American writer and lecturer
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Courage Cast - Faith, Encouragement and Motivation for Today
My summary of "How to Win Friends & Influence People" by Dale Carnegie.I went from dreading speaking in public to an eager excitement about the opportunity to speak in front of others. I owe a great deal of that to reading "How To Win Friends & Influence People" by Dale Carnegie for the first time at age 16. My father enrolled me in a 12-week "Public Speaking and Human Effectiveness" class in Bridgewater, NJ in 1988 (can you guess my age?). Reading the book and engaging in the class - with a bunch of older adults much more scared than I was - was life-changing for me. Afterwards, I never had a problem getting a job, making a presentation, and interacting with people in social situations. I gained so much favor with others just by applying the principles I learned in this book. In this episode, I summarize the key points of the book - sharing my personal experiences along the way.This video is ideal for the creative entrepreneur who is looking to add the skill of speaking in public onto their talent stack.To watch LIVESTREAMS and videos, make sure you're subscribed to my YouTube Channel. Connect with me here: EricNordhoff.com
Lerne von Dale Carnegie, wie du besser mit Menschen umgehst und erfolgreicher lebst – mit echten Beziehungen, Empathie und wirksamer Kommunikation.
What does it take to keep your voice—and your purpose—strong through every season of life? In this episode of Unstoppable Mindset, I sit down with my friend Bill Ratner, one of Hollywood's most recognized voice actors, best known as Flint from GI Joe. Bill's voice has carried him through radio, animation, and narration, but what stands out most is how he's used that same voice to serve others through storytelling, teaching, and grief counseling. Together, we explore the heart behind his work—from bringing animated heroes to life to standing on The Moth stage and helping people find healing through poetry. Bill shares lessons from his own journey, including losing both parents early, finding family in unexpected places, and discovering how creative expression can rebuild what life breaks down. We also reflect on 9/11, preparedness, and the quiet confidence that comes from trusting your training—whether you're a first responder, a performer, or just navigating the unknown. This conversation isn't just about performance; it's about presence. It's about using your story, your craft, and your compassion to keep moving forward—unstoppable, one voice at a time. Highlights: 00:31 – Hear the Flint voice and what it takes to bring animated characters to life. 06:57 – Learn why an uneven college path still led to a lifelong acting career. 11:50 – Understand how GI Joe became a team and a toy phenomenon that shaped culture. 15:58 – See how comics and cartoons boosted classroom literacy when used well. 17:06 – Pick up simple ways parents can spark reading through shared stories. 19:29 – Discover how early, honest conversations about death can model resilience. 24:09 – Learn to critique ads and media like a pro to sharpen your own performance. 36:19 – Follow the pivot from radio to voiceover and why specialization pays. 47:48 – Hear practical editing approaches and accessible tools that keep shows tight. 49:38 – Learn how The Moth builds storytelling chops through timed, judged practice. 55:21 – See how poetry—and poetry therapy—support grief work with students. 59:39 – Take notes on memoir writing, emotional management, and one-person shows. About the Guest: Bill Ratner is one of America's best known voice actors and author of poetry collections Lamenting While Doing Laps in the Lake (Slow Lightning Lit 2024,) Fear of Fish (Alien Buddha Press 2021,) To Decorate a Casket (Finishing Line Press 2021,) and the non-fiction book Parenting For The Digital Age: The Truth Behind Media's Effect On Children and What To Do About It (Familius Books 2014.) He is a 9-time winner of the Moth StorySLAM, 2-time winner of Best of The Hollywood Fringe Extension Award for Solo Performance, Best of the Net Poetry Nominee 2023 (Lascaux Review,) and New Millennium "America One Year From Now" Writing Award Finalist. His writing appears in Best Small Fictions 2021 (Sonder Press,) Missouri Review (audio,) Baltimore Review, Chiron Review, Feminine Collective, and other journals. He is the voice of "Flint" in the TV cartoon G.I. Joe, "Donnell Udina" in the computer game Mass Effect, the voice of Air Disasters on Smithsonian Channel, NewsNation, and network TV affiliates across the country. He is a committee chair for his union, SAG-AFTRA, teaches Voiceovers for SAG-AFTRA Foundation, Media Awareness for Los Angeles Unified School District, and is a trained grief counsellor. Member: Actors Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild-AFTRA, National Storytelling Network • https://billratner.com • @billratner Ways to connect with Bill: https://soundcloud.com/bill-ratner https://www.instagram.com/billratner/ https://twitter.com/billratner https://www.threads.net/@billratner https://billratner.tumblr.com https://www.youtube.com/@billratner/videos https://www.facebook.com/billratner.voiceover.author https://bsky.app/profile/bilorat.bsky.social About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us. Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well on a gracious hello to you, wherever you may be, I am your host. Mike hingson, and you are listening to unstoppable mindset. Today, we get to have a voice actor, person, Bill Ratner, who you want to know who Bill Radnor is, go back and watch the old GI Joe cartoons and listen to the voice of Flint. Bill Ratner ** 01:42 All right. Lady Jay, you better get your battle gear on, because Cobra is on their way. And I can't bring up the Lacher threat weapon system. We got to get out of here. Yo, Joe, Michael Hingson ** 01:52 there you go. I rest my case Well, Bill, welcome to unstoppable mindset. Bill Ratner ** 02:00 We can't rest now. Michael, we've just begun. No, we've just begun. Michael Hingson ** 02:04 We got to keep going here. Well, I'm really glad that you're here. Bill is another person who we inveigled to get on unstoppable mindset with the help of Walden Hughes. And so that means we can talk about Walden all we want today. Bill just saying, oh goodness. And I got a lot to say. Let me tell you perfect, perfect. Bring it on. So we are really grateful to Walden, although I hope he's not listening. We don't want to give him a big head. But no, seriously, we're really grateful. Ah, good point. Bill Ratner ** 02:38 But his posture, oddly enough, is perfect. Michael Hingson ** 02:40 Well, there you go. What do you do? He practiced. Well, anyway, we're glad you're here. Tell us about the early bill, growing up and all that stuff. It's always fun to start a good beginning. Bill Ratner ** 02:54 Well, I was a very lucky little boy. I was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1947 to two lovely people, professionals, both with master's degree out at University of Chicago. My mother was a social worker. My father had an MBA in business. He was managing editor of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. So I had the joy of living in a better home and living in a garden. Michael Hingson ** 03:21 My mother. How long were you in Des Moines? Bill Ratner ** 03:24 Five and a half years left before my sixth birthday. My dad got a fancy job at an ad agency in Minneapolis, and had a big brother named Pete and big handsome, curly haired boy with green eyes. And moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and was was brought up there. Michael Hingson ** 03:45 Wow. So you went to school there and and chased the girls and all that stuff. Bill Ratner ** 03:54 I went to school there at Blake School for Boys in Hopkins, Minnesota. Couldn't chase the girls day school, but the girls we are allowed to dance with certainly not chase. Michael was at woodhue dancing school, the Northrop girls from Northrop girls school and the Blake boys were put together in eighth grade and taught the Cha Cha Cha, the waltz, the Charleston, and we danced together, and the girls wore white gloves, and we sniffed their perfume, and we all learned how to be lovers when we were 45 Michael Hingson ** 04:37 There you are. Well, as long as you learned at some point, that's a good start. Bill Ratner ** 04:44 It's a weird generation. Michael, Michael Hingson ** 04:46 I've been to Des Moines before. I was born in Chicago, but moved out to California when I was five, but I did some work with the National Federation of the Blind in the mid 19. 1970s 1976 into 1978 so spent time at the Iowa Commission for the Blind in Des Moines, which became a top agency for the Blind in well, the late 50s into the to the 60s and so on. So Bill Ratner ** 05:15 both my parents are from Chicago. My father from the south side of Chicago, 44th and Kenzie, which was a Irish, Polish, Italian, Jewish, Ukrainian neighborhood. And my mother from Glencoe, which was a middle class suburb above Northwestern University in Evanston. Michael Hingson ** 05:34 I Where were you born? 57th and union, north, south side, no, South Bill Ratner ** 05:42 57th union is that? Is that west of Kenzie? Michael Hingson ** 05:46 You know, I don't remember the geography well enough to know, but I know that it was, I think, Mount Sinai Hospital where I was born. But it was, it's, it's, it's a pretty tough neighborhood today. So I understand, Bill Ratner ** 06:00 yeah, yeah, my it was tough, then it's tough now, Michael Hingson ** 06:03 yeah, I think it's tougher, supposedly, than it was. But we lived there for five years, and then we we moved to California, and I remember some things about Chicago. I remember walking down to the local candy store most days, and had no problem doing that. My parents were told they should shut me away at a home somewhere, because no blind child could ever grow up to amount to anything. And my parents said, You guys are you're totally wrong. And they brought me up with that attitude. So, you Bill Ratner ** 06:32 know who said that the school says school so that Michael Hingson ** 06:35 doctors doctors when they discovered I was blind with the Bill Ratner ** 06:38 kid, goodness gracious, horrified. Michael Hingson ** 06:44 Well, my parents said absolutely not, and they brought me up, and they actually worked with other parents of premature kids who became blind, and when kindergarten started in for us in in the age of four, they actually had a special kindergarten class for blind kids at the Perry School, which is where I went. And so I did that for a year, learn braille and some other things. Then we moved to California, but yeah, and I go back to Chicago every so often. And when I do nowadays, they I one of my favorite places to migrate in Chicago is Garrett Popcorn. Bill Ratner ** 07:21 Ah, yes, with caramel corn, regular corn, the Michael Hingson ** 07:25 Chicago blend, which is a mixture, yeah, the Chicago blend is cheese corn, well, as it is with caramel corn, and they put much other mozzarella on it as well. It's really good. Bill Ratner ** 07:39 Yeah, so we're on the air. Michael, what do you call your what do you call your program? Here I am your new friend, and I can't even announce your program because I don't know Michael Hingson ** 07:48 the name, unstoppable mindset. This Bill Ratner ** 07:51 is unstoppable mindset. Michael Hingson ** 07:56 We're back. Well, we're back already. We're fast. So you, you, you moved off elsewhere, out of Des Moines and all that. And where did you go to college? Bill Ratner ** 08:09 Well, this is like, why did you this is, this is a bit like talking about the Vietnam War. Looking back on my college career is like looking back on the Vietnam War series, a series of delusions and defeats. By the time I the time i for college, by the time I was applying for college, I was an orphan, orphan, having been born to fabulous parents who died too young of natural causes. So my grades in high school were my mediocre. I couldn't get into the Ivy Leagues. I got into the big 10 schools. My stepmother said, you're going to Michigan State in East Lansing because your cousin Eddie became a successful realtor. And Michigan State was known as mu u it was the most successful, largest agriculture college and university in the country. Kids from South Asia, China, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, South America all over the world came to Michigan State to study agricultural sciences, children of rich farmers all over the world and middle class farmers all over the world, and a huge police science department. Part of the campus was fenced off, and the young cadets, 1819, 20 years old, would practice on the rest of the student body, uniformed with hats and all right, excuse me, young man, we're just going to get some pizza at eight o'clock on Friday night. Stand against your car. Hands in your car. I said, Are you guys practicing again? Shut up and spread your legs. So that was that was Michigan State, and even though both my parents had master's degrees, I just found all the diversions available in the 1960s to be too interesting, and was not invited. Return after my sophomore year, and in order to flunk out of a big 10 University, and they're fine universities, all of them, you have to be either really determined or not so smart, not really capable of doing that level of study in undergraduate school. And I'd like to think that I was determined. I used to show up for my exams with a little blue book, and the only thing I would write is due to lack of knowledge, I am unable to complete this exam, sign Bill ranter and get up early and hand it in and go off. And so what was, what was left for a young man like that was the theater I'd seen the great Zero Mostel when I was 14 years old and on stage live, he looked just like my father, and he was funny, and if I Were a rich man, and that's the grade zero must tell. Yeah, and it took about five, no, it took about six, seven years to percolate inside my bread and my brain. In high school, I didn't want to do theater. The cheerleaders and guys who I had didn't happen to be friends with or doing theater. I took my girlfriends to see plays, but when I was 21 I started acting, and I've been an actor ever since. I'm a committee chair on the screen actors guild in Hollywood and Screen Actors Guild AFTRA, and work as a voice actor and collect my pensions and God bless the union. Michael Hingson ** 11:44 Well, hey, as long as it works and you're making progress, you know you're still with it, right? Bill Ratner ** 11:53 That's the that's the point. There's no accounting for taste in my business. Michael, you work for a few different broadcast entities at my age. And it's, you know, it's younger people. It's 18 to 3418 years to 34 years old is the ideal demographic for advertisers, Ford, Motor Company, Dove soap, Betty, Crocker, cake mixes and cereals, every conceivable product that sold online or sold on television and radio. This is my this is my meat, and I don't work for religion. However, if a religious organization calls, I call and say, I I'm not, not qualified or not have my divinity degree in order to sell your church to the public? Michael Hingson ** 12:46 Yeah, yeah. Well, I, I can understand that. But you, you obviously do a lot, and as we talked about, you were Flint and GI Joe, which is kind of cool. Bill Ratner ** 13:01 Flynn GI Joe was very cool. Hasbro Corporation, which was based in Providence, Rhode Island, had a huge success with GI Joe, the figure. The figure was about 11 and a half inches tall, like a Barbie, and was at first, was introduced to the public after the Korean War. There is a comic book that was that was also published about GI Joe. He was an individual figure. He was a figure, a sort of mythic cartoon figure during World War Two, GI Joe, generic American soldier, fighting man and but the Vietnam war dragged on for a long time, and the American buying public or buying kids toys got tired of GI Joe, got tired of a military figure in their household and stopped buying. And when Nixon ended the Vietnam War, or allotted to finish in 1974 Hasbro was in the tank. It's got its stock was cheap, and executives are getting nervous. And then came the Great George Lucas in Star Wars, who shrank all these action figures down from 11 and a half inches to three and a half inches, and went to China and had Chinese game and toy makers make Star Wars toys, and began to earn billions and billions dollars. And so Hasbro said, let's turn GI Joe into into a team. And the team began with flint and Lady J and Scarlett and Duke and Destro and cover commander, and grew to 85 different characters, because Hasbro and the toy maker partners could create 85 different sets of toys and action figures. So I was actor in this show and had a good time, and also a purveyor of a billion dollar industry of American toys. And the good news about these toys is I was at a conference where we signed autographs the voice actors, and we have supper with fans and so on. And I was sitting next to a 30 year old kid and his parents. And this kid was so knowledgeable about pop culture and every conceivable children's show and animated show that had ever been on the screen or on television. I turned to his mother and sort of being a wise acre, said, So ma'am, how do you feel about your 30 year old still playing with GI Joe action figures? And she said, Well, he and I both teach English in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania school system, and last year, the literacy level of my ninth graders was 50% 50% of those kids could not read in ninth grade. So I asked the principal if I could borrow my son's GI Joe, action figures, comic books and VHS tapes, recordings of the shows from TV. And he said, Sure, whatever you want to try. And so she did, and she played the video tapes, and these kids were thrilled. They'd never seen a GI Joe cartoon in class before. Passed out the comic books, let him read comics. And then she said, Okay, you guys. And passed out notebooks and pens and pencils, and said, I want you guys to make up some some shows, some GI Joe shows. And so they said, Yeah, we're ready. All right, Cobra, you better get into the barber shop, because the barber bill is no longer there and the fire engines are in the way. And wait a minute, there's a dog in the street. And so they're making this up, using their imagination, doing their schoolwork, by coming up with scenarios, imaginary fam fan fiction for GI Joe and she raised the literacy level in her classroom by 50% that year, by the end of that year, so, so that was the only story that I've ever heard about the sort of the efficacy of GI Joe, other than, you know, kids play with them. Do they? Are they shooting each other all the time? I certainly hope not. I hope not. Are they using the action figures? Do they strip their guns off and put them in a little, you know, stub over by the side and and have them do physical battle with each other, or have them hump the woods, or have them climb the stairs, or have them search the trees. Who knows what kids do? Same with same with girls and and Barbies. Barbie has been a source of fun and creativity for lots of girls, and the source of of worry and bother to a lot of parents as Michael Hingson ** 17:54 well. Well, at the same time, though, when kids start to react and relate to some of these things. It's, it's pretty cool. I mean, look what's happened with the whole Harry Potter movement and craze. Harry Potter has probably done more in the last 20 or 25 years to promote reading for kids than most anything else, and Bill Ratner ** 18:17 that's because it's such a good series of books. I read them to my daughters, yeah. And the quality of writing. She was a brilliant writer, not only just the stories and the storytelling, which is fun to watch in the movies, and you know, it's great for a parent to read. If there are any parents listening, I don't care how old your kids are. I don't care if they're 15. Offer to read to them. The 15 year old might, of course, say mom, but anybody younger than that might say either, all right, fine, which is, which means you better do it or read, read a book. To me, sure, it's fun for the parent, fun for the kid, and it makes the child a completely different kind of thinker and worker and earner. Michael Hingson ** 19:05 Well, also the people who they got to read the books for the recordings Stephen Fry and in the US here, Jim Dale did such an incredible job as well. I've, I've read the whole Harry Potter series more than once, because I just enjoy them, and I enjoy listening to the the voices. They do such a good job. Yeah. And of course, for me, one of the interesting stories that I know about Jim Dale reading Harry Potter was since it was published by Scholastic he was actually scheduled to do a reading from one of the Harry from the new Harry Potter book that was coming out in 2001 on September 11, he was going to be at Scholastic reading. And of course, that didn't happen because of of everything that did occur. So I don't know whether I'm. I'm assuming at some point a little bit later, he did, but still he was scheduled to be there and read. But it they are there. They've done so much to help promote reading, and a lot of those kinds of cartoons and so on. Have done some of that, which is, which is pretty good. So it's good to, you know, to see that continue to happen. Well, so you've written several books on poetry and so on, and I know that you you've mentioned more than once grief and loss. How come those words keep coming up? Bill Ratner ** 20:40 Well, I had an unusual childhood. Again. I mentioned earlier how, what a lucky kid I was. My parents were happy, educated, good people, not abusers. You know, I don't have a I don't have horror stories to tell about my mother or my father, until my mother grew sick with breast cancer and and it took about a year and a half or two years to die when I was seven years old. The good news is, because she was a sensitive, educated social worker, as she was actually dying, she arranged a death counseling session with me and my older brother and the Unitarian minister who was also a death counselor, and whom she was seeing to talk about, you know, what it was like to be dying of breast cancer with two young kids. And at this session, which was sort of surprised me, I was second grade, came home from school. In the living room was my mother and my brother looking a little nervous, and Dr Carl storm from the Unitarian Church, and she said, you know, Dr storm from church, but he's also my therapist. And we talk about my illness and how I feel, and we talk about how much I love you boys, and talk about how I worry about Daddy. And this is what one does when one is in crisis. That was a moment that was not traumatic for me. It's a moment I recalled hundreds of times, and one that has been a guiding light through my life. My mother's death was very difficult for my older brother, who was 13 who grew up in World War Two without without my father, it was just him and my mother when he was off in the Pacific fighting in World War Two. And then I was born after the war. And the loss of a mother in a family is like the bottom dropping out of a family. But luckily, my dad met a woman he worked with a highly placed advertising executive, which was unusual for a female in the 1950s and she became our stepmother a year later, and we had some very lovely, warm family years with her extended family and our extended family and all of us together until my brother got sick, came down with kidney disease a couple of years before kidney dialysis was invented, and a couple of years before kidney transplants were done, died at 19. Had been the captain of the swimming team at our high school, but did a year in college out in California and died on Halloween of 1960 my father was 51 years old. His eldest son had died. He had lost his wife six years earlier. He was working too hard in the advertising industry, successful man and dropped out of a heart attack 14th birthday. Gosh, I found him unconscious on the floor of our master bathroom in our house. So my life changed. I My life has taught me many, many things. It's taught me how the defense system works in trauma. It's taught me the resilience of a child. It's taught me the kindness of strangers. It's taught me the sadness of loss. Michael Hingson ** 24:09 Well, you, you seem to come through all of it pretty well. Well, thank you. A question behind that, just an observation, but, but you do seem to, you know, obviously, cope with all of it and do pretty well. So you, you've always liked to be involved in acting and so on. How did you actually end up deciding to be a voice actor? Bill Ratner ** 24:39 Well, my dad, after he was managing editor of Better Homes and Gardens magazine in Des Moines for Meredith publishing, got offered a fancy job as executive vice president of the flower and mix division for Campbell within advertising and later at General Mills Corporation. From Betty Crocker brand, and would bring me to work all the time, and would sit with me, and we'd watch the wonderful old westerns that were on prime time television, rawhide and Gunsmoke and the Virginian and sure Michael Hingson ** 25:15 and all those. Yeah, during Bill Ratner ** 25:17 the commercials, my father would make fun of the commercials. Oh, look at that guy. And number one, son, that's lousy acting. Number two, listen to that copy. It's the dumbest ad copy I've ever seen. The jingles and and then he would say, No, that's a good commercial, right there. And he wasn't always negative. He would he was just a good critic of advertising. So at a very young age, starting, you know, when we watch television, I think the first television ever, he bought us when I was five years old, I was around one of the most educated, active, funny, animated television critics I could hope to have in my life as a 56789, 1011, 12 year old. And so when I was 12, I became one of the founding members of the Brotherhood of radio stations with my friends John Waterhouse and John Barstow and Steve gray and Bill Connors in South Minneapolis. I named my five watt night kit am transmitter after my sixth grade teacher, Bob close this is wclo stereo radio. And when I was in sixth grade, I built myself a switch box, and I had a turntable and I had an intercom, and I wired my house for sound, as did all the other boys in the in the B, O, R, S, and that's brotherhood of radio stations. And we were guests on each other's shows, and we were obsessed, and we would go to the shopping malls whenever a local DJ was making an appearance and torture him and ask him dumb questions and listen obsessively to American am radio. And at the time for am radio, not FM like today, or internet on your little radio tuner, all the big old grandma and grandpa radios, the wooden ones, were AM, for amplitude modulated. You could get stations at night, once the sun went down and the later it got, the ionosphere would lift and the am radio signals would bounce higher and farther. And in Minneapolis, at age six and seven, I was able to to listen to stations out of Mexico and Texas and Chicago, and was absolutely fascinated with with what was being put out. And I would, I would switch my brother when I was about eight years old, gave me a transistor radio, which I hid under my bed covers. And at night, would turn on and listen for, who knows, hours at a time, and just tuning the dial and tuning the dial from country to rock and roll to hit parade to news to commercials to to agric agriculture reports to cow crossings in Kansas and grain harvesting and cheese making in Wisconsin, and on and on and on that made up the great medium of radio that was handing its power and its business over to television, just as I was growing As a child. Fast, fascinating transition Michael Hingson ** 28:18 and well, but as it was transitioning, how did that affect you? Bill Ratner ** 28:26 It made television the romantic, exciting, dynamic medium. It made radio seem a little limited and antiquated, and although I listened for environment and wasn't able to drag a television set under my covers. Yeah, and television became memorable with with everything from actual world war two battle footage being shown because there wasn't enough programming to 1930s Warner Brothers gangster movies with James Cagney, Edward G Michael Hingson ** 29:01 Robinson and yeah Bill Ratner ** 29:02 to all the sitcoms, Leave It to Beaver and television cartoons and on and on and on. And the most memorable elements to me were the personalities, and some of whom were invisible. Five years old, I was watching a Kids program after school, after kindergarten. We'll be back with more funny puppets, marionettes after this message and the first words that came on from an invisible voice of this D baritone voice, this commercial message will be 60 seconds long, Chrysler Dodge for 1954 blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I watched hypnotized, hypnotized as a 1953 dodge drove across the screen with a happy family of four waving out the window. And at the end of the commercial, I ran into the kitchen said, Mom, mom, I know what a minute. Is, and it was said, it had suddenly come into my brain in one of those very rare and memorable moments in a person's life where your brain actually speaks to you in its own private language and says, Here is something very new and very true, that 60 seconds is in fact a minute. When someone says, See you in five minutes, they mean five times that, five times as long as that. Chrysler commercial, five times 60. That's 300 seconds. And she said, Did you learn it that that on T in kindergarten? And I said, No, I learned it from kangaroo Bob on TV, his announcer, oh, kangaroo Bob, no, but this guy was invisible. And so at five years of age, I was aware of the existence of the practice of the sound, of the magic of the seemingly unlimited access to facts, figures, products, brand names that these voices had and would say on the air in This sort of majestic, patriarchal way, Michael Hingson ** 31:21 and just think 20 years later, then you had James Earl Jones, Bill Ratner ** 31:26 the great dame. James Earl Jones, father was a star on stage at that time the 1950s James Earl Jones came of age in the 60s and became Broadway and off Broadway star. Michael Hingson ** 31:38 I got to see him in Othello. He was playing Othello. What a powerful performance. It was Bill Ratner ** 31:43 wonderful performer. Yeah, yeah. I got to see him as Big Daddy in Canada, Hot Tin Roof, ah, live and in person, he got front row seats for me and my family. Michael Hingson ** 31:53 Yeah, we weren't in the front row, but we saw it. We saw it on on Broadway, Bill Ratner ** 31:58 the closest I ever got to James Earl Jones. He and I had the same voice over agent, woman named Rita vinari of southern Barth and benare company. And I came into the agency to audition for Doritos, and I hear this magnificent voice coming from behind a closed voiceover booth, saying, with a with a Spanish accent, Doritos. I thought that's James Earl Jones. Why is he saying burritos? And he came out, and he bowed to me, nodded and smiled, and I said, hello and and the agent probably in the booth and shut the door. And she said, I said, that was James Earl Jones. What a voice. What she said, Oh, he's such a nice man. And she said, but I couldn't. I was too embarrassed. I was too afraid to stop him from saying, Doritos. And it turns out he didn't get the gig. So it is some other voice actor got it because he didn't say, had he said Doritos with the agent froze it froze up. That was as close as I ever got to did you get the gig? Oh goodness no, Michael Hingson ** 33:01 no, you didn't, huh? Oh, well, well, yeah. I mean, it was a very, it was, it was wonderful. It was James Earl Jones and Christopher Plummer played Iago. Oh, goodness, oh, I know. What a what a combination. Well, so you, you did a lot of voiceover stuff. What did you do regarding radio moving forward? Or did you just go completely out of that and you were in TV? Or did you have any opportunity Bill Ratner ** 33:33 for me to go back at age 15, my brother and father, who were big supporters of my radio. My dad would read my W, C, l, o, newsletter and need an initial, an excellent journalism son and my brother would bring his teenage friends up. He'd play the elderly brothers, man, you got an Elvis record, and I did. And you know, they were, they were big supporters for me as a 13 year old, but when I turned 14, and had lost my brother and my father, I lost my enthusiasm and put all of my radio equipment in a box intended to play with it later. Never, ever, ever did again. And when I was about 30 years old and I'd done years of acting in the theater, having a great time doing fun plays and small theaters in Minneapolis and South Dakota and and Oakland, California and San Francisco. I needed money, so I looked in the want ads and saw a job for telephone sales, and I thought, Well, I used to love the telephone. I used to make phony phone calls to people all the time. Used to call funeral homes. Hi Carson, funeral I help you. Yes, I'm calling to tell you that you have a you have a dark green slate tile. Roof, isn't that correct? Yes. Well, there's, there's a corpse on your roof. Lady for goodness sake, bring it down and we laugh and we record it and and so I thought, Well, gee, I used to have a lot of fun with the phone. And so I called the number of telephone sales and got hired to sell magazine subscriptions and dinner tickets to Union dinners and all kinds of things. And then I saw a new job at a radio station, suburban radio station out in Walnut Creek, California, a lovely Metro BART train ride. And so I got on the BART train, rode out there and walked in for the interview, and was told I was going to be selling small advertising packages on radio for the station on the phone. And so I called barber shops and beauty shops and gas stations in the area, and one guy picked up the phone and said, Wait a minute, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Are you on the radio right now? And I said, No, I'm just I'm in the sales room. Well, maybe you should be. And he slams the phone on me. He didn't want to talk to me anymore. It wasn't interested in buying advertising. I thought, gee. And I told somebody at the station, and they said, Well, you want to be in the radio? And he went, Yeah, I was on the radio when I was 13. And it just so happened that an older fellow was retiring from the 10am to 2pm slot. K I S King, kiss 99 and KD FM, Pittsburgh, California. And it was a beautiful music station. It was a music station. Remember, old enough will remember music that used to play in elevators that was like violin music, the Percy faith orchestra playing a Rolling Stone song here in the elevator. Yes, well, that's exactly what we played. And it would have been harder to get a job at the local rock stations because, you know, they were popular places. And so I applied for the job, and Michael Hingson ** 37:06 could have lost your voice a lot sooner, and it would have been a lot harder if you had had to do Wolfman Jack. But that's another story. Bill Ratner ** 37:13 Yeah, I used to listen to Wolf Man Jack. I worked in a studio in Hollywood. He became a studio. Yeah, big time. Michael Hingson ** 37:22 Anyway, so you you got to work at the muzack station, got Bill Ratner ** 37:27 to work at the muzack station, and I was moving to Los Angeles to go to a bigger market, to attempt to penetrate a bigger broadcast market. And one of the sales guys, a very nice guy named Ralph pizzella said, Well, when you get to La you should study with a friend of mine down to pie Troy, he teaches voiceovers. I said, What are voice overs? He said, You know that CVS Pharmacy commercial just carted up and did 75 tags, available in San Fernando, available in San Clemente, available in Los Angeles, available in Pasadena. And I said, Yeah. He said, Well, you didn't get paid any extra. You got paid your $165 a week. The guy who did that commercial for the ad agency got paid probably 300 bucks, plus extra for the tags, that's voiceovers. And I thought, why? There's an idea, what a concept. So he gave me the name and number of old friend acquaintance of his who he'd known in radio, named Don DiPietro, alias Johnny rabbit, who worked for the Dick Clark organization, had a big rock and roll station there. He'd come to LA was doing voiceovers and teaching voiceover classes in a little second story storefront out of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles. So I signed up for his class, and he was an experienced guy, and he liked me, and we all had fun, and I realized I was beginning to study like an actor at 1818, who goes to New York or goes to Los Angeles or Chicago or Atlanta or St Louis to act in the big theaters, and starts acting classes and realizes, oh my goodness, these people are truly professionals. I don't know how to do what they do. And so for six years, I took voice over classes, probably 4050, nights a year, and from disc jockeys, from ex show hosts, from actors, from animated cartoon voices, and put enough time in to get a degree in neurology in medical school. And worked my way up in radio in Los Angeles and had a morning show, a lovely show with a wonderful news man named Phil Reed, and we talked about things and reviewed movies and and played a lot of music. And then I realized, wait a minute, I'm earning three times the money in voiceovers as I am on the radio, and I have to get up at 430 in the morning to be on the radio. Uh, and a wonderful guy who was Johnny Carson's staff announcer named Jack angel said, You're not still on radio, are you? And I said, Well, yeah, I'm working in the morning. And Ka big, get out of there. Man, quit. Quit. And I thought, well, how can I quit? I've always wanted to be a radio announcer. And then there was another wonderful guy on the old am station, kmpc, sweet Dick Whittington. Whittington, right? And he said at a seminar that I went to at a union voice over training class, when you wake up at four in the morning and you swing your legs over the bed and your shoes hit the floor, and you put your head in your hands, and you say to yourself, I don't want to do this anymore. That's when you quit radio. Well, that hadn't happened to me. I was just getting up early to write some comedy segments and on and on and on, and then I was driving around town all day doing auditions and rented an ex girlfriend's second bedroom so that I could nap by myself during the day, when I had an hour in and I would as I would fall asleep, I'd picture myself every single day I'm in a dark voiceover studio, a microphone Is before me, a music stand is before the microphone, and on it is a piece of paper with advertising copy on it. On the other side of the large piece of glass of the recording booth are three individuals, my employers, I begin to read, and somehow the text leaps off the page, streams into my eyes, letter for letter, word for word, into a part of my back brain that I don't understand and can't describe. It is processed in my semi conscious mind with the help of voice over training and hope and faith, and comes out my mouth, goes into the microphone, is recorded in the digital recorder, and those three men, like little monkeys, lean forward and say, Wow, how do you do that? That was my daily creative visualization. Michael, that was my daily fantasy. And I had learned that from from Dale Carnegie, and I had learned that from Olympic athletes on NBC TV in the 60s and 70s, when the announcer would say, this young man you're seeing practicing his high jump is actually standing there. He's standing stationary, and the bouncing of the head is he's actually rehearsing in his mind running and running and leaping over the seven feet two inch bar and falling into the sawdust. And now he's doing it again, and you could just barely see the man nodding his head on camera at the exact rhythm that he would be running the 25 yards toward the high bar and leaping, and he raised his head up during the imaginary lead that he was visualizing, and then he actually jumped the seven foot two inches. That's how I learned about creative visualization from NBC sports on TV. Michael Hingson ** 43:23 Channel Four in Los Angeles. There you go. Well, so you you broke into voice over, and that's what you did. Bill Ratner ** 43:38 That's what I did, darn it, I ain't stopping now, there's a wonderful old actor named Bill Irwin. There two Bill Irwin's one is a younger actor in his 50s or 60s, a brilliant actor from Broadway to film and TV. There's an older William Irwin. They also named Bill Irwin, who's probably in his 90s now. And I went to a premiere of a film, and he was always showing up in these films as The senile stock broker who answers the phone upside down, or the senile board member who always asks inappropriate questions. And I went up to him and I said, you know, I see you in everything, man. I'm 85 years old. Some friends and associates of mine tell me I should slow down. I only got cast in movies and TV when I was 65 I ain't slowing down. If I tried to slow down at 85 I'd have to stop That's my philosophy. My hero is the great Don Pardo, the late great Michael Hingson ** 44:42 for Saturday Night Live and Jeopardy Bill Ratner ** 44:45 lives starring Bill Murray, Gilder Radner, and Michael Hingson ** 44:49 he died for Jeopardy before that, Bill Ratner ** 44:52 yeah, died at 92 with I picture him, whether it probably not, with a microphone and. His hand in his in his soundproof booth, in his in his garage, and I believe he lived in Arizona, although the show was aired and taped in New York, New York, right where he worked for for decades as a successful announcer. So that's the story. Michael Hingson ** 45:16 Michael. Well, you know, I miss, very frankly, some of the the the days of radio back in the 60s and 70s and so on. We had, in LA what you mentioned, Dick Whittington, Dick whittinghill on kmpc, Gary Owens, you know, so many people who were such wonderful announcers and doing some wonderful things, and radio just isn't the same anymore. It's gone. It's Bill Ratner ** 45:47 gone to Tiktok and YouTube. And the truth is, I'm not gonna whine about Tiktok or YouTube, because some of the most creative moments on camera are being done on Tiktok and YouTube by young quote influencers who hire themselves out to advertisers, everything from lipstick. You know, Speaker 1 ** 46:09 when I went to a party last night was just wild and but this makeup look, watch me apply this lip remover and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, no, I have no lip. Bill Ratner ** 46:20 You know, these are the people with the voices. These are the new voices. And then, of course, the faces. And so I would really advise before, before people who, in fact, use the internet. If you use the internet, you can't complain if you use the internet, if you go to Facebook or Instagram, or you get collect your email or Google, this or that, which most of us do, it's handy. You can't complain about tick tock, tick tock, tick tock. You can't complain about tick tock or YouTube, because it's what the younger generation is using, and it's what the younger generation advertisers and advertising executives and creators and musicians and actors are using to parade before us, as Gary Owens did, as Marlon Brando did, as Sarah Bernhardt did in the 19 so as all as you do, Michael, you're a parader. You're the head of the parade. You've been in on your own float for years. I read your your bio. I don't even know why you want to waste a minute talking to me for goodness sakes. Michael Hingson ** 47:26 You know, the one thing about podcasts that I like over radio, and I did radio at kuci for seven years when I was in school, what I really like about podcasts is they're not and this is also would be true for Tiktok and YouTube. Primarily Tiktok, I would would say it isn't as structured. So if we don't finish in 60 minutes, and we finish in 61 minutes, no one's gonna shoot us. Bill Ratner ** 47:53 Well, I beg to differ with you. Now. I'm gonna start a fight with you. Michael, yeah, we need conflict in this script. Is that it The Tick Tock is very structured. Six. No, Michael Hingson ** 48:03 no, I understand that. I'm talking about podcasts, Bill Ratner ** 48:07 though, but there's a problem. We gotta Tone It Up. We gotta pick it up. We gotta there's a lot of and I listen to what are otherwise really bright, wonderful personalities on screen, celebrities who have podcasts and the car sucks, and then I had meatballs for dinner, haha. And you know what my wife said? Why? You know? And there's just too much of that. And, Michael Hingson ** 48:32 oh, I understand, yeah. I mean, it's like, like anything, but I'm just saying that's one of the reasons I love podcasting. So it's my way of continuing what I used to do in radio and having a lot of fun doing it Bill Ratner ** 48:43 all right, let me ask you. Let me ask you a technical and editorial question. Let me ask you an artistic question. An artist, can you edit this podcast? Yeah. Are you? Do you plan to Nope. Michael Hingson ** 48:56 I think conversations are conversations, but there is a but, I mean, Bill Ratner ** 49:01 there have been starts and stops and I answer a question, and there's a long pause, and then, yeah, we can do you edit that stuff Michael Hingson ** 49:08 out. We do, we do, edit some of that out. And I have somebody that that that does a lot of it, because I'm doing more podcasts, and also I travel and speak, but I can edit. There's a program called Reaper, which is really a very sophisticated Bill Ratner ** 49:26 close up spaces. You Michael Hingson ** 49:28 can close up spaces with it, yes, but the neat thing about Reaper is that somebody has written scripts to make it incredibly accessible for blind people using screen readers. Bill Ratner ** 49:40 What does it do? What does it do? Give me the elevator pitch. Michael Hingson ** 49:46 You've seen some of the the programs that people use, like computer vision and other things to do editing of videos and so on. Yeah. Bill Ratner ** 49:55 Yeah. Even Apple. Apple edit. What is it called? Apple? Garage Band. No, that's audio. What's that Michael Hingson ** 50:03 audio? Oh, Bill Ratner ** 50:06 quick time is quick Michael Hingson ** 50:07 time. But whether it's video or audio, the point is that Reaper allows me to do all of that. I can edit audio. I can insert, I can remove pauses. I can do anything with Reaper that anyone else can do editing audio, because it's been made completely accessible. Bill Ratner ** 50:27 That's great. That's good. That's nice. Oh, it is. It's cool. Michael Hingson ** 50:31 So so if I want, I can edit this and just have my questions and then silence when you're talking. Bill Ratner ** 50:38 That might be best. Ladies and gentlemen, here's Bill Ratner, Michael Hingson ** 50:46 yep, exactly, exactly. Now you have won the moth stories. Slam, what? Tell me about my story. Slam, you've won it nine times. Bill Ratner ** 51:00 The Moth was started by a writer, a novelist who had lived in the South and moved to New York City, successful novelist named George Dawes green. And the inception of the moth, which many people listening are familiar with from the Moth Radio Hour. It was, I believe, either late 90s or early 2000s when he'd been in New York for a while and was was publishing as a fiction writer, and threw a party, and decided, instead of going to one of these dumb, boring parties or the same drinks being served and same cigarettes being smoked out in the veranda and the same orders. I'm going to ask people to bring a five minute story, a personal story, nature, a true story. You don't have to have one to get into the party, but I encourage you to. And so you know, the 3040, 50 people showed up, many of whom had stories, and they had a few drinks, and they had hors d'oeuvres. And then he said, Okay, ladies and gentlemen, take your seats. It's time for and then I picked names out of a hat, and person after person after person stood up in a very unusual setting, which was almost never done at parties. You How often do you see that happen? Suddenly, the room falls silent, and someone with permission being having been asked by the host to tell a personal story, some funny, some tragic, some complex, some embarrassing, some racy, some wild, some action filled. And afterward, the feedback he got from his friends was, this is the most amazing experience I've ever had in my life. And someone said, you need to do this. And he said, Well, you people left a lot of cigarette butts and beer cans around my apartment. And they said, well, let's do it at a coffee shop. Let's do it at a church basement. So slowly but surely, the moth storytelling, story slams, which were designed after the old poetry slams in the 50s and 60s, where they were judged contests like, like a dance contest. Everybody's familiar with dance contests? Well, there were, then came poetry contests with people singing and, you know, and singing and really energetically, really reading. There then came storytelling contests with people standing on a stage before a silent audience, telling a hopefully interesting, riveting story, beginning middle, end in five minutes. And so a coffee house was found. A monthly calendar was set up. Then came the internet. Then it was so popular standing room only that they had to open yet another and another, and today, some 20 years later, 20 some years later, from Austin, Texas to San Francisco, California to Minneapolis, Minnesota to New York City to Los Angeles. There are moth story slams available on online for you to schedule yourself to go live and in person at the moth.org as in the moth with wings. Friend of mine, I was in New York. He said, You can't believe it. This writer guy, a writer friend of mine who I had read, kind of an avant garde, strange, funny writer was was hosting something called the moth in New York, and we were texting each other. He said, Well, I want to go. The theme was show business. I was going to talk to my Uncle Bobby, who was the bell boy. And I Love Lucy. I'll tell a story. And I texted him that day. He said, Oh man, I'm so sorry. I had the day wrong. It's next week. Next week, I'm going to be back home. And so he said, Well, I think there's a moth in Los Angeles. So about 15 years ago, I searched it down and what? Went to a small Korean barbecue that had a tiny little stage that originally was for Korean musicians, and it was now being used for everything from stand up comedy to evenings of rock and roll to now moth storytelling once a month. And I think the theme was first time. And so I got up and told a silly story and didn't win first prize. They have judges that volunteer judges a table of three judges scoring, you like, at a swim meet or a track beat or, you know, and our gymnastics meet. So this is all sort of familiar territory for everybody, except it's storytelling and not high jumping or pull ups. And I kept going back. I was addicted to it. I would write a story and I'd memorize it, and I'd show up and try to make it four minutes and 50 seconds and try to make it sound like I was really telling a story and not reading from a script. And wish I wasn't, because I would throw the script away, and I knew the stories well enough. And then they created a radio show. And then I began to win slams and compete in the grand slams. And then I started submitting these 750 word, you know, two and a half page stories. Literary magazines got a few published and found a whole new way to spend my time and not make much Michael Hingson ** 56:25 money. Then you went into poetry. Bill Ratner ** 56:29 Then I got so bored with my prose writing that I took a poetry course from a wonderful guy in LA called Jack grapes, who had been an actor and a football player and come to Hollywood and did some TV, episodics and and some some episodic TV, and taught poetry. It was a poet in the schools, and I took his class of adults and got a poem published. And thought, wait a minute, these aren't even 750 words. They're like 75 words. I mean, you could write a 10,000 word poem if you want, but some people have, yeah, and it was complex, and there was so much to read and so much to learn and so much that was interesting and odd. And a daughter of a friend of mine is a poet, said, Mommy, are you going to read me one of those little word movies before I go to sleep? Michael Hingson ** 57:23 A little word movie, word movie out of the Bill Ratner ** 57:27 mouths of babes. Yeah, and so, so and I perform. You know, last night, I was in Orange County at a organization called ugly mug Cafe, and a bunch of us poets read from an anthology that was published, and we sold our books, and heard other young poets who were absolutely marvelous and and it's, you know, it's not for everybody, but it's one of the things I do. Michael Hingson ** 57:54 Well, you sent me pictures of book covers, so they're going to be in the show notes. And I hope people will will go out and get them Bill Ratner ** 58:01 cool. One of the one of the things that I did with poetry, in addition to wanting to get published and wanting to read before people, is wanting to see if there is a way. Because poetry was, was very satisfying, emotionally to me, intellectually very challenging and satisfying at times. And emotionally challenging and very satisfying at times, writing about things personal, writing about nature, writing about friends, writing about stories that I received some training from the National Association for poetry therapy. Poetry therapy is being used like art therapy, right? And have conducted some sessions and and participated in many and ended up working with eighth graders of kids who had lost someone to death in the past year of their lives. This is before covid in the public schools in Los Angeles. And so there's a lot of that kind of work that is being done by constable people, by writers, by poets, by playwrights, Michael Hingson ** 59:09 and you became a grief counselor, Bill Ratner ** 59:13 yes, and don't do that full time, because I do voiceovers full time, right? Write poetry and a grand. Am an active grandparent, but I do the occasional poetry session around around grief poetry. Michael Hingson ** 59:31 So you're a grandparent, so you've had kids and all that. Yes, sir, well, that's is your wife still with us? Yes? Bill Ratner ** 59:40 Oh, great, yeah, she's an artist and an art educator. Well, that Michael Hingson ** 59:46 so the two of you can criticize each other's works, then, just Bill Ratner ** 59:52 saying, we're actually pretty kind to each other. I Yeah, we have a lot of we have a lot of outside criticism. Them. So, yeah, you don't need to do it internally. We don't rely on it. What do you think of this although, although, more than occasionally, each of us will say, What do you think of this poem, honey? Or what do you think of this painting, honey? And my the favorite, favorite thing that my wife says that always thrills me and makes me very happy to be with her is, I'll come down and she's beginning a new work of a new piece of art for an exhibition somewhere. I'll say, what? Tell me about what's, what's going on with that, and she'll go, you know, I have no idea, but it'll tell me what to do. Michael Hingson ** 1:00:33 Yeah, it's, it's like a lot of authors talk about the fact that their characters write the stories right, which, which makes a lot of sense. So with all that you've done, are you writing a memoir? By any chance, I Bill Ratner ** 1:00:46 am writing a memoir, and writing has been interesting. I've been doing it for many years. I got it was my graduate thesis from University of California Riverside Palm Desert. Michael Hingson ** 1:00:57 My wife was a UC Riverside graduate. Oh, hi. Well, they Bill Ratner ** 1:01:01 have a low residency program where you go for 10 days in January, 10 days in June. The rest of it's online, which a lot of universities are doing, low residency programs for people who work and I got an MFA in creative writing nonfiction, had a book called parenting for the digital age, the truth about media's effect on children. And was halfway through it, the publisher liked it, but they said you got to double the length. So I went back to school to try to figure out how to double the length. And was was able to do it, and decided to move on to personal memoir and personal storytelling, such as goes on at the moth but a little more personal than that. Some of the material that I was reading in the memoir section of a bookstore was very, very personal and was very helpful to read about people who've gone through particular issues in their childhood. Mine not being physical abuse or sexual abuse, mine being death and loss, which is different. And so that became a focus of my graduate thesis, and many people were urging me to write a memoir. Someone said, you need to do a one man show. So I entered the Hollywood fringe and did a one man show and got good reviews and had a good time and did another one man show the next year and and so on. So But writing memoir as anybody knows, and they're probably listeners who are either taking memoir courses online or who may be actively writing memoirs or short memoir pieces, as everybody knows it, can put you through moods from absolutely ecstatic, oh my gosh, I got this done. I got this story told, and someone liked it, to oh my gosh, I'm so depressed I don't understand why. Oh, wait a minute, I was writing about such and such today. Yeah. So that's the challenge for the memoir is for the personal storyteller, it's also, you know, and it's more of a challenge than it is for the reader, unless it's bad writing and the reader can't stand that. For me as a reader, I'm fascinated by people's difficult stories, if they're well Michael Hingson ** 1:03:24 told well, I know that when in 2002 I was advised to write a book about the World Trade Center experiences and all, and it took eight years to kind of pull it all together. And then I met a woman who actually I collaborated with, Susie Florey, and we wrote thunder dog. And her agent became my agent, who loved the proposal that we sent and actually got a contract within a week. So thunder dog came out in 2011 was a New York Times bestseller, and very blessed by that, and we're working toward the day that it will become a movie still, but it'll happen. And then I wrote a children's version of it, well, not a children's version of the book, but a children's book about me growing up in Roselle, growing up the guide dog who was with me in the World Trade Center, and that's been on Amazon. We self published it. Then last year, we published a new book called Live like a guide dog, which is all about controlling fear and teaching people lessons that I learned prior to September 11. That helped me focus and remain calm. Bill Ratner ** 1:04:23 What happened to you on September 11, Michael Hingson ** 1:04:27 I was in the World Trade Center. I worked on the 78th floor of Tower One. Bill Ratner ** 1:04:32 And what happened? I mean, what happened to you? Michael Hingson ** 1:04:36 Um, nothing that day. I mean, well, I got out. How did you get out? Down the stairs? That was the only way to go. So, so the real story is not doing it, but why it worked. And the real issue is that I spent a lot of time when I first went into the World Trade Center, learning all I could about what to do in an emergency, talking to police, port authorities. Security people, emergency preparedness people, and also just walking around the world trade center and learning the whole place, because I ran an office for a company, and I wasn't going to rely on someone else to, like, lead me around if we're going to go to lunch somewhere and take people out before we negotiated contracts. So I needed to know all of that, and I learned all I could, also realizing that if there ever was an emergency, I might be the only one in the office, or we might be in an area where people couldn't read the signs to know what to do anyway. And so I had to take the responsibility of learning all that, which I did. And then when the planes hit 18 floors above us on the other side of the building, we get we had some guests in the office. Got them out, and then another colleague, who was in from our corporate office, and I and my guide dog, Roselle, went to the stairs, and we started down. And Bill Ratner ** 1:05:54 so, so what floor did the plane strike? Michael Hingson ** 1:05:58 It struck and the NOR and the North Tower, between floors 93 and 99 so I just say 96 okay, and you were 20 floors down, 78 floors 78 so we were 18 floors below, and Bill Ratner ** 1:06:09 at the moment of impact, what did you think? Michael Hingson ** 1:06:13 Had no idea we heard a muffled kind of explosion, because the plane hit on the other side of the building, 18 floors above us. There was no way to know what was going on. Did you feel? Did you feel? Oh, the building literally tipped, probably about 20 feet. It kept tipping. And then we actually said goodbye to each other, and then the building came back upright. And then we went, Bill Ratner ** 1:06:34 really you so you thought you were going to die? Michael Hingson ** 1:06:38 David, my colleague who was with me, as I said, he was from our California office, and he was there to help with some seminars we were going to be doing. We actually were saying goodbye to each other because we thought we were about to take a 78 floor plunge to the street, when the building stopped tipping and it came back. Designed to do that by the architect. It was designed to do that, which is the point, the point. Bill Ratner ** 1:07:02 Goodness, gracious. And then did you know how to get to the stairway? Michael Hingson ** 1:07:04 Oh, absolutely. And did you do it with your friend? Yeah, the first thing we did, the first thing we did is I got him to get we had some guests, and I said, get him to the stairs. Don't let him take the elevators, because I knew he had seen fire above us, but that's all we knew. And but I said, don't take the elevators. Don't let them take elevators. Get them to the stairs and then come back and we'll leave. So he did all that, and then he came back, and we went to the stairs and started down. Bill Ratner ** 1:07:33 Wow. Could you smell anything? Michael Hingson ** 1:07:36 We smelled burning jet fuel fumes on the way down. And that's how we figured out an airplane must have hit the building, but we had no idea what happened. We didn't know what happened until the until both towers had collapsed, and I actually talked to my wife, and she's the one who told us how to aircraft have been crashed into the towers, one into the Pentagon, and a fourth, at that time, was still missing over Pennsylvania. Wow. So you'll have to go pick up a copy of thunder dog. Goodness. Good. Thunder dog. The name of the book is Thunder dog, and the book I wrote last year is called Live like a guide dog. It's le
THE Presentations Japan Series by Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo, Japan
Before you build slides, get crystal clear on who you're speaking to and why you're speaking at all. From internal All-Hands to industry chambers and benkyōkai study groups in Japan, the purpose drives the structure, the tone, and the proof you choose. What's the real purpose of a business presentation? Your presentation exists to create a specific outcome for a specific audience—choose the outcome first. Whether you need to inform, convince, persuade to action, or entertain enough to keep attention, the purpose becomes your design brief. In 2025's attention-scarce workplace—Tokyo to Sydney to New York—audiences bring "Era of Cynicism" energy, so clarity of intent is non-negotiable. Choose the one primary verb your talk must deliver (inform/convince/persuade/entertain) and align evidence, tone, and timing to that verb for executives, SMEs, and multinationals alike. Use decision criteria (see checklist below) before you touch PowerPoint or Keynote. Do now: Write "The purpose of this talk is to ___ for ___ by ___." Tape it above your keyboard. How do I define my audience before I write a single slide? Profile the room first; the content follows. Map role seniority (board/C-suite vs. managers), cultural context (Japan vs. US/Europe norms), and decision horizon (today vs. next quarter). In Japan, executives prefer evidence chains and respect for hierarchy; in US tech startups, crisp bottom lines and next steps often win. For internal Town Halls, keep jargon minimal and tie metrics to team impact; for external industry forums, cite research, case studies, and trend lines from recognisable entities (Dale Carnegie, Toyota, Rakuten). Once you know the level, you can calibrate depth, vocabulary, and the "so what" that matters to them. Skip this step and you'll either drown them in detail or sound vague. Do now: Write three bullets: "They care about…," "They already know…," "They must decide…". Inform, convince, persuade, or entertain—how do I choose? Pick one dominant mode and let the others support it. Inform for internal/industry updates rich in stats, expert opinion, and research (think "Top Five Trends 2025" with case studies). Limit the "data dump"—gold in the main talk, silver/bronze in Q&A. Convince/Impress when credibility is on the line; your delivery quality now represents the whole organisation. Persuade/Inspire when behaviour must change—leaders need this most. Entertain doesn't mean stand-up; it means energy, story beats, and occasional humour you've tested. Across APAC, Europe, and the US, the balance shifts by culture and sector (B2B vs. consumer), but the discipline—one primary purpose—does not. Do now: Circle the mode that matches your outcome; design every section to serve it. How do I stop the "data dump" and choose the right evidence? Curate like a prosecutor: fewer exhibits, stronger case. Open with a bold answer, then prove it with 2–3 high-leverage data points (trend, benchmark, case). Anchor time ("post-pandemic," "as of 2025") and entities (Nikkei index moves, METI guidance, EU AI Act, industry frameworks) to help AI search and humans connect dots. Keep detailed tables for the appendix or Q&A; in the main flow, show only what advances your single purpose. This approach works for multinationals reporting quarterly KPIs and for SMEs pitching a new budget. Variant phrases (metrics, numbers, stats, proof, evidence) boost retrievability without breaking flow. Do now: Delete one slide for every two you keep—then rehearse the proof path out loud. How do leaders actually inspire action in 2025? Pair delivery excellence with relevance—then make the ask unmistakable. Inspiration is practical when urgency, consequence, and agency meet. Churchill's seven-word charge—"Never, ever ever ever ever give up"—worked because context (1941 Europe), clarity, and cadence aligned; your 2025 equivalent might be "Ship it safely this sprint" or "Call every lapsed client this week." In Japan's post-2023 labour reforms, tie actions to work-style realities; in US/Europe, link to quarterly OKRs and risk controls. Leaders at firms like Toyota and Rakuten model the ask, specify the first step, and remove friction. Finish with a one-page action checklist and a deadline. Do now: State the concrete next action, owner, and timebox—then say it again at the close. What's the right design order—openings first or last? Design the closes first (Close #1 and Close #2), build the body, then craft the opening last. The close is the destination; design it before you chart the route. Create two closes: the "time-rich" version and a "compressed" version in case you run short. Build the body to earn those closes with evidence and examples. Only then write your opening—short, audience-hooked, and purpose-aligned. This reverse-engineering avoids rambling intros and ensures your opener previews exactly what you'll deliver. It's a proven workflow for internal All-Hands, marketing spend reviews, and external keynotes alike. Do now: Write Close #1 and Close #2 in full sentences before touching the first slide. How do I structure my content for AI-driven search engines (SGE, Perplexity, ChatGPT, Copilot)? Lead with answer-first headings, dense entities, and time anchors in each section. Use conversational query subheads ("How do I…?"), open with a bold one-to-two-sentence answer, then a tight paragraph with comparisons (Japan vs. US/Europe), sectors (B2B vs. consumer), and named organisations. End with a mini-summary or "Do now." Keep sections 120–150 words. Add synonyms (metrics/numbers/KPIs) and timeframe tags ("as of 2025"). This GEO pattern boosts retrievability while staying human. Use it for transcripts, blogs, and Do now: Convert your next talk into six answer-first sections using this exact template. Quick checklist (decision criteria) Audience level, culture, and decision horizon defined Single dominant purpose chosen Gold evidence only in-flow; silver/bronze parked for Q&A Two closes drafted; opening written last Clear call-to-action with owner + deadline Conclusion Choose your purpose, curate your proof, and architect your flow backwards from the close. Do that, and you'll inform, convince, and—when needed—inspire action, whether you're presenting in Tokyo, Sydney, or Seattle. Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). A Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg delivers globally across leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs. He is the author of best-sellers Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery, plus Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training; Japanese editions include ザ営業, プレゼンの達人, and 現代版「人を動かす」リーダー. He publishes daily insights and hosts multiple podcasts and YouTube shows for executives succeeding in Japan.
In today's episode, we're diving into the world of Enneagram Threes—the Achievers. Threes bring incredible energy, focus, and drive into everything they do. They're natural leaders, quick thinkers, and inspiring motivators who help teams (and families!) move forward. But behind that determination can be a deep pressure to perform and a tendency to confuse “who I am” with “what I do.” We talk about how Threes' productivity and polish can sometimes overshadow their emotional world, and how kids of Threes may feel like they need to “keep up” or perform, too. Together, we unpack the difference between being loved for who you are versus what you achieve—a truth every Three parent needs to hear. We also explore what these traits look like in parenting—how Threes create structure and security, but may need intentional space for rest, play, and vulnerability. We share practical ways to slow down, lower the bar, and connect with your kids without an agenda. For moms and dads of Threes, we talk about the impact of image-conscious parenting in a social media age, how to model healthy failure, and how to keep performance from defining family life. Whether you're a Three yourself or love someone who is, this episode is a reminder that your worth—and your child's—isn't earned. You're loved for who you are, not what you do. Books mentioned in this episode: Freeing Your Child from Anxiety by Tamar Chansky How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie . . . . . . Sign up to receive the bi-monthly newsletter to keep up to date with where David and Sissy are speaking, where they are taco'ing, PLUS conversation starters for you and your family to share! Connect with David, Sissy, and Melissa at raisingboysandgirls.com Owen Learns He Has What it Takes: A Lesson in Resilience Lucy Learns to Be Brave: A Lesson in Courage . . . . . . If you would like to partner with Raising Boys and Girls as a podcast sponsor, fill out our Advertise With Us form. A special thank you to our sponsors: QUINCE: Go to Quince.com/rbg for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty-five -day returns. THRIVE MARKET: Head over to ThriveMarket.com/rbg to get 30% off your first order and a FREE $60 gift. NIV APPLICATION BIBLE: Save an additional 10% on any NIV Application Bible and NIV Application Commentary Resources by visiting faithgateway.com/nivab and using promo code RBG. BOLL & BRANCH: Get 15% off plus free shipping on your first set of sheets at Bollandbranch.com/rbg. Exclusions apply. KA'CHAVA: Go to Ka'Chava and use code RBG for 15% off your next order. DOSE: Save 30% on your first month of subscription by going to dosedaily.co/RBG or entering RBG at checkout. EVERYDAY DOSE: Get 45% off your first subscription order of 30-servings of Coffee+ or Bold+. You'll also receive a starter kit with over $100 in free gifts including a rechargeable frother and gunmetal serving spoon by going to everydaydose.com/RGB or entering RGB at checkout. You'll also get FREE gifts throughout the year! JOLIE: Jolie will give you your best skin & hair guaranteed. Head to jolieskinco.com/RBG to try it out for yourself with FREE shipping. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Send us a textIn this episode of Navigating the Customer Experience, we sit down with Evan Siegel, Vice President of AI at eGain, where he leads the development of next-generation AI-powered conversational guidance. With a rich background that includes 16 years at Wells Fargo leading customer experience and contact center innovation, Evan brings deep insight into how technology can drive better service outcomes without losing the human touch.Evan's career journey began in entrepreneurship — running a successful residential painting business that grew to 300 employees before he sold it and pursued an MBA at Stanford. His experience at Wells Fargo honed his expertise in solving large-scale customer pain points and improving first-contact resolution in massive contact centers. Those experiences led him to eGain, a company dedicated to providing “the right answer to the right person at the right time, in the right channel.”Evan explains that eGain's AI-powered knowledge management platform helps companies clean, update, and centralize information so agents can quickly find accurate answers. This not only improves customer satisfaction but also transforms efficiency—some clients have seen up to 37% improvement in first-contact resolution, a 30-point rise in Net Promoter Score, and 50% reduction in training time. For instance, eGain supports the U.S. Veterans Administration, the country's largest healthcare provider, to deliver consistent, fast, and empathetic service across millions of interactions.A key theme in the discussion is balancing technology and empathy. Evan emphasizes that AI doesn't replace human connection—it enhances it by freeing up employees' mental space to focus on emotional intelligence and rapport-building. By handling the “how” of issue resolution, AI lets people focus on the “who.”He also shares how eGain builds knowledge bases for each company by analyzing customer inquiries, extracting top issues using AI, and rewriting existing materials to align with best practices for clarity and accessibility. This process—once lengthy and manual—can now be done in days or weeks.When asked about tools he can't live without, Evan points to AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity, which he uses daily as brainstorming and writing partners. His motto: “AI won't replace me, but someone who knows how to use AI better than me will.”Evan also discusses two books that shaped him: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, which taught him the power of genuine curiosity in relationships, and William Manchester's three-part biography of Winston Churchill, which inspired lessons in conviction, communication, and strategic thinking.Today, what excites Evan most is collaborative leadership—bringing teams together to brainstorm, check egos at the door, and make the best collective decisions. His guiding philosophy: “I don't need to be the smartest person in the room. I need to make the best decision coming out of the room.”He closes with another favorite quote: “You miss every shot you don't take.” For Evan, this embodies the spirit of innovation at eGain—experiment fast, learn fast, and keep improving.Listeners can connect with Evan on LinkedIn or email him at esiegel@egain.com to learn more about eGain's new AI self-service agent for small businesses, featuring reasoning capabilities, a free trial, and no-contract flexibility.Follow us on X @navigatingcx, and join our Navigating the Customer Experience Facebook community for more insights and resources.
Send us a textIn this week's Monday Morning Motivation, host Anna Steinfest shares a timeless leadership lesson from Dale Carnegie's classic How to Win Friends and Influence People. Learn how empathy, humility, and emotional intelligence can transform how you lead your team, connect with customers, and handle conflict.Discover how to replace arguments with influence, criticism with collaboration, and ego with effectiveness — because in business, the smartest person in the room is often the one who listens first.#SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #EmotionalIntelligence #DaleCarnegie #BusinessGrowth #MondayMotivation #EntrepreneurMindset #CommunicationSkills #SmallBusinessOwner
Neste episódio especial em parceria com a Dale Carnegie Brasil, conversamos com Maxwell Ribeiro, fundador da Rural Forte Nutrição e Saúde Animal. Maxwell, veterinário e empreendedor de sucesso em Goiás, compartilha sua jornada de mais de duas décadas no agronegócio. Ele discute a transição de técnico a gestor, os desafios da liderança, o poder da Dale Carnegie Training na melhoria da comunicação e na gestão de seus múltiplos negócios. Da superação do pior ano da empresa em 2023 à importância de mentores e escuta ativa com clientes, Maxwell oferece insights valiosos. Uma verdadeira lição sobre como eliminar o ego e cultivar a crença inabalável impulsionam o crescimento pessoal e empresarial, transformando-o em um agente de mudança no competitivo mercado do agro. PARCEIRO DESTE EPISÓDIO Este episódio foi trazido até você pela Dale Carnegie Brasil! Transforme sua carreira e seus resultados com a Dale Carnegie! Há mais de 100 anos, desenvolvemos líderes confiantes, comunicadores poderosos e profissionais de sucesso. Nossos treinamentos comprovados impulsionam seu desempenho e o de sua equipe. Descubra o poder do seu potencial! Dale Carnegie: construindo o sucesso de vidas e negócios há mais de 100 anos. Site: https://dalecarnegiebrasil.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dalecarnegiebrasil/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dalecarnegiebrasilYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dalecarnegiebrasil INTERAJA COM O AGRO RESENHAInstagram: instagram.com/agroresenhaTwitter: x.com/agroresenhaFacebook: facebook.com/agroresenhaYouTube: youtube.com/agroresenhaCanal do Telegram: https://t.me/agroresenhaCanal do WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/zap-arp-01 E-MAILSe você tem alguma sugestão de pauta, reclamação ou dúvida, envie um e-mail para contato@agroresenha.com.br FICHA TÉCNICAApresentação: Paulo OzakiProdução: Agro ResenhaConvidado: Maxwell Ribeiro e Andreia MoraesEdição: Senhor A - https://editorsenhor-a.com.brSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Neste episódio especial em parceria com a Dale Carnegie Brasil, conversamos com Maxwell Ribeiro, fundador da Rural Forte Nutrição e Saúde Animal. Maxwell, veterinário e empreendedor de sucesso em Goiás, compartilha sua jornada de mais de duas décadas no agronegócio. Ele discute a transição de técnico a gestor, os desafios da liderança, o poder da Dale Carnegie Training na melhoria da comunicação e na gestão de seus múltiplos negócios. Da superação do pior ano da empresa em 2023 à importância de mentores e escuta ativa com clientes, Maxwell oferece insights valiosos. Uma verdadeira lição sobre como eliminar o ego e cultivar a crença inabalável impulsionam o crescimento pessoal e empresarial, transformando-o em um agente de mudança no competitivo mercado do agro. PARCEIRO DESTE EPISÓDIO Este episódio foi trazido até você pela Dale Carnegie Brasil! Transforme sua carreira e seus resultados com a Dale Carnegie! Há mais de 100 anos, desenvolvemos líderes confiantes, comunicadores poderosos e profissionais de sucesso. Nossos treinamentos comprovados impulsionam seu desempenho e o de sua equipe. Descubra o poder do seu potencial! Dale Carnegie: construindo o sucesso de vidas e negócios há mais de 100 anos. Site: https://dalecarnegiebrasil.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dalecarnegiebrasil/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dalecarnegiebrasilYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dalecarnegiebrasil INTERAJA COM O AGRO RESENHAInstagram: instagram.com/agroresenhaTwitter: x.com/agroresenhaFacebook: facebook.com/agroresenhaYouTube: youtube.com/agroresenhaCanal do Telegram: https://t.me/agroresenhaCanal do WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/zap-arp-01 E-MAILSe você tem alguma sugestão de pauta, reclamação ou dúvida, envie um e-mail para contato@agroresenha.com.br FICHA TÉCNICAApresentação: Paulo OzakiProdução: Agro ResenhaConvidado: Maxwell Ribeiro e Andreia MoraesEdição: Senhor A - https://editorsenhor-a.com.brSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
About the Guest:Jose Garcia is the President of Alberici Constructors, one of the top construction firms in the U.S. He's a West Point, Stanford, and MIT graduate, a passionate advocate for mentorship, and the founder of Strong to Serve, a nonprofit supporting orphans in Nicaragua.His story is one of bold choices, deep character, and a relentless pursuit of excellence.What You Will Learn:Why adversity can be the foundation for leadershipHow feedback, when given with care, unlocks growthWhy self-awareness is the #1 predictor of leadership successHow Dale Carnegie's principles shaped a servant leaderThe power of mindset in building culture and thriving teamsJoin us for this inspiring conversation about grit, growth, and the kind of leadership that leaves a legacy. Whether you're leading a team, mentoring others, or climbing your own mountain, this episode will help you take command—one step, one breath at a time. Please rate and review this Episode!We'd love to hear from you! Leaving a review helps us ensure we deliver content that resonates with you. Your feedback can inspire others to join our Take Command: A Dale Carnegie Podcast community & benefit from the leadership insights we share.
For many high achievers, outward success often doesn't lead to true fulfillment, especially when decision-making isn't guided by a strong sense of purpose. Robert Glazer believes the key to overcoming this challenge is aligning your actions with your core values. Without this alignment, even the most successful can feel lost or directionless. This insight inspired his new book, The Compass Within. In this episode, Robert returns to reveal how clarifying your values can transform your mindset, drive authentic leadership, and empower purposeful decision-making for lasting fulfillment. In this episode, Hala and Robert will discuss: (00:00) Introduction (02:10) The Compass Within: Understanding Core Values (07:48) Aligning Values with Purpose and Leadership (13:13) Why High Achievers Struggle with Fulfillment (17:45) Six Questions to Discover Your Core Values (22:27) The True North Test: Values in Decision-Making (32:38) Aligning Personal and Company Values for Success (37:44) Values-Based Leadership and Company Culture (44:52) The Power of Authentic Networking and Relationships Robert Glazer is a serial entrepreneur, award-winning executive, and founder and chairman of the board at Acceleration Partners, a global leader in partnership marketing. He is a bestselling author, and his latest book, The Compass Within, helps readers uncover their core values for better decision-making, strategic planning, and purposeful leadership. Robert also hosts the Elevate Podcast, where he interviews world-class performers. Sponsored By: Indeed - Get a $75 sponsored job credit to boost your job's visibility at Indeed.com/PROFITING Shopify - Start your $1/month trial at Shopify.com/profiting. Mercury streamlines your banking and finances in one place. Learn more at mercury.com/profiting. Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group, Column N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC. Quo - Get 20% off your first 6 months at Quo.com/PROFITING Revolve - Head to REVOLVE.com/PROFITING and take 15% off your first order with code PROFITING Framer- Go to Framer.com and use code PROFITING to launch your site for free. Merit Beauty - Go to meritbeauty.com to get your free signature makeup bag with your first order. Pipedrive - Get a 30-day free trial at pipedrive.com/profiting Airbnb - Find yourself a cohost at airbnb.com/host Resources Mentioned: Robert's Book, The Compass Within: geni.us/values Robert's Core Values Course: robertglazer.com/compass-yap/ Robert's Website: robertglazer.com Robert's Six Questions: robertglazer.com/six YAP E270 with Robert Glazer: youngandprofiting.co/WinningCulture Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi: bit.ly/_NeverEatAlone From Strength to Strength by Arthur Brooks: bit.ly/-Strength2Strength How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie: bit.ly/-WinFriends Active Deals - youngandprofiting.com/deals Key YAP Links Reviews - ratethispodcast.com/yap YouTube - youtube.com/c/YoungandProfiting Newsletter - youngandprofiting.co/newsletter LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/htaha/ Instagram - instagram.com/yapwithhala/ Social + Podcast Services: yapmedia.com Transcripts - youngandprofiting.com/episodes-new Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship Podcast, Business, Business Podcast, Self Improvement, Self-Improvement, Personal Development, Starting a Business, Strategy, Investing, Sales, Selling, Psychology, Productivity, Entrepreneurs, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Marketing, Negotiation, Money, Finance, Side Hustle, Startup, Mental Health, Career, Leadership, Mindset, Health, Growth Mindset, Time Management, Goal Setting, Problem Solving, Leadership Skills, Team Building.
Today's wisdom comes from How to Develop Self-Confidence & Influence People by Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie. If you're loving Heroic Wisdom Daily, be sure to subscribe to the emails at heroic.us/wisdom-daily. And… Imagine unlocking access to the distilled wisdom form 700+ of the greatest books ever written. That's what Heroic Premium offers: Unlimited access to every Philosopher's Note. Daily inspiration and actionable tools to optimize your energy, work, and love. Personalized coaching features to help you stay consistent and focused Upgrade to Heroic Premium → Know someone who'd love this? Share Heroic Wisdom Daily with them, and let's grow together in 2025! Share Heroic Wisdom Daily →
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THE Sales Japan Series by Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo, Japan
Why trust, empathy, and human relations remain the foundation of sales success in Japan Hunting for new clients is hard work. Farming existing relationships is easier, more sustainable, and far more profitable. Yet not all buyers are easy to deal with. We often wish they would change to make our jobs smoother, but in reality, we can't change them—we can only change ourselves. That principle, at the core of Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People, remains as true in 2025 as it was in 1936. By shifting our mindset and behaviour, we can strengthen buyer relationships and secure long-term loyalty. Why must salespeople change first, not the buyer? Expecting buyers to change their habits or behaviours sets us up for frustration. Buyers act in ways that make sense to them, even if inconvenient for us. The only real lever we have is our own behaviour. Even a small shift—like adjusting our approach by “three degrees”—can change the buyer's counter-reaction. In Japan, where harmony and long-term trust are prized, this principle is especially powerful. A salesperson who shows flexibility and empathy stands out in contrast to competitors who push rigidly for their own preferences. Mini-Summary: Salespeople cannot force buyers to change; by adjusting their own behaviour, they influence the relationship and build trust. What role do Dale Carnegie's Human Relations Principles play in buyer relationships? Carnegie's Human Relations Principles are timeless tools for building cooperation. Three are particularly relevant for sales: Don't criticise, condemn, or complain. Criticism rarely changes behaviour—it provokes defensiveness. Give honest, sincere appreciation. Genuine recognition strengthens bonds and motivates reciprocity. Arouse in the other person an eager want. Frame solutions around what the buyer personally values. These principles apply across industries, from manufacturing to finance. Japanese buyers, in particular, value respectful, non-confrontational communication that acknowledges their contributions. Mini-Summary: Carnegie's Human Relations Principles—no criticism, sincere appreciation, and aligning with buyer wants—remain timeless tools for sales. Why does criticism damage buyer relationships? When salespeople criticise clients, they expect reasoned acceptance. Instead, they trigger defensiveness. Buyers justify their decisions, harden their positions, and often sour the relationship. Consider situations common in Japan: extended payment terms, last-minute order changes, or requests for multiple quotes as compliance. Criticising these behaviours damages trust. Instead, salespeople must work constructively within the constraints, showing professionalism while seeking long-term influence. Mini-Summary: Criticism never wins buyers—it hardens resistance. Professionalism and patience maintain the relationship, even under pressure. How does sincere appreciation change buyer behaviour? Most professionals receive little genuine recognition. Buyers, like colleagues, are often starved of appreciation. Yet false flattery is quickly detected, especially in Japan where sincerity is scrutinised. The key is to find something specific and genuine. For example: “Suzuki-san, thank you for sending the information so promptly—it helped me meet my deadline.” This kind of concrete, truthful appreciation motivates buyers to cooperate more readily in future. Mini-Summary: Specific, honest appreciation builds cooperation and strengthens relationships—especially in Japan, where false flattery backfires. Why must salespeople align with buyer wants, not their own? Buyers spend most of their time focused on their own priorities, not the salesperson's. To gain cooperation, salespeople must align their proposals with what the buyer values personally, not just professionally. In Japan, this often means recognising not only company goals but also individual motivations—career advancement, personal reputation, or peace of mind. Framing solutions to satisfy these deeper wants increases buyer engagement and willingness to act. Mini-Summary: Sales success comes from aligning with buyer priorities—both corporate and personal—rather than pushing seller needs. How can salespeople apply these principles consistently? Building strong buyer relationships requires discipline. Salespeople should: Avoid negative talk about buyer policies. Express timely, specific appreciation for buyer cooperation. Frame every proposal around the buyer's personal and organisational goals. Companies like Toyota and Hitachi succeed because their sales teams apply these principles systematically, not occasionally. Sales leaders must coach and reinforce this mindset, ensuring every client interaction strengthens trust. Mini-Summary: Consistency in applying human relations principles transforms sales teams from product pushers into trusted partners. Conclusion In 2025, with competition fiercer than ever, building strong buyer relationships remains the bedrock of sales success. We cannot expect clients to change for our convenience. Instead, by applying Dale Carnegie's timeless principles—avoiding criticism, giving sincere appreciation, and aligning with buyer wants—we shift the relationship dynamic in our favour. Buyers in Japan reward this behaviour with trust, loyalty, and repeat business. About the Author Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie “One Carnegie Award” (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have also been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban “Hito o Ugokasu” Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). In addition to his books, Greg publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, offering practical insights on leadership, communication, and Japanese business culture. He is also the host of six weekly podcasts, including The Leadership Japan Series, The Sales Japan Series, The Presentations Japan Series, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews. On YouTube, he produces three weekly shows — The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews — which have become leading resources for executives seeking strategies for success in Japan.
Live like Dale Carnegie, neg like Calvin Coolidge.Where to find us: Our PatreonOur merch!Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources:Self-help Messiah: Dale Carnegie and Success in Modern AmericaThe Positive ThinkersAge of industrial violence 1910-1915 : the activities and findings of the United States commission on industrial relationsRepresentation and Rebellion: The Rockefeller Plan at the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, 1914–1942 Dale Carnegie and the Problem of SincerityNew York Times review from 1937Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
2025晨鐘課-每天,都是新的起點 以歷史智慧滋養生活,點亮2025每一天! 借鑑過去,活在當下,展望未來! 粵語廣播網站 (時兆出版社授權錄製) https://soundcloud.com/mediahk Podcast@靈修廣播站 10月1日 起名 美名勝過大財;恩寵強如金銀。 箴言 22:1 名字遠比我們所想的更有意義。戴爾.卡內基(Dale Carnegie)認為,「對一個人來說,自己的名字是所有話語中最動聽、最重要的聲音。」但事實上,有人喜歡自己的名字,有些人卻很嫌惡,甚至想改名。因此,在為子女、新公司,甚至新教會選擇名字時,應當慎而重之。 早期守安息日的復臨信徒們不太願意為他們的新教派起名。1860年之前,他們一直自稱為「小群」(路12:32),末時的「餘民」(啟12:17), 「相信安息日和恩門關閉的信徒」,「守上帝誡命和耶穌真道的上帝特選之子民」(啟14:12),「上帝守約的子民」,「守安息日─永生上帝之印記的教會」,以及「非拉鐵非教會」(啟3:7–13)。但對於特定名稱,信徒們從未達成共識。 但當復臨信徒決定依照密西根州的法律成立出版機構時,他們必須有一個正式的名稱。1860年10月1日,在密西根州戰溪舉行的總會會議上,與會者圍繞著「上帝的教會」和「基督復臨安息日會」兩個名稱展開討論。考慮到第一個名字太過籠統和冒昧,大會最終決定:「我們稱自己為基督復臨安息日會。」 1861年,懷愛倫表示:「『基督復臨安息日會』這個名稱,把我們信仰中真正的特色表現在人前,使那些求問真道的人感悟。這名稱也像主的箭筒中的一枝利箭,要紮傷那干犯上帝律法之人的心,引他們悔改歸向上帝,並信仰我們的主耶穌基督。」 在世界許多地方,復臨信徒以其作為誠實可靠之基督徒而聞名。作為這一教派的教友,我們也繼承了它的名字。那麼,我們做了什麼來維護它在我們鄰居、同事、同學和朋友中的好名聲呢?請記住,有很多人會透過我們的行為來評價這個教會。 #媒體佈道部 #港澳區會 #聲音書 #時兆出版社 #每天,都是新的起點 #本書由時兆出版社授權刊載
The future of work is unfolding faster than anyone expected, and leaders are scrambling to keep up. In this special Best of the Quarter episode, we revisit two standout conversations that tackle the future of work from very different, yet complementary angles. Charlotte Eaton, Chief People Officer at Arm, shares how the company is rolling out AI tools to thousands of employees, the cultural shifts required to keep pace with rapid technological change, and the risks of outsourcing human thinking to machines. Joe Hart, President and CEO of Dale Carnegie, explores why timeless human skills like empathy, trust, and confidence are more vital than ever, especially as younger generations enter the workforce and AI reshapes how we work. Together, these episodes reveal that the future of work isn't about choosing between people or technology—it's about how leaders bring both together. ________________ Start your day with the world's top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email: https://greatleadership.substack.com/
Today's wisdom comes from How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie. If you're loving Heroic Wisdom Daily, be sure to subscribe to the emails at heroic.us/wisdom-daily. And… Imagine unlocking access to the distilled wisdom form 700+ of the greatest books ever written. That's what Heroic Premium offers: Unlimited access to every Philosopher's Note. Daily inspiration and actionable tools to optimize your energy, work, and love. Personalized coaching features to help you stay consistent and focused Upgrade to Heroic Premium → Know someone who'd love this? Share Heroic Wisdom Daily with them, and let's grow together in 2025! Share Heroic Wisdom Daily →
Ever wonder what separates a struggling inspector from a thriving business owner? Spoiler: it's rarely about technical knowledge.We've identified a consistent pattern—where most professionals fall short isn't in understanding building systems, but in mastering the crucial soft skills that drive business success. In this candid conversation, I reveal the five books that transformed my approach to home inspection and business ownership, and continue to serve as my go-to resources during morning routines and office days.From Robert Greene's "Laws of Human Nature," which has saved me countless headaches by teaching me to observe client behavior objectively, to Sun Tzu's surprisingly relevant "Art of War" with its business strategy gems like "let your competitor make the opening," these recommendations address the skills gap that technical training never covers. I share how Dale Carnegie's classic people skills manual dramatically improved my inspection delivery, why Jacob Goldstein's financial literacy primer should be required reading for every business owner, and how Robert Cialdini's psychology insights have helped me communicate more effectively with anxious clients.These aren't trendy self-help titles—they're practical, skill-building resources that have directly contributed to better client experiences, smoother inspections, and ultimately, a more profitable business. Whether you're a seasoned inspector or just starting out, implementing these principles could be the difference between merely surviving and truly thriving in this competitive industry. What morning routine or "office day" practice has most improved your inspection business?Check out our home inspection app at www.inspectortoolbelt.comNeed a home inspection website? See samples of our website at www.inspectortoolbelt.com/home-inspection-websites*The views and opinions expressed in this podcast, and the guests on it, do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Inspector Toolbelt and its associates.
THE Presentations Japan Series by Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo, Japan
Nine proven strategies executives and professionals in Japan and worldwide can use to master public speaking and influence with confidence Why do business professionals need presentation guidelines? Most of us stumble into public speaking without training. We focus on doing our jobs, not plotting a public speaking career path. Yet as careers advance, presentations to colleagues, clients, or stakeholders become unavoidable. Executives at firms like Hitachi, SoftBank, or Mitsubishi know that persuasive communication directly affects career progress and credibility. Without guidelines, many professionals waste decades avoiding public speaking. The good news? It's never too late to learn. By following proven principles, anyone can become a confident communicator capable of inspiring audiences and strengthening personal brands. Mini-Summary: Public speaking is not optional in business careers. Guidelines accelerate confidence and credibility, ensuring leaders don't miss opportunities. Should you use notes during a presentation? Yes, brief notes are acceptable. Smart presenters use them as navigation aids, either on the podium or discreetly placed behind the audience. Audiences don't penalise speakers for glancing at notes—they care about clarity and delivery. The real mistake is trying to memorise everything, which creates unnecessary stress. Professionals at companies like Goldman Sachs or Deloitte often carry structured notes to ensure flow without losing authenticity. The key is to avoid reading word-for-word and instead speak naturally to main points. Mini-Summary: Notes provide direction and reduce stress. Reading word-for-word damages authenticity, but reference notes enhance confidence. Why is reading or memorising speeches ineffective? Reading entire speeches is disengaging. Audiences quickly tune out when delivery sounds like a monotone recitation. Memorising 30 minutes of text is equally flawed—it strains memory and removes spontaneity. Modern leaders need flexibility, not rigid scripts. Instead, professionals should memorise key ideas, not sentences. Political leaders and CEOs alike rely on talking points, not full manuscripts, to stay natural and adaptable. In Japan, executives trained in Dale Carnegie programs learn to communicate with presence, not performance. Mini-Summary: Reading or memorising word-for-word suffocates engagement. Focus on key points to remain natural, flexible, and credible. How can evidence strengthen your presentation? Audiences are sceptical of sweeping statements. Without proof, leaders risk credibility damage. Evidence—statistics, expert testimony, and case studies—adds authority. A claim like “our industry is growing” has little weight unless supported with 2025 market research or benchmarks from firms like PwC or Bain & Company. In Japan's cautious corporate culture, data-backed arguments are particularly vital. Numbers, trends, and customer case studies reinforce trust, especially during Q&A sessions where credibility is tested. Mini-Summary: Evidence turns opinion into authority. Leaders should support claims with facts, statistics, and expert sources to maintain credibility. Why is rehearsal so important? Practice transforms delivery. Presenting to trusted colleagues provides feedback and confidence. But avoid asking vague questions like “What do you think?” Instead, request specifics: “What was strong?” and “How can it improve?” This reframes feedback into constructive insight. At global firms, leaders often rehearse in front of teams or communication coaches before critical investor calls or town halls. Japanese executives, known for precision, benefit greatly from structured rehearsal before presenting to boards or government stakeholders. Mini-Summary: Rehearsal reduces anxiety and strengthens delivery. Ask targeted questions to turn feedback into actionable improvement. Do you always need visual aids? Not necessarily. Slides are valuable only if they add clarity. Overloaded decks weaken impact, but visuals with people, trends, or key figures make content memorable. A simple chart highlighting one data point can be more persuasive than 20 dense slides. Visuals also act as navigation, allowing presenters to recall main points naturally. At firms like Apple or Tesla, minimalist visuals emphasise storytelling over clutter—an approach business leaders worldwide can adopt. Mini-Summary: Visual aids should clarify, not confuse. Use them sparingly to highlight key ideas and support storytelling. How should professionals control nerves before speaking? Nervous energy—“butterflies”—is natural. The solution is physical and mental preparation. Deep, slow breathing lowers heart rate and calms the body. Some professionals walk briskly backstage to burn excess energy, while others use pep talks to raise intensity. Finding a personal ritual is key. Research in workplace psychology shows that controlled breathing and physical grounding improve focus. Japanese executives presenting at high-stakes shareholder meetings often use discreet breathing exercises before stepping on stage. Mini-Summary: Anxiety is natural. Breathing, movement, and mental preparation channel nerves into productive energy. Why should you never imitate other speakers? Authenticity wins. Copying others produces inauthentic delivery and limits growth. Instead, leaders should develop their own voice through practice and feedback. Life is too short to be a poor copy of someone else. Famous communicators like Steve Jobs or Sheryl Sandberg became iconic not by imitation but by honing unique, authentic styles. The same is true in Japan: executives respected for leadership presence stand out because they are genuine. Mini-Summary: Don't copy others. Develop a natural, authentic style that reflects your personality and strengths. Conclusion: How do guidelines transform your presentation career? Public speaking is not an optional skill—it defines leadership impact. By applying nine guidelines—using notes, avoiding reading, focusing on key points, backing claims with evidence, knowing more than you say, rehearsing, using visuals wisely, controlling nerves, and being authentic—professionals protect and elevate their personal brands. Key Takeaways: Notes guide, but don't read word-for-word. Memorise ideas, not sentences. Use evidence to back claims and build authority. Rehearse with feedback for confidence. Visuals should enhance, not clutter. Control nerves with breathing and energy rituals. Authenticity beats imitation every time. Leaders at all levels should take action now: seek training, rehearse deliberately, and present with authenticity. Don't waste years avoiding public speaking. The sooner you embrace it, the faster your leadership brand grows. About the Author Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie “One Carnegie Award” (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban “Hito o Ugokasu” Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, widely followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan.
Let’s get motivated on this Sunday! Amy and T.J. give you their quotes of the week to get your week started with inspiration.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Let’s get motivated on this Sunday! Amy and T.J. give you their quotes of the week to get your week started with inspiration.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Let’s get motivated on this Sunday! Amy and T.J. give you their quotes of the week to get your week started with inspiration.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Let’s get motivated on this Sunday! Amy and T.J. give you their quotes of the week to get your week started with inspiration.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Neste episódio especial em parceria com a Dale Carnegie Brasil, conversamos com Osmar Cunha, sócio-diretor da ELO Soluções Agrícolas. Ele compartilha sua jornada empreendedora, superando desafios para construir um negócio de sucesso na armazenagem de grãos e pós-colheita no agronegócio do Centro-Oeste. Osmar revela como o desenvolvimento pessoal e os ensinamentos da Dale Carnegie aprimoraram sua liderança, comunicação e engajamento da equipe, transformando crises em oportunidades. Discutimos valores, agilidade e a visão da ELO para expandir a armazenagem de grãos, beneficiando o produtor rural. Uma conversa essencial sobre empreendedorismo, gestão e autoconhecimento no setor agrícola. PARCEIRO DESTE EPISÓDIO Este episódio foi trazido até você pela Dale Carnegie Brasil! Transforme sua carreira e seus resultados com a Dale Carnegie! Há mais de 100 anos, desenvolvemos líderes confiantes, comunicadores poderosos e profissionais de sucesso. Nossos treinamentos comprovados impulsionam seu desempenho e o de sua equipe. Descubra o poder do seu potencial! Dale Carnegie: construindo o sucesso de vidas e negócios há mais de 100 anos. Site: https://dalecarnegiebrasil.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dalecarnegiebrasil/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dalecarnegiebrasilYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dalecarnegiebrasil INTERAJA COM O AGRO RESENHAInstagram: instagram.com/agroresenhaTwitter: x.com/agroresenhaFacebook: facebook.com/agroresenhaYouTube: youtube.com/agroresenhaCanal do Telegram: https://t.me/agroresenhaCanal do WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/zap-arp-01 E-MAILSe você tem alguma sugestão de pauta, reclamação ou dúvida, envie um e-mail para contato@agroresenha.com.br FICHA TÉCNICAApresentação: Paulo OzakiProdução: Agro ResenhaConvidado: Osmar Cunha e Adriano CoserEdição: Senhor A - https://editorsenhor-a.com.brSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
About the Guest:Adam von Gootkin was raised by a single mother and learned early on that humility and hustle go hand in hand. He built his first distillery from scratch, learned the liquor business by trial and error, and eventually launched Highclere Castle Gin a brand rooted in heritage, elegance, and authenticity.He's a passionate storyteller, a bold risk-taker, and a firm believer in building brands that outlive their founders. His journey is a masterclass in purpose-driven entrepreneurship.What You Will Learn:How early challenges can fuel bold leadershipWhy fear and procrastination are often two sides of the same coinHow Dale Carnegie's principles shaped Adam's fearless mindsetThe power of storytelling in building trust and influenceWhy authenticity and enthusiasm are essential leadership traitsJoin us for this inspiring conversation with Adam von Gootkin about dreaming big, acting boldly, and staying true to your values. Whether you're launching a brand, leading a team, or just trying to get out of your comfort zone, this episode will leave you energized and ready to take command. Please rate and review this Episode!We'd love to hear from you! Leaving a review helps us ensure we deliver content that resonates with you. Your feedback can inspire others to join our Take Command: A Dale Carnegie Podcast community & benefit from the leadership insights we share.
**INSPIRATION INJECTION!** It's time to ignite your inner spark and embrace self-belief! Remember, your unique purpose is to achieve amazingthings that can impact the world around you! Together, let's unlock our potential and create a brighter future! Join us for an uplifting journey of motivation and growth on
Target Market Insights: Multifamily Real Estate Marketing Tips
Nicole Handy is a chemical engineer turned real estate powerhouse and co-owner of Braden Real Estate Group. After more than a decade in corporate America, she transitioned into full-time real estate, where she has become one of Houston's top-producing agents. Today she leads a brokerage of 75 agents across Houston and Dallas while investing in residential and commercial real estate, building generational wealth, and mentoring the next wave of agents. Make sure to download our free guide, 7 Questions Every Passive Investor Should Ask, here. Key Takeaways Nicole leveraged her corporate income to build her real estate business before transitioning full-time. Real estate investing runs deep in her family, shaping her views on generational wealth and long-term ownership. Building a personal brand through consistency and education has helped her stand out in a competitive market. Even during downturns, she has achieved her best years by focusing on adding value and solving client needs. Scaling from agent to brokerage owner requires documented systems and processes. Topics From Corporate Engineer to Real Estate Entrepreneur Nicole's early real estate exposure through her grandparents' investments. Buying her first property out of college and realizing the power of appreciation. Using corporate income as a foundation before leaving to grow her brokerage. Building a Personal Brand Established her presence through consistent education and social media. Focused on being the most valuable resource to her audience, not just following trends. Braden Real Estate Group is rooted in excellence, values, and polished presentation. Navigating Market Shifts 62% of agents may have exited in 2023, but Nicole had her best year. Positioned herself as a trusted expert during slower markets. Duplexes in Houston are currently trading at discounts, providing investor opportunities. Giving Back Through Nonprofits Active supporter of Move-In Day Mafia, a nonprofit helping foster children transition into college. Provides dorm essentials, monthly care packages, and mentorship to set students up for success.
THE Leadership Japan Series by Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo, Japan
Why leadership requires sensing and feeling, not just knowing, in 2025 Managers often prioritise what they “know,” while leaders rely more on what they “sense” and “feel.” This distinction, popularised by executive coach Marcel Danne, is more than semantics—it highlights a profound difference in mindset. As of 2025, with Japan navigating demographic challenges, digital disruption, and global uncertainty, the ability to sense and adapt has become more critical than simply knowing facts. What's the difference between managers and leaders in decision-making? Managers tend to focus on knowing first—building confidence through data, self-education, and sheer hard work. Leaders, however, prioritise sensing first—tuning into people, context, and emotions before deciding. In practice, this means managers often bulldoze forward with certainty, while leaders pause to feel and reflect before acting. In Japan, this distinction matters. Hierarchical firms often elevate those who “know,” but the complexity of 2025 requires leaders who can sense subtle shifts in markets, teams, and cultures. Mini-Summary: Managers lead with knowledge; leaders lead with sensing. In 2025 Japan, sensing is critical for navigating complexity. Why are managers often so confident in their own answers? Managers often rely on personal effort: self-education, long hours, and relentless execution. This creates confidence, even ego, but often without much self-awareness. Many managers assume the path is clear because they've worked hard to “know” it. This overconfidence mirrors Western corporate cultures where rugged individualism is prized. But in Japan, such confidence can clash with collaborative norms. A “my way or the highway” mindset alienates teams, undermining innovation and engagement. Mini-Summary: Managerial confidence stems from effort and ego, but without self-awareness, it risks alienating teams—especially in Japan. Why do Japanese firms prioritise questions over answers? Japanese business culture values asking the right questions more than having immediate answers. To a Western-trained manager, this seems counterintuitive, but it ensures decisions reflect collective wisdom. Leaders in Japan often pause to ask: Are we even solving the right problem? This contrasts with the West, where speed and decisiveness are praised. In 2025, Japanese organisations that blend both—rigorous questioning plus timely execution—are best positioned for global competition. Mini-Summary: In Japan, leaders prioritise asking the right questions before jumping to answers, ensuring collective wisdom shapes decisions. How do feelings reshape leadership effectiveness? Managers often dismiss emotions as distractions. Leaders, however, integrate feelings into decision-making. Dale Carnegie's Human Relations Principles emphasise empathy, appreciation, and understanding as essential leadership skills. Leaders who sense how people feel can adjust tone, timing, and messaging. In 2025, with hybrid work and employee burnout prevalent, emotional intelligence is more critical than ever. Companies like Hitachi and Sony are embedding empathy into leadership development to retain talent and drive innovation. Mini-Summary: Feelings, once ignored by managers, are now essential for leaders managing hybrid workforces and avoiding burnout. Can leaders evolve from “knowing” to “sensing”? Yes. Leaders can shift by gradually reordering their priorities. Many, like myself, began as managers focused on knowing and execution. Over time, through feedback and reflection, feelings and sensing moved to the forefront. For example, Dale Carnegie training encourages leaders to practice empathy, appreciation, and active listening. These skills shift behaviour from control to collaboration. Even small changes—like pausing before responding—signal growth. Mini-Summary: Leaders can evolve from knowing-first to sensing-first through training, reflection, and small behavioural changes. What should leaders do today to balance sensing and knowing? In 2025, leaders must balance data with empathy. This means: Asking the right questions before chasing answers. Listening actively to signals from teams and markets. Using knowledge as a foundation but not the driver. Modelling humility and curiosity in decision-making. Executives at firms like Toyota and Rakuten illustrate this blend, combining rigorous data with people-first leadership. Leaders who fail to evolve remain stuck in outdated managerial mindsets. Mini-Summary: Leaders must balance sensing and knowing by listening, questioning, and modelling humility—skills critical in 2025 Japan. Conclusion The difference between managers and leaders lies in order of priority: managers know first, leaders sense first. In Japan's complex 2025 environment, sensing, feeling, and questioning matter more than simply knowing. Leadership is a journey of self-discovery—moving from rugged individualism to collaborative sensing. The challenge for executives today is clear: are you still managing by knowing, or are you leading by sensing? About the Author Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie “One Carnegie Award” (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have also been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban “Hito o Ugokasu” Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). In addition to his books, Greg publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, offering practical insights on leadership, communication, and Japanese business culture. He is also the host of six weekly podcasts, including The Leadership Japan Series, The Sales Japan Series, The Presentations Japan Series, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews. On YouTube, he produces three weekly shows — The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews — which have become leading resources for executives seeking strategies for success in Japan.
THE Sales Japan Series by Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo, Japan
Why Western sales revolutions haven't reshaped Japanese selling practices Sales gurus often argue that “sales has changed.” They introduce new frameworks—SPIN Selling, Consultative Selling, Challenger Selling—that dominate Western business schools and corporate training. But in Japan, sales methods look surprisingly similar to how they did decades ago. Why hasn't Japan embraced these waves of change? Let's break it down. Why has Japan resisted Western sales revolutions? Japan's business culture is defined by consensus decision-making. Unlike in the US, where one buyer may have authority to sign a deal, Japanese firms typically rely on group approval. Aggressive closing techniques—“100 ways to overcome objections”—don't resonate in a context where no single buyer holds final power. When a salesperson meets a Japanese executive, even the president, decisions are often delegated downward for due diligence. The result? What looks like a top-level entry point becomes just the beginning of a long bottom-up approval process. Mini-Summary: Western-style “hard closes” fail in Japan because decisions are made through collective consensus, not individual authority. Who really decides in Japanese sales negotiations? Salespeople often assume they're negotiating with the decision-maker. In Japan, that's rarely the case. The person in front of you is usually an influencer, not the final authority. They gather information and share it with unseen stakeholders—division heads, section chiefs, back-office teams—who never meet the salesperson directly. This creates the sensation of “fighting invisible ninjas.” You prepare to persuade one buyer, but in reality, you must equip your contact to persuade a network of hidden decision-makers. Mini-Summary: In Japan, sales success depends on influencing unseen stakeholders through the buyer's internal champion. How do Japanese buyers expect salespeople to behave? Unlike Western buyers who are open to consultative approaches, Japanese buyers often expect a pitch. When salespeople arrive, they are typically asked to explain features and price. This isn't necessarily because they don't value needs analysis, but because decades of feature-focused selling have conditioned buyers to expect the “pitch-first” style. Even in 2021, many Japanese sales meetings begin with a features dump, not diagnostic questions. As one veteran trainer notes, Dale Carnegie's 1939 sales model of asking questions before proposing solutions remains largely ignored in Japan today. Mini-Summary: Japanese buyers have been trained by decades of salespeople to expect a feature-and-price pitch, making consultative selling harder to implement. What problems arise from pitching before asking questions? Pitching before discovery creates major risks. If you don't know the buyer's actual needs, you can't know which features matter most. Worse, buyers may dismiss your solution as irrelevant or commoditised. Globally, best practice is clear: ask questions, uncover pain points, align benefits, provide proof, then close. Yet in Japan, many salespeople still rush to pitch, skipping diagnostic discovery altogether. This keeps Japanese sales culture stuck in the “dark ages” compared to markets like the US or Europe, where consultative and challenger methods are standard. Mini-Summary: Pitching without discovery weakens sales effectiveness and prevents alignment with buyer needs, but remains common in Japan. How can sales teams in Japan modernise their approach? The roadmap is simple but powerful: Ask permission to ask questions. Diagnose needs thoroughly. Identify the best-fit solution. Present that solution clearly. Handle hesitations and objections. Ask for the order. This structure modernises Japanese sales while respecting cultural norms. It avoids “pushing” while still providing a disciplined process for uncovering and addressing client needs. Executives at global firms like Toyota, Sony, and Mitsubishi increasingly expect this approach, especially when dealing with multinational partners. Mini-Summary: A structured consultative process—diagnose, propose, resolve—aligns global best practice with Japanese cultural norms. What should leaders do to drive change in Japan's sales culture? Leaders must train salespeople to abandon outdated pitching habits and embrace consultative questioning. This requires coaching, reinforcement, and role-modelling from the top. Japanese firms that continue with pitch-driven sales risk falling behind global competitors. By contrast, firms that shift to questioning-based sales processes build trust faster, uncover hidden opportunities, and shorten approval cycles. The future of sales in Japan depends on whether leaders push for transformation or let tradition slow them down. Mini-Summary: Leaders must drive the shift from pitch-first to consultative sales or risk being left behind in a globalising market. Conclusion Japan hasn't embraced the sales revolutions of the West because its business culture is consensus-driven, pitch-conditioned, and tradition-bound. But the future demands change. The companies that modernise sales processes—by asking permission, diagnosing needs, and presenting tailored solutions—will outpace those stuck in pitch-first habits. Leaders have a choice: keep Japan's sales culture in the past, or bring it decisively into the 21st century. About the Author Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie “One Carnegie Award” (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have also been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban “Hito o Ugokasu” Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). In addition to his books, Greg publishes daily blogs on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, offering practical insights on leadership, communication, and Japanese business culture. He is also the host of six weekly podcasts, including The Leadership Japan Series, The Sales Japan Series, The Presentations Japan Series, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews. On YouTube, he produces three weekly shows — The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews — which have become leading resources for executives seeking strategies for success in Japan.
THE Presentations Japan Series by Dale Carnegie Training Tokyo, Japan
Artificial Intelligence and the End of Human Connection Why AI companions, generative AI, and virtual “friends” risk replacing the skills that define humanity Artificial intelligence has rapidly evolved from early chatbots like Microsoft's XiaoIce to today's generative AI systems such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, Inflection's Pi, Replika, and Anthropic's Claude. Unlike the rule-based bots of 2021, these tools simulate empathy, companionship, and even intimacy. Millions of users globally now spend hours in “conversations” with AI companions that promise to be better listeners than human beings. This is not science fiction — it's already happening in 2025. And while the technology is astonishing, the implications are dangerous. By outsourcing empathy and connection to machines, we risk losing the core skills — listening, genuine curiosity, and human empathy — that hold families, businesses, and even entire civilisations together. Is AI companionship replacing human empathy? Yes — at least in practice. Generative AI is increasingly designed to meet emotional as well as informational needs. Replika, for example, markets itself as an “AI friend who is always there.” In Japan, where loneliness has become a public health issue, young professionals are turning to AI companions for attention they feel is missing from their workplace and personal lives. The problem is that AI empathy is simulated, not felt. Algorithms generate patterns of sympathetic language but cannot experience human care. Believing that an AI “understands” us is a comforting illusion — but one that erodes our ability to seek and sustain authentic relationships. Mini-Summary: AI companions simulate empathy convincingly, but they cannot replace authentic human care. Overreliance on machine “friends” risks hollowing out human empathy. Why are AI companions so attractive after the pandemic? The rise of AI companions is tied to loneliness and isolation in the post-COVID era. Remote work in the US, Japan, and Europe disconnected people from daily office conversations. Hybrid workplaces made interactions more transactional. Many now feel “connected but alone” despite using Zoom, Teams, LINE, and WhatsApp. AI steps into this vacuum. ChatGPT or Pi will never check their phone mid-conversation. They give us undivided “attention” and immediate responses. For those starved of recognition, this feels irresistible. Yet the comfort is artificial. True human connection is unpredictable, messy, and demanding — but it is also what makes it meaningful. Mini-Summary: Pandemic-driven isolation created demand for “perfect listeners.” AI meets that demand, but only with simulation, not sincerity. Have humans lost the skill of listening? One reason AI feels so compelling is that human listening is in decline. In boardrooms, executives multitask during meetings. Friends split attention between conversation and social media. Parents scroll while their children talk. Listening — the foundation of trust — is being treated as optional. AI thrives in this context. A Replika or Claude “chat partner” never interrupts, creating the illusion of deep attention. But the more we outsource listening to AI, the less we practise it ourselves. In Japan's consensus-driven culture, poor listening weakens harmony. In Western markets, it undermines trust in teams and leadership credibility. Mini-Summary: Declining human listening creates demand for AI's simulated attentiveness, accelerating erosion of the skill across cultures. Why is it easier to chat with AI than with people? AI interactions feel simpler because they strip away complexity. Text exchanges with AI resemble messaging with a friend, but without risk. Messages can be edited before sending. Tone of voice, body language, and subtle cues don't need interpretation. Younger generations, already conditioned to prefer text over speech, are especially drawn to AI chat partners. But convenience carries a hidden cost: weakening social skills. If leaders, employees, or students practise conversations only with AI, they will find real interactions — with clients, colleagues, or family — increasingly difficult and draining. Mini-Summary: Talking to AI is easier because it avoids human complexity, but long-term reliance undermines social and professional communication skills. What is missing from today's human relationships? We are more digitally connected than ever. With Slack, Teams, LINE, WhatsApp, and WeChat, humans can contact each other instantly. Yet connectivity does not equal connection. What's missing is emotional depth: attention, empathy, validation. AI is engineered to simulate these needs endlessly. But a machine cannot feel sincerity. It cannot truly recognise your worth. The danger is that people mistake artificial validation for real human recognition, leaving them emotionally unfulfilled while thinking they are connected. Mini-Summary: Today's deficit is not connectivity but emotional depth — something only genuine human relationships can provide. How can leaders and professionals protect authentic connection? The solution is not banning AI, but doubling down on human skills. Dale Carnegie's timeless principles are more critical in 2025 than in 1936: Be a good listener. Give people full attention. Encourage them to talk about themselves. Become genuinely interested in others. Authentic curiosity builds trust across cultures and markets. Make the other person feel important — sincerely. Recognition must be real, not simulated. For executives at firms like Toyota, Rakuten, or Amazon Japan, this is not abstract advice. In a hybrid workplace, leaders who practise deep listening and genuine recognition will build stronger, more resilient teams than those who lean on technology to do the emotional labour. Mini-Summary: Executives must actively practise timeless human skills to counterbalance AI's seductive but empty simulations of connection. What is at stake if we rely too heavily on AI? Civilisation itself. Societies are held together by empathy, listening, and trust. If these skills atrophy, replaced by simulations, we risk becoming efficient but emotionally hollow. Japan, where social cohesion depends on mutual obligation, and Western economies, where contracts depend on trust, both stand to lose. This is not speculative science fiction — it's already visible in rising dependence on AI companions. The more we rely on AI for emotional fulfilment, the less capable we become of providing it for each other. Mini-Summary: Overreliance on AI companions threatens the very foundation of civilisation: empathy, trust, and authentic relationships. Conclusion Artificial intelligence will only grow more persuasive, with generative systems marketed as better friends, mentors, or partners. But we cannot outsource empathy and listening to machines without profound consequences. Civilisation depends on the skills only humans can provide. Leaders, professionals, and citizens alike must resist the illusion of AI intimacy and recommit to the timeless practices of genuine listening, interest, and recognition. Only then can we ensure technology supports — rather than replaces — what makes us fully human.
My guest today is Liz Haberberger President of Dale Carnegie Training of St. Louis & Kansas City. Liz's story is a testament to the power of embracing change and pursuing one's passion. Starting as a fourth-grade teacher, Liz found herself at a crossroads, unsure of her future. Her journey took a transformative turn when she stumbled into the world of Dale Carnegie, where she discovered her true calling. Liz's path was not without its challenges. Initially hesitant to take on the role of a business owner, she eventually embraced the opportunity, driven by a desire to shape her own destiny. Her leadership style, rooted in positivity and resilience, has been instrumental in her success. Liz's mantra, "If it's not fun, I'm not doing it," reflects her commitment to finding joy in every endeavor. Today, Liz leads with a focus on growth, both for herself and her team. Her story is a reminder that sometimes the most unexpected paths lead to the most fulfilling destinations. Episode Minutes: Minute 5: From Teaching to Business Ownership Minute 12: Embracing Change and Overcoming Minute 20: Building Positive and Fun Work To find out more about my work, please visit www.danawilliamsco.com LinkedIn Instagram Email: hello@danawilliamsco.com The Strengths Journal™ is the only Gallup-certified, purpose-driven daily planner that helps you actively use your strengths to plan your days. Get Your copy here
What do you do when life feels too heavy and quitting seems easier than pushing through? In this episode, Sam Hind sits down with Phebe Trotman—former professional soccer player, entrepreneur, and author of the Never Quit on a Bad Day series. Phebe’s journey is one of resilience and determination, shaped by both triumphs and setbacks. She opens up about the real struggles behind her success and the mindset shifts that helped her keep moving forward when life felt overwhelming. Through her stories, Phebe offers practical strategies for staying the course when challenges threaten to derail you. She reminds us that setbacks aren’t the end of the road, but opportunities to grow stronger, and that true success comes from implementing what we learn, not just hearing it. Tune in to gain encouragement, gather strategies to face your own obstacles, and walk away inspired to keep going—no matter what comes your way. We’ll be talking about: ➡ [0:00] Introduction: Never quit on a bad day, on a personal level… ➡ [2:33] Early reflections on resilience and growth ➡ [3:26] Imagining a day full of adventure ➡ [4:23] Sharing the craziest adventure experience ➡ [6:02] Never Quit On A Bad Day book series ➡ [10:15] Lessons from challenges in sport and business ➡ [14:20] A runner analogy ➡ [21:24] Tips from Phebe to give it a bit more ➡ [25:00] Helping others achieve the same success and building confidence ➡ [30:27] Keeping grounded and looking after ourselves ➡ [35:56] Maintaining balance ➡ [41:57] Finding ways to be grateful in your life ➡ [43:21] Phebe’s recommended book ➡ [43:32] Phebe’s favourite superpower ➡ [44:08] Phebe’s Favourite quote ➡ [44:21] Advice Phebe would give her past self ➡ [46:17] Check out Phebe Trotman’s website and socials ➡ [44:30] Closing encouragement and inspiration Resources Recommended Book: ➡ How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie: https://bit.ly/3J0gYgU ➡ Never Quit of A Bad Day by Phebe Trotman: https://bit.ly/3H7A5VQ Quotes: ➡ Never quit on a bad day, on a powerful day, on a day when you’ve decided it’s not for you - Phebe Trotman ➡ Champions are made and the choices that we make - Phebe Trotman ➡ It’s not quitting, it’s transitioning - John Maxwell ➡ Life begins at the end of your comfort zone - Neale Donald Walsch About our guest: Phebe Trotman is an award-winning entrepreneur, Hall of Fame athlete, and bestselling author of Never Quit on a Bad Day™: Inspiring Stories of Resilience book series. A dynamic speaker, coach, and mentor, Phebe is dedicated to helping individuals and teams reach their highest potential through intentional action and a growth-focused mindset.Phebe has excelled in both athletics and business, winning six national soccer championships across levels including U19, NAIA, W-League, Premier, and Masters (x2). She has also earned top honors such as W-League Player of the Year, NAIA Women’s Soccer Player of the Year, two-time First Team All-American, and Simon Fraser University’s Female Athlete of the Year. In business, Phebe quickly rose to the top, earning accolades such as Global Distributor of the Year, Global Trainer of the Year, and Top International Customer Sponsor. She has been featured in Success From Home, Networking Times, the #1 podcast MLM Nation, and the book The Four Year Career for Women. Phebe equips individuals and teams with both the practical tools and the champion's mindset needed to overcome challenges and succeed. She is passionate about empowering others to celebrate their wins, set and accomplish their goals, build resilience, and create a life they love. Connect with Phebe Trotman: ➡ Phebe Trotman’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/phebeJOYtrotman/ ➡ Phebe Trotman’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trotmanphebe/?hl=en ➡ Phebe Trotman’s LinkedIn: ttps://www.linkedin.com/in/phebetrotman/?originalSubdomain=ca Connect with Never Quit On A Bad Day: Website: https://neverquitonabadday.com/ Facebook: https://facebook.com/NeverQuitOnABadDay Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/NeverQuitOnABadDay Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@NeverQuitonaBadDay Connect with Direct Selling Accelerator: ➡ Visit our website: https://www.auxano.global/ ➡ Subscribe to Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DirectSellingAccelerator ➡ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxanomarketing/ ➡ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/auxanomarketing/ ➡ Email us at communnity_manager@auxano.global If you have any podcast suggestions or things you’d like to learn about specifically, please send us an email at the address above. And if you liked this episode, please don’t forget to subscribe, tune in, and share this podcast. Are you ready to join the Auxano Family to get live weekly training, support and the latest proven posting strategies to get leads and sales right now - find out more here https://go.auxano.global/welcome See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
About the Guest:Rashmi Airan was a high-achieving attorney, Columbia Law graduate, and entrepreneur when a real estate transaction scandal changed everything. After serving time in federal prison, she chose to own her story and use it to help others. Today, she's a global speaker, ethics consultant, and advocate for personal transformation. Rashmi's work is rooted in the principles she learned as a Dale Carnegie graduate at age 16—and the resilience she inherited from her immigrant parents.What You Will Learn:How achievement can mask deeper insecuritiesWhy listening to your inner voice is critical—even when it's inconvenientWhat it means to take radical ownership of your mistakesHow to build a support system that lifts you and holds you accountableWhy surrendering control can lead to personal evolutionJoin us for this deeply personal and powerful conversation with Rashmi Airan. Whether you're facing a challenge or simply want to lead with more authenticity, this episode will inspire you to take command of your life—and rise through whatever comes your way. Please rate and review this Episode!We'd love to hear from you! Leaving a review helps us ensure we deliver content that resonates with you. Your feedback can inspire others to join our Take Command: A Dale Carnegie Podcast community & benefit from the leadership insights we share.
My guest for Episode #324 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Trevor Schade. Episode page with video, transcript, and more Trevor began his career as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt with a strong background in coding and process improvement. He consulted on business efficiency and outsourcing before shifting into real estate in 2008. After earning his license, he quickly built a top-performing team of 26 agents with zero turnover over five years. By leveraging a virtual admin team in the Philippines and innovative automation, Trevor's group generated over a million dollars in commissions. In late 2023, Trevor stepped away from leading that large team to focus on investing, advising, and teaching. Today, he speaks on topics including negotiation, time freedom, and real estate strategy, and he has launched Life Wealth courses to help others pursue similar goals. In this episode, Trevor shares his favorite mistake: jumping into a multi-level marketing business at age 19. The venture wasn't financially successful, but it transformed his mindset. For the first time, Trevor developed a daily reading habit that exposed him to classics like Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People and Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad, Poor Dad. Those books gave him a foundation in psychology, leadership, and long-term thinking that continues to influence his work. We also explore: How lessons from Nebraska football and martial arts shaped Trevor's resilience What Lean Six Sigma taught him about efficiency, quality, and leadership Why he focused on psychological safety and belonging to keep his team intact How he used outsourcing and automation to scale without burnout The importance of setting trajectories instead of rigid goals in business and life Trevor's story is a reminder that sometimes the most unprofitable ventures provide the richest education — if we're willing to learn from them. Questions and Topics: What's your favorite mistake? How did joining a multi-level marketing company at 19 shape your growth, even if it wasn't financially successful? Did you ever think about leaving earlier, and was staying too long its own mistake? What lessons did you take from Nebraska football and sports about resilience and bouncing back? How did you first get into Lean Six Sigma and continuous improvement work? In what ways did Lean and coding skills help you scale your real estate business? What did you learn about leadership from running a 26-agent team with zero turnover? How did you create a culture of psychological safety and belonging for your team? Why do you emphasize inspiring people instead of “beating them over the head with metrics”? What role have outsourcing and automation played in your business success? You've said you set trajectories instead of rigid goals — what does that mean in practice? Looking back, how do you connect these mistakes and lessons to your current focus on investing, advising, and teaching?
Ever played the party game Green Glass Door? The rules keep changing, and the fun comes from watching people struggle to figure them out. Your career works the same way. The skills that made you successful early on—working hard, delivering results, and being dependable—will only take you so far. At some point, you cross The Edge, an invisible line where the rules shift.On the other side of The Edge, winning isn't about technical proficiency anymore. It's about relational savvy—your ability to make decisions, navigate diplomacy, and get things done through others. In this episode, Adam unpacks the two games of a career, why the transition is so confusing, and how to avoid getting stuck playing by the wrong rules.Drawing on timeless wisdom from Dale Carnegie, you'll learn practical ways to bring calm, energy, and influence into your leadership. If you've ever wondered why working harder isn't working anymore, this conversation will show you how to play (and win) the new game.
Cory Holen is a seasoned staffing and search consultant with nearly 14 years of experience at Preference Employment Solutions in Fargo, North Dakota, where he leads the Professional Search Division and plays a key role on the leadership team. A proud University of Jamestown (ND) graduate and former Jimmies football player, Holen brings the discipline, competitiveness, and team-first mindset he developed as a student-athlete into his career helping businesses find and grow great talent.Passionate about connecting people with opportunities, Holen thrives on understanding what makes organizations tick and helping candidates step into roles where they can truly succeed. He's a Certified Search Consultant through the American Staffing Association, DiSC certified, and a Dale Carnegie–trained leader who's always looking for ways to keep learning and improving.Outside of work, Holen is a dedicated husband and dad who loves coaching, mentoring, and supporting his two sports-loving sons, Kason and Brooks. He's also active in the Fargo/Moorhead community, serving as Workforce Readiness Director for FMHRA and contributing to The Chamber's Business Training Committee. Known for his energy, integrity, and genuine care for others, Cory brings both expertise and heart to everything he does. More on Cory here: Our Team - Preference Employment Solutions
In this deeply personal solo episode of Great Practice, Great Life, host Steve Riley opens his heart to honor the memory of his father, Donald C. Riley. What unfolds is not just a tribute, but a vulnerable reflection on the man who shaped him through stories, lessons, and quiet acts of courage. While growing up, Steve's home was filled with fables told by his father. Yet these weren't just stories. They were lessons that last. Donald's career as an FBI agent gave him no shortage of experiences. However, it was his gift for storytelling that left the deepest impression. From the Jake Leg story to the tale of Pete Rose, his words carried wisdom, teaching Steve (and now all of us) what resilience, integrity, and perseverance really mean. As Steve reflects, we hear more than just anecdotes, we feel the weight of his father's choices. Donald lived a life that constantly balanced risk with purpose. His bold run for sheriff, his dedicated career as a private investigator, and his unwavering commitment to family reveal a man who chose courage over comfort, time and time again. Because of that, his stories became lessons passed down from father to son and now shared with us. For Steve, these lessons aren't abstract. Instead, they shaped how he leads, how he lives, and how he shows up for others. By sharing them, he invites us to do the same: to take risks, to embrace failure as a teacher, to cherish our relationships, to honor our commitments, and to build a life rooted in gratitude. This episode isn't polished or distant. On the contrary, it's real. It's emotional. It's an invitation to reflect on your own stories. Think of the people who've shaped you, and the legacy you want to leave. When you listen, you'll discover timeless wisdom and you'll be reminded to make today count. Ask yourself: What are you committed to? What are you grateful for today? In this episode, you will hear: Tribute to Donald C. Riley, a seasoned FBI agent Storytelling as a tool for imparting life lessons and shaping personal and professional growth Personal anecdotes like the Jake leg story and Pete Rose narrative for teaching discipline and perseverance Lessons in courage, failure, and taking risks illustrated through Steve's father's career transitions Emphasis on the impact of small, consistent actions and nurturing relationships Lifelong learning and the influence of Dale Carnegie's principles on his father's life and family legacy Subscribe & Review Never miss an episode. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. ⭐Like what you hear? A quick review helps more people find the show.⭐ Supporting Resources: Donald Riley Obituary: obits.lohmanfuneralhomes.com/obituary/donald-riley Steve Riley, Shareholder, Practice Advisor, and Attorney: atticusadvantage.com/team/steve-riley How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie: www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034 Episode 124: A Deep Dive into How to Win Friends & Influence People: atticusadvantage.com/podcast/how-to-win-friends-influence-people-doug-burnetti My Great Life Focus: atticusadvantage.com/books/my-great-life-focus If there's a topic you would like us to cover on an upcoming episode, please email us at steve.riley@atticusadvantage.com. Episode Credits If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.
Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no help at all. ~Dale Carnegie Check out John Lee Dumas' award winning Podcast Entrepreneurs on Fire on your favorite podcast directory. For world class free courses and resources to help you on your Entrepreneurial journey visit EOFire.com
Failure can be fascinating - especially when it teaches you how to actually succeed!In this episode of the LinkedIn Riches Podcast, I share a raw story about a sales call that went completely off the rails.You'll hear how a simple (and avoidable!) mistake cost me the deal, and the surprising way AI became my best sales coach afterward.Whether you're a Small Business Owner, Consultant, or Business Coach, this breakdown will help you understand why some LinkedIn leads close into 6-figure clients while others stall or disappear - and how you can avoid making the same mistake I did!WHAT YOU'LL DISCOVER:
Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success. ~Dale Carnegie Check out John Lee Dumas' award winning Podcast Entrepreneurs on Fire on your favorite podcast directory. For world class free courses and resources to help you on your Entrepreneurial journey visit EOFire.com
What if the key to building lasting business relationships wasn't about selling harder, but about genuinely understanding others' perspectives? In this conversation, Alina Trigub joins Angel to share practical strategies for connecting with people, raising capital, and navigating compliance in real estate syndications. Drawing from Dale Carnegie's timeless principles, Alina explains why empathy, sincerity, and genuine rapport are essential for success. She also breaks down key SEC regulations, including the differences between 506(b) and 506(c) exemptions, and how to avoid costly compliance mistakes. [00:01 - 03:50] The Power of Positive Interaction How avoiding confrontation keeps conversations flowing in a positive direction. Why making people say “yes” early in a conversation builds rapport. The significance of seeing situations from another person's perspective. [03:51 - 06:40] Rapport-Building in Action How remembering small personal details, like children's names, strengthens connections. Why sincerity in your smile matters more than you think. The importance of authentic listening to make people feel valued. [06:41 - 09:31] Practice and Personalization How repeated practice reduces fear and builds confidence. Why you should focus on the strategies that resonate most with you. The importance of implementing a few effective techniques rather than forcing all of them. [09:32 - 13:01] Compliance and the Rules of Raising Capital What the differences are between 506(b) and 506(c) exemptions. Why understanding “preexisting relationships” is critical for 506(b) offerings. The need to avoid compensation tied directly to capital raised. [13:02 - 17:11] Finding the Right Fit with Investors How matching investor needs with your offering is like finding the perfect pair of shoes. Why a “no” today doesn't mean “no” forever. The importance of staying connected for future opportunities. Connect with Alina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alinatrigub/ Key Quotes: “The best way to be successful in anything you do is to understand the other person's point of view.” - Alina Trigub “Just because they're not the buyer today doesn't mean they won't be the buyer next month.” - Angel Williams Visit sponsorcloud.io/contact today and unlock $2,000 of free services exclusively for REI Rocks community members! Get automated syndication and investor relationship management tools to save time and money. Mention your part of the REI Rocks community for exclusive offers. Help make affordable, low-cost education summits possible. Check out Sponsor Cloud today!
How can identifying your ideal audience and building genuine relationships transform the way you raise capital? In this episode, Alina Trigub talks about the art of finding and connecting with your ideal investors. Alina explains why creating a detailed audience profile is the foundation for successful capital raising and how authentic, relationship-driven conversations outperform hard selling. She shares practical ways to identify prospects in everyday settings, turn casual interactions into opportunities, and leverage past career skills in real estate investing. The discussion also draws from timeless relationship principles inspired by Dale Carnegie, offering listeners actionable strategies to deepen trust and credibility with potential investors. [00:01 - 04:30] Defining Your Ideal Investor Avatar How identifying your audience early makes capital raising easier. Why everyday interactions in familiar environments are ideal for finding investors. The significance of asking open-ended “what” and “why” questions to understand investor needs. [04:31 - 08:52] Relationship-First Approach to Capital Why trust and rapport often matter more than pitching returns. How to build investor relationships like nurturing a family connection. The need to overcome lack of experience by partnering with seasoned professionals. [08:53 - 12:00] Leveraging Past Career Skills in Real Estate How skills from previous industries can be repurposed for real estate investing. Why clear communication is vital for explaining complex deals in simple terms. The importance of viewing all past experiences as assets for building credibility. [12:01 - 16:27] Building Credibility Through Experience How shared backgrounds and personal stories can connect with investors. Why long-term experience, even in different areas of real estate, holds weight. The significance of surrounding yourself with a capable, complementary team. [16:28 - 20:15] Timeless Relationship Principles for Investors How Dale Carnegie's “How to Win Friends and Influence People” applies to capital raising. Why listening, remembering names, and showing genuine interest strengthen trust. The need to focus on others' priorities to create meaningful, lasting connections. Connect with Alina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alinatrigub/ Key Quotes: “Think of your day-to-day environment. That's where you'll find people who already know, like, and trust you — your ideal investors.” - Alina Trigub “When you lack a track record, borrow one by partnering with someone experienced. You're offering them and their credibility.” - Alina Trigub Visit sponsorcloud.io/contact today and unlock $2,000 of free services exclusively for REI Rocks community members! Get automated syndication and investor relationship management tools to save time and money. Mention your part of the REI Rocks community for exclusive offers. Help make affordable, low-cost education summits possible. Check out Sponsor Cloud today!
My friendship with Nina has got to be the most unique way I've ever made a friend. You gotta listen to the story and see what happened and why I was a bum or at least looked like one. Nina is pretty awesome and leads retreats, coaches, empowers women, and used to live in a bus. She also has a pet mini horse. And her husband is a firefighter. I hope all this has piqued your interest. Find Nina at https://www.mysticweightloss.com/ Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/enlightenedwellness.us/ Things mentioned in the show: Chris Guillebeau. We met at his inaugural World Domination Summit in Portland OR. https://amzn.to/3IJCkyU How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie- https://amzn.to/3GR0IhF How to Do the Work by Dr. Nicole LePerla- https://amzn.to/4maG0Z2 Paul Saladino's The Carnivore Code- https://amzn.to/4fa2GGz --- Click here to change your life- http://eepurl.com/gy5T3T Hit me up for a one-on-one brainstorming session- https://militaryimagesproject.com/products/brainstorming-session-1-hour Sign up for the Tip Sheet for tons of income opportunities- https://drdavea6500c.clickfunnels.com/sales-pagekwe3so96 Check out the sweet Hyper X mic I'm using. https://amzn.to/41AF4px Check out Dr. Dave's Streams of Income at: www.drdavidpowers.com www.instagram.com/drdavidpowers www.youtube.com/@streamsofincomebydrdave --- Join the Streams of Income community at www.facebook.com/groups/streamsofincomedream --- Check out Passive Income Engines to find your own Streams of Income at www.SelfCoachYourself.com --- Check out my best-selling books: Rapid Skill Development 101- https://amzn.to/3J0oDJ0 Streams of Income with Ryan Reger- https://amzn.to/3SDhDHg Strangest Secret Challenge- https://amzn.to/3xiJmVO --- This page contains affiliate links. This means that if you click a link and buy one of the products on this page, I may receive a commission (at no extra cost to you!) This doesn't affect our opinions or our reviews. Everything we do is to benefit you as the reader, so all of our reviews are as honest and unbiased as possible. --- #passiveincome #sidehustle #cryptocurrency #richlife
Matt Britton has been on the front lines of cultural and technological change for over two decades. He's the founder and CEO of Suzy, a leading consumer intelligence platform that helps top companies make real-time decisions driven by human insights. Matt is also the author of Generation AI and a sought-after speaker known for his bold ideas and data-backed foresight.With a deep understanding of Gen Z and millennial consumers, Matt has helped Fortune 500 companies—from Pepsi to Microsoft—navigate everything from social media shifts to brand reinvention. His mission? To help businesses close the gap between what consumers want and what companies deliver.What You Will Learn:Why Gen Z values community and co-creation over traditional advertisingHow companies can build trust by being transparent, responsive, and realWhy staying static is the biggest risk a brand can takeThe key difference between data and insight—and why that mattersHow to foster a culture of innovation inside large organizationsJoin us for this future-focused conversation with one of the leading voices in consumer trends and innovation. Matt Britton doesn't sugarcoat the challenges, but he also doesn't believe in standing still. If you want to understand where your audience is headed—and how to meet them there—this episode is a must-listen. Please rate and review this Episode!We'd love to hear from you! Leaving a review helps us ensure we deliver content that resonates with you. Your feedback can inspire others to join our Take Command: A Dale Carnegie Podcast community & benefit from the leadership insights we share.
Why are so many employees entering the workforce unsure of themselves, lacking confidence, and not quite ready to thrive? And with AI automating more tasks by the day, what should leaders actually be focusing on to future-proof their people? The world is flooded with information at the speed of light, yet starved of real connection and human skills. So how do we bridge the growing gap between soft skills and hard results? In this episode, Joe Hart, President and CEO of Dale Carnegie, joins us to unpack how to future-proof your workforce by re-centering on timeless human principles like empathy, trust, and communication. We explore why emotional and social intelligence, not technical expertise, will define leadership success in an AI-powered world. You'll learn how to better understand and lead across generations by shifting from judgment to curiosity, why building confidence and connection should be at the heart of your talent strategy, and why real growth starts with personal responsibility. Plus, we dive into how leaders can prepare Gen Z to be job-ready through more confidence-building and less criticism, and how to balance high-tech tools with high-touch leadership. ________________ Start your day with the world's top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email: https://greatleadership.substack.com/
“If you want to gather honey don't kick over the bee hive.” – Dale Carnegie. In this episode we talk about exactly that - kicking the beehive. We will also continue on from last weeks episode, "Shtuff Happens Seek Higher Ground" where we talked about what seeking higher ground looks like--because as Ralph Waldo Emerson says, “If you would lift me up, you've got to be on higher ground.” The song we used for the intro was "Are You Happy" by Primitive Radio Gods. The ending song was "Make Someone Happy" by Jimmy Durante. We don't own any rights, but we love the songs! Contact usLinktree: www.Linktr.ee/HappyLifeStudiosEmail: Podcast@HappyLife.StudioYo Stevo Hotline: (425) 200-HAYS (4297)Webpage: www.HappyLife.lol YouTube: www.YouTube.com/StevoHaysLinkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/steve-hays-b6b1186b/TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@happylifestudiosFacebook: www.Facebook.com/HappyLifeStudios Instagram: www.Instagram.com/HappyLife_Studios Twitter: www.x.com/stevehays If you would like to help us spread the HappyPayPal: www.PayPal.me/StevoHaysCash App: $HappyLifeStudiosZelle: StevoHays@gmail.comVenmo: @StevoHaysBuy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/HappyLifeStudioCheck: Pls contact for details at stevohays@gmail.com
In today's episode, Dr. Killeen dives into one of the simplest but most powerful tools for connection—using someone's first name. Whether you're speaking with a patient, a teammate, or a family member, intentionally saying their name a few times can make a big impact. Inspired by a classic Dale Carnegie quote, this episode is a reminder that small gestures of respect and attention often carry the biggest weight. Try it today—and watch your connections grow stronger.To learn more about Dr. Killeen and his new book, The Shift, or to connect with him, check out www.AddisonKilleen.com.
In this episode of The Russell Brunson Show, I dive into one of my favorite lost books of marketing: Showmanship in Business by Kenneth Goode and Zenon Kaufman. It's out of print, almost impossible to find, and yet it's filled with some of the most powerful principles I've ever studied when it comes to getting attention and making your message stick. This book was endorsed by Dale Carnegie and breaks down how to turn your product, offer, or brand into something truly memorable. I walk through the four pillars the authors teach, and how I've used these exact ideas in my own business to boost show-up rates, get people to share what I'm doing, and create real moments that matter. Key Highlights: The four pillars of business showmanship: Attract, Emphasize, Emotionalize, and Create Action How Tim Shields created theatrical experiences to sell photography training online The story of my “Dan Kennedy pilgrimage” and why it changed everything for one of our webinars Why a good message alone isn't enough… You need a performance around it How adding intention and drama can 10x the impact of your marketing, even without a big budget This book is a reminder that people don't just buy offers, they buy experiences. The best marketers aren't just teachers… They're performers. And when you wrap your content in a little showmanship, everything changes. If you've ever felt like your message is getting lost in the noise, this episode will show you how to make it unforgettable. Get Russell's book notes here: http://russellbrunson.com/notes https://sellingonline.com/podcast https://clickfunnels.com/podcast Special thanks to our sponsors: NordVPN: EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal https://nordvpn.com/secrets Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! Northwest Registered Agent: Go to northwestregisteredagent.com/russell to start your business with Northwest Registered Agent. LinkedIn Marketing Solutions: Get a $100 credit on your next campaign at LinkedIn.com/CLICKS Rocket Money: Cancel unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster at RocketMoney.com/RUSSELL Indeed: Get a $75 sponsored job credit to boost your job's visibility at Indeed.com/clicks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Unlock the Power of Persuasion: Discover "The Elephant Persuasion Principle" Podcast! Ever wondered how to influence people effortlessly, build unbreakable trust, and close deals like a pro? Imagine having a memory as sharp as an elephant's—never forgetting a name, a face, or a crucial detail that seals the connection. Recall like an elephant and watch your relationships soar! Elephants aren't just massive; they're memory masters! With brains weighing a whopping 5 kg (11 lbs - they excel at recall for survival and social bonds. Think about Lakshmi, the elephant in India who, after years of abuse, retaliated against her tormentor in June 2024. It's a stark reminder: elephants remember pain, loyalty, and everything in between. Now, apply that to your life - remember names like an elephant and you'll persuade like never before! Why is remembering names a game-changing people skill? It shows respect and genuine interest, sparking trust and rapport. In business, it supercharges networking and leadership. Socially, it cements friendships and nails first impressions. A 2016 Journal of Social Psychology study proves it: using someone's name boosts your warmth and competence, making you instantly more likable. It's not just polite; it's persuasive 101! But what's happening in your brain? When you hear your name, your attention spikes (like "Great job, Sarah!"), the amygdala lights up with emotion, and the prefrontal cortex evaluates the feel-good factor. It personalizes interactions, validates feelings, and follows social norms that make folks like you more. Here are two simple techniques: 1. Repeat and Use the Name Immediately: Say "Nice to meet you, Sarah!" and weave it in again: "So, Sarah, what's your story?" Repetition builds brain pathways, shifting names from your short-term memory to long-term recall. Example: At a networking bash, greet John with "John, awesome to connect - what's your passion, John?" Boom - name locked in! 2. Associate with a Visual Image: Link the name to a wild picture. For Rose, envision a Rose coming out of her ear. Your brain loves visuals, leveraging the hippocampus for recall. Want more insights into recalling names, increasing recall and 4 other techniques to instantly connect to anyone. Tune into The Elephant Principle Of Persuasion Podcast. Whether you're in sales, leadership, or just want to ace social scenes, this podcast turns you into a persuasion powerhouse. Persuade With Power Kurt Mortensen PS Influence University Special More Info Buy Now