Eating Crow

Tony Albrecht has seen things.

Things most people will never witness.

His path has been a winding journey through self-doubt, insecurity, destructiveness, self-centeredness and ultimately, a spiritual awakening.

Tony is also one of the most intriguing people I've met (and considering this show's premise, that's saying something).

He's raw.

He's still paving HIS path.

He's becoming an amazing husband and father (note, it's an evolving process, with no deadline).

I connected with Tony's writing instantly. He was gracious enough to share his journey and lessons.

I hope to be with Tony on the remainder of his journey. When you encounter people who are deep and have so much to offer, you make it a priority to build a friendship and to continue to learn and be challenged by their approach to life.

Key Takeaways for Leaders and Entrepreneurs:

1. Sabbaticals have merit
2. Reading is fundamental
3. Many battles win the war

Tony is a quiet leader. He has "it", the thing people are drawn to in any situation. In his youth he let this power consume him. Now he's harnessed it, using it for good.

Leaders can benefit from his thoughtful approach to words, actions and observation. He battles the resistance one-day-at-a-time.

Tony's Eating Crow Moments:

1. You hit rock bottom the moment you stop digging
2. Facing reality - owning his journey
3. Tough conversations with his parents
4. Adopting the 12-steps in AA, and working them, embracing the spiritual awakening.

You can find Tony here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-albrecht-92457213b/

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Doug Lawson is a baller.

He's also the first deaf guest I've had on the podcast. Let that sink in.

Doug's mission is to help people get noticed on social media, and to turn this new found fame into revenue.

How he got here is incredible; he started as a Special Education Teacher, in three different cities.

Now based out of Chicago, his flare for writing has developed into a full-blown digital agency of sorts.

He's also daring, using TikTok and mixing formats (music, video, graphics, text) to develop content for B2B clients, he's changing the game.

Key Takeaways for Leaders and Entrepreneurs:

1. If you want to separate from the pack, you need to be different (maybe even daring).
2. Digital campaigns do NOT need to be expensive, they need to be compelling.
3. Change is hard. Keep doing what you are doing, keep getting poor results. Or, find a pro and let them help you.

Doug's Eating Crow Moments:

I've only had one other guest who didn't really eat crow, they dished it out. Doug's moment may have been when he realized he had a flare for writing and left the teaching world to go out on his own. Scary, but Doug is a grinder and not afraid of anything. He started writing email campaigns that converted faster than most - and got noticed.

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/eating-crow.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Cooks is the kind of man you want your son to be around.

Heck, he's the kind of person we should all be around.

David is the last episode of Season One of the Eating Crow Podcast.

We could not have picked a better way to end 2020.

David's story is the stuff of movies.

I'm thinking Denzel, maybe Jamie Foxx or the late, great Chadwick Boseman as the right guys to play David.

In his book, "Getting Undressed, from Paralysis to Purpose" he describes his approach to life. The title says it all.

David is highly educated, a successful basketball coach, mentor, leader and man of character.

David received his Master of Business Administration in Finance from Duke University and his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from The University of Wisconsin–Whitewater (trivia, my wife's alma mater - and where we met, that's another story).

His career path includes time spent in Banking, Finance, Education and Athletics.

His ability to overcome obstacles and to achieve success in the face of adversity is what makes his story inspiring and motivating to others.

Key Takeaways for Leaders and Entrepreneurs:

1. Perspective is so important. David met someone in his first days in a rehab hospital that changed his view of the world.
2. Leadership comes in many forms. David coached basketball from a wheelchair in a manner most men could only dream of.
3. No obstacle is worth crying about. David opened many companies and educational institutions to the need for handicap access. Literally, unapologetically - he showed up and didn't complain, he just "did".

David's Eating Crow Moments:

1. Getting fired as a coach. I love this part of his story. Despite his persona, results matter and he was the first to admit it.
2. Asking for help. David has learned the art of asking for assistance in a way that puts people at ease.

THIS IS A MUST LISTEN.

You can find David here:

Website: www.davidcooksspeaks.com

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3hbogw6

Facebook: facebook.com/dcespeaks

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-cooksspeaks-mba-20001210

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/eating-crow.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kelly Parthen is a Pea Brain.

Her company, Bean Sprouts asks each employee to name themselves after a fruit or veggie. Bean Jovi, The Podfather, etc.

She even signs her emails, "peas out."

It's not a gimmick, it's how they operate at their core.

As a female founder and CEO she's experienced the challenges of raising money and growing a business.

Especially a business she knew nothing about.

By the end of our call I was ready to apply for a job.

Key Takeaways for Leaders and Entrepreneurs:

1. Go where your customers are
2. Training is everything
3. Weed in vs. weed out

Kelly's Eating Crow Moments:

1. Closing their first store
2. Hiring a COO for a 20 store company when they were at 4 stores
3. Navigating COVID

It's not often I put a follow up after the Eating Crow Moments. Frankly, Kelly and her partner, Shannon, are really sharp operators. They have a unique ability to see around corners and anticipate critical market shifts. For example, they use a revenue share with their partner destinations vs. paying rent. This has allowed them to not only survive the COVID downturn but look at 2021 as a growth year.

You can find Kelly here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyparthen

Website: http://www.beansproutscafe.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeanAppetit

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/eating-crow.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alex B. Sheridan is an entrepreneur.

He's also one of the most talented people I've ever met. What makes him special is his gutsy decision to turn his talent into a career and grind it out.

Alex ran amok as a kid. I've seen it before...too much talent bottled up inside to care about school or to respect authority. He needed to express that talent and he did. Then the real world came knocking: "Hey Alex, time to get a job, blah, blah, blah..."

Alex went down the traditional path but always felt he had a different calling. He was meant to be a creator. His passions were music and video. So, he dabbled. It didn't work, so he put his passions back on the shelf.

After realizing he had more to offer, he dusted off his hoodies and tank tops and started producing hilarious but yet content rich videos on LinkedIn. They sucked (according to Alex) but the LinkedIn community felt otherwise. They were unique, people were learning the power of content, and they wanted to LEARN MORE.

Alex had a business. He just needed to make the leap from worker bee to entrepreneur. He did, and the rest is history.

Alex's Eating Crow Moments:

• When he was 19 he realized he had to get his shit together.
• Recognizing his talent was being wasted in the "real world"

Key Takeaways for Leaders and Entrepreneurs:

1. Talent comes in many shapes and sizes. Every employee (especially you) has a talent. Find it, nurture it, let it run.
2. When you FEEL it in your gut, you need to act.
3. Being an entrepreneur is really hard. Be ready to grind, and miss a lot of the mundane.
4. However, if you LOVE what you do, you won't care.
5. Leadership can be external. Alex is a leader, for his clients. They rely on him and he owns it 100%

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/eating-crow.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.