A Productive Conversation

This week I am delighted to not bring you just one guest this week, but two!I am joined by John Baird and Edward Sullivan to discuss their new book Leading with Heart: 5 Conversations that Unlock Creativity, Purpose, and Results.This episode feels like a couple of friends having a conversation over coffee. We chat about the idea of the "lights on, lights off experiment", how fear and Maslow's hierarchy of needs play a part in why they constructed the book the way they did, and we go over how to read it!John Baird has been considered one of the premier executive coaches in Silicon Valley for over 25 years. He built his career coaching in the C-Suite at companies ranging from Apple and Nike to start-ups like DoorDash and MasterClass. He earned a PhD in Organizational Leadership from Purdue University. He is currently Founder & Chairman of the renowned executive coaching consultancy Velocity.Edward Sullivan has been coaching and advising start-up founders, Fortune 10 executives, and heads of state for over 15 years. His clients include executives from Google, Salesforce, Slack, and dozens of other fast-growth companies. He holds an MBA from Wharton and an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School. Edward is CEO & President of the renowned executive coaching consultancy Velocity.Links Worth Exploring Connect with John: Twitter | LinkedIn Connect with Edward: Twitter | LinkedIn Pre-order Leading with Heart: 5 Conversations that Unlock Creativity, Purpose, and Results. Visit their Velocity Coaching website Related Conversation: Episode 413: Mohammad Anwar and Chris Pitre talk about Love as a Business Strategy Related Blog Post: Failing Forward: A 5 Step Process to Fight the Fear of Failure Thanks to all of the sponsors of this episode. You can find all of the sponsors you heard me mention on this episode on our Podcast Sponsors page.Want to support the podcast? Beyond checking out our sponsors, 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. See you later.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here is an extra special bonus episode with Dominic Zijlstra - the creator of the learning app Traverse.link. He's an ed-tech entrepreneur and polyglot. He helps professionals learn faster and remember more using science-based learning methods.Dominic built traverse to have an app where you have all the tools that you need specifically for learning and have them in a way that makes sure that what you need to learn is in your brain rather than just being a tool.We talk about learning and retention, we dissect traverse.link and why it really works, and we dive into where his obsession with learning began.He's been working on this app for a while and it's showing a lot of promise - I am excited to shine a spotlight on him in this episode of A Productive Conversation with Mike VardyLinks Worth Exploring Connect with Dominic: Website | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn Join Dominic's Super Learning Mini Course & Newsletter View and copy Mike Vardy's Traverse Mind Map here Related Conversation: Episode 397: Jesse Mecham talks about YNAB, Money Management and Future You Related Blog Post: How to Trick Yourself into Learning Faster Thanks to all of the sponsors of this episode. You can find all of the sponsors you heard me mention on this episode on our Podcast Sponsors page.Want to support the podcast? Beyond checking out our sponsors, 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. See you later.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we are bringing this excellent episode with Josh Kaufman out of the vault. He is the author of three bestselling books – including How to Fight a Hydra: Face Your Fears, Pursue Your Ambitions, and Become the Hero You Are Destined to Be. Josh’s research focuses on business, entrepreneurship, skill acquisition, productivity, creativity, applied psychology, and practical wisdom and he’s someone I’ve wanted to have on the show for a long time.Josh and I carry on a conversation that revolves around the differences between How to Fight a Hydra and his previous books, the power of story (particularly fables and parables), why I never thought of Josh as a productivity expert yet he describes himself as such, and much more.I had a fantastic time chatting with Josh and I enjoyed revisiting this conversation. I hope you do, too.Links Worth Exploring Connect with Josh: Website | Twitter  Buy Josh's book How to Fight a Hydra: Face Your Fears, Pursue Your Ambitions, and Become the Hero You Are Destined to Be See what Josh is doing now Check out The Legend of Bagger Vance by Steven Pressfield Related Conversation: Episode 238: How to Keep Going with Austin Kleon Related Blog Post: “No, Fear.” Thanks to all of the sponsors of this episode. You can find all of the sponsors you heard me mention on this episode on our Podcast Sponsors page.Want to support the podcast? Beyond checking out our sponsors, 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. See you later.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aye Moah, who goes by Moah (pronounced Moe), is taking over the helm as CEO of Boomerang which 2 million savvy active users rely on to spend less time on email and more time on what matters to them. Their loyal user base has saved over 500 years of their lives since 2011 that would otherwise have been spent in email hell.Ironic (or should we say iconic) for someone who arrived at MIT and announced they were going to major in Computer Science without ever having an email address. Yes, this 5’ tall woman who, literally dodged bullets growing up in Burma, clandestinely applied to go to MIT, got a full ride, and took the first airplane flight of her life to start school. And she has never stopped punching above her weight since.Listen to us chat about the Boomerang app, email, and geek out about productivity!Links Worth Exploring Connect with Moah: Twitter | LinkedIn Learn more about the Boomerang app Related Conversation: Episode 360: A World Without Email with Cal Newport Related Blog Post: The One Email Trick That Keeps My Inbox In Shape Thanks to all of the sponsors of this episode. You can find all of the sponsors you heard me mention on this episode on our Podcast Sponsors page.Want to support the podcast? Beyond checking out our sponsors, 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. See you later.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Laura Vanderkam and I having an easy and interesting conversation about Time Management.If you haven't heard our previous conversations, Laura’s work has appeared in various publications and media outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Today Show, and Fox & Friends among many others. She co-hosts the Best of Both Worlds podcast and has delivered a TED talk with more than 5 million views.We talk about her latest book, Tranquillity by Tuesday: Nine Ways to Calm the Chaos and Make Time for What Matters. We cover the most challenging way that people found to calm the chaos and make time for what matters. She offers a simple and familiar way to future-proof something that you've scheduled. And most importantly, how the 9 rules came to be and how to work through them.Links Worth Exploring Connect with Laura: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn Buy Laura's Book: Tranquillity by Tuesday: Nine Ways to Calm the Chaos and Make Time for What Matters Listen to Laura's Podcasts: Best of Both Worlds Podcast Before Breakfast with Laura Vanderkam The New Corner Office Podcast Read Laura's Blog Posts Related Conversation: Off the Clock with Laura Vanderkam Related Blog Post: Hit The Snooze Button To Be More Productive Thanks to all of the sponsors of this episode. You can find all of the sponsors you heard me mention on this episode on our Podcast Sponsors page.Want to support the podcast? Beyond checking out our sponsors, 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. See you later.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I had Robin Hills on the show to talk about resilience.He's the author of the Authority Guide to Emotional Resilience in Business Strategies to Manage Stress and Weather Storms in the Workplace. He's the director of EI4Change, a company specializing in training, coaching, and personal development focused on emotional intelligence, positive psychology, and neuroscience. He has over 35 years of business and commercial experience, as well as spoken keynotes.We dive deep into what it really means to be resilient, what it isn't, where the confusion may lie and how confusion can rear its ugly head. Robin busts some old myths and how emotions are an important factor.Links Worth Exploring Connect with Robin: Website | LinkedIn Check out his book Emotional Resilience in Business Strategies to Manage Stress and Weather Storms in the Workplace Register for Robin's EI4Change courses here Related Conversation: The Year of Fear with Kendra Wright Related Blog Post: Book Review: The Obstacle is The Way Thanks to all of the sponsors of this episode. You can find all of the sponsors you heard me mention on this episode on our Podcast Sponsors page.Want to support the podcast? Beyond checking out our sponsors, 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. See you later.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From the vault this week, we have Jon Acuff – a New York Times bestselling author of multiple books. In this episode, we discussed Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done. John's delivered some other great stuff since this discussion, including a book called Soundtracks that I highly recommend you check out after listening to this conversation.Jon helps some of the world’s biggest brands tell their story and has appeared on CNN, Fox News, Good Day LA, and other major media outlets.We discussed a sampling of the topics in his book, Finish, which includes planning, prioritizing, and reaching the state of finished no matter what you’re working on.Links Worth Exploring Connect with Jon: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn Buy Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done Check out his latest book Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking Listen to All it Takes is a Goal with Jon Acuff Join Jon's Weekly Idea Experiment Related Conversation: Overlap with Sean McCabe Related Blog Post: How To Find Your Way Forward (And Finish) Thanks to all of the sponsors of this episode. You can find all of the sponsors you heard me mention on this episode on our Podcast Sponsors page.Want to support the podcast? Beyond checking out our sponsors, 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. See you later.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Todd Henry is returning for another productive conversation.He's the author of several books, and an international speaker on creativity, productivity, and passion for work, as well as a coach for people and teams to help them generate brilliant ideas.This week, we are discussing his latest book, The Daily Creative.We talk about what it was like to put this book together, how you should go through the book, and then we take certain passages of the book and discuss them.. and it's very likely that the Cincinnati Bengals come up.It's a fun and productive conversation that you don't want to miss.Links Worth Exploring Connect with Todd: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook Buy Todd's latest book: Daily Creative: A Practical Guide for Staying Prolific, Brilliant, and Healthy Listen to the Accidental Creative Podcast Check out The Daily Creative Join Mike's TimeCrafting Trust community Watch this Quentin Tarantino video Related Conversation: Episode 340: Your Motivation Code with Todd Henry Related Blog Post: On Doing What Really Needs Doing Thanks to all of the sponsors of this episode. You can find all of the sponsors you heard me mention on this episode on our Podcast Sponsors page.Want to support the podcast? Beyond checking out our sponsors, 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. See you later.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I am joined by the founder and CEO of Baronfig, Joey Cofone.Joey is an award-winning designer and entrepreneur living and working in NYC who has designed and art-directed over 100 products from zero to launch.With over a decade of ideas, notes, and journaling - Joey has published his book The Laws of Creativity: Unlock your Originality and Awaken your Creative Genius. A book that he hopes will serve the purpose of enlightening people on creativity; how it works and how they can harness it.During our conversation we dive into the different laws, discuss the way the book has been constructed, and we ultimately get to the idea of how creativity and productivity are related.Links Worth Exploring Connect with Joey: Website | Instagram | Twitter Buy Joey's book: The Laws of Creativity: Unlock your Originality and Awaken your Creative Genius Check out what Baronfig has to offer Related Conversation: Episode 228: Tailoring Tools for Thinkers with Joey Cofone Related Blog Post: Taking Journaling to Another Level Thanks to all of the sponsors of this episode. You can find all of the sponsors you heard me mention on this episode on our Podcast Sponsors page.Want to support the podcast? Beyond checking out our sponsors, 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. See you later.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, I am joined by Katie Stoddard.Katie is an award-winning international coach whose mission is to support entrepreneurs, founders and executives world-wide to reach higher levels of performance.She is the person behind The Focus Bee. She hosts a super informative podcast, The Focus Bee Show and is the writer behind The Focus Bee Blog. During this conversation, primarily around focus, we talk about precision, resilience, and the fascinating idea of equanimity.I enjoyed talking to someone who has a passion for productivity, and especially an element of productivity and its focus. Links Worth Exploring Connect with Katie: Website | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter Grab Katie's FREE e-book here Listen to Katie's podcast: The Focus Bee Show Related Conversation: What Goes Into a Task App with Amir Salihefendic Related Blog Post: The Thing About Focus Thanks to all of the sponsors of this episode. You can find all of the sponsors you heard me mention on this episode on our Podcast Sponsors page.Want to support the podcast? Beyond checking out our sponsors, 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. See you later.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices