A California entrepreneur, Melissa Joseph, has combined her love poetry and her life-long habit of writing personal Thank You notes to launch a new business, Lotus Cards: Notecards with Heart.

The cards offer mix-and-match whimsical original poetic sentiments — each composed by Melissa — with a variety of unique, stylistic cover art. With Valentine's Day only two weeks off, Melissa's cards make for highly original greetings.

Host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart says that Melissa, a former English teacher, is special for a couple of reasons: One - she's a senior citizen unafraid to venture into a new business, and Two - she's donating all proceeds from the sale of her cards to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Roses are red,Violets are blue,If Melissa Joseph can do it,So can you.

Photo: Melissa Joseph and Lotus — Lotus Cards: Notecards with HeartPosted: January 31, 2022Monday Morning Run Time: 32:36

This week, in Part Two of host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart's conversation with business historian Gary Hoover, the two turn their attention to women and minorities who overcame long odds to build or lead successful companies.

They'll also reveal the failures and rebounds of some great American companies and share the story of one executive whose business failed, and afterward, he went home to his parents' house and locked himself in the bedroom for a month. True story.

Gary is the executive director of the American Business History Center and the author of Bedtime Business Stories: Short Sagas of Business Creation, Success, and Failure. A serial entrepreneur, one company Hoover founded was acquired by Barnes & Noble, while another was purchased by Dun & Bradstreet.

Gary's specialty is looking back at the great industries, businesses, and business leaders of bygone days and reminding all of us of what made them great and how we can apply their insights today.

Photo: Gary Hoover, American Business History Center Posted: January 24, 2022 Monday Morning Run Time: 33:08

Back in November, when General Electric announced its plan to break itself into three different companies, host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart invited business historian Gary Hoover to share the lessons of GE's fall from grace.

Hoover is the executive director of the American Business History Center and the author of Bedtime Business Stories: Short Sagas of Business Creation, Success, and Failure. A serial entrepreneur, one company Hoover founded was acquired by Barnes & Noble, while another was purchased by Dun & Bradstreet.

This week, in part one of a two-part conversation, Rotbart and Hoover take a deep dive into an array of legendary American businesses and CEOs and what they can teach today's business owners and leaders.

Photo: Gary Hoover, American Business History Center Posted: November 22, 2021 Monday Morning Run Time: 38:42

Host Dean Rotbart is being mysterious about his guests this week on Monday Morning Radio. All he'll say is that their names are Peter Desberg and Jeffrey Davis and between the two of them, their clients have included Apple, Dell Computers, Boeing, Toyota, and Honda.

Peter and Jeffrey have a "how-to" business book coming out next month that the authors promise will have entertaining, actionable advice for all owners and entrepreneurs, regardless of the nature of their businesses.

The two authors think that after hearing what they have to say, many listeners will want to buy their book. If you do, you can pre-order it here.

But as Dean points out, it's totally up to listeners to decide if Peter and Jeffrey acquit themselves admirably.

Photos: Peter Desberg (l) and Jeffrey Davis, AuthorsPosted: January 10, 2022Monday Morning Run Time: 44:45

If Clay Stafford were to put all of his titles on a single business card, it would be one mammoth ID.

Clay is, among other things, an award-winning author — having sold nearly four million copies of his books, a poet, a screenwriter and playwright, film and television producer, director, showrunner, actor, educator, reviewer, and public speaker.

Oh yes, he is also the founder of The Killer Nashville International Writers' Conference - now in its 16th year - that has become the premier forum for all genres incorporating mystery, thriller, or suspense content.

This week, Clay shares with host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart how and why he does so many creative things and what we can learn from his successful approach to artistry.

Photo: Clay Stafford, Killer Nashville Posted: January 3, 2022Monday Morning Run Time: 49:53

[Grab your copy of Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded, featuring stories by Clay Stafford, Anne Perry, Jeffery Deaver, Mary Burton, and others.]

Imagine learning best business practices from the former vice chairman of Booz Allen Hamilton, Chairman of Chiquita Brands International, publisher and CEO of the Chicago Sun Times, and directors at Virgin America and Allegheny Energy.

You wouldn't actually need a very big room, since Cyrus Freidheim filled everyone of those roles during his 55-year business career, as well as stints at Union Carbide, Ford Motor, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Cyrus has summed up all he's learned about business — and life — in a newly published book, Commit & Deliver: On the Frontlines of Management Consulting.

There's no need to pay $1,000 an hour or more for Cyrus's expertise. It's free for the taking this week as host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart's guest is Cyrus Freidheim.

Photo: Cyrus Freidheim, Commit & DeliverPosted: December 27, 2021Monday Morning Run Time: 56:08

Until they turn 25 years old, most individuals are really only life "interns." Full life begins once we enter our mid-20s.

At its core, that is what Robert L. Dilenscneider's latest book, Nailing It: How History's Awesome Twentysomethings Got It Together, is about.

Dilenschneider, an accomplished author and communications consultant, tells the story of 25 well-known personalities when they were 25 years olds — from Mozart to Edith Paif, Albert Einstein to Steve Jobs — and the one defining trait they shared on their path to immortality.

To help interview Dilenschneider, host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart enlisted his multi-talented daughter, Avital, who not coincidentally, turns 25 years old this week. As Avital points out, there is a great deal to be learned from history, no matter your age.

Photo: Robert L. Dilenschneider, Nailing ItPosted: December 20, 2021Monday Morning Run Time: 45.54

Treating all of your employees equally may seem like an ideal approach. But it's not.

The one-size-fits-all approach, says Minal Bopaiah, an expert in diversity, equity and inclusion, often holds back employees who don't fit the prototypical characteristics of today's workforce.

The better approach, Minal tells host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart, is to design a human-centered organization that offers "equity" to everyone — making room for those who are different and then leveraging those disparities.

Minal is the author of Equity: How to Design Organizations Where Everyone Thrives, an eye-opening new book that will challenge your perspective on fairness and productivity in the workplace. Her firm, Brevity & Wit, helps organizations — including Amnesty International, NPR, The Christian Science Monitor, and Human Rights Watch — achieve the change they wish to see in the world.

Photo: Minal Bopaiah, Brevity & WitPosted: December 13, 2021Monday Morning Run Time: 47:29

[Purchase your copy of A Christmas Day Miracle by Dean and Talya Rotbart: "An inspirational adult yuletide tale that offers hope to everyone — regardless of their religious beliefs — about the wonder and power of life's unexpected blessings." Get the Kindle edition for only $4.95.]

Some of the world's most successful investors are also some of the happiest people on earth. It's not because they are rich — money still won't buy happiness — but because they are able to think more rationally, rigorously, and objectively when it comes to every aspect of their lives.

In his book, Richer, Wiser, Happier: How The World's Greatest Investors Win in Markets and Life, author William Green shares insights he's gleaned conducting dozens of interviews over the years with financial superstars including Sir John Templeton, Peter Lynch, Michael Price, Ed Thorp, and Charlie Munger.

Hearing the concepts that Green shares with host and award-winner reporter Dean Rotbart won't magically turn you into an overnight billionaire. But it may very well help you improve your decision-making skills, assess risks, avoid preventable errors, and build resilience regardless of what life sends your way. And, Dean adds, you'll likely become a better investor, too.

Photo: William Green, Richer, Wiser, HappierPosted: December 6, 2021Monday Morning Run Time: 1 Hour, 6 Minutes and 54 Seconds

[Purchase your copy of A Christmas Day Miracle by Dean and Talya Rotbart: "An inspirational adult yuletide tale that offers hope to everyone — regardless of their religious beliefs — about the wonder and power of life's unexpected blessings." Get the Kindle edition for only $4.95.]

Change has changed.

That is the premise of bestselling author Erika Andersen's latest book, Change from the Inside Out, a primer for businesses and individuals on how to rethink change — typically viewed as difficult, costly, and uncomfortable — and instead embrace it as doable, rewarding, and routine.

Erika, founder of Proteus International, is a consultant and advisor to top executives at organizations including Amazon, Spotify, and the Yale School of Public Health. She has made a career out of helping her clients become "change-capable" leaders; able to respond to, and actually benefit from, the rapid speed and relentless nature of change.

Are you prepared for whatever comes next?

Join host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart as he and Erika explore the many advantages of greeting change with a fresh, positive perspective.

Photo: Erika Andersen, Proteus Posted: November 29, 2021Monday Morning Run Time: 48:03