It is kind of weird writing my own blog about myself and my new book, but hey what the heck someone has to do it and who better than the author.

I recently released my new book entitled “Hacking the Gap-A Journey from Intuition to Innovation and Beyond.”  I have been asked what the book is all about?

The answer to this questions is that the book is about my personal journey as a serial entrepreneur, my ups, and downs and the struggles to birth new products and or services and then take it to market successfully.  Believe me, I have had plenty of failures, but the learning lessons from the failures and setbacks provided me with the persistence to continue on in spite of the disappointments.

My podcasts program, Inside Personal Growth, set the foundation for the learnings that I share with the readers.  I’ve interviewed over 630+ authors on personal growth, business, wellness, and spirituality.  It is virtually impossible not to have a personal transformation from learning and soaking in all that information. I have weaved the learnings from many of my over 10 years of interviews into Hacking the Gap.  Everything I learned has made me a better person, more authentic, more sensitive, more understanding and forgiving of myself and others. As we work on ourselves we naturally become better people, and to me, this is the important element of the personal growth work.  If you are not improving and becoming a better person, you won’t be a better father, husband, employer or whatever you are to the world.

So remember when you read this book, listen to your soul’s calling and get in touch with your intuition.  What you are being informed to do is vital to your growth.  Listen carefully, learn how to discern between your intuition and your ego.  Once you do this and are not afraid of taking action, you will find that your world will change forever–and for the better.

I hope you enjoy the interview that my friend Reese Harris did with me.

Please go to Hacking the Gap.com to learn more about the book, and download a couple of chapters for free.  Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter and free webinars.  I am here for you please reach out want to hear from you.

I was recently was told about a Chrome extension called Momentum Dash from my good friend Lee Regan.  I don’t usually review software, but this particular software caught my attention–so much so that I reached out to the founder  Levi Bucsis and requested that we do a podcast.

If you’re like me you have lots to do and very little time to complete your work in.  Your days are filled with various projects and you are juggling between tasks.  Does this sound like any of you?

At this point, I hope I have your attention because Momentum Dash works incredibly well at increasing your focus and the outcome is improved productivity.  Levi Bucsis and his amazing software development team have created an awesome Chrome extension piece of software that it makes me want to scream at the top of my lungs–you have to get this extension software now!!!    

So what are the features, beautiful pictures of nature to look at and ponder which will take you to a meditative state of being–not doing.  This particular feature forces me to slow down and ponder, reflect and thus makes my next though that much more poignant.  It has an API to the to-do list I subscribe to which is Todoist.  I can turn it on and off at will, and add to the list when I have another to-do–the key is being able to hide it and only look at the prompts when I am ready.

Momentum Dash Podcast clock Momentum Dash Podcast percent Momentum Gift Page

The software prompts you for your daily focus for the day, and there is a countdown timer and clock if you choose to use it. It also has awesome quotes that change daily, and these quotes seem to really make a connection for me.  All the features can be turned on or off dependent on your particular workflow.

This is must try software, you can download the free version of the extension by clicking here, or you can subscribe for $29.95 and get all the features and options.

I hope you enjoy my wonderful interview with a very creative software engineer and student of psychology, Levi Bucsis.

 

 

One of my favorite and most admired authors is Steven Kotler.  Has authored  “Tomorrowland“, “Bold“, “The Rise of Superman” and “Abundance” just to name a few.  He is a prolific writer and author.

I recently had the pleasure to discuss with him his new book entitled “Stealing Fire-How Silicon Valley, the Navy Seals, and Mavericks Scientists Are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work.” 

In our interview together we explore the revolution that is occurring in society today, and shortcuts that are being used to boost insight and inspiration which results in creating alters states of consciousness, thus improving personal performance. Steven and his co-author Jamie Wheal have spent four years investigating the leading edges of this revolution, from interviews with the Navy Seals, Green Berets and attending Burning Man they have compiled the stories and information in their new book “Stealing Fire”.

Steven states that this revolution is spreading into the mainstream, fueling a trillion dollar underground economy and forcing us to rethink how we can lead richer, more productive, more satisfying lives.  In our interview, we discuss recent advances in psychology, neurobiology, pharmacology, and technology are driving this phenomenon which allows us to move past myths, assumptions, and controversies and embrace peak performances as men and women.

As you will find out when you read “Stealing Fire” the quest to attain these alter states of consciousness have been going on since 415BC. To this day the rituals, techniques, and drugs used to attain these altered states of consciousness are changing and the effects are much more powerful.  I know you are going to love this interview with author Steven Kotler about his new book “Stealing Fire

To learn more about Steven please go click here to be directed to his website,  or you can learn about the book by clicking here.  Enjoy this amazing interview with a fascinating author and explorer of a new frontier.

 

I have a very good friend by the name of Michael Mc Cafferty that recently developed a new IOS application that automatically pushes out inspirational quotes to your mobile devices.  Now I must say that quote apps are nothing new–but To Be Wise is a very unique application.

Mike and his team of developers have added features that make To Be Wise a very special quote system.  You can read the quotes at  your own pace with a scroll that has been built into the application, you can link to inspirational Ted-X talks on many of the quotes, you can add your own quotes, and you can share quotes for friend, associates and family.

In my interview with Mike we discuss not only the unique features, but we speak about the origins of To Be Wise which was an offshoot of the days when Mike was owned Telemagic software, and he added in a pop-up daily inspirational quote and the users of Telemagic fell in love with the daily inspirational quotes.  The world of technology has evolved tremendously since the days of Telemagic, but our human needs to be inspired, and to learn will never wain.

I encourage you to listen to this inspiring interview with the founder of To Be Wise, Michael Mc Cafferty.  And if you want to download the free version of To Be Wise just click here and you will be directed to the Apple Store.

You can currently utilize the application on your iPhone or iPad.  I hope you enjoy my interview, here’s is to gaining more wisdom, and learning from the masters of all times.

 

What a brilliant book.  Evan Carmichael has created not only a great book for any entrepreneur, but the book layout and ease of use and read is fantastic!!!!

In Evan’s new book “Your One Word” you are guided to helping  find that “one word” that infuses you with passion, fire and desire to go big.  Evan one word is “Believe”.  Your one word will become your personal motto, and will help you capture your purpose and passion.

Evan asks a series of questions that help you find your “One Word”.  He also gives great examples and stories.  Now once you have found your “one word”, he does not leave you there.  He provides practical advice on using your “one word” to grow and develop your business.

In his section of the book on the “Planning Checklist’, Evan helps you get started by taking action on your campaign.  There are nine steps: 1) The Right Mindset 2) The Powerful Credo 3) Your Founding Story 4) Your Tribe of Followers 5) Rituals and Gestures 6) The Purposeful Name 7) knowing your Enemy 8) Memorable Logos, Fonts and Symbols 9) An Impactful Sound.

Remember that when you start your campaign for your business you are not just running a quick marketing project, you are in this for the long haul.  You are here making a statement, and you are going to change the world.

I hope you enjoy my insightful and inspirational interview with Evan Carmichael the author of “Your One Word“.  If you want to learn more about Evan you can find him at his website by clicking here, or through Facebook by clicking here—also Twitter #believe.

 

I happen to have been in the Amazon Bookstore in La Jolla, CA.  Yes, literally they have a bookstore.  I intuitively got a hunch about this book that was on an endcap display.  The author is George Couros and the title of the book is “The Innovator’s Mindset-Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity”   I knew when I saw the book that I needed to interview the author, so I reached out to George and he gracefully accepted my invitation.

George is an educator with a passion for helping teachers transform their classrooms into creativity and innovation think tanks.  George believes that we need to prepare our kids for jobs that don’t yet exist, and with that mission he became the Division Principal of Innovative Thinking and Learning.

George understand that we need to shift the young minds from that of a fixed mindset to that of a growth mindset, then to that of the innovator’s mindset.  The innovator’s mindset take the growth mindset a step further by focusing on using one’s ability to learn to play the piano but to create music.  The innovator’s mindset can be defined as the belief that the abilities, intelligence, and the talents are developed so that they lead to the creation of new and better ideas.

This book has not only been written for educators, but for anyone who is attempting to create a culture of innovation and creativity.  I highly recommend reading George’s book “The Innovator’s Mindset“.  If you want to learn more about George and his passions please visit his website by clicking here.  I hope you enjoy this wonderful interview with George Couros the author of “The Innovator’s Mindset“.

 

I had the privilege of recently interviewing Heather McGowan the co-author of a new book entitled “Disrupt Together-How Teams Consistently Innovate“.  I was truly amazed at the depth and breadth of knowledge Heather has about innovating within organizations.  The book “Disrupt Together” is a compilation of  chapters written by distinguished thought leaders in the field of innovation.

Heather and I had an opportunity to discuss many of the chapters within the book, along with her contribution entitled “Framing the Vision for Engagement”  When you have been handed a strategic directive it is the job of the managers to create an actionable enterprise.  To create that actionable enterprise is requires that we are able to engage the talent responsible for the development of that new product or services being innovated.  As Heather states in the book “The process is a nonlinear, iterative sequence of discover, formulate, develop, and optimize phases. When the directive can be explicitly stated as an actionable vision ,the value creation phase of development and optimize ensue, offering problem solutions and value creation.

This process is at the heart of every organization involved in innovating something new or redesigning a product to improve it.  Disrupt Together is designed for anyone who want to take a deep dive into learning more about the dynamics of teams in the creative and innovative process.  Every chapters provides insight and wisdom from some of the best teachers in the industry.

If you want to learn more about Heather McGowan and her passion, for the future of work and learning I recommend you visit her website by clicking here.  You also might want to watch a very cool video of a presentation she did Redesigning Work by clicking here.

 

In a quest to discover not only where the great geniuses came from, but the environments that stimulated their development author Eric Weiner in the “Geography of Genius” does just that.  In a very lively interview Eric we discuss the conditions, places and circumstances that helped to develop geniuses such as Socrates, Aristotle, Plato and many others.  Erics book is an exploration and travel guide into a look back in history.  Eric actually visits these places and digs into the history of these geniuses, and the stories and tapestry that make for a very interesting read.

Eric writes ” The toddler steps of incremental innovation don’t even earn you a patent, or the title of genius.  Only a leap does.  The question that intrigues someone such as myself, a creature of geography and a student of history, is not simply what these leaps look like but where, and when they take place…certain places, at certain time, producing a bumper crop of brilliant minds and good ideas.  The question is why.”

If you are a history buff, or just interested in what conditions existed to foster the development of “genius” then reading Eric book “Geography of Genius” is a must.  I highly recommend “Geography of Genius” for anyone who wants to learn about the “why” of genius.

For more information about Eric Weiner please click here to be directed to his website.

 

This book is for anyone, it is a book for those who are willing to take charge of their destinies, beat the odds and create opportunity to pursue dreams on their own terms.

I recently sat down to conduct this podcast interview with Jonas Koffler one of three authors that makes up the team who wrote “Hustle-The Power to Charge Your Life with Money, Meaning, and Momentum.”  Hustle addresses the political, social and economic issues that plague the American citizen attempting to have more meaning and money in their lives.

Jonas states “The “American Dream” is not longer about advancement or the acquisition of material possessions–secure job, car, home, family or even social mobility–alone. It is about greater freedom and autonomy to choose one’s own path forward.  The American Dream is more of a DIY creative project than is has ever been, and hustle is the way to achieving it, surfacing one’s talents, capturing luck and opportunity, and leveraging skills and technology into a diversified portfolio of upward optionality.”

The authors definition of “hustle’ has been redefined to mean “Decisive movement toward a goal, however indirect, by which the motion itself manufactures luck, surfaces hidden opportunities, and charges our live with more money, meaning and momentum. “

If you want to change the trajectory of you life I highly recommend reading “Hustle” and listening to this interview.  You can also join the “Hustle’ generation by joining the authors on their quest.

Just click this link to take you to their book landing page.  I hope you enjoy my interview with Jonas Koffler one of the authors of “Hustle“.