A Productive Conversation

By Mike VardyBusiness Careers Management

A Productive Conversation episodes

April 24, 2017 The Power of Pursuit with Kelsey Humphreys
This episode’s guest is an amazing woman that I've been "pursuing" to get into the podcast for a while. She’s the host and producer of The Pursuit, a talk show and podcast where she interviews influencers and the who’s who of business.
Kelsey Humphreys is a media entrepreneur, success coach and consultant, a motivational journalist who’s written for Entrepreneur Magazine and The Huffington Post (among others), and the author of the book Go Solo: How to Quit the Job You Hate and Start a Small Business You Love.
After finding that the content available on success and entrepreneurship was not very "beginner-friendly", she made it her mission to break it down for those still doing the grind, helping people not to give up in the crucial first few years of their pursuits. (Kelsey also has a background in performance arts which could be another reason I gravitated toward her content.)
Our conversation revolved around what happens on her show and her plans for it. Some of the things we talked about include:
The behind-the-scenes action in producing her show, the technical issues, choosing between production quality and valuable content, and learning that perfection can hold one back from productivity.
Her vision of hosting a traveling talk show and how she planned to set it apart from other podcasts and YouTube shows.
The show’s humble beginnings - shooting with an action cam, getting help from volunteers, family, and friends, investing on equipment, and building Kelsey’s team.
What Kelsey perceives as the "value-added experience" by interviewing people live, and why she prefers to go to the where the guests are.
Her interesting experience interviewing Kathy Griffin.
Pre-game rituals, her staple questions, why she prefers not to bring her notes with her during the interview, and self-reminders to keep her in control of the interviews and provide quality content for her audience.
Giving up on college dreams, ticking off goals one by one, and her vision to become the “Ellen of entrepreneurship and success”.
Wanting to offer something new to the audience in the area of success and entrepreneurship through the book she’s currently writing.
The surreal experiences of landing interviews with Tony Robbins and Larry King.
The advice Kelsey imparts for people who have been pushing down their hopes and dreams.
Relevant Links:
Kelsey Humphreys | Kelsey Humphreys | Success for the Rest of Us!
Full Episodes Archive | The Pursuit with Kelsey Humphreys
Go Solo: How to Quit the Job You Hate and Start a Small Business You Love by Kelsey Humphreys | Amazon
Donald Miller | The Pursuit with Kelsey Humphreys
Jeremy Cowart | The Pursuit with Kelsey Humphreys
I’m Possible. | Jeremy Cowart
Kathy Griffin | The Pursuit with Kelsey Humphreys
Tony Robbins | The Pursuit with Kelsey Humphreys
Kelsey Humphreys | Facebook
Kelsey Humphreys (@KelseyHumphreys) | Twitter
Thanks for tuning in! Until next time, remember to stop guessing...and start going.
Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice.
If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page.
If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
36 min
April 24, 2017 The Power of Pursuit with Kelsey Humphreys
This episode’s guest is an amazing woman that I have been pursuing to get into the podcast for a while. She’s the host and producer of The Pursuit, a talk show and podcast where she interviews influencers and the who’s who of business. Kelsey Humphreys is a media entrepreneur, success coach and consultant, a motivational journalist who’s written for Entrepreneur Magazine and Huffington Post, just to name a few, and the author of the book Go Solo: How to Quit the Job You Hate and Start a Small Business You Love.
35 min
April 17, 2017 Making and Modifying with Justin Jackson
My guest this week is Justin Jackson. He is a dad, husband, entrepreneur, coach, the founder of Megamaker, author of Jolt, the creator of Marketing for Developers and Tiny Marketing Wins, and overall serial maker. He aims to help people through the things they create.
On this episode, we discussed the processes of making and/or modifying. We delved on his systems and approaches in the different initiatives and creations he is currently working on.
Other areas we touched on includes:
The story of how we met, a brief background of how he has always been involved in businesses and how he transitioned from non-profit, to consultancy, and finally – going solo with his independent projects.
How getting married, having children and experiencing failure, affected his plans and initiatives.
The process of starting up independently, which includes conceptualizing, case studies, exploring and being a serial maker – getting involved in different things which include his podcast, softwares, plugins, e-books, courses, and even merch.
How and why he decided to zero-in on writing Jolt and finishing it in the span of a month.
The concept of mind gremlins, how being less self-serving enabled him get rid of these, and other takeaways that people have from his two top products – Jolt and Marketing for Developers.
Conducting a survey and how its findings gave him insights when he created Tiny Marketing Wins.
His process when things must be put on the backburner or let go, and how he did this with his podcast.
His hybrid approach when it comes to making, modifying and refreshing the systems, tricks, and hacks supported by continuous research and learning.
A sample hack he shared in writing effective landing page copy and generating leads.
Relevant Links:
Justin Jackson | Make some stuff
MegaMaker
What has Justin made? | by @mijustin
Jolt | Sell more by standing out
Marketing for Developers | A guide to marketing your software, apps, and digital products
Tiny Marketing Wins | Weekly marketing tactics for online businesses
Watch for mind gremlins | by @mijustin
Focus on your own shit | by @mijustin
Learning with Justin Jackson | Productivityist
We all want progress | by @mijustin
Justin Jackson | YouTube
Justin Jackson (@mijustin) | Twitter
Thanks for listening, until next time remember to stop guessing… and start going.
Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice.
If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page.
If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
31 min
April 17, 2017 Making and Modifying with Justin Jackson
My guest today is Justin Jackson. He is a dad, husband, entrepreneur, coach, the founder of Megamaker, author of Jolt, the creator of Marketing for Developers and Tiny Marketing Wins, and overall serial maker. He aims to help people through the things they create.
30 min
April 10, 2017 Building an Empire with Stacy Tuschl
For this episode, my guest is Stacy Tuschl of She’s Building Her Empire. Stacy is a business owner, philanthropist, in-demand speaker and business coach, author, wife, and mother. Her book Is Your Business Worth Saving? is a #1 International Bestseller which helps entrepreneurs to move towards success and do so without sacrificing time away from family.
She started her first business at age 18 in her parents’ backyard and was able to grow it into a 7-figure business. As an entrepreneur herself, she understands what her clients experience and struggle with – her hands-on experience and realistic approach ensures that women achieve their business goals.
Rescuing businesses and building empires are just some of what we’ve discussed. Other topics we’ve chatted about are:
How her journey as an entrepreneur started, how coaches and mentors helped her in her business early on and how she realized her niche in the business.
How meeting people with the same mentor yet in different phases and success levels of their businesses motivated her to write her book.
Her reason to niche down and focus on women entrepreneurs with She’s Building Her Empire.
Lessons learned, challenges her team faced and the groundwork involved with rebranding and shifting focus.
The diverse stories of the guests in her show and why she decided despite being a female-oriented brand to have male guests on her podcast.
Family and parenthood’s impact on her business, how her calendar, chunking, and theming the days enables her to accomplish more, and similar productivity systems I practice.
How people can start to emulate Stacy’s systems through proactive and reactive work scheduling, and having a top 3 in the to-do list.
The Mompreneur money map, how it works by simplifying things and implementing ideas, and how to get a free copy of it.
Her advice to people waiting to launch their business ideas but lacks the confidence to do so.
Relevant Links:
She’s Building Her Empire | Stacy Tuschl
Is Your Business Worth Saving by Stacy Tuschl
Episode 140: How to Know When It’s Time to Rebrand | Stacy Tuschl
Mompreneurs Money Map
She's Building Her Empire | Facebook
The Power of Chunking | Tony Robbins
She’s Building Her Empire Live
Meet Stacy | Stacy Tuschl
Stacy Tuschl (@StacyTuschl) | Twitter
Thanks for listening, until next time remember to stop guessing… and start going.
Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice.
If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page.
If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
30 min
April 10, 2017 Building an Empire with Stacy Tuschl
For this episode, my guest is Stacy Tuschl of She’s Building Her Empire. Stacy is a business owner, philanthropist, in-demand speaker and business coach, author, wife, and mother. Her book Is Your Business Worth Saving? is a #1 International Bestseller which helps entrepreneurs to move towards success and do so without sacrificing time away from family.
29 min
April 03, 2017 The Staying Power of Sketchnotes with Deborah LeFrank
A landscape architect, entrepreneur, graphic journalist and memory collector, Deborah LeFrank uses pens and paper to capture stories from daily life by creating sketch notes or visual stories which help her remember things and memories. I've known her for quite some time and I'm a big fan of her work, and she's my guest for this episode.
She uses bullet journaling and incorporates visuals to it as a key tool for productivity in all aspects of her life. Her company Visual Life Stories helps people to collect their memories through visual stories.
There's so much that Deborah shared, some of the things discussed are:
How we met at Social Media Camp and the story behind the business cards she handed that really impressed me.
The scope of her work that allows for remarkable presentations and excellent ways to recall and capture the essence of the presentations for the audience.
People's innate attraction to visual learning and story-telling, and her technique to do the process of note-taking and sketching effectively.
How she started interest in her craft, honing it through practice as needed in her career, and finding out about the concept of sketch-notes.
Integrating analog and digital methods in sketch-noting to create projects and serve clients.
How bullet journaling allows her to combine artistry and productivity, and how its convenience and flexibility helps her greatly.
Features she’s added into the newest version of her bullet journal like habit tracking template, daily theming and focus words.
Relevant Links:
Visual Life Stories | Deborah LeFrank
Mike Rohde’s Books on Sketchnoting | Designer Mike Rohde
Eva-Lotta Lamm | User Experience Designer
My 3 Words for 2017 | Chris Brogan
3words | C.C. Chapman
Graphic Recording and Meeting Facilitation with Sunni Brown
Deborah LeFrank (@DeborahLeFrank) | Twitter
Visual Life Stories (@visuallifestory) | Twitter
Visual Life Stories | Facebook

Thanks for listening, until next time remember to stop guessing… and start going.
Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice.
If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page.
If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
33 min
April 03, 2017 The Staying Power of Sketchnotes with Deborah LeFrank
A landscape architect, entrepreneur, graphic journalist and memory collector, Deborah LeFrank uses pens and paper to capture stories from daily life by creating sketch-notes or visual stories which help her remember things and memories. I've known her for quite some time and I'm a big fan of her work, and she's my guest for this episode.
32 min
March 27, 2017 Zen and The Art of Work with Kourosh Dini
My guest for this episode is Kourosh Dini - a psychiatrist, writer, musician, and author. Some of his works include Zen & The Art of Work, Creating Flow with OmniFocus, and Workflow Mastery.
I’ve met Kourosh a couple of years ago when we worked together for the OmniFocus set-up. I love his work and have always seen him as a thoughtful productivity strategist who knows his stuff.
Some of the things we talked about this week are:
How meditation shifts our mindset which ultimately makes us more mindful and productive.
The importance of pausing and practical tips on how to apply it in your life.
Personalization and why it's important in your daily interactions.
Why play time is a necessary ingredient in performance, productivity, and happiness at work.
How music can boost your productivity, creativity, and overall sense of well-being.
Kourosh's thoughts on ambient sound apps and how he uses them in his own workflow.
The five elements of good health, according to Kourosh.
Kourosh's take on meditation and his recommendations for those who want to start meditating.
Relevant Links:
Kourosh Dini | Mind, Music, and Technology
Zen & the Art of Work | Find Calm in Work and Play
OmniFocus | Task management for Mac, iPad, and iPhone
Review: Zen and The art of Work | Productivityist
Productivity & Play with Dr. Kirsten Milliken | Productivityist
Focus at Will | Get 4x increase in productivity with this concentration music for working smarter.
So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love by Cal Newport| Amazon
How to Meditate: A Guide to Self-Discovery by Lawrence LeShan| Amazon
What’s the Best Music to Listen to While Working? | The Atlantic
Kourosh Dini (@kouroshdini) | Twitter
Thanks for tuning in! Until next time, remember to stop guessing...and start going.
Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice.
If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page.
If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
33 min
March 27, 2017 Zen and The Art of Work with Kourosh Dini
My guest for this episode is a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, writer, musician, and author – Kourosh Dini. Some of the books he’s written and courses he taught include Zen & The Art of Work, Creating Flow with OmniFocus, and Workflow Mastery.
32 min

About A Productive Conversation

From the publisher's feed

Hosted by productivity strategist Mike Vardy, A Productive Conversation offers insightful discussions on how to craft a life that aligns with your intentions. Each episode dives into the art of time devotion, productiveness, and refining your approach to daily living. Mike invites guests who are thinkers, doers, and creators to share their strategies for working smarter and living more intentionally. From practical tips to deep dives on mindset shifts, this podcast will help you reframe your relationship with time and find balance in a busy world.