I want to start this episode with a simple question – why are you in business? What's your plan? Is it just to make a good living? To grow and expand? That's all great but what is your exit strategy? A responsible investor always knows when they will sell but many business owners don't do the same. Most are just working really hard to make their companies successful. Long-term planning seems like a luxury.

Today's guest wants you to think bigger. Kerry Bolton is a serial entrepreneur and is the author of a new book titled Million Dollar Pay Day: How To Get Rich and Get Out. In it she describes the end game strategies of the rich and famous. Key among those strategies is the development of an exit strategy early in the life cycle of your business. There are some hugely important aspects that potential buyers want to see in any business. Those need to be in place well before you are read to sell.

I’ve had an incredible opportunity over the last 71 episodes of the Team Guru podcast to speak with some truly inspiring women. In the course of those conversations the topic of women in the workplace often came up. I wanted to share some of those with you this week. I think they help to illustrate just how profoundly modern women are changing the economy and politics for the better.

It’s been a remarkable journey to get to episode 70. When I first started the Team Guru Podcast two and a half years ago I wanted it to be a place where I could take the theory of leadership development and bring it to life. I’ve been lucky to be able to talk with some of the world’s best authors, CEO’s and leaders. Now that we’ve entered the Christmas season I thought it would be a great opportunity to look back at some of the lessons I’ve learned over the last few years.

The science of the brain has been revolutionized over the last decade. Here on the Team Guru Podcast we have regularly discussed the implications of being constantly bombarded with information. It produces stress, burn-out and a profound sense of unhappiness. But we have never fully investigated why that is. My guest this week Kristen Hansen is a neuroscientist who has been helping people for years to improve their performance by better understanding the brain. She is the author of Traction: The neuroscience of leadership and performance. She provides a fascinating insight into how our brains tick.

The global economic revolution is coming. But it’s not about technology, or innovation or the latest app. It’s all about women. Woman make around 70% of domestic purchasing decisions. Despite that fact advertising companies have ignored this fact. That’s because the ad industry is one of the last bastions of male domination in the corporate world. That means there is a huge opportunity for innovative ad agencies to take advantage of. Bec Brideson is an advertising guru and a pioneer in female targeted advertising. She has made it her mission to help companies to get a slice of this $28 trillion consumer pie.

In this episode we talk about that illusive concept – work-life balance. My guest, John Drury, says that not only is it a myth, but searching for it can really be quite harmful. Trying to be everything to everyone can leave us feeling drained and unfulfilled. But there is a healthy alternative - integration. Finding a way to integrate the important parts of your life so that they are not competing, but complimenting...and it all starts with purpose!

Purpose and meaning. It’s what we’re all seeking. But too many of us work for organizations that exist only to squeeze out as much profit as possible. Today’s guests Nicholas Barnett and Rodney Howard explore how to reorient our working lives in their new book Why Purpose Matters. They believe that finding purpose extends beyond the personal and can reshape organizations as well. Rodney and Nick came together when they realized they shared a similar philosophy. That is that people need meaning in their life. Organizations that treat their employees like cog in a wheel will suffer from poor productivity. People need to believe they are part of something bigger than themselves.

Power professionals need to be great presenters. The simple fact is that you need to inspire if you are going to lead. You have to connect to your audience no matter what the size of your organisation. Most of us go into a presentation terrified that we are going to make fools of ourselves. The goal is to not look bad. Today, I’m joined by Emma Bannister who is going to inspire you to do better. Emma is the founder and CEO of Presentation Studios which helps professionals to craft powerful stories.

Intuition forms a vital part of how we make decisions in life, yet many of us don’t know how to use it properly. My guest today Craigh Wilson has devoted his life to helping people understand what intuition is and how it can benefit their lives.

For the first time ever on The Team Guru Podcast, we welcome a repeat guest, Lee Caraher. Lee is has a brand new book. The Boomerang Principle: Inspire Lifetime Loyalty from Your Employees. We talk about the paradox of retaining your workers even after they leave your company