This week's podcast episode is an experiment. It's my first solo episode—no victim in the hot seat, being interviewed. Instead, I talk about my own journey up the learning curve, spend some time reminiscing with the ghost of episodes past, as well as calling out some episodes favorited by my team. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/2017-in-review/
Maureen Chiquet, Former CEO, Chanel and now a speaker and author of Beyond the Label: Women, Leadership and Success on Our Own Terms, is my guest on the Disrupt Yourself Podcast. When you read her current title, and former and present accomplishments, 'failure' isn't the word that first comes to mind. But Chiquet had some bumps in the road along her way to success. In fact, her career exemplifies the disruption accelerant of being discovery-driven, which almost always goes hand-in-hand with bein...
Donald Miller, CEO of StoryBrand and author of the new book Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen is Whitney's guest on Episode 34 of the Disrupt Yourself podcast. He's an expert in helping people clarify their marketing message so their business can grow. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/donald-miller/
Join us as we talk to Luvvie Ajayi, author of The New York Times best selling book, I'm Judging You: The Do Better Manual . How did Luvvie adjust to the transition of moving from Nigeria to the U.S.? How did she acquire her comedic super powers? How does it feel to have Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers adapt her book as a comedy series? Tune in and find out. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/luvvie-ajayi/...
Join us today as we talk with Amazon alumnus Scott Pulsipher. We will be discussing his current position as president of Western Governors University. What's it like to sit across the table from a less than pleased Jeff Bezos? Join us and find out. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/scott-pulsipher/
Claude Silver is CHO at VaynerMedia. As CHO, as in Chief Heart Operator, Claude takes care of the 800 or so 'heartbeats' employed by the company. With her fingers on the pulse of the company's internal wellbeing, Claude works to provide a joyful company culture to match an efficient product. She encourages employees to grow beyond their comfort zone – but also makes sure to constantly expand beyond her own. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/claude-silver/...
Susan McPherson is the president of McPherson Strategies, a communications consultancy. Join us as Susan gives a lesson on Corporate Social Responsibility, and shares how she dealt with the ultimate disruption. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/susan-mcpherson/
Walter O'Brien has been a disruptor since grade school in Ireland. His thriving career in computer services is rooted in his lifelong interest in IT – and it's even led to a CBS TV series based on his company, Scorpion. Another one of his companies has even redefined what a 'concierge' is. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/walter-obrien/
Feyzi Fatehi is the C.E.O. of Corent Technology, a revolutionary cloud management platform. Join us as Feyzi tells us about his love for mountain climbing, shares his amazement of American freedom, and explains why companies should SaaSify. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/feyzi-fatehi/
Karen Walrond is an author, photographer, speaker, and former attorney who left her career in law after her body signaled to her that she needed a change. She listed the things she loves to do and paved her own path to success. Now, she's a published author, paid public speaker, and curator of the blog Chookooloonks, which features her writings and photography. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/karen-walrond/
Alden Mills is the former Navy Seal turned entrepreneur, who gave us The Perfect Push Up. Join us as we discuss his latest book, "Be Unstoppable", how his childhood nickname proved to be a source of strength, and the inspiration behind his newest innovation. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/alden-mills/
A special live coaching episode: Whitney helps listener Stacy Olsen Distefano figure out how to create a satisfying future in her career. After 10 years at her organization, Stacy has recently moved into a new innovation role – but is staying the right path? Or would finding a new position elsewhere be the revitalizing answer she seeks? Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/stacy-olsen-distefano-live-coaching-episode/...
Lee Caraher is the C.E.O. and founder of Double Forte, a digital marketing agency and P.R. firm. Lee is also the author of "Millennials in Management" and "The Boomerang Principle. On this episode, Lee enlightens us about why Millennials are not so bad after all, how an employee leaving could turn out to be a good thing, and so much more. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/lee-caraher/
Lolly Daskal is an executive coach and author of The Leadership Gap. Lolly has been advising leaders on how to reinvent themselves when progress has stalled – and how to deal with the subsequent caveats. Whitney and Lolly discuss the seven leadership archetypes, how Lolly looked to great thinkers such as Joseph Campbell as mentors, and how to avoid weaknesses that come with any leadership style. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/lolly-daskal/...
Wendy Sachs is the author of the book Fearless and Free: How Smart Women Pivot and Relaunch Their Careers . The book was born out of a disruption in Wendy's career – and realizing her skills didn't quite match what the media world required. Wendy talks rewriting your narrative to highlight your strengths, and how to take advantage of what's around you to succeed. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/wendy-sachs/...
The 2008 financial crisis inspired Patrick McGinnis to examine – and disrupt – his career. Motivated by the collapse, Patrick incrementally dove into entrepreneurship. He's the author of The 10% Entrepreneur, a big idea that advises new business seekers to ease into their ventures. He also coined the term FOMO – Fear of Missing Out – a phrase that plays a role in everybody's lives – and one that could impede disruption. Show notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/patrick-mcginnis/...
When Kara Goldin left her job at AOL after 7 years, she decided to work on her health in her new free time. That meant weening off of Diet Coke. But plain water was too boring, and there were no other options. So Kara came up with her own solution, ultimately disrupting the soda industry. 12 years later, Hint water is her multi-million-dollar flavored water company. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/kara-goldin/
Adda Birnir is an entrepreneur and the founder of Skillcrush, an online coding school that offers a curriculum tailored for women who don't fit a typical 'coder' profile. Students are working moms, retirees, and mid-level workers who seek new career opportunities that once seemed impossible. Entrepreneurs intuitively seek disruption in their work. But as Adda has learned, personal disruption has a way of finding them first and visiting often. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/adda-birnir/...
Naveen Rajdev is the chief marketing officer of a large international company that many listeners won't recognize. His company, Wipro, is a technology company that comes up with creative solutions across industries. They operate behind the scenes. Naveen's role as the brand's number one advocate has him constantly darting down new avenues of disruption. He also has some fascinating ideas for how cities are thinking about disrupting for the future. -- This episode is brought to you by the Harvard...
Chrysula Winegar is the driving force behind Global Moms Challenge, a public health education project and online community supported by the United Nations Foundation. To her four children, Chrysula is simply "Mom". Mother's Day offers a unique opportunity to look at motherhood's capacity to disrupt, reward, and teach. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/chrysula-winegar-disrupt-yourself-podcast/
Paula Froelich is an accomplished journalist whose work has allowed her to travel the world. She's written for The Guardian and the New York Post's Page 6, among others. She built Yahoo! Travel into a must-read online travel website. But through the years, those opportunities have also led to burnout and personal frustration. Now Paula finds herself working through a transition, in search of a new curve. Review this podcast on iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/disru…d1156483471?mt=2 Show Notes...
Asi Burak is disrupting how we think about playing games. Asi makes video games. But he's not content making video games that are just entertaining. He wants to make games that are powerful enough to end conflicts and solve some of life's greatest challenges. His new book with co-author Laura Parker is " Power Play: How Video Games Can Save the World ". Review this podcast on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/disrupt-yourself-podcast-with-whitney-johnson/id1156483471?mt=2 Show Notes: h...
Susan Cain disrupted how the world thinks about introverts. Her best-selling book " Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking " and The Quiet Revolution now help businesses and schools rethink the ways in which they serve people of all temperaments. As a writer, Susan actively seeks out questions and topics that might lead her readers to uncomfortable places. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/susan-cain-disrupt-yourself-podcast/...
Garry Ridge is the CEO of WD-40. He has served in that role for more than two decades, repeatedly disrupting the processes and the culture inside a company that's best known for a selling a can of oil that silences squeaks. You don't have to look hard for evidence of his company's success. Try naming any other can of grease. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/garry-ridge-ceo-wd-40/
Marco Rosamilia is a small business owner whose clients are occasionally terrified of the service he provides. He co-founded a trapeze business with his brother in New York City, then added a location in Arizona. He's in the business of helping people overcome fear. The challenges Marco and his clients face offer some fascinating parallels for how we think about disruption. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/trapeze-disrupt-yourself-marco-rosamilia/...
Meredith Kopit Levien disrupts and is disrupted by the business side of journalism on a daily basis as executive vice president and chief revenue officer at the New York Times. It's her job to find new ways to pay for quality reporting and innovative storytelling as the very word 'newspaper' starts to sound more and more like 8-track. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/meredith-kopit-levien-new-york-times/...
One day in 2015 Patrick Pichette woke up and realized he no longer wanted to be the chief financial officer at Google. He didn't want to be an executive at all. What he really wanted to do was spend time with his family, enjoy the outdoors a bit, maybe find out whether or not he had a marathon in him. So he disrupted himself with a letter he posted online detailing the leap he was about to take and off he went. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/patrick-pichette-stepping-back-personal-disrup...
Stacy London is a stylist and fashion consultant who made her name on television as the co-host of the TLC reality series "What Not To Wear". The job was rewarding but it eventually left her feeling burnt out, so she quit. Her planned return to TV has proved challenging on a number of levels. One of them is age and the uncertainty that comes with getting older. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/stacy-london/
In the early 1980s, Bernie Swain left his dream job at a young age to work in a closet with his wife. Their goal was to create the Washington Speakers Bureau. The agency has since represented several presidents, prime ministers, and bold-faced names -- clients he signed with a handshake. Bernie Swain's new book is " What Made Me Who I Am ". Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/bernie-swain-disrupt-yourself/...
Sarah Feingold is a disruptor with dual passions -- law and handcrafted jewelry. She's a big believer in the fact that people can and should create their own opportunities. Back in 2007, fresh out of law school, Sarah noticed a new crafting community called Etsy didn't employ a lawyer to check the fine print. They weren't looking to hire one. Sarah applied anyway. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/sarah-feingold/...
