The Amanda Dake Podcast

Amanda Dake
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to The Amanda Dake Podcast How it started. How it's going. Every week I sit down with founders, executives, and high achievers for one honest conversation about their journey the decisions that changed everything, the moments that don't make the highlight reel, and what it actually took to get here. What I've noticed after years of these conversations is the same thread running through almost every story. A moment where success was visible on the outside but something underneath didn't add up. Where the life they were living and the life they were capable of weren't the same one. These conversations will make you think. Some of them will surprise you. And at least one of them will change the way you see your own story.

  1. Jul 1

    If You Can't Find What You're Looking For, Create It

    What happens when you can't find what you're looking for?  Lea Woodford creates it. From broadcasting school where they told her at 19 her career had an expiration date, to founding her own media empire and a private jet company, Lea Woodford has built everything on one principle: frustration is fuel. In this conversation, Lea breaks down her journey from local media to luxury branding, revealing how she took control of her content strategy and saw a 780% increase in LinkedIn engagement.  We dive into why most brands are "swimming in the sea of sameness," what "brand perception" actually means, and why tangibility still wins in an AI world. What You'll Learn: 0:00 — The expiration date they gave her at 19 3:45 — Why she walked away from local media 7:20 — "You don't own your personal brand" — the hard truth about broadcasting 12:30 — Single mom, no child support, building from nothing 18:15 — How she accidentally became a speaker 22:40 — Frustration → Innovation: the Speaker Life Media origin story 28:10 — The 780% LinkedIn turnaround 32:00 — Why most brands drown in sameness 37:15 — Tangibility, luxury branding & the private jet company 42:30 — The Speaker Life Summit difference (no pitch fests) 47:00 — Leaving a legacy: "send the ladder back down" 🔗 Connect with Lea Woodford: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leawoodford/ → Speaker Life Media: https://www.speakerlifemedia.com → Legacy Jets: https://legacyjetservices.com/ 📚 Amanda's Resources: → Take the Blindspot Quiz: https://blindspot.amandadake.com → "6 Moves To Your Next 6 Figures": https://amandadake.com/book → Amanda's website: https://amandadake.com

  2. Jun 25 ·  Video

    Just Because You CAN Doesn't Mean You SHOULD

    Just because you can do it all doesn't mean you should. If you're a high-achieving entrepreneur who's exhausted from doing everything yourself, this conversation is your wake-up call.  Strategic advisor Amanda Dake breaks down why capable leaders get trapped in misalignment, doing tasks that drain their energy and stall their growth. We dive into: • The "just because you can" trap- and why it's killing your fulfillment • How to run a time audit that reveals what's actually eating your day • Using human design, DISC, and StrengthsFinder to identify your blind spots • Why isolation is the hidden amplifier of entrepreneur overwhelm • Practical delegation strategies that don't feel like losing control Amanda also shares two free tools: a blind-spot quiz and a custom AI guide built to help you identify your unique alignment profile.If you've been telling yourself "I'll just handle it"- this is the conversation you didn't know you needed.  Stop doing everything. Start doing what matters. 🔗 Take Amanda's blind-spot quiz: https://blindspot.amandadake.com 🔗 Learn more about Amanda Dake: https://amandadake.com

  3. Jun 3

    The 7-Figure Business Built on a Layoff | Andrew Chesnutt

    Andrew Chesnutt didn't plan to build a seven-figure business. He planned to keep his job. When that was taken from him, he had to figure out what he was actually good at — and what he found changed everything. In this episode Andrew talks about the pivot from corporate trainer to entrepreneur, why most webinars fail and what to do instead, the power of story over features, and the small inner circle that has made every hard moment survivable. In this episode: • Why he calls bad corporate training "academic assault" • How stories light up the brain in a way features never will • Why entrepreneurs' baseline stress level is what most people feel as panic • Why webinars are not dead — AI is just making them worse • How to find the people whose honesty is the point Connect with Andrew: https://theauthorityforge.com Connect with Amanda: Take the free Business Blind Spot Quiz: https://blindspot.amandadake.com Website: https://amandadake.com

    The 7-Figure Business Built on a Layoff | Andrew Chesnutt

  4. May 28

    From Adjusting Spines to Rewiring Brains | Dr. Clifton Brady

    What do you do when your practice burns down and you can't see patients for months? If you're Dr. Clifton Brady, you accidentally invent telehealth — and discover your real calling. Clifton went from home builder to chiropractor to brain health coach, and the detours are what made him. Today he helps people struggling with anxiety, depression, and what he calls "stinkin' thinkin'" using nutritional protocols that get the brain what it actually needs to function. No medication. No traditional therapy. Just biology. In this episode we talk about: ⭐️ Why complimenting someone who's depressed can actually make them feel worse ⭐️ The emotional guidance scale and why you can't skip levels ⭐️ How a teenager told her mom "I tried to get depressed today but I couldn't" ⭐️ Why most people are nutrient-starved — not broken ⭐️ What it looks like when the brain finally gets fed If you've tried everything and still feel stuck, or you love someone who has, this one's worth your time. Connect with Dr. Clifton Brady: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cliffton-brady/ Connect with Amanda: Take the free Business Blind Spot Quiz: https://blindspot.amandadake.com Website: https://amandadake.com

    From Adjusting Spines to Rewiring Brains | Dr. Clifton Brady

  5. May 27 ·  Video

    From Adjusting Spines to Rewiring Brains | Dr. Clifton Brady

    What do you do when your practice burns down and you can't see patients for months? If you're Dr. Clifton Brady, you accidentally invent telehealth — and discover your real calling. Clifton went from home builder to chiropractor to brain health coach, and the detours are what made him. Today he helps people struggling with anxiety, depression, and what he calls "stinkin' thinkin'" using nutritional protocols that get the brain what it actually needs to function. No medication. No traditional therapy. Just biology. In this episode we talk about: ⭐️ Why complimenting someone who's depressed can actually make them feel worse ⭐️ The emotional guidance scale and why you can't skip levels ⭐️ How a teenager told her mom "I tried to get depressed today but I couldn't" ⭐️ Why most people are nutrient-starved — not broken ⭐️ What it looks like when the brain finally gets fed If you've tried everything and still feel stuck, or you love someone who has, this one's worth your time. Connect with Dr. Clifton Brady: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cliffton-brady/ Connect with Amanda: Take the free Business Blind Spot Quiz: https://blindspot.amandadake.com Website: https://amandadake.com

  6. May 6

    This 83-Year-Old Badass Found His Purpose — Now He's Going Viral

    At 83, most people slow down. John Graham just hit 120,000 followers. But the real story isn't the numbers — it's what it took to get there.  A teenage freighter worker. A war correspondent in Algeria. A US Foreign Service officer in Libya and Vietnam. A shipwreck survivor in the North Pacific.  And one moment, freezing in a lifeboat during a typhoon, where a voice forced him to answer the only question that actually matters.John Graham has spent a lifetime chasing danger. Then he found something worth fighting for. In this conversation, John shares the raw, unfiltered journey from adrenaline junkie to one of the most unlikely voices of purpose on the internet — and why the lessons he learned in war zones, on frozen mountain faces, and in a sinking ship are exactly what leaders need to hear right now. What we cover: ⭐️ The freighter summer that shattered his small-town life at 17 ⭐️ Hitchhiking into a war zone in Algeria — with an American flag on his chest ⭐️ The first direct ascent of the north wall of Mount McKinley — and why he said "it's a miracle we didn't get killed" ⭐️ The Vietnam realization: a life of achievement with a plywood board nailed over your heart ⭐️ The 1980 Prinsendam shipwreck — and the voice he heard while freezing in the North Pacific ⭐️ The promise he made to survive — and how he's kept it for 40+ years ⭐️ The Giraffe Heroes Project: finding people willing to stick their necks out for good ⭐️ Why he launched Badass Granddad at 82 — and how it hit 2.5 million views ⭐️ What young people in their 20s are really asking an 83-year-old adventurer 🦒 John Graham & the Giraffe Heroes Project: https://www.giraffe.org ➡️ Badass Granddadd (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube): Search @BadassGranddadd 📖 Denali Diary (free download): https://www.johngraham.org/books/denali-diary 🔔 Subscribe for more conversations about how it started and how it's going!

  7. Apr 22

    No Experience. Now He's an AI Coach. | Rob Cressy on Human-First AI

    What does it actually take to become an AI coach — with zero AI background?  Rob Cressy walked away from corporate America 16 years ago to chase a sports broadcasting dream. Three career pivots later, a pandemic wiped out his entire industry overnight. Then in December 2022, a single text message introduced him to ChatGPT — and everything changed. In this episode, Rob breaks down his Human AI Sandwich framework, a simple approach to using AI for business without losing your voice, your judgment, or your edge.  If you're an entrepreneur or leader trying to figure out how to use AI without becoming a robot, this conversation is for you. We cover: ➡️ how to use AI as a creative collaborator (not a replacement) ➡️ why most AI content fails ➡️ the two audit questions that expose exactly where your AI habits are breaking down ➡️ and why the people winning with AI aren't the tech experts — they're the ones leading from a human-first perspective. Whether you're just starting with AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude, or you've been using them for years and still feel behind, Rob's framework gives you a practical way to lead with intention in the AI era. In this episode: • The Human AI Sandwich — how to start and end every AI workflow as the human in charge • Why 53% of LinkedIn content is now AI-generated — and why that's your opportunity • The two audit questions: How many hours are you using AI vs. actually learning it? • Three levels of being left behind with AI — and which one high performers live in • Why AI adoption is a leadership conversation, not a technology conversation ⏱ Timestamps 00:00 — How do you become an AI coach with no experience? 00:50 — Leaving corporate America: the leap from ad sales to entrepreneurship 02:15 — The ChatGPT moment that changed his business overnight 03:50 — Running a sports marketing agency for a decade — what entrepreneurship teaches you 06:50 — How COVID wiped out the sports industry and forced a pivot to AI coaching 08:00 — The Human AI Sandwich framework: how to use AI without losing your voice 11:00 — Why soul is the one competitive advantage AI will never have 14:00 — Why so much AI-generated content fails — and what to do instead 19:50 — Who Rob works with: entrepreneurs and leaders using AI for business growth 25:00 — Two AI audit questions every entrepreneur needs to answer right now 25:50 — Three levels of being left behind with AI — which one are you? 29:50 — AI for leaders: why this is a leadership conversation, not a tech conversation 31:50 — What's next: keynotes, impact, and the future of AI coaching 37:00 — Why human connection is your biggest edge in the AI era 45:00 — How to connect with Rob and get his free AI acceleration guide 🔗 Resources Rob on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rob_cressy/ Rob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cressy/ Rob's free AI acceleration guide: https://www.robcressy.com Take The Business Blind Spot quiz → https://blindspot.amandadake.com

    No Experience. Now He's an AI Coach. | Rob Cressy on Human-First AI

  8. Apr 8

    Living at a 6: Why James Friel Walked Away from a Dream Corporate Career

    What does it look like when someone successful finally admits they're living at a 6? James Friel had the career — the titles, the bonuses, the offer to run global marketing from London. And he said no.  James Friel is the founder of J Street Financial and a serial entrepreneur who has built everything from digital consultancies to ghost kitchens to financial advisory firms. But before all of that, he was a high-performing corporate executive who looked like he had it all — and felt the quiet pull to do something more. In this conversation, James unpacks the entrepreneurial mindset behind some of the biggest career pivots of his life: why he turned down a CMO track, what his grandfather's question — "What if your ladder's leaning against the wrong wall?" — actually cost him to answer, and how he learned to make decisions with confidence rather than regret. This is a how it started, how it's going conversation — and James gets specific about both. In this episode: ➡️ The first sale James ever made (he was 8 years old) ➡️ Why high-achievers stay stuck at a 6 — comfortable, but not fulfilled ➡️ Turning down London, a promotion, and a CMO runway ➡️ What personal development really looks like for serious founders ➡️ The difference between a bookkeeper and a true financial co-pilot ➡️ Warren Buffett, Annie Duke, and the cost of second-guessing your decisions ➡️ How J Street Financial helps entrepreneurs move from rearview-mirror thinking to windshield clarity Connect with James Friel: 🌐 Free Financial Health Check: https://www.jstreetfinancial.com ☑️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamespfriel 📧 james@jstreetfinancial.com Timestamps: 00:00 — Introduction: James Friel, Serial Entrepreneur & Founder of J Street Financial 03:00 — His Grandfather's Question: "What If Your Ladder's Leaning Against the Wrong Wall?" 07:27 — The Defining Moment: Turning Down London & the CMO Track 11:15 — What Happens When You Bet on Yourself (and Everyone Thinks You're Crazy) 16:19 — Living on the Edge: Why Comfort Is the Enemy of Growth 23:50 — Connecting the Dots: Lessons from Roses, Ghost Kitchens & Every Venture In Between 29:00 — J Street Financial: From Rearview Mirror to Windshield Want to know your number? Take the 2-minute assessment at https://amanda-pyaik3fu.scoreapp.com

    Living at a 6: Why James Friel Walked Away from a Dream Corporate Career
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Welcome to The Amanda Dake Podcast How it started. How it's going. Every week I sit down with founders, executives, and high achievers for one honest conversation about their journey the decisions that changed everything, the moments that don't make the highlight reel, and what it actually took to get here. What I've noticed after years of these conversations is the same thread running through almost every story. A moment where success was visible on the outside but something underneath didn't add up. Where the life they were living and the life they were capable of weren't the same one. These conversations will make you think. Some of them will surprise you. And at least one of them will change the way you see your own story.

Information

  • Creator
    Amanda Dake
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    29
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    The Amanda Dake Podcast