What if the biggest factor influencing your success isn't your skills, experience, or strategy—but the invisible dynamics shaping every conversation you have? In this episode of The Pick Now Podcast, Jeff Munn sits down with entrepreneur, investor, and author Jonny Staker, founder of Vanquish Consulting Group and co-author of The Frame: The Unspoken Laws of Power, Status, and Influence, for a conversation about leadership, negotiation, confidence, resilience, and the hidden forces that influence how we show up in business and life.

Jonny shares his unconventional path from leaving school at 15, building and selling successful companies, losing everything almost overnight, and rebuilding from the ground up. Together, Jeff and Jonny explore why certainty creates trust, how people unknowingly give away power in conversations, and why some of the most successful entrepreneurs simply refuse to quit when things get difficult.

In this episode:

• Why the stories we tell ourselves shape our confidence and decision-making
• How power, status, and influence quietly affect every conversation
• Why certainty matters more than tactics in leadership and sales
• How to recognize needy behavior and communicate from a position of strength
• The hidden negotiation lessons most people never learn
• What Jonny learned after losing everything and starting over
• Why resilience is often the greatest predictor of long-term success
• How identity influences results in business and life
• Why successful entrepreneurs think differently about failure
• The mindset shift that helps people stop seeking validation and start leading

If you've ever struggled with confidence, difficult decisions, leadership, sales, or recovering from setbacks, this episode will challenge the way you think about influence, success, and personal growth.

Connect with Jeff Munn and tune into more conversations on The Pick Now Podcast.

What if the biggest thing holding you back in leadership is not what you say, but the hidden story behind why you say it?

In this episode of The Pick Now Podcast, Jeff Munn sits down with Chuck Wisner, founder of Wisner Consulting and author of The Art of Conscious Conversations, for a thoughtful conversation about leadership, communication, creativity, and the patterns that shape how we show up in life and work.

Chuck shares his journey from music to architecture to leadership consulting, and how each chapter taught him something deeper about creativity, language, and human connection. Together, Jeff and Chuck explore why so many leaders get trapped in needing to have the answer, how our old stories can quietly limit us, and why better conversations begin with more self-awareness.

In this episode:

• Why the stories we tell ourselves shape how we lead and communicate
• How to recognize patterns that no longer serve you
• Why great leaders shift from being "knowers" to being learners
• The difference between closed-fist and open-hand communication
• How storytelling, collaboration, creativity, and commitment conversations build on each other
• Why slowing down before making decisions can lead to better outcomes

If you've ever felt stuck in old patterns, struggled to speak honestly, or wondered how to create better conversations at work and in life, this episode will challenge the way you think about communication, leadership, and personal growth.

Connect with Jeff Munn and tune into more conversations on The Pick Now Podcast.

What if the biggest breakthrough in your career comes from following a person, not a plan?

In this episode, Jeff Munn sits down with Chris Younger, founder and CEO of Class 6 Partners, to explore a journey that began in law, wound through Silicon Valley acquisitions, and ultimately led to building a relationship-driven investment banking firm. Along the way, Chris shares lessons from extraordinary mentors, the realities of entrepreneurship, and why purpose matters more than achievement.

You'll hear powerful stories about leadership during crisis, the challenge of life after selling a business, and how meaningful relationships shape both success and fulfillment.

Key takeaways:

• Why great mentors can accelerate decades of learning into just a few years • What entrepreneurs often underestimate about life after an exit • How service, relationships, and purpose create lasting fulfillment

Whether you're building a company, leading a team, or searching for what's next, this conversation offers a thoughtful reminder that success is rarely about the transaction and almost always about the people.

What happens when the business you built becomes your identity?

In this episode, Jeff Munn sits down with Elizabeth Ledoux, founder and CEO of The Transition Strategists, to unpack the emotional, financial, and deeply personal realities of succession planning for entrepreneurs and family businesses. From leaving her career as a petroleum engineer to helping founders navigate life after leadership, Elizabeth shares hard-earned wisdom on what it really takes to let go without losing yourself.

They explore why most business transitions fail, how founders unknowingly hold companies back, and why the next generation often struggles under the weight of expectations. Elizabeth also shares her own transition story and how she found the successor to carry her life's work forward.

In this episode:

• Why founders struggle to let go of control
• The difference between building a business and sustaining one
• How family dynamics shape succession decisions
• Why clarity about your "next chapter" matters more than money
• The hidden emotional cost of leaving the business

If you're building something meaningful, this conversation might change how you think about legacy, leadership, and what comes next.

Follow Jeff Munn and The Pick Now Podcast for more conversations with entrepreneurs, leaders, and visionaries navigating the biggest decisions of their lives.

What happens when loyalty disappears from the workplace and nobody knows what success actually looks like anymore?

In this episode of The Pick Now Podcast, Jeff Munn sits down with Barry Wolfe, President and CEO of Argos HR Solutions and author of It's All in Your Head, for a fascinating conversation about leadership, employee engagement, and why modern workplace systems are failing both managers and employees.

Barry shares his journey from working in his father's manufacturing business at 14 years old, to touring as a musician, to building a consulting company focused on helping organizations rethink how they define success. Together, Jeff and Barry unpack why traditional performance reviews, personality tests, and corporate leadership programs often miss the mark and what leaders should focus on instead.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why most employees do not actually know what success looks like at work
• The hidden damage caused by transactional leadership cultures
• How "value-centric leadership" changes the way organizations grow people
• Why personality testing and workplace assessments may be doing more harm than good
• The one question every new employee wants answered immediately

If you've ever questioned corporate culture, struggled with leadership, or wondered why talented people disengage, this conversation will challenge the way you think about work and management.

Connect with Jeff Munn and tune into more conversations on The Pick Now Podcast.

What happens when you lose your job in a new country with no money, no network, and no backup plan?

On this episode of The Pick Now Podcast, Jeff Munn sits down with entrepreneur and author Shashank Shekhar to unpack the remarkable journey from immigrant startup employee to award-winning FinTech founder. After his company collapsed during the 2008 mortgage crisis, Shashank turned uncertainty into opportunity by building a mortgage business centered around education, trust, and technology.

What started as late-night blog posts eventually became Instamortgage, one of the fastest-growing mortgage companies in America. Along the way, he taught himself AI, built one of the first AI-powered digital humans in the mortgage industry, and even outpaced Zoom on Deloitte's FastTech rankings during the pandemic.

In this conversation, you'll hear:

• How resilience beats talent without persistence
• Why education became his ultimate business strategy
• What founders can learn about AI right now
• How to think long-term when building a company
• Why limiting beliefs stop more dreams than lack of skill

If you've ever wondered whether your big idea is worth pursuing, this episode might be the push you need to start.

He went from 320 pounds and rock bottom to building and selling a $400 million company.

In this episode, Mike Fata shares how a personal health crisis led him to discover hemp, build Manitoba Harvest from scratch, and navigate two decades of uncertainty, setbacks, and breakthrough growth. From dropping out of high school to becoming a $100M+ CEO, Mike breaks down the mindset shifts that fueled his success and the identity changes required to sustain it.

You'll also hear what happened after the exit, including the unexpected personal challenges that forced him to rebuild his life from the ground up and redefine success on his own terms.

Key takeaways:

• Why "just one more day" is the most powerful entrepreneurial mindset
• The difference between being your best self vs trying to be better
• How discipline, not motivation, drives long-term success

If you've ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or on the edge of quitting, this conversation will challenge how you think about growth, resilience, and what it really takes to win.

What if one hard conversation today could save your family years of chaos tomorrow?

In this powerful episode of The Pick Now Podcast, Jeff Munn sits down with founder Elke Rubach to unpack how childhood loss, legal training, entrepreneurship, and personal reinvention shaped her mission to normalize money conversations. From wills and wealth planning to identity, trust, burnout, and family values, Elke reveals why financial planning is about far more than money. It is about protecting the people you love most.

In this episode:

• Why avoiding money conversations can create generational chaos
• How founders and families can build real security through intentional planning
• The hidden link between values, trust, burnout, and long-term wealth

Your legacy will exist whether you plan for it or not. This episode will inspire you to take control before life does it for you.

What if you're just one yes away from changing your entire life?

In this episode, Jeff Munn sits down with serial entrepreneur Bryan Lord to unpack the messy, unfiltered reality of building something from nothing. From feeling out of place in college to raising capital off a 14-page deck, Bryan shares how persistence, irrational belief, and a willingness to hear "no" over and over again shaped his journey.

They dive into the truth about entrepreneurship that no one talks about—the politics, getting fired from your own company, and why success doesn't always feel the way you think it will. Bryan also reveals why chasing the destination can leave you empty, and what actually matters in the long run.

Key takeaways:

• Why being a generalist can be your greatest advantage
• The power of hearing "no" and still moving forward
• Why you're often better off raising capital with just an idea
• The hidden downside of "making it"

If you've ever felt like you don't fit the mold, this conversation will challenge how you think about success—and what it really takes to build something meaningful.

What if the rise of AI isn't about replacing us… but revealing who we really are?

In this episode, Yen Anderson shares her journey from defense tech to becoming one of the earliest voices inside Microsoft advocating for AI adoption. From experimenting with ChatGPT on day one to influencing thousands globally, Yen explains why AI isn't just a tool. It's a turning point for human identity.

Together with host Jeff Munn, they explore what happens when machines take over repetitive work and why the future belongs to those who embrace creativity, psychology, and human connection.

Key takeaways:

• Why AI will replace tasks, not human potential
• The hidden danger of outsourcing your thinking
• How to rediscover your identity in an AI-driven world

If you've ever questioned your career, your purpose, or your place in a rapidly changing world, this conversation will challenge you to rethink everything.