Defining Success Podcast

During this episode, Jay Blasi shares his experience designing Chamber's Bay Golf Course, the home of the 2015 U.S. Open.  One piece of advice Jay shares about golf course design is to break the rules if there is a compelling reason to do so.   Jay Blasi spent his initial years at RTJ II assisting the design team on dozens of projects around the world. His first opportunity to serve as one of the lead architects on a project team came at Chambers Bay, a true links layout on the shores of Puget Sound, in University Place, Washington. Blasi fell in love with the property on his first site visit, and spent the majority of his time on the project from 2004 to 2007. Jay says he deals with others in a variety of different ways, he draws plans, communicates and works with others on developing a game plan to create a golf course.

Chris Burns is a golfer, golf coach, the host of the Golf More Swing Less Podcast, owner of the Golf More Swing Less website, and author of King of the Mental Swing.  In Episode 109 Chris Burns will teach you how you can use the mental golf swing to help you become the king of your mental domain.   Golf is 90% mental and 10% physical.  When you're the king of your mental domain, you're the king of your mental domain.   An athletic position is really critical because your setup predetermines your golf swing.  The athletic position means Chin up, not chin down. Shoulders back, chest out. A little bit of bend in your waist.  A light knee bend.

Vicki Fitch bought her first house at 19, started her first company at the age of 20, became a serial entrepreneur and was in the Top 10 of Sales and/or Recruiting for more than 10 years consecutively in her direct sales company all while raising a family.  In Episode 118 of the Defining Success Podcast, Vicki will be sharing her ten top tips for direct sales. In Episode 118 of the Defining Success Podcast, Vicki Fitch shares her ten top tips for direct sales. Be Passionate Find a Leader You Respect Find a Coach Make Connections Use Social Media Create Original Content Dream Big Laser Focus Become the Expert Never Give Up

Michael Kawula is going to teach you how to use Help a Reporter Out, also known as HARO.  We're going to walk you through how to set up an account, how to receive HARO emails, how to effectively respond to queries from reporters, and how to get your articles published on sites like Entrepreneur Magazine, Forbes, Fox, the Huffington Post, and much, much more. Help a Reporter Out (HARO) is a free tool.  To use HARO visit HelpAReporterOut.com and sign up.  When you sign up you'll receive emails three times a day:  morning, afternoon and night. Reporters can ask for sources on a particular topic through HARO and you can be used as a source for those articles.  They will include a headline for the article their looking for information on and you can respond to the topics that you feel you can add some value through.

After my 100th interview on the Defining Success Podcast, I've decided to change the format of the show.  Instead of focusing on the individual and how they've managed to become successful, I'll be focusing on a particular skill, trait or ability that has helped that person to become successful. I'm making the change to the podcast, because, to me, it feels like a logical next step to extend the podcast and make it more meaningful to our listeners.  It has been amazing getting to know so many amazing individuals and being able to talk with them about their success. Now, I think it's a great time to shift from learning about an individuals rise to success to learning something you can use to help make you successful.  The NEW Defining Success Podcast will teach you a new skill, trait and/or ability to help you become more successful in the things that you do.

Larry Welborn recently retired after a 43-year career as the legal affairs reporter for the Orange County Register, in which he covered many high-profile cases but showed a high level of enthusiasm and dedication in every story he covered.   Since 1981, Welborn has also been the chairman and president of CSPA, which is preparing for its 64th-annual high school journalism workshop on the campus of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.   In anticipation of this interview I was eager to see what my dad would when I asked him what piece of advice he would give to his children and here's what he said: "Hit the ball as hard as you can."

In Episode 114, our 99th interview on the Defining Success Podcast, Jaime De La Torre shares his thoughts on business, success and how important it is to follow through on your promises.  Jaime owns two successful nurseries in Southern California and knows what it takes to build a successful business. Jaime De La Torre is the owner of DLT Growers founded in 1987 and Monte Vista Farms. After having worked 8 years for different groundcover nurseries, he decided to try his luck and start his own groundcover nursery. It soon became a family business, as many of Jimmy's family members joined the company. Even though they started off small, they slowly grew and became one of the largest groundcover businesses in southern California. Jaime De La Torre grew up in Guadalajara at 9 years old.  He went to the local farmers market and help build his uncles business.  Before 9 years old he had an entrepreneurial spirit by selling gum on the street and by helping carry groceries from their local grocery store.

In Episode 113 Nick Loper discusses the three ways to make money online by selling advertising, products or services.  Learn more from Nick Loper and how to make money online in this episode of the Defining Success Podcast. Nick is an author, entrepreneur, and a lifelong student in the game of business.  His latest role is as Chief Side Hustler at SideHustleNation.com, a growing community and resource for aspiring and part-time entrepreneurs.

Being an entrepreneur is not for everyone according to Pamela Slim.  Entrepreneurs need to be competent in the entrepreneurial work mode.  In Episode 112, Pamela Slim and I will discuss the entrepreneurial work mode and how to become successful as an entrepreneur. Pamela Slim is an award-winning author, speaker and leader in the new world of work. She spent the first 10 years of her solo practice as a consultant to large corporations such as Hewlett-Packard, Charles Schwab and Cisco Systems, where she worked with thousands of employees, managers and executives. In 2005, she started the Escape from Cubicle Nation blog, which is now one of the top career and business sites on the web. She has coached thousands of budding entrepreneurs, in businesses ranging from martial art studios to software start ups. According to Pamela, not everyone can be an entrepreneur.  There are so many components that have to work together to create a great business.

Tom Dowd is the author of Time Management Manifesto.  In Episode 111 of the Defining Success Podcast, Tom Dowd shares his time management tips and tactics with us.  Learn how to manage your time better in this episode of the Defining Success Podcast. Time management is a disciplined mindset to be able to live in the moment while working toward the future. It is all mental—it’s an attitude.  Having control in your life is about commitment, routines, flexibility, adjustments, and planning.  We create our own self-limitations.  We say we’ll do tomorrow what we really want to do today.  Eliminate what’s holding you back.  “Time Management Manifesto” offers specific actions that will teach subscribers the following themes: Manage your time, don’t let it manage you Time management is required of all levels, in all positions  The benefits of managing professional time effectively spill into your personal space

Robert Coorey is the author of Feed a Starving Crowd, More than 200 Hot and Fresh Marketing Strategies to Help you Find Hungry Customers.  The book covers more than 200 ways businesses have become successful marketing their products or services in today's economy.  Learn how to feed a starving crowd in Episode 110 of the Defining Success Podcast. Robert Coorey, MBA, is a #1 best-selling author and wildly successful marketer. Currently, he's Director of Global Business at E-Web Marketing, Australia's top online marketing agency. He's obsessed with helping others achieve unheard of results through innovative strategies to feed starving crowds of buyers.

Olga Mizrahi is the author of Sell Local, Think Global: 50 Innovative Ways to Make a Chunk of Change and Grow Your Business.  In Episode 109 of the Defining Success Podcast, Olga and I discuss the value of a social share and how impactful it can be to businesses everywhere.  On this Happy Thanksgiving week, let's be appreciative to all of those people who take the time, effort, and energy to share our stuff! Olga Mizrahi is a mother.  She likes to bike, ski, and blown glass.  She operates firmly between the right and left brain.  She loves fantastic design, but she loves measurable results even more. She’s been working with small and medium-sized businesses for more than 15 years, both online and off.  In her blog, she works to help move your business forward and allow you to cash in on your own chunk of change and not immobilize you because that change is so big. She’s also the author of Sell Local, Think Global:  50 Innovative Ways to Make a Chunk of Change and Grow Your Business.  

In Episode 108 of the Defining Success Podcast, Ellory Wells shares how he lost his job and took up a career in online marketing.  Learn about his transition and how he's living in a world that's  transitioning from scarcity to abundance. Ellory Wells was born and raised in north Texas. He loves technology, gadgets, cool toys, video games and movies. He often writes his blog posts while sitting on my back porch overlooking nature and the golf course. In addition to writing and coaching, he enjoys reading, watching TV and movies, playing golf and spending time with his wife. Ellory Wells has a blog, a podcast - The Empowered Podcast, he provides one-on-one coaching, he organizes a a mastermind group and wrote a best selling ebook titled, How to Start Your Professional Podcast for $200 or Less.

Entrepreneurs often spread themselves too thin and Matt Wilson shares how that was one of his biggest mistakes.  At 28 years old, Matt's been able to do some pretty remarkable things including running a successful business, traveling the globe, and interviewing Donald Trump. Matt Wilson is co-founder of Under30CEO. After two years traveling and working from his laptop, Matt's official title became Adventurer in Residence, heading up Under30Media's travel company Under30Experiences.

In Episode 106 of the Defining Success Podcast, David Frood discusses capitalizing on great ideas.  David is behind The Thinking Corporation which advocates creating a system whereby employees and others can bring ideas to corporations for the benefit of all involved.  Learn how you can start capitalizing on great ideas in your organization. David Frood developed The Thinking Corporation corporate innovation program. He worked for sixteen years as a consultant to medium and large businesses, initially with an international sales consulting firm, then as a freelancer. His clients include organizations like Hewlett Packard, Qantas, Diageo, Reckitt Benckiser, Cerebos Foods, CommSec and Daikin Air-conditioning. He became a specialist in implementing new sales and marketing processes, changing management, and worker development.  

Andy Hayes is the founder of Plum Deluxe.  Plum Deluxe is the website that helps you create moments that matter. We believe that the key to living a life you love is all about making time every day for great moments. From a mindful minute with yourself to special occasions shared with friends and family, Plum Deluxe has fresh ideas for living the good life. Andy's mother passed away from cancer and once she was diagnosed she decided to "live the good life."  And his website, Plum Deluxe is devoted to helping people live the good life.  Learn how Andy is helping others to create moments that matter.

Ladan Jiracek is the host of the Travel Wisdom Podcast where he interviews entrepreneurs and successful people about how travel has changed their outlook on life.  He's currently living in Dresden, Germany going to school for Nanobiophysics and has traveled to more than 80 countries.  Ladan is trying to teach people that traveling can be much more than just having fun. That people can learn valuable life lessons from traveling and he's working to show others how traveling can lead to a more fulfilling and successful life. Learn how travelling can increase your wisdom in my discussion with the host of the Travel Wisdom Podcast in Episode 104 of the Defining Success Podcast.    

There are so many people who want to succeed but are often discouraged or are simply uninspired. As a university professor, Dr. Antipas Harris sees this problem, often, among his students. He wrote, Unstoppable Success, 7 Ways to Flourish in Your Boundless Potential to encourage young people to maximize their boundless potential to flourish and to achieve values-based success.   In this episode, Dr. Antipas and I talk about the seven traits successful people have and how important integrity is in everything you do.

Passionate blogging can lead to success. Ricky Potts is an extremely busy guy who has a lot of passions.  He started his personal blog not too long ago and has been able to generate 40,000 - 60,000 unique views on his blog every month.  He's also leveraged his blog writing to create multiple opportunities for himself and his career including becoming the Digital Communications Manager for Troon Golf, a contributor to DiscountTeeTimes.com, and Relentless Beats.  He's passionate about craft beers, golf, electronic dance beats, and blogs about them all.  Learn how passionate blogging led to his success. Ricky Potts is the Digital Communications Manager for Troon, passionate blogger, total beer snob, music fanatic, weekend golfer, runner and an all around opinionated realist.

In Episode 101 of the Defining Success Podcast, Daryl Urbanski shares his entrepreneurial journey and discusses the importance of tribal marketing.  Tribal marketing is a marketing strategy that attempts to create social communities centered around a product or service. Daryl Urbanski is a #1 Bestselling Business Author, Business Coach, Martial Artist, Tribal/Database Marketer, Entrepreneur, & Student Of Life.  

Frank Ortiz , a good friend of mine, we’re both involved at the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce so I see him regularly. One of the themes that came up several times in the interview today is that success is a lifestyle. It’s not something that you can turn on and off. In this episode, pay attention that theme, and listen to the advice that Frank gives about how success is something that you need to maintain throughout your life and not something that you can turn on and off as you choose. It’s a great episode and I hope you all enjoy! Frank Ortiz from A Shot of Happiness Events has spoken to thousands of people over his career. He has been extremely successful at motivating and mentoring Sales Force Teams in the Automotive Industry as well as women in the Beauty Industry for the last thirty years.

In the interview today Jake and I talk about going after your goals. Jake Bramante lives very close to Glacier National Park. Glacier National Park has 734 miles of hiking trails, and Jake traveled all of those in one year, 2011. He’s the only person to have done that. He shared the experience of going after his goals on his blog Hike734. What I’d like to elaborate on at the end of the interview is what it means when you cross the finish line; when you set out on a goal and you do something and what that means for you as an individual and a person and what happens when you don't. Glacier National Park, located in northwestern Montana, has 734 miles of hiking trail in it. Jake Bramante lives in Kalispell, MT which is located a few miles from the Park’s west entrance. In 2011, he hiked every trail taking 3 pairs of shoes, 5 months and 1,200 miles to accomplish this goal. He is now busy blogging about Glacier National Park, helping others have amazing trips and heading out on speaking engagements.

David Horne has his own marketing firm and he’s working on a new startup project called Fan Pack. They’re getting celebrities or people with a large internet following to join up with them and create packs of goods that are sent out to their fans. It sounds like a really cool product and service. He’s also going to talk about marketing in the interview. And the thing that we talk about that I want to focus on is don’t be afraid to try new things. Those who do experience success they try new things all the time they figure out what works and what doesn’t. Through that process they always learn things along the way. David Horne is an entrepreneur, marketer and writer, living in NC. Most of his work over the last decade has been helping companies rethink and rework their marketing. I’ve been fortunate to learn from and work with a bunch of amazing and brilliant people. Currently, he’s running a modern marketing firm and recently launched a startup.

David Long is the author of Built to Lead - 7 Management R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Principles for Becoming a Top 10% Manager. During this interview he talks about his R.E.W.A.R.D.S, an acronym, and how you can apply that to make your employees much more effective. The thing I want to point out in this interview is David’s idea about giving recognition to people you work with or who you work for and the advantages of doing so. David has a lot to say, he’s a really interesting guy and I think you’re going to enjoy the episode. David Long is the author of Built to Lead - 7 Management R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Principles for Becoming a Top 10% Manager. In the book, he talks about what it takes to become a Top 10% manager in your company, and show YOU exactly what he did to accomplish that impressive feat in THREE DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES! The "​​7 Management R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Principles" in Built to Lead are "get-in-the-trenches, no-holds-barred" ​lessons of how, ​specifically, to truly become an amazing manager. David tackles, head-on, the lies you've been told about how to reach the top in your career, and shows you what REALLY WORKS​!​ ​These are ​concrete​,​ ​foundational principles that will ​change your life, not only ​in your business career​...​ but ​in your ​personal life​ as well!

Niveen Salem is in the MLM marketing business, so the multilevel marketing business. During the interview she talks about personal development and how important that is to success. You know improving yourself, making yourself better, and she’s going to talk about how she gets out of her comfort zone and more in the interview today. Niveen Salem is a former Chevron Executive and a current business owner who is passionate about transforming people's lifestyles and helping them have control over their destiny. She is now working globally with entrepreneurial business minded people who are motivated to create financial independence and time freedom. She coaches and trains people to create passive income which allows them to build their dream lifestyle and not being traded as a commodity in the corporate world anymore.

Corey has done so many cool things and he’s interviewed thousands of people. He used to be a professional comedian and now he’s a professional speaker giving speaking engagements to corporations and to people who are looking for a little bit of motivation and inspiration to go out and do cool amazing things. One of the things that Corey brought up in the interview, which I thought was super cool, was he called it ‘delivering the wow’. He made some comments about some organizations that delivered the wow and did some things that were super cool that got people talking about them. That’s what I want to focus on at the end of the episode today: working on delivering the wow. Enjoy!A Canadian Professional Keynote Speaker, Entrepreneur and Corporate Customer Service & Sales Training Specialist, Corey Poirier is publisher of Island Business News, author of four acclaimed books in the Conversations With series, creator of three audio programs and the host of a new radio show entitled “Conversations with Passions,” a variety show that features interviews with world-wide leaders such as David Suzuki and Jack Canfield.

James Maioho is the author of Winners Give Up! which is a little play on words there. I think most people would stay that winners don’t give up, but in this case it’s giving up the baggage or things that you are holding on to that are holding you back from achieving the things you really want in life. James Maioho is the author of Winners Give Up! Inspirational insights into the habits of accomplishing your personal goals. The book was a labor of hope and commitment to doing the things necessary to climb back from the abyss. It is the fulfillment of an inner need to inspire others who also want to be "the best possible version of themselves."

Mark Sieverkropp is a good friend of mine. We’ve been interacting on Twitter and social media. We’ve had a blast getting to know each other. One of the things I really like about Mark is his ability for networking and follow up with people, and being proactive about his follow up strategies. I think a lot of people miss the mark in their networking or when they are meeting other people because they don’t do appropriate follow up. Mark is going to talk to us through some good ways that we can put networking and follow up into our procedures and make sure we are building on those connections we’ve made either through social media, the people we meet at networking events, or out and about. It’s a great interview, enjoy! Mark Sieverkropp is a Podcaster, blogger, author, entrepreneur, connector, leader, consultant and speaker. He is the author of Project: Success, which climbed to #3 in the Self-Help category in the Amazon Kindle Store. He is also co-host of the Happen To Your Career Podcast, which was a New & Noteworthy Podcast in the Career section of iTunes. Mark is passionate about connecting with others, finding ways to add value to them and helping other people do the same.

Wally Hauck is the author of two different books on leadership. One of the things Wally talks about extensively in this interview is trust. Trust between the manager and someone that person is managing. If you are interested in becoming a leader or you think you are in a leadership capacity in some different scenarios one of the things you really need to work on developing is trust. That is what I would like to highlight in this episode today. Wally Hauck, PhD has a cure for the deadly disease known as the typical performance appraisal. He is also the author of two books, The Art of Leading: Principles for Predictable Performance Improvement and Stop the Leadership Malpractice: How to Replace the Typical Performance Appraisal.

Travis Cody is the author of the book Cure Overwhelm Now where he talks about his experience of removing himself from all technological devices for 30 days. He talks about all the different ways that we are being overwhelmed. These technological devices are taking up and absorbing too much of our energy, time, and they are causing us a lot of stress. Travis Cody’s greatest joy in life is showing stressed out, overwhelmed people how to find the time to actually live their lives and pursue their dreams. He is the creator of The Overwhelm Cure. After surviving his 30 Day experiment without modern technological devices, he now shows others how to live a life they love.

Thank you for listening to the Defining Success Podcast. Today I want to interview you! That’s right you, the listener of the Defining Success Podcast. This week on The Defining Success Podcast Facebook page I’m going to ask all of you, the listeners, questions that I often ask guests on the show. Take advantage of it this week! It would mean a lot to me. I think it would mean a lot to others, you’d be helping people and exposing them to your thoughts on success, passion, commitment and taking action. Go to our Facebook page and join in!

Bob Burg is my very first repeat guest on the Defining Success Podcast. The first time he was on we talked about his book, the Go Giver (Episode 22). That was over a year ago and he’s back today to talk to us about his new book, Adversaries into Allies: Win People Over Without Manipulation or Coercion. Bob is an expert at influencing people so that it’s a win-win situation for everyone. Bob Burg is a sought after speaker at corporate conventions and for entrepreneurial events. He has addressed audiences ranging in size from 50 to 16,000 – sharing the platform with notables including today’s top thought leaders, broadcast personalities, Olympic athletes and political leaders including a former U.S. President.

Farnoosh Brock is the author of several books. She has two put out by a traditional publisher. They are The Healthy Juicer’s Bible and The Healthy Smoothie Bible. Today she is going to talk to us about a variety of different topics, mostly about getting a book published, how that whole process works and her tips and ideas on how to market books including using a media kit. Farnoosh spends her time writing and running the Prolific Living blog, as well as Prolific Juicing, Fast Track Promotion for career warriors and Smart Exit Blueprint for entrepreneur-wanna-be spirits. She writes books, talks about empowering your life with your own choices and re-inventing yourself with positivity, enthusiasm and the right guidance.

Dr. Mollie Marti has been a lawyer, a psychologist, a university professor, an author, and is now the director of a nonprofit organization. One of her mentors growing up was a judge. Judge Max Rosenn, he’s since passed away, but she wrote a book about his experience. He was one of those extremely influential people who made a difference. One of the things that made him so influential was his ability to be present for other people. Everybody thought very highly of the man and he made a huge difference. Dr. Mollie Marti is the author of Walking with Justice and co-author of The 12 Factors of Business Success. After years of active partnership with nonprofit organizations, she recently accepted a position as CEO of the nonprofit Community Resiliency Project, dedicated to empowering communities to grow resilient youth and create an environment in which no life is lost to suicide.

In this interview I want to focus on how important body language is when you’re speaking, and not just in front of a lot of people, but just speaking in general. What your body language tells people. Dr. Nick Morgan is one of the top experts on body language and how to make sure it conveys the message you are trying to convey. Dr. Nick Morgan owns Public Words, a company that is helping to create strategies for people who want to become professional speakers. Dr. Nick Morgan is one of America’s top communication theorists and coaches A passionate teacher, Nick is committed to helping people find clarity in their thinking and ideas—and then delivering them with panache.

In this interview I talk with David Ralph about how important it is to take action. David had me on his podcast not to long ago. I really liked what he was doing. I liked the message and the tone of his podcast. So I decided to have him on the Defining Success Podcast. It’s his first time being interviewed himself on a podcast. It’s a great interview. David Ralph is the host of the Join Up Dots Podcast, The Daily Podcast Talking To The Motivational, Inspirational and Conversational Movers And Shakers Across The Globe Today.

Michael Ghandour is the creator of MAKO Program, it’s kind of like an artificial intelligence for computers where you can talk to the computers, it’ll take your commands and respond to you in the appropriate way. I’m fascinated with Michael for a lot of reasons. One of them is that he did something for fun. He just got excited about it and then he took the initiative to take it to the next level, take it to the next step and really own what he was creating. Own it to make a difference. Michael Ghandour is the creator of MAKO Program, an artificially intelligent assistant that can do anything you ask it to do! MAKO is the most advanced artificial intelligence software. Their revolutionary software is not only able to learn from you, but it can also do essentially anything you require it to do with the power of your voice.

Thomas Dowd is the author of his own book, it’s about trying to recover from losing a job and going out job hunting. One of the things that I thought was very interesting was the way he would go about job seeking and how he recommends others do it as well. It’s the difference between networking and  job searching.   Thomas Dowd, or Transformation Tom, is the author of “Displacement Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job…A Reference Guide to Finding Work.” With over twenty-three years of experience in the financial industry in management and leadership roles at the same organization, Thomas Dowd received the call nobody wanted: “We’re downsizing.” What could have been a devastating day, immediately turned into a journey toward his next book “Displacement Day.”

Peter Rogers is on the city council of Chino Hills in California, the town I grew up in. The way the city council works in Chino Hills is he gets elected to city council and then once every term he gets elected for a year as mayor of our town. He’s been mayor twice and was mayor last year. Today he’s going to talk with us about his career as a photographer and also about his experiences being the mayor of Chino Hills. Peter Rogers was elected to the Chino Hills city council in November 2006 and has served as the mayor for two of those years.  He’s also a Southern California based commercial photographer specializing in partnerships with businesses and ad agencies to create innovative photographic solutions for advertising and marketing needs.

Sushant Misra is the owner of Trep Talks, and he and I are in a mastermind together. He actually interviewed me on his show about six months ago. He’s a really bright guy, has a great advice. One thing that he brought up, which I have found to be true with the interviews I’ve done with people for The Defining Success Podcast, is that there is no big secret to success. It’s a great episode, I hope you all enjoy! Sushant Misra is the host of Trep Talks, a web-based interview show where he interviews some of the most successful digital entrepreneurs on the internet. These entrepreneurs share their stories as well as a few “secrets” – i.e. mindsets, strategies and tactics that worked really well for them in starting and growing their own online businesses. He is also the owner of yogamatstore.com.

John Sparks owns his own social media company, an internet marketing business where he helps businesses expand their reach online. One of the things he prides himself on is his experience on Twitter and how he’s been able to use Twitter to build a massive following and build some word-of-mouth marketing. In this interview he has some great tips and advice on using Twitter. John Sparks is the Owner and CEO of Online ImageWorks. He has a passion for helping others learn about social media and technology and has become known as a nationally recognized social media coach.

This episode I interview the Mingling Maven, Susan RoAne. She is the author of How to Work a Room. In the interview she gives great ideas on having conversations with people, how to start those conversations, and how to feel comfortable in those scenarios. One of the things she highlighted was the difference between working a room and networking. The real key to networking is in the follow-up.   Susan RoAne, or the Mingling Maven, is the best selling author of How to Work a Room.  If you’ve ever walked into a roomful of strangers and felt uncomfortable, you’re not alone.  According to research, over 90% feel the same way.  Because it’s essential, to building our businesses as well as our personal life, we must be able to comfortably attend gatherings and meet, connect and converse with people we don’t know as well as the ones we do.

Brian Basilico is the owner of his own social media company. One of the things we talked about was return on investment, and looking at ROI when you are using social media and actually many things you are probably doing.   Brian Basilico is the owner of B2B Interactive Marketing. B2b Interactive Marketing combines audio, video, interactive, web, communications, and advertising, with branding and marketing experience of almost 30 years in the communications industry.

Ben Alexander is the owner of Balloon Distractions, who appeared on an episode of the Shark Tank. He didn’t get a deal with any of the Sharks, but he gained a lot of experience through the process. He talks with us about his experience on the Shark Tank as well as with his business. His advice to start with a small scale business is something that resonates with me. Ben Alexander started Balloon Distractions in the Fall of 2003, starting an adventure that continues to this day. Balloon Distractions has been a blessing in his life, and the lives of all those who have learned a new skill, income, confidence and poise.

Richard McKinnon is the owner and President of System 1 Incorporated. Because of Richard's business sense, he realizes the importance on people to people interactions. That and advice from his father have helped him and his business get through the recession and thrive. System 1 Interiors specializes in interior home remodeling including acoustic ceiling removal, plaster ceiling resurfacing, recessed lighting and interior & exterior painting. System 1 has been the leader in Acoustic Ceiling removal in southern California for over 30 years.

Nancy Dunn-Kato is a very well respected golf instructor, one ot the top junior golf instructors in the country. In our interview she talks about the gamification of teaching the golf swing; how she makes these simple little games to help kids learn the golf swing. There’s a movement in education about gamification, working to make the learning experience more fun and enjoyable. Nancy Dunn-Kato has been a Certified Class A LPGA Teaching & Club Professional Member since 1989. She has played and taught golf for over 24 years. Nancy’s company SWINGplay and its concepts are a direct result of her dedicated work with junior golfers and a real, practical, understanding of what works best. SWINGplay’s unique programs are specifically designed to focus the learning needs of young and adult golfers at all levels from beginner to advanced players. The SWINGplay systems and methods reinforce the play in golf – to keep the learning experience fun, positive, and filled with success that grows naturally out of children’s play. Skill and ability grow quickly through the game-play!

Michael Peshkam is the founder and CEO of Xincus. Xincus gives businesses an opportunity to collaborate and communicate with each other on his platform and creates the opportunity to leverage social media. Michael talks about businesses and social media, noting that there is a difference between a business that uses social media and a business that is a social business. Xincus is the first-of-its-kind online Social Marketplace for Business that makes the power of mass collaboration available to everyone by bringing together Experts, Businesses, and Enterprises to engage each other and create new business value and opportunities that they could not develop independently.

Danielle Tucker’s Golf Club has been broadcasting from Hawaii since 1999.   Danielle interviews PGA, LPGA and International Golf Professionals, Young Rising Stars, Teaching Pros, Sports Shrinks, Authors, Mental Coaches, Golf Equipment Companies, Club Designers and Golf Broadcasters. Danielle Tucker is the host of Radio Golf Club. It's a radio show that takes place in Hawaii. It's live. One of the things that came up in the interview that I thought was interesting, because it's a different point of view from other guests of our podcast. She's doing this as a side job. This radio show, she does it on a saturday. She has her normal work week and then she goes in and does this podcast on a Saturday because it's something she really loves and she has the opportunity to do it.

John Corcoran knows how to connect with influential people.  He has worked in the White House, he has met presidents, he has his own law firm, there are so many different things this guy has done. He’s great at networking with very important people, he has lots of tips and information on how we can network better.   John Corcoran shows entrepreneurs and small business owners how to bring in more clients, customers and revenue by building relationships with VIPs and top performers.  He’s also the host of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast. Learn how to connect with influential people in Episode 73 of the DSP.  

In Episode 72 of the Defining Success Podcast we go through our book chapter by chapter and discuss the ideas presented in the book. At the end of each chapter we present a question in our book, which we encourage readers to engage with on our website, SocialGolfCourse.com.   In Episode 72 of the Defining Success Podcast, Zeb Welborn and John Hakim discuss the second half of their book, The Social Golf Course.  Learn valuable insights about how to turn golf courses into social golf courses, and how to use social media to get golfers to play golf, play more often and spend more money on the golf course.

Melissa Krivachek has had lots of ups and downs in her professional career. At a young age she was promoted quickly at the retail store she worked for, but when the recession hit, she lost her job. During that time she became homeless and even spent some time in jail. She rebounded nicely by creating her own business, Briella Arion, which she is running today. Learn how Melissa worked toward overcoming career disaster in episode 71 of the Defining Success Podcast. Melissa Krivachek is the President of Briella Arion. She has been captivating, inspiring and motivating entrepreneurs across the globe since her early twenties. Chosen as Evolution Magazines 2013 Top Power Player Under 40, and featured on CNN, Forbes, Yahoo Finance, and receiving dozens of other accolades, Melissa’s passion for personal growth resonates with audiences looking for more fulfillment in all aspects of life and business. As the Author of Be Ballsy! How Not To Suck At Love, Success, & Happiness she loves teaching audiences how to break-thru limiting beliefs so they can have it all. We've all experienced ups and downs in our professional careers.  In Episode 71 of the Defining Success Podcast, Melissa Krivachek shares how she's experienced some ups and downs of her own and how she re-invented her career.