The Authentic Networker Podcast: Hosted By Richard Bliss Brooke

Dr. Joseph I. Castro is the first Californian and first person of color to serve as the chancellor of the California State University (CSU), our nation's largest, most ethnically and economically diverse four-year university.    The grandson of immigrants from Mexico and the son of a single mother, he was also the first in his family to graduate from a university, eventually earning a Ph.D. in higher education policy and leadership from Stanford University. ​As a renowned and gifted scholar in the fields of leadership and public policy, Dr. Castro has mentored hundreds of other scholars and practitioners.

Long before it became a business buzzword, Kindra Hall was making storytelling work for her in a big way … and lucky for all of us, began to teach it to others.    She’s a keynote speaker, former Chief Storytelling Officer at Success Magazine, and best-selling author of “Stories That Stick: How Storytelling Can Captivate Customers, Influence Audiences, and Transform Your Business” ... a book that debuted at #2 on the Wall Street Journal Bestseller List and Forbes said it “may be the most valuable business book you read.”

As one of the world’s most beloved motivational speakers, Les Brown is known for his unique charisma, warmth and humor, captivating audiences of up to 80,000 across the globe.    If he had believed the labels he was given in grade school – “the dumb twin” and “intellectually disabled,” his life would look much different today. Fortunately, Les tapped into the powers of determination, persistence and belief to unleash a course of amazing achievements in his life, including Chicago-area Emmy® award winner, TV host and multi-term state representative in Ohio.

When Dr. Shefali, a renowned clinical psychologist, was 44 years old, she faced a pivotal choice, as most women do in mid-life: She could either continue being inauthentic to herself and encaged in fear OR she could step into a new dimension of being fully, consciously, her true self. That was the start of her radical awakening.   Today this expert in family dynamics is known for teaching other women how to transcend their fears and illusions, break free from societal expectations, and rediscover the person they were always meant to be: fully present, conscious, and fulfilled.

Best known for founding Travelocity.com and serving as founding Chairman of Kayak.com (later sold to Priceline for $1.8 billion), Terry Jones is one of the leading innovators and digital disruptors of our time.    Terry began his career as a travel agent and spent 24 years at American Airlines in marketing and information technology, capping his career as Chief Information Officer of its SABRE division. While at SABRE, he led a team of six, working on a project that became Travelocity.com. He served as its CEO for seven years, transforming it into a public company with $3 billion in travel sales.

After making a series of bad decisions, one that led to devastating consequences, Sunil Godse spent thousands of hours on research and interviews to find out WHY we waste time making bad decisions.    What he found is that we ignore our intuition, a subconscious phenomenon we’re all born with. He then developed a seven-step process on how to sharpen our intuition so we can make the right decision in any given moment. Using this process, Sunil grew several entrepreneurial ventures to over $20 million before shifting his focus to teaching others.

You’d never guess that world-renowned speaker and Law of Attraction expert Bob Proctor used to struggle with low self-esteem and poor ambition. He was a kid who wouldn’t listen to anyone, and he eventually dropped out of high school. He began a series of factory jobs and later joined the Navy.    At age 26, Bob was working in a fire department in Toronto when a man handed him the book “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. That was a defining moment for Bob. Within a short period of time, his income skyrocketed ... and all within a year – and he did it cleaning offices and washing floors. But still, something was missing …

Chris Spurvey consciously chose entrepreneurship as a way to create a better life for his family. Yet there was one giant hurdle blocking his path to success: the negative way people view sales.   He knew this was a problem, not just for his own business, but for the businesses of virtually every other entrepreneur. (Can you relate??) So he found a way to sell that felt right and went on to focus on helping other “non-sales sellers” grow their revenues –consistently and without all the stress!

Jim Packard is the rare 20% who's excelled his entire life through consistent action, from being the top producing paper boy as a kid, “Distributor of the Year” for two Network Marketing companies, and married for over four decades.    And then there’s George Campbell – the type of person who would drive Jim crazy. Even though he was a successful Hall of Fame professional speaker, he was the classic 80% underachiever: lots of natural ability undermined by procrastination and a lack of consistency. Don’t miss their story of how they formed The Consistency Chain and how they’re empowering thousands of teams to unleash this force in their businesses.

Named one of the “Top 25 Most Influential People in Real Estate” by Realtor® Magazine, Don Hobbs has served as an industry coach, trainer and business consultant for more than three decades, and has spoken to more than 1 million realtors.    Don began his seminar career at the age of 18 when he went to work for Jim Rohn, one of the true pioneers of the global personal development movement. Setting records, he became President of Jim Rohn Productions at the age of 25.

Les Brown was introduced to personal development and positive thinking at age 10 when he worked part time cleaning the office of a man named Mr. Sidarsky, who listened to the likes of Norman Vincent Peale, Earl Nightingale, and Ernest Holmes. Les loved to eavesdrop on the messages of hope and abundance.   In spite of being labeled “the dumb twin” and “intellectually disabled” in grade school, Les used the consistent messages of “innate greatness in all of us” to become one of the most beloved motivational speakers of all time.

Money tends to produce more money—when invested right. These are the words of the great Ken McElroy, who’s like the guru of real estate investing. He has over 1 billion dollars in real estate investments and is the real estate advisor to Robert Kiyosaki of The Rich Dad Company. He is also co-founder and principal of MC Companies, a full-service real estate investment and property management company.    Ken is the author of several bestselling books, including “The ABC’s of Real Estate Investing,” “The ABC’s of Property Management,” and “The Sleeping Giant,” where he shares his real-life examples and ideology of how to be successful in business and in life. He’s been featured on Cheddar, Fox and Friends, Forbes, ESPN and many others. You’ll love Ken’s unique perspective and the wisdom he has to share with you.

Dr. K Sow was Shaklee’s FIRST Presidential Master Coordinator in Malaysia – that’s the company’s highest rank. And in 32 years, he’s built a team with more Masters and Presidential Masters than there are in ALL of North America.  This is a man with incredible vision and determination. When Taiwan was new to the market, he knew no one. He did not even speak the language. But Dr. K Sow built a huge team anyway … and can now do entire presentations in Mandarin. (That should take “this is too hard” off the table for all of us.)

After breaking several Guinness World Records, James Lawrence wondered if he had truly found his mental and physical limits. He knew there was more. Repeatedly mocked for choosing a goal so big, Lawrence takes on the challenge of doing 50 Ironman races, in 50 consecutive days, through all 50 states. His journey will make you laugh, cry, and possibly squirm in your seats in disbelief. James shares with you the ups, the downs, and the life lessons learned along the way. His story resonates with all, young and old. You won’t want to miss this tale of adventure as they "Redefine Impossible."

Mitzi Perdue is a science and health writer. She holds a bachelor's degree with honors from Harvard University and a Masters of Public Administration degree from George Washington University.     She is a past president of the 35,000-member American Agri-Women's coalition. She’s also a former syndicated columnist for Scripps Howard. In the 1990s, she was the most widely-syndicated environmental columnist in the country.

Mark Schulman has enjoyed an unprecedented career over the last 30 years as a first-call drummer for world-class rock and pop artists. He has been voted "Top 3 Pop-Rock Drummers" in the 2014 and 2019 Modern Drummer Reader’s Poll and was the featured cover artist in the May 2019 issue. Mark has done four record-breaking world tours with P!NK. Mark has also played with Cher since 1999 including her two biggest tours.  Mark’s resume reads like a “who’s who” of international Rock n’ Roll royalty including acts such as Billy Idol, Foreigner, Sheryl Crow, Stevie Nicks, Beyonce’, and so many other world–class artists. He has drummed with Velvet Revolver at Ozzfest and for a crowd of 225,000 at Glastonbury Festival with Simple Minds. Mark has appeared on nearly every American, European, and Australian variety show including The Grammys, David Letterman, The Tonight Show, Conan O’Brian, Jon Stewart, American Idol, Paul O’ Grady, X-Factor, Wetten Das, The Arias, and more. 

Mark Victor Hansen is probably best known as the co-author for the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series and brand, setting world records in book sales, with over 500 million books sold. He is also a prolific writer with 307 books authored or co-authored, including The Aladdin Factor, The Power of Focus, The Richest Kids in America, The Miracles in You, You Have a Book in You, and the One Minute Millionaire series. Mark also worked his way into a worldwide spotlight as a sought-after keynote speaker and entrepreneurial marketing maven. He is a charismatic speaker having spoken to 7,000 audiences in 78 countries. Crystal Dwyer Hansen is a business strategist and successful entrepreneur, speaker, and author in the US and China. Crystal, also known as the “celebrity coach,” is a certified life coach and wellness/nutrition expert, whose personal coaching, speaking, CD and video programs, books, and articles have helped people all over the world. Crystal is a Member of the International Coaching Federation and the founder of Crystal Vision Life, Ltd, (crystalvisionlife.com) and Skinny LifeÒ, a wellness company (skinnylife.com). Crystal is also the author of Skinny Life: The Real Secret to Being Physically, Emotionally, and Spiritually Fit. This power couple co-authored their new book, Ask!: The Bridge from Your Dreams to Your Destiny. Ask! will help you access your hidden dreams and reveal them to be recognized and fulfilled in miraculous ways. They're both passionate about the health of our planet and the need to create comprehensively sustainable energy and water solutions. Together they are owners of Natural Power Concepts, a Hawaii based company focused on cleaning up the planet through natural energy devices. They live happily in beautiful Scottsdale, Arizona. Watch one power couple interview another as Richard and Kimmy Brooke interview Crystal and Mark Victor Hansen.

Mike Robbins is the author of five books, which have been translated into fifteen different languages. Prior to his current career, Mike was drafted by the New York Yankees out of high school. He turned the Yankees down and instead chose to play baseball at Stanford University, where he pitched in the College World Series. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals out of Stanford and played three seasons of professional baseball in the Royals organization before arm injuries ended his playing career while still in the minor leagues. After his athletic career was cut short, Mike worked in sales and business development for two Internet start-ups. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, it allowed him to follow a deeper passion – empowering and inspiring people – and opened the door for him to start working full time as a speaker, author, and coach. As an expert in teamwork, leadership, and emotional intelligence, Mike delivers keynotes and seminars (both in-person and virtually) that empower people, leaders, and teams to engage in their work, collaborate, and perform at their best. Through his speeches, seminars, consulting, and writing, Mike teaches important techniques that allow individuals and organizations to be more appreciative, authentic, and effective. His clients include: Google, Wells Fargo, Microsoft, Schwab, LinkedIn, Deloitte, the U.S. Department of Labor, Gap, Harvard University, Coca-Cola, Chevron, eBay, Kaiser, Airbnb, UC Berkeley, the NBA, Genentech, Adobe, the Oakland A's, and many others. Mike has been featured on NPR, ABC News, the Oprah radio network, and in the Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, the New York Times, the Economist, the Wall Street Journal, and many others. He's a regular contributor to Forbes and the creator and host of the popular podcast, We're All In This Together. Tune in to hear Richard Brooke's inspiring interview with Mike Robbins.

Dewitt Jones is one of America’s top professional photographers. Twenty years with National Geographic photographing stories around the globe has earned him the reputation as a world-class photojournalist. As a motion picture director, he had two documentary films nominated for Academy Awards before he was thirty. Speaking to audiences across the country, Dewitt is recognized as a renowned lecturer. His genuine style and ability to communicate with audiences make his presentations truly outstanding. Dewitt’s inspirational messages are further discussed in his best selling training programs. In the business community, Dewitt’s work is also well known. He has produced seven best-selling video training programs, distributed by Star Thrower Distribution. These films are used every day by corporations, schools, churches, hospitals, and consultants - inspiring thousands to find their “next right answer” and to “celebrate what’s right with the world!” Dewitt has published nine books including California! and John Muir’s High Sierra. His most recent book, The Nature of Leadership, was created in collaboration with Stephen R. Covey. Dewitt graduated from Dartmouth College with a B.A. in drama and holds a Master’s Degree in filmmaking from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Kody Bateman is the founder of the modern-day relationship marketing movement, and Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of SendOutCards, the premier relationship marketing service in the world today. Nearly 1 million users have used his systems to send more than 160 million tangible greeting cards and 12 million gifts to over 100 countries throughout the world. Kody’s newest company is Sendogo, an integration system to trigger the SendOutCards relationship marketing service to work within existing CRMs. Kody has trained hundreds of thousands of people in his relationship marketing and personal development courses, and is the author and trainer of the bestselling seminar series, Relationship Marketing Summit. He has interviewed hundreds of successful business people on his Relationship Marketing Weekly shows. He has taught over 250 live courses around the world and numerous online courses that have reached over a million people. He has a passion for celebrating the diversity of humanity and a core mission to bring the human race together. For many years, Kody has taught that there is an art to creating bonds, trust, and assurance. When you take the time to build relationships, he says, the typical aspects of marketing become simplified and genuine. Relationships create an emotional one-on-one connection and a memorable experience. And that is where the real-life riches are made, internally and externally. Kody shares his personal development philosophy in his first book Promptings: Your Inner Guide to Making a Difference, where he uses stories to illustrate the significance of acting on your promptings to reach out in kindness. Promptings guides you to your genius within, he explains, helping you make the difference only you can make in the world. Kody is a visionary leader who is living his dream and travels the country teaching others to do the same. Join Richard and Kody to hear more.