Inside Influence

Greetings everyone, my name is Julie Masters and welcome to another episode of Inside Influence. In which I delve into the minds of some of the world’s most fascinating influencers – or experts in influence - to get to the bottom of what it really takes to own your voice - and then amplify it to drive an industry, a conversation, a movement or a nation.

In this episode, we dive into the nuts and bolts of one simple word…. NO. As its definition NO is described as just ’a negative answer or decision’. However in reality - for many of us - summoning the courage to say No often feels impossible.

With that in mind, what if there were more ways to say No? What if there were a thousand ways? Today we dive into what it is to say no with clarity and conviction – and even look deeply at the question of whether it’s possible to say a fiercely powerful ‘no’ - with kindness.

Today’s conversation is with the incredible artist and Art Historian Bahia Shehab. In Arabic the literal translation for the word ‘No’ is ‘No and A Thousand Times No’. It’s this concept – a thousand times no - that started as an artwork, became a book, reformed into a protest, and went on to be heard as one voice of a revolution.

It was during the Egyptian revolution in 2011 – the first day of which (25th of January) is literally referred to now as The Day Of Anger -  Bahia was overcome with rage against the dictators, the violence – and what became military rule. Like many of the people I meet and the people I know - she describes herself as ‘a quiet person’. Shouting and screaming on the streets wasn’t something that came naturally to her.

So instead of screaming – after witnessing the endless stories and images of atrocities – flooding both her City and the internet – she realized she could no longer choose to stay at home safely with her children. She had to find some way to contribute her voice.

So she chose a way of communicating that she did know – a way that drew on her talents as an artist.

Having been invited in 2010 to participate in an exhibition to commemorate 100 years of Islamic art in Europe. She had researched and collated over 1000 symbols for the word ‘no’ in Arabic script - producing both an artwork and a book documenting their history.

So she went back to these symbols - and began spraying them on the streets, in public squares. Channeling these 1000 ‘no’s’ (in her own words ‘just like ammunition’). No to military rule. No to violence. No to dictatorship. No to beating women.

The impact of her work – and the work of the many, many Egyptian artists on the streets at that time – started conversations, provoked debate and above all – at a time when a regime could literally turn off all the phones in a country – allowed the voiceless to be heard.

Bahia has since been selected as one of BBC’s 100 Women for two consecutive years. Been invited as a TED Global Fellow – and became the first woman from the Arab region to receive the UNESCO Shar-jah Prize for Arab Culture.

In this conversation we cover:

●     The challenges of saying a fierce No – when being loud doesn’t come naturally

●     Why actions (and art) can often be louder than words

●     Exactly why a small word can be so powerful – both to hear and to say – that it’s able to both start and stop a revolution

●     Why street art can be pivotal in starting and monitoring progressive conversations

●     The innate power of storytelling - as a tool to remember the past, shape the future and avoid making the same mistakes.

●     Finally the role of empathy when setting boundaries, and why a kind ‘No’ can be one of the most powerful acts of love – and sometimes – alter history itself

One quote that has stayed with me from this conversation is this… “You can crush the flowers, but you can’t delay spring."

This episode is for anyone that’s felt – or currently feels – crushed by the word ‘no’. By the strength it takes to express it – and to hear it – and then to deal with the consequences that inevitably follow. In particular it dives into the story of one woman (who also represents the many others both in Egypt and globally) who are brave enough to show up and - not only say it - but say it without resorting to violence.

Anyway – enough of me. You may notice the internet drop in and out a few times with this one – unfortunately the connection wasn’t fantastic in Cairo on this day – but sometimes you just have to work with what you have. Please enjoy my conversation with Bahia Shehab.

To view Bahia’s Ted Talk Click Here: https://www.ted.com/talks/bahia_shehab_a_thousand_times_no?language=en

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Greetings everyone, my name is Julie Masters and welcome to another episode of Inside Influence. In which I delve into the minds of some of the world’s most fascinating influencers – or experts in influence - to get to the bottom of what it really takes to own your voice - and then amplify it to drive an industry, a conversation, a movement or a nation.

In this episode, we journey from mastery to magic decoding the magician's secrets with the incredible Vinh Giang. While it’s fair to say I research all of my guests in great detail, I literally had to pull myself away from the computer as I could have easily lost days in total awe of Vinh's genius.

Vinh has a gift for translating the magician's code in a business context. He demystifies the illusions of magic and has created seriously compelling content empowering audiences with the tools to navigate technicality vs performance and craft vs charisma. He is fascinated by the human psychology behind the tricks, the nature of perception, and the art of illusion. He uses these tools as metaphors to unlock the audience's mind to an array of new possibilities.

Vinh explores concepts such as timing, practice, skills, connection and of course the influence of the magician over the audience. His ultimate goal whether it is in business or life is to see the possible in the impossible. To feel the magic in the metaphors and to find the solutions that set success in motion.

As a speaker, Vinh has partnered with many organisations including globally recognized names such as HSBC, Microsoft, and Gartner. As an innovator, Vinh founded the first online training platform to teach magic, and as a result, was honored to be awarded South Australia Young Entrepreneur. As an awarded magician, he has created magic for audiences all over the world.

Growing up in a refugee family Vinh always valued hard work as the road to success, and this attitude is evident in his mission to educate others on the mastery behind the magic and the process behind the perception.

During the interview, I was again in sheer awe of Vinhs ability to communicate the impossible to make it possible and could have easily lost hours in conversation. To summarise, we covered off some of the following key points in our discussion...

The power of following your passion

The balance between technical skill and performance

The unwritten agreement to be a master of illusion in magic

Understanding our vehicle for influence

The body and voice as our most powerful instrument

How we hold, keep and control attention

The power of rate, pitch, and pause when presenting

The sight, sound and synch audit when reviewing our presentations

Understanding the voice as the tool to impact

What is mastery and how is it achieved

The power of perspective in challenging whats possible

Why magic lives in the unknown

Why talent has nothing to do with success

Why great teachers craft the experience

Get ready to soak up tips, tools, and insights from a true master of communication, influence, and performance. Vinh is on a mission to assist others to 'never die with the music still inside', and this podcast is a guide that will allow you to begin to understand your song, your rhythm, and what it takes to master that melody and ultimately create magic in the lives of those with whom you influence.

USEFUL RESOURCES

Vinh's free community to improve your communication skills http://www.stage.community

In person workshops: http://www.vinhgiang.com/communication-skills-workshop/

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Greetings everyone, my name is Julie Masters and welcome to another episode of Inside Influence. In which I delve into the minds of some of the world’s most fascinating influencers – or experts in influence - to get to the bottom of what it really takes to own your voice - and then amplify it to drive an industry, a conversation, a movement or a nation.

In this episode, we are going to be fusing the world of influence and rock n roll...

A few months ago - I had the huge privilege of being introduced - and being able to spend some time with the incredible Mark Schulman - who at the time of this interview was in the middle of touring as the lead drummer for multi platinum - global phenomenon - Pink. 

In addition to having performed for over 1 BILLION PEOPLE during his career - alongside world class performers such as Cher, Billy Idol, Simple Minds, Beyoncé and Tina Turner. Mark is also the author of the very fitting Conquering Life’s Stage Fright. In which he interviews global powerhouses like Tony Hsieh (CEO of Zappos), Jeremy Piven (well known Actor from the Entourage) and Alan Bean (Apollo 12 Astronaut) - out of sheer determination - and a personal commitment - to decode the magic of world-class performance.

In other words what it takes to show up, reframe your fears and own what you’ve got with every cell in your body.

What I loved about listening to Mark talk about the learnings from - and the process of writing - that particular book. Is that it’s a philosophy that sums him up entirely. While others are partying hard on the tour bus - Mark is sat with his headphones on - trying to unpack what makes masterful performers great - so he can show up even harder at the next location.

I first met him on a cold winter’s morning in Sydney - I’m not sure what I was expecting - maybe someone vaguely (and understandably) tired after performing in front of an insane 21,000 people the night before. But the man that burst through the door - and quickly shot out again determined to make me a coffee - literally lit-up-the-room. As I would soon find out - this is one of the most engaged, curious and energised human beings that you could ever spend time with.

Which speaks to the heart of this concept of the rockstar mindset - that attitude and energy are the PRIMARY fuel of any kind of world class performance - and everything, down to the phone call you just took - and the Tweet you’re about to send - is a form of performance.

Like any field, mastering performance at a world-class level - isn’t about faking it. Or just putting a show. It’s about choosing your state, harnessing your energy, commiting to a lifetime of consistency, showing up and leaving everything you’ve got in the arena.

So what did we talk about. During our conversation, we went rockstar hard into so many questions I had since first starting to learn about Mark’s career - including:

• Why what we perceive as fear - can be reframed as something manageable with some simple mental tools - One of those that I really want you to listen out for is the question ‘Am I free to fail…?’ - which I have literally used a hundred time since this interview
• The habits and rituals that literally transform paralysing fear into excitement
• What it means to ‘pick the stick back up’ and carry on - after any major set back
• How to embody 'real' confidence - and the difference between that and rockstar certainty
• How to get out of your own way - and be of service - choosing the words ‘I get to do this’ rather than ‘I have to’ do this before any performance
• What he took from interviewing some of the most incredible performers of our time - and the moment that motivated him to seek them out
• And why to him having a rockstar mindset is less about fame - and more about understanding that there are no small moments - every moment is critical

So… get ready to flex your rock star muscles and soak up the insights of the insanely intelligent and insightful human being. Whether you’re a musician, a parent, a CEO, a doctor, a carpenter - or someone contemplating the next great leap. This episode is for the that moment - that moment when you have to choose between showing up with every shred of what you’ve got - or letting an opportunity to make real (and memorable) impact pass you by.

So please - sit back - and enjoy my once in a lifetime conversation with Mark Schulman.

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If I asked you what it takes to be truly influential I'm sure most of you would say the ability to be able to communicate, whether it's commanding a meeting or an auditorium. How you use your body, your hands, your voice, to demand attention and create impact makes all the difference in the world and for any of you that's ever seen a TED talk, you will know that those that stand out and get shared millions of times have a craftsmanship to what they do and how they explain their ideas.

I've spent many many years working with thought leaders who get up on stage and share their ideas and there's one person who I always look to as an inspiration when it comes to being a true master of communication.

Our next guest is the one that I would usually point you in the direction of and after this particular episode I would recommend you check him out on YouTube, there's a number of amazing videos there.

So without any further ado our guest this week is Colin James. From speaking, facilitating and teaching others how to master their own skills, he is an absolute legend. In this episode we talk about storytelling:

How do you find ideas for stories to bring your presentations to life.

We talk about making it personal. Where's the line between you, your professional self, your authentic self and the self that you want to share.

We get really down into structure, what that means, the technical science behind building an amazing presentation.

We'll also talk about dealing with difficult people, how you hold a difficult space? How do you use your personal gravity to command a room and get everybody on board?

So here's the mentor of great mentors. I've seen him hold his space and command attention in many rooms of influential people, often totally terrifying people who all know how to be heard above the noise and he has the power to silence them all.

He is a true craftsman of communication and that is a rare thing and I am so pleased to be able to share just some of his wisdom with you today.

Colin James

Over the past 25 years Colin James, has worked with senior executives around the world and has deep experience working with groups both large and small, taking cultural diversity and the variety of delivery platforms in his stride. From a young age, Colin’s dream was to be a teacher and he realised that to be an effective and engaging teacher he needed one key skill — and that was to master the art of communication.

Colin James Website: https://www.colinjamesmethod.com.au/

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Greetings everyone, my name is Julie Masters and welcome to another episode of Inside Influence. In which I delve into the minds of some of the world’s most fascinating influencers – or experts in influence - to get to the bottom of what it really takes to own your voice - and then amplify it to drive an industry, a conversation, a movement or a nation. 

This episode is about one thing. Content.

All courtesy of my next guest - who has to be one of the biggest experts in digital influence out there. Or more specifically, an expert in what makes a piece of content – whether that’s a headline, a blog, a video, a social post or an article – actually get traction.

His name is Steve Rayson and he heads up a company called Buzz Sumo. For those of you that haven’t come across Buzz Sumo before – you should. It’s of one of the primary tools I use when figuring out how to help clients stand out and get cut through in their particular space.

To put it in a nut shell - Buzzsumo analyses millions of pieces of content - across all major digital platforms – in order to tell you what key topics, headlines, questions and trends are gaining the most traction - including who the key influencers are in that space.

To give you an example – they recently analysed 500 million Facebook posts, 100 million Facebook videos and 100 million articles - some of the largest Facebook research studies to date – to figure out what posting times, types, styles and structures got the most traction. That’s one hell of a lot of data – and one hell of a lot of insights. Some of which we dive into in this conversation.

Anyone that knows me – knows I can nerd out on stuff like this. However there is a reason…

If you are trying to stand out in your industry by creating compelling content – as I know many of you that I hear from are – then you know how much time and resources it can take. The biggest mistake I see people making is going out there blind – trying to imagine what people want to hear from you, what they will find engaging – or worse still just using your own tastes as a guide.

One of the biggest questions I get asked about digital influence and storytelling is this - what should I post about, where and when? The answer I always give is – I don’t know – but you should.

As content creators – in the world of earning and keeping attention. It is your job to find out. What are your audience interested in? What are they searching for? WHERE are they searching for it? How do they prefer to consume their content? What’s the key to getting them to share so you can hopefully go viral? Answer those questions first - and you’ll be miles ahead of the game as an industry influencer.

So… that’s why I stalked Steve from the other side of the planet to get him in the show. That’s also what we are going to be geeking out over today. Using the insane amounts of data he and his team have access to – in order to answer to some pretty big content questions. Including:

·     What’s the most compelling structure for a blog headline, and are there any specific words that reliably get the most clicks?

·     What are the absolute key things we need to know when creating compelling online video content?

·     Are there hacks to using newer platforms like Facebook Live and Instagram Stories? A key for anyone just starting out – ignore the rest and go straight to this part

·     Plus what’s the ONE thing that separates content that actually gets engagement - from content that just sits there and gathers dust.

If content is king, then consider this episode a guidebook from the King’s chief of strategy.

So grab a pen, paper, a napkin, your dog – I don’t mind – whatever will sit still long enough for you to get these tools down. So you can go out there tomorrow and develop a content strategy that is clear, streamlined, informed – and most importantly - effective.

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My next guest is… Cowboy Gator McGraw 

Yes you heard right, although these days he also goes by the name Mike Kinney.

Mike, (I’m still working up to calling him Gator), is a former pro-wrestler, the type of wrestling that made Hulk Hogan famous, turned global TED sensation after his talk on ‘turning up’ received over 1.1million views on YouTube.

He starts his now famous Ted talk like this:  Picture it: a big, sweaty, tattooed man in a cowboy hat and chaps, is in the ring as the arena full of fans cheer him on. Their hero:"Cowboy" Gator Magraw. Gator bounces off the ropes and is quickly body-slammed to the mat. His wild opponent leaps into the air,crashing down onto Gator's rib cage. Gator struggles to breathe, wondering: "Is this really what my father wanted for me?".

It doesn’t seem like the most obvious career progression does it? From dominating in the ring as a fictional character, to being the real you on centre stage for the world to see via a TED talk - this all happened as a result of Mike’s core belief, something we’ll  be talking about today: You are more than you think you are.  

I have to admit, this conversation did not turn out how I thought it would. I assumed that we’d have a bit of a light hearted conversation about confidence maybe something to share with your children about standing up and absolutely owning it, afterall, the man has wrestled some quite scary dudes wearing trunks and chaps, I can’t think of a bigger embodiment of confidence than that. But I was wrong.

This conversation took us way deeper than that and now, with hindsight, I can see why.

When we talk about owning your influence, being an influencer, leading an industry, more often than not conversation will turn to personal brand. Defining what it is that makes you unique and ensuring that shows up in every interaction someone has with you.

Mike, and the world of wrestling, is perhaps the most extreme version of identifying what you stand for and making sure that gets recognised. He tells a story of his first time at wrestling camp when he and his class mates had to identify who they wanted to be in wrestling moving forward – forever – talk about a leap of faith. And he realised something – the best fighters, were the ones who were authentically themselves, but turned up.

What does that mean?

Well being ‘turned up’ means being unshakable in your belief in your capability, it means knowing your value, it means shutting out the negative talk and the pleas from your inner critic to just retreat before you make a fool of yourself.

It means bringing every fibre of your being into whatever room, or ring, you are walking in to and driving towards the thing you want most.

I don’t know about you, but there are days when I don’t so much want to turn up but turn off – and so if today is one of those days then this is for you.

We talk about:

·         The 5  lessons to turning up your strengths 

·         The 5  keys to becoming unforgettable 

·         And ultimately, in those dark moments of self doubt, when you feel like you don’t know what you are doing, how to dust it off,

stand tall and show up

I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve watched a wrestling match, but if this sport produces humans as inspiring and authentic as Mike, perhaps I’ll be watching more often.

Sit back, relax and I hope you enjoy this whirlwind conversation with Mike Kinney, Cowboy Gator McGraw.

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Now I’m usually a firm believer in the phrase ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’ but Lisa, and the organisation she sits at the helm of, break this mould time and time again – as you’ll have heard from the preview clip at the start of this episode.

She has also co-authored 16 books, in fact this incredible woman can write a book in the time it takes me to think of a decent title. She is also an absolute authority when it comes to the world of start-ups and entrepreneurship.

And I say that, because more than anyone in this space, she absolutely walks her talk.

I’m also lucky enough to call her one of my dearest friends, someone who has celebrated the business wins with me, and poured the tea while I mourned the business, and personal, losses.

Now, I’ve wanted to interview Lisa on this show for a while, but diaries and life got in the way. And actually, now I’m incredibly grateful it took us this long to get this conversation locked in.

If we had managed to sit down a year ago then this conversation would’ve probably been different. We would’ve talked about what it takes to run a media empire (although don’t worry, we do definitely talk about that), we would’ve spoken about the hustle, scaling up and again, we do cover that.

But at this time is Lisa’s journey, having closed her incredibly successful magazine, these insights come with even more richness, because she’s sat with me, looking at this journey with the beauty of hindsight as she asks herself, what’s next?

In this conversation you’ll hear Lisa, with her trademark vulnerability and openness share the lessons she’s learnt at every point along her journey, from her first venture, to her first book, her first big win, her first big loss and the last issue of The Collective:

In particular, the lessons I’ve really drawn from this centre around:

-          Self belief – How to understand the particular value you can bring and having the guts to state that

-          Purpose – unearthing the power that sits behind your bigger ‘why’

-          Hustle – tips for getting the doors to open and putting the right people in the room

-          Getting the easy yes – knowing what it will take to make yes the easiest answer for investors, customers and staff

-          And perhaps most importantly, Walking away – knowing when it’s time to let it all go

And, as you listen to these insights, just know that she’s about to apply these lessons all over again, for her next contribution to helping others realise their potential.

If you get one thing out of this conversation I want it to be this:

It takes great strength and grit to have an idea and stick with it, sometimes against all reason, to make it succeed in the world. But sometimes, it takes even greater strength and courage to know when the time has come to walk away, and just let it burn.

Lisa has taught me, more than anyone else, that our lives are made up of many brilliant and exciting chapters, and that we can’t begin to write the next one, until we are able to put the pen down on the last one.

So this is me and Lisa – sat on her bed, eating blueberries with her dog – talking start ups, opening doors, hustling, purpose, leading when it feels like you haven’t a clue, and how to know when the time has come to walk away.

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My next guest is the former Facebook CEO for Australia and New Zealand, Stephen Scheeler. A role which saw him play an integral role in the company’s unprecedented rise from quirky Silicon Valley startup to media and technology titan. 

During his time here he co-collaborated with the greatest minds in tech and business, Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg and other luminaries of the silicon sphere.

Today he’s the founder of The Digital CEO, Senior Advisor to McKinsey & Company and he continues to share his wisdom with the leaders of heavy hitters such as Qantas, Google and the Australian Government. 

As part of this podcast, and those who have listened before will know this, we take a look at all angles of what it takes to be an influencer in your space, in the hopes that, whether you are wanting to command more respect in a boardroom, or generate attention and engagement with a cause you care about, we can give you the tools and insights needed to be the authority.

In a business context there’s no better example of a person of influence than a CEO, and at the top of the top of influential CEOs there are the rare few who can say that they have played a part in guiding a business from little known start up, to a global phenomenon.

Which is why, when you have the opportunity to meet one of these individuals, the unicorns of the CEO space, you grab them with both hands and make them tell you their story.

I think all of us, whether you are in the media industry, or not, can appreciate that we are navigating business in a time of relentless change and unequivocal speed.

To put the pace of change we face here today into perspective, it took 40 years for 50 mil radios to be bought, 14 years for 50 mil TVs to be sold and only 1 year for 50 million Facebook accounts to be created.

And if you think that’s where the craziness of these stats stop, you’re wrong, because it took only 4 months for 50 million Wechat accounts to be set up.

So what can we, as business leaders, do to navigate through thischange? And better yet, what can we do to shape it?

One of the most fascinating parts of my discussion with Steven is when we discuss the rise of Facebook, not as a social channel, but as the leading source of news on a global level.

He shares a story, which I won’t spoil, but he shares a story about how a media mogul of the old world press asked for his insight into how on earth Facebook was able to seemingly come out of nowhere to be his biggest competitor.

The punchline of that story will floor you, and perhaps give you an insight into how disruption really is the result of industries taking their own power and scale for granted.

If I was to sum up the value on this discussion it lies in that one story, how, as the leader of a business can you make sure that you aren’t just reacting to the rapidly changing world around us, but how can you get out in front and lead it?

Because by the time you realise disruption is coming, it’s already too late.

Other things we discuss, we talk about:

-          Fake news – how can we navigate a world of click bait to create businesses that are able to inspire trust

-          Curiosity – how the key to navigating disruption lies in asking questions

-          The new ways of telling stories that cut through in a world of earned attention

-          The balance between high tech and high touch in navigating automation and AI

There’s a saying that the ability to learn from someones entire lifetime of experience lies in a cup of coffee, well in this case it’s a podcast and it was an absolute privilege to extract learnings from a CEO who has truly walked his talk and lead on the cutting edge!

Please enjoy my chat with the digital CEO himself, Stephen Scheeler

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My next guest has spent over a decade studying and decoding the brains of the world’s highest performers, in the hopes of figuring out what these remarkable talents have in common, and what we can do to in our every day lives to lift our own performance.

His name is DR Harald Harung and he is the author of the book Excellence through Mind-Brain Development: The Secrets of World-Class Performer. In his global study Harald and his colleague, Frederick Travis, travelled the globe conducting experiments and exercises with the top 1% of performers in the world – and ‘top performers’ in this case are defined as those at the very peak of their game who have consistently sustained this level of performance over a long period of time, whether that’s a CEO of a top 10 fortune 500 company with outstanding results over the last 10 years, or a swimmer that has achieved gold in all major championships for the last 8 years.

Why this is important is that Harald wasn’t interested in short bursts of exceptional achievement, he focussed purely on those who managed to reach and then sustain this peak for extreme lengths of time.

And in this episode I was lucky enough to sit down with him and unpack some of the fascinating things he found out.

These findings include:

·         Why your age and experience level has next to nothing to do with your ability to perform

·         Why the highest performing brains are those with the greatest amount of integration – what that means, and how we get it.

·         How, the top performers in the world, all spend a great deal of time thinking of others and why that could be a key driver in outstanding achievement

·         The top 3, easy and achievable, habits we can all put into practise that will lift our game exponentially.

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