By Nick Smarelli
The podcast currently has 65 episodes available.
Charles Joly spent years working his way up through the hospitality industry. He knew his path to success was cemented in quality products and a long-term marketing approach. Years later, his products are a staple in mixology.
Now the Co-Founder of Crafthouse Cocktails and Designer of Crafthouse by Fortessa Barware & Glassware, Charles uses his products as a means to simplify the bar experience for his customers. Listen in to hear Charles talk about how he achieved success without a traditional business model and why he fought against the idea of overnight success.
So how does Charles continue to thrive years later? By making Zero Excuses and staying slow and steady to win the race.
After You Listen:
What’s the best way to compete burnout? By letting your teams know it’s okay to be human.
Eliza Kingsford, psychotherapist and author, says it comes down to leaders to create workplaces based in psychological safety. And for Eliza, the key to doing that lies in science.
Eliza has devoted her life to helping others understand their nervous systems more deeply so they can properly listen to their bodies and interpret the signals they are constantly sending. Listen in to hear how to recognize when your brain is over-taxed and the steps to take to protect your mental health.
So how does Eliza stay balanced in body and mind? By making Zero Excuses and evaluating her senses.
After becoming a parent, Kanika Chadda Gupta shifted her focus to her family and the community around her. She utilized the journalistic roots she had garnered during her time at CNN and started sharing stories full-time.
As the host of the popular podcast “That’s Total Mom Sense”, Kanika uses her platform to bring a community of parents together. For her, parenting is an equalizer. Even though stories might be vastly different, the throughline is one and the same. Listen in to hear how Kanika gives a voice to those around her while still finding the time to nurture her own.
How does Kanika recreate the values she wants to see in the world? By making Zero Excuses, overachieving, and never giving up on her dream.
After You Listen:
When we think about professional development, we often look to external resources. For example, if I spend fourteen hours a day working, I’m sure I’ll get that promotion. If I sign on five more clients, I’m doing the best for my business. But sometimes, a results-oriented mindset can end up bogging you down, causing you to plateau.
Gretchen Schott, Chief Learning Officer at Threefold, believes that by changing our own behaviors and beliefs, we can create positive change. She helps companies redirect their focus to individual employees and their overall well-being. By investing more resources into people, you can expect not only new growth but also a more fulfilled team.
How does Gretchen continue to inspire others? By making Zero Excuses and encouraging those around her to reassess their priorities.
After You Listen:
At its core, food is a cultural experience. Bryan Dayton wants to bring that experience to his patrons with each of his five Colorado restaurants.
His interest in food and the restaurant world began at an early age. He washed dishes, mopped floors, and even bartended later on. This experience, accompanied with an impressive travel résumé, gave him the foundation he needed to start his own businesses. In this episode, we discussed the need to share these experiences with others and how that coincides with our inherent need for social interaction.
How does Bryan make time for travel, work, and everything in between? By making Zero Excuses and bringing humility and perspective to his work.
After You Listen:
When her job didn’t afford her the flexibility she needed, Kellie Sirna set out on her own and began a life of serial entrepreneurship. Running multiple businesses while also being a single parent has its challenges, but she is skilled in the art of the hustle.
Now the owner of Studio 11 Design and its two sister companies, Kellie focuses on selecting clients that will be a good fit for her team. She takes an individual approach to each employee to ensure she’s building successful partnerships. Listen in to hear Kellie’s thoughts on creating the perfect dream team and how to embrace the unknown.
How does Kellie keep faith in herself and her team? By making Zero Excuses and running towards the fire that scares you.
Lindsay Tjepkema grew up with the idea that connections and friends are a luxury. Now she realizes to be successful, a support system is extremely important.
With this knowledge, Lindsay stepped out of the career she had built for herself to become the CEO and Co-founder of Casted, a venture-backed SaaS business in the marketing technology space.
Casted gives her and others a platform to access content to make it valuable. It empowers B2B marketers to maximize the power of connection with this creative content.
How does Lindsay keep up momentum? By making Zero Excuses and embracing the uncertainty that comes with any leadership position.
Seth Goldman knows what it means to pursue projects you’re passionate about.
He co-founded Honest Tea and is now the Chief Change Agent at Eat the Change. He’s also launching the new brand, Just Ice Tea, which focuses on just relationships with the supply trade and fair trade farms they source from.
Acting on issues he cares about is important to Seth. He takes the time to change the playing field by engaging in and embracing important topics and making sure everyone involved in the process knows they are needed and respected.
How does Seth find the drive to create something impactful? By making Zero Excuses and acting on his values.
Failure is not only an option. It’s part of the process. Teaching Robotics helped Jake realize this and pass this along to his students.
Jake knows the importance of loving your work, and he finds this love through teaching the fifth grade at Woodview Elementary, coaching the Eaglebots, and being the director of Robotics for Wa-Nee Community Schools.
With so much to do, Jake knows that finding time for family and for himself are crucial for staying balanced. That means saying “no” to other projects.
How does Jake keep himself motivated to put in the work? By making Zero Excuses and saying no to the good things so he can say yes to the great things.
Welcome back Zero Excuses Community. We’re taking time to find really spectacular guests with unique stories. In the meantime, we wanted to share a few interviews Nick has done with exceptional podcasters.
Like the discussion he had with Neil Miller on The Digital Workplace Podcast.
In the conversation, Neil and Nick discuss productivity while working in a digital environment.
The podcast currently has 65 episodes available.