From Relationships Rule! show notes: Talking is easy, connecting is hard – and according to Brian Miller it can be learned! A magician turned author, speaker, and consultant on human connection – Brian Miller is here to help us understand what human connection really is, and how to magically connect to anyone. Brian believes everyone deserves to feel heard, understood, and valued. In this episode you will learn: Why strangers are the easiest people to ask questions. Why Brian spent an hour talki...
Apr 18, 2022•11 min
Cait is a Forbes-featured 7-figure Business Coach for women and, in her words, your excuse’s worst nightmare. But back when we met in 2019, she was in distress. She’d been invited to deliver a TEDx talk, and suddenly found herself in unfamiliar territory. Cait was a master at riffing on livestreams. She had attracted a sizable social media following and went from quitting the 9-5 to multiple six figures as a business coach in just a few years, leaning hard on her magnetism and charisma, grounded...
Apr 11, 2022•49 min•Season 5Ep. 9
Do you want to become more interesting than Netflix? Francisco is a storytelling expert and one of my favorite professional friends. We met a couple years ago when he invited me to be one of the first guests on his podcast, of which I am also the first repeat guest. It only seemed right that after hours of talking about my work on his show, he should have a chance to talk about his work on mine. And let me tell you, this is one of the most practical episodes in seasons. We discussed the differen...
Mar 21, 2022•56 min•Season 5Ep. 8
Julia Freeland is a passionate educator and change engineer, who has spent most of her life working to help people break through limiting beliefs and seemingly impenetrable barriers to become better versions of themselves. She is also the author of Take Your Shoes Off First, a parable book with a message near and dear to my heart - perspective-taking. Julia and I discussed that weird head nod teenage boys do, and why it might be more important than you think, the role of language in human connec...
Mar 14, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 5Ep. 7
Mark Metry is an entrepreneur, a Forbes featured TEDx and keynote speaker, and a podcast host who has interviewed billionaires, New York Times bestselling authors and world-class human beings on his Global Top 100 podcast. But once upon a time he couldn't make direct eye contact with anyone. Mark suffered from social anxiety. And boy can I relate to that. In this conversation we discussed the seeming contradiction of running a group program for people with social anxiety, his background as an im...
Feb 28, 2022•1 hr•Season 5Ep. 6
Corey McComb is a writer based in San Diego. Through blog posts, essays, and the occasional short story, Corey examines the human condition and new ways of thinking. He also works with people and companies who need to tell their stories to launch products and spread ideas. And speaking of spreading ideas, that’s how I came across Corey’s work: his brand new TEDx talk. It’s called, “Productivity Is For Robots! Here’s How to Stay Human.” And it quickly became one of my all-time favorite TEDx talks...
Feb 21, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Today’s guest Tamsen Webster, and she’s just as cool as her name suggests. Tamsen is a message strategist. In a sentence, she helps experts make their ideas irresistible. She’s the former executive producer of TEDx Cambridge, one of the legacy TEDx conferences and before that spent 13 years as a Weight Watchers leader. But those of us in the industry know her as The Idea Whisperer. I’m a huge fan of Tamsen and her work, and last year she finally released a book detailing her proprietary method f...
Feb 14, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Season 5Ep. 4
Today’s guest Helen G. Sneed. Helen is a career coach, HR consultant, and speaker. She also founded Drive The Goal, a consulting firm that helps people and organizations take charge of their lives and career, and navigate change, where she is the Principal Partner. Helen and I met when she hired me to speak at a fundraising event for the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities Foundation. At the time, she was the President of the foundation. She has an Associate’s degree, a Bachelor’s Degree...
Feb 07, 2022•56 min•Season 5Ep. 3
Today’s guest is Zoe Chance. Zoe is one of the world’s foremost researchers and speakers on ethical influence and persuasion. She’s a beloved Yale professor who teaches the most popular course at the School of Management: Mastering Influence and Persuasion. Her new book, Influence Is Your Superpower: The Science of Winning Hearts, Sparking Change, and Making Good Things Happen , is based on that course. Zoe is also a dear friend and collaborator who helped me craft my now famous TEDx talk back i...
Jan 31, 2022•53 min•Season 5Ep. 2
Today’s guest is Thomas Heaton. Thomas is a landscape photographer and YouTuber. His YouTube channel has attracted over half a million subscribers and features weekly video blogs of his photo shoots in some of the most stunning locations on earth. I’m neither a photographer nor into nature. But there’s something magical about the way he films the process of spending hours and sometimes days in pursuit of a single photo. I’ve been a subscriber and huge fan of Thomas since the early days of his ch...
Jan 24, 2022•51 min•Season 5Ep. 1
When you ask for feedback, you reinforce any existing power dynamic. When you ask for advice, you eliminate the power dynamic completely. People feel more comfortable giving advice, and you'll receive it better. Blog version: https://brianmillerspeaks.com/stop-asking-for-feedback/ Video version: https://youtu.be/VkqVdbCeThg
Sep 16, 2021•6 min
Empathy isn't all that it's cracked up to be. It leads to burnout and irrational decisions. Plus, it's nearly impossible to teach. But instead you can learn perspective-taking, a skill that leads to understanding, connection, and yes, even empathy. Watch the video version instead: https://youtu.be/DQZKlzlczOQ Read the blog version instead: https://brianmillerspeaks.com/perspective-taking-vs-empathy-2/ Free resource - "Stop Cringing, Start Connection: 7 Ways to Talk to Anyone Without Looking Like...
Sep 08, 2021•16 min
In 2019 I had the privilege and honor of chatting with legend Seth Godin for an hour. We spoke about marketing, work-life balance, and human connection. But when I asked him for a story of a chance encounter with lasting impact, the story he told me was absolutely insane. And exclusive - it's the first and only time he's ever told it in public. Listen to the full episode: https://www.beyondnetworkingpodcast.com/where-you-are-and-what-you-do-with-seth-godin/...
Aug 19, 2021•9 min
Connection is not about agreement, but understanding- by being grateful, being humble, setting the tone, and seeking common ground. Read the blog or watch the video instead: https://brianmillerspeaks.com/how-to-respectfully-disagree-respectfully/
Aug 05, 2021•12 min
From the vault, serial social entrepreneur Getrude Matshe teaches us the African philosophy of Ubuntu. Getrude was my guest back in Season 2 when the show was still called One New Person. Listen to or watch her entire episode here: https://beyondnetworkingpodcast.com/the-magic-of-ubuntu-with-getrude-matshe/
Jul 30, 2021•10 min
Life is sometimes unbearably difficult and unreasonably cruel. Let’s all give each other a break. Here's a lesson I learned from my grandmother. Read or watch instead of listening: https://brianmillerspeaks.com/i-havent-bought-a-sponge-in-15-years/
Jul 22, 2021•3 min
People aren’t going to do what you consider respectful, or fair. They’re going to do what they believe serves the audience, which is not you. Read or watch instead of listening: https://brianmillerspeaks.com/youre-not-special-an-open-letter-to-artists/
Jul 15, 2021•13 min
Being an artist is hard. People aren’t going to do what you consider respectful, or fair. They’re going to do what they believe serves the audience, which is not you. How do you stand out as an artist? What can you do if people don't respect your work? The War of Art : https://amzn.to/2UuWQKq 2 More Tools: Article: https://brianmillerspeaks.com/how-to-be-seen-as-a-professional/ Video: https://youtu.be/FzmHm6Q19YY...
Jul 08, 2021•9 min
Now that we have 18 months of practice in virtual experiences, let’s not have our excitement get away from us. “In-person” is finally an option again, but it’s only one option. Ask yourself these 3 questions before planning or attending your next in-person event, or going back to the office. Read instead: https://brianmillerspeaks.com/the-pivot-back-to-in-person-events/ Watch instead:
Jun 30, 2021•12 min
Kelly Leonard spent most of the 90s and 2000s as an executive producer at the world famous Second City improv theater in Chicago. He is personally responsible for hiring Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Amy Poehler, and Steve Carell. He also wrote the book Yes, And… , a book on creativity and collaboration in the workplace, based on lessons from improv comedy and Second City. In this conversation, Kelly talks us through Second City’s Pivot into virtual improv performances during the 2020 pandemic. We ...
Jun 14, 2021•44 min•Season 4Ep. 18
Kay Reeve speaks and writes about emotional awareness. She is the author of Brain Unchained, a book created to help teenagers, young adults, and parents understand the four core emotions and build a strategy for positive emotional change. ( continued below) MENTAL HEALTH DISCLAIMER: None of the participants in this video are doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, or medical practitioners of any kind. The content of this video is presented solely for the purpose of creating awareness and conversa...
Jun 07, 2021•43 min•Season 4Ep. 17
Xabier Marshall is a personal trainer and the owner of Multiply Performance in the UK. I discovered Xabier while reading a BBC article about gyms in a COVID and post-COVID world. I’ve never been to a gym in my life, so I couldn’t tell you why I was reading that article. But Xabier was quoted about successfully Pivoting his personal training to an app-based plan. I had to know more. So I sent him a cold message on LinkedIn and 3 days later we recorded this episode. In this conversation we discuss...
May 31, 2021•47 min•Season 4Ep. 16
Ken Davenport is a two-time Tony award-winning Broadway producer. He is best known for Spring Awakening, Kinky Boots, and the revival of Godspell. Ken is renowned in the theater community as an innovative marketer. In 2008 he started a blog called The Producer’s Perspective, dedicated to making the business of Broadway accessible and understandable. He also created Be a Broadway Star , the only Broadway-themed board game. Ken and I met when we were both panelists on the same livestream. He spoke...
May 24, 2021•39 min•Season 4Ep. 15
Dr. Caitlin O'Connell is a scientist, author, and storyteller. She holds a PhD in ecology, holds positions at both Harvard and Stanford, is an award-winning author of non-fiction, children’s books, and graphic novels, AND is a renowned expert on elephants. What’s that got to do with Pivoting, resilience, adaptability, human connection, or even just networking, for that matter? I had no idea. We were connected through a mutual acquaintance and, if I’m being honest, I only agreed out of politeness...
May 17, 2021•44 min•Season 4Ep. 14
Allen Williams is an audio professional in the TV and film industry. He’s worked on projects like The Vampire Diaries, Spider-Man Homecoming, Creed, The Founder, Stranger Things, Cobra Kai, Avengers Infinity War… and some big name projects, too. Like everyone else in the entertainment industry, when COVID hit Allen found himself suddenly without income, prospects, or even hope that work would come back. But that was only the beginning of his 2020 nightmare. Two months before the pandemic, in Jan...
May 10, 2021•43 min•Season 4Ep. 13
Elisse Glennon is the Executive Director of the New Jersey Sharing Network Foundation. The NJ Sharing Network is a non-profit organization for the recovery and placement of donated organs and tissues. The foundation, where Elisse presides, is dedicated to increasing the numbers of lives saved through research, family support, public awareness, and education. 4000 New Jersey residents alone are waiting on the transplant list. So when COVID threatened the entire national healthcare system, Elisse ...
May 03, 2021•39 min•Season 4Ep. 12
Dan Cockerell started his Disney career directing cars in the parking lot. But when he left 26 years later to pursue an entrepreneurial journey of his own, he was in charge of the entire daily operations of the happiest place on earth. I invited Dan on the podcast to help us understand how the hospitality industry has responded to Covid overall. You’re going to learn about the power of staying on message, the secret to hiring and training a world class team, when attitude trumps skills, the No. ...
Apr 26, 2021•44 min•Season 4Ep. 11
Jesse Cole is the owner of the Savannah Bananas, a collegiate summer league baseball team based in Georgia. Here’s a few facts about the Bananas: They only sell one ticket and it’s all inclusive. Their players perform choreographed dances every game. They are the only baseball team to play in kilts. Their coaching staff includes a 9-year-old and a grandma. They have a senior citizen dance team called the Banana Nanas. Their stadium is the first ever ad-free ballpack. They have sold out every gam...
Apr 19, 2021•43 min•Season 4Ep. 10
I've had the pleasure of being a guest on some wonderful podcasts lately. Here's a "best of" compilation from the first quarter of 2021. Featuring: Donato G Poet, The Art of Relationships, The Storypowers Podcast, Bulletproof Cashflow, and Marketing as a Foreign Language. Topics include: My 2020 pivot Loneliness in the pandemic Story telling tips for life and business How to connect with sales prospects The most difficult speech I ever gave Watch this episode instead of listening: https://youtu....
Apr 12, 2021•30 min
Tyler Anderson is a chef and owner of multiple high-end restaurants. He’s also a James Beard award-nominee and appeared on both The Food Network and Top Chef on Bravo. If you’re thinking, didn’t you recently interview a restaurant owner? I did. This is a companion episode to my conversation with Pam Paydos. In fact, Pam connected me with Tyler in the first place many years ago. Pam’s restaurant Popover and Tyler’s flagship restaurant Millwrights are in the same small Connecticut town. And, like ...
Apr 05, 2021•39 min•Season 4Ep. 9
