The Inspire Podcast

In this episode of The Inspire Podcast, Bart speaks with Khe Hy about the power of stories and how leaders can unlock their inner storyteller. Bart learns how Khe left a successful career on Wall Street and turned his self-reflection into a highly read newsletter on career, money, life, and a wide range of other topics. Khe explains why so many stories suck, what qualities make for engaging stories, and how to put storytelling into action with authenticity, vulnerability and intention. Tune in for practical tips and inspiring insights to help you harness the art of storytelling. Learn more about Khe at https://radreads.co and connect with him on LinkedIn and TikTok: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khehy/ https://www.tiktok.com/@radreadsco

Show Notes:

0:43 Welcoming Khe

2:09 Storytelling ability

2:40 Khe tells his story

6:21 What led him to quit his job?

7:59 The Hedonic adaptation

9:41 Entrepreneurs have this messed up wiring

10:09 Designing life from first principles

12:08 Early writing successes

12:30 What's your "number"?

13:08 The fisherman and the banker

14:30 Writing personal articles on the block

16:11 Story about losing hair

16:57 Storytelling is key for leaders - so why do they often suck at it?

21:19 Why are business leaders bad at storytelling?

22:08 Emotional resonance

22:26 Things that make a good story

24:32 Conflict

25:04 3 things to become a better storyteller

28:07 Open your eyes

28:19 Stories are everywhere

29:04 Bitcoin story

30:32 Go into your own life to find stories

32:38 Practice telling stories

33:39 It's really fun!

35:19 Have a diverse set of inputs

35:44 Ask ChatGPT

38:11 Profiles of famous people have good stories

39:35 Storytelling is a skill

40:16 How to find out more about Khe

What do leadership and marketing have in common? In this episode of The Inspire Podcast, Bart sits down with renowned marketing expert Nathan Yeung to uncover surprising parallels between these two disciplines. Nathan talks about why "customers are lazy", shares a powerful 3-step process for building trust that's at the heart of marketing effectiveness, and reveals how leaders can adopt marketing strategies to inspire and connect with their audiences effectively.

Through relatable anecdotes and real-world marketing examples, Nathan discusses the importance of crafting messages that resonate, when leaders should embrace a marketer’s mindset—and when they shouldn’t—and why big company messages often fall flat in leadership contexts. He also shares practical tips for communicating effectively, no matter your leadership role.

 

Show Notes:

00:27 Show intro

01:07 Introducing Nathan

02:03 Reaching consumers

02:55 Nathan's background and how he got into consumer trust

03:26 Marketing has a function that hasn't been very structured

04:08 Is "best in class" hearsay?

04:51 What works - consumer psychology

05:06 Writing a book is hard

05:41 We are just lazy 

05:54 We are naturally averse to dealing with friction 

06:26 We only support things we inherently believe

07:12 People don't know why the "trust"

08:49 Bart talks about the curse of knowledge

09:21 The trust triangle

09:56 Defining the trust triangle

10:37 Pseudo logic in marketing

10:48 It's not logic - it's a shortcut 

11:32 Don't trust strangers? vs Uber or Lyft?

13:38 Factors in building trust

15:43 Authenticity

18:29 Patagonia example

19:14 If you're not going to live up to your stated values, better not have them in the first place 

19:49 Empathy

24:55 Nathan's advice to leaders

25:18 Make your message simple

26:14 It's hard to get to clarity and focus

26:55 No one can interpret your message for you

27:37 Make it as easy as possible for them 

28:44 Positive feedback

31:40 Where can people find out more?

32:23 Thank yous

In this episode of The Inspire Podcast, Bart Egnal speaks with Yoni Kozminski, founder of MultiplyMii, about the opportunity he saw to bring highly educated, talented professionals from the Philippines to companies around the world. Yoni shares his own story of building a company by tapping into the skills of Filipino professionals and what he learned along the way.

He offers insights on effective global recruitment strategies and discusses how to establish a culture and processes that enable remote talent to thrive as if they were sitting in the same office with you. Yoni shares his own experiences and stories from building connections with his team in the Philippines and what advice he would give to employers looking to expand their talent pool internationally along with a handful of resources to begin the process of recruiting talent anywhere. A valuable listen for anyone hiring global talent or who manages a remote global workforce.

Visit https://www.multiplymii.com/ to learn more!

00:20 Show Intro

00:54 Welcoming Yoni

01:37 MultiplyMii backstory

03:57 How to make "remote" workforces work?

05:41 Understanding the operational challenges in a biz

06:45 Creating the company wiki/book

07:28 Why is the Philippines a good place to source talent?

08:08 Glitch

08:40 6th largest number of English speakers

09:48 A lot of college degrees

10:02 Glitch

10:24 Moving from basic tasks to KPO

10:50 Not about "task lists anymore"

11:01 Glitch

11:12 Everyone is outsourcing

12:12 Mistaken assumptions about outsourcing to the Philippines

12:29 The stigmas around outsourcing

12:34 Entrusting parts of your biz to remote workers

13:25 Getting used to Zoom meetings

14:02 Language barriers not as big in Philippines

14:29 All the content and our marketing done in Philippines

14:52 Glitch

16:52 How to build an outsourcing plan

17:09 Be very clear about the biz mission

17:47 Glitch

18:12 The need for a structured onboarding plan

19:21 Bart talks about an example for THG

20:04 The 4 Rs method

20:44 Autonomy - and accountability

22:44 Why some companies shy away from remote

23:05 The weird juxtaposition of hiring

24:06 If you do the pre-work you can more quickly step away

25:38 Treating talent the same, regardless of location

27:29 Understanding and appreciating other cultures

28:04 Filipinos are conflict averse

29:36 Advice on creating culture with remote workers

30:50 Core value: understand who you're speaking to

32:46 What is the values-bridge?

33:06 Glitch

35:13 Bart talks about remote at THG

36:28 Check out their website for their free resources on remote talent

37:30 The future of global and remote talent

37:57 Glitch

38:28 Thank yous

38:45 Outro

In this episode, Bart meets with Rob Diplock, Senior Vice President at Kumon North America, the sixth-largest franchise in the world, to explore the value of long employee tenures. Rob shares his personal journey with Kumon, who has become the employer of his entire career. He discusses the advantages of remaining with one organization—for both employees and employers—and the unique challenges that arise from spending your professional life in one company.

Rob reflects on how workplace trends have shifted, whether long-term careers still offer the same benefits, and what companies gain—and risk losing—with employee retention. He closes with insights and wisdom for people considering a long-term career with their current organization, highlighting how to grow, stay fulfilled, and make a lasting impact.

Learn more by visiting Kumon here: https://www.kumon.com/ca-en/ and check out Rob's book recommendations here:

1-The Lessons of History:https://www.amazon.ca/Lessons-History-Will-Durant/dp/143914995X

2-Leading by Alex Ferguson: https://www.amazon.ca/Leading-Learning-Years-Manchester-United/dp/0316268100

3-40 Years with a Whistle: https://www.amazon.ca/40-Years-Whistle-Lessons-Field-ebook/dp/B07PXXK39G

Show Notes

00:00 - Show intro

00:33 - Welcoming Rob

01:06 - Why have you stayed so long with one company?

02:35 - Japanese company/culture

04:04 - Bart lists off stats about employee retention

05:40 - The pros and cons of staying in the same organization

07:33 - Forge lasting relationships

08:14 - Bringing your authentic self to work 

08:44 - New roles and titles come slower

09:27 - The longer you stay, the more important growth becomes 

10:10 - Advantages for the company with retention

12:21 - A team of company experts

12:46 - Breaking down silos

13:36 - Common shared experience and alignment

14:55 - Bart talks about his experiences on retention

16:17 - People stay by default...

17:15 - The COVID example

18:49 - Slow-moving, conservative culture

19:02 - A new culture of innovation

22:29 - Advice for people mid-career

24:51 - Focus on what you're great at, etc. 

25:19 - Advice on dealing with high turnover

26:09 - What pushes employees and what doesn’t pull them in?

27:17 - Mission-driven businesses

28:22 - Can't go wrong focusing on the mission 

29:02 - Book recommendations from Rob

30:43 - Will you stay with Kumon till you retire?

33:29 - Important to be growing yourself

33:57 - Thank yous

34:11 - Outro

In this episode, Bart is joined by a fellow CEO of a leadership communication training company, Scott Simmons of Ariel. Together, they explore Scott's unique career path—from healthcare to Gallup, and now to leading Ariel. 

They dive into the evolving landscape of leadership communication, examining what has changed and what remains the same. The conversation touches on the new expectations placed on leaders today, the critical skills they must develop, and the increasingly diverse audiences they need to engage. Bart and Scott also discuss the role of AI in shaping leadership development, where human expertise still reigns, and the enduring opportunity to inspire through communication that both Ariel and The Humphrey Group help their clients capitalize on. Learn more about Ariel Group at their website, https://www.arielgroup.com, and connect with them on LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-ariel-group/

00:21 Show intro

00:57 Welcoming Scott Simmons

01:44 Tell us about Ariel Group

02:20 From acting classes to communication consulting

03:27 The parallels between Ariel and THG

04:14 Scott's career trajectory

04:34 Healthcare in Flux in the 90s

05:16 Food service delivery challenges

06:58 The Human element

08:06 Joined Gallup

08:46 Why did you move to Gallup?

09:13 Need to go beyond meeting basic expectations

09:41 Really need an engaged workforce delivering quality in the moment

10:31 Embodying the mission of the org

11:23 Did the human element make a difference at Gallup?

12:05 Focus on manager effectiveness

12:12 How much can you change/improve managers?

12:55 Burdened by initiatives

13:27 What did he learn about leadership communication in organizations?

15:17 Jumping at the opportunity to be CEO

17:42 The changing demands on leaders today

19:50 Trying to do more with less

20:04 Bart talks about the loss of decorum these days

22:11 Keyboard courage

23:24 A lot more self-ownership

24:07 The move to digital/virtual world

24:31 Leaders now have to communicate in multiple channels

25:05 Don't get caught up in the shiny new thing

26:39 AI as a training/practice tool - not a replacement

27:08 3 things leaders should be doing?

29:15 Best communicators are: CLEAR, CONCISE, CANDID

29:43 Big shift - putting yourself in audience/readers standpoint

30:12 Candidness

30:45 Start reflecting back on 2024!

31:03 The core of communication stays the same, even as channels change/increase

31:47 Thank yous

In this episode of the Inspire Podcast, Bart welcomes Yusra Qadir, Chief Programs and Advocacy Officer at Mothers Matter Canada, to share her incredible life journey and how she is empowering women to find their voices.

Yusra starts by reflecting on her childhood in Pakistan, her work in community and social development, and her education in human rights. She describes how she found her voice but realized that finding her voice and being able to meaningfully use it are different things. She moved to Canada with young children five years ago, where she navigated the challenges of being a new immigrant and found ways to help others through her own experiences. She also found challenges that women face in this world are universal.

She joined Mothers Matter Canada to help immigrant and refugee women in Canada access the support they need to find their confidence so they can meaningfully use their voices within their lives and their communities. She highlights the impactful work of Mothers Matter Canada, particularly the HIPPY program, which supports newcomer mothers in preparing their children for success while building the skills and resilience they need to thrive.

Yusra’s story is a testament to her strength and commitment, both in her personal journey and in the transformative work she does today.

Visit Mothers Matter Canada to learn more (https://www.mothersmattercentre.ca/) and connect with Yusra on LinkedIn (https://ca.linkedin.com/in/yusraqadir). You can also find Mothers Matter Canada on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Show Notes

00:28 Standard show intro

01:04 Introducing Yusra

02:16 What is "Mothers Matters Canada"

02:50 Equity advocacy

03:25 The challenges that mothers are facing

05:52 What does MMC do to help?

06:59 Peer-based programs

09:51 Yusra's journey to now

10:52 Experiences growing up in Pakistan

12:14 Dreaming big as a child

13:23 Feminist focus

13:50 Disaster preparedness

14:30 Large displacements around the world

15:22 Diverse groups that they work with

16:17 Canada struggles with women's opportunities

17:09 Why come to Canada?

17:43 Becoming dangerous to be an activist

20:29 The challenges of a new immigrant

23:15 Developing leadership skills

25:44 Bart talks about "taking the stage" program

26:35 1/4 women in Canada are "racialized"

26:53 The motherhood penalty

27:08 What the program does

28:07 What is the HIPPIE program?

29:50 Summary of HIPPIE

30:31 Great data management system

31:30 Getting children ready for school

32:24 Example of a personal story

37:33 The ambassador program

39:07 Her hopes for newcomers 5-10 years from now

39:35 Universally available programs

40:01 Her hope for women

40:56 Thank yous

41:20 Outro

In this episode, Bart is joined by Sarika Singh, host of a top communication skills podcast in India and a seasoned coach with 25 years of experience. Sarika shares her journey from her early career to becoming the Chief Operating Officer of an Indian artisanal sugar company, driven by her passion for communication. She coaches a diverse audience, including

children, young adults, and corporate teams, focusing on written and spoken communication through her bespoke programs in creative writing and public speaking.

Sarika’s podcast, inspired by listener questions, addresses communication challenges in both personal and professional contexts. Together, Sarika and Bart explore the communication challenges faced by Indian professionals, the common queries she receives, and the critical role of communication in India's STEM-driven landscape. This insightful discussion highlights the universal power of communication.

Visit her website, www.communicate101.com, to find out more and listen to her podcast, Communicate101: Speaking Writing Tips here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sarika-singh88

Show Notes

00:28 Standard intro

01:05 Introducing Sarika Singh

02:09 Why are young Indian professionals seeking communication skills?

03:28 Largest % of youth in the world

04:05 Bart re-asks about youth and demand for leadership communication training

05:34 Sarika's career journey

06:07 An introvert who learned to love communication

06:30 Fear of public speaking

07:55 Entering the corporate world

09:13 The impact of podcasting

10:23 Starting a writing program for children

10:42 Children are the best teachers

11:18 Honesty and simplicity is supreme

11:34 The power of non-verbal cues

13:58 Building the writing program

15:24 How kids gained confidence as they learned to write

16:20 The curriculum in India

17:47 New generation careers

18:48 Launching her podcast

22:01 Her podcast gets a lot of interaction/audience involvement

23:13 Story of her daughter traveling and hearing someone in the airport listening to her podcast

24:31 Insights into what young Indian professionals want to know

25:07 The challenges people are having with communication

25:11 Difficult conversations

25:50 How to persuade/convince people

26:52 How to be comfortable on the stage

30:33 3 key pieces of advice

30:55 Clarity, empathy, collaboration

31:23 Clarity is like aiming for a basket

32:18 Empathy

33:27 Collaboration

35:32 Doing business in the Indian context

36:51 Embrace India

37:04 Indian business is relationship-driven

37:46 Be patient and build trust

39:57 India is welcoming to everyone

40:38 Thank yous

40:42 How to find out more

In this episode, Bart welcomes Nancy Hicks, an accomplished vocal performer, founder of a global ministry, shopping channel host, leadership coach, and now a consultant for The Humphrey Group.

They begin by exploring Nancy's early journey in developing her voice and discovering a passion for singing, which eventually led her to take on leadership roles in the church and, ultimately, to become a long-running host on QVC. Nancy shares how her time on television honed her skills, unlocked her full vocal potential, and reinforced her understanding that her true gift is to be a communicator.

She then discusses founding a speaking ministry focused on empowering female leaders, which rapidly grew and gave her a platform to speak to global audiences. Throughout their conversation,

Nancy draws on lessons from her incredible career to offer insights on building authentic confidence. She explains where authenticity begins, how to find your honest voice, how to bring that voice into all your relationships, and the difference between presence and being present. This is a powerful listen for anyone looking to find their voice and lead others.

Learn more about Nancy here: https://www.nancyhickscommunication.com/

00:18 Show intro

00:52 Introducing Nancy Hicks

01:43 Bart asks her to recount the red carpet story

02:13 Aside: what is QVC

05:34 Presenting authentic confidence

06:04 Her story from when she was 16

07:47 Church experiences

09:05 Going from music to the shopping channel

10:18 Juggling career in music with motherhood

12:08 What is it like to host a shopping channel show

16:08 Practicing Humility

17:51 Every year in leadership, it's less and less about "you"

18:34 Communication has gotten much more casual

19:03 Founding a ministry focused on women leaders

22:17 What she learned about communications

22:40 Eat the cultural food that is before you

23:01 Practice a phrase from their language

23:09 Speaking across cultures

23:39 Foster relationships!

24:12 Know yourself to be able to connect

24:30 From world tour to present

26:13 Learning from tragedy

27:47 Advice for building authentic confidence

28:15 Difference between 'presence' and 'being present'

28:46 How to be yourself?

29:28 Being present

31:25 Exploring your voice

33:52 Listen, listen, listen!

36:15 The deeper work is so important

37:13 How do people find out more?

37:55 Outro

In this episode, Bart welcomes Mo Bunnell, founder of The Bunnell Idea Group, back to The Inspire Podcast to discuss his new book, Give to Growth.

Mo highlights a fundamental truth: relationships are the foundation of long-term business success. But he also dives into the often overlooked aspect—how to effectively build these relationships.

If you've ever felt too busy, hesitant, or worried about being a bother when it comes to building relationships, then Mo has the secret to overcoming these barriers. He outlines how to be intentional about who you want to connect with, how to get out of your own way and stop telling lies that hold you back, how to give in a way that removes mental roadblocks, helps others, and creates lasting, mutually beneficial relationships.

Mo's insights are valuable for anyone in business and in life who want to achieve success through meaningful partnerships.

Get a copy of Mo's book here: https://bunnellideagroup.com/givetogrow/

0:37 Show Intro

1:12 Welcoming Mo

2:48 Focus on high-end experts

3:16 Relationship skills

3:40 How to effectively teach sales to experts

3:55 People hate to be sold to, but they love to buy

4:07 Have people think of a time when the rep did a horrible job of selling

4:36 Describe a good sales experience

6:09 Is your new book an evolution of your ideas?

6:35 Who is Give to Grow (the book) for?

7:14 Is the desire for impact new?

9:00 The lies we tell ourselves

10:54 Lie #1 -- "I can't"

11:40 Lie #2 - "I don't know what to do"

12:05 Lie #3 - "I might do it wrong"

12:21 Lie #4 - "I'm too busy"

12:41 Lie #5 - "I'm afraid I'll look bad"

13:09 How to tell when it's a lie and when it's accurate?

17:08 All complex skills are learned and earned

17:32 The "yet" hack 

20:02 What kind of relationship success should we be trying to create?

20:31 Build relationship equity

20:58 Focus on the key 15 relationships in your life 

21:47 Isn't that too calculating?

22:47 Beginning of a relationship - need to solidify it

27:31 Give them a taste of working with you

28:16 Give to get at Humphrey Group

29:37 The Inspire Podcast is a give-to-get

30:37 How to approach it for non-transactional relationships

31:14 Fall in love with their problem

32:23 "Would it be helpful if I did ______ for you?"

34:10 Free training course - Give to Grow

35:38 Impact - 3 ways to have it

36:08 Proactivity and persistence are key 

36:35 3 different timeframes to think about

36:55 It's always your move and always a chance to be helpful

37:13 Weekly sprints

39:08 The Long Term Strategies

40:50 Where can people go to find out more?

In this episode, Bart speaks with Kirsten Anderson about the power of play and how integrating play can make you a more effective and inspiring leader. Kirsten, a certified LEGO(r) Serious Play(r) specialist and consultant with The Humphrey Group, talks about why playfulness is so important for leaders, how we often miss opportunities to incorporate play into our work and how to go about adopting a playful mindset. She talks about how playful can not just be an add-on to the practice of leadership but the benefits of weaving it into everything from how you run meetings to how you develop talent and how you tackle goals together as a team. Kirsten draws on deep experience in this field to bring compelling examples and practical ideas to our conversation.

0:33 Show Intro

1:07 Introducing Kirsten

2:15 How Kirsten got started in her career

3:31 Toyologist

4:06 Resident play expert on global news

4:32 Sold the business

4:57 What were their play prescriptions

5:34 Kids stopping playing younger

5:51 Why were kids playing less?

6:32 How do we get adults to play?

7:18 Should we separate work and play?

8:04 Puritan work ethic

8:37 Playfulness and flow - are they related?

9:30 Play and playfulness

10:03 There is no creativity/innovation without play 

10:24 Playful mindset for a leader

11:42 Fear of judgement 

12:22 The stigma around being playful

12:59 Living in a VUCA world

13:45 Creating engagement

14:38 What about gamification in education?

15:50 Playwashing

17:07 Fun is different for different people

18:27 3 ways to infuse play into the work world

18:50 What is "The Employee Experience"?

19:18 Gratitude and recognition

19:33 Applied improv

19:53 How to bring play into a meeting 'check-in', for example

20:07 The 'weather report check-in'

20:59 Cat picture check-in

21:41 Communication to break down silos

21:57 Practice playfulness with low-stakes activities

22:43 Culture of continuous feedback

23:11 What is LEGO serious play

24:30 The importance of equal time

26:06 Prioritize creative problem-solving

26:30 Yes, and... practice

27:09 Playfulness can build psychological safety 

29:49 Bart talks about Lego for adults

32:20 How can people find out more?

33:53 Outro