In part two of the conversation with leadership coach and team building expert David Burkus, he offers more practical tools for creating efficient and autonomous teams. Supported by forward-thinking research, David zeroes in on the importance of psychological safety as a pillar for any organization. Psychological safety is a combination of respect and trust, especially when team members are taking interpersonal risks by sharing ideas or issues with leadership. In conversations with team members,...
Jul 07, 2023•23 min•Ep. 136
As a leader in innovative business thinking and the author of several best-selling books, David Burkus specializes in helping organizations build powerful teams. His most recent book, Best Team Ever , explores the science behind what allows certain teams to thrive while others struggle. In a post-pandemic world, David believes success comes from addressing microcultures within an organization versus analyzing the business as a whole. Three components that support cohesive team building are a fou...
Jun 30, 2023•19 min•Ep. 135
In his book Hope is Not a Business Strategy , thought leader Chuck Knabusch offers practical advice for turning business dreams into reality. Traditional business plans are evolving to a point where entrepreneurs and creatives are designing their own processes for scaling the business and measuring growth. Planning and documentation are important, but even more impactful are the steps a leader takes towards the end goal. Some of the best lessons are learned through taking action, making mistakes...
Jun 02, 2023•22 min•Ep. 134
Chuck Knabusch is the founder 13Ten Business Solutions, LLC where he helps organizations design specific solutions for their individual needs. After his years in the military, Chuck worked for La-Z-Boy in systems management and various other applications within the company until his retirement. Now he runs his own LLC where he applies a variety of lessons learned from decades of leadership to help others maximize their potential. Chuck also wrote and published a book where he explores strategies...
May 26, 2023•20 min•Ep. 133
Entrepreneur and marketing expert Aditya Varanasi continues the conversation about advertising strategies for extending a company’s reach. Successful businesses are constantly looking for new ways to improve and grow. Powerful marketing is one tool for evaluating data and using creative problem solving skills to expand the business. What makes Aditya’s services so unique is that he uses his experience from working with a large, global corporation and converts it into strategic guidance for small...
May 19, 2023•17 min•Ep. 132
As a wildly successful author of science fiction novels and short stories, Hugh Howey pushes himself to explore new creative horizons on each project. A lover of classic dystopian novels such as Animal Farm and Fahrenheit 451, Hugh loves multi-layered storytelling that pushes our understanding of what it means to be human. In a world that’s looking more and more like the apocalyptic settings in his novels, Hugh takes a more positive perspective on the impact of technology. Instead of subscribing...
May 12, 2023•27 min•Ep. 131
In this two-part episode of the podcast, Mark Labriola II and Benjamin Manley have an exclusive conversation with Hugh Howey, the New York Times bestselling author of over 20 books, including the hit "Silo Series" (FKA Wool") and Apple TV+'s upcoming series "Silo" based on Hugh Howey's New York Times bestseller trilogy. Howey shares his insights into what it takes to be a successful author and how reading novels every day played a pivotal role in his writing journey. Listeners will be inspired b...
May 05, 2023•22 min•Ep. 130
When Aditya Varanasi chose to leave the corporate world to start his own brand awareness company, he knew it was a risky move. But he recognized an unaddressed need in the small business world for affordable and effective marketing. This led him to found Awarity, a digital advertising company that drives visibility for independently owned businesses at sustainable rates. Though he displayed entrepreneurial tendencies as a child, Aditya didn’t plan on getting into marketing. While studying pre-me...
Apr 28, 2023•26 min•Ep. 129
For Cole Rodgers, the truest measure of a person is the level of impact they have on the people around them. After years of struggling with his own inner demons and witnessing the death of a close friend, Cole recognized his opportunity to convert his pain into forward progress. By consistently showing up to do the healing work on himself, he made positive changes to his personal and professional life. Now Cole uses his experiences to coach men who are seeking to step into their fullest potentia...
Apr 21, 2023•20 min•Ep. 128
Coach and mentor Cole Rodgers is passionate about helping men step into their fullest potential as leaders and role models. Through his own dark night of the soul, he finally gave up warring with himself and realigned his values to what was most important to him. This meant leaving his corporate job, investing in his mental health through therapy, and pushing himself physically to maximum capacity. Now he uses his story as a tool to help men overcome challenges that are holding them back from li...
Apr 14, 2023•28 min•Ep. 127
In part 2 of the discussion, business executive and philanthropist Rani Puranik shares her greatest lesson in life and business—having the courage to let go. Early in her career working for her family business, Rani spent countless hours building leadership teams and focusing on specific projects that mattered to her and the company. When her dad admired her work and then encouraged her to let go of her accounts, she wept. Fears crept in about how others might lose respect for her or allow the p...
Apr 07, 2023•21 min•Ep. 126
Rani Puranik is a multidimensional executive leader, founder, CFO, and author making a global impact in a myriad of industries and societal spheres. She is currently overseeing several passion projects such as the Puranik Foundation, a multigenerational organization focused on providing transformational experiences through education, sustainability, and mindfulness. Throughout her journey of living in both the US and India, raising a family, and participating in the family business, Rani has bui...
Mar 31, 2023•14 min•Ep. 125
In part 2 of the discussion with founder and CEO Yong-Soo Chung, he shares the wisdom he’s gained from years of taking risks, making mistakes and learning from every experience. For Yong-Soo, he thrives under pressure as many successful entrepreneurs do. So instead of building his businesses as side projects, he went all in. His return on such high-risk investments continues to pay off as he pushes himself and his team each day to be better than the day before. Part of succeeding in business is ...
Mar 24, 2023•26 min•Ep. 124
Serial entrepreneur and startup coach Yong-Soo Chung isn’t afraid to take risks. Through a series of different startup experiences, failed job interviews, and the decision to move across the country despite his family’s misgivings, Yong-Soo is proud of the ecommerce and logistics companies he’s founded. He is a man with a mission, and now he enjoys helping other entrepreneurs scale their businesses for optimum growth. Yong-Soo is constantly looking for new ways to challenge himself and grow as a...
Mar 17, 2023•30 min•Ep. 123
In part 2 of the conversation, branding expert Anthony Butler defines primal storytelling and explains how he uses basic human psychology to create marketing content. Humans tend to make decisions based on emotions and justify their actions after the fact with logic. Anthony’s approach to marketing goes beyond Search Engine Optimization. He dives deep into why people make the choices they do and identifies what basic needs must be met. When companies are able to use their unique skill set to pro...
Mar 10, 2023•26 min•Ep. 122
Anthony Butler is the founder of digital marketing agency Can Do Ideas and the creator of the Primal Storytelling Content System. As an expert in brand storytelling, he uses his education from West Point Military Academy and Ranger School as well as his experiences in army combat and multiple startup businesses to help companies create powerful marketing content. When Anthony first began his career in sales, he was largely self-taught. He also sought the mentorship of an experienced leader who i...
Mar 03, 2023•21 min•Ep. 121
In part two of the discussion with Dr. Tom Epperson, president of InnerWill Leadership Institute, he reminds listeners that leadership is not contained to the workplace but extends into every facet of life. Effective leadership is centered around people and clear communication within relationships, whether that applies to coworkers, family members, or communities. The good news is that there isn’t one personality type that makes the best leaders. Tom coaches individuals within an organization to...
Feb 24, 2023•23 min•Ep. 120
Research shows that when people act on their core values, they are more engaged with their work, more fulfilled in their lives, and more likely to attract people and experiences that build their success. Dr. Tom Epperson, president of InnerWill Leadership Institute, coaches leaders to ignite human potential by transforming an organization’s culture with clear core values. Having experienced firsthand the impact of transitioning from a profit-centered business to one that seeks to serve the commu...
Feb 17, 2023•25 min•Ep. 119
In the second half of this interview with marketing entrepreneur and creative problem solver Hunter Davis, he shares how his struggle with burn out ended up leading his business in a niche direction. As many leaders know firsthand, it’s easy to be overworked when carrying the responsibility of a company’s success. Beyond a stressful work schedule, doing repetitive work without a personal connection to the “why” behind it can also lead to disillusionment with the industry at large. When Hunter re...
Feb 10, 2023•30 min•Ep. 118
Hunter Davis began his entrepreneurial career in eighth grade making films for little league baseball teams. Now with over a decade of experience running his own marketing agency, Hunter continues to scale as his business expands. Early in his career, he felt dissatisfied with the response he received from clients. His video marketing products were meeting clients’ needs, but his goal was to play a more important role in helping them increase visibility and production for their businesses. He ex...
Feb 03, 2023•26 min•Ep. 117
Joseph is the CEO of Uvaro, the Career Success platform. An award-winning, five-time technology founder & CEO with multiple successful exits, Joseph is also an expert on HR technology and is a compelling presenter who speaks frequently on the topics of career success, future of work, high-performing cultures, and corporate social responsibility. As a purpose-driven leader, who is recognized for challenging the status-quo, Joseph is driven to help the world’s professionals lead more fulfillin...
Jan 27, 2023•20 min•Ep. 116
Joseph is the CEO of Uvaro, the Career Success platform. An award-winning, five-time technology founder & CEO with multiple successful exits, Joseph is also an expert on HR technology and is a compelling presenter who speaks frequently on the topics of career success, future of work, high-performing cultures, and corporate social responsibility. As a purpose-driven leader, who is recognized for challenging the status-quo, Joseph is driven to help the world’s professionals lead more fulfillin...
Jan 20, 2023•22 min•Ep. 115
Erin Sparks is the owner and president of Site Strategics, a company specializing in high-end Web services for small and mid-sized businesses. Erin is also the creative force behind the EDGE of the Web Radio podcast, which interviews recognized thought leaders in marketing and technology, is broadcast weekly to a worldwide audience Recap / Takeaways SEO is all about clearly representing your business to Google and other search engines Google is trying to understand a thing or an entity, so you j...
Jan 13, 2023•29 min•Ep. 114
Erin Sparks is the owner and president of Site Strategics, a company specializing in high-end Web services for small and mid-sized businesses. Erin is also the creative force behind the EDGE of the Web Radio podcast, which interviews recognized thought leaders in marketing and technology, is broadcast weekly to a worldwide audience Recap / Takeaways SEO is all about clearly representing your business to Google and other search engines Google is trying to understand a thing or an entity, so you j...
Jan 06, 2023•29 min•Ep. 113
Tim is CEO of Redmond Growth Consulting and has been growing highly successful businesses for over 35 tears including his work at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, growing a software company from 2 to 400 employees then selling it to Intuit, Inc., and helping thousands of business owners gain time and financial freedom. Tim is also an author (the book is POWER TO CREATE) and speaker whose leadership maxims have been featured in John Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Recap / Takeaways One of the...
Dec 23, 2022•19 min•Ep. 112
Tim is CEO of Redmond Growth Consulting and has been growing highly successful businesses for over 35 tears including his work at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, growing a software company from 2 to 400 employees then selling it to Intuit, Inc., and helping thousands of business owners gain time and financial freedom. Tim is also an author (the book is POWER TO CREATE) and speaker whose leadership maxims have been featured in John Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Recap / Takeaways One of the...
Dec 16, 2022•22 min•Ep. 111
Michelle Brody, PhD, is an executive coach and clinical psychologist who brings 25 years of experience in both corporate and family settings to the challenging problem of interactional conflict. Her specialty as a coach is in guiding teams that have complicated dynamics, and helping them reach greater collaboration, improve communication, and resolve tension. Recap / Takeaways When having a fight with your partner, identify what the conflicting values are that you're fighting about Focus on gett...
Dec 09, 2022•24 min•Ep. 110
Michelle Brody, PhD, is an executive coach and clinical psychologist who brings 25 years of experience in both corporate and family settings to the challenging problem of interactional conflict. Her specialty as a coach is in guiding teams that have complicated dynamics, and helping them reach greater collaboration, improve communication, and resolve tension. Recap / Takeaways When having a fight with your partner, identify what the conflicting values are that you're fighting about Focus on gett...
Dec 02, 2022•27 min•Ep. 109
Today we have two amazing guests from The Perk, a leadership and culture development company! Steph Richter and Emily Edeman are Leadership Coach & Company Culture Consultants. Ben has personally hired them to help him with developing the culture at Knapsack. Main Topic Notes What is company culture? How can a business owner solidify their culture and have it work even when they're gone? How can a business owner develop better leaders to take things off of their shoulders? What is DEI, and w...
Nov 25, 2022•21 min•Ep. 108
Today we have two amazing guests from The Perk, a leadership and culture development company! Steph Richter and Emily Edeman are Leadership Coach & Company Culture Consultants. Ben has personally hired them to help him with developing the culture at Knapsack. Main Topic Notes What is company culture? How can a business owner solidify their culture and have it work even when they're gone? How can a business owner develop better leaders to take things off of their shoulders? What is DEI, and w...
Nov 18, 2022•18 min•Ep. 107
