Disrupt Yourself Podcast with Whitney Johnson

Last year I held a special live coaching session with Stacy Olsen Distefano, and at the end of the episode I put out a call to my listeners to see if anyone else felt brave enough to take the leap. Michelle Seymour Smith answered the call, and today you will hear another live coaching session that digs down deep into what motivates Michelle, what holds her back, and what she can do to disrupt herself. Sometimes when we hear about people disrupting themselves we imagine huge, sweeping changes. In Michelle’s case, she’s not looking to change companies or move, or even change jobs. She simply wants to take deliberate steps to make her feel like she’s empowering herself at work. She loves the company she works for. Having joined the team in its early days as a startup, Michelle feels an immense sense of achievement to see how much it has grown, and looking back she can see what an important role she played in that growth. It quickly became apparent that Michelle is not looking for a completely new path—she already has a phenomenal environment in which to work—but she feels rudderless and unsure of which direction she should go moving forward. What do you do when you don’t know “what’s next?” Join us as I help Michelle find that clarity, embrace her constraints, and leverage the skills she already has in her toolbox to find ways to disrupt herself. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/live-coaching-michelle-seymour-smith

Today’s guest is Zach Obront, co-founder of Scribe (formerly Book in a Box), a company that helps entrepreneurs and innovators turn their ideas into a book. When Zach Obront was in college, he started a high school. A bit silly? Possibly, in retrospect. But Zach has never had an issue with out-of-the-box thinking. The next company he created, Handy Monkey, was a mold removal company he started when he realized that mold removal companies in Toronto did not understand the ins-and-outs of SEO and internet advertising. He and his partner wanted to prove to the skeptical owners of these companies that internet marketing would solve many of their problems, and the only way they could think to prove that was to create a company themselves and make it profitable. “[E]ventually what we decided was the only way we were gonna be able to kind of make that change in that industry, is just to do it end to end, and show them that the Internet works, and therefore, we can generate leads, and therefore, we can build a team, and therefore, we can solve the actual problem.” This tactic worked better than Zach anticipated, and within eight months his partner began to talk about expanding to other cities. “I tend to get caught up in problems that… when there's no solution, I'm just focused on finding a solution as opposed to stepping back and…questioning…I kinda put my head down and ran through a wall for eight months until finally we got there. And then I said, "Ooh, this is horrible." Having a thriving mold-removal company was not Zach’s dream scenario, but he did learn that there is significant value in understanding a process from start to finish. He is now utilizing his out-of-the-box thinking at Scribe (formerly Book in a Box), which he co-founded to help authors navigate the early stages of book development all the way through the first week of their title being on the market. He and his team have helped numerous authors solve real-world problems for thousands of readers, and his advice to authors is simple: solve a problem. Join us as we discuss the problems authors commonly face in publishing a book, as well as how Zach and his team have created a uniquely supportive environment in their company that allows employees to feel empowered while identifying their greatest weaknesses. Takeaways and links from this episode at https://whitneyjohnson.com/zach-obront  

We are pleased to welcome Nate and Vanessa Quigley, the husband and wife team behind Chatbooks, a revolutionary method of printing photo books that focuses on helping families quickly (and economically) tell their story. In the past four years, Chatbooks has grown from a small start-up to a company that employs over 140 people and has sold over 5,000,000 books worldwide. Chatbooks is not the Quigley’s first entrepreneurial venture; in fact, it’s not even the first photo-centric business that Nate has developed. Twenty years ago Nate pitched the idea to Vanessa that they should produce a scrapbooking supply catalog. Vanessa, an avid scrap booker, was enthusiastic about the idea, but the reality of starting a business was too cost prohibitive at the time. As with most business stories, timing is everything, and both Nate and Vanessa admit that this idea for Chatbooks came at the right place and time, but in order for it to work their entire lives had to be disrupted. Vanessa had never participated in any of Nate’s startups before, and initially she had very little interest in being involved with the day-to-day operations. Nate gradually convinced her that her input was valuable to the five-person team of programmers working on the project, and Vanessa soon realized that she was the best person to tackle PR and help craft the story around their company. For more takeaways and links from this episode - including a link to download the transcript - visit https://whitneyjohnson.com/nate-vanessa-quigley

When Sloane Davidson graduated from college, there was a plan. Having just completed a post-college trek around Europe, Sloane was excited to leave Pittsburgh and start her new adventure working at a resort, the next stepping stone on her path to conquer the dining services industry.  She was due to start work in Florida on September 15… 2001. When the 9/11 terrorist attack occurred in New York City, Sloane’s plans came to a grinding halt. Beyond flights being cancelled and the tourism industry in general tanking, Sloane found that she didn’t want to leave her family. “I sheltered in. Like, I wanted to be home. I wanted to pick up my sisters from school. I wanted to eat dinner with my family…and I just really felt thrown off from whatever it was that I thought I was doing, even if it wasn’t very serious or…a big job. And I contemplated a whole lot of different career paths.“ When we talk about disruption, it is typically in a very personal context. What Sloane, and many others of her generation, experienced was disruption on a national scale. It made her re-examine what she wanted from a career, from her life, and how she could best impact the world around her. Sloane likes to think of herself as water flowing downstream, with lots of little tributaries feeding into it as it makes its way. She has been passionate about many issues, held copious job titles, and worked in varied circumstances, but everything she has done before has fed into where she is now: CEO and Founder of Hello Neighbor, a mentoring program that supports resettled refugees by matching them with dedicated neighbors. “I’m trying to help people find the goodness within them amidst and amongst so much noise and negativity in the world, and the media, and the political system, and everything we’re facing right now…I don’t pay attention to all of that negative noise. I think about the day to day and the impact that you can make just going through your life and helping people.” Whether you want to work with nonprofits or are looking to take your “side-hustle” front and center, I think you’ll find Sloane’s advice practical and incredibly helpful. And if you have a few minutes, please check out helloneighbor.io and see what Sloane has been working on. I was so touched by her stories of people helping other people, whether neighbors or strangers, and I have a feeling you’ll be touched as well. More takeaways and links to content from the episode at https://whitneyjohnson.com/sloane-davidson

My guest today is Chester Elton, the New York Times bestselling co-author of The Carrot Principle, which has sold over 1.5 million copies to date. He has been described by the Toronto Globe and Mail as “an apostle of appreciation,” a moniker which he has whole-heartedly embraced. Coming from an athletic and competitively-minded family, Chester has always seen value in recognizing individual accomplishments. While selling televisions in New York City Chester was given the opportunity to work as a recognition program salesman to pharmaceutical companies, a service he felt was not only necessary in the corporate world, but noble. Chester soon approached his boss about a potential way to increase sales: write a book. If their company could be seen as a “thought-leader,” clients would come to them, hopefully in droves. His boss was very excited about the idea, but there was a catch: he wanted Chester to write the book. “He goes, ‘I love that idea.’ He says, ‘Write the book.’ And I said, ‘Kent, you give me these crushing quotas every year. I’m a sales guy, I’m not a writer.’ And then he said something that really changed my life forever. He said, ‘You know what, Chester, you’re a smart guy. Figure it out.’” Chester has certainly “figured it out.” He and his co-author, Adrian Gostick, have written over ten books on the importance of recognition (or “carrots”) in the workforce, and they’re not showing any signs of slowing down. Their latest book, The Best Team Wins, examines the new disciplines of high performance teams and the differentiators in the workforce that have sprung up in the past twenty years. “You know, we’re doing all this stuff…to create a customer experience that has them…not just loyal customers. They’re raving fans of your products and services, and those are our five disciplines.” Join us as we discuss the power of recognition, the five disciplines of high performance teams, and how the prodigal son ended up in Chester’s family coat of arms. Listen on iTunes or in the player below, and if you enjoy the show, please make sure you subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Takeaways and links from the episode at http://whitneyjohnson.com/chester-elton

My guest today is Laura Vanderkam, an expert on time management who's 2016 TED Talk "How to Gain Control of Your Free Time" has been viewed over 5 million times. She is the author of several books on time management, including Off the Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done, which was released in May of this year. Laura did not go to college to become a time management guru. She admits to a mild interest in productivity, having read The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People at a young age, but it wasn't until she had to balance having a child and building a journalism career that she began to look at how people spent their time. What Laura found was that much of the narrative surrounding how people spend their time isn't very accurate. While many people believe that they are busy and never have time for anything, the truth is that if something unexpected happened--such as a water heater breaking or a basement flooding--we are all able to "magically" create more time in our schedule to handle the emergency while still accomplishing other tasks that were already on our plate. While many people view being "busy" as a sign of importance, Laura challenges the idea that we need to fill every second of every day, and instead recommends finding "open space" in our schedule to allow us to think and grow in ways we can't anticipate when setting our schedule for the week. For more takeaways and links from this episode, visit http://whitneyjohnson.com/laura-vanderkam

Today’s guest is Pat Flynn, a highly successful blogger and podcaster who teaches people how to make a “Smart Passive Income.” Some people choose disruption, but many times disruption comes when we least expect it. In 2008, Pat Flynn was happy with his life. Working as the youngest Job Captain in the history of his architectural firm, he was on track for his dream occupation—world famous architect. When the national economic crisis hit Irvine, Pat found himself suddenly without a job and without any realistic prospects for employment. He wasn’t sure where to go or what to do when a timely podcast changed his life forever. “I discovered a show called “Internet Business Mastery,” and one of the first episodes I listened to was…a guy being interviewed on that show, who was making six figures a year helping people pass the PM Exam, or the Project Management Exam. And that was my first kind of “Aha!” moment in all this…I took a number of exams to get to where I’m at now, and one of them in particular, which was the last one I had taken, was really difficult, and I know a lot about it. [I thought] maybe I could do what this person’s doing.” What started as a simple blog to get a little money on the side soon turned into an eBook study guide that made almost $8,000 in the first month of its release. Pat was blown away by the response to his blog and his book, but what meant even more to him than the money was the impact his work was having on others. “I was getting emails back from my customers saying, “Thank you so much, this is exactly what I needed, I’ve been looking for this information for days. I wish that there was a some way I could repay you even more than this ebook…[t]hat’s why the way I run my business now and the way that I teach others to run their businesses is to always serve first. Because when you serve others and you help them, they’re gonna look for ways to repay you back.” While he would have been happy being an architect, Pat recognizes that his journey has stretched him in ways he never imagined and given him the unique opportunity to help others. Playing where no one is playing can be scary, but Pat learned to press on, even when the fear was almost crippling, and finds satisfaction in helping others do the same. Join us as we discuss how Pat learned to connect with his audience, expand his opportunities, and push outside of his comfort zone.  Show notes and links available at http://whitneyjohnson.com/pat-flynn

Our guest today is June Cohen, a pioneer in the web industry for her work at HotWired (the web division of Wired magazine), author of “The Unusually Useful Web Book,” and the force behind bringing the informational and often inspirational “TED Talks” online and out to the world. She confounded WaitWhat?, a content incubator to develop original media properties over time, and the podcast “Masters of Scale,” which explores the theories behind how companies grow and scale their business. June Cohen has always been “hopelessly interested in everything.” Travel, graphic design, theater, writing, web technology, journalism—June wants it all. In college, she changed her major several times before landing on political science, meanwhile completing full minors in human biology, African American studies, and anthropology. She has a seemingly natural ability to succeed at everything, and while it makes me jealous, it also raises the question: without the constraint of only being good at a few things, how does she get anything done? “The wisest thing I found to do is to make a decision and lean into it. And to see how you feel...And if it feels like...something that feeds you and is working and speaking to you, lean into it. And if it isn’t, change course.” This emphasis on making a decision applies not only to her career and personal pursuits, but to her role as a leader. During her time as one of the earliest employees of TED Talks, she believed that if the company was brave enough to take the talks from a private, remote conference and broadcast them to the world, they would be able to find a niche audience that would embrace the messages being presented. “I think it is fair to say that I did not talk to a single person that genuinely thought it was good idea...that the idea of putting taped lectures online was just not something that could ever succeed. But for me, I really believed in it. I believed in the talks, I believed...in how I felt when I was sitting in a room listening to these talks...and I believed that the feeling could be transferred to video.” We know how this story plays out. June stuck with her decision, despite all the naysayers, and TED Talks have since become wildly successful, with some of the most popular videos garnering billions of views. After ten years at TED, June felt that her work was done. Decision time: what did she want to do with her life? Join us as we discuss how June made that pivotal decision, the importance of gender balance in teams, and fighting for what you believe. Show notes and links at http://whitneyjohnson.com/june-cohen

In 1988, college student Jonathan Bush climbed on top of a pile of wooden slats in the middle of an unfinished housing development and looked out over a gathering of political volunteers, “Okay,” he announced. “Here’s how it’s gonna go. My name is Jonathan Bush, and we in the next four days are gonna win this election.” “This election” was for his uncle, George H.W. Bush, in his first campaign for president. Jonathan didn’t think much of the speech at the time; he’d given thousands of such stump speeches to volunteers before, and would go on to give many more before the campaign was over. However, months later, after the White House had been won and his uncle sworn in as President, Jonathan had more than one person tell him that his speech was a seminal event for the campaign. “I mean I did everything wrong. But I had been allowed a little bit like Gladwell to have my ten thousand hours of speech giving, and then it mattered all of a sudden and I was on top of this pile of sticks that I had created…I had gone through a lot and it was all visible on my face. And, uh, it worked.” While it may not have been the Saint Crispin’s Day speech from Henry V, Jonathan nevertheless learned that he has the ability to galvanize people about things that he really cares about. Takeaways from this episode: • Early in his life, Jonathan equated worthiness to receive love with “good works.”. To him, his uncle (President of the United States George H.W. Bush) was at the top of this worthiness scale, and it was Jonathan’s duty to find a way to serve and contribute as much as possible to the worldwide community. While he now recognizes that may not have been the message his family was trying to send, it nevertheless impacted his worldview.  • Being “in the fight” and gaining knowledge is almost more important than the achievement at the end. “No matter how hard you are in your thinking, if you believe that the fight you’re in is the gateway to a much bigger fight, that you’re always at the tip of a much bigger…mountain range or the entrance of a bigger mountain range…that’s to me what gives me great joy, and satisfaction is that we keep finding whole new frontiers.” • “An entrepreneur is someone who doesn’t want to compete with everybody else.”  Links and show notes at http://whitneyjohnson.com/jonathan-bush

A silly little thing that takes over the world—to me, this is the simplest definition of a disruptor. My guest today is Becky Douglas, and her “silly little thing,” which began at her kitchen table with a handful of friends, has gone on to change the lives of thousands of individuals in India and beyond.   After a family tragedy disrupted her life, Becky, a mother of nine children, found herself in India on the path to adopting a beloved tenth child. While there she was appalled to see the prevalence of beggars on the street, due in large part to those with leprosy being shunned and having no other avenue for survival. Becky had assumed, as many Americans do, that leprosy was no longer a problem in the world, but after only ten days in India, Becky knew that somebody needed to do something to help.  “When I got home I couldn’t sleep. Those images just haunted me at night. And I remember, I just kept thinking, gosh, why doesn’t somebody do something? Are there really millions of people that live this way? So finally when…a night after no sleep, I thought, we were somebody. Do something.”  And “do something” she did. Becky started Rising Star Outreach to serve the leprosy-affected of India, and, despite not even knowing how to use email at the time, Becky and her friends managed to start something that has gone on to help 30,000 people in 62 leper colonies in less than twenty years.  That’s disruption. A silly little thing that changed many, many, worlds. Join me as I listen to Becky explain the amazing path her organization blazed, from a seat at her kitchen table clear to the halls of the UN. Becky’s belief that “change Is possible” shines throughout her story, and as she was willing to expand and grow her talents to meet the demands of the situation she truly became someone able to do something.   Show notes and links - http://whitneyjohnson.com/becky-douglas