The 1% Shift with Niyi

Why are some people a pain in the neck, and others a song in your heart?

In this episode of The 1% Shift with Niyi, I sit down with Sheila Glazov, best-selling author, award-winning personality expert, and internationally known professional speaker behind the "What Color Is Your Brain?®" methodology. Her best-selling book of the same name has sold over 41,000 copies and simplifies the complex nature of four Brain Color Personalities, helping people decode themselves and others to improve communication and relationships.

We talk about why people communicate and behave so differently, how understanding personality can reduce conflict, and the small shifts that create more cooperation and harmony at work, at home, and everywhere in between.

Connect with Sheila: sheilaglazov.com

The calmest person in the room usually has the most authority — and it's rarely because nothing is bothering them.

In this episode of The 1% Shift with Niyi, I sit down with Robin Quinn Keehn, a Human Dynamics Specialist, Certified Mediator, and author of Stop Stealing From Yourself. Robin's work centers on what she calls "Open Loops" — the unresolved commitments, boundaries, and conversations we keep avoiding that quietly drain our time, energy, and peace.

We talk about why unresolved conversations consume so much mental energy, how to finally close the loops we keep putting off, and the small shifts that help us communicate clearly, set healthier boundaries, and take back our time.

Connect with Robin: closetheloopsnow.com

What if creativity, healthy dialogue, and adaptability aren't just skills, but inherent human superpowers we've forgotten we have?

In this episode of The 1% Shift with Niyi, I sit down with Michaell Magrutsche, an Austrian-Californian multimedia artist, creativity-awareness educator, and author of five books. Self-taught, fluent in German and English, and a former Newport Beach Arts Commissioner, Michaell has spent his career uncovering hidden patterns in creativity and communication that apply everywhere from leadership to customer service to culture itself. He also hosts THE SMART OF ART podcast.

We talk about the three human superpowers he believes we all carry, the difference between living a system-relevant life and a human-centric one, and why putting people and human potential at the center of the systems we build might be the real key to fulfillment.

Connect with Michaell: michaellm.com

A lot of trades and construction businesses are doing plenty of marketing — websites, ads, social posts — without anyone actually owning the strategy behind it.

In this episode of The 1% Shift with Niyi, I sit down with Wes Towers, founder of Uplift 360, who has spent more than 20 years helping trades, construction, and industrial businesses improve how they market themselves. Today, much of his work is as a Virtual Marketing Manager, bringing structure, accountability, and commercial focus to businesses that need experienced marketing leadership without a full-time hire. He's also the host of the podcast Built. Trusted. Chosen.

We talk about where marketing budgets get wasted, how to manage agencies and suppliers, and how construction businesses can adapt as buyers search across Google, AI platforms, and social media, not just traditional SEO.

Connect with Wes: uplift360.com.au

What’s the point of being visible online if it isn’t bringing the right customers to your business?

In this episode of The 1% Shift with Niyi, I’m joined by Brandon Leibowitz, founder of SEO Optimizers and a digital marketing expert who has helped businesses improve their online visibility, attract qualified leads, and grow through SEO and digital marketing.

We’ll talk about what businesses often get wrong about SEO, how to turn online visibility into real revenue, and how entrepreneurs can build authority and grow their businesses without simply chasing every new marketing trend.

Brandon also shares lessons from building his agency since 2007 and appearing on more than 300 podcasts.

Employee turnover, chronically open positions, and a widening skills gap aren't three separate problems — they're one monster with three heads.

In this episode of The 1% Shift with Niyi, I sit down with Clark A. Ingram, Founder and President of People Profits, LLC, a financially focused human capital management consulting firm. Clark spent over 30 years as Chief Human Resources Officer for four companies across four different industries before moving into consulting, speaking, and writing. He's the author of Churn, which details how he's routinely cut turnover by 40-50% and staffed organizations up into the mid-90s.

We talk about why traditional HR dogma often gets in its own way, how a finance background gave him an unconventional edge in solving people problems, and why the obvious fix — an across-the-board pay raise — usually doesn't work.

Connect with Clark: peopleprofits.com

What if the hardest part of change isn't knowing what to do — it's actually starting?

In this episode of The 1% Shift with Niyi, I sit down with Dr. Christiane Schroeter, a TEDx speaker, Fulbright Scholar, Professor of Marketing, Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and bestselling author featured in Business Insider, SheKnows, and HigherEdJobs. She's also the host of the Top 1% Happy Healthy Hustle podcast.

We talk about her Petite Practice® framework — a research-backed system for building real confidence and momentum through small, repeatable steps — and how leaders can move through uncertainty with more clarity, even when the stakes are high.

Connect with Christiane: doctorchristiane.com

Being successful on paper doesn't mean much if you don't feel like yourself when you look in the mirror.

In this episode of The 1% Shift with Niyi, I sit down with Brian Parana, a health and lifestyle coach with over 20 years of experience helping busy, high-performing men over 40 lose fat, improve their labs, and get their energy back — without turning fitness into a second job. Brian has coached thousands of clients, owned two CrossFit gyms, and worked with everyone from Olympians to regular guys trying to lead better at home and at work. He's also the host of the Driven For Health Podcast.

We talk about why successful men struggle with consistency, how to build a system that survives travel and busy schedules, and why health might be the most underrated leadership strategy there is.

Connect with Brian: thecalltorise.com

Most professional women aren't just negotiating salaries — they're negotiating for authority, visibility, and permission to want more.

In this episode of The 1% Shift with Niyi, I sit down with Elizabeth Suárez, a negotiation and leadership strategist who spent nearly two decades in Fortune 100 leadership at Johnson & Johnson, PepsiCo International, and AT&T before founding Negotiation Unleashed. A Wharton MBA and bestselling author of The Art of Getting Everything, Elizabeth has spent 25 years helping accomplished women — especially Latinas — recognize the value they already bring and learn to use their voice strategically.

We talk about why talented women often wait for permission before advocating for themselves, how culture and language shape the way we negotiate, and the small shifts in language that change the outcome of a high-stakes conversation.

Connect with Elizabeth: negotiationunleashed.com | YouTube: @ElizabethSuarez

In this episode of The 1% Shift with Niyi, Niyi sits down with pastor and author Brian Drinkwine, author of Kingdom Over Empire: Recovering the Gospel from Political Captivity.

Brian shares his personal journey from being a committed political partisan to recognizing how fear, outrage, and political tribalism had begun shaping his faith. We explore what happens when political allegiance starts competing with our allegiance to Jesus, how Christians can navigate deep political divisions without losing their spiritual identity, and what it means to put the Kingdom of God first.

Book: Kingdom Over Empire: Recovering the Gospel from Political Captivity