Episode Type: Inspirational People

Welcome to another episode of Inspirational People. In this discussion, I get the opportunity of introducing you to a new friend and fellow business consultant, Lauren Hisey.

In 2019, Lauren (a Lean Six Sigma specialist) transitioned from corporate America working with Nielson (and AT&T before that) to the Entrepreneur life as an independent coach and consultant. She now works with business owners to rapidly get from where they are to where they want to be.

We recently connected after I spoke at Kettering Executive Network about flourishing as a freelancer during a pandemic. As part of her 2020 goal of 100 lunch meetings, a campaign similar to the one I ran at the conclusion of my marketing business and launch as a freelancer, we had an initial one-on-one digital meeting and also invited her to share her stories and insights on the podcast.

In this conversation, we talk about her jump from corporate America to independent consulting and the challenges that come with running a small business. We also explore the lessons learned in her transition, how she's navigating the cascading crises (health, economic, and social), the power of a continuous improvement mindset, maintaining boundaries with work, and why NOW is the time to embrace humility and opportunities within uncertainty.

Connect With Lauren

Connect with Lauren on Linkedin, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Visit her consulting website here | Visit her blog here.

Click the following URL to view the video version: https://www.jasonscottmontoya.com/inspiration/people/538-lauren-hisey

Episode Type: Inspirational People

In this episode, I introduce you to my long-standing friend and fellow entrepreneur, Craig Haynie. Craig is the founder and CEO of CablesAndKits.com, a company historically focused on networking equipment and accessories, but amidst the Coronavirus crisis, has expanded its product portfolio to include safety products like masks and hand sanitizers.

After both of us moved to Atlanta, we got connected through our mutual attendance at First Baptist Atlanta church. We quickly became friends and have shared life and work on and off for the last decade and a half. In my second book for small business owners (The Jump), Craig wrote the introduction and epilogue to set and reinforce the message. Perhaps most importantly, we both love to watch movies and we were both movie extras in The Founder (about Mcdonalds starring Michael Keaton) together.

In this discussion, we talk about his company's pivot in the pandemic, Star Trek stories, reflection through journaling, the importance of starting when it comes to change and improvement, and how he launched a daily CEO email communicating with his customers.

Connect With Craig

Connect with Craig on Linkedin or email him directly at [email protected] - You can also visit his blog here (not actively updated).

Visit Craig's company website, CablesAndKits.com here.

Click here to watch this interview: https://www.jasonscottmontoya.com/inspiration/people/537-craig-haynie

Episode Type: Book Discussion (with the author)

Welcome to another episode of Grow Your Life. In this book discussion episode, I introduce you to the co-author of The Map: Your Path to Effectiveness In Leadership, Life, And Legacy, Keith M. Eigel, Ph.D.

Keith and I have known each other for about a decade, first connected through a mutual friend. From there, we've worked together on several occasions. In 2017, I completed the Leaders Lyceum personal development program here in the Atlanta area, which is an organization founded by Keith and dedicated to transforming people and impacting organizations.

In this powerful conversation, we talk about who we want to be when this pandemic, economic downturn, and social crisis are over. Keith also encourages us to ask ourselves the question, what's the story we want to tell when this is over? As the episode progresses, we also dive into the importance of challenges contradicting our current understanding, the five knowable stages of adult development, and the vital importance of engaging people that have lived different experiences (and that look different than us).

Connect With Keith

Connect with Keith on Linkedin, Twitter, or Facebook

Visit the website for the book, The Map here - Buy on Amazon here (affiliate link) - Read my commentary on the book here.

Visit the Leaders Lyceum website here and read my experience going through the program here.

Listen to the Letter from A Birmingham Jail here - Read it here.

Click here to read to learn about Constructive Development Theory

Watch this discussion at the following URL: https://www.jasonscottmontoya.com/personal-development/534-keith-eigel

Episode Type: Inspirational People

Welcome to this episode of Inspirational People. In this episode, I get the awesome opportunity of introducing you to CRM Jedi Master Allen Helms.

Allen and I got connected through the Hubspot User Group here in Atlanta over the past several years. Allen is not just a Hubspot master, but also a Salesforce Jedi. He works with organizations to plan and grow their incoming volume of generated leads and closed deals. He also works his Jedi magic transitioning organizations to either Salesforce or Hubspot and when necessary, he tames both systems to work effectively together (as well as the teams from both sales and marketing).

We talk about the origin of his business and its name, how to effectively work together, the power of organization in our lives and work, and how love conquers evil in the end. In the final segment, Allen shares about his recent CS Lewis readings and the scriptural insights that can help us to let go and humble ourselves in even the most challenging of circumstances.

Connect With Allen

Connect with Allen on Linkedin

Visit Allen's company website, Organic Endeavors

For the video version of the interview, please visit this link: https://www.jasonscottmontoya.com/inspiration/people/532-allen-helms

Episode Type: Inspirational People

Welcome to another episode of Inspirational People! In this episode, I get the opportunity of introducing you to a talented speaker, a creative trainer, and the improv podcaster Jim Karwisch.

Improv Jim and I originally met via Twitter after he posted a doodle of an Andy Stanley sermon. Subsequent coffee that quickly turned into lunch at Willy's Mexican Grill, forged a friendship that would seemly endure the most troublesome of relational disputes. At the time, Jim was making his transition from corporate America to Entrepreneur. We've participated in a freelancer's mastermind, blogging challenges, movie and TV discussions, and have remained good friends until he moved away several ago to the city of Rome, Georgia. Since then we've been distant enemies as he harvests the brains of my friends. In addition to being a brain harvester, Jim is also a trainer, coach, and gamification experiential facilitator.

In this uncertain and bizarre interview between two former friends, now enemies, Jim Karwisch and I talk about how to harvest the brains of my friends and what to think when someone unexpectedly waves a gun at you. If you're looking to start your own fight club to combat the stress of this Coronavirus crisis, this is the podcast you need to directly inject into your mind (It's the only way). There is no blue pill for this interview, so get ready to dive into the signals that inform and direct your behavior. Plus, we talk about systems so you won't want to miss that tidbit.

Connect With Jim

Connect with Jim on social media - Linkedin, Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter.

Visit Jim's personal coaching website (Untangling Narrative) here and DuMoreImprov here.

Visit the Improv in Action network with four different podcasts to explore, here.

To watch this interview, visit the following URL: https://www.jasonscottmontoya.com/inspiration/people/530-jim-karwisch

Episode Type: Inspirational People

In this new episode of Inspirational People, I introduce you to Jeff Fambrough a long-time friend from a past life. We originally got connected through a mutual friend while Jeff was working for a former employer many years ago. To our recent mutual surprise, we were reconnected this past year through his leadership and coaching at a community church basketball league at Christ Place Church north of metro Atlanta.

Jeff works with Indeed full-time as an enterprise account manager, a role and business this crisis has made rather interesting. More importantly, Jeff is a passionate, deliberate, and intentional leader in his family, community, and church.

In this discussion, we talk about how we effectively start our day, the challenges of navigating uncertainty, what unemployed folks can be doing to find work, and the most important relationship we can have.

Connect With Jeff

Visit Jeff's Linkedin page here or his company website here.

Watch this discussion at the following URL: https://www.jasonscottmontoya.com/inspiration/people/528-jeff-fambrough

Episode Type: Listening To Learn

Welcome to the first episode of Listening to Learn as part of the Grow Your Life podcast. In this episode, we're going to spend time asking questions of Inspirational People alumni Denise Renee about the unrest we're seeing across our nation.

The intersection of the complex world we live in with the Coronavirus crisis has surfaced numerous individual and systemic issues that Americans have failed to fully deal with despite the suffering that neglect and aggression have caused for much of the black community — With recent horrific events, including the killing of George Floyd by an officer using excessive force on a black man pleading for his life — American cities have seen an uprising of protests across the nation with many of them turning violent.

Now is the time for us to listen and learn as we seek out effective solutions to solve these complex problems. In this discussion, we'll dive into the topic of racial reconciliation and what we can learn and apply from the historic events that are unfolding around the country.

Connected With Denise Renee

Watch my interview with Denise Renee about Stories and Systems to work smarter and live better.

Visit Desise Renee's Website here and her writing portfolio site here.

Follow and Subscribe to her Youtube Channel here.

Connect on Linkedin, Facebook, or Instagram

Watch this interview at the following URL: https://www.jasonscottmontoya.com/others/reconciliation/525-denise-renee-racial-reconciliation

Inspirational People

Welcome to another episode of Inspirational People!

Today I get to the wonderful pleasure of introducing you to Toby Bloomberg. Toby is a long-time friend, collaborator, and fellow freelancer. She works with organizations to help them empathize with their customers and effectively communicates with them through social media marketing channels.

We originally met as board members of the Atlanta Interactive Marketing Association and we've been through numerous fruitful and challenging projects together. In this discussion, we talk about the simple act of breathing, how business models are drastically shifting, and how reflection and patience can help us wisely navigate the crisis we're all facing.

Connect With Toby

Connect with Toby on Social media - Linkedin or Twitter.

Visit Toby's website, Bloomberg Marketing, and learn how you can work to incorporate empathetic marketing in your business.

Visit DivaFoodies.com or connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

To watch this interview, visit the following URL: https://www.jasonscottmontoya.com/inspiration/people/523-toby-bloomberg

Book Discussion

In this second video book discussion with my friend Benji Hollis (VP of Sales at The Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl), we dive into Louder Than Words by Andy Stanley, a book exploring the power of uncompromised living (affiliate link).

The book explores the concept of character, what it is, and how our character can change the trajectory of our life as well as the effect we have on others during the journey.

Benji and I both read this book as part of our Church's Leadership Development group we both recently graduating from. We've become good friends through the program and got a lot out of the read and subsequent discussion. We were inspired to discuss and share these insights with you in the following recorded discussion.

Here's the summary description on the book's back cover.

How important is your character? It determines everything about you! How much you will accomplish in life, and whether you are worth knowing. How you will respond to success, and how you will weather the inevitable storms of life.

This is a book about uncompromised living. It is about choosing every day to be a man or woman of integrity, a person whose actions speak louder than words. Bestselling author Andy Stanley challenges you to become what you were meant to be: a person whose commitment to doing the right thing, whatever the cost, will inspire others and change your world.

Click the following URL to watch this discussion.

https://www.jasonscottmontoya.com/personal-development/520-louder-than-words-andy-stanley

Inspirational People

Welcome to another episode of Inspirational People.

Today, I get the awesome opportunity of introducing you to Elizabeth Dixon. Connected through our mutual friend, Jessica Lalley, Elizabeth is a strategist, innovator, and a speaking executive sharing on various personal and business development topics for organizations like the University of Georgia, Southwest Airlines, and the Global Leadership Summit. While she first began working for the wellness of the Chick-Fil-A staff, Elizabeth now leads the strategic design of hospitality and customer service across stores.

In this interview, we explore a variety of topics including the challenges of a crisis and how they can be an opportunity for us to develop habits, cultivate culture, innovate in new directions, and proactively plan for the future.

Connect With Elizabeth

Connect with Elizabeth on Linkedin and Instagram.

Visit Elizabeth's speaking website

Read Elizabeth's article Never Waste A Good Crisis

Click the following URL to watch this interview

https://www.jasonscottmontoya.com/inspiration/people/518-elizabeth-dixon