To The Top: Inspirational Career Advice

Mario Lopez is currently the host on Extra. He's one of the top hosts in Hollywood. You know him from Saved by the Bell and he's been on Dancing with the Stars.  Mario has had a great career over an extended period of time. In this interview we cover a broad range of topics relating to career, life advice, and fitness tips. ---  e-mail questions or comments to omaid@omaid.me

Alex Ikonn is an entrepreneur who co-founded Luxy Hair which provides high quality hair extensions. He helped grow the Luxy Hair YouTube channel to one of the most visited channels which has over 421 million views. Alex has the drive and creativity to build beautiful products. He's also the co-founder of Intelligent Change (intelligentchange.com) where he's helped create The 5-Minute Journal which helps you be mindful about planning your day.  He also has a Vlog on YouTube (www.youtube.com/user/AlexIkonn11) where he posts great behind the scenes videos about his business, family, and other things that inspire him. --- e-mail comments or questions to tothetoppodcast@gmail.com    

Ayesha Curry is literally catching on fire. The mompreneur of two has been coined the Martha Stewart for millennials. Following the recent success of her cookbook, The Seasoned Life (available on Amazon), she has a cooking show on The Food Network (Ayesha's Home Kitchen) and recently launched a meal delivery kit service (www.cookhomemade.com). If that wasn't enough, she's opening a new restaurant in San Francisco and launching her own cookware line in Target. How does she do it? Listen to our interview and follow her on Instagram (@ayeshacurry) to find out. --- E-mail questions or comments to tothetoppodcast@gmail.com

Ernie Johnson, Jr. is one of sport’s most respected and loved personalities. The three-time Sports Emmy Award winner and host of TNT’s “Inside the NBA” has helped audiences break down games and belly laugh for decades. Maybe more impressive than his professional fame and recognition is Ernie’s innate ability to connect with people on a human level. His willingness to discuss topics such as the adoption of his and his wife Cheryl’s children, including their special needs son Michael; the death of his father and best friend, iconic sportscaster and pitcher Ernie Johnson; and his own battle with non-Hodgkin lymphoma has endeared him and given hope to millions . We discuss the experiences he's shared in his autobiography Unscripted: The Unpredictable Moments That Make Life Extraordinary.  ---- Send comments or questions to tothetoppodcast@gmail.com

This is a special episode where Ryan Hawk, the host of The Learning Leader Show, interviews one of my favorite authors, John Kralik. His book, A Simple Act of Gratitude, greatly impacted my life. John was going through a turbulent time in his life and it's about the story of how he began to notice the things in his life he should have been thankful for. I loved this interview so much that I wanted to share it on my podcast. Not only does John share his story, but I liked how Ryan helps us put the power of gratitude into practice. I highly recommend getting a copy of the book on Amazon, it's actually the book I gift the most to the guests on my podcast. I interviewed John myself a couple of years ago and I wrote an article about how his book impacted my life. I've shared a link to the article below: https://www.forbes.com/sites/omaidhomayun/2015/09/13/how-this-simple-act-of-gratitude-can-impact-your-life/#61d0f24c5c3e Check out Ryan's other interviews at http://learningleader.com/ ---- Send feedback or questi

A groundbreaking approach to succeeding in business and life, using the science of resourcefulness We often think the key to success and satisfaction is to get more: more money, time, and possessions; bigger budgets, job titles, and teams; and additional resources for our professional and personal goals. It turns out we’re wrong. Using captivating stories to illustrate research in psychology and management, Rice University professor Scott Sonenshein examines why some people and organizations succeed with so little, while others fail with so much. ----- Email questions or comments to tothetoppodcast@gmail.com

A mainstay in feature films and television, Dany Garcia (@DanyGarciaCo) has quickly become a powerhouse in Hollywood. As CEO and founder of The Garcia Companies, a talent and media management company, she oversees talent such as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Henry Cavill. In addition, she serves as co-founder of Seven Bucks Productions with producing partner, Dwayne Johnson. As Johnson’s producing partner, Dany has worked unwaveringly to create his multi-billion-dollar box office, constantly generating opportunities that elevate all aspects of his career—as an actor, producer and businessman. She has produced television shows such as Ballers on HBO and the upcoming Baywatch film starring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron. --- E-mail comments or questions to tothetoppodcast@gmail.com

Ryan Estis has more than 20 years of experience as a top-performing sales professional and leader. As the former chief strategy officer for the McCann Worldgroup advertising agency NAS, he brings a fresh perspective to business events. As a keynote speaker, Ryan is known for his innovative ideas on leading change, improving sales effectiveness and preparing for the future of work. He was recently recognized as one of “the best keynote speakers ever heard” by Meetings & Conventions magazine alongside Tony Robbins, Bill Gates, Colin Powell and Mike Ditka. Check out Ryan's work at www.ryanestis.com --- Get updates about new podcast episodes by subscribing to the newsletter at www.howtofindajobin10days.com and e-mail questions to tothetoppodcast@gmail.com

Stephen Chen (@petnostics) is the founder of Petnostics, a company that makes a line of at-home urine tests for pets to make healthy living easier for pets and their families. They've extended their product line to include tests for other chronic conditions. Stephen, a Harvard MBA graduate, pitched his company on Shark Tank and landed $300,000 from Laurie Grenier and Kevin O'Leary in exchange for a 20% stake in his company. Check out their amazing products at www.petnostics.com In this episode we cover: -How he accidentally tried out for Shark Tank -The value he received from his Harvard MBA -Most valuable lessons from bootstrapping his company, and more.. --- Get updates about new podcast episodes by subscribing to the newsletter at www.howtofindajobin10days.com and e-mail questions to job10days@gmail.com    

Oren Klaff is the author of Pitch Anything which is a book that uses neuroscience to help position new ideas. Klaff is an investment banker by trade and he's used this methodology to raise over $400 million from financial institutions. Whether you're selling ideas to investors, pitching a client for new business, or even negotiating for a higher salary, Pitch Anything will transform the way you position your ideas. According to Klaff, creating and presenting a great pitch isn't an art--it's a simple science. Applying the latest findings in the field of neuroeconomics, while sharing eye-opening stories of his method in action, Klaff describes how the brain makes decisions and responds to pitches. With this information, you'll remain in complete control of every stage of the pitch process.   --- Get updates about new podcast episodes by subscribing to the newsletter at www.howtofindajobin10days.com and e-mail questions to job10days@gmail.com

Dan Portillo is a talent parter at Greylock, Silicon Valley's leading venture capital firm that manages over $2 billion in investments. He helps build the teams for the startups in their portfolio companies which include AirBnB, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Prior to Greylock, Dan has led HR and recruiting at many startups including Mozilla, where he helped scale the company from 20-300+ employees. Dan has a progressive approach to management, leadership, and how to build your career over an extended period of time. In this episode we discuss: -How you should think about your career goals -Your tenure at your job -3 questions everyone should ask themselves -Why you should be worth more than you cost  -How to assess a company, leadership, culture, and more.. --- Get updates about new podcast episodes by subscribing to the newsletter at www.howtofindajobin10days.com and e-mail feedback to job10days@gmail.com

Patrick Lencioni is founder and president of The Table Group, Inc., a specialized management-consulting firm focused on organizational health. He has been described by The One-Minute Manager’s Ken Blanchard as “fast defining the next generation of leadership thinkers.” Patrick's books have sold over 3 million copies, including national best-sellers, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Three Signs of a Miserable Job, and Getting Naked. As a consultant and speaker, he has worked with thousands of senior executives in organizations ranging from Fortune 500 corporations and professional sports teams to universities and nonprofits, including Southwest Airlines, Barnes & Noble, and General Mills. In this episode Pat and I discuss: -Three values to identify in an ideal team player -Humility versus confidence  -The two things organizations have to do to be successful -The pillars of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team -How to define a healthy organization -How vulnerability breeds trust as a leader -How to get someone t

Keith Rabois (@rabois) is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and investor. He worked early on at PayPal, Slide, Square, and LinkedIn. He's helped build amazing companies. He now works at Khosla Ventures and he was an early investor in companies like YouTube, Airbnb, Palantir, and Lyft. We discuss how his background as a classically trained litigator has been incredibly valuable in business. In this episode Keith and I discuss: -Why you don't want to be the best at what you do, you want to be the only one at what you do -How to find undiscovered talent -The characteristics of the talented leaders he's worked with which include Peter Thiel, Reid Hoffman, Max Levchin, and Vinod Khosla -When to overrule someone that reports to you -The #1 criteria he looks for in a founder -The upside of stress and more.. --- Get updates about new podcast episodes by subscribing to the newsletter at www.howtofindajobin10days.com and e-mail feedback to job10days@gmail.com  

Ayesha Curry (@ayeshacurry) is a chef and entrepreneur, you may know her as the wife of NBA superstar, Stephen Curry. Ayesha has been sharing delicious recipes on Instagram and on her blog (ayeshacurry.com) over the last few years. She's turned her passion project into her full-time, culinary career and recently published her own cookbook titled, The Seasoned Life: Food, Family, Faith, & the Joy of Eating Well.  In this episode Ayesha and I discuss: -What inspired her joy of cooking -How she balances family with her career -How she turned her passion project into a full-time career -The hardest part about writing her cookbook, and more.. --- Get updates about new podcast episodes by subscribing to the newsletter at www.howtofindajobin10days.com and e-mail questions to job10days@gmail.com

Ryan Hawk (@RyanHawk12) is the host of The Learning Leader Show which is a world-class podcast on iTunes. After getting his MBA he was considering getting his PhD but the curriculum didn't resonate with him, so he decided to interview the most creative leaders in the world and he deconstructs how they've achieved sustained success so he and his audience can learn from them.  In this episode Ryan and I discuss: -How The Learning Leader Show was born -How he's learned to ask great questions -The most important lesson he's learned from playing professional football that he's carried over to the business world and to leading a family -How he's able to master his time to achieve great success in work, family, and his podcast -How he gets his family on-board with his podcast -The most memorable lesson from 150+ interviews with great leaders, and more.. ---   Get updates about new podcast episodes by subscribing to the newsletter at www.howtofindajobin10days.com and e-mail feedback to job10days@gmail.com  

Simon Sinek's (@simonsinek) mission is to create a world where people are inspired to go to work. Through his speaking and writing he has helped leaders and organizations find their "why". He has one of the top ten TED Talks titled, How Great Leaders Inspire Action, which has been viewed over 27 million times. His first book, Start With Why, was a big success. His latest NY Times Best Seller, Leaders Eat Last, is an incredible book about how leaders can create environments in which people come together to do remarkable work.  In this episode Simon and I discuss: -How he discovered his purpose which he calls his "Why" -The most important lesson he learned when he was stuck in Afghanistan -How we confuse fleeting moments of happiness with true career fulfillment -How to be an effective leader -The reason why most people don't commit themselves to a journey of leadership -Is being born a leader a myth? -The foundational trait of leadership -The biggest challenge in leadership -How anyone can start practicing lea

Spencer West (@spencer2thewest) is a motivational speaker for ME to WE and an ambassador for Free the Children. He travels around the globe speaking to schools and organizations about his message of redefining possible. Spencer lost his legs as a child and he hasn't let that stop him from making extraordinary contributions to the world. He climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and raised half a million dollars to provide clean water to over 12,000 people in East Africa. You'll learn about his story and his message about how asking for help is a sign of true leadership, not a weakness. --- Get updates about new podcast episodes by subscribing to the newsletter at www.howtofindajobin10days.com

Srinivas Rao (@UnmistakableCEO) is the founder of Unmistakable Media, a creative agency that hosts an incredible podcast where Srini has interviewed over 600 creative people. You can listen to the Unmistakable Creative podcast on their website below and subscribe to it on iTunes. Here we discuss how his interviews have affected his life, his daily routines, and how he was able to follow his passion and do work he loves. www.unmistakablecreative.com --- Get updates about new podcast episodes by subscribing to the newsletter at www.howtofindajobin10days.com

Aubrey Marcus (@AubreyMarcus) is the founder of Onnit, a sports nutrition company that has gone from 0 to $28 million in 5 years. Their philosophy is "total human optimization." Onnit also produces foods, apparel, and incredibly unique fitness equipment. We discuss how the brand got started, how they differentiate in an ultra-competitive market, and Aubrey's pursuit of living an inspired life. www.onnit.com --- Get updates about new podcast episodes by subscribing to the newsletter at www.howtofindajobin10days.com

Daymond John (@thesharkdaymond) is known for being an investor on ABC's Shark Tank. He was also the co-founder and CEO of the fashion clothing line, FUBU. He's recently published a new book called The Power of Broke which is about being resourceful and turning your weaknesses into strengths.  --- Get updates about new podcast episodes by subscribing to the newsletter at www.howtofindajobin10days.com