Unlocking Moves

The difference between dreamers and doers In this preshow conversation with Coach Z @mazimm2019 we talked about what separates people who dream from those who actually achieve big things. I shared one of my favorite stories about persistence. A dear friend of mine worked at @incmagazine when he wanted to interview @richardbranson . He reached out once. Ignored. Again. Ignored. Eventually, Branson said no. Most people would stop there. He didn’t. He kept reaching out, and eventually that persistence landed him on Branson’s private jet, bound for Necker Island for the interview Coach Z built on that idea like a champ. Everyone wants to be the next great coach, entrepreneur, or leader. But the people who actually make it happen are the ones are willing to reach out, expand their horizons, and chase opportunities when others give up or never start. Dreams are possible. But the odds go way up when you’re willing to do what most people won’t. Unlock the full story on @unlockingmoves [LINK IN BIO]

What makes @onlykitrich so popular? Kit Rich, the writer and director of @isabelsgardenmovie shares her secrets to success: Show up, be on time, stay humble, and be authentic. Simple principles lead to great success. Watch Kit Rich’s story on #UnlockingMoves [LINK IN BIO] #Authenticity #CelebrityTrainer #LeadershipLessons #UnlockingMoves #Inspiration #EntrepreneurLife #SelfImprovement #Motivation #Humility #SuccessPrinciples #isabelsgardenmovie #KitRich

What happens when the air conditioner breaks? Co-founders of @drinkpoppi , @AllisonEllsworth , and @StephenEllsworth , talk about their early struggles—in the heat, in the warehouse, on the ground—doing every job in the company, from marketing to bottling. They discussed the advantages of knowing every job in the company and the GRIT needed to survive. They MAY have commented about the youngsters on their phones! Watch the Ellsworths’ story on #UnlockingMoves [LINK IN BIO] #Poppi #EntrepreneurJourney #SuccessStory #UnlockingMoves #Inspiration #EntrepreneurLife #GritAndDetermination #StartupStruggles #BehindTheScenes #resilience

In a recent conversation with @sam.goodner , author of *Like Clockwork*, he shared an eye-opening experience. After stepping away from his company for a month to be with his father in Munich, he returned to find that the business was thriving without his constant input. This led to a crucial point: the more we act as the ultimate decision-makers, the harder it is to scale our businesses. Your team may not execute things exactly as you would, but if you always jump back in when challenges arise, they won’t have the chance to grow. It’s common to feel guilty for not being constantly busy—I’ve felt that way too! But as companies grow, so must our leadership. Sometimes, your best contribution is to step back, think strategically, and give your team room to succeed. Unlock the full story on @unlockingmoves [LINK IN BIO] #foundermindset #scalingabusiness #leadershipgrowth #delegation #entrepreneurship

When @sam.goodner , author of *Like Clockwork*, learned that his father had cancer and was given six months to live, he decided to leave for Munich to spend time with him. He informed his executive team that he would be hard to reach and their initial reaction was, “How are we supposed to make decisions?” Sam replied, “You’ll figure it out.” To his surprise, when he returned, the company was not only doing well, but actually performing better. Team members stepped up, decisions were made more quickly, and ownership increased across the organization. He realized he had been unintentionally holding the company back because everyone had become too dependent on him for permission. This experience taught him a valuable lesson: sometimes, growth happens when leaders take a step back. Unlock the full story on @unlockingmoves [LINK IN BIO] #leadershiplessons #delegation #executiveleadership #businessgrowth #micromanagement companyculture teamownership entrepreneurship unlockingmoves

When @sam.goodner , author of *Like Clockwork*, was recording his audiobook, the sound engineer warned him to eat something soon or risk his stomach growling on the track. With Tacodeli just across the street where he recorded his audiobook, he opted for tacos. Unfortunately, he may have overdone it. An hour later, the engineer had to stop the recording repeatedly because the microphone was picking up the sounds of his stomach digesting the tacos. Recording an audiobook is already a challenge—trying to sound natural while reading perfectly is tough enough without the distraction of loud digestion. I faced a similar struggle while recording *Who’s Your Mike?*, and it was more challenging than I expected. Unlock the full story on @unlockingmoves [LINK IN BIO] #audiobookrecording #funnypodcastmoments #authorstories #creativeprocess #behindthescenes storytelling austintexas bookpublishing unlockingmoves

Most people are using AI for answers. That’s the mistake. @geoffwoods , author of The AI-Driven Leader, shared a simple shift that changes everything. Instead of asking AI to do something for you, you tell it how to think with you. Here’s what that looks like. You give it a role. Someone who understands your mission and where you’re trying to go. Then you tell it to interview you. One question at a time. Not a list. Not everything at once. That matters. Because now it’s not guessing. It’s building context. And once it understands you, then you give it the task. Not something obvious. Something high impact. Something that actually moves the needle. That’s when it gets interesting. Because instead of generic answers, you start getting ideas that are specific, strategic, and actually useful. That’s the difference between using AI as a tool and using it as a thought partner. One gives you output. The other helps you think better. So before your next prompt… Ask yourself if you’re just looking for answers, or if you’re trying to elevate how you think. Unlock the full story on @unlockingmoves [LINK IN BIO] #artificialintelligence #promptengineering #leadershipthinking #productivity #businessstrategy

AI isn’t your strategy. But a lot of companies are treating it like one. @geoffwoods author of The AI-Driven Leader, pointed out something most people miss. Teams are rushing to use AI, not because they have a clear problem, but because they feel like they should. That’s backwards. You don’t start with a tool and go looking for a problem. That’s how you waste time and create noise. Real value comes from the opposite approach. You start with the biggest problem in your business. The one that, if solved, would unlock growth. Then you ask what tool can help solve it. Sometimes that tool is AI. Sometimes it’s not. But here’s where it gets more interesting. One of the biggest issues companies face right now isn’t technology. It’s strategy. You might have a vision. You might think you know your competitive advantage. But in a world where AI is constantly changing what’s possible, you have to ask a harder question. Is your strategy still sustainable? Is it still defensible? Because tools evolve fast. But clear thinking and strong strategy are what actually create long-term advantage. So before you jump into AI… Make sure you’re solving the right problem. Unlock the full story on @unlockingmoves [LINK IN BIO] #artificialintelligence #businessstrategy #leadershipthinking #growthstrategy #innovation

You’re using AI for the wrong things. That’s the uncomfortable truth. @geoffwoods , author of The AI-Driven Leader, said something that hits. He realized he was asking AI how to write better emails. But then it clicked. Not a single promotion in his career came from writing better emails. That’s not what moves the needle. The real difference maker is strategic thinking. The ability to see clearly, make decisions, and move in the right direction. And most people aren’t using AI for that. They’re using it for small tasks. Quick outputs. Things that feel productive but don’t actually change anything. That’s the trap. The shift happens when you stop treating AI like an assistant and start using it like a thought partner. Instead of asking it to do things for you, you use it to think with you. To challenge your ideas. To refine your strategy. To elevate how you approach problems. That’s where the real advantage is. Because better thinking leads to better decisions. And better decisions lead to better results. So the question isn’t how can AI help me do more. It’s how can AI help me think better? Unlock the full story on @unlockingmoves [LINK IN BIO] #artificialintelligence #leadershipmindset #strategicthinking #businessgrowth #productivity

If your team needs you for every answer… that’s the problem. It sounds counterintuitive, but it’s true. @geoffwoods , author of The AI-Driven Leader, shared a lesson that stuck with me. Early on, he was told something simple. If you need me, then I don’t need you. At first, it feels harsh. But the point is deeper. Too many leaders think their job is to have the answers. So when someone comes to them with a question, they respond quickly. They solve it. They move on. It feels efficient. But it’s actually holding people back. Because the most valuable part of someone’s job isn’t execution. It’s thinking. When you give answers too quickly, you take that away. You remove ownership. You train people to depend on you rather than to develop their own judgment. And over time, that creates a team that can’t operate without you. That’s not leadership. That’s bottlenecking. Real leadership looks different. You push people to think. You hold them accountable for their decisions. You let them own the outcome. Because thinking drives actions. And actions drive results. So the next time someone comes to you with a question… Pause. And ask yourself: are you helping them grow, or just helping them get through the moment? Unlock the full story on @unlockingmoves [LINK IN BIO] #leadershipdevelopment #managementskills #growthmindset #highperformanceteam #executiveleadership

I knew I was meant for more… and it was starting to hurt. That’s not something people talk about enough. @geoffwoods , author of The AI-Driven Leader, didn’t start at the top. He went through the same path a lot of people do. Took a job for the training. Tried another for the image. Built a solid career. And still felt off. He said something that stuck with me: the feeling like he was playing below his potential was actually painful, and that is real. Because when you know you’re capable of more, staying where you are doesn’t feel safe; it just feels wrong. For him, it hit during a sales meeting. He had to walk out. Couldn’t even sit through it. That moment forced the question most people avoid. “When am I going to make the move?” And like most people, the doubts showed up, no money, no plan and imposter syndrome. Then something unexpected happened. He walked into the next session and heard a message that changed everything. Not just motivation. Direction. Clarity. And more importantly, proximity. He started asking a different question. What would my life look like if I surrounded myself with people operating at that level? That question changed his trajectory. Because growth isn’t just about what you do. It’s about who you’re around. So if you’ve ever felt that pull, that sense that you’re meant for more… Maybe it’s not something to ignore. Maybe it’s something to act on. Unlock the full story on @unlockingmoves [LINK IN BIO] #careergrowth #personaldevelopment #entrepreneurmindset #leadershipmindset #growthmindset

Most people don’t build a network until they need one. And by then… It’s too late. I’ve seen this happen more times than I can count. Someone loses a job or feels stuck, and suddenly they start reaching out. But networking doesn’t work like that. @patti._boyle said it best. A real network isn’t built on taking. It’s built on giving. That’s the difference. If the only time you show up is when you need something, people feel that. And it rarely leads anywhere meaningful. Strong networks are built over time. Through real relationships. Through showing up when there’s nothing in it for you. That’s what creates trust. And when the time comes, when you are looking for what’s next, those relationships are already there. You don’t have to start from zero. The mistake most people make isn’t that they don’t know enough people. It’s that they didn’t invest in those relationships early enough. So here’s the question… Who are you building relationships with right now, before you need them? Unlock the full story on @unlockingmoves [LINK IN BIO] #networking #careergrowth #relationshipbuilding #personaldevelopment #leadershipskills