Serve Strong Finish Strong

So what's your story? What, what is it that brings you right to this episode? What have you been through? What have you experienced? Where have you failed? Where have you succeeded? 

In this episode, my guest and I talk about how important stories are. 

Why are we talking branding, marketing and sales on the server strong finish strong podcast? Well as because in our 40s and 50s, somewhere along the line we are going to be facing with big faced with change. monumental change. In many cases. 

If you own a business, you may be stepping away from that business or selling that business. If you're an executive, you may have left the corporate world because you are either sick and tired of it or you're a victim of ageism, and you're thinking about that next adventure. 

I believe there is an asset that you need to bring with you. As you either step away, sell your business or step into your own business. And that asset is your story. 

My guest, Gunilla de Santo, is a detail-oriented big picture thinker and has had her fingers in a lot of creative pies. As a heartfelt and expressive storyteller, and with a love for all things visual, she has enjoyed a multifaceted career in arts and entertainment.

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A native of Sweden, she started her career there as a dancer and back-up singer. After her move to the US, she became a promotions executive in the recording industry where she earned several gold records for her contributions.  

She and her husband, Sam, are partners and Co-Creative Directors at S&G Studios, which is a boutique creative agency specializing in branding through storytelling. They help their clients stand out against the competition and attract their ideal clients by telling their unique story of who they are, what makes them special and why they should be hired.

You can find Gunilla at https://www.sandgstudios.com/

To learn more, visit:

www.servingstrong.com

Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:

www.missionmatters.com/author/scott-couchenour

Ah, the fountain of youth. You seek it because you don't want to miss out on life. You chase after purveyors of promises and potions only to find they don't work.

Well, we may be onto something that may just be what reverses our aging. Brian and I talk about that and the trinity of behaviors that are already a fountain of youth (a fountain we have carried around in our own back pocket all our lives).

Brian Clark is the founder of the pioneering content marketing website Copyblogger, the midlife personal growth newsletter Further, and Unemployable, an educational community that provides smart strategies for freelancers and entrepreneurs. 

He’s also co-founder of Digital Commerce Partners, a content marketing and SEO agency for digital business owners.

He has been featured in well-known works such as Linchpin by Seth Godin, Atomic Habits by James Clear, Free Agent Nation by Daniel Pink,The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau, and many many more.

The most influential work that Brian has produced for me is the work with Further. You can find out more here:

www.further.net

To learn more, visit:

www.servingstrong.com

Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:

www.missionmatters.com/author/scott-couchenour

Disruptions happen in the most unusual ways. For me it was losing an entire career at age 50. For my guest, it was a combination of a couple of things. First, it was a growing sense in her heart that God was calling her to something different than architecture. Second, she was diagnosed with cancer.

Our discussion takes you through her journey and how it has shaped her 4th quarter so far.

Be encouraged that, regardless of your disruption, there is always hope.

Vicki Finney is Founder and Owner of Marketplace Rock. Her passion is to see the power of prayer alive and active in the marketplace; transforming businesses, people, and situations for God’s glory.

Vicki was formerly a member of the leadership team at Denver House of Prayer where she recognized that time spent in prayer for the business world was almost non-existent.

After 25+ years in the corporate world in architecture, the Lord began revealing the new path he had for her, including surviving cancer.  It was during this cancer experience that God revealed his desire for a deeper relationship with her.  

And it was through this same experience that he revealed a plan for intimacy with people in the marketplace.  

You can find Vicki at

www.marketplacerock.com

To learn more, visit:

www.servingstrong.com

Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:

www.missionmatters.com/author/scott-couchenour

This episode is primarily for the person "on the inside looking out." You're busy with your work (and you may even love what you're doing), but you have a growing compulsion to do something new, something different.

But you don't know where to start.

My conversation with Bill McGinnis might be just what you're looking for. Having grown a whitewater rafting company to a very successful endeavor over 38 years, he sold it off and is not writing novels full time.

We reflect on the rafting, rivers, selling a business, succeeding, failing, writing, procrastination, and living the best life ever.

You won't want to miss this conversation.

In 2012, Bill McGinnis published his first thriller novel, Whitewater: A Thriller. The next year, in 2013, after outfitting for 38 years, he sold his company in order to focus on writing the award-winning Adam Weldon Thriller Series, which now includes: Gold Bay, Cyclops Conspiracy, and Slay the Dragon. Both fun and thought-provoking, these fast-paced thrillers keep the reader hooked from beginning to end. 

According to The Epoch Times, McGinnis has  “an intriguing writing style” that uses “fiction to provide facts” and “storylines that are contemporaneous with current world events."

You will find more at

https://www.williammcginnis.com

To learn more, visit:

www.servingstrong.com

Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:

www.missionmatters.com/author/scott-couchenour

The Serve Strong Finish Strong podcast is becoming the podcast that empowers individuals over 50 to take charge of their lives and embark on a journey of self-discovery and transformation. In this age of rapid change, it's never too late to embrace new opportunities and redefine what's possible for you.

In this episode we geek out and go deep into the inner workings of the neurons of the brain. The reason is to shed light on what happens when we embark on change.

If you're thinking about a major change in your vocation or your life, this episode will help you to understand what goes on in your brain and the brains of those impacted by your change. This awareness will help navigate the somewhat challenging aspects of change.

It's a bit longer than the usual episodes, but I think you'll really enjoy the conversation. This is definitely not the last time we'll talk with our guest, Dr. David Bovis.

David is a time-served precision engineer and mould-maker who has more than 30yrs experience in 'WCM/Lean' change environments across Europe.

David became operations director, consultant and advisor, working with regulated professional services companies like Grant Thornton.

David established Duxinaroe in 2013, and has worked for over a decade to refine the BTFA product, joining forces with Levent Turk (16 years at Toyota as production GM, Quality GM and TME country President) in 2020, to bring it to market as a digital offering.

You will find more at www.duxinaroe.com

To learn more, visit:

www.servingstrong.com

Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:

www.missionmatters.com/author/scott-couchenour

You have regrets. Welcome to the human condition. We all have regrets. But not all of us are living under the weight of those regrets. Many are seeing the opportunity in regrets and are taking steps to grow personally and professionally.

Dealing with regrets is vital as we age. Why? Because our time is diminishing. If you want to make a difference with your life, you are going to have to get serious about how you grow and develop going forward. And approaching your regrets with openness and curiosity is a fantastic way to do that.

To learn more, visit:

www.servingstrong.com

Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:

www.missionmatters.com/author/scott-couchenour

Every hour of every day, you are faced with (and make) multiple decisions. Some are insignificant, like which shirt to wear. Others are profound, like whether or not to quit your job and go out on your own.

As you age, the weight of your decisions gets heavier and heavier. That's due to the fact that the time you have to recover from a bad decision is much shorter than it used to be.

So in this episode, we are going to go backstage to what goes on in our brain and emotions when we make decisions.

My hope is that after listening to this episode, you will have a greater appreciation for the decisions you make as well as inspiration to explore more about how you choose what you choose.

To learn more, visit:

www.servingstrong.com

Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:

www.missionmatters.com/author/scott-couchenour

It's time to get serious about where you're going in life. Time is your enemy. Messing around with complacency, confusion, or procrastination will only lead to increased regrets.

In this episode, I cover 5 questions (probably the most important questions) you should be asking yourself as you design your future.

Don't live life by default.

To learn more, visit:

www.servingstrong.com

Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:

www.missionmatters.com/author/scott-couchenour

At some point in your journey, you will need to implement. After all, anything worth while comes down to the walk.

Look around you. Everything you see was not only an idea at one point, but an idea that was implemented.

When you go to implement, your greatest opportunity is in how productive you are. Luckily, my guest and I delve into a bunch of ideas and principles related to productivity.

Enjoy!

Brandon Wetzstein is owner of In8create, a company that delivers organizational workshops that solve the tension between quality and speed.  

Through design, tools, and environment, he unleashes the deep insights and ideas of your team.

Brandon does this by using the LEGO Serious Play Method in which users build thoughts and ideas out of LEGO bricks. 

At In8create, they believe that everyone has untapped creative and imaginative potential. Their mission is to unlock that potential. 

You can find Brandon here:

https://www.in8create.com/

To learn more, visit:

www.servingstrong.com

Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:

www.missionmatters.com/author/scott-couchenour

You founded it. You built it. And now you have no idea what to do with it as you age.

Join us on this episode to get clarity on what's going on and what you can do to transition out of your business and thrive.

NOTE: Although this episode touches primarily on the dynamics of transitioning out of a family business, the principles shared can apply to virtually any season of transition you may be facing in your 40-50's. 

As a growth and transition specialist serving family businesses, Tom helps owners and their leadership teams uncover solutions to the complex and often emotionally‐-charged challenges inherent in a family business that can undermine a healthy culture.

Tom Garrity began his career in customer service with Larson Manufacturing, a family‐-run building materials company. He was promoted to East Coast Logistics Manager, and then later served as a Territory Sales Manager. During his 11-‐year tenure, the company grew from $20,000,000 to well north of $200,000,000. He moved on to become the president and CEO of two other family‐-owned manufacturing companies.

Tom’s extensive business development experience, broad leadership positions and practical financial analysis background became the foundation for Compass Point, launched in 2003, His clients know him for asking the right questions, listening, and getting their teams on the same page to build companies of value and transferability.

When he is not in the trenches with his clients, Tom enjoys golf, tennis, hanging out with his family, and a fall afternoon watching college football.

You can find Tom at:

https://www.compasspt.com

To learn more, visit:

www.servingstrong.com

Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters:

www.missionmatters.com/author/scott-couchenour