Embrace Your Awesome

What if the secret to building a successful business—and even creating wealth—isn't working harder? What if it's building better systems and better people? Today's guest is Hadley Nightingale, CEO of New Zealand Property Buyers, a company he founded in 2020 and has rapidly scaled into an integrated property investment and management business. Today, his team operates across New Zealand...

Are you so busy chasing what you want that you're overlooking the blessings you already have? We live in a world that constantly encourages us to want more, achieve more, and become more. But what if the secret to greater happiness, peace, and fulfillment isn't found in getting more—but in appreciating what we already have? In this powerful Real Talk Thursday episode of Embrace Your Awesom...

Welcome back to Embrace Your Awesome, where leadership, mindset, confidence, and purpose come together to help you become the very best version of yourself. I'm your host, John Geyston. Today's guest is Kelly Schuknecht, marketing strategist, thought leadership expert, author, podcast host, and founder of Two Mile High Marketing. For nearly two decades, she's helped entrepreneurs and p...

Are We Raising Confident Kids—or Kids Who Can't Handle Real Life? Are we protecting our children so much that we're actually holding them back? Parenting has changed dramatically across generations. But are today's approaches building stronger, more confident kids—or unintentionally creating fear of failure, dependence, and a lack of resilience? After more than 40 years of coaching and...

What if the greatest obstacle standing between you and your God-given purpose... isn't your talent, your education, or your opportunity? What if it's financial fear? Today's guest believes money isn't just about dollars and cents—it's about stewardship, peace, and the choices that shape our families and our future. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by debt, financial stress,...

You have friends. Family. Coworkers. Maybe even hundreds of connections on social media. You smile. You show up. You handle your responsibilities. From the outside, everything looks fine. But deep down, you feel disconnected, misunderstood, or like something is missing. Here's the truth: Being surrounded by people doesn't mean you feel connected. And being successful doesn't mean you f...

Can a polygraph really detect a lie? And can uncovering the truth help rebuild trust and bring healing? On this episode of Embrace Your Awesome , host John Geyston welcomes David Goldberg, a State Licensed, Advanced Board-Certified, and Court-Recognized Expert Polygraph Examiner with over 30 years of experience and more than 20,000 polygraph examinations. Forget what you've seen in Hollywood!...

Remember when your child couldn't wait to tell you everything about their day? Then suddenly… “How was school?” — Fine. “What did you do?” — Nothing. “Anything you want to talk about?” — Nope. Here's what every parent needs to understand: The conversations you have with your children TODAY help determine whether they'll come to you with life's biggest challenges TOMORROW. In this p...

Anyone can lead when things are going well. But what happens when adversity strikes, decisions become difficult, and people are counting on YOU? That's when character, courage, and integrity truly matter! 🎙️ My guest, Jay Jacobson, author of Lead by Legendary Example , shares powerful leadership lessons from over 40 years of serving others, building businesses, and navigating life's toughe...

You can accomplish incredible things and still struggle with the question: “Am I enough?” My guest, Amy Lenius, shares why self-worth is the foundation of confidence, resilience, and lasting success. If you’ve battled self-doubt, burnout, or struggled to believe in yourself, this conversation is for you.

This episode I talk about something we don’t hear enough about when we talk about personal growth. We love talking about the results of growth. The new opportunity. The healthier relationship. The successful business. The stronger body. The greater confidence. The person who finally stepped into their potential. But we don’t talk nearly enough about what growth can feel like while it’s happening....

AI is changing the world—but the real opportunity isn’t simply doing more, faster. It’s removing the bottlenecks so we can spend more time doing what humans do best: 🔥 Lead 💡 Create 🤝 Mentor ❤️ Connect 🚀 Make an impact On this episode of Embrace Your Awesome, I sit down with transformational leader and technologist Stephanie Sylvestre to explore how AI can amplify human potential instead of re...

Today I want to talk about something that I believe separates people who simply want something from those who actually create change in their lives. It's the difference between WANT and WILL. Most people want something. They want to be healthier. They want a better relationship. They want to make more money. They want to build a successful business. They want to become more confident. They wan...

Welcome back to Embrace Your Awesome, where we talk about leadership, mindset, resilience, purpose, and becoming the very best version of ourselves. I'm your host, John Geyston. Today's guest is someone whose mission really resonates with me personally. Master Allen DePeña is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, leadership coach, and martial artist who has dedicated his life to developing the...

How Parents Can Help Children Build Character, Discipline & a Lifetime of Growth Welcome back to Embrace Your Awesome. I'm your host, John Geyston. Today I want to talk directly to parents about something I've spent much of my life teaching young people: Excellence. There's a famous idea, often connected to the philosophy of Aristotle, that says: “Excellence is not an act, but a ha...

Welcome back to Embrace Your Awesome, the podcast where we discover the mindset, habits, and life experiences that help ordinary people accomplish extraordinary things. I'm your host, John Geyston. Today's guest is Dr. Carla Caturia, an elite Mental Performance Coach, speaker, and CEO of The House of Rise. For more than two decades, she's helped over 10,000 teens, young adults, and fam...

As our children grow, something important begins to change: Mom and Dad are no longer the only voices influencing their choices. Friends begin shaping how our kids think, speak, dress, behave, take risks—and even how they see themselves. We can't choose every friend for our children, nor should we try. Our job is to help them develop the judgment, confidence, and character to recognize which f...

What if your greatest obstacle is actually your greatest opportunity? In this inspiring episode of Embrace Your Awesome, John Geyston sits down with high-performance coach Willie Blake to discuss how embracing dyslexia transformed his life and career. Together, they explore why confidence isn't something we're born with—it's something we build through action, resilience, and self-belie...

After coaching young athletes for more than 40 years, I’ve seen a pattern that surprises many parents and coaches. Some of the most naturally talented kids quit. Meanwhile, other athletes who start out average go on to become exceptional performers and leaders. The difference is almost never talent. It’s what’s happening inside their mindset, habits, and identity. In this episode of The Embrace Yo...

In this episode of Embrace Your Awesome, John Geyston sits down with award-winning actor, playwright, screenwriter, director, filmmaker, professor, and now novelist Seth Panitch for a powerful conversation about creativity, courage, reinvention, and continuing to grow throughout every season of life. For more than 30 years, Seth has dedicated his life to storytelling. As Professor of Theatre and H...

What if many of the challenges we face in life—our relationships, decisions, emotions, and personal growth—could be better understood through a framework that reveals the patterns behind human behavior? In this episode of Embrace Your Awesome, host John Geyston sits down with Jim Marshall, a lifelong researcher of human development and the creator of Septemics. Jim has devoted more than 50,000 hou...

Welcome back to Embrace Your Awesome. I'm your host, John Geyston. And today, I want to talk directly to parents, grandparents, coaches, teachers—and really anyone who has the privilege of influencing a child. After more than four decades of working with children and families, there's something I've come to believe very strongly: Every child needs a place where they know their voice ma...

Have you ever wondered why some managers struggle while great leaders inspire people to achieve what they never thought was possible? Today's guest believes leadership isn't about authority—it's about service. He built a company from the ground up into a $5 million business, successfully exited, and now dedicates his life to helping leaders build stronger teams, create healthier cultur...

Who you spend time with is quietly shaping who you're becoming. The people closest to you can either pull you toward your purpose or keep you stuck in your past. Today, we're talking about one of the most important decisions you'll ever make—the people you allow to influence your life. Welcome to Embrace Your Awesome. Thank you for spending a few minutes with me today. One lesson I&#39...

What if the biggest obstacle to your success isn't the world around you—but the person you've accepted yourself to be? In this inspiring episode of Embrace Your Awesome, host John Geyston sits down with Air Force veteran, international military advisor, musician, author, and visionary Peter Gunn for a conversation that challenges you to think differently about purpose, resilience, and pers...