Podcasts about Specificity

Austin shares the one thing that interviewers at top companies look for when it comes to deciding on a candidate!Time Stamped Show Notes:[0:25] - Specificity is key[1:25] - Don't be generic[3:53] - Make it all about them[4:49] - Austin's 3-step process to make this strategy workResources Mentioned In Today's Episode:Interview GuideWant To Level Up Your Job Search?Click here to learn more about 1:1 career coaching to help you land your dream job without applying online.Check out Austin's courses and, as a thank you for listening to the show, use the code PODCAST to get 5% off any digital course:The Interview Preparation System - Austin's proven, all-in-one process for turning your next job interview into a job offer.Value Validation Project Starter Kit - Everything you need to create a job-winning VVP that will blow hiring managers away and set you apart from the competition.No Experience, No Problem - Austin's proven framework for building the skills and experience you need to break into a new industry (even if you have *zero* experience right now).Try Austin's Job Search ToolsResyBuild.io - Build a beautiful, job-winning resume in minutes.ResyMatch.io - Score your resume vs. your target job description and get feedback.ResyBullet.io - Learn how to write attention grabbing resume bullets.Mailscoop.io - Find anyone's professional email in seconds.Connect with Austin for daily job search content:Cultivated CultureLinkedInTwitterThanks for listening!

On this episode of the Mile High Podcast, you'll hear from Dr. Liz Hoefer, founder and CEO of Well Connected Chiropractic, Certified Blair Technique Instructor, and a passionate advocate for specific, principled Chiropractic care. Dr. Liz's story carries a powerful personal connection to Chiropractic. After growing up around Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa, she eventually entered Chiropractic college and continued searching for answers in her own life. One year before graduation, a specific upper cervical adjustment became a defining moment in her personal and professional journey. That experience helped shape the certainty she now brings to her practice, teaching, leadership, and commitment to advancing Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractic. In this conversation, you'll hear why specific analysis matters, how technology continues to expand what chiropractors can understand about the spine and nervous system, and why the future of Chiropractic depends on preserving the distinction between simply creating motion and delivering a specific Chiropractic adjustment. In this episode, you'll discover: Why Chiropractic analysis matters before force is applied How Blair evaluates the cervical spine through a three-dimensional model Why an audible sound is separate from determining whether an adjustment occurred How CBCT technology has expanded Blair analysis and visualization Why instrumentation and objective data remain vital in Chiropractic How pattern analysis helps guide when and where to adjust Why technique, science, philosophy, and clinical judgment can work together How continuing education helps chiropractors grow beyond the foundations learned in school Why staying connected to your purpose can strengthen your impact How greater specificity can create greater possibilities for the people you serve Dr. Liz shares a perspective that deserves continued attention throughout Chiropractic: the adjustment begins with knowing why, where, and when to apply force. Specificity creates clarity. Analysis creates confidence. Continued learning gives you greater opportunities to serve each person according to what their spine and nervous system actually need. The conversation also carries an encouraging message for chiropractors and students. Stay connected to the reason you entered this profession, continue developing your art, science, and philosophy, and keep building the certainty to serve at a higher level.

Apply to work with the MI team → https://muscleintelligence.com/apply Ryan Smith co-founded the first pharmacy in the United States to offer an extensive list of peptides — and he ran the synthesis floor himself. Preparative HPLC, mass spec, chemical synthesis, the lot. Which means he spent years watching the same two failures from the inside: the molecule that works beautifully at a small dose and stops working when someone doubles it, and the vial that looks identical to the real thing and isn't. He is not a peptide evangelist. Ask him about the compound he calls ten million times more potent than BDNF and he'll tell you why he doesn't take it. His argument here is quieter than most of what gets said about peptides, and harder to unhear afterward: the body is already a competent system, and nearly everything that goes wrong with these compounds comes from handing it more input than it needed. Why exogenous growth hormone removes a brake the secretagogues leave in place. Why ipamorelin became the standard despite releasing less growth hormone than the compounds it replaced. Why two vials of the same peptide, at the same purity, can behave completely differently. He would rather talk about what he refuses to make than what he's excited about — and by the end of the hour it's clear those are the same conversation. 5 Key Takeaways Why exogenous growth hormone removes a brake your body doesn't get back — and what CJC-1295, ipamorelin and tesamorelin do instead The reason ipamorelin became the clinical standard despite releasing less growth hormone than the compounds it replaced Why the same 500-microgram dose of oral BPC-157 works in one form and barely at all in another Why the peptide he calls 10 million times more potent than BDNF is the one he leaves out of his own stack What a clean HPLC mass spec report still can't tell you about what's in the vial — and why that one blind spot lands on your liver Chapters 0:00 Why Peptides Took a Century to Arrive 4:54 Specificity, Growth Hormone & the Scalpel Argument 16:22 Thymosin Alpha-1, Epitalon & Natural Testosterone 25:25 Mitochondrial Peptides & the Fat Loss Compounds 32:27 BPC-157: Repair, Dosing & the Salt Form Problem 35:46 Peptides for the Brain: FGL, Dihexa & Cerebrolysin 47:05 What He Takes, What He Refuses & Why 52:36 Side Effects, Purity & What's Really in the Vial Connect with Ryan X – https://x.com/ryansmithepiage LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-smith-lexington-ky/ TruDiagnostic – https://www.trudiagnostic.com

What if the reason people aren't buying, engaging, staying, or following your lead isn't because they need another motivational poster about "teamwork"? It might be because you have no idea what actually matters to them. In this episode, Erin sits down with David Allison, founder of the Valuegraphics Research Company and author of The Values Map, to talk about why demographics, generic corporate values, and a bunch of buzzwords slapped on an office wall don't tell us nearly as much as we think they do. David shares how understanding what matters most to people can make you a better leader, marketer, salesperson, and overall human trying to get other humans to do things. They also dig into how to uncover someone's real values without creepily asking, "So...what are your deepest values?" and why values alignment might explain why certain jobs, people, opportunities, and even parties just click while others make you want to fake a babysitter emergency and leave. In this episode, you'll hear: Why corporate values often become expensive wallpaper and what actually motivates employees Three questions that reveal what matters most to someone without turning the conversation into a therapy session How to use curiosity and the "Third Why" to get past surface-level small talk Why understanding someone's values can make selling, leading, and influencing a whole lot easier How David realized the traditional definition of success was basically a lie for him and why building your work around what matters most can make it suck significantly less Resources Mentioned in the Episode: Check out David's Website: www.davidallisoninc.com Learn more about Value Graphics: www.valuegraphics.com Pre-order David's book, "The Values Map: Discover What Drives You and How to Move Others" Follow David on LinkedIn at davidallisoninc/ Book Erin to speak Ready to modernize your culture, liberate your leadership, and differentiate your business without sounding like every other company on LinkedIn? Bring Erin Hatzikostas in to show your team how authenticity can become an actual strategic advantage, not just another corporate buzzword. Book Erin to Speak If you'd like quick tangible tips and practical corporate career advice to level up your authentic leadership, download the 10 simple "plays" to stop selling out and start standing out at https://bauthenticinc.mykajabi.com/freebie If you like jammin' with us on the podcast, b sure to join us for more fun and inspiration! Follow Erin on LinkedIn or Instagram Take our simple, fun and insightful "What's your workplace superhero name?" quiz Unleash your Authentic Superpower with Erin's book, You Do You-ish Throw out half the playbook and start competing in a league of your own. Check out Erin's book, The 50% Rule. Work with Us Or just buy some fun, authentic, kick-ars merch here To connect with Erin and/or Nicole, email: hello@bauthenticinc.com DISCLAIMER: This episode is not explicit, though contains mild swearing that may be unsuitable for younger audiences. Tweetable Comments "What matters most to us drives everything we do." "Your corporate values are not the human values of the people who are showing up at your corporation." "Authenticity is, I'm gonna say, not a value, it's the end result of values alignment." "It was, 10 years of living a lie that I didn't know was a lie, because I'd only been taught that this was the truth." Podcast Transcript Erin Hatzikostas sits down with David Allison, founder of the Valuegraphics Research Company, to explore what really motivates people at work. They unpack the difference between corporate values and human values, how leaders and salespeople can discover what matters most to someone, why values alignment influences engagement and decision-making, and how understanding your own values can help you build a career that actually fits. Why "Values" Might Be the Wrong Word Erin: What's the biggest misconception you get when people call you the values guy or talk about the research you do around values? David: One of the biggest confusions is just the word values. We're all used to sitting in boardrooms talking about mission, vision, values. The CEO sends out the annual note saying they've finally figured out the corporate values, and usually they're the same as everybody else's corporate values. They go up on the wall behind the receptionist, everybody's happy, and then they're forgotten about 24 hours later. We also run around talking about what we think our values are. Politicians tell us what our values are. So I actually don't love using the word anymore. What works better is asking: What matters most? What matters most to you? What matters most to your customers? What matters most to your employees? That gets much closer to the kind of values I'm researching. Erin: And it feels more distinctive too. Instead of asking somebody for five or ten values, you can start with one or two things that really matter. David: Exactly. Through our research, we've identified 56 values. And the interesting thing is that you can't simply ask people what their values are, because they'll either intentionally or unintentionally tell you what they want their values to be, or what they want you to think their values are. Instead, you ask about behavior. What do you do all day? How do you feel about this thing? What does this topic mean to you? When you listen to what people are actually doing and start mapping their behaviors, you can work backward and understand what matters most to them. What Hockey Can Tell You About Someone's Values David: I'm Canadian, so let's use hockey. If somebody says they're a hockey fan, don't just stop there. Ask how often they go to games. Do they watch at home? Who do they watch with? Friends? Family? Do they take clients to games? Do they own a jersey? If their team gets eliminated, will they cheer for another team or stop watching completely? You're asking them about something they're excited to talk about. But underneath their answers, you're hearing their values. If they refuse to cheer for another team, maybe loyalty matters a lot to them. If every hockey experience involves their friends but never their family, that tells you something about the relative importance of friendship and family in that context. You listen to what people do, and from there you start to see what matters most. Erin: That's the legit researcher part. You're discerning the thing without actually asking them the thing. The Pink Van: Why Assumptions About People Get Us in Trouble Erin: Let's make this practical. Our listeners might be in sales, leadership, or running businesses. How does this help somebody market better, sell more, or become a better leader? David: I'll give you an example from our research. I was preparing for a keynote for a group of employers in the blue-collar trades. They were dealing with a major talent shortage and wanted to understand how to get more people interested in joining the trades. Our research found that people considering careers in the trades dramatically over-indexed around a value called service to others. They wanted to know they were doing something that helped people and made a difference. The employers were already talking about things like earning more money, getting out of shift work, and avoiding the cost of college. Those are logical benefits. But they weren't saying, "This is your chance to be in a helping profession." After my keynote, a business owner came up to me. He had seven offices across the Southern United States with fleets of service vans. In each fleet, one van was painted pink, and all of the money earned by that van went toward breast cancer research because of a personal story involving his wife. I thought that was the story. He said, "No. The real story is that every day my guys fight over who gets to be in the pink van." Erin: Wow. David: Think about that. If you were marketing to people in the trades based on stereotypes, would you ever have gotten to pink vans? Probably not. You'd be talking about football, tailgates, country music, or whatever other assumptions you had about the audience. But the answer was pink vans. There's almost always a pink van in the research. Something that makes you say, "We never would have guessed that, but now it makes complete sense." When you understand what matters most to people, you can use it to market, motivate, inspire, build policies, engage employees, and make strategic decisions. Three Questions That Reveal What Matters Most Erin: What about people who can't hire your company to conduct a big research study? What questions could they ask employees or clients to get closer to this information themselves? David: We have three questions we call the three telltale questions. We've tested versions of them with people around the world. The important part is that you don't ask one person once and assume you've figured everything out. Ask a lot of people and listen for patterns. Those patterns are the signals in the noise. That's where the values start bubbling to the surface. David: The first question is: Why do you go to work? Someone might immediately say, "To pay my bills." Fine. Ask why else. Maybe their friends are there. Maybe work is their creative outlet. Maybe they feel like they're making a difference. Maybe it's where they feel useful. They're telling you why they choose to spend such a huge portion of their life doing this thing. The second question is: Why would you give away half of your lottery winnings? If someone says they wouldn't, tell them to imagine they won a lottery where giving away half was required. Then ask where they'd give it and why. That's a major behavioral decision. The "why" behind it is usually a value talking. The third question is: If you could send one message to yourself 10 years ago, what would it be? Listen to whether they talk about family, friendship, work, stress, money, kids, health, or something else. Whatever comes up tells you something about what matters most to them. Erin: That's really good. The Values Corporate America Often Misses Erin: Is there a value corporations tend to underestimate? Something that leaders might not put in their top five, but your research shows matters a lot? David: Every workforce is different, so I wouldn't prescribe one value to every company. But there is a cluster that appears again and again. Of the 56 values we've identified, five show up constantly across different industries and groups. We call them the togetherness values: belonging, family, friendship, relationships, and community. Those aren't interchangeable. Belonging is different from community. Community is different from relationships. Companies tend to lump them all together, but you need to understand which one actually matters to your people. The broader point is that humans want some form of connection. So look at your employee research, surveys, hallway conversations, and everything else you already know about your workforce. Which form of togetherness seems to matter most? Then lean into it. David: Because here's the secret to everything: What matters most to us drives everything we do. If you want people to be more engaged, stop quitting, or actually care about the work they're doing, you have to give them more of what matters most. Your Corporate Values Are Not Your Employees' Human Values David: One of the biggest mistakes corporations make is spending two years and millions of dollars figuring out their corporate values and then wondering why employees aren't behaving according to them. Your corporate values are not the human values of the people who are showing up at your corporation. You've only done half the job. The company might decide creativity is one of its core values. Great. But suppose personal growth is one of the strongest human values among your employees. Now you need to connect the dots. Show employees how being creative at work helps them grow as people. Explain why the behavior you're asking for gives them more of something that already matters deeply to them. If you don't make that connection, they'll look at "creativity" written on the wall and think, "Okay, whatever. That doesn't matter to me." Corporate values might actually be better described as guiding principles or a list of ways the organization wants people to behave. Stop Turning Values Into Expensive Wallpaper Erin: You just hit one of my hot spots. It's not enough to say you're a "family-first organization." Tell people what that actually means. Maybe it means you're not expecting someone to answer emails from the soccer field. Maybe leaders who have ideas over the weekend schedule the email to go out Monday instead of firing it off immediately. Specificity is what makes those values feel real. Even something like safety can be communicated in a more human way. Instead of just saying, "We believe in OSHA adherence," explain that you want people to leave work safely and go home to grill burgers with their family that night. It's not just about the value. It's about how you talk about it and how you put it into action. I recently talked to a company whose mantra was "grit and gratitude." I loved that because it's only two things, it's memorable, and there's a little juxtaposition between them. Companies sometimes think more is better. Maybe you're better off choosing one or two things and going deeper. David: I like grit and gratitude because it doesn't sound like everybody else. Under those two ideas, you can still have many different behaviors and principles. But at least there's something distinctive to connect to. How Understanding Values Tripled a Fundraising Target Erin: What's one example where an organization used your research and made a change that had a really profound impact? David: We worked with a hospital foundation in Canada that wanted to attract more high-net-worth donors and increase the size of their gifts. We profiled people in the community who had previously donated to health-related causes but had never donated to this particular foundation. An interesting pattern emerged. Many of the prospective donors were women who had recently been widowed and, for the first time in their lives, were making major financial decisions independently. Our research showed how important that newfound independence and agency were to them. So the foundation changed its approach. Instead of saying, "Here's where your money is going," they said, essentially, "Your gift could help us in several different ways. Which area would you like your money to support?" They sat down with donors and let them decide what mattered to them. By giving those women agency over the decision, the foundation tripled its fundraising target. Erin: Wow. David: They framed their strategy, marketing, and messaging around what mattered most to those people. The decision suddenly became an easy yes because the organization wasn't just asking for money. It was giving people an opportunity to act on something they deeply valued. What Values Alignment Feels Like Erin: I think about this in my own life too. When I was evaluating financial advisors, it was amazing how few people seemed interested in understanding what mattered to me. For me, I wanted someone I could actually connect with and have real conversations with. Not a bunch of BS. If somebody had simply asked me what was most important to me, I would have basically handed them the answer to how to sell to me. David: And here's what's interesting about those situations. When you find a person, product, job, or situation that genuinely aligns with what matters most to you, you often notice the absence of things. You're not second-guessing yourself. You're not lying awake at night running the pros and cons through your head. You're not constantly trying to convince yourself to make the relationship work. It just works. Erin: It clicks into place like a Lego. David: Exactly. Think about parties. There are parties where you walk in and immediately think, "Nope. How quickly can we leave?" And then there are parties where you want to stay all night. You may not be able to explain exactly why. Maybe it's the people, the music, the room, the energy, or some combination of all of it. But something about that environment aligns with what matters to you. Is Authenticity a Value? Erin: This is where your work and mine dovetail. People are craving something they can connect to, whether it's a salesperson, a leader, or a company. Wallpaper corporate values aren't enough. You need specificity, examples, and authenticity. Give people something they can plug into so they can determine whether it aligns with them. And it's actually better if someone can clearly say, "No, this doesn't align with me," than to give them nothing but vanilla and leave them thinking, "I don't know." David: You said earlier that authenticity might be the 57th value. I'm going to reframe that. Authenticity is, I'm gonna say, not a value, it's the end result of values alignment. If you're living authentically, you're living according to what matters most to you. Erin: I think authenticity might also be part of how you uncover the values in the first place. It's the stories, uncommon language, specificity, and willingness to actually expose who you are that allow people to feel what those values really mean. David: I think we're talking about the same thing from different layers. You're looking at the umbrella. I'm down in the weeds. The Question That Changed a High-Stakes Negotiation Erin: I have a story about the phrase "what matters most." When I became interim CEO, I had to renegotiate our largest contract. The vendor wanted more money, and giving it to them could have made an already difficult financial situation much worse. It was high stakes, and I'm not exactly known for being a giant planner. Early in the first conversation, I asked the executive, "What matters most to you in this negotiation?" He wasn't expecting the question, so he answered honestly. His company expected to pursue an IPO, and long-term contracts were incredibly important because investors would want confidence that major clients weren't about to leave. Suddenly, I understood that this negotiation wasn't only about price. A long-term agreement mattered tremendously to him. Switching vendors would have been incredibly difficult for us anyway, so I was perfectly comfortable discussing a long-term contract. That one question completely changed what I understood about the negotiation. David: "What matters most to you about this situation?" or "What matters most to you about this outcome?" are fantastic questions in sales and negotiations. But you can also learn a lot by simply paying attention and being curious. How to Discover Someone's Values Through Small Talk David: Let's use you as an example. There's a photo behind you. What's it a picture of? Erin: My family. My husband and my two children. David: And I can see books behind you. What's one of the most recent books you added? Erin: Probably Fans First by Jesse Cole from the Savannah Bananas. David: Are you a baseball fan? Erin: Not specifically. I'm a big sports fan, though. David: Where did that come from? Erin: My grandmother. She passed away when she was 62, so I was only 11. But I remember sitting in her living room with her. She was about 4'11", sitting in a green leather chair beside the dialysis machine she used at home, smoking a cigarette with a police scanner nearby. She lived in a town of about 800 people, so I'm not sure how much exciting police activity there was to scan. And she always had sports on. She didn't just watch sports. She participated. She yelled at the TV. She was spicy. She absolutely hated Notre Dame, so I still hate Notre Dame today basically as an ode to her. For a woman of her generation, being that passionate about sports was unusual. And I think that's where I got it. The other reason I still love sports is the authenticity of it. Nobody knows what's going to happen. It's not scripted. I love the energy and unpredictability. I also love the lack of commitment. I can watch and leave whenever I want. David: That little conversation already gave me several clues. Family is important to you. Creativity is clearly there. I hear some tradition in the way you talk about carrying your grandmother's influence forward. Experiences are important to you. The way you described sitting in that room with your grandmother is incredibly vivid. And when you said you like being able to leave whenever you want, independence came roaring to the forefront. Erin: One thousand percent. And what's interesting is that most people stop too soon. They see the family photo and ask, "Are those your kids?" Or they notice something from Michigan and ask, "Are you from Michigan?" But then they stop. To uncover what matters to someone, you have to be genuinely curious enough to ask the next question. The Third Why David: There's a technique I call The Third Why. You might ask somebody why they chose to have a family photo taken at a particular place. They'll give you an answer. Then you ask why that mattered. And then you go one level deeper again. Three whys down is often where people start telling you about a value. The first answer is usually surface level. The second starts getting somewhere. By the third, you're getting closer to what is actually driving the decision. Erin: That's the key. You can't necessarily plan all of those questions ahead of time. You have to actually listen and be curious enough to follow where the answer goes. When the Traditional Definition of Success Stops Working Erin: We ask everyone for a "buck that" story, meaning a time when you bucked the norm, stopped following the expected path, and did something different. What's yours? David: Quitting the big company and going out on my own. That was scary. I remember the first days working from home, finding all kinds of ways to stall. Making sure the pencils were in exactly the right place. Rearranging things. Eventually you realize there's nothing left to organize. You actually have to do the work. But as we've been talking about, I have an independence streak a mile wide. I once told my coach I couldn't understand why I wasn't getting anything done even though I had deadlines everywhere. He asked if I'd blocked the work on my calendar. I said yes. He asked, "So why aren't you doing what's on your calendar?" And I realized: because I don't want my calendar telling me what to do. Erin: Because you told yourself to do it, and now yourself can't tell you what to do. David: Exactly. My calendar is bossing me around, and I'm resisting my own calendar. That independence was one of the values pushing me toward working for myself. The Day David Couldn't Get on the Elevator Erin: Was there traditional career advice you followed for a while and eventually realized wasn't right for you? David: Keep your job. Why would you work for yourself and rely on your own ability to earn a living when you could get a steady paycheck every two weeks? I grew up at a time when the path to success seemed much narrower. It felt like the goal was to become the CEO of Coca-Cola. Erin: Or become a consultant to the CEO of Coca-Cola. Those were basically the two business models we knew. David: Exactly. The world told me I was supposed to run as fast as possible up the corporate ladder. Learn to love the suits and ties. Play the politics. Run a board. Eventually I realized it wasn't working for me. I actually had a breakdown. I was working for a big company and one morning I was standing in the elevator lobby waiting to go upstairs. I couldn't get on the elevator. It felt like there was a physical barrier in front of me. I could not make myself get on that elevator and go face everything waiting upstairs. So I turned around, went home, and called in to say, "I don't think I'm coming back." It took me almost a year to recover from that and start building what I needed to build on my own. David: It was 10 years of living a lie that I didn't know was a lie, because I'd only been taught that this was the truth. When I finally figured out it wasn't the truth, at least not for me, it was like being slapped across the face. That's something I try to pass along now. Whatever the internet tells you, Instagram tells you, your parents tell you, or society tells you is the path to success is only useful if it's actually your path to success. Figure out what matters most to you. Figure out your values. Then craft your version of life and run in that direction. Erin: And the experience you went through is part of what allows you to give that lesson to somebody else now. David Allison's Advice for Making Work Suck Less Erin: What's your final piece of advice for making work suck less? David: Find ways to make your work more about what matters to you. Volunteer for that project. Take the extra assignment that aligns with you. When you can, move away from the work that doesn't. Even if you're working inside a set of constraints and don't have much flexibility, almost everybody has some ability to maneuver. You can choose what you're going to lean into and what you're not. Make your work more about what matters most to you, and you'll be happier.

Matt and Michael open with the paradox of getting your ass kicked and somehow feeling more alive because of it. Matt shares his realization that there is no "there" to arrive at. The car ride IS the destination. Flat tires, closed restaurants, broken grinders. That's not the interruption of life. That IS life. Then things get deep. They wrestle with Dawkins vs. Lennox on justice and whether the universe has a moral order. They explore why science itself presupposes God, why atheism requires its own kind of faith, and why Lennox's answer about morality is devastating. All men are created in the image of God, even the ones who don't believe in Him. The back half dives into inversion. How we try to make reality conform to us instead of conforming ourselves to reality. They tackle sex, polyamory, pornography, and C.S. Lewis's insight from The Abolition of Man. If you optimize for the purpose of a thing, you destroy the thing itself. Optimize for pleasure, and you end up in misery. Cheers y'all

In this episode, Stephen Seckler speaks with Michele Correnti about branding, websites, LinkedIn, content marketing, and how AI is changing the way law firms market themselves. They discuss  what lawyers should do before and after launching a solo or small firm to build visibility, attract the right clients, and stay top of mind with referral sources. Michele Correnti, founder and CEO of Correnti Marketing, shares practical advice drawn from years of working with law firms and other professional service businesses. If you're thinking about launching a practice or rethinking your firm's online presence, this conversation is packed with tactical guidance. Key Takeaways Branding is more than a logo. Start marketing before launch day. Specificity attracts better clients. Niches can expand opportunity. Personal branding matters. LinkedIn should be used strategically. Websites should reflect the real audience. AI is a tool, not a replacement. Timestamps 00:00 - Why legal marketing matters after launching a firm 00:48 - Why potential clients won't find you automatically 01:16 - Michele Correnti's background in professional services marketing 03:43 - Photography, headshots, and visual branding 05:15 - What to do six months before leaving a firm 07:50 - Why your brand is really your reputation 09:16 - Using an ideal client to sharpen your message 16:04 - Personal LinkedIn profiles versus company pages 19:15 - How AI is changing SEO and search visibility 23:00 - Common online presence mistakes lawyers make 27:09 - Launching a firm as a coordinated campaign 32:58 - Where AI helps and where the human voice still matters 37:17 - The risks and opportunities of AI-generated images 40:47 - Three marketing priorities for the first 90 days

Q-Bank: https://www.patreon.com/highyieldfamilymedicineIntro (0:35),Study Designs (1:47),Types of Bias (7:00),Sensitivity and Specificity (12:33),Predictive Value (14:22),Likelihood Ratio (15:38),Relative Risk vs Odds Ratio (16:44),Absolute vs Relative Risk Reduction (18:10),Number Needed to Treat and Number Needed to Harm (19:22),Incidence vs Prevalence (20:23),Attributable Risk (21:01),Intention-to-Treat (21:37),Confidence Intervals (22:38),P-values (23:47),Type I vs Type II Errors (24:41),Power (25:29),Survival Analysis and Hazard Ratio (26:17),Practice Questions (27:50)

AI agents can write code for hours, but ask them to do real work in the real economy, and they break. Mitch Troyanovsky is co-founder of Basis, a unicorn AI company whose agents run autonomously for hours — sometimes days — completing complex tax returns end to end. His answer to the reliability problem: stop grading outcomes, and start supervising the process.This is a definitive, reference-style conversation on building long-horizon AI agents. Mitch walks through the full history — from ReAct and the AutoGPT crash to reasoning models and RLVR — and explains why the industry abandoned process supervision in 2023, and why it's now coming back at a completely different scale. We go deep on behavior specs, the open standard Basis just released with Braintrust for defining and evaluating how agents behave across entire trajectories, with no ground truth required.Along the way: why context is really runtime training data, why your documentation must be treated like a codebase, ontologies as "worlds for agents to live in," the judge-as-agent architecture, why Basis hires philosophy majors as Language Architects, deploying agents as "onboarding 300 brilliant alien employees," and Mitch's prediction for when the bitter lesson swallows the harness.(01:09) Why Basis Engineers Whisper to Their Agents(04:12) Accounting as Compression: an Intelligence Layer Over the Economy(06:11) Defining Long-Horizon: When You Exceed the Context Window(08:24) Anatomy of a Multi-Day Autonomous Trajectory(10:19) Handoff Design: Optimizing Output for the Reviewer(11:17) ReAct and Why Reasoning Must Regulate Its Own State(12:33) Large Working Memory, No Long-Term Memory(14:13) Compounding Errors: Why AutoGPT and BabyAGI Broke(15:51) Opus 3, o1, o3: the Three Real Paradigm Shifts(17:07) Titrating Inference Compute Across Easy and Hard Steps(18:23) Process Reward vs. Outcome Reward: "Let's Verify Step by Step"(20:32) RLVR and Why the METR Curve Overstates Reliability(22:09) Verifiable at Runtime: the Real Reason Coding Won(25:14) No Ground Truth, No Cheap Verification, No Data(26:55) Encoding Deterministic Checks From Human Review Process(29:18) Synthetic Data Limits: Generating Artifacts, Not Text(33:16) 100 Evals Pass — Does It Generalize to Production?(35:53) Primary Sources vs. Pre-Training Knowledge(36:37) Behavior Specs: Markdown, Judges, and True/False/N.A.(39:58) Specificity vs. Brittleness in Spec Authoring(42:18) Context as Runtime Training Data(44:21) Judge-as-Agent: Trajectory Maps and Sub-Agent Attribution(46:45) The Move 37 Objection: Reliability Over Optimality(50:02) The Magic Box Model: Building Without Weights Access(52:41) "Nothing Paradigm-Shifting Has Changed Since o3"(54:56) Open-Sourcing the Behavior Spec Standard With Braintrust(01:02:54) Ontology Design: Virtual Filesystems, Graphs, Embeddings(01:04:20) Canonical vs. Non-Canonical: Docs as Codebase(01:06:33) Language Architects and Writing for Runtime Interpretation(01:09:05) Deployed Intelligence: 300 Alien Employees With No Context(01:11:10) Closing the Loop: Signal → Context, Tools, Harness(01:12:50) Context Slop: the Mistake Most Agent Builders Make(01:14:29) Reward Function Design and Credit Assignment Over Trajectories(01:17:01) Will the Bitter Lesson Swallow the Harness?(01:18:46) Business Moats vs. Technical Moats(01:21:03) Paradigm Thinking Over Timeline ADHD

Use the free CAC Calculator I made with HubSpot for Startups: https://clickhubspot.com/0dda8a #ad #hubspot My new book, Own Or Be Owned, is all about building a business so good it doesn't need you. More profit, less pain. It's out September 18, grab your ticket to the launch event here: https://contrarianthinking.biz/oobo_bigdeal - cs You've been talking. A lot. But nobody's listening. You're explaining your ideas, pitching your vision, trying to convince your team, and somehow the room just glazes over. Here's the truth: the problem isn't that people don't care. It's that you haven't learned how to make them care. And great ideas die every single day because the person behind them can't communicate well enough to make them stick. Communication isn't a soft skill. It's the highest ROI skill you'll ever build. It's how you raise capital, close deals, lead teams, and turn strangers into believers. The difference between someone who gets funded and someone who gets ignored isn't the idea. It's how they deliver it. This episode breaks down five of the most effective communication frameworks straight from the best speakers who have ever lived, from Steve Jobs to Martin Luther King Jr. to Malcolm Gladwell, and how you can use them starting today. In this episode, you'll learn: The simple map framework: why Steve Jobs told Stanford graduates he'd share three stories before he ever started talking and how giving your audience a roadmap removes anxiety and makes them actually listen Why repetition isn't boring when done right and how Martin Luther King Jr. used I have a dream eight times in one speech to build weight, not waste time Specificity as credibility: why saying this laundromat does $3 million in revenue from 164 machines is infinitely more believable than saying this business makes a lot of money How to use silence like a weapon and why the pause before your biggest line is more powerful than the line itself, just like Steve Jobs did when he introduced the iPhone Why story beats argument every single time and how Malcolm Gladwell turned a spaghetti sauce case study into one of the most memorable TED talks ever by making you feel the discovery instead of hearing the lesson Stop filling the silence. Stop apologizing for your point. Start speaking like someone who deserves to be heard. Because the moment you learn to communicate like a CEO is the moment people start treating you like one. Thanks to HubSpot for Startups for sponsoring this episode! Want to know if your business is actually making money or bleeding cash? Use the free CAC calculator I built with HubSpot. It takes two minutes and tells you the one number that decides everything. Grab it here: https://contrarianthinking.biz/bigdeal_cac ___________ (00:00:00) Introduction: Great Ideas Die Because You Can't Communicate (00:00:33) The Simple Map Framework: Tell Them Where You're Going First (00:02:40) Repetition That Builds: Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream (00:04:56) Specificity as Credibility: The Three Million Dollar Laundromat Story (00:07:06) Silence Is Sexy: Steve Jobs and the iPhone Reveal (00:09:52) Show Me, Don't Tell Me: Using Silence to Force Discovery (00:11:08) Story as Argument: Malcolm Gladwell and the Spaghetti Sauce Lesson (00:12:31) The Customer Acquisition Cost Reality Check (00:15:10) Go Big or Go Home: Masayoshi Son's Apple Crate Speech (00:16:50) Don't Apologize, Reframe: Fred Smith's FedEx Vegas Gamble (00:18:14) Communicate Visually: Herb Kelleher's Dear Mrs. Crabapple Letter (00:21:00) Build a Business That Runs Without You ___________ MORE FROM BIGDEAL

Send us Fan MailLee Caraher is a renowned communication strategist, CEO of Double Forte PR, and an accomplished author. Known for her practical solutions and "professional straight talker" style, Lee expertly guides companies in achieving business goals through effective communication. She specializes in building and retaining intergenerational teams, emphasized in her books "Millennials and Management" and "The Boomerang Principle." Her leadership philosophy underscores the importance of authentic communication as the glue that binds leadership, culture, and performance.Lee sheds light on the intricacies of ensuring effective communication, emphasizing the need for leaders to establish clarity and consistency in their messaging to avoid misunderstandings. She challenges the assumption that head nodding signifies understanding and emphasizes the importance of genuine dialogue. Lee also discusses strategies for fostering meaningful communication across different professional and generational perspectives to bolster leadership development and organizational performance.Key Takeaways:Head-nodding doesn't equate to understanding; leaders must ensure their team truly comprehends by encouraging questions and dialogue.Specificity in communication, especially around deadlines and expectations, can minimize conflict and improve team alignment.Leaders need to listen more than they talk and seek input from all levels of their organization, particularly those who don't speak up.Cultural and generational differences can impact workplace communication, highlighting the need for a shared language and understanding.Notable Quotes:"It is not enough for you to have people excited. You have to make sure they all heard the same thing, they all understood the same thing.""You need to listen more than you talk.""Pay attention to the people who are nodding and not talking. Pay attention to people who don't talk."Resources:Lee Caraher's Books:Millennials and ManagementThe Boomerang PrincipleAll episodes and guest requests can be found at:www.leadershipmomentspodcast.comFollow Stacey Caster on Instagram @staceycaster_Follow Tracy-Ann Palmer on Instagram @tracy_ann_palmer

In the wake of the FIFA World Cup, how can performance marketers better turn streaming TV into a high-impact, programmatic ad format?On this episode of the Performance Marketing Unlocked podcast, Julie Selman, SVP Head of EMEA at Magnite, joins host Joe to outline the future of connected TV (CTV). Together, the pair dissect how live events like the FIFA World Cup have changed the game, the impact of second screening on attribution, and whether or not TV has truly become a performance marketing channel. This podcast was hosted by PMW's Deputy Editor, Joseph Arthur.~ Episode breakdown ~ (4:23) What did the World Cup teach us? (13:20) Filling CTV's measurement gaps(19:15) Overrated/Underrated(22:25) PMW's Resell Me a Pen Challenge ~ Further reading ~ How live sport puts advertisers in a position to scoreIPA Bellwhether: ‘A strong golden quarter will hopefully lie ahead'Cannes Lions predictions 2026: ‘Specificity will win – less narrative, more proof' Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rachel Weaver joins Let's Talk Memoir for a conversation about the mysterious illness she lived with for nearly two decades, seeing 30-40 doctors and spending 18 years in the medical system, the toll of dwelling in the kingdom of the sick, writing as a process of distillation, writing as refuge, raising tension without wearing the reader out, making narrative threads work together, the fluidity of memoir manuscripts, endings that resonate with beginnings, avoiding vindictiveness after the first draft, pulling readers inside our experience with specificity and particularity, and her new memoir Dizzy.   Also in this episode: -narrative medicine -the power dynamics of the medical system -staying in our physical experience to write    Books mentioned in this episode: -How to be Sick Toni Bernhard Rachel Weaver's novel Point of Direction was named a Top Ten Book To Pick Up Now by Oprah Magazine and won the Willa Cather Award for Fiction. Rachel's newest book, Dizzy, an “arresting new memoir” according to Maureen Corrigan on NPR's Fresh Air, published in February of 2026. Her second novel The Last Run, is forthcoming in June 2026 with Lake Union Publishing. Prior to earning her MFA in Writing and Poetics at Naropa University, Rachel worked for the Forest Service in Alaska studying bears, raptors and songbirds. She teaches at Wilkes University and Lighthouse Writers Workshop and holds a CPA in Narrative Medicine from Columbia University. For more information visit https://rachelweaver.net/   Connect with Rachel: Website: https://rachelweaver.net/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587520026172 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelweaver2222/?hl=en Dizzy on NPR: https://www.npr.org/2026/02/09/nx-s1-5704301/dizzy-book-review-rachel-weaver Course: Save Yourself Years of Drafting: https://www.rachelweaver.net/save-yourself-years-of-drafting-course Book Purchase: https://www.amazon.com/Dizzy-Memoir-Connective-Rachel-Weaver/dp/1959000748 Book Purchase https://bookshop.org/p/books/dizzy-a-memoir-rachel-susan-weaver/dd0268049e6165a1 – Ronit's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Rumpus, The New York Times, Poets & Writers, The Iowa Review, Hippocampus, The Washington Post, Writer's Digest, American Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her memoir WHEN SHE COMES BACK about the loss of her mother to the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and their eventual reconciliation was named Finalist in the 2021 Housatonic Awards Awards, the 2021 Indie Excellence Awards, and was a 2021 Book Riot Best True Crime Book. Her short story collection HOME IS A MADE-UP PLACE won Hidden River Arts' 2020 Eludia Award and the 2023 Page Turner Awards for Short Stories.  She earned an MFA in Nonfiction Writing at Pacific University, is Creative Nonfiction Editor at The Citron Review, and teaches memoir through the University of Washington's Online Continuum Program and also independently. She launched Let's Talk Memoir in 2022, lives in Seattle with her family of people and dogs, and is at work on her next book.   More about Ronit: https://ronitplank.com Subscribe to Ronit's Substack: https://substack.com/@ronitplank Follow Ronit: https://www.instagram.com/ronitplank/ https://www.facebook.com/RonitPlank https://bsky.app/profile/ronitplank.bsky.social

Guest: Dr. Brian Brown is a Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He discusses how his lab develops innovative technologies to study the immune system and advance new therapeutics, from T cell engineering to mRNA-based medicines. He also explores how microRNA-guided targeting can improve the precision of mRNA therapeutics, how different tissues shape immune responses, and the importance of effective science communication. Featured Products and Resources: Learn more about STEMCELL's optimized protocols and reagents for immunotherapy research. Download this free conference toolkit to make the most out of your experience this conference season. The Immunology Science Round Up Sindbis in Cerebrospinal Fluid – Scientists have found evidence that Sindbis virus can invade the human central nervous system and cause neurological disease. A Skin–Lung Reflex – Activation of sensory neurons in the skin suppresses allergic airway inflammation through a vagus nerve–mediated neuroimmune reflex. Microbiome Enhances Cancer Immunity – Gut bacteria promote anti-tumor immunity by converting tryptophan into indoles that enhance immune responses and inhibit melanoma growth. Macrophages Drive Healthy Aging – Restoring macrophage clearance of senescent neutrophils reverses age-related decline across multiple organs in mice by blocking EP2 signaling. Image courtesy of Dr. Brian Brown Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

You might be following a proven sales process, you might even be generating consistent revenue. But if you are not building in a regular strategic thinking space, your sales results are almost certainly not as strong as they could be and they are more fragile than you realise. In this episode of the Selling to Corporate® podcast, Jess Lorimer addresses one of the most common and costly problems she sees across the sales processes of coaches, consultants, trainers, speakers, and done-for-you service providers: the failure to stop, think strategically, and work on the process rather than just in it. Jess explains why this matters whether your sales are going well or badly, what specifically goes wrong when strategic thinking space is absent, and what you need to do differently in the second half of 2026 to make September and Q4 the most productive quarter of your year. Who This Episode Is For Coaches, consultants, trainers, speakers, and done-for-you service providers selling to corporate clients Anyone who feels busy in their business but is not seeing the sales results they expected Those who have invested in a sales strategy or programme but are not consistently reviewing whether it is working Business owners who are generating some revenue but want to make the second half of the year significantly stronger Anyone who has been experimenting with different sales approaches and wondering why nothing is gaining traction Service providers who want to understand why their sales process is difficult to troubleshoot or improve Questions This Episode Answers What is the number one problem in B2B sales processes, even for people already making sales? Why does testing and experimenting with sales strategies cost more than buying a proven one? What does strategic thinking space mean in a sales context, and why does it matter? What are the three specific problems that arise when coaches and consultants skip strategic thinking in their sales process? Why does a lack of specificity in B2B sales make everything harder? How do I know whether my sales process is working or whether I am working around its gaps? What should I focus on in the second half of 2026 to have a stronger September and Q4? Key Takeaways 1. The Number One Problem Is Not the Market. It Is the Absence of a Proven Process. Jess opens this episode with a direct challenge to one of the most common narratives she hears from coaches and consultants in 2026: that the market is slow, budgets are frozen, and decision makers are not signing things off. Her clients are signing 40k, 60k, and six-figure retainers. People are charging over 3,000 pounds for a 45-minute corporate session. First-time corporate workshop sales are happening every week. The difference between those results and the experience of people who feel stuck is not the market. It is whether or not they are using and consistently implementing a proven sales process. If your sales are not producing the results you want, the answer is not to wait for the market to improve, jump to a new specialism or test a new strategy. It is to implement something that is already proven and implement it properly. 2. Experimenting With Your Own Sales Strategy Is More Expensive Than Buying a Proven One One of the patterns Jess challenges directly in this episode is the tendency among intelligent, cost-conscious business owners to build their own sales strategy using AI tools, borrowed frameworks, or pieced-together advice, rather than investing in something with a verified track record. When you test an unproven strategy, you have no baseline for what results to expect, no reliable metrics to monitor and no way to troubleshoot what is or is not working. That means that when it does not produce results, you cannot tell whether the strategy failed, whether you executed it incorrectly or whether you simply did not give it enough time or volume. The real cost of testing unproven strategies is not the time spent on the activity itself. It is the confidence lost when nothing works, the motivation that erodes and the months or quarters where no revenue is generated because the strategy was never set up to succeed in the first place. A proven strategy removes that uncertainty and gives you something concrete to follow, measure, and improve. 3. Strategic Thinking Space Is Not Procrastination. It Is a Sales Action. The central concept in this episode is what Jess calls strategic thinking space: the deliberate practice of pausing to assess, analyse, and plan before and during sales activity, rather than simply executing tasks and hoping they produce results. Strategic thinking space is not sitting still, overthinking decisions, or using reflection as a reason to avoid action. It is the opposite: it is taking calculated, informed action rather than reactive, rushed action. In sales, speed and volume matter, but they only produce results when they are applied to the right activities with the right foundations in place. 4. Three Specific Problems Arise When Strategic Thinking Space Is Missing Jess identifies three concrete ways that the absence of strategic thinking space damages a sales process: Problem One: Jumping Into Activity Without Laying the Foundations The most common version of this is outreach. A business owner decides to do email outreach, sends 10, 20, or 50 emails, receives little or no response, and concludes that email outreach does not work. What they skipped was the foundational thinking: who specifically to target, what messaging would resonate with that person commercially and how to position themselves as a credible and relevant resource worth speaking to. The task was completed. The foundations were not. Without the foundations, the activity produces poor results, the person loses confidence in the method, and they move on to the next thing, repeating the same pattern. Problem Two: Lack of Specificity Without thinking space, most coaches and consultants default to broad, generalised positioning: their services work for any organisation, at any level, in any industry. They are afraid to narrow down because it feels like ruling people out. In reality, the absence of specificity makes everything harder. Lead generation becomes unfocused. Sales calls lack the diagnostic depth that comes from specialised expertise. Proposals feel generic rather than tailored. And when a genuine specialist appears in the same shortlist, the generalist loses. Specificity is not a limitation on who you can help. It is what makes it possible to identify the right people, ask the right questions and create offers that convert because they speak directly to a defined problem in a defined context. Problem Three: Troubleshooting Becomes Impossible For those operating a proven sales process, strategic thinking space is what makes it possible to spot early warning signs that something needs adjusting, before the problem becomes a crisis. Without that thinking space, you remain in constant doing mode, unable to step back and assess whether the activity is producing the right indicators at the right volume. The risk is that you miss early signals that something is working exceptionally well and could be scaled, or that something is underperforming and needs to change. Both missed opportunities cost revenue. For those not yet on a proven process, troubleshooting is even harder because there are no established benchmarks to compare against. 5. Corporate Clients Want Specialists, Not Trend-Followers Jess addresses a temptation she sees frequently in the online business space: when sales slow down, pivot to something new. Launch a different course, rebrand to a different specialism, or chase whatever appears to be gaining traction in the market right now. She is clear about why this does not work for people selling to corporate clients. Organisations are not buying generalists or people who shift their positioning with market trends. They are buying specialists: people who have depth, consistency and a track record in a specific area. Changing specialism under pressure signals exactly the opposite of what corporate buyers are looking for. The answer to a difficult market is not a new direction. It is a more focused, better-executed version of the proven process you already have, or one you should be implementing. Key Quotes  "The market is not the problem. The people I work with are signing 40k, 60k, six-figure retainers right now. The difference is that they are using a proven system and following it properly." "Not allocating thinking space is a real problem in sales. Thinking strategically and allowing yourself that time and energy to do so is an action in sales." "In being valuable to everybody, your offer is valuable to absolutely no one. Strategic thinking space gives you the specificity that then lets you action every other part of your sales process effectively." If you've enjoyed listening to #1 problem in sales processes (even if you're generating revenue!) Check out these episodes. STC176: The Most Important Skill Professional Salespeople Have (and How You Can Use It!) https://sellingtocorporate.com/podcast/the-most-important-skill-professional-salespeople-have-and-how-you-can-use-it/ STC177: 3 Important Sales Actions to Complete Before Summer Starts https://sellingtocorporate.com/podcast/3-important-sales-actions-to-complete-before-summer-starts/ STC171: The Simple Sales Technique I Use to Sign Corporate Clients Every Month https://sellingtocorporate.com/podcast/the-simple-sales-technique-i-use-to-sign-corporate-clients-every-month/ Join the Selling To Corporate B2B Sales Edit: Weekly newsletter for coaches and consultants; sharing the real B2B sales techniques that have taken over 30,000 sales processes from busy -> balanced and profitable. https://sellingtocorporate.beehiiv.com/subscribe?utm_source=applepodcasts&utm_medium=podcast_shownotes&utm_campaign=stc-podcast-shownotes-2026 Cold -> Closed The self-paced B2B sales experience for coaches / consultants / speakers / trainers and done-for-you service providers who want scalable, sustainable sales from brand new corporate clients in 90 days or less. https://smartleaderssell.thrivecart.com/-cold-to-closed-product/ Episode Sponsored by The Expert Services Directory Access The Expert Services Directory here: https://bit.ly/ExpertServicesDirectory A curated directory that proactively markets your services to corporate decision makers every month. Standard listings reach 1,000+ decision makers per month; Directory Plus listings reach 2,000+. Only 10 suppliers per category. Standard listing: 1,000+ decision makers per month Directory Plus listing: 2,000+ decision makers per month Application required, not all applications are accepted Content Disclaimer The information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this article, video or audio are not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on any of the contents of this article, video or audio. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this article, video or audio. Jessica Lorimer disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this article, video or audio.  

It opens with World Cup commercials and a breakdown of what makes a regional ad actually land — and right out of the gate, Shawn and Marshall are making a case that most small business owners completely miss: the best marketing isn't about you, your shop, or your services. It's about your customer and the story they see themselves in.This episode is a storytelling masterclass wrapped in an Off The Clock conversation. Shawn and Marshall dig into why some marketing sticks and most of it disappears — and the answer keeps coming back to narrative. The setup, the problem, the protagonist, the resolution. It's not a Hollywood formula reserved for Super Bowl ads. It's the exact same structure that gets a detailer's video shared in a Facebook group at midnight, or makes a customer screenshot your post and send it to their spouse with "this is what I want done to the truck."The AI content conversation goes deeper than usual this week. With tools now capable of producing genuinely realistic video and animation, Shawn and Marshall walk through how to actually use them effectively — and the answer isn't just "prompt it and post it." Specificity is everything. Vague prompts produce generic content. The operators who will win with AI video are the ones who bring a real story, a real customer scenario, and a real emotional hook to the prompt. The tool executes. The human still has to think.The copycat segment hits different. There's a certain type of operator in every industry — the hyenas, as they get called here — who watch what's working, strip out the substance, and copy the surface. Same offer. Same aesthetic. Same caption structure. And then they wonder why it doesn't convert. Because customers aren't buying the format. They're buying the belief behind it. Authenticity isn't a vibe — it's a competitive advantage that genuinely cannot be duplicated.Then comes the announcement that detailers running HyperClean products have been waiting for: the new HyperClean integration that automates ceramic coating upsells directly inside the workflow. No extra pitch. No awkward transition. The upsell happens systematically, at the right moment, every time — which means shops stop leaving money on the table not because they forgot to ask, but because the system asked for them.The episode closes on perception and quality — and why the two are inseparable. You can have the best ceramic coating application in your market and lose to the shop with the better story. That's not fair. It's also just true. The operators who understand that perception is built through consistent storytelling, genuine engagement, and making the customer feel like the hero of something — those are the ones building businesses that don't need to compete on price.Make the Customer the Hero: Your marketing should never be about how great your shop is. It should be about how your customer's life, vehicle, or pride is transformed by what you do. Put them in the story.Storytelling is the Strategy: Setting up a problem, introducing a protagonist, and driving toward a resolution isn't just for movies. It's the formula behind every piece of content that actually gets shared, saved, and acted on.Specific Prompts, Specific Results: AI content tools are only as good as the story you bring to them. Generic input produces generic output. Brief your AI like you'd brief a videographer — with context, emotion, and a clear goal.Copycats Always Commoditize: When you copy a competitor's marketing, you're competing on their terms — and the only direction that race goes is toward whoever charges less. Differentiate or race to the bottom. Those are the only two options.Hyenas Exploit, Builders Create: There will always be operators who prey on others' ideas, customers, and momentum. The antidote isn't to protect everything — it's to build something so authentic that the copy never captures what makes the original work.

The next generation of financial advisors and leaders are not asking for a job, they're asking for a future. Ray Sclafani explores why career pathing has evolved from a nice-to-have benefit into the most critical retention lever advisory firms have. Drawing on Deloitte's 2025 research showing only 6% of Gen Z and Millennials prioritize reaching a leadership position, Ray unpacks what ambition actually looks like today: growth, meaning, money, well-being, and a thoughtful pace of development.For advisory firm owners and leaders, the implications are direct. A firm with no clear development path doesn't stand still, it falls behind. This episode provides a five-part framework for building career pathways that work. Ray then shares a practical starting point: a single career conversation in the next 60 to 90 days that changes how your people feel about their future with your firm.The firms that provide honest visibility of a future worth building will retain more top talent, develop better leaders, and build more durable businesses.WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODEWhy the next generation defines ambition differently and what that means for retention strategyHow to define roles with clarity and purpose so every position has a visible pathwayThe single biggest mistake firms make when building career paths and how to avoid itWhy addressing AI's role impact directly is now a core part of career developmentHow to eliminate ambiguity around partnership so people stop guessing what it meansTHE FIVE-PART CAREER PATHING FRAMEWORKDefine the Roles. Establish clear purpose, expectations, and required skills for each position. Map progression pathways for advisors (from client service associate to enterprise leader), operations (specialist to enterprise operator), and leadership (people manager to executive leader).Define the Progression. Specify what it takes to move from one role to the next: technical skills, client relationship management, leadership capabilities, business development expectations, decision rights, and cultural behaviors. Specificity builds trust.Connect to Actual Development. Attach real development objectives to each progression step. Identify specific competencies that need improvement, not vague hopes. The manager's job is connecting today's work to tomorrow's opportunity.Address AI's Impact. Clarify which skills become more valuable (empathy, judgment, planning, decision making, communication, relationship leadership) and commit to training people to use AI responsibly. Don't let people wonder alone.Make Ownership Expectations Clear. Define passages to partnership, distinguish between producing and nonproducing partners, clarify income versus equity partnership, and spell out what business development, client retention, leadership, and enterprise thinking mean for ownership.REFLECTION QUESTIONS FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP TEAMCan every high potential employee at your firm see a future worth working toward?Where are career paths clearly defined, and where are they implied but not yet documented?Which roles will AI reshape first? And how are you preparing your team for that shift?Who needs a development conversation before they start taking calls from another firm?RESOURCES MENTIONEDDeloitte 2025 Gen Z and Millennial SurveySchwab 2025 Career Pathing ResearchCFP Board Career Pathway ResourcesClientWise Business Builders Academy™ClientWise Executive Coaching and Team DevelopmentBuilding the Billion Dollar Business is hosted by Ray Sclafani, founder and CEO of ClientWise, the financial services industry's leading executive coaching and team development firm for elite advisors and wealth management teams.Find Ray and the ClientWise Team on the ClientWise website or LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTubeBuilding The Billion Dollar Business

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Check out the podcast on Macslist here: (https://www.macslist.org/?post_type=podcasts&p=16871&preview=true) Each of us brings unique strengths to the table, and showing what you excel at makes you stand out to employers. When it comes down to the final two candidates, the offer often goes to the person the hiring manager can clearly picture in the role. Specificity wins. So how do you get that clear on what you offer? Find Your Dream Job guest expert Shannon Bowen of Monsoon Leadership says AI can help.Shannon shares how to use tools like ChatGPT or Claude to pull strengths and themes from your own success stories, match keywords from job postings, and sharpen your interview answers with stronger verbs, statistics, and outcomes. She also reminds listeners that AI is just a mirror. The strengths are already within you — it simply reflects back what you know best.About Our Guest:Shannon Bowen is a career coach and the founder of Monsoon Leadership. Resources in This Episode:Connect with Shannon on LinkedIn.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

ou've built the fitness. Now what? This week we're digging into training specificity: how to shape your training around the actual demands of your goal race, whether that's a road marathon, a 50K, or a 100-miler like Leadville or Hardrock. Specificity is the sexy stuff athletes love to obsess over, but it's also where we see the most expensive mistakes. We break down what race-specific training actually means, when it belongs in your training calendar, and the traps that cost athletes their races.What we cover:Specificity is earned. Why general fitness is the raw material and specificity is just the sculpting, and why "couch to 50K" plans set athletes up to failThe training funnel. Wide and general in base season, narrow and race-specific 8 to 12 weeks out, with fine-tuning inside the final two to three weeksDuration and time on feet. Why training for the hours you'll be out there matters more than the miles on the race page (100 miles can mean 14 hours or 30)Vert, terrain, and eccentric loading. Why per-mile elevation ratio beats a weekly vert number, how to read a course profile (three 1,000-foot climbs is not one 3,000-foot climb), and training downhill resilience with the repeat bout effectFueling and gut training. The most underrated specificity of all: why you need to practice your race-day fueling for a minimum of 12 weeksThe number one trap: sacrificing fitness on the altar of specificity, from course-obsessed weekend commutes to heat suits on the treadmill in JanuaryPlus:Listener question: "I missed my long run, so I added the miles to next week and dug myself into a hole." Why makeup miles don't exist, why the body knows stress rather than miles, and how to actually rearrange a training week when life blows up your scheduleHot or Not: running belts, handhelds, gas station candy as ultra fuel, and strength training during the taperWe're off for a two-week summer break and back in August.Questions for a future episode? Email us at microcosmcoaching@gmail.com or find us at microcosm-coaching.com.

From thru-hikers to ski mountaineers and backpack hunters, Outdoor Vitals' products have gained a very diverse following. To understand why, Luke Koppa sat down with Brigham Crane, their Product Design Director, to discuss designing products for ‘experiences' rather than sports, the current state of active insulation, gold-covered down, and more.Note: We Want to Hear From You!Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you'd like us to cover on GEAR:30. You can email those to us here.RELATED LINKS:Order our 26/27 Winter Buyer's GuideOutdoor VitalsCHECK OUT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNELS:Blister Studios (our new channel)Blister Review (our original channel)TOPICS & TIMES:Brigham's Background (4:49)Outdoor Vitals Overview (9:36)Versatility vs Specificity (11:40)Collection: Mountain Pursuit (14:51)Prototyping Challenges (22:30)Active Insulations (24:56)ExpeDry Down (30:56)Hunting vs Other Apparel (38:26)Outdoor Vitals Hardgoods (41:43)Biggest Areas for Improvement (45:31)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDBikes & Big IdeasBlister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Not just unexperienced facts can deaden our work as actors, the need to explain or report the facts can get in the way of our most creative work. Digging down specifically can help this problem.

Listen to this episode ad-free: join Mental Golf Club Hello everybody, welcome to The Mental Golf Show, where we explore high performance through the lens of golf. On today's episode we have Michael Leonard, host of the Wicked Smart podcast, author of several golf books, and phenomenal player himself. This is actually Michael's second appearance on The Mental Golf Show 3 years later. Feel free to go back to that one to learn more of Michael's own story. In this episode you're going to learn how to neutralize pressure, not only handle discomfort but use it to grow, have a better target selection process, understand your own shot shape and decision making, the power of visualization and how you can use visualization to make yourself a better golfer, and how to push through scoring barriers and go lower. I know you're going to enjoy this one. Wicked Smart Golf Academy - Michael Leonard's hub for game improvement ----- Topics we hit: Is golf really that hard? “Only the paranoid survive” - How to continually improve The What/Why/How of Visualization Why Do We Play Worse Under Pressure? The Value of Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone Anger: Is It Bad? Can We Use It Beneficially? Josh Figures Out How to Stop Swinging Scared Josh's Realization About Playing Freely How Michael is Going to Go from a +2 to a +5 ----- Mentioned in this episode:

I'm sharing a hard truth in this episode that might feel a bit confronting: simply identifying the emotion behind your condition is often just a superficial layer.  While knowing the root cause to a disease or condition is a great entry point, many of you have read the books and asked the experts 100 times over without seeing a shift in your physical reality. It's easy to stay in the research phase because it feels safe, but true transformation happens when you stop protecting your pain and allow yourself to be seen in the depths of your experiences.  When you stop staying in your head and start going into your body, you allow pain to become the gateway to your liberation.. Episode Highlights: The difference between a trigger that pushes you away and an activation that invites you to get curious and explore deeper levels of your journey.Decipher the message behind your experience rather than just identifying specific emotional states like anger or guilt.Challenges and pain are not just obstacles, but invitations to manifest a different life by emptying your emotional cup. Stop searching for the next label to fix your discomfort and start listening to what your body is actually trying to say. It's time to move past the intellect and lead yourself toward a life of true liberation and expansive opportunity. Links and next steps: If you are interested in the Episode on Specificity, you can find it here:  https://theartoflisteningtoyourbody.com/emotional-specificity/  If this episode resonated with you and you would like to explore this work more deeply, Jin's #1 bestselling book - Healing Beyond The Diagnosis: The Emotional Work That Creates True Transformation (Available on Amazon World-Wide) is the best place to begin. Inside Jin shares the foundations of emotional processing and the Release Process®, and how your body communicates through symptoms, patterns and life experiences. You can read chapter 3 for Free here: https://www.drjinong.com/hbd-book  You can also connect with Jin on social media: Instagram: @theartoflisteningtoyourbody Facebook: @drjinong (personal) or @theartoflisteningtoyourbody Website: https://drjinong.com and https://theartoflisteningtoyourbody.com/

In the first episode of the Summer School series, Phil challenges professionals to adopt the mindset that separates top performers from the rest: thinking like a CEO. Regardless of your title, you're running a business within a business, and success depends on leading it with intention. In this episode, Phil outlines seven essential questions every advisor, entrepreneur, and business leader should answer to define their mission, identify their ideal clients, market their value, and build a sustainable business that creates lasting impact. If you're ready to stop drifting and start designing the future of your practice, class is officially in session. Resources: Please send Comments, Questions, and Feedback to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com Please send First Friday Feedback Submissions to: mojo@cannonfinancial.com   Transcription: Top performers in every field surround themselves with those who inspire them, who seek to build them up, and who push them to reach beyond their current limits. I'm Phil Buchanan, Executive Chairman of Canon Financial Institute. I designed Monday Morning Mojo to provide you with a weekly spark, a push, and motivational insight to live your best life. Thanks for joining. Good Monday morning, Canada Nation. It is Phil here with episode 755 of Monday Morning Mojo. Throughout the month of July, we're headed back to school. Not the kind of school with desk, textbooks, and final exams. We're talking about the kind of learning that can transform careers, elevate businesses, and ultimately change lives. I'm calling this the Monday Morning Mojo Summer School. And each week in the month of July, we're going to tackle a different lesson that every exceptional business leader, be them a wealth management professional or entrepreneur, should master. Today's lesson is simple, but it may be the most important one of the entire series. You are the CEO of your business. Now, I know what some of you are thinking. Phil, I'm not a CEO. I work for a bank. I work for a trust company. I'm part of a family office. I manage advisory relationships. I counsel clients. Now, all of that is true. But regardless of your title, every one of us operates a business within a business. Now, the elite professionals understand this. The average professionals ignore it. Elite performers think like owners, and owners think like CEOs. So let's head into today's summer school lesson. CEOs are responsible for the business thesis. Now, every successful company begins with a simple question. Why does this business exist? That's the business thesis. What problems are we solving? Who are we serving? Why should someone choose us? Look at any great company and you'll find a very clear thesis behind it. The same should be true for you. If I ask you right now, what is your professional business thesis? Could you answer in a simple one-sentence explanation? Not your firm's mission statement, not a generic value proposition, your thesis. For example, I help closely help business owners transition wealth and leadership successfully across generations. Or I help affluent families reduce complexity and increase confidence in every aspect of their financial lives. That is a thesis. Now, many professionals spend years working hard without ever defining exactly what business they're in. CEOs can't and don't make that mistake. Before they build a company, they define the mission. Before you build your business, you should define yours. Lesson 2, what type of business will you build? Once you've established your thesis, the next question is simple. What type of business are you trying to create? Now, many professionals drift throughout their careers, accepting whatever opportunities arrive. CEOs intentionally do not drift. They design. Do you want a highly specialized advisory practice? Do you want a multi-generational family office business? Do you want to become the leading advisors to entrepreneurs in your market? Do you want a smaller number of relationships or a larger number of smaller relationships? There is no right answer. That's the beauty of this business. But the value is in your clarity. The future you're building today is being shaped by the decisions you're making right now. Every client you accept, every niche you pursue, every referral source you cultivate, every hour you spend, all of it is either helping build your intended business or helping build someone else's vision. CEOs don't leave that to chance. Neither should you. Lesson 3, who are your target clients? One of the greatest mistakes professionals in any business makes is trying to serve everyone. When you try to be relevant to everyone, you become memorable to no one. The most successful businesses in the world know exactly who they serve. You should too. Who is your ideal client? What is the type of client that has issues and has challenges in their lives that cause them to search for someone with your expertise? What opportunities excite your ideal client? What obstacles frustrate them? What stages of life are they navigating? What decisions are weighing on them? The more clearly you define your audience, the easier it becomes to create value. The advisor who specializes in business owners thinks differently than the advisor who specializes in retirees. The family office professional serving ultra-high-net-worth families faces different challenges than the private banker focused on emerging wealth. Specificity creates relevance. Relevance creates trust. Trust creates multiple opportunities. Lesson #4, what services do your ideal clients need? Now here's a critical distinction. Don't, and I mean never, start with your services. Start with your clients. Too many professionals lead with what they want to sell. CEOs focus on what clients need to buy. What keeps your ideal clients awake at 2 A.m.? Is it succession planning, asset protection? tax complexity, family dynamics, charitable planning, a business transition, wealth transfer, risk management. Your value grows when you become a solution to meaningful problems. The deeper your understanding of client needs, the more indispensable you become. Remember this, clients don't buy products and services. They are buying outcomes. They are buying confidence. They are buying clarity. They are buying peace of mind. Lesson 5, how will you market your value? To be brutally honest, many talented professionals struggle here. Not because they're incapable. Rather, they've convinced themselves that marketing is someone else's job. CEOs know better. Marketing is not advertising. Marketing is helping people understand the value you create. It's your visibility. It's your reputation. It's your voice. It's your willingness to educate and engage. Today's marketplace rewards expertise that can be found, that can be searched for, that is digital and identifiable. Write articles. Host education events, create content, speak at industry gatherings, build relationships in your community, share your insights generously. When people consistently associate your name with expertise, opportunities begin to find you. Marketing is not about self-promotion, it's about value promotion. Lesson #6, what's your go-to-market strategy? Great ideas are useless without execution. Again, every CEO knows this. That's why they develop a go-to-market strategy. How will opportunities become relationships? How will relationships become clients? How will clients become advocates? What's your process? What referral sources are you cultivating? What centers of influence are important to your growth? How frequently are you engaging your community of practice? How intentional are you being? Growth rarely, if ever, happens, certainly on a sustainable business by simple chance or accident. Great businesses execute a deliberate plan. Great professionals do the same. Lesson #7, how will you service clients once they arrive? Perhaps the greatest CEO lesson of all time. Acquiring clients is important. Keeping clients is essential. What happens after someone chooses to work with you? Do they receive a deliberate onboarding process? Do they communicate proactively? Do you create clear service expectations? Exceptional service creates loyalty. Loyalty creates retention. Retention fosters referrals. And of course, referrals help accelerate growth. And then suddenly, one day, you realize you've built something sustainable instead of something dependent solely upon constant prospecting. The best businesses in the world don't just attract clients. They create advocates. Your practice should do the same. As we wrap up today's summer school lesson, I want to leave you with a challenge this week. Carve out 30 uninterrupted minutes. Grab a notebook, silence your phone, and answer these seven questions. Number one, what is my business thesis? Number 2, what type of business am I building? Number 3, who are my ideal clients? Number 4, what problems do they need solved? Number 5, how will I market my value? Number 6, what is my go-to-market strategy? And #7, what is my client servicing model? Because whether you've realized it or not, you're already the CEO of your own business. The only remaining question is, are you running it intentionally? Ladies and gentlemen, summer school is officially in session, and until next week, class is dismissed. Monday Morning Mojo is a production of Cannon Financial Institute. Executive producer of Monday Morning Mojo is Sarah Jones. Editing and mixing is done by Danny Brewer. Until next time, I'm Phil Buchanan, reminding you to be a force for good. Have a great week, and thanks for being part of the Mojo community.  

Brandon Carter, better known as King Keto, is a fitness entrepreneur, online coach, and content creator who built a thriving business after overcoming tremendous adversity. Growing up in a challenging environment and facing family tragedy at a young age, Brandon worked multiple jobs, supported his family, and eventually built a successful online fitness empire. In this episode, Travis shares some of the most powerful lessons from his conversation with Brandon, covering discipline, entrepreneurship, personal branding, and the pursuit of meaningful fulfillment. On this episode we talk about: Why discipline is more important than money when it comes to long-term success How Brandon worked multiple jobs and earned six figures during a recession The safest and smartest way to transition from a job to entrepreneurship Why polarizing content creates stronger personal brands and businesses The difference between pleasure and lasting fulfillment Top 3 Takeaways Build discipline before wealth arrives. Money amplifies your habits and character. Without discipline, financial success can quickly disappear. Do what's required before doing what's desired. Brandon's willingness to work long hours and multiple jobs created opportunities that eventually gave him freedom. Sustainable happiness comes from growth. Lasting fulfillment comes from pursuing your potential, not endlessly chasing temporary pleasures. Notable Quotes "Discipline before the money is the only thing that protects you when the money comes." "Specificity attracts, neutrality disappears." "Hedonism is not enjoyment—it's just sporadically borrowed joy." Connect with Brandon Carter: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kingketo YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HighLifeWorkout Website: https://www.brandoncarter.com/ A Word from Our Sponsors: Today's episode is brought to you by our incredible sponsors. Their support helps us continue bringing you conversations with world-class entrepreneurs, investors, creators, and business leaders each week. To learn more about our sponsors and take advantage of exclusive offers for Travis Makes Money listeners, check out the links in the episode description. - Are you ready to start your own creatorjourney and make it big? Visitwww.fanvue.com today and launch yourcareer! - To learn more about Mode Mobile and its investor community, go to https://invest.modemobile.com/travismakesmoney -Travis Makes Money is made possible by High Level – the All-In-One Sales & Marketing Platform built for agencies, by an agency.Capture leads, nurture them, and close more deals—all from one powerful platform.Get an extended free trial at gohighlevel.com/travis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The episode explores whether the PR jobs market is in crisis, how AI and economics are reshaping recruitment, and what candidates and employers should do next.Ben Smith frames the discussion by noting a “complex scene” where firms are still recruiting but “lots of really good people” are looking for work, with visible redundancies, especially in holding companies.Is the PR jobs market in crisis?Recruiter Olivia Skone rejects the word “crisis” but calls the environment “challenging” across the creative industries. There are still “great roles for exceptional talent,” yet several pressures combine into what she calls a “perfect storm”: economic uncertainty, squeezed margins, clients “wanting more for less,” cautious hiring, and application volumes “drastically increasing” due to technology and AI [0:01:40–0:03:00].She stresses candidates struggle less with rejection than with opaque processes:“It's actually not rejection that candidates are finding tough, I think it's the visibility as to why they're not getting through” [0:02:33].Volume of candidates and structural changeAgency founder Kat Thomas reports an unprecedented wave of jobseekers:“Since… end of February, early March, I've had well over 300 people contact me on LinkedIn, looking for work, and that's extraordinary” [0:03:11–0:03:27].She's seeing especially mid‑to‑senior people (around 10–15 years' experience) across comms and creative:“I've just never seen it like it… I think it's structural… the legacy of the industry shape shifting and redundancies at scale” [0:03:32–0:05:02].AI: “demon of mediocrity” and employer's marketOlivia argues the core driver is still the economy, but AI is being used as “a really good excuse… to clean house a little bit” [0:06:16–0:07:32]. She predicts AI will be “the demon of mediocrity” – replacing lower‑level, process‑driven work, not top‑tier client leadership and original thinking.Kat describes today as “an employer's market” with “overwhelming” choice [0:07:35–0:09:35]. Building an AI‑centric agency, she looks for people who are “AI literate or at the very least AI curious,” noting juniors are almost “AI natives,” while senior understanding is more mixed. AI, used well, creates “bandwidth” so teams can spend more time with clients and media [0:07:35–0:09:30].Broken recruitment channels and AI “CV slop”LinkedIn is now a firehose: roles can attract “over 500 applicants” in days [0:11:33–0:12:28]. That's driving AI‑based screening and, as Olivia notes, a “homogenization of CVs” where“everyone looks brilliant on paper” [0:12:59–0:13:23].She warns of “robots writing the CVs, robots reviewing the CVs… robots interviewing humans” and insists “you cannot replace the human in the loop” [0:13:35–0:14:47].Advice and outlookOlivia tells redundant candidates:“Don't be ashamed of this… it doesn't define you or your worth” [0:23:53–0:26:46].She urges them to craft a clear narrative, visibly use downtime (speaking, writing, consulting), and avoid AI‑generated LinkedIn posts and CVs that erase individuality. Specificity, sector expertise, and a strong human voice matter more as tools make everything else look similar.Looking ahead, Olivia expects risk‑averse clients to favour sector specialists and leaders who combine transformation capability with high EQ and psychological safety [0:32:48–0:34:49]. Kat is broadly optimistic: AI can “supercharge your knowledge” while leaving creativity and originality firmly human [0:29:40–0:31:54].

Broad messaging does not create wealth. Specificity does. In this episode of The Level Up Podcast, Paul Alex breaks down why narrowing your target audience can create more trust, more authority, and more pricing power. Let's be real… If your message speaks to everyone… It usually connects with no one. And if your offer is built for the entire planet… The right client may never feel like it was built for them. In this episode, you'll learn: Why specialists get paid more than generalists How narrowing your audience creates instant trust Why dominating one niche is stronger than chasing every market How niche authority creates premium pricing and stronger referrals The truth is simple: The riches are in the niches. When a prospect has a specific problem… They do not want a generic solution. They want the expert who understands their exact situation. Their pain. Their industry. Their goal. Their desired outcome. High-level operators do not try to catch every fish. They choose the pond. They own the territory. They become known for one specific result. And they charge premium rates because they become the obvious choice. Stop trying to please the masses. Narrow the target. Dominate the niche. Own the space. And keep leveling up. Your Network is your NETWORTH! Make sure to add me on all SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS: Instagram: https://jo.my/paulalex2024Facebook: https://jo.my/fbpaulalex2024YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGhDAD1JyGGzSQUPD9lc9HQLinkedIn: https://jo.my/inpaulalex2024 Looking for a secondary source of income or want to become an entrepreneur? Check out one of my companies below to see if we can help you: www.CashSwipe.com FREE Copy of my book “Blue to Digital Gold - The New American Dream”www.officialPaulAlex.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If this resonated with you, here are additional resources: ⭐ APPLY TO SHIFT: https://sidehustlepro.co/shiftWhen I launched Side Hustle Pro, I thought success would be measured by downloads, rankings, sponsorships, and audience growth. And while reaching 10 million downloads is a milestone I'm incredibly grateful for, I've learned that the true value of podcasting has very little to do with the number itself.In this episode, I share the biggest lessons I've learned after more than 500 episodes and 10 million downloads. From building meaningful relationships and creating opportunities I never could have predicted to developing new business offers, growing a loyal community, and gaining clarity on my next chapter, podcasting became much more than a content platform. It became a vehicle for transformation.Whether you're a podcaster, entrepreneur, creator, or professional looking to build your personal brand, this episode will challenge you to think differently about what you're creating and how it can become the bridge to where you want to go next.Main TakeawaysDownloads are not the destination. Trust, relationships, and opportunity are the true assets.A podcast can become a powerful networking tool that opens doors you never expected.Specificity and niching down accelerate discoverability, growth, and community building.Podcasting can help you validate ideas, package your expertise, and build your next business offerHighlights Include00:00 – The lesson behind 10 million podcast downloads01:16 – Why podcasting became my most powerful networking tool03:28 – The new podcasting playbook for creators and entrepreneurs04:17 – Building trust through the intimacy of audio05:39 – My thoughts on video podcasting and discoverability10:34 – Why niche podcasts grow faster than general ones14:50 – Trust as the most valuable asset you build16:27 – How Side Hustle Pro led to national media opportunities18:30 – The unexpected doors podcasting opened for my career20:04 – Why most podcasts struggle to grow21:36 – How podcasting became the bridge to my next chapter23:52 – Why I created the Shift ProgramLinks Mentioned in This EpisodeShift Program: https://sidehustlepro.co/shiftWatch & ListenWatch this episode on YouTube and listen on all podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/side-hustle-pro/id1126021323Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/13qDj08lBR4ymzGhXIKy8tYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/sidehustleproAnnouncementsApplications are now open for Shift, my 12-week coaching program designed to help experienced professionals package their expertise into a profitable offer, identify their first clients, and confidently launch their next chapter.Learn more and apply at: https://sidehustlepro.co/shiftSocial MediaInstagram: @sidehustlepro Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We explore in this episode why generic "how-to" content no longer works in a world where information is commoditized and infinite. The conversation breaks down how creators, coaches, and business owners can move from broad, viral-but-broke content to precise messaging that actually generates high-quality leads and buyers. Using vivid analogies like the "megaphone vs. dog whistle," weight loss and business examples, and the idea of 1,000 true fans, the episode shows how specificity, storytelling, and belief-shifting turn content into real demand. "Generic content optimizes for reach; specific content creates demand." Key Points: Information is commoditized; generic tips are worthless Viral reach ≠ qualified leads or buyers Think like a specialist, not a generalist Use "dog whistle" messaging for your exact dream client Close the "specificity gap" between your words and their experience Name their exact pains, symptoms, and situations Shift beliefs, don't just teach more information Steal clients' exact language from calls and DMs Name an enemy (e.g., generic content, crash diets, grind culture) Anchor messages to specific moments, not just numbers Specificity feels smaller but actually increases demand Focus on 1,000 true fans, not vanity metrics Connect with Jason Meland: Email: jason@goliveonlinemastermind.com Website: https://www.growmyvisibility.com/ Instagram: @coachjasonmeland Facebook: Jason Meland - In Demand Coach LinkedIn: Jason Meland

You already know what you need to do. This episode builds the structure that helps you actually do it.What You Will LearnWhy the traditional definition of consistency was never designed for your real life — and the more accurate, more empowering definition that replaces itThe critical distinction between consistency and intensity, and why confusing the two keeps driven people stuck in cycles instead of trajectoriesWhat consistency actually looks like for the entrepreneur building inside of a full life — the unglamorous, cumulative, irreplaceable versionThe compound effect of showing up small, and why the flat season before the breakthrough is not stagnation — it is accumulationThe four clauses of The Consistency Contract: the Non-Negotiable, the Floor, the Return Ritual, and the Visibility SystemWhy resentment after a missed commitment is almost always an identity story — and how the Return Ritual interrupts itThe direct, unbreakable connection between consistent action and the credibility that makes everything else in your business possibleThe framework introduced in this episode gives  four concrete building blocks for developing genuine consistency: Clause One: Define Your Non-NegotiableIdentify the single practice that, if honored consistently, moves your vision forward more than anything else. Specificity is everything here. Not a category — a commitment. Clause Two: Set the Floor, Not the CeilingEstablish the minimum viable version of your non-negotiable — the version you can honor on your hardest day. A floor maintained is infinitely more valuable than a ceiling reached twice and then abandoned. Clause Three: Build the Return RitualDecide in advance how you will come back after an interruption — without self-flagellation, without grand recommitment ceremonies, and without waiting for the perfect re-entry moment. The return ritual removes the drama from the inevitable miss. Clause Four: Make Consistency VisibleCreate a system that gives you evidence of your own showing up. Visible consistency becomes proof. Proof becomes identity. And identity — the belief that you are someone who shows up — becomes the most durable motivation available.

Fan Mail: Tell Wendy how you're saying yes to yourself!Join Wendy for her dreamy Summer Solstice White Party on Saturday June 20, 2026 —an al fresco evening of delicious food, intention-setting, and celebration at the Phineas Wright House. Wear white, gather at the long table in the field, and toast to the season ahead. Save you seat here: phineaswrighthouse.com/the-shop/p/summer-solstice-white-partyIn this episode, Wendy sits down with Lynn Harris, founder of Gold Comedy and an industry veteran who's spent her career at the intersection of entertainment and social change. After 5 years of eldercare and other demands, Lynn is saying yes to herself again by setting boundaries, scheduling creative projects, and pursuing her own work.They explore:How comedy works as a delivery system for challenging conversations and cultural shiftWhy the specificity of storytelling creates unexpected connection across differenceWhat it means to set boundaries and reclaim your creative life after burnoutLynn talks about the social contract of comedy and when you attend a show, you're required to listen to someone, even if they don't look like you or share your background. That simple act normalizes different perspectives and creates the possibility for cultural change. She's built Gold Comedy to help women and underrepresented voices succeed in comedy and entertainment, because the industry hasn't evolved enough since the 90s. Her insight is clear: it's not that women need to speak up more. It's that people need to listen.Connect with Lynn:GoldComedy.comDiscount Code Coming Soon!Youtube.com/GoldComedyInstagram: instagram.com/goldcomedyReferenced in this Episode:Boundary Boss by Terri Cole: amazon.com/dp/1683647688?tag=syty-20A Course in Miracles Links:amazon.com/Course-Miracles-Combined-Quality/dp/1883360242?tag=syty-20marianne.com/acim/apps.apple.com/us/app/acim-remind/id737568020________________________________________________________________________________________Connect with Wendy:LinkedinInstagram: @wendy.harropFacebook: Phineas Wright HouseWebsite: Phineas Wright House PWH Farm StaysPWH Curated Experience and TravelInterested in being a guest on the show? Send your pitch to podcast@phineaswrighthouse.comPodcast Production By Shannon Warner of Resonant Collective Want to start your own podcast? Let's chat!If this episode resonated, follow Say YES to Yourself! and leave a  5-star review. It helps more women in midlife discover the tools, stories, and community that make saying YES not only possible, but powerful.

The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk www.LearningLeader.com New Book - The Price of Becoming www.LearningLeader.com/Becoming Ron Friedman is a psychologist and researcher who has spent his career studying what separates great teams from average ones. His research, which has surveyed thousands of professionals across dozens of industries, became the second most-read article in Harvard Business Review history. He is the author of three books, including his latest, Superteams: The Science and Secrets of High-Performing Teams. This is brought to you by Insight Global. If you need to hire one person, hire a team of people, or transform your business through Talent or Technical Services, Insight Global's team of 30,000 people around the world has the hustle and grit to deliver. Key Learnings Ron's dad threw himself into impossible challenges and taught his family the dignity of hard work. A physician in Israel, he didn't want his son in the army, so he picked up the phone and started dialing hospitals in New York City until he landed a job at NYU. He pulled his family out of a country he knew, didn't speak the language fluently, and succeeded anyway. Ron dedicated Super Teams to him. He recently passed away. Only 8% of teams qualify as super teams. Ron's team polled thousands of workers and asked two questions: How effective is your team at meeting its goals? And how does it compare to others in your industry? Super teams hit the perfect score. The only office amenity that statistically drives performance: quiet space for focused work. Not the gym. Not the ping-pong table. Most offices are an attentional war zone. That's why people prefer working from home. How a team works matters more than where a team works. Remote, hybrid, in-office. The data shows none of those predict performance. Intention does. Don't make meetings the default. Make them the last resort. Super teams are 50% better at avoiding unnecessary meetings and 54% less likely to schedule recurring ones. Recurring meetings are insidious. Once they're on the calendar, removing one feels like breaking up with someone. So they just live there forever. Ron's rule: no decision, no meeting. Have a question? Pick up the phone. Have an update? Record a video or send an email. Don't pull people away from their work. The average worker loses 18 hours a week to meetings. And another 11 hours to messages. That's three-quarters of the week gone before they've achieved a single task. Meeting-free days cut stress in half and increase productivity by 71%. People go home feeling satisfied because they were able to actually do the work. Three pillars of super teams: They get more done by managing time, energy, and attention. They don't just collaborate. They actively make each other better. They're never satisfied. They're constantly building skills and improving. Recovery isn't passive. Scrolling Instagram or binging Netflix helps you wind down, but it doesn't restore your energy. Mastery experiences do. Learn a new song. Try pickleball. Cook a new recipe. When leaders recover, their teams perform better. A well-rested leader shows up in a positive mood. That mood lifts the team. Investing in your own recovery isn't selfish. It moves your team forward. The best leaders support their people's side hustles. Not because they assign them, but because their people feel they have permission to grow outside the job. That's a signal you care about the person, not just the output. Three factors predict trust in a leader: competence, caring, consistency. Any one of them breaks down and trust breaks down. "How was your weekend?" is lame. Be specific. Ask about the kid's soccer game by name. Specificity proves you actually thought about the person. People need to be appreciated for who they are, not just what they do. That's how they feel cared for. The top three characteristics of toxic teammates: unreliable, bad attitude, and arrogant. The top three characteristics of the best teammates: knowledgeable, dependable, and a good communicator. Notice what's not on the list. Funny. Good listener. Caring. Those are nice-to-haves. They don't move the team forward. The best teammates make excellence the norm. On super teams, 94% say their teammates motivate them to do their best work. On super teams, 82% say they feel worse about letting down their teammates than their manager. When people know their teammates are counting on them, they work harder. Constant togetherness is not collaboration. The Succession writers' room cycled between solo writing and group critique. Real collaboration protects focus time first. Brainwriting beats brainstorming. Have people generate ideas alone first, then bring them to the room. You get higher quantity and higher quality ideas. 97% of feedback fails to lift performance. Over a third actively makes it worse. What does the 3% do differently? Focus on one thing at a time. Future-oriented, not past-oriented. Top performers want to know what they did wrong. Confidence allows them to absorb criticism and correct it. Most people aren't there. Gauge the feedback to the person. Great football coaches give feedback differently to the quarterback than the lineman. Know your people. Adjust your approach. Comedians get better at the Comedy Cellar because of what happens next door. Seinfeld, Chappelle, and Schumer gather at the Lemon Tree Cafe after sets to critique each other. Ryan calls it the "see it, say it" mentality, an ethos his teammate Geron Stokes brings every day. Great compliment, say it. Falling short of the standard, say it. The best teammates care enough to tell you how you can improve. Ron's champagne moment a year from now: his 19-year-old daughter landing a finance internship she earned on her own. Reflection Questions What's your recurring meeting that should be a breakup conversation? When was the last time you asked a teammate something specific about their life, by name? Or are you defaulting to "how was your weekend?" What's your version of the Comedy Cellar's Lemon Tree Cafe? Who do you go to for the candid feedback that makes you better? More Learning #422: Ron Friedman - How to Reverse Engineer Excellence #535: Geron Stokes - Maximizing People #647: Tim Ferriss - Effectiveness Over Efficiency Podcast Chapters 00:00 The Price of Becoming - Pre-Order Now! 01:09 Meet Ron Friedman 02:41 Ron's Dad and the Dignity of Hard Work 03:47 Two Workplaces, Two Cultures, One Lesson 06:01 The Super Teams Methodology 07:13 The Only Office Amenity That Drives Performance 08:50 How a Team Works Matters More Than Where 13:06 The Three Pillars of Super Teams 16:11 Meeting Guidelines That Actually Work 18:42 The Power of Meeting-Free Days 22:23 Why Guidelines Beat Rules 23:40 Side Hustles, Recovery, and the Goldman Sachs CEO Who DJs 28:53 The Three Factors of Trust: Competence, Caring, Consistency 30:13 Why "How Was Your Weekend?" Is Lame 31:02 Get Specific or Don't Bother 31:22 The Manager Who Asked About Miranda by Name 32:08 The Spreadsheet for Remembering People 33:09 What Makes a Toxic Teammate 35:05 Chevy Chase and the Cost of Burning Bridges 35:52 The Best vs. Worst Teammate Traits 37:08 How Tom Brady Lifted an Entire Organization 38:06 Why Super Teams Hold Each Other Accountable 39:39 Inside the Succession Writers' Room 40:46 Brainwriting Beats Brainstorming 41:41 The Candid Feedback Culture That Drives Improvement 43:06 Painting in Red: The Power

In this episode of Top Agents Playbook, Ray Wood speaks with Dr. Tim Stafford, a professor, learning strategist, futurist and specialist in online learning and digital engagement.Tim shares a powerful framework for understanding how people engage in crowded digital spaces — something every real estate agent needs to understand in today's noisy social media environment.At the heart of the conversation is Tim's “4 U's” framework for human engagement online:Useful — Your content must quickly show people that it solves a real problem.Unique — Your message needs to clearly communicate what makes you different from every other agent, business or brand competing for attention.Urgent — Not in a panic-driven way, but by helping your audience understand why the issue matters now.Ultra-specific — Vague content gets ignored. Specific content builds credibility, clarity and trust.Ray and Tim discuss why most marketing fails because it focuses too heavily on the product or service, rather than the problem the audience is trying to solve. For real estate agents, this means moving beyond generic posts like “Thinking of selling?” and instead creating content that speaks directly to the concerns, questions and emotions of homeowners and buyers.A major theme of the episode is trust. Tim explains that trust is not built by simply telling people you are an expert. It is built when your audience feels you understand their problem, have solved it before and can guide them with confidence.The conversation also explores how AI is changing the future of marketing, learning and business. Tim explains that AI is especially powerful at removing the “blank page” problem and helping people move faster through the early stages of creating content, courses, research and strategy. But he also makes the important point that AI does not replace human nuance, judgement or expertise — it helps accelerate the work humans already do well.For real estate agents, this episode offers a practical reminder: success online is not about posting more random content. It is about building a long-term digital community around useful, specific and emotionally relevant conversations.Key Takeaways for Real Estate AgentsReal estate agents are not just competing with other agents — they are competing with everything in the social media feed.Your content must show value quickly.The best marketing starts with the audience's problem, not your service.Specificity builds trust faster than broad claims.AI can help agents create better content faster, but the human insight still matters.Long-term digital trust is built through consistent, relevant conversations.Connect with Tim at https://drtimstafford.com

Updated re-release. A year ago we left one question unresolved. Where do foundational AI models end and where do the applications begin? Nick Tippmann returns in a fresh epilogue.  A year on, the tension has only sharpened. Specificity is the differentiator when inches matter. Nick Tippmann, founding partner of TipTop VC, explains how vertical AI is rewriting the software industry by going deeper instead of wider. From the transition beyond SaaS to the gray zone between foundational models and high-stakes applications, we get into how vertical AI can transform laggard industries and why Austin might lead the race.The Agenda00:00 Defining vertical AI05:07 Where general AI fails09:36 Vertical AI software, not just chatbots16:44 Pricing logic after the seat model24:04 Underwriting at pre-seed and seed 27:20 Capital intensity and seed-strapping36:48 TAM analysis and the Frontiers Market example41:46 OpenAI's Instacart hire and the gray zone45:55 Austin as a vertical AI hub58:21 Epilogue: Where the models end and applications beginGuest Links and BiosNick Tippmann, TipTop VCNick Tippmann is the Founder and Managing Partner of TipTop Ventures, an early-stage venture fund focused on Vertical AI. Before becoming an investor, Nick spent nearly a decade as a founding team member and CMO at Greenlight Guru, where he helped scale the company from zero to category leader with more than 250 employees, tens of millions in ARR, and a nine-figure investment from JMI Equity.An operator turned investor, Nick now partners with founders building industry-specific AI and software businesses, bringing hands-on experience in go-to-market strategy, scaling, community building, fundraising, and company development. He has also been an active angel investor since 2021, with more than 100 startup investments. -------------------Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedInEcosystem Metacognition Substack

In this episode of Designed for the Creative Mind, Michelle sits down with copywriter and brand voice expert Kamala Nair to talk about the missing piece in so many interior design businesses: messaging that actually connects. Kamala shares why stunning portfolios alone are no longer enough to stand out in a saturated market and explains how strategic storytelling can help designers attract the right clients, communicate their value, and create a brand that feels memorable and magnetic. From finding your "hook" to embracing authenticity in the age of AI-generated content, this conversation is packed with insights for designers who want their words to work just as hard as their visuals. In This Episode, We Cover: Why beautiful images alone don't convert clients The biggest messaging mistake interior designers make How generic copy creates distrust with potential clients What a strong brand "hook" really is Why authenticity matters more than polished perfection How to communicate transformation instead of just services Using storytelling to create emotional connection Why your website should speak to clients, not other designers How AI-generated copy can dilute your brand voice Ways to use your messaging across your website, social media, proposals, and discovery calls The importance of getting specific about your ideal client How Kamala built a niche copywriting business exclusively for interior designers Strategies for making time for business growth and strategic thinking The role discomfort and risk-taking play in entrepreneurship Key Takeaways Your portfolio gets attention. Your messaging builds connection. Clients may initially be drawn in by beautiful photos, but it's the story behind the work that creates emotional resonance and trust. Specificity is what makes brands memorable. Generic phrases like "timeless interiors" or "luxury living" aren't enough to differentiate you. Kamala explains how designers can uncover what truly makes them different and communicate it clearly. Authenticity converts better than perfection. In a world full of AI-generated content and copy that sounds the same, imperfect but genuine messaging often connects more deeply than polished generic language. Great marketing sells the feeling, not the product. Kamala shares the famous Rolls-Royce advertising example to illustrate how successful brands sell transformation and experience rather than just features. Favorite Quote "Your specificity and your authenticity are what sell you." Resources Mentioned An American Marriage by Tayari Jones The "Alice Audit" brand messaging intensive with Kamala Nair Connect with Kamala Nair Website: Kamala Nair Inc. Instagram: @kamalanair Connect with Michelle The Design Bakehouse Michelle Lynne Interiors Sidemark If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a fellow designer and leave a review to help more creatives discover the show.  

Parents often wonder why chiropractic adjustments are so quick and whether every child is getting the same treatment. In this episode, Dr. Tony Ebel breaks down the two most common questions he hears from families: why are adjustments so short, and how is care truly personalized? He explains the "less is more" principle, why the healing actually happens between visits — not on the table — and how a two-minute neurotonal adjustment can be more powerful and effective than an hour of nonstop therapy. Dr. Tony also addresses why an over-adjusted or overstimulated nervous system simply stops receiving input, and why frequency and the totality of a care plan matter far more than the length of any single visit.-----Key Topics & Timestamps05:00 C1 vs. C2: Why It Looks the Same But Isn't 07:00 Neurotonal Care, the PX Docs Certification & the "Less Is More" Principle 13:00 What Happens When a Dysregulated Nervous System Gets Overloaded 18:00 Frequency, Specificity & What Happens Between Visits 21:00 The Exercise Analogy: Why Overdoing It Stalls Progress 26:00 The Baseball Analogy: Setting the Stage for Bigger Healing 34:00 The Computer Analogy: Limited Processing Power & the Freeze State 41:00 How to Track Progress: Soft Signs & INSiGHT Scans 44:00 Ask Your Doctor for More & Trust the Process-- Follow us on Socials: Instagram: @pxdocsFacebook: Dr. Tony Ebel & The PX Docs NetworkYoutube: The PX DocsFor more information, visit PXDocs.com to read informative articles about the power of Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care.Find a PX Doc Office near me: PX DOCS DirectoryTo watch Dr. Tony's 30 min Perfect Storm Webinar: Click Here

The Types of Instagram Reels That Actually Get Therapists Private Pay Client Inquiries If you've been posting reels consistently but still not getting DMs or consultation requests — this episode is going to shift how you think about your content. In this episode, Liz Fernandez breaks down why most therapists aren't getting client inquiries from Instagram Reels and what to do instead. The problem isn't the algorithm. It's the type of content being created. Most therapists are using reels to educate — sharing tips, explaining mental health concepts, providing helpful advice. And while that content has value, it doesn't create the moment that leads to inquiries. The reels that generate client inquiries do something different. They create recognition. They help the right person see themselves in the content. In This Episode You'll Hear: Why educational reels aren't converting into client inquiries The three elements that make a hook stop the scroll: identity, relatability, and specificity How one reel reached over 1 million views and brought in new clients — and exactly why it worked How one of Liz's clients shifted her content strategy and gained 108 ideal new followers and multiple inquiries from a single reel Why recognition-based content is the key to attracting private pay clients on Instagram This Episode Is For You If: You're a therapist or coach posting reels but not getting DMs or consultation requests You want to understand what actually makes Instagram content convert into client inquiries You're ready to stop posting and hoping — and start creating content with intention You want private pay clients finding you through Instagram consistently Key Takeaways: The three elements of a hook that converts: Identity — signal clearly who the content is for Relatability — name an experience your ideal client recognizes instantly Specificity — paint a specific picture that stops the scroll (not "crowded places overwhelm me" — "Costco on a Sunday") When someone feels understood by your content, they are far more likely to reach out. That is the power of recognition-based content. Keywords: Instagram reels for therapists, how to get therapy clients on Instagram, private pay clients Instagram, therapist Instagram content strategy, Instagram reels that convert, how to get client inquiries from Instagram, therapist marketing on Instagram, Instagram hooks for therapists, six figure therapist, grow private practice Instagram Work With Liz The 90-Minute Content Intensive Ready to get clear on your niche, optimize your Instagram profile, and build the foundation that turns profile visitors into client inquiries? In this one-on-one intensive, Liz personally helps you set up your Instagram so it works like a client-attracting platform — simply and strategically. Book Your Intensive → https://hello.dubsado.com/public/appointment-scheduler/6a03631e48908760ac0e1f3e/schedule Private Coaching If you're looking for personalized, ongoing support to grow your private pay practice using Instagram, private coaching might be the right fit. Liz works with a small number of therapists and coaches who are ready to go all in. Explore Private Coaching → https://hello.dubsado.com/public/appointment-scheduler/65c32d0c5d72204299a14b50/schedule Six Figure Therapist Collective The group program for therapists and coaches who want Instagram to consistently bring private pay client inquiries. Inside, you'll work on niche positioning, content that converts, and building a system that generates inquiries year round — in the simplest way possible. Join the Waitlist → https://thelizfernandez.com/sixfiguretherapist Six Figure Scaled — Mastermind Waitlist For therapists and coaches who are ready to move beyond one-on-one and build group offers. If you're thinking about your next level, get on the waitlist now. Join the Six Figure Scaled Waitlist → https://thelizfernandez.com/6fswaitlist Free Resource: 30 Hooks Guide Not sure how to start your reels or captions? Grab Liz's free 30 Hooks Guide — 30 proven hooks designed specifically for therapists and coaches to stop the scroll and attract the right clients. Download the Free Guide → https://thelizfernandez.com/freebie Connect With Liz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelizfernandez.co/ Website: https://thelizfernandez.com/ If this episode helped you think differently about your Instagram content, share it with a therapist or coach who needs to hear it. And make sure you're following the podcast — next episodes break down how to turn carousels and Instagram Stories into client inquiries too.

GG Hawkins talks with writer-director Chandler Levack about making I Like Movies, Mile End Kicks, and Roommates, and how Levack protects a specific filmmaking voice while moving between indie features and studio comedy. They discuss the realities of Canadian film financing, directing with limited time and bigger resources, building cinematic worlds through research and memory, and why filmmakers have to keep making work instead of treating one movie as their only chance. In this episode, No Film School's GG Hawkins and guest Chandler Levack discuss... How I Like Movies helped open doors for Mile End Kicks Why Mile End Kicks had to be shot in Montreal's Mile End neighborhood The overlap of finishing one film while prepping and shooting another What changed when Levack moved from indie filmmaking to a studio comedy How music journalism shaped Levack's directing and world building Why specificity in props, costumes, locations, and character details matters Navigating male-dominated creative spaces as a woman filmmaker The value and complications of film criticism Building a body of work through collaboration, experimentation, and persistence Memorable Quotes: “For me, I mean I'm obsessed with specificity.” “I think for me once I realized that filmmaking is just talking about treating fake people like they're real…” “It's weird. It's the only job where you're failing in public…” “The greatest thing you can do as a filmmaker is just exist and keep making stuff good and bad and having a body of work is like the most important thing…” Guests: Chandler Levack Find No Film School everywhere: On the Web: No Film School Facebook: No Film School on Facebook Twitter: No Film School on Twitter YouTube: No Film School on YouTube Instagram: No Film School on Instagram

The Layer Underneath Every Six-Figure Plateau You've rebuilt the funnel, rewritten the sales page, added another bonus, and tested every subject line. But when your launch numbers come in… your revenue hasn't budged.  There's a layer sitting underneath every funnel and every sales page. It's a strategic decision most six-figure founders have never been taught to examine, and when it's off, it creates a very specific pattern of revenue inconsistency that no amount of optimization can fix. It's called positioning. In this episode, I'm walking you through what positioning actually is, how it's different from messaging, and three signals that tell you it's the layer that needs your attention first. By the end, you'll know where the leak in your business actually lives, and you'll have three concrete starting actions to take before your next launch. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Revenue highs are exciting. The unexplainable dips that follow? Not so much. If your coaching, course, or membership business is at $150K or more, the problem isn't that things aren't working. It's that you can't yet see what is. And you can't repeat what you can't see. My free live training, The Revenue Consistency Formula, fixes that. Click here to learn what's actually behind your numbers and how to bank on them. The Milly Club Made to Scale Mastermind HERE ARE THE 3 KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE: 1️⃣ Positioning Is the Decision Before the Words — Messaging is the words on the page. Positioning is who those words were written for, what stage they're in, and what exact problem you're solving for them. Get that clear and your copy starts working. Leave it fuzzy and you'll rewrite the sales page ten times and watch the number stay the same. 2️⃣ Clarity Creates Confidence — When you keep softening the language around your price, it shows up as a confidence problem. Specificity in your positioning is what creates the confidence. When the right person reads your offer and sees themselves in the first three sentences, the number stops being something they're weighing. 3️⃣ A Funnel Can't Fix a Positioning Problem — Every funnel sits on top of one question: who is this offer for, and what exact problem does it solve for them? When positioning hasn't answered that, no email sequence ever will. Fix the layer underneath the funnel before you optimize anything else. MORE FROM ME Follow me on Instagram @amyporterfield SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps us reach more entrepreneurs who need these insights.

Lindsay Jurist-Rosner, Co-Founder and CEO of Wellthy, and Stephan Dolling, AVP of Global Benefits & Well-being at Merck, joined us on The Modern People Leader. We talked about the rising pressures facing working families and what companies can do to support their employees that are caregivers.----  Sponsor Links:

Alyssa-Joy Spence & Christian Amdi join KOLT to discuss how science and technology are changing how we approach rules in Powerlifting, and deep dive into the debate about specificity in training for Powerlifting (1 hour, 7 minutes in). Hosted by Eric Helms and 6 Pack Lapadat

Women's Leadership Success Podcast — Episode 161Executive Summary: In 2026's era of mass layoffs and rapid restructuring, talented women leaders are being thrust into expanded roles before they feel ready. Executive coach Sabrina Braham reveals the 3-move framework — drawn from 30+ years of client breakthroughs — that transforms overwhelm into executive presence and lasting confidence.Quick Takeaways:75% of executive women have experienced imposter syndrome — even after earning their seat (KPMG).The skills that made you successful at your last level often stop working at the next one.Confidence is not certainty — it's steadiness while uncertainty still exists.Silence creates anxiety; even imperfect clarity helps teams move forward.Leadership doesn't begin when confidence arrives — it begins when you decide to move anyway.The Role Just Got Bigger. Your Confidence Hasn't Caught Up. Now What?You didn't plan for this. The promotion path you imagined — deliberate, supported, well-timed — isn't what happened. Instead, a reorganization happened. Layoffs happened. Two managers left in the same week. And suddenly, you're carrying responsibilities that didn't exist in your job description six months ago, with a team looking to you for answers you're not sure you have yet.If this sounds familiar, you're not behind. You're right on time.I'm Sabrina Braham, MA, MFT, PCC — executive leadership coach with over 30 years of experience helping senior women leaders step into bigger roles with confidence and clarity. The Women's Leadership Success Podcast has surpassed 900,000 downloads and is ranked in the top 1.5% of podcasts globally. Clients include leaders at Stanford University, Ernst & Young, Autodesk, and companies of all sizes — from high-growth startups to global enterprises.In Episode 161, my husband and co-producer Tim Warren turns the microphone around and interviews me — because over the past year, one challenge has shown up in virtually every coaching engagement I've had: talented, proven leaders being asked to lead roles that expanded faster than their confidence. This episode — and this guide — is for you.The 2026 Reality: Forced Expansion Is the New Normal for Women LeadersWhat's happening in the workplace right now isn't a temporary disruption. It's a structural shift — and it's disproportionately landing on the shoulders of high-performing women.Grant Thornton's 2026 Women in Business research found that women's representation in senior U.S. leadership dropped from 35% to 31% in just two years — precisely as layoffs consolidated organizational structures and eliminated the middle-management layers that once served as leadership on-ramps. Fewer women are getting promoted through deliberate paths, and more are being pulled into expanded roles through organizational necessity.Meanwhile, a March 2026 Stanton Chase study of 132 women executives across 45 countries found that the single most consistent piece of advice from women who had reached the C-suite? Move before you feel ready. More than 50 of the 132 respondents — independently, across industries and continents — said some version of: "Don't wait until you feel 100% prepared."And yet KPMG research shows that 75% of executive women have personally experienced imposter syndrome — even those who have objectively succeeded at the highest levels. That gap between external achievement and internal confidence isn't a character flaw. It's a predictable psychological pattern — and one you can navigate strategically.What "Forced Expansion" Actually Looks LikeForced expansion is what I call the pattern where leaders aren't stepping into bigger roles through a thoughtful promotion path — they're being pulled into them. Someone leaves. A division gets cut. Departments combine. Budgets tighten. And suddenly, one capable leader is carrying the work of two or three.One of my clients last week illustrates this perfectly: an engineer was hired at a top company into a manager role. On his third day, the two other managers in his division quit — and he went from overseeing one section to overseeing all of them. That's not an edge case anymore. That's Tuesday.Another client — a leader in manufacturing — inherited a second, highly technical department she had never led, after a round of layoffs. Her first instinct was: I need to know everything before I speak with confidence. That belief was slowing her down. We changed the model. She stopped trying to be the smartest person in every room. Instead, she began asking sharper questions, clarified priorities, built accountability, and used the expertise already around her. Within months, executives stopped seeing someone who was overwhelmed — and saw someone who was expanding. That changed everything.Why High Performers Struggle Most When Roles ExpandHere's the uncomfortable truth that most leadership advice doesn't address directly: what made you successful at your last level often stops working at the next one.High performers are rewarded for execution, reliability, doing more, and fixing problems personally. But senior leadership rewards something different: direction, judgment, influence, composure, and decision-making without certainty. Many smart leaders try to win the next level using the habits from the last level — and that creates burnout fast.You may recognize yourself in any of these:More responsibility, but less clarity on what success looks likeGreater visibility with senior leaders — with bigger expectations and fewer instructionsPressure to lead confidently while still learning the terrainFeeling capable, but not fully readyWondering how to be seen as promotion-ready when you're still figuring out the new scopeBeing strong technically, but stretched strategicallyIf any of this feels familiar, you are not behind. You are in the exact transition where careers accelerate — or stall. And how you navigate it determines which direction yours goes.The Trap: Waiting for Internal PermissionThe most common behavior I see in leaders experiencing forced expansion is what I call waiting for internal permission. They over-prepare. They hesitate. They second-guess. They believe, somewhere deep down, that they need to know everything before they can speak with confidence.That belief is expensive. It costs you time, opportunity, and the trust of the team waiting for you to lead.The mindset shift that changes everything: stop trying to prove you deserve the role. Start acting like you belong in it. Presence is built in motion. Confidence grows through reps. You become ready by leading.The 3-Move Framework for Leading Before You're ReadyWhen I work with leaders navigating forced expansion, these three moves consistently separate the ones who rise from the ones who stall.Move 1: Define Success ClearlyGet a vivid picture in your mind of what it looks like when you're truly succeeding in this role — not performing, not surviving, but succeeding. What decisions are you making? How is your team showing up? What are senior leaders saying about your impact?Write it down. Specificity is power here. And remember: not everything matters equally. Forced expansion often means 10 priorities land at once — but only two or three actually move the needle right now. Identify those and protect your focus fiercely.Try This Now (10 minutes): Open a blank document and write your answer to this question: "If I'm wildly successful in this expanded role 90 days from now, what is true?" Don't edit. Don't filter. Let yourself see it clearly first.Move 2: Build an Advisory CircleLeadership is not a solo performance. One of the most powerful things you can do in a stretch role is identify the people — inside and outside your organization — who have the expertise, context, and candor to help you navigate.This is not about admitting weakness. It's about operating strategically. The executives who rise fastest in times of organizational change are the ones who mobilize the intelligence around them, not the ones who try to contain every answer personally.Your advisory circle might include: a peer in another department who knows the terrain you've newly inherited; a mentor who has navigated similar transitions; a coach who can help you build your next-level skillset; and experts on your own team whose knowledge you can leverage while you're learning.The Stanton Chase 2026 study found that securing sponsors — people who advocate for you behind closed doors — is the second most consistent differentiator for women who reach the C-suite. A mentor advises you. A sponsor walks into a room where your name isn't being mentioned and makes sure it is.Move 3: Communicate Often — Even Without All the AnswersSilence creates anxiety. Clarity creates momentum. Even imperfect clarity helps teams move.Your team doesn't need you to have all the answers. They need to know someone is navigating — that there is direction, even if the path is still forming. The strongest leaders I know can say: "We don't know everything yet. Here's our next move. We'll adjust as we learn."That kind of leadership doesn't weaken trust. It builds it. Establish a communication rhythm immediately: weekly team check-ins, regular updates to your senior leadership, brief touchpoints with stakeholders in areas you've newly inherited. Don't wait for perfect information. Communicate your thinking, your priorities, and your progress — and invite input along the way.    Coming Soon — Free for Early AccessLeading Before You're ReadyA premium leadership playbook by Sabrina Braham, MA, MFT, PCCThis is the playbook Sabrina created for every high performer navigating more visibility, bigger expectations, and faster timelines — a practical, structured guide for what actually changes at the next level of leadership.? Lead with greater confidence and clarity — right now, not someday? Increase your visibility with the decision-makers who determine your next opportunity? Build executive trust faster in new and expanded roles?...

How long have you been working toward your next level, showing up consistently, wanting more impact, more income, more influence, more freedom, and still feeling like something is not clicking the way you know it should?Here is the truth that changed everything for me. Most people are not lacking ambition. They are lacking awareness. More specifically, most people are trying to achieve Level 5 results with Level 2 habits. The Leadership Ladder does not negotiate with ambition alone. It only responds to growth.In this episode, I walk you through five distinct levels of leadership, what each one looks like in practice, what keeps people stuck at each rung, and exactly what you need to develop to climb to the next level. This is not a theory session. This is a coaching session.You do not rise by wanting more. You rise by becoming more.THE FIVE LEVELS AT A GLANCEThe Participant: Shows up, but primarily for themselves. Waiting for the right circumstances before committing fully.The Producer: Driven and results-focused, but identity is tied to output. Confuses busyness with progress.The Influencer: Earns trust and attracts others, but influence without intention is just noise.The Leader: Fully invested in others' growth. Understands that their ceiling is the collective ceiling of those they develop.The Legacy Leader: No longer asking what they are accomplishing. Asking what they are multiplying.YOUR HOMEWORK THIS WEEKIdentify your current rung with radical honesty. Write it down and name it out loud.Name the single most significant gap between where you are and the next level. Specificity matters.Choose one action this week that reflects the leader you are becoming, not the leader you have been.FREE RESOURCEI created a companion self-assessment quiz to go alongside this episode so you can score exactly where you land on the Leadership Ladder. Twenty-two questions, five levels, and a clear set of next steps tailored to your rung. Download it, print it, take it honestly, and then come tell me where you landed.Access Quiz Here: https://stan.store/Andrea_Gebhardt/p/leadershipladderquiz

In this solo episode, I walk through ChatGPT Images 2.0 and show exactly how to use it to build creative assets that move a business forward, from brand visual directions to UI mockups to apparel mockups and editorial illustrations. I share the AI tool that surprised me this week (Noscroll), hand over a startup idea I want someone to steal (a learn-to-draw app with AI feedback on every sketch), and give you a five-step framework for finding and building a vertical AI business. I end with a Ralph Waldo Emerson quote that fired me up and a reminder to go conquer the day. Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 01:21 – What's New in ChatGPT Images 2.0 03:14 – Best Use Cases for Images 2.0 15:15 – Top Tips for Asset Generation 17:10 – Tool of the Week: Noscroll 20:17 – Startup Idea: Learn-to-Draw App with AI Feedback 24:58 – Framework: How to Find a Vertical AI Business to Build 29:45 – Closing Thoughts and Emerson Quote Key Points ChatGPT Images 2.0 delivers 2K resolution, eight images per prompt, thinking mode with web search, and dramatically better text rendering across languages. Specificity is the whole game with 2.0: dialed-in aesthetic, camera, lighting, palette, subjects, and output dimensions separate cinematic results from stock-looking ones. Every business has four creative bottlenecks: marketing content, internal decks and training, visual explanation, and testing before building. No Scroll is a glimpse into the future of AI agents: small, focused products that read the internet for you and text only what matters. Vertical AI beats horizontal AI for reaching seven and eight figures in ARR because niche workflows plus proprietary data equal defensibility. The Emerson mindset: own the day, finish it, forget the blunders, and begin tomorrow serenely. The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends - https://www.ideabrowser.com LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/ The Vibe Marketer - Resources for people into vibe marketing/marketing with AI: https://www.thevibemarketer.com/ FIND ME ON SOCIAL X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenberg Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/

In this special episode, Eric coaches a listener named Tommy on the most effective strategies to overcome anxiety and build positive habits. Tommy struggles with low-level anxiety, self-doubt, and difficulty acting on healthy intentions. He knows exercise and social connection help his anxiety, but often defaults to avoidance and self-criticism instead. Eric introduces his SPAR framework: Specificity, Prompt, Alignment, and Resilience, to help Tommy create actionable plans and overcome mental hurdles. They also explore self-compassion as a tool for breaking the cycle of guilt and inaction, emphasizing that lasting change requires both structure and kindness toward oneself. Exciting News!!! My new book, How a Little Becomes a Lot: The Art of Small Changes for a More Meaningful Life is now available! Key Takeaways: Discussion of the challenges in following through on positive behaviors like exercise and social connection. Exploration of internal struggles, including a harsh inner critic and feelings of shame and inadequacy. Importance of creating specific, actionable plans to bridge the gap between knowledge and action. Introduction of the SPAR method: Specificity, Prompt, Alignment, and Resilience. Examination of the cycle of avoidance and guilt related to anxiety. Strategies for setting clear intentions and reducing ambiguity in daily plans. Emphasis on the role of momentum in managing anxiety and maintaining positive behaviors. Techniques for reframing negative self-talk and treating oneself with kindness. Encouragement to focus on small successes and build a supportive environment for change. For full show notes:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠⁠!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you enjoyed this special episode, check out these other episodes: How a Little Becomes a Lot: A Real Coaching Session on Small Changes That Stick How to Create Elastic Habits that Adapt to Your Day with Stephen Guise By purchasing products and/or services from our sponsors, you are helping to support The One You Feed, and we greatly appreciate it. Thank you! This episode is sponsored by: Brodo Broth: Shop the best broth on the planet with Brodo.  Head to Brodo.com/TOYF for 20% off your first subscription order and use code TOYF for an additional $10 off. Quince: Refresh your wardrobe with Quince by going to Quince.com/feed for free shipping and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too. Rocket Money Let Rocket Money help you reach your financial goals faster. Join at rocketmoney.com/feed. Pebl – an AI-powered platform that helps companies hire and manage global teams in 185+ countries. Get a free estimate at hipebl.ai Hello Fresh – Get 10 free meals + a FREE Zwilling Knife (a $144.99 value) on your third box. Offer valid while supplies last. David Protein bars deliver up to 28g of protein for just 150 calories—without sacrificing taste! For a limited time, our listeners can receive this special deal: buy 4 cartons and get the 5th free when you go to www.davidprotein.com/FEED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

These episodes of #thePOZcast, live from Unleash 2026 in Las Vegas, are proudly brought to you by our friends at PIN. AI recruiting tools that automate candidate sourcing, screening, and scheduling across 850M+ profiles. Built for recruiters, agencies, and hiring teams. Learn more and check out a demo:  https://www.pin.com/book-a-demo?via=adam-posner Thanks for listening, and please follow us on Insta @NHPTalent and www.youtube.com/thePOZcast For all episodes, please check out www.thePOZcast.com About: Suzan Vulaj is a seasoned talent acquisition leader with a proven track record in global recruitment strategies. Currently serving as the Senior Vice President of Global Talent Acquisition at NBCUniversal, Suzan has been instrumental in creating exceptional candidate experiences through innovative problem-solving for over 20 years. Her expertise spans various industries, including media, technology, and commerce. Before joining NBCUniversal, Suzan held key roles such as Director of Global Talent Acquisition at Pitney Bowes and Senior Talent Manager for Internal Mobility at McGraw-Hill Financial. She also contributed her skills as an HR Manager at Standard & Poor's and a Staffing Consultant at Google. Suzan's academic foundation includes a degree from Pace University's Lubin School of Business. Her leadership style embodies a dynamic blend of collaboration, resilience, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. Beyond this, Suzan is a champion of innovation, always seeking creative solutions to enhance organizational culture and attract top talent. Her ability to inspire teams and foster growth makes her a transformative force in any professional setting. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Opening + UNLEASH floor energy01:10 Intro to Suzan Vulaj (NBCUniversal TA Leader)02:30 From marketing to recruiting: Suzan's journey04:30 Leading a 100+ person global TA team06:00 What makes a great recruiter today08:30 Recruiters as brand ambassadors + influencers10:30 Why hiring managers must be fully engaged12:30 Fixing broken intake & expectation setting14:30 TA tech stack: building around the ATS16:30 AI fear vs reality inside recruiting teams18:30 How to train recruiters through change (safe spaces)20:30 The return to “old school” recruiting22:30 The problem with 8,000 applicants per role24:30 Candidate fraud + AI-generated applications26:30 Shortlisting & cutting through the noise28:30 The emotional toll of recruiting (constant rejection)30:30 Managing recruiter mindset & engagement32:00 Re-engaging silver medalists (“for your consideration”)34:00 Pipelining talent before roles open36:00 What messages actually get a recruiter's attention38:00 The 10-second resume scan reality40:00 Conference insights: failure, change & adaptability42:00 Reframing failure as experimentation44:00 Advice for job seekers today45:30 Closing + where to connect

In this special episode, Eric coaches a listener named Birgit as she rebuilds her daily routine after a long-term illness and her children leaving home. Together, they explore practical strategies for habit formation, focusing on starting with a consistent healthy habits. Using frameworks like SPAR and RENEW, they discuss breaking habits into small steps, planning ahead, and responding compassionately to setbacks. The conversation highlights the importance of structure, self-kindness, and progress over perfection, offering listeners actionable advice for building sustainable routines during life transitions. Exciting News!!! Coming in March, 2026, my new book, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠How a Little Becomes a Lot: The Art of Small Changes for a More Meaningful Life is now available for pre-orders!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Key Takeaways: Rebuilding life after a long-term illness and navigating changes in daily structure. Establishing a consistent morning routine, focusing on a healthy breakfast habit. The importance of specificity and simplicity in habit formation. Strategies for reducing decision fatigue and avoiding procrastination. The SPA framework: Specificity, Prompts, Alignment, and Resilience for habit building. The RENEW framework for resetting habits after setbacks: Recognize, Embrace your Why, Neutralize emotional drama, Extract the lesson, and Walk forward. The role of self-compassion and positive self-talk in maintaining habits. The significance of small, manageable actions to overcome resistance. The impact of environmental setup on habit formation and behavior. Emphasizing progress over perfection in the journey of habit change. For full show notes:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠⁠!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you enjoyed this episode, check out these other episodes: Why Willpower Isn't Enough: The Tiny Habits Method Explained with Dr. BJ Fogg How to Create Elastic Habits that Adapt to Your Day with Stephen Guise By purchasing products and/or services from our sponsors, you are helping to support The One You Feed, and we greatly appreciate it. Thank you! This episode is sponsored by: ⁠Shopify⁠ – The commerce platform that helps you build, grow, and manage your business all in one place. Start your $1/month trial at shopify.com/feed. ⁠Pebl⁠ – an AI-powered platform that helps companies hire and manage global teams in 185+ countries. Get a free estimate at ⁠hipebl.ai⁠ ⁠Brodo Broth⁠: Shop the best broth on the planet with Brodo.  Head to ⁠Brodo.com/TOYF⁠ for 20% off your first subscription order and use code TOYF for an additional $10 off. ⁠Alma⁠ is on a mission to simplify access to high-quality, affordable mental health care. Visit ⁠helloalma.com⁠ to learn more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices