Daily Influence

IA Business Advisors

Discover a world where everyone’s influence matters. Welcome to Daily Influence, co-hosted by Brian Smith, founder and managing partner at IA Business Advisors and author of the 'I in Team' series, along with IA Business Advisors Partner Gregg Brooke Koleno. Each day, Brian and Gregg craft episodes designed to elevate your influence and transform it into a force for positive and responsible influence. Every episode is a journey through real-life experiences, transformative concepts, and powerful tools that help you FIND, BE & BUILD Your Influence. We aim to help you radiate your unique influence, find balance, celebrate victories, and shape your reality. The podcast highlights the art of leading yourself and those around you, remaining humble and composed, learning effectively, and embracing true diversity. Whether you tune in during your morning coffee, mid-day break, or your evening wind-down, Daily Influence is your daily dose of inspiration and upliftment, relevant to your everyday life. The goal is not just to influence you but to equip you with insights you can share within your sphere of influence. Join Brian and Gregg as they explore the principles and practices that align with IA Business Advisors' S.M.A.R.T. Management Consulting Methods, offering practical advice and thought-provoking discussions. Remember, it’s not just about being part of the team; it’s about finding the ‘I’ in every team. So, listen, learn, share, and expand your influence with Daily Influence. Tune in and discover how to make your influence matter, every day.

  1. 8 hr ago

    851. How to Turn Your Skills Into Community Impact

    You do not need a large organization, major funding, or a formal title to make a difference in your community. Sometimes the most effective place to start is with the skills you already have. On this episode of Daily Influence, host Gregg-Brooke Koleno sits down with Harold Jones, founder of the Harold S. Jones Fine Arts Center in Cairo, Illinois, to explore how one person can turn a recognized community need into sustained action. Harold shares how his background as a musician led him to create opportunities for young people through violin, dance, visual arts, etiquette, computer literacy, financial literacy, and other programs designed to help fill gaps in education and exposure. He also discusses why access to the arts can help young people build confidence, focus, discipline, and a broader sense of what is possible for their future. The conversation also examines the realities of community leadership: restoring and repurposing neglected spaces, navigating resistance to change, building trust gradually, collaborating with others, and creating programs that can continue beyond one founder. Harold’s message is practical: identify a need, start with what you know how to do, and take action. Positive influence does not always begin with more resources, it often begins with one person deciding to use what they already have to serve others. https://hsjfineartscenter.com/ haroldjonesfineartscenter@yahoo.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057255017695

  2. 2 days ago

    849. Why Giving First Builds Stronger Relationships

    What changes when you stop asking, “What can this person do for me?” and start asking, “How can I help?” On this episode of Daily Influence, host Gregg-Brooke Koleno sits down with Dean Klassman, founder of Pay It Forward Financial, to explore how a give-first mindset can strengthen relationships, build community, and create meaningful influence. Drawing from more than 25 years with Buddy Baseball, decades of relationship-based networking, and his work bringing people together through community initiatives, Dean shares why genuine connection requires more than good intentions. He discusses the importance of inclusion, giving without keeping score, making thoughtful introductions, and learning from the times when an attempt to help does not go as planned. Gregg and Dean also discuss the need for intentional friendships and community as people move through different stages of life, as well as the importance of taking action today rather than waiting for the “right time” to support others or prepare for the people who depend on us. Dean leaves listeners with a simple challenge: find a cause that matters to you and take a specific step to give back. This conversation is a practical reminder that positive influence is built through everyday choices how we listen, connect, give, and show up for the people around us. Website: https://www.payitforwardfinancial.com/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/deanklassman

  3. 22 Oct

    846. When Being Smart Isn’t Enough: Adam Quiney on Transformational Leadership

    What happens when the strengths that helped you become successful start limiting the way you lead? On this episode of Daily Influence, host Gregg-Brooke Koleno sits down with executive coach, former software developer, and former attorney Adam Quiney to explore why leadership growth often requires more than acquiring new skills or knowledge. Adam explains that highly capable leaders can become so accustomed to knowing the answer, being right, and relying on proven approaches that those same strengths can make it difficult to recognize what they are protecting, avoiding, or unwilling to see. Adam shares how his own leadership development required vulnerability and a willingness to be humbled rather than simply becoming more self-aware. He discusses why certainty can sometimes signal that a leader may be overlooking something and offers a practical exercise: pay attention to the behaviors you judge most strongly in other people, then become curious about where those same tendencies may appear in yourself. The conversation also examines the difference between understanding leadership intellectually and actually transforming how you lead. Adam argues that transformation often requires stepping forward before you fully understand the answer rather than continually trying to solve the problem through more analysis, knowledge, or effort. Gregg and Adam also discuss mindfulness, curiosity, relationships, and responsible influence including Adam’s challenge to become genuinely fascinated by the people around you instead of assuming you already have them figured out. In this episode: • Why intelligence, competence, and certainty can eventually become leadership limitations • How to recognize when you may be protecting your ego, identity, control, or need to be right • Why awareness alone does not necessarily create transformation • How judgment of others can reveal potential blind spots in yourself • Why vulnerability and uncertainty are essential parts of leadership development • How curiosity can change the way you experience relationships, networking, and everyday interactions • Why responsible influence requires paying attention to your impact, not just your intentions Adam leaves listeners with an invitation to approach both others and themselves with greater curiosity, empathy, grace, and acceptance—and to notice the moments when an automatic reaction could instead become an intentional choice. Connect with Adam Quiney: Website: adamquiney.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamquiney Substack: Search for Adam Quiney Podcast: The Transformational Leader with Adam Quiney

  4. 20 Oct

    844. End-of-Life Planning: Protecting Dignity, Autonomy and the People You Love

    Talking about death can feel uncomfortable, but avoiding the conversation can leave families making difficult decisions during a crisis without knowing what their loved one truly wanted. On this episode of Daily Influence, host Gregg-Brooke Koleno speaks with Sandi Bianchi, an end-of-life doula, founder of Shepherd U Home, and co-founder of the Chicago Death Doula Collective. Sandi explains how death doulas provide non-medical emotional, practical, and educational support while working alongside hospice, medical, legal, and funeral professionals. Drawing on her Mexican heritage and the communal traditions around death she experienced growing up, Sandi shares how community, ceremony, family involvement, and simply being present can help people navigate grief and the end of life with greater dignity and connection. The conversation also explores what happens when fear begins influencing end-of-life decisions. Sandi discusses how family members can unintentionally place their own fears onto someone who is dying, and why listening, empathy, and respect for the individual’s wishes are essential to preserving autonomy and dignity. Listeners will also hear a practical step they can take now, even if they are healthy and nowhere near the end of life. Sandi recommends beginning a simple conversation about personal wishes and documenting preferences over time, including where you would want to be, who you would want around you, and what comfort and care would look like for you. This episode is ultimately about more than preparing for death. It is about communicating intentionally, protecting individual choice, reducing uncertainty for the people we love, and recognizing that difficult conversations can be an important form of responsible influence. Learn More and Connect with Sandi: https://shepherdyouhome.com/ https://www.chicagodeathdoulacollective.com/ INELDA- International End of Life Doula Association: https://inelda.org/ NEDA- National End-of-Life Doula Alliance: https://nedalliance.org/ University of Vermont End-of-Life Certification Program: https://learn.uvm.edu/program/end-of-life-doula-certificate/ Values Worksheet from the Compassion & Choices website: https://compassionandchoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Values-Worksheet-Only-FINAL-6.29.20.pdf My Particular Wishes Only from the Compassion & Choices website: https://compassionandchoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/My-Particular-Wishes-Only-FINAL-6.29.20.pdf

About

Discover a world where everyone’s influence matters. Welcome to Daily Influence, co-hosted by Brian Smith, founder and managing partner at IA Business Advisors and author of the 'I in Team' series, along with IA Business Advisors Partner Gregg Brooke Koleno. Each day, Brian and Gregg craft episodes designed to elevate your influence and transform it into a force for positive and responsible influence. Every episode is a journey through real-life experiences, transformative concepts, and powerful tools that help you FIND, BE & BUILD Your Influence. We aim to help you radiate your unique influence, find balance, celebrate victories, and shape your reality. The podcast highlights the art of leading yourself and those around you, remaining humble and composed, learning effectively, and embracing true diversity. Whether you tune in during your morning coffee, mid-day break, or your evening wind-down, Daily Influence is your daily dose of inspiration and upliftment, relevant to your everyday life. The goal is not just to influence you but to equip you with insights you can share within your sphere of influence. Join Brian and Gregg as they explore the principles and practices that align with IA Business Advisors' S.M.A.R.T. Management Consulting Methods, offering practical advice and thought-provoking discussions. Remember, it’s not just about being part of the team; it’s about finding the ‘I’ in every team. So, listen, learn, share, and expand your influence with Daily Influence. Tune in and discover how to make your influence matter, every day.