The SMARTA Podcast

What if your sudden drop in focus, productivity, and happiness isn't laziness, but a silent mental health crisis born from a world that never lets you slow down?

In Episode 112, I sit down with Canadian youth mental health advocate Isaiah Neil to break the taboo around anxiety, high performance, and staying grounded during major life transitions.

What you will learn in this episode:

• How rising anxiety and declining attention spans are connected in today's digital world. 
• How to navigate major career or academic transitions while staying true to your core identity. 
• The 6 core pillars of well-being: consistency, sacrifice, gratitude, strategy, execution, and patience. 
• Lessons from Isaiah’s transition from a high-stakes football career to mental health advocacy.
  

Isaiah Neil is a speaker, educator, and youth mental health leader. He serves on the Youth Council at the Mental Health Commission of Canada and has collaborated with major organizations including Bell Let's Talk, Jack.org, and the Canadian Mental Health Association. You can connect with Isaiah on social media and learn more via Jack.org.

In this episode:

00:00 - Welcome

02:44 - Youth Mental Health & The Taboo Around Anxiety 

10:15 - From Football Athlete to Mental Health Advocate 

22:30 - The 6 Pillars: Consistency, Gratitude & Execution 

38:40 - Staying Grounded During Major Life Transitions 

50:10 - Final Advice for Building the Life of Your Dreams

If you or a friend are struggling, please share this episode with them right now! Rate the podcast 5 stars, leave a comment below, and subscribe to keep growing 1% SMARTA every day!

Welcome to Part 2 of my talk with Henna Pryor!

I've got a free gift for you this week!Here's what you'll learn by the end of the 26 minutes:🔹 The danger of executive beige: why blending in with corporate jargon and over-polished communication is making leaders forgettable.

🔹 The leadership blind spot: why silence in a boardroom is not buy-in, and how leaders must structurally invite dissent to uncover real feedback.

🔹 Congruence as a superpower: how aligning your words, body language, and track record eliminates doubt and accelerates career growth.

Henna’s upcoming book, The Signal Gap: How to Boost Believability and Influence in the Age of Doubt is out November 10th, reveals the science behind why our communication breaks down and how to keep our signals aligned in a skeptical world.

Get chapter 1 for FREE, exclusively on The SMARTA Podcast, now ⁠www.thesignalgap.com/smarta⁠ 

What if failing publicly is the single fastest way to build the exact life you want?

 Today, I am sitting down with 18-year-old entrepreneur and podcaster Kaia Tham. We are breaking down why getting comfortable with rejection early in life completely removes fear, how to build a massive personal brand on LinkedIn without being fake, and why you never need anyone’s permission to start.

What you will learn in this episode:

• Why constantly seeing "no" in your inbox builds unshakeable resilience. 
• The "Embarrassment Tax”; why cringey beginnings are mandatory tuition for success. 
• How Kaia landed dream podcast guests using creative, human cold DMs. 
• The "Jar Analogy" for organizing daily priorities without burning out.
  

Kaia Tham is an 18-year-old Australian entrepreneur, content creator, and host of The SEEN Podcast, currently based in Lisbon, Portugal. She highlights the raw, unfiltered stories of founders and builders. Connect with Kaia on LinkedIn and listen to The SEEN Podcast across all major platforms.

In this episode

00:00 - Welcome

03:00 - Kaia Tham: From Australia to Lisbon 

04:15 - Writing a 400-Page Book at 12 & Facing Rejection 

06:40 - The Origin & Vision of The SEEN Podcast

09:50 - How She Landed Dan Porter with a 6'7 Joke 

12:15 - Common Threads in World-Class Founders 

16:00 - Building a LinkedIn Brand: Overcoming Cringe 

20:45 - The "Embarrassment Tax" & Authentic Storytelling 

26:10 - The Jar Analogy: Prioritizing Rocks Over Sand 

30:00 - Why You Don't Need Permission to Start

What if waiting for permission is the exact thing keeping you from the life you actually want?

Today, I am sitting down with the incredibly disciplined 20-year-old entrepreneur and copywriter, Jay Yang. At just 16, Jay realized that following the traditional path was leading him toward a life he did not want.

He stopped waiting for permission and started taking action. We talk about how his permissionless mindset helped him land opportunities with massive entrepreneurs like Noah Kagan, Alex Hormozi, and Tyler Denk before he even finished high school.

What you will learn in this episode:

• Why beginners need to start "writing upwards" to attract high-level mentors. 
• How to use a 19-page pitch deck to make your offers irresistible. 
• The exact "Theory of Constraints" Alex and Leila Hormozi use to scale businesses. 
• Why your daily habits should be obvious, not magical.
  

Jay Yang is a master copywriter, ghostwriter, and the author of You Can Just Do Things and the upcoming Work With the Best. Find him sharing brilliant career strategies on Instagram at @JayYangInspires, and support his newest book launch on Kickstarter.

In this episode:

00:00 - Welcome

03:00 - Messy, Intentional, and Fun: Jay’s Journey 

05:14 - You Can Just Do Things: Stop Waiting for Permission 

07:41 - The Beehiiv Internship & Cold Email Strategies 

12:17 - The 19-Page Pitch Deck for Noah Kagan 

17:38 - Building a Personal Brand to Shift Supply & Demand 

24:08 - The Hormozi "Theory of Constraints" 

26:13 - How to "Work With the Best" & Pitch Mentors 

32:36 - Why Beginners Must "Write Upwards" 

37:12 - Champions Do Things Differently: Daily Habits

Take a screenshot of this episode right now and share it to your Instagram Story!

Tag me and Jay, and tell us one "permissionless action" you are going to take today.

Subscribe to keep growing 1% smarter every day!

What if the four massive crises facing humanity right now are actually your greatest opportunity to completely reinvent your future, and you have way less time than you think to act?

What you will learn in this episode:

• Why the four biggest global trends are colliding simultaneously and how to survive them.
  
• Why treating your career as a straight vector is a massive mistake, and how to live your life in "chapters" instead.
  
• The power of "respectful curiosity" to solve complex problems and navigate diverse cultures.
  
• The crucial difference between blind optimism and true hope—and why hope requires agency.
  
• Why building a team requires surrounding yourself with people who excel at the things you hate doing.
  

Blair Sheppard is a globally recognized leadership expert, the former Dean of Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, and the former global head of strategy and leadership for PwC. He is the author of Ten Years to Midnight and his latest book, Reinventing the World. You can find his books online to help you navigate this massive era of global change.

In this episode:

00:00 - Welcome

03:20 - The "Great-Granddaughter" Test for Major Life Decisions

06:10 - Traditioned Innovation & Reinventing the World

07:44 - The 4 Tidal Waves: Climate, Demographics, Fracturing, & Tech

11:48 - The Right Way to Use AI as Your "Eccentric Best Friend"

16:17 - Fixing the Global System & Changing Outdated Assumptions

20:22 - Building Complementary Teams & Resolving Paradoxes

22:05 - The Asymmetry of Global Aging & The Future of Education

34:41 - Optimism vs. Hope: Why You Need Agency to Succeed

47:00 - Living Your Life in Chapters, Not a Straight Vector

56:52 - 3 Non-Negotiable Habits: Care, Curiosity, & Joy

58:46 - Final Advice: We Don't Have Time, Act Now

Take a screenshot of this episode right now and share it to your Instagram Story! Tag me and Blair, and tell us one "chapter" you are excited to start in your own life. Hit subscribe to keep growing 1% SMARTA every day!

What if the most prestigious college degree in the world is actually a quarter-million-dollar trap holding you back?

Today, we are tearing down the traditional paths to success with Dave Guttman, an executive mentor who literally ripped up his original Wharton MBA on a podcast to prove how little utility it actually holds. As I settle into my new life as a university student here in Dublin, Dave's brutal honesty about the education system, resilience, and what actually builds wealth is a massive, paradigm-shifting wake-up call.

What you will learn in this episode:

• Why you are almost always the warden of your own ‘prison’, and how to use the key to let yourself out.
  
• How to enter the top 5% of any skill in the world with just 17 minutes a day.
  
• The three non-negotiable areas you must master today: 1. AI, 2. personal branding, and 3. networking.
  
• How to stop making emotional choices by forcing yourself into “Observer Mode”
  
• Why surviving a terminal cancer misdiagnosis at 24 completely redefined his holistic view of success.
  

David Guttman is a highly successful CEO, entrepreneur, and executive mentor who has operated across 45 different industries. A former Division 1 college wrestler, David guides leaders to build massive, nine-figure businesses by focusing on the lifetime value of customers, unshakeable integrity, and holistic health rather than just short-term profit.

In this episode:

00:00 - Welcome

03:25 - Resilience, Focus, & Community 

05:48 - You Are the Warden of Your Own Prison 

11:01 - Why He Ripped Up His Wharton MBA 

13:37 - Why 80-90% of Businesses Fail from Poor Leadership 

16:24 - Top 5% in the World: The 17-Minute Daily Rule 

18:14 - The 3 Skills You Must Learn: AI, Brand, & Network 

23:52 - Maximizing the Lifetime Value of Your Customers 

25:05 - Surviving a Terminal Cancer Misdiagnosis at 24 

27:37 - "Observer Mode" for Making Hard Business Decisions 

32:24 - 3 Non-Negotiable Habits: Exercise, Sleep, & No Alcohol 

35:17 - Final Advice: Stop Being in Such a Rush

If David’s perspective shifted your mindset today, take a screenshot right now and post it to your Instagram Story! 

Tag me and David, and let us know which of the 3 pillars (AI, personal brand, or network) you are focusing on this week. Hit subscribe to keep growing 1% smarter every day!

What if everything you have been taught about finding the "perfect" career path is not entirely true?

Welcome back to The SMARTA Podcast! In Episode 106, we are flipping the script on uncertainty. I am sitting down with Steven D'Souza, the 2026 Business Book Awards winner for Leadership Book of the Year!

Steven teaches at institutions like Oxford and IE Business School, and he is here to prove that "not knowing" is actually your greatest competitive advantage.

What you will learn in this episode:

• How Steven sold 8,000 copies of a book he hadn't even written yet just by talking to strangers.
  
• Why the concept of "Shadows at Work”, the hidden parts of yourself running the show, is sabotaging your success.
  
• How to spot your shadow through repetitive patterns and disproportionate reactions.
  
• Why you need to stop rushing to figure your life out and build "negative capability" instead.
  

In this episode:

• 00:00 - Welcome
  
• 03:00 - The Power of Not Knowing, Service, & Social Capital
  
• 04:29 - How to Sell 8,000 Books Before You Even Write Them
  
• 12:50 - Why You Need to Start Talking to Strangers
  
• 18:51 - Shadows at Work: The "Me That I Don’t See"
  
• 23:40 - How to Spot Your Shadow: Triggers & Repetitive Patterns
  
• 30:07 - Why You Don't Need to Have It All Figured Out By 30
  
• 36:47 - The Path is Made by Walking
  
• 40:39 - The Life-Changing Habit of an Unplugged Morning Walk
  
• 47:46 - Negative Capability: Learning to Live with the Questions
  
• 52:33 - Life-Changing Books & Final Advice: Trust Yourself
  

AD get your free PR audit now at www.laurenstijssen.com/power-audit

If this episode helped you embrace the unknown, take a screenshot right now, post it to your Instagram Story, and tag me and Steven! Let us know what your next brave step is. Don't forget to hit subscribe to keep growing 1% smarter every day!

What if you could spend every vacation in a castle, living like some of the greatest royalty members for your next holiday?

Everyone goes away on holiday for summer. Many look for new enriching and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. But not many find them. Today, we are exploring the magic of history, resilience, and curiosity with Roger Masterson, famously known as “The Castle Man.”

What you will learn in this episode:

• Why you need to immediately replace the word "failure" with "feedback".
  
• How Roger built a niche business booking Celtic castles before the internet was even widely used.
  
• Why the best business ideas often come from copying something that already works and simply doing it better.
  
• The profound difference between climbing a corporate ladder and building a lasting legacy.
  

Roger Masterson is the founder of Celtic Castles, a unique company that helps guests book stays, weddings, and experiences in historic castles across Scotland, Ireland, and beyond. He is a passionate entrepreneur, gardener, and storyteller who has personally slept in countless castles—including the exact room Helen Mirren slept in! You can find him online at Celtic Castles.

In this episode

• 00:00 - Why you should watch this video
  
• 02:23 - The Origin of Celtic Castles & The First Booking
  
• 07:30 - The Subconscious Magic of Staying in a Castle
  
• 11:15 - Behind the Scenes: Unforgettable Owner Stories
  
• 17:01 - Sleeping in Helen Mirren’s Bed at Blairquhan Castle
  
• 21:27 - Custodians of History: Thoughts on Legacy
  
• 24:04 - Taking Action When You Reach a Junction in Life
  
• 31:18 - Advice for Young Entrepreneurs & Embracing Feedback
  
• 43:50 - The Skiing Analogy for Navigating Life’s Lows
  
• 50:04 - Book Recommendations & Final Wisdom 

AD get your free PR audit now at www.laurenstijssen.com/power-audit

Take a screenshot of this episode right now and share it to your Instagram Story! Tag me @soniamartaauthor and tell us one piece of "feedback" (formerly known as a failure) that changed your life for the better. Hit subscribe to keep growing 1% SMARTA every day!

What if the reason you aren't booking massive opportunities has absolutely nothing to do with your talent, and everything to do with your execution?

Today, we are pulling back the curtain on the speaking industry to reveal what actually happens before a world-class leader steps onto a stage. I am joined by Layna Castle, who shares the unbelievable story of how volunteering at an Oprah Winfrey gala led her to manage the backstage experience for Mark Burnett, the creator of Shark Tank.

What you will learn in this episode:

• Why building trust starts long before the contract is signed.
  
• How to apply Ritz-Carlton leadership principles to your personal brand.
  
• The exact productivity planner habits needed to manage your time and ADHD.
  
• Why "Your no is your no”, and why you need to stop overexplaining it.
  
• How to deal with "prickly" people using the Mel Robbins "Let Them" theory.
  

Layna Castle is the Founder of a Professional Speakers Concierge Service. She works at the intersection of speaker strategy and team execution, utilizing her Ritz-Carlton training to help experts create seamless, unforgettable brand experiences. Find her connecting with event organizers and speakers on LinkedIn!

In this episode

• 00:00 - Welcome
  
• 02:23 - From Volunteering for Oprah to Supporting Shark Tank’s Creator
  
• 04:45 - Crazy, Sexy, Cool: The Delusion Required for Entrepreneurship
  
• 07:57 - The #1 Mistake Speakers Make Behind the Scenes
  
• 10:22 - Does Your Brand Experience Match a $10,000 Price Tag?
  
• 14:13 - Time-Blocking, ADHD, & The Ultimate Productivity Planner
  
• 18:26 - Ritz-Carlton Secrets to Exceptional Service
  
• 26:42 - What Event Planners Get Wrong About Hiring Speakers
  
• 32:46 - The "Let Them" Theory & Dealing with Prickly People
  
• 36:50 - Non-Negotiables: Why "Your No is Your No"
  
• 42:04 - Final Advice: You Are Stronger Than You Think
  

Take a screenshot of this episode right now and share it to your Instagram Story! Tag me and Layna, and tell us one thing you are saying a firm "NO" to this week. Hit subscribe to keep growing 1% SMARTA every day!

You do not need a title to be a leader. At the time I’m posting this, I just got my university acceptance letters.

Today, we are shattering the myth that you need a title to be a leader. I am sitting down with Dr. John L. Terry III, the "Black Belt Leader," to explore why true leadership is a discipline, not a position. As I prepare to step into my university journey in Dublin, this conversation about confidence, discipline, and purpose could not be more timely.

What you will learn in this episode:

• How to conquer the three enemies of focus: flinching, freezing, and chasing.
  
• The Black Belt Acrostic and the 10 character traits of elite leaders.
  
• Why successful people do daily what unsuccessful people do sometimes or not at all.
  
• How to apply the concept of Kaizen (never-ending improvement) to your daily life.
  

Who is Dr. John Terry, III? Dr. John is a keynote speaker, executive coach, and a three-time Martial Arts Hall of Fame inductee. He blends martial arts mastery with real-world leadership strategies. You can find his work and his book, Black Belt Leadership 101, online https://www.beablackbeltleader.com/

In this episode:

• 00:00 - Welcome
  
• 02:49 - Passion, Purpose, and Intentionality
  
• 03:47 - John’s story
  
• 05:26 - Overcome The 3 Enemies of Focus: Flinching, Freezing, Chasing
  
• 07:42 - The Black Belt Acrostic & The Power of Belief
  
• 09:57 - Escape the Autopilot Trap
  
• 11:04 - Kaizen: The Pursuit of Black Belt Excellence
  
• 12:09 - The 10 Essential Character Traits of a Leader
  
• 17:51 - Earning a Black Belt is Just the Beginning
  
• 25:03 - Why You Must Fail Your Way to Success
  
• 27:31 - True Servant Leadership
  
• 32:56 - The Global Leadership Deficit
  
• 40:50 - How to Maximize Your 1,440 Minutes a Day
  
• 45:37 - Advice to His 18-Year-Old Self
  

Take a screenshot of this episode and tag me and Dr. John on your Instagram Story! Tell us one thing you are doing today to get out of your comfort zone. Subscribe so you never miss a conversation that helps you grow 1% SMARTA every day!