Wealthy and Well-Known Podcast

Tyler Dickerhoof spent years responding to difficult moments by putting his head down and pushing harder. As he began to examine that pattern, he saw its effect on the people around him.   Tyler joins Rory Vaden to discuss The Things We Hide and the four ways he says insecurity can appear in leadership: intensity, insensitivity, inactivity, and isolation. They talk about recognizing those response...

What would it take for your business to thrive after you step away?   Rory and AJ Vaden discuss the choices founders make when they want to build something lasting. Beginning with a visit from their sons, they explore who might carry a company forward, how to prepare future leaders, and why the purpose guiding a business has to be understood beyond the founder.   AJ shares how she communicated a n...

A job posting tells candidates what they'll do. Your reputation gives them a sense of who they'll do it with.   Rory and AJ Vaden discuss how leaders can use their personal brands to attract the right people and build a team that stays. AJ shares what strong candidates ask during interviews, why she has become more visible in Nashville while hiring locally, and how she writes recruitment letters t...

Maggie Berghoff built her company around the life she wanted to live. What began as a one-on-one health coaching practice grew into a multi-seven-figure business that now helps health professionals build companies of their own.   In this conversation, Maggie joins Rory Vaden to explain how she created a high-ticket offer before she had a large audience, why she eventually focused the company aroun...

Before a producer books you for television, they may have to convince an entire team that you're the right person for the segment. What can they find that helps them make that case?   Rory Vaden sits down with Jamie Maglietta, an Emmy-nominated producer and media strategist with experience at CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC, to unpack how experts earn media opportunities. They discuss what makes a pitch...

Your personal brand affects more than leads and followers when  you're  the person leading the company.       In this episode, Rory and AJ Vaden talk about how a CEO's reputation influences recruiting, culture, vision, and the way people understand the organization itself.       AJ also shares the four responsibilities she is prioritizing in her own role as CEO of Brand Builders Group and why stor...

If  you're  doing everything yourself because hiring feels too expensive, Rory and AJ Vaden want you to reconsider what "expensive"  actually means .       In this episode, they unpack the  real cost  of holding onto work too long, Rory's 30X Rule for delegation, and how fear and perfectionism keep entrepreneurs from building the capacity they need to grow.       They also discuss underperformance...

If  you're  good at a lot of things, choosing one audience or specialty can feel like  you're  closing doors.       But the broader your business becomes, the harder it can be for someone to understand exactly why they should choose you.       In this episode, Rory and AJ Vaden talk about why niching down makes you easier to find, remember, refer, and buy from. They also unpack why specialists can...

For years, Jim Kwik believed he had a "broken brain."       That story eventually led him  on  a search to understand how the brain learns, remembers, focuses, and changes. Today, he is one of the world's leading experts on accelerated learning.       In this conversation, Jim and Rory talk about the experiences that shaped his mission, the danger of letting our limitations become part of our iden...

Most people think improving sales means learning better closing techniques.       Rory and AJ Vaden believe the foundation comes earlier: building a reputation people trust.     In this episode, they discuss how marketing and sales work together, why relationships accelerate revenue, and why the best sales conversations are built around helping people make the right decision. They also share their...

People want to know who is behind the business.       In this episode, Rory and AJ explain why founder visibility can create a level of familiarity and trust that a logo alone cannot. They talk about the fear of judgment that keeps many accomplished entrepreneurs off camera and why focusing on service can change the way you think about putting yourself out there.     AJ also shares an idea that ch...

A full content calendar can keep you busy without bringing you any closer to a customer.       Rory and AJ Vaden explain the difference between managing the mechanics of content and building a strategy around the person you are uniquely equipped to serve. They also discuss why viral content and converting content require different approaches, how to  identify  the questions your audience needs ans...

What keeps an entrepreneur motivated after the money, recognition, and early goals have already been achieved?     Rory sits down with Dan Sullivan, co-founder of Strategic Coach, to talk about the mindset and decisions that have kept him growing after more than 50 years  in  business.   Dan explains why successful people often feel behind, how measuring backward changes your experience of progres...

Burnout can be difficult to recognize when you are still performing.       You may be getting the work done, hitting goals, and showing up for everyone around you while your body and mind are quietly telling you that something is wrong.       In this episode, Rory and AJ talk about what burnout looked like in their own life and marriage. AJ shares how years of sleeplessness, anxiety, physical pain...

What happens when the business you once loved becomes the thing you are trying to survive?     In this episode,  Rory  and AJ talk about why fun is not just a nice bonus for entrepreneurs. It can be part of the strategy that helps you stay in the game.     They explore the tension between hard work and rest, ambition and contentment,  productivity  and joy. They also talk about why so many founder...

Rory and AJ are using this episode as a personal year-end review, but for listeners, it works just as well as a midyear check-in.       In this conversation, they look back on the last 12 months and share what they learned, what they are leaving behind, and what they are taking forward. The lessons are candid and practical: leadership mistakes, sales process changes, retention challenges, team dev...

If you have ever thought about building a membership, coaching program, or recurring revenue offer, this conversation will help you see the model more clearly.   Rory sits down with Stu McLaren, one of the leading voices in memberships and online communities, to talk about what  actually makes  recurring revenue work. Stu shares why getting members is only one part of the business, and why the rea...

10X Is Easier Than 2X: Dr. Benjamin Hardy on the Science of Scaling

AI can make content creation faster, but it can also make your message easier to ignore if you let it replace your own thinking. In this episode, Rory and AJ talk honestly about where they use AI, where they draw the line, and why those boundaries matter for anyone building a personal brand. They explain how AI can help with research, content organization, titles, hooks, thumbnails, CTAs, and outl...

Building a paid speaking career takes more than wanting a stage. In this episode, Rory and AJ share what it really takes to become a professional speaker. They talk about the reps, practice, strategy, and patience behind a speaking career that lasts, and why speaking for free can be one of the smartest ways to build demand when you are starting out. You'll learn why associations are one of the bes...

A small audience is not a weakness. For the right business model, it can be an advantage. In this episode, Rory and AJ explain how coaches, consultants, and experts can make meaningful money without millions of followers. They break down why smaller audiences often allow for deeper access, more customized service, and higher-ticket offers that do not require mass attention to work. You'll hear the...

A large audience can look impressive and still fail to grow your business. In this episode, Rory and AJ unpack one of the biggest misconceptions in personal branding: assuming more followers or more email subscribers automatically means more revenue. They explain why the real goal is trust, and why every channel should be evaluated by whether it moves the right people closer to becoming clients. T...

Most people think becoming well known means reaching everybody. Rory and AJ make the case for a better goal: becoming known by the right people, in the right niche, for the right reason.   In this episode, they unpack the strategy of micro fame and why smaller, more intentional relationships often create more business value than broad online attention. Rory shares how to think about the key people...

Why Less Qualified People Make More Money Than Experts

Your Logo Can't Shake Hands: Why Founders Must Be the Face of the Brand