I had a giant smile on my face when I first met Mignon Francois, the founder and CEO of The Cupcake Collection.

Mignon exudes joy and just being around her makes everyone smile.

But that's not to say that it's been all smiles for Mignon on her journey to bring The Cupcake Collection to where it is today.

She started with $5 and has grown the business to do over 10 million dollars in sales.

Through the highs and lows, Mignon has persevered. And she's done it with joy.

If you want to build a winning team, you're about to learn from Mignon that you need to bring a little joy to what you do.

Order your copy of "The Secret Society of Success" on Audible: https://adbl.co/3uSHzTs

And be sure to check out How Leaders Lead with David Novak, a podcast I produce as a part of my role as the CEO of David Novak Leadership (full update on this at the end of the episode): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-leaders-lead-with-david-novak/id1223803642

There was a season in my life when I wanted to be the next John Mayer. When I was in college, I wrote my first song which then turned into me writing more songs and recording some of them.

I then moved to Nashville as an eager and optimistic 21 year old with a big dream of becoming a full-time musician.

I went to Belmont University for my junior year of college and started meeting other singer/songwriters with similar dreams to mine. One of the people I met there was Steve Moakler. And when I first heard his music, I've got to be honest … I didn't want to like it because I was jealous. The guy was writing songs that were surely going to land him on the radio and everything about him just screamed "this guy is going to be a star."

People at Belmont talked about Steve like he was going to be the next John Mayer. Which was impossible! Because I was going to be the next John Mayer!

But everything changed when I really got to know him.

We went on a tour together and quickly, Steve became one of my closest friends.

If you don't know Steve Moakler, you're about to hear what makes him so special.

Listen to Steve's new record "Make a Little Room" on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/457Ok9pnF5fAfG7lNUFqHS?si=EuYZ47fNTvSrn7-B3xt6Bg

Order your copy of "The Secret Society of Success" on Audible: https://adbl.co/3uSHzTs

Dr. Nate Zinsser has spent his career training the minds of the U.S. Military Academy's cadets as they prepare to lead and perform when the stakes are the very highest.

Not only this, he's coached world-class athletes like two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, numerous Olympic medalists, professional ballerinas, and other athletes, teaching them to overcome pressure and succeed on the biggest stages.

Dr. Zinsser's book is called "The Confident Mind" and as soon as I started to read it, I knew I had to find a way to get him on this podcast.

Because if you want to build a winning team, you need to start by building confidence.

Get a copy of Dr. Z's book "The Confident Mind": https://amzn.to/3SE9TTt

Order your copy of "The Secret Society of Success" on Audible: https://adbl.co/3uSHzTs

Canlis is a fine-dining restaurant in Seattle, run by 3rd generation owners (and brothers) Brian and Mark Canlis. In my interview today with Brian, you're going to hear loud and clear what's at the heart of Canlis: they think of others first.

They think of others first in how they hire—and the unique approach they have as they interview candidates.

They think of others first in creating the guest's dining experience—how they're looking to blow the guest's minds.

I could go on and on, but the point is this: to build a winning team, you have to think of others first.

This "think of others first" approach to life and business is at the core of what it means to be in the Secret Society. And I'll tell ya, Brian and the team at Canlis are card carrying members of the Secret Society of Success.

Order your copy of "The Secret Society of Success" on Audible: https://adbl.co/3uSHzTs

As a society, we are more anxious and overwhelmed than we've ever been — 77% of our population is experiencing physical symptoms of stress on a regular basis.

And while I hear so many people talking about the problem, I don't hear many people offering solutions.

But then I read a book called "Rhythms of Renewal" by Rebekah Lyons where she shares four rhythms that we could implement into our lives to bring a little more peace.

What if we knew what to do when we felt anxious?

What if we had some tools that we could lean on when we needed them the most?

Well, in the next 30 minutes, that's exactly what you're going to get from Rebekah.

Because if we want to build a winning team, we need to establish rhythms to reduce stress and anxiety in the workplace and at home.

Take the quiz to find your strongest rhythm: http://rebekahlyons.com/quiz

Get a copy of Rebekah's book "Rhythms of Renewal": https://amzn.to/3b4EZ5P

Order your copy of "The Secret Society of Success" on Audible: https://adbl.co/3uSHzTs

I have to admit, I have a tendency of only doing things that I know I'll be good at.

I mean, who likes to fail?!

But recently, I came across a book called "Chasing Failure" and in it, the author, Ryan Leak says, "Chasing failure took me further than chasing success ever did."

And I'll have to say, that caught my attention and has me rethinking my approach.

So I asked Ryan if he'd help us better understand why we should chase failure and the impact that can have in our lives and careers.

Get a copy of Ryan's book "Chasing Failure": https://amzn.to/3OYJnlG

Order your copy of "The Secret Society of Success" on Audible: https://adbl.co/3uSHzTs

As you're building a business, it's easy to default into the idea that bigger is better.

But is that the only approach?

Lee LeFever is the author of a book called "Big Enough" and in this episode, he's going to show us there is in fact another option.

Maybe growing and scaling is the play. But there's also a chance that maybe a "big enough" approach would be a better decision for you for a lot of reasons.

If we want to build a winning team, we need to think about all aspects of our decisions. Especially when it comes to how we structure our companies, and the products we offer, and the teams we then put together to serve our customers.

As you'll hear Lee talk about, it's important to "plant the garden you're prepared to tend."

Get a copy of Lee's book "Big Enough": https://amzn.to/3uD82Ee

Order your copy of "The Secret Society of Success" on Audible: https://adbl.co/3uSHzTs

Twenty-one years ago Al Andrews started Porter's Call, a nonprofit that offers counsel and support to touring musicians.

Thousands of lives have been impacted by the work that Al and his team do behind the scenes as they come alongside recording artists to work through their challenges.

But the truth is, we're all up against some of the same challenges that recording artists face.

Have you ever struggled with comparison or criticism or even how to have a healthy relationship with social media?

This conversation with Al shifted my mindset about some of these things and I'd imagine you'll be thinking a bit differently by the end of this episode, too.

If we want to build a winning team, we need to learn to deal with comparison and criticism and prioritize mental health both at work and at home. And Al is about to help us take steps towards health.

Donate to Porter's Call: https://www.porterscall.com/donate

Order your copy of "The Secret Society of Success" on Audible: https://adbl.co/3uSHzTs