Absolute Advantage Podcast

Nate Bailey is a natural leader, a best selling author, a renowned coach, and a speaker who knows how to impact and reach an audience. Nate is the Lead Trainer and Lead Coach inside of the Prosperity Revolution. He has built multiple successful businesses in the areas of Insurance and Real Estate. He recently fulfilled his long-time dream of selling his insurance agency to become a full-time coach. Nate was a Lieutenant, serving our country in the United States Army. As a Platoon Leader during the Operation Iraqi Freedom, Nate was charged with the safety and leadership of 42 soldiers as they served our country in Kuwait. Nate has a simple philosophy on life – “live what you teach.” ----- Do your inspirational speeches fall flat? Struggling with anemic personal relationships? Debt out of control? Nate Bailey is a personal coach who teaches people how living intentionally expands your horizons and growth potential. As a real estate and insurance professional, Nate Bailey helped people build financial security.

Todd Palmer is the collaborative business advisor and CEO of Extraordinary Advisors (EA). As the CEO of a 6-time INC 5000 company, Todd knows that business success begins and ends with people. People make all of the business decisions regarding strategy, execution, cash, and staff. Todd isn’t happy until his clients trust themselves as leaders AND their decisions. He won’t rest until teams trust the leaders AND each other. He knows they’ve nailed it when CEOs and their leadership teams take action towards high-level achievement, resulting in clients that trust the company. (Read: more sales, more profits, more partnerships.) Todd is also the author of the popular book The Job Search Process: Find & Land a Great Job in 6 Weeks or Less. ----- Succeeding in business is more than just having a great idea. Todd D. Palmer, CEO of Extraordinary Advisors, found out at the age of 27 what it meant to truly be the leader of a company. After having moderate success early on in his business, he stepped away for six mo

Once upon a time, David Hooker was a writer, and you can tell that from the opening to this bio. Somewhere along the way he got lost and ended up leading a team of world-class designers who make beautiful visuals for rockstars, scientists, entrepreneurs, TV hosts, filmmakers, politicians, educators, and a guy who likes to jump into volcanoes. He is the Lead Evangelist for Prezi, the presentation platform that’s changed the way 100 million people share their ideas, a mission David takes so seriously that he helps 100s of people every year do just that. ------ We are taught in school how to look for deeper meaning in the context of language and literature, but we are never taught how to do the same for the images we see. It is in this depth of analysis that organizations are winning the war for the attention of the consumer. David Hooker, lead evangelist for Prezi, the cloud-based presentation platform helps you connect more powerfully with your audience. Examining how images influence the way we consume produc

Alex Vorobieff is an expert in aligning companies and helping them find their way to success. He wrote his book Transform Your Company as a guide to help everyone get on the same page. On a trip to Disneyland, he had an aha moment that made him realize that not only does everyone need to be in the same boat, but they need to know where they’re going and how to get there. ----- In this episode, we talk about ways that companies can overcome a plateau. Alex reveals that one of the major hurdles to success isn’t systems or lack thereof, it’s the people. Leaders have a huge role in helping people work together and in figuring out what’s wrong when a company is facing frustration or a plateau. Too much of what we do today is on autopilot. Alex explains the scientific reason for this as well as why we are biologically wired to dislike negative feedback. It’s important for companies to create a safe space for negative feedback, and Alex talks about ways you can train yourself to get better at handling negative feedb

Michael Gale founded Strategic Oxygen in 2001, which was widely seen as one of the technology industry primary data toolset for marketers, used by over 20 brands and used to model over $4 billion in marketing and sales investments. The company was sold to Monitor Group, where he was a group partner from 2006 to 2010. In 2011, he became a partner at Pulsepoint Group, a digital consulting company, which was acquired by ICF in 2015. Michael has also served as chief web officer and GM at Micron Technology and was the vice president of Worldwide brand research at IntelliQuest. ----- Are you still trying to run your company with the same structure you used 20 years ago? Michael Gale is an expert in helping companies in various industries successfully make the leap to the digital age. After studying a thousand companies to see how they succeeded or failed, he wrote his book “The Digital Helix.” Michael knows how the seven drivers of change are important in different industries and works to help companies discover wh

Kimberly White is a freelance writer, certified Arbinger Institute presenter, and former research assistant to its founder, Terry Warner. Her nine months of research for The Shift included dozens of hours working alongside nursing home employees in offices, vans, patient rooms, and kitchens. She recently relocated from Harlem to a small farm town in Pawnee, Illinois to focus on writing. ----- Does your job give you as much satisfaction as you want?  No? Don’t worry, you are not alone. Nationwide, only around half of all employees report that they love what they do. But did you know that you can learn to tweak the way you think in order to make significant increases in your level of happiness at work? In this week’s episode, I speak with Kimberly White, the author of the book The Shift: How Seeing People as People Changes Everything. In her book, White explores some of the life-changing lessons she learned over the nine months she spent with nursing home employees in an attempt to uncover why they the professi

Rob Shallenberger is one of the world’s leading authorities on leadership and strategic planning. He’s trained and coached hundreds of companies around the world, to include many Fortune 500 organizations. After spending two years of service in Bolivia, he attended Utah State University where he graduated in 2000. He went on to earn an MBA from Colorado State University. He served as an F-16 Fighter Pilot in the Air Force for 11 years. He was also an Advance Agent for Air Force One and traveled the world working with foreign embassies and the Secret Service. He’s the CEO of Becoming Your Best Global Leadership. His company released a national bestselling book titled Becoming Your Best: The 12 Principles of Highly Successful Leaders and a new book titled the Transformation Challenge: The Six-Steps to Planning and Execution. He’s also the author of three other books. He considers his greatest accomplishment to be that he’s been married for 19 years and has four beautiful children. ----- Are you a highly success

Founder of Burg Communications, Bob Burg is also a former television personality and top sales producer. His experience working with Fortune 500 organizations is the foundation for his leadership and business development books and teachings. He was named one of the 30 most influential leaders by The American Management Association and has shared the platform with key social, economic and political leaders, including a former U.S. president. He was also named as one of Inc. magazines Top 100 Leadership Speakers. ----- It’s the responsibility of a business leader to “give” first – when making sales, when settling disagreements, and when moving ahead in the company. This is the heart of Bob Burg’s line of Go-Giver books, which focus on the power of providing value to everyone around you as part of your job. Bob’s latest book is all about influencers and the nature of influence on the job. In our discussion, he talks the value of influencing others and how the right influence is all about giving to others. Bob ha

Vishal Agarwal is the best selling author of Give to Get. He has lived the corporate life cycle from start to finish, beginning as an intern and working up to Senior Deals Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Until recently, Vishal was a Global Top 500 Senior Leader for General Electric before becoming Chairman and CEO of his own private investment management firm, Full Circle Africa. During his 24-year career, he navigated all facets of corporate life from building teams and delivering value, to translating multinational visions into local wins. A true globalist, Vishal was born in Bombay, lived in Iran during the Iran-Iraq War, was educated through his adolescence in the US, and now lives in Nairobi, Kenya, with his wife and two daughters. ----- There are two sets of challenges for those who want to achieve leadership positions at work for push ahead in their company. The first challenges are those everyone knows about – how to make those quarterly goals, how to communicate effectively, how to ask for an incr

Kelly Hatfield is co-founder of Enginuity Advantage, Advantage Staffing Group, Enginuity Virtual Recruiter, and Impact Real Estate Real Estate Group based in Everett, Washington. She has been in the recruiting and HR field for over 20-years and loves serving others. Kelly and her business partner have built three successful companies with the purpose of helping others succeed and delivering remarkable results. Kelly and her team strategically align themselves as “The Partner of Choice” with clients and strive to be the first place clients call when they are looking for extraordinary service, quality, and reliability. The resulting outcome has been an outstanding referral network that has built and continues to build their companies. As Co-Founder and Owner of Enginuity Advantage, Advantage Staffing Group and Enginuity Virtual Recruiter, April (together with her amazing partner) has created and developed three successful businesses aimed at matching exceptional talent with the top organizations. With 17 years

In 2007, Roy Austin founded Rockwell Business Solutions, LLC (RBS), to provide coaching, mentoring, and seminars for small businesses. His passion is helping small business owners achieve their vision and potential to move their business to the next level. RBS has been involved in business development, mergers and acquisitions, investor relations, and negotiations with partners and vendors, particularly banks. Clients include Crescent Investments, Inc.; Cargo Group, LLC; Cargo Transportation Services, LLC; Blue Diamond Pool Services, Inc.; Bottles Up, Inc.; Atlas Surveying, Inc.; Cornerstone Physical Therapy; Polmak LLC; and D. J. Powers, Inc., to mention a few. Through his involvement in BNI (Business Networking International) and other groups he has met and worked with hundreds of small business owners. Roy is a coach, not a consultant. Consultants tell you what to do; Coaches teach you how to do! Roy is the author of The Alligator Business Solution, which was released March 28, 2017. The book is, in essenc

Anni Keffer is a nationally recognized educator, speaker, author, and entrepreneur who is passionate about youth leadership. She has been featured on CBS, ABC, NBC, and FOX affiliates as well as in a number of publications, including Yahoo, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, New York Business Journal, Miami Herald, Mompreneur Media, and more. She’s the founder of the Young Women of Influence Conference and an in-demand leadership speaker. Anni was nominated for WHIRL Magazines Women In Business 2016, and is a co-author of Girls Lead. Her new book is Leadership Built On Why: A Guide for Young Adults. ----- Author Anni Keffer’s most recent book, Leadership Built on Why, is starting conversations among young adults and encouraging them to take advantage of the opportunities to lead regardless of their age. Her focus is on supporting women and young adults as they overcome external and internal criticism and find the inner strength and inspiration to seize the mantle of leadership. In this episode, Anni Keffer discusses ho

Melinda F. Emerson, known as SmallBizLady, is America’s #1 Small Business Expert. She is an internationally known keynote speaker and an expert on small business start up, business development, and social media marketing. In addition to being a former columnist for The New York Times, she is frequently quoted by other media organizations including The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Fortune, MSNBC and Fox News. Emersons small business advice is widely read reaching more than 3 million entrepreneurs each week online. She is the host of #Smallbizchat, the longest running live chat on Twitter for small business owners. She publishes a resource blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com. Emerson is the bestselling author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months and the ebook How To Become a Social Media Ninja. She is the founder and president of the Quintessence Group, an award-winning marketing consulting firm based in Philadelphia, PA. Notable Clients Include: FedEx, ADP, Pitney Bowes, American Express, Dell, Staples, Sams Club,

Born in Kingston, Jamaica to a single mother, Albert Williams grew up in the birthplace of Hip Hop and the home of the NY Yankees – the Bronx. Motivated by the countless hours his mother worked to create a better life for him and his siblings, Albert grew up to hold several jobs in both the public and private sectors while all at the same time owning and operating several of his own businesses. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to explore many avenues including landscaper/snow removal, restaurant menu designer, and printer, computer consultant, barbershop owner, part-time owner in a laundromat and part-time owner in a hair salon. In June 2012, Albert acquired Best Deal Private Car Service Inc., based in the North East Bronx with 19 owner-operated cars in its feet. As President and CEO, he went on to certify the business as a Minority Business Enterprise, increased the company’s revenue to top $1.5 million, added hundreds of new drivers and created a new revenue stream by adding non-emergency medical transpor

Ken Pasch brings over 30 years experience in revolutionizing leader development within a broad range of organizations, including the U.S. Military, Johnson & Johnson, the American College of Healthcare Executives, and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. He is the founder of KiVisions, Inc., which advises good people on how to become great leaders, and serves as faculty in executive education at the Smeal College of Business at Penn State University. Pasch is a retired Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Air Force, where he served proudly and with distinction. ----- Ken Pasch won the lottery decades ago, the draft lottery that took him to the jungles of Vietnam. After returning from his service in the army, he pondered how successful organizations get off the ground and reach their destination. The author of the recently published On Course: Become a Great Leader and Soar likened the process to that of an airplane. Choose a destination, prepare to get there, and watch out for winds of resistance that might take you

Howard Partridge is an international business coach, #1 Amazon.com bestselling author, and in-demand conference speaker. He grew up on welfare, started his first business out of the trunk of his car, and transformed it into a multimillion dollar, turnkey enterprise. He has owned nine small businesses, and for two decades has helped small business owners revolutionize their businesses and have more freedom in their lives. His new book is “The Power of Community: How Phenomenal Leaders Inspire Their Teams, Wow Their Customers, and Make Bigger Profits.” It includes a proven, step-by-step approach to transforming your organization by tapping into the human need to connect and feel valued by others. ----- How did one L.A. native with only a quarter in his pocket transform his life before gaining international acclaim as a best-selling author and business coach? Howard Partridge grew up poor in L.A. — lower Alabama — one of seven kids in a tiny shack in Mobile. His family on welfare, his mother fed them for $100 a

Glenn Elliott is the founder and Debra Corey is group reward director of Reward Gateway, a world leader in integrated employee engagement technology with more than 1,800 clients worldwide. Elliott and Corey’s new book, “Build it: The Rebel Playbook for World-Class Employee Engagement” (Wiley, Feb. 27, 2018), highlights practical improvements that organizations can make to build a highly engaged company culture. ----- Why would a successful entrepreneur rebel against common business practices? As Glenn Elliott explains in this podcast, it is imperative that we rebel against common models and age-old perspectives if we want our company to thrive and our employees to stay engaged. During his years as a software engineer and in other corporate settings, Glenn Elliott witnessed more than his share of employee disengagement in the workplace. Knowing that miscommunication breeds mistrust, he founded Reward Gateway in 2006 with a plan to restore engagement among those working in the financial services industry. He st

Does the constant talk about rising healthcare costs worry you as you balance the benefits you offer your employees with the bottom line? If so, you will want to hear how Michael Menerey collaborates with private firms and public agencies to bring a fresh approach to offering employee benefits with a goal of lowering their costs while enhancing their value to all parties involved. A senior vice president with Alliant Insurance Services, Michael Menerey launched his Reconstructing Healthcare podcast in 2017 as a platform for discussing the factors that escalate healthcare costs. He seeks innovative approaches that provide better value with reduced costs. By creating a new dialog, he seeks to educate employees and managers of ways they can lower healthcare costs. In this episode, Michael Menerey explains how the status quo is untenable. We need to explore different approaches, including a plan to offer benefit alternatives that provide our employees the flexibility to select less expensive options that may be a

Nikki Lewallen fosters connections and promotes networking as CEO of Rainmakers, an Indianapolis firm she joined in 2007 that builds bridges within Indiana’s business community. She also shares her expertise on the Gut + Science podcast that started in April this year. ----- Do you know someone who lives for the weekend and hates the thought of Mondays? If so, learn how Nikki Lewallen inspires people to live life for Mondays. She enjoys connecting people and enhancing corporate culture by helping others appreciate their contributions as valued members of their companies. In this episode, Nikki encourages managers and leadership to discover what motivates staff and how we can inspire them to find deeper meaning in their work. This motivational speaker and philanthropist shares her passion for putting systems in place that allow us to gain valuable feedback. She encourages the use of an assessment tool managed by a third party to encourage higher participation and honest responses. When we solicit feedback from

James Swanwick is an Australian-American investor, entrepreneur, speaker, former SportsCenter anchor on ESPN, and host of The James Swanwick Show podcast. He is the creator of blue-light blocking glasses Swannies from Swanwick Sleep, which helps people sleep better; and the 30 Day No Alcohol Challenge, which helps people reduce or quit alcohol. Forbes magazine voted him one of the Top 25 Networking Experts. Swanwick has interviewed celebrities including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Kobe Bryant, David Beckham and Arnold Schwarzenegger. ----- How did a pair of “ugly” glasses inspire a successful marketing campaign? James Swanwick, a journalist by training, explains how seeing his friend wearing those glasses gave him the idea to create Swannies Blue Blockers that promote better sleep. From his time writing for newspapers and magazines and appearing on broadcast media, James Swanwick learned the impact of effective media in getting a message across. He launched his career in his native Australia, gained skills in