Beyond The To-do List

This week I was excited to speak with Gillian Tietz. Gillian is a biochemist, educator, and entrepreneur who, after struggling with alcohol moderation, found productivity and success in sobriety. Gillian is the host of the Sober Powered Podcast and works as a biochemist in the Boston area. When she quit drinking in 2019, she dedicated herself to learning about alcohol's influence on the brain and how it can cause addiction. In this episode, Gillian shares her personal journey of realizing the negative impact of drinking on her productivity and confidence, and how sobriety has led to numerous accomplishments. The conversation explores the physiological and psychological effects of alcohol, the importance of self-awareness, and the potential benefits of taking breaks from both alcohol and caffeine.  Gillian also shares resources for those interested in exploring sobriety further while breaking down the benefits and drawbacks of the popular “Dry January” craze that has become extremely popular amongst young prof

This week I was excited to speak with Josefine Campbell about her new book, Power Barometer: How to Manage Personal Energy for Business Success. Josefine is the founder of Campbell Co, a top leadership consulting firm for multinational companies. Campbell inspires and coaches leaders, teams, and talents in large organizations such as McDonald's, Deloitte, Maersk, Novo Nordisk, and Carlsberg Group. Her approach combines the practical and the pragmatic. A four-time jiu-jitsu champion, she is particularly interested in developing personal leadership in difficult circumstances, such as is often the case in modern work life. Throughout this episode we delve into several key topics, including the innovative "Power Parameter" check-in, the normalization of energy awareness in the workplace, and the practical application of the "awareness matrix" for effective energy management. This conversation promises to offer expert insights, actionable strategies, and tools to revolutionize your approach to productivity through

This week it was my privilege to welcome Susan Drumm for a conversation about her new book, The Leader’s Playlist: Unleash the Power of Music and Neuroscience to Transform Your Leadership and Your Life. In this episode Susan unveils the groundbreaking process that outlines how our childhood wounds show up in our ability to lead others and how music can heal those wounds. Maybe you’re having a hard time retaining or engaging your people, or perhaps you’re feeling burnout or can’t delegate or trust your team to deliver. These problems and other leadership challenges can be addressed by shifting how you show up as a leader, and music is the catalyst. Susan also shares her incredible insights on the powerful connection between music, neuroscience, leadership, and personal development. She has mastered the art of pattern recognition and has developed a unique process that harnesses the transformative power of music to help leaders break free from unproductive patterns and thrive in their businesses.  In addition S

This week I was excited to speak with Marc Lesser. Marc is a renowned speaker, facilitator, workshop leader, and executive coach. He specializes in integrating mindfulness and emotional intelligence into his presentations and training sessions. Marc is the author of five books, including his latest Finding Clarity: How Compassionate Accountability Builds Vibrant Relationships, Thriving Workplaces, and Meaningful Lives. He serves as the CEO of ZBA Associates, a firm focused on executive development and leadership consulting. His podcast, Zen Bones: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times, offers insightful interviews and mindfulness practices aimed at personal development and organizational influence. Marc is here to share his wisdom and insights on the power of communication, compassion, and accountability in our lives and work. He challenges us to question our assumptions, engage in difficult conversations, and create both a work and personal culture that fosters both compassion and truth. From his experience in run

This week I’m excited to bring you a conversation I had with William Vanerbloemen. William is the CEO and founder of Vanerbloemen a leading executive search firm that serves teams with a greater purpose by aligning their people solutions for growth through executive search, compensation, succession, and diversity consulting. William is also the author of Be the Unicorn: 12 Data-Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest.  In this conversation he unveils the surprising and learnable skills that make individuals shine. These habits form a roadmap for developing the sought-after abilities that are consistent among the most talented individuals. "Be the Unicorn" symbolizes the unique and standout qualities discussed in the book, offering a field guide for those looking to level up. In addition William sheds light on the importance of self-awareness as the starting point in the journey of personal development while stressing the ongoing nature of self-awareness and its relevance in job interviews,

This week I was excited to welcome Nick Gray for a really fun conversation about how hosting small parties and gatherings can open the doors for so many networking and business relationships in fun and unexpected ways. Nick is the author of the new book The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: How to Build Big Relationships with Small Gatherings. Nick is a renowned party host and the mastermind behind countless successful gatherings. He believes that hosting parties is a powerful way to bring people together from different backgrounds and foster networking opportunities. In our conversation Nick shares his expertise on structuring events, organizing icebreaker activities, and encouraging networking. Nick also reveals the formula and structure he employs to attract diverse attendees and create an environment for engaging conversations. Many people feel the need to have a specific purpose for hosting a party, but Gray asserts that the act of hosting itself is reason enough. And you might be surprised by just how many people

This week I’m excited to share my conversation with Joey Coleman. Joey is a renowned customer experience expert who has spent over 20 years in the field, helping organizations create remarkable customer and employee experiences. He is the author of the new book, Never Lose An Employee Again: The Simple Path to Remarkable Retention. In addition Joey is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Never Lose a Customer Again. An award-winning speaker at national and international conferences, Joey specializes in creating unique, attention-grabbing experiences. His First 100 Days methodology helps fuel the successful employee and customer experiences he delivers clients around the world. In this episode, Joey and I dive deep into the crucial first 100 days of a new job, exploring the importance of making a positive first impression, aligning the employee journey with his eight crucial phases, and the impact of remote work on the onboarding process. We also explore how organizations can avoid information overloa

This week I was excited to speak with Todd Rogers about the new book that he co-authored with Jessica Lasky, Writing for Busy Readers: Communicate More Effectively in the Real World. Todd is a professor of public policy at Harvard University, where he has won teaching awards for the past seven consecutive years. He is a behavioral scientist and cofounder of the Analyst Institute and EveryDay Labs. His opinion pieces have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and Politico, among others.  In this conversation, we delve into the importance of making writing more accessible and reader-friendly in our fast-paced and busy lives. Todd illustrates the six scientific and common sense principles behind more effective, concise, and readable writing. Drawing inspiration from user design thinking, Todd also challenges the traditional notion that it's solely the reader's responsibility to extract information from the text. Instead, he emphasizes the writer's role in making content acce

This week I’m excited to share with you a conversation I had with Mindy Peterson on her podcast Enhance Life with Music. Mindy is a kindred spirit who examines and explores the power of music in our everyday lives. She is passionate about exploring how music impacts our psychology, productivity, and well-being. Whether you consider yourself a musician or just a music fan, the fact remains that music is all around us and most of us have deep and dare I say spiritual connections with the magic of Rock, Pop, Rap, Classical Music, Jazz, Country, or any of the infinite genres of music. This episode is clearly personal for me as music has been, and continues to be an incredibly powerful part of my life. Mindy and I dive into the transformative power of songs, bands, and the joyful ways that in its many incarnations, music has enriched our lives in ways that are both productive and stress-reducing. We discuss how different styles of music can impact our brain activity, productivity, stress management, and creativity

This week it was my privilege to speak with Aytekin Tank about his new book Automate Your Busywork: Do Less, Achieve More, and Save Your Brain for the Big Stuff. Aytekin is the founder and CEO of JotForm, a leading online form builder platform that helps millions of users streamline their workflow and increase productivity. In this conversation, Aytekin emphasizes the importance of clarifying priorities. By asking yourself the questions, "What should I spend my time on?" and "What shouldn't I spend my time on?" you can gain clarity and focus on tasks that energize and excite you. As Aytekin explains, automating the draining, time-consuming tasks can help prevent burnout and improve overall efficiency. In addition, Aytekin unpacks the principles behind time-boxing, where you set aside dedicated blocks of time to investigate and refine ideas that can streamline your processes. By prioritizing what is urgent and important, you can effectively allocate your time and concentrate on tasks that truly require your at

This week it was my privilege to speak with Kasia Wezowski about body language, leadership, and communication. Kasia, along with her husband Patryk Wezowski, are founders of The Center for Body Language, the world's number one body language training company for business people. In this conversation Kasia guides us through her new book, Language That Leads: Communication Strategies that Inspire and Engage a compelling and insightful book that combines her cutting-edge research with Marshall Goldsmith’s leadership development methodology into a practical and timely resource for leaders to bring out the best in each team member. Wezowski breaks down the ten core qualities of leadership, providing easy-to-follow implementation steps to express, observe and project these qualities effectively through verbal and nonverbal communication. In this episode, Kasia dives deep into the importance of trust in leadership and how it can transform your team's performance. Recognizing the value of trusting employees to manage

This week I was excited to speak with Kevin Eikenberry about a host of topics revolving around remote working, company culture, and clear communication. Kevin is an expert in communication, collaboration, and cohesion within organizational cultures and structures. He is recognized as a world expert on leadership development and is the best-selling co-author of Remarkable Leadership, The Long Distance Leader, and The Long Distance Teammate. Kevin’s latest book, The Long Distance Team: Designing Your Team for Everyone’s Success explores the challenges and opportunities of designing virtual or hybrid teams. In addition to writing, Kevin is also the founder and Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group, a leadership training and consulting firm who believe that real useful learning comes from a continual process of doing, trying, experiencing and applying.  In our conversation we discuss how team design and culture are often presented as separate concepts when they are in fact intertwined in the remot

This week I was really excited to speak with Shawn Lemon about digital organization and decluttering our digital workspaces. Shawn is the founder of The Digital Organizer, a virtual one-on-one coaching platform that transforms digital workspaces from chaos to order while improving communication, efficiency, and productivity.  In our conversation, we dive deep into the importance and power of digital organizing discussing how it can positively impact both your personal and professional life. In addition we address the knock on effects of disorganization and clutter on our ability to focus and be creative, and how you are probably wasting a lot of time that you aren't aware of, time that adds up when accumulated. Shawn and I also explore the benefits of creating systems that are intuitive and easy to follow, and how this can lead to improved efficiency and reduced stress for you and those you work and live with. In conclusion Shawn breaks down the importance of consolidating tools and resources within an organi

This week I was excited to talk with Chris Sparks about all things poker and how the principles of the game can elevate both your professional performance and productivity. Chris is a professional poker player who at one time was ranked in the top 20 online players in the world. Chris Teaches CEOs and portfolio managers elite poker frameworks for unlocking new levels of optimized decision making and investing. He is also the host of the Forcing Function Hour Podcast.  In our conversation Chris shares invaluable lessons on negotiation, collaboration, leadership, and the development of intuition. We also learn about Chris's personal journey from online poker to becoming one of the top players worldwide, and how he applies his expertise to help high performers dispel myths about decision making and risk.  In addition Chris and I delve into his principles and tips for reducing uncertainty through information gathering and experimentation. Listeners will uncover valuable advice on embracing their emotions and pers

This week it was my privilege to welcome Jon Acuff back to the show to discuss his new book, All It Takes is A Goal: The 3-Step Plan to Ditch Regret and Tap Into Your Massive Potential. Regular listeners to the show are of course familiar with John as he has been on the show a number of times to talk about his previous books, Start, Finish, Soundtracks, and Your New Playlist. I consider Jon a good friend and in this new book he brings his trademark style of humor and clear communication back to the subject of achieving your goals.  Fans of Jon might be familiar with his book Finish which begins to outline his philosophies on goal setting. In All It Takes is A Goal he both expands and codifies his thoughts on how we can set goals that are smart and achievable. In our conversation Jon introduces the concept of guaranteed goals, setting easy, middle, and potential goals to achieve a balance between comfort and chaos zones. In addition Jon also highlights the importance of what he calls sustainable fuel, goals th

This week I was excited to welcome the dynamic duo of Justin and Tara Williams to the show to talk about family, business, grit and determination, and their advice for business owners and entrepreneurs. Justin and Tara are the founders of Millionaire University, a unique online set of courses designed to help anyone create a seven figure business. In this episode we dive into the world of clarity, and goal-setting as we explore how Justin and Tara have achieved success in both their business, their marriage, parenting, and life. In addition Justin and Tara share their wisdom on developing clarity in your life, honing your goals, and staying focused on what truly matters. They reveal their innovative color-coding system for to-do lists, their strategies for prioritizing tasks, and how they use their calendar as the ultimate productivity tool. Justin and Tara also open up about the importance of grit and courage when facing oneself, the challenges they have overcome, and the lessons they have learned along the

This week I was excited to welcome Jason Silver to the show for a preview of his upcoming book Quietly Crushing It: Unlocking Big Impact at Work Without the Burnout in Life. This is a special sneak peek into a book that I think is going to be incredibly impactful when it’s released later next year. However in the meantime Jason takes us inside some of the methodologies and techniques that he was putting into practice when inspiration for the book struck. Jason is a former COO turned life strategist and startup coach and in this conversation he shares his inspiring journey of self-discovery and how he began applying everyday startup methodologies to transform his own life. In our chat Jason reveals the wake-up call that made him question societal expectations and reevaluate how he approached work and personal challenges. We dive deep into the experiments he conducted to challenge traditional assumptions, leading to a higher impact at work and greater joy in everyday tasks. Throughout the episode, Jason highlig

This week I was delighted to welcome my friend of nearly ten years Lauren Gaggioli to the show for a practical and insightful conversation about purpose, parenting, and productivity. Lauren is a dynamic entrepreneur, educator, and a true advocate for purpose-driven living. She excels at leveraging technology to make her mark on the world, but she also finds joy and fulfillment in domestic activities like knitting, gardening, and brewing beer.  In our conversation, we dive deep into the challenges of finding balance and control in our daily lives. Lauren shares her experiences of being productive as a spouse, a parent of young children and as an entrepreneur, highlighting the importance of communication, compromise, and creating a family culture that works for everyone. We also explore Lauren's passion for teaching and helping others realize their dreams while discussing her new duo of online courses.  Big Why Life, the first of Lauren’s courses, is designed to help individuals assess their values, determine t

This week I was really excited to speak with my friend and former colleague Phil Mershon about his new book, Unforgettable: The Art and Science of Creating Memorable Experiences. Phil is the director of experience for Social Media Examiner where for over 12 years he has created amazing customer experiences at events like Social Media Marketing World and the Social Media Success Summit. Phil and I worked together at Social Media Examiner and throughout his 30+ year career he has been creating memorable experiences for businesses like non-profits, schools, and churches.  In this new book Phil has compiled the knowledge that he has accumulated throughout his career into an amazing guide for both event creators as well as conference or event attendees. I’m sure you're aware of the adage, “This meeting could have been an email.” Well in many ways if you're anything like me you have been to conferences or events that feel like they should have been a meeting. Phil’s book looks to correct this trend by laying out th

This week I’m excited to welcome Anna Dearmon Kornick to the show to discuss her new book Time Management Essentials: The Tools You Need to Maximize Your Attention, Energy, and Productivity. Recently Anna invited me on her podcast, ‘It’s ABout Time’ for a chat about my journey through the world of productivity and why better time management takes time. I really enjoyed my appearance on that show so I was happy to pass along the invitation for her to join me here on Beyond the To-Do List. Anna is a Time Management Coach who helps busy professionals and business owners master time management so they can stop feeling overwhelmed and start spending time on what matters most. In our chat Anna shares her personal journey towards finding purpose, setting goals, and maximizing productivity while unpacking the inspirations behind her great new book. Time management isn't just about rearranging your schedule to fit everything in. It starts from a place of purpose and knowing what truly matters to you. In Time Managemen