Authority in the Wild

You can be very good at what you do, with a real track record, and still have nobody calling. Carey James of Brand Alchemy spent years selling to doctors and scientists, some of the smartest people in the world, and kept seeing the same thing happen to them. In this conversation he explains why capable experts stay invisible, why your personal brand matters more now that AI can copy a resume, and why the thought leadership you are trying to build starts with something you cannot see from where you stand. If you want to stand out as an expert and get booked on podcasts and stages by the right people, this is a good place to start.You'll hear what a scientist who studies the brain said when Carey brought him an offer to speak at the New York Marathon, and what a small-town librarian in Kansas told Carey on a day he was skipping class. It's for founders, consultants, coaches and experts who know their work is good and still feel unseen, and for anyone who wants to build a personal brand without pretending to be someone else. By the end you will know what staying unseen has been costing you, and the one-week exercise Carey would start with.🟪 Important Timestamps(00:00) Intro(00:41) Why You're Invisible Online(06:38) Keeping outside feedback honest(16:10) Turning feedback into a clear message(25:26) When clients still hold back(33:37) Why podcasts in an AI world(40:29) Could AI replace podcast hosts(47:30) A first step this week🟪 About Carey JamesCarey James is the founder of Brand Alchemy and a voice on trust, positioning, and authority-driven growth. After scaling multiple companies from startup to multimillion-dollar revenue, he now helps founders and executives become the obvious choice in crowded markets through thought leadership rooted in psychology, neuroscience, and real-world sales experience. Carey believes trust is the last sustainable competitive advantage. His frameworks have helped executives build industry authority and turn expertise into revenue without relying on gimmicks or personal branding clichés.🟪 Connect With Carey James- Website: https://careyjames.co- Brand Alchemy: https://brandalchemy.io- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/careyjamesofficial🟪 Connect with Gabe Marusca- Website: https://www.gabemarusca.com- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gabemarusca- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabemarusca- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabemarusca- X/Twitter: https://x.com/gabemarusca- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gabemarusca- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gabemarusca

Shane Lukas teaches organizations how to hold onto what they believe under pressure, and he built that method in a jail cell, in isolation, with a short pencil and a scrap of paper. Years of activism had put him in front of a system that wanted him to explain his values away, and he had to decide on the spot which of them he would keep. One question carried him through the days that followed, and the answer is still on that list.In this conversation, we get into:- The question Shane asked himself in that cell, and why it made the next few days bearable- Why honesty is probably a guiding value for you rather than a defining one, and what a sick dog has to do with it- How he decides when to turn down a client, including the one he declined after asking his team how they felt- The body signal that tells you a value really defines you, and the cocktail party that left him asking "who was that?"🟪 Timestamps(00:00) Intro(04:59) Why mismatched values become dangerous(12:44) How to dig out your real values(18:39) When a client's values clash with yours(25:30) The three tiers of your values(32:26) What your body knows about your values(39:03) Is courage a trait or a method(44:25) What was on the scrap of paper🟪 About the GuestShane Lukas is an activist, public speaker, and award-winning designer known for his work at the intersection of storytelling, leadership, and organizational change.He is the founder of A Great Idea, a conscious creative agency he has led for over a decade, partnering with organizations, foundations, and community-based groups to strengthen alignment, build trust, and translate values into decisions that hold up in practice.Lukas has taken the TEDx stage as a speaker, hosts the Power Beyond Pride podcast, and has received multiple awards for his design and leadership work.Through speaking engagements, creative strategy, and education, he works with leaders and organizations to navigate complexity, improve collaboration, and create advocacy and impact that lead to sustained action.🟪 Connect with Shane Lukas- TEDx talk: https://saveyourspark.com- Speaking and consulting: https://shanelukas.com- Agency: https://agreatidea.com🟪 Connect with Gabe Marusca- Website: https://www.gabemarusca.com- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gabemarusca- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabemarusca/- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabemarusca/- X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gabemarusca- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gabemarusca- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gabemarusca

In 2015, Aaron Golub snapped a successful extra point for Tulane against UCF and became the first legally blind person to play in a Division I FBS football game. His coach never told the other team. Aaron did not want them to know.He got there by finding a narrow role he could win, repeating one motion thousands of times, and later pursuing NFL free agency. Today he works with companies and leaders as a speaker and consultant, and he is building a software company in an industry he had never worked in before.This conversation starts with a constraint that will never go away, and asks what you do on the day you stop waiting for it to disappear. Near the end, I give Aaron a live case: a founder with three clients loses one of them overnight, has 30 days of runway, and a team that is frightened. He walks through the first 72 hours.If you are carrying a limitation you cannot simply work your way out of, this episode gives you a place to start.🟪 Timestamps(00:00) The constraint he could not change(01:15) Finding a role he could actually win(05:11) "If Aaron did it, what's your excuse?"(11:07) The first step most people skip(22:34) When his own team got it wrong(24:43) Why the 5 AM plan backfires(27:30) Where accountability stops working(33:16) 30 days of runway: the first 72 hours(38:41) Building in an industry he knew nothing about(41:51) Who should reach out to Aaron(43:06) What to do today if you feel stuck🟪 About the GuestAaron Golub was born with no sight in his right eye and limited vision in his left. He played long snapper for Tulane University, where in 2015 he became the first legally blind person to play in a Division I FBS football game. After Tulane, he trained for and pursued NFL free agency.Aaron is now a professional speaker, leadership consultant, and executive coach who works with organizations on resilience, leadership, and team building through keynotes, workshops, and one-on-one coaching. He is also a co-founder of Precision Search.🟪 Connect with Aaron Golub- Website: https://www.aarongolub.com- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aarongolub- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aaronjgolub- X/Twitter: https://x.com/aaronjgolub- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aarongolub- Precision Search: https://precisionsearch.io🟪 Connect with Gabe Marusca- Website: https://www.gabemarusca.com- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gabemarusca- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabemarusca/- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabemarusca/- X/Twitter: https://x.com/gabemarusca- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gabemarusca- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gabemarusca

Most podcasters fail because they copy the wrong strategies.Learn why your podcasting mistakes are holding you back and how to fix them.Chris Jordan, former key member of the Lewis Howes Podcast team, joins me to break down the most common podcasting mistakes. Many creators spend their time trying to replicate the exact blueprint of top-performing shows, only to find that it does not work for their specific situation.This conversation centers on why you need to stop chasing trends and start focusing on your unique podcast audience. We look at the gap between what works for massive shows and what actually moves the needle when you are building a podcast from the ground up. If you feel like your show is stuck despite following all the standard podcast growth strategies, this perspective might be the reset you need, together with actionable insights on how to get the most out of yours.Most podcasters fail because they copy the wrong strategies. Learn why your podcasting mistakes are holding you back.Chris Jordan, a key member of the Lewis Howes Podcast team, joins us to break down the most common podcasting mistakes. Many creators spend their time trying to replicate the exact blueprint of top-performing shows, only to find that it does not work for their specific situation.This conversation centers on why you need to stop chasing trends and start focusing on your unique podcast audience. We look at the gap between what works for massive shows and what actually moves the needle when you are building a podcast from the ground up. If you feel like your show is stuck despite following all the standard podcast growth strategies, this perspective might be the reset you need.🟪 Timestamps(00:00) Intro(00:14) The Biggest Mistake Podcasters Make(09:57) Turning a podcast into a media company(17:58) Where podcast growth actually happens(23:04) What makes people click an episode(28:53) Do title formulas wear out(34:00) How closely you can copy a title(40:29) The first 30 seconds problem(46:24) Growing when nobody knows you(52:46) The old episode that came back🟪 About the GuestChris Jordan is a top podcast & content strategist, who has worked behind many top personal brands and thought leaders like Lewis Howes, Daymond John, Dr. Benjamin Hardy, Sinead Bovell and more.🟪 Connect with Chris Jordan- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imchrisjordan/🟪 Connect with Gabe Marusca- Website: https://www.gabemarusca.com- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gabemarusca- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabemarusca- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabemarusca- X/Twitter: https://x.com/gabemarusca- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gabemarusca- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gabemarusca

Jermane Cheathem has spent more than 20 years in commercial equipment finance and his referral partners made him over $50 million in closed deals. He's the only guest that appeared on this podcast 3 times. And for a good reason. I always learn something new from him and I bet you will too. At his peak he made 300 cold calls a day. Today he works the same four hours and makes none of them, and one coffee at a Starbucks turned into $6.4 million in deals. So I asked him what all that activity was protecting him from, why founders keep buying tactics that make things worse and what a box of chocolates in Dubai has to do with any of it.Then I put my own business on the table. Two offers, revenue split down the middle and a client description I was sure was specific enough. In about seven minutes he showed me I had been describing the wrong person and who I should have been talking to instead. I told him I would make the call the same day.If you keep adding funnels, ads, and tools to a business that still feels stuck, this episode gives you a perspective that might change the way you do business forever. Enjoy!🟪 Timestamps(00:00) The Fix That Makes Things Worse(06:04) What 300 Calls a Day Was Hiding(11:16) Same Four Hours, Different Game(15:10) The $6.4M Coffee(21:29) Who Else Needs Your Client to Win?(27:47) The $30 Chocolate(36:24) The Deal He Found Playing Basketball(41:00) My Business on the Table(44:35) The Only Person I Should Be Talking To(49:07) Before You Buy Another Tactic🟪 About the GuestJermane Cheathem has spent more than twenty years in commercial equipment finance. He runs Creators Learn, where he trains equipment finance brokers to build businesses on referral partners instead of cold outreach, and his site credits those partners with more than fifty million dollars in closed deals. He is based in Scottsdale, Arizona.He left corporate employment in 2016 and built his finance company from scratch, with no capital and no employees.🟪 Connect with Jermane Cheathem- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jermane-cheathem/- Website: https://creatorslearn.com/- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jermanecheathem🟪 Connect with Gabe Marusca- Website: https://www.gabemarusca.com- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@gabemarusca- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabemarusca- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabemarusca- X/Twitter: https://x.com/gabemarusca- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gabemarusca- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gabemarusca