Exhaustion is not proof that you are working harder. It may be the reason your best work is getting worse.

In this episode, Josh sits down with Dr. Michael Breus, widely known as The Sleep Doctor, to unpack what high performers consistently misunderstand about sleep.

Dr. Breus explains why entrepreneurs often sleep differently, how your chronotype affects the best time to focus, create, exercise, and recover, and why the time you wake up may matter more than the time you go to bed.

They also explore caffeine, alcohol, sleep apnea, waking up in the middle of the night, melatonin, sleep tracking, and the danger of turning better sleep into another impossible standard.

In this conversation:

• Why sleep deprivation changes your judgment and emotional regulation
• The three-part sleep strategy Dr. Breus gives entrepreneurs
• Why your wake time anchors your entire sleep schedule
• How chronotypes affect productivity, relationships, and leadership
• What caffeine and alcohol may be doing to your sleep
• Why people wake up between 1 and 3 a.m.
• Practical ways to quiet your mind and return to sleep
• What people misunderstand about melatonin and supplements
• Why better sleep does not require perfect sleep

Take the free Chronoquiz created for ETDTY listeners:

https://sleepdoctor.com/etdty

Michael J. Breus, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, sleep medicine specialist, author of five books, and one of only 168 people to pass the sleep medicine specialty board without attending medical school.

Learn more about Dr. Breus:

https://sleepdoctor.com

This episode is for educational and entertainment purposes and does not replace individualized medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before changing medications or supplements.

Why does getting older make us more afraid that we will never reach our potential?

In his first ETDTY solo episode, Josh Zolin examines four forces behind that pressure: legacy, proof, joy, and impact. He explores why some forms of ambition are rooted in fear, why others come from love, and how constantly moving the goalpost can make even meaningful success feel empty.

This is a personal examination of achievement, self-worth, alignment, and the difference between being remembered and making an impact.

Why do people say yes when they don't want to?

And what separates influence from manipulation?

Dr. Robert Cialdini, author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion and Pre-suasion, joins the show to break down the seven universal principles that shape human decision making.

This conversation isn't about tricks or tactics. It's about trust. It's about how people really make decisions, how leaders move people without manipulating them, and what happens when technology starts pulling us farther apart instead of bringing us closer together.

Dr. Cialdini explains why reciprocity works when you go first, why authority validates better in multiples, how scarcity drives urgency more than discounts, and why showing people you are one of them is more powerful than simply being like them.

He also gets into the ethics of influence, the long term cost of deception, and why organizations that tolerate dishonesty attract the wrong people and lose the best ones.

And he shares what Warren Buffett does in his shareholder letters that makes people trust him more, not less.

SPECIAL OFFERS FOR ETDTY LISTENERS

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Use code Zolin2026 at checkout.

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Use code ZolinCCP at checkout.

Get the newest expanded edition of Influence:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062937650

In this episode:

Why people say yes even when they don't want to
The seven universal principles of persuasion
How reciprocity unlocks influence when you give first
Why liking works better when paired with warmth and approval
The difference between similarity and unity
How authority validates more effectively in groups
Why scarcity of items works better than scarcity of time
How loss language outperforms gain language
What makes commitment and consistency so powerful
The ethics of influence and the long term cost of deception
Why dishonest cultures attract cheaters and lose top performers
How to humanize your communication in the digital age
What Warren Buffett does to establish credibility in his messaging
Why influence is a responsibility, not just a tactic

Because at the end of the day, influence isn't just about getting someone to say yes.

It's about who we become while trying.

Learn more about Dr. Robert Cialdini:
https://www.cialdini.com/

Chapters

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Introduction: The Psychology of Yes
• 00:02:25 The Seven Principles of Persuasion
• 00:05:23 Reciprocation: The Most Primitive Principle
• 00:09:29 Liking: Show Them You Like Them First
• 00:15:26 Authority and Social Proof: Consensus Wins
• 00:18:27 The Power of Social Proof and Popularity
• 00:22:40 Commitment and Consistency
• 00:24:31 Scarcity: Loss is the Ultimate Motivator
• 00:31:22 Unity: You Are One of Them
• 00:36:05 The Ethics of Influence
• 00:39:17 The Cost of Dishonesty in Organizations
• 00:43:24 Influence in the Digital Age
• 00:47:20 Humanize Your Digital Presence
• 00:54:06 Being an Authority vs. Being in Authority
• 00:55:38 Warren Buffett and the Power of Honesty

#influence #persuasion #leadership #businessethics #etdty

What if the way you speak is not fixed?

Speech and communication coach Myles Usher Doyle has worked with some of the most recognizable voices in podcasting, health, and digital media, including Chris Williamson of Modern Wisdom, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, and Heidi Somers.

In this episode, Myles joins the show for a conversation about voice, presence, fear, and the hidden reason so many capable people struggle to be heard.

Myles explains why improving your voice does not mean becoming fake, why nervous people often talk too much, and how learning to pause can completely change the way an audience experiences you.

He also shares the childhood moments that shaped his work, including being so quiet that a teacher admitted they sometimes forgot he was in the room.

This conversation explores filler words, public-speaking anxiety, storytelling, listening, persuasion, confidence, and what it really takes to command a room.

Because finding your voice is not about becoming someone else.

It is about finally allowing people to experience who you already are.

Learn more about Myles at https://www.speak-well.co.uk/

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► Download Your 90 Day ROI Playbook — A value packed free guide created by Josh Zolin that teaches you how to Multiply Your Profits with the Skills No One Trains https://bitnw.academy/roiplaybook

When the thing you built becomes your identity, losing it can feel like losing yourself.

Anthony Trucks spent 13 years turning himself into an NFL player. Then football disappeared, and the identity underneath it nearly collapsed too.

His business struggled. His marriage fell apart. He lost his health, his status, and nearly himself.

In this conversation, Anthony and I unpack the invisible machinery of identity: why we confuse ourselves with our titles, why responsibility restores agency, and why information alone does not create change.

Anthony explains dark work, the unseen and often uncelebrated work that rewires who you are when nobody is watching.

We also explore:

• The identity gap that appears when a career or chapter ends
• Why you were never the fruit, you were always the tree
• How helplessness can become the darkest lie you believe
• Why acting out of character can create a new identity
• The connection between self-respect and self-love
• Why action creates clarity and motion changes emotion
• How to stop identifying with outcomes
• The difference between shadow work and dark work
• How to intentionally build the person you need to become

This is not a clean reinvention story.

It is the truth about what can happen when the identity that built you starts breaking you.

Learn more about Anthony:

darkwork.com anthonytrucks.com

Content warning: This episode includes a candid discussion of suicidal ideation and suicide. Some listeners may find this material distressing. Please listen with care.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. In the United States, call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org to connect with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Support is free, confidential, and available 24/7.

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. Outside the United States, contact your local emergency services or crisis support line.

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health care.

Most founders start a business to create freedom. Then they build one that cannot function without them.

I started this conversation with a question I have had to ask myself:

Why do so many founders say they want to scale, then build a company that cannot function without them?

Cameron Herold knows the cost of that contradiction.

At 34, his health, marriage, family life, and business were all under extraordinary pressure. He thought he was handling it. Then a stress assessment came back at 435.

Cameron says a score of 250 represented a 90% chance of a heart attack.

His entire identity had become the business.

In this conversation, we explore what Cameron changed after that moment and how founders can build companies that support their lives instead of consuming them.

We discuss delegation, executive assistants, second-in-command leadership, personal Vivid Visions, unique ability, coaching, failure, gratitude, and why Cameron's own team told him they liked it when he went away.

Cameron Herold is an entrepreneur, author, former COO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK, and founder of the COO Alliance.

Learn more: www.cooalliance.com

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► Download Your 90 Day ROI Playbook — A value packed free guide created by Josh Zolin that teaches you how to Multiply Your Profits with the Skills No One Trains https://bitnw.academy/roiplaybook

Most people aren't stuck because they don't know what to do. They're stuck because doing it requires them to confront the truth. Nick Anderson knows what it means to move through the thing you never thought you could survive.

At 10 years old, Nick lost his father to suicide. Years later, his wife was struck by a car while they were taking a walk and did not survive. Nick was left to raise two young boys while battling grief, depression, and a body that had reached 305 pounds.

He eventually looked in the mirror and made a decision:

"I can't live this life."

"I've got to stay alive for my kids."

That decision began a transformation that changed his health, identity, relationships, leadership, and career. Today, Nick is the CEO and co-owner of OneAccord, where he helps companies develop stronger leaders, build executable strategies, navigate difficult personnel decisions, and create businesses that can thrive without being completely dependent on their owners.

In this conversation, we get into:

• The stories we tell ourselves about other people and our own lives
• Why the only way out is through
• What actually makes someone a leader
• The difference between strategy and a collection of tactics
• Why your strategy must evolve as your company evolves
• Outgrowing people who helped build the business
• How to approach conversations most leaders avoid
• The biggest threat to the value of an owner-led company
• Building something meaningful for the people you love

You probably already know the conversation, decision, or change you've been avoiding. The question is how much longer you're willing to let it keep you stuck.

Connect with Nick Anderson and OneAccord:

https://oneaccord.co

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickdanderson/

The fears you recognize may not be the ones controlling you. Executive leadership coach and author Hortense le Gentil joins Josh Zolin to uncover the hidden beliefs, inherited expectations, and "mind traps" quietly shaping how we lead and live.

Hortense explains why perfectionism can become a trap, how fear of failure disguises itself as ambition, and why having more success, money, or power rarely silences the internal battle. She also shares the process leaders can use to trace these beliefs back to their source, challenge the voices behind them, and begin writing their own story.

In this episode:

• Why great leaders make space for others
• The hidden anxiety that comes with leadership
• How perfectionism becomes a mind trap
• Why success can disconnect leaders from themselves
• How to identify fears you did not know you had
• The difference between introspection and self-awareness
• Why honest feedback is essential for growth
• How to face fear without allowing it to take control
• What it means to move from a "hero leader" to a human leader

Hortense le Gentil is an executive leadership coach, speaker, and author of The Unlocked Leader: Dare to Free Your Own Voice, Lead with Empathy, and Shine Your Light in the World.

Learn more about Hortense: https://www.hortenselegentil.com/

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► Download Your 90 Day ROI Playbook — A value packed free guide created by Josh Zolin that teaches you how to Multiply Your Profits with the Skills No One Trains https://bitnw.academy/roiplaybook

At 42, Brad Leavitt had a stroke that changed the way he thinks about time, pressure, family, and leadership. In this episode, he and Josh talk about the wake-up call that forced him to rebuild his life with more intention.

Brad Leavitt is the founder of AFT Construction and host of The Brad Leavitt Podcast. In this episode of Everything They Don't Tell You, Brad joins Josh Zolin for a raw conversation about leadership, pressure, health, family, burnout, and what it really means to rebuild your life after a wake-up call.

At 42, Brad had a severe stroke. He recovered, but the experience changed how he thinks about time, presence, health, and the way he shows up as a father, husband, business owner, and leader.

Brad and Josh also talk about the realities of leading in a high-pressure business, why communication matters so much, how leaders can protect their teams from burnout, what happens when you keep the wrong people too long, and why building a business should not cost you the life you were building it for.

This conversation is for founders, entrepreneurs, business owners, and leaders who are carrying more than people see.

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Guest

Brad Leavitt

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleavitt/

www.aftconstruction.com

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► Download Your 90 Day ROI Playbook — A value packed free guide created by Josh Zolin that teaches you how to Multiply Your Profits with the Skills No One Trains https://bitnw.academy/roiplaybook

Rachel Medina built a seven-figure business after 40, after divorce, and after unimaginable loss. This conversation is about grief, faith, hustle, stewardship, and what success can never replace.

Rachel Medina is an entrepreneur, podcast host, TEDx speaker, and mentor to women everywhere.

In this episode, Rachel joins Josh Zolin for a raw conversation about rebuilding life and business after loss. She shares how she built a seven-figure business from less than $500, why sales mattered more than perfection, how hustle became both a tool and a trap, and how losing her son reshaped her definition of success.

They also talk about faith, grief, men's mental health, stewardship, women in business, and the hard truth that the business you build has to support the life you actually want.

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Guest: Rachel Medina

Rachel Unpacked Podcast

rachelmedina.com

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► Download Your 90 Day ROI Playbook — A value packed free guide created by Josh Zolin that teaches you how to Multiply Your Profits with the Skills No One Trains https://bitnw.academy/roiplaybook

Dr. Eben Alexander was a neurosurgeon who believed the brain created consciousness. Then a seven-day coma changed everything he thought he knew about death, identity, and why we are here.

In this episode of Everything They Don't Tell You, Josh Zolin sits down with Dr. Eben Alexander, neurosurgeon and author of Proof of Heaven, to explore one of the most profound questions we can ask: what happens when this life ends?

Dr. Alexander shares the story of the sudden bacterial illness that put him into a seven-day coma, the medical uncertainty surrounding his survival, and the near-death experience that challenged his understanding of the brain, consciousness, memory, and spirituality.

Josh also brings the conversation back to leadership, ambition, ego, and control. For high performers and business leaders, this episode asks a deeper question: what are you really building, and what are you allowing fear to drive?

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► Download Your 90 Day ROI Playbook — A value packed free guide created by Josh Zolin that teaches you how to Multiply Your Profits with the Skills No One Trains https://bitnw.academy/roiplaybook