Today’s guest has comedy, storytelling, and strategy in her DNA.

When she was eight years old, her first oral presentation was about Harold Lloyd, Hollywood’s premier comic stuntman and director of the silent film era. Even better, she admits that she mimed and her comedy and storytelling nerd superpowers were visible from space.

She is a keynote speaker, strategist, comedian, and author of several books including, “Stop Boring Me! How to Create Kick-Ass Marketing Content, Products and Ideas Through the Power of Improv.” She is the founder of Keeping it Human, Inc.

Believing we are all wired for creativity, she is passionate about helping teams, leaders, and brands tell human stories, banishes boring marketing, develops great culture, and unleash their creativity for big ideas and results.

Please join me in welcoming Kathy Klotz-Guest.

In this episode we discuss:

• her thoughts on leadership: “Leadership is the ability to evolve your own thinking, whether you have a team or not. I think there is a self-management aspect of it.”
• how business storytelling and comedy are alike.
• her experience with being selected for the debate team in high school and having a mom to advocate for her leadership capabilities.
• when she decided to leave for the corporate world to pursue comedy.
• how she gained referrals to help get rid of any blind spots she had in her business.
• her love of networking and how she leans into serendipitous meetings at networking events.

Listen, subscribe and read show notes at www.OnTheSchmooze.com - episode 156

Today’s guest understands the importance of referrals and networking.

His company, Referral Coach International, helps people and businesses who want to acquire more clients and customers through word of mouth, referrals, and personal introduction. His goal is to help people increase their revenue without having to increase their marketing expenses.

After building and selling two successful businesses, he has turned his attention to relationship marketing strategies and is a founding member of the Million Dollar Speakers Group. He is the author of three books, “Get More Referrals Now,” “Don’t Keep Me a Secret,” and “Beyond Referrals,” and he is working on his fourth book, called “Radical Relevance.”

When he’s not busy at work he enjoys adventure and has trekked through the Himalayas, reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, and has camped in the Arctic Circle.

Please join me in welcoming Bill Cates.

In this episode we discuss:

• his thoughts on leadership: “True leadership comes from confidence, being controlling comes from a place of insecurity.”
• how he views leadership as a balance between giving and supporting, a term he calls leadership and followership.
• his natural leading abilities and the realizations around ego and personal growth that has shaped his leadership capabilities.
• limiting beliefs he overcame to find success.
• his habits for staying connected and networking with others.
• how he builds a culture of referrals, introductions, and connections.

Listen, subscribe and read show notes at www.OnTheSchmooze.com - episode 155

Today’s guest says if you had asked her former lawyer self if she imagined herself in the career she has today, the likely response would have been: “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?”

Speaker and author of the “Build Your Dream Network: Forging Powerful Relationships in a Hyper-Connected World,” she has been lauded from Forbes to Fast Company for her networking skills and Twitter acumen.

Her entire career story is a networked one, from her first career as a lawyer to being invited to join non-profit and startup boards, to dine with Malala, and then to writing her book and so much more.

She believes success is not simply a question of what you know, how hard you work, or even who you have the good fortune of bumping into. Instead, she believes success in a hyper-connected world comes down to who knows what you know.

Please join me in welcoming J. Kelly Hoey.

In this episode we discuss:

• her thoughts on leadership: “Leadership is not being afraid of other people’s success and helping others reach their potential.”
• her first mentor when she began practicing law, and how he lead in a way that ingrained in her a desire to excel, to be better, and created fierce loyalty.
• how she has always been career focused but is finally in the career she loves now.
• the benefit of handing out name tags at an event.
• her emphasis on showing up and being engaged while also maintaining diverse networks.
• how she shows people what she does instead of just telling them.

Listen, subscribe and read show notes at www.OnTheSchmooze.com - episode 154

Today’s guest is an Emergency Crisis & International Trauma Recovery Coach.

She has over three decades of experience in trauma-informed care working with families, institutions, and organizations in the aftermath of crisis situations and traumatic life events. She provides emergency crisis, international trauma recovery, behavioral management, and executive coaching.

She is the Founder and CEO of Eyes of Power, a certified minority and woman-owned company dedicated to creating visions that help others take leaps in their personal and professional lives.

Her personal history with trauma inspired her to create culturally-competent tools that meet her clients where they are. In addition to being a contributing author to several books, she is writing a book to share her story and make these tools available to more people.

Please join me in welcoming Desheen L. Evans.

In this episode we discuss:

• her thoughts on leadership: “I look at leadership like it’s a banana, you have to peel it back to eat it. There are actual steps you have to take to get to leadership.”
• her belief that there is no such thing as a one-person leader.
• all of her work with trauma-informed care and meeting people exactly where they are.
• her new training program, The Lens of Trauma, and how she is working to help people view trauma differently.
• how she has a habit of purposely making one person smile every day.
• her insights on connecting with others and the go-getter part of her personality that has helped her make significant professional advancements.

Listen, subscribe and read show notes at www.OnTheSchmooze.com - episode 153

Today’s guest is on a mission to fix the way we work at work. He specializes in helping organizations apply behavioral science to strengthen the way leaders train, support, and empower their teams for success.

An award-winning educational leader and researcher, he has earned accolades from Fortune 500 executives to NFL coaches for his forward-thinking approach to improving organizational culture and effectiveness.

The author of “The Feedback Fix,” he offers a radical alternative to traditional feedback techniques and performance management practices. He distills vast bodies of research-based practice into actionable insights that make an immediate difference in how people work, learn, and lead. His work has caught the attention of Marshall Goldsmith and Adam Grant, the latter called him a “breath of fresh air.”

Please join me in welcoming Joe Hirsch.

In this episode we discuss:

• his thoughts on leadership: “Leadership is the ability to listen and learn. Those two qualities define the way leaders interact with everyone around them and they also define relationships and the tone of the organization as a whole.”
• how he learned the value of listening and learning when you are a leader.
• the importance of leaders holding up mirrors and creating a space for people to learn who they are.
• why he values being a learn-it-all over being a know-it-all.
• his favorite role in his work, where he gets to see the light bulb click for people.
• his method of networking and how he has incorporated a spreadsheet to help him keep in touch.

Listen, subscribe and read show notes at www.OnTheSchmooze.com - episode 152