Real Relationships Real Revenue - Audio Edition | Invest in Relationships to Build Your Business and Your Career – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, I sit down with my friend and publisher, Todd Sattersten to unpack his brand-new book The 100 Best Books for Work & Life. After spending thousands of hours studying the world's top ideas, Todd distilled them into three massive themes: the core beliefs that shape how we grow, the foundational skills we all need, and the proven strategies for implementation. Together, we explore why purpose matters more than you think, why progress—not perfection—is what keeps us motivated, and how the strongest relationships (both personal and professional) can radically improve your success. We also break down lessons from books on goals, growth, habits, vulnerability, and the surprising science behind becoming your best self.

This conversation skims across decades of research, the best thinkers in the world, and hundreds of lessons that can transform your trajectory. If you've ever wondered what to prioritize, where to focus, or how to build a career and life you actually love, you'll hear ideas you can implement today—along with the stories, examples, and science that make them stick.

Topics We Cover in This Episode: 

• The surprising way Todd chose the "100 best" books—and why categories came after the insights

• The core belief every high performer needs before any real growth can happen

• A mindset shift from one of the world's most famous researchers that proves anyone can improve

• The daily and weekly habits scientifically shown to increase happiness, productivity, and clarity

• Why three layers of your social network influence you far more than you realize

• The uncomfortable—but essential—truth Brene Brown uncovered about connection and professional success

• A story of how following intuitive energy (instead of logic) can redirect an entire career

• The one type of progress that dramatically increases motivation—and how to track it in under 15 minutes

If this episode sparks something in you—an idea, a curiosity, or even the sense that it's time for a shift—I'd love for you to dive into Part 2 where we continue the conversation with generosity, influence, habits, and implementation. And if Todd's insights resonated, check out The 100 Best Books for Work & Life and start building your own roadmap for growth. Your next breakthrough might be waiting in the pages of a single book—or a single idea you hear today.

Resources Mentioned:

Order your copy of Give to Grow

Get the Supplemental materials for Give to Grow

Get a copy of your GrowBIG Playbook today!

Bard Press

100 Best Books for Work and Life: What They Say, Why They Matter, and How They Can Help You

What if the very doubts you're trying to silence are actually helping you become more confident? In this episode, I sit down with Kelli Thompson, leadership coach and author of Closing the Confidence Gap, to unpack the truth about confidence — why it's not about never feeling fear, and how curiosity and self-compassion are your biggest power moves. We explore the "But First" mindset that keeps you stuck, the cost of expensive thoughts, and the powerful shift that happens when you start listening to your body's wisdom, not just your head.

Kelli and I dive into real, actionable frameworks for building confidence that sticks — whether you're preparing for a big promotion, leading a team, or simply trying to stop second-guessing yourself. Her tools are practical, evidence-based, and surprisingly heart-centered. If you've ever wondered how to feel confident before you've "earned" it, this conversation will change the way you see yourself and your leadership potential.

Topics We Cover in This Episode: 

• The surprising difference between confidence and cockiness — and how curiosity bridges the gap

• Why your "But Firsts" are secretly sabotaging your success

• How to turn expensive thoughts into valuable ones that propel your growth

• Why compassion (not criticism) is the key to lasting confidence

• The 4-part "LESS" model for doing less while achieving more

• How to make smarter decisions using your head, heart, and gut together

• Simple daily practices to build self-trust and resilience

• What your body is trying to tell you — and how to actually listen

If you've ever doubted your readiness, your worth, or your next big move, this episode will remind you that confidence isn't something you wait for — it's something you create through action, awareness, and self-compassion. Listen in, take notes, and don't forget to check out Kelli's book Closing the Confidence Gap for even more powerful tools to boost your peace, potential, and paycheck.

Resources Mentioned:

Order your copy of Give to Grow

Get the Supplemental materials for Give to Grow

Get a copy of your GrowBIG Playbook today!

Purchase Kelli's Book, Closing the Confidence Gap

Visit Kelli's Website

Connect with Kelli on LinkedIn

Are you too busy to journal—or just not doing it the right way? In this episode, I sit down with the extraordinary Jo Franco—Netflix host, polyglot, entrepreneur, and journaling pioneer—to unpack the true power of journaling as a transformational tool for self-awareness, leadership, and productivity. If you've ever thought journaling was a fluffy "dear diary" ritual, think again. Jo brings science, soul, and strategy to the table, showing how even five minutes with the right prompt can unlock clarity, confidence, and momentum in your life and work.

We dive into her personal journey—from being handed a journal as a kid to now leading global journaling workshops that change lives. Along the way, we explore how journaling helps you excavate your goals, align with your values, and become the person you actually want to be—not just the one society tells you to be. Whether you're a seasoned high-achiever or brand new to the concept of journaling, this episode will give you the prompts, structure, and real-world inspiration to make this practice a game changer.

Topics We Cover in This Episode: 

• Why journaling isn't about documenting your day—but designing your life

• The surprisingly simple weekly routine that changed everything for me

• Jo's go-to energy audit framework (and how to use it in under 5 minutes)

• How journaling helps uncover the real reason behind your goals

• The science-backed prompts that increase happiness, productivity, and memory

• Why rereading your journal entries is just as important as writing them

• How to use journaling to become a more impactful leader and partner

• The journaling method that builds instant depth in your team or relationship

Ready to start writing your future self into existence? Head to JoClub.World to check out Jo's free journaling 101 workshop and grab your starter kit. Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with a friend who could use some clarity and confidence. 

Resources Mentioned:

Get Jo's Journaling Starter Kit and Free Workshop

Order your copy of Give to Grow

Get the Supplemental materials for Give to Grow

Get a copy of your GrowBIG Playbook today!

In this episode of Real Relationships Real Revenue, I'm coming to you solo to talk about something that people really seem to need right now. I'm sharing a way that you can tackle any type of slowdown that you see in the economy, in your book of business, in your business results, or in your particular expertise. These kinds of ebbs and flows happen all the time, and it's important that we know how to handle them  so that we can keep paving the way for success. 

Topics We Cover in This Episode: 

• The surprising statistics behind business growth during challenging times
• How you can completely differentiate yourself from anyone else
• The power of opening up a dialog with a client when they can't invest in you
• What you can offer to a team during tough times
• Give To Gets you can offer clients or prospects that will likely transition into a mutually beneficial relationship
• What to do when your outcomes are twice as hard

So many people think that uncertain times are when you should pull back, but I hope these practical tips will help you understand the importance of doubling down instead. Offer value and really build and deepen your relationships. If you do this, you'll win both in the short term and in the long term. 

If you want to learn more about our Demand Creation Give To Get model, you can check it out here. If you want to check out the McGraw Hill study, you can do that here. 

Resources Mentioned:

Learn more about our Demand Creation Give To Get model

Check out the McGraw Hill study

Prepare to become legendary! In this episode of Real Relationships Real Revenue, I sat down with Tommy Breedlove who just wrote a book called Legendary that I got a ton of value out of and I know you will too. As someone who has spent time in prison, Tommy has a really unique journey and perspective and he's sharing how we can learn to prioritize ourselves first, take control of our life and time, become laser-focused on what matters, and become legendary.

Topics We Cover in This Episode: 

• Tommy's journey and the low point that changed everything
• The people he met in prison that transformed his life
• Why he started working with entrepreneurs and high-achieving people
• The number one way we can live with purpose
• The power of time-blocking and focusing on your zone of brilliance
• The importance of getting laser-focused on the things that move the ball in your business 
• The mindset, attitude, and skill of managing money
• Why we need to get rid of the word "busy" and why your time is your second greatest asset
• How we can learn to say no 
• Unconditional self-love and how we can achieve it
• The power of taking control of your life and being the captain of your own ship

I hope you enjoyed this powerful conversation with Tommy. As he says, you are your number one asset and you have to prioritize yourself first. It's not selfish, it's actually the most selfless thing you can do. I hope you read his book, take his advice, learn to lead, love, and respect yourself first every day, and become a world-class elite in your life.  

Get your copy of Tommy's book today. You can also visit his website to learn more about his retreats and events. 

Resources Mentioned:

Check out Tommy's book Legendary

Check out Tommy's website and learn more about his retreats and events

Check out The ONE Thing

There is no force more influential on human behavior than culture. In this episode of Real Relationships Real Revenue, I sat down with Marcus Collins to delve into how we can build a culture around our work, our lives, and our interests. And how, as a result, we'll find opportunities, ideas, products, and experiences that we may not have found on our own. 

Dr. Marcus Collins is an award-winning marketer and cultural translator with one foot in the world of practice—serving as the head of strategy at Wieden+Kennedy New York—and one foot in the world of academia—as a clinical assistant professor of marketing at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan.

Topics We Cover in This Episode: 

• Why culture is so difficult to operationalize in business
• The opportunities that can arise when you focus on company culture
• How culture can help you build your book of business
• How to find ecosystems in business based on your beliefs and values
• How to get with your team and determine what you believe 
• What artifacts are and how we give things meaning
• The way that the language we use signals to the world who we are
• How culture can impact who you work with 
• The social aspect of consumption 
• The human desire for connection and how it impacts our behavior and decisions in life and business
• The power of offering connections in business 

I hope you enjoyed this episode with Marcus. From identifying the artifacts that give meaning to our culture, to the language we use to signal who we are, it's important to take a thoughtful and intentional approach to building a culture that reflects our vision and aspirations so that we can find the right people and more success. 

If you have a vested interest in helping people adopt behavior, Marcus's book will be very helpful for you. You can get a copy here. 

Resources Mentioned:

Visit Marcus's website

Get a copy of For the Culture

In this episode of Real Relationships Real Revenue, I sat down with Joel Neeb. Not only has he escorted the president of the United States around in Air Force One, but he has also done a lot of incredible work in the business world. From working as a fighter pilot to becoming a CEO of a consultancy, and now working with the third-largest software company in the world, he has a breadth of experience and I'm excited to chat with him today. 

Topics We Cover in This Episode: 

• How he got started as a pilot
• The life-changing diagnosis that he received and the clarity it brought
• The three G's he found in the darkest moments of his life
• The two summits in life we should strive for
• Why we have to get out of our comfort zone to grow 
• Why you can't be afraid to reinvent yourself
• The importance of mentorship in your professional life
• Why gratitude is a superpower
• The rose, bud, thorn method for practicing gratitude and optimism 
• How to create a new habit

Joel has some incredible insight into the power of gratitude, growth, and getting out of your comfort zone for massive growth in your personal and professional life. As he says, you can't be afraid to reinvent yourself so go after the success you desire. 

If you want to learn more from Joel, make sure to follow him on LinkedIn and check out his book The Survivor's Obligation. All proceeds go to charity so make sure to support this amazing cause. 

Resources Mentioned:

Check out The Survivor's Obligation

Follow Joel on LinkedIn

In this episode of Real Relationships Real Revenue, I sat down with Yiannis Gavrielides who is the CEO of a really cool tech startup called Covve that is focused on deepening relationships. I'm excited to have him on the show to talk about how this technology is helping people everywhere remember to do their reach-outs and follow-ups and how to do so effectively for building and deepening those relationships. 

Topics We Cover in This Episode: 

• How Covve is helping people make a habit of nurturing relationships
• The importance of differentiating yourself in growth and career
• How relationships help build trust
• Ways you can deepen your relationships
• The benefits of just trying to be helpful to people
• Why you should always take notes when relationship building
• Why you should focus on human connections and vulnerability 
• Ways to stay top of mind with people you meet 
• Following up as the introducer and as the introduction recipient
• How Yiannis continues to learn through meeting people
• Lies people tell themselves about networking
• What Yiannis does to stay on track

I hope you enjoyed this conversation with Yiannis. Building and deepening your relationships is so important if you want to grow your book of business. Yiannis is working to help people make habits of nurturing their relationships with his new tech and I am so excited to see how this grows. 

If you want to learn more from Yiannis, check out the Covve website and connect with him on LinkedIn here. You can email him at Yiannis@covve.com. Yiannis is offering a special discount code for our listeners - click here to get the Premium Covve Personal CRM App with the discount already applied, or use code "BIG2023" at checkout!

If you want to learn more about the High Impact Relationship Deepeners, you check it out here. 

Resources Mentioned:

Add Yiannis on LinkedIn

Visit the Covve website 

Check out the Wired to Socialize series on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts

Email Yiannis at Yiannis@covve.com

Check out High Impact Relationship Deepeners

Check out the GrowBIG Playbook 

Listen to my conversation with Dr. Ivan Misner

In this episode of Real Relationships Real Revenue, we are diving into collaboration with Deb Mashek. The problems that have the biggest impact for your clients are the ones that require collaboration across teams internally, so this is a super important topic and I'm excited to explore it today. Deb is sharing her best secrets for success. 

Topics We Cover in This Episode: 

• Why collaboration ends up being harder than expected
• How to take the Ecosystem approach to collaboration
• The importance of relationship quality and interdependence
• The trust it takes to be interdependent with others
• The brilliant way to ask for help 
• The number one correlation to our success
• Why we need to be using the right language when communicating 
• Using collaboration for cross-selling
• How to break down walls and build trust internally  
• What collaborative action is and why it's important
• The necessity of collaborative culture and how to achieve it
• Defining what collaboration means to your organization
• The things people get wrong about collaboration
• How Deb continues to learn

Collaboration is not always as simple as it seems. You want to define what collaboration means to your organization and what that looks like. Creating a culture of collaboration will make a huge difference in the way your team works together internally.

Social psychologist Deb Mashek helps organizations create the conditions for collaboration to thrive. An experienced business advisor, professor, and nonprofit executive, her writing appears in MIT-Sloan Management Review, Fortune, ReWorked, The Hechinger Report, and Psychology Today. Deb has been an invited speaker on collaboration and viewpoint diversity at leading organizations including the United Nations and the American Psychological Association. She is the international bestselling author of Collabor(h)ate.

I hope you enjoyed this conversation with Deb. If you want to learn more about the things we talked about today, you can check out the Mashek Matrix, the Ecosystem Model, the article on hiring collaborative people, and the HBR piece on social class and collaboration. You can learn more about Deb by visiting her website. 

Resources Mentioned:

Visit Debs website

Check out Mashek Matrix

Check out the Ecosystem Model

Read the ReWorked article on hiring collaborative people

HBR piece on social class and collaboration

In this episode of Real Relationships Real Revenue, I sat down with Stefan Falk, author of the book Intrinsic Motivation, to talk about his story and how to find intrinsic motivation in your life so that you can learn to love your work and succeed like never before. Stefan has a fascinating background that led him to where he is now and I think you're going to really love hearing his perspective on things as a successful business coach. 

Topics We Cover in This Episode: 

• The starting point for what Stefan does today
• How Stefan strives to help people in their lives and careers
• What triggers intrinsic motivation
• The power of experimenting in your career
• The mindset needed to add value to others
• Becoming a thought leader and advisor to senior leaders
• Tips for handling anxiety when it comes to business development
• Why you should leave people with more energy after meeting you than they had before
• Why we are the only ones holding ourselves back

I hope you enjoyed this conversation with Stefan. I love how he points out that a little bit of anxiety or pain from a business development perspective is a good thing! It's a sign of growth, so don't get discouraged. 

If you are interested in learning more from Stefan, make sure to check out his website. Make sure to also check out his book Intrinsic Motivation. 

If you want to learn more about deepening your business relationships quickly, make sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get the GrowBIG Playbook. 

Resources Mentioned:
Check out Stefan's website
Get a copy of Intrinsic Motivation
Sign up for my Weekly Newsletter GrowBIG Playbook
Get a copy of Flow
Get a copy of Finding Flow
Get a copy of Creativity