In this episode of YES, BRAND, Hersh Rephun sits down with Hakeem Bourne McFarlane for a raw, powerful conversation about addiction, identity, masculinity, discipline, and what it actually means to choose yourself.

For Hakeem, “Choose Yourself” is not a slogan. It was born from grief, collapse, masking, substances, jail, and the long work of rebuilding a life from the inside out.

Hersh and Hakeem explore:

• Why choosing yourself is not selfish
• The difference between being a good man and being good at being a man
• How achievement can become camouflage for grief
• Why discipline is freedom, not punishment
• The danger of masking pain with productivity
• How public accountability can become an integrity loop
• Why what we consume shapes who we become
• How vices quietly become identity substitutes
• And why your story should be the root of your brand

Hakeem also shares the five-pillar Choose Yourself process, his path through addiction and recovery, and how he turned personal transformation into a community, movement, and message.

At its core, this episode asks:

What version of yourself are you choosing when nobody is watching?

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Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image.

You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix.

Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/

Some people follow trends.

Rick Stark has spent his career finding them before they have names.

On this episode of YES, BRAND, Hersh Rephun sits down with action sports entrepreneur, media executive, and brand builder Rick Stark for a conversation about timing, trust, category creation, and why the biggest opportunities often begin as communities everyone else overlooks.

From launching the National Inline Skate Series before the X Games existed to helping grow World of Dance into a global phenomenon, Rick has repeatedly found himself at the intersection of culture and commerce, recognizing potential long before the market catches up.

Together they explore:

• Why timing matters as much as talent
• How niche communities become global movements
• What sponsors often misunderstand about culture
• The balance between commercialization and authenticity
• Why relationships outperform transactions
• The role trust plays in long-term partnerships
• How to recognize opportunity before it's obvious
• Why entrepreneurs need people who believe before everyone else does

Rick also shares the surprising story behind the return of the National Inline Skate Series and why building Team USA for rollerblading may become the next chapter in a career built on seeing what's possible before others do.

At its core, this episode asks:

How do you recognize a movement before the rest of the world calls it one?

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Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image.

You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix.

Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/

What if getting dressed wasn't about fashion?

What if it was about recognition?

On this episode of YES, BRAND, Hersh Rephun sits down with celebrity stylist Jenni Lee for a conversation that starts with clothes and ends somewhere much deeper.

After decades styling actors, musicians, and public figures, Jenni discovered the real transformation never happened in front of the camera.

It happened in the fitting room.

Together they explore:

• Why clothes tell your story before you do
• The difference between fashion and identity
• Why success often outpaces someone's self-image
• How visibility changes what we need from our wardrobe
• Why style is less about shopping and more about recognition
• The surprising psychology behind confidence and clothing
• What AI can imitate... and what it never will
• How getting dressed can become an act of self-trust instead of self-consciousness

Along the way, Jenni shares stories from Hollywood, New York Fashion Week, and the dressing rooms where she's watched people see themselves differently for the very first time.

At its heart, this episode explores a simple idea:

Your best outfit doesn't change who you are. It helps other people meet the version that's already there.

Website: https://www.jennileestylist.consulting/

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Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image.

You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix.

Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/

In this episode of YES, BRAND, Hersh Rephun sits down with Jimi Gibson, visibility strategist, researcher, and former professional magician, for a conversation about perception, authority, AI, and why being excellent at what you do is no longer enough.

Jimi's core belief is simple:

Invisible owners create invisible companies.

But this conversation goes far deeper than social media tactics or personal branding advice.

After studying hundreds of businesses and their visibility across search engines, AI platforms, and digital ecosystems, Jimi discovered a growing divide between organizations that are easily found, understood, and trusted, and those quietly disappearing from consideration altogether.

Hersh and Jimi explore:

• Why expertise alone no longer guarantees visibility
• How AI evaluates authority and trust
• The difference between being known and being understood
• Why business owners often hide behind their logos
• The danger of becoming a generic "smudge" in the marketplace
• How specificity creates authority
• The role of opinion, conviction, and perspective
• And why AI increasingly favors people over brands

Along the way, Jimi shares the childhood story that shaped his view of identity, a bank campaign called Thumb Buddy that taught him the value of embracing what makes you different.

At its heart, this episode explores a question many leaders avoid asking:

If someone encountered your business tomorrow, would they find you... or a generic version of everyone else?

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Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image.

You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix.

Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/

In this episode of YES, BRAND, Hersh Rephun sits down with Mara Smith, founder and CEO of Inspiro Tequila, for a conversation about founder-led brands, perception, scale, and the challenge of building something that can stand on its own.

Mara didn't set out to build a tequila company.

A former attorney, corporate strategist, and stay-at-home mom, she set out to build something of her own. What she discovered was a gap in the market: a premium, additive-free tequila that reflected her values and appealed to consumers who wanted quality without pretension.

But building the product was only the beginning.

As Inspiro grows, Mara faces a challenge familiar to every founder:

How do you make sure people understand what you've built when you're no longer there to explain it?

Hersh and Mara explore:

• The founder's dilemma of control versus scale
• Why consistency matters more than perfection
• How products communicate when the founder isn't present
• The difference between a product story and a founder story
• Why approachability became a core brand value
• How personal values shape business identity
• The challenge of being interpreted by distributors, retailers, and customers
• And what happens when a brand starts developing a personality of its own

Along the way, Mara shares the story of launching a tequila company during the pandemic, building a woman-led brand in a traditionally male-dominated industry, and learning to let go of the need for everyone to tell the story exactly the way she would.

At its heart, this episode explores a question every founder eventually faces:

When people encounter your brand without you there, what version of the story are they meeting?

https://inspirotequila.com/

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Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image.

You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix.

Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/

One Take AI started as a video editing platform.

At least that's what many people think.

But as the product evolved, Sebastien realized the real value wasn't editing videos. It was eliminating the part of content creation that experts never wanted to do in the first place.

That distinction matters.

Because when a product changes, perception often lags behind.

Hersh and Sebastien explore the gap between what a company builds and what the market believes it builds, and why explaining something clearly doesn't guarantee people understand its true value.

Together they discuss:

• Why customers buy outcomes, not features
• The danger of being mistaken for the wrong category
• How One Take evolved from neuroscience-based editing to AI-powered delegation
• Why product vision should start with customer outcomes
• The challenge of building in a crowded AI marketplace
• How demonstrations outperform explanations
• The difference between a tool and a solution
• And why category creation requires changing how people think, not just what they know

Along the way, Sebastien shares the surprising customer research that helped shape One Take's direction and reveals why the future of AI may be less about software and more about intelligent team members.

At its core, this episode explores a challenge every founder eventually faces:

What happens when your audience understands what you do... but misses what makes it valuable?

Website: https://www.onetake.ai

Personal site: https://www.sebastiennight.com

Press: https://www.sebastiennight.com/in-the-press.html

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastiennight

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OneTakeAI/videos?sub_confirmation=1

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Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image.

You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix.

Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/

In this episode of YES, BRAND, Hersh Rephun gets smart with Don Weber, executive coach, communication advisor, and former intelligence professional, for a conversation about trust, perception, leadership, and what people reveal without realizing it.

Don spent more than 15 years working in international intelligence, where understanding human behavior wasn't theoretical. It was essential. Today, he helps leaders, executives, and organizations navigate communication, influence, and decision-making under pressure.

But this conversation goes beyond body language, negotiation tactics, or executive presence.

Hersh and Don explore the deeper challenge of perception: what people communicate without saying, how trust is established, and why genuine connection remains one of the rarest business skills in an increasingly distracted world.

Together they discuss:

• Why people often miss what matters most in conversations
• The difference between information and observation
• How trust is built before words are spoken
• What leaders reveal under pressure
• Why relationships still outperform algorithms
• The cultural differences between credibility and self-promotion
• How technology is changing human connection
• And why the ability to truly see another person is becoming increasingly valuable

Don also reflects on his own transformation from a career built around secrecy, deception, and hidden motives to a life centered on transparency, coaching, service, and helping others succeed.

For Hersh, this conversation carries a special resonance. Beyond Don's expertise lies something equally compelling: a deep commitment to integrity, curiosity, and treating people with respect. Those qualities show up throughout the discussion, making this episode as much about character as communication.

At its heart, this episode asks a simple question:

What becomes possible when we spend less time performing and more time paying attention?

https://www.instagram.com/drweberspeaks/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/don-weber/

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Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image.

You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix.

Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/

In this episode of YES, BRAND, Hersh Rephun sits down with Hadley Nightingale, founder of New Zealand Property Buyers, for a conversation about control, resilience, identity, and what happens when life refuses to wait until you're ready.

Hadley launched his business during one of the hardest periods of his life. COVID. Separation. Litigation. Uncertainty. The kind of season that makes people put plans on hold.

Instead, he built.

But this conversation isn't really about real estate.

It's about what happens when you stop waiting for the perfect conditions and start focusing on the things you can actually influence.

Together, Hersh and Hadley explore:

• The difference between control and responsibility
• Why victimhood can become its own form of paralysis
• How adversity changes the way we lead
• What confidence really is and how people borrow it from one another
• Why information overload often disguises fear
• The psychology behind indecision
• And what it takes to keep moving while life remains unresolved

Along the way, Hadley shares how years of legal battles, setbacks, and rebuilding forced him to confront a difficult truth:

The things consuming the most emotional energy were often the things he had the least ability to change.

At its core, this episode explores the gap between circumstances and agency, and how successful people learn to keep building long before certainty arrives.

Because sometimes the breakthrough isn't solving the problem.

It's deciding not to let the problem define the next chapter.

https://www.instagram.com/hadleynightingale/

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Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image.

You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix.

Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/

In this episode of YES, BRAND, Hersh Rephun sits down with author and organizational advisor Jonathan David Lewis for a conversation about leadership, identity, uncertainty, and what happens when the problem isn't the strategy.

For years, Jonathan helped companies solve positioning and branding challenges. But over time, he began noticing something strange:

Organizations would achieve clarity around who they were and what they stood for, yet growth would still stall.

The issue wasn't messaging.

The issue was deeper.

Hersh and Jonathan explore the growing gap between external branding and internal identity, and why leadership today increasingly requires more than strategy, systems, and execution.

They discuss:

• Why branding has become an inside-out discipline
• The difference between business problems and identity problems
• How uncertainty reshapes leadership
• Why clarity alone doesn't create momentum
• The hidden cost of inconsistency
• How character becomes a competitive advantage
• The challenge of leading through disruption and change
• And why the founders who feel "something is off" should pay attention

Jonathan also shares insights from his upcoming book, The Rebuilders, arguing that today's leaders aren't simply navigating change. They're rebuilding in the middle of it.

At its heart, this episode explores a question that sits underneath business, branding, and leadership:

Who are you when certainty disappears?

Because the answer to that question shapes everything that follows.

For pre-orders and purchases: https://www.mckeewallwork.com/book-review/the-rebuilders-daily-foundations-for-the-leaders-we-need/

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Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image.

You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix.

Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/

In this episode of YES, BRAND, Hersh Rephun rolls out the insight with Jon Ostenson, CEO of FranBridge Consulting, investor, author of Non-Food Franchising, and two-time Inc. 5000 founder, for a conversation about entrepreneurship, ownership, and the misunderstood world of franchising.

While many people hear the word "franchise" and immediately think fast food, Jon has built his career helping entrepreneurs discover opportunities in high-growth, non-food sectors ranging from home services and senior care to B2B consulting, wellness, property services, and beyond.

Hersh’s conversation with Jon explores why franchising continues to attract professionals seeking greater control over their future, and why the biggest obstacle often isn’t information. It’s decision-making.

They dive into:

• Why non-food franchises often outperform traditional assumptions
• The difference between entrepreneurship and franchise ownership
• Why timing is never perfect for a major life transition
• The mindset shifts required to move from employee to owner
• How fear, confidence, and identity shape business decisions
• The appeal of proven systems and support structures
• And why many successful franchisees never considered their industry beforehand

Jon also shares his own journey from corporate leadership to franchise ownership, including the risks he took, the lessons learned from failure, and how helping others achieve business ownership has become his mission.

Practical, encouraging, and refreshingly honest, this episode is a reminder that ownership isn't about eliminating risk. It's about choosing the right risk.

https://franbridgeconsulting.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonostenson/

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Hersh's new book, SELLING THE TRUTH: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life & Business is a semi memoir drawing on his adventures as an Authority Advisor and Standup Comedian. It is part business book, part happiness formula for life, and an amuseful read, whether you’re building a business or burnishing your self-image.

You can kickstart your own messaging evolution with a one-on-one 5-Minute Fix.

Take the 60-second Get Off Your Assets Quiz, and find other resources here: https://www.hershrephun.com/selling-the-truth/