Smart People Podcast

Laura Roeder - Social media is for real. To be honest, I wasn't a believer. I think social media often times just adds to the noise. But after speaking with our guest this week, I realized that what I think doesn't really matter. Social media is here and it's a necessity for any business these days. Even more importantly is the specific way you interact on social media, what you share, how you share it, and what your strategy is. Love it or hate it, it's time to step up your social media game. This week we interview entrepreneur and social media expert, Laura Roeder.  Laura is a social media marketing expert who teaches small businesses how to become well-known and claim their brands online. She is the creator of LKR Social Media Marketer and Creating Fame, and is also the author ofFacebook Fame: The Facebook Marketing Bible For The Small Business. In 2011, Laura Roeder was honored at The White House as one of the top 100 entrepreneurs under the age of 30. "You're probably not going to have new information tomorrow that you don't have today - so just get started. You don't have any assurances it's going to turn out well, but you have to keep moving forward." - Laura Roeder Quotes from Laura:  What we learn in this episode: Laura makes Chris a believer in social media - why? How to get over the fear of being "too young" in business and entrepreneurship. Some great tidbits on social media Resources: Edgar Social Media Tool lkrsocialmedia.com Facebook Fame: The Facebook Marketing Bible For The Small Business @LKR -- This episode is brought to you by: SmartThings: Go to http://www.smartthings.com/smartpeople to get 10% off a Home Security Kit or Solution Kit with promo code: SMARTPEOPLE Lynda.com: Do something good for yourself in 2015 and sign up for a FREE 10-day trial to Lynda.com by visiting Lynda.com/smartpeople. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Edward Humes - Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash. Have you ever thought about how much trash you create? Honestly, have you ever stopped to consider how many trash bags you go through, how many trips to the curb you take, or how much food you throw out? Probably not...most of us don't. But the sad truth is the average American produces 102 tons of garbage across a lifetime and $50 billion in squandered riches are rolled to the curb each year! Although we have become extremely efficient with keeping trash out of site, unfortunately that has kept it out of mind, and it's creating a massive problem. This week we speak with Pulitzer Prize-Winning author, Edward Humes about trash - what's in it, how much we pay for it, how we create so much, what's wrong with it all and how we fix it. Edward's amazing book, Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash, is raising awareness of trash consumption and is sparking nationwide action. Edward Humes is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and non-fiction writer. He received the Pulitzer Prize for specialized reporting for investingative stories he wrote about the US military for the Orange County Register. He is the author of 13 nonfiction books, and a contributing writer for Sierra Magazine, California Lawyer and Los Angeles magazine, among other publications. He is married to journalist and author Donna Wares and lives in Southern California. "There is a reason we call it waste - you are throwing stuff away that has value. You are wasting it." - Edward Humes Quotes from Edward:  What we learn in this episode: Why did Walmart choose to make reducing waste a top priority throughout the company and what were the effects? Germany and Austria send only 1% of the their trash to landfills, while America sends nearly 70%! What happened when MIT students place tracking devices in random articles of trash throughout Seattle? The results are shocking. What is the story of our garbage? Where does it come from and where does it go? Resources: Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash http://www.edwardhumes.com/ https://www.facebook.com/Garbology -- This episode is brought to you by: Igloo: Go to igloosoftware.com/smartpeople to use Igloo for free with up to 10 of your favorite coworkers or customers! Future Advisor: Let new technology give you complete clarity on all of your investments and a plan to meet your goals sooner - Go to www.futureadvisor.com/smartpeople for your 3 month free premium portfolio management. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Technology is revolutionizing the way we work and live, and we can accomplish more in an hour than previous generations could in a week - but it comes at a price. Many of us are overwhelmed and exhausted, stressed out by the numerous demands on our time. We work 12 hour days, eat food on the run, get less sleep, and yet somehow we often don't feel like we got anything accomplished. And for these reasons, the subject of productivity has developed a cult-like following. People want to hack this and quick-fix that. But how do we achieve truly extraordinary productivity?  Join us this week as we tackle the topic of productivity with Kory Kogon. Kory is FranklinCovey’s Global Practice Leader for Productivity focusing her research and content development around time management, project management, and communication skills. She is one of the authors of the Wall Street Journal bestseller The 5 Choices: The Path to Extraordinary Productivity. Kory has been featured on Inc.com and on its “Productivity Playbook” online series, Fast Company.com, Forbes.com, and in Investor’s Business Daily. She has also appeared on NBC’s TODAY with Hoda Kotb and Billy Bush. Utah Magazine honored Kory as one of the “Top 30 Business Women to Watch” in Utah. In 2012 Kory earned a Certificate of NeuroLeadership Foundations from the NeuroLeadership Institute, of which she is an ongoing member. "Time management, project management, and communication skills are the three core competencies in the 21st century for knowledge workers." - Kory Kogon Quotes from Kory:  What we learn in this episode: How to tackle your overloaded email inbox How does the modern employee disengage from work when they are always accessible? How to be more productive The thinking brain vs. the reactive brain Resources: The 5 Choices: The Path to Extraordinary Productivity www.thefivechoicesbook.com www.thefivechoices.com http://franklincoveyspeakersbureau.com/speakers/kory-kogon.php -- This episode is brought to you by: SmartThings: Go to http://www.smartthings.com/smartpeople to get 10% off a Home Security Kit or Solution Kit with promo code: SMARTPEOPLE Lynda.com: Do something good for yourself in 2015 and sign up for a FREE 10-day trial to Lynda.com by visiting Lynda.com/smartpeople. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Markus Kramer - What's in a luxury brand? In this episode we are uncovering the secrets of the world of luxury. For example, how did Apple become the most recognized brand in the world? Why were high heels originally designed for men? And why would anyone EVER pay $5,000,000 for a watch? Learn how luxury brands are able to charge such a premium, and how you can use these same principals to build your business or your own personal brand. Our guest this week is luxury brand expert, Markus Kramer. Markus specializes in helping brands and businesses grow stronger. He advises Boards, Executives and Operational Teams as well as Private Equity and Growth Funds on all aspects of strategic positioning, growth through active brand management, marketing, communication and retail development. Among other things, Markus is known for helping Aston Martin (Global Marketing Director) and Harley-Davidson (Marketing Director EMEA) build, scale and deliver their fascinating brands to more people in more places around the world. Markus is Swiss at heart, an architect by training and holds degrees in Marketing & Brand Management, International Project Management from the University of California in Berkeley (USA) and an MBA from the SAID Business School at the University of Oxford (UK). Markus is fluent in five languages and lives with his wife and three young children on the shores of lake Zurich in Switzerland. "Luxury is a demonstration of social power." - Markus Kramer Quotes from Markus:  What we learn in this episode: What does it mean to be a brand? What defines a luxury brand? Why men invented and wore high heels. How do you improve your brand or the brand of your business? Resources: http://www.markuskramer.net/ http://brandaffairs.com/ -- This episode is brought to you by: SmartThings: Go to http://www.smartthings.com/smartpeople to get 10% off a Home Security Kit or Solution Kit with promo code: SMARTPEOPLE Future Advisor: Let new technology give you complete clarity on all of your investments and a plan to meet your goals sooner - Go to www.futureadvisor.com/smartpeople for your 3 month free premium portfolio management. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Few people have had a better perspective on the rise of the "technology revolution" than our guest this week, Kevin Kelly. As a young hippie backpacking his way around the world, Kevin aspired to make art and to learn about the world. By his own admission, he disliked most technologies, especially the computer - which was a large, clunky, useless machine. However, when he snuck his way into one of the earliest groups to try out the internet, he realized that the world was about to change in a big way and he wanted a front row ticket. Soon after, in 1993 Kevin co-founded Wired Magazine and they have been predicting the future ever since. Kevin is the author of the new book, Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities.  Kevin Kelly is Senior Maverick at Wired magazine. He co-founded Wired in 1993, and served as its Executive Editor from its inception until 1999. He has just completed a book for Viking/Penguin publishers called "What Technology Wants," due out in the Fall 2010. He is also editor and publisher of the Cool Tools website, which gets half a million unique visitors per month. From 1984-1990 Kelly was publisher and editor of the Whole Earth Review, a journal of unorthodox technical news. He co-founded the ongoing Hackers' Conference, and was involved with the launch of the WELL, a pioneering online service started in 1985. He authored the best-selling New Rules for the New Economy and the classic book on decentralized emergent systems, Out of Control. "I remember saying to myself that I'll just pretend that I'm a millionaire. I'll just pretend that I have the money that I need and I'll act as if money is not the constraint, but other things are." - Kevin Kelly Quotes from Kevin:  What we learn in this episode: How to live like a creative. How did Wired magazine get started? How does mastery play a role in passion? What does the future of information look like? Resources: Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities www.kk.org Twitter: @kevin2kelly -- This episode is brought to you by: SmartThings: Go to http://www.smartthings.com/smartpeople to get 10% off a Home Security Kit or Solution Kit with promo code: SMARTPEOPLE Lynda.com: Do something good for yourself in 2015 and sign up for a FREE 10-day trial to Lynda.com by visiting Lynda.com/smartpeople. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tiffani Lennon - Are women better? Although we like to think that we are an equal opportunity economy, the glass ceiling still very much exists.  As a matter of fact, in 2011, women ran only 12 of the Fortune 500 companies. So how does this impact our ability to compete in a global environment? If women aren't given an equal chance to succeed, aren't we missing out on half of the talented people in the country? As a matter of fact, it's worse than that. According to our guest this week, the data shows that women are outperforming men across the board - and it's time we recognize them for it. This week we speak with Tiffani Lennon, author of the new book, Recognizing Women's Leadership: Strategies and Best Practices for Employing Excellence. Recently named a finalist for the Denver Business Journal Power Book's Power List Award, Tiffani Lennon has shown leadership, program innovation, subject matter expertise, and an entrepreneurial spirit that drives her involvement in academia and business. During the past 10 years, Tiffani has engaged in roles focused in the areas of business and economic development, strategic planning, outreach and engagement, acquisition, policy and legislative analysis and continuous performance improvement. Tiffani attended the University of London’s Birkbeck College of Law and completed an LL.M. degree in International Economic Law and Development. Complementing her already-impressive academic credentials, her strengths as a consultant sit on a solid foundation of education including a Master’s degree, a Juris Doctor, and now, an LL.M. degree. s. "In most of our modern history we have valued and favored that which is masculine." - Tiffani Lennon Quotes from Tiffani:  What we learn in this episode: What does the "glass ceiling" look like today? What is the talent gap? How do we hire talent, regardless of the sex? Resources: Recognizing Women's Leadership: Strategies and Best Practices for Employing Excellence https://portfolio.du.edu/TLENNON -- This episode is brought to you by: Shari's Berries: Go to Shari's Berries Get an amazing Valentine’s Day deal: Giant, juicy, freshly dipped strawberries – starting at $19.99! Or double the berries for $10 more! Lynda.com: Do something good for yourself in 2015 and sign up for a FREE 10-day trial to Lynda.com by visiting Lynda.com/smartpeople. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just as polio loomed over the 1950s, and AIDS stalked the 1980s and ’90s, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) haunts us in the early years of the twenty-first century. Over a decade into the United States’ “global war on terror,” PTSD afflicts as many as 30 percent of the conflict’s veterans. But the disorder’s reach extends far beyond the armed forces. In total, some twenty-seven million Americans are believed to be PTSD survivors. Yet to many of us, the disorder remains shrouded in mystery, secrecy, and shame. This week we speak with David Morris, former Marine turned war correspondent. While on assignment, David's humvee was hit by an IED (improvised explosive device) and his life was forever changed.  In this episode we discuss America's hunger for violence, the effect of war movies on our nation (specifically we discuss the newest blockbuster - American Sniper), the truth about PTSD, and much more.  David is the author of the brand new best-selling book, The Evil Hours: A Biography of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.  David Morris is a former Marine infantry officer. He worked in Iraq from 2004 to 2007 as a reporter for Salon and the Virginia Quarterly Review. His story “The Big Suck: Notes from the Jarhead Underground” was originally published in VQR and was included in The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2007. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Slate, The Daily Beast, The Los Angeles Times and elsewhere. In 2008 Morris was awarded a creative nonfiction fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as residencies at The MacDowell Colony and the Norman Mailer Writers Colony in Provincetown, Massachusetts.  "The only people who don't think that America has an empire are Americans." - David Morris Quotes from David:  What we learn in this episode: What is the mental and physical toll that war takes on a soldier? How are war movies distorting our feelings towards war and violence? What should the average person understand about post-traumatic stress disorder? Resources: The Evil Hours: A Biography of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder www.theevilhours.com New York Times Article by David Morris -- This episode is brought to you by: Shari's Berries: Go to Shari's Berries Get an amazing Valentine’s Day deal: Giant, juicy, freshly dipped strawberries – starting at $19.99! Or double the berries for $10 more! Lynda.com: Do something good for yourself in 2015 and sign up for a FREE 10-day trial to Lynda.com by visiting Lynda.com/smartpeople. Need suggestions? Try these:  Getting things done - Lynda.com Breaking out of a rut - Lynda.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Erica Peitler - How to Lead. The simple truth is that how you lead is the precursor to what you can achieve, yet it is often underestimated or dismissed. The need to leverage the talents of those around you is a defining trait of the successful. But what is the best way to lead? And how can you manage the various personalities of people you work with on a daily basis? This week we talk to leadership expert, consultant, and coach Erica Peitler as she tells us how to lead in a way that inspires others to be the best version of themselves. Erica is the author of Leadership Rigor: Breakthrough Performance and Productivity - Leading Yourself, Teams and Organizations. Erica Peitler is a Leadership Performance Coach who courageously partners with individuals, teams and organizations who want to realize their visions of success by transforming their leadership potential into visible, on the ground, breakthrough leadership performance! A corporate healthcare executive with over 20 years of leadership experience running large operational divisions, brands/portfolios, board level strategic growth initiatives and global R&D organizations, Erica has been selected throughout her professional career to lead, grow, create and transform business, teams and organizations. In 2007, Erica founded her own coaching and consulting firm so that she could share her breakthrough leadership insights, models/frameworks and skill building approaches with highly motivated organizations and leaders looking to make a real and meaningful difference in their work through leadership. "There are two things we have to be great at as leaders: communication and relationships." - Erica Peitler Quotes from Erica: What we learn in this episode: How can a leader utilize better communication skills? What language is necessary? Why you are a leader and don't even know it. Why leaders need to understand various personalities. What is the most common barrier most executives face? Resources: Leadership Rigor: Breakthrough Performance and Productivity - Leading Yourself, Teams and Organizations http://ericapeitler.com/ @EricaPeitler -- This episode is brought to you by: Igloo: Go to igloosoftware.com/smartpeople to use Igloo for free with up to 10 of your favorite coworkers or customers! Lynda.com: Do something good for yourself in 2015 and sign up for a FREE 10-day trial to Lynda.com by visiting Lynda.com/smartpeople. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dave Birss - How to be creative. Creativity is surrounded by such mystique. It seemed so magical to the ancient Greeks that they attributed the moment of inspiration to muses rather than people. And in our modern work environment, regardless of your job title you are continually being asked to come up with creative solutions to new, complex problems. That's why it's important to understand that there is such thing as the creative process, and there's also a way to get it wrong. This week on the show, we interview creativity expert Dave Birss, and we ask him to teach us how to maximize our creativity in order to succeed in this constantly evolving economic landscape. Dave is the author of the bestselling book, A User Guide to the Creative Mind: Understanding Where Ideas Come From and Helping You Have More of Them. He is also a former VP at one of the largest advertising agencies in the world, a sought after speaker and consultant, and he's recently launched a brand new web series called DayBeforeTomorrow.tv. **The Kindle version of his book is currently $1.50 for a short period of time - don't miss out!** "I want to be the most interesting person in the old-folks home. I want to have more interesting stories than any of the other wrinkly old 'gits' around me." - Dave Birss Quotes from Dave Birss:  What we learn in this episode: How to multitask What is "Western Creativity" and why Dave believes we need to look at it differently. How do you enhance creativity in yourself and in a team? What is the first part of the creative process? Resources: A User Guide to the Creative Mind: Understanding Where Ideas Come From and Helping You Have More of Them DayBeforeTomorrow.tv Dave's Personal Website Alcohol and Creativity....what? Check this out. @davebirss Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Smart People Podcast we are helping you get lucky... wait a second. Richard Wiseman bring us a groundbreaking new scientific study of the phenomenon of luck and the ways we can bring good luck into our lives. What is luck? A psychic gift or a question of intelligence? And what is it that lucky people have that unlucky people lack? Psychologist Dr. Richard Wiseman put luck under a scientific microscope for the very first time in his book, The Luck Factor: Changing your Luck, Changing your Life, The Four Essential Principals , examining the different ways in which lucky and unlucky people think and behave. After three years of intensive interviews and experiments with over 400 volunteers, Wiseman arrived at an astonishing conclusion: Luck is something that can be learned. It is available to anyone willing to pay attention to the Four Essential Principles: Creating Chance Opportunities Thinking Lucky Feeling Lucky Denying Fate This and other topics covered in our interview this week with Richard.  Richard Wiseman began his working life as a professional magician and currently holds Britain’s only Professorship in the Public Understanding of Psychology (University of Hertfordshire).  He researches the psychology of luck, change, perception and deception, and his work has been published in leading academic journals. Richard has written several bestselling books (including The Luck Factor, Quirkology, and 59 Seconds) and has delivered keynote addresses to organisations across the world (including The Swiss Economic Forum, Google and Amazon). He was listed in the Independent On Sunday’s top 100 people who make Britain a better place to live, and has acted as a creative consultant to Derren Brown, The MythBusters, and Heston Blumenthal. Richard is the most followed British psychologist on Twitter, his YouTube channel has received over 300 million views, and one Scientific American columnist described him as  ‘….the most interesting and innovative experimental psychologist in the world today’. "The concept of luck is very straightforward.  Some people notice opportunities and others don't." - Richard Wiseman Quotes from Richard Wiseman:  What we learn in this episode: What is the best way to brainstorm? How do you increase your luck? Do lucky people know if and why they are lucky? Resources: The Luck Factor https://www.youtube.com/user/Quirkology http://richardwiseman.wordpress.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices