Gratitude Through Hard Times

SEO for decades has been thought of as an increasingly complex element of marketing to grow your company. But in this groundbreaking book, by Eli Schwartz, we uncover the human and artistic side of growth.

Eli's hypothesis is that good SEO is not derived by throwing money and content at a search engine algorithm, but it's created by taking the right intention and building a great product.

Product-led SEO is driven by listening to the needs of the customers you serve and delivering solutions that drive growth.

Eli is an SEO expert and consultant with more than a decade of experience working for leading B2B and B2C companies. Eli’s strategies have generated millions of dollars in revenue for some of the internet’s top websites. He has helped clients like Shutterstock, WordPress, Blue Nile, Quora, and Zendesk execute highly successful global SEO strategies.

As head of SurveyMonkey’s SEO team, Eli oversaw the company’s global operations, helped launch the first Asia-Pacific office, and grew the company’s organic search from just 1 percent of revenue to a key driver of global revenue. Eli’s work has been featured by TechCrunch, Entrepreneur.com, and Y Combinator, and he has given talks at business schools and keynoted conferences around the world.

In this episode, Eli thoughtfully shares with us insights and strategies from his book, Product-Led SEO.

Listen to this episode and learn about:

• Eli giving credit and thanks to his wife, Shawna (3:58)
• Being collaborative over technical (7:10)
• SEO as a long-term life learning strategy (11:15)
• SEO for product teams not marketing teams (14:36)
• Examples of product-led SEO (17:32)
• AI as an impediment to product-led SEO (20:25)
• Consultants versus full-time employees (23:23)
• Investing in SEO strategy (28:10)
• The first step to learning SEO (33:12)
• Red ocean versus blue ocean SEO (36:37)
• How Eli is investing in others (40:45)

Links:

• Connect with Eli on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/schwartze/
• Product-Led SEO - https://www.elischwartz.co/product-led-seo/

When was the last time you wrote a thank you letter? For most of us, the last time was as a child to thank friends or family members for gifts or other generous acts.

But the long forgotten act of writing thank you notes is more powerful than a simple thank you. Letters of gratitude can spark upward spirals of positivity and connection, among other things.

Gina Hamadey especially knows just how valuable writing thank you letters can be.

Gina is the author of the forthcoming book, I Want to Thank You, about her year writing 365 thank you notes to friends, neighbors, family members, mentors, and more (much more!) She was the travel editor at Food & Wine and Rachael Ray Every Day and started her career at the groundbreaking titles O, the Oprah Magazine, and George. She founded the content and social strategy firm Penknife Media. She has written for The New York Times, Real Simple, and Women's Health, among other publications.

In this episode, Gina thoughtfully shares with us key lessons around gratitude from her new book.

Listen to this episode and learn about:

• Gina giving credit and thanks to her 5th grade teacher, Mary C. Hall (3:24)
• The role of mentorship in destiny (5:53)
• The synergistic nature of writing and gratitude (7:24)
• If gratitude is selfish (10:09)
• If a letter is always the best way to express your gratitude (17:13)
• Giving and expecting nothing in return (22:07)
• The importance of reliving the past (25:07)
• The strength of reactivating weak ties (34:31)
• Gina's message to her 5th grade teacher (42:00)

Links:

• Connect with Gina on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gina-hamadey-5891894/
• Gina's Website - https://www.ginahamadey.com/
• I Want to Thank You - https://www.amazon.com/Want-Thank-You-Gratitude-Disconnected/dp/0593189620/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Have you ever heard the saying, "Communication is key"? What kind of communication are they talking about here?

Communication is an essential skill that all humans need to be successful. But not all communication is created equal. Throughout the world, there are over 6,500 spoken languages. So, verbal communication may not get us very far, but visual communication, on the other hand, may be the key.

Visual communication stems from visual thinking, which is when we use images to organize thoughts and create ideas. Through visual communication, we can communicate with a broader audience, bridging any language barriers.

Todd Cherches uniquely knows how visual thinking is a superpower and key for communication. Todd is the CEO & Co-founder of BigBlueGumball, an innovative NYC-based consulting firm specializing in leadership development, management training, public speaking, and executive coaching.

Creator of the patented VisuaLeadership® methodology, Todd is a TEDx speaker ("The Power of Visual Thinking"), as well as a three-time award-winning Adjunct Professor of leadership at NYU and Lecturer on leadership at Columbia University. He is also the author of VisuaLeadership: Leveraging the Power of Visual Thinking in Leadership and in Life.

In this episode, Todd gets visual and tells us key stories and lessons from his book, VisuaLeadership.

Listen to this episode and learn about:

• Todd giving credit and thanks to Mr. Patterson, his High School English teacher (2:31)
• Visual storytelling (6:10)
• Visuals overcoming language barriers and other divides (7:36)
• The power of stories and storytelling (12:58)
• Not studying the business mistakes of others but studying the life mistakes of others (15:29)
• Innovation as history repeating itself (18:48)
• Combating stress by simplifying (21:16)
• The No-vember challenge (23:46)
• Slowing down your thinking in order to speed up your progress (27:28)
• The day Todd thought he went extinct (30:53)
• Setbacks setting you up for the next leap forward (33:48)
• Being interested rather than interesting (36:48)

Links:

• Connect with Todd on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddcherches/
• Todd's TED Talk - https://www.ted.com/talks/todd_cherches_the_power_of_visual_thinking
• VisuaLeadership: Leveraging the Power of Visual Thinking in Leadership and in Life - https://www.toddcherches.com/book
• Todd's Website - https://www.toddcherches.com

Not only in competition, but in life we're not going to win all the time. In this game of life, we can either be winning or be learning.

In sports and business alike, losing is never about losing. It's about picking yourself back up and getting yourself back in the game. If you win, you're going to celebrate that win and then move on. But if you lose, you're learning from it.

Rob DeSalvo knows the value of a win or a learning lesson on and off the field.

Rob DeSalvo is the Chief Revenue Officer of Undertone and has been a member of the team since 2015. He is an advertising sales and marketing executive with 20+ years of experience covering major brands and agencies with campaigns in traditional, digital, experiential, and social media. In his current role, Rob leads our national sales team, client experience team & content solutions initiatives.

Rob is also very involved in the advertising industry community serving on the Board of Directors at the Boston Chamber of Commerce, MITX & BIMA. And he is also GIVSLY Ambassador - an invite-only group of advertising professionals who value purpose and want to be a catalyst for change in the industry - highlighting their passions while growing professionally and personally going down a purpose-driven path.

In this episode, Rob dives deep into the coaching lessons he's learned throughout his sports and business roles.

Listen to this episode and learn about:

• Rob giving credit and thanks to a former coach (2:41)
• Appreciating tough communication styles (5:33)
• Short term gain vs. long term gain in coaching (7:38)
• Setting employees up for success, whether it's continuously with your company or somewhere else down the road (9:36)
• Helping employee's make the best decisions (13:00)
• The importance of people buying from people (15:26)
• The link between investing in your relationships and greater loyalty (17:17)
• Being on the frontlines of mental health and social well-being (19:38)
• Balancing remote work and office work (22:42)
• Coaching in the modern era (26:40)
• A message from Rob to his children (30:02)

Links:

• Connect with Rob on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertdesalvo/

Life is not supposed to be easy. Life is filled with suffering, and the more you can embrace it and use it to fuel your growth, then the better, more fulfilling, meaningful life you will have.

As humans, we were made to solve problems because we were made to be constantly growing. If we don't have a problem to solve, we try and create one. It is always through mistakes and the tough times that we have to dip deep and grow. So don't look to eradicate your problems; embrace them.

Kerry Siggins especially knows how important it is to embrace the problems in our messy but meaningful lives.

Kerry Siggins is the CEO of StoneAge, Inc., the global leader in the design and manufacturing of high-pressure waterblast cleaning tools and robotic equipment used in the industrial cleaning industry. StoneAge sells and supports its products throughout the world and is considered the be "best of class." Kerry joined StoneAge in January of 2007 as the Director of Operations, and at the age of 29, she was named CEO by the company's Board of Directors. She has since led the company in building a strong global presence resulting in double-digit growth year over year. She recently led the acquisition of Breadware, an Internet of Things (IoT) product development firm based in Reno, NV.

Kerry was named one of Colorado's Top 25 Most Influential Young Professionals and was a finalist for Colorado's CEO of the Year in 2017. StoneAge is recognized as a Top 100 company to work for by Outside Magazine. Kerry sits on several other boards and is a member of YPO, where she is on the executive committee of the Doing Business Globally Network. She is a dynamic, sought-after speaker who has presented at universities, seminars, and conferences worldwide. Kerry hosts two podcasts, Industrial Theory and Reflect Forward, which can be listened to on all podcast platforms. She is an author and blogger; her articles are published in various magazines, and her blog is visited by tens of thousands of readers each month.

In this episode, Kerry thoughtfully shares with us how failure shaped her life and her career.

Listen to this episode and learn about:

• Kerry giving credit and thanks to everybody that she has had to part ways with as a leader (2:55)
• The hardest part of admitting your mistakes (4:41)
• Developing a humble mindset (6:30)
• Curiosity as a tool for acknowledging others (9:12)
• Vulnerability's paradoxical nature as a weakness and a strength (11:05)
• It pays to be positive (13:12)
• The upside to your dark side (15:07)
• Incorporating thinking into a busy, doing lifestyle (16:54)
• How Kerry's podcast, Reflect Forward, got started (22:15)
• Committing to well-being and coming into the present (25:26)
• Paying gratitude forward instead of paying it back (27:15)
• Broadening what you think is possible to achieve (30:18)
• Kerry's message to everybody that she has parted ways with as a leader (35:32)

Links:

• Connect with Kerry on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerry-siggins
• Kerry's Website - www.kerrysigggins.com
• Kerry's Social Media - all platforms @kerrysiggins

Self-awareness is key to growth. If we don’t practice it, we are not able to help others around us as much as we could.

Robert Glazer is the founder and CEO of Acceleration Partners and has become a recognized global leader in the affiliate and partner marketing industry, receiving numerous industry and company culture awards.

Roughly 7 years ago at a leadership event, Robert, eventually came to a realization that one of his core values is “figure out a better way to do things and to share it.” This has been a guiding principle for Bob since.

Robert has gone on to write 4 books including Elevate and Friday Forward, which is based off of his critically acclaimed newsletter that we love.

Through this work, Robert has committed to helping others find and understand their core values as well. He has recently created a “Discovering and Developing Core Values” course to identify, articulate and apply core values in your life and career.

In this episode, Robert talks about values, gratitude, and elevating people's performance and well-being.

Listen to this episode to learn about:

- Robert giving credit and thanks to Arun Gupta, who was his first real mentor (3:00)
- How a leadership event roughly 7 years ago had a big impact on Robert (5:30)
- The difference between pro-social gratitude and self-care (16:00)
- How empathy is different than sympathy (20:00)
- How the pandemic enabled more people to be givers in whatever way they could do so (34:30)

Links:

- Subscribe to Robert's Friday Forward email newsletter: https://www.robertglazer.com/fridayfwd/
- Connect with Robert on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glazer/
- Enroll in Robert's Values course and use the coupon code MARCH49 until March 26 to take the course for (discounted) $49 https://robertglazer.thinkific.com/courses/core-values

Entrepreneur's are surrounded by shiny objects. New and exciting opportunities are around every corner. But not every shiny object puts us on the path to our ultimate goal.

Understanding your goals and if a new opportunity aligns with them in a timely manner is how you avoid distractions and setbacks.

Bree Jacoby knows just how crucial it is to figure out if an opportunity will ultimately increase growth and efficiency.

Bree is the Founder and CEO of the hottest growing Personal Shopping services called BREE JACOBY, Home of Style, which currently operates in Los Angeles with members expanding across the country. She is also the host of Undressed by Bree Jacoby, a podcast about the life-style of entrepreneurs, socialites, and business moguls who have built or sold multimillion to billion-dollar businesses. Bree's styling company sold $1,000,000+ in its first year and is currently on track for 200% growth with a team of personal shoppers. Bree has built a book of high net-worth clients with their popular subscription-based membership model with stellar results of transforming people's wardrobes. She now has a stylist team and is continuing to build up stylists to deliver exceptional experiences to the company's members. The BREE JACOBY technology app will be coming out in 2021 for the Clueless closet of personalized tools for members only.

In this episode, Bree passionately shares with us major lessons in business and life.

Listen to this episode and learn about:

- Bree giving credit and thanks to an ex-business partner (4:09)
- Learning through hard times (7:04)
- How to focus on the right things (11:05)
- Feeling good in the midst of a pandemic (12:23)
- Pivoting to a ongoing, subscription-based service (20:21)
- Bree's message to her ex-business partner (30:30)

Links:

- Connect with Bree on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bree-jacoby-a2173a24
- BREE JACOBY - https://www.breejacoby.com
- Undressed with Bree Jacoby - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/undressed-with-bree-jacoby/id1542853283

How often do you try to fail? If the answer is not often, you're too comfortable in the things you're directing your energy towards.

If you're not failing, you're not trying hard enough, you're not trying anything new or risky. If you're not failing, you're not truly learning.

Elisabeth Cardiello knows just how powerful failure can be.

If you've seen the Netflix documentary, "Coffee For All," you may already know Elisabeth Cardiello. This Brooklyn-native had her first business cards at six and first product on shelves at 13. After college, business school and four years on Wall Street, she dealt with loss, found her passion and started a coffee company called Caffè Unimatic. After a decade of deconstructing why conversations over coffee are more genuine and less stress inducing than the conversations we have in boardrooms, she created a framework to reinvent the way organizations communicate. BRAVE Conversations Over Coffee is rooted in the tenets of neuroscience, positive psychology and hostage negotiation and gives organizations a way to address sensitive topics such as inclusion, burnout and mental health in order to build trust and unlock greater productivity.

In addition to working with leaders at high stress companies like Facebook, Dalberg, Sumitomo Mitsui Bank and the NYPD, Elisabeth is an instructor for Simon Sinek's InspireU, two time TEDx speaker, spoken at UN Conferences, given Congressional briefings and has been featured by Forbes, NBC and Goop, among others. She also created a methodology that builds confidence in the young women and has traveled around the country speaking in Entrepreneurship Departments and Women in Business organizations. Her family is still wondering where that shy 9 year old went...

Elisabeth’s mission is to build a world where coffee is the catalyst that inspires deeper listening, safer spaces and hence, greater access to our own creativity, connection and fulfillment.

In this episode, Elisabeth thoughtfully shares with us how failure shaped her life and her career.

Listen to this episode and learn about:

- How Chris and Elisabeth are related (0:51)
- Elisabeth giving credit and thanks to her childhood babysitter, Miss D. (4:13)
- When Elisabeth's mentoring journey started (7:55)
- How the ritual of asking how you failed today started in Elisabeth's family (10:51)
- Developing confidence through curiosity (14:17)
- Being humble while also being confident (17:50)
- How no-one is self-made (20:23)
- Breaking the gender barrier in leadership (24:38)
- The importance of getting away from materialism and individualism (28:21)
- How to help those around you (32:41)
- Elisabeth's new chapter in life (39:55)
- Elisabeth's message to Miss D. (49:12)
- Insightful closing words (51:42)

Links:

- Connect with Elisabeth on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisabethcardiello/
- Brave Conversations Over Coffee - https://www.braveconversationsovercoffee.com/
- Caffeé Unimatic - https://www.caffeunimatic.com
- Legacy Out Loud - https://www.legacyoutloud.com
- Elisabeth's Ted Talk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPzhFB6ZzNk&feature=emb_title

We live in a society that values independence and self-sufficiency. We're told that we need to run the race ourselves, that we need be the sole person climbing the ladder to success.

But the reality is that we don't need independence we need interdependence. To become the best versions of ourselves on our journey through life, we need to surround ourselves with individuals that are going to support us.

Molly Hildebrandt knows just how important others are when we're becoming the best versions of ourselves.

Molly is the head of Leadership Development for a global software company, where she designs, develops, and implements tailored leadership and professional development programs for the organization’s leadership team. She also runs her own consulting leadership development firm.

In this episode, Molly graciously shares with us her wisdom on professional and personal growth.

Listen to this episode and learn about:

- Molly giving credit and thanks to her mentor, Laura (1:39)
- How to process limiting beliefs that are holding you back from a high self-esteem (4:18)
- Using empathetic awareness to take action that furthers your life (9:17)
- Developing wisdom instead of understanding (13:29)
- How gratitude helps speed up the cycle needed to get to generatively (21:11)
- How it's not too late to learn (24:28)
- Story telling as the greatest form of listening (27:00)
- Developing a culture of otherness (33:39)
- How to make a leader that's not a boss (37:55)
- Molly's message to her mentor, Laura (39:43)
- Closing words on happiness (40:41)

Links:

- Connect with Molly on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hildebrandtmolly/
- Find out more about Molly on her website - https://www.mollyhildebrandt.com/

Empathy, curiosity, emotional intelligence, and asking good questions are just a few of the skills that allow us to step into the feelings and perspectives of others who walk, talk, or act differently from us. By understanding where people are coming from, we can improve not only our life but the lives of those around us.

Tony Lo Bianco's commitment to curiosity is his secret for getting ahead in life.

Tony is a Brooklyn-born New Yorker who has appeared in over 100 films, television programs, and stage performances, both on-screen and off as a writer, director, and producer. On stage, he won an Obie Award for Best Actor in Jonathan Reynold’s Yanks-3, Detroit-0, Top of the 7th. Following his memorable performance as Eddie Carbone in Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge on Broadway, he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor, and won the Outer Critics Circle Award. He also received an Emmy Award for Hizzoner! The Life of Fiorello La Guardia. Tony won 2 Emmys for his work on the video honoring veterans: Just A Common Soldier, which received over 36 million views.

In this episode, Tony passionately shares with us some stories and insights from his life on and off stage.

Listen to this episode and learn about:

- Tony giving credit and thanks to his Mother, Sally (2:26)
- Learning from the wisdom around you (10:07)
- How the course of Tony's life changed (14:17)
- Curiosity and empathy as the gifts that keep on giving (21:24)
- Dedication to a craft and passion as one in the same (29:35)
- A story about resiliency and imagination (36:05)
- Tony's message to his Mother (45:09)

Links:

- Connect with Tony on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-lo-bianco-854b5636
- Tony's Website - http://www.tonylobianco.com