We’ve all heard of “The Great Resignation,” but it is more accurate to call it “The Great Realignment” as people realized life is short and reoriented their lives to honor what was important to them. That led to a lot of resignations, but it also led to a lot of recommitments and renewals within existing employment.
“The Alignment Show” features conversations with folks who have taken steps to identify their highest values and aligned their lives around them.
Becoming a Category of One: Visibility, Voice, and Values
Wednesday, November 19, 2025 • Duration 54:43
What does it take to stand out in a noisy world without becoming a caricature of yourself? In this conversation, marketing expert and bestselling author David Newman, CSP, joins me to talk about the real work behind visibility, credibility, and building a business rooted in who you actually are. We dig into why personal brands now matter more than company brands, how to double down on your human strengths in the age of AI, and why the most successful people aren’t chasing every opportunity—they’re aligning with their values.
If you’ve ever wondered how to be seen without being fake, or how to build a reputation that actually serves the people you care about, you’ll want to listen to this one.
Remember that we have moved our home over to our new site at TheAlignmentShow.com. We encourage you to subscribe there!
If you get value from the show, consider supporting us through Buy Me a Coffee. You can make a one-time contribution or sign up for regular support. Your support helps me continue helping you and others, and thank you in advance!
You can also subscribe on Substack for free OR upgrade to a paid subscription to receive the following bonus material for each episode:
* The “Big Takeaway”
* A bulleted summary of the episode
* Practical tips from the episode
* A quote to ponder
* Prefer text? We turn each podcast into an article.
Plus, Founding Members receive ebook copies of all my books as well as a sponsorship message on the podcast at least once a month.
That’s our way for saying “thanks for the support!”
Note: if you accidentally subscribe on ConfidenceCultivators.com (which used to host the show), I will comp you the equivalent subscription on King’s Chronicles, the new home of The Alignment Show.
What happens when we stop trying to master technology and start learning with it?
In this episode of The Alignment Show, I sit down with Joshua Hale — a self-taught “holistic tech wizard” who helps creators and entrepreneurs build businesses that serve life instead of consuming it. Joshua’s journey runs from the intensity of restaurant kitchens to the freedom of leading his own AI-driven strategy practice. Along the way, he’s learned that the most valuable skill in a changing world isn’t technical expertise — it’s curiosity.
We talk about his “teach-by-doing” approach, the mindset of an autodidact, and how authenticity becomes an asset in an era when anyone can access unlimited information. Joshua also shares his 10-80-10 Method — 10 percent human idea, 80 percent AI execution, 10 percent human refinement — and why seeing AI as a creative co-pilot, not a competitor, can expand both your freedom and your impact.
If you’ve ever wondered how to use AI without losing yourself in the process, or how to build a business around learning, purpose, and humanity, you’ll find this conversation both practical and deeply encouraging.
About Joshua Hale
Joshua Hale is a holistic tech strategist and AI mentor who helps creators and entrepreneurs build life-first businesses—ventures that align purpose, technology, and personal well-being. A self-taught innovator, he blends systems thinking, marketing strategy, and real-world experimentation to make complex technology accessible and empowering. Through his company and community work, Joshua equips people to use AI as a tool for clarity, creativity, and connection rather than complexity or control.
Money Myths, Hostage Situations, and the Power of Story
Tuesday, September 30, 2025 • Duration 01:00:39
Listen here or watch video on YouTube:
In this episode of The Alignment Show, I sit down with returning guest Jeff West, one of our “stars in alignment,” to talk about his newest book, The Hidden Heist, co-authored with Bill Cates.
Jeff has built a reputation for crafting business parables, stories that don’t just explain principles but draw you in through characters and plot. The Hidden Heist may be his boldest yet: a personal finance parable set entirely during a bank robbery. With humor, tension, and unexpected twists, Jeff and Bill tackle the money myths that hold so many people hostage, while showing the habits that can change a financial future.
We also dig into the craft of writing parables—how flawed characters, lived stories, and surprising turns make lessons stick more than any how-to guide could. Along the way, Jeff shares insights about co-authoring, weaving personal experience into fiction, and the unique role of storytelling in an age of AI.
Whether you’re curious about money, storytelling, or simply living in closer alignment with your values, you’ll find both encouragement and practical wisdom here.
* Donn King’s books. Find out about his latest and all his others at .
Get full access to The Confidence Cultivator at
When Frustration Hits Hard
Monday, September 15, 2025 • Duration 15:46
Ever had one of those moments where a “five-minute fix” with technology turns into two hours of hair-pulling? In this solo episode of The Alignment Show, I share a recent run-in with Photoshop that pushed me right to the edge of giving it all up—computers, creative work, even publishing.
But behind the exasperation was something deeper:
* What do you do when the tools you depend on start draining the joy out of the work?
* How do you know if it’s just a temporary frustration—or a sign it’s time to lay something down?
* And how do you keep the spark alive in the things you love?
I tell a story (with a little humor, a little honesty, and a nod to my AI sidekick “Lizzie”) about nearly tossing my laptop into the lake. More importantly, I invite you to reflect on how you handle those breaking-point moments in your own life.
🎧 Listen in, and then let me know: How do you deal with that kind of frustration?
* Donn’s books, including info on Creating While Caring: Practical Tips to Keep Creating While Caring for a Loved One, coming out before the end of September ().
Get full access to The Confidence Cultivator at
The Courage to Realign: Jennifer Pierce’s Journey from Corporate to Coaching
Season 1 · Episode 95
Friday, September 5, 2025 • Duration 50:41
Jennifer Pierce spent decades climbing the corporate ladder—investment banking, HR, and commodities trading—before realizing she wasn’t living true to her values. Burnout and loss pushed her to recalibrate her life and eventually find her calling as a leadership coach.
In this conversation, Jennifer shares her honest reflections on imposter syndrome, the difference between therapy and coaching, and why true alignment comes when we stop just naming our values and actually live them. She also reveals how a painful personal turning point helped her embrace authenticity, service, and connection.
If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s too late to make a change, or if you’ve felt the tug between security and purpose, Jennifer’s story offers encouragement—and a reminder that we’re all just walking each other home.
Andy Bhattacharyya: Resilience, Purpose & the Future of Sustainability
Sunday, August 10, 2025 • Duration 34:09
Editor’s Note: We are setting up a new publishing workflow, which means we may have a few glitches in the next few episodes. Thanks for bearing with us, and email donn@donnking.com with any problems or issues you have.
What happens when a global supply chain strategist, author, and TEDx speaker turns his focus from corporate success to soul-deep purpose? In this inspiring conversation, Andy Bhattacharyya—founder of AI-driven sustainability firm Amplo Global—shares his journey from engineering and ESG compliance to mentoring vulnerable youth and writing fiction that champions resilience.
Andy reveals:
* Why he blends fiction and nonfiction to teach values-based leadership
* How sustainability is evolving beyond compliance into purposeful business strategy
* The personal “life versions” that shape his choices and drive his legacy
* Stories of overcoming vulnerability, from trafficking prevention to mentoring future leaders
Whether you’re navigating a career pivot, seeking more meaning in your work, or curious about the intersection of business, storytelling, and purpose, Andy’s insights will challenge you to think bigger, and act with intention.
In this episode we talked about:
* Andy’s new venture, LeadWithAndy.com (we never got the QR code in the video, but this will take you right to it.
* Donn’s books, including the upcoming release of Creating While Caring. Find out more at DonnKing.com/Books.
Remember that we have moved our home over to our new site at . We encourage you to there!
Get full access to The Confidence Cultivator at
Go for No, Again – A Conversation with Andrea Waltz
Friday, July 18, 2025 • Duration 01:14:31
Andrea Waltz doesn’t just teach people to embrace rejection—she embodies it. In this episode, we sit down with the co-author of the enduring bestseller Go for No! to explore the bold mindset shifts behind her work, the 25-year legacy of a powerful little parable, and what compelled her and husband Richard Fenton to finally write a sequel.
This isn’t just a conversation about sales. It’s about risk, courage, creativity, and the emotional grit it takes to do work that matters. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a writer, a solopreneur, or a professional in transition, Andrea’s insight will nudge you to rethink your relationship with failure, and maybe even chase a few more no’s yourself.
👉 Tune in to hear the behind-the-scenes origin story of Go for No!, how fiction became a powerful teaching tool, and why mindset, not tactics, is what really gets in the way of meaningful action.
You can get links to video or audio versions of this episode at DonnKing.com/93. Or (if you're seeing this in email), just click on the headline to watch or listen via your Substack app, which is probably the best way to watch/listen to either format.
Next Tuesday, I'm offering two separate opportunities to learn about the power of Substack.
If you're seeing this—or reading this—on Substack, there's a good chance you already use it. Not a 100% chance, of course. You can read free material on Substack without ever logging in or subscribing to anyone. But still, a pretty good chance.
Even if you're already using it, you might not realize just how much potential Substack has to help you get your message out to a world that needs to hear it.
I figured the best way to give you a taste of what we’re going to talk about in the workshop is to use Substack to show you. So, I’m making this post go out through almost every available format Substack offers. That should give you a feel for how flexible it is, and maybe help you decide whether Substack could be useful for you.
In the workshop, we’ll take a 20,000-foot view of what Substack can do. This post? Think of it as the 30,000-foot preview.
The way I like to explain Substack is with a metaphor: it’s like a Swiss Army knife, or maybe even more like a Leatherman tool. Sure, you could find a better email platform, a more powerful podcast host, or a sleeker blogging tool. But Substack’s strength is in being the Leatherman of creative communication: one solid tool that does everything well enough, and keeps it all in one place.
Take this post, for example. I used Substack’s video feature to talk to you, and you’ll find it embedded here. They are rolling out a live video feature, which I don’t have yet. It has some limitations. For instance, it only works from the mobile app, so I can’t use my usual green screen or share slides. But it’s fast, it’s personal, and if you set it up right, the video becomes part of a post that people can watch later. I will use it when it become available to me. For now, I’m recording the video and then uploading it.
I can upload a video directly into a post. I can also do an audio version instead—or a full podcast episode. Substack will distribute your podcast to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and just about anywhere else people listen. This will become such a podcast episode.
Get full access to The Confidence Cultivator at
Ep. 92: Healing the Divide Through Service
Saturday, June 21, 2025 • Duration 58:14
We live in a time of deep division—politically, culturally, even generationally. But what if the path to healing isn’t another argument or another angry post… but service?
In this powerful and hope-filled episode, Chip Webster shares how national service, volunteerism, and small acts of human connection can rebuild trust in our communities—and in each other. Drawing on his leadership background and life experience, Chip offers both a compelling vision and a practical invitation.
If you’re disheartened by the current state of the country (or the world), this episode will rekindle your belief in what’s possible.
In this episode, we talked about these and other topics:
You can catch video replays at the following links, or hear audio replays at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, , and .
Get full access to The Confidence Cultivator at
🎙 Episode 91–From Baghdad to Boardrooms: Penny Hopkinson on Aligning Work with Wisdom
Monday, June 9, 2025 • Duration 01:25:47
From interviewing Middle Eastern dignitaries and riding the waves of international journalism, to revolutionizing how modern franchises share knowledge, Penny Hopkinson’s journey is nothing short of remarkable. In this wide-ranging conversation, Penny shares how she turned a love of words and systems into a career that reshaped an industry.
Whether you're a writer, business leader, or someone exploring what it means to live with integrity and purpose, this episode offers real-world wisdom from someone who’s done just that, across borders, generations, and platforms.
We also get a special live update from Penny about her upcoming Manual Magic AI tool, a knowledge-sharing SaaS that could change the way businesses capture and transfer know-how.
You can get links to video or audio versions of this episode at DonnKing.com/98. Or (if you’re seeing this in email), just click on the headline to listen via your Substack app, which is probably the best way to watch/listen to either format.
If you get value from the show, consider supporting us through Buy Me a Coffee. You can make a one-time contribution or sign up for regular support. Your support helps me continue helping you and others, and thank you in advance!
You can also subscribe on Substack for free OR upgrade to a paid subscription to receive the following bonus material for each episode:
* The “Big Takeaway”
* A bulleted summary of the episode
* Practical tips from the episode
* A quote to ponder
* Prefer text? We turn each podcast into an article.
Plus, Founding Members receive ebook copies of all my books as well as a sponsorship message on the podcast at least once a month.
That’s our way for saying “thanks for the support!”
Note: if you accidentally subscribe on ConfidenceCultivators.com (which used to host the show), I will comp you the equivalent subscription on King’s Chronicles, the new home of The Alignment Show.
Remember that we have moved our home over to our new site at TheAlignmentShow.com. We encourage you to subscribe there!
If you get value from the show, consider supporting us through Buy Me a Coffee. You can make a one-time contribution or sign up for regular support. Your support helps me continue helping you and others, and thank you in advance!
You can also subscribe on Substack for free OR upgrade to a paid subscription to receive the following bonus material for each episode:
* The “Big Takeaway”
* A bulleted summary of the episode
* Practical tips from the episode
* A quote to ponder
* A topic index with timestamps
Plus, Founding Members receive ebook copies of all my books as well as a sponsorship message on the podcast at least once a month.
That’s our way for saying “thanks for the support!”
Note: if you accidentally subscribe on ConfidenceCultivators.com (which used to host the show), I will comp you the equivalent subscription on King’s Chronicles, the new home of The Alignment Show.
Remember that we have moved our home over to our new site at TheAlignmentShow.com. We encourage you to subscribe there!
If you get value from the show, consider supporting us through Buy Me a Coffee. You can make a one-time contribution or sign up for regular support. Your support helps me continue helping you and others, and thank you in advance!
You can also subscribe on Substack for free OR upgrade to a paid subscription to receive the following bonus material for each episode:
* The “Big Takeaway”
* A bulleted summary of the episode
* Practical tips from the episode
* A quote to ponder
* A topic index with timestamps
Plus, Founding Members receive ebook copies of all my books as well as a sponsorship message on the podcast at least once a month.
That’s our way for saying “thanks for the support!”
Note: if you accidentally subscribe on ConfidenceCultivators.com (which used to host the show), I will comp you the equivalent subscription on King’s Chronicles, the new home of The Alignment Show.
* Donn’s books, including Creating While Caring, due to be release within September 2025.
Remember that we have moved our home over to our new site at TheAlignmentShow.com. We encourage you to subscribe there!
If you get value from the show, consider supporting us through Buy Me a Coffee. You can make a one-time contribution or sign up for regular support. Your support helps me continue helping you and others, and thank you in advance!
You can also subscribe on Substack for free OR upgrade to a paid subscription to receive the following bonus material for each episode:
* The “Big Takeaway”
* A bulleted summary of the episode
* Practical tips from the episode
* A quote to ponder
* A topic index with timestamps
Plus, Founding Members receive ebook copies of all my books as well as a sponsorship message on the podcast at least once a month.
That’s our way for saying “thanks for the support!”
Note: if you accidentally subscribe on ConfidenceCultivators.com (which used to host the show), I will comp you the equivalent subscription on King’s Chronicles, the new home of The Alignment Show.
If you get value from the show, consider supporting us through Buy Me a Coffee. You can make a one-time contribution or sign up for regular support. Your support helps me continue helping you and others, and thank you in advance!
You can also subscribe on Substack for free OR upgrade to a paid subscription to receive the following bonus material for each episode:
* The “Big Takeaway”
* A bulleted summary of the episode
* Practical tips from the episode
* A quote to ponder
* A topic index with timestamps
Plus, Founding Members receive ebook copies of all my books as well as a sponsorship message on the podcast at least once a month.
That’s our way for saying “thanks for the support!”
Note: if you subscribe on ConfidenceCultivators.com, I will comp you the equivalent subscription on King’s Chronicles, the new home of The Alignment Show.
You can embed video or audio in a regular post that is not a podcast. Or you can just write a regular text post (and if you’re reading this, that may be your preference over video or audio). Add photos if you want. Substack will email that post to your list, which makes it a great newsletter tool—which is how a lot of people first think of it. But you can also send posts only to email without publishing them online, more like a traditional mailing list.
Readers can find you through search, or they can subscribe to get emails when you publish, so it functions kind of like a blog and kind of like a newsletter. The post editor gives you a lot of formatting flexibility, though not as much as something like WordPress.
There’s even a whole ecosystem for short-form posts, like what Twitter used to be, called Notes. You can share quick ideas, links, reactions, and more. (I will post a Note a little later pointing to this post.)
And all of this? Free.
Now, if you’ve spent any time on the internet, you’ve heard the old line: “If it’s free, you’re the product.” That’s usually true—most free platforms monetize you through ads. But Substack works differently. It’s a freemium model: you can offer paid subscriptions and give your subscribers bonus content or perks. Substack takes 10% of what you earn, which means they only succeed if you do.
That’s a different incentive model from most platforms. They don’t throttle your reach. They don’t ask you to “pay to play.” In fact, it’s the opposite. They want more people to find you, subscribe to you, and support you.
Now, it’s true that once you hit a certain level of revenue, you might be able to make more money using another system. But many of us—including me—stick with Substack anyway, because it’s just so much easier to manage than the more complex tools out there.
And you don’t have to commit to anything in this workshop. I just want to show you what Substack can do (probably a lot more than you realized) and help you see how simple it is to use. It’s great for people who say, “I’m not good at tech,” and it’s efficient enough to appeal to folks who are good at tech but don’t want to spend their lives formatting blog posts.
Just because you can format a WordPress post doesn’t mean you want to spend the time it takes to do it.
So however you came across this, whether through a recorded video, audio, a text post, a Note, an email, or just stumbling across it online—I hope you’ll check out our workshop on July 8, 2025.
And if you find this after that date, don’t worry—you can still find the replay at the link I’ll share. But if you’re seeing this in time, go ahead and sign up. That way you can join us live and get your questions answered.
Remember that we have moved our home over to our new site at TheAlignmentShow.com. We encourage you to subscribe there!
If you get value from the show, consider supporting us through Buy Me a Coffee. You can make a one-time contribution or sign up for regular support. Your support helps me continue helping you and others, and thank you in advance!
You can also subscribe on Substack for free OR upgrade to a paid subscription to receive the following bonus material for each episode:
* The “Big Takeaway”
* A bulleted summary of the episode
* Practical tips from the episode
* A quote to ponder
* A topic index with timestamps
Plus, Founding Members receive ebook copies of all my books as well as a sponsorship message on the podcast at least once a month.
That’s our way for saying “thanks for the support!”
Note: if you subscribe on ConfidenceCultivators.com, I will comp you the equivalent subscription on King’s Chronicles, the new home of The Alignment Show.
You know someone who could use this strong message.
Head over to our new site at TheAlignmentShow.com and subscribe to make sure you don’t miss an episode!
* Penny’s book, Manual Magic (but remember she is offering access to her new Manual Magic AI through October 2025—keep an eye on her Linktree for when that goes live)
* Our sponsor, Donn’s books (the new book, Creating While Caring, will be coming out soon and will be linked here).
Share, like, and subscribe!
Remember that we have moved our home over to our new site at TheAlignmentShow.com. We encourage you to subscribe there!
If you get value from the show, consider supporting us through Buy Me a Coffee. You can make a one-time contribution or sign up for regular support. Your support helps me continue helping you and others, and thank you in advance!
You can also subscribe on Substack for free OR upgrade to a paid subscription to receive the following bonus material for each episode:
* The “Big Takeaway”
* A bulleted summary of the episode
* Practical tips from the episode
* A quote to ponder
* A topic index with timestamps
Plus, Founding Members receive ebook copies of all my books as well as a sponsorship message on the podcast at least once a month.
That’s our way for saying “thanks for the support!”
Note: if you subscribe here on Confidence Cultivator, I will comp you the equivalent subscription on King’s Chronicles, the new home of The Alignment Show.
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