[November 29th is Giving Tuesday, a day for lending your support to worthy non-profits. This week’s podcast opens with a brief interview with Lisa Weyer, executive director of the All Kids Bike campaign and its parent, the Strider Education Foundation. All Kids Bike is on a mission to teach every child in America how to ride a bike in kindergarten PE class.]

Michael Beckley, an author and professor of political science, has briefed high-level policymakers, military leaders, and members of the U.S. intelligence services on his judgment that China is a nation on the descent, and that is likely to lead America into a direct conflict with the People’s Republic much sooner than anyone expects.

Beckley is the co-author — along with Hal Brands — of Danger Zone: The Coming Conflict with China.

This week, Beckley explains the thinking behind his assessment and why business owners and entrepreneurs, not just policy wonks and the political class, would be wise to recognize the threat China poses and take steps now to prepare for the coming clash.

Beckley is interviewed by Dean Rotbart, host and award-winning journalist.

Photo: Michael Beckley, Danger Zone
Posted: November 28, 2022
Monday Morning Run Time: 52:40

Forty days remain in 2022. Forty days to wrap up unfinished business and set course for the New Year.

What can you accomplish between now and year-end to further your goals and check worrisome tasks off your to-do list?

Dr. Sarah Reiff-Hekking answers, “Plenty.” 

Dr. Sarah, a psychologist with more than 20 years of experience, is one of the nation’s preeminent experts on coaching entrepreneurs and professionals on how to get past their sense of being overwhelmed and the procrastination that often results. She is the founder of True Focus Coaching, which offers a variety of time management programs and consulting designed to get even the most time-challenged procrastinators unstuck.

In working with clients over the years, Dr. Sarah has zeroed in on five steps that can bulldoze through the obstacles that undermine our productivity, keep us from achieving our goals, and set us on a negative emotional spiral.

This week, Dr. Sarah shares with host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart the proprietary system she relies on to get things done when there are simply too many things to do.

Photo: Dr. Sarah Reiff-Hekking, True Focus Coaching
Posted: November 21, 2022
Monday Morning Run Time: 47:01

In the third season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, B-List actor Robert Kerbeck played a Cardassian soldier, unrecognizable under facial prosthetics and heavy makeup.

But the alien disguise was child’s play compared to the many real-life guises Robert adopted over his long career as a highly paid corporate spy, absconding with invaluable, private intelligence so detailed it would make the CIA proud.

Business-on-business spying is a huge industry — full of deceit and lies. No company is too small or unimportant to be confident that its competitors aren’t deploying snoops to extract valuable, actionable, proprietary information. 

Robert is the author of RUSE: Lying the American Dream from Hollywood to Wall Street. In the book, he regales readers with his adventures as a corporate spy - pretending to be someone he wasn’t to coax people inside giant corporations to reveal information and secrets that could lead to their downfall - and land Robert in jail for a long, long time.

This week Robert shares the secrets of the dark art of corporate spying with host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart. If, that is, you can believe Robert isn’t just running some kind of grand con on us.

Photo: Robert Kerbeck, RUSE
Posted: November 14, 2022
Monday Morning Run Time: 49:56

As a veteran manager of hundreds of employees, London-based author Jim Edwards would grade himself only a solid “B” as a supervisor.

So why do business owners and entrepreneurs on both sides of the Atlantic turn to Jim in impressive numbers for his recommendations on how they can perform better in leadership roles?

The reason, says Jim, the author of Say Thank You For Everything, is that you don’t have to be a management superstar to be good enough to outperform your peers and competitors.

Jim, a talented reporter and writer, gleaned his insights in his previous supervisory roles, including managing editor at Adweek, founding editor-in-chief at Business Insider UK, and editor-in-chief at Insider.

Alyson Shontell, editor-in-chief of FORTUNE, describes Jim’s book as “equal parts smart, funny, blunt and helpful.” Adds Eric Schurenberg, former editor-in-chief of Inc. magazine: “Jim knows how the leadership game is played and, better yet, he knows how to coach his readers to play it as well.”

Monday Morning Radio host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart promises that Jim’s organizational insights will leave you nodding your head and asking, “Why didn’t I think of that?”

Photo: Jim Edwards, Say Thank You for Everything
Posted: November 7, 2022
Monday Morning Run Time: 53:34

Todd Mitchell is an award-winning author of novels for young readers. He teaches writing and literature at Colorado State University and has worked with thousands of writers.

But Todd is much more than a university professor. He’s a creativity sherpa for all writers, artists, musicians, actors, entrepreneurs, and innovators who, at times, experience doubt, struggle, and failure.

While Todd’s latest book, Breakthrough, speaks most directly to those who call themselves writers, he notes that the challenges writers face — and can overcome — resemble the challenges that almost everyone faces when they send their creations out into the world to be admired, criticized, or ignored.

[Todd’s paradigm is similar to that of Craig Archibald, who was featured on a popular episode of Monday Morning Radio in June 2022. Craig, a well-established acting coach and author, posits that the mindset necessary to be a successful actor and a successful business person is pretty much one and the same].

The subtitle of Breakthrough is “How to Overcome Doubt, Fear, and Resistance to Be Your Ultimate Creative Self.”

Todd wrote the book after he was nearly defeated by the psychological demons that haunt many creatives. He found his way back to a happier, more fulfilling life and now shares his playbook for other creatives to follow.

“Trust me when I say that Breakthrough is an inspirational book, one that has the potential to change your life,” says host Dean Rotbart, an award-winning journalist and author. “Todd offers the ‘cure’ for those of us who are achievement addicts.”

Photo: Todd Mitchell, Author, Breakthrough: How to Overcome Doubt, Fear, and Resistance to Be Your Ultimate Creative Self
Posted: October 31, 2022
Monday Morning Run Time: 50:26

Sitting in jail - facing a 13-year sentence - Rob Lohman had plenty of time to review his past: alcohol and drug addiction, gambling, bankruptcies, and even a suicide attempt. 

That was in 2012.

Since then, Rob, who was released from prison after less than a year, has not only turned his life around, he’s used savvy self-marketing to build a for-profit business guiding thousands of other men and women who’ve hit rock bottom — be it in their personal or business lives — to a fresh start.

As Rob tells host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart, his life story teaches that the same character traits that feed personal failure can be harnessed to rebound and achieve unprecedented success.

Pick up a copy of Rob’s book: The Addition IntERvention.

Photo: Rob Lohman, Lifted From The Rut
Posted: October 24, 2022
Monday Morning Run Time: 42.23

Over the past decade, if you paid taxes, borrowed money, invested, or bought goods and services, no single elected or appointed government official has had more influence over your wallet than Janet Yellen. 

In fact, no person in American history has served — as Yellen has — in three influential government economic posts: Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisors, then Chair of the Federal Reserve, and since January 2021, as Secretary of the Treasury.

Jon Hilsenrath, an award-winning senior writer for The Wall Street Journal covering economics and finance, has written the definitive biography of Janet Yellen and her Nobel Prize-winning economist husband, George Akerlof: “Yellen: The Trailblazing Economist Who Navigated an Era of Upheaval.”

The book, due from HarperCollins on November 1st, can be pre-ordered at www.tinyurl.com/MMRYellen.

Monday Morning Radio Host Dean Rotbart characterizes “Yellen” as an engaging read that will appeal to a broad audience, with unique value to younger readers who are just starting out or still early in their careers.

“The book is a love story, it’s an overcoming obstacles tale, it’s a women’s empowerment narrative, and it provides fascinating insights into the way our government and economy operate,” Rotbart says.

This week Hilsenrath raises the curtain on his forthcoming biography and explains why everyone who is a business owner or entrepreneur needs to learn all they can about Janet Yellen.

To view a video of this week’s podcast, visit https://tinyurl.com/YTHilsenrath.

Photo: Jon Hilsenrath, Author
Posted: October 17, 2022
Monday Morning Run Time: 47 minutes

The title of Chris De Santis’s new book is sure to resonate with employers and employees alike: Why I Find You Irritating: Navigating Generational Friction at Work.

Many business owners and veteran company employees find their younger colleagues irritating —  failing to share their values and work ethic.

Guess what? The feeling is mutual, as Millennials and GenZers often lack respect for their older co-workers.

Chris, an organization expert and former director of training and development for the American Medical Association, has studied generational differences for 18 years. He's discovered that — when well understood — the generational conflict that is so prevalent these days can be leveraged to the benefit of the organization and all its staff.

Who buys that theory? Among Chris’s clients, you’ll find Google, Microsoft, Adobe, Lilly, and Bank of America.

This week, Chris shares with host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart his take on what most companies get wrong and how to avoid squandering the value inherent in generational diversity.

Photo: Chris De Santis, Why I Find You Irritating
Posted: October 10, 2022
Monday Morning Run Time: 42:05

Steve Curtin, ranked as one of the top 30 customer service experts in the world — with clients that include Carnival Cruise Line, NAPA Auto Parts, and TJ Maxx — believes that every owner and manager needs to have “The Revelation Conversation” with each of their employees.

The conversation, which is the focus of Steve’s latest book, is designed to address the question of why their job and their company matter.

As Steve tells host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart, “we’ve all heard the story of the NASA janitor who wasn’t mopping floors; he was helping to send a man to the moon.” Imagine what would happen to each worker’s productivity and job satisfaction, Curtin asks, if your employees felt the same way about the greater purpose of the work they do.

After a 20-year career with Marriott International working in hotel operations, sales and marketing, and training and development, Steve now devotes his time to speaking, consulting, and writing on the topic of extraordinary customer service.

Photo: Steve Curtin, The Revelation Conversation
Posted: October 3, 2022
Monday Morning Run Time: 41:47

You may have never heard of Jonathan Dahl. But six times a year, he produces a glossy magazine that reaches 1.8 million high-powered global executives and owners, in addition to a weekly online newsletter that has surpassed 3.5 million annual page views.

What’s special about Jonathan is that he doesn’t work for a mainstream news organization. Rather, he generates what he calls “dazzling corporate content” for Korn Ferry, the highly respected privately held global consulting firm.

Whether you own or operate a company with 50 or 50,000 employees, Jonathan tells host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart that you need to be generating regular articles and blog posts that showcase how you operate, your values, and how today’s broader news and trends relate to your business and your customers.

Photo: Jonathan Dahl, Korn Ferry
Posted: September 26, 2022
Monday Morning Run Time: 43:02