Episodes

My guest on E275 of #thePOZcast is Malik Adunni. He is a global connector, music maven, and co-founder of Gold Credentials, a platform that creates, collaborates with, and activates artists to work with brands to engage their fans. He has worked in the music industry for over 20 years as a global tour manager and event producer at massive events like Coachella.   Malik has worked with tons of amazing talent in the House/EDM scene including Sofi Tukker, Nora En Pure, and the late Avicci. He serves on the board for Beneath the Waves, a nonprofit research institute that focuses on oceans and shark conservation, and has integrated NFT art into the efforts.  He is a true global citizen, having lived in London, Cape Town, Sydney, and even Japan where he taught English in Osaka. He considers himself a Global Ambassador, having traveled to 44 different countries. And now, he can call himself an Author, thankful to have been able to create a book, Malik’s Magic African Alphabet Hat, alongsid…

My guest on E274 of #thePOZcast is Rusty Shelton, founder of Zilker Media. Zilker Media is an award-winning boutique agency providing end-to-end brand building for some of the world’s top executives, thought leaders, and companies.  Rusty has worked with clients like Chicken Soup for The Soul, IBM, Amazon, and more, and has managed the launches of more than 35 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers. He’s a serial entrepreneur who has created multiple PR and branding agencies, so let’s dive right into how he’s done it and what makes a successful campaign. For more on Rusty, please visit www.zilkermedia.com If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review:   https://ratethispodcast.com/thepozcast #thePOZcast is brought to you by our friends at Interseller – the prospecting + outreach platform of recruiters and sellers.  Check out a free demo today! https://bit.ly/2Fbm/BZ Thanks for listening, and please follow us on Insta @NHPTalent and Twitter @AdamJPosner.eth  For…

My guest on E273 of #thePOZcast  is Laura Numeroff. You may not have had a childhood if you’ve never heard of her book “If You Give a Mouse A Cookie.” She’s sold over 4.5 million copies worldwide, been invited to the White House not once but twice, and even received 2 Emmy nominations for the adaptation of her book to a TV series. Laura is also heavily involved with the “It Takes A Village” project which we’ll get into a bit later in the show. Laura is super-accomplished and also just a very down-to-earth person that I’m excited to have on the show, so let’s get to it! To learn more, please visit www.JoinOurVillage.org to see how you can help It Takes A Village to educate, empower and inspire kids all over the world. And you can find her classic books at https://lauranumeroff.com/ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review:   https://ratethispodcast.com/thepozcast #thePOZcast is brought to you by our friends at Interseller – the prospecting + outreach platform of recruiters…

First Aired: 4/07/22 Shelley Zalis is the CEO of The Female Quotient, an internationally renowned thought leader, movement maker, and champion of equality. She is also a pioneer for online research, becoming the first female chief executive ranked in the research industry’s top 25. Today, Shelley works with Fortune 500 companies and impact organizations to advance equality in the workplace. Through its signature pop-up experience, the Equality Lounge®, along with the Global Exchange and advisory services, The Female Quotient has created an international community of women rising up to catalyze change. A firm believer in giving back with generosity, Zalis is a proud mentor to women around the world. To learn more about Shelly, please visit: https://www.thefemalequotient.com/#join_us If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/thepozcast #thePOZcast is brought to you by our friends at Interseller – the prospecting + outreach platform of recruiter…

My guest on E272 of #thePOZcast is Jesse Cole, The Man In The Yellow Tux himself! Jesse is the founder and owner of Fans First Entertainment, home to the Savannah Bananas as well as The Party Animals baseball teams. Jesse created Banana Ball, which is a twist on classic baseball meant to be the most entertaining, engaging, and fan-first event in the game. Jesse got his start as a leader in the sports and entertainment worlds at age 23 when he was appointed GM of the Gastonia Grizzlies. When ticket sales were moving slowly, he jumped into introducing first-class entertainment into the world of baseball. Many summarize the end-product of Banana Ball to being like the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball, but as you guys are about to find out Jesse has built and continues to build so much more. I’m thrilled to have this guy on the show, and we are about to dig in so buckle up! Check out the team at https://thesavannahbananas.com/ and  findyouryellowtux.com for any info on Jesse's speaking…

Illana Raia is the founder and CEO of Être, a mentorship platform for girls. Illana’s a firm believer that mentors matter as early as middle school and work to bring girls directly into companies they choose to meet female leaders face to face. Prior to Etre Illana worked as a corporate attorney at Skadden Arps and a guest lecturer at Columbia University. Just as an awesome side-note, Illana actually followed in her grandmother’s footsteps, who graduated in law school back in 1936, as one of two women in the graduating class! Key Takeaways: - The focus of Etra is entirely for girls because of the confidence gap that typically happens to girls around the ages of 8-11. - Illana believes that mentors matter and works to bring girls directly into companies to meet female leaders face-to-face. - Illana followed her grandmother's footsteps, who was one of the only two women in her law school graduating class in 1936. - She talks about her journey, how she became a lawyer, and how she d…

First Aired: 2/03/23 Recorded Live @ Peter’s “The Bank of the Future” during Miami Art Week 2022. I have gotten to know Peter well and have spent time with him in NYC and Miami. He has inspired me in so many ways. It was truly an honor to have him as my 250th guest for this very special live recording. The video can be found on our youtube page (soon) www.youtube.com/thepozcast. I was also lucky to have my incredible wife Ilona by my side and our good friends Evan and Yelena to share the experience. And I would be remiss not to thank my producer Chris Mueller for his hard work on this and every episode. And lastly, to Chris Adamo for first introducing me to PT! For those unfamiliar, Peter Tunney is a legitimate force of nature with boundless creative energy, spreading his positive messages in unconventional ways and delivering works of art to a worldwide collector base. He creates in almost every medium: paint, collage, wood, photography, found objects, and discarded materials. His …

Dan Fantasia is the CEO and founder of Treeline, a company that specializes in helping businesses hire top sales professionals quickly. With over a 97% success rate and a network of over 100,000 sales professionals, Treeline has helped over 3,500 sales professionals reach their career goals.  Dan is a seasoned expert in the world of sales and recruiting, and he's excited to share his knowledge and tactics with others in the industry. His infectious passion for the field makes him a true rock star, and his dedication to helping others succeed is evident in all that he does. Topic: Dan Fantasia's experience in recruitment - Transitioning from a non-recruitment role to a recruitment role - Launching his company in 2001, shortly before 9/11 - The uncertain environment during that time Topic: Characteristics of a good recruiter - The importance of being selective in candidate selection - Recalibrating search criteria and listening to clients' needs - The value of transferable ski…

Jesse Derris is the founder and CEO of Derris, a brand consultancy with offices in New York and London. He is also the founder and managing member of Amity Supply, which invests in and supports early-stage consumer brands, and an advisor-in-residence to the Columbia University Entrepreneurship Program. He is an investor and advisor to over 120 emerging brands, including Everlane, Glossier, Harry’s, Hims, Oscar, and Warby Parker. Jesse started his career in politics, working on various campaigns as a spokesman, and is a proud graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is married to Jordana Kier, the founder of LOLA, a women’s reproductive health brand. This Episode’s Heavy-hitter’s: Jesse says his key to success at a young age was not being afraid of failing. Although he worked on some really high-profile PR campaigns, he was able to understand that he was smart enough to deserve his place in the room and stood out by speaking his mind. Jesse was the press secretary and s…

First aired: 10/13/21 Leigh Steinberg, premier sports agent, entrepreneur, best-selling author, and Chairman of Leigh Steinberg Sports and Entertainment Holdings, is best known for his work building athletes into stand-alone brands. He is often credited as the real-life inspiration for the Oscar-winning film Jerry Maguire. Leigh has represented many of the most successful athletes and coaches in football, basketball, baseball, hockey, boxing, and golf, including the number one overall pick in the NFL draft for an unprecedented eight times in conjunction with 64 total first round picks. With an unrivaled history of record-setting contracts, Leigh has secured over $4 billion for his 300+ pro athlete clients and directed more than $800 million to various charities around the world. This Episode’s Heavy-hitter’s: Leigh learned “everything he needed to know” about negotiating from his time serving as President of the Student Government at UC Berkeley, where he frequently had to meet wi…

Joe Marchese is the Founder of Human Ventures and Komos Brand Group. He created his first startup, Truex, in 2006, which he later sold to Fox Networks for $200 million. Besides being an expert and thought leader in the attention economy, Joe is also a prominent and socially driven investor through Human Ventures. Human Ventures focuses investment strategy on a broad range of essential human needs: from health and wellness to innovations in the workplace, to how we connect as communities, to exploring transformational changes in how and where we spend our time. This Episode’s Heavy-hitter’s: The inspiration for Human Ventures was actually New York City and its culture of people. Joe wanted to build something outside of the NYC tech scene, and Human Ventures was born. Joe’s got simultaneously optimistic and fearful use of AI as an advocate for human beings. He recognizes how much value it brings to the table in simplifying workflow, but he also knows how disruptive and unpredictabl…

FIRST AIRED: 7/19/22 In his early 20s, David Meltzer quickly rose to the top of his game in the business world, becoming a millionaire. David lectured around the globe and saw rapid success in every business project he touched. But something was missing, and in his 30s as a multimillionaire, he went on a rapid downward spiral that ended in bankruptcy. It was only then that David realized, in order to revive and thrive, he needed to codify what had made him successful in the first place. He has since emerged to realize even more rewarding heights of success in business and life. David Meltzer has created a platform that uses four overarching principles—gratitude, empathy, accountability, and effective communication—and these principles have allowed him to communicate and mentor everyone from college students to c-suite executives. These four principles in everyday practice allow David to live by his mission to “make a lot of money, help a lot of people, and have a lot of fun.” His l…

Chris Pronger is a former NHL Hall of Fame defenseman. Chris was drafted second overall by the Hartford Whalers in 1993 and has also played for the St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks, and Philadelphia Flyers. He’s appeared in the Stanley Cup finals with three different teams and won the Cup with the Ducks in 2007. He also won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player for the 1999–2000 season. A mainstay on Team Canada, Chris won Olympic gold medals at the 2002 and 2010 Winter Olympics and is a member of the Triple Gold Club. Today, Chris runs Well Inspired Travels alongside his wife. This Episode’s Heavy-hitter’s: Chris actually didn’t grow up watching hockey other than on Saturday nights, which was the one night a week it came on TV in his area. But he definitely played every day with his older brothers and friends! Chris says he had one of the top 5 Stanley Cup parties of all time, where he invited the Sugar Ray band to come to play. One of the bi…

Erica Rooney is the Chief People Officer at Acorn iCi, a Keynote Speaker, Executive Coach & Consultant, as well as the host of the Podcast “From Now to Next.” With 10 years of experience in HR leading organizations in gender equality crusades and coaching Executive Women, Erica has created a framework that empowers women to get seen, get heard, and get promoted by breaking free from the sticky floors that hold us back from busting through the glass ceiling. This Episode’s Heavy-hitter’s: Erica says that if women want the best opportunity to get promoted, they must be their biggest advocates. Even though it may not be fair, her experience is that no one can advocate for you as you can. Another method Erica has seen to be successful is keeping a “kudos list” of awesome work you’ve done so that when it’s time for an evaluation at work, you can clearly outline the value you bring to the table. One of the most important factors that create an equitable work environment is to have wome…

FIRST AIRED: 11/19/21 Luke Anderson is the cofounder of Cann, a company that makes microdose THC-infused beverages. Cann is the top-selling THC-infused beverage in the country and was founded in 2019. Prior to Cann, Luke graduated from Stanford University and had a background in product launch at Bain & Company. With that experience, he got together with his friend Jake to help him execute the idea of microdose beverages, and Cann was born This Episode’s Heavy-hitters: Luke actually deferred an offer to join Bain & Company to teach in a low-income schooling system for two years. He had always wanted to teach and was lucky enough that Bain didn’t mind him postponing his offer. The idea for Cann was one Luke’s cofounder Jake had had for quite some time. Luke was not a cannabis user which made it hard for him to understand the concept, but once he understood the benefits of microdosing, they decided to go all in. Part of Luke’s motivation for founding Cann was due to his own strugg…

Anthony Constantino is the co-founder of Sticker Mule, a custom printing company that’s taken the internet by storm, the creator of an award-winning hot sauce (that he created as a joke), and most recently, an active professional boxer. At the tail end of last year, he launched Stimulus, a social network that replaces advertising with giveaways. He’s out to build a more authentic, happy, and useful social network right when the world needs it most. This Episode’s Heavy-hitter’s: Anthony’s career started out when he took over his family business which was in bankruptcy in his early 20s. He had to meet with bankers quarterly to continually convince them not to call in the loan. Anthony co-founded Sticker Mule with his father’s friend, who understood manufacturing and wanted to create a business using the Internet. He funded it, and he and Anthony immediately got to work. He started building Sticker Mule as he was stabilizing his father’s company, and once Sticker Mule was growing…

FIRST AIRED: 1/19/21 In this episode, Gwen Whiting, the founder of The Laundress and I talk about what it’s like to go through the full life cycle of a business from an idea to exit. All Gwen had, in the beginning, was a passion for the fashion industry, and she recalls not being particularly skilled in design when she started out. What she did from that point though, was what led her to be able to eventually get The Foundress acquired by Unilever. Gwen time and time again put herself in positions where she was uncomfortable, and was able to attain tremendous growth and experience as a result. Gwen refers to her main stint in the fashion industry as “Ralph Lauren University” and even says that she didn’t leave, she graduated. She is admirably gracious for her time at Ralph Lauren, where she was fortunate to have a ton of great experience in the industry that would eventually become the inspiration for The Foundress. After witnessing how much time, money, and attention that her coll…

Ryan is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Circus Maximus, an award-winning agency that on average helps its partners grow more than 300% per year. Ryan is an ad-land veteran, launching some of the most successful campaigns out there, which earned him the title of being a three-time Grand Prix winner at the Cannes Advertising Festival—for Method, Volkswagen, and Burger King. Before starting Circus Maximus, he worked with Crispin, Porter + Bogusky, as well as J. Walter Thompson’s. He cut his teeth as a creative director there, and the last ten years have been history in the making at Circus Maximus. This Episode’s Heavy-hitter’s: Ryan’s introduction to the world of advertising was by chance when he received a generic email about a new college course and decided to check it out. When he got there, and the instructor told him that in advertising, you “make sh*t up and sell it” Ryan’s interest was piqued, and he was ironically “sold.” He got his first internship and did great,…

Max Stossel is an award-winning poet and filmmaker named by Forbes as one of the best storytellers of the year. He has performed across 5 continents, and his films have been viewed and loved by many millions of people. Words That Move is his new, first-of-its-kind, Stand Up Poetry Special. A live performance of nine stories told on stage at Kings Theater, each with its own combination of live-action, VFX, and animation. Like Derek Delgaudio's "In and of Itself" or Bo Burnham's "Inside," it's a new category of content that is undeniably moving and delightful. This Episode’s Heavy-hitter’s: Max actually filmed Words That Moved in King’s Theatre in front of a completely empty room as part of his creative process and commentary on social media and community. Before working in writing and performing, Max actually worked for a small social media app that had raised money from Mark Cuban. They were working on making “Instagram for Video before Instagram had video.” This was where Max le…

FIRST AIR 1/30/21 On E131 of The POZcast, I’m joined by Jordan Harbinger, who hosts the Top Ranked iTunes podcast, “The Jordan Harbinger Show” with over 11 million monthly downloads. Jordan and I kick it off by talking about his early career, and his first endeavor into coaching and helping people learn the art of networking through The Art of Charm. What started out as a course in networking whilst completing law school turned out to be one of the most successful early podcasts about relationship building and self-improvement. In 2018, Jordan and his partners at The Art of Charm went their separate ways, and Jordan was left to start a new platform completely on his own. That same year, he had amassed a huge following which led to his recognition by Apple. Jordan and I discuss some of my favorite interviews that he’s held, as well as some of his most memorable moments. From Kobe Bryant to Anthony S. Luciano recounting mob hits coordinated against the pope, Jordan has dissected his …

Chris Wilson is a visual artist, author, film producer, and social justice advocate. Chris was sentenced to life in prison for a circumstance where he was defending himself, and there was a loss of life. Through his work, he investigates societal injustices, human relationships, and public policies. His book, The Master Plan, continues to inspire people from all walks of life. His artwork is collected and displayed internationally and his production company, Cuttlefish, has produced several successful films, including The Box, which was featured in the Tribeca Film Festival. He is also the founder of the Chris Wilson Foundation, which supports social entrepreneurs and prison education, including re-entry and financial literacy for returning citizens, as well as art-related programs. This Episode’s Heavy-hitter’s: Chris lost many family members and friends to violence in his youth. He received a life sentence in prison in the process of defending himself but was released after over …

FIRST AIR: 7/16/21 Chukky Okobi is an 8 year veteran of the National Football League and a Super Bowl winning champion with his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers. Today he’s an emotional intelligence and integrative psychology professional, using his psychology expertise not only as a Keynote & Motivational speaker, but mainly as a mental performance coach for venture capitalists, startup founders, entrepreneurs, and current/former pro athletes. Chukky Okobi has the personal experience to guide other ambitious corporate leaders to recognize that Success is Simple…if you know the Basic Instructions of Mind Mastery. This Episode’s Heavy-Hitters: Chukky made the decision he was “going pro” at age 7– he just didn’t know what sport he would go pro in until he played football at age 13 and decided it was “way easier than it looked on TV.” Chukky’s dad didn’t know he played football until he was in college and his mother was so busy she barely had time to notice either. Chukky had to seek out…

Today’s episode of The POZcast is an adaptation of a special live stream of The POZcast from The World Staffing Summit Adam hosting the World Staffing Summit with some elite content marketers and friends of mine from LinkedIn! See below for a quick background on each of my awesome guests, sit back and soak in some content marketing gold! In short, the episode is a must-watch for anyone looking to improve their content strategy and build a strong online presence. Marcus Sawyerr emphasizes the importance of authentic conversations as a driving force behind engagement. He believes that it's crucial to focus on topics that you know your audience is interested in and to build your audience from there.‍ Adam Posner then discusses the content pyramid, which is a critical aspect of their content creation strategy. He explains how they turn their show into a podcast, individual pieces of content, and even key phrases into tweets. He also highlights the importance of experimenting with diffe…

Matt Higgins is the CEO and Co-Founder at RSE Ventures. He is also an operator and investor and was once a co-shark on ABC’s The Shark Tank. Matt has worked with some of the top names in business, entertainment, and even politics. He started his career at 16 after dropping out of high school and grinded until he was personally selected by Rudy Giuliani to become the youngest press secretary in the history of New York City. Not long after, the tragic events of 9/11 unraveled, and Higgins was thrust into the position of coordinating the global press response in the coming months. Since then, Matt has worked on the reconstruction efforts at the World Trade Center, held executive seats with the New York Jets and currently with the Miami Dolphins, founded RSE Ventures investment firm and partnered with Gary Vaynerchuk on the Vaynermedia empire.  This Episode’s Heavy-hitter’s: A big inspiration for his new book Burn the Boats was Matt’s mother and the extremely difficult upbringing he h…