Welcome to another heartfelt Thanksgiving episode of The Insight Interviews! As we gather to celebrate the season of gratitude, we’re reminded of the power of connection and appreciation, transcending borders and uniting us all. In this special episode, we explore Thanksgiving traditions worldwide, dive into the science behind gratitude, and share personal stories of thankfulness. From self-care and family to mentors and life values, we reflect on the many facets of gratitude that enrich our lives. Join us as we embrace this journey of reflection, connection, and appreciation together.

In this episode Jason, Steve & the Guests discuss:

• Exploring Thanksgiving traditions globally as celebrations of harvest and gratitude
• Neuroscience behind gratitude and its impact on positivity and well-being
• Benefits of practicing gratitude for mental health and self-care
• Appreciating family, ancestry, and values through personal stories
• Importance of introspection, mentors, and supportive relationships

Key Takeaways:

• Gratitude, supported by technology, can bridge geographical distances, fostering a sense of connection regardless of physical separation.
• Thanksgiving traditions worldwide celebrate gratitude for bountiful harvests, uniting diverse cultures in a shared moment of appreciation.
• Personal reflections on gratitude interweave with the neuroscience of positivity, illustrating how thankfulness can reshape our outlook and enhance well-being.
• Practicing gratitude enriches self-care routines and amplifies our appreciation for family, ancestry, health, and freedom, deepening our connection to life’s essential elements.
• Alignment with personal values and the role of mentors, supportive parents, business partners, and introspection as foundational pillars for growth and fulfillment.

“As you, Jason, and I do our work here at Rewire, most everything we try to do links to some sort of neuroscientific fact. Gratitude, while certainly emotional, has fascinating neurobiology—what happens in our brains and minds when we’re grateful. For goodness’ sake, the entire field of positive psychology revolves around activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Living a life of gratitude, as we’ve heard, is a life worth living. Every year, we gather remarkable gratitude like a collection, sharing it in the hope it resonates with you, the listener, and helps you find your own gratitude.“

- Steve Scanlon

Connect with Steve and Jason:

LinkedIn: Jason or Steve

Website: Rewire, Inc.: Transformed Thinking

Email: grow@rewireinc.com

Show notes by: Angelo Paul Tagama

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Anthony Taylor is the CEO and senior strategic planning facilitator at SME Strategy. He holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration with a specialization in marketing and a Certified Associate in Project Management designation. Anthony combines academic expertise with over a decade of hands-on entrepreneurial experience across various industries. As the author of “I Wish I Knew”, he shares key insights for aspiring entrepreneurs.

In 2016, he was named a Global Entrepreneurship Week Ambassador for Canada, and SME Strategy earned the Palme Blue for "Microenterprise of the Year" from the French Chamber of Commerce. Anthony also hosts the Strategy and Leadership Podcast, engaging with thought leaders on strategic insights. He is fluent in French and has a personal goal to visit every MLB stadium.

In this episode Jason and Anthony discuss:

• Anthony’s journey in strategic planning and passion for baseball
• Overcoming an embezzlement incident to pursue purpose-driven consulting
• Core elements of strategic planning: defining goals, prioritizing actions, and addressing obstacles
• Importance of team alignment, challenge identification, and roadmap development
• Adapting strategic plans to changing environments with a focus on goal achievement over rigid paths

Key Takeaways:

• Strategic planning underscores the importance of a unified vision, which leaders must cultivate to guide teams toward shared goals and success.
• Conversations that allow participants to shape their own strategies foster accountability and personal growth, making team alignment more effective.
• Flexibility through iterative strategic planning is essential for adapting to a changing global landscape and taking advantage of emerging opportunities.
• The ultimate focus lies in helping individuals reach their goals, rather than rigidly adhering to initial plans, encouraging responsiveness to real-time needs.
• Integrating behavioral science into strategic planning can enhance outcomes, as aligning perspectives and communication supports team cohesion and shared success.

“People don’t care about your strategy, your strategic plan, or your priorities—they only want to know what it means to them and how they can succeed. If you’re leading an organization, ask your people: What does winning look like to you? Because when you help others get what they want, that’s when you truly win as a leader.”- Anthony Taylor

Connect with Anthony Taylor:

Website: https://www.smestrategy.net/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyctaylor604/

Connect with Steve and Jason:

LinkedIn: Jason or Steve

Website: Rewire, Inc.: Transformed Thinking

Email: grow@rewireinc.com

Show notes by: Angelo Paul Tagama

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Phillip Swan is the Managing Partner at Pi Partners, CRO at LingoAid, and Chief Product Officer of The AI Solution Group, where he specializes in crafting customer-centric go-to-market strategies. With a focus on aligning marketing, sales, product, and operations, Phillip helps create seamless customer experiences throughout the entire journey. At Pi Partners, a GTM Advisory firm known for its innovative solutions, he leads the charge in driving customer engagement and business growth. Passionate about sharing insights, Phillip uses various platforms to inspire and empower businesses to innovate and grow.

In this episode, Jason and Phillip discuss:

• Importance of responsible AI development and minimizing hallucinations
• Leveraging AI tools as productivity aids with a focus on critical thinking
• A comprehensive approach to responsible AI adoption and customer alignment
• AI's role in enhancing cybersecurity and protecting against bad actors
• Customer-centric approach in AI through interviews and testing to address pain points

Key Takeaways:

• Responsible AI development is rooted in a deep understanding of customer needs, achieved through dedicated interviews and testing, ensuring solutions align with actual pain points.
• AI can be a powerful productivity tool, yet it demands critical thinking; outputs should be evaluated rather than accepted at face value, with original content never misrepresented as one's own.
• The convergence of AI and cybersecurity highlights AI's role in fortifying data protection, offering robust defenses against malicious actors in an evolving threat landscape.
• Embracing a holistic AI adoption strategy, including readiness assessments and collaborative workshops, supports seamless integration and alignment with organizational goals.
• A commitment to responsible AI entails a focus on regulatory compliance, environmental impact, and minimizing hallucinations, reinforcing AI's positive influence on society and the planet.

“To truly serve your customer, you’ve got to 'grok' them—immerse yourself in a 360-degree view of their world. It’s about understanding every pain point, every motivation, and it only comes from constant interviewing and testing. This goes beyond surface-level insights; it’s about making your customer the heartbeat of every department, every decision. Only then will they feel heard, and only then will you earn their loyalty.”

- Phillip Swan

Connect with Phillip Swan:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phillip-swan/

Email: phillip@theaisolutiongroup.com

Connect with Steve and Jason:

LinkedIn: Jason or Steve

Website: Rewire, Inc.: Transformed Thinking

Email: grow@rewireinc.com

Show notes by: Angelo Paul Tagama

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Dennis Franczak, Founder and Partner of Bright Matter Advisors, is a seasoned entrepreneur and executive advisor with a deep passion for meaningful impact and legacy. With over two decades of experience, Dennis has navigated the complex landscapes of advertising and business strategy, establishing himself as a thought leader in both fields. As the founder and former CEO of a highly successful advertising agency, he possesses extensive knowledge of the latest trends in advertising and brand strategy.

Today, Dennis dedicates his expertise to CEO and executive advisory, helping leaders scale their businesses, optimize sales processes, and determine the right times to buy or sell their enterprises. After experiencing burnout post-COVID and realizing the detrimental effects of maintaining a façade of the "perfect CEO," he took a six-month sabbatical to reconnect with his core values through therapy and self-reflection, gaining unique insights into challenges like loneliness, isolation, and the struggle for authenticity in leadership.

In this episode, Jason and Dennis discuss:

• Overcoming burnout and isolation to rediscover core values and purpose
• Recognizing work-life imbalance warning signs and breaking points
• Aligning personal values with professional ambitions to leave a lasting legacy
• Importance of mentorship, wellness, and leadership development for personal growth
• Using passion projects like podcasting and global initiatives to create a positive impact

Key Takeaways:

• Personal struggles, including burnout and isolation, revealed warning signs that led to personal growth and self-awareness as a CEO and entrepreneur.
• Therapy, wellness practices, spirituality, and leadership development were crucial in rediscovering balance and purpose, enabling a focus on both well-being and leaving a lasting legacy.
• The tragic loss of a mentor sparked deep self-reflection and motivated a pursuit of positive change in life and leadership.
• Aligning personal values with professional ambitions strategically built trust and fostered self-reflection to create a meaningful and lasting legacy.
• Passion projects like podcasting, public speaking, music initiatives, and mentoring others became vehicles for transforming personal struggles into impactful, legacy-driven activities.

“I'm basically living my legacy because, with Bright Matter Advisors, I'm using my experience, my flaws, and my weaknesses that I have tried to work through, but continue to work on every day, always to help other people so they don’t experience what happened to me. And that’s really what gives me purpose everyday—doing things with impact.”

- Dennis Franczak

Connect with Dennis Franczak:

Website: https://brightmatteradvisors.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dfranczak/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamsimplydennis/

Connect with Steve and Jason:

LinkedIn: Jason or Steve

Website: Rewire, Inc.: Transformed Thinking

Email: grow@rewireinc.com

Show notes by: Angelo Paul Tagama

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Brian Will is a serial entrepreneur, a two-time Wall Street Journal bestselling author, a TEDx speaker, and a leading consultant in business and sales management. Throughout his dynamic career, he has had the privilege of founding or co-founding ten companies across four distinct industries, with valuations soaring over half a billion dollars at their height. His journey has been marked by spearheading turnarounds for diverse companies, from startups to Fortune 500 firms, guiding them to generate billions in sales.

In this episode Jason and Brian discuss:

• Journey from high school dropout to bestselling author and business consultant
• Strategies for negotiation, sales, delegation, and optimizing operations
• Importance of data-driven approaches and effective coaching in business success
• Opportunities for wealth creation and the impact of AI on entrepreneurship
• Embracing gratitude and overcoming hardships in life and business

Key Takeaways:

• Mastering negotiation and sales tactics is crucial for achieving better business outcomes and driving success in various ventures.
• The strategic delegation of tasks, operational optimization, and positioning a company for acquisition can significantly increase wealth through successful exits.
• A positive mindset, coupled with the right training and coaching, can unlock tremendous wealth-building opportunities in today's data-driven business environment.
• Businesses need tailored consulting, whether focused on mindset, technical, or tactical challenges, to address specific obstacles and foster growth effectively.
• Leveraging AI technologies like ChatGPT enables entrepreneurs to automate tasks, while effective coaching can transform leadership mindsets and align actions with desired results.

“The more negative the world gets, the less people feel like they have the opportunity to succeed, and the better chance there is for you to succeed because you have less competition. If you get your head right, your mind right, you get the right training, the right coaching, the right consulting, you do the right things, you can do anything you want to do, and there's less competition because of the very thing you talked about, which is that negative mindset that's floating around the world.”

- Brian Will

Connect with Brian Will:

Website: https://brianwillmedia.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-will-07823b6/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedropoutmm/

Brian’s BOOKS: https://brianwillmedia.com/books-new/

Connect with Steve and Jason:

LinkedIn: Jason or Steve

Website: Rewire, Inc.: Transformed Thinking

Email: grow@rewireinc.com

Show notes by: Angelo Paul Tagama

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Kamila Gornia is the founder of Heart Behind Hustle® and Evergreen Icon. She has been supporting online coaches & course creators with marketing and sales for the last decade. She helps her clients scale by creating an evergreen, scalable, and recurring business foundation so they can get sales without the need for sales calls, social selling in the DMs, or posting daily on social media - allowing them to create true sustainability and freedom in their business. To date, her advice has helped over 25,000 entrepreneurs which has resulted in over $2M+ in revenue.

In this episode, Jason and Kamila discuss:

• Overcome language barriers while building a successful business as an immigrant
• Leverage online communities and content creation for entrepreneurial growth
• Balance family life, boundaries, and priorities as a serial entrepreneur
• Embrace AI as a tool for creativity and innovation in business
• Foster an abundance mindset to enhance effortless selling and impact

Key Takeaways:

• The power of resilience is evident, showing how having a supportive partner helps entrepreneurs navigate the ups and downs of business, fostering long-term success.
• A strategic focus on niche marketing, leveraging relationships, SEO, and volunteer networks, demonstrates how entrepreneurs can effectively position themselves in specialized markets.
• A shift from blogging and social media to coaching reveals the importance of adaptability, underscoring how entrepreneurs can pivot and grow their businesses through multiple channels.
• AI and paid advertising emerge as valuable tools for enhancing creativity and streamlining processes, offering immediate feedback while avoiding the inefficiencies of vague social media efforts.
• Setting boundaries based on priorities and life seasons helps maintain work-life balance, while a clear, abundance-driven mindset is key to fostering confidence and effortless selling.

“I am a really big fan of paid advertising. If the person has even a small budget, I always recommend going with ads because it just accelerates everything.”

- Kamila Gornia

Connect with Kamila Gornia:

Website: https://heartbehindhustle.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kgornia/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heartbehindhustle/

Connect with Steve and Jason:

LinkedIn: Jason or Steve

Website: Rewire, Inc.: Transformed Thinking

Email: grow@rewireinc.com

Show notes by Angelo Paul Tagama

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Emma Donovan is a seasoned entrepreneur with 15+ years of experience in brand strategy and professional profiling. As co-founder of Dapper, she excels in creating innovative products and collaborating with brilliant minds. Emma’s superpower lies in injecting enthusiasm and vibrancy into any situation. Currently, Emma’s focus is on sustainable ways to approach personal brand development for entrepreneurs and leadership teams, in a way that’s authentic and creates space to build their brands with intention.

In this episode, Steve and Emma discuss:

• Evolving personal branding through cultural experiences
• Overcoming fear of self-promotion with a learning mindset
• Building confidence and tackling imposter syndrome
• Managing work-life balance with energy and "white space"
• Energizing in-person connections for authenticity and growth

Key Takeaways:

• Personal branding evolves continuously, adapting to new experiences and shifting goals, allowing individuals to stay relevant and authentic over time.
• Building authentic relationships across cultures and time zones fosters personal growth and aligns with core values, creating deeper connections in both personal and professional contexts.
• Tackling imposter syndrome is essential for empowering individuals to confidently share their stories, which helps them shine and excel without self-doubt holding them back.
• Injecting fun and balance into work through energy management, creating "white space" in calendars, and intentional scheduling help prevent burnout and foster a more fulfilling, sustainable work-life experience.
• A structured, introspective process helps individuals reshape their personal narratives, embrace their freedom of choice, and build authentic, purpose-driven brands.

“My personal values are freedom, vitality, and connection. And I think my personality and what I value, like authentic human connection, is everything. So, something we are working on is launching retreats because I feel immersing people in this way of thinking, being, and building a strong, authentic brand takes what we offer to a whole new level. When I talk about this, my energy rises because it’s all about future opportunities—ways to evolve what we do to serve our clients better and build a bigger community of empowered, confident people who embrace finding joy.”

- Emma Donovan

Connect with Emma Donovan:

Website: https://becomedapper.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmadonovan-dapper/

Connect with Steve and Jason:

LinkedIn: Jason or Steve

Website: Rewire, Inc.: Transformed Thinking

Email: grow@rewireinc.com

Show notes by Angelo Paul Tagama

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Andrew Bartlow is the Founder and Managing Partner of Series B Consulting, which advises PE and VC-backed organizations. He co-authored “Scaling for Success”, published by Columbia University Business School, and teaches at some of the world’s leading educational institutions. Over his long in-house career, Andrew participated in over a dozen M&A transactions, IPOs, bankruptcies, and successful PE sponsor exits. He advised scores of C-level executives, supported employee populations of 5,000+, built numerous HR functions, and learned from the best while at Pepsi and GE. His last in-house role was as the head of HR for what is now Invitation Homes, which he helped take from a small private organization to a public company with a market cap of over $20B.

In this episode Jason and Andrew discuss:

• Scaling businesses through mergers, acquisitions, IPOs, and private equity exits
• Effective people management strategies for high-growth companies
• Pitfalls of blindly following trendy management practices
• Four C's of leadership: clarity, consistency, communication, and consequences
• Leveraging AI and technology while monitoring its workplace impact

Key Takeaways:

• Fuel both personal and professional growth by embracing ambition, taking calculated risks, and gaining diverse experiences. Success is achieved by aligning personal fulfillment with career advancement.
• Effective people management in rapidly growing businesses relies on mastering the leadership fundamentals four C’s—clarity, consistency, communication, and consequences—while avoiding one-size-fits-all management trends.
• Experiment with emerging technologies like AI to boost workplace efficiency but remain mindful of their broader impact on work environments and industry structures.
• Remote and hybrid work models are shifting demand toward larger homes and home offices while decreasing the need for traditional commercial office spaces.
• Upskill HR professionals and structure teams around clear goals and accountability to foster growth, productivity, and long-term success in an evolving business landscape.

“Success is meeting your goals or achieving or surpassing your goals. But to have success, you have to have a goal. You have to have some destination in mind. So, if you don't have a destination, if you don't have a goal, you cannot have success. So, you need to be able to chart your course. You need to be able to articulate what good looks like for you. If that's a certain revenue number, if that is delivering a certain number of shoes to the undeveloped world, whatever it is, have a goal, and that will be a very important first step on your road to success.”

- Andrew Bartlow

Connect with Andrew Bartlow:

Website: https://www.seriesbconsulting.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bartlow/

Andrew’s BOOK: https://www.scalingforsuccessbook.com/

Connect with Steve and Jason:

LinkedIn: Jason or Steve

Website: Rewire, Inc.: Transformed Thinking

Email: grow@rewireinc.com

Show notes by: Angelo Paul Tagama

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.