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How Tracy Walder Went From Sorority Sister to CIA Officer & FBI Agent - Part 1 Jul 14, 2021

Show notes

Tracy Walder joins Win Nation as a USC alum, Delta sorority sister, author, and former CIA officer and FBI special agent.

While majoring in history at USC, Tracy was recruited at a career fair by the CIA, and she spent most of her career as a Special Operations Officer for the Agency’s Counterterrorism Center. After her time in the CIA, she became a Special Agent for the FBI, specializing in counterintelligence operations. Tracy’s five years of service earned her numerous awards during her time with both organizations.

After her time with the CIA and FBI, Tracy authored The Unexpected Spy, an apolitical memoir of her experiences—such as debriefing terrorists—and insights as a young woman in intelligence and law enforcement. She hopes the book will help and inspire others who aspire to pursue a career in these fields.

Tracy is currently a criminal justice professor at Texas Christian University and a teacher at an all-girls high school, teaching curriculum she created on terrorism and national security. As students have turned to her for advice over the years, she reveals that no specific “formula” will determine career success in the CIA and FBI. It requires more than learning the right curriculum to be successful in these organizations. Tracy explains that soft skills, like empathy, collaboration, listening, problem-solving, and not allowing preconceived notions to interfere with work, are critical in pursuing a career in the CIA or FBI.

Tracy identifies as an introverted-extrovert person with a strong sense of curiosity, judgment, and confidence. Tracy seeks to ask questions to gain a better understanding of others and their situations.

Tune in to next week’s episode to hear part 2 of this conversation!

Connect with Tracy:

https://www.tracywalder.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Unexpected-Spy-Secret-Notorious-Terrorists/dp/1250230985

https://twitter.com/tracy_walder
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracy-schandler-walder-026547130/

Connect with Adam:

https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Big-Youre-Going-About/dp/1400219493

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888-581-4430

You Have Permission to Dream Big with Bob Goff Jul 07, 2021

Show notes

Our guest on this episode of the Start With A Win podcast is Bob Goff, a recovering lawyer who has found his life’s purpose in helping other people find theirs. Bob spent his first career of 32 years as a lawyer, commuting daily from San Diego to Seattle and only missing dinner four times in 25 years. He has always prioritized his family, recognizing that they are the most important thing to him. Even while he was practicing law, he was doing incredible work through his nonprofit called Love Does, where he now spends much of his time and energy. They have built schools in eight countries in the middle of their own civil wars because Bob does not want the next generation to suffer despite the political climates in their countries.

Bob has written several books, and he just recently released “Dream Big.” This book encourages people to find and reach their biggest dreams and lets them know that they don’t have to ask anyone for permission to do so. In the book, he guides people to strip away barriers and baggage holding them back and letting go of the self-limiting beliefs that have affected them for too long. It is also crucial for readers to clearly define their dreams and think through what they want to do that will outlast them. One aspect of this process is focusing on your passions rather than obsessing about the wrong things. Bob says he has been amazed working with people and how taking a genuine interest in those you come in contact with can make a drastic difference.

Bob has a relevant story to demonstrate every lesson, one of which is the story of The Oaks retreat center. He and his wife purchased the camp right before the pandemic hit. They weren’t able to do anything with it immediately, but Bob started looking at the adjacent properties and realized that if he purchased a nearby horse racing track, they could host horses and their trainers there. This opportunity would not have come their way had Bob not been intentional about looking around his current circumstances. Bob encourages listeners to get unstuck and unleash their potential.

Connect with Bob:

https://bobgoff.com/

https://twitter.com/bobgoff

https://www.instagram.com/bobgoff/

https://dreambigframework.com/podcast

https://www.oakscenter.com/

Connect with Adam:

https://www.amazon.com/Living-Your-Best-Year-Ever/dp/1733513345

Leave us a voicemail:

888-581-4430

Four for the Fourth: Business Development Q&A with Adam Jun 30, 2021

Show notes

In this episode of Start With A Win, producer Mark asks Adam a series of business development questions that might change your perspective on some aspects of your business.

What is more important: maintaining your current clients or growing your business? – In classic CEO-form, Adam converts this either/or question into a both/and question, specifying that you need to strike a balance between investing in your existing customers while also marketing yourself to prospects. The best way to do this is by providing products, services, or thought leadership that is of value to people, which will cause your business to be top-of-mind for them.
What is the best strategy for converting a “no” into a “yes”? – Adam will have a lot to say on this topic in his upcoming book, but his main piece of advice is to know the no. Understand that some people will default to “no” out of fear – either of the unknown or of missing out on something else – so your best bet is to give value to them in love.
If you were dropped off in an unfamiliar city and told to start a business, what kind of business would it be, and how would you grow it? – The key to starting any business is to talk to the people, to get to know what is working for them, what isn’t working for them, what they need, and how they need to receive it. You won’t be successful without customers, and you won’t have customers if you aren’t providing them with a product or service that solves a problem for them. The same concept applies to real estate; talk to people, get to know local business owners, start telling the stories of the community, and watch as clients come your way.
What is your best advice for getting unstuck in business growth? – Adam points out that stagnation or issues in business typically reflect personal struggles, so before you can work on your business, you have to work on yourself. Think and journal through the various aspects of your life and gauge how you are doing. Only when you get your life back on track will your business start to grow again.

Links mentioned:

Connect with Adam:

https://scrollband.com/password

Leave us a voicemail:

888-581-4430

Polar Ben and His History-Making Expeditions Jun 02, 2021

Show notes

Our guest on this episode of Start With A Win is Ben Saunders, a polar explorer and motivational speaker who has excellent nuggets of wisdom for listeners on the show. Growing up in a rural area of the UK, Ben spent much of his childhood outside, learning about the world around him and struggling to sit still in school. After high school, Ben worked with John Ridgway, who had rowed across the Atlantic in a wooden boat in 93 days, and was inspired by Ridgway’s fortitude and accomplishments. Ben decided to stay beyond his gap year to teach at Ridgway’s adventure school, where he also spent a lot of time reading about adventurers.

In 2001, Ben and his friend spent 59 days skiing to the North Pole, but they were unprepared and didn’t complete their goal. A few weeks later, Ben got a bill in the mail for his portion of the trip expenses – close to $50,000 – and he decided to plan a second trip and fundraise for the trip and cover his debts. This trip was a success and his first solo venture. In 2004, he completed his solo trip from Russia to the North Pole, and then in 2014, Ben and his partner completed the 1800-mile journey to the South Pole, retracing the steps of Scott in 1912.

Through all of Ben’s experiences, he has learned that self-belief is essential to overcoming challenges. This human quality must essentially develop because confidence follows courage. Ben says that either you are winning or you are learning, and no experience is a waste. He also discusses the importance of being intentional. Be intentional about how you are focusing your time and energy, not dwelling on things that are outside of your control. To that end, Ben jumped into entrepreneurship in 2020, creating Scroll Bands that help people be aware of the time they are spending on their phones.

Connect with Ben:

https://bensaunders.com/

https://twitter.com/polarben?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

https://www.ted.com/speakers/ben_saunders

Connect with Adam:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-landers-96b3614

Leave us a voicemail:

888-581-4430

The Ingredients for Creativity with Scott Landers May 19, 2021

Show notes

Whether you are fully aware that fonts are more than just options in your word processing software, or you had no idea that there is a company called Monotype that creates and distributes licenses for typefaces, this interview with Scott Landers, the company’s CEO, is just for you. In this episode of Start With a Win, Scott expands the understanding of how typefaces fuel creativity and help brands establish themselves in the market.

Monotype is the world’s leading provider of typefaces, and their offerings and product reach are consistently expanding as technology continues to grow onward and upward. Scott provides a helpful illustration of everything you could have interacted with on a typical morning that contains a typeface created by Monotype. This example helps listeners recognize how influential Monotype is and all of the ways they have to adapt to innovations. When Monotype started, fonts were strictly for print. Eventually, they had to grow into typefaces for screens linked to printers, and in recent years they have grown to create fonts solely to be used and consumed on screens. This growth curve over the past several decades is quite steep. Despite this growth curve, they have excelled amidst the challenges. This success resulted due to close communication with their customers every step of the way. As a result, they remain ready to help individuals and brands express themselves through creativity centered around typefaces.

Scott’s sage advice to creators trying to choose the right fonts—if the font is executed right, you won’t notice it. The font provides the body language and the tone of voice for the words on the page, so regard this process as half art and half science. Monotype has consultants on staff available to help businesses choose the right typefaces for their brand. They recognize how integral this part of the process is to the brand’s identity for years to come. When it comes to leading through change, Scott says that the most important thing is to keep the customer at the center and give your employees more authority because if they know that you trust them to do the right thing, they will do the right thing.

Connect with Scott:

https://monotype.com

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