1,000 Stories

As an ultramarathon runner, Nick Smarrelli knows that intensity can only get you so far. You’re either all in or out. When he began feeling unhappy as a CEO of a company, he knew had to make a hard reset in his life. The people in his company deserved a fully committed leader—one that wasn’t him. 

He’s since stepped down to chase new opportunities, such as being a Professor at Butler University. Now, he joins Joe and Reid on this episode of 1,000 Stories to talk about what it’s like living as a self-admitted achiever, the life lessons running has taught him, taking action before feeling motivated, and more. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. While the drive to not disappoint others may get you to work hard and find success in some areas of your life, it’s important to find a time to honor yourself and be OK with letting others down sometimes.

2. The voluntary pain you feel while on a long run prepares you to face the involuntary pain the world throws at you unexpectedly. 

3. You don’t have to wait to feel motivated to take action. Doing something without waiting for that feeling gives you an opportunity to learn more about yourself and potentially find a new passion.

To claim 10% off of your first month of BetterHelp, use the code 1000STORIES here: https://betterhelp.com/1000stories

Resources:

Follow Nick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smarrelli/

Most people think that data and gut feelings are opposite ends of a spectrum. But pairing them together can give you the confidence to do the things that others might not have. 

Rachel Romer, CEO and Co-Founder of Guild Education, relied on both when, in 2015,  she decided to move her company from the bustling San Francisco to—what others believed—nowhere, Denver. Turns out, she was right. 

Now, she chatted with @Joe Mills on this episode of the 1,000 Stories podcast to talk more about moving her company to Denver, how motherhood affected her perspective on life and work, her Enneagram, the books that made the biggest impact on her, and more.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. Parenthood shifts your life. You’ll need to reevaluate your priorities and identity if your company has been your sole focus until you’ve become a parent. 

2. Privilege is a non-productive buffer for failure. 

3. 5 impactful books that can help you change your perspective and better develop yourself.

To claim 10% off of your first month of BetterHelp, use the code 1000STORIES here: https://betterhelp.com/1000stories

Resources:

Follow Rachel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelromer/

Guild Education website: https://www.guild.com/

How well do you know yourself? Your dreams? Fears? Emotions? Reactions?

When you take the time to learn more about yourself, it allows you to restructure your days the way that’s best for you to perform at your highest level in all areas of your life. 

Jacqueline Martinez, VP of People at GrowthDay and Human Design Strategist at Off the Record HR, joins Joe on this episode of the 1,000 Stories podcast to talk about the power of self-discovery, how to manage your energy, her approach to decision making, and more. 

Jacqueline’s insights into human design can help you identify your natural gifts and understand how to use it to benefit others.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. You shouldn’t ignore your feelings and energy when planning your day or approaching ideas. Some ideas don’t need to be acted on, and that’s OK.

2. Your purpose isn’t something that you find, it’s something you decide and do every day.

3. When you’ve taken the time to really get to know yourself, you’re better able to understand how to approach important decisions in your life. 

To claim 10% off of your first month of BetterHelp, use the code 1000STORIES here: https://betterhelp.com/1000stories

Resources:

Connect with Jacqueline: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquelinehr/

Follow Jacqueline: https://www.instagram.com/itsjacquelinemartinez/

Off the Record: https://www.offtherecordhr.com/

How do you deal with change as a leader? 

It’s a scary thing. No one can truly be comfortable with it, but believing that you’ll find yourself in a more energizing position is crucial for moving forward. 

Jeb Banner, CEO of Opendate and founder of Smallbox, joins Joe on this episode of the 1,000 Stories podcast to share his thoughts and insights about the role that change plays in our lives. Along the way, he discusses leadership, his passion for music, his meditation practice, and more. 

As a leader, you need to be present—physically and mentally—if you want to do something great. Jeb’s understanding and insights on spirituality will help you better connect with others and empower you to follow where your natural energy takes you.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. Being mindful and self-aware of what you’re feeling is crucial to lead and build relationships effectively. 

2. Change is definitely uncomfortable, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to survive through. Trusting that you’ll eventually end up somewhere that energizes you is essential to moving forward with your life.

3. Feelings are valid factors that more leaders need to consider while managing their business and team.

To claim 10% off of your first month of BetterHelp, use the code 1000STORIES here: https://betterhelp.com/1000stories

Resources:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jebbanner/

Opendate: https://www.opendate.io/

Smallbox: https://www.smallbox.com/

How big of a role does passion play in your career? In your life?

Sometimes, it can move you to do unconventional things. One of them is to step down from a leadership role at your company. That’s what Paul Ashley did.

Paul Ashley, VP & Consultant at NPS and Adjunct Professor at Butler University, joins Joe and Reid in this episode of the 1,000 Stories podcast to share his passions, from teaching to being a sommelier. He talks about his love of learning being the connecting thread in his life, following passions, being a parent, and more. 

Paul’s enthusiasm for his passions teaches you to be more self-aware of where your unique interests and strengths can better serve your company. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. Have patience with your passion. When you’re twenty-something and still unsure of what to pursue in life, don’t rush into anything until you’re sure it’s right for you.

2. Lessons on pursuing your passion and setting an example for your children.

3. Your passions make you more interesting, helping you connect with others far more.

To claim 10% off of your first month of BetterHelp, use the code 1000STORIES here: https://betterhelp.com/1000stories

Resources:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-ashley-cebs/

NFP: https://www.nfp.com/firstperson

Struggling with perfectionism?

Sometimes, success doesn’t come from avoiding failure, but instead having permission to fail. 

On this week’s episode of 1,000 Stories, Courtney Bills, CEO of Tactive, joins Joe and Reid to talk about her drive to take on challenges. She shares her struggles with perfectionism, how it’s OK to ask for help and permission from others, being a badass leader, and more. 

Courtney’s experiences with dealing with internalized pressure and taking on challenges outside your comfort zone can inspire you to reach your full potential. She explains that it’s important to take a step back and realize what’s your true motivation in life.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. There’s nothing wrong with relying on a support system of people you trust to push you through your challenges in your personal and professional life.

2. Your physical and mental health are connected; taking care of one improves the other.

3. Success in business is more than about the money. It’s about ensuring employees are enjoying what they do.

To claim 10% off of your first month of BetterHelp, use the code 1000STORIES here: https://betterhelp.com/1000stories

Resources:

Tactive https://www.tactive.cc

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtney-bills-b3a4159/

What motivates you—besides competition?

Is it greatness? Is it getting your hands messy? Yes, but above all, that purpose can be other people.

Sam Jacobs, CEO of Pavilion and Wall Street Journal best selling author, joins Joe and Reid on this week’s episode of 1,000 Stories to talk about his journey towards creating a successful community-driven business. He discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic led him to building a platform for executive career development, his Enneagram score, personal growth, and more. 

Sam’s insights from working in community-driven business for high growth executives teaches you how to better think about what value you bring to the people you serve. He also shares valuable lessons on building a stronger relationship with your partner and others, to help unlock your full potential. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. It’s important to avoid feeling like a victim of circumstance and instead find a way to take back control of your life and narrative.

2. Your company’s messaging needs to be powerful enough if you want to prevent them from switching to another product in a few years.

3. Technology will be more and more important to satisfy your customers and provide them with a modern white glove service. 

To claim 10% off of your first month of BetterHelp, use the code 1000STORIES here: https://betterhelp.com/1000stories

Resources:

Pavilion: https://www.joinpavilion.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samfjacobs/

Joanna Rees has been a trailblazer in the male-dominated venture capital and digital marketing industries, despite the many challenges she faced along the way. Through her unwavering determination and commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive team that champions underrepresented individuals, she has become an inspiration to many aspiring entrepreneurs. But what is Joanna's secret to success?

Joanna Rees, an investor, entrepreneur, advisor, educator, mentor, and currently the Managing Partner at West, joined the 1,000 Stories podcast to share the importance of embracing diversity and inclusivity for driving innovation in the workplace, defeating biases and imposter syndrome by welcoming unique viewpoints, integrating charitable endeavors with profit-oriented ventures for collective societal benefits, and more.

Key Points 

1. It's so important to get not just one woman into a room, but three or four because it really enables a change of the dynamic and the unconscious power structure when it's a male dominated room.

2. We feel imposter syndrome when we're putting the other person on a pedestal rather than just embracing ourselves. You have a voice, it's your perspective, it's your expertise. It’s not a comparison game!

3. You can graduate with A’s and B’s from college, but if you don’t look deeper into yourself and show what makes you unique and different, it’s going to be hard to get a job. People look for texture in a person. Yes, good grades are great, but are those candidates going to add dimension in the workplace?

Resources

Connect with Joanna on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannarees/

Check out Joanna’s website: http://joannarees.org/

Learn more about West here: https://west.ventures/?click=1

The world will often lie to you about what the meaning of life is. And while this is, unfortunately, the case, you have to find your meaning within yourself.

Mark Caswell, CEO of Resultant, grew up in a small community and has been on the pursuit to living out his purpose in life and sharing his story.

In this inspirational episode, Mark and Joe talk about work-life congruence, finding your meaning in life, creating intentional experiences, and seeing the uniquenesses of others.

In conclusion, it comes down to a holistic mindset towards seasonality.

In this episode you will learn:

1. Work-life congruence: how to have high productivity in your job without dedicating your life to work!
2. Find your own meaning in life. Often the world will lie to you and tell you what it should be, but it all boils down to you and what you want. We are all different, unique, and we can’t all be the same.
3. Leave behind what is supposed to be left behind. There are seasons in life that are supposed to come at a certain time and leave at a certain time.

To claim 10% off of your first month of BetterHelp, use the code 1000STORIES here: https://betterhelp.com/1000stories

References:

Connect with Mark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markocaswell/

Resultant: https://resultant.com/

"You'll be in jail for the rest of your life by the time you're 16."

Toph Day, CEO of Elevate Ventures, heard all of these words from teachers and mentors in his life by the time he was 16. He let every single one of these sentences affect him for the better.

Toph Day has mastered the art of investing in the people and places around him to create an impact far beyond his goals and dreams. But, it didn’t come without its fair share of adversity. In this episode, he shares with Joe how different people impacted his journey—for worse and for better—and how he overcame some biting words in his early years.

In this episode you’ll learn:

1. Words and communication are filled with so much power. They have the ability to change someone’s world and give them the confidence they need to pursue their dreams.
2. We’re all going to go through struggles at some point in our lives, but you won’t get to where you want to go unless you persevere and learn from the struggles.
3. Experiences affect people in different ways. If we can have 1% more empathy for each other, the trickle-down effect can change the scope of the landscape.

To claim 10% off of your first month of BetterHelp, use the code 1000STORIES here: https://betterhelp.com/1000stories

References:

Follow Toph: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherday2/

Elevate Ventures: https://elevateventures.com/

Scale Computing: https://www.scalecomputing.com/