Disrupt Yourself Podcast with Whitney Johnson

This week’s podcast episode is an experiment. It’s my first solo episode—no victim in the hot seat, being interviewed. Instead, I talk about my own journey up the learning curve, spend some time reminiscing with the ghost of episodes past, as well as calling out some episodes favorited by my team.

Maureen Chiquet, Former CEO, Chanel and now a speaker and author of Beyond the Label: Women, Leadership and Success on Our Own Terms, is my guest on the Disrupt Yourself Podcast. When you read her current title, and former and present accomplishments, ‘failure’ isn’t the word that first comes to mind. But Chiquet had some bumps in the road along her way to success. In fact, her career exemplifies the disruption accelerant of being discovery-driven, which almost always goes hand-in-hand with being willing to give failure its due.

Donald Miller, CEO of StoryBrand and author of the new book Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen is Whitney's guest on Episode 34 of the Disrupt Yourself podcast. He’s an expert in helping people clarify their marketing message so their business can grow.

Join us as we talk to Luvvie Ajayi, author ofThe New York Times best selling book, I'm Judging You: The Do Right Manual. How did Luvvie adjust to the transition of moving from Nigeria to the U.S.? How did she acquire her comedic super powers? How does it feel to have Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers adapt her book as a comedy series? Tune in and find out.

Join us today as we talk with Amazon alumnus Scott Pulsipher. We will be discussing his current position as president of Western Governors University. What's it like to sit across the table from a less than pleased Jeff Bezos? Join us and find out.

Claude Silver is CHO at VaynerMedia. As CHO, as in Chief Heart Operator, Claude takes care of the 800 or so ‘heartbeats’ employed by the company. With her fingers on the pulse of the company’s internal wellbeing, Claude works to provide a joyful company culture to match an efficient product. She encourages employees to grow beyond their comfort zone – but also makes sure to constantly expand beyond her own.

Susan McPherson is the president of McPherson Strategies, a communications consultancy. Join us as Susan gives a lesson on Corporate Social Responsibility, and shares how she dealt with the ultimate disruption.

Walter O’Brien has been a disruptor since grade school in Ireland. His thriving career in computer services is rooted in his lifelong interest in IT – and it’s even led to a CBS TV series based on his company, Scorpion. Another one of his companies has even redefined what a ‘concierge’ is.

Feyzi Fatehi is the C.E.O. of Corent Technology, a revolutionary cloud management platform. Join us as Feyzi tells us about his love for mountain climbing, shares his amazement of American freedom, and explains why companies should SaaSify.

Karen Walrond is an author, photographer, speaker, and former attorney who left her career in law after her body signaled to her that she needed a change. She listed the things she loves to do and paved her own path to success. Now, she’s a published author, paid public speaker, and curator of the blog Chookooloonks, which features her writings and photography.

Alden Mills is the former Navy Seal turned entrepreneur, who gave us The Perfect Push Up. Join us as we discuss his latest book, "Be Unstoppable", how his childhood nickname proved to be a source of strength, and the inspiration behind his newest innovation.

A special live coaching episode: Whitney helps listener Stacy Olsen Distefano figure out how to create a satisfying future in her career. After 10 years at her organization, Stacy has recently moved into a new innovation role – but is staying the right path? Or would finding a new position elsewhere be the revitalizing answer she seeks?

Lee Caraher is the C.E.O. and founder of Double Forte, a digital marketing agency and P.R. firm. Lee is also the author of “Millennials in Management” and “The Boomerang Principle. On this episode, Lee enlightens us about why Millennials are not so bad after all, how an employee leaving could turn out to be a good thing, and so much more.

Lolly Daskal is an executive coach and author of The Leadership Gap. Lolly has been advising leaders on how to reinvent themselves when progress has stalled – and how to deal with the subsequent caveats. Whitney and Lolly discuss the seven leadership archetypes, how Lolly looked to great thinkers such as Joseph Campbell as mentors, and how to avoid weaknesses that come with any leadership style.

Wendy Sachs is the author of the book Fearless and Free: How Smart Women Pivot and Relaunch Their Careers. The book was born out of a disruption in Wendy’s career – and realizing her skills didn’t quite match what the media world required. Wendy talks rewriting your narrative to highlight your strengths, and how to take advantage of what’s around you to succeed.