Productivity Mastery

Samantha Yarwood is a seeker of new knowledge and connections who has translated her 20+ years of experience as a global leader, super connector, speaker, and intrapreneur (marketer and innovator) to designing and delivering transformational solutions for an array of customers from startups to blue-chip organizations globally to drive "innervation" for meaningful environmental and social change.
Her purpose in life is to act as a catalyst/tool for change to help individuals and organizations reimagine the possible, positively impacting the world. She believes that leadership grows – and that we need to cultivate as much of it as we can to truly transform our world(s). She supports leaders at all levels and sizes of organizations by combining research and practice to help people grow on the job.
Samantha holds an Executive Master of Change from INSEAD in France and is currently working on her Doctorate in Business Administration at Durham University and Emlyon.

The future of work is constantly evolving, and there are many potential developments that could shape the way we work in the coming years.
Our special guest, Steve Carigan is a highly sought-after talent advisor to leaders and organizations across the globe. Steve advises a wide range of innovative organizations that include Twitter, Eventbrite, Intel, Kellogg’s, The Royal Bank of Scotland, The Royal Bank of Scotland, and the BBC. He is also regularly retained by some of Silicon Valley’s leading VC firms such as Andreesen Horowitz, & Sequoia, as well as top Consulting firms like Deloitte & McKinsey.
Steve speaks at conferences and teaches in major universities around the world. His work in helping shape the culture at LinkedIn led Stanford University to build a graduate-level class around this ground-breaking work.  Throughout his career, the teams, cultures, and organizations he has led have been recognized as exceptional, “world-class” performers by the Wall Street Journal and Fortune Magazine.
Before launching his firm in 2013, Steve worked as an HR executive for over 25 years at a wide range of companies and industries including ESPRIT, Cisco Systems, Electronic Arts, and capped by serving as the first CHRO for LinkedIn from 2009 through 2012, taking the company from a private firm of 400 employees, through an IPO and helping set it up to be the powerhouse that it has become today.
Today Steve serves on the Board of Directors of four companies (two based in Canada) and also sits on the Advisory Board of several other progressive organizations. In August of 2021, Steve published a ground-breaking book on the Future of Work titled Workquake: Embracing the Aftershocks of COVID-19 to Create a Better Model of Working. Even before its release, it realized #1 on the Amazon list of Hot New Releases.

ChatGPT is a type of AI language model. It is designed to generate human-like responses to a given prompt or input by using a deep learning algorithm to analyze and learn from vast amounts of text data. Chat GPT can be used for a variety of natural language processing tasks, such as language translation, question-answering, and text summarization.
In these fast-paced times, doesn't it sound great to have ChatGPT work instead of you?
Our guest, Tim Berce, co-founder of Automatic Content, has a diverse background in marketing, beginning his career in direct response marketing and later serving as the head of email marketing for a large international digital marketing agency. He also worked as the head of content for a leading multinational retailer, where he led content teams and developed B2C and B2B strategies.
As a co-founder of Automatic Content, Tim now focuses on building fine-tuned AI language models paving the way for the future of AI-generated content.
In addition, Tim worked as a marketing consultant with companies across the US, Europe, and the Middle East.

💡Want to know the behind-the-scenes of a successful podcast for more than 10 years? This podcast is a good way to find out.
Podcasting about productivity can be a great way to share your insights, tips, and strategies for helping people get more done in less time. The key to a successful productivity podcast is to provide value to your listeners. Be consistent, stay focused on your niche, and always keep your audience in mind. More tips coming up tomorrow on the podcast.
This time our guest is Erik Fisher, who is the producer and host of the Beyond The To-Do List Podcast for over 10 years. Erik has talked with productivity experts as they share how they implement productivity strategies in their personal and professional lives. His mission is to explore all aspects of productivity as a means toward the true end goal: living a meaningful life.
#productivity #podcast #perform

💡Not sure how you can grow your presentation skills? This podcast will help you understand more about it and also have a behind the scene of the largest presentation skills conference.

Our guest - Boris Hristov is the founder of boutique presentation agency 356labs and the largest premium presentation skills conference in the world - Present to Succeed. He has delivered top-rated presentations & training in more than 30 countries across the world on topics ranging from storytelling and slide design to public speaking. He and his team build presentations for many of the top-performing in the world.

Recently, two of their startup customers were featured on Business Insider and Techcrunch as they successfully raised millions in investment based on the investor decks built by 356labs. Boris is also a LinkedIn Learning and Pluralsight Instructor and holds the Forbes 30 under 30 award.

Enjoy listening and stay #focused!

If you want to know more in-depth about behavior management and open communication methods, this podcast might be suitable for you.

Beth Lefevre is a team coordinator and trainer for executive teams. She specializes in behavior management, open communication methods and train-the-trainer techniques. Beth has been working for over 30 years to inspire and educate individuals, businesses, and organizational teams to create cooperation, communication, and cultural connection in all areas of their lives.

Beth is also, one of the senior master trainers, for The Passion Test for Business, The Passion Test, and The Passion Test for Kids and Teens; traveling the world, facilitating training courses based on the NY Times, best-selling book, by Janet Bray Attwood and Chris Attwood, “The Passion Test, The Effortless Path to Discovering Your Purpose”.

Her mission in life is, “To inspire others to discover and BE their highest possibility.”

Heini co-founded and grew Vivino to become the largest wine app in the world with nearly 61 million users and a database of 15,8 million wines.

He is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and board member in a number of organizations. His story was recently featured in the Amazon Prime documentary: “Disrupting Wine - a Life of an Entrepreneur”. He is also the founder and host of hashtag#RawStartup”, a platform educating founders and startups to work smarter and grow.

Vivino was born out of the frustration Heini had over not knowing which wine to buy. He is credited for bringing a digital revolution to the wine market. Vivino received a total of $221,8 million in funding and is currently a market leader.

The story of course wasn’t an overnight success. It took hard work, commitment, and a lot of sacrifices on the way.

Tune in and let’s learn together what it really took to build a global company out of Denmark. 🇩🇰

Tune in LIVE for the very first episode of 2023!   

Stoyan's guest is Dr. Ivan Joseph. You might have seen his TEDx talk: "The Skill of Self-Confidence: with over 26 million views, that was named by Forbes as one of the 10 Best TED Talks for Graduates on the Meaning of Life 🍎  

Dr. Ivan Joseph is the Vice President, Student Affairs at Wilfrid Laurier University known for its exceptional student experience.   

He is also: 

✅ an internationally renowned speaker 

✅ bestselling author 

✅ award-winning performance coach 

✅ in-demand consultant 

✅ prominent educator  

✅ and accomplished leader.  

Ivan also contributes regularly to publications like University Affairs, The Huffington Post and The Globe and Mail. He has spent his career leading cultural transformation, inspiring people to believe in themselves and creating cohesive teams. He has also shared his remarkable story as an immigrant who has excelled and led a shift to inclusivity wherever he has gone.   

Among his many accomplishments at Ryerson, Ivan spearheaded the landmark $100M renovation of the historic Maple Leaf Gardens, created a culture of belonging, spirit and pride across Ryerson’s diverse urban campus, and inspired student-athletes to break records in their athletic, academic, and outreach accomplishments. Under his leadership, Ryerson teams won the first provincial and national championships in the university’s history.  Ivan is also regularly called on to support national team programs. Most recently, he was asked to serve as Head Coach for the Women’s National Soccer Team in his native Guyana. In 2017, he was the high-performance coach for the Canadian men’s basketball team that won the country’s first ever FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup.   

Born in Guyana, Ivan grew up north of Toronto. He has a bachelor’s in Physical Education and Health, a Master’s in Higher Education Administration, and a PhD in Psychology with an emphasis in Sport Psychology.

Enjoy listening and stay #productive

#podcast #selfesteem #highperformance

In episode #134 of Productivity Mastery, we welcomed Gene Bernier - Co-Active Coach at Pealed Back. Together we explored how entrepreneurship and practical fulfillment intertwine. Gene shared a lot with us, including:

💡What is practical fulfillment and how to achieve it,

💡How not to become Chief Exhaustion Officer,

💡Important questions he asks his clients as a coach, and much more!

As a Co-Active Coach, LiveCast Host, Husband, and Father, Gene spent over 20 years in the world of tech as a leader building high-performing teams and delivering predictable results for clients across many industries.

Gene has watched as people in business drove themselves into the ground and believing there was a better way, took a step back. Now his mission is to influence people to discover what it would take for them to live their life with direction, presence, courage, and boldness. To live a life beyond the fog.

As a Coach, Gene works with clients to step beyond their comfort zone, begin facing their challenges, and to find one thing daily that can bring them closer to the life they desire. Through his show "LiveCast Conversation With", he interviews guests to "peal" back the curtain on the bumps and triumphs of their story.

Enjoy listening and stay #productive!

#entrepreneurship #podcast #businesslessons

In episode #133 of Productivity Mastery, we welcomed Fo Hussain - the CEO of EEVA and The Smart Fashion Club. We discussed how to make it happen as a business tech founder, but also as a mother and Fo shared a lot with us, including:

💡How she overcame the end of her athletic career,

💡Finding the balance between being a mom and a startup founder,

💡Fighting the stigma of “being perfect”, and much more!

Fo Hussain is the Co-Founder and CEO of EEVA and CEO of The Smart Fashion Club. EEVA is a smart solution enabling companies to source their supply chain with 50% less waste whilst measuring and monitoring their environmental impact.

Over 10 years in the fashion and supply chain space,  Fo has made the move to apply her knowledge and experience to EEVA, enabling thousands of companies around the world to source their supply chain whilst understanding their impact in real-time. Having launched and successfully run two international businesses in her 20s, EEVA is a natural progression combining her passion for supply chains with purpose with scalable tech to help businesses around the world.

Enjoy listening and stay #productive!

#womeninbusiness #womenempowerment #podcast

In episode #132 of Productivity Mastery, we welcome to the podcast Zach Nadler, the Co-founder and CEO of one of the most successful speakers bureaus in the world 🔥 He’s worked with USA Presidents, Academy-award winners, and Nobel prize recipients. Zach shared a lot with us, including:

💡 How he founded a business with Gary Vaynerchuk,

💡 VaynerSpeakers’ strategy about clients,

💡 How to become more distinguishable as a speaker, and much more!

Co-Founder and CEO of VaynerSpeakers, Zach Nadler has built a career helping luminaries share their stories of impact and inspiration. With his longtime client, and now partner, Gary Vaynerchuk, Nadler founded VaynerSpeakers in 2018, a speakers bureau for the modern event planner. He represents bestselling authors, entrepreneurs, CEOs, thought leaders, and tastemakers, negotiating innovative deals for his clients on stages and screens around the world.

Enjoy listening and stay #productive

#podcast #garyvaynerchuk #speaker

Don't miss our new format 🚀 PERFORM in Times of Crisis 🚀 We will interview experienced business leaders and include some of the best examples, strategies, and stories in our upcoming book with the same name (and co-author, Cristobal Alonso).

In episode #130 we had as a guest Ilma Tiki - a culture-driven leader who has a lot to share on how to lead in times of crisis. She shared a lot with us, including:

💡Why you need to “leave the basecamp”,

💡How to create a team that would help you through a crisis,

💡How to take care of yourself, so that you can deliver at 100% always, and much more!

Ilma is a cofounder & CEO at The Remote Company. She's also a co-founder of MailerLite, a marketing automation platform that got acquired by Vercom for USD 90+ million. Ilma is also an investor and author of the book "Leaving Base Camp".

Enjoy listening and stay #productive!

#podcast #leadership #crisismanagement

In episode #126 of Productivity Mastery, we present you Ersin Üstün - an energetic and inspiring individual with whom we talked about Why Evolving Yourself Is Key To Growing Your Startup. Ersin shared a lot with us, including:

💡 Where to find inspiration,

💡 How can we be sure in our mission,

💡 The yellow polo and its consequences,

💡 What is Ersin’s guidance in life, and much more!

I met Ersin a couple of weeks ago at PIRATE Summit 🇩🇪 and after 30 minutes of deep conversations on the topic, I had to invite him to share his ideas on the podcast too.

Ersin Üstün is COO at BRYCK.COM . He started with professional education in Banking. He studied Business Informatics and worked as Sales Rep for several IBM products. He learned hard core Sales and successfully sold 1.5 Mio IT Project only via phone. Ersin also worked for 12 years as Management Consultant at EY (Ernst & Young), with a focus on strategic IT Transformation Programs. He did projects for companies like Novartis, Volkswagen, Lufthansa & Qiagen. During this time he learned how to make change happen. Since 2019 he is engaged in shaping the Startup Ecosystem in Germany's largest Metropolitan Region (The Ruhr Area).

Get your coffee ready and enjoy listening! ☕

#productivity #startup #podcast

In episode #122 of Productivity Mastery, we welcomed Hedi Mardisoo - an energetic and inspiring individual with whom we talked about Attracting and managing an effective (startup) team. Hedi shared a lot with us, including:

💡 How to make people want to stay and grow with you,

💡 Views on the Estonian economy,

💡 Team culture and values when your team grows,

💡 Advice for founders who want to build amazing startup companies, and much more!

Hedi Mardisoo is the co-founder and CEO of Cachet, a financial services ecosystem on a mission to create a better platform economy. Cachet has been listed two years in a row among the top 100 Insurtech in the world. Hedi is passionate about designing services that help people to be smarter about and benefit more from their data. In 2020, Sifted listed her among Europe’s “Women to Watch in Fintech”.

Enjoy listening and stay #productive!

#leadership #startupfounder #productivity

In episode #118 of Productivity Mastery, we present to you Heather Mills - an amazing lady with extremely inspiring stories. Despite having a challenging childhood, Heather didn't let it discourage her. Instead, it triggered her on her journey. Heather shared a lot with us, including:

💡 How your business becomes your life,

💡 A few things to do before starting a business,

💡 The all-in or all-out attitude,

💡 How to make a great difference in the world, and much more!

Heather Mills is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, activist and world-record-holding athlete. Her main mission in life has and continues to be, the creation and supply of healthier, sustainable, plant-based alternative food, nutrition, and cosmetics. This is coupled with tireless charity campaigning that embodies her vehement passion to support those negatively impacted by war and other forms of oppression or physical debilitation in 'overcoming adversity'. Heather has manifested these goals through the creation of market-leading plant-based businesses and numerous charities across the globe.

Having suffered the amputation of her left leg in 1993, Heather adopted veganism to aid her recovery, which subsequently gave birth to the VBites Food business. VBites is now one of the world's largest manufacturers of meat-free, fish-free, and dairy-free plant-based alternatives, currently servicing 24 countries.

Expanding on her plant-based mission, Heather has also created a vegan algal oil business, V-Omega3, vegan makeup business, B@One, as well as investing in numerous plant-based start-ups as part of her 'VBites Ventures' portfolio.

Heather is most proud of her work in the charitable sector, which includes the founding and patronage of 'Adopt A Minefield' which cleared 21 million square metres of landmines in war-torn areas around the world. Heather is also the originator and patron of many amputee clinics around the world and has raised hundreds of millions of dollars in the face of atrocities such as the Twin Tower attacks and the Gujarat earthquake in India.

Heather has also found time to pursue her sporting passion of ski racing and at the age of 47 became the only disabled skier ever to achieve x3 world records in downhill, skeleton, and ski-jumping disciplines. Heather also holds x4 gold medals for downhill and slalom skiing at the skiing world championships.

Enjoy listening and stay #productive! 

#productivity #podcast #HeatherMills

In episode #117 of Productivity Mastery, not only that we officially start SEASON 3 of the podcast, but we welcomed Rob Napoli - an energetic and inspiring individual with whom we talked about How you can Leverage Your (Personal) Brand as a Founder. Rob shared a lot with us, including:

💡Founders should have a personal AND a company brand,

💡 Engagement in social media is more important than content creation for you,

💡 Many tips and ideas on how to reach out to people,

💡 The three most important things for a successful personal brand, and much more!

Rob Napoli is an accomplished trainer, speaker, entrepreneur, podcast host, and Amazon Best Sellers List author based in Brooklyn, NYC. Rob's journey has taken him from the Midwest to New York City by way of Milan, Italy, where he received his Master's, scaled a global startup, and coached professional American Football.

Rob is a continuous learner who creates engaging keynotes, programs, workshops, and curricula and is on a mission to find the best whiskey bar in Manhattan.

Enjoy listening and stay #productive!

#personalbrand #startupfounder #productivity

In this special bonus episode on the Productivity Mastery podcast, Stoyan Yankov presents the keynote titled "Why Caring for People is Good for Your Company" from his participation at the PODIM Conference (2022) in Maribor, Slovenia. 

Podim is a nonprofit platform founded in 1980 to change attitudes towards innovation. Based in Slovenia, Podim has evolved into the most influential startup & tech event in the CEE region, where innovation meets business opportunities and capital, as well as knowledge and experience. It is a key regional platform for enabling learning and networking in the most valuable and time-efficient way. Podim aims at equipping founders and innovators with the right tools to solve the most meaningful challenges of society.

Enjoy this special episode!

In episode #115 of Productivity Mastery, we present to you Ieva Treija! If you have ever felt invisible or that your business can never be noticed by the world and more importantly, the press, Ieva has some great advice for you. With her experience with PR, tech companies and journalism, Ieva provided us with valuable lessons, including:

💡 The first steps in PR for a business,

💡 The hate between startup founders and journalists, explained

💡 How to build relationships with the media and the press,

💡 Different PR approaches and strategies, and much more!

Ieva Treija, a PR & Communications Consultant for Tech Companies, has been studying journalism, and later - also marketing. After working 10+ years in marketing, she came back to creating content - but this time for her clients, not the media.

Although Ieva is doing PR and communication consultations, her work sometimes appears also in the media. Ieva is an active participant in the local startup community and editor of "Labs of Latvia" - an online platform that is focusing on local startup success stories as well as technologies, science, and commercialization.

Ieva is also a Certified Facilitator in the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® method.

Enjoy listening and stay #productive!

#productivity #publicrelations #startupfounder

In episode #114 of Productivity Mastery, we welcome Masami Sato - a radiating and inspiring personality with a mission to help businesses around the world make a positive impact through their daily business activities. Masami Sato shared a lot with us, including:

💡 How to create a community with a shared mission,

💡 What are the foundations of a giving and caring world,

💡 What are some secrets of Japanese efficiency,

💡 Japanese leadership styles, and much more!

Masami was born in Japan, but her desire to expand her horizons took her on a global journey. She became deeply concerned about the inequalities and other challenges that existed in the world. Since then, she has endeavored to create real WIN-WIN connections across all cultures, people and organisations to realise a different world.

She has been a serial entrepreneur since 2001, starting and running several commercial enterprises, all aiming to transform the way businesses are operated today. And by taking a completely new look at the power of giving, she founded B1G1 (Buy1GIVE1) in 2007.

Masami’s approach to life is very different. She brings a new, almost upside-down strategy to everything she does. And she also radiates it through her writing and speaking.

She has authored four books including, ‘JOY - The gift of acceptance, trust and love’, ‘GIVING BUSINESS – Creating the maximum impact in the meaning-driven world’ and ‘Better Business, Better Life, Better World’.

Masami’s career has followed her diverse talent and skills having been a teacher, translator, natural food chef (and a farmer!), author and award-winning entrepreneur as well as a mother of two teenage children. She is a two-time TEDx speaker and is frequently invited to international events, podcasts and interviews.

Tune in! 

In this special bonus episode on Productivity Mastery, Stoyan Yankov, the co-founder and co-host of The Leaders Who Care podcast and community platform, interviews Jakob Modéer, Regional Manager of the Swiss Entrepreneurship Program.

Tune in and discover: 

✔️ Opportunities and challenges in the Balkan region from the Western perspective,

✔️ The role of culture in the country’s economy,

✔️ Why an economic system would need plurality,

✔️ Using the entrepreneurship as a vessel to massively help,

✔️ How to practically support less developed countries, and more!

Swedish by origin, American/British by education, and Balkanite by marriage and life! 30+years of living, working, failing, surviving, and succeeding in southeast Europe. Factory-owner, exporter, job creator, motivator, storyteller and now, startup ecosystem supporter with the Swiss Entrepreneurship Program.

Being born and raised in Sweden, a country that scores in the top 10 of any global development index, made for a wonderful and worry-free childhood. As a teenager, with restlessness with life in a society of collective conformity and completion, Jakob applied to study for a high school year in the US, which was followed by BA studies at Lewis & Clark College out in Oregon. At the American university, Jakob was struck by the openness of the discourse, the closeness of the professors and their push for well-argued cases to improve the status quo, and the equal rejection of unsupported complaining.

Graduation coincided with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the rush for societal change in East Europe and the USSR. Jakob got a job in Moscow, constructing the first golf course in the USSR. The encounter with the negative effects of totalitarianism and the planned economy was eye-opening. Finding a way to operate and get a job done in a completely different culture was an incredible challenge, a learning journey that Jakob now treasures very much. Today, 30+ years later, he recognizes that those months in the Soviet capital were his watershed moment, he knew at that moment, that this is where he wanted to be – on the front lines of the re-introduction of individual freedoms, free market, and free-thinking.

During the last three decades in the lands of southeast Europe aka The Balkans, Jakob has started and failed as a factory owner, succeeded as an exporter of multiple products, worked as a consultant on job creation programs, and advised national and local governments on the art of creating jobs (often in deprived geographical areas) and most recently managing a program which puts entrepreneurs first, as the primary change agents, in a transitional society.

Enjoy this special and very insightful episode, and learn more about the podcast via theleaderswhocare.org!

In episode #112 of Productivity Mastery, we meet with Naveed Syed who is a global, experienced strategist, connector, and facilitator with business success in driving growth through innovative service excellence. He is a strategic systems thinker who excels at identifying high-impact opportunities, devising actionable solutions, and driving results through cross-functional excellence. Naveed is also a creative strategist with strong negotiation, interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to see the “big” picture to facilitate key decision-making processes and revenue generation.

Naveed is recognized as an innovator consistently capable of creating new ideas and solutions to meet the most complex and ambiguous client needs and challenges. He quickly crests the learning curve of unfamiliar subject matter, disaggregating problems and developing /executing strategies for solutions that add value to clients.

During our conversation with Naveed, he shared some curious stories with a focus on topics such as:

💡 Managing and nurturing relationships,

💡 Building sincere connections with your future clients,

💡 Mastering the art of networking with people we don’t know,

💡 Cultural awareness in the world of business.

Tune in!

In episode #111 of Productivity Mastery, we welcome on the podcast John Paul Rollert who teaches classes in leadership, ethics, and politics at Harvard University and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

In this episode, the main topic centered around whether Leaders Are Born or Are They Created, and John Paul shared plenty of fantastic leadership techniques, valuable practices, and fascinating insights, including the following:

💡 Why empathy is important in leadership,

💡 How is leadership similar to learning how to ride a bike,

💡 3 lessons on leadership from working with Barack Obama,

💡 Why leadership is not for everyone, what is your personal leadership capacity, and much more!

John Paul Rollert teaches classes in leadership, ethics, and politics at Harvard University and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and his research focuses on the intellectual history of capitalism, the ethics of leadership, and the application of empathy to law, business, and politics. 2

Rollert has been published in The Business and Society Review, The Journal of Law, Culture and the Humanities, Raritan, Common Knowledge, Critical Inquiry, and the Yale Law Journal Online. Rollert has also worked with the former President of the United States, Barack Obama, during his election campaigns in 2004, 2008, and 2012.

In addition to his academic work, he frequently writes on business, law, and politics for a variety of popular publications. He writes the In-House Ethicist, a featured column for the Chicago Booth Review, and his work has been featured in The New Republic, Harper's, Bloomberg, The Washington Post, Slate, Fortune, and The New York Times.

For writing featured in The Atlantic, he was recognized by the Society of American Business Editors and Writers in its 2017 Best in Business Competition. A graduate of Harvard College, Rollert earned his JD from Yale Law School and a PhD from the John U. Nef Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago. He serves on the Board of Directors of two start-ups, Envel and Global Alumni.

Tune in!

Raya Drenski is a brand strategist, mentor and co-founder of a startup consultancy and several consumer brands. She believes that a better elaborate brand helps a company or a person thrive! So she devised the Brand Like a Girl workshop to help more people fight biases and better describe their inner richness.

Tune in!

In episode #109 of Productivity Mastery, we go to the Space & Beyond of entrepreneurship, so buckle up! Space holds much more job and economic opportunities (including for you!) than you can imagine, so we invited a real Space Economy Advisor to broaden our perspective. Anilkumar Dave shared a lot with us, including:

💡 The state Space Economy is in right now,

💡 Space technologies are all around us - let’s explore,

💡 How can we save our planet through the Space work,

💡 Space might need your competencies, and much more!

Anilkumar (everybody calls him Anil) started his career as ICT Projects Manager between Italy and India before moving to EU-funded R&D and Tech. Transf. (TT) initiatives representing public and private entities and focusing on the interaction between Res. and Ind. He has worked in sectors spamming from textile/clothing to footwear, from logistics to households, and from FMCGs to Agrofood. After his assignment as the “SMEs Innovation and TT policies” officer at the Institute for Industrial Promotion (aka Italian Min. of Econ. Dev.) he designed and led the “Research, TT and special projects” department for the largest innovation agency in Italy, thus helping SMEs accessing European and public funds (25+ M€) through collaborative innovation projects.

During his tenure at the Italian Space Agency, Mr. Dave launched and directed the “Innovation and TT” Unit working on New Space Economy themes: start-ups, risk finance, IPR, tech transf., and later appointed Open Innovation advisor to the president. During his role as senior partner for the innovation hub INFINITE AREA he launched the first Italian advisory firm on Space Economy targeting non-Space companies.

At present Anil is a member of the advisory board for the GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP NETWORK SPACE and senior advisor to policymakers, start-ups, and research centres on Space Economy themes and fundraising.

Tune in!

In episode #108 of Productivity Mastery, we welcomed to the podcast the dynamic co-founder duo, Mario Calderón & Victor Sánchez. We talked about Making Culture a Priority from Day 1, and also about the origins of SkillMapper! Mario and Victor shared a bunch of practical lessons and stories, including:

💡 Teaming up with the right person - and why,

💡 How they deal with F-ups in the company,

💡 Methodologies vs. Reality,

💡 How to build a company culture that even competitors want to join, and much more!

Mario Calderón is the Co-Founder & CEO of SkillMapper, an AI-powered ed-tech building the bridge between education and employment for young professionals. Mario has believed that education is the ultimate equalizer, and has always had an entrepreneurial mindset. Thus, his transition from the corporate world to an ed-tech founder became very natural as the world was amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In early 2021, he co-founded SkillMapper with a mission to empower young professionals to achieve their full potential through education.

Before SkillMapper, Mario worked in Data Science and Partnerships for nine years at Meta (former Facebook). He was among the first Peruvians to join this juggernaut in 2012 and worked across various teams during his stints, from operations to partnerships. Mario holds a Double Master’s Degree in Marketing Research and Management from the University of Groningen, The Netherlands, and BI Norwegian Business School, Norway. Mario was born and raised in Lima, Peru, and resides in Paris, France.

Víctor Sánchez is the Co-Founder & CTO of SkillMapper, where he covers all the start-up’s technology and product development sides.

Previous to SkillMapper, Victor has worked in TATA Consultancy Services and LATAM Airlines, specializing in strategy, analytics, and operations. Through these experiences, he discovered the world of Data, Business Intelligence, and Analytics. Since then, he has been passionate about surfacing data insights and building architectures for big data projects. His last stints before joining SkillMapper were aligned to what later became SkillMapper’s ethos and AI-driven approach.

After completing his Master's Degree, he joined a computer vision start-up as a Data Scientist. Victor holds an Informatic Engineer degree from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. Victor used to be an e-gamer in his free moments, and he’s passionate about football and martial arts.

Tune in!

In episode #107 of Productivity Mastery, we talk about something that we’re all affected by - the vast advancement in technology from the last couple of years. But luckily, Daniel Sih is here to show us how to become a SPACEMAKER in the Digital Age. He shared a lot of valuable facts and lessons, including:

💡 Keeping base and making space,

💡 What is neuroplasticity and how does technology affect us,

💡 The changes in people’s mentality after 2012,

💡 The importance of daily pauses and good sleep, and much more!

Daniel is the co-founder of Spacemakers®, a productivity consulting group for busy leaders. His book, "Spacemaker - how to unplug, unwind and think clearly in the digital age," won the Australian Business Book Award in 2021 for personal development.

As a trainer, coach and keynote speaker, Daniel has worked with CEO’s, executives, and other senior professionals throughout Australia and beyond, ranging from global corporations and businesses to universities and non-profits.

He is the creator of best-selling productivity courses such as Email Ninja and Making Space (digital wellness training) with more than 20,000 students online and offline. Daniel lives in Tasmania, Australia with his wife, Kylie, and three children, Naomi, Caleb and Jethro. He also keeps fourteen purebred chickens, who eat a lot of grain and lay too few eggs.

Tune in!

In episode #106 of Productivity Mastery, we were talking about How Using LEGO Bricks Improves Productivity. Luca Bruschi, Senior Service Owner at The LEGO Group, will trigger your creative side by showing you how Lego can transform your work life. He shared a lot of inspiring information, including:

💡 Problem-solving through Lego,

💡 How to structure your meetings and workshops,

💡 A visual example of how to use Lego to express ideas,

💡 The relation between storytelling, creativity and making connections, and much more!

With 20+ years of experience in multinational companies, Luca has matured a strategic vision and pragmatic approach, that allow him to work across the IT and business worlds. He works in a diverse environment, where he is used to dealing with executives and engineers at the same time, with flexibility, prioritization skills, and multitasking ability.

He is an experienced leader and business relationship manager who can bring technical information to the business level through an astute combination of creative energy, technical skill, and partner-&-internal-facing credibility.

As a Senior Service Owner at The LEGO Group, he is responsible to maximize the IT Support value for all the users at the HQ. He is a strong communicator who brings leadership through public speaking engagements, including Microsoft TechEd, TEDx, and FifteenSeconds.

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In episode #105 of Productivity Mastery, our guest is the founder of Typerform himself! Many of you probably have come across their software or have read about them in the PERFORM book, but in this episode, David Okuniev shared with us the story behind the successful company and many lessons from the journey, including:

💡 What it’s like to lead a 500 people company,

💡 How to create a culture of accountability ownership,

💡 The moving-fast attitude,

💡 Establishing work-life balance, and much more!

David Okuniev is the co-founder of Typeform. He currently heads the R&D team as a product designer/builder in charge of bringing new products to market. His mission to make the digital engagement a little more human resulted in the creation of Typeform in 2012, in Barcelona.

With a focus on interaction, UX and UI, David and co-founder Robert Muñoz sought to create a platform that would enable brands to interact with customers in a dynamic, conversational way. David served as co-CEO of Typeform until 2018, during which the company raised more than $52 million in funding and earned more than 30,000 paid customers.

David continues to lead R&D efforts to help Typeform shape the future of online interactions.

Tune in!

For episode #104 of Productivity Mastery, we welcomed Diana Alice Florescu, a serial entrepreneur with an intriguing quantity of experience. We talked about Navigating Career Changes by Following Your Inner Compass, so this episode is perfect for those who have just graduated and currently stand at the crossroads. Diana shared a lot of enlightening lessons, including:

💡 How to understand your passions,

💡 Preparing yourself for the entrepreneur’s journey,

💡 Finding a job after you graduate,

💡 How to overcome social pressure for success, and much more!

Diana Florescu is a serial entrepreneur. She is a founding partner at Grai Ventures, a venture building studio, and a board member at Wolves Summit. In the last decade, Diana held various marketing and strategy roles working with some of the world’s largest accelerators, tech conferences, and innovation consultancies.

Diana honed her international experience having worked and studied in the UK, the USA, Qatar, Poland, Romania, and Germany. Diana holds a Master's Degree in Technology Entrepreneurship from UCL.

Tune in!

In episode #103 of Productivity Mastery, we talked about a topic that more and more companies are aware of - neurodiversity! Did you know that 1 in 7 people has a neurodivergent condition, and this is crucial to be considered in order to help them do their best at work? Our guest was the incredible Theo Smith, who, being neurodivergent himself, is a leading advocate for neurodiversity and its opportunities that come along. In this episode, hear about:

💡 The importance of understanding neurodiversity,

💡 How to let neurodivergent people use their superpowers at work,

💡 Energy and time management for different types of thinking,

💡 How to achieve happiness at the workplace, and much more!

Theo Smith is a leading advocate for neurodiversity. Passionate to raise awareness of neurodiversity, Theo has founded Neurodiversity At Work LTD to advocate the importance of neurodiversity in the workplace. Recently, Theo joined forces with Dynamis Group to help take neurodiversity to the top of organisations agendas via the CEOs and their leadership teams.

Formerly, Theo has been the Recruitment Manager for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, enjoying a successful career in HR and recruitment, ensuring organisations had a diverse workforce and thrived. He has also been an advisor for TapIn and host of the Talent Hacks for Scaleups podcast.

Sharing his expertise on neurodiversity, Theo helps businesses to have a better understanding of neurodiversity, why it is important and what the benefits of having a neurodiverse workforce can have in business. Spreading the message that an organisation’s employees are their biggest competitive advantage, Theo shares the importance of different skills, strengths, approaches and problem-solving techniques that are evident in a diverse workforce.

Known for his love of speaking, Theo is now a popular choice as a speaker for diversity and inclusion-themed events. Sharing his experience of being neurodiverse as a passionate neurodiversity evangelist, Theo has formerly spoken for the likes of Wayfair and is commended for his concepts on neurodiversity in the workplace. Covering topics such as DE&I, neurodiversity at work, neurodiversity recruitment and being ADHD, Dyslexic and Dyscalculia, Theo Smith is the perfect speaker when looking for an expert on neurodiversity.

Enjoy the episode! 

In episode #102 of Productivity Mastery, we welcomed Hristo Borisov, the co-founder and CEO of the first-ever Bulgarian Unicorn-status company! Starting a business in this part of Europe can be quite challenging, which has made Hristo’s success even more impressive (by the way, he is on the cover of the Forbes magazine at the time of the podcast recording). 

In his conversation with Stoyan, Hristo shared with us a broad range of lessons from his entrepreneurial journey, fascinating stories that lead him to success, and various principles of day-to-day work, including:

💡 Hiring the top 1% of your company,

💡 How to build a customer-success oriented company culture,

💡 A founder’s journey is like a rollercoaster,

💡 How your product is the key to becoming a Unicorn, and much more!

Hristo Borisov is the CEO and co-founder of Payhawk. Founded in 2018, Payhawk is a leader in B2B payments and expense management. The company's mission is to become the world's biggest bank without holding a single dollar. Businesses from 27 countries actively use Payhawk credit cards and payment products to save time and money managing their company expenses. With a strong engineering and product background, Hristo spent 11 years leading cloud and mobile products at Progress.

Hristo studied both Computer Science and Business Administration at the American University in Bulgaria and has developed a patent-pending technology for declarative programming techniques to create conversational intelligence for a chatbot.

Enjoy listening and stay #productive!

In episode 101 of Productivity Mastery, we devoted our discussion to scaling. And since we know this is a topic that most of our listeners take a great interest in, we invited Jure Knehtl - an absolute expert in this field!

In this episode:

💡 How to surround yourself with successful people,

💡 The 3 stages prior to starting to scale your business,

💡 Some pretty impressive online advertising tips,

💡 How to create user-generated content, and much more!

Jure, the CEO of WeScale, is an expert in scaling e-commerce businesses in the EU. He had scaled 10 businesses from 4- to 7 digits by investing more than €42,500,000 on Facebook and Instagram ads. He holds a record 20,000 products sold a day by winning the hearts and minds of customers with localization in Europe, influencer marketing, and UGC.

Having started his first successful business at the age of 21, Jure understands and values all aspects of running a fast-growing e-commerce business and provides partnerships to selected founders in his Wescale ecommerce boutique agency.

Tune in!

For episode #100 of Productivity Mastery, we welcomed Anna Liebel, a Mindshifter originally from Ukraine, and we talked about how you can turn perfectionism into something good for you. Anna shared a lot on the topic, including:

💡 Not feeling guilt in troubling times,

💡 4 questions to ask yourself every day,

💡 How to establish a healthy relationship with perfectionism,

💡 How to deal with procrastination, and much more!

Anna Liebel is a Mindshifter helping entrepreneurs become better leaders of themselves and others. Prior to working with her, Anna's clients are usually facing the feeling of being stuck or lost, or they know they can have more from their professional or personal life but simply don't know how to get there.

In the process, they then go from being overwhelmed to being more open and becoming the true versions of themselves in day-to-day life.

Tune in! 

For episode #99 of the Productivity Mastery podcast, we welcomed the amazing German Coppola, who is also one of the contributors to PERFORM: The Unsexy Truth About Startup Success. German shared an impressive amount of valuable productivity tips, including:

💡 How to practice Mindful productivity,

💡 3 Powerful Productivity Tools,

💡 How to use your phone more productively,

💡 A morning routine for self-awareness, and much more!

German Coppola is the CEO and founder of Yumiwi, an event automatization platform that is helping organizations and brands capture, clean, and integrate event data so that brands can make better decisions.

As a tech entrepreneur who focuses on building people skills above all else, he has successfully created and conceptualized several successful companies which revolve around events, technology, and shared experiences. As the Founder and CEO, he works alongside marketers, designers, and technologists to make sense of the event industry by identifying unspoken users’ needs and trends.

He is also a Speaker, Mentor, Course creator, and host of his YouTube Channel and Podcast where he dives deep into Productivity, Mindset, and Technology. German loves reading, music, and spending quality time with his family while teaching his three kids values and strategies of what it is to be and think like an entrepreneur.

Brain.fm is an app that uses specially designed music to improve your brain activity, help you focus and relax.

Visit Brain.fm/stoyan and take the 20% off after your free trial using coupon code: stoyan

Enjoy the episode and stay productive! 

In this special bonus episode on Productivity Mastery, Stoyan Yankov, the co-founder and co-host of The Leaders Who Care podcast and community platform, interviews Nina Heir, CEO and Partner at Katapult Accelerator, Katapult Climate, and Katapult Africa.

Tune in and discover:

✔️ The future of Impact entrepreneurship,

✔️ Finding a balance between being professional and vulnerable,

✔️ Building a culture of trust and openness,

✔️ How taking care of others requires taking care of yourself first, and much more!

Nina is CEO and Partner at Katapult Accelerator, a globally leading impact tech accelerator headquartered in Oslo, Norway. She’s leading Katapult’s two new thematic investment and accelerator verticals: Katapult Africa and Katapult Climate.

Katapult Climate was launched as a new vertical in 2021, and Katapult Africa is under establishment and will run its first accelerator program in Kigali, Rwanda in 2022.

Katapult as a whole has since 2017 invested in an accelerated 108 impact tech startups from 35 countries across its existing verticals. Nina is an angel investor and previous founder, and is passionate about the role technology and entrepreneurship play in making the world a better place for both people and the planet.

Enjoy this special episode! 

For episode #97 of Productivity Mastery, we dedicated our conversation to those who are dealing with grief in these uncertain and unsettling times. Dr. Karin Lubin, who is a coach, trainer, and the international director of The Passion Test®, various practical techniques, and wisdom on how to support ourselves and those around us, also covering the following:

💡 Grief is a threshold to finding meaning,

💡 How to build resilience,

💡 What is intuitive leadership,

💡 How to bring balance back to your life, and much more!

Karin Lubin, EdD, is a coach, teacher, trainer, speaker, international director of The Passion Test®, and creator of the series, My Life Through the Seasons, A Wisdom Journal and Planner®.

Karin clearly remembers the day, twenty years ago, when she decided she would stop obsessing over her thoughts and her career and decided to instead go for what felt better! That realization led her to switch careers and begin to do all that she can to help others to go deeper to be greater.

When she was 8 years old and her parents were in the midst of a messy divorce, Karin discovered the power of journaling to help her work through her thoughts and emotions. Over many years of journaling, she discovered that this kind of self-reflection allowed her to get in touch with buried or ignored aspects of herself and helped her to see herself in relationship with herself, with others, and with the natural world of which we are all a part.

Karin hopes that counselors, therapists, coaches, and individuals use her Seasonal Wisdom Journals as tools to define, refine, dive in, explore, understand and build emotional intelligence and resiliency in this changing world. She encourages everyone to Go Deeper to Be Greater!

Karin is also dedicated to coaching of a different sort—as a personal trainer. She channels her passion for physical health, fitness, and bodybuilding by leading online workouts three times a week.

Tune in!

For episode #95 of Productivity Mastery, our topic is Fundraising vs Bootstrapping: Are you ready? This episode is especially valuable for startup founders at an early stage of their business. Our guest, Angelo Burgarello shares his expertise and lots of tips, including:

💡 Common mistakes founders make,

💡 How to understand investors better,

💡 How to know if you’re ready for fundraising or bootstrapping,

💡 What traits you need as a founder in order to succeed, and more!

Angelo is the Managing Partner at AI Startup Incubator (AISI, Prague), co-founder of the biggest English language online media outlet for foreigners living in the Czech Republic (PragueMorning) and  co-owner of a Marketing Agency based in Prague.

In his career, Angelo has been involved in various managerial positions covering Business Development, Project Management and implementation planning for IT solutions. Angelo's key competencies are shaped around helping founders setting up their companies and raising capital to enable growth, when necessary.

Angelo's motto is: "Helping others is always good business! Businesses are made by people and working together enabling synergies between organizations is the only way we can deliver a brighter future for ourselves and those who come after us."

Tune in!

In episode #94 of Productivity Mastery, we decided to share with you a Founder's Lessons from Scaling a Global Startup. Sergiu Negut, the Co-Founder and EVP of FintechOS, shared his expertise with us, including such lessons as:

💡 Common problems entrepreneurs struggle with and how to deal with them,

💡 How to understand better team culture,

💡 How to find the sweet spot between reality and ambition and go over it,

💡 Celebrating success, and so much more!

Sergiu is a reputed entrepreneur, angel investor, speaker, and lecturer at Maastricht School of Management. He has a positive track record of business growth in different roles (adviser, board member, angel investor, manager) and across different industries (healthcare, IT&C, financial services, HR, consulting).

Committed to building powerful teams and backed by a broad experience in business development, including M&A & startups, Sergiu co-founded FintechOS, a company that deploys its technology in more than 20 markets on 4 continents and is backed by some of the most reputable VCs in Europe. Sergiu coordinates Finance & Investor Relations, HR and Operations, bringing his strong contribution to the overall strategy and development of the FintechOS.

The company’s centrepiece technology, FintechOS, puts automation and personalisation at the heart of innovation, allowing financial services providers to transform the digital customer experience quickly and affordably.

In 2020, FintechOS was recognized as Europe’s hottest fintech startup and ranked among the most well-funded VC-backed tech companies in Europe (CB Insights).

Tune in!

In episode #93 of Productivity Mastery, we were talking about Resilience & Team Culture. The founder and CEO of Funderbeam, Kaidi Ruusalepp, shared a lot of valuable information from her personal experience, including:

💡 How to take care of your mentality as a leader,

💡 How to build a strong supportive team,

💡 Having a startup business in the land of unicorns,

💡 How to prevent burnout, and much more!

Kaidi Ruusalepp, the founder and CEO of Funderbeam - the global funding and trading platform of private companies. Funderbeam enables companies to raise funds and investors to invest with liquidity, also list existing shares, employee shares, and investments of private companies.

The platform has investors from 134 countries and is awarded as the Best European Fintech startup in 2017. Kaidi is a former CEO of Nasdaq Tallinn Stock Exchange and of the Central Securities Depository, co-founder of Estonian Service Industry Association, and a former member of Startup Europe Advisory Board at European Commission.

Tune in!

In episode #92 of Productivity Mastery, we were talking about Productivity in the Creative Industries. Having an intriguing background in different types of creative work, Andrew Cross shared a lot of valuable information from his personal experience, such as:

💡 Tricks that help you boost your creativity,

💡 The connection between health and creativity,

💡 Where to seek inspiration when you’re in a creative block,

💡 Time management hacks for a productive day, and much more!

Andrew Cross is a copywriter and content strategist based in Montreal, Quebec. With a varied background in a wide range of industries, he tries to bring an unusual and inventive approach to creative problem-solving. Andrew has worked for LANDR Audio, Raised by Wolves, Cannara Biotech and Mindgeek, and is now Content Strategist and Copywriter at Nubik.

Tune in!

We start the New Year with episode #90 of Productivity Mastery, in which we talk about Plan A for the Planet with the amazing founder of the company, Lubomila Jordanova. She shared with us a lot of valuable information and tips regarding:

💡  Climate change and how you can positively contribute as a company,

💡  Time management tactics for working on various projects,

💡  Building company culture with humour and trust,

💡 Having an everything-is-possible mindset, and more!

Lubomila Jordanova is the co-founder and CEO of Plan A, a Berlin-based company developing an end-to-end platform that uses machine learning and science to enable businesses to manage and improve their carbon and ESG performance.

She is also the co-founder of the Greentech Alliance, a community of over 1000 startups that are connected to over 500 advisors from VC, media, and business. Prior to Plan A, Lubomila worked in investment banking, venture capital, and fintech in Asia and Europe.

She is a BMW Responsible Leader, Marshall Fund Fellow for 2021, 100 Top Women in Germany 2020 (Focus Magazine), and Top 50 Women in Tech in Germany 2021 (Handelsblatt).

Tune in! 

In this special bonus episode on Productivity Mastery, Stoyan Yankov, the co-founder and co-host of The Leaders Who Care podcast and community platform, interviews Masami Sato - Founder and CEO of B1G1 (Buy1Give1).

In this episode:

✔️ What makes Japanese companies the most sustainable in the world,

✔️ Reevaluating consumerism lifestyle and focusing on giving vs taking,

✔️ Why "thinking small" can create a much bigger impact,

✔️ How to build a team of truly caring people,

✔️ Practical steps to create a giving culture in any business, and so much more!

Masami was born in Japan but her desire to expand her horizons took her on a global journey. She became deeply concerned about the inequalities and other challenges that existed in the world. Since then, she has endeavoured to create real WIN-WIN connections across all cultures, people and organisations to realise a different world.

She has been a serial entrepreneur since 2001, starting and running several commercial enterprises, all aiming to transform the way businesses are operated today. And by taking a completely new look at the power of giving, she founded B1G1 (Buy1GIVE1) in 2007.

Masami’s approach to life is very different. She brings a new, almost upside-down strategy to everything she does. And she also radiates it through her writing and speaking.

She has authored four books including, ‘JOY - The gift of acceptance, trust and love’, ‘GIVING BUSINESS – Creating the maximum impact in the meaning-driven world’ and ‘Better Business, Better Life, Better World’.

Masami’s career has followed her diverse talent and skills having been a teacher, translator, natural food chef (and a farmer!), author and award-winning entrepreneur as well as a mother of two teenage children. She is a two-time TEDx speaker and frequently invited to international events, podcasts and interviews.

Tune in!

In episode #88 of Productivity Mastery, we’re having a very special and inspiring guest, the man who coined the phrase “We work in a coffee business serving people, but we’re in a people business serving coffee” and built Starbucks as we know it today, the former president of Starbucks Coffee Company International and the author of It's Not About The Coffee: Leadership Principles from a Life at Starbucks, Howard Behar! He shared with us a lot of valuable information, including:

💡  What is servant leadership and how it became part of Starbucks,

💡  How to create a company culture of care,

💡  Some incredible stories about expanding the Starbucks franchise,

💡  How to live up to your values, and much more!

Mr. Howard Behar's career in business spans over 50 years, all in consumer-oriented businesses covering several industries. He retired from Starbucks Coffee after 21 years where he led both the domestic business, as President of North America, and was the founding President of Starbucks International. During his tenure, he participated in the growth of the company from 28 stores to over 15,000 stores spanning five continents. He served on the Starbucks Board of Directors for 12 years before retiring.

Mr. Behar is currently a Trustee for the Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation and is on the advisory board of Anthos Capital. He formerly severed as a board member for Starbucks, GAP, Shurgard, University of Washington Foundation, and IDTech to name a few.

Mr. Behar is committed to the development and education of our future leaders and has been a longtime advocate of the Servant Leadership Model*. He has also authored two books on leadership titled "It's Not About the Coffee" and "The Magic Cup".

Enjoy listening and stay #productive!

#starbucks #servantleadership #startup

In episode #85 of Productivity Mastery, we talk about The Surprising Power of the Real YOU. And the person to take us through this journey is the super-energetic and inspiring speaker/author/artist - Ryan Foland! He shared with us his valuable expertise, including:

💡  How to really connect with your audience

💡  Telling the story of the Real You

💡  How to create a true personal brand

💡  Becoming a speaker in 2021, and much more!

Ryan Foland is a high-energy speaker, author, and consultant who teaches entrepreneurs and executives how to grow their influence. His 3-1-3® Method uncovers core brand messaging to guide bespoke branding strategies. He specializes in helping leaders harness the power of authenticity by teaching them how to create content that reveals their whole self to drive differentiation, growth, and loyalty.

Ryan believes in the simplicity of messaging and of simply being you. He is recognized for his expertise when it comes to marketing people, which is most commonly known as "personal branding." His clients include New York Times bestselling authors, venture capitalists, and Fortune 500 executives. In his book, Ditch the Act, published by McGraw-Hill, Ryan shares the art of being perfectly imperfect.

Ryan is a four-time TEDx speaker and has been featured in Forbes, Fortune, Inc., Entrepreneur, and more. For fun, Ryan loves to sail, rap, and draw Stick Figure NFT art. Learn more at ryan.online

Enjoy listening and stay #productive!

In episode #83 of Productivity Mastery, we talk about Growth Mindset and Growth Hacking. And our guest is the Best-Selling Instructor & Podcaster, Maja Voje. Being also a growth advisor, Maja shared with us tons of valuable lessons and practical advice, including:

💡  Leading a business through a growth mindset

💡  How to create a collaborative culture in your company

💡  How to market and monetize a knowledge product

💡  Creating content by learning to listen to your audience

And much more!

Maja Voje is a globally recognized growth advisor and practitioner. She has built her career in leading technology companies such as Google and Rocket Internet. As a lecturer, she participates in one of the best-selling online courses at the Udemy online classroom, which has already been taken by more than 51,000 international students.

As a consultant, she has helped develop growth strategies and build growth teams for more than 300 American, German, Austrian, Swedish, Belgian, Dutch, and Slovenian companies operating in international markets. In her career, she has helped several companies invest up to 10-25 million and scale from 20 million to 60-100 million in yearly revenue.

Maja studied at Said Business School, Oxford University, Wirtschaftsuniversität in Vienna, and the Shanghai Institute of International Trade.

Enjoy listening and stay #productive!

We all love to hear stories about successful companies and the next unicorn that has emerged in the region. We go out and tell everyone how “cool” it is to be an entrepreneur and post about it on every possible social media account. 

Let's take a pause! And let's have a real talk! Entrepreneurship is not only "sunshine and roses." It takes relentless commitment, and often the journey is much harder than we expect. What does it really take to build a long-term successful company? What mindset, strategies, and unsexy habits are required to grow a peak-performing team that has what it takes to succeed? 

Productivity & Performance coach and Global Speaker: Stoyan Yankov will share key learnings that he's discovered together with his co-author: Cristobal Alonso (CEO, Startup Wise Guys) while writing a book about startup culture and performance, and interviewing hundreds of successful founders from the region. Get ready for a ride!

Tune in!

In this episode, Lauren shares with us a variety of insights from her experience and gives a lot of practical advice, including on:

💡  Achieving productivity through prioritization

💡  How to nourish your team and make them motivated to do their best

💡  How to develop an onboarding process strategy

💡  The difference between striving for excellence and struggling with perfectionism

...and much more!

Lauren leads consultant PwC’s design practice. The British native has spent the last 15 years building and leading diverse design teams and has realized large-scale projects for global brands including Audi, Coca-Cola, Huawei, Heineken, and Unilever.

Listed by business magazine Campaign as one of “30 female creative trailblazers in the UK,” Lauren is an avid supporter of initiatives such as “Creative Equals,” “SheSays,” and “Who’s Your Momma.” But work doesn’t end at the doorstep for the Executive Creative Director who also likes solving design challenges in her private life, describing herself as an “OCD house renovator.”

Enjoy watching and stay #productive!

In this episode, Chris Robbins, Chief Customer Officer and CEO of Tele2 Estonia, talks about leading a company in a value-based way. He shares with us a lot of practical advice based on his impressive expertise:

💡  How to make a turn-round in your company for 100 days

💡  How to transform your company's culture

💡  A bottom-up approach for creating your company's values

💡  How to live and make decisions for your company according to your values

And much more...

Chris Robbins is a passionate leader of values-based challenger organizations, with a particular focus on customer-centricity, communication, and psychology.

Chris has lived and worked in 7 countries across North America and Europe and has covered 13 countries in the scope of the roles of a CMO, CCO, CEO, and EIEIO.

Enjoy listening and stay #productive!

In this jubilee episode #80, we’re talking about how you can boost your B2B sales. Our guest is the inventor of ‘The Launch Code’ - Zoltan A. Vardy.

This episode is an absolute must-hear, especially if you're a new startup founder. Zoltan shares a lot about:

💡 The building blocks of a business,

💡 How to create a compelling client message,

💡 How to show potential clients that you're credible,

💡 Tips for growing your network and building business relationships,

and much more!

Zoltan Vardy is a business growth mentor with 30 years of global corporate and entrepreneurial experience who helps B2B startup founders scale their business internationally by applying his 9-step business development framework called ‘The Launch Code.’

Zoltan spent 20 years as a senior media executive, and 10 years as an entrepreneur, investor, and advisor. He has experienced both corporate comforts and entrepreneurial uncertainties, and knows the thrill and challenges of creating “something from nothing” first-hand. Zoltan created ‘The Launch Code,’ a 9-step business development framework that helps B2B technology startups boost their revenues by adapting corporate planning, sales, and management techniques to a startup environment. In this way, he has accelerated the revenue growth of hundreds of startups in agtech, medtech, AI, business services, and media.

Enjoy listening and stay #productive!

In episode #79 of Productivity Mastery Podcast, we decided to devote ourselves to a very important topic related to team culture - CREATIVITY. And who would be better to speak about how to unleash your creative genius than a creative genius himself. Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you Jamshid Alamuti. He is a true creativity master. Even as we speak, he's working on the founding of three different companies. How does he manage to do it?

Jamshid shared his unique view, experience, and advice about:

💡 Exploring life and learning to be human

💡 Creativity in life and work

💡 How to build a team culture of creativity

💡 The problem about "finding inspiration"

And much, much more.

Jamshid’s multifaceted nature makes him unique as a disruptor, a transformational strategist, a development expert, and a creative entrepreneur. A born communicator, Jamshid’s rare ability to bring different people together led him to his current project at Neural Jam: combining technology and creativity and apply them to innovation, entrepreneurship, and problem-solving projects.

His track record is wide and diversified, namely in Arts, Business, educational and personal development. He has been challenging established ideas and connecting people from different backgrounds under common goals all over the world for the past 20 years.

Tune in and enjoy this exciting episode. 

And remember, all work and no play make a team dull and grey.

In this episode, we’re going to talk about a different valley – “The Valley of Genius”, which happens to be the most most-read and best-reviewed book about the history of modern Silicon Valley. And our guest is its brilliant author – Adam Fisher!

From having a “geeky” childhood in the Silicon Valley, to working for magazines in New York, to writing about some of the biggest companies in the Silicon Valley, Adam learned a lot about passion and success. And he gave us some great insights about:

🎯How he managed to get access and interview most of the legends of Silicon Valley and put it all in a book (for 4 years),

🎯The untold stories of some of the biggest companies in the world when they were just start-ups,

🎯What made all these iconic companies successful,

🎯How the invention of a meta formula for solving mazes helps us measure success, and much more!

Adam Fisher is a writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is a best-selling author who specializes in books about the culture of high technology.

His first book, Valley of Genius, The Uncensored History of Silicon Valley, is both the most-read and best-reviewed history of modern Silicon Valley. The book appeared on best-of lists compiled by media outlets as varied as Bloomberg Businessweek and the BBC. Chapters of the book were excerpted by Vanity Fair, Wired, New York, and The Smithsonian Magazine.

Adam's second book, about a reclusive tech billionaire, was published privately.

His third book, Designing Ideas, about the design superstar Yves Behar, was just released by the art publisher Thames & Hudson. Currently, Adam is working on a fourth book, also to be published privately.

In a former career as a magazine journalist, Adam roamed the world covering art, travel, music, and tech for The New York Times Sunday Magazine, Men's Journal, the MIT Technology Review, and Wired. When Adam is not writing books for private clients, he still writes the occasional long-form feature story, but now mostly for the new magazine, Alta, where he is a contributing editor.

Enjoy listening and stay #productive!

In episode #77 we’re having the author of “FastScaling: The Smart Path to Building Massively Valuable Businesses”  - Patrick Fleshner.

He shared with us a lot of essential tips for founders of start-up businesses: that might “Get Through the Growth Valley of Death”:

💡 The five building blocks of fast scaling,

💡 How to accelerate growth – predictably and efficiently,

💡 Focusing on Customer success,

💡 How to stay on top of the game by implementing healthy habits, and much more!

Patrick Flesner is a growth capital investor and a partner at the investment firm LeadX Capital Partners.

Each year, he looks at hundreds of tech companies that want to raise capital in order to accelerate growth. He sees patterns in companies that fail and companies that succeed. His respective growth expertise and his knowledge deriving from more than 16 years in Private Equity and Venture Capital have gone into his latest book, FastScaling.

Prior to joining LeadX Capital Partners, where he built one of the largest European portfolios of B2B and B2B2C tech companies active in consumer industries, Patrick Flesner had been a lawyer and partner at reputable German business law firms.

His articles on Venture Capital and M&A have been published by renowned magazines like the MIT Sloan Management Review and the Global Corporate Venturing Magazine.  Patrick Flesner received a Ph.D. in Law from the University of Cologne and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from INSEAD Business School. He lives with his wife and children in Cologne, Germany.

Enjoy listening and stay #productive!

In this episode, Zane Bojāre, the Head of Marketing & Comms at Startup Wise Guys, talks about finding the sweet spot between ambition and mindfulness. She shares with us some raw and honest insights on:

💡  The positive life force and dark side of ambition

💡  How can we be ambitious without being self-abusive

💡  Tips on building habits according to our needs

💡  Mindfulness as part of your journey to success

And much more practical advice.

After 10+ years in marketing communications and building her own company - a social enterprise providing senior employment and minimizing textile waste, Zane is currently helping techy startup founders become successful entrepreneurs at one of Europe’s top startup accelerators – Startup Wise Guys.

She is the main person behind a comprehensive Startup Scene report about the Baltic region and an active Co-Creator at Riga TechGirls.

Untypically for the tech sector, she holds a Master degree in Philosophy.

Tune in!

Listen to episode #74 with Milimo Banji, Founder of TapIn, and get insights on:

💡 The shifting needs and wants of Gen Z;

💡 Gen Z and flexible work;

💡 What is TapIn's mission and how does it help today's generation of young people;

💡 Why hustling may not work in your favor;

💡 Where should a young person start looking for a job,

and much more!

Milimo (Mils) Banji is the 24-year old Founder and CEO of TapIn, a media company that is on a mission to prepare 100 million young people for the world of work. TapIn has built an active social community of over 100,000 Gen Z’s and influencers who engage with their social video content every month.

They are helping employers such as EY, Capgemini, Newton Europe, and the RAF attract and engage with the best Gen Z talent. Being the eldest in his team, Mils is leading a team of Gen Z's who are quickly disrupting the ever-changing recruitment marketing space.

Tune in!

In this episode of Productivity Mastery, Simon shares his valuable experience and talks about:

💡 a Japanese principle regarding the ways of learning;

💡 what he does to keep him inspired and motivated;

💡 creativity and pursuing what you like to do even if you're ~not~ creative on demand;

💡 goal-setting and his approach to establishing what's a priority to him;

💡 a reminder to enjoy the path to success,

and many more!

Cultivated through decades of skateboarding and worldwide adventures, award-winning photojournalist Simon Skipper challenges the norm in his search for truth, identity and belonging. With endless curiosity, he looks for simple answers to our complex human lives.

Simon is on a mission to inspire mankind to live authentically and fully and surrender to the miraculous in our lives. He’s co-authored several best-selling books and has been featured on stages, in podcasts and magazines worldwide.

Besides his visual entrepreneurial work, Simon is studying to become one of the world’s first Emographic Psychotherapists.

Simon Skipper is intent on sharing his insights with others, so that they can finally step into the hiking boots they were born to wear and carve out a path to their true selves.

Tune in!

Nick Elston is one of the highest-profile and leading Inspirational Speakers on the Lived Experience of Mental Health. In life, we can either let our adversities, our challenges, define us negatively for the rest of our lives… or… we can choose for it to forge something beautiful, something powerful – something that never would have existed without you going through your ‘stuff’ in the first place.

Described as a ‘BIG man, BIG heart, BIG story & BRUTAL honesty!’, ‘Utterly inspirational, absolutely engaging!’ and ’10/10 – a Speaking Masterclass!’ – Nick shares his experiences of Mental Illness, Mental Ill-Health & Breakdown worldwide – through his powerful, inspiring, engaging & emotional talks.

Nick is also a Transformational Speaking Coach who helps other people to deliver their messages through the concept of ‘Emotional Storytelling’.

Tune in!

Listen to episode #71 with Kate Williams, CEO of 1% for the Planet, and get insights on:

💡 The effectiveness of flextime;

💡 Creating the conditions for others to be successful;

💡 Always knowing your current top priorities;

💡 How does 1% for the Planet function;

💡 The importance of being part of a community that drives you forward,

and much more!

Kate Williams is CEO of 1% for the Planet, a global movement that inspires action and commitment so that our planet and future generations thrive. 1% for the Planet’s global network of thousands of businesses and individuals have given $100s of millions to environmental partners to date

Kate has led significant growth in the community’s scale and impact, as well as deep work on best practices for implementing high-impact giving strategies, growing a network brand, and operating as an effective and innovative enterprise.

She earned a BA at Princeton University and an MS at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and has served on a variety of Boards throughout her career. Kate is a mother, a trail runner, an active dog walker, and a kitchen gardener.

Check out the 1% & join the movement: onepercentfortheplanet.org

Tune in for another great episode!

In this episode, Mahdis Gharaei gives valuable insights on:

👩 Why is women's presence in executive-level jobs so low?

🦸‍♀️ Where do negative unconscious biases towards women come from?

👩 Ways to stimulate women to start their own companies

🦸‍♀️ How do you make self-care a priority?

👩 How do you take care of your team?

Mahdis is the co-founder & CEO of the female factor, a career platform dedicated to empowering & developing a new generation of female leaders by providing knowledge-driven experiences around personal & professional development, a global mentoring program and a strong network in over 75 countries.

She co-founded her first business at age 23 and also served in leadership roles at non-profit organisations such as the World Affairs Council, AustrianStartups and Female Founders. Mahdis is a passionate opportunity maker, diversity advocate, entrepreneur, mentor, podcast host and speaker with a love for business development, sales, negotiations, female leadership and diversity & inclusion.

Tune in !

What are The 7 Pillars of PERFORMance?

Cristobal Alonso, an experienced serial entrepreneur (3x CEO), serial early-stage investor (150+ investments), and global executive (leading teams and projects up to 500 people). Cristobal leads as CEO, “el Patron” of Startup Wise Guys. He holds an MBA from INSEAD and is serving as Spain's INSEAD Alumni Association President and President of INSEAD Global Entrepreneurship Club.

Tune in! 

Gabriela Styf Sjöman is a Global Executive from the Telecom and ICT industry. Gabriela’s leadership experience comes from executive positions with Global Network Equipment Providers, Multinational Communications Service Providers, IT Consulting, and Application Software Developers. Her background as Swedish-Mexican and from having lived in twelve countries across three continents and worked in eight of these, gives her unique multicultural experiences and perspectives to leadership.

Gabriela most recently served as Nokia Group Chief Strategy Officer in Finland, and prior to that held executive positions at among others Telia Company in Sweden, Telecom Italia in Rome, and Ericsson across numerous countries. She has in these positions been responsible for large scale transformations as well as building new business areas from concept to execution and in commercial as well as technical roles.

In 2014 Gabriela was one of the participants in Women Up Sweden, a leadership program initiated by Hillary Clinton Women’s Council. She has received various nominations as a top influencer in the Telecom industry, is a spokesperson of technology for good, and a strong promoter of long-life learning.

Gabriela holds an MBA from the University of Durham, has studied Engineering and Basic Law in Sweden, and in January 2021 began a MA in International Affairs with a specialism in Cybersecurity at King’s College London.

Tune in!

In this episode, Christian Schraft gives valuable insights on:

💡 The topics of Purpose and Discipline and why you need to have both

💡 Why scheduling your time at home is as important as organizing your time at work

💡 Effectiveness vs. Efficiency

💡 Different approaches to working under pressure - employees either thrive or are paralyzed

💡 Leadership identifiers and how to know you're 'CEO material'

💡 What to do when searching for your passion and dream job

Christian Schraft, the CEO at LightTech Lamp Technology Ltd., is an experienced professional, with broad experience and expertise in leading several companies as a CEO, including the Business Unit and Strategy at Osram, Sylvania Lighting International, and working at the Management consulting company McKinsey & Company.

Tune in!

Tune in and buckle up - this will be a ride! 

Meet Brian Mayne - the creator of the Goal Mapping, Life Mapping, and Self Mapping personal development systems, and the Seven Magic Keys development program for children. Brian Mayne’s Goal Mapping, a world-leading achievement system, is a unique whole-brain approach to setting goals that powerfully helps people achieve their desires.

When Brian’s family business failed during the UK recession of the late 1980s, he lost what seemed like everything: his income, his home, and his marriage. He was 29 years old, £1 million in debt, and still relatively unable to read or write. It was at this seemingly low point that Brian discovered the keys to success: that you can change your life by changing your thoughts and feelings about it.

Using simple but powerful techniques, Brian learned to hold positive thoughts by setting goals, and through those goals, he gradually transformed both himself and his life. Brian is now an international speaker on human potential and has empowered hundreds of thousands of people with his unique systems for success.

As well as helping individuals to achieve their aims, Brian helps leading organisations such as Siemens, Microsoft and BT. He has also worked with renowned speakers such as Brendon Buchard, Anthony Robbins, Christopher Howard and T Harv Ecker.

Get inspired, motivated and truly energized, and, most importantly, set your goals and take bold action! With Brian's tips, you are bound to succeed! Tune in!

In this special bonus episode on Productivity Mastery, Stoyan Yankov, as the co-founder of The Leaders Who Care, welcomes on The Leaders Who Care podcast Robyn Benincasa, a two-time World Champion Adventure racer, Firefighter and Keynote speaker.

Tune in and:

✔️ Dig into the meaning and the true components of TEAMWORK,

✔️ Discover what wonders a truly resilient and purpose-driven team can achieve,

✔️ Hear from the expert in resilience how to endure this difficult time and find strength within, and much more!

When the challenges are steep and the competition fierce, Robyn Benincasa provides the tools individuals and organizations need to cross their most challenging finish lines.

As a two-time World Champion Adventure racer, San Diego Firefighter, and CNN Hero, Robyn knows a thing or two about creating Human Synergy, or as she puts it, “That magic that allows ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things together.”

Through harrowing experiences in places like the jungles of Borneo and the Himalayan peaks, Robyn has studied the good, the bad, and the not-so-pretty of Extreme Teamwork. Her refreshing and unique techniques build and foster impactful, inspired teams that succeed against all odds and turn setbacks into comebacks.

Her game-changing keynotes inspire us to grab life with one hand, our teammates with the other and create that special magic that makes each of us stronger together than we could ever be alone.

Enjoy the special episode!

Tatyana Mitkova is the Co-Founder and CEO of ClaimCompass - a company that helps passengers save money when they travel and get compensated when their trip is disrupted. ClaimCompass has raised $1.8M to date and is backed by Silicon Valley's 500 Startups, Social Capital and Hustle Fund.

Tatyana herself was recently selected to be among Forbes Europe's 30 under 30 and EY's Class of Entrepreneurial Winning Women. Apart from her startup, Tatyana enjoys working with early-stage entrepreneurs as a co-director at the Balkan chapter of Founder Institute.

Tune in!

Daria Vodopianova co-founded the Thought Leadership Academy with the mission to empower mission-driven leaders and ambitious coaches to step into their true visionary role and build a sustainable business around their knowledge.

In their 3-stage academy, Daria takes her clients from unknown as a coach to expert status, and from the expert to a thought leader. In her academy, her members learn to create a sustainable 6-figure expert business, step into their visionary role and create more impact than ever!

Daria is also a two-time TEDx-speaker, international keynote speaker, and bestselling author. Over her career, she has trained thousands of coaches and rising thought leaders in how to get smarter and faster in reaching their business goals using their capacity to teach and coach.

In the recent years, Daria has been invited to speak about her groundbreaking work in events such as RE/MAX Europe International Convention, Nomad Cruise, Women in Tech, TEDx and European Innovation Academy.

Tune in!

Jay Papasan [Pap-uh-zahn] is a bestselling author that serves as the vice president of learning for Keller Williams Realty International, the world’s largest real estate company. He is also vice president of  KellerINK, and co owner, alongside his wife Wendy, of Papasan Properties Group with Keller Williams Realty in Austin, Texas.

In 2003 he co-authored The Millionaire Real Estate Agent, a million-copy bestseller, alongside Gary Keller and Dave Jenks. After landing a formula for providing insight and easy to follow strategies for success, the group maintained their momentum and strung together a series of books that found their way on to numerous bestselling lists, including those found on The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and The New York Times.

His most recent work with Gary Keller on The ONE Thing has sold over million copies worldwide and garnered more than 500 appearances on national bestseller lists, including #1 on The Wall Street Journal’s hardcover business list and has been translated into 39 different languages.

Tune in!

In the times of #WFH, why is company culture so critical?

David Bizer is the Founder and CEO of Talent Fountain, a boutique consulting firm focused on talent acquisition, talent management, and startup culture. His experience originates at the very epicenter of web technology, starting his career at Netscape working with Marc Andreessen and the team which essentially launched the internet to the masses.

David was the first recruiter at Google in Europe, building out the organization from 100 to over 5000 employees in 7 years. Since 2010, he has collaborated with over 100 emerging startups throughout Europe to scale their human capital.

P.S. Welcome to the first episode of Season 2! After the first 50 Coffee & Productivity episodes and special episodes + PERFORM Panels on Season 1, we are bringing you a new line-up of exciting A-level guests. It's going to be great! Stay tuned!

Meet Corey Morris, an American-born, Denmark-based ultrarunner, who moonlights as the Chief Marketing Officer of Unity Studios. Since 2015, his love for running has pushed him to explore new physical and mental limits - all in the pursuit of his annual running goals.

From the outrageous idea of running 52 half marathons in 52 weeks to a grueling 100K on a 5K loop, his meticulous research, planning and "get sh*t done" mentality has enabled him to pursue the extraordinary while balancing the roles of husband, dad, business leader, and friend.

Tune in!

This time, the topic is #MentalToughness.

Meet the great line-up of this episode's panelists:

Luis Villa Del Campo is an expert in designing human experiences, creating innovative services, and helping to transform the organization's culture and processes. During the last 10 years, Luis has worked in Strategy & Design in Fjord and Accenture. Over the years, he has set up service offerings, methods, and tools and built and managed well-respected design teams able to work in complex and critical business environments.

Andrew Tarvin, the Humor Engineer whose TEDx talk has been watched by more than 7 million people. Andrew is a former engineer in Procter & Gamble, and since transferring to humor engineering, he has been teaching humor to more than 35 000 people in more than 20 countries.

Cristobal Alonso, an experienced serial entrepreneur (3x CEO), serial early-stage investor (150+ investments), and global executive (leading teams and projects up to 500 people). Cristobal leads as CEO, “el Patron” of Startup Wise Guys. He holds an MBA from INSEAD and is serving as Spain's INSEAD Alumni Association President and President of INSEAD Global Entrepreneurship Club.

Tune in!

In this very special episode from The Leaders Who Care podcast, Stoyan Yankov, Co-Founder of The Leaders Who Care and Productivity Coach, interviews David Allen - Productivity Guru and Creator of the "GTD" methodology.

One of the world’s most influential thinkers on productivity, David’s 35 years experience as a management consultant and executive coach have earned him worldwide recognition.

His bestselling book, the groundbreaking “Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity”, has sold millions and been published in thirty languages; and the “GTD” methodology it describes has become a global phenomenon, being taught by training companies in more than 90 countries.

David, his company, and his partners are dedicated to teaching people how to stay relaxed and productive in our fast-paced world.

Tune in!

This time, the topic is Robust Communication!

I am excited for moderating another panel with a great line-up, including:

Daniel Ackermann, the CEO of Degordian - an independent digital production & marketing agency based in Zagreb Daniel co-founded back in 2009. Today, it’s one of the largest digital marketing agencies in the region. Daniel considers employee satisfaction to be the cornerstone of every successful enterprise, which is why he is so proud of being recognized as a five-time “Best Employer” in Croatia. Daniel also co-founded two sister companies, Mediatoolkit and Bornfight. Together with Degordian, the group now manages over 200 employees.

Kaidi Ruusalepp, the founder and CEO of Funderbeam - the global funding and trading platform of private companies. Funderbeam enables companies to raise funds and investors to invest with liquidity, also list existing shares, employee shares and investments of private companies. Platform has investors from 134 countries and is awarded as the Best European Fintech startup in 2017. Kaidi is a former CEO of Nasdaq Tallinn Stock Exchange and of the Central Securities Depository, co-founder of Estonian Service Industry Association, and a former member of Startup Europe Advisory Board at European Commission.

Cristobal Alonso, an experienced serial entrepreneur (3x CEO), serial early-stage investor (150+ investments), and global executive (leading teams and projects up to 500 people). Cristobal leads as CEO, “el Patron” of Startup Wise Guys. He holds an MBA from INSEAD and is serving as Spain's INSEAD Alumni Association President and President of INSEAD Global Entrepreneurship Club.

Tune in!

This time, the topic is #OptimalEnergy

Meet our great line-up:

Chris Robins - Chief Customer Officer (and CEO) of Tele2 in Estonia. Chris is a passionate leader of values-based challenger organizations, with a particular focus on customer-centricity, communication and psychology. Chris has lived and worked in 7 countries across North America and Europe, and have covered 13 countries in the scope of the roles of a CMO, CCO, CEO and EIEIO.

Radha Patel - an international health expert, yoga teacher since the age of 16, and founder of TOGA. TOGA programs combine the holistic benefits of yoga with the body sculpting and invigorating benefits of modern gym workouts. It uses the underpinning values of Ayurveda, and it brings together the best of East and West to create the health of both body and mind.

Viktoriya Vasilenko - founder and CEO of Knowledge Gate Group based in Copenhagen, Denmark. The company provides a platform-based solution that connects companies to experts for micro-consultations. They work primarily within the life science sector, having received significant investments from the Danish government.

Tune in!

Meet Patrick Collins - Founder of Prospect Labs, a LinkedIn lead Generation software and the Head of Growth at Startup Wise Guys, Europes largest B2B accelerator.

Tune in to hear us talk about the business growth and best practices to accelerate a startup!

Meet Anders Thomsen - CEO & CTO of NoMoreHours which he co-founded almost 5 years ago with his longtime friends Lasse and Rune. Besides being a self-taught programmer, Anders has a background in management consulting (McKinsey & Co) and Private Equity (CataCap). Anders also holds a degree in Finance from Aarhus University.

Tune in and hear us talk about Anders' journey, takeaways and advice in growing a global startup from Denmark!

Tune in!

Meet my podcast guest - Viktoriya Blazheva. Viktoriya wears many hats: she is FVP in a leading bank, responsible for its communications strategy, events management, corporate culture, brand management, online communications, sustainability and CSR strategy, sponsorship, and donations, executive, internal and external communications. She has also assumed additional responsibilities as the leader of the local roll-out of a new initiative of the bank – social impact banking. Among Viktoriya’s other hats are several board memberships in professional organizations and NGOs such as Trust for social achievement, Harvard Club of Bulgaria, etc. She is also a lecturer on corporate communications at the Bulgarian branch of London School of PR, and a speaker on marketing, communications, social entrepreneurship, among others.

Prior to working in a bank, Viktoriya was a journalist in a leading business newspaper "Capital Weekly". She has continued to write for media outlets also during her banking career. Along with that, she founded the initiative The C-Suite Minimalists as part of her MBA dissertation at Warwick Business School. More recently she started a blog and YouTube channel "Victory Corners", which runs the theme about minimalism and productivity to support “people’s small and big victories in work and life”. Moreover, Viktoriya recently co-authored an e-book on how to efficiently work from home.

Tune in!

Meet Mihail Stefanov - a communications advisor and trainer with more than 13 years of experience in the field. Mihail has successfully trained and consulted the teams of many leading corporations and nonprofits, including Mtel (A1), Postbank, Coca-Cola, Heineken, Kamenitza, Graffiti BBDO, SoftUni, Overgaz, America for Bulgaria Foundation, and Bulgarian Donors Forum, among many others.

Tune in!

Meet Eliza Vinokurova - a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) specialist, the observer of meditation from the point of view of science (the effects of meditation on the brain: neural, biological, and behavioral changes), popularizer of the modern approach of meditation as a wellness practice, biohacker practitioner. Eliza is a co-founder of the marketing agency A23 (since 2005, RU), organizer of the international conference on continuing education “ED summit: Lifelong Learning”, and the lecturer of the "Biohacker's practical course" in Moscow.

Tune in!

Meet Daniel Ackermann, the CEO of Degordian - an independent digital production & marketing agency based in Zagreb Daniel co-founded back in 2009. Today, it’s one of the largest digital marketing agencies in the region, with offices in Zagreb, Mostar and Beograd. Daniel considers employee satisfaction to be the cornerstone of every successful enterprise, which is why he is so proud of being recognized as a five-time “Best Employer” in Croatia. Daniel also co-founded two sister companies, Mediatoolkit and Bornfight. Together with Degordian, the group now manages over 200 employees.

Tune in!

Meet Farid Singh - a founder of the niche Technology and Creational Strategy consulting firm - Take 3 Innovate Ltd. On a daily basis, Farid wears multiple hats that let him work within both: the Startup and the Corporate field. He is also a Program Director at Startup Wise Guys and a GP to their new Cyber fund.

Farid is driven by working with various startups and is passionate about their success. As a Blue Ocean Strategy practitioner, he works on the early infancy of products and services to help them with the highest chances of survival.

Tune in!

Iskra Petrova is a Clarity and Confidence Coach. She holds an MSc in computer science and has more than 15 years of experience as an entrepreneur in advertising, film production and e-commerce. Iskra's signature method helps her clients develop strong connection with their hearts and intuition.

With 25 years of practice and certifications in a broad spectrum of meditation and energy medicine modalities, ranging from qigong and martial arts to reiki, Bowen, chakra reading and kundalini meditations, Iskra is passionate about supporting individuals and groups to return to a balanced Self. She strongly believes in the mind-body-soul equilibrium as a prerequisite to a fulfilled purpose with a deep connection to oneself and others.

With the group and individual programs at the Clarity and Confidence Academy, her company, she supports leaders, educators, and changemakers to transition from being stuck and anxious to self-trust and joy, so that they can thrive with Clarity and Self-Awareness.

Tune in! 

Meet Viktoriya Vasilenko - founder and CEO of Knowledge Gate Group based in Copenhagen, Denmark. The company provides a platform-based solution that connects companies to experts for micro-consultations. They work primarily within the life science sector, having received significant investments from the Danish government. Viktoriya is a graduate of Copenhagen Business School, and the founder of the company since her graduation day.

Tune in and join us for a cozy conversation! 

Bryan Cassidy, a professor and innovation expert, is a passionate believer in anyone’s ability to innovate and build new businesses. He has personally built 11 companies in 6 different countries and made money on 8. For the last 8 years, he has been coaching start-ups and scale-ups and trying to help larger companies regain the spirit of start-ups. He has taught at the KU Leuven, The Solvay business school, EDHEC, ESCLA, and been a guest lecturer at the University of Chicago, INSEAD, Cornell, Berkeley, among many others. 

Bryan is a lead author of Cycles: The Simplest Proven Way to Build your Business, a book that is a result of 4 years of research with over 400 companies on what really drives innovation success.

Mindie Kniss, MFA, PhD, is a writer, award-winning humanitarian, international speaker, and professional coach. She left a cushy Fortune100 career for the adventure of entrepreneurship, but the "adventure" nearly ended soon after she started her business in 2007. Mindie hit rock bottom financially and was living out of her office after facing eviction, foreclosure, and bankruptcy. 

Fast forward to today, Mindie is Founder & CEO of Lucra®, a coaching practice devoted to helping entrepreneurs create wealth in all areas of life. She is the creator of the annual HeartPath retreat, along with multiple online training programs for entrepreneurs, coaches, and speakers. Also, Mindie Kniss is the host of The Lucrative Society, a podcast that debuted in the Top20 Entrepreneurship podcasts on iTunes, and she is also the author of the bestselling book The Heart of Consciousness. Her second book will be available in early 2021.

Tune in and hear us talk about what the Business and Heart Intelligence entails! 

Martin Zahuranec is the co-founder and CEO of eyerim, a premium eyewear e-retailer currently operating in 12 countries across Europe, being one of the fastest-growing e-commerce players in Central & Eastern Europe.

Martin has spent the formative years of his career in Southeast Asia. In 2012 he joined Rocket Internet and helped launch Vietnam's branch of Lazada, South East Asia's equivalent of Amazon later acquired by Alibaba. In 2013 he joined NOVA Founders Capital and assisted GlassesGroupGlobal in becoming the first international fashion accessories e-shop in the region. Martin has broad experience in entrepreneurship, team lead, data management, and the eyewear industry, and in his free time, he likes to read and travel around the world. His dream is to conquer the Seven Summits - the highest peak of each continent.

Meet Santa Jakoba, an HR professional from Latvia who has collected valuable experience, among other journeys, working at a global production company with more than 1000 employees, and a fast-growing international ad-tech start-up leading a team of young and creative professionals. Her latest endeavor is working with NGO "Iespējamā Misija" to find 100 professionals who would love to change their career path to become teachers in a program called "Mācītspēks".

Santa will share with us how to improve the mental health of your employees along with yourself, and how does it affect the performance of the team and company as a whole.

Join us!