Jane Wesman is an entrepreneur, marketing expert, and mentor. President of Jane Wesman Public Relations, based in New York City, Jane is one of the country’s top book publicists with an impressive record of creating national bestsellers, particularly in the areas of leadership, management, and personal growth. She has worked with such business thought-leaders as Charles Schwab, Stephen Covey, Peter Drucker, Marcus Buckingham, and Keith Ferazzi.

We discuss:

• Major challenges for consultants who want to publish a book [03:19]
• When is a good time for publishing a book [06:30]
• Why a book can be beneficial for you and your business [08:53]
• A process that will help ensure success of a book [10:19]
• Types of investment options for getting your book effectively marketed [13:58]
• How to find a good team when writing your first book [20:40]
• What makes book publishing a long journey [22:35]

Jane’s own book, Dive Right In – The Sharks Won’t Bite: The Entrepreneurial Woman’s Guide to Success, was one of the first to offer concrete advice to help women launch and grow their businesses. She has lectured and written on the topics of leadership and business for many organizations and media outlets.

Jane served as president of the New York City chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners for four years. She currently sits on the boards of two non-profit organizations: ArtSail and the Women’s Media Group, plus she provides funding for an internship program at Simmons University to help students kick-start their careers.

Learn more about Jane at www.wesmanpr.com and YouTube.

Mick Spiers is the Founder and Principal of The Leadership Project and the host of The Leadership Project podcast. His vision is to inspire all leaders to challenge status and to have people stop, reflect and rethink what it means to be a leader. His mission is to empower leaders with all of the tools and skills they need to create amazing teams and workspaces.

We discuss:

• Flipping the way leadership development is done [02:08]
• Starting your own business versus starting one for other people [06:30]
• Why your first client could be your last employer [09:18]
• A skillset to discover yourself as a leader [14:57]
• How to align your market’s needs with your vision [20:34]

Learn more about Mick at www.mickspiers.com, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.

Since 2006, JD Gershbein has been at the forefront of the social media conversation. One of the world’s first independent LinkedIn consultants, JD pioneered a model of authentic business communication that serves ambitious professionals striving to make their mark in the Digital Age.

We discuss:

• What to do with your LinkedIn profile once you’re unemployed [04:33]
• Why it’s important to disambiguate yourself early on [06:47]
• How to find your dominant aspect of value [10:50]
• You can’t do too much too soon [13:22]
• How to use LinkedIn to build your social network [15:24]
• Why automated sales pitches don’t work for consultants [18:27]

As a speaker, facilitator, writer, and media producer, he draws upon his diverse academic background—a fusion of psychology, neuroscience, and the humanities—and the improvisation skills he honed at Chicago’s famed Second City to bridge the knowledge gap that exists between professionals and the virtual world.

Learn more about JD at LinkedIn.

Following two decades in the humanitarian sector, Cornelia Walther quit to focus on POZE, a paradigm for social change that begins with individual transformation. Over the past years, she published a couple of books. Now Cornelia is expanding the network of like-minded thinkers and doers, whilst making the POZE perspective and related mythologies accessible around the world.

We discuss:

• A twiddling faith that makes you doubt yourself [02:05]
• Why a sabbatical rather than changing organizations as an employee [06:38]
• Four methodologies to bring social change [09:33]
• A training tailored to fit reality [11:15]
• How to support your lifestyle while going through a self-reflective process [15:48]
• Wash me but don’t use water [18:36]

Learn more about Cornelia at www.poze.cc and LinkedIn.

Elaine Pofeldt, journalist and author of Tiny Business, Big Money.

We discuss:

• Common strategies for one-person businesses [02:22]
• Automation is always a low-hanging fruit [07:06]
• How enthusiasm makes us hard on ourselves [10:53]
• What prompts employees to start their own business [14:03]
• How to dominate a very tiny niche and think as big as Jeff Bezos [17:07]
• A semi-scientific testing of a product [26:30]

Learn more about Elaine at https://www.elainepofeldt.com, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Jen Hamilton’s love of effective and efficient teams and processes started as a CPA with PwC. Now as a Fractional Integrator with Wolf’s Edge Consulting, she loves to work with burnt-out visionaries by managing the business’s day-to-day operations so they can focus on profit and impact growth, and do what they love to do most.

We discuss:

• No more jerks at work [02:22]
• How to run a really well-oiled machine as a business [06:36]
• A temporary CEO: from mess to maintenance [09:46]
• What helps when a client does not want to end a relationship [11:19]
• Not the best case of monkey see, monkey do [15:22]
• The dividing line between the consultative sale and consultative delivery [20:21]
• What to do in the sales process when you’re not getting paid [22:32]

Jen is a natural collaborator, problem-solver, strategic thinker, and leadership coach. She keeps the team laser-focused on what is best for the company and who they serve while developing the team.

Learn more about Jen at www.wolfsedgeconsulting.com and LinkedIn.

Desmond has over 5 million dollars in sales experience with personal enrollments in the thousands. He has worked in numerous industries and has brought his marketing and sales philosophy into a number of organizations.

We discuss:

• Getting through a chemical engineering degree when you want to be in sales [02:23]
• If you’re not failing, you’re not trying [06:13]
• The honesty recipe for sales success [08:59]
• When the role models don’t speak to you [12:12]
• How to keep the doors open without spending a dollar on marketing [14:48]
• The intersection of business psychology and clients’ interests [19:24]
• Giving a ton of value by the dancefloor [21:19]

He first began his sales career in a corporate company where he went from intern to one of the top sales professionals in the region. After realizing the power of empathy, he left the corporate space to train professional development in the workspace. Desmond is currently building a fast-growing sales team at an international start-up and a venture digital marketing agency. Now, he is also starting up his new pod, Campfire Capitalism with two great co-hosts.

Learn more about Desmond at https://campfirecapitalism.com/, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter.

Rick Brandon, PhD, is founder and president of the globally respected Brandon Partners, offering workshops on interpersonal and political savvy. His courses are taught worldwide in scores of Fortune 500 corporations as well as in many government agencies, healthcare organizations, and educational institutions.

We discuss:

• Not a shrink but a stretch [02:36]
• Marketing a company versus marketing yourself [07:27]
• A roadmap for how consultants work with clients [11:46]
• LPGA questions to explore your clients’ needs [16:28]
• How to change your self-talk to overcome objections [18:48]
• A lesson from a Henry Ford’s neighbor [22:05]
• A world safe for straight talk skills [24:00]

Dr. Brandon wrote the Wall Street Journal bestseller Survival of the Savvy: High-Integrity Political Tactics for Career and Company Success, which won book of the month for Fast Company, Forbes, CEO.com, and the Institute for Management Studies (IMS). He is a distinguished faculty member for the Institute and spent a year presenting in 20 cities around the world as its most requested speaker. With 35 years of performance improvement experience, Dr. Brandon has directly trained hundreds of thousands of people in workshops and speeches. He has consulted, trained, and presented at companies worldwide, from start-up e-commerce to blue-chip companies.

Learn more about Rick at www.BrandonPartners.com.

Lori Highby is a podcast host, speaker, educator, and founder of Keystone Click, a strategic digital marketing agency. Using her vast multi-industry knowledge – gained from experience and education, she has the ability to see the potential of greatness within the already established good of a business.

We discuss:

• The courage to ask “Who do you know” [02:40]
• Three golden rules of networking [05:31]
• The real problem with the follow-through [07:50]
• The least smartest person in the room [10:44]
• Why you aren’t getting found [14:33]
• How to make your website work for your referrals [19:10]
• The best way to prove your expertise [22:10]

Through strategic actionable moves, she has worked with Fortune 500 companies such as ABB and Syngenta to micro-business owners, to achieve their marketing goals. Lori carries her energy and drive into her professional engagements in order to empower and educate other fellow life-long learners.

Learn more about Lori at www.keystoneclick.com, www.lorihighby.com and LinkedIn.

Former Wall Street stock analyst who walked away to focus on her own health and helping others improve theirs.

We discuss:

• The moment you learn to take a nap on your desk [01:47]
• The signs of a toxic workplace culture [03:46]
• Why you shouldn’t piss off a Wall Street research analyst [07:39]
• Traveling as a means to get out of a freak-out mode [09:27]
• The importance of shifting your focus from earning money [13:37]
• Work smarter, not harder [16:16]
• Why game stoppers are worth the money [21:06]

Learn more about Kerstin at www.carefullyhealing.com and Instagram.

Kevin Perlmutter is Chief Strategist & Founder of Limbic Brand Evolution – a brand strategy & neuromarketing consultancy. Kevin helps brand leaders get even better at attracting and retaining customers, by turning emotional insight into a competitive advantage.

We discuss:

• It’s about focusing on what matters most [02:45]
• The evolution DNA as a key to achieving freedom [07:00]
• Disadvantages of nickel and dime conversations [08:34]
• What makes a great working relationship [12:40]
• Three steps to creating lead generation [16:00]
• Focus, connect and evolve [19:37]

Learn more about Kevin at https://www.limbicbrandevolution.com/ and LinkedIn.

Earl Breon is a former active-duty United States Marine with over 25 years of experience in coaching and leadership development. He is the CEO and Founder of The Leadership Phalanx where he combines his civilian and military experiences with his love of history to bring you what he calls, “The 11 Shields of The Leadership Phalanx”. These shields work together like the ancient Spartan formation to provide you a strong leadership foundation that values diversity and inclusion as fundamental to building strong, successful, and innovative teams.

We discuss:

• Know your team and take care of their welfare [02:20]
• How to keep the boat close enough [08:47]
• The two things that give you credibility [10:27]
• The first conversation to have before going solo [17:09]
• The best time to jump and go full time in your own business [19:17]
• How to integrate the eleven shields of the leadership Phalanx into your career journey [21:12]
• How [not] to set yourself up for failure [23:27]

Learn more about Earl at https://www.leadershipphalanx.com/ and LinkedIn.

Juliet Hahn is a storyteller, consultant, public speaker, and content creator. Her mission in life is to give Women and Men a stage to share their stories. She believes deeply that everyone has a story and we all can learn from each other. We just need to listen.

We discuss:

• Women can do it all [02:02]
• How to lower the financial pressure when starting your own business [06:58]
• Happy but not really happy [09:08]
• What the first clients will give that you haven’t thought of [13:38]
• That extra thing that will light you on fire [17:33]
• Quarantine stories that get you out of your world [19:05]
• Why it’s so important to find the time and space to daydream [21:45]

Learn more about Juliet at https://www.iamjuliethahn.com/, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

Gayathri Shukla is the founder of Campfire Kinship, a social enterprise on a mission to unlock the power of empathy through story-based solutions. She practices human-centered design and is also certified in an innovative method of storytelling called guided autobiography.

We discuss:

• Entrepreneurship as a sense of calling [02:22]
• A journey to what unity means [04:56]
• What happens to teams that can’t deal with diversity [08:43]
• The results of having purpose aspiration [11:56]
• Threads of ways to deliver your offerings to an audience [13:40]
• How to make an analysis of what business model to follow [17:13]
• How to move yourself back into an objective lens [19:54]
• Clarity: the number one advice for anyone considering transition [21:29]

Gayathri empowers individuals to discover their authentic strengths while creating inclusive cultures via workshops, keynotes, and creative storytelling campaigns. Gayathri transitioned to entrepreneurship after a 17-year career in the energy sector. She has an electrical engineering and Executive MBA degree and volunteers on the Board of Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association.

Learn more about Gayathri at www.campfirekinship.com and Instagram.

With clients like Amazon, Dell, Tik Tok, LinkedIn, eBay, Facebook and Peloton, Adam specializes in Executive Coaching, Leadership Development, Creating a “Winning Culture” and Career Transition. He works with industry leaders to strengthen leadership and communication skills.

We discuss:

• Opportunities find you when you are ready for them [02:26]
• How to get over the things that slow us down during a transition [04:22]
• How to build confidence when going on your own [07:24]
• Investing in yourself can come in many different ways [09:20]
• How to stay connected after leaving the corporate world [12:33]
• How to align your business life with your new destination [17:13]
• The key elements to having longevity without being burnt out [19:18]

Adam is especially skilled in working with leaders to understand and build their capabilities in the areas of emotional intelligence, team dynamics, and powerful communication. Adam has a style that resonates with leaders at all management levels, successfully helping them portray their leadership vision and improve their business results as well as their professional life.

Learn more about Adam at LinkedIn.

Since 2006, JD Gershbein has been at the forefront of the social media conversation. One of the world’s first independent LinkedIn consultants, JD pioneered a model of authentic business communication that serves ambitious professionals striving to make their mark in the Digital Age.

We discuss:

• The virtual equivalent of your best self [04:52]
• Why selling too soon is a horrible problem [05:53]
• How to be known as somebody who can be trusted [07:42]
• The relationships that truly serve you [11:12]
• The cream has risen to the top [13:48]
• It’s just people talking to people [17:36]
• How to feel good about yourself in the online world [20:31]

As a speaker, facilitator, writer, and media producer, he draws upon his diverse academic background—a fusion of psychology, neuroscience, and the humanities—and the improvisation skills he honed at Chicago’s famed Second City to bridge the knowledge gap that exists between professionals and the virtual world.

Learn more about JD at https://www.owlishcommunications.com and LinkedIn.

Jennifer J. Fondrevay is the Founder and Chief Humanity Officer of Day1 Ready™, an M&A consultancy that advises Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, and small businesses on the people challenges of business transitions. An advisor to senior and frontline leaders, Fondrevay ensures a company’s human component, such as culture, engagement, and employee experience remains central to the transformation strategy.

We discuss:

• Mourning the future that won’t be [04:44]
• How to go from denial to acceptance [07:50]
• Bargaining: stuck in the middle with yourself [10:34]
• What makes the best credibility for a consultant [15:58]
• The reason why a large percent of M&A fail [19:00]
• How being on a quest can help you overcome grief [20:36]

A survivor of three multibillion-dollar acquisitions, Jennifer sheds light on navigating a rapidly changing work environment through her speaking, contributions to HBR, Inc, Fast Company, and Forbes, and book NOW WHAT? A Survivor’s Guide for Thriving Through Acquisition, published Nov. 2019.

Learn more about Jennifer at https://jenniferjfondrevay.com and LinkedIn.

Jim Roddy is the President and CEO of the Retail Solutions Providers Association. He has been active in the retail IT industry since 1998, including 11 years as the President of Business Solutions Magazine, six years as an RSPA board member, and several years as an industry business coach.

We discuss:

• The journey of a volunteer to becoming the CEO [02:41]
• Technology as a differentiator in retail [05:26]
• How to make competitors part of the same team [08:38]
• The core of leading a community or a membership [12:26]
• The consequences of lacking in-person events [15:44]
• Tips on what may foster engagement in an online format [18:27]
• A great resume versus high character [24:08]

Jim has been recognized as one of the world’s Top 100 Retail Influencers and is regularly requested to speak at industry conferences on SMB best practices. He is the author of two books – The Walk-On Method To Career & Business Success and Hire Like You Just Beat Cancer – and is host of the award-winning RSPA Trusted Advisor podcast.

Learn more about Jim at www.gorspa.org, www.jimroddycba.com, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Tammy Gooler Loeb is the author of Work from the Inside Out: Break Through Nine Common Obstacles and Design a Career That Fulfills You. She is a career and executive coach, speaker, and facilitator who focuses on career satisfaction, and leadership development. Tammy’s clients represent many sectors and industries.

We discuss:

• Finding a way to a happier place at work [02:53]
• What it means to work from the inside out [04:20]
• The experience of more life [06:13]
• Fear and excitement often feel the same way [14:12]
• How to avoid thinking in extremes when feeling afraid [17:07]
• Why going external makes people hear what you say [19:20]
• Possibility does exist at every age and situation [22:18]

Tammy’s weekly podcast, Work from the Inside Out, showcases career transition stories of people who found more meaningful work. Her expertise has appeared in Harvard Business Review Ascend, Forbes, Fast Company, The Boston Globe. Tammy holds a B.A. in Psychology from Hampshire College, Amherst, MA, and an MBA from Boston University, Boston, MA.

Learn more about Tammy at www.tammygoolerloeb.com and www.workfromtheinsideout.com.

Carl Ficks helps busy professionals get back in the fitness game so they can be less stressed and a lot more productive. His “Ficks System” is a proven road map for athletes and weekend warriors alike.

We discuss:

• Trial work as an extension of athleticism [02:49]
• How to mix skills and attributes as an artist [04:53]
• Stitching the net together before jumping [06:42]
• Litigation is the art of imitation [11:15]
• Why many folks can never escape the home office [12:28]
• Professionals who know what fitness can do [14:48]
• What works well for speaking and coaching in times of pandemic [17:14]
• Why you don’t need fancy equipment to do a great workout [18:58]
• A walk at the airport [20:14]

A former trial attorney for 30 years, Carl has presented to diverse audiences, including the Connecticut Bar Association, the Travelers, and the Wyoming State Bar. His bi-weekly newspaper column and weekly LinkedIn posts, both titled “The Friday Ficks,” provide strategies, tools, and inspiration to stay resourceful and resilient, regardless of the circumstances.

Learn more about Carl at www.carlficks.com.

Diana George is the founder and president of By George HR Solutions. While working with small business owners, Diana found a common thread with most of her clients; the ability to hire employees that fit their company culture.

We discuss:

• What it was like 2 years ago [02:54]
• How to know you’ve done a great job on a video call [04:11]
• Tricks to get people turn their video on during a call [07:02]
• How to duplicate yourself successfully [10:02]
• How get instant results from online courses [13:50]
• A labor of love: the process of course creation [16:04]
• The growing need to hire the right people [20:54]

Diana has worked with global companies such as BOSE and the luxury watch brand OMEGA where she learned early on how to motivate and get the best out of people. She teaches entrepreneurs how to hire right the first time so that their brand is a reflection of them, and they can focus on growth. Diana is the person you go to when you want to learn how to hire right the first time.

Learn more about Diana at https://hireforgrowth.com/.

Sajad Husain is the CEO of Cause and Effect Consulting. He is a persevering, enterprising, and top-performing executive and former attorney with expertise in vision-setting, project oversight, development, and implementation, compliance, internal and external communications, relationship management, legal and policy review, resource, and people-management, community outreach and organizing. He is an analytical and broad-minded influencer focused on solving problems, mediating disputes, and resolving matters to ensure ultimate project success. Sajad is a highly sought-after mentor/coach and sounding board for ideas and key advising.

We discuss:

• The moment Wendy’s turns you down [02:02]
• A framework to keep you organized and productive [08:17]
• What other people notice after you’ve taken thousands of tiny steps and pivots [16:30]
• How to run a business from the road [18:01]
• Entrepreneurship is a fantasy [19:56]

Learn more about Sajad at https://causeandeffectconsulting.com and LinkedIn.

Lucia Knight is a midlife career satisfaction researcher and designer. She spent 20 years in the world of corporate headhunting in UK and Australia before embarking on her quest to design work that would be MUCH more satisfying.

We discuss:

• A slowly dripping tap of career dissatisfaction [02:58]
• Feeling brave until you start feeling stupid [05:31]
• The state of modern mid-life crisis [09:27]
• A formula for a lifetime of satisfying work [12:00]
• Ways to learn before you experiment and try [15:03]
• Using your superpowers to get paid more to use your superpowers [16:44]
• How people make themselves look average [19:01]
• A lovely 50/50 split [20:56]
• How to change your career in the next 10 minutes [22:44]

After diving headlong into a MSc Psychology in her early 40s, she designed a personal research project to interview 100 midlifers who changed careers and felt happier because of their changes. She then wrote a book on the secrets she discovered. Her career consultancy is called Midlife Unstuck. She now helps midlife professionals who feel stuck doing work that isn’t fully satisfying – to design work that is.

Learn more about Lucia at https://www.midlifeunstuck.com/.

Kellan Is the Ultimate Catalyst for Personal transformation. Author of 15 books, Creator of the “Ultimate Life Transformation Experience.” If you really want to change your results, Kellan’s Experience and System will get you there.

We discuss:

• A method to tell your story in a powerful way [02:05]
• Your power is proportional to your vulnerability [05:19]
• An unbelievable invitation to change [09:33]
• Nothing to hide, nothing to fear [11:57]
• How telling the truth can relieve those who suffer [14:40]
• What’s the worst thing that could happen if [16:20]
• An example of putting an end to mediocrity [19:30]

Learn more about Kellan at www.kellanfluckiger.com.