Category Archives: Leadership

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541: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking with Jon Acuff (an Encore Presentation of Episode 365)

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Today’s guest makes his fourth visit to the podcast. That puts him in very elite company. Jon Acuff joins Jeff Goins and Todd Henry as the only guests to have appeared as many times.

jon acuff

If you think that must mean I like his work, well, you’d be right. Previous books I’ve featured from Jon include:

Start, Do Over, and Finish, all three excellent books, and Soundtracks is no exception.

Jon says that “Overthinking is when what you think gets in the way of what you want.” Jon says the solution to overthinking isn’t to stop thinking but to change the soundtrack to something better – more positive, more encouraging, and ultimately, more productive. Once we learn how to choose our soundtracks, thoughts become our best friend, propelling us toward our goals.

Get the book that Seth Godin calls, “A simple, powerful, and generous book, one that you’ll remember every day for the rest of your life.” Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking, is out now!

I hope you’ll click the play button below to learn more about Jon and his work. For a summary, just keep scrolling.

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540: The 4 AI Tools I Use Everyday

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Welcome back to the podcast! Today, we’re diving into a topic that’s changing the way we live and work—artificial intelligence. Whether you’re in tech, education, or the creative arts, AI tools have transformed how we approach tasks and solve problems. They offer efficiencies and enhancements that were unthinkable just a few years ago.

Someone using an AI tool

In this episode, we’ll explore how integrating AI into our daily routines can simplify our lives, boost productivity, and foster creativity. We’ll highlight four AI tools that I personally find indispensable: Midjourney for creating stunning images, Beautiful.ai for crafting impactful slide presentations, Google’s NotebookLM for deep research and reading, and ChatGPT for brainstorming and writing assistance.

These tools are game-changers in my work, and I’m excited to share how they can elevate your projects too. So, whether you’re a seasoned AI user or a curious newcomer, stick around as we dive into the fascinating world of AI tools.

For more, continue scrolling or click the ‘play’ button below.

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539: Why You Need to Read Multiple Books at the Same Time

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Have you ever found yourself stuck with a book that just doesn’t seem to be going anywhere? You pick it up, hoping to power through, but instead, it feels like you’re wading through molasses. We’ve all been there, and it can be incredibly frustrating, especially when you have a pile of unread books waiting for you. But what if I told you that there’s a way to keep your reading momentum going without abandoning books altogether?

That’s where the idea of interleaving books comes in. It’s a concept that suggests reading multiple books at the same time—say, three to five—and switching between them regularly to keep things fresh and exciting. This isn’t about multitasking; it’s about maximizing engagement and motivation. So, let’s explore how this works and why it might be just what you need to reignite your love for reading.

For more, continue scrolling or click the ‘play’ button below.

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538: Efficiency Unleashed: Harnessing AI in the Workplace with Jeff Frownfelter

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Today marks a first ever and a second ever. Let’s take the second, first.

Today’s episode marks only the second time in the history of Read to Lead where the guest is not promoting a book but is, rather, here simply because of their expertise in a specific area.

Jeff Brown

And the “first” is that it’s the first time I’ve ever invited on a guest that I attended high school with!

That was a long time ago. In fact, we graduated 40 years ago this year.

My guest is Jeff Frownfelter. Jeff has spent virtually his entire career in IT, even before they were calling it that. He is also someone who, because of his coding expertise, has taken quite naturally to using AI in his every day life.

Jeff is well ahead of his IT peers when it comes to his AI use. This gives him an advantage. One that you, too, need to consider for the sake of your work.

AI won’t likely replace you and your job in the future. But it’s quite likely that someone using AI will.

I felt who better than my long-time friend and fellow graduate, Jeff, to help us better understand why we should be using AI in our every day work, and how to actually go about it.

Keep scrolling for more on this episode, or click the play button to listen to the episode now.

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536: Celebrating 11 Years: The Most Influential Books of the Read to Lead Podcast

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Welcome, welcome, welcome! You’re listening to the Read to Lead Podcast, and I’m your host, Jeff Brown. Today is an incredibly special day because we’re celebrating 11 years of this podcast! 🎉

Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of speaking with some of the brightest minds and discussing some of the most transformative books out there.

So, in honor of our 11th anniversary, I thought it would be fitting to look back at 11 of the most influential books I’ve read since starting this journey. Each of these books has left a lasting impact on me and, I hope, on you too.

Let’s dive right in, shall we? For a complete list of the books, just scroll down.

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