself “what is normal?”, and resolving that she would have her own path.
Not long after, immigration laws changed in the U.S. and Isabel was once again able to return to work as an au pair. But her struggles didn’t stop there.
By this time she was in her late twenties, and she’d be subjected to prejudice from her host families, be kicked out on the street with all her belongings, and forced to move across country to retain her visa.
It was only then that a good friend would say something that would change her life forever.
“Isabel, when you just look at people, people know that you know something about them that they don’t want you to know. They trust you easily, but they are afraid that you see the real them.”
Low and behold, she’d make her way to Indianapolis, Indiana studying to get her master’s in counseling at IUPUI.
While at IUPUI she would meet her future husband, get her master’s degree. Later, she would discover her calling as a life transformation coach and learn that she’s an empath.
For nearly a decade now, Isabel has been living out her childhood dream, and has been speaking onstage (in English!) and helping highly-sensitive people navigate their inner worlds and become the best version of themselves.
Isabel is the author The Power of Faith-Driven Success, creator of The Empath Warrior Program, has appeared on 70+ podcasts including Entrepreneur on Fire with John Lee Dumas, and is an accomplished motivational speaker.
Catch her on social media and check out her Youtube channel.
THANKS, Isabel Hundt! If you enjoyed this session with life transformation coach, speaker, & author Isabel Hundt let her know by clicking on the links below and sending her a quick shout out on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
Click here to thank Isabel on Twitter!
Connect with Isabel on Facebook!
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Click here to let CJ know about your number one takeaway from this episode!
And if you want us to answer your questions on one of our upcoming episodes, drop us a line at podcast@cjmcclanahan.com.
Mentioned in This Episode: * Find Out If You Have Synesthesia via Business Insider * University of Stuttgart * Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) * ActionCOACH - business coaching * The Differences Between Highly Sensitive People and Empaths via Psychology Today * Four Signs You May Be an Empath-Warrior via HuffPost * The Empath-Warrior Coaching Program taught by Isabel Hundt * The Power of Faith-Driven Success book by Isabel Hundt * The Empowered Warrior ebook by Isabel Hundt * Isabel on Entrepreneur On Fire Episode 1823
No matter how much more you do today, you'll never get everything you need to do done. Let's face it, ever since we could take home with our laptops and fast wi-fi connections, we work more than ever. This hasn't lead to getting more things done; rather more things to do and an unhealthy expectation of getting it all done.
On this episode, we'll look at ways to take back our freedom from the distractions caused by the very technology we expect to helps us get more done.
Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider leaving your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!
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Have any questions, comments, or stories you’d like to share with us? Drop us a line at podcast@cjmcclanahan.com!
Connect with CJ on Twitter at @CJMcCoach and on Linkedin
On This Week's Episode, We Discuss: Reducing Distractions as a Result of Technology * What work-life balance was like before the modern age of the computer and internet. * How the printer cut the time it took CJ to do his very first job as a payroll clerk by 90%... * How CJ developed a habit of continuing to work at home on nights and weekends. * The steps CJ took to overcome an unhealthy obsession with piling more on his plate, so he could find more people to compare himself to. * What you can do to reduce amount of noise in your life and its impact.
Please Scroll Down for Full Show Notes and Featured Resources! The Two Rule Foundation is on a mission to helps inspire professionals to live gratefully and commit more of their resources to help those in need. The foundation can help you determine who you should give your money to and how.
Looking to get more out of all your hard work? Enroll in ThriveMap University, and online video training program for professionals. 100% of the proceeds are donated to the Two Rule Foundation.
More About This Show
At the start of his career with Arthur Anderson, his was given a laptop. It was his first, and completely useless by today's standards; nonetheless, that evening, the routine of work would change forever.
Later that night, he would pull out his new gadget, wait for the strange noise and a flashy cursor-thingy.
He'd fumble through a clunky user-interface, and with luck, be able to find the 'file' he was supposed to 'open' on his 'hard drive'. At the time, these were all very new terms.
And as time passed, CJ's career grew, and the power and breadth of devices to help his work become less location-bound, CJ would find himself stealing time from other important areas of his life to 'get caught up' or 'get ahead' with work.
While this allowed his career to seemingly progress faster, when he became a business owner and a father all at the same time, it would take him 4 or 5 years to understand how devastating his obsession with work was becoming.
CJ's since learned to practice a much more balance life with firm boundaries between work and everything else.
5 Annoying Things that Keep You From Being Really Productive (And How to Begin Addressing Them) * Notifications - Keep them off by default. + Emails, texts, pushes, payments, reminders, deals, coupons, alerts... + this goes for your Apple watch or smart watch as well + SOLUTION: Turn them off, get a separate alarm clock. Make regular times of checking what is most important to you, rather than to the email list you are on. * Time Vampires - one quick question can turn into 10-20 minutes or more, plus another 7-20 minutes to get back in the groove. + Two or three questions and you've lost a huge part of your day. + SOLUTION: Close your door, turn on and be visibly in 'Do Not Disturb' mode. Schedule regular time for employees to meet with you for anything not absolutely urgent. * Leave your laptop at the office - If your office is a table at Starbucks, maybe this isn't for you, but if you have a coworkers you trust, non-sensitive information and otherwise no reason to worry about security issues, you take advantage of the opportunity to free yourself from being shackled to your computer. No computer, not as much work. + SOLUTION: Even if you can't physically keep yourself away from your computer, you can turn it off, keep it stashed somewhere inconvenient. But whatever you do, keep it as far away from your bed as possible. * Short charging cables - Charging cords for smartphones are just long enough to read your bedside table. And since our phone is the last thing we check before we got to bed, for most of us, it's the very first thing we do in the morning... even before throwing off the covers. + SOLUTION: Plug your charger into an outlet in another room. Make a pledge to not check your phone after a specific time and stick with it. Train the aforementioned Time Vampires not to expect an immediate response or any response during times you've set aside. * Digital tasks and note pads - When we think of something, but don't write it down, we create a feedback loop that throws our momentum off. We think that by analyze the thought right then and there, we can determine whether or not it could be beneficial to our present situation to pursue further. However most the time these aren't good ideas or the timing isn't right, so we can't do anything with it. We have no choice but the continue to entertain the ideation process though because some of our ideas are really good and can be capitalized upon. + SOLUTION: Get a tiny notepad or journal from the 99¢ store, keep it with you at all times, and jot down the ideas you have. You'll then be able to go back and revisit the idea when you are refreshed and avoid creating a feedback loop that drives you crazy and unfocused.
Click here to let CJ know about your number one takeaway from this episode!
And if you want us to answer your questions on one of our upcoming episodes, drop us a line at podcast@cjmcclanahan.com.
After more than 40 years in TV broadcasting, Indianapolis NBC nightly news legend John Stehr (@JohnWTHR) announced his retirement. Now pushing 60, John has had some time to reflect on the events in his career & personal life, and how they have shape his entire existence.
“There I was sitting in the newsroom and the General Manager came in and said 'well, how about that kid?' I was 21 years old. I would NEVER give a 21 year old that kind of responsibility, but, thankfully, he did." – John Stehr, WTHR Lead Anchor Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider leaving your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!
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(Anchor John Stehr announces retirement from WTHR via Youtube)
What We Discuss with John: * How John got into television broadcasting as a 21 year old in Erie, PA. * The development of John's career * Creating a #1 show for more than two decades straight. * John's strategy for connecting with viewers on a one-to-one level. * Advice for the 25 year old looking to get into journalism & broadcasting. * How the loss of his first born has shaped John's perspective in life. * What is John going to do with his newfound time in his retirement?
Please Scroll Down for Full Show Notes and Featured Resources! The Two Rule Foundation helps inspire professionals to live gratefully and commit more of their resources to help those in need. The foundation can help you determine who you should give your money to and how.
Looking to get more out of all your hard work? Enroll in ThriveMap University, an online video program for professionals. 100% of proceeds are donated to the Two Rule Foundation.
More About This Show John Stehr knew from an early age that he was going to be a TV journalist. Now nearing 60, John has had some time to reflect on the events in his career and personal life and how they have helped shape his entire existence.
"The News was very important to my family when I was a kid. We made sure to have dinner before 6 o'clock so we could watch the local news from 6 to 6:30. Then at 6:30 it was Walter Cronkite with the CBS Night News... I knew from 5 years old that that was what I going to do," John says.
As a student at Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, John studied Communications, and by the time he graduated, he was the 6 and 11 o'clock anchor for the local CBS affiliate.
From there, John would go on to work for several other stations throughout the country, eventually settling in at the Indianapolis NBC-affiliate WTHR.
At the time, the station struggled with viewership. However, John saw that as an opportunity rather than a challenge. Before long, WTHR's Eyewitness News would become the top-rated program, and held the spot for over 20 years!
While his career has been a shining example of what it looks like to do it right, John and his family have not been without trials and have faced some of the most gut-wrenching situations imaginable, including the death of their first born child at the age of 4.
Up until recently, John was under close monitoring for an aneurysm in his aorta. After having emergency open-heart surgery in summer 2017, John has made a full recovery, and is excited to enter a new chapter.
THANKS, John Stehr! If you enjoyed this session with TV journalist John Stehr, let him know by clicking on the link below and sending him a quick shout out on Twitter:
Click here to thank John on Twitter!
Click here to connect with John on Facebook!
Click here to let CJ know about your number one takeaway from this episode!
And if you want us to answer your questions on one of our upcoming episodes, drop us a line at podcast@cjmcclanahan.com.
Mentioned in This Episode: * WTHR Channel 13, NBC affiliate in Indianapolis * Walter Cronkite * Gannon University * Aortic Aneurysm
Shelley Hunter began working with College Mentors For Kids (@CollegeMentors) as a volunteer. Fast forward 20+ years later and Shelley is the CEO. She’s not the only one in the organization that started at the very bottom rung. COO Amanda Koushyar also started on with College Mentors as a volunteer. With their leadership, College Mentors For Kids has impacted more than 25,000 students on 30+ campuses in 9 states around the U.S.
“When they [little buddies] are on campus, they are learning about different careers they can have, what it’s like to be in college; and they get to really experience those firsthand.” – Amanda Koushyar, COO of College Mentors For Kids Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider leaving your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!
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(College Mentors For Kids Mini Documentary from College Mentors For Kids on Youtube.)
What We Discuss with Shelley & Amanda: * How Shelley Hunter was drawn away from her job as a grant writer to volunteer at a tiny non-profit from central Indiana. * The statistics that support that mentoring students about creating visions for their future from young ages. * What it means to be a College Mentor and how the organization chooses campuses and other organizations to partner with. * What goes into creating an impactful experience for both Little Buddies and their Mentors, as well as the parents and the effects on the community. * The future vision of College Mentors For Kids, how to become a Mentor, and how to start a chapter.
Please Scroll down for Full Show Notes and Featured Resources! Interested in partnering with College Mentors For Kids, becoming a Mentor, or starting a chapter at your university? Head over to the websites to find out everything you need to know about getting involved.
The Two Rule Foundation is on a mission to helps inspire professionals to live gratefully and commit more of their resources to help those in need. The foundation can help you determine who you should give your money to and how.
Looking to get more out of all your hard work? Enroll in ThriveMap University, an online video program for professionals. 100% of proceeds are donated to the Two Rule Foundation.
More About This Show courtesy of collegementors.org
College Mentors For Kids was started over 20 years ago by two college student friends at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. They imagined a community in which young, underserved children would be given the same educational opportunities and experiences as their peers.
Believing college students to be a valuable yet untapped resource for children, the friends set out to design a program that would harness the energy, idealism, and resources that college students and a university campus could offer children.
By providing children with positive opportunities they might make healthier life choices and achieve: 1) enhanced understanding of new opportunities they would not have otherwise had; 2) a future in which they are financially independent; and 3) a passion for giving back to their communities that lasts into adulthood.
College Mentors applied for non-profit status in 1996 and opened its doors as an official 501(c)3 in 1997. Pilot programs at Indiana University and Butler University paired mentors with 33 local children in the fall and spring of 1996. The following summer, College Mentors opened state-wide headquarters in Indiana. In the next few years, the friends, along with other state staff, established four additional chapters, and helped lay the groundwork for two other chapters before their departure in 2000. Today, College Mentors for Kids serves over 2,500 children across the United States through the volunteer efforts of over 2,800 college students with a national office in Indianapolis, Indiana.
College Mentors For Kids has partnered with SMARI to conduct research and understand just how big an impact the program has made in the the community and the lives of it’s little buddies and mentors over the years.
According to the findings,
- 81% Of kids in College Mentors report working harder in school.
- 95% Of former College Mentors participants successfully avoided the justice system...and are more likely to go on to higher education.
- 80% Of former little buddies graduated high school; 85% did so in 4 years.
- 75% Of former little buddies followed the path to college or trade school.
- 84% of college mentors are likely to participate in additional community service programs after college as a result of being in College Mentors for Kids.
THANKS, Shelley Hunter and Amanda Koushyar! If you enjoyed this session with Shelley Hunter, CEO and Amanda Koushyar, COO of College Mentors For Kids, let her know by clicking on the link below and sending her a quick shout out on Twitter:
Click here to thank Shelley & Amanda on Twitter!
Click here to let CJ know about your number one takeaway from this episode!
And if you want us to answer your questions on one of our upcoming episodes, drop us a line at podcast@cjmcclanahan.com.
Mentioned in This Episode: * College Mentors For Kids * Wabash College * Depauw University * Indiana University * Purdue University * College Mentors on Facebook * College Mentors on Instagram * College Mentors on Twitter
Do you go to bed before everyone else, or are you person that stays up late? Maybe you stay up late, just to wake up early. You could probably guess that the large portion of Americans at any given moment could use some sleep.
Like a several hours more... According to practically every study on sleep behavior, you are absolutely right!
Americans continue to hinder their potential, thinking they just need to try harder. That by putting off sleep to hours awake, we are going to get so much more done. Well, on this episode CJ challenges the whole ‘sleep is for the weak’ thing and shares some tricks he uses to get great sleep most every night.
[INSERT LIBSYN]
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Have any questions, comments, or stories you’d like to share with us? Drop us a line atpodcast@cjmcclanahan.com!
Connect with CJ on Twitter at @cjmccoach and on LinkedIn.
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On This Week’s Episode, We Discuss: Risks of Bad Sleeping Habits & How to Overcome Them * Why CJ gets an abnormally large amount of sleep, compared to his peers (and has for as long as he can remember). * The health repercussions of poor sleep . * How sleep deprivation is costing the economy over $400B in lost productivity & healthcare expenses. * Strategies for improving varying degrees of sleep limiting behaviors * Creating feedback loops that ensures getting a great night of sleep, every night.
Please Scroll down for Full Show Notes and Featured Resources! The Two Rule Foundation is on a mission to helps inspire professionals to live gratefully and commit more of their resources to help those in need. The foundation can help you determine who you should give your money to and how.
Looking to get more out of all your hard work? Enroll in ThriveMap University, an online video program for professionals. 100% of proceeds are donated to the Two Rule Foundation.
More About This Show According to the Center for Disease Control, ⅓ Americans is not getting enough sleep.
A, false, but way too common notion we have is that if we steal an hour from our sleep, we can apply that to work, and then we will be able to get everything we wanted to do in the day done -- if you’re a go-getter maybe you’re getting ahead of schedule (but that’s rarely the case).
And this may have served us back when we were farming or working in a plant with little regulations. However, the act of work in our modern economy rewards those that can maximize productivity.
Less Sleep = Less Productivity
The old tortoise & the hare story, maybe it doesn’t apply when it comes to day-to-day productivity. So this whole “If I sleep less, I can get more done” lie we tell ourselves is what perpetuates our disengagement.
The Rand Corporation recently released a study that concluded sleep deprivation is costing the U.S. economy some $411B+ every year for attributing directly to employee disengagement and healthcare costs.
Do you find yourself becoming irritable or grumpy throughout the day? It could be poor nutrition, or you maybe you just need some more sleep.
Health Risks Associated with Poor Sleep * Diabetes * High blood pressure * Heart disease * Weight gain/obesity * Impaired immunity * Increase risk of death
How would you describe your sleep quality?
What time do you go to bed? On average we spend about ⅓ of our day sleeping. If you’re a really go getter that may be more like ¼, but regardless we spend a very significant amount of time on our backs (unless you’re an astronaut).
You don’t have to try very hard to see that the the outcome of the other 60-70% of our waking hours, it's smart to get the best mattress you can afford.
Strategies to Improve Quality of Sleep * Stick to a sleep schedule, even on the weekends! * Relaxing nightly rituals. Something to calm you down before you go to bed. * If you have trouble sleeping avoid naps * Exercise, get up and move for at least 30 mins * Avoid blue light from TVs, * Your bedroom’s primarily focus is to sleep. Make sure you are * Avoid alcohol, caffeine, heavy meals * Read * If needed, talk to a sleep professional * Do not resort to medication unless everything else fails.
Mentioned in This Episode: * 5 Hour Energy * Center For Disease Control * Mattresses by Mail + Leesa + Helix Sleep + Tuft and Needle + Nectar + Casper
CJ (@cjmccoach) is back to share some truth and prep us for true success on The Success 2.0 Podcast.
If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly episodes, drop us a line at podcast@cjcmcclanahan.com. Now, let’s dive in!
"We're having our self-esteem built, molded, tweaked by what we see on social media..." - CJ McClanahan On This Week’s Episode, We Discuss: Tips to Reduce Stress From Bad Smartphone Usage Habits * Don’t keep your phone on your person at all times * Turn off notifications. Silence your phone, (not even vibe mode), and get rid of the blinking indicator light.* (some exceptions) * Remove social media apps from your home screen. Force yourself to have hunt for them if you want to use them. * Limit your smartphone time usage - time...using apps * Replace old habits with something else, such as reading, meditation or mindfulness exercises * Don’t check your phone within the first 30 minutes of waking up. Use an old-school alarm clock if you need help waking up in the morning. * Set after work and leisure time limits. Set expectations with your colleagues and/or employees that you respect your free time and theirs. * Share your frustration with someone close to you, and enlist an accountability buddy if needed.
Have any questions, comments, or stories you’d like to share with us? Drop us a line at podcast@cjmcclanahan.com!
Connect with CJ on Twitter at @cjmccoach and on LinkedIn.
Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider leaving your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!
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Have you been looking for a better way to give to charitable causes without feeling like you’re money is going to fund another overpaid executive? Check out how different giving is over at the Two Rule Foundation.
ThriveMap University is for overachieving professionals who are 100% COMMITTED growing their careers while increasing their tolerance to stress. Learn how to get more fulfillment out of life while continuing to do amazing things in business and the community.
Resources from This Episode: Smartphone Compulsion Test by Dr. David Greenfield
Scientists Study Nomophobia—Fear of Being without a Mobile Phone via Scientific American
Social Media Is 'Ripping Apart' Society - Ex-Facebook Executive Chamath Palihapitiya on CNBC
How Facebook Was Designed to Exploit the Vulnerability of the Human Mind - Sean Parker, Chamath Palihapitiya
The 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous - Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
Moment App - iOS app that limits time usage on distracting apps and social media
How to Use Timeboxing via Mindtools
What Is An Appropriate Response Time To Email? via FastCompany
Waiting For a Reply? Study Explains The Psychology Behind Email Response Time via Forbes
Why Every Organization Needs A Standard Response Time Policy via Forbes
Lara MacGregor (@HopeScarvesInc) is a metastatic breast cancer patient and the founder of Hope Scarves, an international non-profit organization based in Louisville, Kentucky which collects scarves from women who have faced breast cancer to give to women undergoing cancer treatment. Since 2014, Hope Scarves has sent over 10,000 scarves to women in 16 countries.
"Facing a cancer diagnosis throws in your face just how fragile and precious life really is" - Lara MacGregor What We Discuss with Lara MacGregor: * What it felt like being diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer while expecting her second child. * The hopelessness and disbelief of undergoing chemotherapy and feeling her unborn child respond to the treatment. * The relief she had when her son was born full-term and healthy. * How a woman she had never met, named Kelly, gave her the idea to found an international non-profit organization that’s impacted more than 8,000 women worldwide. * What it takes to find joy after surviving breast cancer to years later be diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. * How to create meaningfulness by cutting negative energy out of your life in whatever form it takes.
Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps! Consider leaving your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!
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(Hope Scarves Video from Hope Scarves on Vimeo.)
Please Scroll down for Full Show Notes and Featured Resources! Hope Scarves is raising capital for metastatic breast cancer research. Help raise $450,000 in 2018 for the Metastatic Breast Cancer Research Fund by visiting the website here.
The Two Rule Foundation is on a mission to helps inspire professionals to live gratefully and commit more of their resources to help those in need. The foundation can help you determine who you should give your money to and how.
Looking to get more out of all your hard work? Enroll in ThriveMap University, an online video program for professionals. 100% of proceeds are donated to the Two Rule Foundation.
More About This Show In 2007, Lara McGregor was 30 years old and expecting her second child.
In a routine trimester check-up with her OB/GYN, she mentioned something she had experienced some bloody discharge from her breast.
As all mothers would tell us, the female body goes through some extreme changes during the course of pregnancy, that would otherwise be cause for concern -- she had thought nothing of it.
On the other hand, her doctor did not, and Lara was sent in for a biopsy the very same day.
48 hours later she received a call... it was breast cancer.
At seven months pregnant, in seemingly picture perfect health and at the top of her career, this was not the news she was expecting.
She would soon learn that her cancer was estrogen-receptor-positive, and her pregnancy was directly fueling its growth. Within days, she would undergo her first round of chemotherapy treatment…
In this episode, Lara describes her story of facing breast cancer, achieving remission, then being diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer only a couple years later, and how she has found her purpose again by living every day with intention.
THANKS, Lara McGregor! If you enjoyed this session with Lara MacGregor, let her know by clicking on the link below and sending her a quick shout out on Twitter:
Click here to thank Lara MacGregor on Twitter!
Click here to let CJ know about your number one takeaway from this episode!
And if you want us to answer your questions on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at friday@cjmcclanahan.com.
Resources from This Episode: * Hope Scarves website
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Lara MacGregor on Facebook
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Lara MacGregor on Instagram
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Lara MacGregor on Twitter
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Donate scarves to women facing cancer
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Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance
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Metastatic Breast Cancer Project
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Hormone Receptor Status - BreastCancer.Org
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Types of Breast Cancer - WebMD
CJ (@CoachCJ) shares a deep look at what it takes for true entrepreneurs to make the jump from doing something that they hate, to pursuing their passions in their careers.
What We Discuss in This Episode: * How CJ became an executive coach * The obsession with finding your passion * What to do if you want to own a business * The Pros and Cons to owning a business * The difference between being a sales-focused versus operations-focused
Like this show? Please leave us a review here — even one sentence helps. Consider leaving your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!
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Have you felt like you can or should be doing something else with your career? Are you looking for a change or to simply get something more out of your work? The majority of people, if not every single person in the western world, questions their career decision at some point. On some level we want to know to what we have been called to do with our careers, with our lives, and when that calling is to be an entrepreneur, being in a corporate role will never cut it.
Please Scroll down for Full Show Notes and Featured Resources! Want to lead a more generous life, but not convinced your charitable contribution is actually going to good use? To find out how to make generosity a calibrated, daily thing go to TwoRule.org!
More About This Episode If you’ve been listening to our show, you know that it's gone through several iterations over the past three years.
The show was born from a desire to help professionals and entrepreneurs get the most out of themselves, and has taught us more about following our passions, compassion, and the possibility of starting over than we ever thought we’d learn.
If you want to learn more about starting your own business, we highly recommend checking out our very first episode (ever!) about the topic (that’s episode 1).
Resources from This Episode: * What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard N. Bolles * Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath * Success 2.0 #001 - Do You Have What It Takes To Start A Business?
Dr. Stephen Post (@StephenGPost) shares a glimpse into how he came to co-found New York-based The Institute for Research on Unlimited Love. We’ll discuss why love is something people all over the globe treasure and desire.
“When the security and well-being of another is as real and meaningful to you as your own- you love that person” - Dr. Stephen Post
What We Discuss in This Deep Dive: * Contrary to common beliefs, research has shown that children are born generous with a natural empathy. * The concept of love is difficult for a lot of people to get their hands around. We should be using an every day description with universal examples. * Being a loving person does not mean you do not look after your own needs. Loving yourself is paramount. * The great religions and traditions teach cultivating their "true self," learning how to respect others. * Companies that are generous with their employees see increases to their bottom line. Cultivating workplaces that value compassion and generosity is good for business.
Longtime friend, best-selling author and researcher at Stony Brook University, Dr. Stephen Post joins us for this deep dive on The Success 2.0 Podcast to explain how we can embrace unadulterated love and what we can learn from different cultures. Let’s face it — the benefits of loving and being loved far exceed the costs. Listen, learn, and enjoy!
Please Scroll down for Full Show Notes and Featured Resources! Want to lead a more generous life, but not convinced your charitable contribution is actually going to good use? To find out how to make generosity a calibrated, daily thing go to TwoRule.org!
More About This Show While hosting a weeklong conference with more than 800 people from over 40 countries, Dr. Post was approached by Jill Neimark, a writer from Discover magazine, about doing a piece on him and his work.
He was so impressed with her work that he enlisted her to help him refine his book in a way where his ideas would jump off the page. Shortly after, Why Good Things Happen to Good People hit shelves all over the globe...
“People that give at reasonable levels, given who they are psychologically and physically, they flourish." says Dr. Post. "96% of people that say volunteering makes them feel good"
THANKS, DR. STEPHEN POST! If you enjoyed this deep dive with Dr. Stephen Post, let him know by clicking on the link below and sending him a quick shout out at Twitter:
Click here to thank Dr. Stephen Post on Twitter!
Click here to let CJ know about your number one takeaway from this episode!
Resources from This Episode: * Why Good Things Happen to Good People by Dr. Stephen Post & Jill Neimark * The Institute for Research on Unlimited Love
When you look back to when you were 25, could you have guessed you’d be making as much money, or be as wealthy, as you are today?
Back then, you’d probably have thought someone making as much as you is rich!… But are you? Do you feel rich?
If you stopped working today, would you be able to retire and do anything you want? No? Why is that? Why are high-earners still no happier than when they were just making a modest living?
As John D. Rockefeller is quoted say, when asked when is enough, enough?, he said, “Just one dollar more…”
John D. Rockefeller… One of the richest guys in American history. The guy who’s name is on buildings from New York to San Francisco…. “Just one dollar more”.
I don’t know about you but that doesn’t exactly scream “happy” or “content” to me. To clarify, I don’t use the words “content” or “contentment” to signify complacency. Quite the contrary! I’m a capitalist. In my upper 40s, I get giddy at the thought of how big of an impact I can have in the lives of others.
This begs the question… “How much is enough?” At what stage does our emotional well-being plateau?
According to a 2010 nation-wide survey, lead by Nobel Peace Prize recipients Daniel Kahneman & Angus Deaton out of Princeton University of more than 450,000 responses to a Gallup poll on health & well-being - the magic number is approximately $75,000 per year.
There’s a correlation between income and emotional well-being, but this stops around $75k.
This means, you feel better when you go from $40K to $50K, and $60K to $70K, but once you hit that $75K mark, it’s basically a wash. Everything after $75,000 per year is diminishing returns.
Why is that? 75 racks doesn’t seem really seem like all that much to me. And more than likely, you surpassed that mark years ago.
Ask yourself, is your life really all that much better now than back then? Do you feel richer?
When 70% of lottery winners go broke within 5 years of hitting the jackpot, can we really say that the lack of money was their problem?
Sure, money goes a lot further in Des Moines, Iowa or Indianapolis than in New York or California, so this number is just an average, but the fact of the of matter is that at some point, money does not provide any more value to us emotionally.
So, should we go back to making $75,000 a year? Hell no! But, that also doesn’t mean we should just go buy more stuff.
3 Steps To Increasing Emotional Well-Being Beyond The Money
- Know your number. How much do you really need? Do you have kids? Are you college planning? Do you desire more culture and to travel? Get clear on who you want to be, and that will determine what you need.
- Get crystal clear on what success means to you. If success is measured on a balance sheet, life is going to be pretty unrewarding.
- Reevaluate your social circles. As Jim Rohn said, “you are the average of you 5 closest friends.” If you are surrounded by money-hungry animals, but you desire to help underprivileged children learn about art, you might want to make some new friends…
Resources
- High-income Improves Life Evaluation, But Not Emotional Well-being?
- How Much Money is Really Enough?
- How Much Should You Have in a 529 Plan By Age?
- How Winning the Lottery Affects Happiness, According to Psychology Research
Matt Bays is a singer, songwriter, philanthropist, blogger, life coach and the author of Finding God In The Ruins: How God Redeems Pain.
Struggling with addiction in his twenties, and trauma from sexual, physical and emotional abuse as a child, Matt found himself in questioning his most basic understanding of his place in the world and his existence.
At 23, Matt, seeking meaning, found himself in the arms of a welcoming church and by 25, he entered into ministry, applying his musical talents through worship. More than 20 years later, Matt has a fiery passion for helping people pick up the pieces out of their brokenness and create their own story.
"It's out of our wounds- the core ache within us, that we find our calling" - Dan Allender
In this episode: * How Matt defined 'success' as young adult (3:22) * How life's challenges forced him to rethink what success is (5:10) * Why writing has become a method of processing his thoughts and emotions (7:19) * Why it took him nearly a decade to write his first book (7:51) * Matt's understanding of redemption (12:10) * How Matt helps people feel less broken (18:39) * Matt's ambitions for his future (22:25) * How Matt exorcises negative personalities (26:34) * How you can receive a free copy of Matt's latest book (27:27)
Drawing upon his past experiences, hardships and circumstance, Matt wrote Finding God in the Ruins out of frustration with his circumstances- he was tired of letting God of the hook, saying "well, He is God and I'm not" was no longer an excuse.
Instead, he started down a journey of figuring out what he thought about faith, and God and his place in the world. In his late 20's Matt began reconciling his past with his present, digging deep to understand how is experiences had affected his thinking.
If you aren’t familiar with Matt, you’re missing out. Matt is an author, speaker, songwriter and the founder of the non-profit Finding God in the Ruins, based out of Indianapolis, Indiana.
If you're interested in receiving a free copy for Matt's latest book "Finding God In The Ruins", we are giving away 5 copies of his book. All you have to do is send an email to CJ@cjmcclanahan.com.
What’s 1 thing you’d like to to improve in your personal or professional life? Chances are you’ve always wanted to improve your work-life balance.
If the first image that popped into your mind was of struggling to hold two objects opposite at level, chances are the condition of your workload is overpowering your life.
Studies have shown that the inability to disengage from work is our number one stressor. In this episode we jump into the concept of keeping work and personal life separate so we can understand how is really the whole ‘work-life balance’ thing actually works.
Resources 9 Different Definitions On The Meaning Of Work-Life Balance
Are You Taking the Time Off That You Need?
Rethinking Work-Life Balance
It's Time To Kill The Fantasy That Is Work-Life Balance
How to Let Go at the End of the Workday
How to Forget About Work When You’re Not Working
On this episode of Success 2.0, we're taking a deeper look at how us overachievers can focus more on what's important to us by applying the Pareto Principle, aka 'The 80/20 Rule'.
For those who aren't familiar, the 80/20 Rule is an observation, originally coined in the 19th century by an Italian engineer by the name of Vilfredo Pareto. Where the 80/20 Rule was originally observed through lens of wealth distribution at the time, it has since been expanded into various areas, from economics and math, to social psychology, sales and personal development.
In this episode, we'll be learning how we can apply this principle to our personal and professional lives to get to the root of what drives us toward our new definition of success.
What We Cover In This Episode
- How to identify the 20% of activities that provide the progress towards our goals
- Why it's important to be objective with ourselves
- How to implement systems that ensure our focus on the most valuable activities, clients, products and services
It was the fall of 2006, and I'd just completed a handful of books about Goal Setting. Of course, I knew how important this was already... yeah, I'd done it in my professional career.
I'd certainly had done it, in the starting of my franchise, a business coaching franchise I had bought many years ago. But at this time, it had settled into me the importance in a way that it had never done before.
In this episode, we explore the topics of
- Why measuring New Year's Resolutions on a 'Pass/Fail' scale will almost always result in failure.
- What makes Goals different from Resolutions.
- How writing Goals down geometrically increases the likelihood of achieving them.
- Why we think writing down Goals will limit us, and why in practice this is absolutely false.
- Why we counterintuitively get immediate gratification by intentionally choosing delayed gratification.
- Why Setting Goals is the single-most important thing you can do to improve your professional & personal state.
- How multi-tasking is a recipe for overwhelm and complete shutdown.
If you haven't set any goals, by the end of the year, you will have made very little progress on a ton of different projects. There is lots of stuff happening, but the question is
"Is the RIGHT stuff happening?"
Unless you like waking up every day and changing your mind every 15 minutes and working 70 hours a week and not making real, meaningful progress towards what's important to you...
Unless you like spinning all the time, you have to get clear on what's important to you.
Greg Baumer and his buddy were in a class in the Harvard Business School and had to write a a final paper about the relationship between God and money.
After after hundreds of hours of research, they would go on to publish their findings in a book that became a #1 New Seller on Amazon called God and Money: How We Discovered True Riches At The Harvard Business School.
Since then, Greg has become a leader in the world of Stewardship, and a pioneer in the economics of giving.
I am an unashamed old guy, and at times I feel completely out of touch with today's young adults.
I know from hundreds of conversations with professionals that I'm not alone.
Today's younger generation is different - but that doesn't mean that they aren't as capable and driven as any other group.
We just need to figure out how to more effectively understand where they are coming from and how best to communicate.
In today's episode, I talk to Andrew McPeak, co-author of the new book, Marching off the Mapabout the most effective ways to "teach, lead, coach and parent this generation of young adults".
Ever since I got married, Thanksgiving has become my favorite holiday.
We pile the kids in the minivan and head to visit my in-laws.
This year, we considered going to FL for about 10 seconds. For some reason, there's no place I'd rather be than with my family in Decatur, IL.
That's right, I said Decatur, IL.
Running down a list of your blessings almost always starts with family and I couldn't be more grateful for my in-laws, Mike and Alice.
In today's show, I'll talk about the proven benefits of gratitude and making it a habit in your daily life.
"To know and not to do, is really not to know".- Stephen Covey
For many years, I've talked about redefining success and focusing on what's really important.
But, I've noticed that all my talking hasn't resulted in as much change with my clients and audience as I would like.
As a result, in 2018, I will be focusing my message on pushing people outside of their comfort zones so that you can actually feel a shift in behavior.
In today's podcast, I'm going to introduce the new brand and discuss my approach for next year.
I love to win. In fact, it's quite possible that I take winning a little too seriously.
I enjoy my teams taking the top spot, my business outdoing the competition and my political preferences being elected.
It's OK to strive to win or be the best - to a point.
We run into a problem when our desire to win becomes and obsession.
It's one thing to strive to be the best - it's another when we believe that winning is the "only" thing that matters.
In today's podcast, I'm going to talk about a different approach to thinking about success.
There’s a chance that I may have been, once or twice, that guy at a youth sporting event who gets overly worked up and yells at the refs, players and worse – the other parents.
Unfortunately, I’m not the only one.
The truth is that youth sports in the US has exploded into a multi-billion-dollar business that is taking over the lives of millions of kids across the country.
Today’s guest, John O’Sullivan, helps us understand the impact our obsession with youth sports is having on our children and the family.
He also provides practical advice for getting our arms around this challenge and developing a healthier perspective.
The good news is that there’s a podcast, blog, video, webinar, etc. that will provide an answer to almost any question that we could ever imagine.
The bad news is that there’s a podcast, blog, video, webinar, etc. that will provide an answer to almost any question that we could ever imagine.
We are drowning in information.
Today’s guest, Erin Falconer, talks about how to cut through all the clutter and focus on what’s really important.
She helps us understand how the digital world is evolving before our eyes and how we can get the most value from all this data.
The first five people to email me will receive a free copy of her new book – How to Get Shit Done.
Erin Falconer
Erin Falconer is a Canadian living in Los Angeles. She has had a varied career that includes screenplay writer, stand-up comedian, political consultant and is now proudly, heavily invested in the online blogging world.
Since 2008, she has been the editor in chief and co-owner of PickTheBrain – one of the fastest growing and most trusted self improvement websites & communities on the web. With over 200 bloggers from around the world contributing content, PTB is not only a great passion project but has truly become a powerful global voice and brand in the self improvement space, being read in over 35 countries daily.
“It’s better to keep your mouth shut and let people think that you are an idiot, than open it and remove all doubt. - Shelly McClanahan
On Monday September 25 in the late afternoon, my mom, Shelly McClanahan, passed away peacefully. She was 68 years young.
She was different to say the very least. There will never be anyone quite like her.
Today’s podcast is a tribute to a woman whose subtle, quiet, unassuming impact on the world will be felt for generations.
"Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” - Dr. Steven Covey
Are disagreements healthy? Sure they are! Disagreements breed innovation, ideas, and efficiency. They make us face new concepts and consider solutions to problems from unique angles.
But what happens when our disagreements turn sour? What happens when they become about the reply rather than the solution?
Does the solution fall wayside to getting a quick jab in at your "political opponent"?
What if we took a different approach to differentiating opinions? What if we disagreed differently?
This week I’m honored to introduce my friend and amazing book coach, Jennie Nash.
Jennie’s work shouts overachiever. She’s written for dozens of national magazines including The New York Times, authored eight books and founded AuthorAccelerator- a company with 22 book coaches dedicated to working with authors and shepherding them through the process of writing and publishing. Through coaching, her clients have landed top New York agents, and had books published by Scribner, Simon & Schuster, Norton, Ten Speed, and SelectBooks.
Jennie has been a huge inspiration and absolutely critical for my brain during the book writing process. In fact, there were many times where I’d craft an entire chapter just to have it thrown out (this always ended up producing a much better chapter in the end). Jennie knows her stuff.
In today’s show, we’re talking about the elements that make up a compelling story. With the thousands of messages our brains are exposed to today, how can we craft a powerful message that resonates with the audience?
I encourage you to check out her other work and definitely look up AuthorAccelerator. If you’ve ever considered authoring your own book then hiring a coach is a great step towards making it happen!
To learn more about her work and view other client success stories, check out her website at http://jennienash.com/success-stories
The old trend, from the 1940s to early 2000s, was that you picked a career and stuck to it. Many folks would stay with the same company for sometimes two or three decades before finally retiring.
In our culture today, we've thrown this old notion out the window. More and more, we're starting to see tenures, especially amongst millennials, is becoming increasingly short. Which begs the question...
When do you know it's time for a career change?
Of course, the answer depends on your current situation. Each person is different with different financial situations, goals, passions, and marketplace values. As a collective, we're all in different situations, but the core questions you need to ask remain the same regardless of your tenure, finances, or experiences.
In this episode, we dive into this pressing question. We'll unpack what your mentality needs to be when considering a career switch and what first steps to take to make it happen.
Enjoy the episode!
“If they [employees] can’t see themselves in the picture, then they can’t imagine that it’s a possibility for them.”
This week on the show we’re joined by Jim Kouzes, an accomplished author, game-changer on the subject of leadership, and exceptional mentor.
In all honesty, during this episode we’re swerving all over the road. We discuss everything from the culture crisis within Uber and other tech giants, the leadership challenges that have faced managers for decades, and the critical principles to communicating your vision so your team buys in.
If you haven’t heard the first time Jim joined the show, I highly suggest taking a few minutes to grab that episode as well. It’s worth the while: http://www.cjmcclanahan.com/podcast/jim-kouzes/
Also, if you haven’t yet read his book, The Leadership Challenge, I also recommend getting a copy for your collection through Amazon. It’s an incredible piece of work with incredible data that is still relevant to today’s workplace environment.
And finally, if you would please remember to go to iTunes after listening, we’d greatly appreciate a review (unless your giving a bad one-in which case please refrain from reviewing us)
When it comes to friends with GREAT, not good, GREAT hair-Ryan takes the cake. Wow, he's got some great locks.
Soon after being signed by Atlantic Records, Ryan Ahlwardt began his journey as a touring musician with the group Straight No Chaser, an a cappella group that started in Bloomington, IN.
Ryan's musical career led him throughout the US where he routinely performed in front of thousands of screaming fans, yet he felt like he was called for a higher purpose.
Nowadays Ryan's life is a bit quieter. He's traded in his microphone for a chance to listen to young adults and help mentor them through the turbulent waters of adolescence.
In our interview, Ryan breaks down what it was like to go from being a touring musician to leading his own ministry here in Fishers, Indiana.
Do you really believe it when an autoresponder says, "I'm out of the office with limited access to internet?" Us either. In fact, my hope is we navigate away from this phrase at all costs.
At any given moment you, me, the kid on the other side of the world in India can plug in and work. Does this mean that the idea of the balanced work and personal life is dead?
This week on The ThriveMap Thursday Podcast we're diving into lessons we can learn from Seinfeld, Castanza, and Mr. Cleaver. Maybe they're onto something...
I seem to have a tendency to get stuck in my own universe. If my stress levels are high, my little bubble limits my perspective to my own woes.
Sometimes, this bubble is burst when I’m temporarily exposed to the outside world and I realize that my life is not nearly as sad or stressful as I think it is in my head.
Unfortunately, this feeling can also be short-term and I can just as easily get back into my bubble. So, what are some ways we can stay mindful and full of perspective as often as we can?
In this podcast, I’m going to talk about why we get stressed out and how helping others is so effective in reducing stress. You’ll learn how you can best help others in your day-to-day schedule to reduce your own stress.
In this podcast you will hear about: * Jack’s Rule of Five * Why quitting is not an option for your passions * The significance of meditation in Canfield’s life * Jack’s use of the Holistic Model * Dangerous trends in life coaching * Why reading actively makes you a leader
Join us today for a conversation with New York Times bestselling author and coach, Jack Canfield. Jack’s inspiring genre of Chicken Soup for the Soul®series has proven to be one the world’s most successful book series while his acclaimed success principles are outlined in his most recent bestseller, “The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be.”
In addition to writing, Jack is also the founder and former CEO of the Canfield Training Group which helps professionals accelarate the achievement of their goals and Chicken Soup for the Soul Enterprises® which is a billion dollar empire consisting of licensing and merchandising around the world.
You also can find Jack as a featured guest on television, with many of his features being repeats on shows such as Oprah, Montel, Larry King Live, 20/20, Inside Edition, The Today Show, Fox and Friends, The CBS Evening News, The NBC Nightly News, Eye to Eye, CNN’s Talk Back Live!, PBS, QVC and many others.
Throughout your life, it’s probable that you’ve identified a handful of basic characteristics.
Maybe you’re naturally athletic, anxious, afraid to try new things, or smarter than most of your peers. We’ve all got a few traits that seem to be hard-wired from birth.
There’s no problem noticing these tendencies. The issue arises when you begin to believe that these are locked in for the rest of your life and there’s nothing you can do about it.
In today’s podcast, I’ll discuss the difference between two belief systems that shape your outlook in life. You’ll understand the value of shifting your paradigm towards the idea that you can modify just about any behavior and choose to become the person who learns and adapts through any circumstance.
You are stressed out.
I’m comfortable making this blanket statement because the data is clear – workplace stress is becoming the health epidemic of the 21st century.
As a nation, we are working more than ever with more than 40% of Americans putting in at least 50 hours a week. Compounding the problem, technology has increased the amount of information, projects and tasks we can handle.
The result is a marketplace filled with exhausted, workaholics who’ve never seem to have enough time to get caught up.
In today’s podcast, I’ll explore this challenge and discuss the factors that have led us down this path. In addition, I’ll detail the severe consequences all of this anxiety is causing us – both in the office and at home.
The data is clear – Americans are achieving a ton.
We make more money, live in bigger homes and go on better vacations than ever before. Additionally, we love to buy new stuff – so much so, that a $30 billion self-storage industry popped up to warehouse all our excess.
All this achievement has come at a cost. We’re working more hours, feeling more stress, neglecting our closest relationships and ignoring our health.
Before we can address the situation, it’s important to focus on the cause and ask a simple question – How did this happen?
In today’s podcast, I’ll explore the factors that I believe have led to a generation of overachievers. In addition, I’ll discuss the trends influencing our children and what the future holds if we stay on this same path.
As of this podcast, there are officially 1,123,455 books that claim have found the secret to joy and satisfaction (not true at all – I made this up, but I’m certain it’s a big number). Chances are that you, like me and most overachievers, have read a few of these titles hoping to find a simple set of strategies that leads to instant success. We’re all searching for our purpose, the meaning of life, and the key to happiness. The “self-improvement” industry (books/videos/seminars/courses/etc.) continues to grow rapidly and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. But, what if we already know the secret to a fulfilling life, but we (you, me and most of the people we know) are just choosing to ignore the truth? In today’s podcast, I’ll explore the idea that the best way to feel happy and content is to donate more of our resources (specifically time and money) to those who are less fortunate. In addition, I’ll introduce simple tactics for prioritizing this behavior and making charitable giving a habit.
Many years ago, I served as the chairman of the stewardship (group tasked with asking for money) committee at my church. Shortly after I took the position, I was given a list of our members and what they donated annually. I noticed that there were numerous families who donated very little and yet lived in huge homes, drove expensive cars and went on extravagant vacations. I then looked at my own giving and realized I wasn’t significantly more generous than many of these individuals. I wondered if this was the norm throughout the country or if our church was simply less charitable than everyone else. After a little research, I realized that the majority of people in the U.S. give a very small percentage (around 2%) of their annual income to non-profit organizations. In addition, only 25% of Americans volunteer their time. In today’s podcast, I look at the giving habits of most Americans and discuss why we struggle to share our resources with those who are less fortunate. In addition, I’ll explore how this behavior is affecting our happiness and satisfaction in life.
I assumed we would be able to celebrate the accomplishment for months, if not years. One of my first clients had just hit a “milestone” revenue target that we had been working towards for almost 18 months. It was the type of accomplishment that would transform the business leading to a great bottom line, healthy cash flow and a strong balance sheet. Minutes after we exchanged the obligatory “high-five”, the next thing you know, the achievement was fading in my client’s rearview mirror and he was on to the next objective. The goal that was once thought to be life changing was now just a number on a piece of paper. As a fellow overachiever, this story is probably all too familiar. It’s easy to get caught up in the belief that you will feel successful “as soon as” you make partner, win the award, buy the big house, hit a revenue target, etc. But, as you know by now, this “feeling” rarely lasts very long. In today’s podcast, I talk about the struggle to find satisfaction with the classic definition of success. I walk you through my journey to rethink this definition and introduce a completely new way to measure your accomplishments.
“I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!”
-Stuart Smalley
Positive affirmation is great! In some cases it can even help with those negative thoughts creeping around in your brain. But is that the only tactic that can help you deal with your negative thoughts?
Other strategies that work similarly to positive affirmation are:
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*Journaling*
-
Reading
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Staying busy
All of these strategies do one thing; they fight the negative thoughts. In the last few years I have found that fighting the negative thoughts only masks the unwelcomed ideas and that whatever you resist, persists.
Negative thoughts keep us from becoming the best, content, version of ourselves. This is a very important issue to unravel in order to maximize our happiness in our life.
Do you find yourself living the “what if” lifestyle? Do you go back into the past and regret something? Do you move your mindset into the future and anticipate that something will go bad? Trying to live in the current moment is the best thing you can do when your brain creates these “what ifs”.
If you are finding yourself in this “what if” lifestyle and are struggling with negative thoughts, which believe me, we all are, take it from someone who knows. I am someone who has been through it, dealt with it, read a multitude of self help books, sat through therapy and still struggle at times to cope with these thoughts.
Although, I have learned over time two valuable tactics when trying to deal with and not fight these unwanted thoughts:
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*You cannot eliminate negative thoughts*
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Don’t ignore it, recognize the thought then let it go.
Negative thoughts and suffering are a part of life. All we can do is learn about ourselves and realize how each of us can deal with these challenges.
Besides your work week, think about all the other things that take up your schedule. What activities do you take part in? What commitments do you have that suck up all the available time you have- time which could be spent on things you actually care about?
The reality is that if you're a high achiever, you will be tempted to say yes to every opportunity that comes your way. However, being a "Yes Man/Woman" eventually leads you to frustration because you stop doing the things that you actually prioritize. The simple truth is this: there's an enormous difference between your interests and your commitments.
On this episode, we reflect on what those differences are and how you can come to absolve yourself of responsibilities that take away from you achieving what you really want to do!
"To live this life. To live it with wholeness and gratitude and trust. In the pain and the glory. In the mess and the grace. In the sacred and the desperation. This is the stuff of which real superheros are born."
-Jeannette LeBlanc
The chances are that if you find an entrepreneur on the street and ask his or her advice on what is the most important thing to have in order to be successful, chances are this person will return your question with some form of the word “resilience”. Whether you’re venturing on a tech start-up from your garage, operating a construction business, or work in some form of consulting, the odds are that things won’t go smoothly for you-that’s where the true entrepreneurs are born.
Resilience or “grit” as it’s referred to by some, is the ability to look past the misfortunes and mistakes that come along with building a business. It’s the insight to keep moving when life punches you in the chin. It’s resilience that keeps someone from giving up on their idea because that person has so much conviction to be successful that absolutely nothing can stop them from reaching their goal. If things start to get tough, and they will, resilience will be the saving grace that moves the company past the dark-age and into success.
When considering the meaning of the word “resilience” and its application to entrepreneurship, I couldn’t help but to be blown away by the two examples mentioned in this week’s episode.
Oprah Winfrey, by many accounts, is the most powerful woman in show business. She’s amassed a fortune worth billions of dollars with countless products mentioning her name. Her influence on pop culture is so large that the media has created a craze called “The Oprah Effect” which basically turns and book, product, or service that she mentions into an immediate best seller. However, things weren’t always so glamourous for the television legend. Her journey into stardom was riddled with obstacles and circumstances that would have forced many others to give up had they been in her shoes. In this episode, we deconstruct the journey that led Oprah from a rural town in Mississippi into being one of the most influential women the world has ever seen.
Our second story reflects on another amazingly impressive individual-Rose Blumkin.
While not being a television star or a pop icon, “Mrs. B”, as referenced by Warren Buffett, was quite an example of resilience.
Her trip from Minsk, Belarus into America was difficult and ill-timed. Shortly after arriving into America, this 4’11” businesswoman was faced with the harsh realities of The Great Depression. While many would say that having little money, almost no ability to speak English, and living in a broken economy would be cause to hold off with starting a business, Mrs. B saw otherwise.
Both personalities mentioned in today’s episode are truly inspiring figures that point out that despite unforgiving circumstances, one can be successful. All that’s required is a little bit of resilience.
Show Notes:
What one trait do all entrepreneurs need in order to be successful? [3:20]
Oprah Winfrey- A TV Icon is born [3:45]
Our first personality was born in the 1950’s to a teenage mother in rural Mississippi [4:00]
Early experiences in life helped Oprah develop empathy for others [4:40]
“You don’t have an ability or personality to be on television” [6:15]
People are Talking with Richard Sheer [8:15]
Learning what she didn’t want to do in TV was important in shaping later career choices [8:43]
“The Oprah Winfrey Effect” [10:05]
VIDEO -Rose Blumkin – The Entrepreneur behind “The Nebraska Furniture Mart” [12:15]
“I would put her up against the top graduates and chief executives of Fortune 500” [13:50]
Bribing a Russian guard with a bottle of vodka [14:30]
Rose Blumkin’s $5 suit business launches just before The Great Depression [15:00]
The Nebraska Furniture Mart – “Sell cheap and tell the truth” [15:35]
Working 70 hour work weeks into her 90s [17:15]
“I come home to eat and sleep-that’s it.” [18:20]
Warren Buffett admits it was a mistake to not make her sign a “Non-Compete” [18:45]
Looking at successful people, see that these individuals had the biggest setbacks in most cases [20:00]
Other interesting facts we missed [23:00]
People Mentioned:
Oprah Winfrey
Rose Blumkin
In this episode: * The importance of putting in time in a relationship * How in the worst of times, our relationships become our rocks * The fruitfulness in expressing appreciation for your relationships
Sometimes unexpected events occur, and it feels like the ground is shaking. If the ground beneath us trembles just enough, we fall to our feet. When we are in this state, how are we to be caught, so that we might rise from the ground again?
It is our relationships that catch us like a safety net when we fall. This truth is reflected in Dr. Greg Sipes' wise words, "Life is only about relationships." Sometimes, you won't know the value of your contacts, friends, family and others until tragedy strikes. Before that happens, it's worth giving your appreciation and time into those whom you love. In this podcast, we reflect on our relationships and how important they are in our lives.
Think back to when you were at a major crossroads in your life. Whether you were 22, 30, 45 or so on, you had to decide to pursue one path over another: learning in the field or in the classroom. When I think about my career and how much I’ve learned over the years, I realize that it’s what I learned in the School of Hard Knocks that has been the best classroom I could ever have encountered.
Why? Two things: the utter pain of failure and the utter joy of acquiring a new skill.
Failure and skill acquisition are two keys to success. In this discussion, I argue that the best way to achieve both are through the experience you obtain while working.
In this episode: * A moment where I caught myself moaning/groaning about travel and bitching about weather * Why marketing is built to make you feel inadequate * The power of writing a thank you note * How to craft a thank you note and who to send it to
Other than Amazon, how often is it that you receive something in the mail that isn't marketing, a bill, a newspaper, or some form of advertisement?
In today's age, a gesture as simple as a 'Thank You' is not only a rarity, it's virtually nonexistent. Yet, I continually find that people are elated when they open a hand-written letter that someone took the time to mail. It's so simple that it's amazing people don't do it more.
So, the question is, what can you do with a hand-written note? Here are a few ideas...
- Lay out a letter to be sent out at the end of the week and make a deadline to send it out to someone
- Follow up after getting someone's business card
- Reach out to someone you've not spoken with in awhile
- Tell a friend why you appreciate them
- Give a client your gratitude for their business
- Stay in touch with a relative
PS-Don't EVER use computer generated "hand-written notes"
“Give me a place to stand, and a lever long enough, and I will move the world.” –Archimedes
The other day I was scrolling through my Twitter account, and saw this quote. Usually, my instinct is to scoot past these graphics, but in this case I was caught in my tracks.
As someone who could have a graduate degree in wasting money on “self-improvement” products, I feel uniquely qualified to speak on the subject. I could throw out countless examples of books, apps, software programs, seminars, eBook downloads, podcasts, tapes, CDs, videos, conferences, and webinars that ultimately led to a big goose-egg of value.
After this much experience with testing products, I’ve been able to identify a simple strategy for making your hours more effective. This week, I’ll be covering the key to leveraging your time with incredible focus.
Originally, I wanted to use the term productivity but the truth is leverage is the key word to focus on.
“How do I get more done without putting in more hours?”
We’ll cover that here today. Enjoy!
Everything seems to be better “as soon as.”
We were wired at an early age to get good grades and do we well in sports. We were told that life’s goal is to achieve--and we assume that with enough accomplishments we’d be happy. However, if, like me, you’re waiting for the “as soon as” to be today, then, you probably aren’t satisfied.
How can I best live in the moment and be grateful for what I’ve been given? How do I enjoy this journey called life? In this podcast, I talk about recognizing the “as soon as” game to be a part of who I am and to stop expecting something more “as soon as…”
I seem to have a tendency to get stuck in my own universe. If my stress levels are high, my little bubble limits my perspective to my own woes.
Sometimes, this bubble is burst when I’m temporarily exposed to the outside world and I realize that my life is not nearly as sad or stressful as I think it is in my head.
Unfortunately, this feeling can also be short-term and I can just as easily get back into my bubble. So, what are some ways we can stay mindful and full of perspective as often as we can?
In this podcast, I’m going to talk about why we get stressed out and how helping others is so effective in reducing stress. You’ll learn how you can best help others in your day-to-day schedule to reduce your own stress.
In the spring of 1997, I was hired by the global accounting and consulting firm, Arthur Andersen.
Less than a couple of hours into my first day, I was led to a small office and handed my first laptop – the magnificent, all powerful IBM ThinkPad.
This amazing machine allowed me to work anywhere I could find a place to sit. In addition, it provided me with the ability to work from home in case I didn’t get everything completed at the office.
It’s ironic that almost 20 years to the day, I now find myself advising my clients to leave their laptops at the office.
In today’s podcast, I’ll talk about the difference between activity and achievement. You’ll learn why being able to work all the time is hurting your productivity and what you can do about it.
In this episode, you'll discover: * How do you know which books to choose? * The myth of the overnight success self-help book * Books I've found interesting, awesome books gifted, and other recommendations from over the years * What to do to get the most out of your book choices
How do you find the right book for you? Let me begin by saying that I understand there's a possibility that I'm a little bit of a nerd.
When it comes to my friends, I'll gift books rather than clothes, boos, or gift cards around the holidays. I get kind of giddy when I walk into a Barnes & Noble bookstore. And, every once in awhile I'll take a Saturday afternoon to sit in a local Starbucks to catch up on my reading.
Yup. Nerd.
The truth is, with Amazon (especially Amazon Prime) getting access to great books is easier and cheaper than ever before. However, the difficulty lies within choosing the right book.
Based on zero data other than conversations from over the years, I'd say the average American reads maybe one non-fiction book a year. Which begs the questions...
What's a good book that's going to add value to your life? What's going to challenge your thinking? How do you know if it's full of crap or a book that's going to make a huge impact on your life?
This week we dive into an incredibly common question that casually pops up with clients, "Do you have any book recommendations?".
I discuss some of the more appealing reads I've found over the years and how you can apply your sensibilities to find the book that's right for you. Unfortunately, While I've yet to find the book that can change my life overnight, if you do have a recommendation, please let me know in the comment section below!
CJ
In this episode, you'll discover: * How you can take advantage of all the resources available to you * Why conferences work * How to decide which conference you should attend * What you should expect to get out of attending a conference
This week's episode: If you're like me, you're more likely to pay attention to something when you've had to do a little work for it.
So what happens when we can be voracious readers because of the quick solutions from Amazon or Audible? What happens when iTunes hosts hundreds of thousands of podcasts yearning for our listens? What happens when we're bombarded with videos, conferences, or free giveaways from coaches and mentors?
The answer...you're required to enhance your ability to discern what deserves your time, or else risk being on a wild goose chase.
In this week's episode, we discuss how we're all wired to appreciate things on a higher level when we have to work for it, how information has quickly become a commodity, and what you need to do to be confident in investing in yourself.
In this episode, you'll discover: * Terrific examples of quitting * The #1 reason why people quit their pursuits * How world-class performers use visualization to move past hurdles * How to develop an insanely passionate "why" that will lead to goal achievement
Find your personal "why" As you focus your sights on a life or career goal, it's absolutely pivotal to connect it with a powerful "why". By finding the why when we decide to do something, we're saying internally that this goal means a ton to us. We're saying that we have a sincere personal connection to the challenge we want to overcome.
It's inevitable that along the way things aren't going to go our way. In fact, we should use the notion that things WILL be hard at times in pursuit of our goal. This can serve as another as a reason for us to be very intentional with our pursuits.
In today's episode, we dive into something I've seen hundreds of times through my 13 years as an executive coach- the "AHA" moment of when clients see their "why". To this day, I still get kind of giddy when I see the neurons firing and connections being formed. At this moment, I know we've made a breakthrough in their career and life. And finally, we will dive into the power of developing a crystal clear vision and how to create your "why" in pursuing a goal.
In this episode, you'll discover: * The $1,000 Transcendental Meditation Teacher * 90's Information vs. Today's information * Free advice vs. paid advice * Why we discount information * How to make a mental switch when you want true commitment
In this episode, CJ covers buying your information versus getting it for free. Why do we take some information more seriously than others, and does it have an affect on our emotional well-being when we're trying to improve ourselves?
In this episode, you'll discover: * "Roger" with $500k salary but is still looking for answers * The Comparison Game * How our antique version of success drives you insane (and what to do about it) * 3 steps to overcome "the chase"
"There it is!" Here's a piece of advice I wish someone had given to me long ago. It would have saved years of stress, anxiety, and possibly head hair had I known about this trick.
Next time you catch yourself comparing to someone else, just say, "there it is". "There it is" is a reminder that when we catch ourselves comparing to another person, we are being 100% normal. After we break our train of thought, we recognize that we're doing this thing that makes us unhappy, and we return back to what we were doing. As crazy as it sounds, you'll start to see yourself comparing to others less and less.
This powerful mantra is so important that I still have to use it constantly.
If each day we wake up and choose to use a car rather ride a horse and buggy, we're making that decision because the car is faster, more efficient, and ultimately a happier way to get where we want to go. Just like with a car, in today's environment, we need to choose to say no to the old way of framing success or what a successful person looks like. In today's episode we're talking about refusing to adapt to an old system of thinking about success. It's a mental shift that is very subtle, and can mean the world of difference to your sanity. Enjoy!
In this episode, you'll discover: * A ridiculous commercial from over the weekend that promised overnight success * A 3-day workshop that involved hugging...and kind of worked * What if self-help products told the truth? * How to leverage your experiences to make radical changes in your life * A request from you, the listener, to hold me accountable
"Will this work for me?" That's the question running through my brain every time a new "self-improvement" product flashes across the TV. Especially in those first moments as I'm watching the 6-pack abs or veggie concoction in a blender, I'm wondering if this is finally the answer to my problems.
It seems that over the years I've continuously reached for something to work. Something new. Something interesting. Something that's finally going to turn the corner on my life to give me the rock-hard abs, the million-dollar home, or the ability to travel the world on a moment's notice. I've attended the webinars that seemed to last forever with little concrete takeaways. I've attended workshops that involved hugging strangers (like really embracing people you have NEVER met). I've bought every book Barnes & Noble has to offer on the subject. In short, I could be crowned "The King of Self-Help Suckers" if I took inventory of everything that I've tried.
Today's podcast is about facing the overwhelm of what's grasping for your attention, time, and dollars. The honest truth is that we in the self-improvement industry (myself included) need to be mindful of over-promising. We need to do better. We need to make your life easier with our products, rather than creating an illusion that our solutions are the cure-all for your problems.
More importantly though, this episode is about the critical choice you make when something sounds too good to be true. Enjoy!
In this episode, you'll discover: * Signs that you're playing in "The Comparison Game" * How to reduce the urge to compare your situation to others * The strategy to begin to feel content AND keep a winning edge
If you walk into a room and immediately size up others, you're likely an unknowing participant in something called, "The Comparison Game".
Especially, with workaholics and business professional types, we tend to be critical of others, but it's root is from being critical of ourselves. We promise ourselves that we'll feel better, "As soon as...", but that day never comes.
So, how can you begin to remedy it? The answer is surprisingly simple.
In this episode, you’ll discover: * What's the trick to making resolutions sticky? * How to navigate through all the self-help clutter in the marketplace (Good God, there's a ton) * A powerful tip to building positive habits and not being discouraged when you mess up
There's no shortage of self-improvement advice out there-waiting to take over each new year.
Especially during this time of the year, the weight-loss books fly off the shelves, the gyms are packed, people feel a jolt of energy to make the next 12-months better than the last. But, what happens when the jolt wears off?
Don't get me wrong, resolutions are awesome. They provide a focus on a goal and recalibrate millions each year. Except one thing, these goals usually fall to the wayside quickly after the holidays pass.
What can we do to make our resolutions stick? We cover that in this episode.
In this episode, you’ll discover: * Her discovery of Zen through D.T. Suzuki in the midst of severe depression * Strategies to cope with and reduce onslaughts of anxiety and stress * The traits that keep overachievers from reaching their full potential * Steps to take if you're interested in Zen * Accepting dissatisfaction as a process * The fast-track to turning your life around through Recording and Listening
Background on Cheri: Having a conversation with Cheri Huber (@cherihuber) is kind of like having a conversation with your best friend. She has this unique skill of making you feel at peace with yourself as you talk to her, so it's no wonder that her life has led to her being an expert on helping others become at peace with themselves.
With so many professionals finding themselves looking for different approaches to cope with the stresses of being an overachiever, Cheri has an extremely important message to offer.
If you're unfamiliar with her work, Cheri is a meditation instructor and has been student of the spiritual practice Zen for over 35 years. She was brought up in the San Francisco Bay area and studied Zen under the direction of Jay DuPont. After this period, she sought to have an impact on more people's lives and then opened the Mountain View Zen Center in 1983.
As an author, she's been extremely busy. With 20 books to her name, including There Is Nothing Wrong With You: Going Beyond Self Hate, The Fear Book: Facing Fear Once and For All, and Be The Person You Want To Find: Relationship and Self-Discovery, Cheri writes on the subjects of Zen, overcoming fear, and living with self-awareness.
Cheri also has her own weekly internet radio show, Open Air, where she openly discusses the practice of conscious, compassionate awareness.
Her latest book, The Big Bamboozle, reveals why we stay in dissatisfaction and obstacles that keep us from being happy and being joyful. The book is based off of Buddha’s teachings, and gives you answers to everyday questions you think about in your own life and your happiness.
When a new year comes to a close, many of us take this as an opportunity to reflect on achievements and tie up loose ends on projects. We get a chance to look at things we wish we had finished (or hadn't started) and make it a goal to focus on that project for the upcoming year.
Recently, I ran into one of my past clients and was reminded of one of the best interviews we conducted throughout the 2015/2016 season.
In this episode we interviewed Jeb Banner and discussed the impact of having great company culture within organizations.
To what degree can a kick-ass company culture impact your organization? The answer may surprise you.
In this episode you'll discover: * How to use your HR as a marketing tool * How to install a "Factory Week" in your schedule and use it to address new projects and tie loose knots * The value of letting employees "play" while in their work * Why you should treat your team like well-fed chickens
Timeline of Conversation Jeb dives into his first business and his crash course into web marketing [1:35]
How he fell in love with building websites and figuring out how to drive traffic to them [4:00]
Jeb shares how to build a strong organizational culture through marketing [5:30]
Caring deeply about clients more than caring about customers [9:00]
“Factory Week” is and why every company should host one annually [10:45]
How to handle new initiatives with employees [15:00]
The concept of turning work into play [16:00]
Seeing their business as healers and servants of client organizations [20:00]
This week our topic involves....WORK EMAILS!
Email is the biggest cause for work related stress because:
- It creates uninmportant distractions
- It starts unneeded anxiety because you're not sure how to get all the work done in the time available
- It creates a reason to work over the weekend
- It distracts you from the current moment when you're on vacation or with family
- It gives a quick dose of "I got something done" when you're procrastinating something else
In this episode, we cover a couple very simple practices when managing your inbox.
After you've had a chance to listen, I'd love to hear from you.
- How did it go?
- What did you end up doing to controlling your email overload?
To your journey,
CJ
Sure, open office layouts are great for collaboration.
But, have you ever had the one person in your office who overshares their every life story?
They're pretty easy to spot once you know what to look for. This person usually chit-chats about the latest episode of Game of Thrones, their kid's basketball game, or a way too personal medical issue.
HOWEVER, sometimes the distraction is not so easy to spot. Usually, this person says something along the lines of, "Do you have a minute?".
While very sneaky, this person is a distraction in disguise.
The thing is, these open office spaces are killing your productivity! They welcome people to interrupt your work at all points of the day. So then, you're left feeling like you need to take your work home with you.
I don't want that for you and I'm sure you don't either, so today's episode covers how to deal with an open office littered with distractions and distractors in disguise.
To your journey,
CJ
Look at your commitments today......this week....or even something that you'll be needing to do at some point this year...
If you could clear one thing from your calendar-what would it be? It could be a neighborhood association, a holiday party, a class, a committee , or even an event for your kid's school.
Whatever you choose, you must pick one. That's all.
The goal today isn't to make you less involved in the lives around you. In fact, what today's episode is about is completely in the opposite direction.
The goal is to recognize that you can't say yes to everything thrown at you AND do a good job with the commitments that absolutely need your time.
What I've come to recognize is that we will compromise the outcome of things we really want to focus on for the future so we don't disappoint someone in the present. This ends up yielding mediocre results.
So, today I will give you one simple action to take so simplify your life.
Once you've taken the action, I'd love to hear what you did. Leave a comment in the notes section telling me what your action was. To your journey,
CJ
What do you not like to do each day that you should get done first thing? To phrase the same question another way...
What is outside your comfort zone and you hate thinking about? These questions have fascinated me for years. They are the root of why we continually kick the can down the road on tasks.
Maybe it's because we're perfectionists. Maybe it's because we know the task won't be fun and won't provide any immediate benefit.
So the question is...
Since we all have a tendency to procrastinate, what's the best way to conquer it?
In this week's episode, I tackle two separate tricks you can use today to overcome your procrastination tendencies.
From a Jack LaLanne Juicer to slightly used camping gear, this week we discuss regretful buys.
Today's show is for those who tend to forget things. If you've ever awoken at night thinking about if you've forgotten something you promised to do-listen to this week's show.
In this mini-episode, I'll share how I prevent from forgetting my to-dos.
After listening, you can add this strategy to your day immediately so you never forget anything again! Enjoy!
In this Episode You'll Hear Answers to Questions Like: * How do you find creative solutions to big problems? * What process do you go through to implement a successful company succession plan? * How can you make team members so happy they won't want to leave? * Why do employee owned companies thrive?
Background Some people ask me if entrepreneurs are born or made – the nurture/nature debate. My answer has always been the same, you can have a predisposition to handle some of the challenges better than others, but fundamentally, entrepreneurs are made over time.
This couldn’t be any truer than in the case of our guest today, Bernie Veldman the CEO and founder of the Midwest Orthotic and Technology Center. Bernie was surrounded by successful entrepreneur’s his entire life and you can tell that this exposure helped him develop a passion for small business. In addition, Bernie paid close attention to everything he learned and took full advantage of this education.
In addition to learning a lot about what it takes to build a successful company, you’ll love Bernie’s humble approach and grateful attitude towards the opportunities he’s had in his life. He recognizes that his success is a product of hard work, surrounding yourself with great people and making sure they love their job.
Enjoy!
Links: SureStep
Midwest Orthotics
“Employees are now the owners at South Bend”
Employee Stock Ownership Plan
“Team of Teams” By General Stanley McChrystal
“Mastering the Rockefeller Habits” By Vern Harnish
“Atlas Shrugged” By Ayn Rand
In this episode, you’ll discover: * How language perpetuates stigmas about mental healthy * Why mental disorders and physical diseases are similar and can lead to the same outcome * Why sharing and communicating experiences of mental diseases empowers those suffering from mental illnesses * Jacob's groundbreaking organization, NoStigmas.org * The importance of listening to and supporting those in need of help
Background:
This week, we are joined by filmmaker, public speaker, and founder of NoStigmas.org-- a social movement for mental health equality, Jacob Moore.
Imagine for a minute that you manage a staff of professionals. One day you get an email from an important member of your team who says that they won’t be in today because their feeling anxious or depressed.
What would you say?
That’s why I reached out to today’s guest – Jacob Moore. About 5 years ago Jacob started an amazing non-profit called NoStigmas which is committed to building a network of compassionate, educated and inspired individuals that share a common goal of eliminating stigmas about mental health.
We had an open and honest conversation about mental health the challenges it causes millions of people around the world. More importantly – Jacob provides us with some great insight into what we can do to help eradicate this stigma in our schools and workplace.
Links: Connect with Jacob Website | Facebook | Twitter
NoStigmas Website