Eating Crow

Hampton Dortch is leading the way......for leaders.I've met leadership experts. Most have years of experience to support their lessons.Others pontificate with little credibility.Hampton is different. He's not preaching, he's asking questions. A lot of questions.He's one of the most curious talents I've met.Curious about leadership.Curious about people.Curious about......Everything.And that's my favorite kind of leader.He's also putting his words where his mouth is, with his Wake Up and Lead Podcast.Weekly episodes with leaders - curating content for other leaders.Beautiful.This young man has big potential.Follow him, I do.

Michael McGreevy is a renaissance man. He could build you a house, while most men can't change a light bulb.He can also help you find your calling, because he found his.Michael fell into coaching - helping others become the best version of themselves.His story is compelling.His message is important.He's also 100% what you see is what you get.Michael did the hard stuff, he ate some crow.He also took a chance and it paid off.Follow this man, he's one of the good guys.

Zineb Layachi lights up a room, or at the very least, a Zoom screen.She's a brander, a doer, an innovator.Zineb's been doing marketing for a long time.She's now helping companies build their brands online and offline.Oh, and she was doing AI before AI was cool.This is who she is...and I love it.She will help you find out who you are.

Steve Schmidt is a sales savant.He sees sales processes like Neo sees the Matrix.He's also a complex dude, with a rich background.And he's eaten some crow.Like many hard charging people, addiction got a hold of him.He faced it, ate the crow, and turned it around.He's built companies, he's sold companies, now he's building a Sales Operating System that will make your head spin.Listen as Steve shares the dark and bright spots...and learn.

Sero Kassabian has found his voice.When we recorded this episode he was still honing in on his audience. Not any more.He's calling out single fathers. He's one of them.He's calling them to be better.He's calling them to take a stand.He's calling them to question everything.He's also there to tell them it's OK to make mistakes.Sero is a complex dude.He's seen some things.He's experienced things most Americans don't understand.It gives him a perspective that's refreshingly honest and bold.He's not afraid to put his brand out there. He's also not for everyone.The world needs more Seros. A lot more.His "question everything" approach is something we should all consider.Listen. Learn. Question. Publicly. Repeat.

Ryan Carfley is a doer.He's a former D1 Football player who showed up and did it every day.Opportunity keeps knocking for him.Sometimes it's part of the plan.Other times, opportunity shows up like a kick to the face.Ryan's story, as a young business owner (you'll love how that happened), is unusual.He started behind the eight ball. Now he's Willie Moscone (look him up), having built a multi-million dollar company that continues to defy expectations.We've all faced adversity. Ryan's response: "OK, that sucked. Now what?"Listen, learn, and love it.

Jessica Williams tells it like it is.She's also a rising star on LinkedIn when it comes to talent development.Jessica shares her thoughts on building teams, handling tough issues and creating a culture that attracts top talent.She's helped build Refine Labs into a destination employer while building her own personal brand. Take notice.

I've never laughed so much in a podcast. Seriously, Kate Bradley Chernis is funny.She's also a brilliant CEO of a company changing the way we use Artificial Intelligence in marketing.Kate's passion for music (she was a SiriusXM DJ - and her husband is literally a rock star) gave her an appreciation for the written and spoken word.She then turned to marketing, using her verbal gymnastic skills to found a company that learns what customers want and converts any content into social posts that resonate.Kate is a humble leader, but she's also not afraid to make the tough calls.I consider Kate a friend and I look forward to following her success.This is one great episode.

Dale Dupree a rock star. No seriously, he IS a rock star.He spent much of his late teens and early 20's in a heavy metal band - and learned a few things.Most importantly, he met his wife at a show, and realized he wanted more.While he was delighting leather-clad fans everywhere, he learned sales from his dad. Not just any "sales", but EPIC sales. Change your life sales, change other's lives sales.Dale sold copiers. A lot of copiers.But the sales machine started to grind him up. He knew there was a better way.But Dale's way is not the typical way. It's rebellious. It's different. It's not for everyone, but it should be.He built the Sales Rebellion into a 10,000+ strong community, and he's just getting started.He's famous, he's humble, he's real and one of the reasons I love this podcast.Get a cup of coffee, put this episode on and just listen. Sit quietly and listen. You won't be disappointed.