Lessons via Leaders

Today, I am excited to have a guest with a unique approach to creating buzz and making noise for brands via social media. Sebastian Rusk is a Professional Speaker, On-Air Talent, Voice Over Talent, Spokesperson, Social Media Expert, and now, the latest guest on Lessons via Leaders ;) 

SocialBuzzTV.com is an integrated marketing solution that helps businesses build online communities using social media to create social buzz and local celebrity over their products and services which increases their online presence and word of mouth marketing, so they have more customers and die-hard fans. Sebastian also started The Podcast Launch Lab, a turn-key podcast launch solution that takes your zero to launch with your first five podcast episodes.

Sebastian dives deep into his background and speaks about the inspiration behind his social media, YouTube, and podcast platforms. Sebastian speaks about the popularity of podcasting and also gives tips on how you can start your very own first show. Plus, Sebastian reveals tips on overcoming the fear of public speaking, how to brainstorm your podcast topic, and what you need to be able to start a podcast. (Spoiler alert: all you need is a smartphone!) 

In this episode, Sebastian shares:

• The inspiration behind The Podcast Launch Lab
• Why podcasting is so popular 
• The reason you need a “why” when podcasting 
• How to get over the fear of public speaking 
• Why you should start a podcast 
• How to brainstorm your podcast topic 
• What you need to start a podcast 
• How to market your podcast
• How you can cut through the noise 

Find Sebastian Rusk:

Website: http://www.sebrusk.com

Podcast Launch Lab: http://podcastlaunchlab.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sebrusk

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

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

Today, we have a very special guest on the show. We have former Miami-Dade County Mayor and current candidate for Mayor, Alex Penelas.

Alex Penelas is a proven leader, experienced public servant, and successful businessman, who has dedicated his life to giving back to the community and advancing worthy causes to benefit all Miami-Dade County residents. 

Alex Penelas has demonstrated that through his first run as Mayor from 1996-2004, and is back to run for the same position once again.

In this episode Alex shares:

• What inspired Alex to get started in politics
• How Alex transitioned back into the private sector
• What motivates Alex to run for mayor again 
• Why we need to balance both leadership and family 
• Why we should not be distracted by the things that are not important
• The importance of hard work and the sacrifices people make to earn a dollar
• His support for the technology industry
• The need for mass transit in Miami 
• Advice for aspiring politicians

Follow Alex Penelas:

Website: https://alexpenelasformayor.com

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/penelasformayor

Today we have an amazing guest on the show, we have professional photographer, realtor and branding expert, my good friend Michelle Citrin. 

I’ve know Michelle for a long time now and I’ve always been a huge fan on her positivity, work ethic, and sheer dedication to her craft. Her marketing expertise, organizational skills, and eye for detail all contributed to the rapid growth and success of her photography businesses and she has taken that formula and is now applying to Real Estate as well. We all know that Photography and Real Estate are both extremely competitive industries, and Michelle has found unique and effective ways to brand and differentiate her businesses that she shares with you in this episode.  

In this episode, Michelle and I talk about identifying your brand: which is key. A lot of people talk about "building a brand" but to be able to do that effectively you first need to identify what your brand stands for, and Michelle talks about that in this episode. Once you find that sweet spot, Michelle tells us how to double down and start growing that brand organically through various channels, whether that be social media, newsletters, etc. 

Another thing Michelle talks about in this episode, which I loved, was understanding who your ideal client is.

As professionals sometimes we forget that we don’t need to take every customer that comes our way, and Michelle shares some great tips on how to filter out which customers are ideal and which could be problematic. Michelle then gets into some practical tips when it comes to social media marketing. If you follow Michelle on social media, you know she is an absolute machine when it comes to that and she shares some of the ways she stays organized and consistent when it comes to marketing herself online. 

I had a blast filming this episode with Michelle and it’s filled with actionable insights that I’m sure you’ll get lots of value from. I’m really excited to share this episode with you all today, so without further ado…. let’s go on into the episode! 

• Follow Michelle Citrin 
  • Website: http://www.michellecitrinstudios.com
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michellecitrinstudios/ 
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michellecitrin_studios/ 

When you look up the word “community” in the dictionary, two definitions stick out.

1. “a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.” 

2. “a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.”

I can’t think of anyone that cares about and embodies those two definitions more than our featured guest today, my good friend Matt Haggman. Matt has been and continues to be a pioneer in the South Florida startup and entrepreneurial scene and is someone I’ve been fortunate enough to work with it and see first hand just how important community is to him.

As the Miami Program Direction for the Knight Foundation, Matt launched an effort focused on connecting and propelling the city’s emerging community of entrepreneurs and startups. Knight then quickly become the largest funder of entrepreneur initiatives in the region and made so many things possible including the launching of numerous ventures, spaces, events and much more.

Matt then took his passion for growing community one step further and ran for Congress in 2017. He went door-to-door talking and engaging with residents and finding out what items they were passionate about  and how he could help solve their most pressing issues.

Matt is simply one of the most genuine, down-to-earth, good-hearted people that I know and I had an incredible time recording this episode with him.

In this episode Matt shares:

• His background and personal story
• The important of focus
• His views on how to engage with community 
• What he finds are they key things you need in a local ecosystem
• Living a life in chapters
• His experience running for congress 
• Lessons learned from running a political campaign
• Advice for people starting a career in journalism 
• and much more!

Follow Matt Haggman:

• • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthaggman/ 
  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthaggman 
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/matthaggman 
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/matt.haggman 

Today we have an amazing guest on the show. Medical Cannabis and CBD expert, and educator, Dr. Michelle Weiner. 

Dr. Weiner takes a fully holistic and innovative approach to providing health and wellness services.
 
She is double board-certified in Interventional Pain Management and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Spine and Wellness Centers of America. She completed her residency and fellowship training at the University of Miami. She practices personalized medicine focusing on the root cause and offering individualized holistic treatment options.
 
Dr. Weiner empowers her patients to heal all aspects of their lives through the activation of the Mind, Body, and Spirit. Her philosophy is to promote lifestyle changes through nutrition, movement, natural supplementation such as botanicals like CBD and Cannabis. Dr. Weiner uses a goal-oriented approach to optimize well-being.
And She is the Chair of Florida’s Medical Cannabis Advisory Committee.
 
In this episode, Dr. Weiner opens the show talking about how she started in the cannabis industry. Then, Dr. Weiner describes the different forms of cannabis and how CBD and THC can be utilized to treat specific symptoms. We then talk about varying qualities of CBD..with CBD now appearing everyone you need to know how you can ensure you’re getting the best quality product and Dr. Weiner talks about that. We then talk about the Vaping controversies, in the news. Lots of reports of the dangers and vaping, and we can take a deep dive into that and get her opinion on the matter. We also talk about the latest trend on microdosing and the future of the medical marijuana industry as whole. 

This is a fantastic episode that’s filled with incredible information about a topic that is rapidly evolving. Dr. Weiner has a great approach on making a lot of these complex topics feel very accessible and easy understand. I’m really excited to share these learnings with you, so without further ado...let’s get into the episode.....