Rewired Mind

In the sixth episode of our "Engineer vs. Recruiter" series on Rewired Mind, Cory Berg and I go deeper into the often-contentious relationship between engineers and recruiters, shedding light on the challenges and misconceptions that fuel the friction. Cory shares his frustrations with spammy, impersonal outreach on LinkedIn and we discuss the negative impact of interrupting engineers' flow states and the importance of context and respect in initial communications. On the flip side, I open up about the pressures and mistakes recruiters face, such as contacting candidates for roles they're clearly overqualified for or reaching out with positions that don't match their salary expectations.  We touch on the concept of "fake job ads" and the frustration it causes among job seekers, dissecting the nuanced reasons behind such practices and how transparent communication could alleviate some of the distrust. We also talk about ways to improve interactions between tech professionals and recruiters, aiming to create a more positive and productive hiring process for all parties involved. I hope you enjoy this candid discussion as much as we did! Allen

As we continue with part five of this fun series, Cory "the engineer" Berg and I dive into loyalty between recruiters and talent, and recruiters and the companies hiring.  First, we talk about the relationships with each, and we acknowledge where some of the shortcomings lie with some recruiters. Do they all just chase the money? How do you balance the alliance between the candidate and what's best for the company? We continue this interesting conversation and I hope you enjoy it! Allen

Here we go again! In this LinkedIn Live session, Cory Berg and I go head to head and generate some really intriguing discussions revolving around hiring issues between recruiters and engineers. Is it on the recruiter to prepare an engineer for an interview? Cory says it depends on the outcome - placement or success long term, and talks about the responsibility on each party to be as prepared as possible. Cory gets into soft skill applicants and how they might prepare. We also talk about some soft skill questions. Allen asks about whether or not some of the attempts by a recruiter are considered "stepping on toes" and how common it is for an engineer to consider talking to the recruiter a waste of time. Cory also asks why an engineer only gets the feedback of "you weren't a right fit" instead of a detailed explanation. Thanks for listening! Allen

In this episode, Cory and I begin by talking about the almost unbelievable stories of a different person showing up in the interview than was supposed to! An engineer sends a different person to the interview! It's crazy to think that happens - but it's far more common than we'd like to believe. Cory also talks about the lack of transparency on the part of the recruiter in the process. It's not to say that the engineer needs to know everything about the process, but we talk about a few critical things that can be left out of a conversation that are important for the person being hired to be aware of. We also talk about another area of transparency when it comes to what a recruiter charges vs. what is being paid to the engineer. Why does it matter? Is is it important to share, and if so, when and how? We also talk about what follows that kind of transparency. Does an engineer have a clear understanding of why that amount is being charged? We dive into a deeper topic that revolves around trust and building relationships as the cornerstone of that experience. I hope you enjoy this ongoing mini "versus" within the LinkedIn Live audio series. Allen  

It's round two! Cory Berg, an esteemed colleague and trusted friend, goes head to head with me in this LinkedIn Live series we did a while back, and we had to share it with you in podcast form. Now, if you haven't heard round one, I highly suggest that you listen to it by clicking here. We have some laughs while going head to head - me, Allen Plunkett, as the recruiter, and Cory Berg as the engineer. We discuss when it's appropriate to give references, and contact references. From a recruiter's perspective, doesn't it make sense to reach out to references early so you can have a good idea of the person you're trying to selling to a company? Or as an engineer, do you worry about having a recruiter bothering your references, or worse, trying to pitch those managers with their recruiting services? We get into all of it in this fun, spirited conversation. Enjoy! Allen

In this episode, featured initially on LinkedIn Live, Cory Berg and I begin a short series of Engineers vs. Recruiters! For those who have ever used a recruiter (whether you're in IT or not) you've no doubt come face to face with these types of behaviors. Cory Berg plays the role of the engineer, and I of course look at it from a recruiter perspective. What's the right thing to do when you get ghosted by a recruiter? How do you start the conversation about your salary if you're an engineer talking to a recruiter? How do you evaluate candidates' skills over long distance?  Cory and I started this a couple of years ago as an impromptu LinkedIn Live session, and it turned into a very interesting and recurring topic.  I hope you enjoy this episode! More Engineer vs. Recruiter episodes to follow! Allen

In this episode we featured initially on LinkedIn Live, I take a deep dive into an absolutely critical topic for employers - writing a great job description. I sit down with Cory Berg and Anthony Garone, who provide valuable insight into how companies need to realize the value in a proper job description.  We talk about some of the bad techniques of creating a job description. Copy and paste from another larger company? Cory calls it "copy pasta" - nobody wants to eat it. We talk about the legal content contained in some, and the lack of understanding of what a potential hire wants to see from the company he or she is going to dedicate their professional lives to! We dive into ways a company can overcome negative reviews about themselves, how to attract the people that want to be a part of the organization, and how incredibly different the quality and quantity of applicants can be when crafting a proper description. Join us for this fun discussion! Enjoy, Allen Plunkett

In this episode we dive into a topic that resonates with all of us: salary negotiation. I'm your host, Allen Plunkett, and joining me on this episode are three remarkable guests, Amy Ancira from HireBetter, Keld Jensen from Thunderbird School of Global Management, and Rinkan Patel, a friend and seasoned professional with expertise spanning various industries. In this episode, we explore the art of negotiation from different angles. Amy kicks off the discussion by shedding light on the importance of creating safe spaces for open conversations between employees and employers. Keld Jensen, drawing from his extensive negotiation experience, shares invaluable insights on transforming negotiation from a confrontational win-lose scenario to a collaborative venture where both parties gain asymmetric value. Rinkan Patel, in his dual role as a hiring manager and a candidate, emphasizes the significance of preparation, realistic expectations, and recognizing various levers of compensation in negotiation. The conversation also touches on the evolving landscape of remote work and the challenges it presents for both employers and employees. So, if you're looking to understand the dynamics involved before you walk into that negotiation, you won't want to miss this insightful episode. Remember, negotiation isn't a conflict; it's a collaboration where both sides can find value and achieve their goals. Thanks again for listening to Rewired Mind. Allen   Allen Plunkett website | Allen Plunkett LinkedIn Amy Ancira LinkedIn Keld Jensen website | Keld Jensen LinkedIn Rinkan Patel LinkedIn

I was very excited to have Hannah Nokes on one of my LinkedIn Live sessions las year. We talked about her book, Magnify Your Impact, a great book about igniting your company's purpose into action. We talked about how she came to know Maggie Miller (her co-author) and how challenges they faced in their business led them to write the book. She also talks about her background at EZCorp, and how she fell in love with the ideals of a company that uses their resources to make an impact in the community, especially in a way that can provide a benefit to the organization. We also discuss how employees can help and how to make an impact that is real, focused, and is backed with real action. We talk about the reluctance on the part of business owners, and how we overcome it. That leads more into her experience, and how it led to the book. We talk about the 4-step process in Magnify your Impact and how it can help your business, impact pillars, and how these tools can drive profitability for your company.  Enjoy the episode! Allen Plunkett

Welcome to another episode of Rewired Mind! I'm your host, Allen Plunkett, and today, we're diving deep into the art of saying no. Joining us is a true sales guru and an incredible mentor, coach, and author, Dan Tyre, who plays a pivotal role as one of the first employees at HubSpot. In this episode, we'll explore the power and significance of saying no in both personal and professional aspects of life. Dan Tyre, with his vast experience and expertise in sales management, will share valuable insights on how he mastered the skill of saying no to the right things at the right time. Drawing from his rich background, we'll learn how Dan's journey at HubSpot shaped his understanding of prioritization and focus, enabling him to excel as a mentor and coach. He'll reveal practical tips on setting boundaries, making tough decisions, and staying true to your goals while avoiding the pitfalls of overcommitment. Throughout this conversation, we'll hear fascinating anecdotes from Dan's career and how saying no not only propelled his personal growth but also helped him foster a healthy work environment for his team. Additionally, I hope you enjoy this season of Rewired Mind as we go through some of the most interesting sessions from my LinkedIn Live series over the last couple of years. I hope it helps empower you with essential skills and transforms your approach to productivity and success.    

Welcome back! It's been a crazy year and while we are starting up yet another season of Rewired Mind, it's a bit different than you've come to expect. This season I'm featuring the audio version of many of my LinkedIn live sessions. I considered the time constraints I have (that most of us have, really) and decided that, while I loved doing the book reviews with colleagues, it took a significant amount of time to coordinate. But I still wanted to publish useful content. After looking at the LinkedIn Live archive that we've built up and the interesting insights I got from those friends and colleagues I spoke with over the last couple of years, I decided to release the audio only version. I hope that you'll find some source of inspiration or insight from these business leaders and professionals! I jump in with Nick Morrison founder of Potere, and Teresa Marzolph founder of Culture Engineered, on the subject of taking or making a counter offer. This was originally recorded in July of 2021, and while it pre-dated a lot of the shift we've seen in the workplace, the interesting thing is how both my guests led with predictions for the near future that we are still seeing today.  I hope that you'll enjoy all three of our perspectives. I think the fun part of this one was the unique perspectives that we have on the topic. Enjoy, and I hope that you'll join me for more of these recorded sessions. Allen

In this episode of Rewired Mind, I sit down with Anthony Garone and Ellis Fitch, founders of Edify Content and authors of the book "Winning the Job Search: The Hard Truth About Getting Hired." Joining me as co-host is Kelly Geary, bringing a tremendous amount of experience in the industry. We start with a discussion about the relevance of the book amidst the unpredictable job market, especially during and post-COVID. Anthony and Ellis share their personal experiences of getting laid off and witnessing others facing similar challenges, and highlight the need for practical guidance in the job search. This book should be included in graduation gift bags and college curriculums, according to Kelly, and I couldn't agree more! She talks about the value of preparing emotionally and investing time in job search preparation, which can significantly impact the length and difficulty of the journey. Ellis's perspective in this book also adds a fresh take on job searching, particularly for women. Anthony, a self-described introvert, explains that introversion doesn't equate to avoiding difficult conversations; it's more about losing energy in social interactions. We talk about the tension between their viewpoints, which provides readers with a broader understanding of job search strategies and the different challenges for different types of people. We also talk about the book's misconceptions and the intention behind each chapter's titles. Join me and Kelly Geary in this enlightening conversation that challenges conventional wisdom and offers practical insights into winning the job search game.  Links and other notes from the podcast Find the book on Amazon here. Edify Content PeopleGetters.com Allen Plunkett - PhoenixStaff.com

In this episode of the Rewired Mind podcast, hosts Allen Plunkett, Ellis Fitch, and Kelly Geary sit down with Kurt Wilkin, author of the book Who's Your Mike?: A No-Bullshit Guide to the People You'll Meet on Your Entrepreneurial Journey. They discuss the importance of having a strong support system when starting a business and navigating the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. Kurt shares insights from his own experience as a founder and CEO, and talks about the different types of people or "Mikes" that entrepreneurs need in their lives to succeed. The conversation touches on topics like networking, mentorship, and building authentic relationships. Listeners will come away with practical tips for identifying and cultivating the right connections on their own entrepreneurial journey.

I could not wait to talk again with JeVon McCormick. On our new season, I am joined by Ellis Fitch and Anthony Garone. We dive into JeVon's second book, Modern Leader, including a chat about the foreword written by the one and only David Goggins. JeVon talks about how that came about. We dive into a substantial moment in JeVon's life, and part of the motivation for his latest book. Making the decision to go by JeVon instead of J.T. (which you'll hear him referred to in our season 1 interview here), he talks about "the broken playbook" that we all play by, and how he made the decision to own his full name, and what he hopes to see by doing that. Allen talks about a story in the book about a drive JeVon took with his dad through an area of River Oaks, and how some of those moments motivated him to write this latest book as well. JeVon talks about who he specifically wanted to reach with this message. Allen mentions a phenomenon that JeVon brought up in the book about shaming people for asking questions. JeVon talks about the responsibility of people to teach rather than to take the position that it "isn't my responsibility to teach them".  Ellis and JeVon dive into DEI initiatives (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion), particularly within publicly traded companies, and JeVon talks about how some of the intentions are misguided. JeVon talks about some interesting examples about changing the playbook, and cites the example of the change of leadership and pattern of succession at TIAA-CREF, and how now Thasunda Brown Duckett is the current CEO. Anthony asks about what practical top-down solutions  companies can put in practice to affect real change to the broken playbook. Thanks for listening to this episode. Here are some links below from the show and more information about the hosts. JeVon's LinkedIn page JeVonMcCormick.com website Scribe Media website The hosts of the show: Allen Plunkett, owner of Phoenix Staff Ellis Fitch, Content Strategist and co-founder of Edify Content Anthony Garone, Ghostwriter and co-founder of Edify Content

The new season of the Rewired Mind Podcast, hosted by self-made entrepreneur Allen Plunkett returns Tuesday, March 14th. This season you'll hear more amazing conversations with industry leaders who have transformed their organizations and their lives - by rewiring their thinking and adopting new concepts.  Allen, alongside trusted friends and colleagues, will interview authors who've overcome obstacles and rewired the way they approach life, work, and family. We'll also have videos of many of these episodes as well!  Join us as we sit down with these authors, then discuss our thoughts after the interview! Don't miss the first episode of season 2, coming Tuesday, March 14th!

Gelie Akhenblit is probably best known as the founder of largest Networking Community in Phoenix, NetworkingPhoenix.com. After starting with nothing, Gelie has built this network to close to 43,000 members. A fighter in every sense of the word, Gelie is someone who is always intent on rewiring her own mind while helping others in rewiring theirs as well. Through the massive network of professionals and the close relationships that she has built with people over the years, Gelie is interested serving. She has learned that one of the ways she can help is by offering connectedness and a sense of community to those who may otherwise struggle to find these things. Her road has not been a simple one. From quitting her job and launching her own business to almost losing that business after a divorce - Gelie is the epitome of a fighter and someone who knows how to battle to achieve success. With every step, she displays confidence and perseverance that she will reach her goals no matter the obstacle. You can listen to her TedX talk here and visit her website here. Gelie makes a reference to her blog post here. Find her LinkedIn page here.

Gary Robinson is an author and speaker whose search for purpose after being arrested and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Ultimately he made changes that led him to inspire others to believe in themselves and the genius that they have inside. Gary talked about being arrested at age 20 for armed robbery and his “rewired moment” when he was sitting in his jail cell and realized that he needed to change. The way he'd handled things up until that point didn't work. He prayed not to leave jail as the same type of person he was when he came in. He spoke about his childhood - watching his mom get arrested and being raised by his great-grandmother. He was surprised to find himself put in a Bible study group in prison by a relative he knew from his youth; reuniting with his cousin and how that experience helped him get out of the fixed mindset he was in. During that time he also met Lester Young. Among a few others, Lester was a tremendous influence. If you haven't heard my interview with Lester, you should. The inspiration and wisdom shared between these two gentlemen is incredible, and the fact that Lester's intervention in Gary's life was so profound will come as no surprise. Hitting rock bottom and recognizing that you need help can be a treacherous journey, and Gary's experiences are truly the epitome of that. He recounts Robin Sharma's quote, “Delete the energy vampires from your life, clean out all complexity, build a team around you that frees you to fly, remove anything toxic, and cherish simplicity, because that's where genius lives.” His approach to life now is simple - figure out your purpose and be great at it. You can buy a copy of his book Mining the Diamond in You: A Journey of Reinvention and Transformation here.

When people go to describe this guest on Rewired Mind, they may want to say attorney, speaker, author etc. but Kirk Nurmi would just like to simply be known as a human being. The quote “no one wants to die with music still left inside them” by Dr. Wayne Dyer has been an inspiration for Kirk. He famously was the defense attorney in the Jodi Arias trial, which lasted from January 2013- April 2015. During this 2 ½ year period, he faced threats and public scrutiny, leading him to step away from law and even getting diagnosed with cancer as a result of the pressure from the trial. As a result of the cancer, Kirk changed his focus to make his happiness a priority, something he had not done in the years prior to the diagnosis. The biggest question that he had to answer was “Am I Happy?” This forced him to examine areas of his life and make decisions based on how he answered that question. A book he would recommend is I Can See Clearly Now by Wayne Dyer. You can buy his book Defend Your Greatness here.

Candice Liozu is the Director of an amazing non-profit called Foster360. This organization focuses on assisting young adults who are aging out of the foster care system. Candice shares her journey of working at the highest levels in the corporate world to now being the Director of a non-profit. She worked for what she envisioned as being akin to the “American Dream” when working for SAP after moving here from Europe and had her in the mindset of being a “shark” in an industry that is full of highly motivated, competitive people and leaders. Her rewired moment: came one evening at dinner. She heard a voice that led her to believe, finally, that she should be making decisions for herself rather than others to do so on her behalf. She’d been allowing others to make decisions for her for years. This experience led her to work with Mesa United Way and the creation of Foster360. You can learn more and donate to Foster 360 by going to Foster360az.com Some things that Candice mentioned were helpful to her were the books Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza, Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch, Willpower Doesn’t Work by Ben Hardy and the music of Ottmar Liebert.

“Whatever pain you experience can be power to create the life you want”. This quote fits the story of Luke Kayyem, a performance life coach, corporate leadership consultant and keynote speaker. He shifted his focus to specific things after having a fixed mindset for most of his life. He got into reading and starting to widen his mindset in 2017 and was influenced by author David Deida, after going to an event where he was a guest speaker. We chat about his childhood and how being raised by a single mom impacted him. He was on a path of self-destruction when he started drinking and partying. Luke has worked hard to change his mindset from fixed to one focused on searching and seeking. Recognizing that he was throwing so much away due to his addiction, he now aims to help other men on their own journey of life. Through his program called Fathers of the Future, Luke helps men live their legacy despite their own set of bad circumstances. You can learn more about it here.  You can get in touch with Luke by going to https://www.lukekayyem.com/ Books that Luke recommends: The Way of the Superior Man, David Deida and Mindset, Carol Dweck

Jessie Shedden is an author and a mindset/confidence coach. She grew up as a member of what is considered by many to be a cult, the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church. The church rejects all claims that they are a cult and describes themselves as a “mainstream Christian Church”, but as we speak to Jessie, you can make your own determination as to their structure. As a 4th generation member Jessie shares some of the things that occurred while a part of the church and how she helped her dad with some the businesses he looked to launch as a member as well as what her life was like up to the point she decided to leave. Jessie recently lost her mother and the relationships that she once had with other family members, including her father are now tumultuous or non-existent. Her focus has shifted to seeing herself as a powerful, strong, blessed and wealthy woman, coming from a situation where everything was run by men and women were viewed as subservient, meek and quiet. Books she would recommend are Take the Risk by Ben Carson and The 6 Pillars of Self Esteem by Nathaniel Branden. You can buy her books about her own experiences, Tomorrow’s Not Promised: Mistress of her own Destiny here and Those Boots are Made for Walking: One Woman’s Quest for Freedom here.

A Navy veteran and registered nurse, Antra Boyd is a patient advocate and owner of Connected Care Patient Advocacy. Her entire life focused on helping people and doing for others. We talk about the battle she won against cancer and how her experience of being a patient led her to starting her own company. Such a great conversation with a very transparent and genuinely nice person. Books that she would recommend are Women Who Love Too Much by Robin Norwood, The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande and The Three Principles by Sydney Banks.

A very close friend of mine – it was great to interview him on Rewired Mind to dig a little deeper into this incredibly kind and talented guy. He can describe himself as a “software guy” oftentimes (and is a very good one at that!). He’s also a writer and is very focused on helping other people improve in the workplace. A recent quote from the mind of our buddy Gary Vaynerchuk “Don’t create; document” has influenced some of Cory’s writing. We spoke on the importance of self-talk and how he believes that having an analytical mind can lead to catastrophic thinking. He shared the idea that, for him, filling the “cup” of others can help to fill your own. He also talked about how active listening – a critical thing for any software development person - is an important skill for all people to hone. You can connect with him on LinkedIn and visit his website: softwareplusplus.com His book Software++: Must Have Skills for Software Engineers is available on Amazon. A book that Cory would recommend is How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

A Kung Fu Master and Hypnotherapist, Jeremy Roadruck is also the author of Your Best Child Ever: Is This Game Worth Winning? In this interview we talk about his childhood and how he was determined to live a life of happiness, health, safety and solid communication. As importantly though, he has focused on sharing the strategies that he has learned with others. Through his book, his schools and platforms like this, that is exactly the mission he is now fulfilling. One of his basic beliefs is that “we can learn from anyone regardless of age”. He discusses the importance of self-talk and shared a moment where he was caught by one of his Kung Fu Masters saying that he hated himself and how that interaction helped him become more aware of how he was talking to himself and how he worked to correct it. If you want to connect with him, the easiest way to reach him is Facebook, You can buy his book here.

Kip Brooks is an author, entrepreneur, speaker and breakthrough coach. For much of his youth, Kip was convinced that he wasn’t wanted. He struggled with forgiving people and trust had been an issue for sure. When he was 8 years old, Kip would pray that he wouldn’t wake up. He figured that if God was real, the prayer would be answered as all he wanted was out. Struggling with drugs and alcohol and also landing in jail led him toward getting clean and changing his life. You can get in touch with Kip by going to brooksempowermentacademy.com and follow him here: On Facebook at TheRealKipBrooks Instagram @TheRealKipBrooks LinkedIn at TheRealKipBrooks For instant access to one of Kip’s courses – follow this link  https://brooksempowermentacademy.com/gifts/ Books that he would recommend are: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, The Laws of Thinking by Bernard Jordan and the The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday.

Kara Goldin is the Founder and CEO of Hint, Inc. – makers of Hint Water, the leading unsweetened flavored water. She is also the bestselling author of Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters, which was released October 2020. Kara’s career has seen her in magazine circulation for Time Magazine, Sales for CNN, and as a VP for AOL before founding Hint. Her accolades include being named one of InStyle’s Badass 50, Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business, Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs, Fortune's Most Innovative Women in Food & Drink, and EY Entrepreneur of the Year for Northern California. The Huffington Post listed her as one of six disruptors in business, alongside Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. We spoke about her book, the fact that it was released during the pandemic, how the passing of her editor at the same time, all while having 5 kids, and running her business has impacted her. Kara told us how being curious from an early age helped her with problem-solving and really helps her not only stand on good footing with her employees, but also helps motivate her every day to continue to learn and grow. Kara spent much of her childhood in Arizona, graduated from Arizona State University, and currently lives in the bay area. She shares her knowledge and experience through public speaking, mentoring, and hosting her own podcast, The Kara Goldin Show. Books that she recommends are Superman’s Not Coming by Erin Brockovich, Originals by Adam Grant, and Can’t Even by Anne Helen Peterson. You can buy her book Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters here.

Karen DiMarco has been a nurse for over 22 years, she is a patient advocate and is definitely a healthcare visionary. In one of our favorite conversations we talked about her childhood, how she dealt with loneliness, and her feeling as though she needed to check certain boxes with people in order to be liked. She held onto a “red alert” sort of mindset for many years and became very self-conscious about how others viewed her. An amazing human with great stories of being herself and raising her kiddos to be confident people as well, Karen is an exceptional writer (adding tons of humor to everything she writes) and such a delight to listen to and learn from. Please read more about her at https://karendimarco.com/ and feel free to contact her at karen@karendimarco.com A book she would recommend is Dying to be Me by Anita Moorjani.

Justin Otto is a former heroin addict who started his own podcast, DharmaJunkie, to help those who struggle with addiction as well to help him move on from his past. We talk about his addiction, his journey to becoming clean for the past 18 months and how his Buddhist mindset helped him with not only his recovery but also going forward. So many great insights and thoughts from someone who is a very deep thinker and looking to help others. Please listen to Justin’s podcast and feel free to contact him at Justin@dharmajunkie.com.

You know how you can tell when someone is smiling when you are talking to them? That is Rubina Cohen – all the time. Someone who had to help teach and basically be mom to her younger siblings at a very young age, Rubina quickly grabbed that mantle and got to work. She became obsessed with productivity and would create spreadsheets as a very young adult showing her where she spent her time. She had a love of learning and that is what led her to become interested in neuroscience and the work of Joe Dispenza. Like many other guests, she was also influenced by Oprah and Deepak Chopra and became interested our emotional intelligence and meditation. One of the many books that both of us would recommend is Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Justin Rambo struggled as a student. When he was in first grade, he believed that he was not as smart as the other students in his classes. He adopted a mindset that he was stupid, but later discovered that he just had a different style of learning. In 2014, he went to a talk about personal development, during this talk, he realized that there was more that he could do with his analytical style of learning and always questioning things. He feels that he understands people due to having introverted tendencies. Justin took an assessment that helped him understand his learning style and on what he calls his Download Day, how everything changed in how he approached personal interactions to how he focuses his time to make the most of it.  We also talk about how he is able to live without certain distractions that seem impossible to be without in today’s connected world. You can buy his book Turn Down the Noise here and listen to his podcast, Versatile Success here.

Growing up, Laurie Herbers saw herself as an innocent bystander. We talk about her relationship that she had with her father and how the negativity left her with a mindset of never being able to measure up. Laurie talks about her rewired moment during a rainstorm after her father had passed away and how this led her to find God and completely change how she looked at life and heal from what she had gone through. Now Laurie says her goal is empowerment. Her daily habits are looking at the verse of the day in her Bible app, journaling and having gratitude for the things that she has in her life. She is the author of Second Chances: How I Turned Hate into Love and Found My Purpose and would also recommend reading the Bible, When God Writes Your Love Story by Eric Ludy and So Long Insecurities by Beth Moore. To learn more about or contact Laurie, please visit soullovelegacy.com

We talk about how life was for her growing up and how that impacted her going forward and how it played into her alcohol addiction. She also discussed how she was able to get her masters at the age of 25 while drinking daily and how alcohol affected her home life after college. Gillian shares information about her own podcast, Sober Powered, and how she hopes to help people choose themselves over drinking, as she had to do for herself. You can contact her by going to SoberPowered.com, or listen and subscribe to her podcast, Sober Powered.

A college professor and author, Allison Dillard has spent much of her adult life helping people who struggle with math. She has had her own struggles that she discussed with us, from battling cancer to trying to navigate the insurance system. A teacher who knows how to motivate others, Allison found it difficult to motivate herself. A friend suggested she read The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. After reading it and following it every day for six months, Allison was reminded that she was in control. Books she recommends are Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod, 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins, Deep Work by Cal Newport and Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown. You can contact her at AllisonLovesMath.MyKajabi.com. Click each title to learn more about her books Crush Math Now and Raise Your Math Grade.

Dave knew what he wanted from an early age - the money, the wife, the house, the cars - everything he could possibly get his hands on. Then, everything changed. We discuss how his dedication to his job negatively impacted not only life at home but also the relationships in his life. He lost his marriage, his business partner and made a conscious choice to end his own life. When he finally found Jesus, it was his faith that allowed him to not only recover to a stable state professionally, but also reconcile the relationships that he had lost due to his selfish greed. Alongside his role as CEO and president of Integrity Capital, he is also an Elder at Scottsdale Bible Church, where he has been going since 2010. He has a ministry called Aiming at True North, which is centered around evangelism to people in the marketplace. To learn more about Integrity Capital, please visit https://www.integrity-capital.com/ You can connect with Dave on LinkedIn.

One of my highest recommendations for books that everyone should read is Dr. Benjamin Hardy’s Personality Isn’t Permanent, released earlier this year. We had a great conversation about his book, about why personality tests are harmful, and so many other great things. Dr. Hardy also addresses societal myths that people fall into believing and how it is your view of your future that drives you, not your view of your past. He also talks about how hope is not a passive thing but is an active thing and gives three key steps to finding hope. There are some truly great insights in this conversation. Books that he recommends are: The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch and The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk. You can buy his books Personality Isn’t Permanent here and Willpower Doesn’t Work here. You can contact him at contact@benjaminhardy.com

“Ask yourself questions and dare yourself to try new things.” Stacey Newman Weldon is the CEO of Adventure Wednesdays, a solution to better yourself.   We talk about her rewired moment, which was seeing a channeler, called “White Buffalo Woman” and Stacey was given the advice of taking herself on adventures and how she achieved that while living in New York. She talks about her first experience and how Adventure Wednesdays was started. Stacey also discusses her relationship with her parents and how her father had impressed on her the mindset that she was not allowed to have fun and was narcissistic towards her, while her mom had always encouraged her to have adventures while she was growing up. Her mission is to help people find out what their journey is and how they can have fun doing it. Specifically, she wants to connect with those who are like how she was ten years ago, before she had rewired her mind and help them realize that life can be fun. Books that she would recommend are Codependent No More by Melody Beattie and Eat, Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. If you want to get in touch with Stacey, you can visit her website Adventure Wednesdays.

His friends were very concerned when Stephen tipped the scale at over 300 pounds. He didn’t really give a second thought until June of 2005, when his 13-year-old son came to him with the idea of participating in a marathon. Stephen used to run when he was on his high school swim team but decided a while ago that he really wasn’t cut out to be a runner. Nonetheless, he and his son decided to train for a half marathon right before January of 2006. Since that first competitive run he has competed in 2 Ironman competitions and several full marathons. He is now challenging himself to complete a marathon in all 50 states, with 8 under his belt so far. He just finished his second book, Surviving Business Travel. It offers tips on how to better handle business travel and how to enjoy what can be a tough task for many – much like running used to be for him! Enjoy, Allen

Raoul is not only an incredible man, but is an exceptional speaker, mentor and trainer. As the Founder of CoMotiv (try.comotiv.com), Raoul’s rewired moment occurred in September of 2009. He was hiking in the Grand Canyon and initially thought he was having an allergic reaction. After meeting with doctors and having an exploratory surgery at the Mayo Clinic he discovered that he actually had a rare type of cancer. A cancer that has a 13% survival rate. He was told to get his affairs in order. During his treatment, he turned to fantasy football to help him cope with his cancer. One author who Raoul turned to during treatment was Viktor Frankl. Frankl’s quote, “The last of human freedoms is the ability to change one’s attitude in a given set of circumstances” was his source of inspiration. Through his battle with cancer and having to count life’s successes in 15 minutes increments, Raoul realized that it is easy to forget what we’ve accomplished in our lives and how easy it is to take things for granted. Some of the books that he mentioned as being helpful to him were Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, Anyway by Kent M. Keith, Maverick by Ricardo Semler and Self as Coach Self as Leader by Dr. Pam McLean

Positive and upbeat; that is Erika Feinberg. Erika does corporate engagement training as well as public speaking to help resolve or prevent human dynamic and communication issues. She, in a nutshell, helps create growth strategies for businesses. Coming from a place of expertise after creating and growing her own businesses. As a CEO and innovator for years, people and the way they operate has always been a topic of interest to her. With a background in psychology, she is able to incorporate that into her business in the form of approaching situations with the perspective of “What is the blessing behind this problem?” Erika’s rewired moment came when her brother Gary committed suicide. He had served as a sort of father figure for her when she was growing up. Since this happened, she's looked at how she handled that situation and used it as a measuring stick of sorts when facing other problems.  COVID-19 is happening during the recording of this episode. Erika says this is a great time to take business to the next level. Instead of looking at this situation from a negative point of view, she offered the alternative viewpoint of “What is the needed pivot for my business that this pandemic is providing?”  Finding blessings amidst what is happening at this moment can be difficult. Hopefully this podcast helps provide a frame of reference to do exactly that! Two books that she mentioned as being helpful to her were The Scalpel and the Soul by Allan Hamilton as well as a book that she contributed to, Purpose, Passion and Profit, a collaboration done with other professionals. If you want to get in touch with her, she can be found on LinkedIn. #FindTheBlessing #NeededPivot #Positivity #BusinessPsychology

Gary. That is the name of the man Lester Young killed. Lester committed an entire life to honoring that man's life and found ways to, in his words, “not make up for lost time - but maximize the time that is left.” Early Life Lester has had quite the life. After losing his mother when he was 16, things came apart rapidly. To fill the void he turned to the streets and started using and selling drugs. Lester was sentenced to life in prison after killing a man in a drug related exchange. Lester somehow found a way to rewire his mind. Knowing that he had a 3% chance of parole and only 19 years old when he entered prison, he still found a way. A Turning Poing During his time in prison he came across an episode of Oprah and started to write down five things that he was grateful for, despite how dark prison got for him. He also built a relationship with a chaplain who introduced him to reading and suggested As a Man Thinketh by James Allen. Life After Prison Paroled 6 years ago, Lester is now dedicating his life to helping those who are incarcerated. He helps them rewire their minds inside the prison walls and help them understand how to navigate life outside of prison. His foundation, Path2Redemption is a nonprofit focused on helping prisoners transition back into society and provide those who have been incarcerated with the skills necessary to be successful in society. He also wrote a book about his experience during his incarceration called The Five Stages of Incarceration. To learn more about Path2Redemtion, please visit path2redemption.org. Listen to his podcast on Apple Podcasts at Path2Redemption and order his book, click here.

Merle Riepe focuses on helping businesses increase profitability through people. He helps companies build better internal relationships, improve employee engagement and provides candidate assessments to ensure better hires. As an organization psychologist, his focus is on creating a good relationship between people and their work. “Too many people seem to have a broken relationship with their work.” This could be attributed to either that they do not agree with the leadership of the company that they work for or that they feel as though there is no meaning behind the work they are doing. With our current challenge of COVID-19, organizations are trying to develop skills and hire candidates remotely. At the same time, many are experiencing layoffs. With distance being a factor, we need to ensure trust and transparency on both sides. Merle offered some tips to handle bad thoughts that will come up during stay at home orders and social distancing. Write down the bad thoughts so that you can see them and write down what the distortion is in the thoughts. He also advised against using the terms “should” and “must” and to try reframing things as “want” when it comes to doing things. This can help against self-shaming which is very easy to fall into during this time. An example of this would be framing a task as “I want to get this done” vs “I must get this done”. He also mentioned the focus should be on feeling better during this pandemic vs. getting better. Some books that Merle mentioned that were helpful to him were Feeling Good and When Panic Attacks,  both by David Burns, who also has a podcast. He also mentioned The Power of Full Engagement by Tony Schwartz and Jim Loehr as well as Why by Simon Sinek and Peak Performance by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness. With his company SOLVE, he looks to get to the heart of an issue and figure out a way to fix it. His background in psychology helps him with providing the right solutions for his clients. You can reach him at merle@solve.com.

“I don’t regret anything about my past.” JT McCormick, a man who was raised in the slums of Dayton Ohio by a black pimp drug dealing father and a white orphan mother, worked his way from being the lowest paid employee of a software company to becoming the CEO of that company. During his time there, he helped build the business to a multi-million-dollar company that is consistently ranked as one of the best places to work in the state of Texas. JT is currently the CEO and President of Scribe Media, a publishing company that helps individuals from diverse backgrounds write, publish and market their books, allowing them to tell their story. Scribe has worked with the likes of David Goggins as well as members of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee. They were also ranked as having the number one Company Culture in America by Entrepreneur Magazine. His book I Got There: How a Mixed-Race Kid Overcame Poverty, Racism and Abuse to Achieve the American Dream, tells the heartbreaking and inspiring story of his fight to succeed despite the tremendous odds that were stacked against him. In addition to his job as CEO at Scribe Media, JT has used his story as a way to mentor young men and women in the juvenile justice system and those in lower income communities. To learn more about JT’s company, please visit www.scribemedia.com  #Inspiring #Mentoring #BeingSeen #EveryoneHasAStory #DavidGoggins

The word “Service” comes to mind when you know Troy Wilkinson. He began in law enforcement, became a lead bomb investigator, assisted on a Joint Terrorism Task force and then worked in violent crime and homicide. His greatest achievement during this time in his career was his skill and ability in investigating cyber crimes and child pornography. In 2007, he was recruited by the US State department to train police officers in Kosovo on cyber investigations and held many positions within the Intelligence Community. While working under the George W. Bush and Obama administrations, he was a top cyber investigator and helped the UN and EU to lead investigations into political corruption, organized crime, financial crimes, and terrorism. Alongside a team of international investigators, he created the first IT forensics lab for the EU Mission in Kosovo. After returning to the US, Troy co-founded a company with the mission to create intelligent, automated and self-healing cyber security platforms to help protect American businesses against cyber criminals. With the COVID-19 pandemic that is currently going on, Troy has some tips regarding cyber security. In addition to learning about his stellar background, this podcast gives you some insight into why we need to step up our game in security to combat these criminals who are not taking a vacation He also has set up a fundraiser called Healthcare Heroes, and it is designed to give back to those on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. This fundraiser would provide getaways for those “Healthcare Heroes” to allow them to take a well-deserved vacation once this crisis ends. For more information on this fundraiser and how you can give, please visit https://healthcareheroes.vegas/ #CyberSecurity, #IT, #LawEnforcement, #HealthcareHeroes, #COVID19, #InformationSharing #007

Amy Tyre was raised in Boston and had a typical childhood. The first notice of a major shift for her happened when she moved to Arizona. This change forced her to realize that she needed to rely more on her immediate family after relying on her parents while living in Boston. However, the biggest moment for her was getting sick. She had struggled with symptoms of IBS since middle school but she did not realize this until much later. To try to solve this problem, she sought out the use of traditional medicine, only to find that this approach only made things worse. She then looked into alternative medicines. After being told by a medical intuitive that the main cause of the IBS issue was not allowing her emotions to surface, she did yoga and was able to get her emotions to surface, only to find that she did not know what to do with them. She worked with therapists to help her sort out what these emotions were. She was told by a gestalt therapist to just allow for those emotions to surface. This approach allowed her to not only get a sense of what her emotions were but also start to work through those emotions. During her recovery period, she learned that pain is not comparative. Based on all of the changes that she encountered she realized that the pain that one person feels might be very different for someone else. After allowing her emotions to surface she realized that she was miserable even though she had everything that one could want from a material standpoint. She realized that something was wrong but was unable to figure it out until much later. As she was growing and learning about her emotions, she realized that she wanted to contribute to the rise of alternative medicine practitioners as that was something that she had success with during her journey. She decided to do this by creating Alternative Medicine Connection, a site for posting experiences with alternative forms of medicine. Now, she works in yoga, something she has studied for over 20 years and is a mentor and coach, hoping to give back what she has learned through her own experiences to help others.  To find our more or to contact her go to  https://yoga-for-joy.com/  Some of the books that she had mentioned as being helpful to her throughout her journey are The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, Many Lives, Many Masters by Bryan Weiss, The Art of Happiness by the Dalia Lama, Journey of Awakening by Ram Dass, Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall and The Book of Joy by the Dalia Lama and Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu. #yoga #Alternativemedicine #emotions #allowyouremotionstosurface #painisnotcomparitave

I had the pleasure of meeting Jenn at an event a while back and as I mention in the interview, when you hear enough people tell you that you have to meet someone, you sometimes wonder if the universe is telling you something. Jenn Kaye is a never-ending seeker of what moves people to action and she was an ideal candidate for my next guest of 'Rewired Mind'. We sat down and talked about her experiences as a child and how formative they were in her daily life now as an Executive Coach. Jenn describes her coaching role as "helping leaders and difference-makers get the results they want by identifying their authentic voice and customizing their message for optimum impact." We talk a lot about the challenges she faced throughout her life, and what led to her "rewired" thinking. We sit down and talk about what it takes to truly listen, and we talk about the fact that among her accomplishments is the honor of sharing the "Jenga champion" title with me! Enjoy, Allen Plunkett PS: Here are some links if you're interested in reaching out to Jenn; Website (JennKaye.com) Instagram @jennkaye Facebook

Overview In this interview I sit down with Brianna Morsa, known to most she works with as “Coach Bri”. Her depth of knowledge and growth mindset is inspiring. When I seek out guests for the podcast I have certain names I immediately think of as great guests – because of their inspiring stories, depth of knowledge, interesting lives and life changes, etc. Bri checks every one of those boxes – just an inspiring person all around. She's been transforming lives for many years. From personal training she moved into mindset coaching as she realized that if she helped her clients transform their minds, they could do more than just change their bodies. They could change their whole life.   Background We talk about her difficult childhood and her life in sports, how she almost became a nun (seriously), and how many of those things led to eating disorders, discovery of herself and interventions by her friends and family, and how that turned her into the life coach she is today. Bri talks about her training in MMA, background in Kempo and Karate and her high school and college athletic background. She finds a lot of her inspiration in the focus and dedication in others. One of the cool stories she shares is how she relates to the Olympian Kerry Strug and how despite adversity, Kerry overcame a serious situation. Brianna shares how she handles some of the emotional challenges people face in life and how being honest with oneself provides a tremendous advantage.  Challenges and Honesty She is relentlessly honest about the more painful moments in her life; Serious struggles with her relationship with parents How her early goals to be a Nun conflicted with her sexuality How bulimia took over a substantial portion of her life, and discovery of just how bad it became (in patient treatment and multiple interventions). Rewired Thinking The concept of a life coach to some creates an impression of someone who (in theory) has it all together – one of the most insightful parts of this interview comes at about the 33-minute mark. Bri clarifies how our past experiences shape who we are, but even more that they are ongoing struggles. And that being honest with others about those current struggles and sharing what she’s learned are the most important part of being a great example and teacher as a life coach.   She works with high level athletes, executives, and individuals as a High Performance Mindset Coach. Whether it means staying poised and focused in the peak of competition as an athlete, leading a team with authenticity and confidence, or applying discipline in life where it is most needed, she uses a combination of many modalities, disciplines and NLP techniques to help her clients. Coach Bri is a Master Practitioner of NLP, speaker, writer and is deeply passionate about her work in transformation. She is currently working on creating new modalities to help her clients breakthrough their old patterns and limiting beliefs to expand into and beyond their potential. To get more information about her, find her below; On Facebook, at /HumbleLionCoaching On Twitter @Bmorsa24 Instagram @humblelioncoaching or her website, at HumbleLionCoaching.com I hope you’ll listen to this carefully and enjoy.   Allen

Gene Fojtik is someone I have been fortunate enough to know for the past several years. Introduced by Jack McElaney and Sanjay Nasta, Gene is someone who you immediately want to learn more about. Aside from being a proven entrepreneur, futurist and engineering leader. He is introspective, curious and likes to talk about things that matter. In this episode, we are lucky to have Gene open up in a very casual conversation about work, life, relationships and struggles. He is engaging, genuine and someone who is very relatable. In Our Discussion He talks about the “whispers” we may all hear, but not heed as we look to build a life of meaning and purpose. So singularly focused on his work and carving a successful path, he didn’t listen to those whispers quite as earnestly as he thinks he could have. Enjoy this interview as we all get to learn how he is listening intently today and encouraging others to do the same. Career Throughout his career, Gene has acquired experiences in technology and resource management, defining and implementing architectural governance, as well as building and managing highly efficient disparate global development teams responsible for delivering complex global mission-critical systems. Through visionary leadership, Gene strives to turn ideas into realities. He has a commitment to ensuring that every stage of program delivery is carefully and strategically laid out while tasks are executed with precision. His past experiences with international management and conflict resolution are reflective of his determination and dedication to finding solutions to problems that demand high levels of technical acumen. Specialties Real-Time Hyper-Scale Architecture, patterns and delivery for HTAP Very large systems of systems engineering Systems Characterization and Optimization Knowledge Engineering, Representation & Ontologies Strategic Planning, International Management & Program Management Business & Practice Development Software engineering and development Enterprise & Solution Architecture AI, Machine learning I'm excited to get your feedback on this interview. Enjoy, Allen

This episode was so inspiring. Rinkan Patel represents the epitome of rewired thinking and the growth mindset.  I met Rinkan a little over a year ago, and from the very first few words he spoke I could tell that his approach to life and leadership was different than most. He was born very poor, with good family support, and eventually came to the United States as a young boy. The story of his upbringing, his approach to life, and raising his children are inspiring and can be a lesson for us all.  In particular, we talked about some of these topics; Who Rinkan "truly" works for. We discuss his upbringing and happiness through serious adversity. Rinkan met Sean Achor, author of the Happiness Advantage. We talk about some of the things he took away from that and his TED talk. An experience for Rinkan at age 22 that caused a profound change How he responds to negativity and how he advises others to overcome negativity How he talks to his kids about goals, and how he goes beyond the question of "what do you want to be when you grow up?" We talk about "the fulcrum" concept This is an inspiring story and I hope you enjoy. Allen Plunkett We would love your feedback. Please leave your feedback on Apple Podcasts, email us at rewiredmind@onwebpodcasts.com or call 602-824-8265 and leave a message - whether you have a suggestion for a guest or just want to let us know what you think - we'd love to hear from you. Show Notes: Rinkan Patel's LinkedIn Page Link to Shawn Achor's TED Talk Shawn Achor's book, The Happiness Advantage Phoenix Staff website  

For my inaugural episode I sat down with Jonathan Keyser. He's an incredible success story - a two-time best-selling author and owner of Keyser Company – named one of Inc. Magazine’s Fastest Growing Private Companies. Jonathan created Keyser Company with the idea in mind of selfless service for others. It's a concept he learned years ago, and has found tremendous personal growth and success of his business and foundation, The Keyser Institute. Jonathan's latest book, You Don't Have to Be Ruthless to Win, is a fantastic book that demonstrates how you can activate selflessness in your life, and how it can create extraordinary, long-term success in your own business. Jonathan's book is endorsed by Governor of Arizona Doug Ducey, John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods, and Keith Ferrazzi, New York Times Bestselling author. I sat down with Jonathan and asked about how his mindset changed from one of being about personal financial success and what it meant to his company. Some of the questions we dive into are; How did your core values change?  How does this selfless strategy weigh on your time and how do you create a strategy to balance the increase of time on you personally? How do you identify people who adopt or already have a similar philosophy? With the philosophy of treating your staff like family, how do you fire "family"? What are the calls-to-action for entrepreneurs to implement in their business? Who were the people who helped you get to where you are? We'll talk about Carol Dweck's book, Growth Mindset being instrumental for both of us and John Ruhlin's book Giftology, and the influence that it had on Jonathan. This is our inaugural episode. I hope you enjoyed it! PLEASE give me your feedback - there are a few ways you can do it; Email us: rewiredmind@onwebpodcasts.com Call us and leave a message at: 602-824-8265‬ If you want more information about my company, Phoenix Staff, visit our website by clicking here. We are an IT staffing company based in Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Austin. Thanks again for listening. Allen Plunkett

Rewired Mind is an exciting new podcast coming September 3rd. We'll feature stories about industry leaders and successful entrepreneurs who changed their approach – and changed the lives around them. The Rewired Mind Podcast is hosted by me, Allen Plunkett. I'm the owner of Phoenix Staff, an IT staffing company serving the Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Austin areas. We'll feature two new episodes every month and hope you'll tune in. My first guest is an incredible entrepreneur, Jonathan Keyser, founder and CEO of Keyser Company, and the Keyser Institute. He's written two best selling books and just released his latest, You Don't Have to Be Ruthless to Win. The personal and professional turnaround he's made and the success of his business is a wonderful story. I hope you'll subscribe to learn all about him. I'd truly appreciate if you'd subscribe today on Apple Podcasts or visit ReWiredMindPodcast.com for all episodes and to learn more. For more information about Phoenix Staff, visit PhoenixStaff.com.