Best Seller Podcast

On this episode of Best Seller TV, author Brady Brim-DeForest joins host Taryn Winter Brill to discuss his groundbreaking book, Smaller is Better: Using Small Autonomous Teams to Drive the Future of Enterprise. Brady shares his invaluable insights into revolutionizing organizational structures to thrive in the modern business landscape.   Brady dives into a theme of his book: the imperative of removing complexity from organizations to foster innovation and agility. With compelling anecdotes and real-world examples, he demonstrates how embracing simplicity can unlock untapped potential and drive sustainable growth. Throughout the episode, Brady emphasizes that "Smaller is Better" isn't just theory—it's a practical guide for leaders seeking tangible results. From streamlining decision-making processes to empowering teams with autonomy, the book offers actionable strategies for navigating the complexities of modern business environments.   One of the most compelling aspects of Brady's approach is its scalability. Whether it's a team of 20 or 2,000, the concepts outlined in the book are universally applicable, providing a blueprint for success across organizations of all sizes. Moreover, Brady sheds light on how the small team model advocated in his book is uniquely suited for the AI revolution. By fostering collaboration, creativity, and adaptability, small autonomous teams are poised to leverage the power of artificial intelligence to drive innovation and stay ahead of the curve. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Best Seller TV, Mark Schulman co-author of The Attitude Equation: The Definitive Formula For Exceptional Life Outcomes sits down host Taryn Winter Brill to discuss the rockstar attitude and how shifting your attitude can lead to positive changes in your life. Schulman who is best known for his drumming talents and has toured for 32 years with acts such as PINK, Cher, Beyonce, and Billy Idol has now quit touring and turned his focus to speaking. He realized his stories were resonating with people more than his drum playing so he found his passion to share the philosophies he created and co-created to turn them into a speaking and writing career. The Attitude Equation is a compilation of stories from top performers in their industries and is based on the concept that Dr. Jim Samuels, co-author and mentor of Schulman's, created and that Mark has been the “conduit” to share it with others. The book focuses on the equation of A x B = C or “Attitude times Behavior equals Consequence”.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Best Seller TV, Amanda Holmes co-author of the revised and updated version of The Ultimate Sales Machine: Turbocharge Your Business with Relentless Focus on 12 Key Strategies sits down with host Taryn Winter Brill to discuss the latest version of the book. The original book was published 15 years ago by her father Chet Holmes. As Amanda details, Chet Holmes was a self-made man who had a system for how businesses can double their sales which became the book The Ultimate Sales Machine and explains how his methodology contains timeless and proven strategies that just needed a little updating and refreshing for the changing business environment. After her father passed away Amanda inherited his company at the age of 24 and at this time, she had no formal training and had to dive into study and learn her dad's book and methodology. Within the first year she stepped in as CEO the company increased their marketing reach by 1146% and doubled their clients in different divisions multiple years in a row.    The revised and updated version of The Ultimate Sales Machine took four years to complete. Amanda talks about her why for updating and revising the book now which is in Chapter 13 and came out of the last few months of being in the hospital room with her dad and wanting to give him “the encore he could never give” focusing on how to live a rich and full life. She discusses how she found a letter from her dad where he talked about how he generated more wealth in six months than in the last eight years combined, Amanda calls this strategy “something very special” and says, “you will have to read the book to find out”. The strategies in the book that may seem outdated but as Amanda explains can really be applied to today's world and just needed some updating to make them relatable. She kept what was most important but some of the other things needed some refreshing and her words are sprinkled throughout the book. She is coming from a belief that “we can double our sales while also cutting our stress in half if we just get focused, if we get clear, and if our intention is right”. Amanda also talks about what her father would be most surprised about in the book, how Chapter 7 needed to be completely rewritten, and the emotional digital foreword she recorded for her dad. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Best Seller TV, author Dr. Kourosh Maddahi, sits down with host Taryn Winter Brill to discuss his book The Toxic Overload: The Truth About Your Body's Natural Defenses and How to Experience Whole Body Health. Dr. Maddahi had the impetus of writing this, his third book, when COVID began. He had amassed considerable research and decided to put pen to paper. The genesis of the book goes back to his keen interest on how the body responds to diseases and infections, to answer the question of how has humanity survived for thousands of years without modern medicine. As a practicing dentist for over three decades, he said that dental research has focused heavily on killing bacteria, but there's a flaw with that theory. He claims that seventy years of research is wrong and, “What we need to do is we need to not kill bacteria but rather neutralize the toxins of bad bacteria.” The book focuses on rethinking what we know about inflammation, disease, and bacteria. Dr. Maddahi argues that there is no “safe and effective” product in the market right now that prevents the killing of good bacteria. Dr. Maddahi cites thirty years of research that shows a correlation between heart disease, diabetes, kidney problems, and other health problems, and gum health. Whatever happens in your mouth affects the rest of your body, he reasons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Best Seller TV, author Chris Heller sits down with host Taryn Winter Brill to discuss his book “Dominant Thoughts: Things Grow Where Our Minds Go.” Heller wrote this book with Greg S. Reid after both of them were guests on a podcast. Soon after the interview, they decided to collaborate on this book – which took about a year to complete. Heller describes the book as a “business parable” inspired by books that left an indelible mark on him throughout life. The book features two main characters, Nick and John – one is a successful business owner who sold his business and the second character is a younger person he decides to mentor. Each book chapter has a theme woven into the story – each with a dominant thought. That same thought is what Heller wanted readers to come away with after each chapter. He adds that while the stories and ideas in the book are very personal, the story itself is fictional. Heller wrote the book geared towards the up-and-coming entrepreneurs. Those in the 22-31 age group and for anyone starting out. However, it is also relatable to anyone currently in business, sales, or is an entrepreneur. Everyone, regardless of career status, will get value out of the book. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Best Seller TV, author Deanna Singh sits down with host Taryn Winter Brill to discuss her book “Actions Speak Louder: A Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming an Inclusive Workplace.” Singh is known as a Chief Change Agent which reflects her belief that everyone has the ability to – not just make change, but create positive change. Singh believes that her “purpose is to shift power to marginalized communities” and her books are a reflection of the work she does and the different ways in which she's accomplished that. She adds, that the idea that if we're doing things that allow for more people to show up, and do so fully, we can all create and build things to make the world a better place.    Singh also recalls that she wrote the book due in part to the massive response she received about wanting to build an inclusive workplace but did not feel like they knew how to accomplish that. The book is more than a roadmap, it's a step-by-step guide to create and make a more inclusive workplace where everyone can show up as their whole, and true, selves. There was an old adage that when people came to work, they left their families, communities, and other components of their social identity behind. However, Singh argues, the shift that has taken place in today's work environment is not brand new. She says that people should be able to show up for work as their true selves not having to wear a mask in order to conform to preconceived norms to be successful.   To write this book, Singh brought together history, sociology, and theoretical parts – all blended into practical and actionable steps, ready to be immediately implemented to today's changing landscape. There are also plenty of personal anecdotes that proved crucial to weaving the narrative and making it all come together. Singh also cautions that there has to be a genuine approach to becoming more inclusive, otherwise, no progress will be made. She adds, “DEI in the charity bucket is not sustainable.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Best Seller TV, author Jeremy Boerger sits down with host Taryn Winter Brill to discuss his book “Rethinking Information Technology Asset Management”. Boerger begins by identifying, in layman's terms, what information technology asset management – or ITAM, is. He said ITAM is “a segment inside service management that deals with getting the most value out of your hardware, software, server, systems necessary for modern businesses to function.”      Asset management at its core is trying to fight a two-front fight – spending money on IT vs lowering costs. Nowadays, it's hard to imagine any business existing without an IT infrastructure in place; however, that doesn't mean businesses should spend money frivolously. Boerger argues that we spend money on cybersecurity tools, photo production tools and even telecommunications, but do we stop to ask what is our ROI? Is there a better way to spend our dollars? Perhaps on employees, salaries and stock returns?     This is where the ‘rethinking' part comes into play. Boerger explains that according to a 2016 Gartner article, medium-to-large organizations can lower their software spending by about one-third. That can be accomplished with three things:    Recycling already purchased licenses instead of buying more Ensuring the software features being bought line up with the work that's being done Having a system in place that measures how the work is being done so you don't get penalized by software publishers conducting software audits   However, there are other ‘flaws' that plague the industry, such as having two main operating methodologies: transactional and accountancy. Boerger describes the first as “nothing happens without a receipt” and the latter as “comparing what's on the left hand side of the ledger with what's on the right side of the ledger.” In the book, he describes a third methodology to be used – epistemology. Boerger argues that asset management is an exercise in epistemology, which he defines as the study of learning.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Best Seller TV, Scott Miller, author of “Media Matters: How to Leverage the Media to Grow Your Business.”   sits down with host Taryn Winter Brill to discuss his new book. As someone who has been fully immersed in media for over two decades, Scott Miller wrote the book because along the way he discovered how people are always interested in media, but don't necessarily know how it all works. He says, “There's more content available today than in the history of mankind.”    The objective of the book is to unpack all of the necessary information so business owners can walk away with the necessary knowledge to make smart decisions with their marketing dollars. They will also come away with a clearer picture about the demographics they are trying to reach with their money. He adds that each book chapter is comprised of a particular part of the media with all its terminologies to familiarize readers with what it all means and how that impacts businesses.   Miller is surprised by the number of businesses that don't take the time to look at the Google analytics available to them. He claims this is one of the biggest mistakes businesses make. The other is thinking media is going to happen overnight. Media, he says, it's about frequency and consistency. Media is also about content and having a sound content marketing strategy. Miller says, “Every business is a media company today.” He continues to say that every entity should be thinking about the type of content they create – whether it's written, videos, or podcast. However, the content created needs to add value to your business (and customer). Value also adds trust and credibility and makes you a thought leader within your industry.    In the end, media is not a race, it's more of a long-term process. And the sooner business leaders understand how to better reach their audience, the more their businesses will thrive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Best Seller TV, Scott Conant, author of Peace, Love, and Pasta: Simple and Elegant Recipes From a Chef's Own Kitchen sits down with host Taryn Winter Brill to discuss his fourth book which is his most personal to date. He wrote the book as a direct result of the question he is asked most often by fans and people he encounters: “what do you cook at home?” The book is meant to show a variety of delicious ingredients, things his kids and wife love to eat, and also to show that not everything is about caviar or truffles. It also shows the evolution of his career. Conant recalls how the first twenty years of his career weren't the easiest. At the time, he did not get paid for months on end, which gave him the opportunity to focus on his craft. Despite all the complexities and challenges of the time, those gave way to the simplicity he currently enjoys. He explains that “There's a new appreciation for simplicity the older you get.” Simple relationships and the simplicity of life are the ultimate luxury, Conant muses. Despite the difficulties faced, Conant was not in the profession for the money. What was most important to him was being able to cook the type of food he wanted. This book is a balance of the ‘then' as well as the ‘now' – an evolution of sorts of over three decades as a chef. Conant wanted to achieve that balance – not just with the timeline, but with the types of recipes, he included in the book. He did not want the recipes to be fancy, but “craveable.” He adds, “It's touching being part of someone's dinner table at home.” Conant tested all the recipes from the book on his kids – especially his youngest daughter, who he describes as an “incredibly picky” eater. Both his daughters, he says, are tougher critics than the New York Times and he describes their opinions of his food as “humbling.” In this episode, he divulges one of his favorite recipes in the book, which happens to be one of his classic dishes, and what his ‘grand slam' recipe is. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Best Seller TV, host Taryn Winter Brill sits down with Bill Humbert, author of Expect Success: The Science of the Over 50 Career Search. Humbert's extensive career has led him to the realization that many job applicants are going about their job search the wrong way. His four decades of experience – twenty-six of those years coaching professionals on how to find their next career – gives him the credibility and expertise needed to help many figure out the ‘science' behind it all.    Humbert says there are four types of ‘science' that most are unaware exist during their job search. Those are: mathematics, computer science, psychology, and sociology. Mathematics is applied because there are algorithms at play as well as salary negotiations, computer science involves artificial intelligence (AI), psychology pertains to what both the candidate and the manager are thinking and feeling, and sociology takes care of determining if the candidate is a good fit, culturally, for the company.     Humbert reiterates that “HR is not your friend” and that candidates need to network their way in. He continues to say that only eight percent of jobs are filled through online postings, while seventy-five (or seventy-six) percent of jobs are filled by networking. He also reveals the trap that most job seekers fall into and that is the ‘marketing' done by sites like Indeed or LinkedIn. That'll make people “post and pray” they get a call for an interview when what they should do is use those sites to find the job, then go around them, network, find the managers, and talk to them. The book is a ‘101' for anyone who may be a bit rusty writing resumes and feeling overwhelmed by the many changes taking place in the job search market. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Deepak Chopra, author of Abundance: The Inner Path to Wealth, sits down with host, Taryn Winter Brill to talk about his latest book which is about the seven levels of fulfillment, money being one of them. The “wealth” described involves material, emotional, spiritual, and relationship wealth and the combination of all areas is what creates a sense of well-being. Throughout the book, there is a constant connection between wealth and yoga. Chopra argues that yoga has four goals – money, pleasure, purpose, and freedom, all of which also relate to money. As a long-time yoga scholar, he says that if you connect with yourself, you have infinite creativity, abundance, and are capable of finding opportunities even in the midst of distress. Chopra says the book took root in a Bob Marley lyric at the beginning of the pandemic, “some people are so poor, all they have is money.” That resonated with him and made him examine all the wealthy people he knew and how many did not feel safe and secure in their current environment despite having plenty of financial wealth. Money is the biggest source of stress for most people because “they spend money they haven't earned, to buy things that they don't need, to impress people they don't like.” Chopra explains how the key to wealth is being in your ‘dharma' – which stands for meaning, purpose, and passion. He adds that people will know when they're ‘on target' when they get a PHD: Passion, Hunger, and Drive. During this interview, the best-selling author also delves into the formula for happiness, why “abundance is a state of awareness,” the two choices we make every single day, and whether our personalities are shaped by nature or nurture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Westfall, author of Easier: 60 Ways to Make Your Work Life Work for You recalls that this book wasn't one that he set out to write, but one that he felt he needed to write. Throughout his career as a coach and consultant, he wanted this book to reflect the evolution of what he was seeing in the workplace and what his clients were experiencing as well. The book is a reflection of his experience coaching others as well as being coached in today's corporate world. He emphasizes the book is a dialogue between an incredibly frustrated client and a coach. The client is fed up with his current job and is looking to find the courage to quit, so he hires a coach to help with that situation. What the client doesn't realize is that in five days, he will be fired. Being fired is what Westfall refers to as a “life after career death story.”   Westfall wants others to see themselves in the story and see new possibilities, even after experiencing the ultimate (career) low. He wrote the book from a place of service and to make people realize that possibilities exist even when the road is paved with obstacles. Westfall's focus was writing a book that felt organic to the current climate. In fact, he made a pact with himself that the only stories that would be included in the book would be those that fit the narrative organically. That, to him, is what being authentic is all about. He also wanted to dispel the myth that people don't have to go at it alone, arguing that entrepreneurs tend to fall into that trap. In the end, “Anything of value involves other people.” Watch the episode: https://c-suitenetwork.com/tv/video/chris-westfall-easier/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Peter Margaritis, CSP, author of Off Scr!pt: Mastering the Art of Business Improv, tried his hand at improv in graduate school and, by his own accounts, he wasn't “very funny.” However, he realized that improv can become a very powerful, and useful, leadership tool. Margaritis says that improv changed his life, his business, and his way of being. He hopes it helps others realize that improv isn't about being funny, but it's a great leadership tool to develop in today's business landscape. In the book, Margaritis writes about the ‘seven foundations of improv' which starts with a foundation of “respect, trust, and support.” He adds that as long as people trust those who they work with – and they trust you, you must continue to cultivate that trust. Also, leaders should be doing everything in their power to support their teams with the right skills and tools to succeed, but if any of the three elements is missing, everything crumbles. There is one key feature, or the glue “that holds it all together.” Those two words are “yes…and.” Margaritis says that “yes/and is about agreement but not always agreeing. It's about empathy, collaboration, leaving your ego behind, and making it about your team.” Margaritis says people should learn to “listen to understand, not listen to respond” because “the business that we're all in is the people business, first and foremost.” Without people we have no business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elijah Stacy, author of A Small If: The Inspiring Story of a Story of a 17-Year-Old with a Fatal Disease and A Mission To Cure It began writing his book at the age of 16 to show people how they can overcome their adversity and develop better mindsets. Despite his Duchenne muscular dystrophy disease diagnosis, he maintains a positive mindset and he says that the “small If” from his book comes from something his doctor told him when he was faced with the prospect of spinal surgery to correct his scoliosis. He adds that when you're in a wheelchair, people often think you can't do something, which motivates him to prove them wrong.    Stacy says that writing the book made him learn so much about himself. This book will also help anyone dealing with adversity to become more resilient, more hopeful, inspired and motivated to live more fulfilling lives and push themselves towards greatness. The book includes 13 life lessons he has learned through his diagnosis including improving his self-image. Stacy says that one of the major lessons he learned was how it was possible to see himself as a smart, confident individual capable of doing great things and not as a disabled person. His tough mental attitude can be credited to his parents. He adds, “I just don't see the logic in being pessimistic. I see the logic in being a realist but I also see the logic in being an optimist because optimism leads to things being innovative, being accomplished…which is super important.”    His optimism is contagious, despite being diagnosed with a fatal disease that has a life expectancy of 25 years. Stacy adds that “Every adversity is an opportunity to improve your character and be a stronger person.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Best Seller TV Tom Fox, author of The Compliance Handbook: A Guide to Operationalizing Your Compliance Program, Second Edition, addresses what best practices can be put in place for companies to run more efficiently and generate more profits. Fox, who began working in the compliance industry in 2007, was a lawyer by trade but felt compelled to switch careers because he saw an opportunity to help make a difference and help corporations be more efficient. Fox says the United Nations estimates that $3 trillion is lost annually to corruption. He saw the opportunity to help corporations build first-class best practice compliance programs by complying with the law and run the business side a lot smoother. He defines compliance as setting up systems, processes, and procedures that comply with law and/or regulation. With laws constantly changing, Fox wrote the second edition of the book to instruct readers on the latest compliance laws that might affect them on a regular basis. Since his first edition in 2018, there has been a 40 percent change in laws, especially after the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) and the Department of Justice made significant changes to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The pandemic also helped exacerbate many more changes. Fox says the book is for a wide variety of readers, starting with compliance professionals, laying out a blueprint on how to build world-class compliance programs or enhance currently existing programs. The book is also for c-suite and senior executives to help educate them on the benefits of compliance and how to stay out of trouble. The compliance industry has evolved significantly in the last decade or so. Fox adds that right now, the industry is more data-driven and, “When you have data, you can actually improve business efficiency.” He continues to say that the backbone of compliance is internal controls, which are financial controls but are not often called that. If you look at them from a compliance perspective and tweak them enough to have both controls, you can make enough headroom in making a company run more efficiently, leading to greater profitability. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Best Seller TV, Steve Lishansky, author of Leadership Starts Here, sits down with host Taryn Winter Brill to discuss the topic of leadership. As someone who has spent almost three decades coaching others on what it takes to be a great leader, Lishansky says he's often met with silence when he asks the following question: “where does leadership start?” He explains that “leadership starts with the decisions we make.” Another question he often asks that is met with silence is, “What is your decision-making process?” Lishansky states that it's crucial that people understand the decision-making process from an early stage and that every leader needs to have a full grasp, control, and understanding of that process to use it effectively. He defines leadership as “creating a powerful future that's compelling in the present and utilizes our greatest talents, capabilities, and resources to produce meaningful and valuable results.” Lishansky also cautions that if people are unable to define what leadership means to them, then it becomes difficult to develop. The book's title is meant to be a starting point for the type of leadership you're looking to achieve. Lishansky says that “where you start is a predisposition of where you end up.” While he also describes leadership as a “fundamental human capacity,” great leadership is what maintains a company's velocity, acceleration, and elevation. Great leadership is what sustains success. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The episode of Best Seller TV features David Black, author of Ripped Apart: Living Misdiagnosed. Gary and Carol Stern's Epic Fight Against Malpractice in the American Healthcare System as well as Carol Stern, one of the book's protagonists, and her story of perseverance. We all understand the U.S. healthcare system is a complicated, bureaucratic institution. While there are plenty of good stories to tell, this one isn't. Ripped Apart: Living Misdiagnosed is a four-year journey where Black goes into excruciating detail telling the story of Gary and Carol Stern and the abject failure of the healthcare system. Gary Stern spent three years with his internal organs outside of his body – however, Black thinks of the book as a love story. A story of a dedicated wife who advocated for her husband, fought one of the largest industries and even the White House. Black states that the “healthcare system is incoherent” and “schizophrenic.” On the one hand, it's meant to heal the sick, while on the other hand, it's a highly bureaucratic entity and those two things don't go together. He says one-way patients (and their loved ones) can better protect themselves from medical errors is to ask questions. “Keep asking questions until you get an answer you can understand,” he urges. Once patients do that, they will be better equipped to make better judgments about their own healthcare. This book is for everyone, or anyone, who has had to navigate the healthcare system and become an advocate to those who need one. Stern emphasizes that notoriety is not the ultimate goal for her, but she hopes that her story changes what patients go through that could lead to malpractice and for medical professionals to admit their mistakes sooner too and; hopefully, offer better treatment options. As a long-time writer for television, and other books, Black says there are only three types of stories in the world: writer against something larger (fate, God, nature), people and other people, and person up (or against) his/herself. This story touched all three categories, making it an incredibly descriptive project, rather than merely a superficial one. Stern advises people to push the envelope if they don't feel they're getting the right answer and listen to what the patient is saying as no one knows their bodies better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dave Ferguson, author of Boss or Leader: Are You Leading for a Living or Living to Lead?, feels corporate America has always been full of ‘bosses,' partly because society has elevated them as something we should all achieve as professionals. While there's nothing wrong with being a boss, and there are plenty of good bosses, there's a distinct difference between being a boss and being a leader. According to Ferguson, the main difference is that bosses value productivity, accomplishments, and tasks; whereas leaders value people. The latter believe that if the people feel valued, the results will come. The main focus of a boss is the productivity, or the bottom line, Ferguson says that, “When you work for someone like that, every day's a Monday.” He argues that while most people go to work for a paycheck, being mentored by a leader opens things up – the vision gets bigger, we see ourselves doing bigger things, we're not being micromanaged, and there's freedom to ‘mess up.' Ferguson says the book is for everyone – from seasoned leaders to teens, and anyone looking to make a transition between the two roles. He adds, “If you value people, leadership should be your thing.” The book is an easy-to-read resource guide meant to make us ask difficult questions once we're done reading it. Ferguson indicates that, “A leader's main job is to develop more leaders, not producing results.” He also adds that people can become bossy when they have a lot of responsibility, don't know how to handle it, and don't allow themselves to be humbled by it. Ferguson cautions that while bosses value winning more, sometimes the people pay the price and that can lead to high turnover rates. He adds, “Not everyone wants to be driven, they want to be led.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all have meetings; in fact, it seems that sometimes we have meetings just to have meetings. Jon Petz, author of Boring Meetings Suck: Get More Out Of Your Meetings, or Get Out Of More Meetings, wrote the book to empower both organizers and attendees on how to run meetings effectively without them become “soul-sucking” and tedious. As a resource book, Petz tackles the functionality of hybrid meetings – currently taking place all over the world. He says, “Hybrid is what everything is about now today. How do we have a truly functional, hybrid meeting?” Petz is an advocate of getting people engaged and gaining time back, but how can we get that accomplished? He says by getting people in and out of meetings quicker by running them efficiently and effectively, with clear outcomes. When everyone comes out with a clear understanding of what needs to be accomplished, that can be categorized as a productive meeting. This is one way where people can get their ‘real job' done – not at night or on weekends. The book aims to put the power in the hands of meeting participants – those who don't control or set up the meeting, with what he calls SRDs: Suckification Reduction Devices. Those are quick tips and nuggets designed to run meetings differently where people feel empowered to excuse themselves and go about their business without being disrespectful or disruptive. He says the biggest mistake meeting organizers make is that there's no outcome statement, despite having an agenda. People often say they don't know what they're coming in to, what they're hoping to accomplish and what they're walking out with. Petz goes on to discuss the different types of meetings, but his favorite is “Two and out” meetings. He states that concept derives from the popular ESPN show, “Pardon The Interruption” (PTI) where participants have two minutes to explain their point, while another person keeps time. With ground rules set beforehand, everyone's on an even playing field, this method teaches people to be succinct when they share data, keeps them focused on the task at hand, and away from tangents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Human trafficking happens everywhere. Here in the United States, it is most prevalent in states like Texas, California, Florida, and New York. As Mitzi Perdue, author of How Can I Make A Difference? 52 Tips for Combating Human Trafficking, says, it happens in big cities “where the money is.” This problem has garnered the attention of leaders worldwide, even involving the United Nations as it's a $150 billion industry. The United Nations estimates 40 million people around the world are enslaved and their goal is eliminate this problem by 2030. While that is an ambitious goal, Perdue wrote the book for the purpose of not only highlighting the gravity of the problem, but to let people know there is hope and that anyone can make a difference. She is a writer by trade, having published over two dozen books and multiple articles. For this book, she interviewed heads of anti-trafficking organizations and collected personal narratives from trafficking survivors. The book is a quick, easy read to capture the readers' interest and fit shorter attention spans. There are 52 tips, one for each week of the year. Perdue says that we all have the ability to recognize the signs of human trafficking, she cautions people not to interfere directly as it's a dangerous endeavor. She encourages everyone to dial 911 if there's immediate danger or the Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ron Karr, author of The Velocity Mindset: How Leaders Eliminate Resistance, Gain Buy-in, and Achieve Better Results – Faster, encourages the reader to examine what “velocity” means to them. While the word that comes to mind for many is “speed,” he cautions that “If that's all we have, then we get burned out.” Velocity is, as defined by physics, ‘speed with direction.' In business terms, this relates to when people aren't really grounded on the purpose they're trying to achieve. As a result, they get involved in tasks that don't make sense and are not purpose-driven. Karr warns that it's critical to have a clear vision of what our purpose is in order to succeed. The book also examines the premise that anyone who sells or influences needs to be a leader. He adds, “People want to deal with people who are leading through a difficult decision. They don't want to be sold to.” Karr points out that one of the biggest mistakes leaders make is they focus solely on speed and not necessarily in the direction. In the book, he introduces the concept of a “clean piece of paper,” which refers to people concentrating on what needs to happen in the future without clearing their own biases of things that happened in the past. Karr states, when people “allow the past to dictate what they think is possible, and not possible, all they do is recreate the past.” Those past experiences are what hold us back, he adds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People have a fascination with magic, often asking ‘how did you do that?' That is one reason Jon Petz, author of Significance in Simple Moments, incorporates a magic trick or two into all his presentations. This key engagement tactic helps tell a story and illustrate a point. It also plays into the sales leadership concept he tries to convey, culminating in ROI – return on investment. Petz includes magic in his events and it's what he calls, “the perfect trifecta.” He adds, there's always the business strategy of it, there's always the inspirational aspect, but we can laugh and have a good time at the same time. People are fascinated by the surprise element of magic, by the delight and the unexpected. That translated to business with two simple questions: ‘how did you do it?' and ‘how can we get people to say that about what you do?' This is Petz's fourth book that didn't start out as a business book. It's an unintentional journey into becoming a ‘customer service, business, and leadership' category began as a passion project for him. This book takes strides in impacting people on how they look at what they do, why they do it, and how they do it. The book focuses on human connections and the importance of learning to recognize the many significant moments that happen all around us. Petz says the book pays close attention to the word, “just.” Often times people think they're “just” something – an accountant, a worker, a manager; however, they fail to realize the impact they have on others. In business, leaders often seek out relationships to conquer in order to succeed. But, mutually beneficial long-term relationships are not something to be conquered. In fact, they are a cluster of simple moments that are significant to the people we serve. How can we identify those moments and deliver them as leaders? By being aware. We learn to recognize those key moments by taking a step back and look at specific situations from a different perspective, relieving ourselves from old habits and thoughts and processes. Despite the many realizations we may encounter along the way, Petz believes that significance is never personally achieved, it is gifted to you – which serves as the book's mantra. Everyone wants to be the best at what they do, but the reality is that with title comes authority, not leadership or significance. He emphasizes to never belittle what we do as “just” something, because in the end, we are integral parts of the bigger picture and have the ability to create Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does the airline industry have in common with the business world? Communication. This key element can have disastrous consequences in our everyday lives, but more so when you're a pilot. Octavian Pantis and Captain Emil Dobrovolschi, authors of Dark Cockpit: How to Communicate, Lead, and Be in Control at All Times Like an Airline Captain, wrote the book to showcase the parallels of how communication can affect our respective professional industries. Pantis says the book is about leadership and being a better professional, regardless of what we do for a living. In his capacity as a professional airline pilot, Captain Dobrovolschi is very familiar with the term “dark cockpit.” In layman's terms, it refers to the concept of the cockpit being dark, with only environmental lights on. Basically, everything is going as it should. Right now, Pantis adds, people are feeling overwhelmed and facing many uncertainties making it “easy to see the ‘lights' going on in our lives.” He emphasizes the importance of having leaders communicate effectively with their own teams to help alleviate the warning lights going off around them. That sense of constant communication is an important element to run their teams productively without additional distractions. They equated pilots flying with different crews all the time; therefore, having to navigate different communication styles every single time while managing to perform successfully. It's the same in business — and even though we don't change co-workers every day, we still have to engage with everyone around us, including clients and vendors just as effectively. The book also focuses on fomenting the right attitude, how to make better decisions, and enhance our situational awareness. Captain Dobrovolschi says the most important skill pilots can develop is non-technical skills and strongly believes pilots are expert communicators. In fact, Pantis reiterates that a pilot's main responsibility is to notice what is going on in the aircraft, to assess everything and take into account all the information from all possible sources. It's what they call building their decision. In business, he adds, entrepreneurs tend to rush into things instead of taking their time to assess the situation. Instead, they should be more selective about rushing into a situation and spend more time analyzing it thoroughly because a bad decision can sometimes cost lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Lee Dumas, author of The Common Path to Uncommon Success: A Roadmap to Financial Freedom and Fulfillment is best known for building a successful podcast empire where he shares value with his more than 1.4 million listeners each month, wrote the book, because he wants to help everyone – not just his audience, achieve financial freedom. He said, “I want everybody who has a dream of finding their version of uncommon success. Everybody who has a dream of achieving financial freedom and fulfillment. This book will get you there.” Dumas says that so “many people out there live in their comfort zone,” including himself and that's why he decided to write a book. However, he knew he had to have the right team in place to ensure the book was successful and help as many as possible. Deciding what to include was a thoughtful process that Dumas describes as painstaking process boiling down over 3,000 interviews into 17 core principles. The book is a roadmap to achieve success and financial freedom. Dumas adds, “The path to uncommon success is not a secret, it's not complicated, it's not hidden. It's a common path but it takes hard flipping work.” After chasing success for over three decades, he kept coming up short. Whether it was law school, commercial real estate, or other ventures, it was an Einstein quote that launched his future. That's when he decided to stop chasing success and become a person that adds value. Dumas has been able to build a successful empire but that didn't come without 6 years of struggle. Throughout his journey he has learned plenty from his guests and from the process of building a business. He offers the following advice, “Listen to your audience's biggest struggle. That will lead you to create the product, the service, the community….to offer them as a solution. When you create the best solution to their problem, you will always win.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gregg Greenberg, author of F*cking Argentina and 10 More Tales of Exasperation, is an accomplished playwright and screenplay writer, but this time ventured into writing a compilation of vignettes based on daily life events and the exasperation levels we all reach from time to time. Even the book's title is immersed in surreal humor of a story he once read in the Wall Street Journal about Argentina defaulting on a loan. As someone who spent years as the lead anchor on Jim Cramer's TheStreet.com, Greenberg's financial background and his exasperation with the Argentina story is what catapulted him to write the short stories in the book. He recounts that during the last year, peoples' fuses were shorter than normal due to the pandemic and lockdowns. His attempt at injecting humor throughout each story is a reminder that while we get mad at situations, none of those are world-ending. During the pandemic, many people found themselves exploring their creative sides being cooped up at home. In fact, Greenberg wants to encourage everyone, regardless of the industry they happen to be in, to dust off that novel, screenplay, or masterpiece from their drawer and have the courage to put it out to the universe. He adds, “You shouldn't let your dreams and your creative side die.” With this book, Greenberg's goal was to make exasperation a little louder. Mission accomplished. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Randy Gage, author of Radical Rebirth: Kill Off the Old You and Create a New Life tells the tale of his troubled youth, which led him to become a keen student of human behavior and psychology, resulting in him writing this, his 14th, book. He sees the book as the culmination of all his work for the last 20 or 30 years and is aimed at those looking for professional and personal rebirth to become the highest possible version of themselves. It also encourages readers to take a look in the mirror, question their own premises and ask difficult questions to experience that radical rebirth. Gage says he “prosecutes” the process of rebirthing and states that, “Your vision is created by your core foundational beliefs.” He highlights six main categories people form strong foundational beliefs to, stating that each foundational belief determines our vision, the vision determines our daily habits, and those habits determine the kind of life we're going to create. It was a very personal situation that led to his radical rebirth. The story, not included in the book, is about him writing his suicide journal two decades ago. He says it took writing this book to discover that in that situation it's not necessary to kill yourself, but kill off the parts of you that you don't like. The book serves as a tool to reverse engineer the process of ridding our subconscious with the parts of ourselves we're not happy with. He adds that the only “radical rebirth I'm doing these days is not because I have to kill this horrible part of myself that I don't like but because I'm moving toward the me that I want to become.” Gage argues that people should experience multiple rebirths through their lifespan. If they don't, they're not fully living, but merely existing. He describes multiple rebirths as a “wonderful thing” and these breakthroughs are possible when we are really willing to confront ourselves and call us on our own stuff. To learn more about Randy, visit his website: https://www.randygage.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Victor Hansen, author of You Have a Book In You: Make Money With Your Story, is known for co-authoring the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and has written a total of 309 books, including his most recent, You Have a Book In You: Make Money With Your Story. The purpose of this book is to serve as a reminder for anyone to “plug back into their genius.” Hansen believes that everyone has a story to tell. He says, “What writing does is it refines you, refines your spirit, your soul, and your heart. It defines who you are.” He stresses that writing is the outlet that allows people out of their own confinement. Hansen says throughout his travels around the world promoting Chicken Soup, people often asked him “Can I tell you my story? That sparked an idea about writing a book that featured several stories about several successful writers and what catapulted them into greatness, including Michael Crichton. He says, “Michael is a great writer because you get intrigued by the people.” He adds, “All of us are supposed to have peaking life experiences and writing a book does get you out of mediocrity, gets you out of your complacency.” Hansen has collaborated with many industry giants as well as many others in the age spectrum – from a 4-year old, to 98-year old Art Linkletter. It is essential that everyone writes their story – whatever that is, to leave it as a legacy, as ancestral wealth because “the world needs more intellect, more thinking, more spirit, and brightness and expand those opportunities for everybody.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeffrey Brandeis, author of Becoming a Rainmaker: A Guide for Accountants and CPAs wrote this book to bring a more specific approach to helping those in the accounting and CPA professions hone the sales skills needed to become rainmakers. He defined the term as someone who brings in revenue and in the CPA world, that person is referred to as a “rainmaker.” He adds, “To become a partner, you need to bring business through the door. If you're not bringing revenue in, the chances of sharing the profits will be a lot slimmer.” Brandeis says that accounting professionals are trained to handle numbers, but one skillset that is not taught is sales. “There's no college degree for sales,” he adds. The book serves as a guide to help build better and faster rapport, with prospects and potential clients to cut down the sales cycle some might not fully understand. He adds, “How people learn is how people buy” and the book teaches how to match presentation and learning styles in order to build that rapport three times faster and in one-third of the time. With businesses changing at a higher speed these days, Brandeis wants people to succeed, adding, “Even though times have changed, it's actually brought opportunity that we probably would never have had if this hadn't happened.” In simpler terms, success comes to those who embrace opportunity and the ever-changing landscape of business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shellye Archambeau, author of Unapologetically Ambitious: Take Risks, Break Barriers, and Create Success On Your Own Terms recalls how even as a high school student, her goal was to become a CEO. While she didn't have a full understanding then about the implications of running a corporation, she set her goals and pursued them becoming one of the first African-American tech CEOs in Silicon Valley. Her book's core message is to teach readers how to get what they want out of life – professionally and personally, by being intentional. The book shares strategies, approaches, tactics, and hacks on how to go about it, despite it being hard. Archambeau relates that when people say someone is “ambitious,” they don't necessarily mean it as a compliment. She knew she wanted the word “ambitious” in the title; however, the “unapologetic” part was inspired by her friends. They noted that women tend to apologize for everything. She adds, “Everyone deserves the right to be ambitious and nobody should have to apologize for it.” Achambeau has a definition for ambition. She says it's about being intentional – something she learned along the way simply by listening. It's about paying close attention and watching other successful people and follow their path, take in all that knowledge and build it into your own plan. She adds, “There's a lot of good advice that comes down if you actually listen to it.” Archambeau encourages people to find mentors because they don't have to have a “formal role.” Mentors are people that can offer you advice, counsel, and perspective so you can make decisions and take risks. “It is not weakness to take help, it's actually a strength.” She also imparts great advice for readers: “You have to be strategic about what you're doing” and “Ambition alone won't get your where you need to be.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bill Humbert, author of Employee 5.0: Secrets to a Successful Job Search in the New World Order, relies on his extensive background in sales and recruiting to write this book, where he uncovers the parallels between the sales process and the job search process. He chose “Employee 5.0” as the title to ‘get in front of the pack.' He says that the problem most employees have is that they treat their careers just like jellyfish – “floating in the currents of their current company.” Basically, they adopt the “whatever happens, happens” attitude and that leads to them being laid off eventually. Employee 5.0 is the person that takes charge of their career, they're not floating around, and strive to get to the next step. Humbert was a recruiter for 39 years and a career transition coach for 25 years – and during that time, he's seen his fair share of ‘floaters.' He wrote the book to provide a more in-depth perspective of why we need to stop floating and take the reins of our careers. Long gone are the days where HR professionals sifted through thousands of pages of resumes. In this ‘new world order,' HR departments use AI to screen candidates. However, the problem for applicants is that the resume doesn't contain the same words that are used in the often poorly written job description; therefore, they never get chosen based on an algorithm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Victor Hansen and Crystal Dwyer Hansen, authors of Ask! The Bridge From Your Dreams To Your Destiny sit down with host, Taryn Winter Brill to discuss their book that is a guide to awaken the innate ability of every human being to ask questions. While kids are naturally inquisitive, Crystal says that “Over time, just through basic life rejections, people get shot down. That spirit of asking gets crushed out of them.” They say that asking is truly the only thing that has the ability to reveal what's hidden in our lives and “that is powerful.” Learning the magic of asking can be achieved by three equally important channels: ask yourself, ask others, ask God. The book is chock-full of personal anecdotes and tidbits capable of re-instilling our natural curiosity to ask questions. The genesis of the book, which is extremely relevant, is to go back to a time in our lives where we were unafraid to ask for everything we wanted. “It's important for each of us to become master askers,” the Hansens said. That's the main reason they wanted to bring this particular message to the world. While everyone faces adversity, Mark Victor offers some sage advice, originated in his own hardship, including bankruptcy. He added, “I've always taken adversity and turn it into an advantage.” Out of this adversity, everyone can learn how to ask. During the interview, they also covered the six destinies everyone has, a personal anecdote about their young grandson that directly correlates to the book's themes, and a reminder that “one question can pivot your entire career.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stedman Graham, author of Identity Leadership: To Lead Others You Must Lead Yourself First, is an accomplished businessman and best-selling author of twelve books, the latest taking a closer look at the importance of understanding who we are as human beings first, before reaching out to help others. Graham wrote the book because he is passionate about self-development, self-empowerment and efficacy, and helping people find their own personal sense of identity. As someone who spent most of his life searching for an identity, Graham wants to create awareness about all of the external factors that affect our sense of self. He states that while most people focus on the external and feel defined by the color of their skin, money, title, or religion, “the power is really in the internal.” In order to thrive nowadays, it's essential to understand the definition of “identity leadership.” He defines it as “self-leadership based on the philosophy that you can't lead anybody else until you first lead yourself.” He adds, “Leadership starts with the premise of being the best possible person you can, so that you can create value and serve the world with that value.” Graham's goal is to “teach people how to work on themselves, teach them to self-actualize their potential based on who they are.” He argues that one thing this pandemic has taught us is how we need to do things for ourselves, not rely on anyone else for our own socio-economic development. “This is a ‘you economy.'” In fact, identity leadership is perfectly suited for the current marketplace because it teaches us to redefine our own existence. He admits that defining yourself is an evolving process. Graham said, “It's a process of consciousness. You have to be aware of what you don't have.” It's about evolving into better versions of ourselves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kelly Fuhlman, author of Be the Hero and Rescue Yourself: Creating the Inner Courage To Wear Your Own Cape, wrote the book to give people the opportunity to read and understand some of the lessons she learned throughout her life, while providing encouragement to journal their own ideas and solve their own problems. She says, “I have learned that people do better if they create their own strategy instead of someone handing it over to them.” The book is about heroes in her own life that have come to her rescue and opened doors and opportunities; however, at the end of the day, it's up to each and every single person to put in the work and rescue themselves. Fuhlman wanted to create a disruption in the self-help book industry and drive home the notion that life isn't about “10 easy steps” – it's far more complex than that. After being laid off from the Disney Institute, she decided to write a book, start a podcast, and create opportunities for herself at a time where she felt the rug was being pulled from under her. These opportunities led to growth and learning, but the journey wasn't a perfect one. In fact, one of the chapter titles in her book is called, “My crown is crooked (and so is yours)” to reinforce the point that there's no one path to success. Everyone must choose their own way and not rely on anyone else to rescue them. Fuhlman wrote the book for anyone struggling to move forward, personally or professionally. This easy read aims to have great impact for readers as they reflect on the lessons learned and empowers them to write down their own thoughts, build their own plan, and move forward. “At the end of the day, it's up to you,” she concludes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dawn S. Kirk, author of Heartbeat Leadership: Empower Yourself, Engage Your Team and Impact Your Organization, decided to write her first solo book to empower those who often feel unheard in meetings. She wanted to ensure no one else felt like she did when they walked into a room because every person has something to offer and has value that can be added to any organization. Kirk's 26-year career in corporate America launched her on a quest to better understand what it meant to be a leader and to become the best version of herself. She recounts some experiences in that realm not being as positive as they could've been and realized, “The goals I set for myself were greater than the obstacles I was going to face.” This is the impetus for the book – getting out that message of empowerment to as many people as possible. Kirk says the book is for those already in leadership positions to become better leaders and for those who are not feeling heard. She uses the subtitle, “Empower Yourself” so people know they have a choice to empower themselves in any situation. The book is also for those responsible for larger teams to help them fully engage everyone and tapping into their potential. She also argues that many organizations have a “heart problem,” where they're focused on the bottom line more than they are focused on their people. While there's nothing wrong with profitability, when that comes at the expense of the people, that's when they have a heart problem. Kirk states, “At the end of the day, the heart of the business are the people that work for you. I truly believe people are your competitive advantage.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeffrey Brandeis, author of Done Deal!: The Step By Step Handbook to Sell Success, is a former accountant who transitioned into the sales realm, enjoyed being outside making things happen and selling to the same group of professionals he was once a part of. He made a conscious effort to gear the book content towards sales professionals and the 5-step process that every company should have. Brandeis insists that every company should have a documented sales process, no matter whether they're selling a product or service. He also points out the biggest mistakes in sales by stating that salespeople are usually ahead of the buyers in the sales cycle. This misstep is what causes some to be bad forecasters. Another mistake is that they fail to recognize that the prospect may not be the only decision-maker they need to reach in order to close the sale. While there's no sure-fire way to troubleshoot every problem, Brandeis says it's on every sales person to try to uncover everything there is to uncover. Brandeis also encourages sales professionals to remain innovative and continue honing their skills. He argues that while the sales process itself doesn't drastically change, the tools and technology used do. He states that there are some companies who haven't fully trained employees on how to sell remotely and have failed to transition effectively, affecting the sales quotas and other metrics. “If you don't keep your sales skills up, and constantly look for new techniques and new styles, then your techniques will get stale,” Brandeis says. He adds, “Sales is a perishable…like a banana.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David A. Paterson, author of Black, Blind, and In Charge, recounts memorable anecdotes from his time as the 55th Governor of the state of New York, after succeeding Eliot Spitzer, as well as after leaving office. He wrote the book to tell stories he thought were particularly important for everyone to understand the intricacies of serving as the governor of a state, especially with a legal disability. The book also touts some lessons he learned along the way, particularly how running for office is like being a small business owner. In the book, Paterson recalls his transition from Lieutenant Governor to Governor, after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer. Even before he was sworn in, the slowly became aware of the crisis that awaited him, including a $40 billion debt. Paterson says that one thing he would do differently, if given the chance, would be to clean house and carry on with people who were about his mission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike Skrypnek, author of Entrepreneur Secrets to a Grow, Get, Give Life categorizes himself as a “mindset, transformational coach” teaching other entrepreneurs and business owners in mid-careers how to grow their business and gain more freedom to pursue their passions. In Skrypnek's case, he wanted to make a bigger impact in life and started with one big goal – to give $1 million to charity every year; however, he wasn't sure how to accomplish that. He wanted to live his passion seven days a week, not in the periphery, so he sought the advice of those who had done it prior. For Skrypnek, this book is a byproduct of a lifetime of experience that he felt would be beneficial for others so he wanted to get it out there. Skrypnek felt it was important he write this book to get the message out because ‘give, grow, get' means different things to different people. It can mean growing your business, your personal wealth, and getting the freedom entrepreneurs seek to give back as a result of that freedom. He used the word “impact” as his guide in order to build “a mountain of credibility” to give as many people as possible the opportunity to live their passion. Once people find that passion, he adds, “it changes everything.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

**LISTENER CONTENT WARNING: This podcast contains a discussion of sensitive topics some listeners may find offensive.** Marcus Anthony Ray, author of Seven Years of Skin, took his life experiences and put them into print in a tell-all book. It is a gripping, honest portrayal of what happens when someone gets everything they want seemingly without consequences. His journey as a male exotic dancer began in his 20s as a way to make money to save his parents' house from foreclosure. Ray himself says that the “deep dark world of ‘anything goes' sucks you in” and the book highlights his journey into this world and how he was able to crawl back out, which many others weren't as lucky, and change paths, including becoming an award-winning motivational speaker. He says it was a difficult book to write but decided to publish it as a cautionary tale of when boundaries start moving too far without checks and balances. He is seeing similar patterns emerge in the world we live in and he wants to create awareness about the need for boundaries and accountability. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seth Earley, author of The AI-Powered Enterprise: Harness the Power of Ontologies to Make Your Business Smarter, Faster, and More Profitable, wrote the book for business leaders and managers who need to understand what has to be done in order to be successful. Earley also adds that the book is for the type of business audience who will use AI to make practical decisions, such as how you need to apply day-to-day business decisions and what you'll need as a foundation, which is good data and a structure for the information. Earley goes on to define ontology as “a knowledge framework, a way of organizing all of the information in the organization.” He urges readers to think about what an organization does on a day-to-day basis and put them into big buckets. “The big buckets are the foundation of the ontology. You create the big buckets of all this information and then you create the relationships between these big buckets and that actually captures knowledge about your services, about your offerings, your solutions and it helps your customers get to exactly the information that they need or your employees.” The book teaches executives to learn how to separate what's possible from what's practical, evaluate the claims of a vendor to eliminate the hype, and how to select the right problem to solve. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Newman, author of Do It! Speaking: 77 Instant Action Ideas to Market, Monetize, and Maximize Your Expertise, wrote the book because speaking is the ultimate marketing strategy, the ultimate leadership brand builder, and the ultimate sales tool. The book takes a deeper dive on how to use speaking to build your c-suite leadership, platform or build your sales stamina to increase revenue. Newman says that one of the most powerful words in marketing is “decide” – decide who you are and who you're not; decide who you're for and who you're not for. Experts today who win more business, he adds, “are the experts that win attention. One of the best ways to get attention is having an executive speaking strategy.” Newman also has the following advice for those wanting to build their speaking presence, “Figure out where are your folks already meeting so that you can fish where the fish are.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Debbie Allen, author of Success is Easy: Shameless, No Nonsense Strategies to Win in Business, wrote the book to help change mindsets on a broader scale about how people accept failure and how they accept success. Allen is a firm believer that success is constantly around us, but that we need to grasp it and choose what we do with all the information we acquire. Her main motivation to write the book was to encourage people never to accept failure and change mindsets to continue to develop relationships and skills that help you grow to the next level. As a very successful entrepreneur, Allen wants to share her success with those who are still searching and provide the connections to help others get ahead because entrepreneurship “is a lonely planet.” She also suggests how using the words “shameless” and “no nonsense” in the title is a reflection of who she is – shameless is just another word for “scrappy entrepreneur” and no nonsense is how she gives it to everyone in her circle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Greg Reid and Jeffrey Klubeck, authors of Mastermind Group: An Exclusive Invitation, wrote the book with the purpose of restoring the original concept of what a “mastermind” is and felt many have deviated from that concept, created by Napoleon Hill. Klubeck believes “there's so much value in the power of a mastermind,” but that many equate counsel with opinion and that couldn't be further from the truth. An opinion, Reid states, is “based on lack of knowledge, ignorance or inexperience.” A council is based on having the mentorship of those people who have paved the way to success. The concept of the book is to create a mastermind alliance where people can not just get that great counsel from their peers, but also ignore people's opinions. It's about creating a spirit of collaboration, vulnerability, community, and empowerment that harnesses the minds of those who have achieved a level of success others are striving for. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chad Burmeister, author of AI for Sales: How Artificial Intelligence is Changing Sales has dedicated his life to innovating the sales industry and getting it to the next level. He is bringing best practices and incorporating the use of AI tools for sales professionals. AI creates many improvements to the sales process that everyone in the industry should be aware of; for example, it can help analyze big data so sales professionals can focus on their best prospects and how to better sell to them. Burmeister says his goal is to bring technology to market to ensure companies and sales leaders understand how to leverage it. He believes how much you sell is how much frequency you do and how good you are at it. He adds that he preaches “revenue equals frequency times competency” to entry-level sales professionals and asks them, “get the ‘f' up,” – meaning the frequency. With AI automating many human tasks, it's understandable sales professionals are feeling apprehensive about the technology. In order to stay industry relevant, Burmeister says, “make sure that your day job isn't just pushing blast emails” because even with automation, computers will never have enough input to make the right decisions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Hewitt, author of iCompete: How My Extraordinary Strategy for Winning Can Be Yours, wrote the book to highlight his five-decade journey in the tax industry and underline the mistakes he made so they can serve as inspiration for others to avoid those same pitfalls. Hewitt says what he loves about taxes is “helping people save money and give them peace of mind,” as there are multiple gray areas of the law and numerous loopholes to help people keep some of their hard-earned money. Throughout his lengthy career, Hewitt has been driven by two main things: 1) people that believe and support him, and 2) the naysayers that say he can't do something. His drive to win has been a constant for fifty years and he says the difference between himself and his competitors is that he proactively asks his franchisees how to continue to improve the company and the brand. His competitors preach to franchisees instead of listening to them. He adds, “To be the best at your business, you have to have the best system. To have the best system, you have to be improving.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Boundy, author of Radical Value: Elevate Your Company and Career by Unleashing the Power Within Customer Centricity has had a long, successful career in sales and has seen the industry go through a number of changes but, at times, the sales professionals have been stuck in certain patterns that don't put the customer front and center. He says that people are buying the same way they used to in the past, the main difference being how they inform themselves before making purchasing decisions. Boundy states that, “Customers don't come to your website to learn about you. They come to your website to see themselves reflected.” He wrote the book because he wanted to share the importance of and how to sell at true value price, as throughout his career, has possessed a specialty of selling at a higher price, yet many of his peers were not doing the same. The book is written for professionals who want to radically think how they sell, as many sales methodologies only spend ten percent of the time on customer value, when it should be a much bigger number. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Deepak Chopra, author of Metahuman: Unleashing Your Infinite Potential, his 89thbook, felt compelled to write this book because we live in chaotic times and he wants to create a world that is more peaceful, more healthier, and joyful. This is his latest contribution to that effort. He defines ‘metahuman' as the need for people to stop being robots by observing their behavior and themselves without judging themselves in order to access the highest intelligence leading to insight, intuition, inspiration, creativity, higher vision, and transcendence. Chopra says that the world is currently at a crossroads – we are either facing extinction or we can take the next evolutionary leap from humans to metahumans. We have the tools to make it happen, and the choice is ours to make. Even after his 89th book, Chopra's life has continued to evolve in three major ways. He adds, “Slowly, I have become independent of good/bad opinions of the world. I am immune to both criticism and flattery. I have decided to have clarity of experience without being bound to the experience, and I have stopped looking for external validation or rewards.” Those, he says, have brought him “deep peace.” This book has 31 steps that encourage readers to progressively shift from doing, to thinking, to feeling, to being – in fact, to be “grounded in being,” not in imagining or thinking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nelson Griswold, author of Breaking Through the Status Quo: How Innovative Companies are Changing the Benefits Game to Help Their Employees and Boost Their Bottom Line tackles a very timely topic: healthcare costs. Griswold argues that “healthcare has become the second or third largest P&L line item, for every company in America.” He states that the problem lies with insurance companies telling CEOs, CFOs and other decision-makers they have no control over the cost of insurance. This is the biggest mistake companies are making – they have adopted that mentality for so long but the tide is slowly turning with the rise of Next Gen Benefits Advisors. These advisors are the allies that companies need in order to help them gain anywhere between twenty and sixty percent back into their bottom lines and lower their costs of healthcare. Griswold says that a “benefits revolution” is going on right now and these Next Gen advisors are saying “no more.” This book is mainly for c-suite leaders who have been told by insurance companies they have no control over healthcare costs, something Griswold refers to as “healthcare's big lie.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Branding involves creating a name, symbol, or design that consumers can easily identify a specific company or celebrity with. Bernt Ullmann, CBA, author of The Billion Dollar Branding Blueprint: 7 Steps to Building a Brand and Accelerating Your Wealth, explains the importance of having a memorable brand because, “In order to kind of evoke an emotion, in order to get a transaction, you need to connect with the consumer.” Ullmann has based his career as a CBA, which stands for Chief Brand (or Business) Accelerator, asserting his belief in the importance of having a brand. Ullmann says he loves to create brands because it helps create something that's lasting. He adds, “If you don't have a brand, if you don't have some type of distinguishing mark – something that sets you apart from your competitors, you are left to compete with only one thing, namely price.” Today's society is more experiential than ever before, and while people still want to spend money on certain brands, they prefer to do so on experiences. Ullmann's book focuses on proven techniques and practical applications that took years of experience to cultivate and then put in writing as a step-by-step process. Ullmann says if he has the ‘opportunity to help someone and make their journey better or easier, that will be my true pleasure.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Gary McGrath, author of A CEO's Journey: The 7 Steps of Intentional Leadership – Making Bosses Into Great Leaders wrote this book to help CEOs that are struggling with being good bosses and might be in need of someone to coach them through some of the rough patches of being a c-suite leader. He says that it is very easy for CEOs to feel like they are in a vacuum with few resources to help them be better leaders. The book dives into the fundamental parts of leadership and what is required to be an effective leader this day and age. Herein are the seven steps of leadership, broken down into three sections – steps 1-3 involve self-development, step 4 is the crossover between self and the team, and steps 5-7 involve team development. These steps allow those in leadership positions know where their leadership capabilities are. McGrath argues that leadership is based on someone's authentic ability to tell people what they stand for – their own mission statement of sorts. He adds, “If you're not clear about that, people aren't going to follow you.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Newman, author of Do It! Marketing: 77 Instant-Action Ideas to Boost Sales, Maximize Profits and Crush Your Competition, writes a book where “nothing is assumed” and where anyone – whether a beginner or a seasoned professional, can “flip open the table of contents” and get whatever they need or want. Newman says the book is about sales-driven marketing with seventy-seven specific strategies that ring up the cash register. He says, “It's not marketing for the sake of marketing. It's marketing that drives sales.” One of the mantras of the book, Newman says, is to offer value and invite engagement through thought leadership management, which he defines as holding clients' interests above your own. He adds that marketers shouldn't focus on pitching and peddling but in helping and serving instead, as the age of mass marketing is over. All efforts to reach customers need to be laser-focused, personalized, and intentional with the goal of building relationships. Newman states, “There's no such thing as a generic solution to a specific problem.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eddie Turner, Jr., author of 140 Simple Messages to Guide Emerging Leaders, wrote a book that is applicable to everyone – those early in their careers as well as those well into their career. The ‘one hundred and forty' refers to the number of characters that Twitter allowed early on, as he realized that everyone reads a tweet, but not everyone reads a scholarly book. His goal is to give readers the “cliff notes” that will guide emerging leaders on the road to success. Turner says that everyone has a different perception of what an emerging leader is. Some of the people he talked to think of millennials as emerging leaders, while others believe a company's high performer is also one. However, he argues, there are others who don't fit either category, such as young people, those re-entering the workforce or those who are changing careers. Turner is a believer that leadership begins in our youth and that “readers become leaders.” Leaders who read always stay abreast of the most current knowledge in their industry; whereas other leaders prefer to remain within their own inner leadings. Turner also points out that “you don't need a title to be a leader” as leadership and influence are not one in the same. Leadership, he says, “is an art and a science that must be practiced.” It's not something we fully ever master. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices