Category: Peer Groups

Faith, Miracles, and Divine Intervention with Andrew Windham, Dr. Angelo Brown, and Spencer Shaw

A little-known secret about me is that, for the past three years, I’ve been part of a men’s faith-based mastermind for entrepreneurs. We’ve been meeting every two weeks on Zoom. The premise is to read a particular book and come together to discuss it, a chapter each meeting. The books have included You Were Born for This and The Alchemist. There’s no charge for this mastermind, but it is invite-only. For me, it’s been nothing short of life-changing.

The mastermind was put together by one of our three guests today, Andrew Windham, founder of College Planning Institute. How I got invited was truly miraculous – divinely orchestrated, without a doubt, as you will soon hear. Other founding members included Dr. Angelo Brown, university professor and President of Shepherding Leaders, and Spencer Shaw, founder of the podcast production company, Podkick.

This is quite unusual for me to interview three guests simultaneously. I don’t think I’ve actually done this before. But these three guys have such different perspectives and personalities and each have contributed so much to me in terms of my transformation that I had to have all three of them on, together. And I think you’ll find the dynamic between all of us to be refreshing.

In this episode, we explore the intersections of faith, leadership, and the miraculous in everyday life. We each share examples of miracles and divine guidance in our respective lives, as well as our own unique perspectives on building a faith-driven business and community.

We discuss some of the myriad ways our connection to God has helped us navigate challenges and make sense of them. We share how to deliver God’s miracles to both strangers and loved ones alike. And when I say miracles, I’m talking about legit miracles that defy the odds. I have a feeling; during the course of this episode, you’re going to grow to love Andrew, Angelo and Spencer. And, of course, you’ll get plenty of wisdom nuggets along the way! So, without any further ado, on with the show!

Double Down on Your Strengths with Irené Turtle

There’s a pervasive obsession in society with bolstering one’s weaknesses rather than focusing on one’s strengths. But if you adopt that mentality, how long do you think you can go on without feeling like a failure?

My wise guest on today’s show believes you should take a deep dive into understanding what makes you tick so you can lean into your strengths and live a life of fulfillment. Irené Turtle has built an active and successful career as an in-demand coach, facilitator, and public speaker. She has consulted with companies ranging from tech startups to large, well-established brands in entertainment, biotech, financial services, and healthcare.

In today’s episode, we start out by talking about how Irené came across Strengthsfinder and–like me–became an assessment junkie! She shares how deepening her own self-awareness and taking it to a new level opened up a path to helping other people. Irené and I discuss practical ideas to maximize productivity, focus on your strengths, and deepen your connection with others. We also talk about the delicate tightrope walk of balancing rationality and intuition. If you want to excel in your role while creating beautiful moments of growth and awareness, this episode is for you. So now, without further ado, on with the show!

The Art of Human Connection with Brian Miller

Today’s guest believes everyone deserves to feel heard, understood and valued. He loves having awesome conversations that build connections – a connection that is meaningful and forms understanding to both parties.

Brian Miller is a magician turned author and speaker on human connection. He helps thought leaders get “TED-Ready” in his high-level speaking program Conquer the Red Dot. His TEDx talk, “How to Magically Connect with Anyone,” has been viewed 3.5 million times, making him the go-to expert in this field overnight.

In this episode, Brian talks about his YouTube and podcast strategies that make his audience part of his tribe, his advice on how to have a TED-style talk worth spreading, and how to have a successful podcast or Youtube channel. He shares the bibliomancy moment that recently happened to him that connected him to his purpose. He also explains why there’s magic in having conversations with strangers and people you’re not close with and how these create connections and a deep understanding of the uniqueness of each human being.

And now, on with the show!

Your Hidden Network with David Burkus

Is it possible that the conventional wisdom about networking is wrong? There’s a lot of advice out there on the best ways to network, but how much of it really was based on scientific research? According to my guest for this episode number 203, David Burkus, investing time and energy into networking events and flashy business cards likely won’t bring you the results you’re looking for. Instead, he argues that the most valuable relationships are the ones you already have with the people you already know.

David’s book, Friend of a Friend, digs into cutting-edge science on human behavior to reveal some profound and counterintuitive insights into the most effective networking strategies. It’s a great read, and it might just revolutionize the way you go about networking. David is a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review, has delivered keynotes to leaders of Fortune 500 companies, and his TED talk has been viewed almost two million times. He’s also a guest on my Marketing Speak podcast episode number 135.

If you’re not a subscriber to Marketing Speak, by the way, you, my friend, are missing out. Please subscribe—and to this show, too, if you haven’t already. If you have frustrations with networking in the past, stick around as David introduces a whole new approach that I predict will have massive benefits for your career or business.

The 200th Episode! Life Hacks, Reflections, and Highlights with Orion Talmay

I’ve been podcasting for four years and it feels like just yesterday that the first episode was published. As we wrap up Get Yourself Optimized’s 200th episode, I can’t help but look back and reflect on the last 100 guests who have graciously agreed to be on the show. It was such an honor interviewing some of the best experts, influencers, and trailblazers in the world of biohacking, business, and self-development. So many lessons learned and tips and tricks gained to live a highly optimized life. This special episode is hosted by my lovely wife, Orion Talmay, who happens to have her own wonderful podcast called The Stellar Life Podcast. Tune in as she and I discuss some of the best advice my guests have shared. And to my listeners, thank you for tuning in all these years. Cheers to 200 more amazing episodes!

Identify Your Genius And Leverage It with Mike Zeller

In this episode number 161, you’re going to learn how to identify your genius and leverage it. You’ll also learn how to find or even create a peer group of high performers as well as take your relationships to a whole new level. Our guest is Mike Zeller. He’s a social entrepreneur who started eight different businesses in five different industries producing over $100 million in sales. He’s been featured in the Huffington Post, Business Insider and Entrepreneur. In addition to having his own marketing agency, he mentors and educates other budding entrepreneurs. Tune in for lessons on identifying your strengths and weaknesses, building professional relationships and improving your personal network.

The Secret to Success Is Likeability Rather Than High Status with Mitch Prinstein

If you think that high status is the key to professional success, a longer life, better health, and better personal and professional relationships, think again. It’s not actually high status that’s the key, but rather likability. Unlike high-status people, likable people aren’t aggressive. Instead, they’re focused on making everyone feel heard, important, included, and valued. One way to do this is to pay attention to the amount of time you spend focused on others rather than yourself.

Mitch Prinstein joins me in this episode to explore why it’s so important to be likable instead of high status. Mitch is a board-certified in clinical child and adolescent psychology. Mitch serves as the John Van Seters Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and the Director of Clinical Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The Art of Social Engineering with Jordan Harbinger

The key to ethically influencing people is to leave everything (and everyone) better than you found it. Make sure that you aren’t rationalizing the things that you want if they aren’t actually good for the other people involved. Today’s guest is an expert on influencing people. In fact, his ability to talk his way into (and out of) just about any situation saved his life after he traveled through war zones and was kidnapped twice. Jordan is fascinated by influence and he has interviewed world-famous people at the top of their fields to discover their untapped wisdom.