What if the reason your team is not buying into your vision is because you are not actually selling it?

In this episode of Tell Me More, Joel Worthington sits down with Klyn Elsbury, a sales and leadership coach, for a direct conversation about why leadership and sales are more connected than most people want to admit.

Klyn explains why sales has become one of the most hated professions, and why so much of that comes from outdated tactics, pressure, fake urgency, and “always be closing” energy.

Instead of teaching leaders to push harder, Klyn challenges them to build real conversations that make people feel heard, known, understood, and valued.

Joel and Klyn talk about how leaders are constantly selling, whether they realize it or not. They sell ideas, processes, systems, strategy, vision, and change. If people are not buying in, the problem may not be the idea. It may be how it is being communicated.

This conversation also breaks down practical sales psychology, from asking better questions to creating trust, using follow-up, building real connection, and selling the dream instead of only focusing on pain.

In this episode:

● Why leadership is sales

● Why people hate traditional sales tactics

● How to stop selling like a salesperson

● Why great questions create trust

● How to make people feel heard and understood

● Why leaders need to sell vision and buy-in

● What “sell the dream” means

● How positive future-focused conversations change decisions

If you are a leader, entrepreneur, business owner, or sales professional, this episode will help you rethink sales as a human conversation instead of a pressure tactic.

Connect with Joel Worthington and tune into more conversations on Tell Me More.

What if the strongest leaders are not the ones with all the answers, but the ones who know how to ask better questions?

In this episode of Tell Me More, Joel Worthington sits down with Jay Mathis, a trainer, consultant, and Sandler sales coach, for a conversation about leadership, accountability, conflict, sales, and the role of curiosity in helping people grow.

Jay shares how his leadership journey started through business, nonprofit work, pastoral ministry, politics, and community involvement. Through all of those experiences, one theme stayed consistent: leadership always comes back to people, problems, and the ability to guide others toward a better destination.

Joel and Jay discuss why leadership and sales are more connected than most people realize.

Both require trust, engagement, strong questions, and the ability to help someone move through a process. Jay explains that good selling is not pressure or hype. It is two adults having a real conversation to figure out what is true, what is right, and what is good.

They also explore one of the hardest parts of leadership: conflict and accountability. Many leaders enjoy motivation, encouragement, and strategy, but avoid the uncomfortable work of holding people accountable. Jay and Joel break down why structure, meeting rhythms, clear expectations, psychological safety, and honest conversations are necessary if leaders want people and organizations to thrive.

In this episode:

● Why leadership often starts with saying yes

● What it means to start messy

● Why great leaders ask better questions

● How leadership and sales overlap

● Why conflict and accountability are hard for leaders

● How structure creates healthier accountability

● Why psychological safety matters

● How leaders can help people feel heard and known

If you are a leader, manager, business owner, coach, pastor, or sales professional, this episode will help you rethink leadership as a conversation built on curiosity, accountability, and trust.

Connect with Joel Worthington and tune into more conversations on Tell Me More.

What if the strongest thing a man can say is not “I’m fine,” but “I’m not okay”?

In this episode of Tell Me More, Joel Worthington sits down with Whitney Wright, author of Men Under Pressure, for a powerful conversation about leadership, pressure, mental health, faith, fear, and the hidden struggles men often carry alone. Whitney shares his journey from building a fast-growing dental and orthodontic company to

facing panic attacks, depression, anxiety, and the painful realization that success was not protecting him from collapse. After scaling his company to dozens of practices, hundreds of employees, and over 100 doctors, Whitney found himself breaking down in the middle of the

workday while still trying to appear strong.

Together, Joel and Whitney explore the pressure men face to provide, protect, lead, and never appear weak. Whitney explains why so many men hide their pain, how unhealthy coping habits can become destructive, and why the first step is not telling everyone, but telling the right person.

This conversation is also about hope. Whitney shares the moment he checked himself into treatment, the healing work that followed, and the powerful message that helped him see his life differently: you are the miracle.

In this episode:

• Why high achievement does not protect men from burnout
• What panic attacks looked like inside Whitney’s work life
• Why men often feel pressure to hide their struggles
• How coping habits can turn into deeper problems
• Why you should tell someone, but not everyone
• How hope can be restored after deep pressure
• Why leadership requires empathy, faith, and honesty
• What it means to turn your struggle into a ripple effect

If you are a leader, business owner, husband, father, or man carrying pressure in silence, this episode will remind you that there is hope, help, and a way forward.

Connect with Joel Worthington and tune into more conversations on Tell Me More.

What if buying a franchise is not just a business decision, but a leadership test?

In this episode of Tell Me More, Joel Worthington sits down with Lance Graulich, founder of Franchise Fit, for a conversation about franchising, business ownership, leadership, coachability, and how to make smarter decisions before investing in a franchise.

Lance explains why franchising can be one of the best paths into business ownership, especially for people who want to follow a proven system instead of starting from scratch. He breaks down what separates strong franchise candidates from weak ones, including

transferable skills, sales ability, people management, coachability, and the willingness to build a team.

Together, Joel and Lance explore why leadership is one of the biggest factors in franchise success. They discuss why franchise owners cannot blame the system every time something goes wrong, why taking responsibility is essential, and how victim mentality creates negative energy inside a business.

They also talk about the emotional side of buying a franchise. People often fall in love with a product, a brand, or the idea of ownership before looking at the numbers, the workload, the franchisees, and the real business model. Lance reminds listeners that loving the product is not the same as making a smart business decision.

In this episode:

● Why franchising can be a strong path into business ownership

● What skills transfer well into franchise success

● Why you cannot build an empire by yourself

● Why coachability matters for franchise owners

● How leaders create positive or negative energy inside a business

● Why taking responsibility is the number one rule of leadership

● How emotion can lead to bad franchise decisions

● Why loving the product is not a business decision

If you are thinking about buying a franchise, leading a team, or building a business with a proven system, this episode will help you slow down, ask better questions, and understand what it really takes to win.

Connect with Joel Worthington and tune into more conversations on Tell Me More.

What does it look like to lead a business with humility, clarity, and the willingness to keep learning?

In this episode of Tell Me More, Joel Worthington sits down with Shannon Wilburn, founder of Just Between Friends and Shine Executive Coaching, for a conversation about entrepreneurship, leadership, core values, and what it takes to build a company people want to follow.

Shannon shares how Just Between Friends started as a small consignment event with friends and grew into a national franchise system. She reflects on the lessons she learned while building the business, including the importance of asking for help, choosing mentors wisely, staying humble, and learning how to lead through seasons of growth and challenge.

Together, Joel and Shannon discuss why leadership is not just about knowing numbers, systems, or strategy. It is also about how you treat people, how clearly you communicate expectations, and whether your values are actually lived inside the company.

In this episode:

● Why great leaders are willing to ask for help

● How humility shapes the way people respond to feedback

● Why core values need to be clearly defined and repeated

● How unclear expectations can hurt a team or organization

● Why clarity is kind in leadership

● How taking responsibility builds trust

If you are building a business, leading a team, or trying to create a stronger culture, this episode will challenge you to look at the kind of leader you are becoming and whether your people truly understand what you expect, value, and believe.

Connect with Joel Worthington and tune into more conversations on Tell Me More.

What does it really take to scale a business without losing the foundation that made it work in the first place?

In this episode of Tell Me More, Joel Worthington sits down with Scott Abbott, founder of Five Star Franchising and Five Star Painting, for a conversation about leadership, franchising, data, culture, and the discipline required to build organizations that last.

Scott shares how he built Five Star Painting, sold it to Neighborly, and continued building Five Star Franchising into a platform with thousands of franchise locations across multiple brands.

Together, Joel and Scott discuss why scaling is not just about growth, ambition, or selling more franchises. It is about knowing the business deeply, tracking what works, building strong unit economics, and creating a culture where leaders continue to grow.

They also explore why leaders must stay close to the details, why your team will not exceed your own level of leadership, and why companies should nail the model before trying to scale it.

Scott shares how values, feedback, customer experience, and intentional culture shape the way a franchise system grows.

In this episode:

● Why leaders need to know their business inside and out

● How data helps companies scale with discipline

● Why your team will not exceed your level of leadership

● Why you need to nail it before you scale it

● How feedback helps leaders and teams improve

● Why culture is strategic and does not happen by accident

If you are trying to scale a business, lead a franchise system, or build a stronger organization, this episode will challenge you to look beyond growth and ask whether your foundation, leadership, data, people, and culture are truly ready for the next level.

Connect with Joel Worthington and tune into more conversations on Tell Me More.

Innovation isn't a department. It's a leadership mindset.

In this episode of Tell Me More, Joel Worthington sits down with Michael Glatts, founder of 901 Innovation and former Pfizer leader, to explore why the most innovative organizations don't just create better products. They create cultures where people feel safe to think differently.

After spending more than 26 years at Pfizer leading global teams, Michael left corporate America to help organizations unlock creativity, improve employee engagement, and build innovation into their everyday culture. Together, Joel and Michael discuss why empathy, psychological safety, curiosity, and trust are essential ingredients for innovation, and why leaders who say "yes, and..." consistently outperform those who default to "no."

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why innovation is critical for long-term business growth and competitive advantage
• How empathy helps leaders uncover unmet customer needs
• Why psychological safety is the foundation of innovative teams
• How the "Yes, And" mindset encourages creativity and collaboration
• Why great leaders create environments where employees feel heard
• How fear of failure shuts down innovation and engagement
• Why organizations should experiment, prototype, and learn quickly instead of waiting for perfection
• How innovation improves employee engagement, customer experience, and organizational culture

Michael also shares how his background in improvisational comedy shaped his approach to leadership development, and why some of the best business breakthroughs happen when leaders stop trying to have all the answers and start creating space for new ideas.

Because innovation doesn't begin with technology.

It begins with leaders who are curious enough to listen, humble enough to learn, and courageous enough to say, "Tell me more."

When people feel safe to contribute, organizations don't just innovate. They thrive.

Lean in — and tell me more.

Connect with Joel:
LinkedIn: Joel Worthington
Instagram: @joelworthington

Connect with Michael Glatts:
Website: 901Innovation.com
LinkedIn: Michael Glatts

What if the biggest thing holding your organization back isn’t your strategy, your market, or your ambition, but the leadership ceiling inside the business?

In this episode of Tell Me More, Joel Worthington sits down with Brian Petranick, CEO of Molly Maid and former longtime CEO of Right at Home, for a conversation about leadership, franchising, scaling organizations, building trust, and making the hard people decisions that allow a company to grow.

Brian shares the lessons he learned while helping grow Right at Home from one location into a franchise system with hundreds of locations and nearly a billion dollars in systemwide revenue.

Together, Joel and Brian explore why early franchise owners matter so much, how trust becomes the foundation of scale, and why the people who help an organization reach one stage may not always be the same people who can take it to the next.

They discuss the importance of evolving as a leader, building the right team for the current strategy, recognizing when someone is no longer the right fit, and checking the bias and narratives that can cloud leadership judgment. Brian also shares why culture must be built intentionally, why organizational structure matters, and why great leaders need both character and competency to create trust.

In this episode:

• Why your first ten franchise owners can help sell your next hundred
• How trust becomes the foundation for scaling a franchise system
• Why the team that gets you to one level may not get you to the next
• How CEOs must constantly evolve as the organization grows
• Why leaders are often the lid on their own organization
• How to pressure test talent before promoting people too far
• Why smart, driven people still need integrity to be trusted
• When to make the hard decision that someone is no longer the right fit
• How bias and internal narratives can distort leadership judgment
• Why culture forms whether you are intentional about it or not
• How organizational structure, strategy, and people decisions work together
• Why leadership requires both soft skills and business competency

If you’ve ever wondered why some organizations scale successfully while others stall, this episode will challenge you to look beyond strategy and ask harder questions about leadership, trust, talent, culture, and the kind of person you must become to take the business to the next level.

Connect with Joel Worthington and tune into more conversations on Tell Me More.

Culture doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when leaders consistently live and reinforce their values.

In this episode of Tell Me More, Joel Worthington sits down with Doug Dwyer, President and Chief Stewarding Officer of DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen and founder of God Is CEO, to explore the powerful connection between leadership, values, culture, accountability, and business growth.

Having spent a lifetime in franchising, Doug shares lessons learned from growing up in the Dwyer family, helping build one of the most influential franchise organizations in America, and leading companies rooted in faith, stewardship, and service. Together, Joel and Doug discuss why great leadership requires both encouragement and accountability, how values create alignment inside organizations, and why culture ultimately determines long-term success.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why clearly defined values are the foundation of strong organizational culture
• How great leaders balance encouragement with accountability
• Why work ethic, discipline, and responsibility still matter in leadership
• How repeating values consistently creates alignment and trust across teams
• The role humility and teachability play in leadership success
• Why involving employees and franchisees creates stronger buy-in and innovation
• How culture impacts employee engagement, retention, and performance
• Why leadership is about stewardship, not authority

Doug also shares insights from decades of franchise leadership, including lessons from DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen, Neighborly’s founding family, and the development of God Is CEO, a movement helping leaders align business success with faith, purpose, and service.

Because leadership isn’t just about achieving results.
It’s about building people, creating trust, and establishing values that endure long after the leader is gone.

When leaders consistently model what they believe, culture becomes more than words on a wall — it becomes the way people work, serve, and grow together.

Lean in — and tell me more.

The fastest way to kill innovation, engagement, and growth? Stop asking questions.

In this episode of Tell Me More, Joel Worthington sits down with Jon Bassford, bestselling author of The Curious Leader, speaker, operations strategist, and host of the Trust the Process podcast. Together, they explore why curiosity may be the most overlooked leadership skill in modern business.

Drawing from his experience in law, nonprofit leadership, startups, and executive operations, Jon shares how great leaders create cultures where people feel safe to speak up, challenge assumptions, and contribute ideas. The conversation dives deep into leadership mindset, organizational culture, employee engagement, psychological safety, and the hidden dangers of ego-driven leadership.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why curiosity is one of the most powerful leadership skills you can develop
• How fear and ego quietly sabotage innovation and team performance
• Why leaders should speak last and listen more
• How psychological safety drives employee engagement and accountability
• The danger of favoritism and inconsistent standards in company culture
• Why great leaders act more like orchestra conductors than dictators
• How to build a culture where employees bring solutions, not just problems
• The connection between leadership, culture, and sustainable business growth

Jon also shares practical insights from his book The Curious Leader, including how organizations can unlock better ideas, stronger communication, and higher levels of trust by creating environments where people feel valued and heard.

Because leadership isn’t about having all the answers.
It’s about creating a culture where the best answers can emerge.

When leaders replace control with curiosity, they build teams that think, innovate, and grow together.

Lean in — and tell me more.

Connect with Joel:
LinkedIn: Joel Worthington
Instagram: @joelworthington

Connect with Jon Bassford:
Website: JonBassford.com