THE STERN TRUTH: Business Unfiltered

Marshall Stern
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  • Entrepreneurship

The Stern Truth: Business Unfiltered is the no-BS podcast for overwhelmed small business owners & entrepreneurs who are tired of the noise, the hype, and the so-called “experts” telling them how to grow their business. Hosted by Marshall Stern, a seasoned business owner and coach with over 35 years of experience, this podcast cuts through the confusion to bring you real, practical advice that actually works. If you feel stuck, exhausted, and like you’re doing it all alone—this is for you. Each episode delivers honest conversations, actionable strategies, and straight talk about what it really takes to grow and lead a thriving business. No fluff. No gimmicks. Just The Stern Truth you need to move forward with confidence. It's time to stop spinning your wheels and start leading your business like the unstoppable force you are.

  1. 6d ago

    Ep. 94 The Stern Truth: The Power of 10 Seconds

    A few weeks ago, I was rushing to a meeting and stopped for coffee first. Being in a hurry, I wanted to get my coffee as soon as possible. The barista took a bit of extra time to write something on the cup, and, to be honest, I was agitated. Until I looked at the cup. A small message that took 10 seconds to write changed my day. It changed my attitude. Even in a rush, I slowed down and took in that moment of kindness. Like I say often, we need to slow down in order to speed up. Maybe it is 10 seconds or 10 minutes, or longer. Not everything has to be so rushed and reactive, especially in a small business. Take 10 seconds to think about our day ahead. Just 10 seconds to plan it and set the intention. Or, better yet, use 10 seconds and interact with your customers or clients to make it count. I guarantee you’ll see a difference.    What would your 10 seconds look like? I would love to hear the answer. Comment below or send me an email at marshall@marshallstern.net.  Subscribe to The Stern Truth Business Unfiltered so you never miss an episode and receive a FREE GIFT: http://www.thesterntruth.com/ Join my Business Inner Circle Community for free here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebusinessinnercirclegroup Book your complimentary business blindspot assessment with me here: https://attractwell.com/MarshallStern/landing/breakthrough-session I encourage you to reach out with feedback, topic suggestions, and share your own entrepreneurial challenges. Get in touch in the comments or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marshallstern/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarshallDStern Email: marshall@marshallstern.net

    Ep. 94 The Stern Truth: The Power of 10 Seconds

  2. Aug 4

    Ep. 93 The Stern Truth: The Only Way to Grow with Amariah Murdock

    Amariah Murdock describes herself as your black bubbly partner in success. As a business owner of her company INFINTEXEC, entrepreneur, mom, wife, and podcaster, she has a busy life yet keeps her bubbly self going. As a postpartum new mom, she was trying to navigate business and motherhood and, like most new mothers, found it hard. Her podcast “Mompreneurs Making Moves” allowed her to put out questions about motherhood and managing it all. Speaking of managing it all, Amariah goes over a few things that allow her to manage everything. She also doles out golden nugget after golden nugget in this episode, like take off the labels and the narratives that people put on us, and there’s so much more to success than money. I note the similarities between her and me and how passionate we both are about servant leadership. The value that it brings to both the giver and the receiver is insurmountable. We also both especially emphasize how positive connections, not relationship arrogance, should be one of the things we strive for in business. Amariah also gets into one of her biggest struggles, which is imposter syndrome. The way she puts it is that most people with imposter syndrome have a fear of being found out—"What if they know I’m still learning?” As long as you’re learning, you’re not left behind, which is a compliment to something I always say: we need to fall in love with the process, not the goal. One of the last golden nuggets Amariah gave was this: the way you show up changes the world. I couldn’t agree more. Believe me, you’ll need the whole pad of paper and a pen for this episode. Connect with Amariah here: Website: www.infinitexec.com LI: @amariahmurdock FB: @@INFINITEXEC Podcast: mompreneursmakingmoves.com  I would love to hear your feedback on this or any episode. Send any comments or questions to me at marshall@marshallstern.net.  Subscribe to The Stern Truth Business Unfiltered so you never miss an episode and receive a FREE GIFT: http://www.thesterntruth.com/ Join my Business Inner Circle Community for free here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebusinessinnercirclegroup Book your complimentary business blindspot assessment with me here: https://attractwell.com/MarshallStern/landing/breakthrough-session I encourage you to reach out with feedback, topic suggestions, and share your own entrepreneurial challenges. Get in touch in the comments or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marshallstern/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarshallDStern Email: marshall@marshallstern.net

    Ep. 93 The Stern Truth: The Only Way to Grow with Amariah Murdock

  3. Jul 28

    Ep. 92 The Stern Truth: The Power of Downsizing With Lisa Catallo

    Lisa Catallo is a mom, a grandma, a podcaster, a clinical counsellor, has a group practice, and is a coach for therapists. She is a woman of many hats, so she knows that prioritizing her life is a must. Right off the bat, Lisa mentioned how downsizing helped her through a rough transitional period in her life. She was burnt out, with the lease coming up on her practice space, and going through personal issues. Lisa found the power in downsizing. When Lisa was trying to manage two businesses at once, her own business coach said that she couldn’t give her full attention to both. She eventually agreed but is still emphatic that downsizing is not quitting - think of it more like scaling down. As I like to put it, sometimes, we need to slow down in order to speed up.  A self-admitted late bloomer as an entrepreneur, that didn’t stop Lisa. We both agree that it’s never too old to pivot or to grow in a new direction. Growth doesn’t stop at some magical age. To cap off the episode, Lisa gave incredible golden nuggets, particularly to her younger self. It’s going to be a bumpy ride. The hardest things you do can be so fulfilling. Don’t do it all in isolation. Do the opposite of what you thought success was because, in the long run, it’s worth it.   Get in touch with Lisa here: Website: www.grouppracticenetwork.ca Email: lisa@grouppracticenetwork.ca Podcast: Empowered to Lead  IG: @grouppracticenetwork FB: @grouppracticenetwork  I would love to hear your feedback on this or any episode. Send any comments or questions to me at marshall@marshallstern.net.  Subscribe to The Stern Truth Business Unfiltered so you never miss an episode and receive a FREE GIFT: http://www.thesterntruth.com/ Join my Business Inner Circle Community for free here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebusinessinnercirclegroup Book your complimentary business blindspot assessment with me here: https://attractwell.com/MarshallStern/landing/breakthrough-session I encourage you to reach out with feedback, topic suggestions, and share your own entrepreneurial challenges. Get in touch in the comments or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marshallstern/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarshallDStern Email: marshall@marshallstern.net

    Ep. 92 The Stern Truth: The Power of Downsizing With Lisa Catallo

  4. Jul 21

    Ep. 91 The Stern Truth: Time to Step Outside Your Comfort Zone?

    Why do we stay in our comfort zones? Is it because we’re scared to move forward into the unknown? When we step outside of our comfort zone, we tend to grow. If we push ourselves, we tend to grow. I know I grew after I closed my sign and graphics business and focused on my coaching business and this very podcast.  That commitment to change is what I call an ONtrepreneur Method shift, going from being uncomfortable being uncomfortable to being comfortable being uncomfortable. If that doesn't make sense, stay with me. I made the decision last year to step into the uncomfortable. I chose to start speaking more. Opportunities came up this year, and I couldn’t be more excited about them. It goes back to episode 88, the “Leap of Faith Day” episode with Carmen Leibel where we both took significant “Leaps of Faith” to change our careers. We did something different to go after our respective passions, and those leaps paid off. So, my question to you is, what does that look like for you? What could that leap of faith be for you? And what I think is the most important question - is it time for you to step outside of your comfort zone?  There’s no better time than now. I would love to hear your feedback on this or any episode. Send any comments or questions to me at marshall@marshallstern.net.  Subscribe to The Stern Truth Business Unfiltered so you never miss an episode and receive a FREE GIFT: http://www.thesterntruth.com/ Join my Business Inner Circle Community for free here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebusinessinnercirclegroup Book your complimentary business blindspot assessment with me here: https://attractwell.com/MarshallStern/landing/breakthrough-session I encourage you to reach out with feedback, topic suggestions, and share your own entrepreneurial challenges. Get in touch in the comments or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marshallstern/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarshallDStern Email: marshall@marshallstern.net

    Ep. 91 The Stern Truth: Time to Step Outside Your Comfort Zone?

  5. Jul 14

    Ep. 90 The Stern Truth: Level Up Your Leadership & Business With Lucas Mattiello

    My guest this time around on the Stern Truth is Lucas Mattiello of Level Up Living. Lucas has worked through anxiety and doubt through the years to put himself out there and level up his leadership. That created the impetus for helping others build their confidence through speaking and increasing their visibility.  We talk about how a big responsibility of business owners is to be seen, to let others know they exist. Lucas and I go deep into this topic during this episode, because, really, you can’t help people if they don’t know you exist. As a business owner, as a leader of any kind, you need to put yourself out there. Leadership, at least my definition of it, is what you do when no one else is watching. The quiet, behind-the-scenes work you do that no one sees when you are creating a path for yourself and others.  Lucas started his business for a few reasons, one of them being that there was no public speaking training program at universities. Another part of it was bringing in the mental health aspect to confident leadership. Lucas has struggled with this first-hand, but that lived experience turned out to be a strong asset for him. Lucas’ golden nuggets were so useful, and even things I’ve mentioned on the Stern Truth before. Talk about problems and be there to help them. Be of service to others. Show your authentic flavour. Embrace polarity because not everyone will like you. I drop a few golden nuggets in here too. One was a quote that I was reminded of during our talk: "The best time to have planted a tree was 30 years ago. The second-best time is now.” And don’t skip the hot tub at the gym because you might get some great ideas in there.  Connect with Lucas here: Website: levelupliving.com  I would love to hear your feedback on this or any episode. Send any comments or questions to me at marshall@marshallstern.net.  Subscribe to The Stern Truth Business Unfiltered so you never miss an episode and receive a FREE GIFT: http://www.thesterntruth.com/ Join my Business Inner Circle Community for free here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebusinessinnercirclegroup Book your complimentary business blindspot assessment with me here: https://attractwell.com/MarshallStern/landing/breakthrough-session I encourage you to reach out with feedback, topic suggestions, and share your own entrepreneurial challenges. Get in touch in the comments or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marshallstern/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarshallDStern Email: marshall@marshallstern.net

    Ep. 90 The Stern Truth: Level Up Your Leadership & Business With Lucas Mattiello

  6. Jul 7

    Ep. 89 The Stern Truth: What Are You Pushing For? With Julia Pazmandy

    Julia Pazmandy believes that there are three parts to every human - the body, which is physical; the mind, logic and ego; and the soul, which is heart, passions and feelings. She takes these three parts to help people create an awareness of who they are and what they want. In this episode, we talk about how that relates to burnout in entrepreneurs and small business owners. Julia says that money is a driving force and that we exchange our energy for it. And she’s experienced it herself, during a time she was running two businesses, basically running on coffee and vibes. A frightening experience and a hospital visit turned things around for Julia. She got spiritual, and she got serious about changing her life. Julia gives us a few signs of burnout to watch out for that she saw in herself. And, as always in an episode of the Stern Truth, she gave us some insightful golden nuggets. Once you’re secure, you feel more confident. Once you're confident, you perform better. I can’t tell you how much I agree with this golden nugget.  “What are you pushing for?” is a question that Julia presents to people to simply get them aware. What is your goal? Why are you working so hard? This leads so well into what I always say, that everything goes back to your “why.” This is another episode where you’ll want a paper and pen handy, my friends. Julia knocks it out of the park, one after another, golden nugget after golden nugget, reminding us balance doesn’t mean equality. It’s all about being present with others. Connect with Julia here: Website: joy-place.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/julia-pazmandy-732928206 Instagram: @your_joyplace  Subscribe to The Stern Truth Business Unfiltered so you never miss an episode and receive a FREE GIFT: http://www.thesterntruth.com/ Join my Business Inner Circle Community for free here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebusinessinnercirclegroup Book your complimentary business blindspot assessment with me here: https://attractwell.com/MarshallStern/landing/breakthrough-session I encourage you to reach out with feedback, topic suggestions, and share your own entrepreneurial challenges. Get in touch in the comments or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marshallstern/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarshallDStern Email: marshall@marshallstern.net

    Ep. 89 The Stern Truth: What Are You Pushing For? With Julia Pazmandy

  7. Jun 30

    Ep. 88 The Stern Truth: June 30 is Leap of Faith Day With Carmen Leibel

    It’s June 30th, what Carmen Leibel and I have dubbed Leap of Faith Day! Carmen is my guest on this episode. She started as a news anchor in Edmonton, Alberta, but, during the pandemic, she grew concerned about the isolation she was seeing. For Carmen, there was a lack of strong communication and leadership, and she knew that she could help. It wasn’t easy for Carmen to change her career – in fact, it stressed her out to take the leap. Leaving a stable job with a great network wasn’t easy. But with cheerleaders in her corner like her family and her business coach, she took a huge risk. She started up a pilot program with the goal of helping kids feel more comfortable speaking in front of others. The goal that Carmen had was to create more confident communicators. Carmen’s business, Project Five, helps people understand their voice and feel confident using it. Now, she’s helped over 5,000 youth and hundreds of professionals, proving that her big risk paid off. Carmen leaped into a new career while I shut down my sign business, locking the doors for the last time. Two different leaps but both with satisfying paths. We both knew that June 30th held significance for us, and that’s why we’ve named it Leap of Faith Day. Carmen gave golden nugget after golden nugget in this episode: bet on yourself, believe in yourself, and listen to your gut. And know your audience! I really love that one because anyone, and I mean anyone, can benefit from better communication. See Carmen’s work here: Website: www.projectfive.ca Subscribe to The Stern Truth Business Unfiltered so you never miss an episode and receive a FREE GIFT: http://www.thesterntruth.com/ Join my Business Inner Circle Community for free here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebusinessinnercirclegroup Book your complimentary business blindspot assessment with me here: https://attractwell.com/MarshallStern/landing/breakthrough-session I encourage you to reach out with feedback, topic suggestions, and share your own entrepreneurial challenges. Get in touch in the comments or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marshallstern/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarshallDStern Email: marshall@marshallstern.net

    Ep. 88 The Stern Truth: June 30 is Leap of Faith Day With Carmen Leibel

  8. Jun 25

    Ep. 87 The Stern Truth: Business Therapy Thursday With Alex Papaconstantinou

    My guest on this Business Therapy Thursday episode is Alex Papaconstantinou. Alex is a  somatic educator and body worker, bridging the gap between bodywork and psychotherapy. She’s turned more of her attention to this business in the last year and tells us how she wants to feel less scattered. Alex admits it’s still early in her career and has a lot to learn. She says there’s so much noise and doesn’t know what to look at or what advice to follow. Our discussion gets into how overwhelmed with choices you are when you own a business. For instance, those “programs” that cost $20,000 and can help you grow your business to nine figures? Watch out for those ones. Sustainability in her own business is something Alex brings up a few times this episode. Alex herself has been invited to teach at universities, offers in person and online sessions, intensives, and group work but wants to feel less scattered. Some great advice I’ve gotten (and given) is to slow down to speed up. You don’t need to stop everything, but slowing down brings you a better understanding of what’s happening. I tell Alex to not feel the pressure to do everything. Pick a primary focus, then make a list of everything else you need to do and put those tasks into different months, while holding yourself accountable for them. Accountability can be incredible to help you focus and reach your growth goals while still showing up authentically.  Join us at the ONtrepreneur Inner Circle and get great insights from other business-minded people: https://marshallstern.net/page/ontrepreneur-inner-circle Subscribe to The Stern Truth Business Unfiltered so you never miss an episode and receive a FREE GIFT: http://www.thesterntruth.com/ Join my Business Inner Circle Community for free here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebusinessinnercirclegroup Book your complimentary business blindspot assessment with me here: https://attractwell.com/MarshallStern/landing/breakthrough-session I encourage you to reach out with feedback, topic suggestions, and share your own entrepreneurial challenges. Get in touch in the comments or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marshallstern/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarshallDStern Email: marshall@marshallstern.net

    Ep. 87 The Stern Truth: Business Therapy Thursday With Alex Papaconstantinou
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About

The Stern Truth: Business Unfiltered is the no-BS podcast for overwhelmed small business owners & entrepreneurs who are tired of the noise, the hype, and the so-called “experts” telling them how to grow their business. Hosted by Marshall Stern, a seasoned business owner and coach with over 35 years of experience, this podcast cuts through the confusion to bring you real, practical advice that actually works. If you feel stuck, exhausted, and like you’re doing it all alone—this is for you. Each episode delivers honest conversations, actionable strategies, and straight talk about what it really takes to grow and lead a thriving business. No fluff. No gimmicks. Just The Stern Truth you need to move forward with confidence. It's time to stop spinning your wheels and start leading your business like the unstoppable force you are.

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