Behind the Brilliance

Latest Episodes:

093: Bea Arthur Jul 07, 2016

Show notes

This week's guest is therapist turned entrepreneur Bea Arthur. The self-proclaimed Beyonce of tech joins me on my virtual couch to talk about a cocktail of topics including:

-Bea's journey as the daughter of Ghanian immigrants

-How Bea found her way as a startup founder

-Being ripped apart on Shark Tank (and how she bounced back)

-Bea's advice to folks who want to do the startup thing

-Why Bea decided to freeze her eggs (I'm curious, she's open, it works)

-Bea's advice to folks dealing with anxiety and depression

-How Bea sees failure

-Why burritos are better than salads sometimes

-And much more!

Get into this episode and let us know what you think!

Bea's Twitter: @BeaArthurLMHC

Lisa's Twitter: @LisaNicoleBell

Show Notes: http://bit.ly/BTB93

092 Paul Jarvis Jun 30, 2016

Show notes

This episode is a conversation with the smart, heavily tattooed, and awesome Paul Jarvis. Paul started his career as a freelance web designer and then started writing advice for people who wanted to figure out how to balance the business aspects of their creative work. Now he's created software and is continuing to push the boundaries of his work.

In this conversation, we cover:

-How Paul got his start

-How Paul designed his life to reflect what he enjoys most

-Why Paul has pet rats (I know, but stay with us)

-How to differentiate yourself from competition in crowded fields

-How Paul handles critics

-And much more!

Hit Paul up on Twitter @pjrvs to let him know what you think!

Show Notes: http://bit.ly/BTBPaulJarvis

091 Q+A - Journaling & Unsupportive People Jun 23, 2016

Show notes

In this solo episode, I answer two listener questions: 1 about my journaling process and another about how to deal with unsupportive family members.

I share a lot of thoughts:

-Why I journal and reasons I think journaling is helpful for everyone no matter what you do professionally

-How I approach journaling (time, location, frequency, etc)

-Benefits of journaling

-Why other people not supporting you is not about you

-The most important part of feeling "supported"

-And more!

Show Notes: http://bit.ly/BTB091

090 Rachel Rodgers Jun 16, 2016

Show notes

This week's guest is attorney-turned-entrepreneur Rachel Rodgers. After realizing she didn't want to take a traditional path after law school, Rachel launched a virtual office and went on to make a business out of sharing what she knows.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of ground including:

-Why traditional careers don't have to be boring

-How Rachel managed being the breadwinner in her home as an entrepreneur

-How Rachel deals with critics

-Rachel's advice for anyone trying to find their path

-How Rachel bounced back from her darkest time

-And much more!

SHOW NOTES: http://bit.ly/BTB90

Follow Rachel: Twitter/Instagram - @RachRodgersEsq

089 Darrah Brustein Jun 09, 2016

Show notes

This week's episode is a conversation with founder and superconnector Darrah Brustein. Darrah is the cofounder and CEO of Equitable Payments, and she is the founder of the fast-growing national networking event series, Network Under 40.

In this episode, we talk about Darrah's journey to starting her business, her best advice for networking, and why she doesn't believe in ever being "too busy."

Topics covered:

Why Darrah studied Religion and Italian in college

Why you should travel the world

How Darrah found her path as an entrepreneur

The hard truth about book publishing

Darrah's networking advice (she runs the largest networking event in ATL)

Darrah's approach to time management

And more!

Show Notes: http://bit.ly/DarrahB89

088 The Strangest Secret Jun 02, 2016

Show notes

This week's episode features one of my favorite recordings - The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale. The recording lays out some compelling ideas about personal development and success. It's an older recording so some of the references are dated, but the core message is timeless. As something I listen to often, I decided it was time for me to share it with you.

This week, Lisa Likes wardrobe capsules. Sometimes my schedule gets stacked and I need to reserve my cognitive space for important decisions. A wardrobe capsule helps me get up and out the door quickly without fussing over what I'll wear. I highly recommend it for busy people looking for extra time.

Show Notes: http://bit.ly/BTBSecret

087 Birthday Episode 2016 May 26, 2016

Show notes

This week's episode is the annual birthday episode where I share what I've learned (and remembered) in the past year.

Show Notes: http://bit.ly/BTBbirthday

086 Elisa Camahort Page May 19, 2016

Show notes

This week, Lisa Likes Night Shift, the Apple feature that automatically changes the color of your display to the warmer end of the color spectrum after dark with the intention of helping you get a better night's sleep.

This week's guest is Elisa Camahort Page, cofounder of BlogHer and current executive of SheKnows Media. Elisa shares her journey as a founder and offers her perspective on taking risks, building teams, and much more.

In this conversation, we cover:

-How and why Elisa decided to forgo a steady paycheck to start BlogHer (she went 2 years without a salary!)

-How Elisa approaches risk (and why she believes you should always take them)

-The key lessons Elisa has learned about leadership and creating teams

-Elisa's perspective on the current state of tech for women founders

-Elisa's habits for success

-More

Show notes are available at http://bit.ly/elisacpage

085 Willie Jackson May 13, 2016

Show notes

This episode starts with a recap of my trip to Egypt. This week, Lisa Likes Global Entry - the trusted traveler program that lets you breeze through customs when you return to the US.

This week's guest is Willie Jackson, an entreprenurial technologist who serves as technology lead for Seth Godin (renown author + marketer) while also running Abernathy Magazine, a digital publication for black men.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of ground:

-transitioning to doing work you love

-how to create a new professional network when you want to make a career leap

-the importance of self-care no matter how busy you are

-developing work habits that support your goals

and much, much more!

This is the longest episode of BTB ever, but it's a worthwhile conversation.

Details on stuff mentioned are in the show notes: http://lisanicolebell.com/behind-brilliance-085-willie-jackson/

Enjoy!

084 Q+A: Dealing w/ Overwhelm + Opportunities May 05, 2016

Show notes

This week's episode is a Q+A session where I answer a question about dealing with overwhelm and how to manage new opportunities.

This week, Lisa Likes Spider Oak ONE, a super awesome, privacy-enhanced backup system that stores your files on a hard drive and in the cloud for access anytime across multiple devices. A life saver if anything ever happens to your computer.

This episode covers:

-Why "no" is a complete sentence and why "hell yeah or no" is a great place to start

-Values and how they inform a vision, goals, plans, actions, and measuring the return on choices

-Rest + sleep and why they're so necessary (and generally awesome)

-Priming the creative pump

-Productivity: hacks for batching, email, time management, and efficiency

-Assessing costs for an opportunity in terms of time, money, energy, and opportunity cost

-Choosing projects that benefit the greater good

-Aligning opportunities with goals

-FOMO is a mofo (full stop)

-Figuring out what really matters to you and having the opportunities you accept reflect that

Hit me up and let me know what you think of this episode!