My guest today, Michael Port, has written six books, including one that changed my life: Book Yourself Solid, which I read in 2010 just before leaving Google to strategize how to launch my coaching practice. I have since recommended it to every coach I've ever mentored! Fun fact, Michael also guest starred in one of my favorite Sex and the City episode in his early acting days :)
Michael's latest book, Steal the Show, is the topic of this week's show, and has been described as “the most unique and practical book ever written on the topic of public speaking.”
More about Michael Port
Michael runs the Book Yourself Solid Mentoring Program serving business owners from all over the world and The Book Yourself Solid School of Training, which certifies consultants in the Book Yourself Solid methodology. He also Runs Heroic Public Speaking with his wonderful wife, Amy Port, who I have had the joy of getting to know better these last few years.
Michael was once a professional actor, having received his MFA from NYU's Graduate Acting Program, guest starring on shows like Law & Order, and in films like The Pelican Brief and Down to Earth. These days, Michael can be seen on MSNBC, CNBC, and PBS as an on air expert in communication and business development.
Topics We Cover
Pivot from acting into business
Being willing to take risks and make bold statements to further your career
Applying your confidence and authenticity
Taking smart risks grounded in reality
How we can use our weaknesses as strengths
Become someone that others want to help
Many aspects in life contain performance elements
Performance is authentic behavior in a manufactured environment
We all play different roles, but they are still sincere representations of our personality
The most important element of a performance is the preparation, the work is done in rehearsal—not on the stage
Resources Mentioned
Jenny's Speak Like a Pro interview series with 25 experts
Adam Grant: Unless You’re Oprah, ‘Be Yourself’ Is Terrible Advice.
Michael's Books:
Check out other episodes of the Pivot Podcast here. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen, and if you enjoy the show I would be very grateful for a rating and/or review! Sign-up for my weekly(ish) #PivotList newsletter to receive curated round-ups of what I’m reading, watching, listening to, and new tools I’m geeking out on.
Hi Friends! As I mentioned in the last solo episode, my team and I have been hard at work creating a brand new podcast that will run in parallel to Pivot! I'm thrilled to welcome you to Free Time — your home for Heart-Based Business.
I'm sharing the inaugural episode here with you on Pivot, but be sure you go subscribe to that one too, if the subject matter interests you! Search for "Free Time with Jenny Blake" or visit http://pod.link/freetime to subscribe in your favorite podcasts app.
In this preview episode, I share what inspired me to start the show, how I’m handling the Imposter Monster sitting right next to me, and what’s next for Jenny Blake Enterprises. A pivot for Pivot, if you will :)
❤️ Enjoying the show? The best way to say thank you is leaving a rating or review. Free Time is listener supported—consider donating to become a podcast Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call:
📘 Books Mentioned: Pivot, Essentialism, Finite and Infinite Games
🔗 Links Mentioned: Gimlet Media’s StartUp, Pivot podcast episodes 228 (how I run my business without social media) and 251 (Imposter Monsters)
💌 Subscribe to the Time Well Spent newsletter: http://itsfreetime.com/join
💸 Enroll in the Mini-Course: Free-up Founder Time
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📝 Check out full show notes and links from this episode and share it with a friend! http://itsfreetime.com/episodes/001
I’m thrilled to be back from holiday hiatus (and a deep work creation cave on my new book and podcast - more on that soon!) with an episode from someone who inspires me greatly in heart-based business: Sarah Santacroce.
Sarah’s new book is called The Gentle Marketing Revolution: A Radical Business Approach to Get New Clients with Integrity and Kindness. I was honored to co-write the foreword with Penney Pierce in a fun, delightful, in the moment, flowing way. You'll hear more about that and how to launch with serendipity and ease in this episode! Be sure to also check out Sarah’s Gentle Business Revolution Manifesto, and our most recent conversation on her podcast, Kindness in Business.
❤️ Enjoying the show? Pivot Podcast is listener supported—consider donating to become a Pivot Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call: http://pivotmethod.com/insider
💌 Subscribe to the PivotList newsletter, a curated weekly(ish) round-up of my favorite finds ‘round the web: http://pivotmethod.com/pivotlist
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🗣 Submit a question or comment for future episodes at http://pivotmethod.com/ask
🎧 Make sure you’re subscribed wherever you listen to ‘casts: https://pod.link/1054817076
📝 Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/257
Dr. MJC is back for part two of our most recent installment in the Pivoting Around a Pandemic series (listen to episode 224 first). In this session we riff on not quite feeling ready to leave our pandemic bubbles, the meta skill of self-education, and conscious luck (Gay Hendricks’ new book).
What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions for a future conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask
Check out show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/225
Dr. MJC is back for the first time since episode 203, when we talked about re-opening three weeks ago. Today we riff on a range of timely topics: Joe Rogan’s exclusive Spotify deal and how it mirrors larger pandemic and content-creation trends, “blue” versus “red” ocean when it comes to competition, and the important meta skill of self-education.
And for curious minds! Our new word of the episode: ar·ma·men·tar·i·um (är′mə-mĕn-târ′ē-əm)
The complete equipment of a physician or medical institution, including books, supplies, and instruments.
The complete range of materials available or used for a task.
What’s on your mind? Submit follow-up questions for a future conversation at http://pivotmethod.com/ask
Check out show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/224
Don’t bench yourself before the game begins. Be willing to be the exception. What problems can you solve during this unique time? What skills can you teach yourself? For any disempowering article or statistic, what if the opposite were true?
Systemic inequality, student debt, lack of social support — these are massively broken systems in America. But that doesn’t mean you need to hang your head in defeat from now until forever.
This episode is a message to 2020 grads (and anyone else who needs to hear it): do not let headlines like the one below hang over your head like dark, depressing rain clouds for the rest of your career, no matter how tough the job market might be right now. Shake it off, and be willing to be the exception (even if statistically speaking, we can’t all be).
Just this week The New York Times published on the front page, Facing Adulthood With an Economic Disaster’s Lasting Scars: “Those entering the job market in a downturn may never catch up in pay, opportunities or confidence.” It continues, “The question is what kind of scars this will leave in the hearts, minds and pockets of younger people.”
See this scar as a good thing: how is it uniquely shaping your heart, mind, and pocket? What lessons are you learning that will serve you for the rest of your career?
If you are a recent grad looking for a portable coach to help you hold your highest vision even while navigating the nuts-and-bolts of adulting during these challenging times, check out my first book Life After College (first launched 2011, revised edition launched 2018). Compliment it with Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One, and you’ll be well-equipped to navigate change now and in the future.
Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/221
I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Take the Pivot listener survey at http://pivotmethod.com/survey
How lucky are we? One of my favorite friendtors, Michael Bungay Stanier, is back to share his wisdom on creating while pivoting in this special Pivot Podcast + Momentum Book Club.
We talk about his favorite powerful coaching questions, navigating uncertainty, and his new book, The Advice Trap, as it relates to the pandemic—particularly with advice flying fast and furious everywhere these days!
He was recently on the podcast episode 156 talking about pivoting out of the CEO role of Box of Crayons, the company he founded nearly 20 years ago, and before that he helped kick things off waaay back in episode 26. Today you can find him at MBS.works, and check out his new podcast, We Will Get Through This.
Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at PivotMethod.com/190.
Enjoying the show? Pivot Podcast is listener supported—consider donating to become a Pivot Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call where you can ask me anything, and discuss the latest books, tools and topics I’ve shared in recent episodes. Our next call is coming up on May 13!
I’m elated to bring you another one of my favorite friendtors, Mike Michaelowicz. He’s the author of several books that have dramatically improved my business: Profit First, Clockwork, and now this week we’re talking about his latest upcoming release, Fix This Next: Make the Vital Change that Will Level Up Your Business.
Mike was last on the show in episode 37, Surge: How to Spot and Ride Trend Waves.
This is also our second round of the live Pivot Podcast + Momentum Book Club, so you’ll hear a few Mo’ members ask questions at the end.
Reminder that doors for this round of Momentum enrollment close today! Join us here »
Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at PivotMethod.com/161.
“Don’t buy in to the fear / media hype” is something I’ve heard more than once this week. No matter how calm you are staying (or not) there is no doubt our lives are already significantly impacted by the spread and precautions around coronavirus, far beyond fear itself.
I feel an urgency to keep this conversation going, with real-time content that addresses what’s going on around us, particularly at the intersection of mind, body, and business (my website mission in 2013-2014 before I started this podcast).
Acting like nothing is happening and it’s all just “business as usual” strikes me as out of touch, and certainly not Truth While It’s Fresh (a JBE team value). It’s not business as usual for any of us, and I don’t have to tell you that. There are very real impacts we are all navigating daily.
For that reason, I have scrapped or postponed several already-scheduled episodes, and am going to release podcasts more frequently for this series, Pivoting Around a Pandemic.
This is something unique in most of our lives — the shuttering of broadway, sports, schools, businesses, — not to mention travel bans, self-quarantine, and the very real possibility our family members or we could get sick before year’s end. This episode is for solopreneurs, but I’ll be doing a range that speak to entrepreneurs, executives, employees, and parents throughout the series.
In odd, but maybe perfect timing for some of you, Momentum doors are opening this week (3/17 - 3/20) — which partly inspired the theme for today’s episode. I debated postponing the launch (one we’ve planned around since the end of 2019) but with all that’s going on, now is the time small businesses need community, smart systems, and support more than ever to weather this storm.
Listen toward the end of the episode for bonuses just for podcast listeners, and there’s a free workshop coming up on Tuesday March 17 on 10 Scalable Streams of Solopreneur Income to learn more. Register to join us here »
For full show notes from this episode, visit http://pivotmethod.com/160
I’m so excited to share this week’s Pivot conversation with one of my longtime friends and most important mentors, Michael Bungay Stanier. We talk about tipping points, preparing for TED Talks, and transitioning out of the CEO role from the company he founded nearly 20 years ago, Box of Crayons. We are also celebrating the launch of his latest brilliant book, The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious, and Change the Way You Lead Forever.
To enroll in free upcoming workshops on the Pivot Method as a coaching for managers, mentors, and leaders, visit PivotMethod.com/live. Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at PivotMethod.com/156.
Enjoying the show? Pivot Podcast is listener supported—consider donating to become a Pivot Insider and you’ll get access to a private monthly Q&A call where you can ask me anything, and discuss the latest books, tools and topics I’ve shared in recent episodes. Our next call is coming up on March 11!
Happy summer, friends! I’m taking a short break to pause and design what’s next for the podcast content-wise. Please enjoy this series with Penney Peirce, released M/W/Fri in keeping with my latest experiment.
Penney is consistently named as a listener favorite when I get feedback notes, and after our first interview together we jokingly started naming these follow-up conversations “The Penney & Jenny Show.” Until now, these interviews were spread out over the last four years — now they’ll be bingeable as a consecutive series :)
Want to help shape what’s next? Take the listener survey if you haven’t already! http://pivotmethod.com/survey »
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Original air date: April 10, 2016
Intuition is an innate gift, one available to all of us, and a skill—a muscle that you can build with practice and attention. I am thrilled to bring you today’s podcast, an interview with intuition expert Penney Peirce, whose books have had an enormous impact on my life.
Reading The Intuitive Way kicked off two years of coincidence tracking, intuition studying, and surrendering to serendipity—and completely transformed the way I go about my day-to-day life. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did, and stay tuned: we’ll be doing a follow-up on dream interpretation in a future episode!