Behind the Brilliance

What would inspire you to reach the peak in your career then decide to scale a different mountain? Burnout. Justin Welsh went from making it rain at tech startups to going out on his own as a consultant. With the future unknown, he wrote his way to a 7 figure personal brand that allows him to spend his time on things he cares about and have an impact on thousands of professionals. In this conversation, he pulls back the curtain on a journey littered with setbacks and shares how he turned each failure into a launching pad for his next success.  Behind His Brilliance: A big stroke of luck Say hi to Justin on Twitter: @justinSaaS

This is the ultimate reinvention story of a dynamic creative letting her passion guide her from the safety of her executive office to early mornings perfecting her craft as a screenwriter.  After climbing the ranks as an executive in Hollywood, Kelly left it behind to return to her passion of writing. Now she has a producing deal with HBO and decades of hard won wisdom guiding her creative pursuits. During this conversation, Kelly opened up about the highs and lows of her journey as a creative and a woman reinventing herself. Her reflections and strategies are an inspiration no matter your industry or ambitions. Behind Her Brilliance: Listening  Say hi to Kelly on Twitter: @kellyedwards

Lisa offers frameworks and questions for conducting pre-mortems and post-mortems for personal and professional projects. Find the list of questions at BehindtheBrilliance.com/225preandpostmortems

Ryan Allis is the founder and former CEO of iContact, the email marketing company that sold for $169 million. After a short-lived stint as an angel investor, Ryan started a social enterprise and then became the Managing Partner of HeartRithm, an algorithmic trading fund that’s turning money into good. During this conversation, Ryan opens up about the peaks and valleys of his journey as an entrepreneur, what it means to be a heart-centered leader, and why he’s bullish on crypto. Behind His Brilliance: Loving and supportive parents Say hi to Ryan on Twitter: @ryanallis

Jessie Inchauspé brings clarity and levity to the wellness space as a biochemist, researcher, and author. Her Instagram account, @GlucoseGoddess, exploded when she started sharing what she learned about glucose monitoring and managment. Her book, Glucose Revolution, has been called the best practical guide for managing glucose to maximize health and longevity. Even if you don't think you have a glucose "problem," you're almost certainly in the group of people who could stand to improve their overall well-being by taking a more thoughtful approach to nutrition. In this conversation, Jessie offers simple sustainable changes that can have a significant impact on an array of health markers from sleep to energy levels to preventing disease. This is a must listen if you want to be well.  Behind Her Brilliance: Curiosity and a willingness to fail and be wrong Say hi to Jessie on Instagram: @glucosegoddess

In this solo episode, Lisa outlines two mental models and discusses how they fit together to make decision making easier and more effective. 

Jonah Berger is an internationally recognized expert in persuasion and change. In addition to being a professor at Wharton, he's written three books that help leaders and innovators create change in their organizations and lives. In this conversation, we discuss Jonah's best advice and the surprising tips that work for being more influential and effective personally and professionally. Whether you're leading a group at work or trying to persuade family members at home, this conversation has proven advice to improve your outcomes.  Behind His Brilliance: Curiosity Say hi to Jonah on Twitter: @j1berger

Steve White went from humble beginnings in the midwest to the C suite of Comcast’s West Division. The journey was littered with hard won lessons on leadership and the habits required to create massive success. After driving revenue of nearly $18 billion, he’s learned what it takes to achieve organizational success and personal significance. He unveils how he achieved his vision and how you can too. Behind His Brilliance: Effort and Attitude  Say hi to Steve on Twitter: @stevewhiteinc

BTB listener Michelle asked Lisa’s thoughts and personal journey to creating and sustaining healthy friendships. Lisa opens up about how and why she struggled in this area, what she learned, and the way she created new friendships. She offers thought exercises for evaluating friendships and offers wise reminders.

Dr. Erin C. Westgate holds a Ph.D. in social psychology and uses it as a researcher and assistant professor. Her work explores boredom, inner lives, and thoughts. In this conversation, we turn boring research studies into insight with interesting stories and useful advice.  Plus, we explore productive procrastination, the profound thing Erin's changed her mind about recently, and why we should all be pursuing psychological richness over happiness.  Behind Her Brilliance: a family that embraced curiosity Say hi to Erin on Twitter: @erinwestgate