Disrupt Yourself Podcast with Whitney Johnson Whitney Johnson

It’s said that cliches become cliches for a reason. There’s at least a bit of truth to them. So try this one on - you are your own worst enemy.
There’s a reason it gets repeated. Everyone finds a moment where you just can't get out of your own way, no matter how good your intentions are and how strong your will is.
So how does the founder and CEO of Positive Intelligence fight back against his own saboteurs? Shirzad Chamine is the mind behind democratizing Positive Intelligence, sometimes abbreviated as PQ. And your PQ score is a test of how strong your mental fitness is -- how you bounce back after something negative.
Before his work with Positive Intelligence, Shirzad was CEO of the Coach Training Institute, the biggest coach-training organization in the world. He's a New York Times bestselling author, and an electrical engineer -- which you'll hear informs a lot of his perspective.
We'll talk about Shirzad's life, his own worst enemies, and how he learned to be his own best friend.
 

Have you ever had trouble saying something simple, like "no?" No, I can’t do that. What about all the times you might have said yes, when in your heart all you wanted to say was, no?
Vanessa Patrick is an award-winning consumer psychologist, she's currently the associate dean at the Bauer School of Business, and now she’s out with her new book, “The Power of Saying No.” 
Have you ever said no, and it felt like you discovered a superpower you didn’t know you even had? You have to learn how to say no so you can say yes to your life. Vanessa’s got the secret – she calls it an “empowered refusal” – and we'll speak with her this episode.
 

The temptation to compromise on our values is always there. Compromising could make things easier for us. Not only can it get you out of a hole, compromising could even make the number on your paycheck bigger. 
Sometimes we have to. Sometimes those expectations were ridiculous to begin with. But when it comes to compromising on the core of who we are, why would you ever meet yourself in the middle?
Magdalena Mook, CEO and executive director of the International Coaching Federation, joins us this week. From the Warsaw School of Economics in Poland to the top of the coaching movement, Magda embodies that idea, that investing in yourself means refusing to compromising with yourself.
 

You know that little bright red wagon, with the long front handle? Maybe, you might have even sat in one, careening down a hill. The wagon, and the company that makes them, is called Radio Flyer. 
Over a hundred years since that first stamped metal wagon, that same company now makes a Radio Flyer Tesla S for Kids, in that same bright red. Right next to the classic wagon on their website, you can now buy Radio Flyer e-bikes, Radio Flyer go-karts, even a Radio Flyer trampoline.
Behind the company’s sustained success is one family – the Pasins. Three generations have sat behind the wheel of Radio Flyer, starting with Antonio Pasin in 1917, all the way to Antonio’s grandson, Robert. Robert became Chief Wagon Officer at Radio Flyer when he was just 27, taking on the burden of legacy. He joins us this week to talk about turning around a floundering family company, and remembering why you're in the business to begin with.
 

Joining us this week is Executive Advisor and Diversity Strategist Stacey Gordon. Stacey is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Rework Work, and author of UNBIAS: Addressing Unconscious Bias at Work.

Tom Peters has walked many, many paths in life, more than many of us can claim. He's been a Navy Seabee overseas in Vietnam, a White House advisor, a McKinsey consultant, even a PBS show host. You might know him as the author of the 80s management bestseller, "In Search of Excellence."

Recently, Tom had the idea to start up a podcast of his own, and asked our host Whitney to be his first guest. Tom even had a name for the podcast ready: "Extreme Humanism," after another of his books. The two friends talked in front of microphones for over an hour, and then Tom retired, deservedly so.

With Tom's permission, we're happy to polish up that tape and present a bonus episode of Disrupt Yourself, one where Whitney actually won't be doing the interviewing. Join us (and Whitney's daughter, Miranda!) for a thoughtful dialogue about drawing maps to nowhere, five-star generals in the Indian military, and everything in between.