Unconventional Leaders

Every aspiring content creator loves tactics. Folks are desperately searching on how to go viral, build an online community, and keep people’s attention. But what if I told you that building an influence doesn’t lie in merely going viral, but by holding true to your values?

Today, I spoke with Sean Cannell, the founder of Think Media, who is one of today’s leading online video experts and the world’s most watched YouTube strategist.

As a faith-driven leader, I had him on the show not to talk about tactics (sorry y’all) but to discuss how he stays grounded in his faith/spiritual walk while growing a massive following. 

ACCESS FULL SHOW NOTES HERE: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/12 

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• How to stay grounded in your faith/mission while scaling an online brand
• How do you become a good steward of your success?
• Measuring your impact in a digital landscape

Connect with Sean Cannell: https://www.seancannell.com/ 

Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/

WATCH Episodes on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady

If you are a one-man (or woman) show, trying to pull off running a business, creating content, etc., it's understandable that you may feel overwhelmed. What if there was a way to employ multiple 'selves' and operate effectively as a team... even if it's just you?

Today, I connected with George Sidiropoulos, a former musician turned content creator who has NAILED a system that helps him produce more, in less time, using multiple versions of himself. In this conversation, we dig into how to navigate the beginning stages of a one-person team, creating the structures that build your business, and how we keep our creativity and passion intact despite the pressure of earning.

ACCESS FULL SHOW NOTES HERE: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/11

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Using Different Personas to Operate More Efficiently as a Creator
• A Fresh Perspective on the Ideation Process for Generating Tons of Ideas
• Allowing Your Creative Passion Room to Breathe While Building a Business Around It

Connect with George Sidiropoulos: IG - https://www.instagram.com/disisjorj/ 

Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/

WATCH Episodes on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady

“The butterflies will never go away, but you can teach them to fly in formation.” - Rob Gilbert

As a communicator do you struggle to feel like you belong in certain rooms? How do you show up and not have the pestering voice in the back of your head to prove something? Well, here’s a question for you: “What if feeling confident wasn’t the determining factor?”

Today, I connected with René Rodriguez, best-selling author, keynote speaker, leadership advisor, and transformational speaker coach. For the last 27 years, René has been researching and applying behavioral neuroscience to solve some of the toughest challenges in leadership, sales, and change. In this conversation, he breaks down how to become a better storyteller, captivate any audience you find yourself in front of, and why feeling confident doesn’t really matter.

ACCESS FULL SHOW NOTES HERE: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/10 

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• The Difference Between a Good Storyteller and a Bad One
• Tactics for Leaning into Nerves When Feeling Inferior
• Integrating Your Personal Story into Your Brand When It Involves Others
• Challenging Ideas Effectively Without Being Divisive

Connect with René Rodriguez: https://www.meetrene.com/ 

Amplify Your Influence by Rene Rodriguez: https://amzn.to/3GuI6jF 

Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/

WATCH Episodes on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady

Leaving a strong religious background and diving into the world of entrepreneurship can feel both confusing and oddly familiar at the same time. A few years ago, I came across a man who has built a career around helping entrepreneurs grow their network and connect with influential people. His business successes are impressive, but when I heard his story about deconstructing from what some may consider a cult... I had to ask him some questions.

Today, we are speaking with Travis Chappell, about unraveling crippling beliefs and systems about who we are and what we are called to be, and finding contribution and purpose in the work that is at our hands. Travis talks to us about the importance of questioning, living with integrity, and “not drinking the kool-aid”

Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success by Adam Grant: https://amzn.to/3rL8H8o

ACCESS FULL SHOW NOTES HERE: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/9 

TOPICS

• Deconstructing from hierarchy in religion only to face it again in entrepreneurship.
• Approaching relationships with a giver's heart but not falling back into religious martyrdom.
• Rediscovering "calling" post-religion and in business.

Connect with Travis Chappell: travischappell.com 

Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/

WATCH Episodes on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady

How in the WORLD do you tell good stories on social media when folks have an attention span of like 2 seconds? If there is one person to learn from, my friends, I promise, it is Brendan Kane.

Brendan is the founder of Hook Point and has been a digital marketing leader since 2005. He has guided major brands and celebrities, pioneered the first YouTube influencer campaign, managed $200 million in marketing, and generated $1 billion in revenue.

Today, we talked about how you can drive your content and storytelling forward – even if it is on a niche subject. We unravel how mastery is important to your format and how batching may not always be the best approach.

ACCESS FULL SHOW NOTES HERE: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/8 

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• The generalist principle: Why you may not want to “niche down”
• Why batching your content may not be the best approach
• At what point do we “let go” as creators?
• Mastering a format vs innovation

Connect with Brandan Kane: https://brendanjkane.com/ 

Ask Heather a Question: www.heatherparady.com/ask 

Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/

WATCH Episodes on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady

Ever feel overwhelmed after reading a book? You learn a ton of new, helpful information but are not sure where to begin when it comes to applying everything you just learned. Maybe you struggle with reading books altogether, even though you know you “should.”

Today, I connected with Nick Hutchison, author of 'Rise of the Reader' and founder of BookThinkers, a platform that bridges the worlds of authors and readers. Today, he shares with us his unique story of how he started reading and what it's like to build a platform that reaches over 1,000,000 people each month. He walks us through his process of taking the information he learns from a book and applying it to his life.

ACCESS FULL SHOW NOTES HERE: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/7

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Removing the overwhelm after reading a book
• How to organize tips from a book into action items
• Building a community online while keeping a full-time job

Ask Heather a Question: www.heatherparady.com/ask 

Buy Rise of the Reader: https://a.co/d/c9dE0ln

Connect with Nick Hutchison: www.nickhutch.com

Learn more about BookThinkers: www.bookthinkers.com

Personalized Book recommendation: DM Nick at www.instagram.com/bookthinkers

Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/

WATCH Episodes on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady

Are you just…built differently? Leaning into those small quirks and mustering up the courage to show all of who you are is what this world is waiting for.

Today, I connected with Whiskey Biz, an unconventional entrepreneur and creator. I found him on TikTok and am not sure I have ever seen someone seem to have as much fun making content as his guy. In this conversation, we discuss his philosophy in creation, being ambitious while having a family, and why ENJOYING what you make is the key to it all.

ACCESS FULL SHOW NOTES HERE: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/6 

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Dealing with dissatisfaction as a creator (Ambition or dissatisfaction?)
• Leaning into your calling despite the pressure to conform 
• Unconventional content advice (hint: make good stuff)

Connect with Whiskey Biz: https://www.instagram.com/whiskeybizzz/ 

Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/

WATCH Episodes on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady

Shira Lazar is an Emmy-nominated host and interviewer covering social media, emerging tech, and the future of well-being. I had her on the show today to talk about her unconventional career and to provide insights for us as communicators on how to navigate rooms we may find intimidating, and to create with courage.

We also discussed how she is integrating the topic of mental health in male-dominated spaces and why it's important to pay close attention to the role of technology for unconventional leaders.

ACCESS FULL SHOW NOTES HERE: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/5 

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• How do you “play the game” enough to see progress without losing yourself in the process?
• Building confidence and practical exercise for calming nerves
• Staying current with tech while being mindful/promoting mental health
• Questioning the weight of feminine energy in the room of masculine energy

Connect with Shira Lazar: https://www.shiralazar.com/ 

Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/

WATCH Episodes on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady

Rob Bell has spent his entire life communicating to the masses, from pastoring one of America’s fastest-growing churches to writing fourteen books and plays which have been translated into 25 languages. If you know him, you know he has a GIFT for taking a deep message and delivering it in a unique and creative way.

But this next version of Rob Bell is another level.

He recently authored a fiction book titled, 'Where You Park Your Spaceship,' where he created a whole new world with thought-provoking themes wrapped up in humor and adventure. He is on the show today to talk about the book, the power of creativity, and why no planet worth anything… is without good bread.

ACCESS FULL SHOW NOTES HERE: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/4 

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Discovering the oneness of us all and rethinking “impact”
• Opening yourself up to curiosity and wonder, while filtering out negativity
• How storytelling works on you: engaging with fiction to grasp reality more quickly

Buy Where’d You Park Your Spaceship?: https://amzn.to/3SNkSfV 

Connect with Rob Bell: ​​https://robbell.com/ 

Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/

WATCH Episodes on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady

Matthew Luhn has over 25 years of experience in creating stories and characters, with story credits including the Toy Story films, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, Cars, Monsters University, Ratatouille, UP, and many more.

In this conversation, Matthew shares insights on developing the right story structure and themes to deeply resonate with audiences through the stories you want to tell. Be sure to check out his incredible book, 'Best Story Wins,' and his latest book, 'Santa Yeti.'

ACCESS FULL SHOW NOTES HERE: https://www.heatherparady.com/blog/3

TOPICS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Tapping back into imagination and play as a kid
• Taking folks on a “roller coaster of emotions” in the story
• Developing themes in your story to convey deep messages
• How to get your message across when it feels like no one cares

Connect with Matthew Luhn: https://matthewluhnstory.com/ 

Follow Heather on IG: https://www.instagram.com/heatherparady/

WATCH Episodes on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/heatherparady