Pivot with Jenny Blake

"Anxiety over being more innovative leads entrepreneurs to create solutions instead of problems. But what if you could use your intuition to identify an existing problem that’s begging for a solution?”—Bernadette Jiwa, Hunch: Turn Your Everyday Insights Into The Next Big ThingWhen Bernadette Jiwa’s little book that packs a big punch, Hunch, arrived in the mail, I immediately thought, “I wish I wro...

"Prosperity is not something we achieve, it's something we receive."—Jeffrey Shaw, author of LINGO: Discover Your Ideal Customer’s Secret Language and Make Your Business IrresistibleI had such a blast talking with Jeffrey Shaw for this week’s episode. He has been running his own photography and coaching business for over 33 years, including a podcast called Creative Warriors to help heart-centered...

What happens after you pivot? In today’s episode I’m sharing the afterword I wrote for the paperback edition of Pivot, that I recently recorded for the audiobook version. That’s right, Pivot is on Audible, read by yours truly in case you want me to read to you as you cook, commute, clean, etc!  In this short audiobook snippet episode, I share a little bit about the audiobook recording process, the...

To help you kick-off the new year in style and soul-aligned next steps, I’m back with my annual Set Your Pivot Strategy episode—new and improved with the best resources and reflection questions I’ve got.  I encourage you to get out a pen and paper for this one—yes, analog-style—and pause frequently to journal for as long as you’d like on each prompt. Go big! Go for quantity, not quality, and don’t...

"I stopped following, bypassing my inner critic, knowing full well the future of my total physical and mental health was not dependent on Ms. Bendy Six Pack Von Instagram."—Andrea Owen, How to Stop Feeling Like Sh*t Although it seems like the holidays should be nothing but rosy and bright, filled with gratitude and good cheer, sometimes being back in our home of origin (with family, longtime frien...

As you board planes, trains and automobiles to head home (or adventuring) over the holidays, I'm sharing 21+ of my best travel tips, apps and tools—everything from preparing to booking to packing, to travel day and routines on the road.  Keynote speaking is one of my favorite ways to earn a living, and this year I took about 30 trips, or one every other week. In today’s episode I share the strateg...

"Please remember that every person you love and admire—every author, every artist, every business owner, every luminary who seems to 'have it all together'—just remember that their story is filled with hundreds of awkward firsts, too." —Alexandra Franzen It was love at first read when I encountered Alexandra Franzen online, and it has been ever since. She's a delightful, talented, prolific writer...

"The secret to predicting the future is to get better at understanding the present."—Rohit Bhargava, Non-Obvious 2018 Edition: How to Predict Trends and Win the Future I've always been fascinated by futurists and trend spotters (turns out the latter is a myth). How do they see trends coming before the rest of us? What are they doing to sift through the noise to extrapolate a clear signal of where...

“See yourself from the soul's point of view: flaws are just temporary mistakes of perception."—Penney Peirce, Transparency We're back at it, folks! There was so much juicy material from Penney Peirce's new book, Transparency: Seeing Through to Our Expanded Human Capacity, that we decided to dive in even deeper in a follow-up episode of the Pivot Podcast (if you haven't already, check out first par...

What is more important to you than perfection? This week's show is coming to you unpolished and unedited . . . to prove a point to myself and my inner perfectionist. I realized it had been a while since I did a solo show (one where there’s no guest), just me riffing on a topic that’s on my mind. And why not? Because my perfectionism monster started running the show! I worried that if conditions we...

"I was broken. Everything hurt. How could I know so much but constantly be in pain? I could go fast with the best, but I was a complete amateur at going slow." —Anders Varner, founder of The Lower Back Fix When Anders Varner reached out to me to share his story, I only got halfway through his about page when I knew it was an immediate YES! for a podcast conversation. Many of you know that one of m...

"Was it hard to be a CIA officer with all of the challenges and change that entailed? Yes. Scary? Of course. But if I was going to fulfill my life mission, I had to conquer my instinctual tendency to freeze in place. Fear would get me nowhere. Faith, however, would take me to places I could never have imagined." 📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at ht...

There a few classic books—and business concepts—that I declare must-reads for every solopreneur and side-hustler I work with, and The Referral Engine is one of them. Especially if you're someone who bristles at so much of the online marketing tactics out there like I do, referrals are one of the best ways to get new clients. There is already a foundation of trust established with the incoming clie...

Contrary to what she'd probably tell you herself, Torre DeRoche is one of the bravest people I know. When we first encountered each other online, she had just finished sailing the world for two years with her boyfriend at the time. Just the two of them . . . on the open seas . . . despite her deathly fear of sharks. I've been captivated by her story and her writing, under the moniker Fearful Adven...

As Andy Molinksy writes in Reach, chances are if you've ever been interested in the topic of personal growth as it relates to risk, you've heard tropes like "life begins at the end of your comfort zone" and have encountered this meme-of-all-memes:  📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/68 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...

What does it mean to make enlightenment normal? How do you remove the filters that dim your soul's wisdom? How can you feel into what wants to happen and find greater flow in life and work? What does it mean to be so authentic and transparent that we live as truth with nothing to hide? Penney and I dive into these questions and many more on this week's show as we discuss her new book, Transparency...

So you become known for your ideas: now what? Many entrepreneurs find out the hard way that being a recognized expert is still not enough to guarantee a healthy living. One of my best friendtors in New York City, Dorie Clark, returns to the show for the third time to complete our Pivot Podcast trilogy—a conversation about her brand new book, Entrepreneurial You: Monetize Your Expertise, Create Mul...

My guest today, Michael Port, has written six books, including one that changed my life: Book Yourself Solid, which I read in 2010 just before leaving Google to strategize how to launch my coaching practice. I have since recommended it to every coach I've ever mentored! Fun fact, Michael also guest starred in one of my favorite Sex and the City episode in his early acting days :) 📝 Check out full...

My guest this week is a pivot pro who navigates life and work with heart and soul. Howard Behar is a renowned business leader, author, speaker, and mentor. Part of the leadership triumvirate that built the Starbucks brand, Behar is the ultimate “servant leader” who is known for his work ethic, values based leadership, mentorship, and such memorable lessons as “The Person Who Sweeps the Floor Shoul...

Hi friends, long time no talk! I am super excited to be gearing up the Pivot Podcast again with a special episode on Artist as CEO, featuring my guy, Michel Karsouny. Michel and I met over a year ago walking in opposite directions down a New York City sidewalk — how's that for the magic of serendipity?! 📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivo...

Is it possible to do creative work and make a living? What does it take to thrive, not just survive?  This week I'm thrilled to chat with bestselling author, keynote speaker, and popular blogger Jeff Goins. Listen on as we bust myths behind the starving and solo artist, discuss the return to creative patronage (and how you can become your own best patron), why "exposure gigs" are out and charging...

When it comes to growing and scaling a business, the very superhero skills that facilitate your success may also one day become your biggest weakness. How can it be that you—the entrepreneur—might be the very person holding yourself back in the quest to move from employee-at-everyone-else's-whims to strategic business owner building a scalable operation? 📝 Check out full show notes from this epis...

There's good news about bad moods—contrary to what it may seem in the moment, they can actually facilitate more creative, out-of-the-box thinking than when we're sailing along on autopilot during happier times, according to researcher Susan David. This is just one of the tidbits that leaped off the page for me from her acclaimed #1 Wall Street Journal best selling book, Emotional Agility: Get Unst...

What makes a person captivating? How can some instantly connect with an audience, while others fall flat?  This week I'm thrilled to have one of my kindred spirits on the podcast with me. Vanessa Van Edwards is a professional people watcher, self-described "recovering awkward person," and author of the new book Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People.  📝 Check out full show notes from th...

What's the secret to becoming a recognized expert? Once you are well-known in your field, how do you monetize those ideas (without being sleazy) to build a successful business? 📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/58 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices