In this episode of the Learning from Smart People Podcast, Rob Oliver talks with Jessica Eastman Stewart, founder of the Joyfully Managed Team. A former nonprofit executive turned systems strategist, Jessica shares how leaders can create joyful, productive teams and more ease in their own leadership. From implementing a “Polish Week” to embracing authentic appreciation practices, this conversation is packed with insightful, practical advice to help your work life run smoother and feel better.

Here are some of the key points Rob and Jessica discuss:

• Why joy might actually be the whole point of life—and leadership
• The importance of diversity in team-building and decision-making
• Why self-awareness matters when assembling or managing a team
• How executive coaching can reveal hidden leadership blind spots
• What a “Polish Week” is—and how it helps clean up cluttered systems
• Examples of tasks you can tackle during a Polish Week (like decluttering tabs!)
• How systems and structure can create space for more joy and ease
• The myth of constant productivity and why “cleanup time” is essential
• Strategies for managing tabs, bookmarks, inboxes, and brain clutter
• The power of declaring “inbox bankruptcy” to reset your workflow
• Why appreciation is one of the most effective joy-generators for teams
• Different languages of appreciation and how to tailor them to your people
• How leaders can use reminders and planning to make appreciation routine
• Why symbolic gestures can be just as meaningful as tangible rewards
• How Jessica uses email, Instagram, and freebies to spread joyful leadership tips

Jessica offers a free editable "Polish Week Checklist" to help you get started with tidying up your systems: https://bit.ly/Polish-Up-My-Systems

You can learn more about Jessica and connect with her through these links:

• Website: www.jessicaeastmanstewart.com
• Instagram: @joyfullymanagedteam
• Twitter: @jessicaestewart
• LinkedIn: Jessica Eastman Stewart

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In this episode of the Learning from Smart People Podcast, Rob Oliver talks with Nikki Bradley about how to build a powerful personal brand. Nikki is a brand strategist and authentic messaging expert who helps her clients show up as the boldest, truest versions of themselves. Drawing from both her corporate background and her own entrepreneurial journey, she shares practical insights and a powerful framework for creating a brand that resonates.

Here are some key takeaways from Rob Oliver and Nikki Bradley’s conversation:

• Your brand starts with your identity: you must see yourself clearly to be seen by others.

• Authenticity is magnetic—your audience connects when you show up as the real you.

• Saying “no” is a form of self-care and a boundary-setting skill worth mastering.

• Avoid the trap of imitating others online; your uniqueness is your superpower.

• Personal branding involves a balance of purpose, passion, blind spots, and your innate gifts.

• Feedback from close connections can reveal unseen strengths and clarify your personal brand.

• Branding is more than a logo or website—it’s about clarity on your values and messaging.

• Ideal clients share your values; think psychographics, not just demographics.

• Nikki’s “airplane test” helps identify clients you’d genuinely enjoy working with.

• Success is more likely when you stop trying to do it alone and seek the right support.

• Branding requires knowing the exact problem you solve and articulating it simply.

• Your name should be associated with a key problem your clients face.

• Tools for branding include social media, clarity on your “why,” and consistent visibility.

• Your operating system—how you run your business—can support or sabotage your branding.

• Building a business aligned with your purpose leads to more joy and less hustle.

• Faith, values, and personal alignment play a central role in Nikki’s brand philosophy.

You can connect with Nikki Bradley and access her free resources here:

• Website: nikkibradley.net

• Free Masterclass: $100K in 90 Days Masterclass

• Facebook: NikkiFBradley

• Instagram: @thenikkibradley

• LinkedIn: Nikki F. Bradley

Thanks for listening to the Learning from Smart People Podcast!

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In this episode of the Learning from Smart People Podcast, Rob Oliver talks with Chris Castanes—an award-winning insurance agent, speaker, and author of You Are Going to Be Great at This. Chris brings decades of sales wisdom with a refreshing blend of humor and authenticity. Whether you're a reluctant entrepreneur or a seasoned salesperson, you'll appreciate Chris’s real-world insights on what it really takes to succeed in sales—without the sleaze.

Here are some of the key takeaways from Chris Castanes’ conversation with Rob Oliver:

• Sales success starts with learning how to find people to talk to.

• A full pipeline and consistent networking are essential to growth.

• Rejection is part of the process—develop “Teflon coating” and keep moving.

• Toastmasters and public speaking can help introverts build communication confidence.

• Sales isn’t just about product—people buy from people they trust.

• Building rapport and demonstrating integrity beat pushy tactics every time.

• Relationship selling means showing up sincerely, not just closing a deal.

• You're always selling yourself—in business and in life.

• Humor and resilience can defuse rejection and create memorable moments.

• “Selling on the approval of others” taps into a powerful psychological motivator.

• Real-life examples (like Popeye and spinach!) make sales techniques relatable.

• Listening is more powerful than talking—find the client’s real pain point.

• Be genuinely curious about your client’s needs, not just your pitch.

• Follow up consistently; a client’s circumstances can change unexpectedly.

• Keep multiple solutions “in your quiver” to serve evolving needs.

• Transitioning to virtual and social media-based sales requires creativity and adaptability.

• The barrier to entry on social media is low—standing out requires strategy.

• Your name is your brand—keep it consistent and focused.

• Avoid diluting your identity with conflicting side hustles.

• Chris’s humor-infused book was a passion project turned powerful teaching tool.

You can learn more about Chris Castanes and connect with him through the links below:

Website: www.chriscastanes.com
Twitter: @ccastanes
Instagram: @chriscastanes

Thanks for listening to the Learning from Smart People Podcast!

Subscribe, leave a comment and follow us on social media:

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Rich Ermlick: How to Build Scalable Business Systems

Rich Ermlick joins Rob Oliver on this episode of the Learning from Smart People Podcast to talk about how to build “boring excellence” (a.k.a. Scalable Business Systems.) As the founder of Boring Excellence, Rich helps leaders develop simple, stable, and scalable systems that reduce chaos and produce consistent, sustainable results—in business and in life.

Here are some of the main points as Rob Oliver and Rich Ermlick talk about how to build boring excellence:

• • Rich’s journey from factory work to corporate consulting through Lean Six Sigma
  • The principles of operational excellence can apply to your personal life, too
• • True improvement isn’t about fixing problems—it’s about building on stability
  • The difference between recovery and real innovation
  • Root cause thinking: how to dig past surface issues to find what’s really in the way
  • Why excellence is often invisible—and how that’s actually a good thing
  • “Make the process boring so you can live fabulously”
  • Every persistent business problem is a personal issue at scale
  • The three personality traps that keep leaders stuck
  • The six-phase improvement cycle Rich teaches: from clarity to reflection

  Rich is offering two free 30-minute “bullet sessions” to the first people who comment on this episode on LinkedIn. He’s also providing a downloadable one-page framework outlining his improvement process—see below for the link!

  You can learn more about Rich Ermlick and Boring Excellence by connecting through the website or accessing the download below.

  Download: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1szUCPVt9P6wzva5zCGlB7suRwzuzESVW
  Connect:http://BoringExcellence.com

  Thanks for listening to the Learning from Smart People Podcast!

  Subscribe, leave a comment and follow us on social media:

  Twitter: http://twitter.com/LFSPPodcast
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  You can also use the "Contact" page on the Learning from Smart People website:
  https://www.learningfromsmartpeople.com/contact/

John Louizes talks about how to scale your business on this episode of the Learning from Smart People Podcast with Rob Oliver. John is the owner and proprietor of Zeno’s taffy and ice cream shop. It is the world’s most famous taffy. He has expanded from a single store with 3 employees to 9 stores with over 50 employees. A super interesting guy, you will enjoy this interview and learn from it.

Here are some of the main points as John Louizes and Rob Oliver talk about how to scale your business:

· Zeno’s is a family operated business that started in Daytona Beach in 1948
· Having a family run business creates interesting management power dynamics
· Fear is a powerful motivator
· Growth can be a powerful and enjoyable experience
· Lower profit margins from multiple locations can be more profitable than higher profit margins from a single location
· Different generations have different skill sets and visions
· Reactive decisions are generally not good for business
· Identify your constituency and serve them
· Put your website on everything!
· There is no saltwater in saltwater taffy
· Be as creative as possible within your marketplace

You can connect with John Louizes and Zeno’s Taffy through the links below. When you order from the website, be sure to use the code “smart20” to receive your 20% discount.

Website: https://worldsmostfamoustaffy.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FamousTaffy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/famoustaffy/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zenoscandy/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnlouizes/

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Rob Kessler talks about how to find your niche in business on this episode of the Learning from Smart People Podcast with Rob Oliver. Kessler is the inventor of the Million Dollar Collar. In this episode, he talks about why he invented the collar and shares his entrepreneurial journey. As an entrepreneur, you will relate to some of his experiences and learn from others.

Here are some of the topics covered as Rob Oliver and Rob Kessler talk about how to find your niche in business:

· Necessity is the mother of invention. Kessler loves to wear a dress shirt but not a tie, how can you keep your shirt from crumbling if you don’t wear a tie?
· You can only go so far googling stuff, sometimes you need to consult a professional.
· Even though his Kickstarter did not get funded, he learned from the feedback
· Consumers will tell you what they want to buy, you just need to listen
· There’s a difference between feedback and criticism
· Don’t focus on problems, focus on solutions!
· Do tons of research on your concept
· Your patent can be a source of revenue
· Your passion is what will carry you through
· A great support network is invaluable
· You might need to take a partner whose strengths match your weaknesses
· The innovator and the implementer
· Never underestimate the power of good customer service
· Customer first, team second, company third
· Integrity is a huge part of life
· Part of integrity is putting out a super quality product
· You can harness the power of influencers
· Kessler thinks that NDAs can be fairly useless
· It’s hard to get investors when you just have a concept

You can learn more about Rob Kessler and Million Dollar Collar through the links below:

Website: http://MillionDollarCollar.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/milliondollarcollar
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/milliondollarcollar
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/robkessleriii

Thanks for listening to the Learning from Smart People Podcast!

Subscribe, leave a comment and follow us on social media:

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You will learn how to become more strategic in your marketing from Drew Donaldson during this episode of the Learning from Smart People Podcast with Rob Oliver. Drew is a strategist, coach and consultant. His company, GroHaus, helps businesses become competent, strategic, and efficient in their marketing. He is also part of an organization that protects children from online threats. If you are looking for insights into how to improve your marketing, this is the episode for you.

Here are some of the topics covered as Rob Oliver interviews Drew Donaldson about how to become more strategic in your marketing:

· Rob gets some high praise about the name of the podcast
· Watching his parents who were small business owners, he saw the struggles of growing your business
· Being a problem fixer involves showing people what they are doing wrong (in a nice and kind way!)
· Being in a greenhouse doesn’t guarantee growth, there are many other variables to consider
· Nurturing a business in the same way you nurture a plant promotes growth
· It’s important to be prepared for the difficulties you know are coming
· The first step to success is “idea validation”
· Avoid some common mistakes when validating ideas
· The biggest influence in Drew’s business life was his mentor
· There are good “mind games” to play that will give you clarity
· There is a fine line between a dream crusher and a realist
· Lacking an open-minded attitude is one key to failure
· It pays to play the “What About…” Game
· Your ability to take criticism is directly related to your success
· All criticism is not equal!

You can learn more about Drew Donaldson and GroHaus through the links below:

Website: http://grohaus.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GroHausPA/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gro.haus/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewrdonaldson

Thanks for listening to the Learning from Smart People Podcast!

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We hear about how to take care of yourself and the planet from Cathy Nesbitt on this episode of the Learning from Smart People Podcast with Rob Oliver. Cathy practices laughter yoga and is an expert in vermiculture. What is vermiculture? You will have to listen to the episode to find out! Cathy is an award-winning environmental innovator who encourages people to live a more sustainable life.

Here are some of the topics that Cathy Nesbitt and Rob Oliver covered in their discussion of how to take care of yourself and the planet:

· When Toronto closed their landfill, they had to start exporting their garbage to Michigan
· Cathy’s solution was to reduce the amount of garbage by composting, indoors no less!
· Composting is turning garbage into gold
· Fear is just the unknown…
· It utilizes the scraps from food preparation, not from plate scrapings
· Worms eat half of their weight in food scraps daily
· Her journey to entrepreneurship started by taking a business course
· The next step was a booth at fairs where she started educating the public
· Her business grew from being completely local to having a web presence and serving people internationally
· The key to staying positive was our introduction to laughter yoga
· Dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins are all released when we laugh, have you had your DOSE?
· Laughter yoga is a form of laughter exercise, like sit ups
· Laughter is a full body experience
· To take care of the planet you need to take care of yourself

You can learn more about Cathy Nesbitt and Cathy’s Composters through the links below:

Website: https://www.cathyscomposters.com/
Website: https://www.cathysclub.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Squirm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CathysCrawlyComposters
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathynesbitt/

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