On the Brink with Andi Simon

Listen now as Roger Nierenberg explains how The Music Paradigm helps you see your organization with fresh eyes !    We are delighted to have with us today Roger Nierenberg, an exceptional conductor and innovator who has taken his musical passion and skills and become a "go-to" inspiration for businesses. Through the metaphor of music, Maestro Nierenberg helps organizations "see, feel and think" ab...

Listen now as Rob Westervelt explains how he dramatically changed one university's vision, finances and culture !     Rob Westervelt is a visionary leader, an accomplished strategist and a leading innovator whose mission is to create  brighter futures, faster . Robert A. Sevier calls him "One of the most forward-thinking leaders in higher education today." When we were introduced to Rob, we were s...

Listen now as Maureen Berkner Boyt explains the many ways diversity and inclusion make companies richer !     Many years ago, the founder of  The Moxie Exchange , Maureen (Mo) Berkner Boyt, walked out of yet another leadership meeting where she was the only woman present and thought, "Something has got to change." So she changed it. Since then, her company Moxie has grown into a thriving community...

Listen now as Elaine Sutton shares how she helps young people manage their lives like a project !     Elaine Sutton and I met at the  HER Summit  (Helping Entrepreneurs Rise), the inaugural event of  The Simon Initiative , held at the  Skandalaris Center  at Washington University in St. Louis. What I love about Elaine is her entrepreneurial spirit. (You know we love  entrepreneurs !) Using her exp...

Listen now as Patrick Horine explains how he brought much-needed change and innovation to hospital accreditation !     At  SAMC  we have spent a considerable amount of time working in healthcare organizations and with healthcare clients. When I spoke recently at the 2018 Society for Healthcare Strategy and Marketing Development (SHSMD) conference, I was approached by a woman who wanted to tell me...

Listen now as Ram Iyer explains how business success requires "business thinking" !     Ram Iyer is the Founder and CEO of the  Business Thinking Institute  which focuses on helping people of all stripes become more successful in business: owners, entrepreneurs, executives, freelancers, employees and techies like himself.  In this podcast, we dig into how people see what they want to see and not w...

Listen now as Andy Gole explains how to give your sales team a winning competitive edge !     Are your salespeople seeing the results you are expecting from them?  Did you provide excellent training, but no results?   Are they having intelligent conversations with their clients or potential clients...or not?  Perhaps they need a dose of Andy Gole and his Urgency Based Selling® (UBS). That's what A...

Listen now as Irina Baranov teaches us how to change our lives for the better !     What if you could create your "Life by Design" (not by default). In this podcast, I have the pleasure of speaking with Irina Baranov about just that idea. In fact, how to actually do it!  You might be asking, "Really? Can I pause, step back and think about what I want my life to be, not just wander along, letting t...

Listen now as Christophe Morin explains how to target the decision-making part of your customer's brain !     I am reading Christophe Morin's new book,  " The Persuasion Code ,"  and you should as well. In it, Christophe and his partner, Patrick Renvoisé, share their research on why we buy and how you can influence others to do the same.  Their company,  SalesBrain ,  is the first neuromarketing a...

  Listen now as Lynette Guastaferro explains how she took on failing urban education and turned it around !     How can you truly transform an organization and what it is supposed to be achieving?  That's what I asked Lynette Guastaferro, Executive Director of  Teaching Matters , in our recent podcast. Teaching Matters works with urban schools and their teachers to dramatically transform the educa...

Listen now as Diane Darling teaches us how to communicate clearly and connect easily !   Diane Darling is just darling. What a wonderful podcast conversation we had. Diane is a pioneer in social networking, and as she tells her story, you'll realize how ironic life can be. To overcome her fear of public speaking, she took acting and stand-up comedy classes. That out-of-the-box mindset and courage...

Listen now as Alex Vorobieff explains how to get unstuck and move your organization forward !   Ever wonder why companies tend to become more frustrating over time for everyone? Are you overwhelmed by all the concepts and books out there to improve your company? Want to know which ones will actually work and generate a return on your time and money? You're not alone. In this wonderful podcast with...

Listen now as Sam Radocchia talks about the great things blockchain is capable of !   Sam (Samantha) Radocchia and I are both big fans of the new technologies that are emerging, particularly blockchain, the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence. In our podcast, we dig deeply into how these influential innovations are taking hold far more quickly than observers had anticipated.  Why? Becau...

Listen now as Steve Smith talks about how leaders must adapt to changing times !   Have you noticed? Leadership is changing—a lot—which is causing emerging leaders to wonder what skills they'll need to be effective in today's culturally diverse, technologically supercharged workplace. If you're wondering too, you'll love today's podcast with Steve Smith, President and Founder of  GrowthSource Coac...

Listen now as Oscar Barrera teaches us to "see reality" as anthropologists do ! Oscar Barerra has a great story to share and a lot of lessons for all of us to learn.   As with many of us, Oscar was not really sure what type of career he wanted to pursue. He did know that he had a knack for seeing things with fresh eyes and turning his ideas into insights for business executives. From rural Mexican...

Listen now as Cynthia Forstmann enlightens us about the fascinating role archetypes play in business ! Did you know that all people typically fall into one of twelve major archetypes? And that you might have a dominant archetype and a subdominant one and even a shadow archetype?   Why does that matter? Listen to my interview with Cynthia Forstmann, co-founder and president of  CultureTalk .   What...

Listen now as Deepa Prahalad shows us how to solve complex problems innovatively ! We had the pleasure of meeting Deepa Prahalad through a chance meeting in Healdsburg, CA. Were we lucky! Not only is  Deepa an internationally acclaimed consultant, innovation leader and design strategist, she co-authored the book " Predictable Magic: Unleash the Power of Design Strategy to Transform your Business ,...

Listen now as Kay Sargent talks about how workspace design greatly impacts profitability ! Work is what people do—not a place they go. And yet, as you will hear in my podcast with Kay Sargent, the place where people go to do their work has an enormous impact on the quality and quantity of the work they produce there. A recognized expert on workplace design, Kay works with businesses to design and...

Listen now as Warren Whitlock teaches us how to capitalize on social marketing ! My book publicist Sarah Wilson suggested that I interview Warren Whitlock for an On The Brink podcast. I did, and it was a delight.   Warren is a digital business development strategist and a mobile marketing maven. But he is also very interested in blockchain and the limitless opportunities this new technology offers...

Listen now as Dan Miller teaches us to live longer and healthier ! Dan Miller did his podcast with me from his truck on the side of the road. That is Dan, an amazing man who has committed his life to helping people live longer, healthier, more meaningful lives.  Much like the work done by Blue Zone's author  Dan Buettner , Dan Miller is searching for what and how people can extend their lives—and...

Listen now as Rick Harris talks about being faithful to what people want ! I bet you want to know what " Customer Faithful " is all about! That's what Rick Harris and I talk about in this podcast. Rick  is from the UK and has spent much of his career studying consumer behavior. His passion, and the goal of his company, is to find out what really matters to people—the actual consumers or patients w...

Listen now as Bob Burg teaches us how to talk to each other to get the results we want ! Today's podcast brings you Bob Burg, internationally renowned author and speaker whose specialty is teaching us how to rebuild relationships so we can actually begin to like each other again. Isn't there a better way to get along? What I loved about our interview was our discussion about Bob's new book,  The G...

Listen now as Gail Zugerman talks about growing older with gusto ! Like several of our podcasts, my interview with Gail Zugerman is with a woman who has reinvented herself several times as she has pursued her passions and her purpose. In our conversation, Gail and I talk about three things of great importance to us and to many of our listeners:  How can baby boomers rewire themselves to feel relev...

Listen now as Cal Halvorsen talks about getting the most out of every year of your life ! Our podcast today is all about how to live successfully well into your elder years—whether you plan on living to be 100+ or just want to see life differently, whatever your age. My guest today is Cal Halvorsen, who returned to school for his PhD in social work, graduating from the Brown School at Washington U...

Listen now as Matt Miller talks about his "a-ha" moment ! In this podcast, I have the pleasure of sharing with you Matt Miller: entrepreneur, imaginative problem solver, creative innovator. You'll be amazed at what he "saw" and how he converted his observations into terrific innovations—and you know how much we like to share these kinds of stories. After nine years in the Air Force as a pilot, Mik...