Disrupt Yourself Podcast With Whitney Johnson

Confidence and curiosity make a powerful tandem. Individually, either could be a positive catalyst or, if misplaced, prove to be a distraction to meaningful progress. But as a combination, they often create a mindset where even failures become learning opportunities and stepping stones along the S Curve. Bain & Company Chairman Orit Gadiesh has these two traits in spades. From her early school days through her almost five decades at Bain, Orit’s curiosity has never waned. Trained to always ask that extra question, she’s a student of the world around her, whether the subject is business-related or religiously reading books from all the countries to which she’s traveled. When Bain faced severe financial hardship in the late 1980s, it was Orit and Mitt Romney who reversed the company’s course and steadied the ship. How? Through extreme confidence, often telling curious competitors, “We’re better than you!” Today, Bain is considered one of the big three management consulting firms in the world. Orit has occup

Asheesh Advani isn’t just the CEO of Junior Achievement Worldwide—he was also a participant. The program changed his life when he experienced it in middle school, and as CEO, he has guided the global NGO into more than 115 countries, involving more than 3,500 employees and 500,000 volunteers worldwide. Incredibly, JA annually serves more than 15 million young people. JA’s disruptive ripple of entrepreneurship is staggering—certainly one reason why the organization has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for three straight years. Asheesh believes that those nominations have allowed JA to bring attention to the connection between the economic empowerment of youth and the overall peace and prosperity of their communities.  Listen in as he shares the philosophy behind JA’s fixed, flexible and freestyle framework and why embracing your naive audacity at the beginning of a new S Curve can be the way to go.  

Imposter syndrome is something to which most of us can relate. The idea of doubting our own skills and abilities, even in the face of myriad accomplishments. It’s a common human experience. It’s easier to have faith in others than buy into ourselves. When Tina Vatanka Murphy was called into a meeting with her company’s CEO and HR director to talk about filling the role of president for Global Healthcare Exchange’s (GHX) European enterprise, she didn’t realize they were asking her to take on that role. She had never envisioned herself in that type of leadership position. What’s interesting and surprising and delightful is that –– while it’s true that she hadn’t seen herself in that role –– once she came to grips with this unexpected proposal, there wasn’t imposter syndrome, her first thought was refreshing. Of course I can do this! “I’m going to go kill it.”  

It’s often fascinating to pinpoint when someone received the first inkling of what their eventual career would be. For many, of course—thinking of all the kids who grew up wanting to be professional athletes, movie stars, astronauts, or firemen—their idealized career path often follows a long and winding road of self-discovery, full of detours and roadblocks that transport them to an eventual destination that was not on their original radar. But what if you could date your dream? Get some firsthand experience in your supposed career of choice? Would you remain totally enamored with the opportunity and steadily move toward further engagement? Or, would you, like Seinfeld’s neurotic George Costanza, break things off with a nonchalant, “It’s not you, it’s me”? Today’s guest, Jeanette Bennett, CEO and founding editor of Utah Valley Magazine and Bennett Communications, had that revelatory experience while working as a camera operator at an Idaho TV station when she was in high school. It turned out to trigger the

There’s a reason we call it a mental rut – this deep groove in the mud.  It’s a pattern of behavior that we’ve dug into our brains, and when we go down this road, it’s where our mental wheels get stuck. When have you been stuck in a rut? Maybe it’s coming back day after day to a job you hate. Maybe it’s something small, like knowing you should eat lunch at home but finding yourself in line at the Sweetgreen every morning. Getting stuck is human. But so is shoving the wagon out of the rut and cutting a new path. On today’s episode, we’re here to talk about what that really looks like. Our guest is Yamini Rangan, CEO of HubSpot. If you’re a small or medium sized business, you’re probably already familiar with HubSpot’s value – helping entrepreneurs track customers, make sales and follow up on those relationships. But the real focus here is Yamini’s journey to the top, from studying engineering in India, to taking her first step into the world of sales, and eventually – the C Suite. It’s been a journey of rewiri

The power of manifesting something into reality might seem… well, a bit silly at times. It’s all over social media, for better or for worse. It can seem silly because we all know it’s not as simple as saying it out loud, or creating a Pinterest board. Getting what you want, reaching mastery on a curve, it’s hard, hard work. And yet it does start with saying it loud. If we want to turn our dreams into reality, then the first step is defining what you want. If you can’t put that dream into words, then it’s hard to put that on a timeline, and you risk others swooping in and defining that dream for you. Our guest today is an expert in manifesting what she wants. Tarsha Joyner is the owner and head treatmaker of Mrs. Joy’s Absolutely Fabulous Treats, a bakery in Lynchburg, Virginia. Everything from cookies, to caramels and tailor-made cakes. And those cookies are award-winning – Tarsha has appeared on several Food Network competitions, winning the Christmas Cookie Challenge in 2015. It all started with a graphic d

Do you know that feeling, when you’ve been on a roadtrip for however many hours – or even, days – and you just can’t bring yourself to eat another bite of fast food? The food all looks the same, the landscape outside your window starts blending together, and you just crave something… different?  There’s a part of us deep inside that searches out for the “different.” We want to leave our small town for the big city, start up that new project at work, or even something as small as freshening up a shelf on a bookcase. We want to experience life from many directions, not just one. Our guest today has made that multi-faceted mindset the focus of both her professional and personal life. Betty Lu is the CEO and founder of Confetti Snacks, everything from dried mandarin oranges to my personal favorite, shiitake mushroom chips. But it’s more than just making sure the next generation of kids grows up eating broccoli, Confetti is dedicated to putting a dent in the world’s food waste, partnering with organizations like t

What does it mean to turn a dream into a business plan? How do you take your vision of a better future, whatever that looks like, and translate that into a company? It’s a difficult leap! This grand vision has to be broken down into steps, arranged on a timeline. Then your dream becomes tied to the bottom line profits, to your employees and your board.  We’ve had guests before that have made that leap, whether it’s Austin Hillam’s ZipString or Jennifer Smith’s Scribe. But our guest today has a dream we haven’t seen before on this show––revolutionizing how we treat broken bones. Nina Tandon is the co-founder and CEO of EpiBone, a biomedical engineering firm that brings together stem cells and 3D technology to grow bone grafts. Yes, you heard that right – Nina is growing bones. Her method’s already been shown to work, but turning those studies into widespread adoption – now that’s a big dream. So how does Nina balance her two selves – the researcher, and the CEO?  

In 2022, 46 percent of American teens said they were online almost constantly. Around 80 percent of high school seniors said they use social media nearly every day, but only 30 percent say they meet up with friends every day. Since 2010 – roughly the year touch-screen smartphones and social media apps blew up – the number of girls between 12 and 17 that reported a major depressive episode more than doubled, to 28 percent. Emergency room visits and hospitalizations for girls harming themselves skyrocketed too, along with the suicide rate amongst teenage boys.  Our guest today calls this a total rewiring of childhood, as smartphones and overprotective parenting warp those crucial formative years into a rollercoaster of anxiety and depression. Jonathan Haidt is the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at the NYU Stern School of Business, and the author of several books – his latest is “The Anxious Generation – How The Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness.”  

CLICK HERE TO VOTE IN THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE PODCAST AWARDS: https://www.podcastawards.com/app/signup We all have an idea of what we want our future to look like. Maybe it’s very grounded, and concrete – or maybe it’s just a vague idea of how we want to feel when we get there. But what happens when we’re forced to adapt that vision? Something out of your control gets between you and your dream. How do we muster the strength to find another way through? In 2004, Melissa Stockwell had a clear vision for her future––a lieutenant in the U-S Army. But when a roadside bomb in Baghdad took her left leg, the door to that dream slammed shut.  Jumping ahead 20 years, on September 1st, 2024, Melissa will compete in Paris in her fourth paralympic triathlon. Her motivational speeches have inspired rooms full of people. And her non-profit, Dare2Tri, is giving other disabled athletes resources so they can run toward their dreams. What can we learn from Melissa, and her journey – from that Baghdad hospital, to the Paralympic po

CLICK HERE TO VOTE IN THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE PODCAST AWARDS: https://www.podcastawards.com/app/signup In your day-to-day, who counts on you? We’re all interconnected in these webs of care, everyone leaning on someone else for support. Even Henry David Thoreau, who chose to live the hermit life at Walden Pond – asked his mother to help with laundry. We long to be cared for, and to care in return. How does being that steward feel, in your heart and in your head? What does genuine care mean to you? Our guest today has built his life and his career around discovering and implementing the best ways to care for another human being. Rob Allen is the CEO of Intermountain Health, a non-profit healthcare system with 33 hospitals across several states west of the Rockies. Rob’s business is caring for patients, of course, but also caring for the caregivers – all 68 thousand of them within Intermountain. So how does he do it – and what can we take from that hospital setting, and bring into our own lives?  

Ask any comedian what the hardest part of their job is, and they’ll probably tell you it’s being the second act in a show where the person before you just brought the house down. Suddenly you’re backstage, doubting your material, listening to this thunderous applause and wondering if you can even get close to that.   It’s not just a comedian’s dilemma – we all experience this follow-on problem at one point or another. How do you put your own stamp on things, and do so… with confidence? Our guest today has been through that ringer at one of the highest levels, as the second CEO after the company’s co-founder and original leader. Matt Sharrers is the former CEO and current executive chairman of SBI, a B2B firm dedicated to, as Matt says, “helping you sell more stuff.”   And today, he’s out with a new book, aptly titled “The Second CEO: Accelerating Scale When Following The Founder.” What can we learn from Matt’s journey, not just in growing the business, but growing as a person, too?  

Risk is all around us. It’s baked into everything we do, into every day of our lives, a feeling that danger – and loss – lurks around every corner. It’s even baked into our brains, back when we were scanning every branch and every bush for something that wanted to eat us. So now that our world is much more than just the forest floor, how are we managing modern-day risk? This July 4th weekend, we’re celebrating almost 250 years of America’s history – and how often the country took on all kinds of risks, and came out on top. In that spirit, I wanted to bring back a conversation I had with one of our country’s leading scholars on risk management. General Stanley McChrystal led special operations in Iraq during the 2000s. Later that decade he was put in charge of all forces in Afghanistan. When we spoke, the retired four-star general had just released his book “Risk: A User’s Guide.” So how can we approach risk management in our own lives? How can we keep an eye out for danger, without letting the fear overwhelm

In just about a month, on the 26th of July, 10 thousand athletes from all over the world will gather in Paris for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics.  Being an Olympian has a way of consuming a person’s image. Olympians dedicate their body and their mind to the perfect backstroke, or the perfect arrow release, or this year – even the perfect breakdancing routine.  So when an Olympic athlete hangs up the towel… who are they? How do you leave behind the biggest S Curve of your life? Although he’s better known for the Winter Olympics, Apolo Ohno has some ideas. The most decorated American in the Olympics’ chillier half, Apolo is known the world over for his gold-medal talent at speed skating. I wanted to bring back my conversation with Apolo, in light of the Olympic Games on our doorstep, but also as a reminder this summer that although we should honor our past, we are never tied to it when it comes to trailblazing our future. What did retirement look like – what did slowing down look like – for th

How many times have you looked back across your whole life, looked at all those S Curves you’ve taken on and thought – wow. “I guess things do come together in the end,” even though, in the moment, those S Curves seemed so treacherous, and we felt so lost and afraid climbing them. There’s an element of faith in that statement, sure, but just as strongly, there’s an undercurrent of grit, determination, stick-to-it-ness. We appreciate the journey a lot more if we also can appreciate having felt lost and afraid – and then pushing through it. Our guest today has had an unusual trajectory, to say the least. Lisa Shalett started her career in 1990s Tokyo, producing those classic game shows – then she zig-zagged to the world of equities at Goldman Sachs, – zagging again to its compliance division – and then in charge of the bank’s entire brand during a PR disaster. And today, she’s the co-founder of Extraordinary Women On Boards, a community dedicated to supporting high-achieving women. So what can we learn from Li

Is there a particular conversation you’ve had with someone, that keeps resurfacing as you grow and get older? In difficult moments, you find yourself traveling back to that day at the cafe or whatever it was, sitting down for a conversation you didn’t know would shape you as much as it has.  For me, it’s my talk with Brené Brown, all the way back in 2019.  In case new listeners need an introduction, she holds the Huffington Foundation Endowed Chair as a research professor at the University of Houston. You might know her best as the writer of Daring Greatly, or The Gifts Of Imperfection, or as the speaker for one of the most popular TED Talks ever. When we spoke, she had just released her Netflix special, The Call To Courage, and it was a conversation that reminds me even today to appreciate the meaning that emerges from the human condition. I want to bring back that conversation today in light of her most recent book, Atlas Of The Heart – all about the thousand different ways our body generates emotion. Like

It’s not a pretty truth of life, but we all argue with family, eventually. In fact, those arguments can be some of the most explosive moments of our lives. But why? Is it just that the folks closest to us know how to push our buttons? If so, how can we overcome that to grow? And grow alongside our family? Our guest today has a couple ideas. Cathy Carroll is the president and founder of Legacy Onward, a leadership coaching business dedicated to helping – you guessed it – family businesses. All those images I just conjured up, of fighting with your family: now add money, a lot of money, to the mix, and that’s where Cathy operates. She even comes from a family business herself – rodeo equipment manufacturing. Today, Cathy’s out with a new book, Hug of War, a real guide to navigating that tension between the good of the business and the good of the family. So what do we do when we’re fighting with the people we love most? Is it possible, as Cathy claims, for both of us to be right? And if so… then what?  

Think of a relationship in your life that you’d describe as a true partnership. Why did that person come to mind? There are words and phrases that come easily when you’re describing a partnership that works:  feeling supported, encouraged, the sense that when I have my back turned, you’ve still got my back. So where do those feelings come from, and how do we solidify them? How can we grow a new relationship into a partnership? How do you pick the people you can trust? Today we’ve got two guests that are partners on paper, at the private equity firm Brand Velocity Group, but as you’ll hear, it goes much further than their roles. Steve Lebowitz is the founder and managing partner of BVG, and Eli Manning – well, you might recall his S Curve with the New York Giants, but this episode is all about a new S curve.  So how did the first overall draft pick in 2004 partner up with a revolutionary in private equity – and what do they do to make it work?  

Back in July, we tried something a little new for this show – episode 329 was all about hearing from the listeners of Disrupt Yourself. What was important to you while you were listening, what insights you wanted to bring back from older episodes and refresh. It was a lovely experiment, so today we’re bringing you another roundtable. This time, we’ve got three coaches instead, all of whom are Smart Growth certified. We wanted to explore what that initial call to action was for all three of them, as well as what certification meant – practically – for their clients’ success. Today we’ll be joined by Sarah Glover, Jordan White and Rebecca Woodard, all independent coaches in the process of growing their practice.  

Self-fulfilling prophecies – and falling into their trap – are part and parcel of being human. From ancient Greek tragedies to television like Breaking Bad, they’ve popped up time and time again. We just can’t escape our flaw of telling ourselves stories about the future, and then making them reality. But what if it… wasn’t a flaw? What if there was a real power, a real gift in being about to tell yourself a story and see it through? You might know Steph Curry from his legacy at the Golden State Warriors, but would you believe he wasn’t even scouted coming out of high school?  Our guest today is a big believer in turning the self-fulfilling prophecy stigma on its head. Nathan Tanner thought he finally had it all with a cushy investment gig at Lehman Brothers. The problem was, he joined up in 2008, right before Lehman went through the biggest bank collapse in history. To hear him say it, it would have been the easiest thing to write a personal story… of failure.  But since then, Nathan’s worked through top pos