An interview with Jim Ross about why he continues to be a wrestling announcer after decades of work, how he’s dealt with setbacks, what he’s learned from wrestlers, what makes for a compelling story and his best career advice. Welcome to the 78th episode of 5 Questions with Dan Schawbel. As your host, my goal is to curate the best advice from the world’s smartest and most interesting people by asking them just 5 questions. This episodes guest: My guest today is wrestling hall of fame announcer Jim Ross. Born in Fort Bragg, California, Jim played high school baseball, was a two-time all-conference football player and was president of the student body. During college, he was given his very first broadcast position filling in for a local NWA wrestling event. Jim ended his tenure by calling his first NWA World Heavyweight Championship match between Ric Flair and Ted DiBiase. In the next six-year period, he joined Jim Crockett Promotions, which was purchased by World Championship Wrestling (WCW), where he became the head of broadcasting. After his contract ended, he was hired by World Wrestling Federation (WWF) debuting at WrestleMania IX. Jim was fired by the WWF two weeks after suffering his first attack of Bell’s Palsy but was eventually hired back. He became the voice of WWF’s “Raw Is War” and was promoted to serve as EVP of Talent Relations for WWF, which was becoming WWE, before once again being fired. In 2007, Jim was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Steve Austin. He returned to WWE multiple times after until 2019 when he signed a 3-year deal with All Elite Wrestling to be a commentator and senior advisor. Currently, Jim has his own line of BBQ sauces, hosts the Grilling JR podcast and is the author of “Under The Black Hat”. It was great to speak with Jim after interviewing DDP for a previous podcast episode because he’s had a forty-year career and has learned so much from his experiences both personally and professionally. The 5 questions I ask in this episode: Your voice was part of my childhood growing up watching wrestling and you’ve maintained your career as an announcer ever since. What fuels your desire to continue to do what you do?How have you dealt with the grievances, health issues and setbacks you’ve encountered throughout your life from losing your wife to your Bell’s palsy and loss of eyesight?Over the years, you’ve had the opportunity to connect with a variety of wrestling stars, most notably Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Stone Cold Steve Austin and John Cena. What personal and professional advice did you both give them and receive from them?The wrestling industry was built on compelling storylines. What do you think separated the stories that captured the hearts and minds of your audience versus the ones that came up short? What is your best piece of career advice? Follow Jim’s journey: WebsiteBookFacebookTwitterInstagram

An interview with Glennon Doyle about how she overcame her struggles, how to trust yourself, how parenthood changed her, how being brave can make us luckier and her best career advice. Welcome to the 77th episode of 5 Questions with Dan Schawbel. As your host, my goal is to curate the best advice from the world’s smartest and most interesting people by asking them just 5 questions. This episodes guest: My guest today is bestselling author Glennon Doyle. Born in Burke, Virginia, Glennon struggled with bulimia and addiction growing up and shared her experiences in her 2013 TEDx talk “Lessons from the Mental Hospital”, which has been viewed over 3.4 million times. Her writing career started in 2009 with her blog Momastery, which led to her first book Carry On, Warrior, that was selected as part of Oprah’s Book Club. Glennon went onto write Love Warrior and her latest, Untamed. Aside from being an author and speaker, she’s the founder of the all-women led nonprofit organization Together Rising, which has raised millions of dollars for women, families and children’s in crisis. In this episode, Glennon shares some incredibly powerful life experiences and lessons that will both challenge and inspire you. The 5 questions I ask in this episode: Every successful person I’ve interviewed over the past 10 years has overcome significant work and life challenges and it’s the source of their courage, confidence, and power. How have your struggles with bulimia and addiction shaped the person you are today?One of the biggest personal challenges we face in today’s culture is the relentless pursuit of validation from others, which has been amplified by social media. How can we start trusting ourselves instead of striving to meet the expectations of the world?I’ve heard from all of my friends that parenthood changes you and all of them say that you can’t prepare for it, it just happens. How has parenthood put your life in perspective, helped you deal with your past and made you a better version of yourself?In your book Untamed, you say “The braver we are, the luckier we get”. Can you explain what you mean by this phrase and give an example from your life when you got lucky by being brave?What is your best piece of career advice? Follow Glennon’s journey: WebsiteBookFacebookTwitter Instagram

An interview with Diamond Dallas Page about the lessons he learned from his family, how his dyslexia is both a strength and a weakness, his favorite and least favorite part of being a wrestler, why he decided to start a yoga business and his best career advice. Welcome to the 76th episode of 5 Questions with Dan Schawbel. As your host, my goal is to curate the best advice from the world’s smartest and most interesting people by asking them just 5 questions. This episodes guest: My guest today is former pro wrestler turned entrepreneur, Diamond Dallas Page. Born in Point Pleasant, New Jersey his name came from his love of the Dallas Cowboys football team. After attending Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina, he started work full-time running a nightclub in Florida, while being a wrestling manager in the American Wrestling Association. A year later, he worked as a color commentator in Florida Championship Wrestling, which became Professional Wrestling Federation, working alongside Gordon Solie before becoming a wrestler himself. He was eventually brought into World Championship Wrestling after Dusty Rhodes offering him a contract. At WCW, DDP started as a manager then eventually rose up the ranks to become the United States Heavyweight champion. He continued to wrestle for the World Wrestling Federation after they bought WCW and went on to win the WWF Tag Team Championship and WWF European Championship during his time there.  After suffering from a neck injury, he retired, but eventually came out of retirement and has made appearances in WWF, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, All Elite Wrestling and others since. More recently, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of fame, published his second book “Positively Unstoppable” and launched his fitness program DDP Yoga. DDP was my favorite wrestler when I watched WCW so I was excited to learn more about his experience as a wrestler, life lessons and what he’s working on right now. The 5 questions I ask in this episode: As a child, you were raised by your father and then your grandmother. What impact did they have on your life and what life lessons did you learn from them? In your autobiography, you admitted your dyslexic and it’s common that many of the world’s most successful people are dyslexic. How was your dyslexia both a strength and weakness as you grew up?Even though my friends loved the WWE, I was a WCW fan and you were my favorite wrestler because I enjoyed your charisma and of course the Diamond Cutter finishing move! What was your favorite and least favorite part of being a pro-wrestler and what would you say your legacy is?When did your wife introduce you to yoga and what transferable skills from wrestling enabled you to create a successful yoga fitness program?What is your best piece of career advice? Follow DDP’s journey: WebsiteBusinessFacebookInstagramYouTubeTwitter

An interview with Molly Yeh about how her Chinese Jewish heritage and Midwest roots influenced her career, how she made a big life transition, how she maintains work-life balance, where she gets her inspiration for her recipes and her best career advice. Welcome to the 75th episode of 5 Questions with Dan Schawbel. As your host, my goal is to curate the best advice from the world’s smartest and most interesting people by asking them just 5 questions. This episodes guest: My guest today is the star of Girl Meets Farm on The Food Network, Molly Yeh. Born in Glenview, Illinois, Molly is of Chinese and Jewish descent with parents who are musicians and a sister who is also a chef. After following in her parents’ footsteps as a member of two percussion ensembles, which won gold medals, She moved to New York City to attend Julliard. Molly turned the journals she kept in her childhood into a blog back in 2009. After attracting a large following on the blog and on social media, Molly published her first book, Molly on the Range in 2017. The next year, Molly became the star of her own TV series on The Food Network called Girl Meets Farm, which is now in its fifth season. My good friend and middle eastern foodie Jeff Gabel told me about Molly years ago before she had her own TV show so I finally had the chance to speak with her about her life, inspiration, and advice. The 5 questions I ask in this episode: You’re very proud of your Chinese Jewish heritage and Midwest roots. How do think about your identity as it relates to the brand you developed?After studying at Julliard in New York, how were you able to adapt to life in the Midwest and what advice would you give to people in a big life transition?How do you maintain a work-life balance between blogging, being a mom, and your TV show?Where do you get the inspiration for your recipes and decide which ones to write and talk about on TV, in books and online?What is your best piece of career advice? Follow Molly’s journey: TV ShowBooksWebsiteFacebookInstagramTwitter

An interview with Jessica Pels about what prepared her for her job as Editor-in-Chief of Cosmopolitan, why ageism doesn’t affect her, the ideal mentor relationship, what she wants her legacy to be and her best career advice. Welcome to the 74th episode of 5 Questions with Dan Schawbel. As your host, my goal is to curate the best advice from the world’s smartest and most interesting people by asking them just 5 questions. This episodes guest: My guest today is the Editor-in-Chief of Cosmopolitan, Jessica Pels. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Jessica moved to New York City at age 14 to study ballet at the American Ballet Theatre. After earning her degree in film production at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts, Jessica held various editorial positions at The New Yorker, Vogue, Glamour and Teen Vogue before becoming the Digital Director for Marie Claire magazine. She left the magazine to accept a similar role at Cosmopolitan, which eventually led to her becoming the youngest person in the history of the magazine to be the Editor-in-Chief at age 32. In her position, Jessica oversees the content and editorial operations for the magazine, web, social, video, and editorial innovation projects. As someone who has contributed articles to magazines in the past, I was excited to speak with Jessica about her journey, perspectives, advice, and legacy. The 5 questions I ask in this episode: What did you learn in your prior job roles that prepared you for your current role?As a fellow Millennial leader, I encountered a lot of ageism in my early 20s as I was trying to grow my career. What obstacles did you have to overcome to be the youngest person to ever hold your prestigious position? You speak a lot about the importance of mentorship, which is a topic that is often talked about but misunderstood. Can you describe your ideal mentor relationship?Over the course of my career, I’ve interviewed those who have held your position before you like Joanna Coles and Kate White. How do you think you’ll be different from your predecessors and what unique contribution are you looking to make?What is your best piece of career advice? Follow Jessica’s journey: WebsiteTwitterInstagram

An interview with Dr. Mark Hyman about how he originally got into the medical field, how to know what to eat and what to avoid, how to structure your day so you’re healthy, avoiding burnout and his best career advice. Welcome to the 73rd episode of 5 Questions with Dan Schawbel. As your host, my goal is to curate the best advice from the world’s smartest and most interesting people by asking them just 5 questions. This episodes guest: My guest today is a bestselling author and founder of The UltraWellness Center, Dr. Mark Hyman. Born in New York, Mark moved to Idaho after graduating from medical school. Then, he worked as an emergency room doctor in Massachusetts before becoming the co-medical director at Canyon Ranch. After leaving the Ranch, he opened The UltraWellness Center. Over the past seven years, Mark has written countless bestselling books, including his latest entitled “Food Fix: How to Save Our Health, Our Economy, Our Communities, and Our Planet–One Bite at a Time”. He is the Medical Director at Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Functional Medicine and is a medical advisor to Bill and Hillary Clinton. As someone who went from eating fast food, and hot dogs on George Foreman grills to being a pescatarian, I have an appreciation for food as it relates to our health. That’s why I wanted Mark to share his insights with all of you because eating healthy transformed my life and it can do the same for you. Video interview from New York City: The 5 questions I ask in this episode: How did you originally get into the medical field?There’s so much information about what to eat and what not to online. How do you know what to trust?How do you structure your day so you can manage all aspects of your health?What is the best way to prevent burnout and is food part of that?What is your best piece of career advice? Follow Mark’s journey: WebsiteBookPodcastInstagramFacebookTwitter

An interview with Patrick Lencioni about why he decided to become a leader, the biggest mistakes leaders make, the behaviors that drive high performing teams, a leader’s responsibility at work and his best career advice. Welcome to the 72nd episode of 5 Questions with Dan Schawbel. As your host, my goal is to curate the best advice from the world’s smartest and most interesting people by asking them just 5 questions. This episodes guest: My guest today is a leadership consultant and bestselling author, Patrick Lencioni. Born in Bakersfield, California, Patrick was a management consultant at Bain, Oracle, and Sybase before launching The Table Group, a firm focused on executive team development and organizational health. He is best known as the author of the multi-million copy bestselling book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, and has followed up with a series of other books, including his latest entitled “The Motive”. Patrick is new to the podcast world with his show “At The Table”. I first discovered Patrick’s work back in 2009 and have since interviewed him several times. He’s one of the most respected figures in my industry, an incredible communicator and his team have a long tenure, which speaks volumes to his leadership ability. He’s also represented by my literary agent and hero, Jim Levine! In this podcast interview, we learn about Patrick’s own leadership style and what really drives team performance. The 5 questions I ask in this episode: Why did you originally choose to be a leader and what experiences helped shape the leader you are today? What pitfalls do leaders make that hurt their team when their intent was to help?You’ve written 12 books on how leaders build effective teams. What behaviors are most important for forming, engaging and growing a great team?   With the workplace becoming increasingly automated, and where mental health issues are widespread, what is a leader’s role and responsibility as we start a new decade? What is your best piece of career advice? Follow Patrick’s journey: CompanyBookPodcastInstagramFacebookTwitterLinkedIn

An interview with Vinny Guadagnino about how he was able to change his diet, how losing 50 pounds changed his life, how fame has impacted him, managing criticism and his best career advice. Welcome to the 71st episode of 5 Questions with Dan Schawbel. As your host, my goal is to curate the best advice from the world’s smartest and most interesting people by asking them just 5 questions. This episodes guest: My guest today is MTV Jersey Shore star, Vinny Guadagnino. Born in Staten Island, New York City, Vinny was cast for the Jersey shore back in 2009 and remained on the show for all six seasons up until 2012. He then went on to host the MTV talk show The Show with Vinny in 2013 then co-hosted Vinny & Ma Eat America with his mom on The Cooking Channel. In 2018, he reunited with his Jersey Shore castmates for Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, and also co-starred on A Double Shot at Love on MTV with DJ Pauly D. Vinny has supported campaigns around issues like anti-bullying and gay rights. As an advocate for the keto diet, he wrote “The Keto Guido Cookbook”. I sat down with Vinny to talk about the lessons he’s learned from keeping such a strict diet and how it’s impacted his life for this podcast. The 5 questions I ask in this episode: Like you, I grew up eating unhealthy without even realizing the harm it was causing me. What obstacles did you face as you changed your diet and how did you overcome them?How has losing 50 pounds impacted how you feel about yourself, your career trajectory and the people closest to you? You’ve been in the public eye for a decade. What aspects of fame have been most beneficial and harmful to your life?You were bullied in high school, just like me, and have since used your platform to bring attention to the issue. How have you been able to prevent bullies and critics from hurting your self-confidence? What is your best piece of career advice? Follow Vinny’s journey: BookInstagramFacebookTwitter

An interview with Steve Gorman about how he was able to handle the highs and lows of being in a band, what the most important qualities of a teammate are, what he would have done differently, what he learned as an artist and his best career advice. Welcome to the 70th episode of 5 Questions with Dan Schawbel. As your host, my goal is to curate the best advice from the world’s smartest and most interesting people by asking them just 5 questions. This episodes guest: My guest today is the founding member of the Black Crowes, Steve Gorman. Born in Muskegon, Michigan, Steve joined his elementary school’s band playing the drums. At age 10, he moved to Kentucky, aspiring to be a guitarist. Then in college, he was a broadcasting major, while playing drums with several bands. In 1986, he formed the band Lack of Interest with his friends to record their first demo tape. A year later, he started playing with the Black Crowes for their first 9 albums, then eventually rejoined in 2005. More recently, Gorman founded the band Trigger Hippy and authored the book, “Hard to Handle”, which is named after the Black Crowes hit song. I caught up with Steve to learn more about how he was able to navigate a multi-decade career in such a celebrated band and what he’s learned along the way. The 5 questions I ask in this episode: You’ve been part of The Black Crowes for over two decades, witnessing the success, struggle, and breakup first hand. How were you able to mentally and emotionally handle the highs and lows?You say you’re a team-oriented guy. What do you believe are the most important qualities of a teammate, or in your case a band member, and which are the ones to avoid and why?If you were to start another band right now, what would you differently base on what you’ve experienced and why?What is the most important business advice you’ve learned as an artist that you wish you knew when you first started?What is your best piece of career advice? Follow Steve’s journey: BookBandInstagramFacebookTwitter

An interview with Melissa Ben-Ishay how she benefited from losing her job, how she overcame her biggest obstacle as an entrepreneur, where her work ethic comes from, how she’s managed her work and personal relationships and her best career advice. Welcome to the 69th episode of 5 Questions with Dan Schawbel. As your host, my goal is to curate the best advice from the world’s smartest and most interesting people by asking them just 5 questions. This episodes guest: My guest today is the creator, President and Chief Product Officer of Baked by Melissa, Melissa Ben-Ishay. Born in Hillsdale, New Jersey Melissa graduated Syracuse University with a Bachelor’s in Child and Family Studies. Her first job was as a sales assistant at Telerep Inc., then she worked at Deutsch Inc. as an Assistant Media Planner, where she was fired at age 24. Her side hustle during this time was baking tie-dye cupcakes for friends, family and co-workers. Two weeks after being fired, Melissa partnered with her brother Brian to create the Baked by Melissa company. Fast forward to today, where Baked by Melissa is in 14 locations and ships nationwide. Melissa is also the author of Cakes by Melissa and invests her time in philanthropic initiatives like Make-A-Wish and the Side with Love campaign to help spread kindness. While I don’t eat cupcakes, I see Baked by Melissa stores walking around in New York City and at JFK Airport so I was interested in learning how she made all of this happen! The 5 questions I ask in this episode: How was losing your job as an Assistant Media Planner a blessing in disguise? When you initially had the idea for your company, what was your biggest obstacle and how did you overcome it?Like you, I remember working over one hundred hours a week when I started a company in my 20s. Where does your work ethic come from and how have you continued to sustain it after 12 years in business? You co-founded your company with your brother and have since married your husband who works under you. How have you been able to manage these relationships without letting work get in between you?What’s your best piece of career advice? Follow Melissa’s journey: CompanyInstagramFacebookTwitterLinkedIn