Disrupt Yourself Podcast With Whitney Johnson

Innovation and transformation are never easy. Aidan McCullen, author of Undisruptable, talks how giving failure its due can help lead to personal transformation, leaving the old way of doing things to move forward, and how resistance is often the marker that we are near our goals. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: https://whitneyjohnson.com/aidan-mccullen/

Author, speaker, and activist Julie Lythcott-Haims helps people find their true north. A New York Times bestselling author, her latest book, Your Turn, is how to be an adult. We discuss a number compelling topics including how being adult is not about accomplishing some sort of checklist, rather growing through the process. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: https://whitneyjohnson.com/julie-lythcott-haims/

In this episode I talk with Erica Dhawan. She is an author and advisor on 21st century teamwork and today, we are discussing her latest book, Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection, No Matter the Distance. In the past, we humans have drawn heavily upon body language to connect and build trust. But now a significant, if not majority, of our interactions occur in a digital medium. This new reality has made it challenging for many of us to connect and build trust. Erica helps guide us in and through this brave new world by drawing on research and employing the art of skillful storytelling. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: https://whitneyjohnson.com/erica-dhawan

Our guest today, Ellen Bennett has created a roadmap of sorts for young entrepreneurs in her appropriately titled book, Dream First, Details Later. Bennett is the CEO & Founder of Hedley & Bennett. Their mission: To make the hardest working, best looking aprons, and kitchen gear in the world. Bennett’s belief in herself, her company and nearly everyone she connects with, is truly inspiring. She truly leaves one feeling we can dream first and save the details for later. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: https://whitneyjohnson.com/ellen-bennett/

James Altucher is a serial entrepreneur, chess master, prolific writer, successful investor and stand-up comedian. James is a lot of things, but maybe most of all, he is an experimenter. His latest book, Skip the Line, provides a roadmap for those of us looking to do the same. He has frequently appeared on CNBC and on many podcasts, including one hosted by yours truly (see episode 06). James also hosts his own podcast the James Altucher Show, a top-rated show since 2014. Altucher is talented, successful and inspiring. He pushes the limits, challenges the status quo and encourages us all to do the same. Join us for a riveting discussion about success, failure, experimentation and of course, disruption. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit:  https://whitneyjohnson.com/james-altucher-2

Today our guest is Stephen M.R. Covey, the best-selling author of the critically acclaimed book, The Speed of Trust. He is the son of Stephen R. Covey of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and co-founder of Covey Link and the Franklin Covey Global Speed of Trust practice. And today, he is here with us. Stephen’s work shows us that trust is a valuable lever, one that makes organizations more profitable, people more promotable and relationships more energizing. In this episode we learn how, in the midst of a strained and possibly failing merger, Stephen zeroed in on trust – doubled down – and never looked back. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: https://whitneyjohnson.com/stephen-m-r-covey/

Today our guest is Ed Catmull. Ed is the co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios (along with Steve Jobs and John Lasseter) and former president of Pixar Animation and Disney Animation. He has received five Academy Awards, and his work as a computer scientist has contributed to groundbreaking developments in computer graphics. As if all that weren’t enough, Ed is also the author of the New York Times best-selling book, Creativity Inc. His list of accomplishments is long and are enough to fill more than one lifetime. But I have asked Ed here today to talk about something else, I want to talk people. As with so many other projects in his storied career, Ed has developed an incredible approach to managing people. Throughout the span of his career, he has made it possible for people to do their best work. He's made it possible for people to disrupt themselves and when they get to the top of that S curve, to keep climbing. In this episode we discuss how Ed developed his unique approach to management. We learn how he

Today, our guest is Dr. Meghan Rothenberger, an infectious disease doctor specializing in HIV and AIDS, formerly a professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Meghan wants to disrupt the stigma around physicians talking about their mental health and we are here to help. From the outside looking in, one might assume that Meghan’s life is an idyllic one. After all, she is happily married with two sons and a daughter, and Meghan’s husband is also a doctor. She has a great family, a great career and had always wanted to be a doctor. However, in 2018 Meghan’s thoughts began traveling to painful places. Meghan kept up the façade for as long as she could until one day, under mounting pressure and expectations, she experienced an emotional breakdown. Join us as we explore the immense pressure experienced by medical residents and physicians and learn about the barriers that keep them from seeking treatment. Meghan’s story is one of healing and self-discovery and today, she generously shares her journey wi

Bob Proctor is a towering figure wherever the mention of self-help comes into discussion. For more than 40 years, Bob has focused his entire agenda around helping people create enriched lives, full of rewarding relationships and spiritual awareness.  In 1960, he was a high-school dropout who had worked a string of dead-end jobs. Crippled by debt, he struggled to find a path forward. However, his life changed dramatically when a friend gave him a revolutionary book, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. The result was a remarkable transformation. Listen in to hear about Bob’s journey from obscurity to successful entrepreneur, teacher, author, business consultant and counselor. His latest book, Change Your Paradigm Change Your Life, is due out this August. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: https://www.whitneyjohnson.com/bob-proctor/

Money is a resource, and yet many of us are not comfortable talking about money, let alone talking about building a wealth. Fortunately, today I am speaking with Ashley M. Fox. Ashley, a former Wall Street analyst and expert at financial education, is her to help us disrupt our view of money. As part of her mission, she founded Empify, an organization dedicated to changing the mindset of communities across the United States through financial empowerment and education. They have reached thousands of students in over 50 different schools and organizations across the United States. Ashley is also a financial journalist for Black Enterprise magazine and has been featured on Jim Cramer's The Street, Yahoo Finance, and Glamour magazine. Join us as we discuss giving your money a job, dispelling myths around guilt and shame, and learning how to pay yourself first. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: https://www.whitneyjohnson.com/ashley-m-fox/

Our guest today is Charlene Li, a New York Times best-selling author and founder of Altimeter Group, acquired by Prophet in 2015. Charlene and a handful of partners disrupted the industry analyst world in 2008, via their unique business model – FREE. As Charlene put it, “You couldn’t buy us.” In this episode we discuss Charlene’s path to disruption and why she ultimately chose to sell Altimeter. We also break down learnings from Charlene’s most recent book, The Disruption Mindset. Join us for a deep dive into all things Disruption. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: http://www.whitneyjohnson.com/charlene-li/

Like a bee to honey, so goes Sumeet Shetty with books. His love affair with the written word began when he was a young man, growing up in India, competing in Quiz Bowls. The experience taught him the value of hard work and helped him develop into a gifted speed reader. Now, Sumeet Shetty is the Development Manager for Enterprise Software Solutions at SAP India and the founder of Literati, India’s largest corporate book club. Through his work with Literati, Sumeet is helping others to discover the inspiration and instruction available to us through books. In this episode we discuss Sumeet’s most formative experiences, his favorite books and how he is helping his team scale the S curve of Learning™. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: http://www.whitneyjohnson.com/sumeet-shetty/

Tragedy often brings unwanted change, pushing us onto new and unfamiliar S Curves. What do you do when faced with the unthinkable? Do you back up? Do you freeze? Or do you rise up and scale the curve before you? Our guest today, Lewis Howes, was faced with the unthinkable. In 2001, while just a senior in college, his family was thrust into a life altering experience that would eventually set Lewis on a crash course with a new future as the founder of the School of Greatness. Lewis is relentless in his practice of personal disruption. He is a New York Times best-selling author, a former pro football player, a collegiate all-American athlete in football and the decathlon, a successful entrepreneur and wanting to go to a school that taught in the way that he learned, Lewis launched The School of Greatness podcast in 2013. Lewis Howes is also dyslexic. He's been sexually abused. He struggled in school. When he was eight years old, his 19-year-old brother went to prison. Scared, embarrassed, ashamed, Lewis was d

When I think of our guests this episode, I am reminded of the Turkish proverb, “No road is long with good company.” Jamie and Melbourne O’Banion are on a disruptive journey and have most certainly found themselves, in good company. Jamie is the CEO and founder of Dallas-based BeautyBio which has more than US$100 million in annual sales. Her initial beauty care line on the HSN channel in June 2011 and it immediately sold out. Her products remains a top seller on the network to this day. In 2016, Melbourne co-founded Bestow, Inc., an insurance technology company, where he serves as the CEO. In addition to Bestow, Melbourne founded O’Banion Capital in 2012 and being a is a partner to Jamie at BeautyBio. Join us as today for a real conversation about balancing marriage and parenting while also building thriving businesses. Jamie and Melbourne talk about what support in action looks like and share the unique way they keep the entire family focused and fired up! For a complete transcript and links from this episode

Today our guest is Shawn Stevenson, the host of the #1 Nutrition and Fitness podcast in the U.S., The Model Health Show. He’s the author of Sleep Smarter, and now most recently Eat Smarter, which at the time we spoke, was one of the top ten selling books on Amazon. Shawn’s passion for empowering individuals to take control of their health and wellness is apparent to all who connect with him. Diagnosed with a debilitating degenerative bone disease at just 20 years old, Shawn found himself overweight, in pain and depressed. Determined to change his circumstances, he began a transformational journey discovering just how much influence we can have on our bodies through nutritional levers. Now, motivated to help others discover the power of nutrition, Shawn provides actionable steps to help people begin their own wellness journey. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: http://www.whitneyjohnson.com/shawn-stevenson/

Laughing lowers stress – so much so – that simply the anticipation of laughter, just thinking about it, decreases cortisol (stress hormone) and epinephrine (our flight hormone) by 39 and 70% respectively. Our guests this episode, Dr. Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas, understand this better than most. The two teach “Humor: Serious Business”, at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. This course is designed to help the business minded serious folk experience, through humor, more joy in their lives. Jennifer and Naomi have documented their insights and learnings in their latest book, Humor, Seriously Jennifer and Naomi share their scientific based discoveries regarding the reverberating impact of laughter on leadership, teams, health, relationships and overall wellness. We learn the different humor styles they uncovered through their research – Standup, Sweetheart, Magnet and Sniper – and discover how drawing upon each, can help us show up better for one another.

In this episode we discuss the complicated role failure plays in our lives... today, we give failure its due. This, the sixth accelerant in our personal disruption framework, is possibly the most instructive. Yet, because of the pain and shame associated with the experience, we often blow past the lessons, missing out on the gold mine of data revealed to us in the process. However today, we take it all in - we discuss failure openly and learn together how to ditch the shame. We do this by first setting the context, explaining why failure is hard and then we’ll focus on the reframe - sharing amazing stories along the way. Join us as we journey into a reframe of the past and a new way of looking to the future. Together, we will discover that failure is not something to be ashamed of but rather a gift - one that yields dividends for years to come.  For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: https://www.whitneyjohnson.com/give-failure-its-due/

Our guest this week is a New York Times bestselling author and champion humanizer, Martin Lindstrom. His latest book, The Ministry of Common Sense, releases today. Martin is passionate about business culture and the customer experience. Today, we discuss his methodology of persistence - what can only be described as an above and beyond, up close and personal, all in, every time radical approach to organizational transformation. Martin's methods produce results and awaken cultures.  He’s been named as one of the twenty most influential management thinkers in the world by Thinkers50, and by TIME Magazine as one of the world’s 100 most influential people. Join us for a riveting deep dive with a truly exceptional human! For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: http://www.whitneyjohnson.com/martin-lindstrom/

Today we are joined by Margo Georgiadis. Margo is currently the President and CEO of Ancestry.com. Her career exemplifies the power of the S curve, in particular, the launch point. In this episode, we discuss forging your own path and not being afraid to be the “only”. Margo shares the importance mentors have played in her life and tells us about her incredibly impressive mother – a tenacious woman that served in three separate presidential administrations. We learn how it looks to step back to grow and what her time at Google taught her about the importance of being comfortable with ambiguity. Join us for a delightful interview with a prolific risk taker. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: http://www.whitneyjohnson.com/margo-georgiadis/

In this episode, we are joined by John Mackey. In 1980 he co-founded small supermarket in Austin, Texas. Over the years the company has grown a bit. It now has more than 500 stores in North America and seven in the United Kingdom. You may have heard of it. It’s called Whole Foods. In 2017, the company was acquired by Amazon for $13.7 billion. We discuss what it means to be a conscious leader and how this shows up in everyday leadership. John and I explore how outside events can push us to a new s curve and how those unexpected moments can actually help us grow and mature. John shares how his marriage has made him the man he is today and offers advice to others trying to practice conscious leadership. For a complete transcript and links from this episode, please visit: http://www.whitneyjohnson.com/john-mackey/