Becoming Your Best | The Principles of Highly Successful Leaders

When was the last time you checked in with your happiness?

In today's episode, our guest, Dr. Dravon James, invites us to acknowledge and recognize why self-awareness is critical for good leadership. Dr. Dravon is a motivational speaker, transformation specialist, radio host of the Dr. Dravon James Every Day Peace live show, author of "Freedom Is Your Birthright," and the Founder of Next Step Leadership Academy.

Her humble origins in South Side Chicago didn't stop her from earning a doctorate in Pharmacy from Creighton University and becoming a leader in the healthcare industry for more than three decades.

Throughout our conversation, Dr. Dravon talks about the book that inspired her to become someone who inspires and empowers people to be who they are supposed to be. She explains why leaders must improve their self-awareness to thrive and make their teams thrive and the difference between humility and meekness. In addition, Dr. Dravon shares five tips to improve self-awareness and much more.

Tune in to Episode 367 of Becoming Your Best, and learn how self-awareness can improve your life and the life of those around you.

Some Questions I Ask: 

Please tell us about your background, including any turning points that highly impacted your life (4:59) 

Let's talk about self-awareness. What are the benefits of it? (14:32)

In This Episode, You Will Learn: 

About the book that changed Dr. Dravon's life (5:16) 

What should we be self-aware of (9:36) 

The difference between humility and meekness (17:36) 

Five tips to improve your self-awareness (19:51)

Resources: 

Dr. Dravon James' website 

Book: Dr. Dravon James, Mr. Jack Barnard - Freedom Is Your Birthright (Stepping Stone Series) 

Book: Dr. Norman Vincent Peale - The Power of Positive Thinking

Connect with Dr. Dravon: 

LinkedIn 

Instagram 

Facebook

Becoming Your Best Resources: 

Becoming Your Best Website 

Becoming Your Best University Website 

Becoming Your Best Library 

Email: [email protected]  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if we could change the way we see fear? What if we could transform it from the burden that slows us down into the fuel of our actions?

This week, I'm excited to welcome Scott Simon, Author, Speaker, and Founder of the Scare Your Soul movement. He is passionate about connecting people with their courage, helping them thrive, and guiding them into a courageous and vibrant life.

You'll hear about Scott's fantastic story of resilience, the day he decided to face a 35-year-old fear he had been carrying, and the Facebook post that went viral and changed his life. Scott shares several golden nuggets on how to face our fears, how to turn them into our fuel, and why he believes courage is a muscle that can be trained, just as our gratitude muscle.

In addition, we talk about his book, "Scare Your Soul: 7 Powerful Principles to Harness Fear and Lead Your Most Courageous Life," what moved him to write it, how to regain power from forgiveness, and so much more.

Tune in to Episode 366 of Becoming Your Best, and learn how to transform your fears and use them in your favor.

Some Questions I Ask: 

What is the one thing that really holds most people back in life? (7:21) 

How do our brains produce fear? And how can we use that to our advantage? (8:53) 

If you say, “I am excited to do this. Your body releases endorphins and chemicals, and your physical state matches the mental state you're creating.” Is that what you're saying? (19:21)

In This Episode, You Will Learn: 

An experience in fourth grade that will last 35 years (2:59) 

What does science say about fear and how it is created (9:12) 

How to tone up the courage muscle (16:19) 

How to recover our power through forgiveness (24:13) 

Why you should have that difficult conversation you've been avoiding for a while (28:26)

Resources: 

Scare Your Soul website 

Scare Your Soul Instagram 

Book: Scott Simon - Scare Your Soul: 7 Powerful Principles to Harness Fear and Lead Your Most Courageous Life

Connect with Scott: 

LinkedIn 

Instagram

Becoming Your Best Resources: 

Becoming Your Best Website 

Email: [email protected]

Book: Becoming Your Best: The 12 Principles of Highly Successful Leaders 

Book: Conquer Anxiety: How to Overcome Anxiety and Optimize Your Performance

Facebook Group – Conquer Anxiety

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What kind of 2023 do you wish to experience? A highly successful one, or, to put it in Og Mandino's words, one that you are just a sheep waiting to be prodded by your shepherd? All of us can avoid the "slaughterhouse of failure" and thrive not only this year but for as long as we wish to; we only need to be prepared. 

In today's episode, we get you ready to experience a highly successful year; we share a powerful tool kit with just four life-changing items. Among some of the things we explore, you will learn how turning planning into a habit can save you tons of time, correct your trajectory, and clear tons of space in your mind. 

We also go through behavioral changes you can implement with ease to enhance your performance and some valuable resources you can use to help yourself implement them. Lastly, we delve into Og Mandino's gift to mankind, his book "The greatest salesman of the world," and analyze some of the most inspiring quotes from the ten scrolls. 

Tune in to Episode 365 of Becoming Your Best, and prepare for a highly successful 2023.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• About the massive difference a planner can make in your life (4:36)
• The difference high-performing habits can make (7:12)
• How can the principles of highly successful leaders change your perspective (12:21)
• How much time does it take to acquire a new habit? (17:52)
• What does it take to become the greatest salesman in the world? (14:52)

Mentioned In This Episode:

• Book: Og Mandino - The Greatest Salesman in the World

Becoming Your Best Resources:

• Becoming Your Best Website
• Becoming Your Best University Website
• Becoming Your Best Library
• Email: [email protected] 
• Book: Becoming Your Best: The 12 Principles of Highly Successful Leaders
• Book: Conquer Anxiety: How to Overcome Anxiety and Optimize Your Performance
• Do What Matters Most - Digital Planner
• Facebook Group – Conquer Anxiety

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As a leader, what is the feeling that gets you out of bed every morning? The overwhelming pressure of making sure you don't make a mistake or the excitement of leading your team through learning and enhancing experiences?  

Our guest, Annie Leib, believes there is only one way of practicing proper leadership: when you feel aligned with your true self.  

Meet Annie Leib, Executive MBA, and Certified Professional Executive Coach and Facilitator. Creator of the BREATH Framework™ Program and Founder and CEO of Annie Leib, LLC. 

In this episode, we delve into Annie's journey of becoming an Executive Coach, moved by the desire to make an impactful change as a leader. We talk about the BREATH Framework, its peculiar conception, and its unique way of enhancing leadership. Annie also highlights the importance of reclaiming our power, how leaders tend to unnoticeably give it out, and so much more.  

Tune in to Episode 364 of Becoming Your Best, and let Annie teach you how to breathe your way through right into your true self.  

Some Questions I Ask: 

• Could you tell us about your journey and how it led you to create BREATH? (4:39) 
• What gets you up in the morning? (10:00) 

In This Episode, You Will Learn: 

• The importance of knowing where we begin (5:57) 
• What it means to reclaim our power (6:47) 
• Finding your way through, not around (11:54) 
• Being uncomfortable and unhappy in our lives is not mandatory (12:54) 

Resources: 

• Annie Leib website 

Connect with Annie: 

• LinkedIn 

Becoming Your Best Resources: 

• Becoming Your Best Website 
• Becoming Your Best University Website 
• Becoming Your Best Library 
• Email: [email protected]  
• Book: Becoming Your Best: The 12 Principles of Highly Successful Leaders 
• Book: Conquer Anxiety: How to Overcome Anxiety and Optimize Your Performance 
• Facebook Group – Conquer Anxiety 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What would happen if you applied, in your company, the same principles and processes of one of America's most prestigious armed?

Meet Marty Groover, who decided to apply his training at the U.S. Navy to the corporate world and optimize productivity, automatize processes, and promote constant training in the workplace. Marty is a Partner and Chief Technology Officer at C5MI; he is the Author of the book "Speed of Advance", and counts more than 20 years of experience as a Surface Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy.

In this episode, we learn about Marty's role in the U.S. Navy and how his time there inspired him to improve the corporate world and help companies take their productivity to the next level. Marty also explains what it means to "command by negation" and how that concept can transform how companies and leaders see and develop their team members.

In addition, we delve into the importance of pre-planned responses, constant training, and so much more.

Tune in to Episode 363 of Becoming Your Best, and learn about the U.S. Navy concepts and principles that can transform your company.

Some Questions I Ask: 

• Could you tell us a bit about your background? (2:47) 
• Marty, what does it mean to harness the power of technology to drive untouchable results? (10:21)

In This Episode, You Will Learn: 

• The moment Marty learned the importance of effective communication (5:50) 
• How Marty applies U.S. Navy principles to the corporate world (8:03) 
• How can "command by negation" transform a company (13:07) 
• The importance of having pre-planned responses (16:51) 
• How to improve productivity by increasing and stimulating training (18:37)

Resources: 

• Book: Marty Groover - Speed of Advance: How the U.S. Navy's Convergence of People, Process, and Technology Can Help Your Business Win in the 4th Industrial Revolution

Connect with Marty: 

• LinkedIn

Becoming Your Best Resources: 

• Becoming Your Best Website 
• Becoming Your Best University Website 
• Becoming Your Best Library 
• Email: [email protected]  
• Book: Becoming Your Best: The 12 Principles of Highly Successful Leaders 
• Book: Conquer Anxiety: How to Overcome Anxiety and Optimize Your Performance
• Facebook Group – Conquer Anxiety

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A big part of how we feel, act, or think about things is determined by our emotional DNA inheritance; our actions, feelings, and thoughts could be a repetition of an emotional DNA blueprint. To change the patterns that keep us stuck, we must first identify them.

In this episode, Judy Wilkins-Smith shares the keys to ending limiting cycles and reframing them into lasting breakthroughs. Judy is a Transformational, Executive, and Leadership Coach, Author, and an Expert in Emotional DNA, Systemic Constellations, and Ancestral Trauma.

Throughout our conversation, we learn about Judy's passion for creating massive and life-changing breakthroughs and how she helps people to "get out of the tailspin." She kindly explains the importance of being mindful of how we feel, act, and think about ourselves and every situation, how to discover the patterns that keep us stuck, and, most importantly, change them.

We also learn about the importance of having and nurturing dreams, what it is and how Systemic Work and Constellations can help us, the money mindset, and so much more.

Tune in to Episode 362 of Becoming Your Best and learn to avoid following an emotional DNA rut that no longer serves you.

Some Questions I Ask: 

How can we identify these patterns that we may have inherited? (6:12)

How can we change our thoughts, feelings, and actions? (13:25)

How can Systemic Work and Constellations reveal and help transform hidden issues from family or business? (21:33)

In This Episode, You Will Learn: 

Judy's background and how she developed her passion for creating life-changing breakthroughs (3:10) 

How to create future memories (8:13) 

The shift from a survivor to a creative brain (15:03) 

Why we are so reluctant to dream (19:47) 

How to decode our emotional blueprint (28:09)

Resources: 

Judy Wilkins-Smith website 

Book: Judy Wilkins-Smith - Decoding Your Emotional Blueprint: A Powerful Guide to Transformation Through Disentangling Multigenerational Patterns

Connect with Judy: 

LinkedIn 

YouTube 

Instagram 

Facebook 

TikTok

Becoming Your Best Resources: 

Becoming Your Best Website

Becoming Your Best University Website

Becoming Your Best Library 

Facebook Group – Conquer Anxiety 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Finding our purpose, the "why" that takes us out of bed every morning, and what we are really passionate about is not something that'll come into our minds through introspection or contemplation; it'll come out by trying a whole bunch of different things.

In today's episode, Adam Tank joins us to talk about purpose, sustainability, and self-improvement. Adam is the Chief Customer Officer at Transcend. He founded a robotics company inside General Electric, spun it out of the Fortune 100 behemoth into a Fortune 50 behemoth, and sold it to a publicly traded company. Adam also invented a revolutionary robotic device that helped over 60 million people to get clean water.

Throughout our conversation, Adam shared how he got in touch with his purpose, the books that inspired him to pursue entrepreneurship and interrupt the "9 to 5 way of seeing life" he grew up in. We also talk about Adam's project on helping people access clean water, his work with convicted felons, the teachings from working with them, and so much more.

Tune in to uncover the path to get in touch with your passion.

Some Questions I Ask:

Please, tell us about your background, including any turning points in your life that impacted you and what you are doing today (4:20)

What is the most important thing you've learned from working in prisons? (10:55)

What advice would you give young people about finding their passion? (16:43)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

About the two books that helped shape Adam's life (6:06)

Why following your passion can turn you into the most fortunate person (8:47)

The best way to light people and help them turn into their best version (14:23)

Put your thoughts out there; let the universe know what you are up to (20:11)

Why it is crucial to start with the end in mind (25:25)

Resources:

Book: Napoleon Hill - Think and Grow Rich

Book: Stephen Covey - The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People

Book: Napoleon Hill - How to Be Rich

Book: Joseph Grenny, Kenny Patterson - Crucial Conversations

Connect with Adam:

LinkedIn

website

Becoming Your Best Resources:

Becoming Your Best Website

Becoming Your Best Library

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The things we put our time and focus on will come to fruition, regardless of whether that time and focus were devoted intentionally to create that outcome. This means that if we don't focus on anything in particular for 3 or 4 months, we will almost surely accomplish nothing throughout that quarter. But it also means we can develop an intentional way of creating our reality.

In this episode, we go through some tips to start the new year, focusing on what matters most: making 2023 your best year ever. Studies show that over 80% of New Year's resolutions are abandoned two weeks into the new year. To solve this issue, we developed a simple yet powerful technique to create a measurable and achievable action plan to stick to and crush your goals.

You'll learn about the big three habits that will help you design your vision and goals, measure your progress, and keep yourself accountable. We also discuss the differences between vision and goals, how to set them clearly, and why developing a vision for each key role is crucial. You'll also learn the words you must avoid at all costs when setting your goals, how to rely on others to help you keep yourself accountable, and so much more.

Tune in to Episode 360 of Becoming Your Best, set yourself up for success, and make 2023 your best year ever!

In This Episode, You Will Learn: 

• Where focus goes, energy flows (2:16) 
• The importance of having a written personal vision (7:12) 
• Work on developing a vision for each of your key roles (8:37) 
• The words you should never use in goal setting (14:17) 
• The number one habit and predictor of success (18:48) 
• A short story about the importance of time (20:21)

Becoming Your Best Resources: 

• Becoming Your Best Website 
• Becoming Your Best University Website 
• Becoming Your Best Library 
• Email: [email protected]  
• Book: Becoming Your Best: The 12 Principles of Highly Successful Leaders 
• Book: Conquer Anxiety: How to Overcome Anxiety and Optimize Your Performance 
• Do What Matters Most - Digital Planner
• Facebook Group – Conquer Anxiety

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, as we get ready to celebrate Christmas, we dive into three stories that perfectly represent Jesus' work and influence in our lives.

First, we analyze Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" and Ebenezer Scrooge's transformation and his encounter with the authentic Christmas Spirit. Then we enjoy the overview of "It's A Wonderful Life," the movie written and directed by Frank Capra, which shares the story of George Bailey, and it's a constant reminder that the world wouldn't be the same place without us.

Lastly, we dive into "The Christmas Spirit Strikes Again," a true story published in Reader's Digest that narrates the love between two sisters during the holiday season.

Tune in to Episode 359 of Becoming Your Best, let yourself be flooded with Christmas Spirit, and be the best you can be during the holidays.

In This Episode, You Will Learn: 

• About the trip to Mauritania that inspired today's episode (2:21) 
• The beautiful message behind "A Christmas Carol" (4:49) 
• Every one of us makes a difference. George Bailey's story (9:31) 
• The Christmas Spirit strikes again (16:13)

Becoming Your Best Resources: 

• Becoming Your Best Website 
• Becoming Your Best University Website 
• Becoming Your Best Library 
• Email: [email protected]  
• Book: Becoming Your Best: The 12 Principles of Highly Successful Leaders 
• Book: Conquer Anxiety: How to Overcome Anxiety and Optimize Your Performance 
• Do What Matters Most - Digital Planner 
• Facebook Group – Conquer Anxiety

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Although planning is a crucial part of any mission, its success relies more on the ability to adapt to unexpected changes and improvise than on the plan itself.

In this episode, we are thrilled to welcome Marty Strong and hear about his unique perspective on leadership, planning, and goal achieving. Marty is a combat-decorated Navy SEAL, a thought-provoking writer and speaker, and a leader and business consultant. He is an accomplished novelist and the author of "Be Nimble: How the Creative Navy SEAL Mindset Wins on the Battlefield and in Business" and the soon-to-be-published "Be Visionary: Strategic Leadership in the Age of Optimization."

Throughout our conversation, Marty shared golden nuggets from his decades of leadership and business consultant experience. We talk about his background and upbringing and how his time as a Navy SEAL prepared him to become a successful leader. We also discuss Marty's book, "Be Visionary," what motivated him to write it, and what leaders can get from it.

Additionally, Marty shared his unique perspective on what becoming an excellent leader looks like, how to make excellent hirings for our team, the hidden power of humor, and much more.

Tune in to Episode 358 to hear about Marty's fascinating life story and the Navy SEAL's way of planning and executing.

Some Questions I Ask: 

Please share with our listeners what the new book is about. And why did you write it? (8:49)

How can we improve our visionary skills in a way that can be applied personally and professionally? (12:07)

In This Episode, You Will Learn: 

A bit about Marty's upbringing and first encounter with adult life (3:45)

The importance of not letting the victim mentality get in charge (7:24)

Start with a vision and start planning backward from that future point (13:59)

What a perfect plan and preparation looks like (16:15)

When things are bad, stick to those joking about it (23:14)

Resources: 

Marty Strong website

Book: Marty Strong - Be Nimble: How the Creative Navy SEAL Mindset Wins on the Battlefield and in Business

Book: Marty Strong -Be Visionary: Strategic Leadership in the Age of Optimization

Connect with Marty: 

LinkedIn

Becoming Your Best Resources: 

Becoming Your Best Website

Becoming Your Best University Website

Becoming Your Best Library

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.