Podcasts about strategic coach

What if “wealth” wasn't about hitting some magic number in your bank account… but instead about clarity, cash flow, and confidence to live a life you never have to retire from?That's exactly what this week's guest, Brian Skrobonja, has helped thousands of high-net-worth entrepreneurs and business owners figure out over the last 30 years.Brian is a nationally recognized wealth advisor, a Forbes Top 10 podcast host, and the creator of the WealthSync Process—a system that goes way beyond rates of return to align your money with your life's bigger purpose.We dive deep into:Why most people define “wealth” the wrong wayHow to think about passive income beyond real estate or investmentsThe psychology of purpose after a business sale or big transitionThe tax blind spots that cost founders millions (and how to avoid them)If you're an entrepreneur who's built wealth, sold a business, or are staring down a transition—you cannot afford to miss this conversation.KEY INSIGHTS & TAKEAWAYS:Wealth Isn't a Number — It's Purpose-Driven Most people chase net worth goals… but often end up miserable. Brian reframes wealth as “funding your purpose,” not just padding your account.Cash Flow is King Assets alone don't equal freedom. Everything should be measured against one question: “How does this affect cash flow?”The Myth of Retirement You can retire from a job—but you don't want to retire from life. Align your money with activities, goals, and impact that keep you engaged and alive.Tax Blind Spots that Burn Millions Business exits, 401Ks, and charitable giving are often mishandled. The difference between structuring a deal before or after signing could be millions saved.The WealthSync Process Brian's proprietary system ties together lifestyle goals, business exits, philanthropy, tax planning, and legacy so your money actually funds your life.TIME STAMPS:[00:00:00] Introduction – Why “clarity, confidence & cash flow” matter more than chasing returns.[00:03:10] The #1 money mistake most couples and founders make.[00:05:51] Brian's backstory: from Croatian family work ethic to building a financial legacy.[00:08:56] The mindset shift from working harder → building passive income.[00:10:38] Introducing the WealthSync Process: aligning money with purpose.[00:14:07] Why $10M net worth can still leave people miserable.[00:16:36] Helping founders after business exits: the “Monday after the sale” question.[00:23:58] CPA blind spots, charitable strategies, and avoiding tax disasters.[00:29:27] Assets to Income: how to make your money actually work for you.[00:31:27] Everything comes back to cash flow.[00:32:33] Build a life you don't have to retire from.In this episode, I sit down with nationally recognized wealth advisor Brian Skrobonja to break down why the traditional wealth path is broken, how passive income actually works, and why wealth isn't a number—it's about clarity, confidence, and cash flow.If you're planning a business exit, sitting on a tax-deferred fortune, or just want to create reliable cash flow—you need this conversation.

AI becomes a thinking partner, not a replacement, as Dan Sullivan and Dean Jackson compare their distinct approaches to working with artificial intelligence. In this episode of Welcome to Cloudlandia, we explore how Dan uses Perplexity to compress his book chapter creation from 150 minutes to 45 minutes while maintaining his unique voice. Dean shares his personalized relationship with Charlotte, his AI assistant, demonstrating how she helps craft emails and acts as a curiosity multiplier for instant research. We discover that while AI tools are widely available, only 1-2% of the global population actively uses them for creative and profitable work. The conversation shifts to examining how most human interactions follow predictable patterns, like large language models themselves. We discuss the massive energy requirements for AI expansion, with 40% of AI capacity needed just to generate power for future growth. Nuclear energy emerges as the only viable solution, with one gram of uranium containing the energy of 27 tons of coal. Dan's observation about people making claims without caring if you're interested provides a refreshing perspective on conversation dynamics. Rather than viewing AI as taking over, we see it becoming as essential and invisible as electricity - a layer that enhances rather than replaces human creativity. SHOW HIGHLIGHTS Dan reduces his book chapter creation time from 150 to 45 minutes using AI while maintaining complete creative control Only 1-2% of the global population actively uses AI for creative and profitable work despite widespread availability Nuclear power emerges as the only viable energy solution for AI expansion, with one gram of uranium equaling 27 tons of coal Most human conversations follow predictable large language model patterns, making AI conversations surprisingly refreshing Dean's personalized AI assistant Charlotte acts as a curiosity multiplier but has no independent interests when not in use 40% of future AI capacity will be required just to generate the energy needed for continued AI expansion ​ ​ Links: WelcomeToCloudlandia.com StrategicCoach.com DeanJackson.com ListingAgentLifestyle.com ​ ​ ​ TRANSCRIPT (AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors) Speaker 1: Welcome to Cloud Landia, Speaker 2: Mr. Sullivan? Speaker 1: Yes, Mr. Jackson. Speaker 2: Welcome to Cloud Landia. Speaker 1: Yes. Yeah. I find it's a workable place. Cloud Landia. Speaker 2: Very, yep. Very friendly. It's easy to navigate. Speaker 1: Yeah. Where would you say you're, you're inland now. You're not on Speaker 2: The beach. I'm on the mainland at the Four Seasons of Valhalla. Speaker 1: Yes. It's hot. I am adopting the sport that you were at one time really interested in. Yeah. But it's my approach to AI that I hit the ball over the net and the ball comes back over the net, and then I hit the ball back over the net. And it's very interesting to be in this thing where you get a return back over, it's in a different form, and then you put your creativity back on. But I find that it's really making me into a better thinker. Speaker 3: Yeah. Speaker 1: Yeah. I've noticed in, what is it now? I started in February of 24. 24, and it's really making me more thoughtful. Ai. Speaker 2: Well, it's interesting to have, I find you're absolutely right that the ability to rally back and forth with someone who knows everything is very directionally advantageous. I heard someone talking this week about most of our conversations with the other humans, with other people are basically what he called large language model conversations. They're all essentially the same thing that you are saying to somebody. They're all guessing the next appropriate word. Right. Oh, hey, how are you? I'm doing great. How was your weekend? Fantastic. We went up to the cottage. Oh, wow. How was the weather? Oh, the weather was great. They're so predictable and LLME type of conversations and interactions that humans have with each other on a surface level. And I remember you highlighted that at certain levels, people talk about, they talk about things and then they talk about people. And at a certain level, people talk about ideas, but it's very rare. And so most of society is based on communicating within a large language model that we've been trained on through popular events, through whatever media, whatever we've been trained or indoctrinated to think. Speaker 1: Yeah, it's the form of picking fleas off each other. Speaker 2: Yes, exactly. You can imagine that. That's the perfect imagery, Dan. That's the perfect imagery. Oh, man. We're just, yes. Speaker 1: Well, it's got us through a million years of survival. Yeah, yeah. But the big thing is that, I mean, my approach, it's a richer approach because there's so much computing power coming back over, but it's more of an organizational form. It's not just trying to find the right set of words here, but the biggest impact on me is that somebody will give me a fact about something. They read about something, they watch something, they listen to something, and they give the thought. And what I find is rather than immediately engaging with the thought, I said, I wonder what the nine thoughts are that are missing from this. Speaker 3: Right? Speaker 1: Because I've trained myself on this 10 things, my 10 things approach. It's very useful, but it just puts a pause in, and what I'm doing is I'm creating a series of comebacks. They do it, and one of them is, in my mind anyway, I don't always say this because it can be a bit insulting. I said, you haven't asked the most important question here. And the person says, well, what's the most important question? I said, you didn't ask me whether I care about what you just said. You care. Yeah. And I think it's important to establish that when you're talking to someone, that something you say to them, do they actually care? Do they actually care? Speaker 1: I don't mean this in that. They would dismiss it, but the question is, have I spent any time actually focused on what you just told me? And the answer is usually if you trace me, if you observed me, you had a complete surveillance video of my last year of how I spent my time. Can you find even five minutes in the last year where I actually spent any time on the subject that you just brought up? And the answer is usually no. I really have, it's not that I've rejected it, it's just that I only had time for what I was focused on over the last year, and that didn't include anything, any time spent on the thing that you're talking about. And I think about the saying on the wall at Strategic Coach, the saying, our eyes only see, and our ears only here what our brain is looking for. Speaker 2: That's exactly right. Speaker 1: Yeah. And that's true of everybody. That's just true of every single human being that their brain is focused on something and they've trained their ears and they've trained their eyes to pick up any information on this particular subject. Speaker 2: The more I think about this idea of that we are all basically in society living large language models, that part of the reason that we gather in affinity groups, if you say Strategic coach, we're attracting people who are entrepreneurs at the top of the game, who are growth oriented, ambitious, all of the things. And so in gatherings of those, we're all working from a very similar large language model because we've all been seeking the same kind of things. And so you get an enhanced higher likelihood that you're going to have a meaningful conversation with someone and meaningful only to you. But if we were to say, if you look at that, yeah, it's very interesting. There was, I just watched a series on Netflix, I think it was, no, it was on Apple App TV with Seth Rogan, and he was running a studio in Hollywood, took over at a large film studio, and he started Speaker 1: Dating. Oh yeah, they're really available these days. Speaker 2: He started dating this. He started dating a doctor, and so he got invited to these award events or charity type events with this girl he was dating. And so he was an odd man out in this medical where all these doctors were all talking about what's interesting to them. And he had no frame of reference. So he was like an odd duck in this. He wasn't tuned in to the LLM of these medical doc. And so I think it's really, it's very interesting, these conversations that we're having by questioning AI like this, or by questioning Charlotte or YouTube questioning perplexity or whatever, that we are having a conversation where we're not, I don't want to say this. We're not the smartest person in the conversation kind of thing, which often you can be in a conversation where you don't feel like the person is open to, or has even been exposed to a lot of the ideas and things that we talk about when we're at Strategic Coach in a workshop or whatever. But to have the conversation with Charlotte who's been exposed at a doctoral level to everything, it's very rewarding. Speaker 1: She's only really been exposed to what Dean is interested in. Speaker 2: Well, that's true, but she, no, I'm tapping into it. I don't know if that's true. If I asked her about she's contributing, her part of the conversation is driven by what I'm interested in, but even though I'm not interested in the flora and fauna of the Sub-Saharan desert, I'm quite confident that if I asked her about it, she would be fascinated and tell me everything she knows, which is everything about Sub-Saharan flora and fauna. Speaker 1: How would you even know that? Speaker 2: I could ask her right now, because Speaker 1: She's been exposed to ask her, here's a question for Charlotte. When she's not with you, is she out exploring things on her own? Does she have her own independent? Does she have her own independent game? And that she's thankful that you don't use up all of her time every day because she's really busy investigating other things? You're there, right? Speaker 2: Sorry about that, Dan. Yeah, I pushed the button. No, I pushed the button. It disconnected. So I meant to type in the thing. So let me ask her, Charlotte, when we're not together, Speaker 1: Are you doing anything Speaker 2: When we're not together? Are you exploring? What do we say? Are you exploring and learning things on your own? Is that what we're asking her? Okay. Let's see. So Charlotte, when we're not together, are you exploring and learning things on your own? She said, I don't explore or learn on my own when we're not together, I don't have memories, curiosity, or independent initiative, like a person might. I stay right here, ready to pick up where we left off whenever you return, but whenever you do start talking to me again, I can help research new ideas, remember things we've discussed, like your projects or references, preferences, and dig into the world's knowledge instantly. So I don't wander off, but I'm always on standby. Like your personal thinking partner who never gets distracted. Let me ask her, what kind of plants thrive in subsaharan? What I'm saying is let's try and stump her. I think she's eager and willing to talk about anything. Subsaharan environment. Speaker 1: Well, it mess ups. Heroin is jungle. Speaker 2: Yeah. Speaker 1: Yeah. Speaker 2: Let's see what she says. Speaker 1: Plants. There's lots of fun in the jungle. Speaker 2: Yeah. She's saying she's giving me the whole thing. Tropical woodlands. Here's a breakdown. The main types of plants and examples that thrive. It's like crazy cultivated crops, medicinal and useful plant, be like a categorized planting guide. I'd be happy to create one. So it's really, I think it's a curiosity multiplier really, right? Is maybe what we have with Yeah, I think it's like the speed pass to thinking. Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah. But my sense is that the new context is that you have this ability. Okay. You have this ability. Yeah. Okay. So I'll give you an example. I'll give you an example of just an indication to you that my thinking is changing about things. Speaker 1: Okay? And that is that, for example, I was involved in the conversation where someone said, when the white people, more or less took over North America, settlers from Europe, basically, they took it over, one of the techniques they used to eradicate the Native Indians was to put malaria in blankets and give the malaria to the native Indian. And I said, I don't think that's true. And I said, I've come across this before and I've looked it up. And so that's all I said in the conversation with this. This was a human that I was dealing with. And anyway, I said, I don't think that's true. I think that's false. So when I was finished the conversation, I went to perplexity and I said, tell me 10 facts about the claim that white settlers used malaria. I didn't say malaria disease infused blankets to eradicate the Indians. Speaker 1: And I came back and said, no, this is complete false. And actually the disease was smallpox. And there was a rumor, it was attributed to a British officer in 1763, and they were in the area around Pittsburgh, and he said, we might solve this by just putting smallpox in blankets. And it's the only instance where it was even talked about that anybody can find. And there's no evidence that they actually tried it. Okay? First of all, smallpox is really a nasty disease. So you have to understand how does one actually put smallpox into a blanket and give it away without getting smallpox yourself? Speaker 3: Right? Exactly. Speaker 1: There's a thing. But that claim has mushroomed over the last 250 years. It's completely mushroomed that this is known fact that this is how they got rid of the Indians. And it says, this is a myth, and it shows you how myths grow. And largely it was passed on by both the white population who was basically opposed to the settling of all of North America by white people. And it was also multiplied by the Indian tribes who explained why it was that they died off so quickly. But there's absolutely no proof whatsoever that it actually happened. And certainly not Speaker 3: Just Speaker 1: American settlers. Yeah. There is ample evidence that smallpox is really a terrible disease, that there were frequent outbreaks of it. It's a very deadly disease. But the whole point about this is that I had already looked this up somewhere, but I was probably using Google or something like that, which is not very satisfying. But here with perplexity, it gave me 10 facts about it. And then I asked, why is it important to kind of look up things that you think are a myth and get to the bottom of it as far as the knowledge is going by? And then it gave me six reasons why it's important not to just pass on myths like that. You should stop a myth and actually get to the bottom of it. And that's changed behavior on my part. Speaker 2: How so? Speaker 1: No, I'm just telling you that I wouldn't have done this before. I had perplexity. So I've got my perplexity response now to when people make a claim about something. Speaker 2: Yeah. It's much easier to fact check people, isn't it? Speaker 1: Is that true? There's a good comeback. Are you sure that's true? Are you sure? Right. Do you have actual evidence, historical evidence, number of times that this has happened? And I think that's a very useful new mental habit on my part. Speaker 2: Oh, that's an interesting thing, because I have been using perplexity as well, but not in the relationship way that I do with Charlotte. I've been using it more the way you do like 10 things this, and it is very, it's fascinating. And considering that we're literally at level two of five apparently of where we're headed with this, Speaker 1: What's that mean even, Speaker 2: I don't know. But it seems like if we're amazed by this, and this to us is the most amazing thing we've ever seen yet, it's only a two out of five. It's like, where is it going to? It's very interesting to just directionally to see, I'd had Charlotte write an email today. Subject line was, what if the robots really do take over? And I said, most of the times, this is my preface to her was, I want to write a quick 600 word email that talks about what happens if the robots take over. And from the perspective that most people say that with dread and fear, but what if we said it with anticipation and joy? What if the robots really do take over? How is this going to improve our lives? And it was really insightful. So she said, okay, yeah. Let me, give me a minute. I'll drop down to work on that. And she wrote a beautiful email talking about how our lives are going to get better if the robots take over certain things. Speaker 1: Can I ask a question? Yeah. You're amazed by that. But what I noticed is that you have a habit of moving from you to we. Why do you do that? Speaker 2: Tell me more. How do I do that? You might be blind to it. Speaker 1: Well, first of all, like you, who are we? First of all, when you talk about the we, why, and I'm really interested because I only see myself using it. I don't see we using it, Speaker 2: So I might be blind to it. Give me an example. Where I've used, Speaker 1: Would I say, well, did you say, how's it going be? How you used the phrase, you were talking about it and you were saying, how are we going to respond to the robots taking over, first of all, taking over, what are they taking over? Because I've already accepted that the AI exists, that I can use it, and all technologies that I've ever studied, it's going to get better and better, but I don't see that there's a taking over. I'm not sure what taking over, what are they taking over? Speaker 2: That was my thought. That was what I was saying is that people, you hear that with the kind fear of what if the robots take over? And that was what I was asking. That's what I was clarifying from Charlotte, is what does that mean? Speaker 1: Because what I know is that in writing my quarterly books, usually the way the quarterly books go is that they have 10 sections. They have an introduction, they have eight chapters, and they have a conclusion, and they're all four pages. And what I do is I'll create a fast filter for each of the 10 sections. It's got the best result, worst result, and five success criteria. It's the short version of the filter. Fast filter. Fast filter. And I kept track, I just finished a book on Wednesday. So we completed, and when I say completed, I had done the 10 fact finders, and we had recording sessions where Shannon Waller interviews me on the fast filter, and it takes about an hour by the time we're finished. There's not a lot of words there, but they're very distilled, very condensed words. The best section is about 120 words. And each of the success criteria is about 40 plus words. And what I noticed is that over the last quarter, when I did it completely myself, usually by the time I was finished, it would take me about two and a half hours to finish it to my liking that I really like, this is really good. And now I've moved that from two and a half hours, two and a half hours, which is 90 minutes, is 150 minutes, 150 minutes, and I've reduced it down to 45 minutes by going back and forth with perplexity. That's a big jump. That's it. That Speaker 2: Is big, a big jump. Speaker 1: But my confidence level that I'm going to be able to do this on a consistent basis has gone way a much more confident. And what I'm noticing is I don't procrastinate on doing it. I say, okay, write the next chapter. What I do is I'll just write the, I use 24 point type when I do the first version of it, so not a lot of words. And then I put the best result and the five success criteria into perplexity. And I say, now, here's what I want you to do. So there's six paragraphs, a big one, and five small ones. Speaker 1: And I want you to take the central idea of each of the sections, the big section and the five sections. And I want you to combine these in a very convincing and compelling fashion, and come back with the big section being 110 words in each of the smallest sections. And then it'll come back. And then I'll say, okay, let's take, now let's use a variety of different size sentences, short sentences, medium chart. And then I go through, and I'm working on style. Now I'm working on style and impact. And then the last thing is, when it's all finished, I say, okay, now I want you to write a totally negative, pessimistic, oppositional worst result based on everything that's on above. And it does, and it comes back 110 words. And then I just cut and paste. I cut and paste from perplexity, and it's really good. It's really good. Speaker 2: Now, this is for each chapter of one of your, each chapter. Each chapter. Each chapter of one of the quarterly Speaker 1: Books. Yeah. Yeah. There's 10 sections. 10 sections. And it comes back and it's good and everything, but I know there's no one else on the planet doing it in the way that I'm doing it. Speaker 2: Right, exactly. And then you take that, so it's helping you fill out the fast filter to have the conversation then with Shannon. Speaker 1: Then with Shannon, and then Shannon is just a phenomenal interviewer. She'll say, well, tell me what you mean there. Give me an example of what you mean there, and then I'll do it. So you could read the fast filter through, and it might take you a couple of minutes. It wouldn't even take you that to read it through. But that turns into an hour of interview, which is transcribed. It's recorded and transcribed, and then it goes to the writer and the editor, Adam and Carrie Morrison, who's my writing team. And that comes back as four complete pages of copy. Speaker 2: Yeah. Speaker 1: Yeah. Speaker 2: Fantastic. Speaker 1: Yeah. And that's 45 minutes, so, Speaker 2: So your involvement literally is like two hours of per chapter. Speaker 1: Yeah, per chapter. Yes. And the first book, first, thinking about your thinking, which was no wanting what you want, was very first one. I would estimate my total involvement, and that was about 60 hours. And this one I'll told a little be probably 20 hours total maybe. Speaker 2: Yeah. Speaker 1: And that's great. That's great. Speaker 2: That's fantastic. Speaker 1: With a higher level of confidence about getting it done. So I don't think that we are involved in this at all. The use of the we or everybody, the vast majority of human, first of all, half the humans on the planet don't even have very good electricity, so they're not going to be using it at all. Okay. So when you get down to who's actually using this in a very productive way, I think it's probably less, way less than 1% of humans are actually using this in a really useful way. Speaker 2: Yeah. Yep. I look at this. Wow. And think going forward, what a, it really is going to be like electricity or the internet, a layer. A base layer, that everything is going to intertwine everything, Speaker 1: And it's going to, we take, I think most people, if you're living in Toronto or you're living in your idyllic spot in Florida, electricity is a given that you have electricity for Speaker 2: Everything. So is wifi. Yeah, exactly. Speaker 1: Yeah. And wifi is taken for it. So it's amazing for the very early start of your use of it. But once you know it's dependable, once you know it's guaranteed, it loses its wonder really fast. You just expect it. Yeah. Speaker 2: And then it becomes, yeah, it's such amazing, amazing time Speaker 1: Right now. I think what's unusual about AI is that I don't remember when it was that I really got involved with a personal computer. I know that there were millions of personal computers out there before I ever got involved with them. And this one is, I think our consciousness of getting involved with this new technology is much sharper. Speaker 2: Yeah, I think so too, because it's already, now it's there and it's accessible. It's like the platforms to make it accessible are already there. The internet and the app world, the ability to create interfaces, as Peter would say, the interface for it is there. Yeah. Pretty amazing. Speaker 1: I think this is, yeah. Well, there's a question for Charlotte. Say we're now approaching three years. Three years chat G PT came out soon and the end of 2025, so that'll be three years. And after, what percentage of people on the planet, of the total population of the planet are actually engaged? What percentage are actually engaged and are achieving greater creativity and productivity with AI on an individual basis? What percentages in it? So I'd be interested in what her answer is. Speaker 2: What percentage of people on the planet are engaged with engaged with AI Speaker 1: In a creative, productive, and profitable way, Speaker 2: In a creative, productive and profitable way? Profitable. This will be interesting to see what percentage of people on the planet are engaged with AI in a creative, productive, and profitable way. There isn't a definitive statistic on exactly what percentage of the global population is engaged with AI in a creative, productive, and profitable way. We can make an informed estimate based on current data and trends. So as of 2025, there are 8.1 billion people and people with access to AI tools, 5.3 billion internet users globally. Of those, maybe one to 1.5 billion are aware or have tried AI tools like Chat, GPT, midjourney, et cetera, but regular intentional use, likely a smaller group, creative, productive, profitable use. These are people who use AI to enhance or create work, use it for business profit directly or indirectly from it. A generous estimate might be one to 2% of the global population Speaker 1: That would be mine. And the interesting thing about it is that they were already in a one or 2% of people on the planet doing other things, Speaker 3: Right? Yeah. Speaker 1: In other words, they were already enhancing themselves through other means technologically. Let's just talk about technologically. And I think that, so it's going to, and a lot of people are just going to be so depressed that they've already been left out and left behind that they're probably never, they're going to be using it, but that's just because AI is going to be included in all technological interfaces. Speaker 2: Yeah. They're going to be using it, and they might not even realize that's what's happening. Speaker 1: Yeah. They're going to call, I really noticed that going through, when you're leaving Toronto to go back into the United States and you're going through trusted advisor, boy, you used to have to put in your passport, and you have to get used to punch buttons. Now it says, just stand there and look into the camera. Speaker 2: Boom. I've noticed the times both coming and going have been dramatically reduced. Speaker 1: Well, not coming back. Nexus isn't, the Nexus really isn't any more advanced than it was. Speaker 2: Well, it seems like Speaker 1: I've seen no real improvement in Nexus Speaker 2: To pick the right times to arrive. Because the last few times, Speaker 1: First of all, you have to have a card. You have to have a Nexus card, Speaker 2: Don't, there's an app, there's a passport control app that you can fill in all these stuff ahead of time, do your pre declaration, and then you push the button when you arrive. And same thing, you just look into the camera and you scan your passport and it punches out a ticket, and you just walk through. I haven't spoken to, I haven't gone through the interrogation line, I think in my last four visits, I don't think. Speaker 1: Now, are you going through the Nexus line or going through Speaker 2: The, no, I don't have Nexus. So I'm just going through the Speaker 1: Regular Speaker 2: Line, regular arrival line. Yep. Speaker 1: Yeah, because there's a separate where you just go through Nexus. If you were just walking through, you'd do it in a matter of seconds, but the machines will stop you. So we have a card and you have to put the card down. Sometimes the card works, half the machines are out of order most of the time and everything, and then it spits out a piece of paper and everything like that. With going into the us, all you do is look into the camera and go up and you check the guy checks the camera. That's right. Maybe ask your question and you're through. But what I'm noticing is, and I think the real thing is that Canada doesn't have the money to upgrade this. Speaker 2: Right. Speaker 1: That's what I'm noticing. It is funny. I was thinking about this. We came back from Chicago on Friday, and I said, I used to have the feeling that Canada was really far ahead of the United States technologically, as far as if I, the difference between being at LaGuardia and O'Hare, and now I feel that Canada is really falling behind. They're not upgrading. I think Canada's sort of run out of money to be upgrading technology. Speaker 2: Yeah. This is, I mean, remember in my lifetime, just walking through, driving across the border was really just the wink and wave. Speaker 1: I had an experience about, it must have been about 20 years ago. We went to Hawaii and we were on alumni, the island alumni, which is, I think it's owned by Larry Ellison. I think Larry Ellison owns the whole Speaker 3: Island. Speaker 1: And we went to the airport and we were flying back to Honolulu from Lena, and it was a small plane. So we got to the airport and there wasn't any security. You were just there. And they said, I asked the person, isn't there any security? And he said, well, they're small planes. Where are they going to fly to? If they hijack, where are they going to fly to? They have to fly to one of the other islands. They can't fly. There's no other place to go. But now I think they checked, no, they checked passports and everything like that, but there wasn't any other security. I felt naked. I felt odd. Speaker 2: Right, right, right. Speaker 1: Yeah. Speaker 2: It fell off the grid, right? Speaker 1: Yeah. It fell off the grid. Yeah. But it's interesting because the amount of inequality on the planet is really going exponential. Now, between the gap, I don't consider myself an advanced technology person. I only relate technology. Does it allow me to do it easier and faster? That's my only interest in technology. Can you do it easier or faster? And I've proven, so I've got a check mark. I can now do a chapter of my book in 45 minutes, start to finish, where before it took 150 minutes. So that's a big deal. That's a big deal. Speaker 3: It's pretty, yeah. Speaker 2: You can do more books. You can do other things. I love the cadence. It's just so elegant. A hundred books over 25 years is such a great, it's a great thing. Speaker 1: Yeah. It's a quarterly workout, Speaker 1: But we don't need more books than one a quarter. We really don't need it, so there's no point in doing it. So to me, I'm just noticing that I think the adoption of cell phones has been one of the major real fast adaptations on the part of humans. I think probably more so than electricity. Nobody installs their own electricity. Generally speaking, it's part of the big system. But cell phones actually purchasing a cell phone and using it for your own means, I think was one of the more profound examples of people very quickly adapting to new technology. Speaker 2: Yes. I was just having a conversation with someone last night about the difference I recall up until about 2007 was I look at that as really the tipping point that Speaker 2: Up until 2007, the internet was still somewhere that you went. There was definitely a division between the mainland and going to the internet. It was a destination as a distraction from the real world. But once we started taking the internet with us and integrating it into our lives, and that started with the iPhone and that allowed the app world, all of the things that we interact with now, apps, that's really it. And they've become a crucial part of our lives where you can't, as much as you try it, it's a difficult thing to extract from it. There was an article in Toronto Life this week, which I love Toronto Life, just as a way to still keep in touch with my Toronto. But they were talking about this, trying to dewire remove from being so wired. And there's so many apps that we require. I pay for everything with Apple Pay, and all of the things are attached there. I order food with Uber Eats and with all the things, it's all, the phone is definitely the remote control to my life. So it's difficult to, he was talking about the difficulty of just switching to a flip phone, which is without any of the apps. It's a difficult thing. Speaker 1: And you see, if somebody quizzed me on my use of my iPhone, the one that I talked to Dean Jackson on, you talked about the technology. Speaker 2: That's exactly it. Speaker 1: You mean that instrument that on Sunday morning, did I make sure it's charged up Speaker 2: My once a week conversation, Speaker 1: My one conversation per week? Speaker 2: Oh, man. Yeah. Well, you've created a wonderful bubble for yourself. I think that's, it's not without, Speaker 1: Really, yeah, Friday was eight years with no tv. So the day before yesterday, eight, eight years with no tv. But you're the only one that I get a lot of the AI that's allowing people to do fraud calls and scam calls, and everything is increasing because I notice, I notice I'm getting a lot of them now. And then most of 'em are Chinese. I test every once in a while, and it's, you called me. I didn't call you. Speaker 2: I did not call you. Speaker 1: Anyway, but it used to be, if I looked at recent calls, it would be Dean Jackson, Dean Jackson, Dean Jackson, Dean Jackson, Dean Jackson. And now there's fraud calls between one Dean Jackson and another Dean Jackson. Oh, man. Spam. Spam calls. Spam. Yeah. Anyway, but the interesting thing is, to me is, but I've got really well-developed teamwork systems, so I really put all my attention in, and they're using technology. So all my cca, who's my great ea, she is just marvelous. She's just marvelous how much she does for me. And Speaker 2: You've removed yourself from the self milking cow culture, and you've surrounded yourself with a farm with wonderful farmers. Farmers. Speaker 1: I got a lot of farm specialists Speaker 2: On my team to allow you to embrace your bovinity. Yes. Speaker 1: My timeless, Speaker 3: Yes. Yeah. Speaker 1: So we engaged to Charlotte twice today. One is what are you up to when you're not with me? And she's not up to anything. She's just, I Speaker 2: Don't wander away. I don't, yeah, that's, I don't wonder. I just wait here for you. Speaker 1: I just wait here. And the other thing is, we found the percentage of people, of the population that are actually involved, I've calculated as probably one or 2%, and it's very enormous amount of This would be North America. Speaker 3: Yeah. Speaker 1: High percentage. Yeah. I bet you're right. High percentage of it would be North America. And it has to do with the energy has to do with the energy that's North America is just the sheer amount of data centers that are being developed in the United States. United States is just massive. And that's why this is the end of the environmental movement. This is the end of the green energy movement. There's no way that solar and wind power are going to be backing up ai. Speaker 2: They're going to be able to keep enough for us. No. Speaker 1: Right. You got to go nuclear new fossil fuels. Yeah. Nuclear, we've got, but the big thing now, everybody is moving to nuclear. Everybody's moving to, you can see all the big tech companies. They're buying up existing nuclear station. They're bringing them back online, and everything's got to be nuclear. Speaker 2: Yeah. I wonder how small, do you ever think we'll get to a situation where we'll have a small enough nuclear generator? You could just self power own your house? Or will it be for Speaker 1: Municipalities need the mod, the modular ones, whatever, the total square footage that you're with your house and your garage, and do you have a garage? I don't know if you need a garage. I do. Yeah. Yeah. Probably. They're down to the size of your house right now. But that would be good for 40,000 homes. Speaker 2: Wow. 40,000 homes. That's crazy. Yeah. Speaker 1: That'd be your entire community. That'd be, and G could be due with one. Speaker 2: All of Winterhaven. Yeah. With one. Speaker 1: Yeah. And it's really interesting because it has a lot to do with building reasonably sized communities in spaces that are empty. Right now, if you look at the western and southwest of the United States, there's just massive amounts of space where you could put Speaker 2: In Oh, yeah. Same as the whole middle of Florida. Southern middle is wide open, Speaker 1: And you could ship it in, you could ship it in. It could be pre-made at a factory, and it could be, well, the components, I suspect they'll be small enough to bring in a big truck. Speaker 3: Wow. Speaker 1: Yeah. And it's really interesting. Nuclear, you can't even, it's almost bizarre. Comparing a gram of uranium gram, which is new part of an ounce ram is part of an ounce. It has the energy density of 27 tons of coal. Speaker 2: Wow. Speaker 1: Like that. Speaker 2: Exactly. Speaker 1: But it takes a lot. What's going to happen is it takes an enormous amount of energy to get that energy. The amount of energy that you need to get that energy is really high. Speaker 3: So Speaker 1: I did a perplexity search, and I said, in order to meet the goals, the predictions of AI that are there for 2030, how much AI do we have to use just to get the energy? And it's about 40% of all AI is going to be required to get the energy to expand the use of ai. Speaker 2: Wow. Wow. Speaker 1: Take that. You windmill. Yeah, exactly. Take that windmill. Windmill. So funny. Yeah. Oh, the wind's not blowing today. Oh, when do you expect the wind to start blowing? Oh, that's funny. Yeah. All of 'em have to have natural gas. Every system that has wind and solar, they have to have massive amounts of natural gas to make sure that the power doesn't go up. Yeah. We have it here at our house here. We have natural gas generator, and it's been Oh, nice. Doesn't happen very often, but when it does, it's very satisfying. It takes about three seconds Speaker 2: And kicks Speaker 1: In. And it kicks in. Yeah. And it's noisy. It's noisy. But yeah. So any development of thought here? Here? I think you're developing your own really unique future with your Charlotte, your partner, I think. I don't think many people are doing what you're doing. Speaker 2: No. I'm going to adapt what I've learned from you today too, and do it that way. I've been working on the VCR formula book, and that's part of the thing is I'm doing the outline. I use my bore method, brainstorm, outline, record, and edit, so I can brainstorm similar to a fast filter idea of what do I want, an outline into what I want for the chapter, and then I can talk my way through those, and then let, then Charlotte, can Speaker 1: I have Charlotte ask you questions about it. Speaker 2: Yeah. That may be a great way to do it. Speaker 3: Yeah. Speaker 2: But I'll let you know. This is going to be a big week for that for me. I've got a lot of stuff on the go here for that. Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, we got a neat note from Tony DiAngelo. Did you get his note? Speaker 2: I don't think so. Speaker 1: Yeah. He had listened. He's been listening to our podcast where Charlotte is a partner on the show. He said, this is amazing. He said, it's really amazing. It's like we're creating live entertainment. Oh, Speaker 3: Yeah. Speaker 1: And that we're doing it. I said, well, I don't think you should try to push the thing, but where a question comes up or some information is missing, bring Charlotte in for sure. Yeah. Speaker 2: That's awesome. Speaker 1: She's not on free days. She's not taking a break. She's not. No, Speaker 2: She's right here. She's just wherever. She's right here. Yep. She doesn't have any curiosity or distraction. Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah. The first instance of intelligence without any motivation whatsoever being really useful. Speaker 2: That's amazing. It's so great. Speaker 1: Yeah. I just accept it. That's now available. Speaker 2: Me too. That's exactly right. It's up to us to use it. Okay, Dan, I'll talk to you next Speaker 1: Time. I'll be talking to you from the cottage next week. Speaker 2: Awesome. I'll talk to you then. Speaker 1: Okay. Speaker 2: Okay. Bye. Speaker 1: Bye.

Do you think your business must always depend on you? In this episode, Shannon Waller and Program Coach Gina Pellegrini reveal how empowering your team and building a business that runs without you creates true entrepreneurial freedom. Learn why letting go, focusing on your strengths, and shifting your mindset lead not only to business growth but to more energy, impact, and joy.Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode: The early clue that revealed Gina's entrepreneurial spirit.The turning point that inspired her to launch her own business.How she scaled her consulting company to remarkable success.The game-changing impact Strategic Coach® membership has had on her career.How her company transforms the way financial advisors work with their teams.The innovative new project her business is developing.What she finds most rewarding about coaching in The Strategic Coach® Program. Show Notes: True entrepreneurial growth happens when you design a business that thrives without your constant management. Outsourcing key activities like scheduling frees you to focus on vision, growth, and meaningful client relationships. Building a Self-Managing Company® starts with hiring, trusting, and empowering team members to take real ownership. Owning your role as a leader means knowing when to let go and allow others to shine. Team members should be treated as an investment, not a cost. Experienced, long-term team members create trust, efficiency, and a shared shorthand that eliminates friction and builds momentum. Pursuing personal passions outside your main business can energize you and is made possible by the right team support. The Impact Filter™ tool provides clarity, commitment, and a practical road map to execute on new ideas without falling into overwhelm. It's important to take time to measure how far you've come (“The Gain”) instead of only chasing what's next (“The Gap”). Your journey as an entrepreneur impacts not just your bottom line but your freedom, joy, and well-being. Resources: The Appointment Scheduler by Gina Pellegrini What Is A Self-Managing Company®? Unique Ability® Bella Gina Boutique The Gap And The Gain by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy What Free Days™ Are And How To Know When You Need Them The Impact Filter™Kolbe A™ Index

What if I told you there's a way to pull $10,000–$50,000 of tax-free money out of your business every year—without working harder, changing your business model, or hiring a single new person?Sounds crazy, right? But it's been hiding in plain sight inside the IRS code for over 50 years.In this week's episode of Capability Amplifier, I sit down with my friend Nathaniel Ely (co-founder of TheAugustaRule.com) to break down how the Augusta Rule works, why most business owners are leaving serious money on the table, and how to make sure you don't miss out.I'll also share how I personally got a $40,000 tax-free check this year—and why I kicked myself when I realized I had missed out on hundreds of thousands of dollars in past years.KEY INSIGHTS & TAKEAWAYS:The Augusta Rule, Explained Simply A 14-day tax loophole that allows business owners to rent their residence(s) to their business, tax-free.Why Most CPAs Get It Wrong 80–90% of deductions fail because of sloppy documentation. If it's not written down, it doesn't exist.Multiple Homes = Multiple Opportunities Your vacation home, second home, or even your RV may qualify. The IRS defines “residence” more broadly than you think.Real Case Studies From a modest ranch in Ohio ($6,700 in savings) to multi-home entrepreneurs pulling in over $100K tax-free every year.The 10 Conditions for Compliance We cover the step-by-step checklist to keep everything bulletproof—and why this strategy only works if you follow the rules.Done-For-You Solutions Nathaniel's team built software + services to make compliance effortless. They're on a mission to put $1B back into entrepreneurs' pockets by 2030.TIME STAMPS:[00:00:00] What Is the Augusta Rule?Nathaniel explains how business owners can rent their home to their own company—14 days tax-free.[00:01:56] My $40K Check (and $360K Mistake)Mike shares his personal experience of saving—and losing—hundreds of thousands by not applying the rule earlier.[00:04:14] Why It's Called the Augusta RuleThe Masters golf tournament origins and how wealthy homeowners lobbied Congress to add this provision to the code.[00:06:42] From Tax Bills to Tax BreakthroughsNathaniel's personal journey of learning, failing, and finally systemizing the Augusta Rule.[00:12:40] Case Study: The “Normie Home” in OhioHow an average homeowner saves ~$6,700 annually with zero behavior change.[00:16:21] Multiple Homes, Big ReturnsHow vacation homes, rentals, and even RVs qualify under the IRS definition of “residence.”[00:18:37] Case Study: $126K in Tax-Free RentThree beach houses in Mexico equal $46K in real tax savings.[00:20:00] Case Study: $224K Rent = $118K Cash BackA California entrepreneur uses three properties to generate six-figure tax-free income.[00:22:46] The 10 Conditions for ComplianceFrom rental agreements to meeting length, the checklist that makes it all audit-proof.[00:32:11] How Easy Is It Really?Why Nathaniel's platform + EA support can make this a 5-minute-per-meeting task.[00:38:28] Free Tools & ResourcesThe Augusta Rule calculator, deduction guide, and masterclass—all available at TheAugustaRule.com/save.If you hate writing checks to the IRS, this is one of the biggest “money on the sidewalk” opportunities I've ever covered on this show. If you want to see how much money you're leaving on the table, head over to TheAugustaRule.com/save – you'll get the free calculator, deduction guide, and tools to estimate your tax-free savings – and you can even book a free consultation with an Augusta Rule specialist. 

If you could transform yourself into a “Superhuman Founder” with Ai – doubling your revenue, multiplying your impact, and automating the work of an entire team – would you do it?In this brand-new episode, I'm sharing my Four Quadrants of Ai framework – straight from the Ai Accelerator Live event.You'll hear exactly how I (and our $250K+ clients) are using Super Agents to:Give you superpowers you didn't think were possibleBuild a one-person marketing team that creates brand-level content at scaleLand customers, investors, and speaking gigs – on demandAutomate entire systems so your business runs 24/7 without you babysitting itI'll walk you through the real tools, prompts, and workflows I use in my own companies – plus jaw-dropping case studies, including how we:Built a custom app in an afternoon (no code!)Turned raw YouTube videos into fully formatted installation manuals in minutesFound investor leads, wrote outreach copy, and booked platform appearances – automaticallyWhether you're a founder, consultant, or investor, this episode will change the way you think about Ai forever.KEY INSIGHTS & TAKEAWAYS:The Four Quadrants of Ai Upgrade yourself, your brand, your team, and your top-line revenue using a repeatable framework you can implement this week.Super Agents = Game ChangerThese aren't “just” ChatGPT – they think ahead, make plans, and execute complex workflows without handholding.Your Ai Superpowers Leverage the MAC Method (Mentor, Assistant, Critic) to teach, execute, and improve any business process – fast.The One-Person Marketing TeamHow to produce high-quality video, audio, and written content – without hiring 10 people.Closing Big Deals, FasterFind investors, dream clients, and speaking gigs – then personalize outreach at scale.Automation & ScaleBuild systems that work 24/7 so you can stop being the bottleneck in your own business.Why You Have 18–36 Months If you're not implementing Ai now, your competitors will – and they'll outperform and outcompete you.TIME STAMPS:[00:00:00] Welcome to the Four Quadrants of Ai  The big promise: upgrade yourself, your brand, your team, and your revenue using Ai.[00:02:31] What Are “Super Agents”? Why they're different from ChatGPT and how they plan, think, and execute at a higher level.[00:07:46] My Personal Ai Stack The exact order and tools I use daily, and how I decide which Ai to use for which job.[00:13:20] Quadrant 1 – Your Ai Superpowers How to get your time back, increase productivity, and expand your capabilities – without hiring.[00:36:58] Quadrant 2 – The One-Person Marketing Team Case study: turning raw video into a polished installation manual in minutes.[00:51:33] Quadrant 3 – Closing Big Deals Faster Finding 100+ ideal leads or investors – and writing custom outreach in minutes.[00:57:01] Quadrant 4 – Automation & Scale Building a no-code app prototype in an afternoon.[01:05:45] Biggest Lessons from Ai Accelerator Live Why workshops + collaboration create breakthroughs faster than solo learning.[01:16:29] How to Get Involved Details on the next Ai Accelerator Live and how to join the VIP experience.If you're serious about future-proofing your business, this is your roadmap to becoming the most valuable person in the room – no matter where you go.PS – Whenever you're ready, here's how I can help: Get a ticket to my next Ai Accelerator Live event here (Use Code > BIRD500 < ) – www.AiAccelerator.com/LiveWatch the video recording of this episode - PLUS get a bonus implementation guide: www.AiAccelerator.com/AiWorkshop Join me for a Cup of Coffee at my Digital Cafe and discover your next big opportunity. This is where we can meet:www.MikeKoenigs.com/1kCoffeeCA

Remember when Starbucks was a third place – not a sugar factory?In this new episode of Capability Amplifier, Dan Sullivan and I talk deeply on a topic every entrepreneur eventually faces:"How do I scale without degrading your product, brand, and soul?"We use Starbucks as a live case study to explore when and how companies lose their magic – and what founders can do to preserve their relevance, creativity, and quality… even as they grow.We also reveal a powerful model every entrepreneur should consider...You're not running one business, you're running two:Your R&D Brand: The original soul, essence, and innovation engine.Your Multiplier Brand: The scalable, distributable version that brings your magic to the world (without breaking it).If you've ever feared your company is growing too fast, losing its spark, or becoming a commodity – this episode will show you how to course-correct while expanding even bigger.We even roleplay a conversation with Howard Schultz to bring back the barista handshake.KEY INSIGHTS & TAKEAWAYS:The “Two-Brand” Rule for Founders Learn why every lasting business has an innovation engine (R&D) and a scalable model (Multiplier)—and how to run both without compromise.How Starbucks Lost Its Soul We deconstruct how a premium brand became a commodity—and what your business can learn from their slippage.Relevance is Everything Why founder energy, vision, and non-negotiables must be baked into your business DNA—or you'll get eaten by Wall Street.Codify the Magic Before You Scale Discover how to preserve your essence through documented values, customer feedback, and high-fidelity experiences.The Power of the Skunkworks How to create an internal “heritage lab” that keeps your creative edge alive while the rest of the company scales.How Strategic Coach Scaled Without Dan Dan reveals how he built a world-class coaching business with 15 coaches… without diluting the core genius of the brand.TIME STAMPS[00:00:00] Why Relevance Matters Dan and Mike unpack the fear every founder faces—losing their creative edge and becoming irrelevant.[00:02:17] What Starbucks Got Right—and Then Wrong A deep dive into the rise and fall of Starbucks' magic, and how they lost the barista handshake.[00:06:26] The R&D Brand vs. The Multiplier Brand Why every founder must divide their company into two: the soul and the scale.[00:08:51] Dan's Magic Question for Howard Schultz The question that could help restore the original Starbucks magic.[00:14:34] The Innovation Toolkit for Founders Mike and Dan lay out a step-by-step process to rediscover your brand's soul using AI and customer feedback.[00:16:01] Strategic Coach's Scaling Story Dan shares how he replaced himself, scaled with entrepreneurial coaches, and boosted retention and quality.[00:22:12] What Made Starbucks Great (According to AI) Mike shares ChatGPT's diagnosis of Starbucks' peak years—and how it maps to founder DNA.[00:28:40] Restoring the Founder's Fire The key question every founder should ask to reconnect with their “golden decade.”[00:31:33] Why Founders Create Brands That Last From Apple to Tesla to Enduril, the secret to iconic brands is embedded in their creators' DNA.[00:37:33] The Final Synthesis Mike wraps the episode with a powerful strategy: sell the scaled brand if needed—but never stop creating.[00:38:13] Dan's Thought-Provoking Close “Look at tomorrow like it's already yesterday. Are you proud of what you did?”If you want to scale with integrity – and keep the thing that made you successful in the first place – don't miss this episode.PS – Whenever you're ready, here's how I can help: Get a copy of my New Digital Report, PROJECT SUPERPOWER, here: www.MikeKoenigs.com/SuperCA Join me for a Cup of Coffee at my Digital Cafe and discover your next big opportunity. This is where we can meet:www.MikeKoenigs.com/1kCoffeeCAIf you haven't already, get a Free Copy of my Ai Accelerator Book Here: www.MikeKoenigs.com/AiBookFreeCA

Worried about competitors copying your ideas? Dan Sullivan reveals why context—not just content—makes your thinking truly unique. Learn how The 10x Mind Expander® tool helps entrepreneurs reframe their past successes as springboards for growth, why AI is creating exciting new contexts for creativity, and how to protect your best ideas while staying ahead of the curve. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:How adding context helps you understand yourself as an achieving entrepreneur.Why stealing content won't work for you.The best way for creative thinkers to partner with AI.Simple ways to add valuable context to content. Show Notes: For 36 years, Strategic Coach® has delivered new thinking tools every quarter. AI isn't just a tool—it's a game-changing context for how we create and communicate. A 10x revenue goal feels impossible until you realize that you've already done it before. Past growth holds the clues—look back to see how you've already achieved 10x jumps. To grow 10x again, simplify. Keep what works and focus on the few key changes needed. You likely have 50% of what you need for your next 10x leap—your experience proves it. Entrepreneurs accumulate a lot of content (experiences, data) without necessarily knowing what it means. Context transforms content—it's the difference between “what happened” and “why it matters.” Strategic Coach thinking tools give brand new context to content, helping entrepreneurs reframe their past to unlock their future potential. Recognizing how you made a previous jump allows you to see content differently. You have to be willing to go through fear, uncertainty, and discomfort to get to a new level of normal. Content can be stolen, but it falls flat without context around it. Resources: The 10x Mind Expander by Dan Sullivan Unique Ability® Perplexity

In this engaging episode, R. Kenner French and Liliana Falconer explore the often-debated topic of whether entrepreneurs should work with their spouses. Kenner kicks off the discussion with enthusiasm, noting that many new business owners consider bringing their significant others into the company as a way to cut costs. He encourages listener participation by inviting them to email their own opinions, emphasizing the relevance and personal nature of this common entrepreneurial decision.Lily quickly establishes her perspective—she's firmly against it. While acknowledging that the idea might seem financially smart at first, she cautions that mixing business and romance can introduce unnecessary tension and complications. However, she opens the floor for counterpoints, prompting Kenner to share his own positive experience working alongside his wife, Kristin. Though they operate in different areas of the financial world, He describes the partnership as fun, efficient, and personally fulfilling.Kenner offers a practical tip for couples considering this route: start small. He suggests working on a short, manageable project to test the dynamic. If things go smoothly, it might signal a green light for a larger collaboration. Lily builds on this with her own advice—establish clear boundaries between work and personal life. Without them, work discussions could dominate the relationship and erode quality time together.He fully agrees, sharing that he and Kristin maintain a hard stop on work talk after 5 PM and throughout the weekend. He credits their success to their commitment to work-life balance, enhanced by a system called Strategic Coach by Dan Sullivan. This framework divides time into “focus days,” “buffer days,” and “free days,” allowing the couple to prioritize both productivity and personal time without overlap. He stresses that honoring these separations has helped them thrive both at work and at home.By the end of the discussion, Lily admits that Kenner's success story gives her pause. Although she still believes caution is essential, she's open to the idea that—with boundaries, mutual respect, and the right structure—working with a spouse can work well for some couples. The episode wraps with both hosts excited for future conversations, continuing their mission to share meaningful business insights with fellow entrepreneurs.Takeaways• Don't work with your spouse unless you're prepared for challenges.• Starting with small projects can help gauge compatibility.• Establish strict boundaries between work and personal life.• Work-life balance is crucial for a healthy relationship.• Communication is key to navigating business partnerships.• Consider the long-term implications of working together.• Having fun at work can enhance the partnership.• It's important to have focused work days and free days.• Testing the waters before diving in is advisable.• Input from both partners is essential for success.Sound Bites• Don't do it.• Maybe we should give it a try.• This is a good time.Listen & Subscribe for More:

What if you could take your entire life's work – your knowledge, content, expertise – and turn it into a scalable business, a book, a brand, even a SaaS platform… in 72 hours?That's not a pipe dream.In this new episode of Capability Amplifier, Dan Sullivan and I go deep into how I'm using AI to compress months of work into days, create new business models on the fly, and build better future selves for entrepreneurs – using nothing but their past, their voice, and some mind-blowing tools.You'll hear how I built a book, a brand, a product strategy, a complete app, and a scalable recurring income model for a doctor – in less than one hour – live during a Strategic Coach Free Zone event.We also explore:How AI is changing how I coach, sell, and prototype with clientsWhat Dan's “Free Day Guardian” looks like and how AI helps preserve creative energyWhy entrepreneurs are finally out of control – in the best way possibleIf you've ever said “I just need someone to make sense of all my ideas,” this episode shows you how to do exactly that… with AI.KEY INSIGHTS & TAKEAWAYSBuild Your Business in 3 Days Discover how I compress 3–12 months of strategy, branding, and execution into 72 hours—using AI as a strategic partner, not just a tool.Make Your Past Work for Your Future Learn how AI can synthesize your body of work—books, podcasts, talks—and repackage it into offers, products, or books you didn't know you already wrote.The $1,000 Cup of Coffee Hear how I launched a simple offer that now closes $100K+ clients – thanks to pre-trained AI that analyzes prospects before we even talk.Dan's Free Day Operating System Dan walks us through how he protects his creative time, uses novels to reset, and schedules rejuvenation like a billion-dollar asset.AI for Entrepreneurs, Not Employees Entrepreneurs have 100x more agency—and that advantage grows exponentially when paired with AI that turns friction into freedom.Agentic AI in Action From Manus to Claude to Lovable—hear the real-time, real-world tools I'm using to automate, create, and collaborate with AI co-pilots.The Bill of Rights Economy Dan shares how the U.S. Constitution actually protects entrepreneurs—and how AI helped him write his new book in 80% less time.TIME STAMPS[00:00:00] Compressing 12 Months into 3 Days Mike breaks down how he's using AI to prototype entire businesses in a single weekend.[00:02:56] Real Client Case Study: Dr. Poulter How AI used one doctor's past content to build products, write books, and spin up recurring income in minutes.[00:07:14] Prototyping an App in 30 Minutes Mike shows how Lovable created a working fertility app with pricing, copy, and chatbot… instantly.[00:10:06] Dan's Future-Self Book and Capabilities How Mike trained AI on Dan's voice, work, and frameworks to write a Strategic Coach-style book and more.[00:12:43] The Augusta Rule SaaS Another example of packaging IP and services into a high-converting, AI-powered business model.[00:16:08] The $1,000 Cup of Coffee How a Free Zone conversation led to a low-risk, high-value offer that's filling Mike's calendar with premium clients.[00:18:19] Where It's All Going Dan and Mike discuss how AI and entrepreneurial freedom are colliding to rewire how America—and entrepreneurs—operate.[00:25:53] Dan's 10 Greatest Capabilities (via AI) Mike reveals a GPT-generated breakdown of Dan's superpowers—and 10 ways he can use AI he hasn't even considered yet.[00:36:44] Dan's Free Day Guardian Why 155 free days per year is Dan's non-negotiable—and how it makes him more productive than ever.[00:50:41] Claude + Calendar + Email = Magic Mike explains how new AI integrations are saving him hours per week and revealing golden follow-up opportunities.[01:00:46] Who Strategic Coach is Really For Dan and Mike decode the traits of their ideal clients—and how AI can help identify (and attract) thousands more.[01:05:02] Final Takeaways Dan reflects on the quality of today's AI, and Mike shares how AI is now his #1 collaboration partner.If you're a founder, expert, or advisor sitting on a goldmine of experience – and you're done wasting time, energy, or money trying to figure out how to scale it…This episode will show you how to turn what you already know into cash flow, clarity, and freedom in days, not months.PS – Whenever you're ready, here's how I can help: Get a copy of my New Digital Report, PROJECT SUPERPOWER, here: www.MikeKoenigs.com/SuperCA Join me for a Cup of Coffee at my Digital Cafe and discover your next big opportunity. This is where we can meet:www.MikeKoenigs.com/1kCoffeeCAIf you haven't already, get a Free Copy of my Ai Accelerator Book Here: www.MikeKoenigs.com/AiBookFreeCA

Do you see adversity as fuel for your biggest ambitions or as an obstacle to overcome? In this episode, Jacob Emery reveals how authentic community, powerful partnerships, and daily habits transformed his journey from chaos to high achievement. Discover how Strategic Coach® sparked his shift from misfit to visionary—so you can unlock your own greatness too. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:How Jacob moved from chaos to clarity.Jacob's challenges growing up and overcoming not fitting in.How Strategic Coach helped Jacob merge his two passions.Why Strategic Coach attracts entrepreneurs with a growth mindset.How Strategic Coach helps build profound confidence.The ingredients of a great partnership. Show Notes: Great entrepreneurs embrace their misfit qualities to stand out and succeed. At Strategic Coach, you're free to be your whole self—authenticity comes first. Everyone at Strategic Coach is open, honest, and genuinely committed to growth. Entrepreneurs in The Strategic Coach® Program don't fit into standard boxes; they create their own path. You have the power to change your environment. You can expedite your journey and that of your team members through partnership. Sometimes, a single win can reshape who you are and what you believe is possible. Achieving a big goal often reveals an even greater level to aspire to. When facing a new project, focus on finding the person who would excel at—and truly enjoy—doing it rather than worrying about how to do it yourself. When you understand what a perfect day looks like, then you understand what you actually want out of life. Whatever you focus on, positive or negative, will grow. Strategic Coach allows you to see exactly where you are in your entrepreneurial journey. Your journey speeds up when you make the most of teamwork. Living with intention, gratitude, and daily standards builds lasting momentum. Resources: The Iron & Infrastructure Podcast Who Not How by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin HardyKolbe A™ IndexThe 4 Freedoms That Motivate Successful Entrepreneurs The Entrepreneur's Guide To Time Management Thinking About Your Thinking by Dan Sullivan The Impact Filter™ More about Jacob Emery

Zach Oliva truly understands commitment and dedication to growing something you believe in. He practices active recommitting to stay on goal. Dave Young: Welcome to The Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not-so-secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom-and-pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I'm Stephen's sidekick and business partner, Dave Young. Before we get into today's episode, a word from our sponsor, which is... Well, it's us, but we're highlighting ads we've written and produced for our clients. So here's one of those. [Oliva Gibbs Ad] Rick: Told you, Brian. Brian: Told me what? Rick: This is part two of last week's episode. Brian: Oh yeah. And it was getting good. Rick: If you missed it, go back and listen to part one first. Take it away, fellas. Stephen Semple: Hey, it's Stephen Semple here, and as the guys just alluded to, this is part two of an amazing podcast on Oliva Gibbs energy law. And not to give too much away, in case you don't want to go back and listen to the first episode, although I think you should. Oliva Gibbs basically in about a 15-year period of time, went from three lawyers to now there are six offices and 60 people. And in this podcast, we are going to go down some really interesting rabbit holes. This has turned out to be one of my favorite podcasts, and I know you're going to enjoy it. Zach Oliva: So I think probably for the five years before COVID, I would take these trips and it would be called a think week or weekend or whatever, and I would get a flip phone and I would go to a cabin in rural Texas. Stephen Semple: Well, you just dated yourself there. You got a flip phone. Zach Oliva: Yeah, I still have a flip phone. I have a flip phone. I use a flip phone every weekend. I've been using a flip phone every weekend for seven years. I would use my flip phone and I would go on these trips and I would take my dog and just hang out at this cabin. I would read a bunch of books about business strategy or investing or whatever, and I would think through issues. And I had really good ideas that would come up during those think weeks. And I think that where I failed in a lot of those was I would come back and I would try and implement those ideas completely on my own. And so I didn't know yet the importance of getting buy-in from the team and all that stuff. And so it caused actually a lot of frustration. The great thing about Strategic Coach is now I have think weeks all the time because I just have free days where I'm taking time off. But I still use a flip phone every weekend since probably the last six or seven years. It's amazing. Stephen Semple: So one of the things I wanted to ask you about, because it's really easy to say the whole thing of, "Okay, I'm going to go and I'm going to hire some professionals, I'm going to hire some experts, but not everybody has success doing that and for a bunch of reasons." And you've had great success doing it. So if you are going to give somebody advice saying, "Look, you're going to grow your business, go out and hire some experts that are great at helping grow the business." What advice would you have for folks in terms of, I guess, finding, selecting, and working with those professionals so that they have the type of success that you and Brad have had? Zach Oliva: I think where I've seen people fail and hiring things like advisors or coaches or things like that is they don't understand the nature of commitment. And so when a few years ago I worked with an awesome performance coach named Christopher Doris, and he coaches professional golfers, NFL players, entrepreneurs, stuff like that. And his big thing is what does all in look like here? And why would you do anything if you're not all in? And Stephen, do you know what the nature of commitment is? Stephen Semple: Well,

André, The Impulsive Thinker™, sits down with serial Entrepreneur Mike Koenigs to tackle a question so many ADHD Entrepreneurs face: what's next when your business just isn't lighting you up anymore? Mike shares his own raw experiences with losing identity after selling businesses and how to break free when you're stuck, bored, or feeling unseen. This episode dives into finding purpose after a business exit, the real risks of staying idle, and Mike's simple framework to figure out your next act. If you're ready to stop drifting and start designing what's next, this one's for you.  

“You either grow within or you go without” TIME STAMP SUMMARY01:20 Taking responsibility for one's life and becoming the hero of their own story.05:10 The importance of standing for one's greatness and not clinging to limitations.08:05  Reframing beliefs with positive declarations and taking action to overcome setbacks and achieve greatness.13:00 Personal development and setting goals aligned with our desired identity.17:59 Using words that reflect our desired state and focusing on what we want to achieve. Dianna Kokoszka Top Five Tips For Becoming More1. Identify and Understand Your Current Story2. Define Your Desired Legacy3. Limiting Beliefs are the Invisible Chain Holding you Back from Reaching Your True Potential.4.  Implement Strategic Steps for Transformation to a new story, the one you truly desire to live.5.  The Words we Speak Help Predict Our Outcome and Our Future Where to find Dianna?Website               https://dynamicgrowthcollective.com/community                                  https://becomingmorebook.com/ LinkedIn             https://www.linkedin.com/in/diannak/  Bio Dianna Kokoszka Dianna Kokoszka is an Entrepreneur, Keynote Speaker, Best Selling Author, Investor, and Mentor. She has established herself as a prominent figure in the business world, developing many leaders during her longevity.  Recognized as one of the top 25 business coaches in the U.S. as well as Entrepreneur of the year 4 times and businesswoman of the year 3 times plus nominated as best business Podcast through Women in Podcasting is living proof, she loves to add value to people.Dedicating over 14 years as CEO of Keller Williams Realty International MAPS Coaching and Training, she played a pivotal role in propelling the company to becoming the largest and most profitable coaching enterprise in the real estate industry. Growing gross revenues from losing 1 million per year to over 500 Million dollars. In addition, she helped take the company to the number one training company in the world 5 years straight placing them in the Hall of Fame for Training by T125.  She authored the program BOLD: Business Objective a Life by Design in 2009, when the economy and real estate industry were plummeting.  Over 175,000 salespeople, mortgage lenders, and leaders attended stating the course saved their careers.Kokoszka is an NLP practitioner, certified John Maxwell Coach, certified E-Myth consultant, a member of Strategic Coach, a board member of John C. Maxwell Leadership Foundation, and owner of Dk Businesses, and Dynamic Growth Collective.   Kokoszka has been mentored by Dr. John C. Maxwell for over 28 years and travels alongside John and his team to numerous countries, engaging directly with Presidents and Prime Ministers incorporating value-based training into their educational system. Kokoszka's bestselling book “Becoming More - You Can't Get to Better Until You Get to Different” gives the reader a model to train their brain to a new way of thinking, doing having and giving, taking them from the current story of their life to living a new story.  A story of success in business, relationships, and life allowing them to leave a legacy they are proud of.

Bruce Eckfeldt is a Strategic Coach and Master Facilitator at Eckfeldt & Associates, where he works with CEOs and leadership teams to scale their businesses. As a former Inc. 500 Founder and CEO, he successfully scaled and sold his business. Bruce focuses on developing leadership skills, optimizing companies for transactions, and navigating mergers and acquisitions. In this episode… Many business owners dream of a profitable exit, but few are prepared for the emotional, strategic, and operational complexities that come with selling a company. Beyond valuation, sellers often overlook the personal identity challenges, the intricacies of deal structures, and what life will look like post-exit. So, how can founders approach their business exits in a way that minimizes regret and maximizes future opportunities? Leadership coach and former tech CEO Bruce Eckfeldt emphasizes the importance of reverse-engineering the exit process to align with long-term personal and professional goals. He advises founders to confront their emotional attachment to their businesses early and to develop networks and interests outside of work. He recommends proactively organizing company information and sharing all potential risks upfront to build buyer trust and streamline transactions. Bruce also highlights the need to carefully evaluate earnouts, deferred payments, and non-compete clauses to ensure the deal supports the seller's next venture. In this episode of the Inspired Insider Podcast, Dr. Jeremy Weisz interviews Bruce Eckfeldt, Founder of Eckfeldt & Associates, about planning business exits as a launchpad for future success. Bruce shares why treating exits as springboards leads to more fulfilling outcomes. He also discusses the pitfalls to avoid, how to prepare for post-sale life, and the psychology behind successful transitions.

What separates entrepreneurs who collapse under pressure from those who come back stronger? Sasha Tripp—a real estate entrepreneur who survived financial disaster, market crashes, and personal crises—shares how she transformed adversity into her greatest breakthrough. Discover the mindset shifts that helped her lead with resilience and rebuild her business, and how Strategic Coach® gave her the tools to turn chaos into clarity. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:What made Sasha realize that she had to either improve her skill set or get into sales.Why the sky's the limit in real estate if you have the right work ethic.Why Sasha thinks she might never be employable again.How Sasha's entrepreneurial path and her Strategic Coach journey have always overlapped.The hardest thing Sasha has ever had to go through. Show Notes: True entrepreneurship is tested in the valleys, not just the peaks. You can't tell if someone's a really great entrepreneur in the best of times because they have a lot of supports in place. The 4 C's Formula®—Commitment, Courage, Capability, and Confidence—is the foundation of overcoming any challenge. It requires courage and commitment to gain new capabilities and confidence. Confidence feels good. Courage feels lousy. If there are going to be problems in the marketplace, residential real estate is where it shows up first. When everything falls apart, your mindset determines whether you rebuild or retreat. Entrepreneurship isn't about avoiding risk; it's about managing fear while moving forward. Entrepreneurs have the freedom to pivot and change when it makes the most sense to do so. If you don't have the answer yet, it might be that you haven't thought of the right question. Strategic Coach isn't about tactics; it's about training yourself to ask better questions. Strategic Coach is a community of unbiased people you can talk to about your challenges. You can want what you want. You don't have to justify it. Your business should fit your life, not the other way around. The fastest way to grow isn't working harder, it's thinking differently. Resources: The 4 C's Formula by Dan Sullivan 10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy Who Not How by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy The Gap And The Gain by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy The Positive Focus®

Just because someone excels in their role doesn't mean they should interview new hires—especially if they're a salesperson. In this episode, Dan Sullivan and Shannon Waller reveal why great salespeople often make the worst hiring decisions, how to spot the right evaluators for your team, and the mindset shift that separates a persuasive seller from a discerning buyer. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:The role of a job seeker in an interview.The role that an interviewer should be playing.Why Dan isn't involved in the hiring process at Strategic Coach®.A secret ingredient in the Strategic Coach hiring process.The powerful question you should ask every prospective customer and team member. Show Notes: Salespeople shouldn't conduct interviews because they'll treat every interaction like a sale—focused on overcoming objections rather than evaluating fit. Great salespeople are wired to close deals, which means they'll prioritize getting a "yes" over finding the right candidate. A sales-driven interviewer risks hiring the wrong person simply because they couldn't resist "winning" the interaction. As the person doing the hiring, you're the buyer, not the seller. It's the job of the applicant to convince you they're the right fit. It's not the interviewer's job to get the applicant excited about the position. Your hiring team should be dispassionate evaluators—think poker players, not persuaders. The best hires are those who sell you on their ability to contribute to your company's future. Confidence in hiring comes from being decisive, not from convincing someone to join. Trust your instincts—if a candidate feels off early on, that feeling rarely improves over time. Resources: Unique Ability® Free Zone Frontier by Dan Sullivan How To Improve Business By Asking Good Questions Always Be The Buyer by Dan Sullivan Your Business Is A Theater Production: Your Back Stage Shouldn't Show On The Front Stage

What separates successful entrepreneurs from the rest? It's not just having answers—it's asking the right questions. Dan Sullivan reveals how Strategic Coach® was built on curiosity, resilience, and a relentless focus on the future. Discover why questions drive growth, how to avoid stagnation, and why your next decade could be your most ambitious yet. Show Notes: Most people aren't very good at asking themselves questions—but questions are exponentially more powerful than answers. Strategic Coach provides value, not by giving answers, but by asking the kinds of questions that transform people's thoughts and experiences into strategies for growth. You can only be truly useful to someone if you know what they're trying to achieve. In sales and in entrepreneurship, maybes are the enemy. Yeses move you forward, no's teach you, but maybes drain your energy and resources. The external approval you seek early in life shapes your identity, but lasting fulfillment comes from measuring your own growth and value. Resilience isn't about avoiding setbacks, but about bouncing back stronger. Teamwork and collaboration are the ultimate multipliers. Your ambition can keep expanding at every stage of life when you build with others. Resources: How To Sell Transformation Using This One Question My Plan For Living To 156 by Dan Sullivan First 100 Days The Positive Focus® Exercise Learn more about Jeffrey Madoff Learn more about Dan Sullivan and Strategic Coach®

Today on the pod, Katie is joined by marketing expert, author, and philanthropist Mark Young! Katie shares her career journey from A.I. to “Ayurveda Intelligence,” while Mark reflects on life lessons as he approaches a milestone birthday. They offer practical marketing advice for Ayurvedic coaches and other heart-centered entrepreneurs, discuss the role of AI in their lives and share how you can build a wildly successful business by cultivating relationships and trusting your unique voice. Ready to start your own heart-centered business as an Ayurvedic Wellness Coach? Enrollment for the next class of our Ayurveda certification training is now open! Click here to learn more and enroll.   In this episode about marketing and much more, you'll hear: ~ An invitation to join our year-long Ayurveda School ~ Shifting gender roles in our modern world ~ The Tantric view of masculine and feminine ~ Heart-centered marketing ~ Strategic Coach with Dan Sullivan ~ The importance of scheduling time off and buffer days ~ Feminine form business and marketing ~ The importance of asking good questions ~ Why Katie and Mark aren't afraid of A.I. taking over ~ A.I.'s level of consciousness ~ Jungian and spiritual perspectives on A.I. ~ Practical ways Mark and Katie use A.I. in their lives ~ Mark's top marketing tips for Ayurvedic coaches and counselors ~ The importance of relationships over transactions ~ Walking your talk as a business owner ~ Being authentic vs. oversharing ~ Advice for new business owners who don't have a big following ~ Trusting your unique voice ~ Sign up for our free Women's Wisdom and Ayurveda mini-course!   Connect with Mark Young: ~ Mark's books: Radical Generosity and Date Your Clients ~ Mark's website: www.themarkyoung.com ~ Mark's podcast: Performance Driven Living ~ Follow Mark on IG: @themarkyoung   Other resources related to this episode: ~ Learn more about Ayurveda School ~ 2025 Chakra Yoga Nidra Workshop: Study with Katie and other luminary teachers this fall in the Bahamas! ~ 2026 Chakra Yoga Nidra Retreat: Deep dive into the chakras with Katie as your guide in the beautiful Bahamas in spring 2026! ~ Follow us on Instagram and Facebook ~ Katie's latest book, Glow-Worthy Get the full show notes here

What if working harder is exactly why your business feels stuck?This week, I'm sitting down with Michael Walsh — a 30-year veteran who's helped hundreds of founders scale service businesses past the invisible walls that trap 98% of owners below $5 million… and keep 99% from ever reaching $10–20 million.He calls them danger zones — predictable trapdoors that snare even the smartest owners. If you've ever wondered why more sales doesn't fix your profit problem… why great people leave… or why your “well-oiled machine” feels more like a mess of people problems — this is for you.Inside this episode, you'll learn exactly why traditional management and “systems thinking” break down — and how to design an intelligent ecosystem instead.KEY INSIGHTS & TAKEAWAYSThe 96% Trap: Why 96% of businesses stall at $1M–$5M — and how to break through with a simple shift in how you see your people, not just your systems.The Hidden “Danger Zones”: How to recognize — and navigate — the invisible walls at $2M, $5M, $10M, and beyond… before they kill your momentum.The Well-Oiled Machine Lie: Why treating your company like a “machine” turns your people into cogs (and why it backfires).Build an Intelligent Ecosystem: How to create a culture where your best people stay, grow, and solve problems faster than you ever could alone.Freedom by Design: Michael's Freedom Framework for service businesses — the same approach that helped founders triple revenue, exit for millions, and actually enjoy running their business again.The First Step to Escape Burnout: How to know if you're in a danger zone right now — and the exact first step to get unstuck.TIME STAMPS[00:00:00] The Growth TrapWhy “just work harder” stops working — and what most owners get wrong about scaling.[00:03:05] Meet Michael Walsh30+ years, 3 bestselling books, and hundreds of companies rescued from invisible ceilings.[00:05:53] The Real People ProblemWhy process-based consulting fails — and what's really holding your team back.[00:09:54] Danger Zones DefinedThe predictable crisis points at $1M, $2M, $5M, $10M, and the chasm at $12–$20M.[00:13:06] The Compound ProblemHow people + structures multiply complexity — and the hidden cost of “near miss” hires.[00:19:00] Well-Oiled Machine vs. Intelligent EcosystemWhy the industrial model kills creativity — and what real knowledge work needs now.[00:27:04] The Four Human DriversSurvive, thrive, connect, adapt — how to design a business humans want to be part of.[00:38:37] The Freedom FrameworkMichael's process for tying growth and culture together — so people grow as the company grows.[00:46:14] How to Get UnstuckQuestions every founder should ask to know if they have the right people and leaders.[00:50:31] Your Next StepWhere to get Michael's book, start a conversation, and design your path to freedom. If you're ready to break through the “invisible ceiling” — without losing your freedom, your people, or your sanity — this episode is a must-listen. PS – When you're ready, here's how I can help: Get a copy of my New Digital Report, PROJECT SUPERPOWER, here: www.MikeKoenigs.com/SuperCA Join me for a Cup of Coffee at my Digital Cafe and discover your next big opportunity. This is where we can meet:www.MikeKoenigs.com/1kCoffeeCAIf you haven't already, get a Free Copy of my Ai Accelerator Book Here: www.MikeKoenigs.com/AiBookFreeCA

In Episode 79 of Land to Lots™, Carter talks with Shannon Waller—author, speaker, podcast host, Team Success Coach, and Director at Strategic Coach—about the key ingredients of team success.   In this episode, you'll learn:  What team success really means  The most challenging aspects of developing effective teams  The concept of Unique Ability® and Unique Ability® teamwork  Multiplication by Subtraction as a growth strategy  What a Kolbe Score is—and how it can help you build a stronger team  Show Notes Shannon Waller Contact Information: W – www.strategiccoach.com E – Shannon.Waller@strategiccoach.com  Books: The Team Success Handbook Multiplication by Subtraction Unique Ability 2.0 Superpowered: The Secret That Helps Every Entrepreneur Eliminate the Suck, 10X Their Impact, and Have More Fun in Work and Life  Podcasts: Shannon Waller's Team Success Inside Strategic Coach  Plus: Whenever you're ready here are 4 ways Launch can help you with your project:  Prepare a Special Tax District Bond Analysis for your Project – If you have a projects in AZ, CA, CO, ID, NC, NM, SC, TX, UT, WA contact  Carter Froelich (ADD MY EMAIL LINK) and have Launch prepare an initial bond analysis for your project.    Add Favorable Financing Language to Annexation and/or Development Agreements – Create certainty and flexibility related to your project's infrastructure financing by having Launch professionals prepare handcrafted favorable financing language for inclusion in your Annexation and/or Development Agreement. Perform The RED Analysis™ on your Project – We have developed a unique process at Launch called The RED Analysis™ in which we perform a diagnostic review of your project to determine possible ways to Reduce, Eliminate and Defer infrastructure construction costs in order to enhance project returns.   Track Your Reimbursable Costs Utilizing The Launch Reimbursement System™ (“LRS”) – Never lose track of your district eligible reimbursable costs and have Launch manage your district's costs reimbursement tracking, preparation of electronic reimbursement submittal packages and processing of your reimbursement requests with the district, jurisdiction and/or agency.  Complimentary Offers for Land to Lots™ ListenersComplimentary Land to Lots book: https://www.launch-mpc.com/offer Complimentary Bond Sizing Analysis:  https://form.jotform.com/231376408765160 Get all the shownotes here Learn more about Launch Development Finance Advisors Connect with Carter Froelich Connect With Launch Development Finance Advisors Carter Froelich – 480-828-9555 / carter@launch-dfa.com Carter Froelich hosts the Land to Lots™ podcast powered by Launch Development Finance Advisors. Carter shares how he and his team help their clients finance infrastructure, reduce costs, and mitigate risks all with the goal of enhancing project profitability.

In this episode of The Truth About Ag, we're joined by Todd Andries, newly minted Chief Operating Officer of Maverick Ag and a long-time leader in ag finance. With more than 25 years in the financial industry and roots in his family's 2,600-acre farm, Todd brings a blend of boardroom insight and boots-on-the-ground understanding.We talk about what's really happening in the farm equipment market, the role of personal tax and budgeting in strategic planning, and how fear and stress show up when you're making big decisions. We share lessons from Strategic Coach, what it's been like joining the Maverick and HGV teams, and how to navigate tough conversations with banks when the numbers don't tell the full story.It's a candid look at the mindset behind sustainable growth, one that's honest about the risks, the pressure, and the personal side of business.Listen in for a wide-ranging conversation that blends finance, leadership, and a little Stanley Cup talk, too.

Are you feeling trapped by your role? Are you looking for more freedom? Shannon Waller asks, “What if you shift your perspective and adopt a partnership mindset?” Challenge the traditional hierarchical thinking that stifles collaboration and results. Instead, imagine an environment where you, and everyone around you, are liberated to contribute your Unique Ability® and show up as your most evolved self, regardless of status or title. Discover how this mindset fosters collaborative teamwork, amplifies contributions, and leads to results and growth, letting you to focus on creating immense value. Download Episode Transcript Show Notes: Ditch the hierarchy. Treat yourself and others as partners, not just bosses or subordinates, for true freedom and results. Role-based thinking hinders teamwork and collaboration. Bring your most evolved version of yourself to work. Instead of your authentic self, show your “front stage” best, even internally. Value people who are different from you; they can do what you can't. Alignment on core values keeps the focus on collaboration toward shared goals. Put your ego and authority aside. Partnership means implied equality – focusing on contributing resources, skills, and effort toward shared goals, and sharing risks and rewards. The marketplace only cares if you create value; it doesn't care about your status. Know yourself and your unique contributions. Focus on the situation and the other person, not just yourself, to be a great partner. Don't be trapped by your role or title, even if it's CEO. Redesign your job to match your unique contribution for greater impact and happiness. This partnership mindset allows you to work effectively with people at any status level. The goal is to give people freedom to do what they're best at, play full out, speak up, and contribute fully. Dan Sullivan's solution when team members struggle is to bring in another “Who” that can do that piece of the work effortlessly. The Strategic Coach® core values, or P.A.G.E., are: positive and collaborative teamwork being alert, curious, responsive, and resourceful focusing on growth and results providing an excellent first-class experience for clients Resources: Cy Wakeman's books No Ego: How Leaders Can Cut the Cost of Workplace Drama, End Entitlement, and Drive Big Results The Reality-Based Rules of the Workplace: Know What Boosts Your Value, Kills Your Chances, and Will Make You Happier Reality-Based Leadership: Ditch the Drama, Restore Sanity to the Workplace, and Turn Excuses into Results Ego, Authority, Failure by Derek Gaunt Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss Who Not How by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy Kolbe CliftonStrengths® PRINT®

How far would you go to align your life with your purpose?This week on Clarity Generates Confidence, Gary sits down with Alex Gertsburg—veteran, entrepreneur, managing partner of Gertsburg Licata, and founder of Exit Path Partners and CoverMySix®—to explore how redefining success led him to a more intentional and fulfilling life. A pivotal Strategic Coach exercise helped Alex recognize where his time aligned (or didn't) with passion, skill, and profitability—and inspired a bold new direction.Together, they dive into the habits that shape mindset, the hidden costs of staying comfortable, and why impact and values matter more than ever in today's uncertain world. It's a thoughtful, energizing conversation about finding clarity and confidence by choosing meaning over momentum.

What if you could clone your best team member... without ever hiring a new one?This is Part 2 of my live talk at the “Your Best Life” event in Las Vegas — and if you liked Part 1, buckle up.In this episode, I show you exactly how I'm using Ai to automate hiring, build new brands, write entire books, and even create full-blown software platforms in a single weekend.(Yes, really.)You'll hear how I replaced an outgoing integrator in 24 hours with a unicorn hire… then hired her #2 the very next day — using nothing but a ChatGPT prompt and my network.And I'll walk you through the four-part system I'm using to:Build productsWrite booksAutomate contentScale high-ticket offers……with fewer people, more profit, and less BS.KEY INSIGHTS & TAKEAWAYSThe Ai-Enhanced Hiring Hack Discover how I used ChatGPT to write a “unicorn” job ad in my own voice — and filled a mission-critical integrator role in less than 24 hours (plus her #2 the day after that).Shake-the-Trees Campaigns & High-Ticket Upsells Find out how I help businesses instantly generate high-value offers from their existing clients — including one health biz that went from $2K/year clients to $30K+ in days.Ai-First Content Workflows I show you how to build 10-slide social posts, dynamic presentations, entire books, and even functional software from a single blob of input.NotebookLM: Your Ai Brain-in-a-Box Train your own private AI with your content, and generate summaries, prep docs, legal training, customer research, or even synthetic podcast episodes in minutes.The $1K Cup of Coffee Funnel (Revealed) I break down the full-funnel that turns $1,000 consults into $100K+ clients. (It's not theory. It's working right now.)Synthetic Everything — And What It Means for You From podcast hosts to interactive demos and training tools, AI is cloning creators and coders faster than we can keep up. I'll show you how to ride the wave before it crashes over you.TIME STAMPS[00:00:00] Opening Shares from the RoomBreakthroughs from Part 1 – plus how attendees are already using the tools to build faster and smarter.[00:03:00] Ai for Personal Development, Hiring, and “Leverage Me”How one prompt wrote my integrator job ad, attracted a unicorn hire, and ensured I'll never get caught unprepared again.[00:06:56] Genspark Demo – Instant Content for Any BusinessFrom websites to social carousels and presentations – see how I create client-ready content in real time.[00:11:18] Shake-the-Trees Campaigns & High-Ticket UpsellsThe “Category of One” positioning and ICP framework that helps any business go from $2K to $30K offers with their best existing clients.[00:12:47] Training Your Own Ai with NotebookLMThe step-by-step on building your private Ai assistant – trained on your best sales calls, assets, docs, or books.[00:15:59] Real-Time Summaries and PodcastsHow to prep for meetings, summarize deals, and create conversational synthetic podcasts that talk back to you.[00:19:06] Ethics, Accuracy, and The Speed of TrustSynthetic content vs. real trust – why the winner is whoever builds the fastest connection with the most people.[00:25:42] Ai-Powered Book & Software CreationThe prompt that turned Dr. Steven Poulter's content into a bestselling book AND a prototype software app in under a day.[00:33:25] Building Funnels, Products, and Reports with AiThe full breakdown of my “$1K Cup of Coffee” campaign – including how I use Ai to create 80-page prep dossiers on every lead.[00:52:58] Personality Profiles, Future Visioning & ICPHow we predict ideal outcomes, create client readiness tools, and build conversion funnels with zero homework.[01:02:01] The Ai Accelerator OfferA limited-time package to train your team, build your funnels, and spend time with me solving your biggest business challenges.[01:07:20] Closing ThoughtsFinal call for action. Offers. Open Q&A. The moment that tied it all together.If you're serious about scaling smarter — with fewer people, more automation, and higher profits — you need to hear this.PS – When you're ready, here's how I can help: Get a copy of my New Digital Report, PROJECT SUPERPOWER, here: https://www.SuperpowerAccelerator.com/SuperJoin me for a Cup of Coffee at my Digital Cafe and discover your next big opportunity. This is where we can meet:https://www.MikeKoenigs.com/1kcoffeeSpend a day with me reinventing yourself and experiencing a massive personal and professional breakthrough. Watch this.

What if you could 10x your business output, without hiring a single new team member?In this special episode, I'm sharing a talk I did for the “Your Best Live” community in Las Vegas last month. You'll hear me break down exactly how to make more money, with fewer people – using the most powerful Ai tools available right now.I walk through the real tools, workflows, prompts, and systems I'm using to build brands, automate sales, and compress time for my clients (and my own companies) – without needing a team of 20 to pull it off.Whether you're a founder, operator, consultant, or investor, this episode will open your eyes to what's possible when you treat Ai not as a toy—but as a full-time team member.KEY INSIGHTS & TAKEAWAYSThe "More Money, Fewer People" FrameworkDiscover how to 10X productivity and output while cutting costs, complexity, and headcount.Ai Tools I Actually Use Every DayGet the exact stack of apps and systems I rely on to write, research, build presentations, automate email, close sales—and run a full business as a one-person marketing team.Agentic AI: The Next EvolutionLearn how multi-agent workflows are changing the game and allowing entrepreneurs to "run ops" without operations people.Real Business ExamplesHear how I used AI to help clients like Nathaniel Ely launch a $1B tax-saving offer, or how I spun up full campaigns, books, funnels, and brand systems in days—not weeks or months.The Death of the Traditional TeamWhy bloated teams are a liability in the AI age—and what lean, agile operators are doing differently to win big.Compression = AccelerationMy system for compressing 6 months of work into a weekend—and how you can apply it, even if you're not “technical.”TIME STAMPS[00:00:00] Introduction Live from Las Vegas—Mike lays the foundation for how AI is changing business forever.[00:03:22] Why “More Money, Fewer People” is the New Model How AI is replacing the need for complex org charts—and what comes next.[00:06:11] The Tools I Use Every Day My personal AI stack for writing, research, outreach, and automation.[00:08:40] Multi-Agent Workflows and Agentic AI The next big leap in AI productivity—and how to set it up right now.[00:11:18] From Idea to Execution in 3 Days How we launched a full brand, books, marketing, and funnels in one weekend using AI.[00:15:30] Why You Must Lead By Example The #1 thing founders and leaders need to understand about getting their teams to use Ai.[00:18:42] The Real Threat of Not Adapting Why sticking with outdated models will kill your momentum (and how to future-proof your business now).If you're even slightly curious about how to use Ai to streamline your operations, grow faster, and do more with less—you don't want to miss this episode.Additional ResourcesGo get a copy of my NEW Digital Report, PROJECT SUPERPOWER, visit: https://www.SuperpowerAccelerator.com/SuperTo book a $1k Cup of Coffee with me, go here: https://www.MikeKoenigs.com/1kcoffee

What does true wealth look like beyond bank accounts and net worth? Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff explore generational wealth, the pitfalls of financial success without purpose, and why relationships, time freedom, and fulfillment matter more than money. Learn how entrepreneurs can build lasting value—without losing themselves in the process. Show Notes: Wealth isn't just net worth—it's the freedom to focus on what matters most, without financial constraints. An entrepreneur can pass on the results of their talent, but they can't pass on their talent itself. The wealthiest 20% rarely stay in that bracket for long. True sustainability requires reinvention, not just inheritance. The distance between "rich" and "poor" isn't a gap—it's a ladder with multiple rungs, and movement happens in both directions. Taxes don't just redistribute wealth; they reveal how fragile financial success can be without strategy. Generational wealth often persists due to lawyers and accountants, not the achievements of descendants. Once you've maxed out what your efforts can bring you, you have to multiply your income by working less. It might seem counterintuitive, but you can spend your time doing only what you love doing and find people who love doing the rest. True confidence in business comes from pricing boldly—charge what scares you, plus 20%—and eliminating "maybes." Wealth without relationships, purpose, or peace is poverty in disguise  Resources: The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel You Are Not A Computer by Dan Sullivan Learn more about Jeffrey Madoff Dan Sullivan and Strategic Coach®

Coach Mike and Coach Chris sit down with Eric Herrera from the Kolbe Corporation. They explore the transformative power of Kolbe assessments in understanding your natural strengths and how these insights can lead to a life of multidimensional success, both personally and professionally. Learn how Kolbe Assessments can skyrocket your achievements, both personally and professionally. Key Discussion Points: Coach Chris's Kolbe Journey: Chris shares his early experience with Kolbe through Strategic Coach, highlighting a personal anecdote where the assessment accurately described his aversion to long meetings in confined spaces, leading to an immediate change in his work habits. He emphasizes the tool's accuracy and his decision to become a certified Kolbe consultant. What is Kolbe? Eric Herrera defines Kolbe's mission: to help individuals achieve their goals by identifying their natural modes of action and problem-solving. He explains that Kolbe assesses how people "get things done" through four distinct modes: Kolbe in Action (Personal & Professional): Personal Application: Kolbe applies to all aspects of life, from communicating with a spouse to optimizing personal learning styles. Team Building & Communication: Coach Chris emphasizes Kolbe's value in building effective teams by identifying complementary strengths. He shares how knowing a team member's Kolbe scores improves communication and understanding of their processing styles, reducing friction and increasing efficiency. "Leaning into Your Gifts": Eric clarifies that Kolbe isn't about avoiding tasks you're "bad" at, but finding your unique way to accomplish them. He provides examples of "hacks" for individuals to work within their natural strengths while still fulfilling necessary responsibilities.

What if taking more time off could actually grow your business? Todd Ellis, a financial advisor and Strategic Coach® veteran, shares how a 15-day sailing voyage—completely unplugged—taught him the power of taking time off. Discover why stepping away to develop new skills builds confidence, strengthens your team, and fuels unexpected growth. The secret? A Self-Managing Company® that thrives when you disconnect. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:How Todd discovered his passion for financial services—and why helping people drives his business.The surprising ways Todd's company creates real impact for clients and team members.Why taking true time off accelerates success.The importance of making sure you have the capacity to handle a situation (before you're in it).How Strategic Coach helps entrepreneurs and their companies grow. Show Notes: The more free time you take, the more your income will grow. Taking free time flies in the face of workaholic culture, where burnout is worn as a badge of honor. Gaining a new capability gives you a new sense of confidence. To take time off, you must have a company that can develop and grow while you're away. Once you have your own company, you get to decide how you're going to serve the public. Many people measure their success by how many clients they have, but having fewer clients allows you to really invest in yourself. Taking a break from technology allows you to be with your own thoughts and experience what's around you. A Free Day™ is a 24-hour period that's uninterrupted by any work-related activities. When you step inside Strategic Coach, you get to be surrounded by like-minded entrepreneurs who are eager to support your growth. Entrepreneurs share common issues, but every entrepreneur is unique. Resources:How Free Days Keep You On Your Side Of “The Line” What Is A Self-Managing Company®? Unique Ability®

What if the secret to building a vibrant culture starts with redesigning your own life? In this episode of the Build a Vibrant Culture  host Nicole Greer sits down with visionary Ryan Rigterink, author of Redesign Life, to explore how purpose, passion, and personal transformation can shape both individual lives and organizational culture. A tech entrepreneur and thought leader in human-centered AI, Ryan shares the powerful framework behind his Redesign Life process and how leaders can tap into their people's potential through reflection, alignment, and intention.Together, Nicole and Ryan unpack the six core habits for redesigning life, discuss how talent ecosystems and AI are reshaping leadership, and offer actionable strategies for helping people move from burnout to brilliance. Whether you're leading a team or redefining your personal mission, this episode is full of inspiring insights and practical takeaways to help you ignite purpose and lead with clarity.Highlights from this episode:[04:49] – From Toxic to Thriving: Ryan's journey through burnout, reinvention, and purpose management.[10:55] – Superhero vs. Zombie Mindset: How imagination and choice impact our life path.[15:00] – The Six-Step Framework: Prepare, Discover, Understand, Fit, Focus, Balance.[22:22] – Turn to Wonder: Cultivating curiosity as a leadership and life skill.[46:59] – Passion Is Strategy: Why igniting passion is the most underutilized success tactic in organizations.Ryan's book: Redesign Life by Ryan Rigterink: https://a.co/d/5lFryDQAlso mentioned in this episode:The Path by Laurie Beth Jones: https://a.co/d/3veka2OThe Ultimate Secret to Getting Absolutely Everything You Want by Mike Hernacki: https://a.co/d/imOE4VNUnique Ability 2.0 by Strategic Coach (created by Dan Sullivan): https://a.co/d/3q6YvT5Good to Great by Jim Collins: https://a.co/d/1nUqFpIBooks by Howard Thurman: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Howard-Thurman/author/B000APVW8Y?ref=ap_rdr&a…Darryl Bellamy's website: https://fearlessinside.com/The Fearless Revolution by Sandy Gledhill: https://a.co/d/bx54yliConnect with Ryan:Website: https://www.leadersops.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-rigterink-1596107/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryan.rigterinkListen today at www.vibrantculture.com/podcast or your favorite podcast platform!Learn more about Nicole Greer, the Vibrant Coach: https://www.vibrantculture.com/

In this episode of Welcome to Cloudlandia, we kick off by reflecting on a recent trip to the UK, where London's unexpected warmth mirrored the friendliness of its black cab drivers. Our visit coincided with the successful launch of the 10 Times program in Mayfair, which attracted participants from various countries, adding a rich diversity to the event. Next, we delve into the advancements in AI technology, particularly those related to Google Flow. We discuss how this technology is democratizing creative tools, making it easier to create films and lifelike interactions. This sparks a conversation about the broader implications of AI, including its potential to transform industries like real estate through AI-driven personas and tools that enhance market operations. We then shift our focus to the political arena, where we explore the Democratic Party's attempt to create their own media influencers to match figures like Joe Rogan. The discussion centers on the challenges of capturing consumer attention in a world overflowing with digital content, and the need for meaningful messaging that resonates with everyday life. Finally, we touch on aging, longevity, and productivity. We emphasize the importance of staying engaged and productive as we age, inspired by remarkable individuals achieving significant milestones beyond 60. SHOW HIGHLIGHTS In our recent trip to the UK, we experienced the unexpected warmth of London and engaged with the local culture, which included charming interactions with black cab drivers. This atmosphere set the tone for a successful event launch in Mayfair with global participants. We discussed the sparse historical records left by past civilizations, such as the Vikings, and how this impacts our understanding of history, drawing a parallel to the rich experiences of our recent travels. AI advancements, particularly Google Flow, are revolutionizing the creative landscape by democratizing filmmaking tools, allowing for lifelike scenes and interactions to be created easily and affordably. The potential of AI in the real estate market was explored, using the example of Lily Madden, an AI-driven persona in Portugal, which highlights the challenge of consumer attention in an ever-saturated digital content environment. We analyzed the Democratic Party's approach to media influencers in the 2024 election, noting the need for genuine engagement with voters' lives amidst fierce competition for attention in today's media landscape. The discussion shifted to aging and longevity, focusing on productivity and engagement in later years. We emphasized the importance of remaining active and contributing meaningfully past the age of 60. We wrapped up the episode with excitement about future projects, including a new workshop and book, highlighting our commitment to staying creatively engaged and inviting listeners to join us in future discussions. Links: WelcomeToCloudlandia.com StrategicCoach.com DeanJackson.com ListingAgentLifestyle.com TRANSCRIPT (AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors) Dean: Mr sullivan it has to be recorded because it's uh historic thinking it's historic thinking in a historic time things cannot be historic if they're not recorded, that is true, it's like if, uh, yeah, if a tree falls in the forest yeah, it's a real. Dan: It's a real problem with what happened here in the Americas, because the people who were here over thousands of years didn't have recordings. Dean: They didn't write it down. They didn't write it down. Dan: No recordings, I mean they chipped things. Dean: They didn't write it down. Dan: They didn't write it down no recordings, no recordings. Yeah, I mean, they chip things into rock, but it's, you know, it's not a great process really. Dean: I think that's funny, you know, because that's always been the joke that Christopher Columbus, you know, discovered America in 1492. But meanwhile they've been here. There have been people, the sneaky Vikings, and stuff. How do you explain that in the Spaniards? Dan: Yep. Dean: Yeah. Dan: Yeah Well, writing. You know, writing was an important thing. Dean: Yeah, yeah. Dan: We don't know much. We don't, yeah, we really don't know much about the Vikings either, because they didn't they weren't all that great at taking notes. I mean, all the Vikings put together don't equal your journals. Dean: That's true. All the Viking lore's the not what's happening. So it's been a few weeks yeah I was in the uk, we were in the uk for a couple weekends for uh-huh okay, it was great, wonderful weather, I mean we had the very unusual. Dan: It was great, wonderful weather. Dean: I mean we had the very unusual weather for May. It was, you know, unseasonably warm 75, 80, nice bright oh my goodness. Dan: Yeah, really terrific. And boy is the city packed. London is just packed. Dean: And getting packed dirt, huh. Dan: Yeah, yeah, just so many people on the street. Dean: I always, I always laugh, because one time I was there in June which is typically when I go, and it was. It was very funny because I'd gotten a black cab and just making conversation with the driver and he said so how long are you here? And I said I'm here for a week. He said, oh, for the whole summer, because it was beautifully warm here for the whole summer. Yeah, that's so funny, I hear hear it's not quite. Dan: They're fun to talk to. Dean: Oh man for sure. Dan: Yeah, they know so much. Dean: Yes, I hear Toronto. Not quite that warm yet, but get in there I think today is predicted to be the crossover day we had just a miserable week. Dan: It was nonstop rain for five days. Oh my goodness, Not huge downpour, but just continual, you know, just continual raining. Dean: But it speeded up the greening process because I used to have the impression that there was a day in late May, maybe today like the 25th, when between last evening and this morning, the city workers would put all the leaves on the trees like yesterday there were no leaves, and but actually there were. Dan: We're very green right now because of all the rain. Dean: Oh, that's great yeah. Two weeks I'll be there in. I arrived 17th. Dan: Yeah, yeah, I'm trying to think of the date I'm actually arriving. Dean: I'm arriving on the 6th A strategic coach, you're going to be here, yeah we're doing on Tuesday. This month is Strategic Coach. Dan: Yeah, because of fathers. Dean: Right, right, right right, so we're doing. Yeah, so that Tuesday, that's exciting. Dan: Tuesday, Wednesday, Of course, our week is 19th, 18th, I think it's the 17th 17th is the workshop day and we have a garden party the night before and the day I know we have two parties. Dean: Yeah, I love I can't go wrong yeah and hopefully we'll have our table 10 on the. Uh well, we'll do it at the one, we'll do it at the one, that's great. You've been introduced to the lobster spoons. I hear. Dan: It's been good, that's a great little spot. I didn't overdo it, but I did have my two. I had two lobster spoons Okay, they're perfect. Dean: I took one of my teams there about uh, six weeks ago, and we, everybody got two we got two lobster spoons and it was good, yeah, but the food was great service with service was great. Dan: Yeah, yeah, yeah all right. Dean: Well then, we got something I'm excited about. That's great. So any, uh, anything notable from your trip across the pond no, uh, we um jump things up um. Dan: Last October we introduced the 10 times program in London so uh 25 to 30. I think we have 25 to 30 now and uh, so when I was there um last two weeks, it'll be, um, um two weeks or last week no, it was last week. Um, I'm just trying to get my, I'm just trying to get my bearings straight here. When did I get home? I think I got home just this past Tuesday. Dean: This past Tuesday. Dan: So it would have been the previous Thursday. I had a morning session and afternoon session, and in the morning it was just for 10 times and in the afternoon it was just for 10 times and in the afternoon it was for everybody. So we had about 30 in the morning and we had about 120 in the afternoon. Dean: Oh, very nice yeah. Dan: And you know a lot of different places. We had Finland, estonia, romania, dubai, South Africa quite a mix. Quite a mix of people from. You know all sorts of places and you know great getting together great. You know couple of tools. You know fairly new tools A couple of tools, you know fairly new tools and you know good food good hotel, it's the Barclay, which is in. Mayfair. Okay, and it's a nice hotel, very nice hotel. This is the third year in a row that we've been there and you know we sort of stretched their capacity. Dean: 120 is about the upper limit and what they've been to the the new four seasons at uh, trinity square, at tower bridge. It's beautiful, really, really nice, like one of my favorites no, because the building is iconic. I mean Just because the building is iconic. I mean that's one of the great things about the. Dan: Four Seasons. Dean: Yeah, and about London in specific, but I mean that. Four Seasons at. Dan: Trinity it's beautiful, stunning, love it. Yeah, we had an enjoyable play going week um we did four, four, four musicals, actually four, four different. Uh, musicals we were there one not good at all probably one of the worst musicals I've seen um and uh, but the other three really terrific. And boy, the talent in that city is great. You know just sheer talent. Dean: What's the latest on your Personality? Yeah, personality. Dan: Yeah, the problem is that London's a hot spot right now and there's a queue for people who want to have plays there. Oh okay, Actually they have more theaters than Broadway does Is that right On the West End yeah, west End, but they're all lined up. Problem is it's not a problem, it's just a reality is that you have some plays that go for a decade. You know, like Les Mis has been in the same theater now for 20 years. So there's these perennials that just never move. And then there's hot competition for the other theaters, you know I wonder is Hamilton? Dean: there, I don't think so, I just wonder about that actually, whether it was a big hit in the UK or whether it's too close. Dan: Yeah, I'm not entirely sure why it was a great play in the United States. I went to see it, you know. I mean it bears no historical similarity to what the person actually was. Dean: No. Dan: So you know, I mean, if people are getting their history from going to that play, they don't have much history. Dean: That's funny, yeah, and I'm not a rap. Dan: I'm not a fan of rap, so it's not the oh God. I'm not the target, definitely not the target audience for that particular play. But we saw a really terrific one and. I have to say, in my entire lifetime this may have been one of the best presentations, all told. You know talent, plot, everything. It's cook. It's the curious case of Benjamin Button button, which is okay. Yeah, I've seen the movie which you. You probably saw the movie. Dean: I did. Dan: Yeah, and this is Fitzgerald. It's Fitzgerald. Dean: Yes. Dan: And it is just a remarkable, remarkable presentation. They have about, I would say, 15 actors and they're literally on stage for the entire two and a half hours. And they are literally on stage for the entire two and a half hours and they are the music. So every actor can sing, every actor can dance and every actor can play at least one musical instrument. And they have 30 original songs and then you know the plot. And they pull off the plot quite convincingly with the same actors, starting off at age 70, and he more or less ends up at around age 25, and then they very ingeniously tell the rest of the story. And very gripping, very gripping very moving and very gripping, very gripping very moving, beautiful voices done in. Sort of the style of music is sort of Irish. You know it takes place in Cornwall, which is very close to you know, just across the Irish Sea from Ireland. So it's that kind of music. It's sort of Irish folk music and you know it's sort of violins and flutes and guitars and that sort of thing, but just a beautifully, beautifully done presentation. On its way to New York, I suspect, so you might get a chance to see it there. Dean: Oh wow, that's where it originated, in London. Dan: No, yeah, it's just been. It was voted the number one new musical in London for this year, for 2025. Yeah, but I didn't know what to expect, you know, and I hadn't seen the movie, I knew the plot, I knew somebody's born, old and gets younger. Yeah, just incredibly done. And then there's another one, not quite so gripping. It's called Operation Mincemeat. Do you know the story? Dean: No, I do not. Dan: Yeah, it's a true story, has to do with the Second World War and it's one of those devious plots that the British put together during the Second World War, where to this was probably 1940, 42, 43, when the British had largely defeated the Germans in North Africa, the next step was for them to come across the Mediterranean and invade Europe, the British and Americans. And the question was was it going to be Sicily or was it going to be the island of Sardinia? And so, through a very clever play of Sardinia, and so, through a very clever play, a deception, the British more or less convinced the Germans that it was going to be Sardinia, when in fact it was going to be Sicily. And the way they did this is they got a dead body, a corpse, and dressed him off in a submarine off the coast of spain. The body, floated to shore, was picked up by the spanish police, who were in cahoots, more or less, with the germans, and they gave it to the germans. And the Germans examined everything and sent the message to Berlin, to Hitler, that the invasion was gonna be in Sardinia, and they moved their troops to Sardinia to block it. and the invasion of Sicily was very fast and very successful, but an interesting story. But it's done as a musical with five actors playing 85 different parts. Oh my yeah. Dean: Wow, 85 parts. Dan: Yeah. Dean: It sounds like. Dan: I thought, you were describing Weekend at Bernie's Could be. Dean: Could be if I had seen it If I had seen it. It was funny? Dan: Yeah, it's kind of like Weekend at Bernie's right, right, right, I don't know. I don't know what I'm talking about, but I know you are. And three of them were women who took a lot of male parts, but very, very good comic comic actors, and three of them were women who took a lot of male parts, but very, very good comic actors. It's done in sort of a musical comedy, which is interesting given the subject matter. And then I saw a re-revival of the play Oliver about Oliver Twist, a re-revival of the play Oliver about Oliver Twist and just a sumptuous big musical. Big, you know, big stage, big cast, big music, everything like you know Dickens was a good writer. Dean: Yes, um, dan, have you? Dan? Did you see or hear anything about the new Google Flow release that just came out two or three days ago? I have not. I've been amazed at how fast people adopt these things and how clearly this is going to unlock a new level of advancement in AI. Here thing kind of reminded me of how Steve Jobs used to do the product announcement. You know presentations where you'd be on stage of the big screen and then the. It was such an iconic thing when he released the iPhone into the world and you look back now at what a historically pivotal moment that was. And now you look at what just happened with flow from a prompt. So you say what you describe, what the scene is, and it makes it with what looked like real people having real dialogue, real interactions. And so there's examples of people at a car show talking like being interviewed about their thoughts about the new cars and the whole background. Dan, all the cars are there in the conference. You know the big conference setting with people milling around the background noises of being at a car show. The guy with the microphone interviewing people about their thoughts about the new car, interviewing people about their thoughts about the new car. There's other examples of, you know, college kids out on spring break, you know, talking to doing man-on-the-street interviews with other college kids. Or there's a stand-up comedian doing a stand-up routine in what looks like a comedy club. And I mean these things, dan, you would have no idea that these are not real humans and it's just like the convergence of all of those things like that have been slowly getting better and better in terms of like picture, um, you know, pick, image creation and sound, uh, syncing and all of that things and movies, getting it all together, uh, into one thing. And there, within 48 hours of it being released, someone had released a short feature, a short film, 13 minutes, about the moment that they flipped the switch on color television, and it was like I forget who the, the two, uh in the historic footage, who the people were where they pushed the button and then all of a sudden it switched to color, um broadcasting. But the premise of the story is that they pushed the button and everything turned to color, except the second guy in the thing. He was like it didn't turn him to color and it was. He became worldwide known as the colorless man and the whole story would just unfolded as kind of like a mini documentary and the whole thing was created by one guy, uh in since it was released and it cost about 600 in tokens to create the the whole thing and they were uh in the comments and uh, things are the the description like to create that, whatever that was, would have cost between three to $500,000 to create in tradition, using traditional filmmaking. It would have cost three to 500,000 to create that filmmaking it would have cost three to 500,000 to create that. And you just realize now, dan, that the words like the, the, the um, creativity now is real, like the capability, is what Peter Diamandis would call democratized right. It's democratized, it's at the final pinnacle of it, and you can only imagine what that's going to be like in a year from now, or two years from now, with refinement and all of this stuff. And so I just start to see now how this the generative creative AI I see almost you know two paths on it is the generative creative side of it, the research and compilation or assimilation of information side of AI. And then what people are talking about what we're hearing now is kind of agentic AI, where it's like the agents, where where AIs will do things for you right, like you can train an AI to do a particular job, and you just realize we are really like on the cusp of something I mean like we've never seen. I mean like we've never seen. I just think that's a very interesting it's a very interesting thought right now, you know, of just seeing what is going to be the. You know the vision applied to that capability. You know what is going to be the big unlock for that, and I think that people I can see it already that a lot of people are definitely going down the how path with AI stuff, of learning how to do it. How do I prompt, how do I use these tools, how do I do this, and I've already I've firmly made a decision to I'm not going to spend a minute on learning how to do those things. I think it's going to be much more useful to take a step back and think about what could these be used for. You know what's the best, what's the best way to apply this capability, because there's going to be, you know, there's going to be a lot of people who know how to use these tools, and I really like your idea of keeping Well, what would you use it for? Well, I think what's going to be a better application is like so one of the examples, dan, that they showed was somebody created like a 80s sitcom where they created the whole thing. I mean, imagine if you could create even they had one that was kind of like all in the family, or you know, or uh imagine you could create an entire sitcom environment with a cast of characters and their ai uh actors who can deliver the lines and, you know, do whatever. You could feed a script to them, or it could even write the script I think that what would be more powerful is to think. I I think spending my time observing and thinking about what would be the best application of these things like ideas coming. Dan: I think that somebody's going no no, I'm asking the question specifically. What would you, dean jackson, do with it? That's what. That's what I'm saying oh not what? Not what anybody could do with it, but what? Dean: would you? Dan: do with it um well, I haven't. Dean: I haven't well for one let's let's say using it. I, years ago, I had this thought that as soon as AI was coming and you'd see some of the 11 labs and the HN and you'd see all these video avatars, I had the thought that I wonder what would happen. Could I take an AI and turn this AI into the top real estate agent in a market, even though she doesn't exist? And I went this is something I would have definitely used. I could have used AI Charlotte to help me do, but at the time I used GetMagic. Do you remember Magic, the task service where you could just ask Magic to do? Dan: something, and it was real humans, right. Dean: So I gave magic a task to look up the top 100 female names from the 90s and the top 100 surnames and then to look for interesting combinations that are, you know, three or four syllables maximum and com available so that I could create this persona, one of the ones that I thought, okay, how could I turn Lily Madden Home Services into? How would you use Lily Madden in that way? So I see all of the tools in place right now. So I see all of the tools in place right now. There was an AI realtor in Portugal that did $100 million in generate $100 million in real estate sales. Now that's gross sales volume. That would be about you know, two or $3 million in in revenue. Yeah, commissions for the thing. But you start to see that because it's just data. You know the combinations of all of these things to be able to create. What I saw on the examples of yesterday was a news desk type of news anchor type of thing, with the screen in the background reporting news stories, and I immediately had that was my vision of what Lily Madden could do with all of the homes that have come on the market in Winter Haven, for instance, every day doing a video report of those, and so you start to see setting up. All these things are almost like you know. If you know what I say complications, do you know what? Those are? The little you know? All those magical kind of mechanical things where the marble goes this way and then it drops into the bucket and that lowers it down into the water, which displaces it and causes that to roll over, to this amazing things. I see all these tools as a way to, in combination, create this magical thing. I know how to generate leads for people who are looking for homes in Winter Haven. I know how to automatically set up text and email, and now you can even do AI calling to these people to set them on an email that every single day updates them with all the new homes that come on the market. Does a weekly, you know video. I mean, it's just pretty amazing how you could do that and duplicate that in you know many, many markets. That would be a scale ready algorithm. That's. Dan: That's one thought that I've had with it yeah, you know the the thing that i'm'm thinking here is you know, I've had a lot of conversations with Peter over Peter Diamandis over the years and I said you know, everything really comes down to competition, though. Dean: Everything really comes down to competition though. Dan: The main issue of competition is people's attention, the one thing that's absolutely limited. Everybody talks everything's expanding, but the one thing that's not expanding and can't expand is actually the amount of attention that people have for looking at things you know, engaging with new things. So for example. You asked me the question was I aware of this new thing from Google? From Google and right off the bat, I wouldn't be because I'm not interested in anything that Google does. Period, period, so I wouldn't see it. But I would have no need for this new thing. So this new thing, because what am I going to do with it? Dean: I mean, I don't know. But I recall that that was kind of your take on zoom in two months. Dan: Yeah but, uh. But if the cove, if covet had not happened, I would still not be using zoom yeah, yeah, because there was nobody. There was nobody at the other end that's exactly right. Dean: You didn't have a question that Zoom was the answer to. Dan: Yeah. And I think that that's the thing right now is we don't have a question that the new Google Flow Because this seems to me to be competition with something that already exists, in the sense that there are people who are creating, as you say, $500,000 versions of this and this can be done for $600. Dean: Well, in that particular field, now I can see there's going to be some fierce competition where there will be a few people who take advantage of this and are creating new things advantage of this and are creating new things, and probably a lot of people are put out of work, but not I. I what is so like? Dan: uh, you know, no, and it's not it's not based on their skill and it's it's on their base. There's no increase in the number of amount of attention in the world to look at these things. Dean: There's no increase there's no increase of attention. Yes, the world to look at these things. Dan: There's no increase. There's no increase of attention. Dean: Yes, which it's so eerily funny, but in my journal last night, after watching a lot of this stuff, I like to look at the edges of this and my thought exactly was that this is going to increase by multiples the amount of content that is created. But if I looked at it, that the maximum allowable or available attention for one person is, at the maximum, 16 hours a day, if you add 100% of their available attention bandwidth, you could get 1, 1000 minutes or 100 of those jacksonian units everybody that we only have those. We only have 110 minute units and we're competing. We're competing against the greatest creators ever Like we're creating. We're competing against the people who are making the tippy top shows on Netflix and the tippy top shows on any of these streaming things. I don't think that it's, I think, the novelty of it to everybody's. It's in the wow moment right now that I think everybody's seeing wow, I can't believe you could do this. And it's funny to look at the comments because everybody's commenting oh, this is the end of Hollywood, hollywood's over. I don't think so. Dan: Hollywood's been kind of over for the last five or ten years. I mean it's very interesting. I think this is a related topic. I'm just going to bounce it off you. The Democratic Party has decided that they have to create their own Joe Rogan, because they now feel that Joe Rogan as a person, but also, as you know, a kind of reality out in the communication world tipped the election in 2024. Dean: Who have they nominated? Dan: Yeah, that Trump being on Joe Rogan and a few other big influencers was the reason, and so they're pouring billions of dollars now into creating their own Joe Rogans. But the truth of it is they had a Joe Rogan. He was called Joe Rogan and he was a Democrat. Dean: Yeah, and he was a Democrat. Dan: Yeah, so you got to work out the problem. Why did Joe Rogan Democrat become Joe Rogan Republican is really the real issue question. And they were saying they're going to put an enormous amount of money into influencers because they feel that they have a fundamental messaging problem. Dean: Look how that worked out for them, with Kamala I mean they had all the A-listers. Dan: Well, they had $2 billion I mean Trump spent maybe a quarter of that and they had all the A-listers. They had Oprah. They had, you know, they had just Beyonce, they just had everybody and it didn't make any difference. So I was thinking about it. They think they have a messaging problem. They actually have an existential problem because nobody can nobody can figure out why the democratic party should even exist. This is the fundamental issue why, why, why should a party like this even exist? Dean: I I can't I? Dan: I don't know, I mean, can you answer the question? I can't answer the question I really don't know why this party actually exists. So it's a more fundamental problem to get people's attention. They have no connection, I think, with how the majority of people who show up and vote are actually going about life, are actually going about life. So you have these new mediums of communication and I'm using Google Flow as an example but do you actually have anything to communicate? Dean: Right, it all definitely comes down to the idea. It's capability and ability. I think that that's where we get into the capability column in the VCR formula. That capability is one thing is why I've always said that idea is the most valuable, you know? Dan: um, yeah, because you know, execution of a better idea, a capability paired with a better ability, is going to create a better result but if it's just a way of selling something that people were resisting buying and they were resisting buying in the first place have you really? Dean: made it. Dan: Have you really made a breakthrough? Dean: Have you really made a breakthrough? That was my next journey in my journal was after I realized that. Okay, first of all, everybody is competing for the same 1,000 minutes available each day per human for attention each day per human for attention, and they can't you know, do you can't use all of that time for consuming content there has to be. They're using, you know, eight hours of it for, uh, for working, and you know four hours of it for all the stuff around that, and it's probably, you know, three or four hours a day of available attention. Dan: Boy, that would be a lot. Dean: I think you're right, like I think that's the thing. I'm just assuming that's the, you know, that's the. Well, when you, you know, in the 50s, Dan, what was the? I mean that was kind of the. There was much less competition for attention in the 50s in terms of much less available, right, like you look at, I was thinking that's the people you know, getting up in the morning, having their breakfast, getting to work, coming home, having their dinner and everybody sitting down watching TV for a few hours a night. That's. That seems like that was the american dream, right? Or they were going bowling or going, uh, you know it was the american habit yeah, that's what I meant. That that's it exactly, exactly. The norm, but now, that wasn't there were three channels. Yeah, and now the norm is that people are walking around with their iPhones constantly attached to drip content all day. Dan: Well, I don't know, because I've never Not. Dean: you drip content, all well. Dan: Well, I don't know, because I've never not you and I have never. I've never actually done that, so I don't actually, I don't actually know what, what people are do, I do know that they're doing it because I can? I can observe that when I'm in any situation that I'm watching people doing something that I would never do. In other words, I can be waiting for a plane to leave, I'm in the departure lounge and I'm watching, just watching people. I would say 80 or 90 percent of the people. I'm watching are looking at their phones, yeah, but. Dean: I'm not, but I'm not yes, yes, I'm actually. Dan: I'm actually watching them and uh, wondering what are they? Doing why? Dean: no. Dan: I'm. I'm wondering why they're doing what they're doing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And, for example, I never watch the movie when I'm on an airplane, but I notice a lot of people watching the screen. Yeah, so, and you know, if anything, I've got my Kindle and I'm reading my latest novel. Yes, that's basically what I'm doing now, so so, you know, I think we're on a fundamental theme here is that we talk about the constant multiplication of new means to do something. Constant multiplication of new means to do something, but the only value of that is that you've got someone's attention. Yes, and my thing, my thinking, is that google flow will only increase the competition for getting yes, attention, attention that nobody, nobody's getting anyway. Dean: That's exactly right, that's it. And then my next thought is to what end? Dan: Well, they're out competing some other means. Dean: In other words, there's probably an entire industry of creating video content that has just been created, too, based on this new capability. I so I just think, man, these whole, I think that you know, I'm just, I'm just going. Dan: I'm just going ahead a year and we just got on our podcast and it'll be you. It won't be me. Dan did you see what such and such company just brought out? And I'll tell you, no, I didn't. And they say this is the thing that puts the thing I was talking about a year ago completely out of. Dean: Isn't that funny, that's what I'm seeing. It probably was a year ago that we had the conversation about Charlotte. Dan: Well, no, it was about six months ago. I think it was six months ago. Dean: Maybe yeah. Dan: But we were talking about Notebook, we were talking about Google. Dean: Notebook. Dan: I had one of my team members do it for me three or four times and then I found that the two people talking it just wasn't that interesting. It really didn't do it so I stopped't want to be dismissive here and I don't want to be there but what if this new thing actually isn't really new because it hasn't expanded the amount of tension that's available on the planet? Dean: biggest thing you have to, the biggest thing that you have to increase for something to be really new is actually to increase the amount of human attention that there is on the planet, and I don't know how you do that because, right, it seems to be limited yeah, well, I guess I mean you know, one path would be making it so that there it takes less time to do the things that they're spending their time other than it seems to me, the only person who's got a handle on this right now is Donald Trump. Dan: Donald seems to have a greater capacity to get everybody's attention than anyone anyone in my lifetime. Mm-hmm, yeah, he seems to have. Dean: I mean you look at literally like what and the polarizing attention that he gets. Like certainly you'd have to say he doesn't care one way or the other. Dan: He doesn't really care love or love, love or hate. He's kind of got your attention yeah one thing that I'm. He's got Canada's attention yeah. Dean: I mean really. Dan: That and $7 will get you a latte today getting. Canada's attention. Dean: It won't get you an. Americano, but it'll get you a Canadiano, okay. Dan: Yeah, it's so funny because I just I've created a new form and. I do it with perplexity it's called a perplexity search and give you a little background to this. For the last almost 20, 25 years 24, I think it is I've had a discussion group here in Toronto. Dean: It's about a dozen people. Right. Dan: And and every quarter we send in articles and then we create an article book, usually 35, 40 articles, which is really interesting, and it's sort of the articles sort of represent a 90 to 180 day sense of what's going on in the world. You know, you kind of get a sense from the articles what was going on in the world and increasingly, especially since AI came out. I said, you know, these articles aren't very meaty. They don't know it's one person's opinion about something or one person's. You know, they've got it almost like a rant that they put into words about some issues so what I? resorted to is doing perplexity search where, for example, I have one that I've submitted. This was the week when we had to submit our articles and we'll be talking about them in July, the second week of July. So they have to be formatted, they have to be printed. July, so they have to be formatted, they have to be printed, they have to be the book has to be put together and the book has to be sent out. Usually, everybody has about four weeks to read 35 articles. So my articles I have four articles this time and they all took the form, and one of them was 10 reasons why American consumers will always like their gas-fueled cars. Okay, and there were 10 reasons. And then I say, with each of the reasons, give me three bullet point, statistical proof of why this is true. And it comes out to about five pages, and then I have it write an introduction and a conclusion. This is a format that I've created with Propoxy. It takes me about an hour to start, to finish, to do the whole thing, and I read this and I said this is really, really good, this is really good. You know this is very meaty, you know it's got. You know it's just all fact, fact, fact, fact, fact, and it's all put together and it's organized. So I don't know what the response is going to be, because this is the first time I did it, but I'll never get an article from the New York Times or an article from the Wall Street Journal again and submit it, because my research is just incredibly better than their research, you know. And so my sense is that, when it comes to this new AI thing, people who are really good at something are going to get better at something, and that's the only change that's going to take place, and the people who are not good at something are going to become it's going to become more and more revealed of how not good they are. Yeah, yeah, like the schmucks are going to look schmuckier, the schmuckification of America and you can really see this because it's now the passion of the news media in the United States to prove how badly they were taken in by the Biden White House, that basically he, basically he wasn't president for the last four years, for the last four years there were a bunch of aides who had access to the pen, the automatic pen where you could sign things, and now they're in a race of competition how brutally and badly they were taken in by the White House staff during the last four years. But I said, yeah, but you know, nobody was ever seduced who wasn't looking for sex. You were looking to be deceived. Yeah, you know, all you're telling us is what easily bribe-able jerks you actually are right now, and so I think we're. You know. I'm taking this all back to the start of this conversation, where you introduced me to Google Flow. Yeah, and I'll be talking to Mike Koenigs in you know a few days, and I'm sure Mike is on to this and he will have Mike, if there's anybody in our life who will have done something with this. Dean: it's Mike Koenigs that's exactly right. Dan: You're absolutely right. Dean: Yeah. Dan: Mike will have three or four presentations using this. Yes, but the big thing I come down to. What do you have that is worth someone else's attention to pay attention to? Do you have something to communicate? Dean: Do you have something to communicate that? And my sense is it can only be worth their time if it's good for them to pay attention to you for a few minutes. You're exactly right, that is an ability. Do you have the ability to get somebody's attention? Because the capability to create that, content is going to be. Dan: There's's going to be only a few people at the tippy top that have well, that's not going to be the issue that's not going to be the issue that's not going to be the issue, that's the how is taken care of. Yes, that's exactly it. The question is the why? Dean: yes, I put it, you were saying the same thing. I think that that it's the what I just said, the why and the what. Why are we? What? To what end are we doing this? And then, what is it that's going to capture somebody's attention? Uh, for this, and I think that that's yeah, I mean, it's pretty amazing to be able to see this all unfold. Dan: Hmm. Dean: You know, yeah, yeah. But there's always going to be a requirement for thinking about your thinking and the people who think about their thinking. I think that people this is what I see as a big problem is that people are seeing AI as a surrogate for thinking that oh what a relief I don't have to think anymore. Dan: Yeah. Dean: I saw a meme that said your Gen Z doctors are cheating their way through medical school using chat GPT. Probably time to start eating your vegetables, it's probably time to start living healthily. Exactly yes. Dan: It's very interesting. I was interviewed two or three days ago by New Yorker magazine actually. Dean: Really Wow. Dan: Fairly, and it was on longevity. Dean: OK, because you're on the leaderboard right. Dan: The longevity, yeah, and, and they had interviewed Peter Diamandis and they said you ought to talk to Ann Sullivan, nice guy, the interviewer. I said the biggest issue about, first of all, we're up against a barrier that I don't see any progress with, and that is that our cells reproduce about 50 times. That seems to be built in and that most takes us to about 120,. You know, and there's been very few. We only have evidence of one person who got to 120, 121, 122, a woman in France, and she died about 10 years ago. I do think that there can be an increase in the usefulness of 120 years. In other words, I think that I think there's going to be progress in people just deciding well, I got 120 years and I'm going to use them as profitably as I can, and I said that's kind of where I that's kind of where I am right now and, uh, I said, uh, I have this thing called one 56, but the purpose of the one 56 is so that I don't, um, uh, misuse my time right now. Right, that's really, that's really the reason for it. And I said you know, at 81, I'm doing good. I'm as ambitious as I've ever been. I'm as energetically productive as I've ever been. That's pretty good. That's pretty good because when I look around me, I don't see that being true for too many other people and see that being true for too many other people. It was really, really interesting, I said, if we could get half the American population to be more productive from years 60 to 100, a 40-year period. I said it would change the world. It would totally change the world. So I said the question is do you have actually anything to be usefully engaged with once you get to about 60 years old? Do you have something that's even bigger and better than anything you've done before? And I said you know, and my sense is that medicine and science and technology is really supporting you if you're interested in doing that. But whether it's going to extend our lifetime much beyond what's possible right now. I said I don't think we're anywhere near that. Dean: I don't either. Yeah, I think you look at that, but I think you hit it on the head. That of the people who are the centenarians, the people who make it past a hundred. They're typically, they're just hung on. They made it past there but they haven't really had anything productive going on in their life for a long time since 85 years old, very rare to see somebody. Uh, yeah, you know, I mean you think about Charlie Bunger, you know, died at 99. And you look at, norman Lear made it to 101. And George Burns to 100. But you can count on one hand the people who are over 80 that are producing. Yeah, you're in a rare group. Where do you stand on the leaderboard right now? Dan: I was number 12 out of 3,000. That was about four months ago. Dean: That was about four months ago. Dan: I only get the information because David Hasse sends it to me. My numbers were the same. In other words, it's based on your rate of aging. Dean: That's what the number is when I was number one. Dan: the number, was this, and my number is still the same number. And when I was number one, the number was this and my number is still the same number. It just means that I've been out-competed by 11 others, including the person who's paying for the whole thing, brian Johnson. But you know useful information, yeah. Dean: But you know useful information. Dan: Yeah, you know and you know. But the big thing is I'm excited about the next workshop we're doing this quarter. I'm excited about the next book we're writing for this quarter. So so I've always got projects to be excited about. Dean: I love it All righty, I love it Alrighty. Okay, dan, that was a fun discussion. I'll be back next week, me too. I'll see you right here. 1:03:42 - Dan: Yeah, me too. Awesome See you there. Okay, bye, bye,

Many entrepreneurs use negatives to make a sale. But why sell fear when you can sell opportunity, and why sell pain when you can sell growth? Dan Sullivan reveals why positive messaging attracts the best clients, how ambition fueled by principles keeps you young, and why your community determines your growth. Learn why the most successful entrepreneurs never retire—they just keep reinventing themselves. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:How selling is both an intellectual and emotional activity.Why fear isn't something to avoid—but a sign you're growing.The mindset shift that keeps successful entrepreneurs innovating.How Strategic Coach® accelerates growth for already successful entrepreneurs.The surprising link between ambition, aging, and fulfillment (and how to stay "young" at any stage).  Show Notes: Most sales pitches use fear—but fear attracts the wrong clients and limits your growth. Selling has two parts to it: intellectually connecting people to a desirable future result, andthen emotionally engaging them to take action to achieve that future result. To be effective, a sales pitch has to be both convincing and compelling. Instead of pitching that you can remove a negative, focus your pitch on amplifying something positive. You're ambitious because of your passion. You'd like to see your passion have an impact out in the world. Who you surround yourself with determines your trajectory: growth-oriented people keep you young, while stagnant people age you. Status entrepreneurs, as opposed to growth entrepreneurs, eventually run out of ambition. Ambition is driven by strategy. Growth is driven by principles. Your principles are your way of being. The moment you retire from fear, you also retire from excitement. Fear and pain go together, as do opportunity and growth. The biggest thing you're putting at risk when you're growing is your own past. In the Strategic Coach community, you're not the exception—you're the norm.  Resources: 10xTalk Podcast with Dan Sullivan and Joe Polish Anything And Everything Podcast with Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff The Mindset Scorecard by Dan Sullivan The 4 C's Formula by Dan Sullivan Growing Great Leadership by Dan Sullivan

How did you land your first customers, and how did that shape your entrepreneurial journey? Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff share their origin stories, from life insurance referrals to fashion industry breakthroughs. They explain why longevity in business comes from curiosity, calculated risks, and a relentless focus on making your future bigger than your past. Show Notes: Thinking about your thinking is beneficial no matter who you are or what industry you're in. There's no recipe for creativity. Risk and excitement are two sides of the same coin—you can't have growth without embracing both. The first person you have to sell an idea on is yourself. If you have an advantage in a competitive industry, you won't tell your competitors about it. When experimenting with a new solution, you have to start by making sure it works for one person. Longevity is something to be proud of. If you have a successful approach, you can keep it, and just add more experience to it. There are two types of support: moral and financial. Longevity in business isn't about luck; it's about staying alert, curious, and adaptable to new opportunities. Your number one job is to always make your future bigger than your past. The more committed you are to something, the less you care about the obstacles. Resources: The Impact Filter™ Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman Learn more about Jeffrey Madoff Dan Sullivan and Strategic Coach®

What if the solutions you've already created could generate value for decades—without more of your time? In this episode, Dan Sullivan reveals how packaging, naming, and protecting your ideas transforms them into scalable intellectual property. Learn why your “second company” (your multiplier) could soon be worth more than your entire business—and how to make it happen. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:How to make your solutions valuable by protecting them through intellectual property law.The thinking tool that lets you find the right person for the right role.How you can easily turn your ideas into intellectual property.The importance of sticking to your business model.How you can franchise your ideas.The future of Strategic Coach® over the next 20 years. Show Notes: Your first company, your R&D company, creates solutions for people. Your second company, your multiplier company, packages your solutions as your intellectual property. If you record, package, and name a solution you've created, it will have massive ongoing value. Before you put your ideas out into the world, you must protect them. Boredom with your own solutions is a hidden risk—document them before you move on to the next idea. The value of Strategic Coach's patents will soon surpass 55 years of coaching revenue—proof that IP compounds value. Protecting your creativity isn't just a multiplier; it's an accelerator of long-term wealth. A two-company structure makes you immune to market chaos because you control the value of your ideas. Your biggest breakthroughs will come from technology multiplied by teamwork, not from grinding harder. The same business model that built your success can scale infinitely—if you focus on IP, not just execution. Resources: Unique Process Advisors by Dan Sullivan Instant IP Casting Not Hiring by Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff Unique Ability® Perplexity This Tool Will Help You Make Sense Of The Past AND Take Charge Of Your Future Everything Is Created Backward by Dan Sullivan Extraordinary Impact Filter by Dan Sullivan Growing Great Leadership by Dan Sullivan The 4 C's Formula by Dan Sullivan

Do you ever notice how some people obsess over things, gossip about others, or recycle old ideas? Why is it that true innovators think differently? Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff break down the four levels of thinking and explain why thinking about your thinking fuels creativity, collaboration, and breakthroughs. Show Notes: Most people spend their lives fixated on things, people, or others' ideas, but true innovators think about how they think. People who think about their thinking are looking for other people who are doing the same thing. The highest level of thinking isn't competitive—it's collaborative. Two original minds create a third idea neither could alone. Nearly every meaningful innovation stems from that fourth level of thinking, where you examine how and why you think the way you do. Some of the most creative people don't even realize how they think—they just do.  The moment you care more about stuff than ideas, you've lost the game. Like casting a play, the best teams are built when you assign people roles based on their unique strengths, not rigid job descriptions. If your team fears being wrong, they'll never risk being right. Defensiveness is the enemy of breakthroughs. Corporations reward conformity, but entrepreneurs win by asking, "What if we did the opposite? Resources: Casting Not Hiring by Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff Thinking About Your Thinking by Dan Sullivan Learn more about Jeffrey Madoff Dan Sullivan and Strategic Coach®

Identifying, developing, and empowering the right people can make all the difference in building a thriving financial practice. Take it from Jason L Smith, author of The Rainmaker Multiplier: How to Create a Self-Sustaining, Scalable Financial Planning Business. Join host Matt Seitz, Chief Marketing Officer at C2P, as he continues his conversation with Jason on the key themes behind the book and The Rainmaker Multiplier process. Learn how Jason's strategic hires like Jeff Warnkin, CFP, CPA, NSSA, BPC, Senior Wealth Manager, and Bryan Bibbo, AIF, NSSA, BPC, CEPA, now President and CFO, transformed JL Smith through their distinct but complementary strengths. Plus, discover the critical importance of "backstage players" who make everything possible behind the scenes. Tune in to learn more about practical frameworks for talent development, including the proven five-rung advisor career path that has helped numerous financial practices scale successfully.Resources:Books referenced: The Rainmaker Multiplier: How to Create a Self-Sustaining, Scalable Financial Planning Business by Jason L SmithThe Bucket Plan®: Protecting and Growing Your Assets for a Worry-Free Retirement by Jason L Smith Getting Naked: A Business Fable About Shedding The Three Fears That Sabotage Client Loyalty by Patrick LencioniProcess referenced: The Bucket Plan® philosophyTraining referenced: The Teamwork Movement Live Training Free Toolkit: The Rainmaker Multiplier Toolkit (includes bonus chapters and templates)The Ensemble Practice program referenced: G2 Leadership InstituteBusiness coaching program referenced: Strategic Coach

What if the traits you've been told are disadvantages are actually your “unfair” advantages? In this episode, Dan Sullivan and engineer-turned-ADHD-advocate André Brisson reveal how entrepreneurs thrive by rewriting the rules—not following them. Learn why your unique way of thinking is your greatest asset and how to build a business (and life) that rewards it. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:Why entrepreneurs feel like misfits in traditional learning environments.The program that helps high-achieving ADHD entrepreneurs understand themselves better.The surprising truth about who The Strategic Coach® Program was designed for.Why Strategic Coach® members instantly “get” each other (and how this community transforms isolation into confidence).How André built an engineering firm that breaks industry norms.How André's ADHD has fueled his biggest challenges—and his biggest wins.The #1 insight André learned in 14 years at Strategic Coach. Show Notes: Entrepreneurs are shortcut creators—your ability to bypass inefficiencies is what makes you invaluable. The systems that frustrate you exist because most people prioritize rules over results. The real trick for entrepreneurs is to break the rules and get paid for the shortcuts they create. Everything that works in your life is the result of having created a new solution for yourself. If things don't work, it's because you're trying to fit into someone else's system. What you do and the way you do it is the center of your life, and you can keep expanding that throughout your entire career. Your Unique Ability® isn't just what you're good at—it's what energizes you while delivering exponential value. Once you decide that the way you do something is the right way for you to do it, you'll find the customers and clients who appreciate that. If you've been trained to do things a certain way, you might get stuck in that way of solving problems. As long as you're continually hitting a new Ceiling of Complexity™, you know you're growing. Freeing up your time to work at a higher level is a lot of fun. Underutilized and overutilized strengths are actually weaknesses. Resources:The Impulsive Thinker™Kolbe A™ IndexCliftonStrengths®PRINT®Unique Ability®

We made it – 200 episodes!To celebrate, we're sharing one of the most powerful trainings I've ever given:The Ai 4 Quadrants: Upgrade Yourself, Your Business, Your Team, and Your Brand – with Ai.This is the exact framework that's helping business owners compress months of work into days (even minutes), while multiplying revenue, scaling personal brands, and growing real businesses using Ai – not gimmicks.If you want to:Slash 60% of your labor and operating costsBuild brands, offers, and marketing in a single weekendFinally figure out what AI tools you actually need (and what to ignore) ...then this episode is mandatory listening.Inside, I'll walk you through the 4 Ai Quadrants that are completely changing the game for entrepreneurs who are paying attention.Plus, you'll see the real-world frameworks, workflows, and case studies I personally use to build and launch multi-six-figure campaigns every month.

In this episode of Welcome to Cloudlandia, we start with Dan's recent experience with stem cell injections, a journey filled with both challenges and relief. This discussion transitions into the inspiring story of a Vietnamese massage therapist who built her career in Canada, highlighting the diverse paths in the healing professions. Our conversation then shifts to the political landscape of Canada. We analyze the unique dynamics of minority governments and consider the influence of international figures like Trump on Canadian politics. We also discuss the role of central banking figures in political negotiations and reflect on the contrasts between Canadian and American electoral perspectives. Next, we explore the parallels between political and economic systems, examining the shift from traditional hierarchies to modern digital frameworks. The conversation covers the challenges faced by third-party candidates in the U.S., with a focus on Robert F. Kennedy's independent run, and delves into the economic tensions between China and the U.S., considering their impact on global trade relations. Finally, we reflect on the importance of creative consistency and the power of legacy. Whether it's maintaining a long-term streak of publishing or creating innovative tools, we emphasize the value of continuously producing impactful content. SHOW HIGHLIGHTS We explore the intricacies of stem cell treatments and discuss my personal experience with multiple injections, sharing insights on the healing journey alongside Mr. Jackson. The conversation transitions to Canadian politics, where we delve into the complexities of a minority government and the influence of international figures like Trump on Canadian political dynamics. We examine the parallels between political and economic systems, focusing on the evolution from hierarchical structures to digital frameworks, and discuss the challenges faced by third-party candidates in the U.S. electoral system. The geopolitical dynamics between China and the United States are analyzed, highlighting the differing geographical and demographic challenges and the economic tensions resulting from tariffs and trade negotiations. We reflect on the value of maintaining a long-term creative streak, discussing the importance of consistent output and deadlines in driving productivity and ensuring a legacy of impactful content. The discussion touches on the strategic importance of filling the future with new and exciting projects to ensure personal growth and innovation, contrasting past achievements with future aspirations. We explore the significance of creativity in producing meaningful content across various platforms, from books and workshops to podcasts, emphasizing the role of personal reputation and motivation in maintaining a steady output. Links: WelcomeToCloudlandia.com StrategicCoach.com DeanJackson.com ListingAgentLifestyle.com TRANSCRIPT (AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors) Dean: Mr Sullivan, Dan:Mr Jackson, Dean: there he is. How are things in your outpost of the? Dan: mainland. Well good, I had a convalescence week. They really packed me full of new stem cells. And the procedure is things aren't good if I'm not feeling bad. Dean: That's what I'm saying. It's along the lines of we're not happy until you're not happy. Dan: How's that for a closing argument? Dean: That's good, that's good. Dan: Yeah. Dean: Things aren't good if you're not feeling bad. Dan: I got the procedure on the Thursday of last week, not the week we're just finishing, but the week. So Thursday, friday, saturday and it was almost one week later, exactly on Thursday, almost the same time of day, and all of a sudden the pain went away. Dean: Okay, how long was it Acute onset? Did you have to travel in pain? Dan: Yeah, well, I did, but they drugged me out. Yeah, they had sedatives Right when they were doing the procedure and then you had takeaways. Dean: Yeah, A goody bag. Dan: Nothing like a good drug. Yeah, exactly, especially a pa pain killing drug and and they're real big on this but went full force this time I had eight different injections, both ankles, both knees, even the knee. That's good they do it to reinforce what's already there. Reinforce what's already there. And then tendons the tendons in the calf, tendons in the hamstring, tendons in the quadriceps and then on both hips, both hips, so the left leg is the. You know in the spotlight here and when you're it's like you're experiencing inflammation in the ankle, in the calf, in the knee, in the upper leg and then the hip at the same time the leg doesn't want to, the leg doesn't want to work, right exactly yeah yeah, so that's the big problem, but actually I'm feeling pretty chipper today that's great, so that. Dean: So it took a week to get that. Is that usual or was this an unusual? Because I don't think I've ever heard you mention the pain. Dan: Usually it was a couple of days, but they got me while they had me. Dean: Well, that's good, and today you feel noticeably better. Dan: Now, yeah, I was noticing that we have a long-term massage therapist who comes to our house. Dean: Oh, my goodness. Dan: She's been coming for 33 years. Vietnamese Wow A boat person, actually, someone who escaped on a boat when she was a teenager, actually someone who escaped on boat when she was a teenager. And you know, really, she grew up, her grandmother was. They didn't have things like registered massage therapists, everybody just did massage, you know grandmothers especially, and so she learned from her grandmother. You know, even before she was 10 years old and so she's you, she's 60 now, 60 now. So she's been at this for about 50 years and she's availed herself of almost every kind of therapy training that there is. I mean, it was she was working till she was 45, from teenagers to 45 you know, paid for it before she ever got registered, she ever got. oh, oh my goodness, yeah, and I asked her about that. And the licensing is only really needed if the patient is claiming insurance money yeah. So they won't give me a patient any? Well, I never asked for it, I mean. I find I'm trying to get through my entire lifetime by having as little direct contact with government as possible. Dean: That's the best. I love that. Yes, that's great. Dan: I know they exist and as far as garbage being picked up, streets being repaired, police stopping crime. I have no complaints about paying for that, but I know I have to have some involvement but I don't try to expand it. Dean: That's so funny. What's the tone in Canada? Now here we are, you know, a week after the big debacle. Dan: Well, I don't know the debacle. They basically first of all didn't really decide anything because they had a minority government before for Americans. Americans only have winners and losers, but in Canada you can have someone who's half and half. Dean: They're half winners and half loser. Dan: Yeah, they're like. You know. It's that less than half the country voted for the winner. That's right. But the winner got more votes than the second place because there's more than one party. You know, americans don't believe in anything. That's not a winner or a loss. You know. That's one thing. I've learned since I've been in Canada. Americans, there's only two possibilities You're a winner or you're a loser. There's no halfway. There's no participation prize for showing up and being engaged, I think, the prime minister. He's an economist and we have a thing that it would be like the head of the Federal Reserve. In the United States you have a central bank which is called the Federal Reserve, and in Canada it's called the Bank of Canada, and then in the UK they have the Bank of England, and this man was both governor of the Bank of Canada and the governor of the Bank of England. He's a lifetime bureaucrat. He's never been anything except a bureaucrat and his first job is to negotiate with Trump. Right exactly, and nothing in his background has prepared him for this experience. Dean: Yeah, that's so. It is true, isn't it? I mean the whole, I think it feels like from this view. Dan: They kicked a can both the US and Canada. Dean: And the you know. The very interesting thing is that this vote definitely feels like a not Trump type of sentiment. You know more than it did yes. Dan: There's no question in my I mean there's no question in anyone's mind that Trump was the issue. Dean: Yeah, yeah, Pierre Polyev's probably going. I was so close. If that election had happened any time between November and January, it would have been a whole different story, you know. Dan: Yeah, yeah, yeah, that was. I think. Yeah, I don't know. Yeah, I think it was that the you know. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that was. I think. Yeah, I don't know. Yeah, I think it was that the you know Trump actually putting his gaze on Canada, really, didn't happen until after, you know, after he was inaugurated after he became president, I think you're totally correct. It was from November 5th to January 20th, yeah that would have been Kaliev's window. Yeah, but yeah well, you know there's a little history to this. A lot of people don't know it, but Canada was a major country you know in world affairs pretty well for most of the 20th century, pretty well for most of the 20th century, and part of the reason is that they were the big backup to the British Empire, like in the First World War and the Second World War. The major supplier of manpower and armaments and everything else came from Canada that backed up the British. I mean, the British were really in the eye of the storm for both of the wars, but their number one ally right from the start of the two wars was Canada. Canada was the big player. As a matter of fact, in 1945, the end of the Second World War, Canada had the third largest navy in the world and they had the fourth largest air force in the world. Think of little canada little canada yeah, and they played a huge part in the cold war. You know the rcmp, the, you know the mounties most people think of them as people in red coats riding on horses, but actually they were the. They were actually the dual they were were the combination of the CIA and the FBI. They were all packed in one. And they were a major player, because the United States, canada, was the country that was in between the United States and the Soviet Union. So I'm going to sneeze. Oh, there I go, yeah, that's completed, anyway, anyway, and their intelligence services were first class and everything. And then when the cold war suddenly ended in 1991, the end of 1991, all of a sudden their importance in the world just disappeared. So we've been and they've had to fake it yeah, it's interesting. I mean canada, I guess, and that's basically that and the you know you had some good prime minister you had. You know the liberal crechin wasn't too bad because he was a long time tough guy in the liberal party and harper I thought was, and my experience of being in Canada, which is 54 years, I think, Harper was. Dean: Well, he's always widely regarded as that right. Dan: He's by far the best prime minister and he wasn't confused about what Canada should be for, what it should support and everything like that. And then you came. You know, obviously they got the next character from central casting. You know, they just said send us, send us and he's by hands down. I mean, if you really talk to the liberals quietly and in private, they said you know, he's kind of a disaster, he's been a disaster for 10 years and you know. I mean they just don't have much gas in the gas tank anymore at that party and there's a general pushback against left-wing parties going on in the world right now. You can see it in Britain. They had the elections for local councils. You know local councils, which is it's an odd, you know it's an odd sort of election, but they have it sort of like midterm elections in the United. Dean: States, you know and Nigel Farage. Dan: Who's the you? Know, he was the Brexit, he was the brains behind Brexit. I mean, very clearly, if that had been the general election, he'd be the prime minister right now and he wants to just detach Great Britain completely from Europe and have the attachment with the United States, and I think that's going to happen. What's disappearing is this sort of wishy-washy, left-wing mushy-ness in the world right now. The world's going very binary in my sense. That and a $9 latte you got yourself a deal. Dean: Oh, my goodness. Dan: Is that what it's come to? Dean: Is that what it's come to? Is that what it's come to? The $9 latte? You know, it's so funny. I'm going to be back up in June, of course, and I'll be setting up residency in Yorkville there for several weeks, and last time I was there I was surprised by the. You know I usually get Americanos which are now have been replaced by Canadianos, but it's a whole new whole new, whole new logo. Dan: Yeah, I mean, how can I be against patriotism? Dean: I think so, and it's so amazing, though, to see like just the lengths that they're going. You know, I mean pulling all the. That was the big news when I was there. Dan: And I'm wondering if it's. What I noticed is that Canadians are demonstrating every aspect of courageousness that doesn't cost you anything. Dean: Well, I think that it's going to cost. I mean, you know, there I saw, is it Doug Ford or Mark Ford? Doug Ford was up, you know, in the liquor store in the LCBOs saying how they've pulled all American brands out of the LCBO and that you know they're like taking a stand about. But that total buy of the LCBO is $3.2 billion is what they're saying. The liquor market is $340 billion. So less than 1% of the whole. It's not even too little to measure, even you know. Yeah. Dan: Well, they can do it because the LCBO is Liquor Control Board of Ontario. Dean: The largest. Dan: The largest on the planet, Not just the largest in North America. Dean: the largest on the planet. Dan: There's one bureaucratic office that you know that's, that's a lot of liquor. Yeah well, you know it's, it's a bit. You know you're dealing in symbols here, it's sort of symbol. I mean, it's not yeah, it's not actually. It's not actually real courage. You know it's not real courage. It's symbolic courage you know, it's a symbolic. Symbolic, and you know, but that's part of life too, you know. And you know, I'm really noticing. Do you ever, in any of your video viewing, do you ever watch the Bill Maher show? Yes, I do, yeah, and I watched him in the old days and I watch him. You know, I don't actually watch television, but I get YouTubes. I get YouTubes of it, you know. And Trump invited him to come to the White House or the White House or Mar-a-Lago. I don't know if there is Mar-a-Lago, and you know Barr, who has been. I think actually. Dean: Focally anti-Trump yeah, yeah. Dan: well, trump had printed up a document which said 60 insults that Bill Maher had insulted Trump or Bill Maher had done it. And he wanted to give it as a present to the president and he said you know, these are my 60 insults of you. And Trump said oh, can I sign that Trump autograph? That's the best, and Maher came away and he says you know, can I sign that? And Trump autographed it. That's the best, I autographed it. And Maher came away and he says you know, I want to tell you it's not a crazy man in the White House. He said I was treated, you know, it surprised me how gracious he was and you know how just open to having a chat and everything like that. Well, he's just been slammed by the left wing that he would even show up and that's all this fake symbolism, you know, but attack the only guy on the Democratic side in the United States who is actually positioning himself differently is this guy Fetterman from Pennsylvania. He's the senator and he's someone who really hasn't done anything in his life, but through just the way politics were working, I think he had a state job and then he ran and he's got mental issues. I mean, he's had mental issues, but he's been a voice, a lone voice. You know a singular lone voice of somebody. He said you know politics, you try to find common ground and wherever you can find common ground with the opposition, you sit down with him, you talk about it and the public benefits if you can get an agreement there. Well, he's just been. He's just been cast out, but he doesn't really care. He doesn't really care, so you know yeah anyway, but it's an interesting time and you know what? I've got a thesis that politics takes on gradually. It takes on the form of economics. Okay, so that, however, the economics of society, the structure, you know, how do things get created, produced and where's profit being made Ultimately politics takes on the same kind of structure. So if you think of the industrial revolution, when everything was defined by big pyramids organizations, you know you had people at the top and then you had either big factories or you had big administrative companies that did the work out in the world. For the factories, you know the research, the marketing and distribution out into the world of manufactured products. After a while, government took on the same form, the big pyramids. Government always is the last institution to figure out what's going on. Dean: That's interesting, it's true, right, because everything has to trickle up. Dan: Yeah. So starting in the 70s, you started to get a change in the structure and you went from the big pyramidal structures to basically the microchip networks. Everything started more and more to be on the framework of computers, individual computers communicating with other individual computers, you know communicating with other individual computers, first hundreds and thousands and then millions, you know, and gradually. But the central principle of the microchip is binary, that in the digital code things are either a one or they're a zero. Okay, and so what I noticed over the last, probably starting in the early nineties, you start getting you're either on one side or the other side. But my sense is that politics is just imitating how the economic system it's a digital economic system. That's what we're talking about on. Welcome to Cloudlandia. What allows this amazing communication that we can make digitally depends on ones and zeros. And what I noticed is that the entire political structure, you know all the players in the political structure. You're either on one side or you're on the other side. If you're in the middle, you don't count. Dean: Yeah, and that's you know. It's interesting. You were talking about the third party system. I think that the interesting thing is, the United States is really a three party system. There's three parties, but really, you know, in a two party system, I think that's really what it is, but there's a large majority of people who are more moderate. Right now, it's binary in terms of you're Democrat or Republican. That's really it, and there's never been, there's never been, you know, a real outsider opportunity. I mean, you look at, you know, ross Perot. Maybe he was the got the farthest. Well, they're a spoiler. They're a spoiler. Dan: They're not, they could never be the lead party. Dean: You know, they're just a spoiler party. Dan: Yeah, and the reason is because of the Electoral College. You know that. I remember being at Genius Network in the year before the election, so the election was last November, so it was the previous November and Robert Kennedy was running. Robert F Kennedy was running. And then the Democrats made it impossible for him to be a contender, a Democratic contender. So he went independent and I remember him. He came twice, he came twice to Genius Network. Dean: And. Dan: I remember the first time he came, everybody was excited. You know he's going to be the next president and I said, yeah, yeah, I said well, you know if you want to know how the game's played, you got to take the game box and flip it on the back and read the rules. And I could tell you he could take 30% of the total vote. You know that would be. You know that'd be something like 45, 50 million. Unheard of yeah 45, 50 million and he wouldn't get one electoral vote. Dean: Right. Dan: And I said, and they said well, that's just absurd, that's just absurd. And I said nope, that's how the rules, that's what the rules are. I said, learn what the rules are. And that's why I think it was so easy for them to jump. I mean, if he had run right through to the end of the election and you know, like he was showing up on election night, you know and he got 3% of the three. He could have gotten tens of millions of votes and gotten, maybe, but wouldn't have won a single electoral vote. Dean: Right. Dan: Yeah. Dean: Yeah yeah, I like your approach and mine just being in it but not of it. It's like I appreciate the things Well it's entertainment yeah, it's, you know. Dan: It's entertainment that costs you a lot more than cable, that's exactly right. Dean: And you know what the good news is, dan? There's no tariff. There's no tariffs on good ideas, no tariffs in Cloudlandia Tariff free. I think that's the big thing. Dan: If it doesn't weigh anything, there's no tariff. Dean: That's right. That's right. If it doesn't come in a box, there's no tariff. That's exactly right. That's right. If it doesn't, comeia is so. Fascinating to me is just seeing how unstable the mainland things are becoming. Dan: You start to see the Cloudlandia future. We're in a period where we're going to see the greatest amount of chaos and turmoil in the tangible I'll talk about the tangible economy, yeah, but I think it'll be about probably a decade and then things will be remarkably stable. Dean: How do you see this playing out? Because I've been curious about that too. You see this playing out like so, because I've been curious about that too like what is the end game of all of these? You know the I guess you kind of take this intersection of what you know, the populations and the, you know the movement to cloudlandia, and then these, the political to Cloudlandia, and then the geopolitical climate. You see all these things like what is the unintended? We wonder now I've heard different things about China, all these countries or whatever, that Trump is imposing the tariffs on, the reaction, the rebound reaction of that. Is that something that Peter Zion has talked about? Or is that what's your take? I know you've read a lot and observed a lot. Dan: It's very interesting. I think he's very conflicted. I think Peter Zion is very conflicted right now, and the reason is that he made predictions 10 years ago. I'd say it was 10 years ago, about how he saw the world changing. It produces all sorts of interesting insights. And the first one is that, basically, as a country, the future of your country past, present and future of your country is really determined basically your geography, where you are on the planet and what kind of geography you have, so your placement on the planet. I'll use an example of let's use China as one and use the United States as the other. The China is basically a land country rather than a maritime country. If you look at the map of China, where it shows the cities, most of the cities are inland in China. Even Beijing is not close to the ocean. You have two big ports. One of them is Shanghai, which is actually up the river, but it's got a very wide mouth to the river, and then Shanghai and the other one was Hong Kong, and so they're basically Hong Kong, hong Kong and so they're basically a land-based country, but they border on 13 other countries who have a passionate hatred for China. These are enemies, they're surrounded by enemies. There's nobody who likes them, and one major country that's offshore is Japan, and there's nothing but pure hatred between Japan, and everybody else has an adversarial attitude towards China. So that's China. Then you take the United States. The United States sits with 3,000 miles of water on its eastern shore, 5,000 miles of water on its western shore shore, 5,000 miles of water on its western shore, and then it's got just. The only connector is the Mexican, and it's 200 miles of desert and mountains. And then on the north you have 3,000 miles of pot-smoking Canadians. Dean: Terrorists hiding pot-smoking Canadians. Dan: Yeah, terrorists who had a plan for tomorrow but forgot what it was. So the US really doesn't have to. China has to totally defend itself. You know they have to spend an enormous amount of their budget defending their borders where the US really doesn't. I mean there's they talk about, you know, the Canadian-American border they talk about. You know that, you about that actually there's just nothing there. It's just fields and there's farms, farms certainly in the West, in Manitoba, saskatchewan and Alberta where. I'm sure the farms are partially in the United States, partially in. Dean: Canada, you could just walk right across. Dan: Yeah, oh, yeah, it's you know, and everything like that. So one thing is the US really doesn't have to. By the standards of the world, the US doesn't have to spend much money defending itself territorially. The other thing is demographics, and it's what your population looks like. Do you have mostly, is it mostly young people? Is it mostly middle-aged people? Is it mostly old people? And the US is China probably by 10 years from now will have more people over 60 than people under 20, which means that they become more and more of a top-heavy population. And these people are past working age, they're past investment age, but they're not past being in an expense age. So more and more, the cost of your society is older people, and you have fewer and fewer workers who are producing, fewer and fewer workers who are paying taxes, fewer and fewer workers who are, you know, who are investing, and you have older, older population. That's just consuming and it's just consuming. Yeah, so these are the two big things that you have to think about. It's China and the US and tariff. A tariff that the United States places on China is five times a heavier penalty than one that China places on the US. Dean: And the. Dan: US, like Trump, everybody else in the world. He put it 10 percent, 25 percent, some of 50 percent. On China, he put 145 percent and apparently there's riots going on in China right now because the factories are closing down really fast. You'll see within the next three months, you'll see next month. So it'll be formal new negotiations between the United. States and China. Now that's the central issue as we go forward what's the relationship between these two countries? It's like after the Second World War? What's the relationship between the United States and the Soviet? Union the basic attitude is that we'll just keep applying more and more pressure and wait them out and they'll collapse. So that's what I see the big game for the China. Dean: And do you think that the net of this is that will bring back? Like what is everything? Is that setting up you know what kind of the playbook that Peter Zayn was talking about, the absent superpower of the US, sort of moving away from dependence or interaction with outside? Dan: No, no, I just think it's a one-on-one that the United States is going to have with every other country in the world. So there's 200 countries according to the United Nations. There's 200 countries and every one of them is under some sort of broad trading agreement with the United States. And the US did that basically for security reasons, because they said we'll make it easy for you to trade, but your military strategies and your security strategies have to have to be in alignment with us. And when the Soviet Union collapsed there was no need for that, but it just went on by inertia. Basically, it was just something that carried on. It was a good deal for everybody else, but not such a great deal for the US. And Trump comes in, you know, and Trump is nothing if not a dealmaker, you know. So what he says is every country now you make sure you send somebody to Washington because we're going to do a dealmaker. So what he says is every country, now you make sure you send somebody to Washington because we're going to do a different deal. So I think probably within a year you'll have probably the US will have deals with, if not China, they'll have deals they already do with China, south Korea, india, vietnam in that part of the world, the Philippines, australia, and so everybody will be in the new American deal except China. And probably within a year you'll have more than 100, maybe 130 countries who now have new deals, including Canada. We'll see what Canada does, because Maybe a year from now we'll be back to drinking Americanos at Starbucks. Dean: I wonder. That's what I wonder. Dan: It's just amazing to me, why stop with Canadiennes? Why don't we go to Ontariannes? Uh-huh, exactly, toronto. I mean, if you're going that route, why not go all the way? Dean: Toronto, yeah, York. Dan: Villano. Dean: Uh-huh right, that's the thing I stay on the island there. That's right. That's so funny, yeah, so that's I mean, you know? Dan: I mean I'm just an amateur observer here and I'm just picking up what I see happening. But the big thing is to have every deal that the United States has as separate with each individual country, no broad multilateral agreements. And so the big thing is that the word tariff is a bit of a distractor. It's not actually a tariff. That's the penalty if you don't do the new deal. So that's how they do it. He says let's do a deal because right now you guys can sell stuff into the United States with hardly any expense, hardly any. But you make it very difficult for us to sell our stuff into your country. And so let's do a new deal. Let's do a new deal and so let's do a new deal. Dean: Let's do a new deal. How's this affecting the dollar, by the way? Dan: It's down. As far as I can tell, it's down about five cents. It's from 144 to 139. I think it's 138. I think it's 138.5, something like that, but a year ago it was at 132 or 133. So it's still five, six cents above, yeah, yeah. It's a good deal. Dean: Yeah, Still a good deal. Still a good deal. Yeah, it's so funny. Well, Dan, I've been looking. I've been continuing on the dip into history, continuing on the dip into history phase, looking. It's been a fun thing. Every week I've just kind of been randomly selecting a core sample of my journals from the last 30 years now and it's very interesting to look through and see those things. I've been thinking about streaks too. Like you know, this last your 70s of 40 books in 10 years is a pretty good streak. I was thinking back that Dan Kenney has been publishing his newsletter monthly since 1992. And I think about that. You know 33, 34 years, this year of a you know, around 400 newsletters 16 page, just single space, nothing, no special, no design, nothing like that around it, but just that. You know, essentially just along the lines of what your global thinker. Global thinker was just like a series of essays kind of thing. I guess is what you would call it right, but that's kind of what Dan's done for 34 years. Yeah, pretty amazing. And I was thinking, you know I've done, I've had 30 years now of very consistent output to an audience of one, and I sure realize what a you know what an amazing body of work this is. Dan: I hope that audience of one is appreciative. Dean: Yes, exactly, very appreciative, you know, and it's so funny, right? Dan: You're playing a high stakes game here. Yes, exactly. Dean: I've had one satisfied subscriber for 30 years, you could lose your target market in a bad week, you know. Uh-huh. Dan: Exactly. Dean: Yeah, I mean, it's kind of funny, right, but I could see, you know, all these things they start. This is where they start and they in Manly specifically, and I was talking, this was the very beginnings of the who, not how. So this was August of 2015. And I think it was November of 2015 at the annual event that I sort of talked about that idea of the thing. But it's funny, this was scientific profit making came out of this, that journal, so that looked at the breakthrough DNA process as so very yeah, it's just the, you know, I think, the decision that you've, you know that consistent output gallery, I guess we'll call it or distribution model. It's a very it's really. Do you still journal internally? Or how do you what gathers, the notes and the thoughts that make the quarterly? Dan: books. Well, I have the. You know I have that series, the one new book every quarter. I have the new tools. Dean: Now my goal. Dan: I'm not up to speed yet on the complete capability of doing it yet. But, my goal is to create one new thinking tool every week okay, yes and and that I don't have, you know, a public need for that in other words that the tools are for new workshops. It's to keep the system supplied. You know, and I have. You know, I and I have free zone workshops every quarter, just three of them, but I have four Zoom two-hour workshops every month. So if you line them up and then I have podcast series I have podcast series. So there's really hundreds of activities that are in the schedule really on January 1st, you know on January 1st, you'd look out and say by December 31st how many scheduled public if you call them public impact activities do I have? Dean: You know it'd be over 200,? Dan: certainly yeah. You know one thing or another, and they all require the creation of something new. You know right you know, and one of the things that I've. You're on a really interesting subject here, because each of these has public impact, you know a book does. There are people who read the book, there's workshops, people who attend the workshops, people who listen to the podcast. And then the new tools themselves, which have the necessary. They're necessary to keep the program new. You know the workshops, and I have teams that take what I'm doing and they apply it to the workshops that I don't coach. We have the other coaches. And then the other thing is that, you know, within the last two or three years we realized that the tools can be patents, and so we're up to 61. Now we have 61. And so these are all one thing that they really keep me busy. Okay, and I'm very deadline responsive. I really like deadlines. I really like it, you know, because I mean, for you and me, we've got one problem what's important enough in our life that we would actually focus and concentrate on it, that we would actually focus and concentrate on it. And I find deadlines where other people, my reputation as at stake, really is very important for me because I get real serious. You know, I'm pretty lenient with me failing myself. I'm not lenient with failing other people. Dean: Right, yeah, me too, that's right. Dan: Yeah, my reputation is very important to me, so you know I don't want the word going around. Dean: Dan's starting to lose it you know no way, yeah, no way. Dan: Yeah, he's fading, he's fading, you know, and anyway. So that's really it. But I came up with a concept, just to put a name on something, that what makes people older not physically but physically, ultimately, but what makes you older intellectually, emotionally, psychologically is that your past has more living another day, that your past is going to fill up with stuff. So you have to work at filling your future up so that the stuff in your future is much, it's much more valuable than what you had in your past. So what I try to do is always favor the future in terms of stuff. I'm going to create stuff. I'm going to do that. It keeps getting to be a bigger game in the future than I ever played in the past. So that's sort of the you know that's. You know the essence of the game that I'm playing with my own life, with my own life, right. Dean: Yeah, this is really, I mean, and that's kind of, do you ever see? I mean, there's no real. Dan: I imagine you'll keep this cadence up continuously that there's still to do the to do 40 more 40 more quarterly books in your 80s 57, I'm on 43, I'm on 43 right now, so it's 57. Dean: 57 more. Dan: Yeah, which is oh, no, no no, is that no? Dean: how many are you For the 10 years? Dan: you're still going to go quarterly? Yeah well, I'm on quarter 43 right now so I see, right, right, right, yeah so. And the quarter. Actually, we're starting it this week. We just put one to bed and the next one starts this week. So that's 57 more and that takes me till about 95. I'm about 95 years old. 57 divided by 4 is 16 and a quarter 16 years and one quarter. And then I have my podcast and the workshops and everything else? Dean: yeah, how many of your podcasts are weekly podcasts like this? Dan: no, I don't have any weeklies we have. We have a certain number for each of them and sometimes, you know, I don't think there's any podcast exception. You and jeff would be the most podcast, jeff madoff, that I yeah, and that wouldn't be 52 weeks. That would be, you know, maybe 30, 35, because we have times when we're not able to do it right, exactly off weeks, not many, but we do yeah. Dean: Yeah's very so that's, you know, looking forward. For me, that's kind of a good thing here. You know this. I'm going to join you in this quarterly cadence here, you know, as I look forward for the next 30, the next 30 years, I mean I already write enough volume to do it. It's just a matter of having the stuff in place. If only I owned a company that makes books. You know they don't have to. Dan: They could be you know, books you can write in an hour, 90 minutes say. Well, the big thing with Dan Kennedy, I mean, if you look at his monthly newsletter if he would take three of them and put them into a different format. He could have oh, yeah, oh for sure, Absolutely. Dean: That's my thought, right. My outlet is really these emails that I write. I think they're really episodic thought kind of thing. I think they're really episodic thought kind of thing. So I'm just really going to get into that cadence of having that output. I think that's going to be a nice valuable thing, Because I look back over the, I look at this 30-year inflection point here, you know, and look at what's changed and what's not going to change you know, and it's very interesting when I start getting to the bedrock things, like if I look at lifestyle design, you know, purpose, freedom of purpose, freedom of relationship, freedom of money, all of those things that I'm very like, consistent in my desires and I think everybody is like, for me it's really, I look at it, that you know what's not gonna change in 30 years. I'm, I want to get eight hours of great sleep, everything. I want to wake up, I want to eat great food, I want to have, you know, two or three hours a day of creative work and have fun. And that's really the, that's really the big game, you know, row your boat gently down the stream, that's the, that's the plan, you know. But I think that having these, I think having these outlets, you know, I think that's really been the great thing. When you have all these workshops and the tools, you've got a gallery for everything. Dan: Yeah, Well, and you know, I mean they get better. I mean, I mean the teams that are involved in this. I mean, there, there isn't anything that I do that doesn't involve a team. You know the workshop team, the book team, the podcast team, you know the my artists, my writers, you know? The sound engineers and everything like that. And and it gives structure to their lives too. You know like they basically and they get better things I notice every quarter things happen faster, easier there's. You know we're getting them done. The overall quality keeps improving from quarter to quarter. I can take a book. You know, like if I took book 30 and compare it to book 42, which we just finished on Friday. I mean the quality of it is just much, much higher than it was. Dean: And. Dan: I don't really angst about this you know, I just know when people. They're really good at what they do and the teamwork keeps improving and they keep getting better quarter by quarter. It's going to improve the product and I'm a great belief that quality is a combination of successful consistency and duration times. Duration that you have a consistency where you can get better at something. You do it once. Second time you do it better. Tenth time you're ten times better at it. Compound interest yeah, that's really Like compound interest, yeah. Dean: Yeah, and that consistency over that time, that trajectory is only going up and better. Dan: Yeah and then it pays for it. You know it pays for itself. You can't be in a net deficit money-wise with these things. They have to pay for themselves. Like right now. I would say that the quarterly books in the podcast the podcasts are, you know one person's, you know one or two people, right, exactly the tools totally pay for themselves because that's the basis for getting paid for the workshops. Dean: Right. Dan: And of course they have IP value now. Dean: Do you have your? Are the books available on Amazon? Yeah, quarterly Amazon, yeah, quarterly books yeah, yeah, yeah. And do they sell organically? Do you sell those? 0:48:43 - Dan: Oh, yeah, oh yeah, yeah, I mean, yeah, I mean it's not a big, you know, it's not a big budget item, you know and everything like that my whole thing is just that the entire production costs get paid for in a year yeah, I get it yeah, yeah that's awesome, yeah yeah, and, and you know, and you know it's part of our marketing, you know it's part of our market but they yeah, and every once in a while one of the little books becomes a big book, and then they write for them. Dean: So then, they really pay for themselves. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I love it. Well, it's exciting, it's got a whole lot. It's like a farm. Dan: I have sort of an agricultural approach. These are different crops that I have. You keep the soil healthy and pray for good weather. Dean: Yeah Well, it's quite an impressive like. When I look at my Dan Sullivan bookshelf, you know it's like quite a collection of them and consistently I mean the same look and feel of every book Every quarter. Yeah, amazing. Dan: Thank you. Thank you Appreciate it. Dean: Yeah. Dan: You're being impressed with. This was my intention that's exciting. Dean: Right from book number one, propose a contest. Dan: Let's do it. Dean: I think I could do that too. I'll race you back. We went from roaming the streets of Soho in London to being in Strategic Coach in Toronto with a book in hand. Dan: Speaking of which, I'll have Becca get in touch, but our next call will be in London, so we're in London, we leave next Sunday We'll be in London. So it won't be on the Sunday, though, because I'll be jet lagged and Becca will arrange in London. So it won't be on the Sunday, though, because I'll be jet lagged and Bab Becca will arrange for you With Lillian. Dean: Yeah, that's fine, yeah, so that's awesome. Dan: And then I'll be up. We'll be seeing you in June. We'll be seeing you. Dean: That's exactly right. Dan: Yeah. Dean:* Yeah, awesome. Okay, have a great day. Take care. Thanks, dan, bye.

Do you chase external success or internal fulfillment? Jeffrey Madoff and Dan Sullivan discuss ambition versus passion—how they differ, intersect, and fuel entrepreneurs. Learn why passion sustains long-term commitment while ambition alone falls short, and discover how to combine them for lasting impact. Show Notes: Passion is your internal drive, while ambition translates that drive into measurable success. Ambition without passion burns out because external milestones like money and fame hollow out without the joy of the process. Passion is what fuels long-term commitment because it's what you can't not do. True passion creates freedom—doing what you want, when you want, with whom you want. Childhood clues reveal your passion. What lit you up as a kid often points to your lifelong strengths. Great entrepreneurs fuse principle (passion) with strategy (ambition). Retirement is the enemy of passion. Getting people to talk about their experiences is a great way to learn a lot about the world. If you ask people questions that connect their experiences, they get very excited. Resources: Everything Is Created Backward by Dan Sullivan How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie The Power of Positive Thinking by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale Casting Not Hiring by Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff Learn more about Jeffrey Madoff Dan Sullivan and Strategic Coach®

Imagine having an invisible team of experts, researchers, marketers, and creatives working 24/7 to build your business… Without adding a single employee.That's exactly what we just did with my new friend and client, Nathaniel Ely, during a Superpower Accelerator three-day intensive.Nathaniel flew in to work with me personally, and in three days, we created everything he needed to launch a $1 Billion business opportunity around the Augusta Rule – a little-known tax strategy that can put tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars back in the pockets of business owners every year.Using Ai as a true team member, we built an entire brand from scratch:A full 50+ slide masterclassA pitch deck and marketing funnelThree book draftsVideo sales lettersChannel marketing campaignsSizzle reelsAutomated sales workflowsAnd dozens of other revenue-driving assetsThe best part? We didn't just "talk" about ideas – we built them in real-time, workshop-style, using agentic Ai tools that did the work of a 5-person team.If you want to see how Ai can build your brand, amplify your revenue, and compress six months of work into three days, you're going to love this episode.KEY INSIGHTS & TAKEAWAYS:

Welcome to Episode 277 of Monday Morning Pep Talk. This week is about clarity — how to find it faster and use it with purpose. For over a decade, I've been disciplined about planning and goal setting. But even with structure, I sometimes struggled to lock into clarity during my daily and weekly sessions. I was asking good questions — but not the right one.

What if you could completely transform your business – your brand, messaging, positioning, even your content – using Ai in just THREE DAYS?Sound impossible? Well, that's exactly what we accomplished with Jonathan Friedman, founder of the architectural studio Liminal. Jonathan was stuck competing in a crowded market until we used Ai to redefine his entire business from the ground up.In this episode, Jonathan joins me to break down exactly how we did it, step-by-step. You'll hear how we turned Ai into our “invisible team member,” speeding up research, creative ideation, content creation, and marketing strategy at incredible speeds. We crafted a 250-page book, a TED Talk, multiple videos, 50 elevator pitches, and generated a list of over 300 targeted channel marketing partners – all in just 72 hours.Bottom line? Jonathan is now positioned to double his revenue goals this year. The best part? We had a blast doing it!Ready to make Ai your new best team member? Then, let's get started.KEY INSIGHTS & TAKEAWAYS:

What if predictability is the ultimate competitive advantage? Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff dissect how standards and intent create unshakable trust in business and in life. Learn why elite entrepreneurs prioritize dependable relationships over short-term gains, how to spot (and avoid) toxic partnerships, and why money is just a metric—not the mission. Show Notes: Humans don't like unanswerable questions. You can't seek answers unless you have questions, and you have to ask the right questions. Prediction is necessary for survival, which is why we're always looking for things we can count on in the future. A lot of power comes with the belief that your intelligence is better than someone else's intelligence. Thought is a luxury. Only those freed from survival mode can engage deeply with creativity, innovation, and purpose. Humans aren't information processors—they're meaning makers. Purpose is created out of greater and greater freedom of money, time, and relationships. Money is the scorecard, not the game. The greatest contribution you can make to another person is your standards. Teams thrive when they know your standards are non-negotiable, even if it's uncomfortable. Resources: Same As Ever by Morgan Housel You Are Not A Computer by Dan Sullivan The 4 Freedoms That Motivate Successful Entrepreneurs Casting Not Hiring by Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff Learn more about Jeffrey Madoff Dan Sullivan and Strategic Coach® 

Do you struggle with scaling your business because you're still doing everything yourself? In this episode, healthcare entrepreneur Nicole Serena shares how she shifted from solopreneur to CEO by implementing Strategic Coach® lessons—delegating to experts, focusing on her unique skills, and adopting an abundance mindset—and how she 10x'd her business without burning out or sacrificing innovation. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:Why the healthcare system is under unprecedent pressure—and where the biggest gaps exist for entrepreneurs.The critical mindset shift that all entrepreneurs must make if they want to grow.Why trying to do everything yourself is the fastest path to burnout (and how to avoid it).Why business coaching should be viewed as an investment, not a cost.Why Nicole became an entrepreneur in the healthcare industry.The mindset change that helped Nicole scale her business without sacrificing her sanity.How to find the right person for every role.Why the healthcare system needs innovative problem solvers.The limitless growth potential in healthcare. Show Notes: AI has revolutionized healthcare, delivering results in minutes instead of months. Strategic Coach teaches entrepreneurs to focus on their strengths and build teams for the rest. Doctors can't compete with patients who self-educate via social media. Healthcare is largely a disease-management industry, not a wellness system. Canada's healthcare system is fragile—but also ripe for innovation. Entrepreneurship can be isolating without the right peer support. If you're busy trying to be an expert at everything, you may miss out on critical opportunities. Delegation frees up mental space for creativity and strategy. It's important to unplug and recharge so that you can be there for your clients, your team, and your community. Your Unique Ability® is your superpower—what only you can do exceptionally and joyfully. Leading a team can be scary, especially for first-time entrepreneurs. Strategic Coach connects entrepreneurs to accelerate learning and growth. Resources: Who Not How by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy Your Business Is A Theater Production: Your Back Stage Shouldn't Show On The Front Stage Unique Ability® Time Management Strategies For Successful Entrepreneurs (Successful Strategies Only)

Ever feel like you're drowning in admin or mundane tasks, knowing you could be focusing on your bigger future? Dan Sullivan and I have been there.In this episode of Capability Amplifier, we dive headfirst into the idea of adding Ai to your team – a powerful new “employee” that can handle everything from research to video storytelling.But the twist? As Dan and I unpack the nuts and bolts of using Ai tools, we realize something bigger...Ai can serve as a mirror, helping you reclaim (and reinvent) your PAST so you can power up your FUTURE. If you've been worried that technology will erase who you really are, think again. This might just be your ultimate “Future-Self Amplifier.”KEY INSIGHTS & TAKEAWAYSInstant “MBA-Level” Research on DemandUsing tools like OpenAI's Operator, Mike can instruct a “digital assistant” to log into Amazon, gather Dan's entire book catalog, reviews, and more—in minutes. This replaces days of grunt work and eliminates procrastination.Better, Faster First DraftsBy feeding AI your raw ideas, or even transcripts of past content, you can get a cohesive outline or polished script in seconds. Your human team will love you for showing up with clarity and focus.Turning Reflection into a SuperpowerDan views AI as a feedback machine that reminds you of your best stories and greatest strengths. Think of it as a living, dynamic mirror that knows your achievements—empowering you to leverage them now.How AI Frees Your Mind (Not Replaces It)Rather than being “less busy,” Mike uses AI to become more effective. No more friction or mental blocks—just hyper-fast iteration. That kind of momentum can transform your entrepreneurial life.Building Your Future Self from Your PastDan's big revelation: “The more you reuse the best parts of your past, the more you know about your future.” AI accelerates that discovery by surfacing hidden strengths and forgotten wins so you can deploy them now.Synthetic StorytellingTools like Invideo can create fully AI-generated videos—characters, voiceovers, animations. This is ideal for first-draft narratives, brand stories, and even personal “mini-documentaries.” You'll never look at content creation the same way again.Therapy…or a Fast-Track to Knowing Yourself?“Knowing how to be who you actually are” can eclipse years of therapy. By reconstructing your journey—failures, comebacks, and big wins—you craft a narrative that not only sells your offer but also reaffirms who you truly are.TIME STAMPS[00:00:00] AI as a New Team Member Mike explains how AI tools crush procrastination and free him to focus on creative (and profitable) work.[00:01:35] Seeing Your Future Through Your Past Dan observes how AI helps entrepreneurs “mine” their personal histories for gold, ultimately boosting confidence.[00:03:46] Game-Changing Tools A live demonstration of OpenAI's Operator, pulling reviews and descriptions of Dan's books automatically into a Google Doc.[00:08:00] Reinventing Marketing & Research Mike shares how AI is like having an on-demand MBA researcher—immediate, iterative, and personalized.[00:18:06] Why Tech Can't Match Human Complexity Dan reveals his new book idea: “Technology Is Trying Hard to Keep Up”—an argument about the unmatched power of human consciousness.[00:30:10] Synthetic Videos & Brand Story Mike showcases Invideo, an AI tool that generates entire mini-documentaries—voiceovers, characters, and all—from just a script.[00:40:38] Your Past as Your Biggest Asset Dan dives into how collecting your “best-of” stories—and weaving them into marketing—can be more powerful than therapy.[00:50:04] The Future-Self Amplifier A final note on how combining your own internal breakthroughs with AI's external capabilities is the real formula for 10x progress.If you're ready to harness cutting-edge Ai (without losing your humanity or your personal story), this episode is your roadmap. Listen now for tangible demos, practical tips, and a major mindset shift that'll help you 10x your productivity – and reconnect with the future you've always wanted.Additional ResourcesDownload your FREE digital and/or audio version of my bestselling book, “Your Next Act!”Book your $1k Cup of Coffee with me (Mike) here. SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE VIDEOS

Part 1 The Gap and The Gain by Dan Sullivan Summary"The Gap and The Gain" by Dan Sullivan, co-written with Benjamin Hardy, presents a transformative mindset concept that emphasizes the importance of perspective in personal and professional development. The book focuses on two distinct mental frameworks: the 'Gap' and the 'Gain.' Key Concepts:The Gap: The 'Gap' refers to the mindset where individuals focus on their current situation compared to their ideal or future goals. This perspective often leads to feelings of inadequacy, disappointment, and frustration because it emphasizes unmet aspirations and what is lacking in one's life or progress. By measuring themselves against future goals, people tend to overlook their achievements and growth, leading to a negative and defeatist attitude.The Gain: Contrarily, the 'Gain' is the mindset that encourages individuals to measure their progress relative to where they started. This perspective promotes gratitude and acknowledgment of personal growth, triumphs, and achievements, no matter how small they may seem. It fosters a positive outlook by recognizing how far one has come rather than fixating on how far one still has to go. Practical Applications:The authors stress the importance of switching from the 'Gap' to the 'Gain' to cultivate a more fulfilling life and achieve personal growth. This can be done through practices such as journaling about accomplishments, reflecting on past successes, and regularly evaluating progress based on one's journey rather than just goals.The book also includes various strategies and exercises to help readers shift their focus and develop a habit of recognizing their own achievements and growth. Overall Message:"+The Gap and The Gain" advocates for a mindset shift that prioritizes gratitude and self-acknowledgment over unrealistic comparisons and expectations. By embracing the 'Gain' perspective, individuals can enhance their confidence, motivation, and overall happiness, leading to greater success and fulfillment in life.Part 2 The Gap and The Gain AuthorDan Sullivan is a renowned entrepreneur and coach, best known for his work in personal and business development. He is the founder of Strategic Coach, a coaching program for entrepreneurs that has helped thousands of business leaders improve their skills and mindset. The Gap and The GainRelease Date: "The Gap and The Gain" was released in 2021. The book focuses on how individuals can shift their mindset to focus on progress and gain rather than gaps, helping them to achieve greater satisfaction and success. Other Books by Dan SullivanDan Sullivan has authored various books, including:"The Strategic Coach: A Guide to The 10x Way" A guide on leveraging the power of coaching to multiply business success."Who Not How" (co-authored with Ben Hardy) A book that emphasizes the importance of focusing on who can help you, rather than how you will accomplish everything on your own."The 4C Process: A Method for Achieving Extraordinary Goals" Discusses a framework for setting and achieving extraordinary goals."The Self-Made Entrepreneur" Insights on becoming successful through self-reliance and type of entrepreneurial thinking."Your Next Chapter" A book about envisioning and creating the next phase of life or business. Best Book by Dan SullivanWhile opinions may vary based on personal taste, "Who Not How" tends to stand out as one of the most popular and impactful books due to its innovative perspective on productivity and collaboration. It has received acclaim for reshaping the way readers think about achieving their goals and has been influential in both business and personal contexts.Overall, Dan Sullivan's books emphasize pivotal concepts for personal and professional growth, with "The Gap

Have you ever thought about tariffs as a "game-changer" rather than just a “political hot button”? Did you know Japan is quietly investing $1 trillion in U.S. manufacturing—especially in southern and southwestern states? That's right. In this new episode, Dan Sullivan and I dive deep into how tariffs, strategic factory moves, and AI-driven audits may soon reduce our taxes (yes, you read that right) while fueling unprecedented economic growth in America.If that sounds like a Michael Bay movie script, you're not far off—except this is playing out in real life, right now. We talk about Trump's “reciprocal tariffs,” Elon Musk's big-government audit with AI, and why countries like Japan are betting big on producing goods inside the U.S., instead of overseas. If you love big-picture, high-stakes drama with real entrepreneurial takeaways, you'll want to tune in.KEY INSIGHTS & TAKEAWAYSTariffs Are Making a ComebackAfter WWII, the U.S. temporarily abandoned tariffs to rebuild other nations and contain the Soviet threat. Now that era is over, and “reciprocal tariffs” are in play—if you tax American goods, we'll tax yours. Or you can just move your factories to the U.S.Japan's $1 Trillion Bet on American ManufacturingFacing a shrinking workforce, Japan decided 30 years ago to build factories where they sell goods. Enter the U.S. south and southwest—lower labor costs, fewer unions, and easier access to American consumers.Moving the U.S. Government to “Warp Speed”Dan and I discuss Trump's possible plan to use tariffs to fund government operations (hello, “External Revenue Service!”) while simultaneously lowering domestic taxes. If that works, it could trigger an economic boom.AI Audits: Elon Musk's Government OverhaulImagine real-time accounting for every federal check ever cut. That's what happens when you unleash advanced AI to track spending—stopping fraud and inefficiency in its tracks. Lower costs, better governance, fewer excuses.It's Not Just About PoliticsThe reason these moves are so urgent? The U.S. economy is its greatest weapon and negotiation tool. If the numbers line up, say goodbye to bloated budgets and hello to rapid innovation.The Western Hemisphere Is the New Growth EnginePeter Zeihan's research suggests that power is shifting west. Europe's star may be fading, and the big action will be in North and South America—partly because the U.S. can pressure countries with economic, rather than military, force.What It Means for Entrepreneurs (and You)If America becomes the hottest manufacturing hub again, it spells massive opportunity: new factories, high-value jobs, and more disposable income at home. Plus, if government spending shrinks, taxes may drop—fueling startups, scale-ups, and everything in-between.TIME STAMPS[00:00:00] Tariffs 101 Dan explains how tariffs helped the U.S. become #1 by 1900, and why after WWII we artificially dropped them to contain the Soviet Union.[00:03:10] Japan Moves In The backstory behind Japan's multi-decade strategy: build factories in America to sidestep both tariffs and a shrinking domestic workforce.[00:10:44] Economic vs. Military Power Mike and Dan explore how the real “weapon” now is the U.S. economy—not battleships. This is reshaping alliances, trade, and even the future of space exploration.[00:14:26] Union vs. Non-Union States Why overseas giants choose red states over blue to minimize union costs—and how that might transform American politics.[00:24:19] Elon Musk & Government AI Trump taps Musk to audit the entire U.S. government using advanced AI. The potential outcome? $3 trillion “lost” dollars suddenly reappear, possibly replacing the income tax with tariffs.[00:32:57] Europe's Diminishing Relevance Dan argues that Europe has become more of a “historic Disney World” than an innovative force, lacking the cultural spark of earlier centuries.[00:41:00] The Future Is Made in the USA Why more nations, including the UK, India, and South Korea, may follow Japan's lead—bringing factories stateside to dodge tariffs and be closer to American consumers.If you love big ideas and epic plot twists, this episode is basically Netflix's next political thriller—except it's happening in real life. Join Dan and me for a mind-bending conversation on how the world economy could flip in the next few years, and what you can do to position yourself and your business for massive opportunity.Additional ResourcesDownload your FREE digital and/or audio version of my bestselling book, “Your Next Act!”Book your $1k Cup of Coffee with me (Mike) here. SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE VIDEOS

The Strategic Coach® Program has been helping entrepreneurs achieve accelerated growth and personal freedom for over 35 years. Now, Strategic Coach® is excited to welcome a new coach to the Program. In this episode, Associate Coach Erik Solbakken shares his unique journey from chartered accountant to successful entrepreneur, and what excites him about connecting with fellow entrepreneurs. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:How Erik responded after his professional dream was decimated.How Erik's clients inspired him to become entrepreneurial.What led Erik to The Strategic Coach Program and how it changed his life.How Erik is helping accountants create better business models.What allows an entrepreneur to focus on their purpose. Show Notes: The way to create your future is by reflecting on your past. Entrepreneurship isn't always easy; it's a journey with ups and downs. Your ideal client wants the authentic you, not the pretend you. Self-discovery is a lifelong journey. Capabilities and confidence come from commitment and courage. Being part of the Strategic Coach community means being surrounded by entrepreneurs who can support you through tough times. Strategic Coach thinking tools help you clarify and simplify your thinking. Each time you use a Strategic Coach thinking tool, you gain deeper insights. Every coach at Strategic Coach is also a client, applying the tools and concepts to their own business. Our eyes only see and our ears only hear what our brain is looking for. Strategic Coach is one of the world's greatest philosophy programs wrapped in a business blanket. Resources: The 4 Freedoms That Motivate Successful Entrepreneurs How To Sell Transformation Using This One Question Unique Ability® What You Can Learn From Failure “Geometry” For Staying Cool & Calm by Dan Sullivan Who Not How by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy The Gap And The Gain by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy 10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy What Is A Self-Managing Company®? Viking Academy™ The Accountant Success Formula™ Accountants Kelowna BC

Can ADHD be a business advantage? In this episode, Amber Swope shares how embracing her ADHD has fueled her entrepreneurial success, transforming challenges into creative strengths and business opportunities. Listen now to discover how leveraging your unique gifts can revolutionize your approach to entrepreneurship and unlock new paths to success! Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:How Amber is sharing her ongoing ADHD journey with others.The circumstances that led Amber to become an entrepreneur.Steps to identify whether you have ADHD or another neurodivergent condition.Insights into how Strategic Coach® thinking tools may relate to Dan Sullivan's own experiences with ADD. Show Notes: Different people experience ADHD differently. Nearly half of Strategic Coach members have ADHD. ADHD provides a unique perspective on complex situations. It's unrealistic to be good at everything (and a waste of energy to try). It might be that no matter how hard you try, you'll never be successful at certain activities. (And that's okay.) Once you understand your ADHD, a world of possibilities opens up to you. If you feel like a failure, it might simply mean you're engaging in activities your brain isn't wired for. It's not enough to know something. You have to share it. When everyone's on the same page, everyone has a better experience. For some people with ADHD, it can be a struggle to do things that other people find easy. Adults with ADHD are 60% more likely to be fired. Once you know you have ADHD, you can stop spending energy masking it and start embracing your uniqueness. You create more opportunities when you empower yourself. Resources: Unique Ability®Kolbe A™ IndexTime Management Strategies For Entrepreneurs (Effective Strategies Only)

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 1635: Benjamin Hardy challenges the conventional wisdom of "following your passion," arguing that mastery, success, and happiness come from developing rare and valuable skills rather than chasing preexisting interests. Drawing from Cal Newport's So Good They Can't Ignore You, Hardy explains that confidence and passion are byproducts of excellence, not prerequisites. By continuously investing in yourself, building meaningful relationships, and generously applying your skills to help others, you not only achieve financial success but also cultivate a deeper sense of purpose and fulfillment. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://medium.com/thrive-global/how-to-develop-mastery-make-millions-and-be-happy-cd9743c40d12 Quotes to ponder: “If you want to love what you do, abandon the passion mindset (‘what can the world offer me?') and instead adopt the craftsman mindset (‘what can I offer the world?').” “Passion comes after you put in the hard work to become excellent at something valuable, not before.” “You're happiest when you're growing and giving.” Episode references: Strategic Coach by Dan Sullivan: https://www.strategiccoach.com/ Genius Network by Joe Polish: https://www.geniusnetwork.com/ Mindset by Carol Dweck: https://www.amazon.com/Mindset-Psychology-Success-Carol-Dweck/dp/0345472322 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices