Taking the Leap

Jess is the founder and executive chairman of inDinero, a business that runs thousands of companies' tax, accounting, and finance operations. She is also the Co-Founder and Chair of Astonishing Labs and founding partner of MahWay. This venture builder creates innovative, industry-changing billion-dollar businesses that improve the world. She earned her Associate of Arts from Bard College and her Bachelor's in Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley. She is in the Harvard Business School President’s Program and a Young President’s Organization (YPO) member. She enjoys flying her commercial multi-engine pilot's license in her spare time with an instrument rating. She started her first business in high school and was has been on the cover of Inc Magazine and was recognized on both Inc. and Forbes Magazine's "30 under 30" superstar entrepreneurs. Her combined companies have a value of over one billion dollars.

Show Notes:

• Jess's entrepreneurial journey started at 13 because she knew she "did not want to work for anyone else."
• She started a business to solve her own problem and then used it to solve others.
• Barnes and Noble was her first mentor as she was pulling books off the shelve to learn about business. She realized early how important it was to learn and grow and later get mentors and coaches to help her build her business.
• (11:45) Business got easier as it got larger and scaled. The hardships of the early days will not last forever.
• (14:30) Don't compare yourself to others...you are in competition with yourself. Focus on your "next step" and your journey!
• Jess likes the ratio of focusing 80% on the next 45 days, 10% on the next quarter, and 10% on the next one to five years out.
• (15:50) "People consistently overestimate what they can get done in the next 30 days but underestimate what they can achieve in five to ten years."
• (17:15) Entrepreneur communities are super important to support each other on your journey.
• (18:45) The real challenge is our mindset and attitude. Most entrepreneurs have an understanding of what needs to happen next. 
• (24:25) The greatest growth comes from taking advantage of the latest trends! How are you going to leverage AI? 
• (26:10) Time blocking is a productivity hack that people can use to accomplish more. Elon Musk does this.
• (30:00) What is the difference between the entrepreneurial vs. employee mindset? First, the biggest difference is you have to have a sense of ownership. Everything starts and ends with you. Second, you have to be optimistic at all times. This also bleeds over to your personal life. Third, you need to grow yourself constantly. How do you evolve as a person and leader?
• (32:15) "There is no such thing as work-life balance. As an entrepreneur, your business is part of you. You don't have spouse life or child life balance...they are a part of your life."
• (37:00) How do you have an optimistic attitude when things are going wrong and during a crisis? 
• (41:00) If you have never taken a leap in your career or life, you are probably not pushing the boundaries enough.
• (43:00) When Jess moved from software to biotech, she knew it would be a ten-year investment and she had to be willing to be uncomfortable and start all over. Being an outsider allows you to see things that others may miss, push the boundaries, and be innovative.
• "The more you learn, the more you are able to learn new stuff and it becomes exponential." Examples are Steve Jobs and Elon Musk
• (48:00) Jess gives insights she has about the future based on her research and investments.
• (51:45) If Jess had the ability to give a State of the Union Address to the American people what would she say?

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow us on Apple or Spotify and give us a review. That would be greatly appreciated! 

Miguel Calatayud is the CEO and Director of IWI, an innovative algae nutrition company building sustainable and scalable nutritious food to feed the world’s growing population. He has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Universidad Pública de Navarra, a Master’s of Finance from ESIC, a Master's of Global Logistics from ICIL, an MBA from Comilas Pontifical University, and also graduated from the Harvard Business School President's Program. Miguel is a member of the Young President’s Organization (YPO) and is home based in Houston, Texas. He has spent the past 25 years in the food and agriculture industries and is now helping to revolutionize both with new food tech and agri-tech.  His revolutionary technology uses non-arable land, salt water, and the sun as their energy source to produce the world’s best omega-3 and complex proteins. In the process, he is creating jobs and new industries for local populations. IWILife.com has been featured on CNN, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Guardian, Fast Company, and many other outlets. 

Show Notes:

• Algae omega has three times the absorption rate of fish oil omega.
• Algae protein is better than egg and whey, has all the amino acids needed, and is highly soluble.
• You can grow 20 pounds of essential amino acids per acre of peas per year, 71 pounds of essential amino acids of beef per acre, per year, but with algae, you can grow 6,000 pounds of essential amino acids per acre per year! This is a massive breakthrough!
  • Furthermore, it does not use current freshwater or agricultural land but rather previously unusable desert land and salt water. 
• You need 9,000 gallons of fresh water to produce 1 pound of amino acids from peas, and 17,000 gallons of fresh water to produce 1 pound of essential amino acids from beef, and with algae, they use ZERO fresh water.
• (11:00) - Miguel tells his origin story and the idea behind IWILife.com in 2016.
• Miguel announces the launch of a new product, a three-ounce protein drink with 17 grams of natural protein that has all the branch chain amino acids better than egg and whey. 33% of daily needed protein...an "8-hour protein!"
  • The three most important aspects of a successful food, drink, or protein...Miguel says it is "Taste, Taste, Taste!"
• (19:30) Miguel shares his go-to-market strategy.
• (21:30) Miguel shares how he builds and grows a company during a difficult economy post-COVID.
  • "The challenge is everything we are doing is new. This is also a new category. We have to explain it to the customer." 
  • Strong clinical studies on the product and thousands of consumers raving about the product is helping growth.
• "Many times in life, you have to choose between making an impact or doing a profitable business. In our case, they are both the same!"
• We are democratizing farming and making great, profitable products.
• (27:00) - "If you want to build a successful business, you need to convince the consumer that your product is better than the current best product in the market."
• (32:00) - The middle east has what we need, "Sun, Sand, Salt Water." 
• "Our people are not just motivated by a job or career...they know they are doing something that will change the world. It is bigger than us." It is all about having a purpose-driven motivation over an economic motivation.
• What are the Top 5 that Miguel focuses on: 
  • The Boss = The Customer...are you listening to their needs and what they are telling you?
  • The Team = Have you hired the right team with the right motivations and culture?
  • The Partners = Your suppliers and retailers are a critical component to your operation.
  • The Community = Are you positively impacting the community where you work?
  • The Investors = Do you have the right investors helping you?
• (47:00) - What is going on with Agri-Tech and Food-Tech today? How is the world advancing in these areas?
• (51:00) - The city of Houston food bank provides 151 million meals a year to food-insecure people! This is between 400-600K meals a day!
• Book Recommendations
  • Extreme Ownership - Jocko Willnik 
  • Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence - Max Tegmark
  • Human Compatible: Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Control - Stuart Russell
• (1:04:00) - How would Miguel encourage people to be big dreamers and try to do what others say is impossible?
  • There is no such thing as a dream too big. However, there is a tipping point between dreaming and doing...that is called having a plan.

Kevin Thompson is the Co-Founder of the Thompson Burton Law Firm in Franklin and Nashville, Tennessee. Kevin graduated from the University of Tennessee with a BA in Political Science and then earned his Juris Doctorate from the Tennessee School of Law. While at UT, Kevin was a track athlete and earned All-American honors in the Decathlon, and participated on two SEC and NCAA National Championship Teams. Kevin is a serial entrepreneur and is passionate about redefining the art of law.   

Show Notes:

• Kevin shares his family origin story and his grandfather coming to the United States from Italy and how it created a family legacy that impacts him to this day.
• Kevin's grandfather participated on three National Championship Football teams and the Notre Dame. ('44, '45, and '47)
• What did athletics teach Kevin? Failure is part of the success process. 
• (11:00) "I am trying to teach young lawyers that success compounds over time. Young people do not like the period of embarrassment where they are bad and they don't hang in there long enough for compounding to work for them."
• Our generation's greatest investor is Warren Buffett and 99% of the wealth he has today was generated after the age of 65. This is not an example of "it is never too late to start" but rather he started at age 14 and allowed compounding to work in his favor over time!
• (14:00) What are the dangers of helicopter parents? How can you stunt your children's success by being TOO involved? Give them space to grow and learn.
• (16:00) The origin story of Thompson Burton Law firm.
• Taking risk is critical for success.
• "More is caught than taught. Everything changed for me when my son Luke was born. I knew I had to model the right behaviors."
• (26:00) How do you make a stand? Dive deep into an issue and get to understand every aspect of the issue and take a position on it.
• "The cleaner the space and the more well-defined the rules the less opportunity there is. The messier the space that is less defined has great opportunity."
• (30:00) How will AI impact the legal profession? Why AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ChatGPT is a meteor heading for the legal profession.
• "The value a great lawyer brings is years of experience and judgment."
• ***Key Principle of Success*** "Be a person worthy of a partnership!" Partnerships are not 50/50...don't look at the world that way. Always be looking for ways to give and serve more than the other party.
• (40:00) Walt and Kevin laid a foundation of compensation that was very different from other professional firms. Comp was objective and transparent and it has brought the best entrepreneurial attorneys to their firm because it of the business model.
• Charlie Munger, "When in doubt, focus on the incentives of an organization."
• What does Kevin look for in employees and partners?
• "Invest on the trend line, not the dot!"
• (57:00) "If I was starting over at 25, this is one thing I would do to be successful..."
• "Try to find ways to create value!" 
• (1:00:00) "What are you optimizing your life for?"
• (1:08:00) Thoughts on the economy for 2023 and blockchain and cryptocurrencies...
• (1:17:00) What would Kevin say if he was given the opportunity to give a state of the union address to the American people?
• Book Recommendations
  • Range: Why Generalists Triumph In A Specialized World by David Epstein
  • Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
  • Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation by Edward Chancellor
  • The End of the World is Just the Begining by Peter Zeihan

In this episode, I give a short recap of the origin story of this podcast and how we have been doing post-COVID. We look at a few of the most recent guests and their insights and discuss some of the latest economic data that is impacting every aspect of the economy which according to Professor Mihir Desai, should cause everyone to rethink mental models and frameworks as we move forward.

Show Notes: 

• The origin story of this podcast and the questions we have been asking guests?
• How I became nicknamed "Q" in college.
• Review of guests and their content.
• (20:00) - "The quality of your life is determined by the quality of the questions you ask...Successful people are looking for new sources of information and data that they can leverage! Who we become and the success we have is downstream of the information we get."
• (21:00) - HBS Professor Mihir Desai insights on the global economy - Finance For a World Turned Upside Down.
  • We will have to change the frameworks for how we see and operate in the world.
• (27:00) - Action produces data, and from there, you can PDCA - Plan, Do, Check, and Adjust.
• (34:00) - 77% of the advertised jobs in the US with a salary over $35,000 require a four-year college degree yet only 1/3 of Americans have a college degree.
  • The cost of a college degree has gone up over 1,482% since 1977!
• (36:00) - The benefit of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) like EdX.org and Coursera.org
• (38:00) - How has work changed? The 150-year work model of the 8-hour work day and 5-day work week was blown up during 2020 and COVID.
• (40:00) - This is the most unaffordable housing market in US history! 
• (42:00) - What is the impact on the tech sector? Why are thousands of employees being laid off? 
• (46:00) - How is this impacting small businesses around the United States?
• (47:00) - What is the Boskin Commission and how did it impact entitlement programs and US spending by changing inflation numbers?
• (51:00) - Book Recommendation - The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
• (55:00) - The key to have success is to take agency of your life...have personal discipline and realize our success is up to us and our personal decisions.

Sean Murray is the President and CEO of Advocate Printing and Publishing in Nova Scotia, Canada. Established in 1891 Sean highlights his family's journey and how his grandfather and father worked in, bought, and led this iconic Canadian business that has become a family business over time. Sean is in the Atlantic CEO Hall of Fame, was celebrated as one of Canada's 40 under 40 business leaders, and received the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal. He graduated from Pictou Academy, St. Mary's University, and the Harvard Business School Executive Program. He is the Chair of the Young President's Organization (YPO) Atlantic Canada and is the Director of YPO Canada.

Show Notes:

• The importance of being a lifelong learner in your career.
• How have print, distribution, fulfillment, and media changed over the years?
• Advocate was established in 1891 with the oldest company founded in 1865.
• The importance of succession planning in business but especially family businesses.
• (24:30) How did Sean pivot his business over time due to changes and technology in the global economy? "We put the client's success before our own success."
• (33:00) Why data is digital oil for the new economy.
• Favorite Case at HBS?
  • Francis Frei and focusing on customer delight. What are you choosing to be good at? What are you choosing to be bad at? You can't be everything to everyone!
  • (36:00) What is the art of the possible?
  • Borris Groysberg and building teams and culture.
• (40:00) "The Great Resignation" moved to "Quit Quitting," and now we are moving to the "Great Re-Imagining" as people rethink how they want to live life going forward.
• "We are moving from work-life balance to life-work balance."
• "As soon as people start making more we learned they want to work less." People want to be rewarded with free time not more overtime or increased salary. What people want is changing all around us.
• (45:00) We are seeing on-shoring or re-shoring back to North America. This will have profound changes in our economy.
• (52:00) "When in doubt, focus on incentives!" - Charlie Munger
  • Flexibility today matters more than financial incentives.
• (55:00) Ranjay Gulati's book - Deep Purpose - The Heart and Soul of High-Performance Companies
• (58:00) "We optimized for efficiency but not purpose and meaning!"
• (59:00) Is "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs" changing today? Do we need to reimagine this for a new global economy of an enlightened and empowered population?
• "Careers may be in 3-year increments today instead of 20-year increments as in the past!"
• (1:05:00) Advice for young people. Its all about soft skills and building your network. How are you making sure you are relevant in the conversation? How are you adding value? Don't focus on just doing tasks. Those will be automated away!
  • "Learn how to be an entrepreneur and intrapreneur! If you learn these skill sets, you will be extremely valuable!"
• (1:09:00) "How do we change a ME economy to a WE economy?"
• What has Sean learned are key attributes of being a good entrepreneur? You have to have passion, vision, and purpose! What is your risk appetite? Are you willing to be "all in" and risk it all to succeed? 
  • "Through failure comes learning." 
  • It's not all about you! You have to build a team. You have to have mentors and advisors. This will help you be successful and help you have a work-life balance.
• Book Recommendations:
  • Deep Purpose - The Heart and Soul of High-Performance Companies
  • Everything is Possible - Serhii Rudenko
  • Build, Borrow, Buy - Laurence Capron
  • Zero to One - Peter Thiel
  • Uncommon Service - Francis Frei
• (1:24:00) - What would Sean say if he had the opportunity to give a State of the Union address to the Canadian people?

Jeff Wayne is the President and CEO of Max ERC Refund and comes from a family of serial entrepreneurs. He is the owner and operator of multiple Cycle Bar franchises, Max ERC Refund while he and his family have owned and operated 23 businesses.  He is the former President of Dynamic Rehabilitation. He graduated from Michigan State University and was a member of the Young President's Organization (YPO) for Greater Detroit. 

Show Notes:

• (03:00) - What mountain climbing teaches you about yourself and life. 
• (09:00) - What is the "long gear" in mountain climbing and life? Why is the mental approach so important in life?
• (17:00) - The start of Durakon and DuraLiner and a family business legacy! Watch the Super Bowl ad here.
• (22:00) - How to go "All In" with educated and calculated bets in life.
• (23:00) - Jeff explains why you want your sales team to make a ton of money...its obvious, but many don't understand it.
• (26:00) - Jeff talks about how he is mentoring his daughter Madison Wayne and her four businesses in Scottsdale, Arizona. Check out Icon Itinerary for your next trip to Scottsdale!
• (33:00) - Advice to parents raising children. Jeff discovered he did not want to work for someone else in life.
• (39:00) - John James - Detroit Businessman, Army Veteran, YPO member, and US Congressman.
• (43:00) - A watching "Top Gun" on Kilimanjaro.  
• (55:00) - Lia Wayne CEO and Founder of Top Gun Talent and Jeff Wayne CEO and Founder of Max ERC Refund.
  • What is the CARES ACT? 
• (1:03:00) - All of Jeff's businesses are people and service-centric. What has he learned to have success as a business leader?
  • Jeff is building most of his businesses via Zoom and not face-to-face today. This is a big change from the past.
  • You have to find a way to stand out! Make a connection.
• (1:10:00) - "Business is easy... it's all about relationships. People will do business with people they like, and people like people who are like themselves. The key is finding commonalities and areas of mutual interest to build rapport and trust!" 
• (1:15:00) - Jeff gives insight into the white-collar and tech recession hitting America in early 2023.
  • Working at a large company is not safe. This will lead to more entrepreneurship in America.
• (1:21:00) - Jeff asks an incredibly important question for entrepreneurs. "What do you find attractive about entrepreneurship? What do you want?" This will change over time based on your goals and experiences. At this stage of life, Jeff wants flexibility!
• "I want FREEDOM!"
• (1:25:00) - We are going through a great REIMAGINATION of work in America!
• (1:29:00) - Don't measure yourself on old metrics of success.
• (1:31:00 ) - AI & ChatGPT and the changing landscape of work.
  • Why deep domain experience is not as important as breadth/range of experience today.
• (1:38:00) - "You can't be an entrepreneur and be dystopian. Entrepreneurship requires you to be optimistic!"
• Book Recommendation
  • Good to Great 
• (1:42:00) - If Jeff was asked to give a State of the Union Address to the American people, what would he say?
• "On the plains of hesitation bleach the bones of countless millions who, at the dawn of decision, sat down to wait, and waiting died!" - George Cecil 

Jason Radisson is the CEO and Founder of ShiftOne. He has a bachelor of arts degree from Holy Cross with honors in Political Science. He was a Fulbright Scholar in economics at the University of Gottingen and started his Ph.D. at Harvard in Economics. Jason worked at McKinsey, Uber, 99 (an Uber competitor in Brazil), with many other stops along the way. Jason is helping lead a work revolution for frontline workers solving employment problems with technology.

Show Notes:

• Jason gives his background and origin story that leads him to become the CEO and Founder of ShiftOne.com and his entrepreneurial insight on "frontline workers" and how technology can help both employees and employers.
• (16:00) Are terms "gig economy" and "freelancer economy" the same or different?
• ShiftOne is focusing on full-time jobs not part-time jobs.
• (21:00) What are the challenges of building a dual sided market place? How good of a manager you are in this type of industry is determined by how well you can grow both sides together. 
• (25:00) What is going on with the worker shortage? H-1b Visa issues and immigation issues impacting the US Economy?
• (33:00) Why would someone want to look for work through ShiftOne? What are the benefits? 
  • The ability to learn, pivot industries, and have access to more opportunities. People want more flexibility and opportunities!
  • The ability to give people "deep skills."
• (37:00) Why education is important. Why you should always look to "up skill" in your career.
• Marc Andreessen "Software is eating the world!" Software and automation is changing the economy and will destroy old jobs but also create NEW jobs and industries!
•  If you are doing unskilled tasks they will get automated away. People need to move up the value chain which will require new skills.
  • Machine operation roles
  • Engineering roles
  • Healthcare
• Where can you go to get more skills for free? Coursera.org and EdX.org are great assets to use. 
• (40:00) Where do you start? Be curious. Ask questions. Become a lifelong learner.
• (43:00) What is the secret of building and running a unicorn business? 
  • Picking the markets, business model, and strategy is critical.
  • Most profits in the ride sharing world where not in the US and China but in Brazil. Why?
  • What is your insight? 
• (53:00) Best practice - The Hill Climbing Practice - the operation must be better this week than last week.
  • Agile and SCRUM processes.
• (56:00) What does the post COVID work world look like?
  • ChatGPT
• Book Recommendations
  • Crossing the Chasm - Geoffery Moore
  • Valuation - Tim Koller
  • Decision Making Under Uncertainty - MIT
  • The Passenger - Cormac McCarthy
• (1:09:00) If Jason could give a State of the Union address to the American people what would he say?

Rod Arnold graduated from Texas A&M University and was a member of the famed Corps of Cadets. He is the Chairman of the Board of The Delta Chi Educational Foundation, CEO of All Pro Rush, and the CEO of the Bourbon Whisperer. Follow him on Instagram at the 

Show Notes:

• Rod starts by sharing his origin story and what motivated him to leave a 30-year career as a healthcare executive to become the "Bourbon Whisperer." How did he discover this opportunity? Why did he make the leap?
• (15:00) - Rod discusses how his wife was an essential part of starting the company and helping him craft the business plan. He recognizes how this pivot will be better for him and his career. Having situational awareness of what is going on in the world around you is important to see opportunities.
• (20:00) - Rod discusses how sales classes and learnings from his career helped him during the transition and manage the tensions and stress of making a dramatic career shift. How do you break out of patterns and habits to do something new?
• "The chains of our habits are unnoticeable until they are too strong to be broken!"
• (27:00) - Rod started his business by finding a place to serve others! Start by serving others and you will find a way to grow.
• (30:00) - The first crisis for the industry was Prohibition from 1920 to 1933. The second crisis in American bourbon history came during the 1960s as the younger generations turned away from their parent's whiskey and turned to clear liquors. When Sean Connery as James Bond asks for a martini "shaken not stirred," this marks the cultural shift.
• (33:00) - The Heaven Hill Distillery fire shows how this industry, with many generations of family-owned businesses, are connected, and help each other in good times and bad.
• (39:00) - What is the right way to drink bourbon?
• (41:00) - Women have three times the taste and olfactory senses men have. They are much better at picking up the tastes and smells in food, wine, and alcohol. 
• (44:00) - Frank Sinatra always drank Jack Daniels. He was the first celebrity endorser of a product and never got paid for it. He had a favorite drink and a secret way to drink it. Rod gives the story of Frank Sinatra.
• Book Recommendation - "The Way You Wear Your Hat: Frank Sinatra and The Lost Art of Livin"
• (50:00) - Bourbon does not need to be made in Kentucky but must be made in the United States to be called a Bourbon.
  • The weather, water, and barrel, all impact the bourbon as much as the ingredients.
• Bottle and Bond - passed in 1897 was the first consumer protection act in America to protect citizens from the "snake oil salesmen" in the old west selling poor-grade alcohols, tonics, and elixirs that were killing people. 
• (1:07:00) - What has happened to give the industry a resurgence today? American Whiskey is booming today.
  • Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery
  • Weller, Old Fitzgerald, and Makers Mark were brands sold off to other distillers. The family held on to one brand "Old Rip Van Winkle."
  • The Japanese market and investment also helped save the American bourbon market.
• "Wheated Bourbons" are softer and smoother. A few examples are Larceny, Weller, Old Fitzgerald, Old Rip Van Winkle, and Makers Mark.
• Follow Rod Arnold at The Bourbon Whisperer and on Instagram
• No matter what you do in life have enthusiasm. If you don't have it in your current job it might be time to start looking around for something else to do.
• Book Recommendations
  • Bourbon Curious by Fred Minnick
  • Bourbon Justice by Brian Haara
  • Pappland by Wright Thompson
  • Four Roses - The Return of a Whiskey Legend by Al Young

Brett M. Johnson graduated from Brown University, where he was a member of the rowing team and received his Bachelor of Arts in History. He received his MBA from Pepperdine University and graduated from the Harvard Business School Executive Program. He is a member of the Young President's Organization (YPO) and is the CEO and Founder of Benevolent Capital and Founder of Fortuitous Partners.

Brett is the Chairman of Rhode Island FC, Director and Shareholder of Ipswich Town FC in England and Phoniex Rising FC in Phoneix, Arizona.

Show Notes:

• How Brett fell in love with soccer (Football) and the insight that led him to get involved in professional soccer (football) in the United States and England.
  • Phoenix Rising FC, Rhode Island FC, Ipswich Town FC 
• (8:00) What were the problems and challenges that Brett found with traditional private equity firms?
• (11:00) Brett discovered the incentives were misaligned. When he and Grant founded Benevolent Capital they decided to focus on creating the right incentive structure, which is very different from traditional private equity firms.
• (13:00) - What did Brett learn as a "Wartime CEO"...a leader navigating challenging times.
  • "The challenges I faced made me a good CEO and leader...I love being an entrepreneur!" 
  • "As an entrepreneur, the universe will test you!"
• (24:00) - What was Brett's thesis for Professional Soccer in the United States?
  • What are the similarities and differences between traditional business and professional sports?
• (29:00) - What is the impact of Ted Lasso on the game of soccer in the United States?
• (33:00) - What other business insights is Brett having after being in professional sports?
• (40:00) - The World Cup truly is an event that brings the world together unlike anything else.
• (45:00) - Brett advises young people.
• (49:00) - Brett's top three skills everyone needs to be successful in life.
• "I know I am doing exactly what I should be doing and that is a great feeling!" Brett had to "take the leap" to get there and he went all in!
  • You get rewarded when you go "all in" and people and the world see that you mean business.
• Learning how to "manage up" in your career is as important as how you "manage down" in your career.
• Book Recommendations
  • Never Split the Difference - Chris Voss
  • Shoe Dog - Phil Knight
  • American Lion - Jon Meacham
  • The Last Hill - Bob Drury and Tom Clavin
  • Against All Odds - Alex Kershaw
• (1:00:00) Why is outside motivation so important for an entrepreneur and their journey?
• (1:03:00)If Brett could give a State of the Union Address to the American people what would he say?
• Connect with Brett M. Johnson on Linkedin. 

Dr. Sajjan Gohel has a Bachelor of Arts in Politics with Honors from Queen Mary University in London. He earned his Master's in Comparative Politics and Ph.D. in International History both from the London School of Economics. 

• International Security Director for the London-based Asia Pacific Foundation
• Editor of NATO's Counter Terrorism Reference Curriculum
• Host of NATO's first-ever podcast series, "Deep Dive"
• Author "Doctor, Teacher, Terrorist" the story of Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahari

Show Notes:

• Dr. Gohel gives a succinct overview of Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahari and conflicts in the middle east.
• What are the ideological doctrines that radicalize? 
• What did the fall of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan mean for the middle east? 
• The near enemy vs. the far enemy.
• The 9-11 attack was less about an attack on America and more of an attack on a value system. It was part of an ideological war.
• What is the Haqqani Network?
• What is the Quad in the Indo-Pacfic? What you need to know?
• What is the difference between ISIS and Al-Qaeda? 
• Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahari's last strategy was the "safe base" concept being built in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.
• The difference between Osama Bin Laden and Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahari?
• Why is it important to know history and learn from history...it is the foundation of understanding our world today.
• Why and how did Dr. Sajjan Gohel choose his career path? Why people should be proud historians.
• What is Dr. Gohel's advice to young people starting their career?
• Dr. Gohel discusses his love of football, the Celtic Club in Scotland, and his prediction for the World Cup final.
• Book Recommendation - for Soccer (Football) fans - Martin O'Neill - Biography
• If Dr. Gohel could give a State of the Union address to the American people what would he say?