THE TALENT & STRATEGY SHOW on the “Success is a Choice” podcasting network is co-hosted by Jamy Bechler and Ruston Pierce. Together, they interview subject matter experts who provide valuable insights, tips, and guidance on how to maximize your potential, build a stronger culture, develop good leadership, create a healthy vision, optimize results, and inspire those around you. The show is made possible by Affinity Recruiting & Consulting and can be seen each Friday at 11:00 am ET on Facebook, Linkedin, Rumble, and YouTube.
Please take a second to subscribe on your favorite podcasting service so you don’t miss a single episode: Apple | Soundcloud | Spotify | Stitcher | Tunein | IHeart
Becoming Crisis Ready (3-31-23)
MELISSA AGNES - Founder of Crisis Ready Institute | Police Professional Standards, Ethics, and Image Committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police | Visit her at MelissaAgnes.com or Follow her on Twitter @Melissa_Agnes or IG @MelissaAgnes or Linkedin.com/in/MelissaAgnes | Find out more about how you can be more Crisis Ready by visiting www.CrisisReadyInstitute.com
✅ Being ready for a crisis
✅ Crisis Response Penalty
✅ Being proactive as an employer
✅ Crisis Ready vs. Traditional Crisis Preparedness
Communicating During a Crisis (3-24-23)
STEPHANIE YORK - Crisis Communications Professional | Attorney | Vice President and In House Counsel for Hennes Communication | Host of PBS Show Forum 360 | Former Director of Communications for the city of Akron | Learn more about communicating in a crisis by following Hennes on Twitter @CrisisComm or visit them at CrisisCommunications.com
✅ Different kinds of crises
✅ Why messaging matters
✅ Mistakes made during a crisis
✅ Crisis Prevention vs. Crisis Management
✅ Legal courts vs. courts of public opinion
Making a Career Pivot (3-10-23)
BRITTNEY EZELL - Team Leader for Keller Williams Realty | Executive VP for Elite Entertainment Experiences | Director of Relationships for Private Housing Network | Former NCAA DI Basketball Head Coach | Visit her at BrittneyEzell.com or Linkedin.com/in/brittney-ezell-edd-1134784b
✅ Making a career pivot
✅ Coaching and leading people
✅ What makes Keller Williams different
✅ Building teams in sports and business
✅ Legendary basketball coach Pat Summitt
Sales Game Changer (3-3-23)
FRED DIAMOND - Founder of Institute for @excellenceinsales | Host of Sales Game Changers Podcast | Author of "Love, Hope, Lyme: A Book about Chronic Illness Support" and "Insights for Sales Game Changers" | Visit him at i4esbd.com or SalesGameChangersPodcast.com | Connect with him at Linkedin.com/in/freddiamond
✅ Linkedin tips and strategies
✅ How to be a sales game changer
✅ Pivots and adjustments post-Covid lockdowns
✅ Differences between men and women in sales
✅ Writing two completely different types of books
Caring for a Community (2-24-23)
ROB QUAM - Executive Director of the Lake Wales Care Center | Email him at Rob.LWCC@gmail.com or visit him at www.LakeWalesCareCenter.com
✅ Important leadership principles
✅ Providing 100s of bikes to those in need
✅ How they are supporting the community
✅ The history of the Lake Wales Care Center
✅ Forming and working with boards of directors
✅ Providing 100s of bikes to those in need
✅ How they are supporting the community
✅ The history of the Lake Wales Care Center
✅ Forming and working with boards of directors
Entrepreneur Ideas & Ammo (2-17-23)
LAURA DIBENEDETTO - 18x Award-Winning Business Leader who’s founded seven companies | CEO of Sovereign Ammo | CEO of Vision Advertising | TEDx Speaker | Author of “The Six Habits: Practical Tools for Bringing Your Dreams to Life” | Visit her at LauraDiBenedetto.com
✅ How to be happy and successful
✅ Building teams as an entrepreneur
✅ Starting different types of businesses
✅ Living a life of sovereignty and freedom
✅ Having a mission and purpose for your business
✅ Making products in the USA vs. making more profits
✅ Starting a product-based business (Sovereign Ammo)
✅ Mistakes and lessons learned in running different businesses
Flip the switch in your life (2-10-23)
ERIC WHITE - Director of Special Projects for Micheal Burt Enterprises | Former high school basketball coach and DI assistant basketball coach | Email him at Eric@CoachBurt.com or follow him @CoachEWhite | Find out more about the projects Eric is working on by visiting CoachBurt.com
✅ How to add value to others
✅ Katy Perry tailgating at Ole Miss
✅ Legendary coach Don Meyer “motivating” Eric.
✅ What it takes to be a great #2 and why that’s important.
✅ Sports teams and coaches that are doing it the right way
✅ What makes Coach Micheal Burt different and so successful
✅ Why it’s important to have a structured system in your business
✅ Flipping the switch and activating your drive to achieve a freakish level of success
Leadership Lessons from an Army Lt. Colonel (2-3-23)
RASHAUN WARREN - Professor of Military Science at University of North Alabama | U.S. Army Lt. Colonel | Former Chief of Tactical Operations for U.S. Army’s III Corps | Former college basketball player at Kent State University | Texas native | Connect with him on Linkedin at Linkedin.com/in/rashaun-warren-101bb869 or follow him on Twitter @_TheEndResult | Learn more about UNA's ROTC program by visiting www.UNA.edu/rotc
✅ Believing in yourself as a leader
✅ Maximizing people’s individual strengths
✅ Solving problems, especially under stress
✅ Playing basketball at Kent State University
✅ How the Army helped developed him as a leader
✅ Importance of community service and selflessness
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Starting a School from Scratch (1-27-23)
JOHNNY GRAHAM - Head of School at Williamsburg Christian Academy (VA) | Founded Springdale Preparatory (MD) | President of The Graham Group | Contact Johnny at GrahamJ@WilliamsburgChristian.org or follow him at TheGrahamGroup.net
✅ Starting a school from scratch
✅ Educational leadership lessons
✅ Process of building a good school
✅ Uniqueness of day and boarding schools
✅ Building relationships with key stakeholders
✅ Prioritizing all the tasks that need to be done
Re-Imagining Sales (1-20-23)
STEVE NUDELBERG - Expert Sales Trainer | Author of "Confessions of a Serial Salesman" | Speaker, Entrepreneur, Consultant | Host of "Tell Me Something Good" Podcast | Follow on Twitter @Nudelberg or visit him at www.OnTheBallVentures.com
✅ Building relationships
✅ Developing a pipeline
✅ Mistakes salespeople make
✅ Creating a daily sales process
✅ How to sell in this modern-day
✅ Grabbing attention and being creative
Human Resources (1-13-23)
JASON SOWASH - President of Affinity Recruiting & Consulting's Human Resource Oursourcing Division | email him at JSowash@AffinityToday.com
Outsourcing HR Hiring processes Best practices for HR Getting rid of an employee Handling discipline & legal issues Pitfalls HR managers should be aware of
Look Ahead to 2023 (1-6-23)
Co-hosts Jamy Bechler and Ruston Pierce preview and look ahead to 2023.
Sports predictions New Year resolutions People they’d like to meet Personal & professional goals Life hacks and favorite advice Something they’d like to learn to do this yearDebating Random Topics (12-30-22)
Co-hosts Jamy Bechler and Ruston Pierce provided their top-5 favorites as they debated and discussed various random lists.
Favorite movies of all-time (1:45 mark on audio version) Best college basketball players ever (9:15) Pet peeves (17:30) Leadership quotes (34:30) Fictional leaders (38:00) Underrated athletes (43:45)Apple | Soundcloud | Spotify | Stitcher | YouTube | Rumble
Stadium Status (12-23-22)
JOHN BRUBAKER - Author of 17 books | Founder of CUCO Apparel and Mental Health Advocate | Business Coach | Professional Speaker | Follow him on Twitter @CoachBru or at CoachBru.com
Garth Brooks stories Starting an apparel company Running an online radio station Finding success as an entrepreneur Achieving “Stadium Status” with your business The truth about online marketing and many “gurus”Culture of Good (12-16-22)
RYAN MCCARTY - Business Consultant | Author of "Culture of Good" | Host of the "Champion Your Culture" podcast | Follow him on Twitter @RyanMcCarty or at RyanMcCarty.com
Why culture is important Bringing your soul to work Creating a “Culture of Good” Becoming a culture champion Having accountability at work Getting team members on the same pageBuilding an Athletic Department (12-9-22)
JEFF BAIN - Founder of Leadership Logistics, LLC. | Athletic Director Emeritus, Martin Methodist College, now UT Southern | NACDA Hall of Fame | NAIA Hall of Fame | 4x National AD of the Year | Former NACDA Executive Committee, NACMA President, and NAIA ADA President | Follow him on Twitter @Bainology or learn more about him at www.LeadershipLogisticsLLC.com
Delegating tasks Creative marketing Developing a brand The secret to hiring good talent Having a backup plan (“Plan B”) Building something out of nothingWinning Mindset (12-2-22)
VERA JO BUSTOS: Mental Performance Coach | Author of "A Mindful Journey" | former college basketball coach and 3x All-American player | Follow her on Twitter @VeraJoBustos or at www.VeraJoBustos.com
Mental toughness Developing confidence Outcome vs. process goals Identifying your areas of improvement Understanding your sources of confidence Overcoming some challenges when it comes to mindsetDeveloping a Sales Force (11-25-22)
ROB HELD: Vice President of Sales & Business Development for BSN Sports | former Sales Director for Nike | Follow him on Twitter @RobHeld or email him RHeld@BSNsports.com
ROB MURPHY: Founder of Affinity Recruiting & Consulting | former HS basketball coach and AD | former Univ. of Tennessee basketball player | Email him Rob@affinitytoday.com
Adjusting to the ever-changing market Solving people’s problems with sales Overcoming challenges in sales Team aspects on a sales force Finding talented salespeople Developing a sales forceCommunication Tips (11-18-22)
BETSY BUTTERICK: Communication Specialist | Former college basketball coach | Workshop Facilitator, Speaker, and Consultant | Follow her on Twitter @BetsyButterick or email her at Betsy@BetsyButterick.com
Correcting someone with a negative sandwich Avoiding common communication mistakes Listening vs. Talking … which one is better? Asking the right questions How to get what we want Should we “keep it real”Productivity & Time Management (11-11-22)
MANDY GREEN: BusyCoach founder | National Recruiting Director for Tudor Collegiate Strategies | former Division-I Soccer Head Coach | Follow her on Twitter @MandyGreenCPS or email her at Mandy@Busy.Coach.
Enjoying a more productive life Becoming more efficient Apps, tools, & resources Email inboxes To-do lists
Leader Development (11-4-22)
ALAN LOWE: Business coach for entrepreneurs, President of Angel Advisors and the Chair of Vistage Florida. Email him at Alan@TheAngelAdvisors.com
Creating systems & processes Practical approaches to business Executive coaching Talent selectionEpisode 4 | Fundraising (10-28-22)
SCOTT GARVIS - Author of "The DNA of an A.D.", founder of Scott Garvis Athletics Consulting, and former high school A.D. Follow him on Twitter @PocketAD_ or email him at Scott.GarvisConsulting@gmail.com
TYLER WHITCOMB - Director of Customer Engagement for Snap! Mobile, former high school basketball coach, A.D., and Principal. Follow him on Twitter @TWhitcomb or email him at Tyler.Whitcomb@SnapRaise.com
Working with booster clubs Fundraising & capital campaigns How to ask for money Having a shoestring budget
Strategic Planning (10-21-22)
BRIAN MORRIS: Chief Business Officer for Mammoth Sports Construction | former D1 Assistant Athletic Director | Follow him on Twitter @BrianMorrisBMO or Email him at Brian@MammothBuilt.com
Strategic planning Fundraising/Capital campaigns Turf fields Naming rights
Building Startups (10-14-22)
ROB MURPHY: Founder of Affinity Recruiting & Consulting | former high school A.D. and coach | former University of Tennessee basketball player | Reach him at Rob@AffinityToday.com
Starting a business Challenges entrepreneurs face Working less but achieving more Ways to improve your own business…. plus, the guests gave their (accurate) predictions for the big Bama/UT football game
Apple | Soundcloud | Spotify | Stitcher | YouTube | Rumble
Coaching Up Team Members (10-7-22)
RUSTON PIERCE: President of Consulting for Affinity Recruiting & Consulting | former school administrator, coach, and develoment director | Follow him on Twitter @RustonPierce and email him Ruston@AffinityToday.com
the importance of coaching up your team members bringing in the right talent for your team why “bosses” need a coach the great work Affinity Recruiting & Consulting is doing for various organizations and businesses… plus, we had an exciting announcement!