Disrupt Yourself Podcast with Whitney Johnson

Innovation and transformation are never easy. Aidan McCullen, author of Undisruptable, talks how giving failure its due can help lead to personal transformation, leaving the old way of doing things to move forward, and how resistance is often the marker that we are near our goals. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: https://whitneyjohnson.com/aidan-mccullen/

Author, speaker, and activist Julie Lythcott-Haims helps people find their true north. A New York Times bestselling author, her latest book, Your Turn, is how to be an adult. We discuss a number compelling topics including how being adult is not about accomplishing some sort of checklist, rather growing through the process. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: https://whitneyjohnson.com/julie-lythcott-haims/

In this episode I talk with Erica Dhawan. She is an author and advisor on 21st century teamwork and today, we are discussing her latest book, Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection, No Matter the Distance. In the past, we humans have drawn heavily upon body language to connect and build trust. But now a significant, if not majority, of our interactions occur in a digital medium. This new reality has made it challenging for many of us to connect and build trust. Erica helps guide us in and through this brave new world by drawing on research and employing the art of skillful storytelling. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: https://whitneyjohnson.com/erica-dhawan

Our guest today, Ellen Bennett has created a roadmap of sorts for young entrepreneurs in her appropriately titled book, Dream First, Details Later. Bennett is the CEO & Founder of Hedley & Bennett. Their mission: To make the hardest working, best looking aprons, and kitchen gear in the world. Bennett’s belief in herself, her company and nearly everyone she connects with, is truly inspiring. She truly leaves one feeling we can dream first and save the details for later. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: https://whitneyjohnson.com/ellen-bennett/

James Altucher is a serial entrepreneur, chess master, prolific writer, successful investor and stand-up comedian. James is a lot of things, but maybe most of all, he is an experimenter. His latest book, Skip the Line, provides a roadmap for those of us looking to do the same. He has frequently appeared on CNBC and on many podcasts, including one hosted by yours truly (see episode 06). James also hosts his own podcast the James Altucher Show, a top-rated show since 2014. Altucher is talented, successful and inspiring. He pushes the limits, challenges the status quo and encourages us all to do the same. Join us for a riveting discussion about success, failure, experimentation and of course, disruption. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit:  https://whitneyjohnson.com/james-altucher-2

Today our guest is Stephen M.R. Covey, the best-selling author of the critically acclaimed book, The Speed of Trust. He is the son of Stephen R. Covey of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and co-founder of Covey Link and the Franklin Covey Global Speed of Trust practice. And today, he is here with us. Stephen’s work shows us that trust is a valuable lever, one that makes organizations more profitable, people more promotable and relationships more energizing. In this episode we learn how, in the midst of a strained and possibly failing merger, Stephen zeroed in on trust – doubled down – and never looked back. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: https://whitneyjohnson.com/stephen-m-r-covey/

Today our guest is Ed Catmull. Ed is the co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios (along with Steve Jobs and John Lasseter) and former president of Pixar Animation and Disney Animation. He has received five Academy Awards, and his work as a computer scientist has contributed to groundbreaking developments in computer graphics. As if all that weren’t enough, Ed is also the author of the New York Times best-selling book, Creativity Inc. His list of accomplishments is long and are enough to fill more than one lifetime. But I have asked Ed here today to talk about something else, I want to talk people. As with so many other projects in his storied career, Ed has developed an incredible approach to managing people. Throughout the span of his career, he has made it possible for people to do their best work. He's made it possible for people to disrupt themselves and when they get to the top of that S curve, to keep climbing. In this episode we discuss how Ed developed his unique approach to management. We learn how he stuck to his recipe in the midst of mergers, leaks and when the team accidentally deleted a year’s worth of work on what would eventually become a blockbuster animated film (you will have to listen to learn which one!). For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: https://whitneyjohnson.com/ed-catmull/

Today, our guest is Dr. Meghan Rothenberger, an infectious disease doctor specializing in HIV and AIDS, formerly a professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Meghan wants to disrupt the stigma around physicians talking about their mental health and we are here to help. From the outside looking in, one might assume that Meghan’s life is an idyllic one. After all, she is happily married with two sons and a daughter, and Meghan’s husband is also a doctor. She has a great family, a great career and had always wanted to be a doctor. However, in 2018 Meghan’s thoughts began traveling to painful places. Meghan kept up the façade for as long as she could until one day, under mounting pressure and expectations, she experienced an emotional breakdown. Join us as we explore the immense pressure experienced by medical residents and physicians and learn about the barriers that keep them from seeking treatment. Meghan’s story is one of healing and self-discovery and today, she generously shares her journey with us. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: https://whitneyjohnson.com/meghan-rothenberger/ 

Bob Proctor is a towering figure wherever the mention of self-help comes into discussion. For more than 40 years, Bob has focused his entire agenda around helping people create enriched lives, full of rewarding relationships and spiritual awareness.  In 1960, he was a high-school dropout who had worked a string of dead-end jobs. Crippled by debt, he struggled to find a path forward. However, his life changed dramatically when a friend gave him a revolutionary book, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. The result was a remarkable transformation. Listen in to hear about Bob’s journey from obscurity to successful entrepreneur, teacher, author, business consultant and counselor. His latest book, Change Your Paradigm Change Your Life, is due out this August. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: https://www.whitneyjohnson.com/bob-proctor/

Money is a resource, and yet many of us are not comfortable talking about money, let alone talking about building a wealth. Fortunately, today I am speaking with Ashley M. Fox. Ashley, a former Wall Street analyst and expert at financial education, is her to help us disrupt our view of money. As part of her mission, she founded Empify, an organization dedicated to changing the mindset of communities across the United States through financial empowerment and education. They have reached thousands of students in over 50 different schools and organizations across the United States. Ashley is also a financial journalist for Black Enterprise magazine and has been featured on Jim Cramer's The Street, Yahoo Finance, and Glamour magazine. Join us as we discuss giving your money a job, dispelling myths around guilt and shame, and learning how to pay yourself first. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: https://www.whitneyjohnson.com/ashley-m-fox/