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In this week's interview, Michelle Villalobos interviews Nancy Norton, winner of the 2018 Boston Comedy Festival, about using humor to connect more deeply with your people in general, and audiences in particular. They discuss how to stay loose and creative while speaking, how to deal with the haters, and how to have more joy, love, and connection in your life overall. Nancy Norton is the first woman ever to win the Boston Comedy Festival in its entire 19-year history. She's a stand-up comedian, keynote speaker, former registered nurse, and a single mom. Consider Leaving a Rating & Review! “Sharing a laugh is a lot more than just a laugh– we’re really saying we understand each other.” – Nancy Norton Show Notes: How to easily and naturally bring more humor and authenticity into your speaking How to get out of your head so you can deeply connect with your audiences The single best (fun and easy!) training tool that anyone can use to be funnier How to hack your mental space right before presenting to reduce nerves and improve performance “To get a joke, you have to use all the major lobes of your brain. You cannot be in your fight-or-flight mid-brain state of anxiety at the same time as you are getting a joke.” – Nancy Norton Links Mentioned: Read The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle Get a copy of Practicing the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle Connect with Nancy Norton: Facebook | YouTube | NancyNorton.tv “It’s very empowering if you can take a big fear or a big pain and exaggerate it to the point of it becoming a cartoon.” – Nancy Norton

If you know me well, then you know I’m just a little bit obsessed with the topics of food and well being and how they can impact your success and happiness. My interest began about 5 years ago when I realized that mystery symptoms I’d been having almost my whole life had their roots primarily in the foods I was eating. When I made changes to my diet, I felt better physically and emotionally – and, lo and behold, my business grew too! Today’s guest is Ocean Robbins, co-founder and CEO of the Food Revolution Network. He shares disturbing facts about how our food supply is poisoning us and what we can do as individuals and activists to end our toxic food culture. He tells us about how he became the person he is, including how his father walked away from the Baskin-Robbins empire in order to promote healthy eating. I’m so excited to bring you this interview because what he shares can impact not only your physical well being, but the success of your business as a result. Consider Leaving a Rating & Review! “We have, what I think we could objectively call, a toxic food culture.” – Ocean Robbins Show Notes: Why the world needs a food revolution, and why YOU need one to be successful in your business The crucial importance of a healthy gut microbiome (and what you can do to cultivate one) Ocean’s inspiring family story – how his father walked away from a ready-made empire to lead the charge for health How Ocean's parents helped him to develop the belief and awareness that he could make a big difference in the world at such a young age Why GMOs are such a big deal and NOT the solution the food industry has promised (this alone is critical information) The truth about dairy and meat “There is nothing elitist about wanting farm workers to not be poisoned in the fields on the job.” – Ocean Robbins Links Mentioned: Learn more about The Food Revolution Network Get a copy of Diet for a New America by John Robbins Read Voices of the Food Revolution by John and Ocean Robbins Connect with Ocean Robbins: Facebook | Twitter | Ocean Robbins “If taxpayer money is involved, we ought to have some standards around what we’re willing to serve.” – Ocean Robbins

If you are sick of all the hype but you still want to learn about funnels, online sales, marketing automation, passive revenues, yadda yadda, this is the interview for you! My guest is sales funnel strategist Stephanie Nickolich aka “The Millionista Mentor." She teaches online entrepreneurs how to shift their money mindsets, capitalize on their strengths, and create sales funnels for long-term sustainable income. We’ll discuss Stephanie’s own path to success and how she used sales funnels and automated marketing to ascend it quickly. Consider Leaving a Rating & Review! “If you have that fire in your belly; if you’re being called to do something bigger, then act upon it and don’t look back!” – Stephanie Nickolich Show Notes: Stephanie’s huge business transformation How overcoming mindset issues enabled Stephanie to succeed wildly as an entrepreneur How Stephanie became a victim of her own success Stephanie’s advice for others on similar paths The one thing most of us ignore that makes the BIGGEST difference What "funnels" are and how to use build and use them to drive sales On turning challenges into opportunities On the power of taking full responsibility for your life “My needs will be taken care of plus much, much more than I even need if I show up with the intention to give back.” – Stephanie Nickolich Links Mentioned: Steal Stephanie's Funnels! is no longer available. Get a copy of Ask and It Is Given by Esther Hicks Connect with Stephanie Nickolich: Facebook “I thought that I had to be it all and do it all to have it all.” – Stephanie Nickolich

A lot of us approach the future as something to be controlled as much as possible. Problem is, life often has other plans for us. Instead of trying to control every little thing and manage for every eventuality, my guest this week, Kelsey Ramsden, says that a better solution is to "Futureproof" yourself. Futureproofing is a way of being; a daily practice to change the stifling desire for certainty and fear of the unknown that are (whether you know it or not!) preventing you from moving to the next level. If you are stuck in any kind of rut, this interview will help you jumpstart your innovation and expand anew. Kelsey Ramsden is a former straight C-student who went on to build multiple multimillion dollar businesses and has been named Canada’s top female entrepreneur 2 years in a row. She walks us through the process of stoking your creative fires, working around our fear-avoidant natures, and having more FUN in the process. Consider Leaving a Rating & Review! “The orgasm of the entrepreneur is the ‘A-ha!’” – Kelsey Ramsden Show Notes: Identify your “default future” -- and the ONE way to circumvent it "Futureproofing:" what it is and why it’s important Steps to futureproof your business How we can get around our fear-avoidant human nature Learn to move forward when you get stuck in neutral “No business plan survives contact with the market” – Michelle Villalobos Links Mentioned: Get a copy of The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper Connect with Kelsey Ramsden: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Kelsey Ramsden “Your well-hatched plan conceived locked in your basement that was going to change your world, didn’t turn out to change your world. How about getting the world involved in the change?” – Kelsey Ramsden

If you've ever wondered how you could get on the TED stage (and leverage it for your business), you're going to find this episode interesting! My guest, TEDx organizer Dolores Hirschmann will teach you how land a TEDx talk, how to structure it for maximum clarity, and how to leverage it on the back end for more visibility, credibility and profitability. On top of curating one of the best TedX events in the country, Dolores is also a "Clarity Coach" who helps companies and entrepreneurs understand their “big message” and wrap their entire marketing strategy around it to resonate with their ideal clients. She leverages the TEDx platform to turn successful professionals into thought-leaders in their fields. Consider Leaving a Rating & Review! “The action will only last as long as the fear in their body. The inspiration will last longer.” – Dolores Hirschmann Show Notes: What is an "idea worth spreading" and how to reframe YOUR message into one What TedX curators are looking for in their speakers, and how to craft your message to appeal to them The wisdom of bringing up negative emotions in a TedX talk How to land your spot on a TEDx stage Why not all TEDx events are created equal (and what you need to watch out for when you apply) How you can leverage the TedX stage to reshape your business “Any decision I take from fear is never a good decision.” – Dolores Hirschmann How to structure your TED talk for Maximum Clarity: Make your audience care about what you’re going to talk about Present your idea Introduce yourself Show them the evidence and reveal the severity of the problem Remind them of your idea Paint the new reality of a world in which your idea is implemented Invite them to take action Links Mentioned: Get a copy of Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl Connect with Dolores Hirschmann: Facebook | Masters In Clarity “Whether you’re ever going to get on a stage or not, just writing that brief, concrete, under 18-minute talk with a lot of clarity will completely transform your business.” – Dolores Hirschmann

When your masculine and feminine energies are in balance, there is no limit to what you can accomplish! In this episode, I interview Dr. John Gray, author of the world famous #1 bestselling relationship book of all time, Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus. We discuss how recent developments in technology, culture, and even in our food supply have caused our hormones to go haywire and how those out-of-balance hormones wreak havoc on our personal lives. Sounds pretty bad, right? Never fear: you'll also learn some simple behaviors that will allow you to bring your hormones back into balance, and experience more peace, joy, and fulfillment in yourself and in your relationships. Consider Leaving a Rating & Review! “To have your male side being expressed does not exclude your female side from being there.” – John Gray Show Notes: How your hormones effect your day-to-day life How to stimulate production of the hormones you need How modern lifestyles are preventing our hormones from naturally balancing Access your “Unique Self” and awaken your Mission How sex can help you regulate your hormones Why entrepreneur women often struggle to return to their female side Why women should date only "boring" guys How pesticides and GMO foods ruin our hormonal balance “People don’t know that love can grow and sex doesn’t have to diminish. You just have to have the right hormones for it.” – John Gray Links Mentioned: Get a copy of John's books: How to Get What You Want and Want What You Have Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus Beyond Mars and Venus Read Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda Read Why Men Are the Way They Are by Warren Farrell Connect with John Gray: Facebook | Twitter | John Gray “If you have a desire, you have the potential to make it come true.” – John Gray

If you're in a transition mode in your business, listen up! In this episode, I speak with my client Arianne Traverso who recently (successfully!) transitioned from being a yoga teacher to a “yogi-preneur”. You’ll hear what it takes to make big transitions in business in an elegant, coordinated way, in order to grow your business and enjoy it more. We discuss why and how Ari was able to transition from her “time-for-money” model to the more lucrative and lifestyle-friendly model she’s using now. You’ll hear about the lessons she’s learned, the skillsets she’s developed, and the challenges she’s overcome along the way – so that you can use them too. My guess is that hearing about Ari's business shifts inspires you to make changes to your own business for more alignment, income, peace, and happiness! Consider Leaving a Rating & Review! “Life hands you things all the time, and it’s up to you to see: how clean are your lenses? So that you can see those gifts.” – Arianne Traverso Show Notes: What spurred Ari to make big changes in her business – so you can examine your business and life for similar patterns How to tackle your own limitations to make change happen Why developing a bigger vision is essential for your transformation (and how to do it) The essential components in transitioning from a “time-for-money” model – which will allow you to focus on your strengths and passions How Ari uses retreats and events to augment her business model (and personal happiness!) What it takes to really leverage a team so that you can achieve in ways you never even considered “As I was running that business like a chicken with it’s head cut off, so were my employees.” – Arianne Traverso Links Mentioned: How to lead your own yoga retreat (no longer available) Get a copy of The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Read The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson Join Ari in the Yogi Hearts, Business Minds Facebook group Connect with Arianne Traverso: Arianne Traverso “When you find a lot of ‘stuckness’, chances are, something in the business is not aligned with you, with your lifestyle, with your gifts, with your purpose.” – Michelle Villalobos

I know you’ve heard about mental and emotional intelligence, but did you know there were 3 other kinds? In this mind-blowing hour with Dr. Brian T. Lumb, we get into some deep stuff about how we process information and emotion in our minds and bodies in ways that are beyond our conscious awareness, so that we can find and create more passion and energy that we can bring to our lives and work. Brian's passion is assisting people to bring their unique gifts to the world, working with thousands of clients for two decades transforming trauma and stress into ease, vitality, and fulfillment. Dr. Brian T. Lumb runs a revolutionary healing and mentoring practice called Nourish & Flourish out of his unique space in Asheville North Carolina, where he fuses a variety of modalities for healing, growth and expansion, including Network Care, Nia movement, and organic juices & teas. He also periodically offers his Genius Generator weekend and Genius Generation year-long program, which people (including Michelle) fly in for from all over the world. Consider Leaving a Rating & Review! “I feel it’s in the realm of business and entrepreneurship and leadership that we have the capacity to really change the way that humanity has been and really change the way the earth is being treated.” – Dr. Brian T. Lumb Show Notes: How Brian is redefining genius to be about more than intellect How there are more types of intelligence than you thought The most powerful transformation that we as humans can make on this planet What happens if we stifle our pre-rational intelligence You can’t replicate a soul How understanding your aptitude with each type of intelligence will help you succeed in life and business “We can claim responsibility for that energy (which was once a trauma) and now own it and say ’this is what made me who I am’” – Dr. Brian T. Lumb Links Mentioned: Get a copy of Bringers of the Dawn by Barbara Marciniak Visit Brian at Nourish & Flourish in Asheville, NC Connect with Dr. Brian T. Lumb: LinkedIn “The more you understand the nature of you, the more power you have to impact and influence yourself and everyone in your sphere.” – Dr. Brian T. Lumb

I get super excited about business models, but not just because studying them is a nerdy passion of mine. In this solo episode with yours truly, you'll learn how your business model can completely catapult your revenues AND help you to live a more fulfilled, prosperous lifestyle. As a result of rethinking my own business model, I was not only able to embark on a nomadic lifestyle (dream come true), I also quadrupled my income, and was able to focus on my self-care, health and well-being for the first time in many many years. By changing your model, you can release time to focus on what matters to YOU. Tune in to learn about what makes some business models WAY better than others, and how to transition from where you are to where you want to be. You'll also get tools to optimize your own model for a better lifestyle, more money, and a bigger impact. Consider Leaving a Rating & Review! “Your business model is the mechanism by which you turn your magic into money.” – Michelle Villalobos Show Notes: What is a business model and why is it important? 3 key components of a great Superstar model The joys of Monthly Recurring Revenues (MRRs) Learn to leverage your resources for maximal results with minimal effort Develop standard operating proceedures to simplify and automate repeated tasks The best business models for Superstars “Your business model impacts your lifestyle because it impacts what you spend your time doing. The right model can release time so that you can enjoy yourself more, grow more, and invest in the things that you love to do while letting go of the things you don’t love to do.” – Michelle Villalobos Links Mentioned: No longer available: Business Model Worksheet Check out previous episodes on related topics: Episode 07: The Seven Step Superstar Business Building System Episode 12: Going Deep – Align Your Identity With Your Business For More Profit and More Fun Episode 23: The Lifestyle Episode – Building A Business That Honors & Supports Your LIFE “Wherever you are today, if it’s not where you want to be: that’s ok! Think about where you do want to get to and call that your Phase III. Today is Phase I. What you need to figure out is: what is the Phase II that will get you from here to there?” – Michelle Villalobos

How would you like to be more efficient, more productive, execute more effectively, and generate better outcomes? That’s what my guest Todd Herman is all about! Todd is the creator of The 90 Day Year Program, a high-performance achievement system used by athletes, entrepreneurs, and companies around the world. It’s been recognized twice by the Stevie Awards as the world’s top leadership and skill development program. This is a powerful interview about focus and high performance: two essential ingredients for growth, influence, and impact. Consider Leaving a Rating & Review! “There are no problems in life. There are only decisions that need to be made.” – Todd Herman Show Notes: What it takes as a business owner to execute. How to reconcile being a typical ADD entrepreneur with the necessity of focusing on one thing at a time The key difference between the Influencer/Publisher business model and the Thought Leader model Why it’s crucial to demonstrate depth of knowledge and certainty about your product Todd’s five stages of a business The overwhelming importance of ambition How you can leverage 2-week sprints to maximize your productivity “What people are really buying from you isn’t your thing. What people are really buying from you is your confidence.” – Todd Herman Links Mentioned: Get a copy of Seeking Wisdom by Peter Bevelin The 90 Day Year no longer available Connect with Todd Herman: Facebook | Todd Herman “Someone with a just a hungry, hungry desire (a lot of ambition) can make a lot of mistakes, they can do a lot of things wrong, but it doesn’t matter. They are going to continue to outwork you.” – Todd Herman

If you want learn to write great marketing and sales copy, then you are in the right place! In this episode, I speak with Mara Glazer, who has been called the world's best female copywriter (don't worry, I asked her how she felt about the qualifier "female," lol). Mara brings us a dazzling array of practical tips and tricks, as well as career advice that will help you on your path to marketing mastery. You'll hear how Mara got to where she is today, having overcome a difficult childhood to become the inspirational figure she is now. You'll also learn about the No. 1 game-changing skill that enables Mara to make money any moment she needs to. That's pretty awesome. Mara has been featured on numerous major news outlets and has coached and inspired thousands to start and grow their own businesses online. She is the co-owner of the "Sales That Don't Suck" consulting business. Consider Leaving a Rating & Review! “If you do too many things, you’ll never do anything with excellence or success.” – Mara’s dad Show Notes: Why great copy is ESSENTIAL -- and what makes copy "great" A special trick to focus your copy and make it REALLY resonate with people How you can hone your copywriting skills Mara’s one-two punch copywriting technique What it was like for Mara to grow up in the shadow of her extremely successful and famous father The importance of mentors in Mara’s career Tricks, tips, and techniques for leads that don’t suck Common challenges and how you can avoid them “Go find your red pen person!” – Mara Glazer Links Mentioned: Get a copy of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondō Mara's email templates for turning consults into clients are no longer available Sales That Don't Suck are no longer available Connect with Mara Glazer: MaraGlazer.com “If a grade-school reject whose teachers told her she wouldn’t be successful can do it, you can really do it, too.” – Mara Glazer

In this episode, you’ll learn how to experience more grace, ease, and prosperity by aligning your work with your natural "flow" state. These days we have a problem -- especially among entrepreneurs. We've all been fed this myth that hard work, hustle and sacrifice are good and how we SHOULD be operating, all the time. Our culture has a work ethic that's pretty much: "work as hard as you possibly can and some day (maybe) you'll be rewarded by being 'successful' and 'happy.'" As a result, we wear our busy-ness like a badge of honor and swap war stories about how little sleep we've gotten and how hard it all is. My guest on this episode (my hero and idol!), Robert James Hamilton, will tell you that working harder is NEVER the solution; success is all about finding your FLOW. Roger is a social entrepreneur living in Bali where he’s growing 3 businesses, all committed to the global growth of the entrepreneur movement. In this interview, we discuss how entrepreneurs can generate wealth more easily by aligning their business with 1 of 8 approaches that map onto different business models. It sounds complicated -- it isn't. It's really really simple. This philosophy (and the system that goes with it, called Wealth Dynamics) has been fundamental to my growth and success as an entrepreneur, it has been fundamental to my clients' growth and success, and I’m SO excited to share it with you! Consider Leaving a Rating & Review! “Stars are meant to shine but they’re meant to shine outwards, they’re not meant to shine inwards. When they shine inwards they explode.” – Roger Hamilton Show Notes: Why and how your personality must align with your business model for the easiest and best outcomes Why when you're launching something new, it's usually better to sell it first and figure it out later Why (and how) to hire helpers early in the process of launching a company or venture The ONE simple skill can help you handle difficult situations with grace and ease How to join Roger’s entrepreneur movement Robert’s most important advice for superstars, creators and leaders “That’s the power of the way we’re going at the moment: It’s not like one big Titanic where we all have to listen to one voice, but a fleet of ships where we can all join whichever is the right fleet that’s moving us toward our purpose.” – Roger Hamilton Links Mentioned: Get a copy of the I Ching Get a copy of Your Life Your Legacy by Roger Hamilton Take the Wealth Dynamics entrepreneur profile test Learn more about GeniusU Connect with Roger Hamilton: Facebook | Twitter | Roger James Hamilton "For me, the definition of a good entrepreneur is one that achieves their dreams with the least effort possible.” – Roger Hamilton