A Productive Conversation

By Mike VardyBusiness Careers Management

A Productive Conversation episodes

February 13, 2017 Giving and Growing with Philip McKernan
My guest for this episode is Philip McKernan. He is an inspirational speaker, philosopher, writer, and filmmaker who works with entrepreneurs and leaders to live a life that benefits all aspects of their lives. This is one of the most impactful episodes I’ve ever had. We had a very refreshing conversation that covered so much it can get you to see things in a different light.
He talked about letting go, alignment, consumption of information, and authenticity. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
Some highlights of this episode are:
The mindset that puts money on a pedestal, the freedom people think it provides, and how that doesn’t equate to peace of mind, sense of fulfillment and purpose.
How long it took him to realize that what he was chasing was out of alignment with who he really was.
How "busy-ness" and chaos indicates an underlying pain, how staying busy is just a rationalization of the feeling of disconnection, and how society evolved such that busy became socially acceptable.
Indicators and manifestations of a life that is not aligned.
The problem with people consuming so many how-to-guides and information instead of trusting their internal wisdom, gut, and intuition.
His insights on retreats and conferences, and finding those that actually resonate with an individual in a way that can serve them emotionally and intellectually.
The film he put together titled Give & Grow, his definition of what gifts are vs. talents, what drove him to create a film, and why he used this specific medium.
The two core things human beings want to do.
Strategies to let go on an emotional level and what things that we carry deep down end up sabotaging ourselves.
How being aligned is a human possibility that creates fluency making things easier, instead of thinking that life must be hard and hard work is necessary.
His thoughts on minimalism as not merely letting go of material things but is deeply rooted in alignment and emotions.
The overwhelming expectation for perfection, productivity, and success people are subjected upon – which may not necessarily be their personal truth but a reflection of their family’s, friend’s, or society’s expectations.
His thoughts on consumption of information – whether online or offline and how to move from mere information to knowledge, wisdom, and awareness.
How he spent a huge chunk of his life suppressing his real self.
His advice on how everyone should deal with life.
Relevant Links
Philip McKernan (@PhilipMcKernan) | Twitter
PhilipMcKernan.com | Are you destined for more?
Uncover Your Gift | GIVE & GROW
A 5 Minute Plea to Do by Gary Vaynerchuck - YouTube
Stoicism 101: A Practical Guide for Entrepreneurs | The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss
Stoic Optimism: Ryan Holiday at TEDxUChicago 2014
Thanks for listening. See you next time!
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
38 min
February 13, 2017 Giving and Growing with Philip McKernan
My guest for this week’s episode is Philip McKernan. He is an inspirational speaker, philosopher, writer, and filmmaker who works with entrepreneurs and leaders to live a life that benefits all aspects of their lives. One of the most impactful episodes I’ve had (so I suggest that you really listen to his insights), we had a very refreshing conversation that covered so much it can get you to see things in a different light.
37 min
February 06, 2017 The Mikes on Mics 5 Year Anniversary Show with Michael Schechter
It’s been 5 YEARS since my very first podcast recording with Michael Schechter. I thought it would be fitting to bring him back this week. We caught up on what has happened since we stopped recording podcasts together roughly 2 years ago.
This episode at its core is just the two of us being nostalgic. I even injected in some clips of our podcasts together.
Here’s what we did talk about on this episode:
We reminisced during a very "professional" segment we did on Mikes on Mics called "What Are You Drinking?"
I caught up with what he has been up to lately, and how his work on A Better Mess and in the productivity scene is being applied to what he is doing now.
We discussed what motivated us to get into productivity, the backstory of our podcast’s Episode 0, and what the trajectory of his career and life has looked like since then.
He specified habits and things rooted from his productivity days that he still finds helpful to this day, some things he's missed, and memories that stuck with us.
He also recalled the things that he doesn’t quite miss, his tendency to be a bad friend, and my suggestion on how he can improve in this area.
Relevant Links
Workflowing/Mikes on Mics | Podcast Chart
Workflowing/Mikes on Mics
Thanks for listening. This was a fun one.
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
26 min
February 06, 2017 The Mikes on Mics 5 Year Anniversary Show with Michael Schechter
It’s been 5 YEARS since my very first podcast recording with Michael Schechter. I thought it would be fitting to bring him back today, as we catch up on what happened since we stopped recording podcasts together roughly 2 years ago.
25 min
January 30, 2017 Alignment and Automation with Mridu Parikh
Joining me this week as my guest is Mridu Parikh, the woman behind Life is Organized. She is a productivity coach, business strategist, speaker and trainer. She made it her goal to help individuals get clear on their priorities through effective time management, efficient processes, systems and life-changing habits – to do more in less time.
A big fan of simplicity, we talked about introducing and learning productivity processes and systems, the methods she employs to make sure that these become habits, and how doing these alleviate stress and results in clarity and growth for individuals and teams.
Here are just a few of the things you’ll learn about in this episode:
How she reveres simplicity as the easiest way to introduce a process, and the importance of writing things down.
Working with other people, how to get them motivated to do a task or enforce a process into their life and be consistent about it.
The concept of the learning curve, and how to speed up this often-tedious phase through research and by reaching out to people.
Her insights on alignment as a product of goals, action plans and prioritization, how to make these happen through the concept of ‘two-week sprints’, and samples to explain how it works.
The importance of improving communication and technology, and intertwining the two to enhance processes for an individual and/or a team.
The tool that she’s been using which allows for transparency and easy collaboration, and the how and why she chose this specific tool.
We also delved into a blog post she’s written that made her look at limitations and excuses from a different angle and reframe these into motivation to maximize potential.
Relevant Links
Home - Life Is Organized
Do This and Get Results - Life Is Organized
How to Avoid the Dreaded Learning Curve (Of Anything New!) - Life Is Organized
What Got Me From "Amateur" To "Pro" - Life Is Organized
How to Write the Perfect To-Do List - Life Is Organized
Why Thinking Like Legos Will Change Your Business - Life Is Organized
Mridu Parikh (@LifeIsOrganized) | Twitter
Productivity Freebie - The Productivityist - Life Is Organized
The Productivityist Podcast: Beyond the E-Myth with Michael E. Gerber
The Productivityist Podcast: A Closer Look at Automation with Wade Foster
Use Asana to track your team’s work & manage projects | Asana
Thanks for spending time with me this week. Enjoy the show!
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
28 min
January 30, 2017 Alignment and Automation with Mridu Parikh
Joining me on this episode is Mridu Parikh - the woman behind Life is Organized. Mridu is a productivity coach, business strategist, speaker and trainer. She made it her goal to help individuals get clear on their priorities through effective time management, efficient processes, systems and life-changing habits – to do more in less time.
27 min
January 23, 2017 Fostering Your Inner Youpreneur with Chris Ducker
The guest on this episode of The Productivityist Podcast is my good friend Chris Ducker, whom I will be joining at the Tropical Think Tank event happening this coming March.
Chris is a Virtual CEO, as he manages a BPO Call Center company and a Virtual Assistance business. But it hadn’t always been this way for Chris, who has also gone through long days and nights working IN his business before realizing that it wasn’t the way to live a truly productive life. In this episode we’ll discuss his life and business principles, Youpreneur and his other businesses, and the upcoming Tropical Think Tank.
Here are some subjects we talked about:
Chris discussed the evolution and intentional changes in his businesses.
Why people prefer to work with people instead of businesses or big brands, and Chris's insights on how to set up businesses around the P2P philosophy.
How Chris decided on making his name his own brand, and his mantra when it comes to marketing your brand.
We also discussed how productivity isn’t always about speed, an anecdote on what made him decide to slow down, start delegating and making an intention to flip the switch, get away from work and just have fun.
We talked about deleting certain tasks and projects that are no longer serving him, and why saying no to certain things, opportunities and engagements free him up to intentionally do things that he really wants to do.
Chris dives into how to be everywhere, the behind-the-scenes process to do this, and choosing which platforms - based on your brand and personality to create a regular presence in. He also provided update on the Youpreneur community and what it currently offers to its members.
Relevant Links
ChrisDucker.com - Helping Entrepreneurs Become More Productive & Profitable
Why You Need to Slow Down to Achieve More
Fun with Joel Comm by Joel Comm on iTunes
Why Focusing On ‘Being Everywhere’ is STILL Important, with Pat Flynn
Youpreneur.com – The Entrepreneurial Community Where Nobody Gets Left Behind
Chris Ducker (@ChrisDucker) | Twitter
Tropical Think Tank - Where Business IS Pleasure!
Thanks for listening!
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
January 23, 2017 Fostering Your Inner Youpreneur with Chris Ducker
The guest on this episode of The Productivityist Podcast is my good friend Chris Ducker, whom I will be joining at the Tropical Think Tank event happening this coming March.
29 min
January 16, 2017 The Sunday Basket with Lisa Woodruff
My guest on this episode is Lisa Woodruff, a professional organizer, productivity specialist and author of the book The Mindset of Organization: Take Back Your House One Phase at a Time. She coaches people to organize their households and their lives through systems she designed specifically for whichever part of your life or house that needs help tidying up and organizing.
Lisa and I tackle one of the most popular systems she has created: The Sunday Basket. We also discuss her experience working with people as a professional organizer and how sometimes admitting that we need help is really all that’s needed to be more organized and productive.
Here are some of the things we talked about on this episode:
The three phases of life, and how her experience working with lots of clients made her efficient in identifying which phase they’re in and systems to put in place for their specific needs and hang-ups.
The concept of the Sunday Basket as an organization and productivity tool, not just for women, but for anyone who needs help dealing with mail, paper, tasks, and other projects.
How does The Sunday Basket system work in a dynamic household...and how does her family do it.
A story that led her to conceptualize The Sunday Basket – which involved an 18-inch paper pile and staying up till midnight.
The importance of realism and acknowledging when we need help to juggle work, home, and other facets of life as a step towards organization and productivity.
How she advocates going paperless, and how The Sunday Basket is designed to handle more than just paper.
The evolution of her business and the vision she has for it in the future.
Relevant Links
Welcome to Organize 365 | Organize 365 -
Resources For Getting Organized | Organize 365 -
The Mindset of Organization: Take Back Your House One Phase at a Time by Lisa Woodruff | Amazon
Productivity | Organize 365 -
Organization 101 - Organize 365 -
Start Here - Organize365 -
Lisa Woodruff (@organize365) | 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
28 min
January 16, 2017 The Sunday Basket with Lisa Woodruff
My guest on this episode is Lisa Woodruff, a professional organizer, productivity specialist and author of the book The Mindset of Organization: Take Back Your House One Phase at a Time. She coaches people to organize their households and their lives through systems she designed specifically for whichever part of your life or house that needs help tidying up and organizing.
27 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.