Down By The River with Matt Havens

Jeff Havens is an internationally-known keynote speaker on topics ranging from change management to innovation. He’s also my brother – hence the brotherly jabs at each other throughout the episode. In our conversation, Jeff shares his journey from the high school classroom to some of the world’s biggest stages, why companies need to pay attention to the Great Resignation, and why we are all experts at change management and we just don’t realize it yet.

14 minutes. That’s 1% of your day. What if just that 1% was dedicated to doing “good?” That’s exactly what Chris Field has done and is trying to encourage others to join him. In this episode, I spoke with Chris about his journey to start the Mercy Project, a non-profit aimed at eradicating child slavery in Ghana and how he tries to focus on the compassion, courage, and creativity we all have in us to do good in the world.

You have the rest of your life to be ordinary. If you knew you could always go back to life as normal, what would you do differently today? In this solocast, Matt shares his journey stepping out on his own, leaving behind an established, comfortable, and safe corporate career for the world of public speaking. He shares his thoughts on how to find what’s important to you – in work and in life – to help guide those decisions and ultimately find happiness.

Leaving a clean wake is more than being environmentally conscious. It's about leaving a situation, a port, a relationship better than where you met it. Imagine how those around us would feel - and how we'd feel - if every day we just tried to leave the spaces we occupy in a better place. On this episode, Michael Harvey joins to share his experience in business and stories from his 4-year journey sailing the open water with his wife and 2 kids on a 40-foot sailboat. Check out Michael's story at www.leavingacleanwake.com

We throw the term “work/life balance” around like it’s a thing. But it’s NOT. Work/life balance doesn’t exist! In this solocast, I discuss why the notion of work/life balance is flawed and how we can better recognize the similarities between work and life instead of treating them separately. It’s really time to ask yourself, “Are you the same person at work and in life?” And if not, why?

Have you ever wondered why rewards or recognition didn’t move the needle in term of engagement or motivation? Or why some leaders get more out of their team than others? In this episode, Dr. Jason Jones shares the neuroscience behind our actions and shows how leaders who leverage these principles will inspire their team to work with greater energy, engagement, and productivity.

What would you do if you knew you could not fail? Ryan Leak is a speaker, executive coach, and author of the upcoming book Chasing Failure. In this episode, we talk about his path(s) through failure and how he overcame a mindset of precalculated failure. Ryan shares his insight and stories from the book, as well as what he has learned balancing multiple businesses and how he lives with the result of being 100% authentically himself. (Hint: You can too!)

How do we maintain our flexibility when it comes to change? Jesika Young, Team Member and President at Cimtech and Wendy Dant Chesser, CEO of One Southern Indiana join me to talk how we move WITH change instead of against it. We talk about the world of manufacturing and economic development and how organizations and employees have to adapt for the future. Jesika also shares her experience going from banking into owning a 45-year-old business and how she intentionally built a culture where everyone has a role.

What if we focused our energy on being FOR something instead of AGAINST it? In this episode, I talk with Jim Kelley, VP at Fern Expo, about his 30-year experience in the events industry and what he has learned about change through the experiences of the last year. He encourages everyone to “Let Go” and “Think Again” when it comes to dealing with challenges and provides a positive perspective on what we can expect going forward.

What can saying “Yes” more do for you? As I’ve recently learned through a full-fledged “Yes Day,” it can have a tremendous impact on your own mentality and those around you. In this 2-for-1 podcast episode, Matt shares the results of his experiment, how we fight back against the “No” in our head, and even invites some special guests on to share their perspective.

Scott Wells has an extensive banking career and is currently a VP – Senior Relationship Manager with Bank of America. In this episode, Scott shares lessons learned early in his career about building trust and how so many of our experiences and opinions are shaped through meaningful relationships. He lends some insight into the financial crisis of 2008 and how we can reimagine the banking world in a more human way.

Amy Haggarty is the Director of Partnership Strategy for the Cornerstone Foundation. In this episode, she shares stories of how jumping in freezing lakes can give you a new perspective, how this pandemic has brough new meaning to the term work/life balance, and why sometimes a “beautiful disaster” is just what we all need.

In this episode, Wayne Mullins joined to chat about what it means to get results and focus on outcomes instead of vanity metrics. Wayne is the CEO of Ugly Mug Marketing, a full service marketing company based out of Louisiana, and he shared his stories about not falling victim to false personal narratives, being his own most difficult person in the room each day, and building a culture of self-accountability.

Sometimes it takes the negative to flush out the good. In this episode, Matt recaps his experience during the Texas Snowpocalypse and showcases the good we saw in humanity. He also takes a lesson from the experience and details how we can communicate more genuinely in the workplace and in our relationships. Hint: it will take a little Kindness with Candor.

Justin Fox is an Operations Leader, Army veteran, and small business owner with 20 years of leadership experience. In this episode, we discuss the transition from military life to civilian leadership, how getting comfortable with being uncomfortable is critical to growth, and why giving grace is the truest sign of trust and community. Oh, and we talk about why Target has the best T-shirts.

We all fail.  But how we perceive of those failures is critical to our growth.  In this solocast, Matt discusses his favorite failure – the one which spring boarded his career in public speaking.  He also encourages you to consider your favorite.  Shout to @EmmanuelAcho for some inspiration www.matthavens.com

Matt Havens is not your typical keynote speaker, leadership trainer, or well, podcast host, either.  His uncanny ability to provide real-world solutions in a relatable and humorous way have made him one of the quickest up-and-coming speakers in the industry.Be sure to check him out on www.matthavens.com or follow along @HavensSpeaking on the social platforms.