This week I was honored and privileged to speak with Seth Godin about his new book, The Song of Significance: A New Manifesto for Teams. For most listeners Seth needs no introduction. Seth is perhaps best known for his prolific daily blog, as well as his books Linchpin, Tribes, The Dip and Purple Cow. I’ve been looking forward to this conversation for a long time now, and Seth of course did not disappoint. In our chat we unpack the purpose and passion that led Seth to writing this latest book. For anyone familiar with his book Linchpin, The Song of Significance is in many ways the spiritual sequel and companion piece to that book. If Linchpin was all about being indispensable on an individual level, The Song of Significance is about how to work together as a team of Linchpins.  This was a really encouraging chat for anyone who might be feeling anxiety about how their skills or unique voice fits into the modern workforce or for anyone considering taking their skills into a freelance or entrepreneurial journey. Seth and I explore how the desire for agency and dignity lie at the core of the modern employee’s desires and how for all of the innovations and progress that have occurred since The Industrial Revolution these two key components have been lost.  The purpose of this new book is to help teams and individuals find this dignity and autonomy again to remind people of their unique voice and how no amount of technology, AI, or automation can replace the song that only they know how to sing. This is truly a book to be read as a team and then have discussions to plan action steps that come out of it, coming together to build a team, organization or business that empowers and trusts everyone to deliver their best work and harmonize together.  Connect with Seth: Website Blog  Linkedin Twitter Instagram Connect with Erik: Facebook  LinkedIn  Twitter  Instagram  ________________________________________ Support the show by checking out our sponsors! Make sure to grab Shortcasts from Beyond The To-Do List by Blinkist. A Shortcast is a 7-10 min version of a podcast where you get the core takeaways.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we’re sharing an episode of Marketing Against The Grain — a show that leads you down the rabbit hole of marketing trends, growth tactics, and innovation. In this episode, co-hosts Kipp Bodnar (CMO of HubSpot) and Kieran Flanagan (CMO of Zapier), dive into AutoGPT — a tool that can complete your to do list for you! They cover the massive impact it will have on your life and business, the first-mover advantage you can have by implementing it, what AutoGPT will do for you in the next 6-18 months and more. If you like what you hear, search for Marketing Against The Grain in your favorite podcast app. Like the one you’re using right now! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I was privileged to welcome Dr. Luana Marques to Beyond The To Do List to talk about her new book: Bold Move: A 3-Step Plan to Transform Anxiety into Power. As the Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and the Director of the Community Psychiatry Program for Research in Implementation & Dissemination of Evidence-Based Treatments at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Dr. Marques is a national and international expert in Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (CBTs) and a leader in increasing access to scientifically rigorous mental health practices.  In our chat Dr. Marques addresses the many forms that anxiety can manifest both in the workplace and our personal lives. We discuss the spectrum of anxiety and stress and the unique ways every person’s thoughts, behaviors and emotions begin to change in periods of anxiety. This is an extremely broad topic and by no means do Dr. Marques and I begin to address the many forms that anxiety, stress or depression can manifest; however her book is an extremely powerful resource for anyone who wants to identify their anxiety, define the cycles of stress and mindset and start to transform their anxiety into power.  Connect with Dr. Marques  Book Twitter Linkedin Connect with Erik: Facebook  LinkedIn  Twitter  Instagram  Support the show by checking out our sponsors! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I'm excited to welcome Nick Sonnenburg to the show for an informative discussion about his new book Come Up for Air: How Teams Can Leverage Systems and Tools to Stop Drowning in Work Nick is an entrepreneur, Inc. columnist, and guest lecturer at Columbia University. He is the Founder and CEO of Leverage, a leading operational efficiency consultancy that helps companies implement his CPR® Business Efficiency Framework.  Coming Up for Air and what Nick calls The CPR Framework is the culmination of Nick’s unique perspective on the value of time, efficiency, and automation which stems in part from the eight years he spent working as a high-frequency trader on Wall Street. The CPR Framework consistently results in greater output, less stress, happier employees, and the potential to gain an extra full day per week in productivity per person—just by using the right tools in the right way, at the right time. Nick and his team have worked with organizations of all sizes and across all industries, from high-growth startups to the Fortune 10. It is Nick's hope that this book will serve an invaluable tool for organizations of any size to stop drowning in work and start building efficiencies. Connect with Nick:  Linkedin Twitter Facebook Connect with Erik: Facebook  LinkedIn  Twitter  Support the show by checking out our sponsors! Make sure to grab Shortcasts from Beyond The To-Do List by Blinkist. A Shortcast is a 7-10 min version of the podcast where you get all the core takeaways. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I was excited to welcome Scott Allender to the show for a chat about one of my favorite tools for helping people establish their personality type and more importantly their unhealthy traits, The Enneagram. Scott is an expert in global leadership and organizational development. Along with co-hosting The Evolving Leader podcast, he regularly teaches Enneagram workshops and conducts typing interviews and emotional intelligence assessments for individuals and teams who seek to become more radically self-aware and cognizant of the impact they have on the world. Scott’s latest book, The Enneagram of Emotional Intelligence - A Journey to Personal and Professional Success helps you chart a personality-specific path toward lasting emotional health and improved interpersonal relationships by integrating the nine types contained within The Enneagram with the essential skills of emotional intelligence. In this episode Scott unpacks the basic principles of The Enneagram while exploring how the integration of his principles on emotional intelligence help you to take the more general aspects of personality type and transform them into practical applications for improving your relationship towards yourself and others.  Support the show by checking out our sponsors! Make sure to grab Shortcasts from Beyond The To-Do List by Blinkist. A Shortcast is a 7-10 min version of the podcast where you get all the core takeaways. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I was delighted to welcome Valerie Fridland to the show for a really fun conversation about her latest book, Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English. By exploring the dark corners every English teacher has taught us to avoid, Like, Literally, Dude redeems our most pilloried linguistic quirks, arguing that they are fundamental to our social, professional, and romantic success—perhaps even more so than our clothing or our resumes. It explains how filled pauses benefit both speakers and listeners; how the use of “dude” can help people bond across social divides; why we’re always trying to make our intensifiers ever more intense; as well as many other language tics, habits, and developments. In this chat Valerie and I discuss the origins of this great book and how the evolution of language has been rapidly accelerating alongside developments in technology and communication. Valerie helps to guide listeners through the history of some unique words and phrases while unpacking the etymology of the word Dude and how it can give us a glimpse into the history of masculinity and culture in the 19th and 20th century. In addition we discuss some of the more notorious quirks of language and speaking in the modern age and discover how idiosyncrasies such as Um and Uh are by no means “Bad English'' and can even benefit clarity and empathy in our everyday conversations. Valerie Fridland is a professor of linguistics in the English Department at the University of Nevada, Reno. She writes a popular language blog on Psychology Today called “Language in the Wild,” In addition her lecture series, Language and Society, is featured with The Great Courses. With a PhD in linguistics, Valerie is an expert on the relationship between language and society, her work has appeared in numerous academic journals and she is co-author of the book Sociophonetics.  Support the show by checking out our sponsors! Make sure to grab Shortcasts from Beyond The To-Do List by Blinkist. A Shortcast is a 7-10 min version of the podcast where you get all the core takeaways. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I was excited to welcome Chip Conley to the show for a great conversation about wisdom and the transforming experience of being a “Modern Elder.” Chip is the CEO and Co-Founder of The Modern Elder Academy, the "world’s first wisdom school" dedicated to reframing aging and helping people navigate the second half of adulthood with a renewed sense of purpose and possibility.  Conley founded and ran the highly successful boutique hotel chain Joie de Vivre for over 20 years before accepting, at age 52, a position as the in-house mentor to Brian Chesky, the youthful co-founder and CEO of Airbnb. At the time, Conley was twice the age of most of the employees at the rapidly-growing company. During his years working there, he discovered how sharing wisdom and swapping ideas with Chesky helped them both to thrive. He honed his own sense of purpose for his second half of life: “To build a community of inspired and empowered midlifers.” In this chat Chip and I trace his journey and discuss the power of what he calls metabolizing wisdom. We also discuss the need for finding purpose and the fact that people who feel aligned with their sense of purpose tend to live longer, and during those extra years of life they also generally are healthier, feel happier and are less lonely. This is a great conversation for people of all ages and is vital for anyone looking at the second half of adulthood and asking questions about how they can apply their unique skills and life experiences to a more enriching career path or period of mentorship. Support the show by checking out our sponsors! Make sure to grab Shortcasts from Beyond The To-Do List by Blinkist. A Shortcast is a 7-10 min version of the podcast where you get all the core takeaways. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I was delighted to welcome Gretchen Rubin back to the show for a great conversation about her new book, Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World. Gretchen has been on the show in the past and it’s always great to catch up with her and see what she has been researching or pondering, and this new book is no exception. In LIFE IN FIVE SENSES Gretchen’s revelatory journey of self-experimentation, she explores the mysteries and joys of the five senses as a path to a happier, more mindful life. Drawing on cutting-edge science, philosophy, literature, and her own efforts to practice what she learns, she investigates the profound power of tuning into the physical world. From the simple pleasures of appreciating the magic of ketchup and adding favorite songs to a playlist, to more adventurous efforts like creating a daily ritual of visiting the Met and trying ayahuasca, Rubin shows us how to experience each day with depth, delight, and connection. In the rush of daily life, she finds, our five senses offer us an immediate, sustainable way to cheer up, calm down, and engage the world around us—as well as a way to glimpse the soul and touch the transcendent.  Gretchen Rubin is one of today’s most influential observers of happiness and human nature. She’s the author of many books, including the blockbuster New York Times bestsellers Outer Order, Inner Calm; The Four Tendencies; Better Than Before; and The Happiness Project. Her books have sold more than 3.5 million copies worldwide, in more than thirty languages. She hosts the top-ranking, award-winning podcast “Happier with Gretchen Rubin,” where she explores practical solutions for living a happier life. Raised in Kansas City, she lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters. Check Out Gretchen’s Previous Episode  Support the show by checking out our sponsors! Make sure to grab Shortcasts from Beyond The To-Do List by Blinkist. A Shortcast is a 7-10 min version of the podcast where you get all the core takeaways. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am excited to rerelease this conversation with Jeff Brown on creating and optimizing a habit of reading. It's been something on my mind a lot lately, and I thought it made sense to share it again as we head into a new season of the year, and in life. Jeff Brown is a podcaster, mentor, and speaker. He is the host of the Read to Lead podcast, and co author of the book: Read to Lead: The Simple Habit That Expands Your Influence and Boosts Your Career. In this conversation, Jeff talks about the power of creating a reading habit and how to optimize it. Support the show by checking out our sponsors! Make sure to grab Shortcasts from Beyond The To-Do List by Blinkist. A Shortcast is a 7-10 min version of the podcast where you get all the core takeaways.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I was incredibly excited to welcome Zack Arnold to the show for a great conversation about optimizing your life, avoiding burnout and learning to set the right goals. Zack is an award-winning Hollywood film & television editor known for his work on favorites of mine such as, Cobra Kai, Burn Notice, Empire, Shooter, and Glee. Zac is a member of the American Cinema Editors, an American Ninja Warrior, and creator of the Optimize Yourself program.  Zack uses his experience as a creative professional to produce the Optimize Yourself Podcast which aims to give creative professionals insight into how to love what they do for a living without having to sacrifice their health, relationships, or sanity in the process. The podcast also addresses the specifics of creative burnout and ways to avoid it. Previous Episodes Mentioned in This Installment: Marc Champagne on The Importance of Asking The Right Questions Gretchen Rubin on Expectations, Habits and Happiness James Clear on Building Good Habits and Breaking Bad Ones Support the show by checking out our sponsors! Make sure to grab Shortcasts from Beyond The To-Do List by Blinkist. A Shortcast is a 7-10 min version of the podcast where you get all the core takeaways.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if there was a way to have more time with your family, advance your career or business, and enjoy more of your paycheck? This week I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Jerry Dugan about these topics and more while discussing his new book, Beyond the Rut. This is a fascinating motivational book that will inspire you to re-examine your life. The book lays out some of the manageable steps that you can follow in creating a more fulfilling personal and professional life. Packed with fun and relatable anecdotes, Jerry shares his insights based on real-life experiences that will guide you through the process of identifying the hurdles in your way and help you in taking control of your life. This is a must-read book for anyone who feels like they are stuck in a rut and never-ending cycle of dissatisfaction and discontentment. Dugan offers a life changing set of advice that will help you in successfully breaking the cycle. Support the show by checking out our sponsors!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I’m excited to bring you this informative and topical conversation I had with Christopher S. Penn about the realities, myths, and dare I say productivity applications within ChatGPT and similar language based software tools which I'm sure you have noticed are getting more and more attention in the realms of social media, tech chatter, and even politics. I’ve known Christopher for years and I can’t think of anyone more qualified to guide me and you through this topic. Christopher bridges the gap between marketing and technology. What he shares on social media and writes about helps you understand marketing and technology better plus he is a better coder than most marketers, and a better marketer than most coders. By having one foot in both worlds, he finds solutions that work in one place and brings them to the other. Christopher speaks publicly about digital marketing, marketing technology, and machine learning/artificial intelligence. He is the co-founder of Trust Insights, a data analytics company focused on helping you make more money with your data, a co-founder of PodCamp with Chris Brogan, and co-host of the Marketing Over Coffee marketing podcast with John Wall. In this chat Christopher breaks down the real world applications of ChatGPT while explaining its limitations and ways to maximize the effectiveness of the tool. We discuss some of the ethical and political concerns swirling around the technology while dispelling some of the more hysterical myths that have been propagated online and in print. Regardless of your familiarity with this technology this is a great primer for understanding and maximizing these tools for a wide range of both creative, and labor intensive tasks. Support the show by checking out our sponsors!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For more than a decade, Erik Fisher has sat down with productivity experts, authors, creatives as they share their insights on how to implement productivity strategies in both your professional and personal life. People like… Everybody Loves Raymond and Netflix's Somebody Feed Phil Creator Phil Rosenthal on creativity, family, food, and travel.  Productivity expert David Allen on Getting Things Done  Whole 30 founder Melissa Urban on Setting Boundaries To Save Relationships   Our goal is to help you gain perspective, practical knowledge, and productivity insights for living a whole life that goes Beyond The To Do List. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I’m excited to re-release this conversation with Gretchen Rubin. At the time of this original recording Gretchen was promoting her then new book The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better. I recently interviewed Gretchen again for a forthcoming book and that conversation will be released soon. However, speaking to her reminded me of how insightful and helpful this talk was. In the Four Tendencies, Gretchen breaks down setting and meeting inner and outer expectations and creating good habits to have greater happiness. I really enjoyed this talk and wanted to share it with everyone in the event that you missed it the first time and get you excited for our new conversation that I will be posting in the coming weeks.  Gretchen Rubin is the author of several books, including the blockbuster New York Times bestsellers, Better Than Before, The Happiness Project and Happier at Home. In addition to writing Gretchen also has a very popular podcast, ‘Happier with Gretchen Rubin’ that she hosts alongside her sister. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I was really encouraged by my conversation with Jason Feifer. Jason is the the Editor In Chief of Entrepreneur Magazine and author of the new book, Build for Tomorrow: An Action Plan for Embracing Change, Adapting Fast, and Future-Proofing Your Career. If we want to admit it or not, these past few years have been a time of serious change and in this conversation Jason reveals how the ability to cope with and adapt to change is the number one trait that he has observed in successful business leaders, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders.  Through his research and experience interviewing and interacting with countless business leaders coupled with observations that he and his colleagues made in the lead-up and unfolding of the pandemic, Build For Tomorrow captures the principles and realities of change and how the fear of change can both inhibit our growth and stifle our present. Jason unpacks his four phases of change and illustrates how, similar to the phases of grief, change can be paralyzing and emotionally devastating at first, but through resilience and proper framing can liberate us from both fear and false pillars of our identity.  In addition to editing and writing Jason also hosts the podcasts Build For Tomorrow and Problem Solvers, and is a popular keynote speaker, startup advisor, and nonstop optimism machine.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I was excited to welcome Marc Champagne to the show to discuss his new book, Personal Socrates: Questions That Will Upgrade Your Life from Legends & World-Class Performers. I connected with Marc through Joey Cofone from Baron Fig who you might recall was a guest on the show back in October of 2022. Baron Fig is the design house behind a host of beautifully and ergonomically designed notebooks, journals, pens, and other analog productivity tools that I use daily. In this conversation it immediately became clear how Marc’s background in mental fitness and strategy was a logical outgrowth of the work that Joey and his team at Baron Fig encapsulate, making him a perfect fit to release his book under the wing of Baron Fig Publishing. In this chat we explore Marc’s inspiration for modernizing and exploring the Socratic Method and how this ancient system of questioning is perhaps more relevant today than ever.  In this episode we also explore questions about stimulating your mental fitness and how to direct your internal narrative to work for you. Listeners will hear Marc begin to unpack some of the over 100 plus life changing questions across more than 40 profiles of legends such as Kobe Bryant, Maya Angelou, Robin Williams alongside Top Performers like Ryan Holiday, Shantell Martin, James Clear.  In addition to writing and consulting Marc also hosts the podcast Behind The Human where he continues to explore mental fitness practices and the power of questions with guests from a wide variety of backgrounds and disciplines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I was happy to welcome Kris Ward back to the show for a wide ranging discussion on everything from time management to the importance of forming the right team to scale your business. Kris is always great to have on the podcast and this discussion was a kind of followup talk to her first appearance where we discussed her book, Win The Hour, Win the Day. In this episode we dive even deeper into that book’s principles while discussing a host of topics on everything from systems and processes to dealing with growth in your business. This was a great chat that has a little of everything for anyone interested in maximizing their efficiency during the workday and beyond.  Kris Ward is the founder of Win The Hour, Win the Day, a platform and Amazon best-selling book, that helps entrepreneurs to systematically grow their business and enjoy a personal life too. After the loss of her husband, Kris returned full-time to the marketing & branding agency she had founded years earlier, only to find her business was thriving. She began teaching clients the exact systems & processes that had freed her up and helped her during that difficult time and changed their lives in the process. Through sound time management principles - that anyone can easily understand and apply - Kris’ clients now had more time, freedom and recaptured the joy & fun they once had when they first started their businesses. Connect With Kris Podcast Free Gift  Previous Episode  Linkedin:  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I was encouraged to welcome Carlos Whittaker to the show for an honest and compassionate talk about his latest book, How to Human: Three Ways to Share Life Beyond What Distracts, Divides, and Disconnects Us. Carlos is an author, podcaster, and global speaker who I’ve had the privilege of learning from in live settings and through his podcast Human Hope with Carlos Whittaker.  In How to Human, Carlos offers a fresh vision for becoming the best versions of ourselves. We can refuse to let disagreements define us. We can say no to becoming upset, rage-filled humans and say yes to fuller, happier lives. It begins as we make the shift from “me” to “we” to “everybody” in a three-part journey to be human, see fellow humans, and free those around us. This conversation was a real inspiration for me as Carlos and I unpacked the themes and messages of his book. Carlos reminds listeners that it's more powerful to not stand on issues, but to walk with people. That journey of discovering the true value of relationships and the beauty and hope that bind us together rather than focusing on the polarizing divisions is a message I'm so excited for listeners to explore further in this episode. Connect With Carlos: Website: https://www.carloswhittaker.com Podcast: https://www.carloswhittaker.com/podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loswhit/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I was excited to connect with Kieran Setiya about his newest book, Life is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way. Kieran teaches philosophy at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) working mainly in ethics, epistemology, and the philosophy of mind. In addition to his latest book Kieran is the author of Practical Knowledge, Reasons without Rationalism, and Knowing Right From Wrong. In this conversation we discuss the reality that life can be hard and there is no cure for the human condition: But Kieran believes philosophy can help. In this chat he offers us a map for navigating rough terrain, from personal trauma to injustice along with navigating grief and the overall mission of living with one another. This was truly a great conversation about how the pragmatics of productivity share the common goals of philosophy which is living a good life not only for ourselves but alongside others. Connect With Kieran:  Website: www.ksetiya.net Twitter: https://twitter.com/KieranSetiya Book: Life is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way: https://amzn.to/3XrHS2X Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I was excited to welcome Chris Clews to the show for a more laid back chat and pop cultural conversation about what 80s movies can teach us about leadership, our workplace, and even ourselves. Chris is an author and keynote speaker whose latest book is, Raised on the 80s: 30+ Unexpected Life Lessons from the Movies and Music That Defined Pop Culture's Most Excellent Decade. In this conversation Chris and I discuss such 80s classics as, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Field of Dreams, and more. Chris brings a fun approach towards learning from these classic films and I really enjoyed both reminiscing about when I first encountered each movie while also hearing Chris discuss some of the more profound life and leadership lessons that are hiding just under the surface of these beloved classics. Follow Chris:  Website: chrisclews.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/chris.clews Instagram: www.instagram.com/chrisclews80s/ Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/chrisclews/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/80spopculture Books: https://chrisclews.com/books Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices