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Where my youngest son was the 1st time the Eagles won the Super Bowl vs. now. Feb 10, 2025

Where my youngest son was the 1st time the Eagles won the Super Bowl vs. now. 

At that time, I had just launched my speaking business and was really struggling. 

I told myself that I had to prove to my kids that some dreams are worth fighting for. 

Today, I get so many paid speaking...

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Want to nail a TEDx talk? Here's what you need to know... Feb 09, 2025

Have you ever watched a TEDx talk and thought, "I could do that!" only to realize you have no idea where to start? Don't worry, you're not alone. 

Today, since it’s his Birthday, I'm sharing insider tips from the one and only  Bobby Umar, CEO of Discover Your Personal Brand...

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Just hours from kickoff, reality set in. ๐Ÿ‘‡ ๐ŸŽธ Feb 08, 2025

Super Bowl XLI wasn't going to be played in the rain. It was going to be played in a monsoon. 

...and while pro football players deal with the elements all season, rock stars do not. They have provisions in their contracts to avoid such calamities. 

Electricity and water don't mix...

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๐Ÿ† What winning teams (and businesses) have in common... Feb 07, 2025

Three years ago, I spoke in L.A. and stopped by SoFi Stadium during the Super Bowl festivities. As I watched the energy behind the game, it got me thinking…

What separates winning organizations from the rest?

How do some businesses crush their sales goals and build...

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When I entered politics, I obsessively studied... Feb 06, 2025

...Ronald Reagan, also known as the Great Communicator. 

President Reagan possessed a fascinating capability...the ability to command the attention of his audience. 

Whether you loved or hated him, there is no denying that his public speaking skills were off the charts. 

I spent...

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๐ŸŽต Creativity, Storytelling, andโ€ฆ Lizzo? ๐ŸŽต Feb 05, 2025

Here’s the thing about creativity: if you’re not willing to look a little silly, it will be a tough road. And the same is true for storytelling.

Whether you’re a C-suite executive or just starting out, tapping into your creative side is essential if you want to become a...

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Sweaty palms, stuttering, and a total train wreck. Jan 31, 2025

Let me take you back to a time when I was the furthest thing from a confident public speaker. 

I’d just landed a new job, one I thought would involve very little human interaction. Perfect, right? After all, I’d failed my public speaking course in college. My first...

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A couple of years ago, I made a goal to go to every presidential museum. Jan 30, 2025

So far, I've been...

-George Washington 
-Thomas Jefferson
-James Buchanan
-Abraham Lincoln 
-Rutherford B. Hayes
-Woodrow Wilson
-Warren G. Harding
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Richard Nixon
-Jimmy Carter
-Ronald Reagan
-George H. W. Bush
-George W. Bush

Each one fascinates me because...

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Uncover Your Core Jan 28, 2025

The Role of Values in Shaping Our Lives

Understanding and embracing our core values is not only beneficial but essential in our quest for personal and professional growth. This detailed exploration aims to guide you through discovering these values, enhancing your storytelling capabilities,...

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A few years ago, I had the... Jan 27, 2025

...honor and privilege of speaking to Jewish business leaders in Chicago. 

They asked me to come in to process their family stories with them. 

I crisscrossed the area, speaking to 60 leaders in the Windy City. 

I heard some of the most incredible struggle/victory stories from these...

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50 years ago today! Jan 24, 2025

Did you know the first McDonald's Drive-Thru was born out of necessity to accommodate soldiers at Fort Huachuca Army Base in Sierra Vista, Arizona?

Picture this: soldiers in their fatigues, stuck in their vehicles, craving a Big Mac but unable to enter the restaurant due to regulations. 

The...

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Before my son, Elliot, turned 6-years-old, I had him listen to all of MLKโ€™s speeches. Jan 20, 2025

I told him, “๐—ถ๐—ณ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ ๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ, ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—น๐—ฑ.”

But this doesn’t just go for my son; this goes for all of us. 


I’ve spent an exorbitant amount of time researching how MLK was able to connect with his audience the way he did. 

That’s...

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Two teams. One mission: to beat the other. Jan 19, 2025

Today, football fans will see a great playoff game, the Eagles vs. the Rams.

When it comes to great stories, we need a foe.

People love struggle/victory stories. 

In business, we want it to be easy, but that doesn't give us a good story. 

Just like in sports, where your rivals actually...

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Have you ever noticed how great musicians dominate a stage and hold the audience in the palm of their hand? Jan 17, 2025

Artists like…

Beyoncé Knowles
Freddie Mercury
Taylor Swift

Have/had intentional, choreographed movements on stage. Walk this way, hold the mic like this, and look out at the audience in this way.

It's planned. All timed. And mastered.

Do you put intense preparation into presentations...

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Think storytelling is just for bedtime books or blockbuster movies? Jan 15, 2025

Think again. In today’s fast-paced, tech-driven world, storytelling isn’t just important—it’s essential. Here’s why:

 Technology

In 2007, the first iPhone was launched. A few years later, it revolutionized how we live, communicate, and engage. Suddenly, we...

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What I learned from touring Motown Records last yearโ€ฆ Jan 14, 2025

In the late 50s, a Ford Motor Plant worker named Berry Gordy noticed something. On the assembly line, scrap metal would go down one side, and on the other end, a beautiful car was assembled. What if you could do the same with musicians…?

Gordy was a part-time songwriter who barely made...

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Have you ever heard of powdered butt syndrome? Jan 13, 2025

Essentially, if you're old enough to have changed the diaper of the messenger, you shouldn't listen to them. “Too young.”

The problem is the rate at which information accelerates.

The “kids of today” know how to utilize new business tools that older generations...

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It's been 13 years since my grandmother passed away. Jan 13, 2025



Even though she's been gone for a while, I still regularly think of the lessons she taught me. 

She was one of the most empathetic individuals that I've ever met. 

-Her empathy was forged in struggle since she experienced tremendous financial pain during the Great Depression.

-She got pure...

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Here is my secret to tripling my sales... Jan 10, 2025

...Copywriting. 

Fun fact: I don't have the biggest LinkedIn following and don't need to.

So many people get so hung up on “likes,” followers, and comments that they fail to speak directly to their prospects. 

Most of my posts that convert to sales have very little engagement....

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A couple of years ago, I read the book Richard Nixon by... Jan 09, 2025

...John A. Farrell and was fascinated.  

Before reading it, I knew little about our 37th President. 

Though Nixon had major flaws, he was an interesting figure in American history. 

I was intrigued by Nixon’s level of unorthodox strategy he utilized throughout his entire life,...

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I've given 357 talks, and there's one thing I wish I wouldโ€™ve known from the very startโ€ฆ Jan 08, 2025

How to warm up a room. 

Your talk doesn’t start when you grab the mic—it begins long before you even open your mouth.

Speaking to a smaller crowd (50 or fewer)? Take the time to shake every single hand in the room. You'll build rapport and create a personal connection that will pay...

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Be honest. How many of you still print MapQuest directions? Jan 06, 2025

Stupid question. Huh? 


Well, most people use LinkedIn like old paper directions, when a lot of us have moved on.

If you use LinkedIn like a glorified resume when, in fact, it's a networking event on steroids...

You're still using old directions.

If you use LinkedIn to post your boring case...

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I've heard some people say... Jan 06, 2025

”I treat the janitor like I treat the CEO,” and that's noble, but sometimes, these same people will completely destroy themselves with criticism. 

So, though they value the lives of others, they don't consider their own life.
 
You treat everyone else with dignity and respect...

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"There was no light at the end of the tunnel..." Jan 03, 2025

“There was no light at the end of the tunnel. We were losing clients. We were losing people. The stress? I can actually still taste the stress. If you want to get emotional, there on that one, I can literally taste the iron and the blood as I’m biting the inside of my...

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