Disrupt Yourself Podcast With Whitney Johnson

Vala Afshar, my guest on the Disrupt Yourself podcast, is here to answer the burning question: What is a Chief Digital Evangelist? For starters, that’s the role Vala fills with Salesforce, the dominant player in the sphere of CRM technology. Vala, with his prior company, was an early Salesforce customer. He used Salesforce and innovated with it for years before he went to work there. He became “the first evangelist hired at Salesforce, so it was new territory.” In addition to all things Salesforce, Vala talks about this—the nontraditional job search, and the nontraditional candidate vetting. His insights into how savvy, forward-thinking companies will be hiring in the future is worth a listen too. Download the complete transcript and links in the show notes at WhitneyJohnson.com.

For Episode 40 of the Disrupt Yourself Podcast, I'm trying a little experiment. For the first time, I'm hosting a podcast interview with myself - so to speak. I'm answering several questions that came from podcast listeners and loved having a chance to think through them and try something new for the podcast. If you have any questions for future episodes, I'd love to have you submit them at whitneyjohnson.com/contact For show notes for this episode, click here.

Join me for a lively conversation with best selling author Daniel Pink for the inside scoop on the research that went into his new book When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing and the discoveries that came out of it. Who knew that our biological clock and circadian rhythm, internal ticking unheard and pendulum swinging unseen, were so influential in the decisions we make, and the outcomes of initiatives we undertake? Download the complete transcript and view show notes at https://whitneyjohnson.com/daniel-pink/

Deb Dugan is the CEO of [RED], founded by U2 front man, Bono, in partnership with Bobby Shriver. [RED] has the ambitious goal of eradicating AIDS in our lifetime, and pursues this noble objective through a variety of disruptive social media and marketing initiatives. Download a transcript of Whitney & Deb's conversation and view the show notes by clicking here.

Hear what Peter Sims, author of Little Bets, a Founder of Parliament, Inc., BLK SHP, Silicon Guild and more, has to say about stepping back, the value of collaboration and the miracles of the people we encounter in our path on the Disrupt Yourself podcast. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/peter-sims-power-collaboration/

This week’s podcast episode is an experiment. It’s my first solo episode—no victim in the hot seat, being interviewed. Instead, I talk about my own journey up the learning curve, spend some time reminiscing with the ghost of episodes past, as well as calling out some episodes favorited by my team. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/2017-in-review/

Maureen Chiquet, Former CEO, Chanel and now a speaker and author of Beyond the Label: Women, Leadership and Success on Our Own Terms, is my guest on the Disrupt Yourself Podcast. When you read her current title, and former and present accomplishments, ‘failure’ isn’t the word that first comes to mind. But Chiquet had some bumps in the road along her way to success. In fact, her career exemplifies the disruption accelerant of being discovery-driven, which almost always goes hand-in-hand with being willing to give failure its due. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/maureen-chiquet/

Donald Miller, CEO of StoryBrand and author of the new book Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen is Whitney's guest on Episode 34 of the Disrupt Yourself podcast. He’s an expert in helping people clarify their marketing message so their business can grow. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/donald-miller/

Join us as we talk to Luvvie Ajayi, author of The New York Times best selling book, I'm Judging You: The Do Better Manual. How did Luvvie adjust to the transition of moving from Nigeria to the U.S.? How did she acquire her comedic super powers? How does it feel to have Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers adapt her book as a comedy series? Tune in and find out. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/luvvie-ajayi/

Join us today as we talk with Amazon alumnus Scott Pulsipher. We will be discussing his current position as president of Western Governors University. What's it like to sit across the table from a less than pleased Jeff Bezos? Join us and find out. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/scott-pulsipher/

Claude Silver is CHO at VaynerMedia. As CHO, as in Chief Heart Operator, Claude takes care of the 800 or so ‘heartbeats’ employed by the company. With her fingers on the pulse of the company’s internal wellbeing, Claude works to provide a joyful company culture to match an efficient product. She encourages employees to grow beyond their comfort zone – but also makes sure to constantly expand beyond her own. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/claude-silver/

Susan McPherson is the president of McPherson Strategies, a communications consultancy. Join us as Susan gives a lesson on Corporate Social Responsibility, and shares how she dealt with the ultimate disruption. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/susan-mcpherson/

Walter O’Brien has been a disruptor since grade school in Ireland. His thriving career in computer services is rooted in his lifelong interest in IT – and it’s even led to a CBS TV series based on his company, Scorpion. Another one of his companies has even redefined what a ‘concierge’ is. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/walter-obrien/

Feyzi Fatehi is the C.E.O. of Corent Technology, a revolutionary cloud management platform. Join us as Feyzi tells us about his love for mountain climbing, shares his amazement of American freedom, and explains why companies should SaaSify. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/feyzi-fatehi/

Karen Walrond is an author, photographer, speaker, and former attorney who left her career in law after her body signaled to her that she needed a change. She listed the things she loves to do and paved her own path to success. Now, she’s a published author, paid public speaker, and curator of the blog Chookooloonks, which features her writings and photography. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/karen-walrond/

Alden Mills is the former Navy Seal turned entrepreneur, who gave us The Perfect Push Up. Join us as we discuss his latest book, "Be Unstoppable", how his childhood nickname proved to be a source of strength, and the inspiration behind his newest innovation. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/alden-mills/

A special live coaching episode: Whitney helps listener Stacy Olsen Distefano figure out how to create a satisfying future in her career. After 10 years at her organization, Stacy has recently moved into a new innovation role – but is staying the right path? Or would finding a new position elsewhere be the revitalizing answer she seeks? Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/stacy-olsen-distefano-live-coaching-episode/

Lee Caraher is the C.E.O. and founder of Double Forte, a digital marketing agency and P.R. firm. Lee is also the author of “Millennials in Management” and “The Boomerang Principle. On this episode, Lee enlightens us about why Millennials are not so bad after all, how an employee leaving could turn out to be a good thing, and so much more. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/lee-caraher/

Lolly Daskal is an executive coach and author of The Leadership Gap. Lolly has been advising leaders on how to reinvent themselves when progress has stalled – and how to deal with the subsequent caveats. Whitney and Lolly discuss the seven leadership archetypes, how Lolly looked to great thinkers such as Joseph Campbell as mentors, and how to avoid weaknesses that come with any leadership style. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/lolly-daskal/

Wendy Sachs is the author of the book Fearless and Free: How Smart Women Pivot and Relaunch Their Careers. The book was born out of a disruption in Wendy’s career – and realizing her skills didn’t quite match what the media world required. Wendy talks rewriting your narrative to highlight your strengths, and how to take advantage of what’s around you to succeed. Show Notes: https://whitneyjohnson.com/wendy-sachs/