Build stronger connections and make more effective decisions tapping into an elevated understanding of facial expressions with Annie Sarnblad. Annie shares how to better detect people's true emotions and intentions, even if they are trying to hide them. She discusses how, as a leader, it is important to be able to read the facial expressions and body language of your team members to understand what they are really thinking and feeling. This can help you build trust, get honest feedback, and make better decisions.

Performance expert and bestselling author Alan Fine has dedicated his career to helping people improve their performance and reach their full potential, starting from his early days as a tennis coach. To him, the biggest obstacle to high performance is not a lack of knowledge, but mental interference and distractions that prevent us from applying what we know. The key ingredients for high performance are faith (belief in yourself), fire (motivation and energy), and focus (controlling your attention on what's most important). Learn how successful people control their focus and attention, believe in their ability to learn and improve, and have the energy to persevere through challenges.

Learn how to protect your peace with renowned author, coach, and speaker, Trent Shelton. Trent shares his personal story of rejection when an NFL team revoked his contract offer, highlighting the importance of emotional resilience and not letting setbacks define you. He emphasizes the principles of trusting your own vision, being selective about what you say "yes" to, and prioritizing your own peace and fulfillment over pleasing others. Trent’s vulnerable and authentic approach to personal growth serves as an inspiring example of how you can take ownership of your life and focus on the things that truly matter to you.

Curiosity, enlightenment, and commitment are three phases of relationships that help build the foundation for Donald Miller’s StoryBrand concept. The New York Times bestselling author joins On Leadership for a second time to discuss the updated and revised Building a StoryBrand 2.0: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen. Donald shares insights on the importance of clear and concise communication, using the "StoryBrand" framework to position your brand as a guide rather than the hero, and the new StoryBrand.ai tool that can help generate powerful taglines and other marketing collateral.

How does it get better? That is one of many questions posed by #1 New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hollis as she returns to the On Leadership podcast. Rachel joins the podcast to discuss her new book, What if YOU Are the Answer, which poses thoughtful questions to get readers thinking intentionally about what’s next in their lives. She emphasizes the importance of falling in love with the creative process, encouraging people to focus on what they are passionate about even if it doesn’t lead to immediate results. Rachel opens up about personal challenges she has faced in recent years, including divorce, the death of her ex-husband, and a miscarriage, offering encouragement to others to give themselves grace and time to grieve during difficult times.

Three-time New York Times bestselling author, renowned behavioral economist, and Duke professor Dan Ariely joins On Leadership for a thoughtful discussion on the business case for building cultures of trust inside organizations. Dan shares insights from his extensive research, which shows that factors like employee appreciation, fairness, and psychological safety have a strong correlation with a company's stock market performance. He also discusses the phenomenon of "misbelief,” digging into what makes rational people believe irrational things. Dan delves into the psychology behind the spread of misinformation and offers thoughts on how individuals and businesses can work to combat this troubling trend and restore trust in institutions and basic facts.

Learn how to turn anxiety into a force for good with Dr. Wendy Suzuki, a neuroscientist and professor at NYU. Dr. Suzuki joins On Leadership to share insights from her book Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion, discussing how anxiety is a normal human emotion that exists on a spectrum, and how we can harness the "good" aspects of anxiety to become more productive and empathetic. She shares practical tips like turning anxious "what-if" thoughts into a to-do list, as well as the benefits of physical activity in managing anxiety.

Thriving in spite of setbacks changes the second you wake up in the morning. That’s the take bestselling author Hal Elrod has in his renowned book The Miracle Morning, which details his own major life challenges and setbacks, including the death of his sister, a near-fatal car accident, and a cancer diagnosis. Hal was able to turn these adversities into opportunities for growth and transformation and shares how he did that through the development of a consistent morning routine built around his SAVERS acronym for Silence, Affirmations, Visualization, Exercise, Reading, and Scribing.

If you have young people in your life, you need to take 42 minutes to listen to this episode. Join Dr. Leonard Sax, renowned physician, bestselling author, and psychologist, for a crucial conversation on modern-day parenting and the challenges facing young people today. Dr. Sax discusses the importance of parents establishing a culture of respect in the home, the risks of prioritizing a child's popularity and social status over their relationship with their parents, and the negative impact of a "culture of disrespect" in media and popular culture.

Join New York Times bestselling author, speaker, world record holder, and founder of the fastest-growing whiskey company in the U.S., Fawn Weaver, for a masterclass in business, leadership, and communication. Fawn shares her remarkable story, including how she became interested in the whiskey business, the challenges she faced as a woman of color entering a historically white-male-dominated industry, and the principles and strategies that have driven her company's success.

A parable for our times shines light on important personal and professional life lessons we could all benefit from refocusing on. Bestselling author James Rhee joins On Leadership to discuss his book, Red Helicopter, which thoughtfully blends personal memoir, business lessons, and a philosophy for navigating life's complexities with kindness, wisdom, and a systems-based perspective. James shares his unconventional background, from teaching high school to working in private equity, and how those experiences shaped his approach to leading the once-struggling retailer Ashley Stewart. He emphasizes the value of pattern recognition, the need to question conventional systems and assumptions, and the importance of leading with both kindness and a mathematical, systems-based mindset.