Michael Ivanov is a motivational speaker and the Founder of Speaklife365. He is the best-selling author of The Servant with One Talent, The Traveler's Secret, and The Mount of Olives—which combines courage, faith, and wisdom to share an inspiring tale of self-discovery. Michael is committed to helping leaders, teams, and influencers connect with their most powerful selves and create transformational change in peoples' lives.

Michael joins us today to discuss how you can smash your fears and limitations for a fulfilling life. He explains how he began his career in public speaking despite dropping his college speech class. He explains why motivation and inspiration need to be quickly followed by action. He describes how anyone can build momentum. He also highlights the importance of taking ownership of life's challenges and underscores the value of service to others.

"The more you train yourself to take action the minute you're inspired, the easier it becomes for you to overcome fear, procrastination, and laziness." - Michael Ivanov

This week on The Model FA Podcast:

• Michael's background and what led him to public speaking
• The importance of putting inspiration into action
• Why building momentum is better than motivation
• Taking ownership of challenges and obstacles in life
• How your words create your world
• The value of giving back and serving others
• Why caring for others is the best way to market your business

Resources Mentioned:

• Book: Conversations: How to Manage Your Business Relationships One Conversation at a Time by Ivan Farber
• Book: The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino
• Book: A Better Way to Live: Og Mandino's Own Personal Story of Success by Og Mandino
• Book: Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink
• Book: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

Our Favorite Quotes:

• "Motivation dissipates over time until you get that next hit, but taking that big thing in front of you and breaking it down into tiny pieces will create the momentum that's going to move you forward." - David DeCelle
• "You need to be okay with being silly and weird and doing things that other people aren't doing if you want to live a life most other people aren't living." - David DeCelle
• "If you control everything that you can control and make the right decisions, the things you can't control will take care of themselves eventually." - Michael Ivanov

Connect with Michael Ivanov:

• Speaklife365
• Book: The Mount of Olives: 11 Declarations to an Extraordinary Life
• Book: The Traveler's Secret: Ancient Proverbs for Better Living
• Book: The Servant with One Talent: Five Success Principles from the Greatest Parable Ever Told
• Michael Ivanov on LinkedIn
• Michael Ivanov on Instagram
• Michael Ivanov on Facebook
• Michael Ivanov on YouTube

About the Model FA Podcast

The Model FA podcast is a show for fiduciary financial advisors. In each episode, our host David DeCelle sits down with industry experts, strategic thinkers, and advisors to explore what it takes to build a successful practice — and have an abundant life in the process. We believe in continuous learning, tactical advice, and strategies that work — no "gotchas" or BS. Join us to hear stories from successful financial advisors, get actionable ideas from experts, and re-discover your drive to build the practice of your dreams.

Did you like this conversation? Then leave us a rating and a review in whatever podcast player you use. We would love your feedback, and your ratings help us reach more advisors with ideas for growing their practices, attracting great clients, and achieving a better quality of life. While you are there, feel free to share your ideas about future podcast guests or topics you'd love to see covered.

Our Team:

President of Model FA, David DeCelle

If you like this podcast, you will love our community! Join the Model FA Community on Facebook to connect with like-minded advisors and share the day-to-day challenges and wins of running a growing financial services firm.