Extraordinary America

In a compelling podcast episode, Dan Brech, from his background in journalism to founding BizHack Academy, shares insights on AI's transformative impact on small businesses and society. Emphasizing the fusion of passion, skills, and market demand as one's "ikigai," Brech underscores the enduring power of storytelling in business, drawing inspiration from Joseph Campbell's frameworks.

You can hear the full episode on Thursday, September 26th    

Annemarie Cross shares her remarkable journey from growing up on a farm to becoming a prominent figure in the world of podcasting. She emphasizes the importance of overcoming setbacks and maintaining the right mindset, drawing from her experiences of resilience and strategic vision. Annemarie delves into the trust factor in business partnerships, highlighting the significance of formal agreements, contracts, and preliminary risk management. 

She offers valuable insights into co-hosting podcasts and understanding ideal clients, stressing the importance of creating a cohesive customer journey and aligning business goals. With her multi-talented and multi-passionate entrepreneurial spirit, Annemarie has made a significant impact through her work, empowering others to share their message on a global scale. Through the Ambitious Entrepreneur Podcast Network, she continues to fulfill her mission of changing the world, one message at a time.

Highlights:

{01:33} Anne Marie Cross's journey from childhood on a farm to podcasting prominence

{07:40} The importance of mindset and vision

{15:00} Overcoming setbacks and the importance of minds

{25:15} Trust factor in business partnerships

{31:00} Importance of formal agreements and contracts in partnerships

Annemarie Cross bio:

Annemarie Cross has been dubbed: “The Podcasting Queen” by her clients, colleagues, and podcast guests.

Over the last two decades, she has gained extensive experience across diverse arenas. Recently, she’s begun to label herself a ‘multi-talented, multi-passionate’ entrepreneur. [She LOVES creative projects, technology, and anything new and shiny.]

However, her real passion is brand and communications. She helps clients design and launch powerful online and offline marketing strategies and tactics, specifically with their own podcast or podcast series.

Her work with her clients and helping them reach out globally becomes part of Annemarie’s mission: “To change the world – ONE message at a time!”

Annemarie launched her co-hosted podcast in 2008 to be the voice of inspiration and hope amongst the deluge of ‘doom and gloom’ stories portrayed across all traditional media channels after the Global Financial Crisis devastated families worldwide.

Over the years, she’s been listed among the Top 25 Podcasts for Entrepreneurs, Top 50 Podcasts for Entrepreneurs, and Top 100 Small Business Podcasts worldwide by well-known and respected small business websites, including Entrepreneur.com.

In 2017, she submitted two podcasts – The Ambitious Entrepreneur Show and Women In Leadership Podcast to the inaugural CastAway Podcast Awards. Both podcasts were in the top three finalists, with The Ambitious Entrepreneur Show winning the BEST Business, Marketing, and Entrepreneurial Category Podcast Award.

Combining her love of technology and social media, she’s built a truly global business, client base, and support team by harnessing the power of social media and online technologies—particularly podcasting—and now loves empowering other businesses to do the same.

Connect with Annemarie:

Website: https://ambitiousentrepreneurnetwork.com 

Annemarie Cross shares her remarkable journey from growing up on a farm to becoming a prominent figure in the world of podcasting. She emphasizes the importance of overcoming setbacks and maintaining the right mindset, drawing from her experiences of resilience and strategic vision. Annemarie delves into the trust factor in business partnerships, highlighting the significance of formal agreements, contracts, and preliminary risk management.

You can hear the full episode on Thursday, September 19th  

Beginning with gratitude towards Dr. Dave for sharing his insights, we explore his background and upbringing, tracing his transition from a focus on science and technology to a passion for supporting people in business. Dr. Dave shares strategic career decisions influenced by mentors and personal challenges, including overcoming weight issues and health obstacles. Through his experiences, he emphasizes the importance of motivation, willpower, and the necessity of a supportive community in achieving goals. Dr. Dave delves into identity change, overcoming imposter syndrome, and transforming habits and mindsets. Drawing on personal lessons, he offers valuable advice for navigating fear, focusing on present successes, and cultivating gratitude and contentment. Throughout the discussion, Dr. Dave provides strategic insights and actionable steps for efficient and systematic transformation, inspiring listeners to awaken the extraordinary within themselves.

Highlights:

{06:50} Overcoming weight challenges and health issues

{19:00} Applying lessons from personal challenges to entrepreneurship

{24:00} Overcoming Fear and Negative Self-Talk

{38:10} Discovering One's Why and Motivational Factors

{04:00} Choosing Happiness and Empowerment

Dr. Dave Rodgers bio:

Dr. Dave is an accomplished professional dedicated to propelling others toward success, turning their dreams into reality swiftly and effortlessly.

Specializing in guiding mid- to large-sized companies, Dr. Dave facilitates rapid transformative change, achieving breakthrough results and cultural shifts in months, contrary to conventional timelines. He ensures that the transformative processes implemented are transferable and sustainable long after his direct involvement.

Known for his unique ability to bridge opposites, Dr. Dave fosters shared ownership for results across various domains such as strategy and tactics, operations and human resources, sales and delivery, and inner versus outer growth mindsets.

His diverse journey, starting as a certified ski instructor and evolving through roles like project manager, product marketer, business manager, and organizational development specialist, reflects his breadth of experience. Academic achievements include two master's degrees and a doctorate in Spiritual Science, a path unforeseen in his earlier pursuits.

At his core, Dr. Dave is a problem-solver and guide who finds fulfillment in working with people. He believes individuals have the resources within themselves, and his mission is to help them harness that knowledge practically.

Despite achieving numerous milestones, Dr. Dave remains committed to continuous learning, exemplified by his transformation from clinical obesity to maintaining an ideal body weight for years, a journey he plans to continue for decades. This commitment to learning, sustaining success, and sharing knowledge drives his work with executives and their leadership teams.

Beyond his professional pursuits, Dr. Dave enjoys golfing, cycling with friends, peaceful walks on San Diego's beaches and neighborhoods, and cherished moments with his family. Married with three stepchildren and five grandchildren, he actively contributes to his church ministry and cherishes daily spiritual practices and quiet moments.

Connect with Dr Dave:

Website: https://drdaverodgers.com 

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

Beginning with gratitude towards Dr. Dave for sharing his insights, we explore his background and upbringing, tracing his transition from a focus on science and technology to a passion for supporting people in business.

{You can hear the full episode on Thursday, September 12th}

Kim shares her remarkable journey from starting as a hairdresser at 15 to becoming an accomplished executive coach and transformational leader. Throughout her career, she transitioned from the hairdressing industry to financial services and IT, navigating challenges such as severe allergies and setbacks with resilience and determination. 

Kim emphasizes the importance of strategic vision, outlining her approach to setting long-term goals and breaking them into actionable steps. She discusses the power of belief in driving significant change and highlights the significance of embracing curiosity and challenging limiting beliefs. 

Kim provides valuable insights on the balance between appealing to rational logic and emotions and cultivating a supportive network to combat external and internal doubts. Overall, Kim's wealth of experience and wisdom offer invaluable guidance for individuals seeking to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams and overcome obstacles.

Highlights:

{02:50} Kim's Background and Career Journey

{04:50} Strategic Vision and Planning

{14:45} Overcoming Limiting Beliefs

{19:30} Appealing to Rationality and Emotion

{29:30} Combatting External and Internal Doubts

Kim Adele Randall bio:

Kim Adele Rando is a renowned business consultant and best-selling author who uses over 25 years of expertise and specialized skills, including body language analysis, to empower CEOs to navigate complexities, drive innovation, and achieve sustainable success. 

She's the CEO of Authentic Achievements, where her clientele consists of visionaries ready to break free from the time-sacrifice cycle without compromising financial success. She specializes in orchestrating six- and seven-figure top-line revenue through strategic customer listening. Her approach involves implementing cutting-edge systems to optimize profit margins and foster sustainable growth. As an experienced fractional CEO/CEO and coach, she championed sustainable success for individuals and organizations. 

She has delivered exceptional results for renowned organizations such as Capital One, Sage, and Barclays and has been seen on TEDx, Zondra, Roku, IMDb, Amazon, Fire TV, and Apple TV.

Connect with Kim:

Website: https://www.authenticachievements.com 

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

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimadele10 

LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/Kimadele10 

Kim shares her remarkable journey from starting as a hairdresser at 15 to becoming an accomplished executive coach and transformational leader. Throughout her career, she transitioned from the hairdressing industry to financial services and IT, navigating challenges such as severe allergies and setbacks with resilience and determination.

{You can hear the full episode on September 5th}

Dr. Matt discusses his diverse background, spanning the defense industry to self-driving cars. Dr. Matt shares insights into his strategic vision and career evolution, emphasizing the importance of working on endeavors larger than oneself. 

He delves into balancing personal desires as an investor and corporate leader, addressing imposter syndrome and the fear of discomfort. He highlights essential CEO skills such as perseverance, attitude, strong team building, and understanding of human nature in business. 

Dr. Matt reflects on lessons learned, advising his younger self to prioritize relationships and trust one's instincts. The conversation concludes with focusing on finding happiness in anticipating success and celebrating small victories along the journey of continuous progress.

Highlights:

{03:00} Dr. Matt's background in the defense industry and transition to self-driving cars

{09:00} Balancing competing desires as an investor and corporate leader

{11:40} Overcoming imposter syndrome and fear of discomfort

{16:00} Essential skills for a successful CEO

{22:00} Lessons learned & Advice to younger self

{33:15} Finding happiness in anticipating success and continuously moving forward

Dr. Matt Markel bio:

Matt is an entrepreneur, corporate leader, investor, author, speaker, and engineer. Guided by the belief that there has to be a better way, he has forged I have had a remarkable career as a technology leader and entrepreneur with a background in corporate leadership. In engineering, technology, and product development, he has excelled in both the defense and commercial sectors. 

Doctor Matt is a compelling speaker who simplifies complex topics, drawing on his extensive insight. As the CEO of Spartan Radar, a radar technology company, Doctor Matt is dedicated to advancing radar capabilities through cutting-edge software. 

He's also the author of Radar for Fully Autonomous Driving, a seminal resource shaping the future of self-driving cars. Beyond this, he's an active investor in entertainment and retail projects, a founding investor in Amani Resorts and the Business Ethics and Education Commission, and an advisor in the e-commerce and financial domains. 

Dr. Max's Journey includes creating and leading the radar division of ghost autonomy and advancing collision avoidance for a tension-freecell drive. Previously, he led the radar team at Weibo, contributing to multiple generations of radar technology for self-driving fleets. At Raytheon, he served as a principal engineering fellow technical director for Raytheon Advanced Electronic Warfare and the principal investigator for radar and EW research programs. 

Connect with Dr. Matt:

Website: https://mattmarkel.com 

https://www.spartanradar.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-markel 

Dr. Matt discusses his diverse background, spanning the defense industry to self-driving cars. Dr. Matt shares insights into his strategic vision and career evolution, emphasizing the importance of working on endeavors larger than oneself.

{You can hear the full episode on Thursday August 29th}

Sue shares her background in enterprise application software and family caregiving, highlighting the importance of aligning personal and professional goals. 

Sue discusses the strategic vision behind her career trajectory, emphasizing the integration of business and caregiving experiences to help others navigate similar challenges. She also reflects on the motivating factors behind her family caregiving role, emphasizing the importance of self-care and learning from personal experiences. The discussion extends to the holistic nature of caregiving, including physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects, and how it impacts personal and professional life. 

Sue addresses the challenges individuals face in balancing self-care with professional responsibilities, particularly the guilt associated with prioritizing oneself. The conversation shifts to the role of empathy in business leadership, emphasizing the importance of understanding and supporting employees' needs. 

Highlights:

{02:45} Background in enterprise application software and family caregiving

{07:45} Self Care Importance 

{14:05} Empathy - Integrating business and caregiving experiences 

{23:30} The importance of aligning personal values with professional success.

Sue Ryan bio:

Sue is the founder of Sue Ryan Solutions, and as a speaker, coach, author, and educator, she guides people to become their greatest by leading themselves and others.

She also guides business leaders to excellence and businesses to retain and leverage their valuable family caregiving employees so they can thrive together for more than 30 years. Her professional career was in enterprise application software. In sales, she worked with clients ranging from entrepreneurs to Fortune 100 C-Suite leaders in more than 700 organizations and many industries to successfully navigate significant change. 

Their organizations recognized hundreds of millions in revenue gains and operational efficiency improvements. Sales and operations teams consistently Deliver results-driven and record-breaking performances; she has worked with clients such as the International Monetary Fund, Tribune Media, Marriott Hotels, the World Bank, and John Deere. She's an extraordinary American, and I'm honored to have her on board.

Connect with Sue:

Website: https://sueryan.solutions

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