Productive Flourishing Podcast

Breanne Dyck is a strategist, coach, and consultant whose expertise is in distilling information, drawing key insights, and helping her clients achieve light bulb moments. She helps microbusinesses grow their revenues and their impact by applying the principles of adult learning. Her clients include speakers, authors, coaches, consultants, and other microbusiness owners, and she helps them achieve world-class results for their businesses and their customers. She has consulted on many products and courses, live events, and workshops for thought leaders, including New York Times and Amazon bestselling authors. Chris Guillebeau has called her a “course design rock star.” Breanne joins Charlie on the show today to talk about her extensive body of work, share knowledge, and much more. Key Takeaways:01:33 – How Breanne got started in her field of work.06:05 – What made Breanne want to start her own business.10:02 – When Breanne realized she could make courses and start helping people.14:19 – Breanne is not a natural risk taker or experimenter.17:39 – It’s the taking of action that produces learning.20:55 – Learning in the higher level of mastery, as according to Bloom’s taxonomy.25:56 – What the hack-first mentality is and the problem with it.32:56 – Challenges Breanne faced once she started doing course building.37:19 – Breanne likes to take theoretical knowledge and make it really practical and actionable, but found she was resisting doing that in the beginning.42:39 – The challenge of being in a microbusiness but not having an infinite amount of time and resources to devote to making it perfect and the “curse of expertise.”51:59 – Wanting to avoid the perception that we don’t know what we’re doing.54:29 – The most unanticipated challenge that Breanne is currently facing.56:40 – The pursuit of craftsmanship, of excellence, of doing amazing work is always a pursuit worth going after. Mentioned In This Episode:CreativeLiveNew York TimesChris GuillebeauAmazonNatalie SissonTara GentileWorld Domination SummitThe Small Business LifecycleBloom’s taxonomy Mark Silver“The Curse of Expertise”  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.productiveflourishing.com/subscribe

Val Groth is a former school social worker in the inner city schools of Chicago. She holds dual masters degrees in social work and educational leadership, which has helped her work with students in crisis. After her career as a social worker she entered the field of life coaching and works with clients around the world, helping them make positive transformations in their lives. She also hosts her own podcast, Inspirations With Val, which is top ranked on iTunes. It has received over 140,000 downloads per month and has listeners in over 130 countries. In addition to that, Val’s newest project is to build Chicago’s first boarding school for inner city students, The Ryan Banks Academy, set to open for the 2018-2019 school year. Val joins Charlie on the show today to talk about all of that and much more. Key Takeaways:02:30 – How Val got started and came to where she is now.5:22 – Moments that started to pull Val out of her nervous, fearful shell she had as a child.7:26 – What Val did after she got out of school.09:47 – How Val got into life coaching.11:29 – Some major lessons Val learned and challenges she faced when she first started out coaching.19:00 – What lights Val up about the coaching work she does.21:57 – We are living in a great day and age where it is very easy for people to create in ways that most help them thrive.24:29 – How the idea for The Ryan Banks Academy came about.27:36 – If Val got to a point where she had to choose between life coaching and Ryan Banks Academy, which would she choose and why?32:23 – Ways people can support The Ryan Banks Academy.34:20 – Lessons Val has learned since starting The Ryan Banks Academy.36:09 – The most unanticipated challenge Val is currently facing.38:08 – A mindset Val has that she feels needs to change.40:06 – Val feels she is here to inspire people and to bring out the best parts of them. Mentioned In This Episode:Inspirations with Val PodcastiTunesRyan Banks AcademyWorld Domination SummitMichael Hyattryanbanksacademy.orgKickstarterEagle RockHondaHershey SchoolHersheyThe SEED School  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.productiveflourishing.com/subscribe

Srinivas Rao is a bestselling author and the host and founder of The Unmistakable Creative Podcast where he has interviewed over 500 people in an effort to inspire and encourage his listeners to stand out by being unmistakable. He is also the creator of The Instigator Experience conference and self-published his book The Art of Being Unmistakable. Srini joins Charlie on the show to talk about all of that, as well as offer various other insights into his entrepreneurship journey. Key Takeaways:01:04 – How Srinivas got started doing what he does now.03:56 – How Srinivas figured out how to balance building his business around his love for surfing and just wanting to do that.07:28 – The need for creative entrepreneurs to have some kind of physical anchor that helps them to do their work.08:54 – A hard lesson Srinivas had to learn in building his business after going through a rough period.15:51 – The moment Srinivas realized he was on the wrong path and needed to do something different.17:27 – Whether Srinivas views himself as a better writer or a better interviewer.21:44 – Some lessons Srinivas learned when he started writing his first book.32:28 – Finding a safe place to fail so that you can succeed at the same time.35:07 – Moments in Srinivas’ career where he knew that was exactly what he wanted to be doing.38:43 – Srinivas’ advice for how to stick with projects and not kill them too soon.42:23 – The most unanticipated challenge Srinivas is currently facing.43:20 – Unmistakable work is about connecting ideas and dots and putting things together in a way that only you could. Mentioned in This Episode:The Unmistakable Creative PodcastWall Street JournalThe Art of Being UnmistakableBlogCastFMThe Skool of LifeThe Instigator ExperiencePenguin PortfolioUncertainty, Jonathan FieldsPodcast MovementHuffington PostGawkerNick DentonRupert MurdochFoxThe CompassJohn BramblittTim FerrissUnmistakable CEO blogSeth GodinBrené BrownSid SavaraSearch Engine Journal  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.productiveflourishing.com/subscribe

Tara Gentile is an author and business strategist, who works with entrepreneurs and helps them design their personal “quiet power strategy” that will tap into their strengths and help them lead themselves where they want to go. She teaches her clients how to find what makes them most effective. Her work has been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, Design Sponge, and in the bestselling book The $100 Startup. She is also an instructor and speaker, teaching about entrepreneurship, money, and the new economy. She joins Charlie on the show today to talk about her journey and her work and share some of her insights on the entrepreneurial world.  Key Takeaways:01:40 – How Tara got started doing what she does.06:28 – The hardest lessons Tara learned during her first years of business.09:58 – How Tara’s background in religious studies helped and also didn’t help in her early years of business.13:23 – Figuring out how what you create aligns with people’s worldviews and with their needs and with their values.14:29 – Entrepreneurs realizing that they’re solving the same problem everyone else is solving, but doing it in a way that’s completely unique to you.15:42 – What Kick Start Labs is all about.18:40 – How Tara balances being an introvert and doing the work that she does.23:51 – How being a control freak can get in the way of being an entrepreneur and navigating a business.28:37 – Moments in Tara’s career that made her know for sure this was what she wanted to be doing.34:33 – What Tara is afraid of right now in her work. 37:57 – The most unanticipated challenge Tara is currently facing.39:30 – Leverage what’s most effective for you. Mentioned In This Episode:Quiet Power StrategyFast CompanyForbesDesign SpongeThe New York TimesThe $100 Startup, Chris GuillebeauCreativeLiveLebanon Valley CollegeBorders Books and MusicKick Start LabsEtsyPioneer Nation This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.productiveflourishing.com/subscribe

Chris Brogan is the CEO of Owner Media Group, a highly sought after professional speaker, coach, consultant, and author. He provides education and tools to help make people’s lives and businesses thrive by teaching them how to own the game they most want to win. He offers events and courses to help get them to that next level of ownership. He is also a New York Times bestselling author of eight books, Forbes has listed Chris as one of the must follow marketing minds of 2014, and his website has been listed as one of the 100 best websites for entrepreneurs. In addition to all that, he is also a husband and father who lives in Massachusetts. Chris joins Charlie on the show today to talk about his impressive body of work as well as much more. Key Takeaways:02:39 – How Chris got started.03:58 – Chris started blogging in the days of dialup Internet 17 years ago.04:48 – Monetizing blogging.05:30 – Chris starting out in the area of social media.06:29 – Chris being labeled as an Internet marketer.08:26 – A lot of things in marketing and sales are broken, and there are really easy, simplistic ways to fix them.11:06 – Good and useful content on the Internet.11:55 – Chris’ books and publishing projects.15:05 – The hardest lesson Chris learned in his first three years.18:45 – Chris is the most confident and grounded that he’s ever been in his career right now.21:00 – The shift from social media expert and blogging to owning/ownership.29:00 – What Chris is afraid of right now in his career.29:36 – Chris’ most unanticipated challenge he’s currently facing. Mentioned In This Episode:Owner Media GroupDisneyCokeGoogleGMMicrosoftCaldwell BankerTitleist, ScottsHumana HealthCiscoSony USARichard BransonSUCCESS MagazinePaulo CoelhoHarvey MackaySteven PressfieldTony Robbins, Internet Money MastersForbesGene Simmons, KISSAOLMeerkatPeriscopeTwitterFrank KernPlatoJay Baer, YoutilityTrust AgentsMatt Holt and Shannon Vargo, WileyStephen KingMinecraftJames and Claudia AltucherNew Marketing LabsBrian Clark, Copyblogger MediaNew York TimesDonald TrumpThe Beach Boys, Brian WilsonMacaulay Culkin, Home AloneJoel CommWorld Domination SummitChris GuillebeauPioneer NationOnline Course MakerJeff Walker, Product Launch FormulaGoDaddyDavid Siteman GarlandThinkific, Greg SmithGoogle+ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.productiveflourishing.com/subscribe

Cory Huff is an actor and storyteller who also has a career in Internet marketing. He discovered search engine marketing in social media in 2004 and since then has worked on marketing and software programs for some of the world’s biggest companies. He started his business The Abundant Artist in 2009 as a way of teaching Internet marketing to his artist friends who were asking him for help. He’s helped dozens of artists since, and some of his artist friends and clients have gone on to sell their work for $20,000 or more. In 2014, Cory moved to France for 9 months and was able to grow his online business and advance his goal of helping 1,000 artists create a full time income so they can use their talents to change the world. In November of 2014 he was offered a book deal. He has since moved back to the United States and lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife. Cory joins Charlie on the show to talk about how he teaches artists to be empowered to take charge of their own art business, as well as many other topics. Key Takeaways:01:58 – Cory is pretty open about the fact that he grew up in a poor family, and he was the first person in his family to go to college.05:45 – The Abundant Artist was originally something Cory started as a side project.07:16 – Shortly after moving to Portland, Cory got a job working on the sales floor for a search engine marketing company but was also a performer and hung out with artists in his spare time.11:31 – Cory has always done acting on the side.12:40 – Corey built his business as a way of creating a flexible lifestyle for himself so that he could do the art that he wanted to make.14:10 – The two biggest problems that most artists have are fear and lack of information.17:38 – There’s in general not a sharing of knowledge among the fine art community on how to make an art career work.22:06 – There has never been a better time to be an artist than right now.32:56 – Cory’s mantra for the last couple of years has been “fail harder.” Mentioned In This Episode:The Abundant ArtistPacific Northwest College of ArtRhode Island School of DesignPatreonGwenn SeemelThe Art of Asking, Amanda PalmerJonathan CoultonMacklemore & Ryan Lewis, “Thrift Shop”Wieden and Kennedy This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.productiveflourishing.com/subscribe

Julie Daley is a teacher, writer, and coach who works with people around the world in emotional intelligence, conscious embodiment, leadership potential, spontaneous awakening, the sacred feminine, finding one’s purpose, healing the pain of the past, and disconnecting from negative conditioning. She started her journey in 2001 when she became a certified creativity and business teacher at Stanford and received coaching certification from the Coaches Training Institute and the International Federation of Coaches. She also works with those who have lost loved ones in 9/11 as well as those directly affected by the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. In addition to all of that, Julie enjoys dancing to 5Rhythms, writing prose and poetry, process painting, and spending time with her grandchildren. She joins Charlie on the show to talk about her journey and her work. Key Takeaways:02:46 – Julie teaches creativity courses at Stanford as well as writing courses.03:08 – Julie went to Stanford at age 42 and graduated at age 45 with her bachelor’s degree.09:37 – The class Julie teaches is really about regaining and reclaiming that trust in ourselves and in the unseen world and in the mystery of life.10:53 – One of the biggest things that gets in the way of creativity is the voice of judgment.14:18 – Julie has spent time working with people directly affected by the Sandy Hook shootings and has worked with families of 9/11.21:44 – Julie now offers a program she teaches where she combines what she’s done at Stanford with what she has experienced and knows about the sacred feminine.28:38 – Men and women can’t choose to not coexist. We need each other.32:25 – One of the most important things that we can do right now is to feel.41:02 – You have exactly what you need to navigate whatever comes your way, and what comes your way is always what you need in the moment. Mentioned In This Episode:Michael Ray and Rochelle MyersLucy PearceTao Te ChingDavid Kelley, IDEOThe Gender Knot, Allan JohnsonDanielle LaPorteGabrielle Roth, 5RhythmsHow to Enter the Creative UnknownSacred Flesh Fierce Conversations, Susan Scott This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.productiveflourishing.com/subscribe

Wendy McClelland is a lifelong entrepreneur who started a small typing business after her divorce that eventually grew to what The New York Times called one of the best biz sites on the ‘net. She has overcome incredible odds, raising 3 children under 10 while running her growing business and then contracting E. coli, which put her in a body cast from neck to knee, having to completely stop her business and declare bankruptcy, and eventually having to relearn how to walk all together. Having overcome all of that, she was able to start over and chronicles her journey in her new book 27 Steps to Freedom: What Learning to Walk Again Taught Me About Success in Business & Life. Today Wendy provides marketing support and strategy for small to medium businesses. She joins Charlie on the show to discuss all of that and more. Key Takeaways:03:04 – Wendy started a small typing business to help make money after getting a divorce when her kids were young.07:09 – Wendy figured out how to build her own website, and within three weeks The New York Times had picked it as one of the best sites on the Internet.08:43 – Wendy started out with her online business at a time when all websites were HTML and there was no social media.10:50 – Wendy says she has had a fearless and brazen personality most of her life and considers that a blessing for her.12:44 – While Wendy’s business was growing and doing extremely well, she then became sick with E. coli.18:29 – When you go through a trauma, you’re not going to have that same life again that you had before, yet you still can create an amazing new life for yourself.26:07 – When you look at all the really amazing things that you can do, to do those things you have to let go of all the little small things that you might want to do instead. So learn to say no.27:53 – Whatever challenges you’re facing, know that there are people that have walked the path before you who can guide you. Mentioned In This Episode:27 Steps to Freedom: What Learning to Walk Again Taught Me About Success in Business & LifeThe New York TimesWordPressDreamweaverAOLFacebookLinkedInryze.comMarie CurieMother TeresaNellie McClungThe Small Business Lifecycle This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.productiveflourishing.com/subscribe

John Warrillow is a successful entrepreneur who is the founder of The Value Builder System and author of the bestselling book Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You, which was recognized by both Fortune and Inc. Magazine as one of the best business books of 2011 and has been translated into 4 languages. His newest book, The Automatic Customer: Creating a Subscription Business in Any Industry, was released in February of 2015. John is a sought after speaker, the creator of the Sellability Score, has started and exited four companies, and has been recognized by B2B Marketing as one of the top business-to-business marketers in the United States. On top of all that, he has done five marathon courses, one Ironman Triathlon, and the L’Etape du Tour bike race, as well as being a husband and the father of two children. John joins Charlie on the show today to discuss his career, his two books, and more. Key Takeaways:02:03 – John started out in radio production with the idea that entrepreneurs would want to learn from other entrepreneurs.06:11 – John sees his career as and entrepreneur as solving one problem at a time and making it a little bit better as he goes.06:47 – After John sold his last company, he and his family moved to Europe for three years.09:10 – John was born in England and lived there until he was five.11:09 – The idea behind Built to Sell is to get out of that trap of not being able to sell and into more of a company that can scale beyond just you personally.13:41 – One of the biggest reasons people exit their business is disability.16:43 – John felt he didn’t give enough attention to the idea of recurring revenue in his book Built to Sell.17:53 – The subscription business is changing dramatically.21:19 – The subscription economy is the antithesis to the demand economy in a lot of ways.23:44 – People are willing to pay for good content.33:49 – John doesn’t see doing PR for his books and products as something he is good at and doesn’t particularly enjoy it. Mentioned In This Episode:Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without YouThe Automatic Customer: Creating a Subscription Business in Any IndustryGreig Clark, College ProTim FerrissThe E Myth, Michael GerberSeth GodinStarbucksAMC TheatresAppleAmazonPatreonUberThe Wall Street JournalThe New York TimesFinancial TimesThe Wood WhispererWho Moved My Cheese?Gary Vaynerchuk  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.productiveflourishing.com/subscribe

Sarah Bray is a wife and homeschooling mom who has spent the past nine years working with clients as a strategic designer, front-end developer, and nation-builder. She has consulted with over 100 clients on content strategy, product design, marketing strategy, brand and identity development, and online business development. Now she is mostly a writer who is about to finish up her new book Gather the People. She is a huge advocate for nation building as a people-first alternative to traditional marketing and business development and always has a lot of projects going on. She joins Charlie on the show today to talk about what she does and how she got to where she is. Key Takeaways:01:33 – Sarah started out as a Web designer.04:11 – Sarah decided she wanted to care about what she was working on, so she shut down her Web design studio and started her own marketing company.05:39 – Shortly afterwards, Sarah went to work for a software company in Washington State.08:35 – Sarah gave herself three weeks to write her book, and she is now on the last week.10:44 – People confuse risk and uncertainty, and that’s a huge mistake.17:45 – The trick to wanting to put something out there, a big idea you have, is to reduce the scope of what you’re doing to something that’s really small, and then make that one small thing really well and fantastic.21:10 – What is really hard about growing as an entrepreneur is competing with your past self all the time.26:29 – Everything that we make and create has the potential to expand someone else’s world.31:46 – Sarah also homeschools her kids.40:21 – There’s conflict in everything that you learn, and sometimes that conflict involves other people. Mentioned In This Episode:Gather the PeopleJulianne RhodesReworkBasecampTwyla TharpDiggThe Chairs Are Where the People Go – Misha GloubermanLori Pickert This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.productiveflourishing.com/subscribe