Learning Life With Jon Tota On The Knowledgelink Network

We're on vacation this week but that doesn't mean you have to be. Check out this replay from our first season. Anna Liotta was episode 17 of Learning Life (as you may be able to tell from the audio quality) but that doesn't change the importance of her research!    Crowded house growing up? Think again. Generational speaker and author Anna Liotta is one of nineteen children! Clearly, she was born into the fire of inter-generational dynamics. Anna converses with Jon about some of the data in her latest book Unlocking Generational Codes: a guide on the distinctive behaviors of each generation in the workplace. Each generation has their preferences in work and leadership style, priorities, life fulfillment, and communication habits. In the office, these distinctive behaviors have the potential to clash. In this episode, Anna breaks down when and why these behaviors occur, and how current events affect how generations approach issues. And most importantly, how to effectively utilize the strengths of people from d

Today Jon connects with Brandon Webb, former Navy SEAL, entrepreneur, and author. From training Navy SEAL snipers to writing a New York Times Bestseller, Webb has taught valuable lessons to those interested in his military background. Webb discusses the cutting edge required for businesses to stay afloat in a sea of ever-changing trends. Webb also touches on the future (or demise) of big-box retail and the age of specialty and virtual shopping.   Interested in learning more about Brandon Webb? Go to his website: https://brandontylerwebb.com/ Listen to his podcast, The Power of Thought, on Apple Podcasts here:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-power-of-thought/id1263228612 Read one of Brandon's books, all can be found at this link: https://brandontylerwebb.com/books/   Mastering Fear: A Navy SEAL’s Guide - co-authored with John David Mann Total Focus: Making Better Decisions Under Pressure - co-authored with John David Mann Benghazi: The Definitive Report - co-authored with Jack Murphy  The ISIS Solu

Do you communicate with every employee the same way? You may want to rethink that strategy. As experts in workplace personality theory, founders of Rose Group Int'l Meg Manke and Dr. Rachel Headley use their Culture Types and Kurtz Change Transition Model to help company culture and efficiency. Through their training, workplace members are analyzed with an XY axis: Chaos vs. Order, Team vs. Self. Where leaders and employees fall on this chart reflects how they respond to information, leadership, and training. Rachel and Meg know that prioritizing people like this builds company culture and efficiency. Even with just four years of positive results, the duo is just getting started.   Check out Rose Group Int'ls website here: https://rosegroupintl.com/ Or follow them on social media!  LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rosegroupintl/ Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/rosegroupintl/  

In today’s episode, Jon sits down with an e-learning pioneer: Andrew Scivally. His company, eLearning Brothers has been on the Inc 5000 List five times over! As the co-founder and CEO, Scivally pushed against industry naysayers in the early days of the supposed “e-learning fad” to become one of today’s major industry players. As the lines blur between educational and entertainment content, Scivally and his company maintain their edge; not as instructional content designers, but as experience developers. Scivally and his brother founded eLearning Brothers in 2009 and have worked to enable eLearning rockstars with every piece of amazing content they work on. 

As the sales and training manager of Allyoop (a sales agency that creates revenue growth through lead generation and sales team development), Andy Duwe leads the way as part of a leading sales agency in the industry. The twists and turns that have led Duwe to where he is have deeply impacted the way he trains employees. Duwe knows sales development can be expensive and risky for newer startups and companies; that’s why Allyoop is there to do it for you. Allyoop, like its namesake on the court, serves its customers to slam dunk their revenue goals. From rap to rehab to beekeeping and sales training, Andy Duwe and Jon discuss how this off-court magic happens.      Want to learn more about Andy Duwe and Alleyoop?  Check out the Alleyoop website: https://alleyoop.io/ Connect with Andy on LinkedIn by clicking here. Or follow him on Twitter by clicking here.   For a deeper dive into Andy's journey and the challenges he's faced along the way, watch this employee spotlight from Alleyoop featuring Andy: https://youtu.

Peter Winick helps clients turn their personal knowledge and intellectual property into valuable online learning content. With no two businesses or learners alike, Winick emphasizes the importance of individual styles of communication and learning. With small to medium businesses, authors, speakers, and thought leaders among his favorite clients, Peter Winick tells Jon how to best develop and properly scale content to best meet a sound business strategy in today's online learning marketplace.     Want to learn more about Peter Winick? Check out his website: https://thoughtleadershipleverage.com/ Email Peter directly: Peter@ThoughtLeadershipLeverage.com Follow him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterwinick/ Listen to his podcast, Thought Leadership Leverage, on his website here: https://thoughtleadershipleverage.com/podcasts/, or wherever podcasts live!   

Jon welcomes Dan Griesemer and Ben Haenning of Ohio National to discuss their unique collaboration. The VP of product marketing and the manager of training and development respectively, Dan and Ben intertwine storytelling and learning across departments. These gentlemen release online learning products that are utilized by advisors and employees across their field. The key to their cross-department success resides in the regular rotation of their online content. By constantly innovating the delivery and creation of their products before heavy investment from outside sources, Dan and Ben hone the content that works, and throw out the rest! Learn how in this week’s episode.   Check out an example of how a simple recorded phone conversation with an agent was transformed into an animated training video here: http://ohionational.eduops.com/pub/id/25047   Connect with Ben Haenning and Dan Griesemer on LinkedIn at these links:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/benhaenning https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielgriesemer  

This week’s theme of inspiration brings Adam Rosendahl, artist and CEO. With his company Late Nite Art, Rosendahl has helped companies like Southwest Airlines, Google, LinkedIn, Pandora and Clif Bar maintain their famous positive company cultures. However, Late Nite Art is neither about the art nor at night. It is rather a two-hour workshop catered to the company’s culture with the purpose of breaking divides across departments or during a merger. By creating a familiar and comfortable environment through the use of art supplies and tailored music playlists, individuals from interns to executives are allowed to express themselves not normally allowed in the company format.   Want to learn more about Adam and Late Nite Art?  Check out their website: https://www.lateniteart.com/   Follow Adam on Spotify to hear is cool tunes: Click here.    

This week, Jon sits down with Ron Karr to learn how to ask the right questions and get to the point of a sales pitch: the sale itself! Karr is the author of the popular"Lead, Sell, or Get Out of the Way: The 7 Traits of Great Sellers" and has been teaching company sales teams how to succeed for thirty years. With his branded “Velocity Mindset,” Karr lets Jon in on tricks and tactics to reduce stress and build trust in potential customers, from impersonal cold calls to one on one lunch meetings.   Watch Ron Karr's AWESOME sizzle reel on his website: https://ronkarr.com/ Learn more about Karr from his Wikipedia article. Click here.    Read his book, "Lead, Sell, or Get Out of the Way: The 7 Traits of Great Sellers." Get it here on Amazon or at your local library!

David Schnurman makes an impact. The current president of EO (Entrepreneurs Organization) New York, Schnurman seeks opportunity in every moment in his personal and business life. His key to his success: never labeling a situation as bad or good. This outlook has allowed Schnurman to take action and reduce anxiety no matter the arena, rather than be hindered by his assumed fears.   If you work with or are related to David, stay tuned until the end for a special message!   Check out David's new book The Fast Forward Mindset: How to Be Fearless & Focused to Accelerate Your Success here on Amazon Keep up to date with David, his business, and his move to Barcelona by following him on Twitter here: @davidschnurman Influential Books that have helped David succeed: The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Jack Canfield The principles that have most influenced David are #1 and #54. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie David's Take-Aways: 1. How to Stop Wor

In 2019, the podcast reigns supreme. An ever-growing number of entrepreneurs are throwing their hat in the ring, and ready to sell the secrets to producing a great podcast. But in this ever-connected social network, how can you also be a valuable guest? Lou Diamond swoops in to decode how to thrive in this medium. Host of the popular "Thrive Loud" podcast and from years of success on both sides of the table, Diamond is an expert at marketing oneself (what he calls “connectworking”) and dissecting success through digital media like podcasts.     Want to learn more about being a great podcast guest or promoting yourself? Email Lou directly at we@thriveloud.com to schedule a free strategy call and plan to help promote yourself! Listen to Lou's podcast, THRIVE LOUD, here: https://thriveloud.com/podcast/ If you want Lou to speak at your event or consult on your business, book him at his website here: https://loudiamond.net/  

Joining Jon in this episode is Dan Greenwald: teacher and consultant. With his company ThirtyTenZero, Greenwald guides individuals and businesses to achieve their goals, along with definable metrics to measure progress towards them. Through the “craft of teaching and business of education” Greenwald brings home the important values of seeking authenticity over approval, finding structure, and creating clarity.   Check out Dan's business, ThirtyTenZero, here at https://www.thirtytenzero.com/   Follow Dan on Instagram: @dagreen77; or on Twitter: @dagreen77 Check out the Inspiration Bank on Instagram: @thirtytenzero Keep up to date with all things ThirtyTenZero on Facebook here or on Twitter here

Joe Apfelbaum is a passion powerhouse. One of the first guests of Learning Life, Joe returns to remind listeners about the importance of consistent and passionate content. By beginning with daily posts about his weight loss, Apfelbaum began catering an authentic and regular online presence. Now a professional speaker, Apfelbaum guides professionals to use LinkedIn to its maximum potential and how to weave its power into your business strategy.   Want to learn more about Joe or missed any of the links he mentioned in the show? Check out his personal website: JoeApfelbaum.com Ajax Union and the Blueprint. Click here to get it. Join Joe's Mojivation Facebook group. Click here. Read his book, High Energy Secrets. Get it on Amazon here. Listen to Joe's podcast, The Breakthrough Maze, on Apple Podcasts. Click here to listen. Join Joe's Masterclass here or join his Social Sellin' class here.    

Cal Fussman interviewed legends; Mohammad Ali, Mikhail Gorbachev, Robert De Niro, and Jeff Bezos are only a sample of the greats he spoke with as the Interviewer At Large with Esquire magazine. After writing at Esquire for twenty years, Fussman has now transitioned to a New York Times Bestselling Author, creator of the successful podcast “Big Questions,” and most importantly, he has stepped out from behind the typewriter to take on the role of professional speaker. Through his speaking, he guides companies on how to find their story, and how to tell it.   Want Cal to speak at your company? Send him an email and check out his website, calfussman.com Be sure to check out his podcasts, Big Questions, here.  Want to know what's on Cal's mind? Read his articles on Medium here.  Cal is a Bestselling Author; check out his books here on Amazon.  Connect with Cal on LinkedIn

Cindy Solomon speaks to Jon about courageous leadership in the workplace. However, such courageous behavior is not only limited to the extroverts or the naturally daring. Solomon drills home that like any behavior, courage is a muscle that must be built incrementally. CEO of Cindy Solomon and Associates (CSA), Solomon breaks down the role her company plays in revamping the performance of employees and company leaders through such courageous leadership. With the process taking only four to eight weeks, it’s no surprise CSA was on the 2018 Inc 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies.   Interested in learning more about Cindy and CSA? Check out their website: cindysolomon.com Find Cindy's books on Amazon! The Rules of Woo: An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Capturing the Hearts & Minds of Today’s Customers The Courage Challenge Workbook

Have you ever watched a whiteboard animated TED Talk? With her own whiteboard and a pack of markers, graphic facilitator Heather Willems pioneered this form of communication at SXSW 2003. Known as graphic facilitation, Willems synthesizes key points of a presentation or discussion with bold graphics and images to then be shared with a larger group. Along with these topics, Willems sits down with Jon to discuss her history as an entrepreneur, her book- Draw Your Big Idea, and how to help you communicate goals, strategy, and company culture.   To see Heather's animated illustration of this episode on our Facebook page! Want to read her book, Draw Your Big Idea? It's available here on Amazon. Get the latest updates on The First Word and all things Heather Willems check out her website: https://www.heatherwillems.com/ or follow one of her social accounts:  Instagram LinkedIn Twitter  

Julia Pimsleur is the founder of Million Dollar Women, helping one million women get to $1M in revenues. Pimsleur became passionate about educating women about scaling up after her own experience building her first business, Little Pim, into a venture-funded, multi-million dollar business. Pimsleur began as a documentary filmmaker with a passion for languages and created Little Pim to help children everywhere learn a second language. In her book Million Dollar Women (Simon & Schuster) she told that story and profiled 7 other women who found the right mindset, skillset and networks to scale up. At Million Dollar Women Pimsleur now runs an online business schools, hosts annual summits and has a non-profit for women of color entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurial savant Jeffery Hayzlett talks about the importance of company culture and something he calls the “hero factor.” When a company culture centers around core values, rather than the bottom line, the company is stronger for it. Hayzlett has been the Chief Marketing Officer of Eastman Kodak, guest host on Celebrity Apprentice for three seasons, and written a number of bestselling books. From his diverse experience, he shares many stories of what happens when companies commit (or don’t) to such central values.   Want to learn more about Jeff Hayzlett and how to reach your full hero potential? Watch his FREE content in the Knowledgelink Network! Not a part of the Network yet? Sign up here! Check out Jeff's website here or reach him on Twitter @JeffreyHayzlett Get his best-selling books on Amazon at the links below! The Hero Factor: How Great Leaders Transform Cultures and Create Winning Organizations Think Big, Act Bigger: The Rewards of Being Relentless Running the Gauntlet: Essential Business L

In this episode, Jon sits down with the author of The Sales Bible and The Little Red Book of Selling: Jeffrey Gitomer. Dubbed the “King of Sales,” Gitomer now trains hundreds of thousands of people each year in sales tactics across mediums. Through speaking, multiple books, his podcast “Sell or Die,” his newsletter “Sales Caffeine,” and the Gitomer Online Learning Academy, Jeffrey Gitomer closes the deal with up and coming salespeople. In their discussion, Gitomer reflects on the importance of learning to sell in NYC, always making deals, and always educating himself with the world around him.     Want to learn more about Jeffrey Gitomer and how to reach your full sales potential? Watch his FREE content in the Knowledgelink Network! Not a part of the Network yet? Sign up here! Check out his website here and the Gitomer Learning Academy here.  In addition to his digital learning course, Gitomer has written multiple books on sales tactics and strategies. Buy them on Amazon for your reference library.  The Litt

Attention all leaders, managers, and sales teams; this episode is for you! Schiefelbein is a coach, speaker, business consultant, and former professor at Arizona State University. Since starting one of the first online learning classes in 2003, she has always been on the cutting edge of communicating to audiences. Jill Schiefelbein is the “Dynamic Communicator.” She sits down with Jon to elaborate on the disarray of today’s training model for new employees. From a receptive and engaged state-of-mind to multiple contact points, Schiefelbein’s methods have worked for companies of all sizes, especially yours! Want to learn more about Jill Schiefelbein and how to improve your corporate communication skills? Watch her FREE content in the Knowledgelink Network! Not a part of the Network yet? Sign up here! Learn even more about Jill through her website here. Read one of Jill's books, found here on Amazon.  Keep up to date with Jill's latest projects and speaking events through her Twitter (@dynamicjill) here or her