Mick Unplugged

Jason Wild is a globally recognized innovation strategist and co-author of the groundbreaking book “Genius at Scale: How Great Leaders Drive Innovation,” written alongside Dr. Linda A. Hill of Harvard Business School and Emily Tedards. A former child actor turned business leader, Jason has shaped innovation strategy for some of the world’s most iconic brands—including Microsoft, Salesforce, and IBM—while advising CEOs across six continents. As the former Global Vice President of CEO Co-Innovation and Customer Engagement at Microsoft, Jason brings a rare blend of practitioner experience and thought leadership to the art and science of scaling breakthrough ideas.

Takeaways:
Stop Falling in Love with Ideas and Start Falling in Love with Problems: Most companies pour millions into brainstorming and ideation—and then wonder why nothing actually changes. Jason nails it: innovation isn’t about getting to the top of the mountain, it’s about making it back down alive. More initiatives die in execution than in conception. The Waldorf Astoria didn’t have a slow elevator problem—they had a boring wait problem. An intern with a mirror solved what a million-dollar algorithm couldn’t. Leaders, stop rewarding ideas and start rewarding impact. Pick the right problem and the solution will follow.
Innovation Is a Social Process—You Can’t Mandate It, Delegate It, or Dictate It: Jason has spent 25 years in tech and he’ll tell you straight: it’s more about people than technology. The most innovative companies don’t obsess over the “what” of innovation—they master the “how.” They build communities where the best ideas rise organically, not because someone with the biggest title pounds the table. Creative abrasion, psychological safety, and diverse perspectives aren’t corporate buzzwords—they’re the operating system of every company that’s actually scaling something that matters. AI isn’t going to replace you. But a clueless leader who thinks AI can do your job? That’s the real threat.
Wayfinding Is the New Leadership—Forget the Five-Year Plan: The old playbook of pathfinding—point A to point B, remove barriers, minimize turbulence—is dead. AI, quantum, blockchain—the ground is literally shifting under our feet every week. Jason and his co-authors call it wayfinding: figuring out the destination while you’re already on the way there. It’s uncomfortable. It demands humility. And it’s the only leadership approach that actually works when you’re leading in fog. Stop pouring new technology on old thinking and start building the framework to navigate what’s next.

Sound Bytes:
“The most innovative companies don’t focus on the what, they focus on how. And they focus on creating a community where organically innovation happens and the best ideas thrive.”

“I don’t think people should be necessarily worried about the conversation of AI taking your job. But I think you should be more worried about some leader who is clueless, thinking that AI can do your job.”

“Get in the right mindset and you surround yourself with the right people that are willing and able to innovate and seemingly impossible is not.”

Connect & Discover Jason Wild:
LinkedIn: Jason Wild
Book — Genius at Scale: How Great Leaders Drive Innovation
Amazon: Genius at Scale
Website: GeniusatScale.com

🔥 Ready to Lead Different & Win Bigger? 🔥
Leadership isn’t about a title — it’s about what you do when no one gave you a blueprint. In his book, How to Be a Good Leader When You’ve Never Had One, Mick Hunt delivers the raw, real leadership playbook for the rest of us. Whether you’re building a team, growing a business, or just trying to lead yourself better — this book is for you.
Straight talk. Real strategy. No fluff.
👉 Get your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Books A Million.

FOLLOW MICK ON:
Spotify: MickUnplugged
Instagram: @mickunplugged
Facebook: @mickunplugged
YouTube: @MickUnpluggedPodcast
LinkedIn: @mickhunt
Website: MickHuntOfficial.com
Website: howtobeagoodleader.com
Website: Leadloudseries.com
Apple: MickUnplugged

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Alanna Taylor is a visionary leader and strategic architect who has spent three decades transforming bold ideas into fundable realities. With a staggering 60% plus grant win rate and over a million dollars raised annually for her clients, she is a nationally respected expert in program design, funding, and sustainable growth for mission-driven organizations. As the founder of Granted Success, Inc., Alanna specializes in grant writing, fractional executive director services, and her signature Grant-Ready Elevation Audit—a powerful diagnostic tool that evaluates a nonprofit’s win-ability across internal operations, messaging, digital footprint, and fundraising strategy. Her work is deeply rooted in empowering Black women executive directors and the Black-centered nonprofit organizations they lead.

Takeaways:
Founders, Stop Making Yourself the Executive Director: Alanna reveals a critical pattern in the nonprofit space—Black women founders who position themselves as the executive director are inadvertently creating their own boss through the board. Her advice: position yourself as the board chair, build a strong and diverse board, and consider launching a consulting business alongside your mission. If you can create a nonprofit, you can create a business.
Win Rate Is About Discipline, Not Just Writing: A 60% plus win rate does not come from fancy proposals—it comes from the discipline to say no. Alanna carefully evaluates every RFP, reviews the terms and conditions at the end that most people skip, and declines clients whose programs do not align with a funder’s priority areas. Funders now want quantitative outcomes, not wordy narratives, and Alanna delivers exactly that.
Sustainability Means Multiple Revenue Streams: Grants alone will not sustain a nonprofit. Alanna pushes her clients to create fee-for-service offerings, technical assistance programs, merchandise, published books, and private donor bases. Unlike restricted grant funding, these revenue streams give organizations the unrestricted capital they need to truly grow and thrive on their own terms.

Sound Bytes:
“My because is really meeting the needs of Black women who are in the nonprofit space.”
“You’re allowed to make money as a nonprofit. You are allowed to generate revenue. You are allowed to create a service and charge for it.”
“Look, I’m a great writer, but I am not Jesus. I cannot make this work.”

Connect & Discover Alanna:
LinkedIn: @alannataylor
Website: grantedsuccess.org
Website: grantreadynow.com
Email: [email protected]

🔥 Ready to Lead Different & Win Bigger? 🔥
How to Be a Good Leader When You’ve Never Had One by Mick Hunt isn’t just a book - it’s your blueprint to set up, stand out, and lead with confidence (even if no one ever showed you how).
Straight talk. Real Strategy. No fluff. Just the tools you need to elevate your leadership and life.
👉 Get your copy now and start leading on your terms → Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million


FOLLOW MICK ON:
Spotify: MickUnplugged
Instagram: @mickunplugged
Facebook: @mickunplugged
YouTube: @MickUnpluggedPodcast
LinkedIn: @mickhunt
Website: MickHuntOfficial.com
Website: howtobeagoodleader.com
Website: Leadloudseries.com
Apple: MickUnplugged

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Boomer Anderson is not your typical health guru—he’s a former investment banker turned health optimization pioneer who got the wake-up call of a lifetime when he was diagnosed with cardiovascular disease at just 30 years old. Instead of accepting the standard “take a pill and come back in ten years” approach, Boomer went all-in on understanding what true health actually means. Today he’s the CEO of Troscriptions, building science-backed solutions for stress, sleep, focus, and immune function, and the driving force behind Health Optimization Medicine and Practice (HOMe HOPe), a nonprofit that trains doctors worldwide to optimize for health rather than just manage disease. With a background that spans global finance, over 65 countries, and a relentless passion for challenging the process, Boomer brings the kind of real-world, research-backed insights that every entrepreneur and leader needs to hear.

Takeaways:
Your Stress Bucket Is Probably Already Broken: Boomer introduces the concept of the stress bucket—a container for all the stress in your life from work, relationships, environment, and yes, even exercise. When that bucket overflows, what you think is helping you (like intense workouts) can actually accelerate damage. Leaders need to audit their total stress load before adding more to the pile.
Sleep Is the ROI Play You’re Ignoring: Getting just six hours of sleep has the same cognitive impact as drinking two to three beers. Pull an all-nighter and you’re operating like you’ve had ten to twelve. For entrepreneurs whose greatest asset is their brain, sacrificing sleep is literally leaving performance and money on the table.
Health Starts at the Cellular Level: Boomer breaks down his framework that true health is more than the absence of disease—it’s about getting your body’s basic cell optimized and balanced. When you bring biomarkers like hormones and nutrients back to their evolutionary optimal levels (ages 21 to 30), the symptoms that plague most executives—brain fog, low energy, poor sleep—begin to fall away.

Sound Bytes:
“The through line for everything that I do is challenging the process.”

“Getting six hours of sleep a night versus eight is the cognitive impact of drinking two to three beers. An all-nighter is the equivalent of drinking ten to twelve.”

“Your day doesn’t start with when you wake up in your morning routine. It actually starts with your evening routine.”

Connect & Discover Boomer:
Instagram: @boomersnh
Website: troscriptions.com
X: @boomersnh
LinkedIn: @boomeranderson
Nonprofit: homehope.org
YouTube: Troscriptions

🔥 Ready to Lead Different & Win Bigger? 🔥
How to Be a Good Leader When You’ve Never Had One by Mick Hunt isn’t just a book - it’s your blueprint to set up, stand out, and lead with confidence (even if no one ever showed you how).
Straight talk. Real Strategy. No fluff. Just the tools you need to elevate your leadership and life.
👉 Get your copy now and start leading on your terms → Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million

FOLLOW MICK ON:
Spotify: MickUnplugged
Instagram: @mickunplugged
Facebook: @mickunpluggedYouTube: @MickUnpluggedPodcast
LinkedIn: @mickhunt
Website: MickHuntOfficial.com
Website: howtobeagoodleader.com
Website: Leadloudseries.com
Apple: MickUnplugged

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bruce Bruce is an entertainment legend, a master of comedic timing whose sharp wit and improvisational brilliance have captivated audiences for decades across stand-up, television, and film. With a new Netflix special "I Ain't Playing" that has audiences roaring from start to finish, he redefines longevity and authenticity in the comedy game, building a career on delivering big laughs infused with relatable human insights. A true "goat" of comedy, Bruce Bruce consistently draws sold-out crowds with fresh material and an unwavering dedication to his craft, proving that genuine connection and humor are timeless.

Takeaways:
Authenticity in Performance: Bruce Bruce emphasizes the importance of being genuinely yourself, stating "He's the same person. It's not a difference. I'm not putting out a front."

Treating Your Craft as a Business: He advises aspiring comedians and creators to view their passion as a business, highlighting the need for consistency, professionalism, and continuous improvement.

Longevity Through Adaptability: Bruce Bruce’s sustained success is attributed to staying relevant, embracing new platforms like social media, and evolving his material to connect with contemporary audiences while still delivering classic humor.

The Power of Mentorship and Communication: He emphasizes the value of honest feedback and open communication within relationships, whether with family, managers, or colleagues, to foster growth and avoid pitfalls.

Joy in the Journey: Despite the demands of a long career, Bruce Bruce reiterated that his driving force is his genuine love for what he does, underscoring that passion sustains effort over time.

Sound Bytes:
"I wanna be like, look, I'm about to throw up. This dude is about to make me throw up. So that's what I wanted. And I think that's what I got."
"If you like stripping strip, if you like stealing cars, still them, but you got to love what you do."
"When people come to see you, have something for them to go home and talk about."
"I don't care about nothing else but nobody should be 80 years old with a shag and a bang."
"In every aspect of life, man, like my manager and I, we go back and forth on stuff. Sometimes I get hot here at Bruce."

Connect & Discover Bruce Bruce:
Website: bruce-bruce.com
Facebook: @mybrucebruce
Instagram: @mybrucebruce
X: @mybrucebruce
TikTok: @mybrucebruce
Netflix: I Ain't Playin'

🔥 Ready to Lead Different & Win Bigger? 🔥
How to Be a Good Leader When You’ve Never Had One by Mick Hunt isn’t just a book - it’s your blueprint to set up, stand out, and lead with confidence (even if no one ever showed you how).
Straight talk. Real Strategy. No fluff. Just the tools you need to elevate your leadership and life.
👉 Get your copy now and start leading on your terms → Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million


FOLLOW MICK ON:
Spotify: MickUnplugged
Instagram: @mickunplugged
Facebook: @mickunplugged
YouTube: @MickUnpluggedPodcast
LinkedIn: @mickhunt
Website: MickHuntOfficial.com
Website: howtobeagoodleader.com
Website: Leadloudseries.com
Apple: MickUnplugged

EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/mickunplugged Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee!
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nir Eyal is not just an author; he’s a behavioral architect, a master decoder of the invisible forces that drive human action and inaction. A former Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer who co-founded and sold tech companies before transitioning into writing and teaching, Nir’s brilliance lies in his rare ability to bridge psychology, technology, and business into frameworks that fundamentally change how leaders think, operate, and perform. With bestselling books like Hooked, Indistractable, and the upcoming Beyond Belief, Nir delivers the kind of substance that makes you stop, think, and actually do the work.

Takeaways:
Distraction Is an Action, Not an Accident: Nir reframes distraction as something we do, not something that happens to us. The opposite of distraction isn’t focus—it’s traction. Both end in “action,” and the difference comes down to intent. If it’s not what you planned to do, it’s pulling you off course.
Time Boxing Beats To-Do Lists Every Time: To-do lists have no constraints and reward busyness over progress. Time boxing forces you to commit focused blocks to what matters most, teaches you how long things actually take, and creates the feedback loop that to-do lists can never provide.
Belief Is the Missing Piece of Motivation: Knowing what to do and wanting the benefit isn’t enough. Nir reveals that motivation is a triangle—behavior, benefit, and belief—and without the belief that you can achieve the outcome, persistence collapses. His new book Beyond Belief unpacks the science-backed way to engineer the beliefs that unlock extraordinary results.

Sound Bytes:
“My purpose is to explain the world so that it can be made better.”

“The superpower, the skill of the century is going to be the ability to follow through. Because it turns out that people want to do business with those who follow through.”

“They went from 15 minutes to 60 hours of straight swimming. Why? What happened? What changed? The only variable left is that something was unlocked in their brains.”

Connect & Discover Nir:
Instagram: @neyal99
Website: nirandfar.com
X: @nireyal
LinkedIn: @nireyal
Book: Beyond Belief

🔥 Ready to Unleash Your Inner Game-Changer? 🔥
Mick Hunt’s BEST SELLING book, How to Be a Good Leader When You’ve Never Had One: The Blueprint for Modern Leadership, is here to light a fire under your ambition and arm you with the real-talk strategies that only Mick delivers.

👉 Grab your copy now and level up your life → Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million

FOLLOW MICK ON:
Spotify: MickUnplugged
Instagram: @mickunplugged
Facebook: @mickunpluggedYouTube: @MickUnpluggedPodcast
LinkedIn: @mickhunt
Website: MickHuntOfficial.com
Website: howtobeagoodleader.com
Website: Leadloudseries.com
Apple: MickUnplugged

EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/mickunplugged Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee!
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.