To The Top: Inspirational Career Advice

Kevin Shen is a video expert and content creator who helps people build their studios for business and professional use. In Dream Studio Course he simplifies the principles and equipment required to level up your video, lighting, and studio setup. He shares quick tips around lighting, sound quality and webcam setups that will help you improve your video meetings immediately, along with other tips that will help you enhance your studio over time. These enhancements will boost your confidence and presence in meetings or as Kevin likes to say "Your Zoom setup is the new suit." --- email questions or comments to omaid@omaid.me

Jesse Tyler Ferguson is known for playing Mitchell Pritchett on Modern Family. He's an award-winning actor who is also balancing parenthood with a successful career. In this interview we discuss: -What he learned about parenthood from his Modern Family experience -The real-life sacrifices he's had to make to lead a successful career and the importance of doing so -Why it's ok to be excel at a few things vs having to be good at everything and more..

Rishi Mandal is the co-founder and CEO of Future, a digital fitness platform that provides a virtual trainer who customizes your workouts and helps you accomplish your fitness goals through 1:1 coaching. Initially a trained astrophysicist with a degree from Stanford, Rishi sold his previous company, Sosh, to Postmates. We discuss Future, the aspects of building a solution to help improve human behavior, including: -Why fortune favors the prepared mind -What he learned about himself through successfully selling a company -The five most important inidicators of your health (based on their research) -Why the team you build is the company you build -Why he hires for optimism and more.. -- please send comments or questions to omaid@omaid.me

Chris Hufnagel is the Group President leading Wolverine Worldwide's active brands including Merrell, Saucony, Chaco, Kid's Group, and Global Licensing. Chris has previously worked in executive roles at companies like Abercrombie & Fitch, Gap, and Under Armor. He shares life and career lessons including: -The resilience he learned from working with the founder of Under Armour, Kevin Plank -Why he instills preparation in his children as a key life skill -Important feedback from his team that helped him embrace his role as a leader -The importance of non-verbal communication and how people can perceive you -An important lesson about leadership from almost getting fired -How to become more self-aware and more.. --  email questions or comments to omaid@omaid.me

Coach K is arguably the greatest college basketball coach of all-time. He has the most wins, won 5 national titles, and was named "Coach of the Year" 12x. He harnessed his leadership philosophy early on as as a point guard and coach at West Point. He also served as a captain in the US Army. Coach K has recently delivered a MasterClass on Values-Driven Leadership which we discuss including:  -One of the most important lessons he learned as an assistant coach on The Dream Team -How he used the worst loss of his career as fuel him -His 4-step framework for re-assessing a situation when adversity strikes -The best piece of advice for new leaders trying to make their mark -Sacrifices leaders make and advice from his dear friend, Jimmy V -Why the best leaders are lifelong learners

Saucony is a household brand for athletes who love to run. It's also a 125 year-old brand with a rich heritage (and my favorite running shoe). Anne Cavassa, President of Saucony, shares her vision for the brand including life and career advice to live by including: -Important lessons she learned working with founds from brands like Tommy Bahama -How she learned empathy through her mother -How she led through turbulent times through empathy -The most important traits she looks for in hiring -How she shows up as a leader at work and a present parent and more.. --- email question to omaid@omaid.me

Jim Irsay has been involved with the Indianapolis Colts for nearly his entire life. He took ownership of the franchise in 1997 after his father's passing. He's known as one of the most eccentric and outspoken owners, and notably open about his own life and struggles. Outside of football, he's invested over $100 million in historical artifacts and memorabilia in areas like music, pop culture, and American history. He's taking a portion of his collection on tour throughout the country and displaying them for the public to view, for free. In this special interview we discuss: -His fascination for collecting things like Jerry Garcia's Tiger Guiter ($957K purchase) -The most important lesson he learned from Steve Jobs -What advice he'd give for staying cool under pressure in order to pivot and move forward without panicking and more.. -- Visit www.omaid.me for the latest updates and please consider leaving a review!

Latasha James is a marketing expert, digital creator, and coach. She's built an audience on YouTube with nearly 135K subscribers where she creates videos to help entrepreneurs to scale their business and leverage social media. She also hosts The Freelance Friday Podcast, facilitates a mastermind group (Freelance Friday Club), and has developed several online courses like the Social Media Management Toolbox. Visit her site: https://latashajames.com Things we discuss: -What really prevents people from creating content online -How she's grown and shifted her business from services based to digital -An important question she asks herself before she publishes content -How reading The War of Art by Steven Pressfield impacted her creativity -Guardrails she's implemented to show up as the best version of herself at home and work and more.. -- Please consider leaving a review and visit www.omaid.me for updates

Eric Fleet is the founder of the premium and sustainable clothing brand named Threads 4 Thought. He grew up watching his father in the apparel business and after university he launched the sustainable clothing brand that also benefited from a stroke of luck. Their initial t-shirt designs were politically contreversial and struck a chord with celeberities like Gwen Stefani and Paris Hilton who were wearing them. Over the years, the clothing line and brand has expanded into many retailers like Nordstrom. They've thrived from making stylish clothing comfortable, sustainable, and accessible.  In this interview we discuss: -How Eric created his own luck getting celeberities to wear their t-shirts  -How he navigated the most difficult business decision -The importance of having perspective during tough times in your career and more.. -- visit www.omaid.me for the latest updates

Ryan Hawk is the host of The Learning Leader Show. He has recorded more than 475 episodes over the past 7 years. Forbes called The Learning Leader Show, “the most dynamic leadership podcast around.” Inc Magazine said, “it’s one of the 5 podcasts to make you a smarter leader.” Apple named it an “all-time best seller” in 2020 and 2021. Ryan is the author of Welcome to Management: How To Grow From Top Performer To Excellent Leader. Book Authority named it to its 100 Best Management Audiobooks of all time (#25). Forbes called it, “the best leadership book of 2020.” Ryan’s second book is called The Pursuit of Excellence: The Uncommon Behaviors of The World’s Most Productive Achievers. When he's not recording podcasts, he focuses on helping leaders to become more effective through his Leadership Circles, his online school (The Learning Leader Academy), and delivering keynote speeches to audiences and organizations around the world. In this episode we discuss: -Why it's important to follow your genuine curiousity -

Matthew Dixon and Ted McKenna published a great sales book that can help sales and marketing teams address customer indecision. Combined with mining over 2 million recorded sales calls and studying human behavior, they provide prescriptive advice that you can complement whatever sales methodology you use today. Matthew Dixon was also author of popular book, The Challenger Sale. In this episode we discuss: -The JOLT method and how you can apply it -The concept of the omission bias -Common pitfalls of most salespeople -Death by one thousand papercuts (eroding your trust) and more -- visit www.omaid.me to contact me and for the latest updates

Joe Moglia is the former CEO of TD Ameritrade and he spent nearly two decades at Merrill Lynch in leadership positions. He is also the former head football coach of a Division I school, Coastal Carolina. His coaching career spanned on and off from 1968 through 2018 and he earned a head coaching record of 56-22. Some of the topics we discuss: -How having children early in his life impacted his career -What kind of father his children think of him as -How he navigated some of the toughest decisions in his career -How to improve how you show up in high pressure situations -What he did to stay on track as a CEO and head football coach -- visit www.omaid.me for the latest updates

Joey pointer, CEO of Fleet Feet, shares his story about how he grew up on a tobacco farm, landed at job at Ernst & Young in finance, and took a leap of faith to join a startup shoe retailer named Fleet Feet based in Sacramento which has grown to over 250+ stores. In this episode we discuss: -Lessons Joey learned from his parents growing up on a tobacco farm -How he navigated the leap of faith from the consulting firm to Fleet Feet -Innovation and investments they've made into the brand that have led to its growth -What he does to show up as the best version of himself at work and at home, and more.. -- Subscribe to my newsletter for the latest updates (www.omaid.me)

Carla Harris is a force of nature who has advised and motivated companies around the world. She is a senior client advisor at Morgan Stanley and she earned her economics degree and MBA from Harvard. In 2013, she was appointed by President Barack Obama to chair the National Women’s Business Council. In addition to being a popular public speaker and gospel recording artist, Carla has authored several books including Lead to Win -- which is an important guide for the modern leader which we unpack in this conversation.  In this episode we discuss: -Advice for someone thinking about taking the journey of leadership -How to surround yourself with people you trust -Why the best leaders are active listeners -Why it's important to "call a thing a thing" Get the latest updates at www.omaid.me

Guy Raz is the greatest podcaster of our generation. 3.5 million people tune in to every episode of How I Built This where he interviews amazing founders to tell their story. He was widely known as the face of NPR and now is the founder and CEO of Built-It Productions. Guy also hosts Wisdom From the Top and The Great Creators. In this episode we discusss: -Advice he'd give someone early on in their career about how things could change. Guy was a foreign correspondent for years and things completely changed when he had a perceived failure in his career. -Cultivating self-awareness and being a good parent -Preparation and whether or not there's such a thing as over-preparing and more Sign up for my newsletter at www.omaid.me  

Jay Shetty is widely known for his inspiring videos which have been seen by over 7B people on YouTube. Jay shares the wisdom he learned living as a monk to help others find their purpose. He hosts the #1 health podcast called On Purpose and we unpack his best-selling book, Think Like a Monk.  In this episode we discuss: -The importance of appreciating the journey vs the reward -Why humility is the elixir of the ego -How to cultivate more self-awareness, and more.. If you enjoyed this episode please consider leaving a review!

Dr. Michael Breus is the leading authority in the field of sleep. He is a clinical psychologist with more than two decades of experience in his field. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and a fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. In 2021, Reader’s Digest named him the best sleep specialist in the state of California. He's also published four books on the subject of sleep. In this episode we discuss: -Why catching up on sleep is a myth -The 5 tablestakes to do in order to get good, quality sleep -Why understanding your chronotype can help you get better sleep and more. Check out The Sleep Doctor's website here and take the sleep quiz to understand your chronotype here Please consider leaving a review of the show! Subscribe to my newsletter for the latest updates here.

Liz Fosslien's illustrations have made a significant impact on how many view emotions at work and in life. Her superpower is being able to illustrate these emotions in what appears to be a simple drawing which affects millions of people. She's the best-selling author of No Hard Feelings which was about emotions at work, and her new book is titled Big Feelings which touches on both work and life. Here is a link to one of my favorite illustrations about measuring success. In this episode we discuss: -myths about uncertainty like 'just be resilient' -what happens when we suppress anger too long -ways to avoid burnout before it's too late and more.. Subscribe to my newsletter for the latest updates at www.omaid.me

In 1990 when NASA launched the $1.5 billion Hubble Telescope into space, they did so with a faulty mirror that took blurry images. They tasked Story Musgrave to lead a team to fix it. What made him the best person to lead the mission? Because Story was a lifelong learner and his range of experience allowed him to view problems through a unique lens. Story was an electrician, mathemetician, computer programmer, mechanic, pilot, trauma surgeon, and an astronaut who helped design space suits and the Hubble Telescope. He earned six academic degrees and became the only astronaut to have flown aboard all five Space Shuttles.  In this episode, we deconstruct his life and career to learn the most important lessons.   -- Subscribe to my newsletter for the latest updates at www.omaid.me  

An enrolled member of the Ottawa Tribe of Michigan, D.J. was born to impoverished teenage parents. He went from sleeping in a drawer for the first three months of his life to becoming a proud graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, a decorated Air Force captain, a renowned member of the tribal community, a bestselling author, and a revered motivational speaker. A true warrior, who is successful in both business and life, he credits these personal triumphs to traditional teachings and ceremony as well as his service as a military officer. D.J. and I discuss his new book, The Warrior Within, and the stories and principals he shares often rooted in Native American culture and wisdom. In this episode we discuss: -The sigificance of your 'medicine bag' in Native American culture and how you can use it -Why sometimes the biggest challenge to seeing our vision come true are because of the people closest to us -The importance of creating your own war cry, how to keep your fire lit, and more.. email questions or comm