Disrupt Yourself Podcast With Whitney Johnson

On this week's show we have Annie Duke, professional poker champion turned decision strategist. She's written the best seller "Thinking in Bets" and  her new book is titled "Quit".

David Epstein is an investigative journalist and author who is fascinated by extraordinary people. Are they born this way? Is it their upbringing? A lot of “hard work?” Modern thinking about this, spearheaded by Malcom Gladwell, points to "10,000 hours" of narrow, focused work. Yo-Yo Ma and Serena Williams have been practicing their craft since the womb. But David discovered a different paradigm: That the most successful professionals and entrepreneurs were not narrowly focused on practice, but had spent long portions of childhood “sampling” and exploring. By combining skills from many arenas, they become far more adaptable in the long run than those who stay narrow – and ultimately burn out. David's latest book is called "Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World." His thesis has huge ramifications for education and career training, and as you’ll hear, he even went toe-to-toe with Gladwell on the topic.

Jillian Johnsrud is an author, blogger, podcaster, and coach who covers personal finance. But she’s not just providing stock tips and savings plans. Jillian wants us to rethink our relationship to money itself. This passion is personal for her. When she and her family encountered major medical and student debt, she began to study how the language of finance is passed down – often detrimentally – from one generation to the next. Despite major setbacks, Jillian and her family are now financially independent, and it’s her mission to help others do the same. She puts herself out there online every day, which inevitably invites some detractors. That’s what her new book is about. It’s called “Fire the Haters,” and it’s a study on how to keep online discourse productive, and when to ignore bad-faith arguments.

We don't give much thought to consumer packaging — the "stuff" that all our stuff comes in. But the packaging industry has a massive influence on how we perceive products and the companies that make them. It also plays a huge role in what we’re doing to our environment. Wes Carter is the president of Atlantic Packaging, which is the largest, privately-held packaging company in North America. Chances are, if you’ve bought something recently (and who hasn’t?), it was touched by Atlantic somewhere along the supply chain. But Wes sees that influence as more than big business. It’s also an opportunity to affect sustainability in ways that individuals, companies, and even governments struggle with. Small, conscious changes across the global supply chain can have huge ramifications for our environment. And these lessons can be applied to our career S Curves as well.

Legendary San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young is a Super Bowl champion, an MVP many times over, and a member of the Football Hall of Fame. His level of elite play required the utmost confidence and perseverance. So why was he going days without sleeping and throwing up before taking the field? In this very personal conversation, Steve opens about about his childhood social anxiety that he never understood until well into his NFL career, and how these challenges have completely shaped how he views everyone fighting their own battles. A philosophy of pure selflessness has allowed him to tackle his anxieties head-on and unlock his full potential, on the field, in his businesses, and family life. Even in extremely transactional negotiations, the language of selflessness can eliminate "winners" and "losers," and make business more like a team sport. His new book is called "The Law of Love," which is full of tactical advice and extremely personal stories.

Launching a project, a product, or a work of art that you've spent years creating is terrifying to say the least. That's the space that Becky Robinson thrives in. She's the CEO and founder of Weaving Influence, a marketing agency that specializes in book launches and PR. Her new book is called Reach, and it codifies 10 years of wisdom she’s gained working with brilliant thought leaders from across the business world — many you’ve heard on this podcast. Becky and Whitney unpack what sustainable influence looks like in an age of social media virality and fractured attention, and why small, in-person connections are more valuable than ever.

Trust is a thorny topic. In business and relationships, we're always assessing whether someone is trustworthy. But what about our ability to trust others? To delegate those big projects we are so used to doing ourselves? To relinquish control and face the possibility that someone else might do it differently…do it worse…or even do it better than us? This can be scary, but Stephen M. R. Covey and McKinlee Covey say that overcoming this fear is well-worth it, and can be absolutely life-changing for both the truster, and the trustee. This father-daughter team have a new book out, entitled "Trust & Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Unleash the Greatness in Others." It's filled with fantastic examples of how setting up clear expectations and boundaries can form a cycle of trust that inspires teams to greatness. They also argue that the old approach to management, about commanding and controlling, is outdated, especially in an era of hybrid work and high burnout.

The only finite resource in our lives and work is time. We always want more, and there's no way to create it. But we can radically rethink how we relate to time. That’s the crux of Richie Norton’s captivating philosophy. He says the tools of “time management” are designed to squeeze every drop of productivity out of us. The results – as we’ve discussed – are burnout, career dissatisfaction, and S Curve stagnation. Richie’s new book is called Anti-time Management, where he illustrates a skill called “time tipping” that can re-prioritize daily tasks at the micro level, and change the trajectory of your life in the macro. Personal tragedy has compelled Richie to think deeply about the power of “now,” and why the past is not as influential as we might think. He also explains why setting positive constraints, like where you physically live and what devices you use for work, can have an enormous impact on the quality of your life.

This week we cover the one thing we're ALL bad at: Change. Jason Feifer is obsessed with the moral panic we feel when faced with new technologies, trends, and social norms. 19th century musicians despised record players. Elevators would tear apart our social fabric. And Teddy Bears threatened our very children! What he's learned from these now-laughable examples is that the people who see opportunity in change have more long-term success than those who only see loss. By day, Jason is the editor-in-chief of Entrepreneur Magazine. By night, his podcast and new book Build For Tomorrow is all about finding ways to strengthen our adaptability in a world where change is inevitable (and accelerating).

If your family's viewing habits changed a bit during the pandemic, you're not alone! One enormous trend was the rise of Korean dramas on U.S. streaming services. But entertainment journalist Regina Kim says this has actually been happening for years, even decades. She wrote a fantastic piece for Elle Magazine called “The K-Drama Renaissance: How South Korean entertainment took over your TV.” The South Korean entertainment industry has been enormously disruptive to the media landscape, with pop groups (BTS), hit TV shows ("Squid Game"), and blockbuster movies ("Parasite") that dwarf the global popularity of their U.S. counterparts. So, what’s their secret? Regina says it a has a lot to do with innovation, iteration, and a generational history of cross-cultural investment that is now paying off in a global way.

The outdoor brand Cotopaxi is known for colorful backpacks and athleticwear. But its founder and CEO Davis Smith explains that the origin and mission of the company is about much more. Davis had a unique childhood and a profound experience in South America that compelled him to start a company with social change in mind. But as you’ll hear, this was not an overnight success. In fact, it wasn’t his first business venture, and the road to where Cotopaxi sits today is about as rocky and steep as the volcano in Ecuador for which it’s named.

Money can be one of the hardest things to talk about with your kids. It's emotional, and often tied to feelings of generational self-worth. But just like the "Birds and the Bees," we also need to be honest about "Dollars and Cents." That's where financial journalist, author, and podcaster Bobbi Rebell comes in. She has written extensively about the financial relationship between parents and children, which — at its core — is based on love. Her book, "Launching Financial Grown-Ups," unpacks the complexities of imparting financial literacy on your kids. Bobbi explains that meeting your kids where they are, at the appropriate moment, and having an honest dialogue about money – even your own struggles with it – leads to far better outcomes than avoiding the topic or pretending everything’s perfect.

Jonathan Johnson became CEO of Overstock.com in 2019, right before the world was turned upside down by Covid. Like many leaders, he was tasked with difficult choices about how to protect employees and keep the business healthy. But the company was uniquely positioned to re-focus its core business and create a very progressive hybrid work policy that continues to pay dividends. Jonathan and Whitney talk about how this extreme focus weathered the storm, and why always telling the truth isn't just the right thing to do, but often leads to the best business outcomes. He also shares lessons learned from his candidacy for governor of Utah, his trick for making contentious conversations more productive, and why challenging ideas without personal conflict is a better way forward.

Comparing ourselves to peers is natural, but when that gap creeps into our self-worth, the damage begins. When she was a new mom, Brooke Romney fell into this trap. After a lot of reflection and personal growth, she came out the other side as the author of the book “I Like Me Anyway,” which is about knowing yourself, finding your strengths, and empowering your children to do the same. Brooke and Whitney discuss the the power of focusing on what you can control, giving kids the gift of self-confidence, and why supporting your child's dream — even if it's doomed to fail — is better than saying "no."

Marcus Buckingham is obsessed with challenging common wisdom about human potential. He's a self-described psychometrician, on a quest to find the real data behind how and why we act. He spent so much time studying high-performers at Gallup that he co-created his own Strengths Finder tool, and now coaches executives around the world. But there are some things about human achievement that simply can't be measured. His latest book is called "Love + Work" and it's about that special magic that unlocks when you're passionate about anything. It's about much more than finding the "dream job." It's about asking deeper questions: What do you actually love to do? And when was the last time you were really there?

Ken Blanchard is one of the most revered thinkers and writers on business, leadership, and management philosophy. He’s authored more than 60 books, consults with Fortune 500 companies, and speaks around the world. You probably know him from his 1982 book "The One Minute Manager," which has sold more than 15 million copies. Ken has no intention of slowing down, despite turning 83 years old this year! If you’re craving a dose of inspiration, you’ve come to the right podcast. Ken and Whitney discuss how to seek the "pearl of good" in everyone, the power of the word "we" when it comes to servant leadership, how to avoid being a "seagull manager," and the importance of vulnerability. You can learn more about "The Mulligan" movie, based on Ken's book, here: https://themulliganmovie.com/

What IS happiness, really? And what’s the difference between biting into a bar of chocolate and a much more sustained contentment that often eludes us? Ph.D. psychologist Emma Seppälä has studied happiness for much of her career. She’s a best-selling author who also teaches business leaders at the Yale School of Management. Turns out, achieving career success and wealth doesn’t lead to that contentment. If you’re searching for mental well-being, Emma says: Start with your body, specifically, your breathing. She explains how anyone, from a stressed out manager to a soldier in a warzone, can use breathing techniques to gain focus and ingenuity. Emma also deconstructs many myths about what makes us happy, and how focusing our minds on others leads to long-term emotional resilience.

Danny Ainge has a storied career in the NBA as a star player, coach, advisor, and executive, currently with the Utah Jazz. To say that sports are Danny Ainge’s life is an understatement. The work, the preparation, the visualization, and competition create a meditative focus for him. Sometimes this was all-consuming, and as a husband, father, and now grandfather, he came to a point where he had to take a step back. Danny and Whitney talk about how basketball – a seemingly simple game – has been disrupted multiple times, even during his career. He also explains how the S Curves of playing and coaching are different but deeply intertwined, and why hiring women was the best move he made as a leader.

Back in 2004, the marketing definition of a "gamer" was narrow. It was young, and mostly male, and the video game industry was starting to stagnate. But Nintendo was poised to disrupt the gaming landscape (as it had done previously in the 1980s), and re-open the video game community to everyone. In North America, they had help from an enthusiastic new marketing VP named Reggie Fils-Aimé. Reggie later became president of Nintendo of America, and during his 16-year tenure with the company, he became its public face in the West. Video game fans around the world looked forward to his presentations and game announcements because they could tell he loved "Super Mario Bros.," "Pokémon," and "The Legend of Zelda" as much as they did. Nintendo's big swings resulted in some of the best-selling game systems in history: The Nintendo DS, the Wii, and the Switch. Reggie has since retired from Nintendo, but his new book "Disrupting the Game" recounts the successes, risks, mistakes, and many mentors he found along the way, i

Parenthood is arguably the ultimate S Curve of learning. We read the books, we get advice, and we plan the perfect Pinterest nursery. But we don't REALLY know what we're in for until we hear that first cry. Lindsey Shipley saw this gap in parental preparedness, specifically when it came to breastfeeding. After giving birth to her own kids, she observed the current hospital system wasn’t providing new moms with the confidence and knowledge they need to breastfeed. So she set out to build an online business for breastfeeding consultation called Lactation Link, an extraordinary feat in itself. But she did it while raising her own family and battling life-threatening cancer 4 times over. In the midst of recovering from surgeries and chemotherapy, Lindsey says she “couldn’t sit still.” Today her company serves 1,000 families per month and was recently acquired. Her community of 130,000 followers on Instagram is a testament to how much she’s helped families with newborns over the years. Lindsey shares her inspiring