LIFT with Richard Newman. Achieve your goals by lifting others.

The power of storytelling is undeniable. By using stories to communicate your business message, you can capture your audience's attention and deliver information in a way that is both engaging and memorable. What's more, business stories can be used to inspire, educate, and motivate employees and customers alike.

Cristina Mendonsa is a prime example of the impact that storytelling can have. As an award-winning journalist, she has spent over two decades crafting relevant, targeted content for nationwide media groups and broadcast networks. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated her passion for telling stories with impact and heart, proving that storytelling is a powerful communication tool.

In our podcast interview, Cristina shares her insights on powerful storytelling and its ability to move people and businesses forward.

Richard & Cristina discuss:

• What makes a good story
• What gets in the way of being able to tell stories
• Why has storytelling become more popular in business over the last few decades
• How to find your own story and have the confidence to tell it

More about Cristina:

Cristina Mendonsa is an EMMY/Murrow award-winning multimedia journalist, producer, spokesperson, and media entrepreneur. For over two decades, she's demonstrated her passion for telling stories with impact and heart by crafting relevant, targeted content for nationwide media groups and broadcast networks in the United States.

Cristina has reported and anchored for ABC, CBS, and NBC television stations throughout the United States and recently joined the nationwide iHeartMedia group where she anchors and reports for KFBK, the group's number one Newsradio station. Her reputation for combining a direct approach with a warm interview style has allowed her to secure interviews with presidents and prime ministers as well as other top newsmakers for 25 years and gain the trust of her viewers and listeners.

As a media entrepreneur, she is the creator of the Power Profile which is a podcast and video series of innovators, entrepreneurs and thought leaders. Her academic pursuits include a master's degree in communications and leadership as well as a bachelor's degree in Political Science and Journalism. Cristina conducted a national media research study on broadcast journalist work habits in 2017 which is cited and quoted in global projects on media.

It's always inspiring to hear from people who have found success in their business ventures while still maintaining strong family values. That's exactly what you'll get from Christian Fuentes in this episode of the LIFT podcast. Along with his wife, Jeannette, they have over 12 years of experience working together where they've been able to achieve great business success while still putting their family and their health first. 

And it's this whole-life attitude that has made them one of the top-producing REMAX teams out there. With 300 agents in their office, as well as owning and running an escrow company and a flipping company, they continue to grow rapidly while still maintaining a positive, caring, family-oriented environment. 

They're also passionate about teaching others what they know so that they can become successful too. So if you're looking for some inspiration to help you achieve your business goals and lift others be sure to check out this episode of the podcast with Christian Fuentes.

Topics of discussion include:

- The importance of leading by example

- Christian’s 7 daily habits that allow him to lift and elevate his team

- How do you get things done when life gets hard?

- How to find good people and build a successful team

Building great relationships leads to building great workplaces. People don’t want to feel controlled, especially by their boss. They want to feel heard and understood. They want to build meaningful relationships with co-workers and the organizations they support built on respect, trust, and loyalty. They want to work hard for leaders who care about them, personally and professionally.

In this latest episode of the LIFT podcast, Richard talks to Claudia Williams. Claudia spent more than a decade as an award-winning attorney, coaching leaders of organizations of all sizes through challenging workplace situations. 

She is the founder of The Human Zone and the creator of ‘The Curious Leadership Academy’ where bosses go to become leaders. She coaches CEOs and company leaders who feel like it’s lonely at the top and want to work with someone who will help them build more strategic, healthier companies.

Claudia received the ATHENA International Leadership Award and was a nominee for Business Woman of the Year. She has also presented a popular TEDx talk called Frientorship: The Solution To The Employee Engagement Problem.

In this episode Richard and Claudia discuss:

- What does it mean to be a Curious Leader?

- How can we build greater relationships at work?

- How can leaders build a place where people love to work, in the new world we live in?

- How do you create a more effective employee performance review?

In this episode of the LIFT podcast, Richard talks to Jason Duncan. Jason works with entrepreneurs who want to BUILD, SCALE, and ENJOY their businesses. Jason spent 13 years in pastoral ministry and four years as a schoolteacher before he became an “accidental entrepreneur”. Over the past 11 years, the businesses he launched have been featured in several publications, including the Inc. 5000 list as one of the fastest-growing privately held companies in America and one of Entrepreneur magazine’s top entrepreneurial companies in America. He owns eight companies that are involved in everything from eCommerce to consulting services to real estate holdings.

 They discuss: 

-       How to embrace delegation 

-       Empowering your team

-       Steps to eliminate stress 

-       The law of adaptation - how to survive when things go wrong

If you're an entrepreneur who wants to learn how to build a business that can scale and be successful, this episode is for you. Tune in to hear Jason's insights on what it takes to build a successful business.

MORE ABOUT JASON: 

Through both coaching and his online school for entrepreneurs, Results University, Jason works to develop systems and processes to scale so his clients can exit or - at the very least – get out of the weeds to be successful and enjoy their business and the financial profits; this is what he calls “Exit Without Exiting”.

Jason is the host of The Root of All Success podcast, which is syndicated on the C-Suite Radio Network, where he interviews extremely successful entrepreneurs about their keys to entrepreneurial success. He has spoken at a variety of conferences and appeared on dozens of podcasts. 

Jason lives in Gallatin, Tennessee with his wife and two children. Jason enjoys playing the guitar, riding motorcycles, working on his small farm, and camping with his family.

Born in Iran, David Nour immigrated to the U.S. as a teenager with $100, limited family ties and no fluency in English. Yet, despite this humble background, he graduated from Georgia State University with a bachelor’s degree in business management and went on to earn an Executive MBA from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University.

A senior leadership/board advisor, educator, executive coach, and bestselling author, David is internationally recognized as the leading expert on applications of strategic relationships in profitable growth, sustained innovation, and lasting change.

David is the author of eleven books, including bestsellers Relationship Economics®, Co-Create, and Curve Benders, which he refers to as his ‘Star Wars’ trilogy.

David’s expertise lies in his ability to help leaders leverage relationships for success. He has helped organizations of all sizes achieve their goals by teaching them how to build and maintain strong relationships with their customers, employees, partners, and shareholders.

His insights into the importance of strategic relationships are widely regarded as invaluable for any organization looking to achieve lasting success.

In this latest LIFT podcast, we talk about:

- What is a ‘Curve Bender?’

- Relationship economics – why there is a quantifiable value to your business relationships

- How the pandemic has impacted business relationships

- Why networking is one letter away from not working

- How to build and nurture better business relationships

MORE ABOUT DAVID:

He is an adjunct professor at the Goizueta Business School at Emory University and was named to the Global Gurus Top 30 Leadership Professionals and the Thinkers 50 Radar Class of 2021 lists. A Forbes Leadership contributor on the Future of Work, and an Inc. contributor on Relationship Economics, Nour’s unique insights have been featured in various prominent publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Fast Company, Huffington Post Business, Entrepreneur, and Knowledge@Wharton. He’s also the host of the popular Curve Benders podcast.

In this episode of the LIFT Podcast Richard talks to John Baldoni, a globally recognized leadership educator and certified Master Corporate Executive Coach. With a background in corporate communication and speech writing, John has also authored 15 books that have been translated into ten languages. He is a LinkedIn Live host, and his work has been featured in Forbes, Harvard Business Review and The Wall Street Journal. 

Topics of discussion include: 

-       Empathy in leadership and the importance of coaching

-       Business lessons learned in the pandemic

-       How do leaders retain their top talent in a new era of the ‘great resignation’?

-       How do you maintain collaboration and be present in a virtual or hybrid work setting?

-       How can you be a graceful leader?

John provides insights and perspectives that are sure to help any leader who is looking to build a more empathetic and effective team.

More about John:

 John Baldoni is a globally recognized leadership educator, certified Master Corporate Executive Coach, LinkedIn Live host, and author of 15 books that have been translated into ten languages.

 In 2021, the International Federation of Learning and Development named John a World-Class Mentor and named him to its Hall of Fame. In 2022, Global Gurus ranked John a Top 20 global leadership expert, a list he has been on since 2007. John is also a member of the renowned Marshall Goldsmith 100 coaches, a group of executive coaches and thought leaders from the worlds of business, academia and social service.

John established a career as a highly sought-after executive coach, where he has had the privilege of working with senior leaders in virtually every industry from pharmaceutical to real estate, packaged goods to automobiles, and finance to health care.

John is also the host of LinkedIn Live’s GRACE under pressure interview series, a platform that has enabled him to interview more a hundred global business, academic and thought leaders and doers.

 John has authored more than 800 leadership columns for a variety of online publications including Forbes, Harvard Business Review and Inc.com. John also produced and appears in a video coaching series for SmartBrief, a news channel with over 4 million readers. John is the author and host of two online leadership courses: “Leading through Change & Crisis” and “Leading with Resilience + Grace” for Methods of Leaders/100 Coaches. John is also the host of LinkedIn Live’s Grace under pressure interview series. John’s leadership resource website is www.johnbaldoni.com

In this episode of the LIFT podcast, Richard sits down with Richie Contartesi.

Richie talks about his journey from being a 5’7”, 150-pound walk-on at Ole Miss to becoming a Division-1 football scholarship athlete in the SEC. He also talks about how he uses his playbook to help leaders transform businesses and achieve success.

Other areas of conversation include:

- Fundamental life lessons he learned from his Little League coach which he still uses today

- Why he changed his career focus despite having huge success

- Focus on the next play – his mantra that has helped leaders transform their business

- His three-point system for attracting and keeping top talent

- Richie’s advice for becoming the best version of yourself each day

This is a must-listen for anyone who is looking to improve their leadership skills and grow their business.

More about Richie:

Richie Contartesi helps leaders decide, plan, and execute the Next PlayTM, relentlessly. His three-step system--The Next Play--is the playbook for high-performing leaders who want to exceed their full potential and win more in business and health.

Richie started his journey when he went from a 5’7” 150-pound walk-on at Ole Miss to becoming a Division-1 football scholarship athlete in the powerhouse South Eastern Conference (The SEC). He also went on to earn the coveted SEC Scholar Athlete award.

After his graduation from Ole Miss, Richie played professional Arena football, authored his #1 bestseller, “In Spite of the Odds ”, was featured in the movie “Rudy Ruettiger: The Walk On”, launched the Relentless University app, and opened Relentless Warrior Fitness in Las Vegas.

Richie has since built a 7-figure coaching business by using his playbook to help leaders transform their businesses, body, and overall health. He also speaks frequently and partners with businesses of all sizes including major corporations worldwide like IBM to build teams who are clear on their goals, focused on their next play, and accountable each week, resulting in their rapid growth and record engagement.

Ray Higdon is a best-selling author, coach, high-energy speaker, and philanthropist. Going from foreclosure to multimillion-dollar success in a few short years, Ray’s journey to excellence has been fuelled by an unrelenting passion for teaching people how to find their voice and understand their worth.

 Ray’s latest best-selling book, TIME MONEY FREEDOM, co-authored with his wife Jessica, is Ray and Jess’ guide to creating the life you’ve always dreamed of, including very specific action steps to get you there. 

 A top keynote speaker, Ray has shared the stage with world-renowned thought leaders, including Tony Robbins, Les Brown, Brendon Burchard, Gary Vaynerchuk, Magic Johnson, and many more.

 As a philanthropist, Ray has helped raise over $600,000 for March of Dimes and Adaptive Ops, and he is currently working on a program to help kids in foster care.

 Ray is the founder and CEO of Higdon Group, voted one of Inc. 5000’s fastest-growing companies in America, an award-winning leader in sales training and coaching. He resides in Florida with his wife and four children.

 In this latest LIFT podcast with Richard Newman, he discusses

- Having a vision in an uncertain world

- The importance of being consistent and having a daily routine

- Reaction and resistance to rejection

- Why we struggle with recognition and having a positive association with success

- Why we should focus on courage before confidence

Kathryn Valentine is the Founder of Worthmore Strategies, a consulting firm focused on achieving gender parity in the workplace by empowering women to ask for what they need to be happy, productive, and successful in their careers.  Her work has been featured in Fast Company, Adweek, Working Mother and Forbes.

Kathryn graduated from the University of Virginia, where she was a Jefferson Scholar, and started her career at McKinsey.  She has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.  While in business school, she researched how to negotiate specifically as a woman; that work is the foundation of her research-based approach to women’s leadership development.
She has worked with multi-billion dollar corporations to retain and promote high-performing women, and individual women to craft a career they love. She's on a mission to support professional women and the companies that want them to thrive. 

In this latest episode of the LIFT podcast, you’ll gain insights and strategies to enhance your career and also how gender parity can develop your team and improve your relationships.

-Discover what holds women back in negotiating

-How to negotiate collaboratively rather than competitively 

-Why negotiating is not just about money and promotions

-Why helping women and diverse groups to negotiate better improves loyalty and retention

How do you go from pro soccer player to VP of one of the largest mortgage companies in America? More importantly, what can you learn along the way? Discover how to lead yourself, your family and your business from the real world experience Brian Covey has used to achieve all-round success and fulfilment.

In this latest episode of LIFT, Richard talks to former Olympic USA Soccer player, top-rated podcaster and proud father Brian Covey about growth mindset, winning in business, empowering others and staying mentally and physically fit.