How'd it Happen?

Unlock the secrets of creativity with Mike in this Free Thinking Friday episode, as he delves into Austin Kleon's bestseller, " Steal Like an Artist ". This episode promises to take you on a compelling journey, exploring the book's principles that inspire creativity in this digital era. You’ll hear how to draw inspiration from others, begin your creative journey, and the power...

Life is often a journey of trials and triumphs, and Mike’s guest, Matt Shields, has certainly had his fair share of both. Matt's story begins on rooftops, hammer in hand, at the tender age of 10, and takes us through his ascension in the real estate market. Tragically losing his father at 16, he transformed his grief into drive and determination to create a legacy of his own. His tale is a te...

Tune into this Free Thinking Friday episode where Mike shares insights inspired by an autobiography he recently encountered called “Beyond the Wand” by Tom Felton, known for his role as Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter series. A riveting listen that lead Mike to ponder on what being truly 'rich' means. With Tom’s story of modest beginnings to landing a role in one of the biggest franchis...

Join Mike for a profound conversation with his special guest, Paul Hutchinson, a true liberator of humanity. Known for leading over 70 undercover rescue missions, Paul shares his journey from aspiring brain surgeon to becoming the founder of the Child Liberation Foundation and Liberate Humanity. You will get a firsthand account of his daring infiltrations into trafficking networks, his work with r...

Get ready to unlock the wisdom of David Ogilvy, a titan in the world of modern advertising, and let his lessons elevate your approach to work and life. Brace yourself as Mike dissects his seminal work, Confessions of an Advertising Man, and uncover how to harness your first-class mind and deliver concise, impactful communication. Mike discusses how the art of storytelling resonates with your audie...

It's not every day that you have a chance to contemplate your mortality in a manner that's as eye-opening as it is empowering. When Mike sat down with Jodi Wellman, creator of 4000 Mondays, the conversation naturally gravitated toward the concept of temporal scarcity - a stark reminder of how precious our time truly is. Jodi's philosophy centers around the transformative power of Mo...

What does it take to make it in the entrepreneurial world? David Belman, President and CEO of Belman Homes and co-founder of Young Guns Movement, sheds light on this in today's episode. Discover how David and his team are making strides to shorten the learning curve for ambitious business owners, and why Mike has been invited as the keynote speaker for their upcoming event in Brookfield, Wisc...

We all probably think that we know the difference between right and wrong, and wouldn’t get caught up in something we aren’t supposed to be doing, but according to Kelly Richmond Pope, it can be a slippery slope. Some people get into legal trouble by starting small or by not speaking up when someone sneakily gets them involved. On this episode of the How’d It Happen Podcast, Mike and Kelly discuss...

On this solo episode of the How’d It Happen podcast, Mike talks about why and how ideas thrive with an audience. He was inspired to do this episode because he was listening to someone talking about how college campuses are dealing with or managing their way through what some might call controversial speakers. Mike talks about the two obvious options when it comes to controversial speakers: go or d...

On this episode of the How’d It Happen podcast, Dorine Rivers shares her inspiring story of how she overcame her own self-doubt and achieved greatness. She encourages listeners to take action and start their own journey of self-discovery and growth. Hear her story and learn how to take control of your life and make your future your own. Dr. Dorine Rivers, Ph. D. has spent her life building effecti...

Mike Malatesta talks about the power of presence in this solo episode of the How’d It Happen Podcast. He shares his experience attending a private school and how the teachers taught him the importance of being present, which he didn’t fully understand until many years later. Mike encourages you to put away distractions and give full attention to whatever it is that is in front of you. If you’re ha...

Dr. Jeffrey Donatello is an entrepreneur who took a struggling covid-beat-down Medical Practice to an 8-figure thriving 4-office medical practice in 2 years. Dr. Donatello’s Center for Wellbeing is New England’s premier Weight Loss, Non-Surgical Knee & Joint Pain Relief, and Regenerative Medicine provider. Their mission is to help people avoid unnecessary medications and surgery as much as pos...

We don’t rise to the levels of our goals, we fall to the levels of our systems. This solo episode was inspired by a recent guest on the show named Simon Severino. Simon was featured in episode 376 titled “How to Live an Agile Life,” and he explained a situation in which his company had an urgent situation arise that they were able to quickly resolve due to an existing system that was already in pl...

In this episode of the How’d It Happen podcast, David Essel shares his personal journey of overcoming addiction, depression, and anxiety. He emphasizes the importance of permanent recovery and how he helps individuals achieve it. Mike and David also discuss the dangers of codependency and how it can trap individuals in addiction. David Essel is a #1 best-selling author of 13 books, a counselor, ex...

On this episode of the How’d It Happen podcast, Mike Malatesta discusses the importance of not burying corrections and owning up to mistakes. He draws parallels between newspapers burying corrections and leaders hiding mistakes and emphasizes the value of learning from mistakes and making progress. Mike shares his personal experience of learning to embrace mistakes and the value of owning up to th...

On this episode of the How’d It Happen Podcast, Charles Byrd shares his expertise on creating successful joint ventures and how to systematize the process for maximum impact. Charles emphasizes the importance of taking action, prioritizing people and relationships, and connecting with the right partners to achieve maximum impact. Charles Byrd is a ‘super-connector’ with a deep background in Joint...

On this episode of The How It Happen Podcast, Mike Malatesta shares his personal experience of selling two businesses and the lessons he learned. He emphasizes the need for not only an exit strategy,  but also an entry strategy. This is important to think about before selling your business. Mike also talks about the resources available for exiting a business and the changes that come with selling...

Are you feeling stuck in your life or business? Do you feel like no matter how hard you try, things just keep getting worse? If so, you're not alone. In this episode of the How’d It Happen Podcast, Brad Zepecki shares his story of overcoming adversity and finding success on the other side. Brad Zepecki is back on the show for the second time, and this time he felt the pull to be real and hone...

In this episode of the How’d It Happen Podcast, Mike Malatesta shares the inspiring story of Joe Polish, a recovering addict turned marketing genius. Mike discusses four key takeaways from Joe's book, “What's In It for Them,” that can benefit leaders and entrepreneurs alike.  Despite a challenging start as a carpet cleaner with no money or experience, Joe's commitment to learning an...

As a high performer that may be running a business or calling the shots for a company, you have a lot of decisions to make. It is easy to get overwhelmed and experience decision fatigue, or struggle with indecisiveness, not knowing what is truly the best option. This episode is for you if you want to learn how to make quicker and better decisions in any area of your life. Hasard Lee is a former fi...

In this episode of the How’d It Happen Podcast, Mike shares nine reasons why Jay Leno has more meaning than money. From his humility to his hard work, Jay's qualities are explored in depth. A lot of wealthy people and celebrities have the opposite where they have more money than meaning, and end up feeling very unfulfilled in their lives. Join Mike as he delves into the topic and reflects on...

Do you want to know what it takes to create something truly magical from absolutely nothing? Building a remarkable business from the ground up requires focusing on being better than what is already out there. But here is the key: you can’t just be slightly better than your competition. You need to go all in on being 10 times better than what is currently already being done. This is the mindset tha...

Who doesn’t love receiving a gift from another person? It doesn’t have to be an actual physical gift in order to be special. In fact, the best gifts humans can give cannot be bought. In this solo episode, Mike talks about the best gifts humans can give one another.  He was inspired to do this by an American journalist and novelist named Oren Arnold. Mr. Arnold wrote a piece on the best gives to gi...

You might be thinking what do all these rhyming words mean together? Snap, nap, tap, clap, recap is a powerful 5-step system for improved vitality created by successful well-being expert David Lindsay. Each step serves an important purpose in building a strong mind and body and being present and resilient no matter what life throws at you. David Lindsay has changed the lives of 10s of thousands of...

Leaders have a great deal of responsibility not only in just leading, instructing, and delegating, but also in setting the tone for their team and being an example for those that they are leading. Whether you’re leading a company, coaching a team, or even leading your family, there are 4 very important qualities of effective leaders. This solo episode was inspired by a webinar by coach Nick Saban,...