Matt George isn't just a Harvard Business School executive leadership coach.

He's also one of my favorite Legacy Launch Pad clients. Yes, I say that a lot but I only have my favorites on this show.

I've had the privilege of watching Matt go from being a longtime nonprofit CEO to becoming a three-time #1 bestselling author who leveraged his book into a multimillion-dollar portfolio of speaking, consulting, media and coaching opportunities. As a result of his books, he now works at Harvard Business School, hosted his own prime-time TV show for four years and has generated over a million dollars in revenue from the ripple effects of authorship.

How did he do it? Well, he treated the book we published, Non-Profit Game Plan, like a "business card for life"—he never stopped networking with it.

First, he carried copies everywhere, giving them out on flights, at conferences and to nonprofits across the country. He even packed a full suitcase with 50-60 books for a John Maxwell conference and refused to bring a single one home. Then he embarked on an epic 61-city, 67-day book tour across America, combining media appearances with grassroots nonprofit visits where he literally saw his book help save a young girl's life. (He and I also got to meet for a cup of hot chocolate when his tour took him to LA.)

Today, his media appearances have multiplied 10-15x, his consulting fees have skyrocketed and his speaking invitations stretch from Ivy League alumni clubs to global conferences. And that's not all: thanks to his book, Matt was able to leave his 30-year nonprofit career, land a coveted position at Harvard Business School (coaching C-suite executives from around the world) and launch his own company.

Listen in to find out why Matt's "business card for life" strategy shows why a book truly is the world’s best business card.

Episode Highlights:

• How Matt turned his book into the catalyst for a career reinvention at Harvard Business School
• The intentional strategy of carrying and giving away books to build brand and revenue
• Why books outperform business cards for authority and credibility
• How Business Forward and other media opportunities emerged directly from authorship
• The 61-city book tour that combined grassroots impact with national visibility
• Why reviews and relationships matter more than bulk sales
• How Matt monetized his book into consulting, speaking and global coaching streams

Key Takeaways:

• A book is a lifelong business card when used strategically
• Reviews, not sales rankings, drive long-term credibility
• Speaking, consulting, and media come from intentional design, not accident
• Authorship creates authority, self-confidence and new revenue streams
• The impact of a book goes beyond business—it can literally change lives

Calvin Bagley spent his childhood dodging the school bus and adulthood building business empires. The founder of multiple eight-figure Medicare companies and a self-proclaimed “big fish in a very specific pond,” Calvin went from growing up in rural isolation with nine siblings and no formal schooling to becoming one of the most respected names in his industry.

His memoir Hiding from the School Bus doesn’t teach you how to scale a business—it shows you how to survive one hell of a childhood and still come out kind, successful and grateful.

In this episode, Calvin and I cover everything from family feuds to Kirkus raves to what it’s like when people you barely know suddenly know all your darkest secrets. He talks about writing 1,000 pages during a bout of shingles (because of course he did), taking his co-writer back to the “scene of the crime” to really feel the trauma and throwing a Vegas book launch complete with goats, carrot cake and cocktails named after his childhood pain.

It’s equal parts therapy session, comeback story and gratitude circle. Calvin somehow manages to turn abuse, neglect and educational deprivation into punchlines—and then pivots to heartfelt lessons on self-acceptance, fatherhood and what it means to finally stop running from your past.

Episode Highlights

• What happens when your mom doesn’t know you wrote a memoir
• How a shingles outbreak became a literary blessing (seriously)
• The Vegas book party that doubled as emotional closure
• How radical honesty can make your business stronger
• What happens when you tell your story and the world actually listens

Ethlie Ann Vare has lived through every incarnation of the media machine—from the era when editors and agents were true gatekeepers to today’s age of algorithms and the “wisdom of the crowd.” A journalist, TV writer and author, Vare built a career on talent, timing and serendipity. She went from covering rock shows in 1980s Los Angeles to penning biographies of Stevie Nicks and Ozzy Osbourne then spent 15 years writing for television shows like Renegade, Silk Stalkings, Andromeda and CSI.

In this episode, Vare reflects on how the publishing world she once knew—where publicists flew authors to The Today Show and books stayed in print for decades—has vanished, replaced by a firehose of content and a marketplace where visibility often trumps talent. She laments that authors are now the product, forced to become their own marketers and brands while readers drown in choice.

A savvy observer of both life and the publishing industry, Vare has proven that good work finds its way. Her New York Times–noted Mothers of Invention and later Love Addict: Sex, Romance and Other Dangerous Drugs (which began as a Tumblr called Affection Deficit Disorder) both emerged from two respective subjects she cared deeply about—women inventors and the psychology of love addiction. Now through her Substack of the same name ,she continues to write “for fun and for free,” offering hard-earned wisdom without worrying about the clicks or sales.

Episode Highlights:

• Ethlie recounts her early days in rock journalism where being “good and lucky” opened doors to Billboard, Rock Magazine and national TV appearances.
• The shift from gatekeepers to algorithms: how the fall of traditional publishing replaced discernment with popularity contests.
• Behind the making of her hit book Mothers of Invention and why its success led to a national lecture tour and lasting influence.
• Her perspective on today’s “firehose of content,” author branding and the exhaustion of self-promotion.
• The origin of Love Addict, her dive into sex and love addiction and how it evolved from personal exploration to public service.
• Reflections on age, authenticity and the strange liberation of being a “digital immigrant” in a youth-driven culture.

Key Takeaways:

• The creative industry has shifted from talent being discovered to visibility being demanded.
• Writing remains a calling worth pursuing—for love not for money.
• Democratization has come at a cost: fewer filters more noise.
• The real reward of authorship isn’t fame but connection and survival through reinvention.