Rethinking Communication

Jessica Holmes is a c omedian, author, public speaker, and mental health advocate. She has opened for comedians like Jerry Seinfeld and Ellen DeGeneres and has performed at Second City.   As an author, Jessica wrote the book, Depression the Comedy, where she relays h er own experience with depression, how she's gotten better at managing the demands for her time and attention, and c omedy's place i...

Denise Jacobs is a keynote speaker, an instructor at Stanford University, and the author of the book Banish Your Inner Critic .   In this conversation, Denise details where our inner critic comes from and the damage our faulty inner narrator does to our emotions and psyche. Denise explains how an inner critic can lead to self-sabotage, and how we can become more aware of the power of our words to...

After President Joe Biden was inaugurated in January 2021, Ashley Vanderbilt didn't know what to believe. She had anticipated things going so much differently based on what she had been reading online, and she was scared.   Weeks later, Ashley now realizes the conspiracy of QAnon had grabbed hold of her and preyed on her deepest fears. And now that she's removed herself from those beliefs, she's f...

When you think of what it means to be manipulated, how does it make you feel? Usually pretty icky, right?   My guest this week, Christopher Hadnagy, describes the difference between manipulation and social engineering, and the key to whether or not it is a positive or negative thing lies in how the technique is used.   We also discuss empathy, and why it's not always the value-positive tactic we i...

Do we truly understand emotional intelligence, or has it become a hollow buzzword?   That's the question I ask this week's guest, Stan Pearson. Stan is a keynote speaker, diversity coach, comedian, among many other titles and roles, and he has a heart for helping people explore their emotions, their desires, and their raw and messy feelings.   This is one of the most thought-provoking conversation...

Jen Poyant has built a storytelling career from behind the scenes.   She's worked in Public Radio, on popular podcasts like Note to Self and 2 Dope Queens, and now is the Executive Product for 10 Percent Happier's podcasts. She also previously founded her own production company, Stable Genius Productions.   Her perspective on storytelling, crafting a vision for what you want to say and how you wan...

This week I welcome to the show one of the most recognizable figures in news reporting today, ABC News Chief National Correspondent Matt Gutman.   Matt has been on the ground to report on some of the biggest events of our time in more than 40 countries, oftentimes in dangerous or scary situations.   He does it all with one goal in mind: to talk to people to tell their stories and experiences so th...

Alex Perry is a Speech Language Pathologist who for many years worked to help people who could not speak or had trouble speaking literally find their voices.   Now, as the founder of her company, Practically Speaking ( https://pswithalex.com ), Alex takes her experiences in speech pathology to help others speak and share their stories with confidence.   In our conversation, Alex and I discuss how...

In this solo episode, I bring you my thoughts on the value and importance of waiting, and how pausing before we speak makes us more mature and more human.

My guest this week, Drew Davis, helps me answer the questions: Do we have a curiosity problem as a society, and do we overcomplicate communication?   Drew is a bestselling author and keynote speaker. He's built and sold a digital marketing agency, produced for NBC and worked for The Muppets, and is a transformational figure when it comes to communication, marketing, and making a message resonate....

Not long ago, Daniel Thompson was an editor at The Kenosha Times, and i n the days following the shooting of Jacob Blake by a Kenosha police officer, Daniel was there to witness the unrest in Kenosha, which most of us saw in short clips on the news and social media.   After a peaceful rally organized by the Blake family to call for justice, The Kenosha Times ran a story online covering the rally w...

Neil Matthews is the host of the Other People's Shoes podcast, a show he created to open up a dialogue and have more conversations about what it means to practice empathy and see a situation from some else's perspective. And when combined with Neil's love of shoes, it makes total sense!   For Neil, the heart of so much of what ails our society these days comes down to his belief that we've put mor...

Today's guest is Chelsea Ursin, the host of the Dear Young Rocker podcast.   Dear Young Rocker is Chelsea's audio memoir of what it was like to grow up with social anxiety as a teenager just looking to fit in and be cool. In DYR, She details her life experiences from middle school through college, and how finding the bass guitar and music helped her find the artist within herself.   Chelsea and I...

This week's guest, Greg Hill, is the host of the Minority Trailblazer podcast, where he interviews successful minorities in a variety of fields to educate, empower, and inspire current and future generations of leaders.   He's also an author, an entrepreneur, a speaker, and a community organizer.   In our conversation, Greg dives into why real change happens at the community level with the people...

Dr. Liane Davey is known as the "teamwork doctor." She's a s easoned public speaker and the author of a couple of books, including "The Good Fight: Use Productive Conflict to Get Your Team and Organization Back on Track."   I came across her when I found this quote of hers on LinkedIn: "The next time you're tempted to dispute someone's facts, save your breath. Instead, get beneath the facts by ask...

This week's guest, Robin Dreeke, is the former head of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Program.   In his past role with the FBI, Robin strategized engagements and exchanges of resources with people who could offer the United States government valuable information — in short, he recruited spies.   Robin and I of course dive right into the subject of what goes into recruiting an agent from a foreign g...

This week is a solo episode in which I give my perspective and thoughts on where we go from here as a country and as a people?   Listen to the end, where I've got four questions, plus a special fifth bonus question, to ask yourself this week. 

As the United States enters quite possibly its most tumultuous presidential election ever, I welcome hacker-for-good and election interference expert Harri Hursti to the show this week for a quick-hitting download on what to expect in the coming days and weeks.   Among many other topics surrounding this year's election, I point-blank ask Harri: Is there any reason to believe the results of the ele...

I welcome one of my favorite authors, John Eldredge, to the show this week to discuss a Christian's place in the world today.   John, who is also a therapist, has written some of the most influential books on Christian life, manhood, and Jesus, and much of our conversation centers on how to respond to the challenges and sense of hopelessness that so many are feeling these days.   Check out John's...

At the time of recording this interview, Jakk Gerard had worked out more than 1,100 days in a row. Even through COVID-19 shutdowns and quarantines, Jakk kept his remarkable workout streak intact.   But for as remarkable as his exercise regimen has become, it is the story of perseverance and overcoming difficult life circumstances — from the death of his father to nearly taking his own life — that...

Summarizing the scope of who Jonathan Ronzio is and what he has experienced is no small feat.   He's the Chief Marketing Officer and Co-Founder of a startup called Trainual, he's the host of the Stokecast, he's a filmmaker, a musician and songwriter, and an adventurer.   He's lived a life marked by instances where he bucked conventional wisdom and thinking and instead set out to tell a different n...

My guest this week is entrepreneur Michael Chernow, who came up through the restaurant industry in New York City and now has his sights set on the fitness and wellness space.   Michael and I discuss his career, his daily habits, his podcast "Born or Made," and why he is insanely optimistic.   Connect with Michael at https://instagram.com/michaelchernow .

Wendy Behary, author of the book Disarming the Narcissist: Surviving and Thriving with the Self-Absorbed, joins the show this week to dive into her practice and research in how to deal with the people around us whose inflated view of their place in the world leaves a wake of destruction and chaos.   Wendy Behary is the founder and Director of The Cognitive Therapy Center of New Jersey and The Sche...

Have you ever considered what the words you write on a piece of paper tell others about your story, your life, your thoughts and feelings?   My guest today specializes in exactly that. Teresa Abram is a graphologist studying a person's handwriting to assess their character, attitude, and experiences.   Each person's handwriting style is as unique and distinct as their fingerprint, and its fascinat...

Rebecca Fleetwood Hession is the CEO and Founder of We Thrive ( https://wethrive.live/ ) and the host of the Badass Womens Council podcast. She's a business consultant helping women entrepreneurs and leaders grow and thrive in their roles, and she does it all with a message of being true to your authentic self and understanding that community, realness, and curiosity are the keys to success. Rebec...