Change Your Mindset

Today we’re pulling back the curtain to reveal the Wizard of Pod(casts), Cody Boyce, Founder of Podcast Masters. Cody and his team produce podcasts for entrepreneurs, small businesses, and other organizations that want to create brand authority, connect with an audience, and sound great doing it… including this one! We discuss why podcasts are a powerful medium, for both hosts and listeners, and how the industry is likely to change over the next few months. One of the most important pieces of podcasting, which a lot of people don’t think about, is its potential for lifelong learners. People who listen to podcasts are consuming so much information that can help them be more productive, do their job more effectively, be funnier, and countless other things. The list is constantly growing – there are 1,000 new podcasts (shows, not episodes) on iTunes every week! Part of the reason that podcasts are so effective for lifelong learning, and what makes the medium so unique, is the freedom. For the audience, podcasts

Today's guest is Allen Lloyd, the new CEO of the Montana Society of CPA's and the former Senior Manager of the Board of Executive Operations at the Ohio Society of CPA's. In this interview, you will learn how Allen employed principles of improvisation to build trust, create new opportunities, learn new skills, and grow as a leader. We also have some fun (and learn a little bit more about two-way communication) by playing an improv game! You can find instructions to play that game with your team at the bottom of this post. Allen started his career in accounting as an Executive Assistant. It’s been a long, strange road from the offices of Norman, Jones, Enlow, & Co to the mountains of Montana, but a lot of his success came from being willing to improvise, try new things, and listen. It’s important to remember that Improv isn’t making stuff up. It's going into a room with nothing but walking out with something because you collaborated on an idea. Allen really understands how to be an active listener and collabor

Today’s episode is about something very close to me: diagnosing, managing, and informing others about Diabetes. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes later in life, and my son was diagnosed at the age of 16. We were lucky that I was paying attention, knew the symptoms, and took action quickly… but everyone isn’t that lucky. Cathy Paessun, Executive Director for the Central Ohio Diabetes Association and former Executive Director of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, is on the show to discuss how we, as a community, can learn the information necessary to recognize potential symptoms and adapt appropriately. First we will highlight the similarities and differences between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes. Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes are similar in that both suppress the effectiveness of insulin in the body. Individuals experiencing either type of diabetes may also present similar symptoms: Excessive thirst Excessive urination Excessive eating Lethargy Weight loss However, Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are very di

Today’s returning guest is Gregory Lainas, Senior Vice President and Division Director of Robert Half Management Services, a division of Robert Half International. Greg is an incredible networker – so good, in fact, that he networked his way into the novel Flashback and was the first person in the history of Robert Half to obtain $20 million in gross margin – and this interview is packed with helpful tips and stories about networking for business development. When we say networking, many of you (particularly accountants) might recoil. The concept is simple - it can be as simple as asking someone a question, and with social networking that ask is even easier -  but networking itself can still feel difficult. Why do so many of us still find networking difficult? As we grow up, we find our comfort zones and it only gets harder to leave those zones. If social situations aren’t where you feel comfortable, that can be seem like a big obstacle. There’s a fear of failure. Your inner critic says you can’t do it, ther

Today’s guest, Erin Daiber, is a recovering accountant who now devotes herself to helping professionals become their best selves. As the Chief Possibility Officer of Erin Daiber Coaching & Consulting, she coaches individuals through CPA licensure, career transitions, and the path to leadership, as well as helping firms develop and deliver robust and thoughtful training programs. She’s also just a lot of fun, so I’m really excited to share this conversation with you! “Not everyone has that natural ability to connect and relate to other people, so it’s a skill I like to help others develop.” An interesting aspect to Erin’s coaching services is her CPA licensure training. She doesn’t simply train individuals in the technical aspects of accounting or do exam prep. She often works with individuals who have failed parts of the test multiple times, are concerned about being passed over for a promotion, or are at a make or break point in their career.   A big part of her coaching is helping these high-performance ind

Today’s guest, Reverend Susanna Goulder, is a life purpose coach and President of Live Your Good Life Coaching. She specializes in helping entrepreneurs and professionals quiet their minds to align with their innate strengths, values, and purpose. In a previous life, Susanna was the original set decorator for Sex and the City. The industry put obstacles between her and happiness, so Susanna left her successful career in Motion Pictures and Television and entered the seminary to lead a purpose-driven life. Susanna had it all and everything looked good on the outside, but inside she felt like a square peg in a round hole. The only thing she knew was that she wasn’t happy. When you feel like that, the ultimate challenge is to not beat yourself up and, instead, listen. “There’s purpose everywhere. It’s just finding out how to settle into where you are expressing your strength.” We often talk about listening on Improv is no Joke, but we don’t spend enough time talking about listening to yourself. This isn’t entire

Today’s guest, Thaddeus Rex, is a Brand Strategist and Charisma Trainer. Before he was a brand expert, he learned about communication and storytelling as a musical artist, cast member of an Emmy Award winning PBS show, and motivational performer. As a career musician, Thaddeus quickly learned that there are hundreds of people with the same service or expertise you have to offer (and some will do it for free). Audiences wouldn’t come to hear guitar – but audiences might come to hear Thaddeus Rex… if he offers something unique. That’s why Thaddeus started developing stage shows to promote reading and motivate kids, and that gig highlighted his branding chops. People with products wanted Thaddeus’ help. They see him making a living off of nothing but stories – well they had products that people needed, but they didn’t have any good stories to help people understand why. Brands are made of three components: Stuff, Stories, and Audiences. A really good brand is a collection of stories pointing in the same directio

Today’s guest, Ria Greiff, is former therapist turned editor, writer, model, speaker, and public radio host. She hosts two NPR shows on WCBE 90.5, You Inc. and You Tune, and her mission is to elevate the emotional intelligence of the populace. I was honored to be the guest on You Inc. in an episode about multiplicity that aired on 4/29. You Inc. is about giving people the tools to improve their brand, and your brand is You Inc. She’s giving people the ability to maximize their experiences with others so that they can create bridges, instead of dams. Ria practices what she preaches. You’ll learn during this episode that presence and trust, two principles of improvisation, were vital tools for achieving her goal – a public radio show. Ria was a persistence presence at WCBE, which gave her the opportunity to demonstrate her talents and build trust. Ria volunteered at the station every day for six months before she submitted a show proposal – and she volunteered for another six months before she hosted a show.  

Jody Padar is a radical CPA, the CEO & Principal of New Vision CPA Group, and the author of The Radical CPA: New Rules for the Future-Ready Firm. Later this year, she will release The Radical CPA 2.0. She’s been one of Accounting Today’s top 100 influencers in the accounting profession for 6 years, and in 2015 she was named a Managing Partner Elite. Jody represents the next generation of accounting professionals; the vanguard of the new movement of “digital CPAs.” She is trying to educate the profession on its natural evolution into the digital age… before they go extinct. Jody believes in embracing the cloud, social media, bots, and other highly advanced technologies and practices. She wants to alter how CPAs think about firm culture and serving their clients. So far, embracing technology and looking to the future is going very well for Jody. The average CPA firm grows 4% annually. Her firm, New Vision CPA Group, grew 25% last year – organically, or without acquiring anyone. On top of that, she expects to g

This week we’re talking to returning guest Greg Conderacci, the energy management expert who wrote Getting Up!: Supercharging Your Energy and, at the age of 66, rode his bicycle across the United States in just 18 days. In episode 35, we focused on the difference between time management and energy management. We discussed tips and techniques for getting the most energy out of ourselves, and how we can generate more energy when we need it. Click here to give it a listen, if you haven’t already. Today, we focus on the relationship between intellectual energy and emotional energy, identifying energy vampires, and using a S.T.A.K.E. really F.A.S.T. This interview is part two of a three-part series about how to supercharge your physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual energy. Later in the Summer, we’ll part three will focus on spiritual energy. Until then, you can learn more about managing energy, reducing stress, and balancing your career in Getting Up!: Supercharging Your Energy. Resources: MorePerso

Today's guest, Rosemarie Rossetti, is an international speaker, consultant, writer, and publisher who walks her talk. She’s also the most adaptable person I have ever met. We have an inspiring conversation about overcoming adversity and living with conviction, and why she built the Universal Design Living Laboratory. Rosemarie's life was transformed on June 13, 1998. There was no wind, no rain, no clouds. It was a beautiful Saturday, and she was celebrating her third wedding anniversary with a couple’s bike ride. Then, suddenly, there was a loud noise and she was engulfed by a three-and-a-half ton tree. She was paralyzed from the waist down with a spinal cord injury, but Rosemarie looked deep into herself and found new strength and resolve. She had invested too much into her life to give up. In her keynote speeches, Rosemarie shares the lessons she has learned since that fateful day, and demonstrates how to rise above adversity and live life with conviction. Do something new every day. Focus on a hopeful fut

Courtney Kirschbaum is a human development and high performance expert who specializes in helping young professionals choose the right career and achieve mastery in it. She also successfully completed her own career transition later in life when she left the corporate accounting world to found CK Consulting. Now she is launching a new project, Job Hunt School, to impact even more young professionals. We discuss how pursuing passion and purpose help during career transitions, how the principles of improvisation will help you during the interview process, and the stress epidemic in the U.S. “They're still not teaching the things that you are really going to need to know when you walk into the job, and not only on the first day but even before that.” Courtney started consulting because she saw a leadership and development gap. Students in college aren’t being properly trained to transition from a collegiate environment to a corporate environment, or any other business environment. She attempts to fill those impo

Cathy Fyock is an author of eight books and a book coach, and she hates to write. In spite of that, she wrote most of her books in just six weeks! In this episode, Cathy shares a number of excellent and actionable tips for writing your nonfiction book, getting started when you’re struggling, and the benefits of publishing a book for you and your business. Her most recent book, Blog2Book: Repurposing Content to Discover the Book You've Already Written, is also the title of a seminar that I attended in February 2017. I really connected with what she said and, in large part, that is because she identifies with the pain of struggling to start writing, or struggling to get the words out of your head and onto the page. Before you even start the writing process, you have to prepare. Get hyper clear about why you want to write this book. Is it just because you have always wanted to write a book, or are you writing a nonfiction book around your area of expertise as a way to establish your thought leadership, get mor

Today I’m excited to share a conversation with the hilarious Rik Roberts, who provides clean comedy and creative keynote presentations. Rik also provides excellent comedy education in the School of Laughs, which includes a hilarious podcast of the same name and comedy classes that will help anyone who wants to add more humor to their writing. Before Rik transitioned to the corporate speaking world, he spent years on the road as a stand up comedian. On the road, he learned many of the basics of comedy writing that he applies in presentations, and teaches to others, today. “An artist removes things so that you can see the beauty of the art, whereas a laborious person would just use everything to show you that they can do it.” If you want to master the art of comedy, you have to understand the economy of words. Rik uses the metaphor of a sculpture to illustrate why this is so important: if you give a sculpture 30 pounds of clay, they will remove pieces of it until they reveal a piece of art. They don’t add anyth

Today we’re excited to have returning guest John Kelley, Chief People Officer at White Castle Systems. We discuss how the skills of improvisation relate to change management, and how being a family business affects their company culture. Change management is the process of identifying and implementing necessary changes during a major business transition, whether that is a merger, a shift in culture, or a new building. White Castle Systems moved into their headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, in 1934. Currently, it houses four or more generations of family and team members, from the Baby Boomers to the youngest generation of workers. They need a bigger space, and a space that better aligns with White Castle’s mission, vision, and core values moving into the future. They’re building a new headquarters that the company can use for another 80 plus years, and that requires a great deal of change management. John faces cultural change management decisions to at almost every level in the company: How are the work spaces

Korean Proverb Shijaki banida: “The start is half the task.” Today’s guest, Phil Kim, is a highschool dropout turned accidental accountant turned tenured educator and professional speaker. He shares the remarkable story about how he fell into a hole and then turned his life around by chasing BIG goals through small actions. In December 2016, Phil gave a talk at TEDxAlbany called “Chase One Rabbit: The Power of Small Wins” (related to his book of the same name). Phil based his TED talk on a Confucian saying: “If you chase both rabbits, you catch neither.” The book and TED Talk both explain how we can use focus, accountability, and small wins to achieve more. Reach high. Expand and stretch yourself beyond what you think you can do. Choose a single, big priority. Chase the rabbit. Take your singular goal and break it down into smaller, doable chunks or small action steps. Intentional Accountability. You have your goal and you have your action steps. Now you need some sort of accountability, either with just on

Today’s guest, Maureen Zappala, is a rocket scientist turned professional speaker. She shares how we can get over the fear of public speaking and the Imposter Syndrome. The Imposter Syndrome is a concept describing high-achieving individuals who are marked by the inability to internalize their accomplishments and have a persistent fear of being exposed as a fraud. We all fight it and Maureen has some great advice to help you move past this syndrome. It’s important to understand that the Imposter Syndrome is not a confidence issue – it's a cognitive issue. It takes confidence to achieve most things worth achieving… but many people then experience a cognitive distortion separating themselves from their accomplishments. A big part of getting beyond the syndrome is identifying yourself with the accomplishments. It is putting yourself in the place of the person who did the work, and accepting that it’s not somebody outside of you or a set of circumstances that allowed it to happen. You created it, you did it, and

Did you know that… when a customer stops doing business with a company, 68% of the time it's because they feel ignored, underappreciated, or taken for granted? when an employee quits, 67% of the time it's because of their manager? only 42% of employees say that they received any kind of recognition in the past year? Those surprising statistics show why we need today’s guest, Lisa Ryan, and her business, Grategy, LLC. Grategy is a portmanteau of gratitude and strategy. The company teaches other organizations how to keep their top talent engaged, enthusiastic, and committed to long-term employment by harnessing the power of appreciation in the workplace. “You keep your employees AND your best clients from becoming someone else’s by the way you treat them.” You might be saying, “Hey, why should I thank my employees for doing their job?” Well, if you want your employees to give you their blood, their sweat, and their tears, that's what you do: you acknowledge them. As an added bonus, it costs nothing! On top of

Today’s guest, David Crone, is a corporate entertainer, ventriloquist, speaker, and sometimes IT guy. He’s on the show to share his hilarious stories and teach us why work should be fun. David’s personal and business growth have been driven by a desire to be a great entertainer, not just a great performer. Great performers have great technical skills. As a ventriloquist, that means manipulating the puppet, working on the voices, not moving his lips, writing material, and finding good jokes. But there’s an art to entertainment that goes beyond performance. Great entertainers go beyond great technical skills. They still have the technical skills in their back pocket, but the entertainment comes from passion, feeling, and connecting with the audience. Good entertainers can bring a room together. “If you just hit every note right that’s not music. That’s playing all the notes right. That’s playing what’s on the page... But if you go to a concert and listen to some great pianist, their passion comes through in the

Jeff Jackson is a husband, a father, a speaker, a salesman, a published author, a superhero in training, an accidental accountant, and a daddy blogger. His blog, Daddy is Best, was named one of the Top 50 Dad Blogs by BabySpot. On his blog, Jeff keeps his creative spark lit while discussing the role of the modern dad. Jeff is a baby boomer, and his father was part of The Silent Generation. His dad wasn’t an active participant in raising him, so he didn’t learn a lot about being a daddy when he was growing up. Now, Jeff is a little bit older and learning to be a daddy on the job. By connecting with other fathers on social media, Jeff has noticed that many modern dads struggle with filling a more significant role in their kids’ lives. They don’t always know where to go for support. He’s trying to fill that gap. Jeff is also an accidental accountant. He didn’t particularly like accounting, but he sees how he can help provide value to the profession as the need for accountants in small businesses grows over the n