17 | Shelley Paxton | Finding Your True Calling | The Greatness Machine Podcast

21 | Tony Lillios | How to Pivot Successfully When Market Conditions Become Unfavorable: On today’s show, we interview entrepreneur, designer, endurance athlete, and certified Integral Coach, Tony Lillios who shares with us his incredible life story, his many tribulations, and successes.Tony started his professional career as a consultant with IDEO. But then the desire to “do more” kicked in. And back in 1996, Tony founded Speck Design and then Speck Products. Speck Products designed and manufactured cases for laptops and phones. And they were the first manufacturer to bring hard cases to the market.Speck rode the early wave of success but then the business got harder. And they plateaued once sales hit $150 million. Reading the market conditions, Tony and his partners sold out to Samsonite – a larger organization that had the resources and the distribution network to continue scaling the business.Today, as an Integral Coach, Tony works with individuals and small by The Greatness Machine

58 min listen

10 | Aga Bajer | How my National Championship Basketball Coach Dad Helped me learn my WHY: On today’s show, we interview Aga Bajer, founder and CEO of a boutique consultancy, Aga Bajer & Associates who shares with us her distilled wisdom on entrepreneurship, culture, and failure.Aga’s first business was a colossal failure which taught her the importance of figuring out her WHY. She learned that she needed clarity about who she was, and where she was headed first. After a brief stint with PWC, Aga found her true calling as a consultant with Hay Group (promoted by Daniel Goleman of “Emotional Intelligence”). Once she got some experience under her belt, she took the entrepreneurial route once again. And this time around, having learned her lesson well, Aga chose a field that she is extremely passionate about. Currently, she is helping start-ups create a thriving culture at scale. Aga and Darius discuss why you need clarity about where you are ahead, and how by The Greatness Machine

29 min listen

5 | Why Facebook is Screwed: What if you could be on the same stage as Jordan Harbinger, John Lee, and Mike Michalowicz? And have a one-on-one discussion from the comfort of your home?On today’s show, you will learn about the new and ultra-exclusive app, Clubhouse. Still, in the beta stage, this is an invite-only app that gives you the opportunity to connect with some of the most amazing and well-known people from business and entertainment.So, if you wish to build your network and broaden your horizons, tuning in today will particularly help you out.Enjoy! What You Will Learn In This Show<ul><li style="font-weight:400;">Why Facebook no longer serves its purpose</li><li style="font-weight:400;">How you can leverage social media to connect with leaders in the world of business and entertainment </li><li style="font-weight:400;">Using social media to truly democratize leadership and information</li><li style="font-weight:400;">And so much more…</li></ul by The Greatness Machine

19 min listen

0 | Welcome To The Greatness Machine: Today’s show is a special one as <a href='https://therealdarius.com/about/'>Darius Mirshahzadeh</a> shares his incredible backstory, and his big WHY that has inspired him to launch The Greatness Machine. Back in 2006, Darius was riding on a high as his first business, Twin Capital Mortgage became the 40th fastest growing company in the United States. However, the economic crisis of 2007 wiped out all his hard-earned gains. The next five years were particularly tough. And by the end of 2011, Darius was distraught, in a bad place, and in a business that he did not love. That’s when he decided to pivot to do something that did not involve chasing dollars for once. He talks about curating the TedX Golden Gate Park in 2012-2013, and how this experience changed his life forever. In 2014, Darius got sucked into the business world once again as he devoted his energies to The Money Source – his new venture which he scale by The Greatness Machine

12 min listen

7 | Getting Ahead By Cultivating An Ownership Mindset: How can you foster an owner-mindset within your organization that catapults you miles ahead of the competition?In today’s show, Darius shares how the Core Equation Value Equation Process can help you cultivate this much-prized mindset which will have your employees treating your business as if it was theirs.When you do so, you can extract that extra 20% - that extra bit that separates the winners from the losers.Learn how you can discover, design, and roll out your own core equation value process to make all this happen. Tune in now!What You Will Learn In This Show <ul><li style="font-weight:400;">Cultivating an ownership-mindset within your organization</li><li style="font-weight:400;">How to discover, design, and roll out your core equation value process</li><li style="font-weight:400;">How to incentivize employees in the correct manner</li><li style="font-weight:400;">And so much more…</ by The Greatness Machine

16 min listen

8 | Annette Poliwka | How To Establish an Actionable Self-Care Routine: In today’s show, Darius interviews environmentalist and adventurer, Annette Poliwka. Annette has created women-specific outdoor programs and is also a sought-after life-coach and writer.The main themes for today’s show are health and self-care.Fueled by our ambitions, we fail to listen to our bodies and minds. And this has a telling effect in the long run. In today’s show, Annette shares her self-care routine and reveals some great hacks that enable her to stay in top physical and mental health.Annette also shares her main “why” for creating women-specific nature programs. Do women-only programs succeed in creating a better vibe and connection? Are women relegated to the background when they take part in co-ed groups?Annette also regales listeners by sharing details about some of her biggest adventures. Specifically, she shares how she ended up going on an impromptu 21-day silent medi by The Greatness Machine

66 min listen

25 | Malorie Nicole | Coaching Ethics and Cultivating Consciousness Around Core Values: On today’s show, we interview entrepreneurial and executive coach, Malorie Nicole who shares with us her thoughts on ethics in coaching, core values, and fulfillment.Back in 2014, Malorie fell sick and faced some serious health issues which forced us to reassess her life’s priorities. She decided to change paths and chuck her comfortable engineering job to become a life coach. If you are finding it difficult to pivot and change tracks, this segment of the show will particularly interest you. One of the main themes of today’s show is the importance of ethics in coaching. Many self-appointed coaches neither have the necessary qualifications nor the disposition to help out other people. In the process, they end up doing more harm than good.We also talk a great deal about core values, and how a lack of consciousness leads to discomfort – and ultimately flailing men by The Greatness Machine

82 min listen

23 | Victoria Labalme | Goal-Setting, Risk-Taking, and Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable: Feeling bogged down by your “need” to set the benchmark, higher and higher every time? On today’s show, we interview the incredible artist turned author, <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/victorialabalme'>Victoria Labalme</a> who shares with us her distilled wisdom on goal-setting, risk-taking, and our flawed attitude towards achievement.Victoria taps into her extensive experience in theatre, comedy clubs, and films to help out artists, entrepreneurs, and C-suite uncover their hidden genius at work, on stage, and in life, in general.Our society of today puts immense pressure on achievement and winning. On today’s show, Victoria shares why we need to change this attitude and get more comfortable with the “fog of not knowing”.We also question our judgmental society where we harbor incorrect biases. As someone who straddles across different professions, Vi by The Greatness Machine

57 min listen

4 | Chip Conley | Navigating Change and How to Let Go Of the Things that Are Holding You Back: Why is it that we find it harder to accept and adapt to change as we grow older?On today’s show, Darius talks to rebel hospitality entrepreneur, New York Times bestselling author, and fellow Austinite, <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/chipconleysf/'>Chip Conley</a> who shares with us his distilled wisdom on navigating change and mid-life. At the age of 26, he founded Joie de Vivre Hospitality (JdV), transforming an inner-city motel into the second largest boutique hotel brand in America. At the age of 50, after 24 years of being the CEO, Chip felt the need to move on.But this was not an easy transition as he found himself uncomfortable and questioning his self-worth for a while. It was not long before he found his calling once again as Airbnb’s Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy. Today, he acts as the company’s Strategic Advisor for Hospitality and Leadership. by The Greatness Machine

52 min listen

9 | How to Make the Perfect Cup of Coffee: Are you feeling bogged down by the monotony of your daily life? On today’s show, Darius talks about enjoying the journey rather than incessantly worrying about the end results. Like many of us, Darius loves his cup of morning coffee. And he obsesses about getting the right beans, the temperature, and adding the correct amount of milk. Recently, a friend of Darius’s bought an expensive coffee machine that automated the entire process. While this made it extremely easy to make the perfect cup of coffee, Darius realized that he enjoyed the process of making his cup of coffee way more than drinking the coffee itself. On today’s show, you will learn why you need to fully immerse yourself in the process to enjoy the outcome. Darius also shares how the simple act of making a cup of coffee aligns with his SIX Core Values. And why you should strive to apply this same passion and love to all your aspects of by The Greatness Machine

24 min listen

17 | Shelley Paxton | Finding Your True Calling: Have you taken a moment to step off the hamster wheel to pause and reflect on whether your life is headed in the right direction?On today’s show, we interview ex-CMO of Harley Davidson, Shelley Paxton who shares with us her wisdom on purpose, alignment, and discovery. You will learn the real truth about busyness and the importance of figuring out what’s truly important to you. With her trademark sass and rebel attitude, Shelley shares her incredible life story, and how she ended up stewarding some of the most iconic organizations in the world including Harley, Visa, McDonald’s, and AOL. Shelley stumbled into the world of marketing and advertising because of her dad. But years later, when she made it to the top of the corporate ladder, she still felt unfulfilled and non-aligned. So, at the height of her success, in 2016, she decided to give it all up and embark on her discovery journey. This ultimately led t by The Greatness Machine

65 min listen

6 | Jordan Harbinger | Following Your Passion, Growing an Online Business, and Some of My Most Impactful Experiences: On today’s show, we interview the popular podcast show host, Jordan Harbinger who shares with us his life story about how he quit his Wall-Street job so that he could follow his life’s passion.With an incredible 11 million monthly downloads, The Jordan Harbinger Show has managed to build its own tribe of raving fans in a very short time. While interviewing the likes of Simon Sinek, Kobe Bryant, and Dennis Rodman has certainly helped, what are some of the other things that have led to Jordan’s spectacular success? How has Jordan so successfully managed to capture his audience’s imagination? He spills the beans in today’s show. You will learn some simple and actionable strategies to grow your digital footprint without spending thousands after ad spend.Jordan also shares his experiences as an exchange student in Germany. Here, we discuss the by The Greatness Machine

62 min listen

19 | Jeff Spencer | The Pursuit of Excellence Towards a Winning Mindset: Ever wondered what makes Tiger Woods the Greatest Of All Time (G.O.A.T.)? On today’s show, we interview Dr. Jeff Spencer who shares with us some expert goal-setting tips and the five critical things to cultivate a winning mindset.At the age of 7, Jeff set the big, hairy, audacious goal of being an Olympic cyclist – something that he accomplished at the age of 21. Fortunately for him, he met some well-meaning mentors who helped him along the way.Later on, Jeff again found his true calling by helping out top athletes (like Tiger Woods) and entrepreneurs achieve their full potential.On today’s show, you will first learn how to vet your goal. If you are not in for the right reasons, can you really make the jump from the ordinary to the extraordinary?Along with having a solid why, Jeff shares that you also need the right skills and the right mindset to back you up. Athletes by The Greatness Machine

70 min listen

2 | Christina Harbridge | How to Shed Irrational Behavior and Tips for Handling Conflict: In today’s show of The Greatness Machine, <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariusmirshahzadeh/'>Darius</a> interviews leading behavioral change expert, Christina Harbridge whos shares with us her thoughts on conflict, discomfort, and resolution. Christina is the Founder and CEO of Allegory Inc. Most human beings behave irrationally….in a way that suits their discomfort. But understanding your operating system can prevent this and help you adopt a more rational demeanor. Once you learn to look inwards and evaluate your behavior, you should strive to make an effort for conscious communication. This resulting communication might cause discomfort – but this discomfort is an offshoot of change. It is an indication that something right is happening. We also discuss the intense debate surrounding the “Black Lives Matter” movement and call out the political entities who are pou by The Greatness Machine

64 min listen

11 | Justin Donald | How the Velocity of Money is the Secret to Retiring Young: What if you could earn a passive, life-long income without being a slave to your job or business?A lot of entrepreneurs start their businesses because on some level, they want greater freedom in their life. However, once they start, they end up giving even more hours and time than ever before. Has this happened to you? On today’s show, we have <a href='https://justindonald.com/'>Justin Donald</a>, author of <a href='https://thelifestyleinvestor.com/'>The Lifestyle Investor</a> who shares how you earn passive income and buy back your time! Justin shares his investing philosophy while calling out some common mistakes that seasoned entrepreneurs and professionals make.Early on in his career, Justin transitioned from his W-2 job to being self-employed. But while he did end up making more money, this move did little to improve his life on a holistic level as he just ended u by The Greatness Machine

71 min listen

20 | Brent Gleeson | From Navy Seal to Serial Entrepreneur Journey: On today’s show, we interview Brent Gleeson, a Navy SEAL combat veteran, serial entrepreneur, and now acclaimed speaker who shares his distilled wisdom on leadership, accountability, and discipline. Growing up in Dallas, Brent had a normal and secure childhood. And after graduating from SMU, he decided to stick to the tried and tested path by becoming a financial analyst. But, along the way, Brent was inspired by a fraternity brother who had a lifelong dream of joining the Navy. And he decided to ditch his spreadsheets and pivot tables as he set his eyes on becoming a SEAL. In this segment of the show, you will get a peek into the world of the military. Only 10-15% of applicants manage to successfully complete the rigorous SEAL training. An ultimate test of physical and mental strength, you will surely be inspired by tuning into this show's segment.After leaving the military, Brent went o by The Greatness Machine

52 min listen

44 | Achieving A Goal Or Chasing a Dream? It All Comes Down To A Plan: What are your goals for your business, and do you have a plan for getting there?A surprisingly large number of entrepreneurs create lofty goals for their businesses, but fail to create a solid plan to achieve them. That's like getting in your car to drive from California to New York without a map or a GPS. It's very likely you'll get lost and never reach your destination.But how do you go about creating a plan that will let you scale your business and turn those goals into realities? In today's episode of The Greatness Machine, Darius is flying solo, offering up some insights on the importance of planning to scale and understanding that the entrepreneurial process is about more than simply setting targets and then doing nothing to reach them.<ul><li>You'll learn why so many entrepreneurs create bold and powerful goals but fail to take the next steps to achieve them.</li><li>You'll discove by The Greatness Machine

23 min listen

14 | Mary Henderson | Branding Strategies: Discover Your Authentic Self and Get Into a Natural Flow State: On today’s show, Mary Henderson, the founder of Lights Camera Action show shares with us her distilled wisdom on personal branding, building authority, and authenticity.As one of the most sought-after personal branding experts, Mary helps commercialize a brand into a monetizable online business. She is extremely picky about whom she works with and on today’s show, she reveals the seven qualification questions that she asks a client before signing them on. Growing up, Mary was keen to pursue a professional singing career. However, her parents forced her to take a more “conventional path”. Fortunately for her, she rediscovered her life’s purpose when she was in her mid-thirties.Mary’s discovery journey was not an easy one; she sold her business and took a year-long sabbatical. Fortunately for her, she found three well-meaning mentors who helped her along the by The Greatness Machine

68 min listen

12 | Dandapani (Part 1) | How to FOCUS on The Core Things that Truly Move You Forward: In today’s show of the Greatness Machine, Darius interviews a Hindu priest, former monk, entrepreneur, and teacher, Dandapani.Dandapani teaches people how to avoid instant gratification and the accompanying distractions so that we can focus on the most important things that truly take us forward. We start this show by discussing the impact of COVID. While the loss of life and livelihood has been devastating and unimaginable, this black swan event has forced us to reassess our lives and priorities. Next, Dandapani shares with listeners some interesting details about his visionary project – Siva Ashram in Costa Rica. Built on 33 acres of land, near a river, this Ashram will house seven botanical gardens – each signifying a critical area of our mind. Dandapani reveals his 300-year plan for this Ashram so that his work can continue uninterrupted for many generations to come by The Greatness Machine

29 min listen

16 | Jon Vroman | How Life Looks In The Front Row: Ever wondered what your life would look like if you could strike a perfect balance between work and family?Our guest for today, Jon is living the life of his dreams. He is focused on fatherhood and family, owns a thriving business, and has enough money to live comfortably. But this wasn’t always the case. Back in 2005, Jon was trying to get his business up and running. He had run through all savings and was doing all he could to ensure his family’s survival. And ironically enough, his struggle had distanced him from his wife and kids. This experience of his inspired him to start Front Row Dads whose main goal is to help fathers show up in the correct way for their families. As men, we are preoccupied with earning money and ensuring that our family leads a comfortable existence. But, in the process, we take the easier way out and dump all family responsibilities on our wives. On today’s show, Jon by The Greatness Machine

71 min listen

3 | The Biggest Lie In The Whole World: Many of you must have made ambitious New Year resolutions. The past year (2020) was a disaster and understandably you are keen to make up for the lost time.Before you start working towards your audacious goals, do take a moment to stop and think – will you be in a state of permanent bliss once you scale your mountaintop? Will the air be better? Will life be funnier? And will people be nicer?No, right? Then, if life is going to be the same once you achieve your big goal, what is the whole point of working tirelessly, day in, day out?In today’s show, Darius shares HOW discovering your core values and leading a purpose-filled life will resolve this conundrum for you. What You Will Learn In This Show<ul><li style="font-weight:400;">Why your journey is more important than your destination</li><li style="font-weight:400;">How discovering your core values can help you lead a purpose-f by The Greatness Machine

23 min listen

34 | Jimmy Farris | Rediscovering Your Purpose In Life: In today’s show, Darius interviews Jimmy Farris. Jimmy is a former American football wide receiver who retired from the NFL in 2009. Farris has been a member of the Washington Redskins, Atlanta Falcons, and New England Patriots.Today, Jimmy shares why it is important to rediscover your purpose in life. When you have a singular goal in life, and then life sets you on a different path, how can you reset, realign and rediscover your passion and purpose in life?We start this show with Jimmy sharing his interesting backstory.From a young age, Jimmy had one clear goal in mind – to play for the NFL. And that he did and how. Jimmy graduated from playing football for his high school and the University of Montana to the big league – the NFL.As an NFL player, Jimmy shares that he was accorded a demi-god status. Being an NFL player opened up doors for Jimmy. Meeting other celebrities or company CEO’s was a cakew by The Greatness Machine

94 min listen

15 | The Three Most Important Questions For Any Entrepreneur: "If you build it, they will come." Most of us know that line from the film, 'Field of Dreams.' It's inspirational, but not a great strategy when building a business - especially when it applies to the core values of your business. In June of 2008, Darius attended an event in which he experienced a "gut punch" that completely changed the trajectory of his life and forced him to rethink the way he ran his business. In this quick solo outing, Darius shares the story of his life-altering experience - and it all came down to three simple questions, starting with, "Does your business have core values?" Core values are powerful tools for any business, but, as Darius discovered, there's far more to them than it appears. You'll learn why creating core values for your business is important, but only the beginning of the process, not the end. You'll discover why 9 by The Greatness Machine

16 min listen

30 | Jay Wilkinson | From Unemployment to Entrepreneurship Journey: It's a simple truth: 'business as usual' simply doesn't apply anymore... and not just because of the pandemic.In today's episode of "The Greatness Machine," Darius chats with Jay Wilkinson, entrepreneur, author, speaker, angel investor, CEO of Firespring and self-proclaimed "geek with social skills" about the rapidly shifting world of business.Hailing from Nebraska, the "middle of everywhere," Jay realized at a young age that he simply wasn't suited to taking instructions from others and became an entrepreneur, starting eight businesses by the time he left college - most of which failed. Undaunted, he took the lessons from those failures and, in 1986, helped launch Campus Connection magazine in NYC which caught on, eventually expanding to 350 college campuses. You'll discover how Jay realized he was 100% unemployable, and how that set him on the path to becoming an entrepreneur.You'll lea by The Greatness Machine

49 min listen

47 | How to Get Your Team Focused On Working On The Business: Strategic planning is a skill that every business can use to accomplish tasks from one quarter to the next and create growth. However, like any system, when misused, strategic planning can create an endless cycle of never-finished projects that can have the opposite effect. In today's solo episode of The Greatness Machine, Darius shares some of his early experiences with strategic planning, the challenges he discovered, and how he's looking to make the system work much more smoothly. You'll learn how his team began to repackage/rename uncompleted projects and resubmit them from one planning session to the next, only focusing on the things that came easily - and how he resolved the issue. You'll find out why he believes the standard SWOT model is broken, as well as his suggestions for a better method of planning. You'll discover the distinct difference between working by The Greatness Machine

23 min listen

31 | Justin Breen | Exploring Infinite Possibilities With The Right Mindset: If you had the chance to live to be 150 years old, or 200, or more, would you do it? What would you try to accomplish with that extra time?Those are some of the questions you'll discover in today's episode of The Greatness Machine. This time out, Darius sits down with Justin Breen, best-selling author, polymath and the founder and CEO of BrEpic Communications LLC.You'll learn how Justin transitioned from a 20-year career as a journalist to a founder and CEO of a global company, despite having no previous business experience.You'll discover why it's so important for Justin to spend time among the top thinkers in the world, exchanging ideas and expanding his mind.You'll learn the surprisingly simple elements that go into creating a successful global business, as well as the three key attributes he looks for when working with people.Join Darius and Justin as they explore the by The Greatness Machine

68 min listen

1 | Gino Wickman | Using an Entrepreneurial Operating System to Jumpstart Your Career: What if you could avoid some of the biggest and most common mistakes that entrepreneurs make early on in their careers?On today’s show, Darius interviews the incredible Gino Wickman, founder, EOS Worldwide who gives us a peek into his Entrepreneurial Operating System. You will learn how you can avoid pain and get a smoother jumpstart when you use an EOS to run your business. Early on in his story, Gino had his entrepreneurial fire lit, and he took charge of his family business at 25, turned it around, and sold it 7 years later. Over the next 5 years, he worked with more than 50 clients in an inspired phase of mad experimentation. At the end of this, he compiled all his learnings to form his famed Entrepreneurial Operating System.As of date, there are 375 EOS implementers and 100,000 companies worldwide that are running on this system. As of now, Gino has withdrawn from by The Greatness Machine

58 min listen

22 | Alana Winter | Born To Be An Entrepreneur: It sometimes seems as if certain people are born to be entrepreneurs. That's certainly true of Alana Winter!In today's episode of The Greatness Machine, Darius chats with Alana Winter, serial entrepreneur, creative thinker, founder of MI6 Academy and Stiletto Spy School and guide on the path to self-aware leadership. Her journey has taken her from university admission at 16 to simultaneously being fired by her dad and set up in her own business. Following a string of challenges and feelings of burnout, she sold her business in 2006, leading to some powerful questions: "Who am I now? What do I do with my life?"In this wide-ranging discussion, you'll discover how her upbringing in a family of entrepreneurs has helped guide the path of her life.You'll learn why a lack of passion and alignment with your business can open the door to greater and greater difficulties.You'll discover how Alana sold the business she by The Greatness Machine

64 min listen

18 | Jevon “JT” McCormick: Challenges and Opportunities for the Youth At Risk: On today’s show, Darius interviews Jevon (JT) McCormick, CEO, Scribe Media who shares with us his thoughts on racial injustice, socio-economic inequality, company culture, and much, much more…Born a son of a black pimp father and an orphan mother, Jevon was in and one of the juvenile systems in his formative years. And early on in his career, he had to overcome racial injustice as he tried to cement his place in corporate America. He talks about his changing his name from Jevon to the more ambiguous, JT before changing it back to Jevon in the light of the recent BLM moment.We also talk about company culture. And how working at a “people-first” software company was an eye-opening experience for JT after his experience in the banking sector. Because both Darius and JT come from the mortgage world, they also reminisce about the sub-prime crisis. While banks were blamed for the financia by The Greatness Machine

59 min listen

27 | Joshua Lee | The Dopamine Dealer of LinkedIn: We're all familiar with B2B (Businesses to Business) and B2C (Business to Consumer), but have you heard of H2H (Human to Human)? In today's episode of The Greatness Machine, Darius sits down with Joshua Lee, entrepreneur, author, coach, marketer, husband, father - "The Dopamine Dealer of LinkedIn" - to discuss this concept, and why it's key to building a successful business in the 21st century.You'll learn a little about Joshua's start in digital marketing in the wild days of the early 2000s, when he landed a little company called "MySpace" as an early client before it was bought by Rupert Murdoch in an epic deal.You'll discover the moment he realized his work had devolved into "monetizing just to monetize," and why he decided to do a massive "reset" of his life and career, forging a new and more fulfilling path.You'll learn methods for pushing past the noise and automation to create and nurture an organi by The Greatness Machine

60 min listen

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17 | Shelley Paxton | Finding Your True Calling

17 | Shelley Paxton | Finding Your True Calling

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