Pony Tales Podcast

Jenny and Shelley share how a simple speaking opportunity led to unexpected momentum, from presenting on mindset at a conference to being invited onto a podcast, and ultimately deciding to write a book with a six-month deadline. They talk about figuring things out as they go, emphasizing that you don’t need to have everything planned before taking action, and how opportunities—from publishing conn...

In this episode, the conversation covers Brandan Tobin’s summers selling books, the people he learned from, and the experiences that shaped how he approaches sales and leadership today. Brandan talks about starting out skeptical of the program, thinking it might be a scam, and showing up to Nashville realizing it was very real and very serious. He shares stories from the field, including recruitin...

In this episode, Linda shares her journey from selling books in the 1970s to becoming one of the first women to manage and lead in Southwestern’s history. She talks about her first summer selling in Jackson, Mississippi, the nerves, the first door, the first sale, and the moment she almost quit — but didn’t. That decision shaped everything that came after. Linda recalls becoming a stockbroker afte...

This one has been on our “Mount Rushmore” list from the very beginning. Hans Schlegel finally joins the show, and it’s everything we hoped for. From his roots on a family farm in northwest Ohio to eight summers selling books, Hans brings stories of go-kart racing, marching band, zoology, bird study, saving a man’s life with the Heimlich, and building a family with his wife Laura and their five kid...

In this episode of the Pony Tales Podcast, we sit down with Ben Fisher , a two-summer bookman with the FORCE organization (2011–2012) who now lives in California. Ben attended Concordia University in Nebraska and is the author of the children’s book Scribbaloo and the Color Cruncher , available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle , with more than 175 five-star reviews . He’s also the Ben behind the...

John Carey didn't plan on becoming an expert in grid security and renewable energy infrastructure—he started with a random call to his dorm at NC State, which landed him in door-to-door book sales with Southwestern Advantage. Today, he's CEO of Ovanova, a company creating portable microgrids and secure energy solutions. In this three-hour conversation, John covers how knocking on doors in...

Lester Crafton and John Carey back to Pony Tales for nearly three hours of straight-through conversation. They start with the job that first put them on doorsteps and finish in the middle of a national-grid debate, showing—step by step—how those early summers shaped everything that came after. Lester explains the moment he realised energy was the thread connecting almost every modern problem and w...

Victoria Varberg works in conservation now — specifically raising money to help protect rhinos at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. In this episode, she talks about how she got into that world, what it’s really like working in international fundraising, and how much of what she learned from selling books still applies. She also tells the story of her craziest week on the book field — a stretch that...

Eric Hampton is an AE and RevOps Manager at Lemony.ai, and he’s carved out a career in one of the fastest-moving industries out there: AI startups. In this episode, we talk about what it’s actually like working in tech after the book field — how sales cycles are different, how to position yourself to get hired, and how to figure out which startups are worth jumping into (and which are a dumpster f...

Get info about BIZZLER in Greece here: ⁠cassandra@travodyssey.com Get ready for a marathon episode with Ella Roach! As the daughter of a book-seller, Ella brings a perspective we don’t hear often — what it’s like growing up around Southwestern and then going through the experience yourself. In this conversation, we talk about what it means to stay coachable while also advocating for yourself, lear...

Get info about BIZZLER in Greece here: ⁠cassandra@travodyssey.com In this episode of The Pony Tales Podcast, we chat with Joe, who sold books for three summers in the 1980s and went on to build a remarkable career. Joe is the author of Habits Driven is the Game Changer , where he shares how the habits he developed during his book-selling days paved the way for his success in business. He’s now a c...

In this episode of The Pony Tales Podcast, we sit down with Emma, a true champion of the book-field. Growing up in a family of successful book-sellers, Emma shares what it was like to be surrounded by such a high-achieving alumni family. She opens up about the pressures of living up to their success and how she learned to let go of her ego and the need for recognition. By embracing a mindset of se...

Monette Howell is a 7-summer book girl who sold in the late-70s/early-80s at a time when not many women were on the bookfield. During the COVID shutdown, Monette started her own weekly podcast, Mornings with Monette. She and Andres talk about the origins of her podcast and the learning curve that comes with an audio platform. Monette had a star-studded career on the bookfield and she talks about h...

At the time of this recording, Theo is the Head of Business Enablement for Google in the Asia-Pacific region. In this episode, we discuss his career journey from books to Google, his accomplished public speaking career, and, of course, how he holds the record for experienced dealers and the best day ever—literally. You can connect with Theo regarding his latest career move on LinkedIn. A big thank...

Being curious, a better listener, less judgmental, and letting go are just some of the topics we shared in this hour long Executive Exercises episode.  Let us know what habits you’ve learned since leaving the bookfield that you are proud of! Also, here is the video of the door-to-door pizza guy. Books mentioned:

Adam, a nine-summer bookman, hops on the show for a shorter episode with Andres. Oddly enough, Adam had multiple encounters with Filipino families while on the brookfield, and has some great stories to accompany them. Since his time selling books, Adam has worked with Southwestern Consulting and launched the student consulting branch of the group for middle and high school students.  UPCOMING: Ada...

This might be the best Executive Exercises episode ever. (Say that four times fast. It had disagreements, laughs, and feet.

Phil hops on as our second Varberg to grace the show (Peter is #215).  From growing up in the Philippines, Phil heard all about selling books from his dad, and knew this was the path for him. He and Andres talk about the twists and turns of life after the bookfield and his journey with Inspire Benefits, before digging into some wild stories of the days slingin’ books. Phil sold for 7 summer and ha...

In this episode Pat, Alecia, Lee and Andres discuss when it is time to quit. How do you know if the career path you are on is not working out? Have you been at your role too long? Are you getting paid enough? Do your values align? These are the questions we address and more. Enjoy!

Ian Brown hops on the show from Tampa, Florida after selling for 7 summers. Ian hit some great numbers in his time on the bookfield, and shares with Andres how his time as a track athlete set him up for success and a “fast” start. From Honky Tonk Badonkadonk, to Jesus PR, to Retail Leasing, these two have a great time catching up - all the way to Pound Town! Key Moments and Chapters: 00:00:00 - St...

PART 2 OF: Elliott Alexander (IG: @Ezander15) sold with the FORCE organization for three summers. Now with Family Heritage, Elliott shares some insight into what makes this endeavor unique from the bookfield experience. He wasn’t always the most “on schedule” bookman, and he and Andres share some fantastic stories of those off schedule shenanigans, complete with finding all of his HQ out on the la...

Elliott Alexander (IG: @Ezander15) sold with the FORCE organization for three summers. Now with Family Heritage, Elliott shares some insight into what makes this endeavor unique from the bookfield experience. He wasn’t always the most “on schedule” bookman, and he and Andres share some fantastic stories of those off schedule shenanigans, complete with finding all of his HQ out on the lawn! Enjoy!...

YOU'RE FIRED! The panel discusses the different circumstances that lead to letting someone go. Are they impacting your culture? Not meeting standards? Overpaid? Check out the philosophies that come up based on the different contexts involving the dismissal of a person from your company.

The title says it all. This time we sit down and chat about the most valuable lessons we have carried with us since our time selling books. This is one you want to have a pen and paper for. For more information about our panel: https://www.maverickandcompany.com/ https://southwesternconsulting.com/coaches/will-metscher

Keith sold books with FORCE for five summers. Now with Southwestern Consulting, Keith shares with Andres some powerful lessons learned from his clients and the defining difference between Competing and Collaborating. Keith grew up with Matt Atchison and has some great stories to share on how that influenced his decision to sell with Southwestern, what sales school with the Europeans was like, and...