Today host Peter Winick welcomes Jason Silver, author of the new book "Your Grass is Greener: Use What You Have. Get What You Want. At Work and In Life." Jason, an engineer turned entrepreneur, shares his journey from tech to business and how a personal tragedy led him to reevaluate his approach to work and life. While building a company in the AI space and pushing himself to the limit, a phone call changed everything—his sister was diagnosed with late-stage cancer and passed away nine months later. This profound loss forced Jason to rethink his priorities and laid the foundation for his book.

Jason’s mission with Your Grass is Greener is clear: to help high-achievers realize they don't need to sacrifice joy for success and to empower those stuck in unfulfilling jobs to see they have the
power to change their circumstances without changing careers. He believes that passion and performance can coexist, creating a positive cycle where enjoyment leads to better performance and vice versa.

Although Jason didn’t write the book as a business venture, it
naturally led to opportunities where he now works with executive
teams, leaders, and founders to build high-performing, happy teams. His insights on decision-making—highlighted in two key chapters of his book—have resonated widely, uncovering a common challenge in many organizations: decision paralysis. He’s showing leaders how to make faster, more effective decisions by applying practical science, transforming how businesses operate.

Writing the book taught Jason more than just communication skills; it taught him the art of engaging storytelling. He learned from his editor, who also worked on Atomic Habits, that effective communication isn’t always about brevity but about connecting deeply with your audience. Jason now sees storytelling as a vital tool for leadership and decision-making.

Jason’s vision for the book is ambitious. He sees Your Grass is
Greener as a catalyst for change in the workplace. He believes many are approaching work with a broken mindset, and the solutions we’re currently trying aren’t solving the deeper issues. Instead of job-hopping or pulling back at work, Jason advocates for a different approach: rethinking how we work to unlock massive improvements in both satisfaction and performance.

Three Key Takeaways:

• Balance Ambition with Well-being: Jason Silver’s book, Your Grass is Greener, highlights the importance of finding a balance between achieving professional success and maintaining personal joy. High-achievers don’t need to sacrifice happiness for their goals; it’s possible to enjoy the journey and achieve success simultaneously.

• Empowerment and Agency in Your Career: Many people feel stuck in unfulfilling jobs, but Jason argues that you have more control than you think. By leveraging your existing skills and shifting your mindset, you can transform your current job experience without changing careers. This approach can lead to greater job satisfaction and improved performance.

• Effective Decision-Making through Storytelling: Writing the book taught Jason the power of storytelling in leadership and
decision-making. Clear and engaging communication, rather than mere brevity, can drive deeper understanding and better decisions within organizations. This insight has proven essential in helping businesses overcome decision paralysis and improve overall effectiveness.

Jason shared the very personal origin story of how his book was born. Are you sharing your thought leadership origin story? Check out this short video by Peter Winick on the power of having an origin story.

They discuss the findings of their recent research into the Return on Investment of publishing a business book.

In today's presentation we will have a first look at the data that was gathered from hundreds of authors about their experiences getting published, the expenses incurred, and the results the book had on their business. These authors were reached through not only the friends and colleagues at Thought Leadership Leverage but those from many supporting sponsors such as Greenleaf Book Group, Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coaches, Page Two Books, and Zilker Media to name a few.

Before the research could even begin we had to ask the questions "What is ROI? How can you measure it? How much does an author spend? What is the effect of different publishing models? And what type of returns do authors see?

In answering these questions we explore what the data tells us about the three different publishing models (Traditional, Hybrid, and Self Publishing), the role RP and Ghostwriters can play in the success of each.

We also investigate the hard and soft costs involved in writing a book and what the returns could look like. While many expect the sales of the book to account for much of their profit, we learn how using the book as a key part of a platform and gateway to other parts of the business is where real impact can be found.

More questions will be asked and answered in the white paper that will be released in September as we continue to pour over the data.

To get a copy of the paper when it's released e-mail info@authorroi.com

In this episode of Thought Leadership Leverage, host Bill Sherman sits down with Constance Scharff, PhD, a trailblazer in the field of mental health research. Constance is the founder of the Institute for Complementary and Indigenous Mental Health Research and author of an upcoming book on "Everyday Bravery."

Everyday bravery isn't about heroic acts like running into burning buildings. Constance redefines it as the courage found in everyday life—like battling addiction, where survival alone is an act of immense bravery. Having been sober for 26 years herself, Constance knows this firsthand. Her research reveals the quiet yet powerful ways people confront challenges and carry themselves with dignity, even in the face of overwhelming odds.

Constance aims to make her research accessible to everyone, choosing to write books instead of academic papers. She believes mental health research should be available to the public, especially in the U.S., where affordable care is scarce. By blending memoir with academic research, she offers a personal and relatable perspective on the complex issues she studies.

Her journey into the field started 15 years ago at the intersection of addiction and trauma. A tragic loss drove her to explore the courage it takes to keep fighting against addiction. Her research took her across the globe—from New York's Stonewall Inn to the jungles of Ecuador—uncovering stories of resilience and bravery in unexpected places.

Constance hopes her work will inspire others to see that recovery and resilience are possible, even against all odds. She challenges the over-pathologization of mental health in Western culture and advocates for a broader, more inclusive approach to mental well-being.

Three Key Takeaways:

• Redefining Everyday Bravery: Everyday bravery isn't about grand heroic acts but the quiet courage found in overcoming daily challenges, like battling addiction or navigating trauma with dignity.

• Making Mental Health Research Accessible: Constance Scharff prioritizes writing books over academic papers to make complex mental health research accessible to the public, especially in a landscape where affordable care is limited.

• Global Perspective on Mental Health: Her research highlights the resilience found in diverse cultures worldwide, challenging the Western focus on pharmaceuticals and advocating for a more inclusive approach to mental health treatment.

Constance has an impactful blend of research and storytelling that she uses to spread her thought leadership. If you'd like to understand how Academic Research can be used to build your thought leadership platform be sure to watch this short video with Peter Winick.