CanInnovate

Daniel Eberhard is the CEO of Koho which offers an alternative to the traditional banking experience. He has built his career as an entrepreneur by finding ways to create scalable mission-driven companies.

In 2010, he co-founded Kineticor Renewables and facilitated the development of a 20 megawatt wind energy plant up to the point of construction. The company was acquired by Algonquin Power in 2011.

After the sale, Daniel took the opportunity to backpack through Europe and saw firsthand the differences in the European banking system compared to Canada's. The experience inspired him to take a deeper look into Canada's flawed banking system. In 2014, he founded KOHO Financial, Canada's first challenger bank, looking to help eradicate debt caused by a system fueled by hidden fees and interest rates. With an integrated app and reloadable Visa card, KOHO is building the ultimate savings experience and leading the charge in the fintech space

Daniel was also named Baystreet Bull's Top 30 under 30, along with KOHO receiving the NASDAQ award for Best FinTech Company.

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Episode Overview:

Did you know that the average Canadian spends more on banking fees than our monthly NETFLIX subscription? This episode is for all those that want to save more in a FUN WAY. I talked to Daniel the CEO of KOHO.

• How different is the European Banking System compared to Canada
• What is KOHO and how it works
• We talked about 'WHAT THE FEE"
• Daniel shares about Open Banking framework and what it really means
• How the rest of the world, outside North America is more CREATIVE/ INNOVATIVE and TRANSPARENT when it comes to banking
• We also talk about the KOHO office environment, scooters and beer!

About Koho:

KOHO offers an alternative to the traditional banking experience. They don't make money off of complexity or by hoodwinking their users. They believe the financial system should be open, intuitive, and designed to help you live a better life. To help all Canadians, from Tofino to Fogo island restore financial balance. Money can be way too stressful. The team at Koho want to empower you to see how easy managing your finances can actually be.

Connect with Daniel:

Website: Koho.ca

Facebook: @Koho

Twitter: @GetKoho and @DanEbs

Instagram: @getkoho

LinkedIn: Daniel Eberhard and Koho

If you love this episode, share your thoughts and takeaways on the comment section below or leave us a review.

We have the brilliant & talented April Dunford on the podcast today. She's a much sought-out international speaker on the topics of Positioning, Market Strategy and New Product Introduction. April is a positioning consultant. 7 successful technology startups and 3 global tech giants, over 16 products and more. She knows how to make magic happen & she's sharing these secrets in her new book called 'Obviously Awesome - how to nail product position, so customers get it, buy it and love it!"

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Episode Overview:

This episode is really for everyone. We all need to learn how to position products, services and ourselves! April has launched a book called 'OBVIOUSLY AWESOME'

April and I get down deep to talk about:

• The inspiration for the book
• The real value behind positioning - Positioning is the strategic underpinning of everything we do in sales and marketing and yet it is very misunderstood and rarely done well
• What positioning is & What positioning is NOT
• If you thought branding and messaging, you weren't alone. I thought that too until...this book
• The pitfalls of Pitch competitions
• How writing a book is so hard. We both have definitely underestimated the amount of work, in creating it.
• And so much more

I'll do a separate Q&A for anyone that joins my Book Launch team, for Connect the Dots, turning strangers into meaningful network relationships. For those that want the behind the scenes - the good/bad & the ugly.

April's Book: Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It

What makes this a Canadian Innovation or Innovative thinking?

April spent 25 years as an executive at a series of successful Canadian startups, 6 of which were acquired by larger U.S. companies so she also was an executive at IBM, Siebel Systems, Sybase, etc. Across my career I launched 16 products into market. I have always been fascinated by what makes some products very successful while others, even some that had clearly better technology, failed.

The past few years I've transitioned to doing consulting work and my focus is specifically on Positioning. Positioning is the strategic underpinning of everything we do in sales and marketing and yet it is very misunderstood and rarely done well. I've developed a methodology for doing Positioning that I've validated with dozens of tech companies and I've just released a book that will help any company do it for themselves.

Connect with April:

Website: AprilDunford.com

Twitter: @Aprildunford

LinkedIn: April Dunford

Amanda Chen, founder of Salty Paloma, a line of naturally flavoured salts and sugars handcrafted in Toronto. She noticed a gap when there was a demand of higher quality spirits and mixers, but nothing on garnishes, which is a huge aspect of a balanced cocktail.

With no background in food or business I created these products in her home kitchen and started making sales within the first month of launching. Amanda since expanded to host cocktail classes and in-house bartending for private parties and special events. In a previous life she was a journalist, turned copywriter, turned digital strategist until she walked away to give 100% of herself to her business, working for under minimum wage as a bartender in the city.

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Episode Overview:

This episode is for those that have an idea and don't believe that you have the skill sets to make magic happen. We all have ideas and many times we talk ourselves out of trying it.

Amanda shares her journey with Salty Paloma. She HAD no background in food & yet has launched a line of natural cocktail rimmers and gave some great marketing tips that makes finding your target audience less scary.

I really hope that you get inspired to start to take action and test out your ideas and concepts. The last thing anyone wants is to fall in the 'could've, should've' cycle of regret. I'm not going to say life is short, but… you owe it to your future self to be adventurous and embrace those things that you're curious or intrigued about. You'll never know where the journey can take you and what opportunities open up.

I hope you get inspired as I definitely did!

Don't make yourself a target consumer

About Salty Paloma:

They are drink lovers who knew their drinks deserved better than table salt. When they couldn't find what their thirsty hearts were looking for, they made it. That's how Salty Paloma came to be. Named after the Paloma – a lesser-known but equally delicious tequila cocktail made with grapefruit soda – their goal was to serve up one of a kind rimmers, to help drink lovers cocktail like they mean it.

Connect with Amanda:

Website: SaltyPaloma.com

Instagram: @SaltyPaloma

Twitter: @saltypaloma and @missamandachen

Facebook: SaltyPaloma

LinkedIn: Amanda Chen

Co-hosts Lisa & Rebecca LOVE dishing out the world's craziest wedding tales! All the stories told on The Secret Life of Weddings Podcast are 100% true and completely unbelievable! These tales of nuptial woe are guaranteed to make you cry-laugh.

Lisa Mark is a professional photographer with over 10 years experience in the industry. Lisa runs a fine art wedding photography studio in Rockwood, ON. Lisa was honored to be named as the 2014 'Canadian Photographer of the Year' and 'Best Photographer in Ontario' by the 2014 Canadian Wedding Industry Awards.

Teaching others makes Lisa happy, and she therefore began offering both personal mentoring and workshops to professional photographers in 2015. Having hosted several multi-day in-person workshops in Toronto, ON, Lisa recently launched her online school in order to reach a broader audience.

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Episode Overview:

Innovation, by contrast, is an improvement to an existing product, process, or service. The word Innovation comes from the Latin word, Innovatus, which means to 'renew or change.

I've been pretty stoked to have Lisa Mark one of the Co-hosts of The Secret Life of Weddings Podcast- a comedy podcast sharing listeners' most hilarious true wedding horror stories!

If you don't know Lisa Mark- you're totally missing out! Lisa is a professional photographer with over 10 years experience in the industry. Lisa runs a fine art wedding photography studio in Rockwood, ON. Lisa was honoured to be named as the 2014 'Canadian Photographer of the Year' and 'Best Photographer in Ontario' by the 2014 Canadian Wedding Industry Awards. Lisa's wedding images have been featured in Huffington Post, Junebug Weddings, Wedluxe, Weddingbells, The Wedding Co., The Knot, The Wedding Opera & more. If that's not impressive.. Try this on for size…privately commissioned by bands such as Our Lady Peace and Sloan to photograph their promotional images and many others.

About Secret Life Of Weddings:

Canadian comedy podcast hosted by wedding photographers Lisa & Rebecca featuring CRAZY true wedding stories.

"Who are these two podcast hosts? WTF do they know about weddings anyway?"

Well, first of all they don't appreciate your tone. Secondly, they happen to know a few things because they have been wedding photographers for over 20 years combined in Toronto, Ontario Canada. Yes, they've seen the craziest stuff you can imagine.

Mostly they share the wildest wedding drama from their listeners and from the news. Remember what they say - truth is stranger than fiction. As they say at the end of every episode - anything can happen at weddings ... and they will be here to tell you all about it.

Connect with Lisa:

Website: TheSecretLifeofWeddings.com

Podcast: The Secret Life Of Wedding Podcast

Instagram: @secretlifeofweddings

Twitter: @secretlifeofwed

It's my birthday and I have some things to give away. Just a few of my favorite things! How to enter. Simple! If you're already subscribed to our newsletter, I have entered your email address into the draw! If not, no worries - just go to either website and put your email in the newsletter subscribe box. I've also created a link and have put in the show notes.

Here is the link to join: http://www.sapnamalhotra.io/birthday

Someone asked me recently, if Podcasting has changed my life. It really got me thinking, was this a game changer for me?

The answer was YES! Podcasting has made me courageous and more adventurous. I get inspired everytime I do a podcast episode. I love being surrounded by people that are challenging the Status Quo. I'm doing more things than I ever would have done. I'm trying new things and constantly thinking 'WHY NOT', instead of 'BUT'. A new fresh take on things.

At the end of 2018, I had made six month goals (instead of yearly goals), because I wanted the flexibility to add to things. So, my 3 goals were

1. Publishing my Networking book - NAILED IT!!! In fact, I ended up on the Amazon Best Sellers list, which totally took me by surprise. First of all, I need to thank everyone for their amazing support for my book launch, Connect the Dots, turning strangers into meaningful network relationships. I have to say, I love all the emails and notes. I'm glad that many people are finding the book and the companion workbook so useful! One listener, said the book had the 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' type of feeling and they loved all the stories! I'm sooo glad. This has definitely been a labour of love! The best was when my niece that named the book, was reading it. I was telling my brother in law, that we shouldn't let her read it because she's too clever to begin with and will learn how to build relationships so that she always stays ahead.. She'll negotiate and win like no tomorrow! And she's only 10!

1. Goal #2 was to conduct a free sales webinar. Which I did. I discussed common sales proposal mistakes and best practices. I've added the webinar information in the shownotes. I love teaching and sharing best practices.

1. My goal #3 was to finalize the volunteer partnership, so that we can start to make an impact on the world. I truly believe that education and awareness is instrumental in overcoming any challenges and obstacles. If children start teaching their uneducated parents, then we have a hope for the future. We need to provide opportunities for those that don't have that privilege. And I found a charity that does just that. I've partnered with Food for Life Vrindavan (FFLV) . In fact, a portion of the proceeds of the book is going to them. Primarily, FFLV runs schools providing free education, meals, skill training and medical help to over 1500 girls in Vrindavan, India. This also includes free Meal Distribution, Cleaning and Tree planting, Paper Recycling , Organic farming, Sewing and Embroidery Centre (providing training & employment opportunity for village women). Over the past 25 years of working at grassroots, they saw the intense hardships a girl faces without an education, Child Marriage being the most common one, where she is forced into an adult role at an early age. FFLV aims to keep the girl in school until she is 18 to prevent early marriage. We also encourage & support the girl to pursue university education if she wants.

I can't believe that we've been producing podcasts for a year and a half! It's been amazing and lots of fun! It's been incredibly inspirational to highlight Canadian Innovators. In fact, One of the little shifts that has been happening is that not only highlighting Canadian Innovators so that we can be inspired to run our areas of our lives or careers better. We are also having additional global innovators talk about innovation best practices. Along with, having episodes about essential business lifeskills!

I've been getting a lot of questions from some of the listeners being concerned about how all this Automation/Outsourcing/Mergers & Acquisitions and so on is going to impact their careers and industries. The truth is, it is not a question of "IF", it's a question of WHEN. We are on the slow side of the rate of change and it's only going to accelerate. Don't worry, I've got you covered! I have an online digital course #FUTURE PROOF that helps people navigate towards this to get ahead, get noticed and even promoted! I've put a link in the show notes !

What are my goals for the next 6 months

1. Do group coaching calls to help people #FUTURE PROOF themselves. I'm going to share some timeless management consulting secrets to help individuals become disruptors. I'm so excited for this online course - 8 hours of pure GOLD!!!
2. Write my 2nd book - did I tell you that writing this book was literally the hardest thing that I've ever done! Well, going to do it again! But, I have definitely learned a few lessons! I have about 5 different topics, so I need to sit down and do some prioritization
3. I'm going to do some workshops & webinars from discussing innovation trends to how to network effectively.

2019 is going to be awesome! This 6 months planning & goal setting has really lived up to the challenge. In 2018, I had set goals for the entire year and only did 2/3rd of them. I set up my 6 months goal and did all of them 100%, plus I launched a virtual book club that I adore! You can join the BrainFood Book Club! You don't need to read the book to get the value from it!

Now, it's my birthday and I have some things to give away. Just a few of my favorite things!

1. You know I absolutely adore truLOCAL! They've generously donated an amazing Steak Gift Basket from truLOCAL - who is ready for the BBQ season! They've been on Dragon's Den and got so many offers! We had Marc LaFleur from truLOCAL on the podcast. Episode7! https://caninnovate.io/marc-lafleur/ We are going to get him back to see how things have changed 1 year later.. truLOCAL is exploding and expanding soooo rapidly!
2. Tease Tea has generously donated a brilliant tea basket.. They are really changing the world! You know I love my coffee… but once I started drinking these teas… my life has changed!!! Addicted to Skinny in the City and Tumeric Tonic Mind & Body Trio . I'm dying to try their Matcha Bamboo Kit.. addictive!! We had Sheena Brady on the podcast - E76 - https://caninnovate.io/sheena-brady/ . They are donating their Mind & Body Trio with Caramel Cardio, Skinny In the City & Turmeric Tonic (loose leaf 40g pouches) plus an infuser (valued at $39.95) as well as one of our Organic Ceremonial Matcha 30g tin and (not pictured) the Matcha Bamboo Kit, (valued at $39.95)
3. If you heard Ariel Garten - you know that I ABSOLUTELY love the MUSE Meditation headband . Meditation has changed so much for me! It's now part of my daily ritual and this MUSE headband really taught me HOW to meditate! We had Ariel on E41 - where she taught us how to optimize the crazy in all of our minds! And then we had Ariel on episode 45, that taught us the Innovation Mindset! PURE GOLD! I get so many emails about how Ariel has changed their lives! I even added this to Connect the Dots book because I thought these tactics are brilliant and more people need to reset their mindset!
4. And.. based on our BrainFood Book Clubs great reads. I'm going to give away a few of my favourite books - Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stainer (E49: How to Get Unstuck), Your ONE Word by Evan Carmichael (E77: How to figure out your untapped potential) and of course, a copy of my own book: Connect the Dots, turn strangers into meaningful network relationships! (E81: Networking Tips & a cheatsheet)

How to enter… simple! If you're already subscribed to our newsletter, I have entered your email address into the draw! If not, no worries- just go to either website and put your email in the newsletter subscribe box. I've also created a link and have put in the show notes..

https://mailchi.mp/caninnovate.io/birthday

So excited for the next 6 months! I've got some stellar innovators coming up, some starting as early as 11 years old! Crazy eh!

Till next week!

Ray Reddy is currently the co-founder & CEO of Ritual - the mobile pickup app that taps networks of co-workers and colleagues for fast and easy pickup and pay at a wide variety of local restaurants and coffee shops.

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Episode Overview:

In this episode, I get to chat with Ray Reddy, who is currently the co-founder & CEO of Ritual. For those that don't know what Ritual is, it's a mobile food pickup app that taps networks of co-workers and colleagues for fast and easy pickup and pay at a wide variety of local restaurants and coffee shops and it's expanding internationally.

If that's not impressive, Prior to Ritual, Ray co-founded mobile commerce company PushLife that was acquired by Google in 2011. At Google, Ray led mobile product management for shopping and commerce. It was while at Google that Ray saw the potential to better leverage a social application to unlock mobile commerce and thus, Ritual was born. He has so many golden nuggets of wisdom to share

• How they build a product for everyday people and why they selected Toronto over Silicon Valley to launch.
• How not being covered in the Tech press for 2 years was an amazing gift
• He really talks about how we need to change the view on failure

About Ritual:

Ritual is a social ordering app that taps networks of co-workers and colleagues for fast and easy pick up and pay at a wide variety of local restaurants and coffee shops. With Ritual, users can mobile order and pay at all their favorite local eateries and coffee shops and have it ready to pick up when they arrive. By also uniquely giving friends and colleagues the ability to add their own food orders onto an existing order, Ritual gives customers the choice of either picking up themselves or having their food brought right to their desk.

This 'social ordering' saves customers time and drives incremental orders for merchants. The best and busiest quick service restaurants and coffee shops in major cities across North America are using Ritual to give them a competitive, technological edge, driving profitability, and a more personalized way to connect with their customers.

Connect with Ritual:

Website: Ritual.co

LinkedIn: Ray Reddy

Twitter: @Ritual_co and @raymondreddy

Instagram: @Ritual_co

Facebook: Ritual.co

Born and raised in southwestern Ontario, Michelle has worked in the hospitality industry for most of her life. After her partner Luis Martins and Michelle sold our last business a year ago, they decided that their next business would focus on values true to our core, and Unboxed Market was born!

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Episode Overview:

I chat with Michelle Genttner, one of the co-founders of the Unboxed Market here in Toronto and she totally surprises me of how much waste is happening. ONLY 10% of recycled materials are actually recycled! And here I thought I was a tree hugger. There are a lot of improvements that we need to make.

About Unboxed Market:

Unboxed Market is one of an emerging group of zero-waste/low-waste/environmentally-conscious stores in Canada. The first brick-and-mortar version in Toronto. With the ever-increasing awareness about single-use plastics and excess packaging in general, these stores are creating a space where consumers can purchase exactly what they need, while avoiding the packaging that they (and the world!) do not.

Connect with Michelle:

Website: UnboxedMarket.com

LinkedIn: Michelle Genttner

Instagram: @unboxedmarket

Facebook: Unboxed Market

Twitter: @UnboxedMarketTO

It's official, the book is finally launching on Sunday June 9th! SOOO EXCITED! There is still time to join my book Launch team, for Connect the Dots, turning strangers into meaningful network relationships.

I'll do a separate Q&A for anyone that joins my Book Launch team. For those that want the behind the scenes – the good/bad & the ugly and by, have I learned a LOT of lessons.

Today's episode is about IMPOSTER SYNDROME with a free downloadable CHEAT SHEET below. This is for everyone that needs a little jolt of confidence. Imposter Syndrome is basically self-doubt. We all have this and experience it. This episode is inspired from all the questions that I receive.

Imposter Syndrome

I love this podcast and the emails that I receive. I'm absolutely grateful for it. I've received quite a few emails and messages about feeling like an imposter. Which absolutely breaks my heart because it's a very real and valid feeling. I repeat, what you are feeling is crippling and REAL!

So, I decided to do an episode about imposter syndrome.

We've all heard that quote 'fake it until you make it' but how can you fake something, when one thinks that they are the 'fake' element? When we doubt ourselves?

First, you're not alone. It's universal. It doesn't discriminate on age, background, language. It's truly universal. Einstein used to feel that way too, he described himself as an involuntary swindler. He didn't feel that his work deserved the attention that it deserved, CRAZY RIGHT! Here is a great TED Video that explains imposter syndrome. It's really a cute video. I'll put the link to the video in the show notes.

What is an impostor syndrome and how can I combat it by Elizabeth Cox on Ted

Download your Cheat Sheet here

It's interesting, we hear about these Innovators and their challenges and it seems to channel some sort of doubt in our own capabilities versus inspiration of those that challenged the norm. So, let's talk about it. Here is my point of view. Imposter Syndrome is actually an ADVANTAGE!

I know what you're probably thinking… WHAT? How is it an advantage? You have more self-awareness than anyone else.. Yup, It's an advantage. Think about all those that overestimate their abilities to do things and they just don't see the gaps and therefore, they can't mitigate risks. Then, when it fails they blame EVERYONE else.

TA DA!!!! Whenever we are trying something new for the first time, it's hard. We have learning curves, hard work in front of us. We can see the vision but we don't know exactly how to get there.

You know, Kevin O'Leary (Mr. Wonderful) stated that he loves investing money in female run companies because they make money in the company. Here is why, women tend to provide conservative estimates in their sales projections. They evaluate the different assumptions, requirements and how realistic things are. They take the time to understand the gaps.

Here is a blog from Business Insider: Kevin O'Leary of 'Shark Tank' invests in 27 companies and says the only ones making money have female CEOs

You know, when I started off in management consulting (nearly two decades ago), it was sink or swim mentality. We had to find ways to figure things out. Do the research, talk to people, find a way to validate it and then present it to our partners and this was before GOOGLE days. One thing, that management consultants have is, the opposite of imposter syndrome, we had competition, sense of urgency. We didn't have time to doubt ourselves, we needed to get to the finishing line before our competition did. It was such an 'up or out' mentality in the consulting world. We were either moving up in terms of promotions, visibility, branding and so on or we were seen as irrelevant. It really was the survival of the fittest. Good old Charles Darwin makes an appearance again.

However, when I left the corporate world to become an independent consultant. I also decided I wanted to start a podcast. You know what hit me? What disappeared? My confidence. My ability to navigate in the unknown. WHAT? I used to create new product & services offerings not knowing how to do things. What had changed? YUP, I became an imposter!

I had nothing to hide behind. I was literally crippled by feeling like an imposter. It was my name, my reputation and my credibility.

I mean seriously, What on earth did I know about podcasting? Just because I love listening to podcasts, doesn't mean that I'm going to be great at it. It's like those foodies that love eating and then decide to open a restaurant. What universe did I belong to? I mean, seriously, I have zero broadcasting background. Never touched a microphone, except for the occasional microphone on karaoke nights. I didn't have the knowledge, didn't have the mindset. My benchmark was those that were those that were crushing the podcast world. I'd never hit that status. Trust me, I obsessed over every little detail.

We are afraid to fail but we also forget that success takes time and we learn, we tweak, we shift and we pivot. We see people's FB/Instagram and compare ourselves to these images. You can be inspired, but don't hold that as a benchmark. Projection is not real. We are just projecting our insecurities. We see things in others that we ourselves lack. But, how do we know if we lack the ability in something, without trying? Here is the truth.. Those that have 'so-called' made-it. We don't really understand how long it took to 'MAKE-IT'. We also don't know about all the struggles they faced. So, here I was, Imposter in the podcasting world.

Did I tell you my favorite quote…?

"Thomas Edison failed more than 1,000 times when trying to create the light bulb". When asked about it, Edison allegedly said, "I have not failed 1,000 times. I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways to NOT make a light bulb."

Now, 90+ episodes later, I think… what was I waiting for? I should've started earlier and made those mistakes earlier. Nothing that I did from day 1 is the same after a year and a half. The website has changed 4 times, the name of the podcast changed, how we edited changed and we still keep changing things and we still keep making such silly errors (i.e. spelling errors on posts, forgetting to send the newsletter, wrong time zone on events and so on). It's life. Most days I just shake my head and laugh. The spirit of continuous improvement. We need to start somewhere in order to improve.

I'll tell you, starting this podcast at the time was the hardest thing that I've ever done. AT THAT TIME,. 18 months later (TODAY). Could I start another podcast? Yup, in a heartbeat. I'll share something else, starting this podcast has allowed me to have more opportunities.

Now, I'm launching a book. No background in writing or publishing and my grammar, stinks. Did I ever tell you a story about my dad. When I was in grade school, I came home with an A+ on my book report. My dad, was furious, absolutely furious. He marched into the school and talked to the teacher. Most parents would be happy that their child got an A+, but not my dad. He actually read the book report. My grammar was AWFUL! He got the teacher to change my grade to C+ and I believe the teacher was nearly in tears.

So, who am I to write a book? Well, I have learned a few things. Find out what you're not good at and find someone to help you in those areas. There is no bottleneck if you have things that you want to try, find out all the reasons why you will say 'NO or BUT'. List them all down.

Then, give yourself a few options. I always believe in the rule of 3. Find 3 options to overcome this challenge/bottleneck or even

I'm here to tell you that – You're no more of an impostor than I am with starting a podcast, writing a book and launching an online course!

TONY ROBBINS SAYS: FEED THE FEAR!!!

It's like, when you play a new video game for the 1st time. We don't get very far in our first attempt at the level. But, then we think, what could I do differently to pass this level. We experiment, try and learn.

Another great example, It's like dating, we go on a lot of bad dates before we hit the jackpot. Did we stop going out on dates? Nope. But, the stories of those bad dates are what we share with others and we laugh. So, why don't we share the challenges that we hit in our professional lives?

Impostor is because we are lacking confidence. We are afraid to fail. How about changing the outlook, to say that you're just experimenting. I started the BrainFood Virtual Book Club, because I would read business books and have no one to talk to. I put out a blog to tell everyone that I'm going to try this and see if it's a failed experiment. It's been 5 months now and it's been a great success. There are only a couple of us that come each month.. But the point was.. I had zero clue on how this BrainFood Virtual Book Club was going to work. It didn't stop me because I know that everything can be FIGURED OUT! Everything is Solvable (except health, I have zero clue, but I'm learning)

Well, we need to start somewhere to beat this impostor syndrome and this ties nicely to the vulnerability episode (which by the way, was one of my top downloaded episodes), along with the episode with Ariel about how to undo those knots in our head. Get rid of those negative thoughts. Links will be in the show notes.

So, you know me, I like getting to tactics

There is a great book by Valerie Young, called The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It

She basically breaks down people into a few different categories:

• Are you a perfectionist? Is the issue that you're afraid of not looking perfect
• Are you Superwoman/Superman? Need to do everything?
• Are you an expert? The one that needs to know 100% of everything before you can start. This is my challenge area
• The Natural Genius – that makes everything look effortless.
• Soloist – the one that never asks for help

Step 1:

Have you ever admitted out loud when you're scared of something and then all of the sudden, your not? Well, that's exactly what we are going to do here. What are you in imposter in? Write it down. What are you dissatisfied with?

I was afraid of not being able to do everything. Yup, I was guilty of Superwoman. I have now learned a few things I can delegate and outsource certain things.

Now your turn! Say it out loud! Say it to someone!

Step 2:

To building confidence in the area, is to research and read. Find out what others are saying about the topic. That will provide you with a baseline. I'm not saying become an expert in it. I'm saying just read the headlines and be familiar with the themes. Is there anything that these top experts are saying that you didn't know? Maybe you don't agree with them. It doesn't matter. What matters is that you have a benchmark of what the top experts are saying. Now, you know what and where you'd like to elevate.

You know, Tony Robbins is the first to tell you that, when he started out, he read and learned from others that were doing it. In fact, that's exactly what management consultants do. We learn from others and 'ELEVATE it'. We don't start from ground zero. So, continue to learn – get obsessed with the topic and have fun exploring your curiosity.

Starting is the hardest part. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. One step at a time.

Step 3:

Do a SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities & Threats

Analyze your strengths (S) and weaknesses (W). We keep underselling ourselves, whether it's how much we charge for our services or our capabilities. I want you to remember that you have some incredible experiences from not just our successes but also from our FAILURES. Such a great source of data! Don't forget to add things like your amazing source of support. For me, I write down my relationship with my nieces and nephew. They are such a source of strength for me.

Step 4:

What are the different opportunities (O) that it could possibly bring? What could it possibly lead to? Dream big? Think of the WHY – get inspired/ get creative and have fun.

Don't worry, I didn't forget the T, in SWOT. T stands for Threat in the SWOT analysis. Let's tackle the T.

Step 5:

Take each of those threats and write down 3 options so that it becomes an opportunity. Did I let my fear of my poor grammar stop me from blogging/writing? Nope. I turned it from a threat to a weakness. I recognized it had 3 options.. (1) Get better at it. Read things out loud, pay attention to the red underlines in word (2) Get someone to proofread everything that I do (which is another bottleneck for turnaround time (3) Delegate or outsource it. That's exactly what I did. I have Claire, my podcast manager and Barbara, who was my book editor.

Step 6: Develop an end to end plan – what does the overarching roadmap look like? How do we get from point A to point B? What does the end result look like? Break things into smaller steps. Celebrate all your small victories. Come up with timelines/goals

"Goals are dreams with a deadline." — Tony Robbins

Step 7:

It is a lonely road sometimes. Find someone to support you and hold you accountable. Have your own personal board of directors, that come from a variety of backgrounds. Diversity really help see things from different perspectives. In fact, I've been part of a few masterminds that have really helped. I'll be starting my own mastermind shortly. Stay tuned. This is after the book and the course is out.

Just in case you wanted another resource: 4 ways to quiet imposter syndrome and start believing in yourself by Tania Katan.

Here is another great read from Ideas Ted: 4 ways to quiet imposter syndrome and start believing in yourself

We are all human and we are always going to have fear and doubts and insecurities. But, I want you to remember, the bigger picture. For me, my anchor are my nieces and nephew. I want them to know that they can do anything and therefore, I need to be their role model. It pushes me in a different direction. They are my guiding light. Find your WHY!

Remember, we all don't wake up like models in the morning. Everyone started somewhere. Surround yourself with things that make you happy and remember what we are grateful for. We are lucky that we can create opportunities to try these things.

7 steps:

1. Admit the Fear – What are you an imposter in
2. Baseline yourself
3. SWOT yourself – get grateful!
4. Find your WHY
5. 3 options to get over hurdle (s)
6. Plan & celebrate
7. Personal Board of Directors

I want you to remember to have fun, look at it like an experiment, try and fail (it makes better stories and makes you more authentic). Have fun going on a bunch of bad dates, but remember, we learn something from every bad date.

Download the Imposter Syndrome Cheat Sheet

Shawn Kanungo is a disruption strategist. He has been recognized nationally and globally for his work in the innovation space after 12 years working at Deloitte.

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Episode Overview:

Shawn's mandate at the firm was to help corporate executives to better understand and plan for the opportunities and threats associated with disruptive innovation.

Shawn shares his hands-on experiences through talks around the world to help leaders navigate change within a digital era. He has also a TEDx speaker. He has been featured in the Globe & Mail, The Guardian, CBC and CTV. In 2016, he was recognized as Avenue Magazine's Top 40 Under 40.

He is also a fellow podcaster and is currently a co-host of The Dip, a podcast focused on strategy, marketing and innovation. I think we are about to seriously get inspired with Shawn today!

Here are the cool topics that we covered during our chat.

1. Shawn talked about his definition of innovation
2. Why is innovation so important today
3. How much ownership do people in organizations have to be innovative versus waiting for their organization to be innovative
4. What are crazy time & challenge for organizations
5. How Shawn deal with organizations that think they are innovative
6. What are some companies out there that are the benchmarks of innovation culture
7. How can we get more innovative and engaging to grab new ideas and insights from these different generations

Organizations + people can become more innovative.

Book Recommendation:

• Zero to One by Peter Theil

Connect with Shawn:

Website: www.shawnkanungo.com

Facebook: Shawn Kanungo on Facebook

LinkedIn: Shawn Kanungo on LinkedIn

Youtube: Shawn on YouTube

Twitter: @ShawnKanungo

Instagram: @ShawnKanungo

Ameer Rosic is a serial entrepreneur, marketing expert, investor and co-founder of Blockgeeks. An online Blockchain innovation hub. And steward of bountyone.io. Blockgeeks mission is to share and grow the knowledge around Blockchain technology.

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iTunes| iHeart | Stitcher | Google | Spotify | SoundCloud

Episode Overview:

We even go down a philosophical discussion about society and humans. You never know where the conversation will take you and we definitely went down into the rabbit hole.

• Blockchain training for everyone and anyone.. From newbies to engineers
• He didn't intend to build Blockgeeks, he solved his own problem and just grew from there
• A platform that allows & encourages people to explore their Blockchain curiosity
• Pandora's Box is completely opened around Blockchain
• The growth of digital Gold
• We talk about how to trade in Cryptocurrencies
• Tips for newbies to play into Cryptocurrency
• Most precious commodity is time

Recommended Resources:

Books:

• Seeking Wisdom by Peter Bevelin
• The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell

Movie Mentioned:

• In Time - Justin Timberlake

About Blockgeeks:

BlockGeeks is an online hub where talented, inspiring, hard-working entrepreneurs, investors, and leaders can learn about the rapidly evolving world of blockchain technologies.

BlockGeeks mission is to share and grow the knowledge around Blockchain technology. A vast amount of the knowledge that would be valuable to many people is currently only available to a few — either locked in people's heads, or only accessible to select groups.

Connect with Ameer:

Website: AmeerRosic.com and Blockgeeks.com

LinkedIn: Ameer Rosic and Blockgeeks

Twitter: @AmeerRosic and @Blockgks

Instagram: @ameerrosic

Youtube: Ameer Rosic