Disrupt Yourself Podcast with Whitney Johnson

302 Year-End Review

301 Garry Turner: Give Yourself Permission to Disrupt the Status Quo

Innovation doesn't have to be world-changing. In fact, Garry Turner says it's crucial, even if you've been doing the same job at the same company for decades. Garry is a fierce advocate for internal disruption: Challenging the status quo within an organization (and within yourself!) to get better results. And for Garry, better results doesn't just mean efficiency and profit. It means sustainability, equity, fairness, diversity and more. Garry's work at a global chemical distribution company touc...

300 Tom Peters: Listening Is….

A wise man once said, " Listening is the ultimate mark of respect, Listening is the heart and soul of engagement." On the commemoration of our 300th episode, the Disruptive Advisors team would like to thank you for your respect, as we strive to provide you with engaging content. Our guest this week is management icon Tom Peters. Tom, the aforementioned wise man, has a new book out titled ," Tom Peters' Compact Guide to Excellence. " Join me as I talk to Tom about the new book, lessons he's learn...

ENCORE-General Stanley McChrystal: The Biggest Risk to You Is Yourself

Sometimes the business landscape can be a battlefield, but this week's guest puts all that in perspective. General Stanley McChrystal is a highly decorated U.S. Army veteran who is no stranger to real battlefields. He's a retired four-star general, and commanded an enormous contingent of U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. He's also an avid student of history, who acutely observes how the great successes and failures of the past are so deeply intertwined with risk management. His latest book is...

299 Jennifer Moss: The Cure For Burnout Isn't Self-Care

A healthy amount of stress is so important for personal growth, but chronic stress that demands our attention 24/7 can disconnect us from our work, colleagues, and purpose. This is burnout, and Jennifer Moss observes that we are facing an epidemic. She's an award-winning journalist, columnist, and author of The Burnout Epidemic: The Rise of Chronic Stress and How We Can Fix It. But contrary to popular wisdom, making time for that bubble bath or movie night isn't the solution. Burnout is a "we" p...

298 Steve Arntz: Your True Purpose May Not Be Revealed Yet

Even when our best laid plans are rock-solid, life (and the marketplace) has other ideas. Some surveys suggest that 70% of successful businesses end up doing something they never intended in the beginning. For career and personal growth, being prepared for a big pivot isn't easy. Steve Arntz learned this all too well. He's been developing technology products and their marketing for more than 15 years. His current company, which he co-founded, is called Campfire. The platform was on a mission to ...

297 Will Ahmed: What You Measure Matters

Will Ahmed and this podcast have a mission in common: To maximize human potential. For Will, it's all about the data of health. He's the founder and CEO of WHOOP, which makes wearable tech-like fitness bands that track things like heart rate, exercise, sleep, stress levels, and more. It's beloved by pro athletes and CEOs alike, and its holistic view became a secret weapon in the early fight against Covid. He is the child of immigrants, who taught him the value of "showing up" for life, and his j...

296 Brad Feld & Matt Blumberg: How to Get the Most From Your Board of Directors

What is a board of directors? What is its purpose, and what makes for a good board member? And how can you get value from a board, especially if you're a startup? This week, we have another tactical learning episode to answer these questions and much more. Brad Feld and Matt Blumberg – together with Mahendra Ramsinghani – recently republished and vastly expanded the second edition of their book: "Startup Boards: A Field Guide to Building and Leading an Effective Board of Directors." Brad has bee...

295 Jesse Iwuji: Never Let Someone's Opinion of You Become Your Reality

Jesse Iwuji is a first-generation Nigerian-American, U.S. Navy reserve officer, college football star, and if that's not enough: an accomplished and beloved professional NASCAR driver. So, how did he become a racing star? He just … wanted it. And one day, he decided to go for it. Along the way, many people told him he'd never succeed. He didn't have the money. He didn't have the connections. No sponsorships. People even said that "African Americans don't race cars." Jesse's entrepreneurial savvy...

294 Arthur Brooks: Are You Investing in Your "Happiness 401k?"

Many successful people at the top of their field hit a certain age, and the excitement of work starts to diminish. It may seem counterintuitive: Wouldn't mastery lead to satisfaction? Social scientist and author Arthur C. Brooks thinks of it another way: That there are two S Curves of life. If you're starting to feel restless (especially after age 39), perhaps it's time to stop fighting the first curve, and embrace the second. His latest book, "From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happine...

293 Annie Duke: Know When to Fold Em

On this week's show we have Annie Duke, professional poker champion turned decision strategist. She's written the best seller "Thinking in Bets" and her new book is titled "Quit".

292 David Epstein: Why Experimentation (Not Narrow Focus) Is Key to Long-term Success

David Epstein is an investigative journalist and author who is fascinated by extraordinary people. Are they born this way? Is it their upbringing? A lot of "hard work?" Modern thinking about this, spearheaded by Malcom Gladwell, points to "10,000 hours" of narrow, focused work. Yo-Yo Ma and Serena Williams have been practicing their craft since the womb. But David discovered a different paradigm: That the most successful professionals and entrepreneurs were not narrowly focused on practice, but ...

291 Jillian Johnsrud: Money Gives Us Options, But Doesn't Solve Our Problems

Jillian Johnsrud is an author, blogger, podcaster, and coach who covers personal finance. But she's not just providing stock tips and savings plans. Jillian wants us to rethink our relationship to money itself. This passion is personal for her. When she and her family encountered major medical and student debt, she began to study how the language of finance is passed down – often detrimentally – from one generation to the next. Despite major setbacks, Jillian and her family are now financially i...

290 Wes Carter: Small Changes Become Huge Results

We don't give much thought to consumer packaging — the "stuff" that all our stuff comes in. But the packaging industry has a massive influence on how we perceive products and the companies that make them. It also plays a huge role in what we're doing to our environment. Wes Carter is the president of Atlantic Packaging, which is the largest, privately-held packaging company in North America. Chances are, if you've bought something recently (and who hasn't?), it was touched by Atlantic somewhere ...

289 Steve Young: Choose Selflessness in a Transactional World

Legendary San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young is a Super Bowl champion, an MVP many times over, and a member of the Football Hall of Fame. His level of elite play required the utmost confidence and perseverance. So why was he going days without sleeping and throwing up before taking the field? In this very personal conversation, Steve opens about about his childhood social anxiety that he never understood until well into his NFL career, and how these challenges have completely shaped how...

288 Becky Robinson: Your Network Is Bigger (and More Generous) Than You Think

Launching a project, a product, or a work of art that you've spent years creating is terrifying to say the least. That's the space that Becky Robinson thrives in. She's the CEO and founder of Weaving Influence, a marketing agency that specializes in book launches and PR. Her new book is called Reach , and it codifies 10 years of wisdom she's gained working with brilliant thought leaders from across the business world — many you've heard on this podcast. Becky and Whitney unpack what sustainable ...

287 Stephen M. R. Covey & McKinlee Covey: Manage Things, Lead People

Trust is a thorny topic. In business and relationships, we're always assessing whether someone is trustworthy. But what about our ability to trust others? To delegate those big projects we are so used to doing ourselves? To relinquish control and face the possibility that someone else might do it differently…do it worse…or even do it better than us? This can be scary, but Stephen M. R. Covey and McKinlee Covey say that overcoming this fear is well-worth it, and can be absolutely life-changing fo...

286 Richie Norton: Value Your Time and Stop Timing Your Values

The only finite resource in our lives and work is time. We always want more, and there's no way to create it. But we can radically rethink how we relate to time. That's the crux of Richie Norton's captivating philosophy. He says the tools of "time management" are designed to squeeze every drop of productivity out of us. The results – as we've discussed – are burnout, career dissatisfaction, and S Curve stagnation. Richie's new book is called Anti-time Management , where he illustrates a skill ca...

285 Jason Feifer: Want to Succeed? Be Adaptable

This week we cover the one thing we're ALL bad at: Change. Jason Feifer is obsessed with the moral panic we feel when faced with new technologies, trends, and social norms. 19th century musicians despised record players. Elevators would tear apart our social fabric. And Teddy Bears threatened our very children! What he's learned from these now-laughable examples is that the people who see opportunity in change have more long-term success than those who only see loss. By day, Jason is the editor-...

284 Regina Kim: How Korean Pop Culture Disrupted Global Entertainment

If your family's viewing habits changed a bit during the pandemic, you're not alone! One enormous trend was the rise of Korean dramas on U.S. streaming services. But entertainment journalist Regina Kim says this has actually been happening for years, even decades. She wrote a fantastic piece for Elle Magazine called "The K-Drama Renaissance: How South Korean entertainment took over your TV." The South Korean entertainment industry has been enormously disruptive to the media landscape, with pop g...

283 Davis Smith (Cotopaxi): Want a Resilient Business? Empower Resilient People

The outdoor brand Cotopaxi is known for colorful backpacks and athleticwear. But its founder and CEO Davis Smith explains that the origin and mission of the company is about much more. Davis had a unique childhood and a profound experience in South America that compelled him to start a company with social change in mind. But as you'll hear, this was not an overnight success. In fact, it wasn't his first business venture, and the road to where Cotopaxi sits today is about as rocky and steep as th...

282 Bobbi Rebell: Raising Our Kids to Be "Financial Grown-Ups"

Money can be one of the hardest things to talk about with your kids. It's emotional, and often tied to feelings of generational self-worth. But just like the "Birds and the Bees," we also need to be honest about "Dollars and Cents." That's where financial journalist, author, and podcaster Bobbi Rebell comes in. She has written extensively about the financial relationship between parents and children, which — at its core — is based on love. Her book, "Launching Financial Grown-Ups," unpacks the c...

281 Jonathan Johnson: Challenge Ideas, Not People

Jonathan Johnson became CEO of Overstock.com in 2019, right before the world was turned upside down by Covid. Like many leaders, he was tasked with difficult choices about how to protect employees and keep the business healthy. But the company was uniquely positioned to re-focus its core business and create a very progressive hybrid work policy that continues to pay dividends. Jonathan and Whitney talk about how this extreme focus weathered the storm, and why always telling the truth isn't just ...

280 Brooke Romney: Don't Define Yourself By What Can Be Taken Away

Comparing ourselves to peers is natural, but when that gap creeps into our self-worth, the damage begins. When she was a new mom, Brooke Romney fell into this trap. After a lot of reflection and personal growth, she came out the other side as the author of the book "I Like Me Anyway," which is about knowing yourself, finding your strengths, and empowering your children to do the same. Brooke and Whitney discuss the the power of focusing on what you can control, giving kids the gift of self-confi...

279 Marcus Buckingham: This Is Your Brain On Love

Marcus Buckingham is obsessed with challenging common wisdom about human potential. He's a self-described psychometrician, on a quest to find the real data behind how and why we act. He spent so much time studying high-performers at Gallup that he co-created his own Strengths Finder tool, and now coaches executives around the world. But there are some things about human achievement that simply can't be measured. His latest book is called "Love + Work" and it's about that special magic that unloc...

278 Ken Blanchard: Life Is a Special Occasion

Ken Blanchard is one of the most revered thinkers and writers on business, leadership, and management philosophy. He's authored more than 60 books, consults with Fortune 500 companies, and speaks around the world. You probably know him from his 1982 book "The One Minute Manager," which has sold more than 15 million copies. Ken has no intention of slowing down, despite turning 83 years old this year! If you're craving a dose of inspiration, you've come to the right podcast. Ken and Whitney discus...

277 Emma Seppälä: Where Happiness Comes From, According to Science

What IS happiness, really? And what's the difference between biting into a bar of chocolate and a much more sustained contentment that often eludes us? Ph.D. psychologist Emma Seppälä has studied happiness for much of her career. She's a best-selling author who also teaches business leaders at the Yale School of Management. Turns out, achieving career success and wealth doesn't lead to that contentment. If you're searching for mental well-being, Emma says: Start with your body, specifically, you...

276 Danny Ainge: Disrupting Basketball, Disrupting Life

Danny Ainge has a storied career in the NBA as a star player, coach, advisor, and executive, currently with the Utah Jazz. To say that sports are Danny Ainge's life is an understatement. The work, the preparation, the visualization, and competition create a meditative focus for him. Sometimes this was all-consuming, and as a husband, father, and now grandfather, he came to a point where he had to take a step back. Danny and Whitney talk about how basketball – a seemingly simple game – has been d...

275 Reggie Fils-Aimé: Creating a Culture of Mentorship at Nintendo

Back in 2004, the marketing definition of a "gamer" was narrow. It was young, and mostly male, and the video game industry was starting to stagnate. But Nintendo was poised to disrupt the gaming landscape (as it had done previously in the 1980s), and re-open the video game community to everyone. In North America, they had help from an enthusiastic new marketing VP named Reggie Fils-Aimé. Reggie later became president of Nintendo of America, and during his 16-year tenure with the company, he beca...

274 Lindsey Shipley (Lactation Link): Natural Things Don't Always Come Naturally

Parenthood is arguably the ultimate S Curve of learning. We read the books, we get advice, and we plan the perfect Pinterest nursery. But we don't REALLY know what we're in for until we hear that first cry. Lindsey Shipley saw this gap in parental preparedness, specifically when it came to breastfeeding. After giving birth to her own kids, she observed the current hospital system wasn't providing new moms with the confidence and knowledge they need to breastfeed. So she set out to build an onlin...