Spreading “The Movement” Through Podcasts

How life changes! A year ago, I was listening to podcasts and working on my book - The Success Paradox - How to Surrender and Win in Business and Life. Now I have my own #podcast and have been featured on many others and the invites to do more just keep on coming.

For myself and my co-author Will T Wilkinson , writing The Success Paradox was just the beginning of “a movement” to create greater awareness around #mentalhealth and fitness issues (especially as they relate to teens and young adults).?

The response to the book has been incredible and has resulted in several podcast features that are helping us to spread the message and the movement.

Here’s the rundown of my podcast journey to date:

First I spoke to Joe Pardavila , the Director of Podcasts at Forbes Books , who has produced more than 10,000 hours of content over his career. He put me at ease – and it was wonderful to share the Success Paradox journey with him. Listen to the podcast here.?

If you are looking for inspiration, or to hear great interviews with authors, thought leaders, and CEOs, plug into Joe’s podcast.

In June 2023, my very own, Success Paradox podcast went live in collaboration with Forbes Books and with my first guest, the very dynamic Laura Gassner Otting – “success architect” and author of the bestselling book, Wonderhell: Why Success Doesn’t Feel Like It Should … and What to Do About It . In our careers and lives, we had both fallen into the “do-aholic” trap and we had so much in common it made for a great discussion - I felt like we were twins separated at birth! She was both inspiring and very down-to-earth and helped me to build on my interviewing skills!

In July, I got to interview one of my heroes. If you’ve been following me on LinkedIn, you’ll know that I follow the example of the servant leadership guru Howard Behar . He’s so straightforward in sharing his thoughts and a great storyteller. We had a great discussion about authenticity and what servant leadership really means. According to him, #servantleadership isn’t about being kind or warm and fuzzy all the time; it’s about #accountability - especially to yourself.?

I discovered how Howard learned to tame his negative inner dialogue ("the personal board of directors on his shoulders") and how I fired the Itty Bitty Sh$**y committee on mine.?

You can listen to Leading with Your Heart and Brewing Success (Part 1 and Part 2) on Spotify and Apple Podcasts .

Recently, I enjoyed speaking to Jeremy Albrecht on the #LeadershipMatters Podcast about something very close to my heart – the role that faith plays in surrendering your life, relationships, and career to God.? As I told Jeremy, I thought self-sufficiency was a tremendous asset, but I had completely left God out of the equation.?

Tom Wheelwright is another great podcaster. His podcast, The WealthAbility Show, is aimed at CPAs, who very often work under enormous pressures with no off switch.? Determining your worth by what you earn is an easy trap to fall into, and our discussion really came down to the two important values – #authenticity and acceptance.?Listen here .

On the most recent #SuccessParadox podcast episode, catching up with my old childhood friend Mark Tinsley was a real eye-opener. He is featured on the Success Paradox podcast in August – an episode titled Seeking Justice & Finding Purpose. He was the Alex Murdaugh murder case attorney and the conversation was riveting – he represented the family of Mallory Beach and spoke very openly about the sensational “Murdaugh Murders” (see the Netflix docuseries) and the series of tragic events that shook the South Carolina community and beyond. The guy hates bullies and is a real fighter – it’s no wonder they call him Mark “The Tiger” Tinsley!

I also spoke with Elizabeth Mckissick and Richard Jones on their You Learn You Turn podcast.?It was a real heart-to-heart conversation. And if someone can gain some perspective by listening to my story – even if it’s just one person – then it’s worthwhile.?

Doing my own podcast and being on other podcasts has honed my listening and interviewing skills, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn something new. All the people I have spoken with have been really inspiring, and I look forward to continuing my podcast journey.

Being an author and a podcaster is something I didn’t even think of a few years back. It goes to show that sometimes you just have to do the work and surrender to the outcome – you never know what’s just around the corner.