Life As Leadership

Pat Flynn is a father, husband, and entrepreneur who lives and works in San Diego, CA. He owns several successful online businesses and is a professional blogger, keynote speaker, Wall Street Journal bestselling author, and host of the Smart Passive Income and AskPat podcasts, which have earned a combined total of over 55 million downloads, multiple awards, and features in publications such as The New York Times and Forbes. He is also an advisor to ConvertKit, LeadPages, Teachable, and other companies in the digital marketing arena.

Josh, Cody, and Jake discuss Monday's interview with Lee Caraher about generational differences and how to lead well in multi-generational contexts. Their discussion includes the number of generations they work with (there are up to five in the workforce now!), how the education system can be deceptive for both employer and employee expectations, and how to deal with that. This episode also includes Jake and Cody singing the Quadratic Formula song (because there apparently is one).

Lee Caraher is the founder and CEO of Double Forte PR & Digital Marketing. She is a popular guest expert on leadership, intergenerational workplaces, public relations, crisis communications, social media and integrated marketing. Lee is the author of Millennials & Management: The Essential Guide to Making it Work at Work, which is a book based on her experience with first failing and then succeeding at retaining Millennials in her business. Her second book, The Boomerang Principle: Inspiring Lifetime Loyalty from Employees, is a pragmatic and actionable guide to creating high-performing work cultures ready for the future.

Josh, Anna-Maria, and Michelle discuss this week's interview with Cynthia Plouché. Extending beyond the topic of board leadership, they whether or not they would be good board members, how to lead well even if you're not a "people person," the importance of building relationships before a group starts working together, and the important of adversity as a way to help you succeed.

Cynthia Plouché has been an Independent Board Director for more than fifteen years and has more than twenty-five years of experience as a Senior Investment Portfolio Manager. Her areas of expertise include risk management, finance, and governance. She has a Wharton MBA and a Harvard University undergraduate degree and currently serves as the Governance Committee Chair for the Northern Funds and Northern Institutional Funds in Chicago and has board oversight for portfolio assets that exceed $140 billion.

Josh, Molly, and Zeke discussion Monday's interview with Ari Satok. The discussion includes example of when life unfolded unexpectedly for the positive, how to take better advantage of the wisdom around us, why and how to get to know people who are different than you, how approach life with constant curiosity, and a good approach to balance building skills in specific areas while also trying new things in college. Josh also shares an approach of how to turn a disagreement into a beneficial discussion (11:08).

Ari Satok is an author, poet, and storyteller. Just five years out of college, he’s already written two books. Ari shares about these books and the travels and experiences that served as inspiration for them. His most recent book of poems entitled The Beautiful Chaos of Growing Up weaves together humor and insight about college and life after college. He is also the author of The Architects of Hope: Sixteen People Dreaming of a Better Tomorrow, a book that captures the stories of young people from all around the world, whom he interviewed during a yearlong storytelling journey he led traveling to international schools on four different continents.

Josh, Maria, and Parker discuss Monday's interview with Jim Ramos of Men in the Arena. The discussion includes what separates leaders from those who choose not to lead, whether or not organizations (and people!) allow their missions to guide them, why you don't have to be the best to be the leader, and how to manage responsibility and success.

Jim Ramos is the founder of Men in the Arena, a Christian nonprofit organization with an international reach that seeks to help men become the best version of themselves because “when a man gets it, everybody wins.” He has written nine books on the topic of manhood, including The Man Card: 5 Characteristics Separating Men from Boys. He is also the host of the Men in the Arena podcast, where he interviews experts in their chosen field or cause as it relates to men.

Josh, Andrew, Daniel, and Michelle talk about Monday's interview with Jason Clayton, who works to help college students find their passions in life. The discussion includes how to gain work experience in college, whether or not THEY are doing work related to what they studied, and how to "listen to your life."

Jason Clayton, Dean of Career and Life Calling at Cornerstone University, shares his top college advice for students who want to find their life calling.

Josh, Ansley, Ethan, and Isaiah talk about Monday’s interview with Brian Preston and Bo Hanson of the Money Guy Show. The discussion includes how to get started in investing, how to avoid lifestyle creep (spoiler: eat rice and beans and budget!). They also discuss how to balance living in the present and focusing on the future, how to have fun for cheap, and how to set yourself apart from the crowd for future success.

Brian Preston is the founder of Abound Wealth Management and the award-winning Money Guy Show, and he’s been recognized as one of the top 100 financial advisors in the United States. Bo Hanson is the co-founder of Abound Wealth Management and the Money Guy Show. Together they form a dynamic team focused on educating people, helping them with their finances, and enriching their lives. They’ve appeared on Fox Business, Time, Forbes, US News and World Report, the Wall Street Journal, and much more. Now here they are on the Life as Leadership podcast to share with us the importance of caring about finances even at a young age and how to live a strategic and focused life.

Josh, Anthony, Anna-Maria, and Jake discuss Monday's interview with Blake Thompson, president at Mississippi College. The conversation includes how to understand what it means to find a compelling opportunity, whether or not humility is enough to get you to the top of an organization, and the balance between the character/competence/charisma equation that Dr. Thompson shared. There is also some discussion on how to care more about your organization than yourself in a healthy way as well as how to develop culture as a leader.

Dr. Blake Thompson is the 20th president of Mississippi College. Before becoming president, he served as a leader in higher education, in research circles, and in government. This includes educational leadership roles at Ohio State University; as a vice president with Battelle, which is the world’s leading non-profit research and development organization; and as a senior staff member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee in Washington, D.C. He has a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of Mississippi and an executive master’s from Georgetown University. He brings his vast and varied leadership experiences to his current presidential role and is well-respected and loved by the community at Mississippi College.

Josh, Daniel, Parker, and Sara discuss Monday's interview with Bill Blair of Rocks to Rivers. They talk about how to more effectively incorporate action into a group's life, how to encourage people toward action and learning, and the importance of letting followers ultimately take ownership of their own actions.

Bill Blair is the Founder of Rocks to Rivers, an organization focused on helping people live a life of adventure and influence by guiding them through experiences that build their confidence and expand their ability to navigate struggles. He uses experiential learning and conversations in action to guide people to a better understanding of their life narrative so that they can lead and live with greater influence.

Josh, Austen, Creed, and Maria talk about Monday's interview with Doug Hershberger on how to use evidence-based information in leadership. As defined on Monday, evidence-based practices  include 1) scientific evidence, 2) practitioner expertise, and 3) and understanding and consideration of the client. The discussion ranges from how and when evidence-based approaches are best (and also not as important or preferable), when it is best and most helpful to withhold information from followers, how to posture our lives for balance, and some thoughts on how to take time for rest.

Download a year’s worth of https://www.leadershipactionlist.com/ (weekly action steps to improve your leadership) for FREE!   Doug Hershberger is the founder of Hershberger Health and Performance in Sarasota, FL, where his mission is to spread evidence-based knowledge and improve the lives of others. In his late teen years, Doug lost nearly 100 pounds after dealing with obesity as a child. He discovered that health and fitness were not only a matter of the physical but also the mental, emotional, social, and even the spiritual sides of life. Doug now holds a master’s degree in Kinesiology and has certifications in weightlifting, strength and conditioning, and nutrition. His evidence-based understanding of physical health and athletic performance stems from the belief that no person deserves to be deceived—especially when it comes to how to treat their own body.   LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS Become stronger by doing something that's (a) difficult but (b) not stupid Health comes first; Performance second. &nb

Josh, Cody, Elijah, and Molly discuss Monday's interview with Lizzy Engele, the co-founder of MakerGirl. The discussion focuses on real-life implications of Lizzy's principle of "everybody wins," how to identify priorities for our life and leadership, how we can create a system where mentorship is prioritized, how to handle conflict, and the importance of being enthusiastic about learning.