On the Brink with Andi Simon

Latest Episodes:

257: Emma Mills-Sheffield—Can Listening Help You Solve Your Life's Problems? Mar 08, 2021

Show notes

Learn how empowering your employees catalyzes your business

In October of last year I was interviewed by Emma Mills-Sheffield for her blog. We spoke about the challenges that businesses face when they stop growing, which is the subject of my first book, "On the Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Your Business to New Heights," that shares seven case studies of clients who had gotten stuck or stalled. We discussed how Emma approaches business operations in a way that she can help companies scale and sustain their growth. As we spoke, I realized that we can always learn new things in new ways. And you will as well. Listen in!

Watch and listen to our conversation

Emma and I both find that people are the opportunity and the challenge

We all know that an organization is a group of people. And that its success is dependent upon those people being able to "see, feel and think" for themselves but also as a collaborative unit.

What Emma will share with you is how she develops people's workplace skills using humility and vulnerability. She helps them see themselves in fresh ways and develop their resilience and capabilities so they can become a happy and productive workforce—what every employer wants. Because at the end of the day, any company is just a summary of its employees. Now is a good time to foster engagement and enthusiasm among your own employees as you re-enter a post-COVID environment.

About Emma Mills-Sheffield

A highly sought-after consultant, Emma helps businesses drive efficiency and productivity to get the best from their organization and their people. Through coaching and training employees to become more resilient, she helps them and the companies they work for develop and thrive. By streamlining business operations and investing in people, this encourages business growth fueled by a contented, more dedicated workforce.

Her passion is to empower people, looking beyond pure profit and cost reduction, since a successful business is more than just the bottom line. Clients typically work with Emma's company, Mindsetup, when they are: • Scaling up a business • Restructuring • Integrating new teams • Revising strategic direction • Bidding for new work or preparing for investment • Ramping up their formal manager training and leadership coaching • Preparing for a flexible working model You can contact Emma on LinkedIn, her Mindsetup website or her blog.

Want to learn more about scaling for growth by empowering your people?

Additional resources

My new book: "Rethink: Smashing The Myths of Women in Business"
My award-winning first book: "On the Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Your Business to New Heights"
Simon Associates Management Consultants website

256: Roshni Pandey—To Find Your Happiness, Assemble The Kind Of Life You Want Mar 01, 2021

Show notes

Learn how to turn your big idea into a true innovation!

With the launch of my new book, "Rethink: Smashing the Myths of Women in Business," I have had the pleasure of meeting many amazing women who are helping other women become the best that they can be. Roshni Pandey and I met through the Women's Business Collaborative. She is a very successful business woman who is now finding all types of ways to help other women. During our podcast you will hear us talk about how you too can take your ideas and turn them into great innovations, and along the way, transform women and their lives. Do listen in! Watch and listen to our conversation

#rethinkwomeninbusiness is about more than just business

It is about our society, everywhere across the globe. As Marion Edelman once said: "If you cannot see it, you cannot be it." Today, women of all ages need role models. Roshni's story will help you think about your own.

About Roshni Pandey

Roshni is the co-founder of BlueBox Group, an investment and advisory group nurturing and developing early stage ideas. She's also the founder and Managing Partner of Lexicon, a management consulting firm enabling organizations to build strong foundations, navigate increasingly dynamic trading environments, and drive new growth through creative strategy and innovation.

Committed to social causes, Roshni has launched several influential initiatives, including Futurewise, a skills acquisition program to solve the growing crisis of employability, and TRIBE, a social enterprise supporting women and children from underserved communities in Asia Pacific. Roshni is also a judge for Women of the Future awards, providing young women with recognition for their achievements.

Roshni has been the recipient of the "Woman Achiever Award" at the World Women Leadership Congress, the "Strategic Business Partner Award" at the Business Leaders Awards, and many others. Indian by ethnicity, Fijian by birth, Australian by citizenship, Singaporean by residence and global by mindset, Roshni's biggest passion is traveling with her husband and two children.

You can contact Roshni through LinkedIn or at roshni@bluebox.com.sg.

Learn more about living your best, most fulfilled life

Additional resources

My new book: "Rethink: Smashing The Myths of Women in Business"
My award-winning first book: "On the Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Your Business to New Heights"
Simon Associates Management Consultants website

255: Nadia Bilchik—How To Master Communication In A Virtual World Feb 22, 2021

Show notes

Learn how to confidently and competently connect online!

We often meet people who just transform us. Nadia Bilchik is one of those women. I totally enjoyed this podcast. A former CNN anchor and host, she had to suddenly pivot and create a new Nadia when the pandemic hit. What she's learning is that she, like so many of us, have had to re-create a part or all of our careers, even our personal lives, as a result of this crisis. Nadia reminds us that a key part of moving forward is clear communication...with our business associates, our friends, our family, and she shares important strategies for doing this. Listen in!

Watch and listen to our conversation

How to effectively connect online for all of our communications

Do you want to build trust, develop rapport and come across as confident, competent and credible during virtual interactions? Nadia can help. Even CEOs are trying to figure out how to engage with their teams while working remote — and often they are not very skilled in building a remote culture. Some of Nadia's wisdom:

First, look into the camera, not the screen, to keep eye contact.
Have everyone keep their cameras on, and teach them how to feel comfortable looking at each other.
Use your new body language to really engage with people even through a video zoom.
Don't be afraid to ask: "How are you doing?" or "What is your biggest challenge?" Then really listen to them share with you their pain points.
Learn to listen. Really listen. Listen with your eyes and you will hear far more than you thought you would.
Don't fuss over the new. Enjoy it.

And Nadia is a big fan of my new book, "Rethink: Smashing the Myths of Women in Business." Thank you, Nadia!

About Nadia Bilchik

Nadia Bilchik, President of Greater Impact Communication, is an internationally recognized television personality, communication and professional development expert who has created a proven methodology to develop the mindset and skill set to project confidence and have greater impact every time you communicate.

Nadia's unique approach to communications skills training comes from her extensive experience interviewing and consulting with world-renowned figures, celebrities and corporations, including Nelson Mandela, Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Anthony Hopkins, Time Warner/Turner Broadcasting (CNN, Cartoon Network, TBS), The Home Depot, Coca-Cola, Porsche USA, Northeastern University, GA Tech, UGA Terry School of Business, and many others. In addition, she has anchored and hosted feature programs for CNN International, CNN Airport Network and MNet Television (South Africa), has reported for CNN Weekend, and was Editorial Producer for CNN's Weekend Morning program.

You can connect with Nadia through her website, LinkedIn and Twitter, or email her at nadia@nadiabilchik.com.

Want to learn more about how to communicate more effectively? Try these

Additional resources

My new book: "Rethink: Smashing The Myths of Women in Business"
My award-winning first book: "On the Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Your Business to New Heights"
Simon Associates Management Consultants website

254: Tony Guarnaccia—Can A Better Strategy Really Help Your Business Thrive? Feb 15, 2021

Show notes

Hear how you, yes you, can have a wildly successful business!

Tony Guarnaccia and I had a hard time getting together to do a podcast for you. But once we did, we loved our conversation. Tony has an approach to growing businesses which he has developed and honed after years of working with small and large companies, observing how they anticipate what is needed and prepare for uncertainties and change. From his experiences, he developed a process called Democratize Marketing, a way to help business owners create strategies and plans that can help their businesses grow. Do you have a business? Or want one? Listen in!

Watch and hear our conversation here

Hope is not a strategy

According to Tony, and I second this, you need to have a vision. You need to visualize what you want to achieve. You can't be it if you can't see it. Also, you need to know your market and what your customers and potential customers need. Then you become their best solution.

More About Tony

Tony Guarnaccia has helped thousands of businesses survive crises. Whether it was post-9/11, during the Great Recession or amidst massive company acquisitions, Tony has helped all sorts of companies navigate uncertainties and emerge stronger on the other side.

As a child, Tony experienced firsthand the devastating crisis of business failure when his parents' small bakery business failed and they lost everything, including their home. Its impact on his life was powerful. He determined he would one day figure out how to help small business owners like his parents learn how to run a profitable business. And he has. He has worked with the best companies in every industry, including Google, Microsoft, ADP, Ford, BMW, Mohegan Sun and Morgan Stanley, observing how they grow consistently and predictably, and also how they use adversity to pivot towards opportunity in order to survive and thrive in all manner of economic conditions. As a result, he has helped grow over 10,000 small businesses and a dozen Fortune 500 companies.

His current mission, Democratize Marketing, shows small business owners and entrepreneurs how to grow profitably and how to leverage their resources to make it happen. He believes that by growing small businesses, together we can impact not just our local communities but also our world. In fact, Tony has become an activist for making positive change in the world. Throughout his career, he's supported the Special Olympics, Food for the Hungry, Acts Missionaries, International Justice Mission, World Vision, Save the Bay and other visionary organizations, charities and causes.

Where to find Tony

You can connect with Tony through his website, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram, or email him at tony@meettonyg.com.

Want to learn how to grow a great business? Here's a start

Additional resources

My newest book: "Rethink: Smashing The Myths of Women in Business"
My award-winning first book: "On the Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Your Business to New Heights"
Simon Associates Management Consultants website

253: Janine Firpo—It's Time To Help Women Invest For Sustainable Growth Feb 08, 2021

Show notes

Learn how to make money investing in the things you care about

All of the women in my new book,"Rethink: Smashing The Myths of Women in Business," inspire me. They are all strong, bold trailblazers who overcame endless hurdles, regardless of the industry they were in or the field they were pursuing. One of these women, Janine Firpo, is the guest of this podcast. I wanted you to hear her talk about her passion and her purpose. When you read her chapter in my book, you will learn how her personal story set the stage for what we discuss today. Janine is on a personal mission to empower others, particularly women, to understand how to manage their money, invest in what they care about, and make substantial returns on their purpose-driven investment decisions. All of us really need to hear this interview!

Watch and listen to our conversation

When women take control of their money, they can to change the world

As Janine so aptly puts it, "Where we choose to put our money matters. Whether it's parked in a savings account at a big bank or sits in the stock market, what your money is funding may shock you—and not paying attention isn't an option anymore."

Teaching women how to invest in the communities, people and values that bring them joy is the subject of Janine's new book, "Activate Your Money: Invest to Grow Your Wealth and Build a Better World," coming out this May. This is also the focus of her groundbreaking investment company, SEMBA, which embodies Janine's core values and mission: to create a more just and equitable society by teaching women how to invest their assets in alignment with their personal values.

Women helping women invest for good

Written in collaboration with over 120 women (and a few men), "Activate Your Money" combines stories of women's personal finance journeys with practical and actionable investment strategies, giving women the knowledge and confidence they need to take control of their money and grow it by investing in the things they believe in. Janine says that her book was inspired by her encouraging mother, a series of women mentors and an extensive community of women who paved the way for women in business.

About Janine

Throughout her diverse 35-year career, Janine Firpo has held numerous high-profile positions, including Deputy Director for Financial Services for the Poor for The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lead Investor at Next Wave Impact Fund, mobile banking expert for the International Finance Corporation, and Director for the Hewlett-Packard Company. You can connect with Janine through her website SEMBA, her blog, Twitter or LinkedIn.

More great stories of women smashing myths and hurdling over barriers

Additional resources

My newest book: "Rethink: Smashing The Myths of Women in Business"
My award-winning first book: "On the Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Your Business to New Heights"
Simon Associates Management Consultants website

252: Liz Musch—What Can A Successful Woman Teach Other Women? How To Succeed Feb 01, 2021

Show notes

Hear what a big difference one woman can make!

I had the pleasure of meeting Liz Musch on a Women's Business Collaborative event. She was moderating a panel of amazing women who are deeply involved in helping women succeed across the globe—India, Southeast Asia, Africa, everywhere. As I listened to her speak, I was struck by the depth of her devotion to helping women, leveraging her own success well beyond what any career position might have enabled her to do. Whether through her non-profit work or as a mentor to other women or pivoting and figuring out her own life's journey, she brings to our podcast a fresh perspective that is very important to listen to, absorb and apply. Enjoy and share with others, and like Liz, may we all find ways to help women become the best that they can be.

About Liz Musch

Liz is the epitome of a multicultural and global citizen and business leader. With Dutch-Indonesian origins, she immigrated to the US as a child, spending her formative years and the beginning of her career here. She then moved to France, with Paris having been her home for more than 30 years now. With both American and French citizenship, she now splits her time between Paris and southern California.

Liz has had a very successful career holding multicultural, regional and global responsibilities with professional and marketing services organizations, most recently as CEO at Kantar/WPP and Ipsos. She now has an active portfolio career on both sides of the pond: corporate board work, strategic advisor to international businesses, and continued and intensive support of an environmental non-profit. She also serves on the board of her alma mater, The Fletcher School, playing a key role in helping it transform for the future.

Liz's proudest achievement is her son, Max, who is a young architect in Paris.

To connect with Liz, visit her page on LinkedIn.

Want more stories of women helping women? Here are three

Additional resources

My newest book: "Rethink: Smashing The Myths of Women in Business"
My award-winning first book: "On the Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Your Business to New Heights"
Simon Associates Management Consultants website

251: Terry Earthwind Nichols—Is There A Better Time To Learn About Imposter Syndrome? Jan 25, 2021

Show notes

Hear how to let go of negative behaviors so you can soar

His Excellence Ambassador Terry Earthwind Nichols is an amazing individual for us to share with you. An accomplished author, speaker, master teacher, CEO World Opinion Columnist and a founding partner of the Global Institute for Thought Leadership, Terry talks to us today about a topic of great importance during and after this pandemic crisis: the Imposter Syndrome that far too many otherwise successful people are feeling right now. It is also being called the white-collar PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Are you dealing with this too? Listen and share.

Watch and listen to our conversation here

Why are CEOs waking in the middle of the night sweating and even crying?

They aren't sure they have the skills others thought they had to become the leaders they are expected to be. They aren't sure they can lead. Terry will tell you all about these anxieties successful people are coping with, or barely coping with. The good news is that he and his organization have a process to help them open up their minds to what is happening and how to overcome it.

What is so interesting is that this is a time for leaders to "rethink" their own stories and create new ones where they are the true heroes they are now, and can be. Whether they are men or women, they need to think about what is holding them back and how to let the past memories go so they can move forward to a better future, something I write extensively about in my new book, "Rethink: Smashing The Myths of Women i n Business."

About Terry Earthwind Nichols

Terry is a Visionary Strategist for those looking for an achievement-based vs. goals-based plan for their business, and the creator of Earthwind Academy and the Vision Strategy Roadmap. He also trains health and wellness professionals to help their clients let go of negative repetitive behaviors such as Impostor Syndrome, self-sabotage, procrastination, suicide ideation and PTSD. In addition, he is the author of five books, including "Profiling For Profit" and "Evolve Yourself and Your Business." You can connect with Terry through his website, LinkedIn and Twitter, or email him at terry@evolutionaryhealer.com.

Ready to move forward and find your inner harmony? Here's a start

Additional resources

My newest book: "Rethink: Smashing The Myths of Women in Business"
My award-winning first book: "On the Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Your Business to New Heights"
Simon Associates Management Consultants website

250: Tatiana Tsoir—10 Big Ideas For Women To Create A Successful Business Jan 18, 2021

Show notes

Women entrepreneurs: hear how to be the boss of your bottom line!

This was a terrific podcast with a woman who will help you start and grow your own business, today. As a corporate anthropologist who helps organizations change, I thought Tatiana Tsoir's approach would be refreshing for those of you who listen to On The Brink and for her listeners as well. We talk about the challenges that women face today, particularly starting and building a business. Many people, not just women, have ideas and want to be their own boss. Is this you?Listen to Tatiana address some of the mistakes you're going to make before you make them.

Watch and hear our conversation here

Far too many businesses fail within the first five years

Well, we know that it's difficult for women to get venture capital funding. We also know that many of the businesses they start are really good businesses. To help you find the right business where there is a market need you can serve, Tatiana shares the five critical decisions you need to make when starting a business, plus the three mistakes business owners make with their bottom line (and what to do about it). She also talks about how to make your business pandemic-proof and how to stay flexible while making money doing what you love .

About Tatiana Tsoir, CPA

Tatiana Tsoir [Saw-yer], CPA is a numbers expert with over 15 years' experience helping entrepreneurs and business owners become the boss of their bottom line. So many people dream of being their own boss but hold themselves back because they're terrified of dealing with money, numbers and taxes. Tatiana helps those dreamers get to know their numbers, get taxes under control and reduce money anxiety. Her mission is to empower those of us who are overwhelmed by running a business so we can make money doing what we love!

In her upcoming book, "Dream Bold, Start Smart" (available March 2021), as well as in her mini-coaching program Something That's Yours, Tatiana provides clients around the world with simple and actionable steps to own their numbers and to be confident in their business decisions. She also co-hosts the popular podcast Anything Would Work and hosts Talk to Tatiana.

You can connect with Tatiana though her website tatianatsoir.com, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, or you can email her at sayhello@tatianatsoir.com.

Want to start your own business? Here are some ideas to get you going

Additional resources

My newest book: "Rethink: Smashing The Myths of Women in Business"
My award-winning first book: "On the Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Your Business to New Heights"
Simon Associates Management Consultants website

249: Angela Henderson—How Can You Build A Great Business And A Wonderful Life? Jan 11, 2021

Show notes

Learn how to enjoy your business and your life!

Our guest today is Angela Henderson, a wonderful woman from Australia who teaches us how to help women start and grow their businesses and themselves. She has a unique approach to help aspiring women entrepreneurs reach the peak of their performance. This is always a topic of great importance to us and to our listeners. How can you learn the skills and smarts to take you to greater success, from starting a business to sustaining its growth? And once you have that business going, how can you adapt it to these fast-changing times and remain profitable when all around you, things are no longer what they used to be? Angela tells us! Listen in.

There is a life besides work

In today's podcast, Angela and I talk about the personal life you are working toward. Hopefully, our conversation will help you think about your own journey.

I'd like to add a plug here for our new program debuting in March 2021, called Rethink Your Journey with Andi Simon. Created with the input of a number of amazing women, it's designed to help you Rethink your own life and make sure you have the one you truly want. Learn more on www.andisimon.com.

Building a business is hard work

You can fast track your success by working with a business consultant like Angela who has run a successful business and made the mistakes so you don't need to. Feeling overwhelmed or stuck? Maybe this is a good time to pause, step back and think about yourself through a fresh lens. Angela writes: "The key is overcoming our inner challenges and roadblocks to improve our external results."

About Angela Henderson

Angela's mission is to guide aspiring female entrepreneurs to have the courage, mindset and foundations to build a successful business while embracing their natural gifts and talents, and having the lifestyle they desire. Like myself and many other entrepreneurs, Angela wears multiple hats: business owner, author, business consultant and mother, to name a few. She also understands the sweat and tears that go into running a high performing small business, having run my own for over seven years.

You can contact Angela though LinkedIn, info@angelahenderson.com.au or her websites Finlee+Me and Angela Henderson Consulting. She also invites you to join her Facebook group.

Want more guidance on achieving what you really want? Try these

Additional resources

My newest book: "Rethink: Smashing The Myths of Women in Business"
My award-winning first book: "On the Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Your Business to New Heights"
Simon Associates Management Consultants website

247: Freddie Ravel, Founder Of Life In Tune—Strike Success With The Rhythm In You Jan 07, 2021

Show notes

Learn how to bring your organization "in tune" through music!

What if you could listen to a podcast in silence? What might you hear? Your heart beating. Your breathing. Your mind quieting down so it can step out and look inside. What if you could learn how to use music to help your business find its own harmony, its melody, its rhythm, and its beauty? That is what Freddie Ravel does during this podcast. He and I talk about how you can tune up your life with music as a metaphor to give you focus, rhythm and beauty. Freddie is an absolute original and someone you really must listen to. Do enjoy.

Watch and listen to our podcast

Music is an inherent part of human existence

How we listen to music varies from person to person and culture to culture. But however you engage with it, music will teach you something as long as you open your heart and mind to what it is trying to tell you.

Meet Freddie Ravel

Grammy-nominated performer, communication expert and business visionary, Freddie has been dubbed the "Keynote Maestro" by the City of Los Angeles for his groundbreaking Life In Tune™ system to "renew the national and international economy." He is also an amazing musician and entertainer devoted to bringing harmony to all of society.

Freddie was the musical director for the legendary band Earth, Wind and Fire, he has performed with Madonna on the soundtrack for the film Evita and at the Grammys with Prince, he has rocked stadiums with Carlos Santana and recorded with Kanye, and he has led the teams behind J. Lo, Jimmy Kimmel and Lady GaGa.

In constant demand to bring audiences in tune around the world, Freddie's clients include IBM, Toyota, NASA, Apple, Blue Cross Health, Google and Prudential Financial Services. His ideal balance of entertainment and content is essential for businesses and entrepreneurs to transform from dissonance to harmony, especially during these trying times.

You can connect with Freddie on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or his website, Life In Tune.

Is your business in need of transformative change? Start here

Additional resources