One of 2024’s most popular episodes of Monday Morning Radio featured Australian author and illustrator Andrew Matthews, who, along with his wife, Julie, has built a publishing empire that has sold more than 8 million global copies of his inspirational books about happiness and resilience.

Last time, Andrew focused on the uplifting messages his books convey.

On this, his second appearance from Queensland, Andrew pulls back the curtain on the persistence, relationship-building, adaptability, and strategic growth that have rocket-fueled his and Julie’s global business success. 

Andrew and Julie’s methods offer a roadmap that anyone looking to propel their business to a higher orbit can utilize.

[Hear Andrew Matthews’s First Appearance on Monday Morning Radio]

Monday Morning Radio is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photo: Andrew Matthews Posted: March 17, 2025 Monday Morning Run Time: 44:44 Episode: 13.40

BOOKS BY ANDREW MATTHEWS INCLUDE:

• Bouncing Back!: How You Rebound From Disappointment and Disaster 

• Follow Your Heart

• Being Happy

• How Life Works

But I Said I’m Sorry by Talya Rotbart, has been honored as a Book Excellence Award finalist. It is available to share with the children in your life for only $11.10 from Amazon.

Robert L. Dilenschneider, founder and principal of The Dilenschneider Group, is well known as a venerated strategic communications advisor and counselor to many of the world’s most influential business and political leaders.

Bob’s extensive knowledge as a historian is less commonly known, especially one who can look to the past to identify role models whose lives are worth emulating today and in the future.

Following on the heels of his two most recent history-focused books — Decisions: Practical Advice from 23 Men and Women Who Shaped the World and Nailing It: How History’s Awesome Twentysomethings Got It Together — Bob’s latest volume, available to pre-order now, is Character: Life Lessons in Courage, Integrity, and Leadership.

Courage profiles a diverse group of 31 historical figures who drove society to be the best it could be. Among the disparate luminaries are Lou Gehrig, Winston Churchill, Julia Child, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Stephen Hawking, Margaret Chase Smith, Bill Russell, Jimmy Stewart, and S.P. Hinduja.

Bob views character as a vital ingredient for success in public and private life. “From a respected older generation of mentors comes invaluable advice and hopeful direction for the young leaders, innovators, and influencers of tomorrow,” Bob writes in describing his book, which officially goes on sale March 25th.

As co-host Maxwell Rotbart notes in introducing this week’s podcast, Bob left one person out of Character. Himself. He, too, epitomizes courage, integrity, and leadership.

[NOTE: The actionable insights of Robert L. Dilenschneider are featured in Maxwell Rotbart’s award-winning anthology, All You Can Eat Business Wisdom. A free unabridged copy of Bob’s chapter can be read here.]

The Dilenschneider “Library” of 23 Books Includes:

• Character: Life Lessons in Courage, Integrity, and Leadership

• Decisions: Practical Advice from 23 Men and Women Who Shaped the World 

• Nailing It: How History’s Awesome Twentysomethings Got It Together 

• The Ultimate Guide to Power & Influence: Everything You Need to Know

• The Public Relations Handbook

• 50 Plus!: Critical Career Decisions for the Rest of Your Life

Monday Morning Radio is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photo: Robert L. Dilenschneider, The Dilenschneider Group Posted: March 10, 2025 Monday Morning Run Time: 43:30 Episode: 13.39

Pick up a copy of All You Can Eat Business Wisdom for yourself

Fun, well organized, and brimming with useful information, this is a book that some will want to read cover-to-cover and others will treat as a reference book to look up subjects as needed; either way, it’s a delight. 

— Kirkus Reviews

Are you the kind of boss employees want to follow — or the one they desperately avoid?

Phillip B. Wilson, our guest this week, is a nationally recognized expert in leadership, labor relations, and fostering positive workplaces.

As CEO and General Counsel of LRI Consulting Services, Wilson champions what he calls “Approachable Leadership.” His philosophy is simple: The more accessible and down-to-earth executives and frontline supervisors are, the more their businesses will thrive. Conversely, when leaders create a wide power gap between themselves and their employees, they risk driving away top talent or pushing workers toward unionization.

Get an advanced look into Phil’s upcoming book, The Leader-Shift Playbook (available now to preorder from Amazon), and hear why he believes that even the most unapproachable bosses can be transformed.

You can’t afford to miss this episode if you lead a team — whether you're a frontline manager, a C-Suite executive, or the owner of a business.

BREAKING NEWS: On February 27th, HR Acuity, the enterprise leader in case management and investigations software, announced the partnership between its empowER™ community and Labor Relations Institute Consulting Services (LRICS) to launch a new professional segment specifically focused on labor relations. (Read the news release here.)

Books by Phillip B. Wilson:

The Leader-Shift Playbook

The Approachability Playbook

Left of Boom

Monday Morning Radio is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photo: Phillip B. Wilson, LRI Consulting ServicesPosted: March 3, 2025 Monday Morning Run Time: 57:28 Episode: 13.38

Pick up a copy of All You Can Eat Business Wisdom for yourself

Fun, well organized, and brimming with useful information, this is a book that some will want to read cover-to-cover and others will treat as a reference book to look up subjects as needed; either way, it’s a delight. 

— Kirkus Reviews

“We’re in the news business,” Dick Grove insists, “Not the PR business."

His reasoning is straightforward: Individuals and companies must think like journalists, not self-promoters, to earn media coverage.

Dick is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Inkinc Public Relations and author of the quasi tell-all, It’s the Media Stupid! pr without the bs. 

For more than five decades, Dick has been at the forefront of the public relations industry.

His media relations philosophy aligns closely with that of Monday Morning Radio founding host Dean Rotbart, whose courses at Wizard Academy — Newsroom Confidential, Buzz Snatching, and Reputation Tool Chest — all taught the necessity of understanding how journalists and news organizations think and operate.

Before hiring a PR agency or pitching journalists and social media influencers yourself, hear firsthand from Dick and Dean what it truly takes to win the media’s favor.

Monday Morning Radio is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photo: Dick Grove, Inkinc PRPosted: February 24, 2025 Monday Morning Run Time: 47:15 Episode: 13.37

RELATED EPISODES

• Host Dean Rotbart Shares Three Lessons on Ways to Work with Journalists and Other Influencers

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“You’re Fired!”

Two words that are never easy to speak and are even harder to hear.

Dismissing employees is complicated — legally, emotionally, and professionally.

Mastering the art of letting employees go isn’t taught in business school, and too many managers fumble the process.

Mahesh Guruswamy, chief technology officer at Kickstarter, has spent much of his career delivering tough news — not just to employees but also to customers, investors, and even higher-ups. Now, he’s sharing his hard-earned wisdom in a new book — How to Deliver Bad News and Get Away With It: A Manager Guide.

Whether you’re a seasoned executive or a first-time manager, Mahesh's insights will arm you with tools to handle difficult conversations while building trust, retaining talent, and, yes — keeping your sanity intact.

Monday Morning Radio is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photo: Mahesh Guruswami, How to Deliver Bad News and Get Away With ItPosted: February 17, 2025 Monday Morning Run Time: 52:16 Episode: 13.36

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Israel Duran describes himself as an “impact architect,” helping successful business owners deliver turbocharged profits and coaching them to find a societal purpose beyond profits.

Israel, founder of Israel Duran & Associates, has shown thousands of owners and CEOs how to transform their businesses and use their newfound achievements to impact, inspire, and influence their communities and beyond.

Born out of personal adversity — his father died when he was still an infant — Israel shares how he has dedicated his career to showing others how to go beyond accumulating wealth to making a meaningful difference in the world.

At the heart of his teachings is servant leadership. Israel champions the "Four Cs" of leadership: Consistency, Conviction, Charity, and Compassion. These principles aren’t just theoretical; they’re the foundation for his success and that of his clients.

Books by Israel Duran:

• The Service of Speaking: How to Impact, Inspire, and Influence the Masses with Your Message

• Money Management Mindset: 7 Strategies to Financial Management

Monday Morning Radio is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photo: Israel Duran, Israel Duran & AssociatesPosted: February 10, 2025 Monday Morning Run Time: 42:40 Episode: 13.35

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Jason Schappert reminds founding host Dean Rotbart of a young Steve Jobs, Apple’s co-founder, who Dean met and wrote about when he was a financial columnist with The Wall Street Journal.

Like Jobs, Jason is dynamic, a visionary, and at only 36 years old, well along the fast track to success.

Jason and his wife, Magda, built an aviation education company, MzeroA, and sold it for an impressive 8-figure sum. 

As an encore, the couple recently launched an AI-driven investment platform — Moola — directed at middle-class consumers, providing the same insights and tools typically reserved for the rich and ultra-rich. 

Jason knows what it takes to build a business from scratch, scale it, and — when the time is right — exit profitably.

Sit back and take notes as Jason offers a clinic on ways to leverage passion, identify opportunities, and make bold decisions.

Monday Morning Radio is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photo: Jason Shappert, Moola Posted: February 3, 2025 Monday Morning Run Time: 52:21 Episode: 13.34

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Are leaders born or made? 

In this week’s episode, Robert E. “Bob” Kaplan, co-founder of Kaplan DeVries and a pioneer in leadership development, tackles this age-old question. 

With more than 30 years of experience helping executives and organizations thrive, Bob shares actionable insights into overcoming mental roadblocks, embracing feedback, and boosting self-confidence.

Drawing from his latest book, Grappling: Leaders Striving to Improve, Bob illustrates how even high-performing leaders can unlock new levels of effectiveness. 

Discover why leadership is as much about introspection and mental resilience as it is about technical skill. 

Whether you’re a seasoned executive or an aspiring leader, this episode offers invaluable strategies to elevate your leadership game. 

Monday Morning Radio is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photo: Bob Kaplan, Kaplan DevriesPosted: January 27, 2025 Monday Morning Run Time: 46:10  Episode: 13.33

Pick up a signed copy of All You Can Eat Business Wisdom for yourself

Fun, well organized, and brimming with useful information, this is a book that some will want to read cover-to-cover and others will treat as a reference book to look up subjects as needed; either way, it’s a delight. 

— Kirkus Reviews

Mike Frick never intended to get into the business of selling specialized construction equipment, including rock screens, bedding boxes, and concrete washout tubs.

But what started as a side hustle and a way to help his son earn extra cash while in college has turned into a thriving business with a large and diverse nationwide customer base, including construction sites, farms, quarries, mines, and the US military.

Bear Iron Works, headquartered in Grand Junction, Colorado, features made-in-America products and embodies all-American values.

A commitment to innovation is at the heart of Bear Iron Works’ success. Mike’s background in construction, ranching, and mining has shaped the company's product development. He combines practical experience with creative problem-solving to design equipment tailored to the needs of his clients.

Mike’s entrepreneurial journey is a reminder that successful business owners come in all varieties and serve many less-than-glamorous markets. But the keys to success remain consistent.

• Focus on quality

• Innovate continuously

• Be resilient in the face of setbacks

• Communicate and collaborate

• Plan for growth

Bear Iron Works is poised for a bright future. With plans to expand its product line and reach new markets, the company is leveraging its reputation for quality and innovation to solidify its position in the industry.

Monday Morning Radio is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photo: Mike Frick, Bear Iron WorksPosted: January 20, 2025 Monday Morning Run Time: 35:46 Episode: 13.32

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You don’t have to be an author or would-be author to profit from the reputation-building insights our guest, W. Terry Whalin, shares on this week’s episode.

Among executives in the book publishing industry, Terry is a rock star.

He alone has written more than 60 mainstream books, including a popular biography of Billy Graham. 

Among Terry’s most popular books is 10 Publishing Myths: Insights Every Author Needs to Succeed.

Currently, Terry serves as acquisitions editor for Morgan James Publishing — a hybrid book publishing house — signing business owners and entrepreneurs as authors and coaching them. Founded in 2003, Morgan James became the first publisher to blend the strength, credibility, and distribution of traditional publishing with the flexibility, author involvement, and time to market of self-publishing.

When it comes to the publishing industry, Terry has seen it all.

This week, he shares the naked truths — good and bad — that all would-be authors must know before they sit down at their keyboards in pursuit of publishing profits and glory.

Monday Morning Radio is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photo: W. Terry Whalin, Morgan James Publishing Posted: January 13, 2025 Monday Morning Run Time: 48:21 Episode: 13.31

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• Insights for Authors, Would-Be Authors, and Readers from Bard Press’s Todd Sattersten

• Meet the Amazing Founder of FSB Associates, Successfully Promoting More Than 2,000 Books

• How Influence and Thought Leadership Are Manufactured in the Competitive Marketplace

Schedule your free 30-minute reputation consultation with Monday Morning Radio founding host Dean Rotbart. https://tinyurl.com/ReputationToolChest