BizWiz Podcast

Buying a franchise can offer a path to business ownership, but finding the right fit takes careful evaluation.

In this BizWiz episode, host Laura Cohn talks with Greg Mohr, founder of Franchise Maven, about exploring franchise opportunities, assessing business models, and planning a transition into ownership. The conversation covers semi-absentee ownership, due diligence, franchise systems, AI, and building a business that can operate without depending entirely on its owner.

In this episode, Laura and Greg Mohr discuss:

• The range of business opportunities available through franchising
• What it takes to move from employment into entrepreneurship
• How established processes shape day-to-day business operations
• The long-term goals that can guide an owner's decisions

Key Takeaways:

• Assess your skills, preferred work, available time, budget, and long-term goals before choosing a franchise. Knowing what you want to avoid can help narrow your options.
• Review the franchise disclosure document for openings, closures, and system growth. Speak with existing franchisees and investigate the opportunity thoroughly before committing.
• Franchises provide established systems, but owners still need initiative, risk tolerance, openness to mentorship, and a willingness to follow the model.
• Treat the franchise as an asset rather than a job. Build operations that can eventually run without depending entirely on you, giving you more flexibility to pursue other opportunities or sell the business.

"This is an asset. This is not a job. If you treat it like a job, it will be a job." — Greg Mohr

About Greg Mohr: Greg Mohr creates entrepreneurs through franchising. Over more than a decade, he has guided 300+ entrepreneurs through franchise evaluation and enabled them to open 500+ successful territories. He is a 2X Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Real Freedom and Expert Resilience. He has also worked with and co-authored From Idea to Empire with Kevin Harrington, the original shark from Shark Tank.

About Laura Cohn: Laura is the host of The BizWiz Podcast, a Strategic Marketing Consultant, founder of 416 Sales, and author of Sales Without Being Pushy. With over 30 years of sales experience and 50,000+ sales conversations, she has helped thousands of business owners improve their sales and marketing. Her diverse background in sales, branding, customer experience, and business growth gives her a practical approach to helping small business owners sell confidently through simple, authentic, and repeatable systems. She lives in Belton, TX.

Connect with Greg Mohr: 

Website: https://www.franchisemaven.com/

Book: Real Freedom and Expert Resilience: https://realfreedombook.com/realfreedom

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Franchise_Maven

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

X (Twitter): https://x.com/Franchise_Maven

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FranchiseMaven & https://www.facebook.com/greg.mohr.355/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/franchisemaven/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@franchisemaven

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/franchise_maven

Connect with Laura Cohn: 

Website: https://www.416sales.com/

Book: Sales Without Being Pushy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H9CD52YD

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/416SalesTX

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Effective leadership starts with understanding the patterns, motivations, and emotions that shape how we show up for others. 

In this episode of BizWiz, host Josh Hoffman speaks with Paula Shannon, founder of Whole Leader Lab, about emotional agility, sustainable stress management, and the inner work that helps leaders recognize blind spots, strengthen relationships, and grow into their next stage of leadership.

In this episode, Josh and Paula Shannon discuss:

• The career turning point that changed Paula’s approach to leadership
• Why leaders struggle to process difficult emotions
• How hidden patterns shape leadership and personal growth
• Choosing an executive coach who fits your needs

Key Takeaways:

• Identify what matters most, protect the times when you work best, and distinguish genuine emergencies from other people's urgency.
• Recognizing what you feel can help you gain perspective, understand which values are involved, and make more informed choices.
• Greater awareness of your leadership patterns can help you recognize blind spots, challenge assumptions, and develop the discipline to respond differently.
• Clarify your goals, interview several coaches, and look for a good personal fit. Coaching also requires time, reflection, and follow-through from you to make the investment worthwhile.

"We can't lead others if we can't lead ourselves." — Paula Shannon

About Paula Shannon: Paula R. Shannon is an executive coach, leadership strategist, and former senior education leader with nearly three decades of experience leading organizations and teams. As founder of Whole Leader Lab, she partners with mission-driven leaders to achieve results without sacrificing themselves. She served as Deputy Superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools and held leadership roles in Providence Public Schools and Syracuse City Schools. Her expertise includes executive coaching, team development, organizational strategy, emotional intelligence, and leadership resilience.

About Josh Hoffman: Josh works the front of the funnel at NorthPulse, a sales consultancy delivering curated sales game plans to help sellers, business owners, and founders accelerate sales development. He's built outbound and business development from scratch at early-stage companies and run it himself, as a founder rather than a hire. He built the go-to-market at Querystax, the outbound behind DemandLab's pipeline, and took Amera from pre-revenue to $300K ARR in three months. He also hosts The Inflection.

Connect with Paula Shannon: 

Website: https://wholeleaderlab.org/

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

Connect with Josh Hoffman: 

Website: https://northpulse.ai/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jhoffman610/

Show: The Inflection: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-inflection/id6813104260

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Making informed food choices starts with understanding what is in the products we eat.

In this episode, host Laura Cohn talks with Steve Hochman about the glycemic index, ingredient substitutions, and his approach to nutrition after his own transformation. The conversation also explores Sugar Shark, an AI-powered ingredient scanning app, food labeling, nutrition education, and Steve’s mission to help people make healthier choices.

In this episode, Laura and Steve Hochman discuss:

• Rethinking common approaches to nutrition and weight management
• The role of ingredient choices in everyday eating habits
• Technology, food labeling, and access to nutrition information
• Personal transformation and the mission to educate others

Key Takeaways:

• Comparing the glycemic index of ingredients can help people identify alternatives to the foods they regularly eat and make more informed choices about what goes into their meals.
• Ingredient substitutions, such as using almond flour instead of wheat flour and monk fruit instead of sugar, are central to Steve’s approach to making familiar foods with different ingredients.
• Sugar Shark was developed to scan ingredient labels and identify their glycemic index values, helping users assess products without having to search for each ingredient individually.
• Steve emphasizes nutrition education as a way to help people make more informed choices, understand food labels, and share with their families.

"No one's coming to save you. It's not legislation; it's education." — Steve Hochman

About Steve Hochman: Steve Hochman is a former Division I football player who once weighed 287 pounds and battled high blood pressure and anxiety. After transforming his life, he created The 3—a science-backed, no-gimmick method to shred fat and reclaim health without obsessive dieting. He co-founded the world’s largest fitness boot camp franchise, built OC|FIT in Irvine, CA, and now coaches clients worldwide. A husband and father of three, Steve’s mission is to help one million people live strong, lean, and unstoppable lives.

About Laura Cohn: Laura is the host of The BizWiz Podcast, a Strategic Marketing Consultant, founder of 416 Sales, and author of Sales Without Being Pushy. With over 30 years of sales experience and 50,000+ sales conversations, she has helped thousands of business owners improve their sales and marketing. Her diverse background in sales, branding, customer experience, and business growth gives her a practical approach to helping small business owners sell confidently through simple, authentic, and repeatable systems. She lives in Belton, TX.

Connect with Steve Hochman: 

Book: The 3: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FM8P77D4

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Steve-Hochman-61550653417654/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevehochman.driven/

Connect with Laura Cohn: 

Website: https://www.416sales.com/

Book: Sales Without Being Pushy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H9CD52YD

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/416SalesTX

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Project performance can look healthy on paper while problems are already developing on the front lines.

In this episode, host Laura Cohn talks with structural engineer and project advisor Peter Frensemeyer about project visibility, financial reporting, decision timing, and profitability. The conversation explores how leaders can identify changes earlier, reduce rework, simplify complex problems, and make better decisions before they lose valuable options.

In this episode, Laura and Peter Frensemeyer discuss:

• Understanding project profitability beyond financial reports
• The challenges of managing complex projects and teams
• Frontline insight and its role in better business decisions
• Simplifying problems to improve project performance

Key Takeaways:

• Financial reports can accurately show what has happened, but they may not reveal how much work remains or what is changing on a project right now.
• Frontline teams often see early warning signs such as increasing complexity, rework, and stalled progress before those changes appear in traditional reporting.
• Asking what has changed that is not in the numbers yet can help leaders identify problems earlier, when they still have more options to act.
• Sitting down with the people doing the work can reveal where teams are struggling, what remains to be done, and where processes can be simplified to reduce time and costs. 

"If you make a decision too late, all the options to do something about turning the project around are gone." — Peter Frensemeyer

About Peter Frensemeyer: Peter Frensemeyer is a structural engineer and project advisor with over 25 years’ experience delivering complex infrastructure and building projects. He works with engineering leaders to improve visibility, decision timing, and project profitability — often identifying issues weeks before they appear in traditional reporting.

About Laura Cohn: Laura is the host of The BizWiz Podcast, a Strategic Marketing Consultant, founder of 416 Sales, and author of Sales Without Being Pushy. With over 30 years of sales experience and 50,000+ sales conversations, she has helped thousands of business owners improve their sales and marketing. Her diverse background in sales, branding, customer experience, and business growth gives her a practical approach to helping small business owners sell confidently through simple, authentic, and repeatable systems. She lives in Belton, TX.

Connect with Peter Frensemeyer: 

Website: http://standoutbusinesssolutions.com/ & https://peterfrensemeyer.com/

Book: The Project Profit Illusion: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H4C85WS7

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-frensemeyer/

Connect with Laura Cohn: 

Website: https://www.416sales.com/

Book: Sales Without Being Pushy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H9CD52YD

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/416SalesTX

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Sales is about more than closing a transaction.

In this episode, host Laura Cohn talks with Turnkey Podcast CEO Doug Sandler about building relationships, staying consistent, and using human connection alongside technology to grow a business. The conversation covers sales, podcasting, delegation, customer relationships, and the habits that can help entrepreneurs create lasting business results.

In this episode, Laura and Doug Sandler discuss:

• The role of relationships in business and sales
• Modern sales and the changing role of technology
• Growing a business through consistency and focus
• Podcasting as a platform for connection and opportunity

Key Takeaways:

• Strong sales relationships can create opportunities across different products and businesses because people are more likely to engage when there is trust and genuine connection.
• AI and social media can help open doors and reach more people, but human relationship skills are still necessary to turn those connections into meaningful business conversations.
• Consistent messaging, staying committed, and delegating work outside your strengths can help a business operate more efficiently while giving leaders more time for their core strengths.
• Podcasting can provide a way to learn directly from experienced people, build relationships, share expertise, and create new opportunities even without an existing large audience.

"If you lead with the transaction, rather than the relationship, you’re going to get a lot more no’s than yeses." — Doug Sandler

About Doug Sandler: Doug Sandler has over 30 years of business experience as an entrepreneur and leader. His book, Nice Guys Finish First, is a #1 ranked Amazon bestseller. As podcast host of The Nice Guys on Business, Doug has interviewed Gary Vaynerchuk, Arianna Huffington from HuffPost, Dan Harris from Good Morning America, Ron Klain, White House Chief of Staff, John C. Maxwell, and dozens of celebs. Doug is a nationally recognized speaker, writer, and founder of TurnKey Podcast Productions, providing podcast production, editing, and launch services. He specializes in teaching others the “how-to’s” of building relationships and strengthening connections. His Nice Guys podcast, with over 1,000 episodes, has been downloaded 3.5 million times in more than 175 countries. 

About Laura Cohn: Laura is the host of The BizWiz Podcast, a Strategic Marketing Consultant, founder of 416 Sales, and author of Sales Without Being Pushy. With over 30 years of sales experience and 50,000+ sales conversations, she has helped thousands of business owners improve their sales and marketing. Her diverse background in sales, branding, customer experience, and business growth gives her a practical approach to helping small business owners sell confidently through simple, authentic, and repeatable systems. She lives in Belton, TX.

Get Your Toolkit NOW and learn about being a podcasting pro, making money podcasting, and connecting your podcast to your business: TurnkeyPodcast.com/toolkit

Connect with Doug Sandler: 

Website: https://turnkeypodcast.com/

Book: Nice Guys Finish First: https://www.amazon.com/Nice-Guys-Finish-First-Sandler/dp/162865161X

Show: The Nice Guys On Business: 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nice-guys-on-business/id966086057

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-sandler

Connect with Laura Cohn: 

Website: https://www.416sales.com/

Book: Sales Without Being Pushy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H9CD52YD

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/416SalesTX

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Leadership under pressure can affect decision-making, team trust, and performance. In this episode, host Laura Cohn speaks with Antoinette Engelke about the connection between the gut, heart, and brain and how awareness of these systems can shape responses to stress. The conversation explores mindfulness, emotional intelligence, nutrition, decision-making, and finding greater calm under pressure. 

In this episode, Laura and Antoinette Engelke discuss:

• How stress can affect leadership, decision-making, and team performance
• The relationship between the gut, heart, and brain in responses to pressure
• Why self-awareness can help identify patterns that affect leadership
• Ways mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and nutrition can support greater balance

Key Takeaways:

• High pressure can trigger a freeze response that makes it harder to think clearly, communicate effectively, and make commitments with confidence.
• Balancing logical thinking with emotional intelligence and instinct can help leaders make decisions while considering both the task and the people involved.
• Replaying conversations, second-guessing decisions, losing sleep, and becoming more reactive can signal that stress is affecting both leadership and daily life.
• Building self-awareness can help identify which areas need attention, including nutrition, emotional intelligence, or mindfulness. 

"You could have perfectly everything calm on the outside, but if your inside is doing stress signals, it doesn't matter." — Antoinette Engelke

About Antoinette Engelke: Antoinette Engelke is an international bestselling author, speaker, and creator of the 3-Brain Alignment™ Method. Drawing on 32 years in corporate leadership and business, including 22 years leading teams and 10 years in senior leadership, she works with organizations to help their leaders make better decisions, communicate more effectively, and perform under pressure. Her work integrates leadership experience with the science of how the gut, heart, and brain influence responses under stress, helping leaders create space between trigger and reaction where more intentional choices become possible. She is the international best-selling author of The Quantum Blueprint: Your Symphony Within.

About Laura Cohn: Laura is the host of The BizWiz Podcast, a Strategic Marketing Consultant, founder of 416 Sales, and author of Sales Without Being Pushy. With over 30 years of sales experience and 50,000+ sales conversations, she has helped thousands of business owners improve their sales and marketing. Her diverse background in sales, branding, customer experience, and business growth gives her a practical approach to helping small business owners sell confidently through simple, authentic, and repeatable systems. She lives in Belton, TX.

Connect with Antoinette Engelke: 

Website: http://s2snaturalhealth.com/

Book: The Quantum Blueprint: https://www.soaringtosource.com/product-details/product/69ecc91218fa6ec4139a8947

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/S2SNaturalHealth

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s2snaturalhealth/

Connect with Laura Cohn: 

Website: https://www.416sales.com/

Book: Sales Without Being Pushy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H9CD52YD

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/416SalesTX

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Building consumer brands requires more than a strong product.

In this all-new BizWiz episode, host Laura Cohn talks with Danni Fernino Balis about moving from consulting into operations, partnerships, and brand ownership. The conversation explores how to evaluate market potential, understand customers, build strong partnerships, and stay focused through the demands of entrepreneurship.

In this episode, Laura and Danni Fernino Balis discuss:

• Turning consulting time into equity and eventually brand ownership
• Using the “pour gasoline on a fire” test to accelerate existing momentum
• Why assuming you’re your own customer can be an expensive mistake
• Recognizing a “blessed partnership” through alignment and synergy

Key Takeaways:

• Trading time for equity can create a path from service-based work into business ownership, deeper involvement, and long-term partnerships.
• Strong brands need a distinct point of view, a passionate founder, and a clear path toward meaningful market potential beyond current sales.
• Direct consumer connections can reveal what customers want and help prevent businesses from building products around their own personal assumptions.
• Business partnerships require long-term compatibility, alignment, and synergy because the relationship shapes how people work together on a daily basis.

"You don't want to make yourself small; you want to make yourself thin, meaning like less rigid, quicker." — Danni Fernino Balis

About Danni Fernino Balis: Danniele Fernino Balis is a Nashville-based multi-brand entrepreneur behind consumer beauty and wellness brands including SubLuna, JoyWell, and Sun & Moo. She oversees more than $3 million in annual business, with products sold through retailers including Erewhon, Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, and Live Healthillie. She began her career in service-based consulting, eventually moving from consultant to operator and brand owner. Today, she brings hands-on experience across entrepreneurship, consumer brands, ecommerce, retail, partnerships, and operations.

About Laura Cohn: Laura is the host of The BizWiz Podcast, a Strategic Marketing Consultant, founder of 416 Sales, and author of Sales Without Being Pushy. With over 30 years of sales experience and 50,000+ sales conversations, she has helped thousands of business owners improve their sales and marketing. Her diverse background in sales, branding, customer experience, and business growth gives her a practical approach to helping small business owners sell confidently through simple, authentic, and repeatable systems. She lives in Belton, TX.

Connect with Danni Fernino Balis:

SubLuna: https://shopsubluna.com/

Sun & Moo: https://sunandmoo.com/

Visions From Neptune: https://www.visionsfromneptune.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopsubluna/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shopsubluna

Connect with Laura Cohn: 

Website: https://www.416sales.com/

Book: Sales Without Being Pushy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H9CD52YD

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/416SalesTX

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

What happens when an unexpected career turn leads to an entirely new path? 

In this all-new BizWiz episode, host Laura Cohn speaks with Scott Martindale about his transition from engineering at Chevron to investment research and eventually becoming CEO of Sabrient Systems. Scott shares lessons on navigating setbacks, spotting opportunities, creating value, and using AI in investment research.

In this episode, Laura and Scott Martindale discuss:

• Turning career changes into new opportunities through existing skills
• Lessons early-stage companies can learn from challenges and false starts
• The role of an entrepreneurial mindset and personal brand in career growth
• Technology and AI’s impact on investment research and decision-making

Key Takeaways:

• Scott moved from engineering into investment work through consulting, writing, trading, and joining a startup without immediately taking on the risks of starting a business.
• Sabrient found a major growth opportunity after years of false starts by launching the Baker’s Dozen during the 2009 market downturn, eventually attracting First Trust Portfolios.
• An entrepreneurial mindset means focusing on high-potential projects, responding to customer needs, avoiding unnecessary rabbit holes, and creating value by advocating for your ideas.
• Adaptability, communication, and the ability to create and scale value matter across careers, while AI can accelerate research and synthesis when its output is carefully reviewed.

"As a company, you want to be resilient when things turn south. And as an individual, you want to make yourself indispensable, and learn to advocate for yourself and your ideas." — Scott Martindale

About Scott Martindale: Scott Martindale is the CEO of Sabrient Systems, where he leads strategy, product development, institutional sales, business development, client relations, and portfolio management. He began his career as a structural design engineer with Chevron Corp, later moving into engineering, analysis, and management roles. Scott holds BS and MS degrees in civil engineering from the University of Arizona, an MBA from California State University East Bay, and a Series 65 license.

About Laura Cohn: Laura is the host of The BizWiz Podcast, a Strategic Marketing Consultant, founder of 416 Sales, and author of Sales Without Being Pushy. With over 30 years of sales experience and 50,000+ sales conversations, she has helped thousands of business owners improve their sales and marketing. Her diverse background in sales, branding, customer experience, and business growth gives her a practical approach to helping small business owners sell confidently through simple, authentic, and repeatable systems. She lives in Belton, TX.

Connect with Scott Martindale: 

Website: https://MoonRocksToPowerStocks.com & https://www.sabrientsystems.com/

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

Book: Moon Rocks to Power Stocks: https://www.amazon.com/Moon-Rocks-Power-Stocks-Scientist-ebook/dp/B0FLSQ67X3

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sabrientsystems

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martindale_scott

Connect with Laura Cohn: 

Website: https://www.416sales.com/

Book: Sales Without Being Pushy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H9CD52YD

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/416SalesTX

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

About Bob Campana: Bob Campana is a lifelong entrepreneur whose career spans five decades and industries as varied as construction, real estate, hospitality, and global travel. From building one of California’s top swimming pool companies to creating the award-winning Redwood Café, his ventures reflect a deep belief that business is ultimately about people, purpose, and perseverance. The author of Don’t Look Down! shares hard-won lessons on risk, reinvention, and resilience drawn from a lifetime of turning challenges into opportunities. When he’s not advising founders or leading small-group travel experiences around the world, he’s still doing what he’s always done—building connections that last.

In this episode, Dan and Bob Campana discuss:

• Overcoming fear and adversity through bold decision-making and resilience
• The importance of empathy and authentic human connection in business and life
• Lessons learned from decades of entrepreneurship across multiple industries
• Finding meaning, legacy, and purpose through storytelling and shared experiences

Key Takeaways:

• Shift your sales approach from price and product to purpose and emotion by discovering what truly motivates your customers—often their desire to create lasting memories—and build your entire pitch and experience around helping them achieve that dream.
• Lead through presence, gratitude, and genuine curiosity by walking the floor, engaging directly with your team and customers, and creating a culture where appreciation, personal acknowledgment, and human warmth drive both loyalty and performance.
• Transform setbacks into stepping stones by viewing every failure, crisis, or unexpected turn—whether it’s a business challenge or a life-threatening accident—as an opportunity to learn, connect deeper with others, and build a stronger, more resilient version of yourself.
• Adopt the “rocking chair test” before making big decisions—imagine yourself at the end of your life asking, “Will I regret not doing this?”—and let that clarity push you to take bold, informed action rather than letting fear dictate your path. 

"Empathy, the big thing is understanding everybody has a story, everybody has an individual life, and respecting that... enriches your life more." — Bob Campana

Connect with Bob Campana: 

Website: https://www.bobcampana.com/

Book: Don’t Look Down!: https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Look-Down-Battle-Tested-Entrepreneur/dp/B0F9H1YGTT

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GetBack2Workk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-campana-entrepreneur/

Connect with Dan Hollis: 

Website: www.themagicofselling.net

Email: [email protected]

Business Number: 973-862-8331

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

About Debra Clary: Dr. Debra Clary is a leadership strategist, curiosity researcher, and author of The Curiosity Curve (Fast Company Press, October 2025). With more than three decades of executive experience at Fortune 50 companies, including Frito-Lay, Coca-Cola, Jack Daniel’s, and Humana, she now helps leaders harness curiosity as a catalyst for growth, innovation, and engagement. A sought-after keynote speaker and executive coach, Dr. Clary is known for translating neuroscience and real-world experience into practical frameworks that transform culture and performance. She has delivered a TEDx talk viewed by over 225,000 people, was named one of the Top 10 Speakers to Watch in 2025, and continues to inspire audiences worldwide through her company, The Clary Group.

In this episode, Dan and Debra Clary discuss:

• Curiosity as a catalyst for stronger leadership and organizational transformation
• Developing environments that nurture curiosity and psychological safety
• Shifting leadership mindsets from having answers to asking better questions
• Turning curiosity into a measurable and repeatable driver of performance and innovation

Key Takeaways:

• Research confirmed that when leaders consistently model and reward curiosity, their teams mirror that behavior—resulting in measurable gains in engagement, job satisfaction, and overall performance.
• Neuroscience shows curiosity isn’t a personality trait but a state influenced by environment, meaning organizations can deliberately cultivate it by encouraging inquiry and rewarding experimentation.
• Executives who view curiosity not as a luxury but as a strategic advantage are better equipped to adapt, innovate, and maintain competitive momentum in rapidly changing markets.
• Establishing a culture where people feel safe to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and offer ideas empowers teams to move from compliance to creativity and unlocks the full potential of collective intelligence. 

"Curiosity is contagious; when you’re around curious people, your curiosity level will increase at the rate that theirs is." — Debra Clary

Connect with Debra Clary: 

Website: https://debraclary.com/

Book: The Curiosity Curve: https://www.amazon.com/Curiosity-Curve-Leaders-Transformation-Questions/dp/1639081380/

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

Connect with Dan Hollis: 

Website: www.themagicofselling.net

Email: [email protected]

Business Number: 973-862-8331

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.