Making Waves at C-Level: Business Tips for Executives, Leaders, and Entrepreneurs

A conversation in the "Cool Things Project" mastermind coaching program lead to a discussion about how taking action that pushes a person out of their comfort zone can lead to "Imposter Syndrome". Imposter Syndrome is a term coined in the 1970s that refers to high achieving individuals who are marked by the inability to internalize their accomplishments and who have a persistent fear of being expo...

Thom Singer turns 50 and in the episode he shares why that is a great thing. He covers several of the topics he wrote about on his blog in a post called "50 Things I Learned by 50” http://thomsinger.blogspot.com/2016/06/50-things-i-learned-by-50-by-thom-singer.html 35. Say "please" and "thank you". It will make you stand out from the crowd. 34. When you need help, ask someone. 33. Having written g...

Danny O'Connell is a partner at Benefits Resources Group (BRG) in Texas. Serving businesses and individuals with regard to their benefit, insurance, and personal planning needs, he has had a successful career for more than 10 years. One of his new ventures is in major fund-raising for organizations such as universities and other organizations. They have developed several niche programs which can s...

With a background in marketing and event planning, Jessica Levin, who is a bit of a futurist, is best known as a connector of people. She has a reputation as the “Go To” person regarding marketing, meeting and event design and anything involving trends in technology. Jessica uses social networking tools to build and strengthen both personal and business relationships and teaches others how to embr...

Matt Wolski jumped right from college into being an entrepreneur. Now over three years later he has hit his stride with several ventures in both the marketing / branding space and the restaurant / bar world. Found Media Group is a full service marketing and public relations firm focused on providing a one-stop solution for the entrepreneurial community. Our services range through the areas of web...

When an "expert" tells you your idea won't work, that might be good advice... or it might be crap. Sometimes you have to follow your heart if you want to find real success in your career and life. Lucille Ball was told by acting coaches to find a different line of work, Oprah's boss in a local television market said she did not have what it took to make it in TV. The list of successful people who...

Seeking knowledge is not enough, we need to find mastery in our careers. Knowledge is not power, but a commodity. We can all find knowledge by doing a search on our phone. Success is there for people who become great in the right things and then take action. To be leaders we need to show others that we have a compelling vision of the future. While we might have to pivot along the way, no goals or...

Success in the conference game can be a challenge. The demands are getting higher and the budgets seem to be getting smaller. The worst thing about having an amazing event is that the client will want a better one next year! One of the secrets to conference success is having someone who can hold everything together while adding extra value. Warwick Merry is an accomplished business person, exhibit...

Ever Gonzalez is a serial entrepreneur and is currently the Co-Founder and CEO of Outlier, an online publication, physical coworking space, conference series, and podcast geared toward the dynamic community of startups and entrepreneurs. After years of working for others and being frustrated by how bosses can be sometimes, Ever felt he could do it better. After starting and selling several compani...

Tim Storer leads strategic programs for Procter & Gamble, building ambitious organizations and creating collaborative external partnerships. He is also a board member for Siemen's PLM World. In this episode we talk about how attending industry events can be a "cheat code" for success in your business. Too often people struggle to reinvent the wheel, but those who are engaged with others in similar...

Entrepreneurs often have to reassess their customer base, enter new markets and pivot the direction of their company. Jessica Pettitt has lived this several times in her business career. Jessica is a speaker and consultant in the world of colleges and universities who has recently added new clients in the corporate and association world. While being a speaker in one market might seem the same as p...

Josh Packard is a sociologist who studies institutional participation in America at the University of Northern Colorado. He focuses on religious, professional and voluntary associations. He is a sought after speaker and trainer for corporate, religious and non-profit organizations. His research has appeared in numerous academic and trade publications, and he is the author, with Ashleigh Hope, of C...

Jon Jarrett is the director of engineering technology and systems at Orbital ATK. When others say their job is not "rocket science"....Jon's job is rocket science. In this episode Jon shares his successful career journey and talks about how being entrepreneurial inside a job is key to success. He has held a variety of positions in his career, and discusses the importance of mentors and networking....

Michael O'Neal was guest number seven on the "Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do" Podcast. He is continuing to do great things as a leader in the world of podcasting, and his show is has continued to be a top ranked business podcast. In this episode Michael shares his thoughts on being a solopreneur, and tells more of his own journey to success. He founded his podcast as a way to reach people and talk w...

Julia Taylor Cheek is the CEO and Co-Founder of EverlyWell, a digital health startup that offers consumer-ordered diagnostic tests and easy-to-read results. Prior to founding Everly Well in summer 2015, Julia was the Vice President of Corporate Development and Strategy at MoneyGram International, a $1.5B company that operates in 200 countries. As the youngest VP in the company, she worked for Mone...

Brian Kurth is the founder and CEO of Revere Software (http://www. GetRevere.com). He and his company work with associations, alumni associations, large non-profits and corporations to connect knowledge seekers with subject matter experts. In 2001 Brian was in traffic wondering if there was a better way than fighting the uphill battle of the "corporate grind". A year later he started his first com...

Eliz Greene is an expert helping people get past being busy and stressed while helping them become more productive. She comes from a family of entrepreneurs, as both her parents owned small businesses, and her first jobs were working in each of those companies. After college she spent time in the insurance business and non-profit sector, but soon launched out on her own to start a dance studio. In...

Bejan Faramarzi was born in Boston and raised in San Antonio. He went to UT Austin where he started off in Business and Pre-pharmacy. After taking an improv class and meeting a fellow filmmaker, he became passionate about film and he graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Theater. He then went on to shoot films in Los Angeles, New York, Montreal and is now primarily base...

The world of work is changing. With upwards of 50% of the workforce moving to contractors or solopreneurs, what do people need to know? Marc Miller is the founder of Career Pivot which helps Baby Boomers design careers they can grow into for the next 30 years. Marc authored the book Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for Baby Boomers published in January 2013. He also authored the book Perso...

April 1, 2009 I was laid off from my corporate marketing job. It was the height of the great recession and other employment options were non-existent. On that day I decided to follow my dream of self-employment and begin my creating my own career path that would not tie my future job status to someone else's company. Becoming a professional speaker and master of ceremonies was a long-time dream, a...

Justin Christianson is the best selling author of Conversion Fanatic: How to double your customers, sales and profits with A/B testing and is a 13 year veteran of digital marketing having worked on hundreds of profitable campaigns. A self proclaimed numbers junky with a firm belief that the numbers don’t lie, has a knack for finding holes in marketing campaigns and offering simple solutions to qui...

Patrick Jovin is part of an entrepreneurial family. Mom, dad, brothers, a cousin, and his fiance are all working together. Thom called them "The Partridge Family of Entrepreneurship"ogether they run Tropiceel and market the Naturulz natural pain products. As he grew up his parents were always running and growing companies, so it made sense for Patrick and his brothers to join the family business....

Chris Thompson is a dynamic personality, endurance athlete and CEO of truBrain, a venture-backed neurotechnology startup and developer of the world’s first nootropic drink. He built the company based on productivity, and has a great story about transitioning from a corporate executive position into the world of startups. He is a perfect guest for a show like "Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do".Chris di...

Mike Dilbeck is the founder of Response Ability - A Call for Courage. He is a speaker, trainer and consultant who helps people find the ability to respond to any social situation by going beyond our fear and shame to demonstrate courage in momentary choices — In organizations. In business. In community. In life. — For colleagues. For family. For friends. For strangers. Mike was guest number two on...

There is more to networking than sending a LinkedIn request or reading someone's SnapChat. Real relationships lead to opportunity, but too often in business we get stuck at pre-judging the value of others and we fail to cultivate long-term and mutually-beneficial connections. In this episode Thom Singer talks about the how and why of getting more engaged in the association and business events that...