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The Greatness Machine — Business
The Greatness Machine

The Greatness Machine is on a Quest to Maximize the Human Experience!

Join Award Winning CEO and Author, Darius Mirshahzadeh (pron. Mer-shaw-za-day), as he interviews some of the greatest minds in the world―turning their wisdom and experience into learnings and advice you can use in your life so that you can level up and create greatness. Join Darius as he goes deep with guests like: Moby, Seth Godin, Gabby Reece, Amanda Knox, UFC Ring Announcer Bruce Buffer, Former FBI Negotiator Chris Voss, BJ Fogg, Former Spy and CIA Agent Andrew Bustamante, 1-800-Got-Junk CEO Brian Scudamore, NHL Hall of Famer Chris Pronger, and so many more!

Our subject matter ranges from entrepreneurial and pro athlete underdog stories, world-class leadership development, and performance development, to wealth creation and more! If you are a learner who wants to level up in your life and learn from experts who have been there and done that, hit the subscribe button.

The Greatness Machine is your ticket to create Greatness in your life!

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Copyright: © 2021 The Real Darius

Latest Episodes:

145 | Emily Balcetis | How the Ultra Successful Leverage Their Visual “Perception Gap” to Crush Their Goals and Accomplish More Nov 01, 2022

Show notes

The act of visualizing can help you channel your dreams. It conditions your mind and body to take the necessary steps to achieve your goals and claim the life you have always wanted. By visualizing your goals, you will have a clearer vision of what you want to achieve in each area of your life.

Is it your dream to start a business? Do you want to travel the world? Do you want to get that promotion you have been eyeing for?

Imagining yourself achieving these dreams is the purpose of visualization.

Emily Balcetis, an award-winning social psychologist, spills the beans about the secrets of successful people through her book Clearer, Closer, Better: How Successful People Save The World. As a result of her rigorous research, she emphasizes the importance of taking advantage of our visual experiences in order to see the possibilities in what we can’t see now.

In this episode, Darius and Emily talk about vision as a key to achieving goals, key strategies in creating more time and being productive, and the direct connection between perception and action.

Topics include:

What is a behavioral psychologist and what do they do
What inspired Emily to write Clearer, Closer, Better
Why vision is a superpower
Relationships between perception and action
How to turn a big dream into actionable items
How a simple exercise can create more time in your week
How swapping out visual cues in your life can change your actions
Why saving for retirement is so difficult and how to overcome that
How to prioritize your time to achieve big goals
A plan to remove any obstacles in your way of achieving your goals
The explanation behind the blue and gold dress picture on social media
And other topics…

Connect with Emily:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-balcetis-6b2853165/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilybalcetis/?hl=en

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Clearer-Closer-Better-Successful-People/dp/1524796468

Connect with Darius:

Website: https://therealdarius.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariusmirshahzadeh/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imthedarius/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Thegreatnessmachine

Book: The Core Value Equation https://www.amazon.com/Core-Value-Equation-Framework-Limitless/dp/1544506708

144 | Are You Building A Life Of Gratitude Or A Life Of Competition? Oct 28, 2022

Show notes

Success does not necessarily equate to happiness and contentment. We often think that it is by grinding day in and day out that we would find fulfillment. Most of us think of happiness as a destination, one that we can only truly experience when we reach a certain level in our job or hit a certain number in our business.

Unfortunately, that is not the case. While it can be rewarding to achieve our goals, it is also true that sometimes success will only give us momentary happiness before it leaves us feeling empty.

Today, I am flying solo to talk about that one special event that opened my eyes to the importance of cultivating gratitude and what it means to lead a fulfilling life.

In this episode, I will share what it means to have a competitive attitude and why healthy competition is essential as we work on our dreams. I will also discuss passion as an essential key to achieving professional goals.

Topics include:

Why it matters to be passionate about your work
What TEDx taught me about passion and gratitude
The impact and importance of gratitude
The difference between healthy and unhealthy competition
What your priorities say about you
And other topics…

Connect with Darius:

Website: https://therealdarius.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariusmirshahzadeh/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imthedarius/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Thegreatnessmachine

Book: The Core Value Equation https://www.amazon.com/Core-Value-Equation-Framework-Limitless/dp/1544506708

143 | Travis Chappell | Sales Is Life - How Selling Church, Door To Door Solar And A Startup Led To Massive Success Oct 25, 2022

Show notes

How does growing up in a bubble prepare you for life outside of it?

Having spent his entire childhood in a church campus, it took Travis Chappell long years to realize that the path he was in at that time was not the life that he wanted to lead.

Travis, the man behind the Build Your Network podcast, looks back at how a ministry degree holder like him went from making door-to-door sales to starting a podcast and to building his own business.

Despite having to start from scratch, he persevered and used his experience making door-to-door until he finally launched his first-ever podcast in 2017. He later built his business, Guestio, where he teaches entrepreneurs how to build, grow, and monetize podcasts through interviewing.

In this episode, Travis gets real about growing up in a Christian bubble and discovering his passion for podcasting. He and Darius also talk about the key strategies to build an audience, how to achieve success in the industry, and how to leverage podcasts to establish brand authority.

Topics include:

Travis looks back on growing up in a Fundamentalist Christian bubble
How Travis started his podcast show and podcast coaching
Why Travis decided to do door-to-door sales after college instead of going into ministry
Podcasters that inspired Travis to get into the industry
The secret formula for podcast success
Leveraging podcasts to enhance brand
How to get started in podcasting
What Travis envisions Guestio to achieve
Expanding theBuild Your Networkpodcast for a wider reach
And other topics…

Connect with Travis:

Website: https://travischappell.com/

Website: https://guestio.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travischappell/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travischappell/?hl=en

Connect with Darius:

Website: https://therealdarius.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariusmirshahzadeh/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imthedarius/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Thegreatnessmachine

Book: The Core Value Equation https://www.amazon.com/Core-Value-Equation-Framework-Limitless/dp/1544506708

142 | Do Your Priorities Align To Your Goals Align To Your Core Values? Oct 21, 2022

Show notes

Where we spend our time represents what we actually care about, regardless of what we say our goals and priorities are.

Prioritizing helps you decide what you need to do, what you don’t need to do, and when you should focus. Priorities are concerns, interests, or desires that come before anything else. But what does your life look like according to your priorities?

Unfortunately, when the thin line between need and want gets blurred, we often get carried away and forget the things that matter most in life. We go from place to place, switch after one task and another, and get lost in the cycle of busyness.

Today, I am flying solo to share my personal realization about the importance of setting priorities and how to do it when everything feels important.

In this episode, I will talk about how I reached my goal for this year and what I plan to achieve in 2023. I will also discuss how goal-setting, prioritizing, and time-blocking can help one achieve success in both life and work.

Topics include:

How to set your top priorities in life
What made me reassess my priorities
Why it is important to make time for yourself
Aligning priorities with core values
What I did to hit my goal of reading 22 books this year
What my goal is for 2023
And other topics…

Connect with Darius:

Website: https://therealdarius.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariusmirshahzadeh/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imthedarius/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Thegreatnessmachine

Book: The Core Value Equation https://www.amazon.com/Core-Value-Equation-Framework-Limitless/dp/1544506708

141 | Larry Yatch | Leading Like A Navy SEAL Oct 18, 2022

Show notes

What does it take to be a successful Navy SEAL or entrepreneur? And how does one learn from the other?

Surprisingly, entrepreneurs are no different from special operators. Just like in the Navy SEAL, entrepreneurship requires good leadership with the ability to plan, execute, and be methodical. Both require unyielding perseverance, regulation, and belief in the mission and vision.

Larry Yatch, a ten-year US Navy SEAL-turned-elite leadership strategist, has been helping senior executives optimize their personal growth and leadership strategy for superior performance. Through his book, How Leadership (Actually) Works: A Navy Seal’s Complete System For Coordinating Teams, he shares his six-pillar system that companies can use to achieve success.

In this episode, Darius and Larry discuss the similarities and differences between special operators and entrepreneurs. They also talk about self-regulation, self-fulfillment, leadership, core values, confidence, ambition, and a lot more!

Topics include:

What inspired Larry to join the military
How Larry found out about Navy SEALs in 7th grade
Larry looks back at his 10-year experience as a Navy SEAL
Self-regulation as a key to succeed
The similarities between Navy SEALs and entrepreneurs
What “hungry ghost” teach us about fulfillment
How Larry led the largest Special Operations in US history
What motivated Larry to start his company, SEAL Team Leaders
Larry explains his book, How Leadership (Actually) Works
The benefits of values-based leadership
Defining the line between ego and confidence
The two tools Larry leverages for his company
What separates those who want to be better from those who actually become better
And other topics…

Connect with Larry:

Website: https://www.sealteamleaders.com/

Book: https://www.howleadershipactuallyworks.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-yatch

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/larryyatch/?hl=en

Connect with Darius:

Website: https://therealdarius.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariusmirshahzadeh/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imthedarius/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Thegreatnessmachine

Book: The Core Value Equation https://www.amazon.com/Core-Value-Equation-Framework-Limitless/dp/1544506708

140 | Stephanie Paul | How To Lead Through Storytelling Oct 14, 2022

Show notes

What makes a good story?

Good stories create a sense of connection and are easy to understand. They are delivered with calm confidence and keep the audience interested and engaged. The best storytellers are those who get personal and know how to incorporate their own experiences into the story.

Just like in business, good leaders share their knowledge and personal story to build trust and loyalty between themselves and their team members. With stories, leaders can be more authentic and relatable to their employees, forging deeper connections.

Stephanie Paul gives a sneak peek into her new book, Unlock the Magic of Story: How to Use Neuroscience Secrets to Engage and Influence Any Audience, where she shares tried-and-true proven techniques on why story and humor are such powerful tools in captivating and influencing an audience.

In this episode, Darius and Stephanie discuss the differences between working in the entertainment world and the business industry. They also tackle the power of storytelling and why great leaders need to be great storytellers.

Topics include:

How Stephanie started in the performing arts at a young age
Stephanie looks back on her experiences in the modeling business
How she got her start as a professional actress
What it was like being a foreign actress in an American film
What Stephanie realized when she shifted from entertainment to business
Stephanie talks about her new book, Unlock the Magic of Story
The importance of communication in effective leadership
Storytelling as a form of mediation
Stephanie spills her craziest experience in the entertainment industry
And other topics…

Connect with Stephanie:

Website: https://stephaniepaulinc.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniepaulinc/

Free Gift: https://stephaniepaulinc.com/powerfulgift/

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Unlock-Magic-Story-Neuroscience-Influence/dp/B09XZZ2QZG

Connect with Darius:

Website: https://therealdarius.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariusmirshahzadeh/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imthedarius/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Thegreatnessmachine

Book: The Core Value Equation https://www.amazon.com/Core-Value-Equation-Framework-Limitless/dp/1544506708

139 | Chris Voss | Hostage Negotiation Tactics for Everyday Life Oct 11, 2022

Show notes

Negotiating anything in life can make even the most socially robust entrepreneurs break out in cold sweats. Many of us are not born with negotiation skills but have to learn how to persuade our audience to be on our side. Learning excellent negotiation skills can take your career to the next level by negotiating a significant raise at your annual performance review. Negotiating a raise is so much easier than negotiating hostage situations like our next guest has while working with the FBI.

In this episode, we talk to Chris Voss, also known as “The Master Negotiator.” Chris retired as the lead international kidnapping negotiator for the FBI, is the CEO of the Black Swan Group, and is the author of the national bestseller Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It, which was one of Darius’s favorite books.

Drawing on his FBI experiences where the stakes are high, Chris Voss’s company, The Black Swan Group, specializes in solving business communication problems using hostage negotiation solutions. Their negotiation methodology focuses on discovering the “black swans,” small pieces of information that have a huge effect on an outcome. The biggest surprise is learning the tactics behind negotiating a business deal are very similar to negotiating with a barricaded gunman for the lives of hostages.

Don’t miss this thrilling episode!

What Darius discusses with Chris Voss:

How to be an effective negotiator for anything.
How information gathering can give you an edge in the negotiation game.
What it takes to subtly convince someone to have it your way.
What small things make the biggest impact in negotiations.
How to diffuse a situation by calling out the negative.
How emotions drive human behavior, not logic.
The Black Swan Rule: Treat others not the way you want to be treated but the way they want to be treated.
Common mistakes in negotiating.
Why you are 31% smarter with a positive mindset.
Why curiosity is a superpower.
How to make the gunman feel empathy for you!
Chris talks about his book Never Split the Difference

Connect with Chris:

Website: https://www.blackswanltd.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophervoss/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefbinegotiator/?hl=en

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Never-Split-Difference-Negotiating-Depended/dp/0062407805

Connect with Darius:

Website: https://therealdarius.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariusmirshahzadeh/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imthedarius/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Thegreatnessmachine

Book: The Core Value Equation https://www.amazon.com/Core-Value-Equation-Framework-Limitless/dp/1544506708

138 | How To Live A Life Without Constraints Oct 07, 2022

Show notes

What’s holding you back? What’s stopping you from achieving the life you have always wanted?

Unfortunately, many people experience regret for the things they never did. Perhaps they rejected a wonderful job offer, passed up an opportunity to expand their business, or missed the chance to travel the world.

While there are plenty of reasons for missed opportunities, choosing to live a life in a box is what stops most people from dreaming big dreams.

Today, I am flying solo to talk about how constraints and limitations affect our way of life, how we see ourselves, and how they hold us back from becoming the best version of ourselves. I will also talk about my personal journey of finding success after removing the constraints I previously put around myself.

In this episode, I will discuss the benefits of having a no-constraints mindset and how it taught me to raise the bar higher every time I reach a goal without beating myself up.

Topics include:

Breaking free from constraints
The one thing that stops people from reaching their full potential
The effects of having a no-constraints mindset
What I achieved when I started living without constraints
The two things I put no constraints around
And other topics…

Connect with Darius:

Website: https://therealdarius.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariusmirshahzadeh/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imthedarius/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Thegreatnessmachine

Book: The Core Value Equation https://www.amazon.com/Core-Value-Equation-Framework-Limitless/dp/1544506708

137 | Tim Elmore | How Leaders Can Bridge The Generation Gap Oct 04, 2022

Show notes

Leadership provides a shared vision that inspires and pushes people in the right direction. A good leader is someone who communicates the policies, eliminates biases and stereotypes, builds confidence, and provides a safe work environment for the members to learn and share their ideas.

A good leader understands generational differences and can engage diverse generations in the workplace. After all, great results can be achieved when individual members respect their differences in perspective and learn from each other’s ability to solve problems.

Tim Elmore, who is the founder and CEO of Growing Leaders, was listed in the Top 100 Leadership Speakers in America by Inc. magazine. He has written over 35 books, including the best-selling Habitudes: Images That Form Leadership Habits and Attitudes, and is now set to launch his new book titled, A New Kind of Diversity.

In this episode, Darius and Tim talk about the impact of generational differences on leadership styles. They also discuss reverse mentoring and how it helps in crossing generational divides in the workplace.

Topics include:

What inspired Tim to write his first book at 24 years old
What got Tim into teaching and leadership
Founding Growing Leaders in 2003
Tim shared his experience working with Dr. John C. Maxwell
Leadership by serving and solving problems
Leadership metaphors and analogies
Why core values are important in corporate culture
Understanding the impact of the generational gap
Definition of reverse mentoring and how it works
Tim gives a sneak peek into his book A New Kind of Diversity coming out next month
And other topics…

Connect with Tim:

Growing Leaders: https://growingleaders.com/

Website: https://www.timelmore.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothyelmore

Twitter: https://twitter.com/timelmore

New Diversity Book: https://www.maxwellleadership.com/nkd

Connect with Darius:

Website: https://therealdarius.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariusmirshahzadeh/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imthedarius/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Thegreatnessmachine

Book: The Core Value Equation https://www.amazon.com/Core-Value-Equation-Framework-Limitless/dp/1544506708

136 | Do You Give Yourself The Gift Of Dreams vs. Goals? Sep 30, 2022

Show notes

Are you giving yourself the gift of dreaming? Or are you only grinding hard towards your goals?

Many people think that dreams will take you nowhere unless you embrace the grind and take action towards achieving them. However, they allow you to see the future with optimism and to see what’s impossible become possible.

Today, I am flying solo to talk about dreams and goals and their big differences, how they affect our disposition towards success, and what it means to allow ourselves to just dream and stop beating ourselves up when things don’t turn out right.

In this episode, I will discuss what Ed Mylett’s book The Power of One More made me realize about my dreams and goals. I will also talk about my motivation for starting my podcast, The Greatness Machine, and what I aspire to achieve for the show.

Topics include:

The key difference between dreams and goals
The realizations I got after reading The Power of One More by Ed Mylett
Why I decided to start The Greatness Machine podcast
Why you need to give yourself the gift of dreaming
And other topics…

Connect with Darius:

Website: https://therealdarius.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariusmirshahzadeh/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imthedarius/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Thegreatnessmachine

Book: The Core Value Equation https://www.amazon.com/Core-Value-Equation-Framework-Limitless/dp/1544506708

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