The Non-Obvious Show

What is the truth behind college admissions? New York Times bestselling author Jeff Selingo has written about higher education for over two years, including regular contributions to The Atlantic, New York Times, and the Washington Post. When not writing, he is a special advisor to the president and professor of practice at Arizona State University, and co-hosts the Future U podcast. In this episode, Jeff Selingo takes you inside the college admissions process, and offers an unusual look at how to really get into college and what mistakes to avoid.

What are the secrets to brand transformation? Brand guru Emmanuel Probst is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Assemblage, the Global Lead of Brand Growth & Thought Leadership at Ipsos, and teaches Consumer Market Research at UCLA. In this episode, Emmanuel Probst reveals the secrets of building an enduring brand, what mistakes marketers often make when trying to grow their brand loyalty, and how the world's most successful brands thrive by connecting deeply with their audiences.

How do you support female leaders? Corporate inclusion visionary, Deepa Purushothaman encourages companies and individuals to challenge the status quo of ambition, success and power through her seasoned advisory approach to leadership. Her internationally acclaimed book The First, The Few, The Only is a deeply personal call to action for women of color to redefine power in corporate America. In this episode, Deepa Purushothaman talks about the real challenges that women of color face, and some proven ideas for how to overcome them.

What does your digital body language convey? Erica Dhawan is an award winning keynote speaker and the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Digital Body Language. As the founder and CEO of Cotential, Erica has helped leaders and teams leverage twenty-first-century collaboration skills globally, helping them innovate faster and further, together. In this episode, Erica Dhawan digs into how gender affects communication, bringing empathy into digital body language, and how understanding body language could de-escalate violent situations.

How do you get people to support you? Suneel Gupta is a bestselling author, renowned speaker, Harvard Medical School visiting scholar, and host of a global documentary series called Business Class on Amazon Prime. Once seen as the "face of failure" in the New York Times, Suneel understands that the road to success is not always smooth, has learned from his mistakes, and went on to become a founding CEO of wellness app RISE. In this episode, Suneel Gupta defines exhibition matches, the importance of backable people, and the positive domino effect of women in the workforce.

How do you become an epic gift giver? John Ruhlin was known as a gifting expert, keynote speaker, and author of Giftology. He has been called "the world's greatest gift giver" and helped people and organizations around the world to rethink how they use gifts to retain customers, win hearts and cut through the noise. In this episode, John Ruhlin explains how gifts can bring in referrals for businesses, lists examples of bad gifts, and shares the recipe of what he calls "giftology."

How does ownership really work? Michael Heller and James Salzman explore the six simple rules that everyone uses to claim everything in their new book Mine!. Michael Heller is a Professor of Real Estate Law at Columbia Law School, and is the author and co-author of multiple books. James Salzman is a Professor of Environmental Law at UCLA and UC Santa Barbara, and is the author and co-author of numerous bestselling books. In this episode, Michael Heller and James Salazman discuss possession versus ownership, the growing complications of digital ownership, and how ownership of original resources is claimed.

What has caused the death of common sense? Martin Lindstrom is a bestselling author, consumer branding expert, and named one of TIME Magazine's "World's 100 Most Influential People." He's the founder and chairman of Lindstrom Company, the world's leading brand & culture transformation group, with clients such as Seth Godin and Tyra Banks. His latest book, The Ministry of Common Sense, is a Wall Street Journal Bestseller and a humorous yet practical guide to ridding ourselves — and our companies — of bureaucratic red tape. In this episode, Martin Lindstrom discusses how empathy is dying, the benefits of consumer insight, and why he feels the best solution is for more organizations and governments around the world should create a ministry of common sense.

Originally aired: December 15, 2021 Why is ​​collaboration overrated? Safi Bahcall is a former public company CEO, second-generation physicist, biotech entrepreneur, and the author of international bestseller Loonshots. Today Safi advises CEOs and leadership teams on strategy and innovation, and has delivered keynote presentations at industry conferences, investor events, leadership retreats, medical meetings, and leading academic institutions around the world.

In this episode, Safi Bahcall goes behind the mindsets required to see the world a little differently, explores why a focus on collaboration might counterintuitively hold us back from innovating in some situations and why thinking like a physicist just might offer a path to solving some of the world's biggest problems.

Originally aired: November 15, 2021 What is the power of outsider thinking? Beth Comstock is an American business executive, advisor, nature conservationist, and the author of Imagine It Forward: Courage, Creativity and the Power of Change. She has spent more than three decades leading communications at GE and has been named to both the Fortune and Forbes lists of the world's most powerful women.

In this episode, Beth Comstock talks about embracing change, finding courage, conquering your fears and imagining a better future.