The Productivityist Podcast: Ideas And Tools For Personal Productivity | Time Management | Goals | Habits | Working Better

It's always exciting having another productivity coach on the show with me and this episode definitely starts off on the right foot! This was a fun and engaging conversation that I've been eager to release!Neill Williams is a mom, wife, and former overworked cog in the corporate wheel. Until she decided to take control of the life she wanted and unbusy it! She is now a Master Life and Scheduling Coach who is helping overwhelmed entrepreneurs do the same with her online courses and podcast Unbusy your Life with Neill WilliamsBeing busy and in constant "not enough time in the day" mode can stem from a busy mindset. Neill dives into what she calls Mind Hygiene - brain dumping your thoughts and cleaning that out so that your brain can work the way it was designed to. Her goal is to help people understand time but also their mind - how they feel and how they show up in their time.We discuss a variety of topics such as redefining the word productive and removing the stigma that comes with it. Bringing it back to wh

Reimagine yourself, Own who you are, Act on what's next for you, Reassess your relationships. This is a mantra that Michael Clinton lives by. And this conversation with him is one that I've been really excited to release.Michael is a best-selling author and former magazine publisher and president for Hearst magazine. He is a writer-at-large for Esquire as well as a regular columnist for Men's Health. When he is not writing, he is an expert and keynote speaker on life longevity. Michael began really living out his ambitions later in life and is passionate about making this the new norm. He is an avid photographer, world traveler, pilot, and marathon runner and is nowhere close to slowing down.In this episode, we dive into his latest book ROAR: Into the Second Half of Your Life (Before It's Too Late). While his book holds 40 life-changing stories, we only touch on a couple of these role models who reimagined their life and started a whole new chapter. We have an intriguing discussion on the importance of knowin

It’s been nearly 6 years since I first had the pleasure of speaking with Loretta Breuning. This episode has been months in the making and I’m happy to have her back to chat about her book Status Games: Why We Play and How to Stop.Loretta is a Professor Emerita of Management at California State University and the author of many personal development books including Habits of a Happy Brain: Retrain Your Brain to Boost Your Serotonin, Dopamine, Oxytocin, and Endorphin Levels and the aforementioned Status Games: Why We Play and How to Stop. She's the founder of the Inner Mammal Institute and has helped thousands of people make peace with their inner mammal.During our conversation, Loretta and I talked about the role happy brain chemicals play in your status and the biology behind it. We discussed the importance of stimulating your serotonin to achieve your highest productivity levels in life and in the workplace and about wiring in new choices towards your best step confidently and navigating a healthy serotonin m

This is a conversation I've been wanting to have for years.Marshall Goldsmith is someone I've been following ever since I got into the productivity space. His book "Triggers: Creating Behavior That Lasts - Becoming the Person You Want to Be" was especially formative for me and my work. So when I was asked if I'd like to speak with Marshall about his book "The Earned Life: Lose Regret, Choose Fulfillment" I jumped at the opportunity.He is the only two-time winner of the Thinkers 50 Award for #1 Leadership Thinker in the World. He has been ranked as the #1 Executive Coach in the World, a Top Ten Business Thinker for the past eight years, and the inaugural winner of the Lifetime Award for Leadership by the Harvard Institute of Coaching. Dr. Goldsmith is the author or editor of 43 books, including many New York Times bestsellers (one that hit at #1), that have sold over 2.5 million copies, translated into 32 languages, and been listed bestsellers in 12 countries.(Oh... and his books, "What Got You Here Won’t Get

When I was given the opportunity to speak with Daniel Coyle for A Productive Conversation, I jumped at the opportunity.He is the New York Times bestselling author of The Culture Code, The Talent Code, The Little Book of Talent, The Secret Race, Lance Armstrong’s War, and Hardball: A Season in the Projects. Coyle, who works as an advisor to the Cleveland Guardians, lives in Cleveland, Ohio, during the school year and in Homer, Alaska, during the summer with his wife, Jen, and their four children.During our conversation we talk about where culture comes from, the idea of "belonging cues", the best way for someone to go through The Culture Playbook, and the magic behind the sustainable success of my favourite NBA team.There are certain fundamentals that go into building a strong and cohesive culture. You'll find those within Daniel's work, including The Culture Playbook. And you'll also find some discussed during this conversation I had with him.Links Worth Exploring Connect with Daniel: Website | Twitter | Face

I've always wanted to interview a football player for the podcast.Thanks to Adrienne Smith, I got my chance.As an athlete, Adrienne has won two gold medals and four national championships in the sport of women’s tackle football. Adrienne has also represented the U.S. in the sport of flag football, having won three silver medals in international competition. Whether on the field or off, Adrienne’s personal mission is to “empire” (empower+inspire) others – a concept she strives to incorporate into all of her endeavors.As an entrepreneur, Adrienne, an MBA graduate of Columbia Business School, is the co-founder of Harlem Hip-Hop Tours (a company dedicated to edutainment field trips for schools and youth groups), the founder of Gridiron Queendom (an enterprise dedicated to women and girls around the world who play or are fans of American football), and the creator of Blitz Champz (a super fun, football card game that reinforces math skills for children in grades 3-8).When it comes to media, Adrienne is a multi-hyp

Joshua Becker isn't just one of my favourite people to have a conversation with, he's one of my favourite writers. And his book, Things That Matter: Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life, is a book that I needed to read.I believe it's a book that you need to read as well.Joshua is The Wall Street Journal best-selling author of The More of Less and The Minimalist Home. He's also behind the site Becoming Minimalist and, as mentioned, is one of my favourite people to hang out with.We talked about why writing this book was a big deal for Joshua, falling into the trap of chasing the wrong things, and – wait for it – atychiphobia.Whenever I speak with Joshua, ideas really come to front of mind. You'll hear this coming from me throughout this conversation. Maybe it's that those things matter to me... or maybe I'm auditioning them for that role. Either way, I'm happy that we had a chance to make this conversation happen because it mattered a lot to me to make it happen.I trust after listening to thi

Meetings suck, don't they?Fellow Canadian Cameron Herold wrote a book with that title. But he knows that they don't have to suck.During our discussion, Cameron shares with me why meetings don't have to suck and how to keep them becoming something that sucks. We also talked about a variety of other things during our conversation because Cameron has covered a lot through his body of work.He is the Founder of COO Alliance, a Coach to CEOs and COOs, Keynote Speaker, and author of 5 books. He has coached hundreds of companies in 28 countries, built two 100MM companies, and his Vivid Vision tool is being used globally by thousands of companies.There's a lot to unpack from our conversation – including the concepts of priority management and situational leadership. I trust you'll enjoy this episode and learn a lot from Cameron. I know I did.Show Notes Connect with Cameron: Website | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn Cameron's Books: Visit his Amazon Author Page Cameron's podcast: The Second in Command Podcast Camero

The way the world works has been changed forever over the past few years. There's no going back to the way things were. It's all about adapting to the evolved world of work – one that involves remote work no matter which way you slice it.That's why I'm glad to finally have Liam Martin join me on the podcast.Liam is an avid proponent of remote work and has been published in Forbes, Inc, Mashable, TechCrunch, Fast Company, Wired, and The Wall Street Journal (among many other publications) specifically targeting the expansion of remote work. Liam's products and services are defined by the concept of giving workers the flexibility to work wherever they want, whenever they want.That's why I believe he's one of the best people in the world to talk about the future of work and the role remote work will play in it.We talk about many facets of remote work throughout our conversation, including his book on remote work. This is a conversation that is definitely another productive one. I hope you learn a lot from what we

I've been friends with Chris Bailey for years, dating back to our lunch at a diner in Ottawa when I was in his neck of the woods for a speaking engagement. We've had plenty of chats over the years and they've only become more frequent as the years have progressed. (After all, there aren't many Canadians who have dedicated their life's work to the realm of productivity and time management.)Chris is the international bestselling author of The Productivity Project and Hyperfocus: How to Be More Productive in a World of Distraction. Chris writes about productivity at alifeofproductivity.com, and speaks to organizations around the globe on how they can become more productive without hating the process.During this conversation we talk about focus and its effects on productivity, the different types of focus that he has written about, how to get around distraction, and much more.Over time, our stance on productivity and time management has evolved as well. And while I look forward to having Chris on the podcast agai

I've been interested in the Enneagram for a few years now, mainly because of my fascination with frameworks. And while I've had conversations with a lot of people who know about the Enneagram I had long wanted to talk to someone who knew a lot about it.That's why I'm delighted to have had this conversation with Ian Morgan Cron.Ian is a bestselling author, psychotherapist, Enneagram teacher, Episcopal priest, and the host of the wildly popular podcast, "Typology," which has over 17 million downloads. His books include the Enneagram primer The Road Back to You and The Story of You: An Enneagram Journey to Becoming Your True Self.We talked about how the Enneagram views the concept of passion, how to break free of your "broken" story, and much more in such a short timeframe. Ian also helps me figure out my own Enneagram number – a number that I figured I was but through our conversation was confirmed.Now that I know how to fix my own broken story, I can avoid getting in my own way when it comes to giving attentio

"I should have picked up Steal Like an Artist a long time ago."That was the thought that ran through my mind as I read the 10th anniversary edition of this work by Austin Kleon from cover to cover to prepare for this very special bonus episode of A Productive Conversation.Austin Kleon is the New York Times bestselling author of Steal Like an Artist, Show Your Work!, The Steal Like an Artist Journal: A Notebook for Creative Kleptomaniacs, and Keep Going. His work has been translated into over twenty languages and featured on NPR’s Morning Edition, PBS NewsHour, and in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. New York magazine called his work “brilliant,” the Atlantic called him “positively one of the most interesting people on the Internet,” and the New Yorker said his poems “resurrect the newspaper when everybody else is declaring it dead.” He speaks about creativity in the digital age for organizations such as Pixar, Google, SXSW, TEDx, and the Economist.I only had a short time to speak with Austin th

Joe Chura is an entrepreneur, inventor, and investor philanthropist. He founded and bootstrapped two companies, Launch Digital Marketing and Dealer Inspire, that both became two of the fastest growing companies in America, earning the #39 spot on the Inc. 500 and #5 ranking on Crain’s Chicago Fast 50. In 2018, Joe sold both businesses to Cars.com in Chicago’s largest acquisition of the year, and he continues to lead their growth and innovation today as CEO. Joe’s passion is using his leadership and health and fitness experiences to help others achieve their goals, which led him to start his podcast, Not Almost There, in January of 2021.I find out during our conversation what Almost Not There means and how he got started with it. Then we discuss Joe's unique meditation ritual, what you can learn from people (good and not-so good), the importance of small moments, and a whole lot more.Show Notes Connect with Joe: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram Joe's Podcast: Subscribe Here Listen to me on Joe's Podc

Sometimes I get so caught up in the conversation that I make a mistake.... But considering the guests I have this time around I couldn't have picked a better time for that to happen.You see, I mispronounced one guest's last name in the intro.That said, these two guests – Mohammad Anwar and Chris Pitre – had a hand in writing the book "Love as a Business Strategy: Resilience, Belonging, and Success" so I'm sure Chris will show me the side of love that exudes compassion and forgiveness.Mohammad started Softway at the age of 20 where he still serves as the President and CEO. Chris is the Vice President of Softway and he has a B.A. in Business Administration from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.We talk about why they wrote the book, how they were able to write the book with two additional authors, what businesses need to read this book, and how love can be measured in business to help quantify it more... if that's even possible.Show Notes Connect with Mohammed: LinkedIn Connect with Chris: Li

When Brittany Wagner reached out to be on the program, I honestly didn't know that she was on a dock-series that I'd added to my Netflix queue called "Last Chance U."I started to go through some of the episodes and found Brittany to be, indeed, the breakout star of the show.We spoke about the honest and vulnerability she put into her book, "Next Chance You: Tools, Tips, and Tough Love for Bringing Your A-Game to Life" along with elements that she and those she mentors face time and time again – things like the importance of choice and dealing with overwhelm.I didn't know quite what to expect going into this conversation. But once I was in it, I really enjoyed it. I trust you will, too.Show Notes Connect with Brittany: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram Brittany's Book: Next Chance You: Tools, Tips, and Tough Love for Bringing Your A-Game to Life Watch Last Chance U: Right here on Netflix Related Conversation: Episode 408: Thomas Anderson talks about Vulnerability Related Blog Post: The Potential of

My guest on this episode is my friend Justin Jackson. I wanted to revisit this conversation from April 2017, so I pulled it from the vault to share it with you once again.Justin is a ton of things. He's a dad, a husband, an entrepreneur, and a coach. He's the founder of Megamaker, cofounder of Transistor.fm, and cofounder of Meeps. He's also the author of Jolt, the creator of Marketing for Developers and Tiny Marketing Wins, and an overall serial maker.He aims to help people through the things they create. And he does a great job at that.On this episode, we discussed the processes of making and/or modifying. We spent time going over his systems and approaches in the different initiatives and creations he is working on.Relevant Links: Connect with Justin: Website | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram Looking for a podcast hosting solution? Check out Transistor.fm Justin's Email Newsletter: (It's Self-Titled) Justin is also on Twitch: Right Here Related Conversation: Episode 290: Creative Menopause with Chase Ree

Change is never easy. And it's constant.It's one of the things that we can rely on... even if we can't rely on what it might hold for us.That's why you're seeing the phrase "change management" so much more than ever before. You can't really lead change; you can only manage it.Or can you lead it?That's what Michael Diettrich-Chastain and I talk about during this episode of A Productive Conversation.Michael is a bestselling author, leadership coach, facilitator and professional speaker. Michael and his team are passionate about helping organizations, leaders and teams become experts on change management, communication and emotional intelligence. So he knows a thing or to about not just managing change... but leading it to where you get the best outcome possible.We talked about certainty and uncertainty and how the acronym he uses (CHANGES) can help organizations and their personnel deal with both. There's a lot more that we get into surrounding the concept of change and I believe after listening to this convers

As the author of "Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life," Luke has spent plenty of time and energy researching the power of desire. I absolutely loved getting into the book and wanted to spend some time getting into the nuts and bolts with Luke about why "wanting" has so much power... and what to do with that power.We unpacked a lot during our discussion – from impostor syndrome to needs and wants becoming one and the same (or appearing to be) to attempting to avoid choosing the wrong things to desire. I learned a lot from this conversation, making it incredibly productive.I trust you'll learn a lot, too.Show Notes Connect with Luke: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn Luke's Book: Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life Luke and I both use the Monk Manual: Get 10% off one here with the code TIMECRAFTING I also use this journaling app: Reflection Luke chatting with Ryan Holiday: The Daily Stoic Podcast Related Conversation: Episode 189 of A Productive Convers

Who is Thomas Anderson?Better still, who is Thomas Anderson to write a book on vulnerability?I ask this question during my conversation with him on this episode of the podcast.Do vulnerability and productivity go hand-in-hand? I think so.Setting boundaries, sharing limitations, dealing with overwhelm, are all part of them both. I know that once you're done listening to our conversation that you'll see the relationship between productivity and vulnerability.And you might just be closer to the aim of being productive rather than "doing" productive, too.Show Notes Connect with Thomas: Website | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn Thomas's Book: The Vulnerable Man Vulnerability + Ted Lasso: The art of vulnerability with Ted Lasso Another book I loved spawned from journaling: Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey Related Conversation: Episode 146 of A Productive Conversation Related Blog Post: Why I Journal (and Why You Should Too) Thanks to all of the sponsors of this episode. You can find all of the sponsors you

On this bonus (and sponsor-free) episode of A Productive Conversation with Mike Vardy, Mike is joined by his good friend Charlie Gilkey of Productive Flourishing to talk about Momentum, the productivity app that he and his team are developing.Mike asks him why in the world we need another productivity app, what Charlie is hoping to see happen with the Kickstarter campaign for Momentum, and much more. This audio is from a livestream that Mike had with Charlie on his YouTube channel so it'll sound different than our regular episodes. (Not bad... just different.)You can check out the Momentum app Kickstarter campaign here.Want to watch the recorded livestream? Here you go.Want to support the podcast? You can subscribe to the show wherever you listen to podcasts. Click on any of the links below to make that happen.Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | StitcherYou can also click on this link to paste the podcast feed into your podcast app of choice.Thanks again for listening to A Productive Conversation. Se