On Aug 11th, 1973 (51 years ago tomorrow!), Cindy Campbell threw a party in the recreation room of her apartment building (1520 Sedgwick Ave, The Bronx, NY).
She had her brother, Clive Campbell (DJ Kool Herc), run the music.
Little did anyone know that Hip-Hop would be born that night.
What sta...
Here’s what I mean…
Let's use a writer like J.K. Rowling as an example...
Twelve different publishing houses rejected her manuscript before she finally found a publisher.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was first published on June 26, 1997.
Years before LinkedIn became popular.
So Rowling, e...
Several years ago, I had lunch with a gentleman who had a thriving business (or so he said).
After I told him my business idea, he tore me up. “That will never work. No one will ever pay to learn how to utilize storytelling to increase their sales.”
I went home and whined to my wife about what t...
I’ve never quite understood it. When a speaker cries in front of an audience, they’re connecting with people on one of the deepest levels.
Should they apologize for being real?
Should they apologize for being vulnerable?
Should they apologize for giving a glimpse into their reality?
No.
The audie...
SHOW NOTES:
In this episode, Matt Zaun sits down with Steve Schmidt, Chief Revenue Officer and Co-Owner of Magnetic, as well as Co-Owner and Creative Lead at Spotlight Sioux Falls, to explore how creative content and radical authenticity shape modern business success. From building a $5M company in...
...seeing cultural obsessions.
I love how passionate Skamania County is about Bigfoot.
Plus, it’s been a massive boon to the economy there.
They literally sell anything and everything with Bigfoot on it.
Have you embraced what your area is obsessed with?
This could be a specific food, sports team...
...in business for 121 years. What if Jeff Bezos had said,” People will never buy books online; these large bookstores have been around forever!”
Today, Barnes and Noble wishes they would have done what Bezos did.
Right now, you have ideas that the people you admire don't have.
One day, they ma...
I’ve seen it happen. Someone aspiring to a VP role shares a deeply personal story about being mistreated by a boss or about joining a job that wasn’t what they expected. While the intent might be authentic, what is the result? Crickets from recruiters, missed opportunities, or even backlash.
The sol...
I just reviewed the Amazon proof of my upcoming book, The StoryBank, and holding it in my hands felt surreal.
This book has been years in the making, and in just 50 days, it officially launches into the world.
The StoryBank is all about how leaders can use strategic storytelling to:
—-> Drive more sa...
SHOW NOTES:
In this episode, Matt Zaun sits down with Cody Hand, founder of Speakers Collaborative, to discuss what it really takes to become a dynamic speaker in the age of AI and short attention spans. Cody breaks down the myth that effective speaking is about memorization and instead reveals why...
Here’s something I see all too often: leaders delegating the tasks that make them uncomfortable. Social media? “I’ll let the team handle all of that.” Storytelling? “Not my thing; I’ll let someone else do it.”
But here’s the hard truth: Delegating discomfort is dangerous.
Imagine if Steve Jobs had d...
A small, ordinary structure…
…but the birthplace of one of the most extraordinary companies the world has ever seen.
Steve Jobs. Steve Wozniak. A vision. A few tools. And a ridiculous level of belief.
From this modest garage, they launched a company that would reinvent technology, design, communic...
Charisma is…well….charismatic! (And an exceptionally beneficial skill to have in public speaking.)
What is charisma, anyway? Webster says, "Charisma is a special magnetic charm or appeal." We feeeeeeel charisma. It's not easy to define, but we all recognize it when we see it. Its charm is so pow...
Everyone in our group sat down at the Blackjack table.
One of my friends, who was playing Blackjack for the first time, won a ton of money.
While getting up from the table, the gentleman next to me said, “that's the worst thing that could happen to a rookie gambler.”
“What do you mean,” I asked.
“No...
Ever have that moment when a friend pitches an idea, and you think, "Wait...what? You really want me to do this?" 😅
That was me 4 years ago.
“Scott, are you sure about this?” I asked, trying not to look too doubtful. "There are soooo many podcasts out there already! Is this really how I should spen...
...with me that fundamentally changed my life.
It took me a while to truly grasp the magnitude of these words, but here they are...
“𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀.”
👆 Read that again.
No wonder you're so stressed.
In business, we often place unrealistic expectations on everyone and ...
While speaking at Chino Valley Ranchers in Colton, CA, I made a quick detour…
I had to stop by the original McDonald's location.
Why? Because I'm fascinated by business history.
This wasn't some flashy headquarters or billion-dollar campus; it was a simple burger stand started by two brothers with a...
I took my 11-year-old son on a trip to the White House, inspired by one of his school projects.
When he kept talking about the building, I thought, "Why just talk about it? Let's go see it!" His reaction? "Are you serious, Dad?" You bet I was!
Years ago, my father taught me that to truly understa...
So far, I've been to...
-George Washington
-Thomas Jefferson
-James Buchanan
-Abraham Lincoln
-Rutherford B. Hayes
-James Garfield
-Grover Cleveland
-William McKinley
-Woodrow Wilson
-Warren G. Harding
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Richard Nixon
-Jimmy Carter
-Ronald Reagan
-George H. W. Bush
-Geor...
My son Elliot and I visited the Liberty Bell, one of the most iconic symbols of American independence and freedom. 🛎️
5 insights about the bell…
1) Inscription: It bears the inscription from Leviticus 25:10: "Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof." This inscript...
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 speech was such a disaster that I ...
These two words changed David B. Nast's life, and they might change yours, too.
🎙️ This is just one gem from my latest conversation with David B. Nast, CEO of Nast Partners.
David's story is a wild ride from rock stages to writing 21 novels before sunrise to coaching CEOs by day.
We unpack:
✅ Why ...
I grew up close to Route 1. Since I was a kid, I told myself that one day, I'd drive all the way to the end of that road.
For me, it was symbolic...starting and then finishing a journey.
Well, I got my chance. I was asked to speak at a retreat in the Florida Keys.
I flew into Miami and drove the w...
On June 29, 2007 (18 years ago today), Apple launched the first iPhone.
This caused a generational addiction.
Millennials
Gen-Xers
Baby boomers
...all addicted to a device in the palm of their hands.
The invention ripped people’s attention spans from the frame.
Because of this, people need to tell s...
Stories With Traction Blog
