The Culture Matters Podcast

"You are not an evil human. You are not without intellect and education. You have everything that could make you a credit to human society. Moreover, I am acquainted with your heart and know that few are better, but you are nevertheless irritating and unbearable and I consider it most difficult to live with you. All of your good qualities become obscured by your super cleverness and are made useless to the world merely because of your rage at wanting to know everything better than others; of wanting to improve and master what you cannot command. With this you embitter the people around you, since no one wants to be improved or enlightened in such a forceful way, least of all by such an insignificant individual as you still are; no one can tolerate being reproved by you, who also still show so many weaknesses yourself, least of all in your adverse manner, which in oracular tones, proclaims this so and so, without ever supposing an objection. If you were less like you, you would only be ridiculous, but thus as you are are, you are highly annoying." - Arthur Schopenhauer's mother, Johanna, in a letter to him dated November 6, 1807.On a very special of The Culture Matters Podcast, we are once again discussing Jay's book, Thirty Days of Thought, and, more specifically, the section titled "Frustrated".  This discussion is going to be a little different because we have invited some of our favorite frequent guests to discuss it with us.  Andrew Berman, Paul Lucido, Demetrios Stakias, Nathan Merrill, and Chris Vester are all here to dig into this section and get to the bottom of frustration.  This discussion covers some of the causes of frustration in ourselves as well as with others, communicating clearly, and making sure that you have a good foundation so that when the frustration does come (and it will), you have something solid to stand on.  This is a big conversation with some big personalities and we hope you you enjoy this episode of The Culture Matters Podcast.

"I can accept rejection. I can't accept not trying."Founder of Changing Lives Consulting and author of the book 6 Top AI Tools You Need to Know Jeff J. Cunningham is making his debut on the show today and we have got a lot to cover on today's episode, so we're getting right to it.  Jeff and Jay are discussing the life-changing impact a single "yes" can have on your life, the cost and benefit of being transparent while also learning when to be a little more guarded, and what Changing Lives Consulting can do for you.  Jeff is a true leader in the industry and we're happy to share his message with our listeners on this episode of The Culture Matters Podcast.

"Stewardship is a biblical profession." - Tom GaynerOn an incredibly special episode of The Culture Matters Podcast, we are welcoming back our long-time friend, frequent collaborator on the show, and the founder of Arena Securities, Aleck Arena, to co-host today's proceedings as we welcome a very special guest to the show.  Chairman and Portfolio Manager at Davis Funds and Independent Director on the Board of Directors with Berkshire Hathaway Chris Davis is our guest today and we could not be more excited to have him here to share his unparalleled experience and expertise with our listeners.  Chris, Aleck, and Jay are getting into the lessons and values Chris learned from his grandparents, the importance of learning to think in the long-term when it comes to investing and having no better teacher than Charlie Munger, instilling the value of hard work to the next generation, and questioning whether or not the system itself is fair.  It isn't every day that we get to host a person with the life experiences, success, and wealth of knowledge that we had today and it was truly an honor to have this conversation with the one and only Chris Davis.Disclaimer: The information contained in this episode is not personal financial product advice and has been prepared without taking into account the objectives, financial situation, or needs of any particular person. Culture Matters does not hold an Australian Financial Services License and is not authorised to provide general or personal financial product advice. Before making any investment decision, you should consult a licensed financial adviser. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.

"Conflict delayed is conflicted multiplied." - Dr. Jordan B. PetersonFounder of The Pavement Group, Top Contractor School, the host of "The Brian Hess Show", and a frequent and favorite guest on the show Brian Hess is here to take a look back at a very special event that took place recently.  That event was the annual Top Contractor School this year which included Dr. Jordan B. Peterson as the keynote speaker.  Brian and Jay are digging into what that event means to Brian and what it's like to to see a dream become reality, the benefits of physical retreats, and the advantage of buying expensive books.  As always, Brian is bringing his A game and we're always appreciative when he brings it to The Culture Matters Podcast.

The productivity of work is not the responsibility of the worker, but of the manager." - Peter DruckerReal estate professional, businessman, co-owner of R.K. Reiman, and host of "The Real Build" podcast Bill Reiman has made his way back to The Culture Matters Podcast and, as Jay says in the beginning, buckle up!  Bill and Jay are digging into the things that made 2024 a special year and some of the things to look forward to in 2025, how creating a very solid company culture and an environment where people feel comfortable will make sure that your employees aren't just coming in for a paycheck, and how leading by example can have an influence on those around you without you even knowing it.  We keep having Bill come back because every conversation is filled with something new and exciting to think about and today is no different on The Culture Matters Podcast.

"Price is what you pay. Value is what you get." - Warren BuffetAdvisor, mentor, host of the "Openly Outspoken" podcast, and founder of Unicorn Investments and Unicorn Traffic Jeremy Adams and he's stopping by for another chat with The Culture Man.  During this quick conversation, Jeremy and Jay are digging into the need for the people closest to you to be honest and real with you, making rapid growth an area of serious focus, and the potential revenue to be made through social media.  Whether its a quick conversation like it was today or a longer form conversation, we're always happy to talk with the one and only Jeremy Adams.

"The best way to predict the future is to create it." - Peter DruckerU.S. military veteran, management consultant, and author of 98 Octane John New has returned to the show for another go around with the The Culture Man.  On today's show, John and Jay are digging into understanding that you have the ability to control everything around you except for the clock, how no job in an organization should ever be looked at as beneath anyone (even if you are the CEO), and how the biggest commitment you need to make is to showing up.  We hope you enjoy this episode of The Culture Matters Podcast.

"Plans are good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work." - Peter DruckerTrue legend in the Philadelphia hospitality industry turned founder of Bottom Line Consulting Drew Carballo is back on the show to talk about his latest venture and how he is helping spread culture to all of his clients.  Drew and Jay are unpacking successful ways of navigating problems as they arise, assuring your clients through words and actions that their goals and aspirations are as important to you as they are to them, and understanding that people at different positions and levels within a company are going to act and move differently based on their own culture and responsibilities.  Drew has been successful all across his many endeavors and we feel extremely fortunate to have him spread what he has learned on this episode of The Culture Matters Podcast.

"It always seems impossible until it's done." - Nelson MandelaFounder and CEO of EPM and one of favorite regular guests on the show Eddy Perez is back today for a look back at 2024 and a look forward to 2025.  There is a lot to be thankful for over the past year and a lot to look forward to in this coming one and we are going to get into all of it.  It wouldn't be an Eddy Perez episode if we didn't get into some culture as well, so Eddy and Jay are digging into cheating time instead of trying to beat it, how much easier it is to criticize than it is to take necessary action,  and what it is to be rich in spirit.  As always, Eddy is bringing that cultural heat and we couldn't be happier to help fan those flames on this episode of The Culture Matters Podcast.

"When conflict is addressed in the desire to seek a solution, to seek to understand, versus be right, then it's a lot more beneficial and it's important. It also deepens the relationship that made it through the conflict."Author, coach, world-renowned speaker, advisor, and the creator of JumpStart Connect Jen Groover is making her long-awaited second appearance on our show and we're excited to have her back for another chat about culture, leadership, and all things in between.  To get a little more specific with it, Jen and Jay are getting into the unfortunate side of social media which causes people to watch other people live their lives instead of living their own, how sometimes the best way to deal with not loving something about your job is to buckle down and work harder, and why, as a coach, you need to elevate someone and add value rather than micromanage their every decision.  Jen is a professional's professional and we're incredibly grateful to have her on this episode of The Culture Matters Podcast.