Dr. Seuss is best known for whimsical children’s tales with nonsensical writing, but the man’s got a head on his shoulders if the following quote is an indication:

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” Dr. Seuss via @RustyLionAcadmy (Tweet it out!)

Good advice, right?

My partner Bill had a Lieutenant Colonel at West Point who had this memorized, and used it to help him see that a little kryptonite never hurt any real Superman.

At that point Bill was inauthentic by projecting that he was a man who could do no wrong. This man at West Point helped break Bill of the addiction he had to having no kryptonite, and it’s changed his life.

“No one is invulnerable. Superman only exists in the comic books.” via @RustyLionAcadmy (Tweet it out!)

This is the core of what we’ll be talking about in today’s episode: authenticity.

In this episode we share a half-dozen keys to finding and applying authenticity in a way that will make you more powerful, more influential than you could otherwise dream. See, many people project inauthenticity because they think it will serve them to please everyone.

Wrong!

“In the grand scheme of things, living authentically is a big part of being happy.” via @RustyLionAcadmy (Tweet it out!)

It turns out more people respect you if they can see you’re vulnerable and trying anyway to be the best man you can be. So hiding behind a façade will only bring a façade of happiness.

Listen to this episode to find out why showing the chinks in your armor – letting people know you have a kryptonite – can be much more powerful than being able to do no wrong.

“Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway.” Mother Theresa via @RustyLionAcadmy (Tweet it out!)

Tune into the episode now to hear Bill and me (Robert) talk about:

• Why it’s a problem if everyone likes you
• Why we intentionally alienate women in our coaching business (Hint: We’re not women and don’t think like them)
• Embracing your kryptonite – or at least your uniqueness
• Six tips to be more authentic and why they matter
• The thing that made Thomas Edison stop procrastinating and change the world
• Why we fear the light in ourselves more than the darkness

Do this next!

Authenticity in leaders inspires authenticity and motivation in employees. If you’re a leader who wants more motivated employees, use our new free resource kit including a video, handouts and templates to use for your company. If you don’t do it now, let’s face it: you won’t do it. You owe it to your disengaged employees and yourself to click here now.

Dave Frees is a civilian, but that’s sometimes hard to tell—given his knowledge of how to make things happen like a spy, interrogator or negotiator in his business.

He travels around teaching audiences how to use some of the same “black ops” techniques our nation’s finest use in their own businesses once they return to civilian life.

He also teaches people how to use the techniques on their kids through the difficult teenaged years.

His life has seen several twists and turns, including his bouncing back from a neck injury that made him a quadriplegic.

In all areas of his life, he’s conquered fear to become more ferocious.

Just like a Lion.

“I do whatever it is I have to do so I am not living in fear. And ferocity somehow comes from that.” @davefrees via @RustyLionAcadmy.

By facing dangerous situations in his life, Dave has trained himself to do the things he fears—making the death of fear certain in his life.

“Train yourself to come through darkness back into the light. You’ll be less afraid and perform better.”” @davefrees via @RustyLionAcadmy.

However, he uses some pretty simple tools to do that. Listen to this episode to hear about his “hipster PDA” that makes every day more meaningful, his best advice for people in life and business, and more.

Tune into this episode to hear Dave Frees talk with me about all this and more:

• Business black ops
• Change as the only constant
• A rule that will multiply forces in an entrepreneur’s life
• How to use systems for leverage
• Cracking the marketing code
• Why you shouldn’t undercharge clients
• Conquering fear to earn ferocity
• A simple tool (and some apps) to help you get more done

  Books and resources mentioned that could change your life:

“Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win” by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

“Einstein's Business: Engaging Soul, Imagination, and Excellence in the Workplace” by David Frees, Dawson Church, Stephen Covey, and more

“The Language of Parenting: Building Great Family Relationships At All Ages” by David Frees

How to contact David Frees:

Visit Dave Free’s website, message him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.

  Do this next:

Spies and negotiators have stressful lives. Check out this video and learn about four habits for a stress-free life.

If your work doesn’t matter to you, you may need to be working in something else.

But changing careers takes creativity, guts, and the ability to throw established rules out the window.

You have those qualities, Lion!

On this podcast, we explore how to make a career change, especially for men who have a gnawing unease that there’s something more for them in their career.

For us, that was starting Rusty Lion Academy and learning a lot of new tricks when our peers were already retiring. We both took a big step into the unknown from high-paying careers because we understand the following:

“Good pay can never rival boredom and emptiness.” Via @RustyLionAcadmy (Tweet it out!)

For you, we’re here to help make the game plan to make the transition as painless as possible. If you feel a transition is necessary, we can ease you away from the addiction you may have to your current lifestyle, job, recognition, or whatever it may be.

Believe us, you may not know where you’re going and that may be just fine.

“Sometimes the unknown is the best place to go when you’re trying to find an opportunity.” Via @RustyLionAcadmy (Tweet it out!)

We cover how to know when to switch careers, knowing what to switch to, and how to make the switch when hirers are so entrenched in looking at past experience rather than a deep desire to learn an occupation.

Just one quick tip from this podcast before we set you loose to listen, because it is the proactive that are able to change careers much better than the reactive:

“Believe in opportunities and then create them for yourself.” Via @RustyLionAcadmy (Tweet it out!)

That’s the way to make the switch to a new career. Trust us. We’ve been there.

Tune into the episode now to hear Bill and me (Robert) talk about:

• Why your work must matter to you
• Doing a temperature check on your current career
• Our insane(ly good) move to switch careers when peers were retiring
• Beating fear in the switch
• Knowing when to switch
• Knowing what career to switch to
• Personal gravity that will keep you from shifting careers
• The link between personal fulfillment and doing what you love

Resources and books to change your life and business:

• “The Slight Edge” by
• “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell

Do this next!

Sign up here for more coaching tips sent directly to your email and unlock 15 hours of premium content!

Ted Ryce naturally sucks at pretty much everything, he told me. Yet he’s an accomplished celebrity personal trainer, podcast host and keynote speaker.

Go figure.

The secret is the work you’re willing to put in to something.

“Anything’s a skill and you can learn it.” Ted Ryce (@LegendaryLifeP) via @RustyLionAcadmy (Tweet it out!)

Since everyone fell off a bike the first time they got on, Ted teaches people that they have to have the growth mindset as adults to get back on the bike.

As a personal trainer, most of Ted’s clients are celebrities and CEOs like Richard Downey Jr. and Richard Branson. He said many of his clients get discouraged when they start training in the gym. While they have success in one area of life, they need to keep coming back to earn it in the gym.

But they do learn it in the end if they allow it to be the right amount of challenge.

“Success is about finding the right amount of challenge.” Ted Ryce (@LegendaryLifeP) via @RustyLionAcadmy (Tweet it out!)

Beyond teaching about the core of learning to do anything, Ted tells in this podcast the humbling story of his beginnings, including the disappearance, rape and murder of his 9-year-old brother.

He currently speaks about things like taking smart risks and why they can lead to success and happiness, and regularly practices getting into a state of flow. With that mentality, he’s unstoppable.

“I can be beaten physically, but I can never be beaten mentally.” Ted Ryce (@LegendaryLifeP) via @RustyLionAcadmy (Tweet it out!)

Listen to this podcast episode for all this and more by clicking on the player above.

 

Tune into this episode to hear Ted Ryce talk with me about:

• Using personal tragedies as a springboard
• Going from fearful to fearless
• The disappearance, rape, and murder of his 9-year-old brother
• Leaving a shady business to become a personal trainer and moving up quickly in that world
• Showing up in a tank top and workout pants to his first day of work
• Living in the best time in human history (even with the above tragedy)
• Using other people’s stories to avoid narcissism
• Getting over shyness that caused a visceral physical reaction when he met new people
• Smart risks and how they lead to happiness
• Finding your flow through reverse engineering
• Challenging yourself for growth and success
• Sleep hygiene

 

Books and resources mentioned that will enhance your life:

• “Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience” by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• “Searching for Bobby Fischer: The Father of a Prodigy Observes the World of Chess” by Fred Waitzkin
• “Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t” by Simon Cinek

 

How to contact Ted Ryce:

You can visit his website, message him on Facebook or follow him on twitter.

 

Do this next!

One of Ted’s secrets to success is his morning routine. Start your mornings like a warrior with advice from this free premium video and accompanying worksheet.

Monday morning.

Your phone alarm sounds, and you slap at it in the dark until in shuts up.

“Why am I getting out of bed?” you ask yourself.

You’re going to work, but do you have deep intrinsic motivation for doing it?

Probably not, if you’re like most Lions we know.

 

Find your “Why?”

The typical man goes to work to make money. The typical Lion will enjoy it for the most part, but still not tap their inner desires for bettering the world to do it.

This needs to stop.

To do what you do the best that you can, you need to have a deep well of motivation to tap whenever things get hard.

What is your “Why?”

Listen to this podcast to learn from Bill and I (Robert) about how to find your “Why?” in a way that will help give more meaning to everything you do in business and in life. Unsurprisingly, that will make everything you do more enjoyable and rewarding.

 

Roars and Takeaways

“If you know your ‘Why?’, it’s not easy but you’re able to plow through it.” Via @RustyLionAcadmy (Tweet it out!)

“There is no world-class, game-changing business whose 'Why?' is to make money.” Via @RustyLionAcadmy (Tweet it out!)

 

Tune into the episode now to hear Bill and me (Robert) talk about:

• Why “needing money” or “needing to eat” aren’t good reasons to work
• The one question to ask yourself to make work easier
• Why people buy what you do
• Drilling down to the core
• Getting annoying with yourself to find your intrinsic motivation
• Making dry cleaning and riding a bike meaningful
• Backpacking at age 100
• “Why?” as your Everest
• Finding your “Why?”
• Our Jackson Hole coaching giveaway!

 

Do this next!

Sign up for our $23,000 coaching giveaway in Jackson Hole. If you win, this all-expenses-paid trip will change your life and business for the better—and give you the tools to succeed on a higher plane.

Get ready to ROAR!

Complaining and creating aren’t compatible. Take it from a self-proclaimed “former ‘wuss’” who is now changing lives.

“When you complain, you close all opportunities for creation,” Chris Smith told me during this podcast. “But with a creator’s mindset anything’s possible.” (Tweet it out!)

The “create, don’t complain” mindset has unlocked some of Chris Smith’s vast potential, but it’s also turning his 8-, 7-, and 4-year-old children into entrepreneurs with a cause.

 

The next generation of entrepreneurs

Chris has four children, with another on the way. His oldest are home-schooled—Chris is their entrepreneurship teacher. He regularly tells them that they can’t complain and create at the same time.

Chris decided that, as part of their learning, his kids should start a business. He imagined that they would do something like a paper route or selling eggs or mowing lawns, but they chose something much bigger.

They decided that they wanted to teach the “create, don’t complain” mindset by making T-shirts and bracelets with the motto.

The business is in its fledgling stages, but Chris still feels it’s the most profound thing he’s done as a father—chiefly because it’s infused his children with life skills well beyond the curriculum, and opened up their minds to why they want to do start the business.

 

In their father’s footsteps

As the founder of The Campfire Effect, Chris teaches people how to more powerfully tell their story so they can increase their revenue and build a better work culture.

He says entrepreneurs too often have amazing stories that they turn into lame bullet points.

“Entrepreneurs are so much more powerful than the story they tell.” - Chris Smith. (Tweet it out!)

Listen to this episode to hear Chris tell about his teaching experiments, his career helping others tell their stories, and what changed him from a “wuss” to a self-confident entrepreneur. 

Lions, this was a great one for us to do, because Rusty Lion Academy has been a client of The Campfire Effect, and we can can attest to his effectiveness.

In all honesty, it’s no wonder that his kids seem to have caught the entrepreneurial bug.

 

Chris Smith’s Roars and Takeaways

“When you write the story of your past, you unlock your future.” Chris Smith via @RustyLionAcadmy #goodadvice (Tweet it out!)

“People connect with you through their story, not yours.” Chris Smith via @RustyLionAcadmy #goodadvice (Tweet it out!)

 

Tune into this episode to hear Chris Smith talk with me about:

• The creator’s mindset
• Starting a business with three children aged 8 or younger
• Personality traits his children have spotted in themselves because of their business
• Scamming the collect call system as a child
• The importance of the human connection in business
• Connecting to others through their story, not yours
• The meaning of The Campfire Effect
• The five forces of storytelling, and how Chris uses them to help thousands of children and millions of men
• Why his wife called him a wuss
• The part of life that contains keys to personal growth
• The thing that made Chris feel like he’s won the Super Bowl

 

Books and resources mentioned that will enhance your life:

• “The Compound Effect” by Darren Hardy
• “The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level” by Gay Hendricks PhD

 

How to contact Chris Smith:

You can visit his website or follow him on twitter.

 

Do this next!

Go here to find your company’s shared values. It’s the first step in telling your business story as effectively as Chris does.

We’ve been talking a lot about the reasons you should enter our life-changing giveaway. (As if winning an all-expenses paid trip to Jackson Hole that could absolutely change your life wasn’t reason enough!)

We’ve also discussed, in this podcast, the reasons we launched the giveaway.

But we haven’t been talking a lot about the reasons why men might not do it.

In this podcast, we go over some of the excuses we’ve heard—reasons men like you don’t think it’s a good idea to simply enter their email address to win this trip.

This is anyone’s contest, and we know it will make one man a better person through this giveaway. Will it be you? Maybe, maybe not. But certainly not if you let these excuses get in the way.

Listen to this episode by clicking play above to hear the awful excuses men like you have for not entering. We shoot each of them down in an attempt to get you one step closer to Jackson Hole.

 

Roars and Takeaways

“One of our major goals is that you get time freedom in your life.” Via @RustyLionAcadmy (Tweet it out!)

“Don’t be a “going to get to it” guy; be a get to it now guy.” Via @RustyLionAcadmy (Tweet it out!)

 

Tune into the episode now to hear Bill and me (Robert) talk about:

• Our Jackson Hole coaching giveaway!
• The VIP treatment at Jeff Walker’s conference
• A literal shipwreck of a restaurant
• Drinking from a fire hydrant of straight-shooting advice
• “Winning” lifelong friends
• The five excuses good men will use to keep from becoming better
• Getting out of your comfort zone to change your life
• Giving more than you take (one of our reasons for hosting this giveaway)
• Stopping the procrastination train
• Squeezing three months into one day

 

Do this next!

Sign up for our $23,000 coaching giveaway in Jackson Hole. If you win, this all-expenses-paid trip will change your life and business for the better—and give you the tools to succeed on a higher plane.

A perfect day is hard to come by, even for lions like you. But success transformation coach and author Craig Ballantyne has the formula for a perfect day that he shared with us during this podcast.

 

The recipe for a perfect day

The perfect day is all about control, especially over your mornings.

”The greater control we can have over our morning, the more freedom we’re going to have in the rest of our life,” Craig told me during this interview. (Tweet it out!)

He calls the first hour he’s out of bed his “magic hour” which he uses for writing without allowing in distractions like email and other fluff that gets in the way of perfection. He thinks everyone should use this time to the greatest extent possible, and then continue exerting control throughout the day through structure.

Listen to this episode to learn more about this powerful method to seize control of your life and give you more freedom while also learning about five pillars of success Craig believes everyone who can persevere has.

 

Craig Ballantyne’s Roars and Takeaways

“Know what you want and act accordingly and you can have exactly what you want in your life.” Craig Ballantyne via @RustyLionAcadmy #goodadvice (Tweet it out!)

“There’s a whole lot more to health than just exercising.” Craig Ballantyne via @RustyLionAcadmy #goodadvice (Tweet it out!)

 

Tune into this episode to hear Craig Ballantyne talk with me about:

• Getting his start writing for Men’s Health.
• Emulating Arnold Schwarzenegger.
• Why his typical client looks like a cast member from “The Office.”
• Sending out 3,000 emails 50 at a time through Hotmail.
• Why cheapness and stubbornness help him back for years.
• The three disciplines he shoved into a blender to create turbulence training.
• Working out for 15 minutes but burning calories for 48 hours.
• Having “Dad strength.”
• Shooting guns and driving cars (almost simultaneously) with Tim Ferriss
• The one word he inserted into the law of attraction that makes it work for anything.
• The five pillars of success (and how you need them all to clear some hurdles).
• Craig’s anxiety attacks that mimicked a heart attack and how he overcame them.
• The link between physical illness and bottling emotions.
• Taking control of your day.
• Programming your personal operating system for maximum productivity.

 

Books and Resources mentioned that will enhance your life:

• “The Perfect Day Formula” by Craig Ballantyne
• “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne
• “The Art of Living” by Epictetus
• “Ready, Fire, Aim” by Michael Masterson

 

How to contact Craig Ballantyne:

You can visit his website, follow him on twitter or read his material on earlytorise.com.

 

Do this!

Go here to get our take on making the most of your mornings. It mirrors what Craig has to say and is available to you for free as a Lion’s Den member.

When you break a process down, you’ll often find out you’re bogging down even your star employees. “Bad employees,” on the other hand, are often just acting out flawed systems and are getting frustrated they can’t change it.

Maximizing team productivity

Getting a more productive team isn’t about getting a new team. You just have some work to do to give your team the tools it needs to succeed.

That will usually be about improving the process.

We’ve identified nine actionable tools you can use as a business leader to get more from your team. Many of them may surprise you.

Check out our nine tools

Click the player above to find out how to change your team for the better, Young Lions.

Roars and Takeaways

“If you have leaks in #productivity than you have leaks in #profit.” Via @RustyLionAcadmy https://goo.gl/usN613(Tweet it out!)

“No ‘A’ player wants to work alongside ‘C’ players.” Via @RustyLionAcadmy https://goo.gl/usN613 (Tweet it out!)

“A leader’s bad attitude is incredibly infectious.” Via @RustyLionAcadmy https://goo.gl/usN613 (Tweet it out!)

Tune into the episode now to hear Bill and me (Robert) talk about:

• Profit leaks tied to productivity
• Optimization
• Recruiting “A+” players
• Outdated systems
• Why it’s better to fire sometimes
• How ping pong doesn’t fix a bad culture
• Complimenting deserving team members
• Celebrating accomplishments
• Confronting frustration
• Building a positive culture
• Great pick-me-ups for your employees
• Leading by example
• Getting advice from your employees
• Leadership beyond yourself
• Our Jackson Hole coaching giveaway!

Resources and books to change your life and business:

• Setting awesome goals with this proprietary eBook or video course
• Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High by Kerry Patterson and Joseph Grenny
• Coaching for improved work performance by Ferdinand Fournies

Do this next!

Sign up for our $23,000 coaching giveaway in Jackson Hole. This all-expenses-paid trip will change your life and business for the better and give you the tools to succeed on a higher plane.

You know the feeling: Weighed down. Dragging from one task to the next. Only existing to fulfill a set of expectations someone else has of you.

Phil Bonelli will have none of that mentality, Young Lions.

Living on purpose

In Phil’s experience, every moment should have purpose behind it. Attaching a purpose to every task will make every task more bearable. After all, we only have so many moments.

Phil is a renaissance man who grew up in a tiny house before they were cool. The work ethic he learned in that tiny backwoods cabin carried him on to become the No. 1 ranked banker for Wells Fargo in the Southeast for revenue growth and client satisfaction. He’s a frequent volunteer who’s fluent in Spanish and is working to build 30 miles of community bike trails near his home.

Step into this conversation to hear how Phil lives on purpose. You don’t have to exist with his mindset.

Phil Bonelli’s Roars and Takeaways

“Don’t shy away from something just because you don’t know how to do it.” @PhilBonelli via @RustyLionAcadmy https://goo.gl/RDqnGw (Tweet it out!)

“We only have so many moments. Be cognizant of what you’re doing and why.” @PhilBonelli via @RustyLionAcadmy https://goo.gl/RDqnGw (Tweet it out!)

Tune into this episode to hear Phil Bonelli talk with me about:

• Children-induced sleep deprivation
• Why Phil has to inform people he has all his teeth
• Living in a tiny house before they were cool
• Getting the highest SAT score in his class and still missing out on a scholarship
• Thanking people who have been influential to you
• Becoming a banker during the Great Recession
• Dealing with nuclear bombs (the figurative ones)
• Losing 13 pounds on a run he never finished
• Why Phil’s “dadgum crummy” grandpa made Phil’s father a hero
• Living on purpose and knowing your values
• Locking down your schedule
• A dose of real-life Indiana Jones in India
• An impromptu rap to encourage listeners

Books and Resources mentioned that will enhance your life:

• “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” by Stephen R. Covey
• “Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens,” by Sean Covey

How to contact Phil Bonelli:

You can visit his website, follow him on twitter or email him here.

Do this!

As mentioned in the episode, Covey’s quadrants can help you find focus in every day. Click here to watch a video course we’ve created on the subject and take your time management to another level.