Making Business Personal

Episode 53: Margaret C. Brown. Leadership is an Inside Job

What if the key to being a better leader wasn't a new management strategy, but a deeper look at yourself? In this episode of Making Business Personal, I sit down with Margaret Andrews, a renowned leadership expert and instructor at Harvard University. Margaret shares the pivotal "moment of truth" in her career: receiving blunt feedback from a boss that she lacked self-awareness. Instead of dismissing it, she spent years researching psychology, philosophy, and management to discover that true leadership starts from within. In this episode, we explore: * The "Inside Job" Philosophy: Why you must manage yourself before you can effectively lead others. * Breaking the Habit: The difficulty of unlearning ingrained patterns and how small daily changes can rewire your brain for success. * The Harvard Connection: The story behind Margaret’s celebrated leadership course and why it remains one of the most popular professional development programs. * From MIT to Hollywood Connections: A look at Margaret’s journey from a "standard Southern California childhood" to the halls of MIT and Harvard. * The Power of Feedback: How to process difficult professional critiques and turn them into a competitive advantage. Whether you are an aspiring manager or a seasoned executive, this conversation offers a roadmap for leading with more intention, clarity, and fulfillment. Connect with Margaret Andrews: * Website: margaretandrews.com [https://www.margaretandrews.com/] * LinkedIn: Margaret C. Andrews [https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretcandrews/] * Get the Book: Manage Yourself to Lead Others (MYLO) on Amazon [https://www.amazon.com/dp/1541705688/?bestFormat=true&k=manage%20yourself%20to%20lead%20others%20margaret%20c.%20andrews&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-bk-ww_k2_1_17_de&crid=11T15XM3HC49A&sprefix=margaret%20andrews%20] #Leadership #SelfAwareness #ProfessionalDevelopment #HarvardLeadership #Management #MakingBusinessPersonal #MargaretAndrews #MYLO

Episode 52: Brianna Brown Keen. Manifesting Your Mission: A Framework for High-Achieving Entrepreneurs

How does a 14-year-old from the suburbs of Minnesota go from cold-calling agents in the Yellow Pages to starring in cult classics like Freaks and Geeks and major films opposite Chevy Chase? In this episode of Making Business Personal, I sit down with actress and entrepreneur Brianna Brown Keen for a raw and inspiring look at the power of resilience. Brianna opens up about her "foundational moment" surviving relentless middle school bullying and a mental health crisis, and how that experience severed her need for external validation, fueling a fearless career in Hollywood. In this episode, we discuss: * The "Hip Pocket" Strategy: How Brianna landed a top L.A. agent before she even moved to California. * Overcoming Stage Fright: From being rejected for middle school plays to singing in the prestigious St. Olaf choir. * The "Figure It Out" Mentality: Why a Midwest work ethic and a history of rejection are actually competitive advantages in business and acting. * Divine Intervention: The vivid 14-year-old "awakening" that led Brianna to realize actors can have a more powerful voice than politicians. Whether you're navigating the entertainment industry or trying to build a business with "balls-out" tenacity, Brianna’s story is a masterclass in turning pain into purpose. Connect with Brianna Brown Keen: * LinkedIn: Brianna Brown Keen * Instagram/TikTok: @briannabrownkeen * Websites: briannabrownkeen.com [http://briannabrownkeen.com/], manifestingyourmission.org [http://manifestingyourmission.org/], and thenewhollywood.org [https://www.google.com/search?q=http://thenewhollywood.org]

Episode 51: What Did Your Success Ask of You This Year?

Season 1 Finale This is the final episode of our first year on Making Business Personal. Instead of asking what you accomplished, this episode asks a different question: What did your success cost you? Not just time or energy. But presence. Health. Relationships. Parts of yourself you set aside to keep things moving. Success isn’t a trophy. It’s a relationship. And every relationship has a cost. In this episode, we explore: * The hidden toll of achievement * Why burnout comes from paying costs you never consciously chose * The difference between a cost you accept and a tax you don’t realize you’re paying * How to assess the real price of success before you say yes again This is a slower, more honest conversation for leaders and high performers heading into a new year. Don’t just count your wins. Count the cost. Season 2 begins in January 2025.

Episode 50: STOP Chasing 'Transformation' & Do This Instead | The Leadership Secret That Moves at the Speed of Trust

Tired of transformation fatigue? 😫 In this episode, Jason Weiss  tackles the biggest myth in leadership and business change. The relentless pursuit of speed and transformation is quietly burning out your team. The real path to sustainable growth and evolution moves at one speed: the speed of trust. Learn why the pace of the human nervous system is the key to corporate change , and how to implement a 90-Day Evolution Sprint that truly works. This is essential listening for any entrepreneur or leader dealing with organizational burnout. You'll discover: * The 3 critical reasons most change initiatives fail. * The 4 elements of emotional scaffolding you need to build team trust and resilience. * Why Evolution is the River, and transformation is a destructive Flash Flood. The real work of leadership is accelerating trust. Want to stop chasing performance and find purpose? Join Jason's free community, the Leadership Renaissance, for weekly letters and meaningful conversations. Find the community link here: https://tinyurl.com/yc3b76h6 [https://mailchi.mp/jasonweissconsulting.com/founders-circle-landing-page] Please FOLLOW, give us a 5-Star Rating, and Share this episode with a leader who needs to evolve!

Episode 49: Goldie Chan

From Hollywood soundstages to Silicon Valley boardrooms, Goldie Chan has built a career at the crossroads of art, business, and authenticity. In this unforgettable conversation, Jason Weiss sits down with the “Green-Haired Oprah of LinkedIn” to talk about how creativity, consistency, and humanity can still win in a world run by algorithms. Goldie shares how producing the 2011 financial drama Cost of Capital, complete with a literal fire on set, taught her everything about leadership, crisis management, and collaboration. She opens up about leaving entertainment for tech, launching 800 consecutive daily LinkedIn videos that changed her life, and turning her insights into her upcoming Hachette book, Personal Branding for Introverts. Together, Jason and Goldie explore why “edutainment” matters, how introverts and extroverts can elevate one another, and what it truly means to build a personal brand that feels human. You’ll hear candid stories about anxiety, ambition, and the messy middle between creativity and business success, plus a few laughs about Hollywood, LinkedIn fame, and the lost art of the em dash. If you’ve ever wondered how to turn presence into power or how to stay authentic when everyone else is performing, this episode will remind you why vulnerability, curiosity, and genuine connection are still the ultimate superpowers. Guest: Goldie Chan Founder & CEO, Warm Robots LinkedIn Top Voice | Author of Personal Branding for Introverts (Hachette Books) 🌐 Website: https://www.goldiechan.com [https://www.goldiechan.com] 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/goldiechan [https://www.linkedin.com/in/goldiechan] 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldiechan [https://www.instagram.com/goldiechan] 🐦 Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/GoldieChan [https://twitter.com/GoldieChan] Host: Jason Weiss, Founder & President of Jason Weiss Consulting and creator of The Leadership Renaissance™. Follow Making Business Personal for more conversations that reveal the humanity behind high performance, and share this episode with someone who needs a reminder that authenticity is good business.