The Leader Mentality

We enjoyed having Principal Ginny Haynes from Waccamaw Middle School on the show this week. She gave great tips on leadership opportunities for the future generations. As Principal, Ginny is enthusiastic about always improving and seeing her middle school students succeed. She also believes in getting parents involved in their kids' school.
We really enjoyed the energy that Ginny brought throughout the show and we know you will too!

Among show highlights:

-One of her great tips was that you must set expectations with others in order to let them know what you expect. this has worked well for her in her career as a principle. She talked about how different people may have different experiences prior to coming to her school - so it's important to set guidelines for success.
-She believes in respect amongst students and faculty. She talked about being sure to respect others regardless of the setting.
-In the 80's kids got disciplined with paddles, but in modern times you have to teach different forms of correction versus rewards
-Environment sets the stage for success. We got to see the positive atmosphere for their Friday at the school and there was truly an amazing connection from faculty to students.
-Ginny talks of always paying attention to needs, communicating properly and making adjustments for best outcomes.
-Congrats to Principal Haynes, the entire faculty and all of the students as Waccamaw Middle School has recently been named the 2023 Reacher's Choice - Best Middle School. A meteoric rise from where they started years ago.
-" You just can't hide that warrior pride!" It's not just a slogan...it's a way of life.

For more on Principal Ginny Haynes and Waccamaw Middle School - check them out here: Home | Waccamaw Middle School (gcsd.k12.sc.us)

We were blessed to have Michelle Griffin from Fully Promoted and Winslow Law Firm join us on the show to talk about how to build a powerful network and to promote your brand.
Michelle has been in the promotional business for many years and has been a part of building many successful marketing campaigns.
On this show, Michelle tells us about how she started her career and the rewards of finding her passion for marketing, networking and promoting.

Some of our show takeaways:
-Michelle talked about starting her career in a different field and how she got into marketing later in her career
-Mentorship takes many forms - in her case it was a person encouraging her to use her skills to try marketing
-She told a great story of her son's basketball career including sometimes needing someone to give you a push and the power of hard work to achieve dreams you are passionate about
-Michelle has been working in the promotional industry for years and explains to us the power of a good logo
-Thomas Winslow, owner of Winslow Law LLC is a promoter in his own right with wide recognition throughout the area; she explains how to do marketing with an owner who promotes themselves with stepping on each other's toes
-She talks about how to follow up with people to maximize the networking opportunities
-The name of the game is recognition...make sure you are the first to come to mind when people need your service - much of that starts with consistent marketing and branding
-Michelle does a weekly dance that goes on her social media - it was a divine inspiration to her from above. She shares her joy for life and enthusiasm and we can say, it is 100% a weekly pick-me-up that we can all use!

Check out more about Michelle Griffin here Fully Promoted and Thomas Winslow

On this episode, we are talking all about having happy customers and a focus on customer service in 2023.
Jaime Pando, owner of Flooring Panda, is one of the best business owners we know. His commitment to happy customers, his care for his employees and his commitment to best leadership are top notch. As one of the leaders in the flooring industry, Jaime is a great representative to speak about growing a business through simple principles of customer first mindset.

Some of the show highlights:
-Jaime is from Argentina and was born into a family of business minded people
-He finds peace and enjoyment on his sail boat
-He gives back to the community including serving at his church
-The hot market on the flooring market right now is Luxury vinyl tile or planks (LVT and LVP)
-He's had some great mentors and now focuses on helping others to grow
-Jaime enjoys rugby and it's now a family event cheering for their teams
-From both the show and behind the scenes we know Jaime to be a collector of knowledge in both history and philosophy
-He's reading a good book called "A Sense of History"
-Seeing a customer smile is the best feeling and the ultimate goal
-He talked about his philosophy on a great finish to any customer experience...the last 15 minutes can make all the difference. When you are almost done (or believe you're done) with a task, take a moment to step away and come back to review your work. From that fresh perspective you might catch something that will make all the difference in a quality customer experience.

We hope you all enjoy Jaime and his charming focus on life.
Learn more about Jaime and Flooring Panda here: Flooring Store servicing Grand Strand, SC & Shallotte, NC | Flooring Panda

Our very own Frank Dominick, Producer of The Leader Mentality Show, joined us to talk about his experience building a successful restaurant business and his new role as a Real Estate agent with Carolina Bays Real Estate and Construction.

Frank is always a well of knowledge in creating business marketing, connecting to a network through relationship building and adapting business needs to a changing market. He shared some of his story on how he got to where he is today.

Some show highlights:
-Frank primarily has lived in Maryland and Pennsylvania
-He moved to Myrtle Beach to enjoy the weather
-Frank plays guitar and has recently been playing with a band locally
-His experience includes business ownership over a successful restaurant
-In his time with his restaurant he talked about tracking success of the business and adapting to the profitable areas
-His wife and he started off with a cooking staff, but later became cooks and had some of the best food reviews (lessons for a business owner to master their domain in a hands on way)
-Frank helps with The Leader Mentality show and helps consult potential clients that would like to grow their business and build their teams through inspirational and educational speaking opportunities
-He is the most recent addition to Carolina Bays Real Estate and Construction
-His niche in the real estate industry is to help clients with the New Construction process.
-As a New Homes Specialist he helps his clients with a free new build consultation, shares information about options, lead clients to the best new home for them and helps them with guidance through the entire build process.

We hope you enjoyed the show.
For more from Frank - please check him out here: Carolina Bays Real Estate and Construction - Real Estate, New Construction, Myrtle Beach Home Listings

Ryan Vargas of NASCAR talks with us about everything from driving Xfinity versus Trucks to tips for young drivers to marketing. We always enjoy talking with Ryan and in this episode he talks so many leadership points including surrounding yourself with quality people and being resilient.

Ryan is not just a driver - he's a true fan of NASCAR. We spend a lot of time talking about the life of a NASCAR driver. He even goes into the comparison of etiquette between Truck series drivers and other series. If you're a racing fan you definitely don't want to miss this.
Among the show highlights:
-Ryan loves coming to Myrtle Beach
-He said the Darlington Raceway fits his driving style very well
-We talk about the difference of driving Truck series versus Xfinity
-Ryan says his parents are his biggest supporters and he still gets advice
-His new team is very prepared; he talks about his Crew Chief, Bones, of whom has worked for legendary Racing Teams such as Penske and Ganassi.
-He shared his feelings about the lack of driving etiquette in the Trucking Series - listen in to hear his thoughts on the Craftsman races.
-Ryan is a fan of Corey Heim's driving style
-He's a true fan of NASCAR; not just a driver
-We talked about creative marketing ideas and his famous Napoleon Dynamite dance
-In Ryan's words, the driver is about 40% of the key to success and the car is 60% of the key; we talked about Chase Elliott's car being driven by others earlier this year and the drop off that initially ensued
-Tips to a young driver - Your bad days are going to outnumber your good days. But the good days make it all worth it.

Thanks to Ryan for the honest and interesting comments on the show.
If you'd like to learn more about Ryan Vargas and/or potentially generating more recognition for your company with NASCAR check him out at one of these locations:
Ryan Vargas (@rtrv23) • Instagram photos and videos
Ryan Vargas (@ryanvargas_23) Official | TikTok
Facebook
Or email him at [email protected]

Agent Aisana Mukan joined us on the show to tell how she became a multi-million dollar sales person in Real Estate in Year One! Anyone that has done Real Estate knows what an amazing accomplishment this is and Aisana talks about how she did it (and so much more). This episode is about how to "Make a Splash" in a new business through Marketing - but there were many other powerful messages in this show.
Aisana even shared her passion for helping victims of Domestic Violence...truly inspirational.

Among the highlights:
-Aisana is proud to be a first generation American; she talks about her amazing journey
-She has worked at Procter and Gamble and shares some of her knowledge she learned in that time
-She has two kids - one a smarty and one a cutie :-) - and she is very proud of them!!
-Aisana says, "Don't try to copy others" but to be yourself and you will be authentic and therefore your best self
-She wants people to know they can reach her if they are in a relationship or have been a victim of Domestic Violence and need a person to talk to.
-She lays out her methods to becoming a success in business. In general there are three prime things she covers which we will get to below, but first:
-Aisana talked about how Procter and Gamble has the Charmin Bears. She used that to describe the power of memorable, associative marketing (and consistency)
-In Real Estate - you must invest in yourself. Your Broker can help you with mentorship, but you need to make things happen. Invest in your business.
-She also talked about bottled water - they are all bland, they generally look the same - so how do you succeed when your product does not have much variation with the competition? Hint: Marketing
-Steps to creating a market for yourself - The Who, What, How?
-Listen to the show to understand key points of - What are you good at...who is your audience...how do go about things. 
-Aisana says her key virtues are: Courage and Authenticity (and we definitely agree)
We hope you all enjoy this show - so much great Leadership in one episode.
To learn more about Aisana or utilize her services, look her up at: Aisana Mukan, Real Estate Agent | Realty ONE Group Dockside (myrealtyonegroup.com)

Life Coach, Mikaela Kate Schaefer, stopped by to meet with us to talk about many powerful personal growth and leadership strategies. She also talked about her central premise for the show, "Know Thyself". In this show, Mikaela shared some of her tips from 10 years of training experience. The concepts ranged from Self Awareness to emotional intelligence and something we sometimes miss - Self Action.

We enjoyed having Mikaela on the show! She also talks about her upcoming Women's Retreat. Read below for more information on that.

Some show highlights:
-She's a "Midwest girl" that grew up on a farm with 4,000 pigs!
-Her early career was in full time ministry. In that early career she developed her passion for helping people through coaching.
-Concept she mentioned: you go to the gym and your body gets sore...you need some time to recover. The mind is the same way sometimes.
-As a natural introvert, she's developed ways to thrive in the spotlight while still presenting herself authentically (not trying to adopt someone else's style to please others)
-3 great writers to check out: Brene' Brown, Patrick Lencioni and Simon Sinek
-Emotional intelligence is a key to great leadership. Studies have shown that managers of similar ranks and roles to others that demonstrate higher emotional intelligence have teams with more engagement and improvement
-In communication, generally, Men tends to respond to numbers and results whereas Women tend to respond to feelings and finding action points. However, this is not true of every man and woman, so it's important to know how to communicate best with each individual
-The importance of feedback in personal growth is underrated. Ask others (that you trust) for feedback and be aware.
-Rob and Mikaela discussed the value of Enneagram. We found out Mikaela is a type 9 (peacemaker) and Rob is a 3 and 1 (performer, perfectionist)
-She talked about the concept of Know Thyself (to maximize your effectiveness). Here are some parts to making that happen: Start with being Accountable. Then you are ready to take the steps to improvement. 1st - Understand Self Deception and Blindspots, 2 - Go on a Self Discovery Journey (and accept the results), 3 - Self Awareness (Understand what you're doing and why), 4 - Self Action (apply the changes to handle yourself optimally).
-Mikaela is having her 2nd Annual Women's Leadership Retreat in Pawleys Island on October 18th and 19th.

For more about that event or information on Mikaela's services, go to: Mikaela Schaefer (mikaelakate.com).

Jon Smalls, from spz720 Fitness joined us on The Leader Mentality Show to talk about the importance of a healthy body when in leadership. He likes to say he "Eats Weights" but he offers much more to life that just lifting.
There is always a connection between health, feeling good and having clear state of mind. In the episode, Jon talks to us about his career in health and his Tips to Get Motivated to get into the Gym and be your best. While Jon and Rob enjoyed a protein shake, they talked about everything from Arnold Schwarzenegger to baking healthy pies.

Show highlights:
-Rob starts off with a Shout out to McLeod Health and their fantastic magazine
-What protein shake tastes better - Muscle Milk or Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard?? We liked them both!
-Jon talks about an Oven baby versus a Microwave baby...making the best results is not about speed, it's about the quality dedicated to the outcome.
-Jon's two favorite bodybuilders were Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lee Haney
-Speaking of Lee Haney, Jon talked about Lee speaking to him and a group of young athletes about being well rounded in your life (it's not just about your physique)
-Rob mentioned being a fan of Lee Haney's old workout show - here's a sample: Lee Haney chest workout 1990 - YouTube
-Jon said: Without balance, you have offset; Offset leads to problems. This is true in not just your workout life, but all phases of life and business.
-Jon competed in a MuscleandFitness.com bodybuilding competition which included other elements for life such as learning to market yourself. He represented well for the Myrtle Beach area!
-Social Media tip team up with others to boost your success
-Jon has an app called spz720 Fitness. Getting training tips from Jon on this app!!
-In high school he played basketball under the great Dan D'antoni of whom has coached at many levels including the NBA.
-He served in the Marines
-He and his brother started a pie business (you'll have to listen to his Vegan pie story)
-Finally, Jon's tips for getting motivated for the gym: 1) Pack your gym clothes the night before (get your mind set), 2) Have a Goal for the gym session and have a plan in place for how to accomplish it (and ask questions if you need help), 3) Hydrate properly and understand you need to hydrate properly starting the day before.

For more from Jon Dieselz Smalls, check him out here: SPZ 720 Fitness (fitbudd.com)

We enjoyed meeting Founder of 3D Renew, Melinda Grafton, as she shared her expertise on leadership and training with us. Melinda has a great amount of information in ways to grow personally or as a business. In this episode she shared the power of "Being Intentional" in all things you do personally and as a business.

Show Highlights:
-Setting up Standard Operating Procedures for your business is of ultimate importance to growth
-Exploring self-development - from the military to civilian life
-We talked about Tetramap and how to apply it to understanding people
-The power of team dynamics - the need to have a collection of different styles of personalities
-Rob and Melinda had a discussion about Innovators and Integrators working together
-Don't underrate the need for ample sleep as a leader - keep your mind clear and your body energized
-Benefits of melatonin are good - but don't overdo it because your body will adjust
-Being Intentional with your actions is one of the keys to running a thriving business and being yourself. Melinda explains why and how to be intentional with what you do.
-We had a great time comparing notes on DISC profiles
-Melinda travels the country meeting organizations to help with everything from Team building to planning
-As a sidenote, during our recording Melinda had the cutest Service Dog at her side and it made the interview extra special for all of us.

For more on Melinda, please visit: 3D Renew -- Executive Coaching and Leadership Development to Live Life Full