Guest: Bob Castellini WHY.os: Contribute- Mastery – Trust
In this episode of Beyond Your WHY, Dr. Gary Sanchez talks with Bob Castellini, a financial expert with a unique background shaped by contrasting financial philosophies from his rich grandfather and poor father. Bob’s insights into financial stewardship, humility, and lifelong learning make him a compelling guest with valuable lessons for everyone.
Learn the importance of financial stewardship and how it can guide your financial decisions.
Discover why humility and learning from failure are crucial for personal growth.
Understand the role of mentors in achieving success and how to find them.
Tune in to hear Bob Castellini’s wisdom and learn how to apply these lessons to your own life. Listen to the episode now!
1:30 – Early Life and Financial Influences 5:45 – Value of Financial Stewardship 10:15 – Humility and Learning from Failure 15:30 – The Power of Mentorship 21:00 – Importance of Self-Awareness 26:45 – Wealth and Purpose 32:00 – Role of Recovery in Life 38:20 – Delegation and Teamwork 44:10 – Life-Long Learning 50:35 – Holistic Approach to Wealth
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Discovering Financial Wisdom: Key Insights from Bob Castellini on Beyond Your WHY
Ever wondered what it takes to achieve real financial wisdom? Meet Bob Castellini, a financial expert who grew up influenced by two very different financial philosophies—his wealthy grandfather’s and his less affluent father’s. Bob’s journey shaped his unique approach to financial stewardship, and in this episode of Beyond Your WHY with Dr. Gary Sanchez, he shares his invaluable insights. Let’s dive into the major takeaways from this enlightening conversation.
The Value of Financial Stewardship
Bob Castellini learned early on the importance of financial stewardship, seeing firsthand the consequences of both good and bad financial management. This episode dives deep into how financial stewardship can guide your financial decisions and set you up for long-term success.
Understand the Basics: Bob emphasizes the need for a solid understanding of basic financial principles. It’s not just about making money but managing it wisely.
Learn from Others: He shares stories from his grandfather and father, illustrating how different approaches to money management can lead to vastly different outcomes.
Long-Term Thinking: Bob’s advice centers on thinking long-term, avoiding the pitfalls of short-term gains that can lead to financial instability.
Humility and Learning from Failure
Failure isn’t just a stepping stone; it’s a crucial part of the journey. Bob discusses how humility and learning from failure have been key to his personal and professional growth.
Embrace Humility: Bob stresses the importance of being humble and acknowledging your mistakes. It’s this humility that allows for genuine growth.
Learn from Setbacks: Instead of seeing failure as a dead-end, Bob views it as an opportunity to learn and improve. Each setback is a lesson in disguise.
Personal Growth: He shares personal anecdotes on how these failures have shaped his success, offering a relatable and inspiring perspective.
The Power of Mentorship
One of the standout points in Bob’s career has been the mentors who have guided him along the way. This episode explores the vital role mentors play in achieving success.
Find Your Mentors: Bob talks about how finding the right mentors has been crucial to his development. These individuals provided guidance, support, and wisdom.
Seek Knowledge: He emphasizes the importance of always seeking knowledge from those who have been there before. Learning doesn’t stop once you reach a certain point.
Build Relationships: Building strong relationships with mentors can provide ongoing support and open doors to new opportunities.
Wealth and Purpose
What’s wealth without purpose? Bob highlights the significance of having a life plan and purpose beyond financial success.
Align Wealth with Purpose: Bob believes that true happiness and fulfillment come from aligning your financial goals with your personal purpose.
Beyond Money: He stresses that wealth alone doesn’t bring happiness. It’s the purpose and meaning behind your wealth that make a difference.
Practical Tips: Bob offers practical tips on how to integrate purpose into your financial planning, making your money work for your overall happiness.
Role of Recovery in Life
Bob shares insights from his recovery journey, emphasizing how serving others and having an abundance mindset contribute to fulfillment.
Serve Others: Bob’s recovery journey taught him the importance of serving others. This selfless approach brings joy and fulfillment.
Abundance Mindset: Shifting to an abundance mindset helps in seeing the positives in life and focusing on giving rather than taking.
Practical Applications: He provides practical ways to incorporate these principles into daily life, making them accessible to everyone.
Delegation and Teamwork
Bob discusses the importance of delegating responsibilities and empowering others, which leads to greater productivity and personal satisfaction.
Empower Your Team: Effective delegation not only boosts productivity but also empowers team members, making the whole team stronger.
Focus on Strengths: By delegating tasks, Bob could focus on his strengths, leading to better results.
Personal Satisfaction: This approach also enhances personal satisfaction, as you see your team thrive and succeed.
Life-Long Learning
Continuous learning is crucial, and Bob maintains that one should always pursue education and knowledge both within and outside of professional settings.
Never Stop Learning: Bob’s mantra is to keep learning, no matter where you are in your career.
Diverse Knowledge: He encourages seeking knowledge from various fields, not just your area of expertise.
Growth Mindset: Maintaining a growth mindset allows for continuous improvement and adaptation.
Holistic Approach to Wealth
Managing wealth involves more than just finances; it includes physical, emotional, and mental health.
Holistic Management: Bob advocates for a holistic approach to wealth management, considering all aspects of well-being.
Balanced Life: Balancing financial goals with health and emotional well-being leads to a more fulfilling life.
Practical Steps: He shares practical steps to achieve this balance, ensuring long-term happiness and stability.
Bob Castellini’s insights offer a blueprint for achieving financial success while maintaining personal fulfillment. His approach to financial stewardship, humility, mentorship, and holistic wealth management provides valuable lessons for anyone looking to improve their financial and personal well-being. Listen to the full episode of Beyond Your WHY with Dr. Gary Sanchez to dive deeper into these transformative insights. Don’t miss out on the wisdom that could change your financial future!
About Bob Castellini
Get ready to meet Bob Castellini, a powerhouse in both the financial and sports worlds! As Managing Director of Investments, Bob identified the critical need for proper wealth stewardship to prevent poor financial decisions. He and his team provide infinite opportunities to help you feel confident and secure through their innovative virtual family office approach.
Bob holds impressive credentials: he’s a Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®), Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist℠ (CRPS®), and Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®). He earned his bachelor’s degree from Denison University and an MBA from Babson Graduate School of Business.
Beyond his financial expertise, Bob is a community leader involved with the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and more. A true Cincinnatian, he lives in the area with his wife Jenn and their two sons, Luke and Alex. Bob’s passion for the city is also reflected in his limited partnership with the Cincinnati Reds. In his free time, he loves downhill skiing, horseback riding, and hiking.
Do you want to take your coaching program to the next level? Mitch Russo joins us again with his latest book, Coach Elevation: The Step-by-Step Guide to Elevating Coaching Sessions To Improve Results, Elevate Your Brand and Create Prosperity. Mitch is responsible for the SaaS platform ClientFol.io, designed to manage your entire coaching company as a single or group of coaches. In this episode, he chats with Dr. Gary Sanchez about how you can use these tools to elevate and improve your program. Beyond that, the two also discuss Mitch’s WHY of Better Way and the importance of understanding your purpose before pursuing any venture. Tune in for more meaningful lessons and practical insights.
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Coach Elevation And The WHY Of Better Way With Mitch Russo
In this episode, we’re going to be talking about the why in a better way, to find a better way in sharing. If this is your WHY, then you are the ultimate innovator. You are constantly seeking better ways to do everything. You find yourself wanting to improve virtually anything by finding a way to make it. You also desire to share your improvement with the world. You constantly ask yourself questions like, “What if we tried this differently? What if we did this another way? How can we make this better?” You contribute to the world with better processes and systems while operating under the motto. I’m often pleased but never satisfied.
You are excellent at associating, which means that you are adept at always taking ideas or systems from one industry or discipline and applying them to another with the ultimate goal of improving something. In this episode, I’ve got a great guess for you. I’ve had Mitch on before and the last time we talked, he was in the process of making some cool software and writing a book and so I thought it would be perfect for our audience. Here is Mitch’s bio.
Mitch Russo started a software company in his garage, sold it for eight figures, then went on to build a company to over $25 million with Tony Robbins and Chet Holmes, nominated twice for Inc Magazine, Entrepreneur of the Year. Mitch’s book, Power Tribes: How Certification Can Explode Your Business, helps readers create new business divisions using high-performance certification programs. His software for coaches, Clientfol.io, fills a void in the coaching software marketplace by helping coaches make their clients more productive with goal tracking and accountability. Mitch’s newest book, Coach Elevation, blueprints his process for helping clients find their true purpose and connect that to their true mission, which accelerates progress in both business and life. Mitch, welcome back to the show.
Thank you, Gary. It’s great to be back. I love continued conversations.
The last time we left off, you’d already done a whole heck of a lot of stuff, and we could go on and on about your bio, which we did last time. Since then, you’ve now launched a software program. You’ve written another book. Dive in. Which one would you like to talk about first?
I’ll talk about the origin and why I decided to create this software product. What was happening is after my Power Tribes book came out in 2018, my life got very busy. I started building a lot of certification programs. People read the book. They got excited about building their own and I started creating more programs for people, which is always fun to do. What started to also happen is that my coaching business started to grow. What I found is that it was time for me to put my big boy pants on and buy some software that manages a coaching business.
I basically went around and I did surveys to see what products were out there. I tried five different products, each with big promises. I found them to be woefully inadequate for my needs. I’m sure they’re good products in every other way but for my needs, which was basically easy to learn, easy to use, low cost but still very powerful around goal setting and accountability tracking. A lot of my success with my clients comes from holding them accountable.
Instead of saying, “Accountability could be easy. Let’s ask them how they’re doing.” That’s not accountability. We get very granular. In fact, we set numeric goals with every client, usually up to six. We track those goals sometimes every day. We put them into a dashboard and then we create graphs and chart to show people the progress they’re making. In fact, this became so popular that we extended the software and created a portal for our clients to log in, enter their own data and see their own graphics and charts so they could see what was going on all at once.
I started this project in 2019. It came to life with its very first version in 2021. Since then, it’s had two major revisions. In the last revision, I started to realize that I was using a process. Almost unconsciously, I’ve been using the same process for the last five or six years. I’ve refined it since I discovered the WHY Discovery. The WHY Discovery, for me, was the missing component to make this whole thing work.
It started to become such a big part of what I did with the client that I decided to explain everything in a book. I wrote a new book. It’s called Coach Elevation. The book itself is a blueprint about how to successfully run a coaching session with the purpose of discovering a client’s true purpose, connecting that through their WHY Discovery to their true mission. Now, what does this do? What this does is it changes the nature of the engagement.
Coach Elevation: The Step-by-Step Guide to Elevating Coaching Sessions To Improve Results, Elevate Your Brand and Create Prosperity
Number one, it emotionally opens a person very quickly. I did the first session with a new certification client. She broke into tears 25-30 minutes into the session because, for the first time, she felt what her true mission was. Later, as we took this a little bit further and she told me what her why was because I had her take the discovery before. Now all of a sudden, it was very clear what her entire business was dedicated to doing. Before that, it was an enterprise. Now it is a life mission. It changes everything. She’ll move faster, work harder, be more successful and be more motivated to finally get that done. That’s what I’ve been up to, Gary.
Let’s go back for a minute. When you say your coaching business took off, who do you coach? Who’s your ideal coaching client? What clients are you talking about?
With certification, I coach SaaS companies. I coach training companies and other coaching companies as well. The whole idea is they have intellectual property that they are able to create a transformation in others. The thing is that if you could show someone else how to create that same transformation, then in effect, what you’re doing is you’re creating a scalable license model that will allow somebody to take this information, teach it to others and help them get clients and hare in the upside or the revenue that comes from those clients. We certify them in that process.
What that means is that when I work with the certification client, what I’m doing is I start with the process I described earlier, which makes everything go much easier. At that point, we’re building a business plan around the idea that we’re going to have a certified coach or a certified consultant network. From there, we build out the marketing system for that, then the sales system for that. We start to create the infrastructure on how we bring through students, if you will, into the system, into the pilot. We call it a pilot, the very first one.
We train them and we get them to be successful. We work with them one on one. We even engage with them while they’re working with clients to make sure that that first batch of graduates has business success and rapidly. The reason we do that is because what we want to do is we want to take those testimonials and we want to bring the next group through. That’s how we do it. It’s the early adopter rule. The tip of the triangle, tip of the pyramid. The early adopters go first and then once they get results and those results can be shown to others, now everybody wants to do it. That’s the theory behind the way we do this.
Your ideal client will be a coach or coach organization that has a process that they want to help other coaches use to better serve their clients.
Right, but there’s a wrinkle here. The wrinkle is what we want to do is we want to create a recurring revenue model on several levels. Before, you could buy coach certification from one of many very smart famous coaches and you’ll pay anywhere from $5,000 to $18,000 for that certification. What you generally get is a beautiful 8×10 certificate that’s suitable for framing right behind you on your Zoom window but generates no money.
Here’s what we know about coaches. We know coaches love to coach. They’re smart people, empathetic people, but they’re lousy salespeople. They’re sometimes not very good at marketing themselves. They may be good at helping others market, but they’re not very good at marketing themselves. We take over. When I say we, I mean the company that I’m consulting with. We build a marketing and selling system for the people that they certify. Now, what does that do? Number one, it puts enough revenue in their pocket, so we’re usually delivering between a 6X and 12X ROI on what they paid for certification year after year. That’s one stream of recurring revenue.
How do you build a marketing and selling system? What does that look like? Give us an example of something what that would be like.
Let’s take the average company and we’ll use your company, for example. Let’s say that you have a database of email addresses and names. Let’s say a percentage of those people are actual customers who paid you money. I’m going to guess it’s somewhere hovering between 5% and 8% of your database has paid you money, which means somewhere between 95% and 92% of those folks have not paid you money. Nonetheless, they seem to be resistive to all your charms and all your wonderful emails and all your videos.
What do we have? We have people who know you, who probably like you and even trust you but they still haven’t made a decision to work with you. Now what we do is we train people to do what you do, to duplicate your transformation, the ability that you have to transform another human being or particularly a corporation in this case. Once we teach them how to do that, we then build a business model that says, “We’re going to share our prospects with you. We’re going to put that inside of a CRM system and we’re going to give you access to that CRM system. In fact, we’re even going to create all the emails for you. All you got to do is sit down every morning and basically run the system with the new leads that you received.”
If you do this, then the system will start to make offers to the prospects, but a better offer than before. Here’s what the better offer looks like. Bob, you probably remember when Gary offered you the WHY Discovery and you loved it. You thought it was great, but for some reason, you didn’t pull the trigger. I am a WHY Discovery coach. My job is to make sure that when you take your WHY Discovery, I work with you one-on-one for free to see and make sure that you implement this into your life and get everything that we intended when we created this amazing tool.
If you like, we can offer you a small discount or we could set you up with a free call after you take the discovery. We could explore how this can benefit you, build your business, and grow your relationships in ways you never thought possible. That’s better than the offer you made over the past several years. Why? It’s because a live coach is willing to do this for free. Why would the coach be willing to do that for free? I think it’s an obvious answer. They’re looking to build relationships. They want to start working with people they haven’t worked with before so that they can help them in their lives.
Our statistics show that about 25% of the people who get a free or a few free coaching sessions will then go on to buy coaching because they found it to be so valuable that they don’t want to give up their coach. If that coach has any form of a personality at all and has a lot more to offer than what was offered for free, there’s a good chance that business relationships can go on for many years. It can involve the base company too. Meaning they can involve you are the WHY Institute and why? There are so many other things WHY Institute offers.
That coach can also have those as part of what they offer so they can get a commission. That’s another recurring revenue stream on whatever they sell their coaching client. They can earn money on the coaching itself and they can even share that money with the company because the company gets to set this up. The third thing is that in 2023, we bring them into a big room called the Symposium and we do a three-day rah-rah event and we reveal some new tools and get them all excited.
When they go out for the next 90 days, you’re going to see a huge bump in revenue coming from new sales and they pay for that as well. All of these recurring revenue streams start to stack up. By the end of the third year, you’re typically dealing with several million dollars of profits from a certification program if it’s done right and if it’s done with the proper scale. That is what my book is about. That is what I consult on.
That is why I needed software to help me make sure that when somebody engages with me. I’ll be honest, Gary, it’s not cheap. When someone engages with me, I have to make sure that they get the ROI on what they paid me. The only way I can do that is if I hold them accountable. I don’t mean casual accountability. As I said earlier, I want numeric accountability. I want to know how many prospects came in this week. I want to know what they did specifically to cause that and can we duplicate that next week? That’s what my goal is. That’s the software I could not find. That’s why I had to build it.
You went out, tried out five or so different other software looking for what you needed to be able to get that accountability. It didn’t exist, said, “I’m going to make my own something that I would do as I’ve done myself. It’s a better way thing.” For those people that are reading that are trying to do something similar. How the heck did you go do it yourself? What was that like for you?
For me, it’s something I always do. Gary, you’re the same way. I start things all the time and I get excited about things. My challenge sometimes is staying focused long enough to see it through to fruition. When I started this project, it was back in 2019 and I had a serviceable beta about a year later. At that point, I showed it to some people. I gave away a few seats for them to try. The enthusiasm was so dramatic that I was motivated to keep going.
I started by building a great team. That was step one for me. I needed a great team in order to create the product. I already knew the right people and I was able to put this team together. I put this team together for the long haul. This wasn’t like a contract job you pick up on Guru.com or something. This was a real team that I knew I would be able to stay with or they would be able to stay with me over the long run and bring this product to fruition and so far, we’re our third year together. We’re doing great.
The team is incredibly brilliant. Part of what I offer is I want them to participate. I build participation and for them as well. What that does is it energizes them to want to do better. My job at this point is to use my network organically to market the product first while improving it. It took months to get it to the point where it is now. As it improves, as it gets better, I use my organic network to do that. We’re about to launch a fairly sizable paid ad program because now I think we have traction at this point. It’s time to start taking advantage of that. You don’t want to let that slip away when you hit that inflection point.
Tell everybody again the name of the software and what it does differently than everybody else.
The name of the product is called ClientFol.io. I was trying to be cool like the cool kids. I said, “That’s why I picked the IO extension.” You could also go to GetClientFolio.com if you forget the IO thing. There are two URLs. Either one works and takes you to the same place. When I looked at all the other products, what I discovered is I started by watching hours of training videos.
I don’t think of myself as having a super long attention span doing things I don’t like. I have a good attention span doing things I love, but when it comes to things I don’t like, not so much. I was sitting there trying to s slug through these videos and I couldn’t handle it. I hated it. Here I am trying to figure this out and I finally power up the software after studying videos for two or three days. I load my client list.
The first thing it did, which was super embarrassing and difficult for me, was it started sending emails to my clients without me authorizing that. Immediately, I completely shut the thing down. I said, “This got to go. I can’t deal with this.” I tried another one. The other one I tried was what I would call a kitchen sink product. It had every possible imaginable component that someday you ever might want. It was like $395 a month to use, which I thought was outrageous. Even though I could afford it, that’s not the problem. I also now realize that I’m going to have to learn all of this stuff that I probably won’t need or want. I put that one aside.
I tried one of these other very low-cost ones that were even cheaper than what we were offering our product for. We only sell it for $29.97 per month. I found products that were cheaper than that. When I powered them up and started to use them, what I noticed was that they were what I would call lead magnets. You would start using it and as soon as you got the three clients, it would want to hit you up another $30 or $40 a month. When you got the seven clients, it wanted another $20 or $30 a month. I realized from the beginning that we needed to create a model that was unlimited clients.
Anybody who signs up for $29.97 a month, if they’re a coach, they get unlimited clients. We don’t work along those lines. We have optional added functionality that costs extra if you need it. If you don’t need it, you don’t pay for it. The bottom line is you don’t need it if you’re a coach. If you’re coaching clients one on one, then everything you need is right there. What we believe is the distinctive and discerning factor is the fact that it’s easy to use.
Coach Elevation: If you’re a coach, if you’re coaching clients one on one, then everything you need is right on ClientFol.io.
It takes about 20 to 30 minutes to learn the system, number one. Number two, once you start using it, it contains everything. All of your homework information is in there. All your notes and your Zoom links are there. All of your Q&A with clients is there. The client portal, which is an extension of the software, allows your clients to log in and get their own homework.
Answer their own accountability questions, fill in their goals and stats and even ask their coach questions, which I found to be powerful. Why? It’s because otherwise, it would go through email. If I wait for the weekend, I’m coming home to 300 or 400 emails and might lose an important question from a client. I don’t want that to happen. We built an internal communication system right into the software that has worked well for my clients.
The ultimate goal here is to have an amazing client interaction and experience accountability. Keep it all in one place so that you, as the coach because there are a lot of coaches that read this. The coach can perform at the highest level.
Yes, we’re elevating the session. We’re taking what used to be sometimes a relatively scrappy session. Even though the coach might be amazing, they have a notepad open here. They have a spreadsheet open there. If they use spreadsheets, they have another browser open for something else or maybe they’re trying to figure out how to get their next appointment from another browser window. Who knows? Another popup of sorts.
What we tried to do is we tried to put everything into one browser window so that the coach can focus only on their client during their session and take casual notes while they’re talking. At the same time, as soon as the session is over, they get to touch up those notes. Maybe make them more attractive with underlying and numbering and bullet points. Whatever they want. When they’re done, they click send homework now, save the session and they’re done until the next week or the next time they meet with that client.
Sounds like a better way.
I think you’re right.
If you’re reading and you know that Mitch’s why is to find a better way, then you know what he’s come up with has to be better. If something’s not better, Mitch, can you talk about it?
I sure can.
If someone wants you to sell a product for them and it’s not better than what’s already there. Are you able to talk about it? Do you want to sell something like that?
I don’t. It doesn’t interest me at all. That’s part of what I went through when I was doing my own exploration into trying to find a coaching tool for my own business. I couldn’t stand using inferior products, no matter how much they cost. Even if it was free, I couldn’t deal with it because I knew it was not good enough. As you said in the intro, I needed at least good enough and I wanted better.
It’s not that you set out to say, “I’ve got to make some software. I’ve got to go spend the next three years figuring out how to do this.” That probably was not high on your list, but when you can’t find it and know you can make it better, it’s almost like you’re compelled to do that.
Yes. Now, this might be a form of mental illness, Gary. I admit to that, but yet, here I am. I get obsessed with stuff once I realize I’m on the right path and I see it working. That’s what I saw with this very early framework of a first edition. I saw it working. I immediately noticed I was saving about sixteen minutes per session. I’m doing two or three sessions per day, four days a week and I’m doing admin during what I would call my peak cognitive period of the day. If I’m sitting here doing $10 an hour work during $1,000 an hour time, I know I’m getting an ROI right away, even if no one else ever wanted to use my product. I know I was getting an ROI.
What was the motivation to write the book?
What started to happen years ago, I stumbled across this process. In the middle of one session, in particular, I started asking a series of questions that appeared to change the person’s viewpoint very quickly. It appeared to get them past the casual nonsense and go right to the heart of the matter that we were trying to figure out or discuss. I made a note of those questions. This next session I had, I said, “What the heck? I might pull those questions out and try it again,” and then I did.
What I noticed is that I had more or less the same result. What I noticed is that was a huge improvement in the ability to cut through the wasted time and non-essential information and get right to the heart of the matter. This started to happen more until I started to refine the process over time. A few years ago when we worked together and you uncovered my WHY for me in a van on the way to a hotel room or to somebody’s house. It was like a mule kick in the head for me. It was such a major shift in the way I now saw things.
I started to use the process even before you had your wide discovery itself. I started to use the process to help people identify where they were in terms of their why. Now what I was able to do was, once I understood or at least zeroed in. Maybe if it wasn’t exact, I could figure out a little bit better who they are, given their WHY. I was then able to couple that with the true purpose discovery process that I had built.
Now, at this point, we were then going to look at the business completely differently. Instead of this business being a way to make money, we now saw the business as a way to fulfill a lifelong true purpose and mission. This changes everything. On either end of the stick, sometimes, Gary, we throw the business away and start over. Other times we go into the business that it’s not ideal and we change the attitudes around what we’re doing. Maybe some of the functional activities of what we’re doing and that aligns it with our true purpose.
Once you do this, it makes everything smoother, faster and I would say, more profitable. Everything works better once people are aligned. When I worked with one organization, I did this with the CEO. He said, “You got to do this now with my team.” We did each one of them separately. They all did the WHY Discovery. They all got their results then when we aligned the group, it was hard to believe the results would happen.
It took a couple of weeks to get everything done. Once the group was aligned, there was harmony. There were no more fights, no more disagreements. Everybody realized what the goals were and the true purpose was of the entire company. Now, as you and I have talked about before, a company needs a code of ethics. It needs culture. In order to create that culture, we must basically know the why and the how of the CEO.
We need to know the CEO because the CEO started the company. Let’s call that person the founder. If we know what the CEO’s mission and values, goals and why are, that’s when we can align the team to that. Once that alignment is done, now everything works like a well-oiled machine and allows us to get a lot more done.
How do you contrast why versus purpose?
I’m going to tell you the secret that is not a secret at all. It’s right in the book. Everybody’s true purpose is basically the same. The true purpose of most individuals is to help others. Now there may be people who say, “That’s not my purpose.” If we did the discovery process, you’d find that it is. The reason I say that is because it’s the way we’re built. It’s the human structure. The way the human mind is created is that it generates the highest level of serotonin from helping other people.
When we help others, the greatest high you could ever achieve comes from that feeling. At the highest levels of helping others, there is no better feeling. Money cannot buy a better feeling than that. If we know that in advance, what good is it? It’s no good at all. Do you know why? It’s because we didn’t emotionally connect with it. The goal of the book and the goal of the process is to connect you to this true purpose, which is to help others.
I don’t tell people in advance when I start working with them. By the way, before we get started, let me tell you a true purpose. It’s more important that they go through this process of finding it in themselves. Once they find it in themselves and they go, “Yes.” As I said, this woman broke down in tears. She’s a lifelong entrepreneur. She’s had four businesses. The reason that she became so emotional was because this was the first time. She says, “I’ve done this for 4,000 people. I’ve never done it on myself or something like it.”
She had a different process, but the whole point was that, now that she finally gets this, it truly connected who she was as having a true purpose to her mission. Which, in her case, was to help others through her. I would call her mechanism. Everybody has a mechanism for how they do this. We may have the same true purpose, but we don’t have the same mechanism. You do it your way, I do it my way, but the goal is the same.
Coach Elevation: We may have the same true purpose, but we don’t have the same mechanism. You do it your way, I do it my way. But the goal is the same.
When you were to compare why versus purpose, how do you see them as being different?
Why is the component of how you get the realization of your true purpose. Whereas your true purpose is something that you must emotionally connect to first. Feel that it is real and is real to you, as real as anything else and then we use the WHY Discovery to uncover the most powerful mechanism and process that you could have to find the true mission of yourself or your company.
I love it. In your book, you outline the process for helping coaches become more successful. It’s more about coaches, hosting or working with clients. Is that more what it’s about?
It is. The book is written for coaches to work with their clients. No matter what type of clients they have, whether they’re meditation clients, business clients, it doesn’t matter. If you go through the process in the book and align your client before you start using your mechanism with them to get them to have the realization or transformation that you want them to have. They will get there faster, it will be more powerful and they will be more successful because they’re aligned, but they can’t get there truthfully.
This was the missing piece. As I said, the missing piece was the WHY Discovery. Once I got the WHY Discovery and I embedded that into this process. Now finding A, the personal mechanism every person is what their why is. That’s what my mechanism is to find a better way. It’s languaged a little differently, but without it, I can’t get to their true mission effectively.
It shortcuts everything, doesn’t it?
It does.
What’s the fun part?
What it comes down to is this, when you have an emotional experience. You connect it to something that you care deeply about, then that is something you never forget like the woman that I worked with and all the people I’ve done this with over the years. They will never forget the moment when they uncovered what their true purpose was to them and to who they were. That’s the part that makes all the difference in the world. As I said, I could tell you, “Your true purpose is you like to help people. That’s your true purpose.” It doesn’t do anything. You got to discover it.
Is true purpose different than purpose? Here are the reasons I’m asking you because, on the show, I’ve had some guests that their lifelong study is purpose. They have companies like PurposePoint and different organizations like that. When I ask them the same question I asked you, the answer that they give is interesting, which is similar but different. Maybe it is the same. I’m not quite sure but what they’ll say is that your purpose is where you live your WHY, how you choose the action that you choose to use your why to deliver.
They’re right, except the difference is that your action changes. Under that definition, my purpose can change every few years. “My purpose is to build and sell a software company for $10 million. My purpose is to build a company with Tony Robbins and sell it for $25 million.” In other words, I can have purposes all throughout my life, but the true underlying purpose is the same from the beginning of time to the end.
Coach Elevation: You can have purposes all throughout your life, but the underlying true purpose is the same from the beginning of time to the end.
Perfect. That’s the distinction I wanted to make because that’s what they would say as well, which is, “You have multiple purposes. You have a purpose as a parent. Purpose as a business owner.” There’s more than one purpose, but then you are talking about your true purpose, which is overarching. Everything falls under this.
As I said, and not to repeat myself over and over again but knowing someone telling you, “Everybody’s true purpose is the same. It’s to help others,” means nothing. It doesn’t help at all. It has no meaning to most people because most people will say, “That’s not my true purpose. I know that I,” but if I took them through this process, which only takes 20 to 30 minutes to do and they connect with it, it changes everything.
It’s to be a self-discovery, say, “That is it.”
That’s right. I don’t lead them to it. Sometimes, I’m sitting there like, “You’re so close. If I give you two words, you’ll get there.” I never led them to it because that would be stealing the power of the process from them.
I love that. Mitch, if there are people that are reading now and want to learn more about what you’re doing, follow what you’re doing and connect with you, what’s the best way for them to do that?
To connect with me directly, they can go to MitchRusso360.com. All of my properties, if you will, are on that particular page. If they’d like the book, Gary, is it okay if I give your audience the book for free?
Yes. That would be great.
They can go to CoachElevation.com and get a free copy of this book. They could download a PDF of the book or they can go on Amazon. They could get it on their Kindle or if they want a hard copy like I have, they can buy it on Amazon as well.
That book is specifically for coaches that are looking for a process to help move their clients forward faster.
They use this process and it will help transform their entire business. Here’s why and this is what I teach in my program. Once you help somebody at a higher level, then what’s going to happen is your results will improve. If your results improve, you’re going to get better, stronger, more emotional testimonials. If you’re getting better, stronger emotional testimonials like you’ve never had before, you’re going to raise your prices. Once you raise your prices, you’re going to start attracting a higher-level client who’s going to pay you what you’re worth for the work that you’re doing. That’s what the book is about. It’s that entire sequence of processes that gets someone to that point.
Mitch, what’s next for you? Building the software company, is that the biggest thing on the horizon for you now?
By popular request, I’ve started a coaching cohort to take people through the process and help elevate them. My coaching cohort is starting up. It’s relatively low cost. It’s designed. It’s a short program. It’s an eight-week program. I’m going to take coaches and I’m going to elevate them. I’m going to get them to the point where they can duplicate what I do throughout my process.
Now, what I described is the first hour, a half hour or so, of my process. Honestly, it’s fantastic, but there’s so much more. What I teach in this cohort is I take them through the entire process, which you’ve seen some of with the mind mapping and with the structuring of the entire sequence of what happens after an engagement starts. That’s where the power of an organization is and that’s what I teach.
It’s funny. I’ll end it with this. I ran into somebody who knows Mitch, a mutual friend. The way that they described you cracked me up, which was, “Mitch and I had dinner one evening about something. We talked about this project that we wanted to create. That night, Mitch stayed up all night, designed it, built it, and had it ready the next day. If Mitch says he is going to do something, he’s going to do something.” That’s who you’ll get if you guys end up working with Mitch in some capacity. Mitch, thank you so much for being here. It’s great to catch up again. I’m going to follow what you’re doing. I’m excited for what you got in the horizon.
Thank you, Gary. It was a pleasure. As always, you and I have a long runway ahead of us as well, with so many great things that we can both do together.
Mitch Russo started a software company in his garage, sold it for 8 figures and then went on to build a company to over $25M with Tony Robbins and Chet Holmes. Nominated twice for Inc Magazine Entrepreneur of the Year.
Mitch’s book: Power Tribes – How Certification Can Explode Your Business helps readers create new business divisions using high performance certification programs.
His software for coaches; ClientFol.io fills a void in the coaching software marketplace by helping coaches make their clients more productive with goal tracking and accountability. Mitch’s newest book: Coach Elevation blueprints his process for helping clients find their true purpose and connect that to their true mission which accelerates progress in both business and life.
When you share your transformational story, you create impact and ignite lives. JB Owen, the founder and CEO at Ignite You, is passionate about working with people who have a higher mission and purpose. JB is a fearless female leader and a believer in the power of empowerment. Join in the conversation and witness how JB’s WHY played a huge impact in forming her to be a world-class speaker, 17-time bestselling author, and powerful business owner. She’s helped over 700 authors become international best-sellers. Don’t miss out on this igniting episode!
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Watch the episode here:
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Finding A Better Way To Ignite Lives With JB Owen
If you are a regular audience, you know that every week, we talk about 1 of the 9 whys, and then we bring on somebody with that why so you can see how their why has played out in their life. In this episode, we are going to be talking about the why of Better Way. If this is your why, then you are the ultimate innovator, and you are constantly seeking better ways to do everything. You find yourself wanting to improve virtually anything by finding a way to make it better.
You also desire to share your improvement with the world. You constantly ask yourself questions like, “What if we tried this differently? What if we did this another way? How can we make this better?” You contribute to the world with better processes and systems while operating under the motto, “I’m often pleased but never satisfied.” You are excellent at associating, which means that you are adept at taking ideas or systems from one industry or discipline and applying them to another, always with the ultimate goal of improving something.
In this episode, I’ve got a great guest for you. Her name is JB Owen. She is a fearless female leader and a believer in the power of empowerment. Her true focus is on helping others, which is why she started Ignite Publishing, the leader in empowerment publishing, in 2018. She’s a world-class speaker, a seventeen-time best-selling author, and a powerful business owner. She has published over 700 authors, turning them into international bestsellers. She combines purpose, passion, and possibility in everything she does. She is truly inspirational, motivational, transformational in the way she teaches and empowers others. JB, welcome to the show.
Thank you so much. What a beautiful intro. Thank you for having me.
Tell us a little bit about where you live.
I like to say my furniture is in Canada. I have been traveling for years. I am now on the West side of Canada, and we are experiencing a tiny little bit of snow. We are pretty lucky that it’s the end of November 2021, and we’ve only got a bit of snow. I am enjoying the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada.
Tell us how did you get to where you are now. Where did you grow up? What were you like in high school? Where did you go to school, and how did you get into publishing?
I will quickly tell you the story. I grew up in a small town of 70,000 people. It’s not that small but it felt small to me. I was always an outcast. I was dressing in ways that didn’t fit into the town, doing things, challenging the status quo, planning things, and making all kinds of stuff happen. The town did not understand me at all, so eleven days after I graduated, I moved to Vancouver. I started working in the film and fashion business. I started my own company right out of college, and I have been in film and fashion ever since.
Interestingly enough, when I had my first child, I started a great clothing company. I did that for quite a few years and then had that great self-implosion that many of us have when we entrepreneur ourselves right out of a marriage and our health, so it took a couple of years to ground myself and focus. I started writing and telling stories. I had always been making products and developing things, so it was a natural progression for me to get into publishing, working with private clients, and now, it has grown into this incredible business of Ignite.
Let’s go back a little bit. In high school, you were that kid that was a little bit different. For those of you that are reading and cannot see us, JB has platinum-colored hair. Do you change your hair color quite often or not?
I have always been platinum since I was seventeen. I say some people are born blonde, and some are born to be blonde. I have been dying my hair platinum since I was seventeen. I always had big jewelry, big earrings and lipstick. I was loving life, and I have always loved fashion and clothes. When I was a teenager, I had purple and pink hair. I had handcuffs on my boots and leopard pants.
I was way out there, and in a small town in the prairies where everyone is a farmer, it was a shocking thing. In fact, people would phone my parents and say, “I saw your daughter at the mall.” It was shocking to them but I wanted to be in fashion. I wanted to be in the theater and walking the Paris runway. I wanted to be out there doing stuff and so much more than what my small town had to offer.
We had JB discover not only her why but her how and what. Her why is Better Way, and her how is challenge, which explains so much of what we heard. How she does it is by challenging the way things are done and doing things differently, and ultimately, her what is what she brings. It is the right way to get results, the structure and process systems around getting predictable results. When you discovered that, what did that feel like to you?
Your process was phenomenal. It touched my heart. I felt verklempt a little bit because I was like, “It understands me so well if this is exactly who I am.” It was beautiful to read it and see like, “That’s what I do. That’s what I’m good at, and that’s what I love doing.” Sometimes, people chastise you, and they give you a hard time for the way you do things, especially people like me who want to find the better way, who want to find the better way again, who keep going at it, and who are never satisfied. It was so rewarding to read it and be like, “That’s exactly me.”
It’s okay to be you.
I love being me, and it’s taken me a while but I will say that growing up with the name JB, in a small town, wanting to be in fashion, in the movies, and doing things like that was a challenge. Interestingly enough, I worked for fifteen years in the film business, and my job was continuity director. I would be like, “The purse-string was on the left side in this scene. It had to be on the left side of the other scene. The button had to be done up. Everything had to be perfect.” I loved it because I always was seeing how to make it better, how to fix it, and how to tweak it. Your gift often can be your curse but I have always enjoyed having that creative mind to be like, “How do we improve the process? How do we make it better? How do we make it more enjoyable?”
What did you like about fashion and movies? Why was that so intriguing to you?
Probably because I’m a Gemini, so I love that diversity but it is the idea of fantasy, creativity, limitlessness and possibility. I love that. Much of what I teach now is what’s possible, what’s capable, what we can do, and what has not been done before, so television, movies, and designing things were always pushing the limits on what hasn’t been done before.
Ignite Lives: Story writing allows you to escape into fantasy.
What was the turning point to say, “It’s time for me to move on from this.”
I wanted to have kids, so it was time for me to be a mom. I knew this was going to be my last film. I did my last film with Dwayne Johnson. I had a great experience. I knew I was going to get married that fall and be pregnant by the next year. That’s what better way people do. We plan these things. I had my kids, and within five months of my son, I thought, “Boys get ripped off when it comes to clothing, and there’s nothing out here for UV protection. Also, why isn’t there better rain gear?” Within a very short time, I developed an entire kids’ clothing line. Within four years, I was selling in over 60 countries, 600 stores and had made a million-dollar business because I wanted to find a better way for kids and boys, especially UV protection and all those things. That was the turning point in my film career.
I wonder if having the why of Better Way equates almost to no fear. You should have been scared of that. You were a stay-at-home mom now. What are you doing starting a clothing company?
Going to China and doing business on my own as a platinum blonde woman that is a foot and a half taller than everybody else, they picked me up at the airport with a sign that always said, Mr. Owen. I would laugh because it was so unheard-of women going to Asia to do business. Many years ago, that was not something people did. There was no fear. I haven’t told you this story but my husband and I cycled 6,500 kilometers to the Top of the World Highway in Alaska.
I said to him, “Let’s cycle to the Top of the World Highway. I’m going to tell everybody. I’m going to put it on social media. I’m going to announce it.” He’s like, “What if you fail?” I had to stop and think like, “Fail? There is no fail. If I cycle 10 kilometers, I didn’t fail. I’m going to get as far as I get. That’s never a failure.” It was interesting to me because there is this idea that people are like, “What if you fail? What if it’s not possible? What if you can’t do it?” I feel like I have been put on this planet to show people that it is possible. You can do it. It’s always possible. Maybe, you have to take some U-turns and some course corrections but you are going to get exactly where you are meant to get to.
Where you are meant to get to, is that always where you envisioned it?
It’s not, and that’s the exciting part. When you surrender, let go and say, “I know I’m on this journey, and here’s my destination that I want to get to,” but the process of letting go and understanding that the universe wants more for you than you even know what’s possible, and you let yourself weave through that journey, you end up in the most fascinating places.
When my children were 8 and 11, I took them out of school and traveled for a year. We went to 11 countries in 12 months, and all we did was raise money for charity. We’ve always got on the wrong bus, ended up in the wrong place, and met different people in the times but the thing is what was so fascinating was, we always ended up meeting the right imperfect people, taking the right imperfect detour, and ending up in the right and perfect place.
When we look back on it, it was so beautiful and magical. That has led to my publishing house, where I help people tell those amazing stories of those pivotal moments in their life, where at one point, it could have felt like the worst moment ever. You were down on your knees and knocked upside the head but the truth is, in hindsight, it was the silver lining. It was the golden nugget. It was the path you were meant to take, and by looking at it in hindsight and reassigning meaning to it, you now tell the story in a way that benefits others, and it makes a difference for people.
What got you into writing? What was the moment that you said, “I’ve got to write a book?”
I was a latchkey kid when I grew up. My mom was a very successful businesswoman, and I would take the bus from school to her office, and then I would sit in her office and wait for her to finish work until I could go home with her. Her secretary would always leave, so I would sit and plunk away on her secretary’s typewriter and write, “The woe is me of JB, having to sit here being a latchkey kid and not being able to go home. It’s 7:00 PM, and I still haven’t eaten.” I would pour out my mid junior high angst on my mom’s secretary’s typewriter but I always loved story writing because it was an opportunity for me to escape into fantasy. It allowed me to think of things that had never been done before.
I will tell you that after my successful kids’ clothing company, I did crash and burn. I did go through that very difficult time of reassigning my meaning entirely, and to your point, why was I doing what I was doing. I would go to China 5 to 6 times a year. I would spend 20 to 25 days in Asia away from my kids. I remember coming home eight days before Christmas. I had been gone for three weeks. No one was there to pick me up at the airport. I took a taxi to my house.
When I opened the door, I could hear my kids laughing with the nanny. They were 3 and 5 at the time. I was jealous that they were having fun with the nanny, and instead of saying hello to them, I snuck up to the guest room, which I had been sleeping in for two years because my husband and I weren’t getting along, and I convinced myself it was okay to go to bed that night without seeing my kids. I was like, “Mommy has been on a thirteen-hour flight. She will see them in the morning.”
In the middle of the night, my daughter woke up in her crib, and she started calling the nanny’s name. I knew right there and then that every single thing in my life had to change, including my why. Why was I making kids’ clothes? Why was I running around the world talking about kids’ clothing, health for kids, and functional clothing for kids, and my own kids wouldn’t even call me in the middle of the night?
My why completely shifted, and I went on a two-year sabbatical. I closed my business 90 days after that moment. I sold everything and walked away. I left $780,000 worth of stock in a warehouse. I took my van and my kids. I left my marriage. I started over. I started completely redefining my why. Why was I doing what I was doing? That was probably day one of the road to the JB that you see now.
What was that like? What did you do to rebuild yourself? What did you do to get to know yourself? How did you redevelop JB?
I will be honest. It’s truly so simple. Know thyself. I went deep within. I did meditate. I went to Sedona. I went in silent retreats. I did all kinds of health practitioners. I did Reiki. I tried everything. I tried drawing myself in circles, painting, dancing, sleeping, and writing. I went through every single thing. What did I like? What didn’t I like? What was interesting to me? What was important to me? Everybody was doing this but I didn’t think that was cool. Everybody thought this was amazing but that wasn’t for me.
I started discovering what I liked. What is my currency of success? As a businesswoman, for many years, I was dialed into what was important to men. I thought, “This is successful.” It was the corporate office, the corner room, and the briefcase. I had to define what success was to me, a woman in my 40s, 2 kids, this experience, and living in this town. What was my currency of success? I went into a deep introspection of me and finding out about me, getting to know me, loving me, understanding me, and then accepting why I do what it is I do.
Ignite Lives: Let people know that it’s okay to do what’s proven to be successful so they feel the greatest version of themselves.
What did you find as your currency of success?
Ilove showing people that it’s possible. My currency of success is that if I can do it, you can do it, and if I’ve got to do it first to show you that it’s possible, I’m going to do the work. I love doing the work. I love putting in the grind. I love going after it. I love dissecting what’s done and how do we do it better. I felt that if I could be me 100%, show up in total authenticity, tell my story to the world, and let people know that it’s okay to do exactly the same thing so that they feel the greatest version of themselves, that was my mission. That was what I was going to get passionate about.
I have been doing it for the last couple of years, and I love it. I have the best job in the world. I love waking up every day, throwing back the covers at 4:00 AM, and getting going. People think it’s crazy but I love it because I believe that we are a mirror for the people closest to us and from a distance. If we can be a mirror for them to see what’s possible in them, if we can be the catalyst or if we can inspire them in a way that they haven’t seen before by us being our authentic selves, that will create a big and massive shift.
Me being the fake JB, the businesswoman JB or the power version of a female business owner, that was all a stereotype. That was all something that was planted as a seed in me instead of me being authentically me. It takes so much less work and effort to be yourself. You don’t have to think as much. You get to be you and show up as you. It’s way more fun. As a Gemini and as a person who loves the better way, it’s got to be fun or I’m not doing it.
I’m a Gemini in a better way, too. Let me see if this resonates with you because I love what you said, “If I can do it, you can do it because I believe that top,” but I will also add to that. If they can do it, I can do it, and if I can do it, you can do it, because I will see somebody doing that and be like, “If they can do this, then I’m sure I can do it.” Do you notice that as well?
There are so many people out there doing amazing things, and they inspire me. What you have done has inspired me. Your program and your protocol have inspired me. That’s the lifting of the lid that we all have to go through. It’s that it is possible. There is another option. There are other ways of doing it, and when we surround ourselves with people who are challenging that, it lifts our lid and allows us to see things that maybe we didn’t see before from our past conditioning.
I will never be the JB I am now if I kept being the JB that was born in a small town. We often root ourselves in our stories. We can’t do this because of where we came from, who our parents were, we aren’t smart enough, thin enough or rich enough. That story goes with us as we travel through our lives. It isn’t until we tell our story and see it from that bird’s-eye view or from that new updated version. The new version of JB is not necessarily the version of JB that left this town but I have returned to this town.
My mom had a stroke, so I’m back here, and then COVID has kept me here. Interestingly, I sometimes bump into some schoolmates, some friends or people of my parent’s friends who know me. They still think I’m that same person, and I have to chuckle because it is hard sometimes for people to see you for who you really are.
I was reading in some of your notes. You said, “What’s the best advice anyone has ever given or you have given?” For me, it’s always to be who you want to be known for. Be the person you want to be known for. When my son came here, he was starting a new school. He was like, “I’m nervous about starting school tomorrow,” and I said, “What are you nervous about?” He’s like, “I don’t know if the kids are going to like me. I don’t know what everyone is going to think.”
I said, “Why don’t you be you? Be you and be the person you want to be known for. If you want to be known for the class clown, be that. If you want to be known for the athlete, be that. If you want to be known for the intellect, be that but be who you want to be known for. Don’t be who you think they think you are and don’t be who you think you think you should be. Be who you want to be known for. If you want to be known for you, then be that.”
That’s the best advice that I have been able to give anyone, and I try to live it every day. Whenever I struggle with a choice, it’s like, “What do I want to be known for? Do I want to be known as the person who made this decision or this decision? Do I want to be known as the person who runs this business or lives this life? What do I want to be known for?” That allows us to step into our greater version of ourselves.
I was listening to a speech by Steve Jobs, and in it, he says, “You cannot connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect the dots looking backward.” That’s what you were talking about. You don’t know where you are going to end up. I wonder if that’s a Better Way thing because I feel the same way. I have an idea of where I want to go but along the way, who knows where we are going to end up?
I doubt that I’m going to end up where I thought I was going but it’s going to be a fun journey along the way, and then when I get there, I can look back and connect the dots like, “That’s why I talked to this person, saw this, missed that flight, did this, and all those other things.” You can only connect the dots looking back and not looking forward. Does that make sense?
Yes, and it’s so true. We don’t know what the masters haven’t worked for us. I was writing. I’m doing a new book called Wisdom for the Back of a Bike, and it’s about my cycle ride. We had a plan to get to the other side of Canada to dip our toe in the Atlantic Ocean, and of course, COVID stopped us along the way because they were not letting people into the Atlantic provinces with the Atlantic bubble. We looped around Canada and ended up being at the parliament building. We decided we were going to make the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa be our final destination. That was going to be our 5,000 kilometers. It was a beautiful experience. It was so full of accomplishment and pride.
That very day was the first time they were ever going to allow public speaking on Parliament Hill and have an open mic, so because of everything that was happening in COVID and the way that things were unfolding in politics, they decided to have an open mic first time ever on Capitol Hill in the Parliament. I threw my hand up and put my name on the list to be one of the speakers. My kids were mortified. They couldn’t believe that their mom was going to talk. I’m in my cycling gear and my cycling cleats.
I went up on stage and started to say like, “I’m JB, and I cycled 5,000 kilometers across Canada. I want to tell people that anything is possible.” It was a glorious experience because when I was eleven years old, I promised my Social Studies teacher that I would one day speak in Parliament, and then I thought, “Here we go. The universe has wrapped this whole dream around years later,” but I had no idea that not dipping my toe in the Atlantic Ocean would lead to me being on Parliament Hill speaking to thousands of people and talking about what’s possible.
What was your first book?
The very first book I wrote in 2003 was called Letters for My Mother. Interestingly enough, I had a difficult relationship with my mom when I was in my teenage years. I ended up leaving college and going to the Dominican Republic because it was about as far away as I could get from her on the cheapest ticket I could find. I lived in the Dominican for three years, and the fascinating part of that was that I thought I had everything growing up in Canada from a very affluent family but I realized I had nothing.
Letters For My Mother
Those people in the Dominican had nothing. They lived in shacks and dirt floors but they had everything because they had their dignity, their faith, and they had each other, and they had a family. While I was away, I started writing letters to my mom to heal my relationship with her. I wrote her 200 letters over the three years. She never wrote me back but when I came home, I had such a beautiful relationship with her. I had worked through so many of my problems by writing her letters that I was inspired to write a book about how adult daughters and mothers can heal their relationships. That book is finding a better way on how you can heal a relationship. That was my first book in 2003.
How many books did you write until you decided you were going to a publishing company?
I wrote that single book, and then I wrote about four books that sat on the shelf and didn’t go to print. One day in 2018, I was sitting at a conference. There was a bunch of people up on stage telling their stories. Many of them were crying and losing their resolve because they were telling these emotional stories but the fascinating thing is when they’ve got offstage, people were hugging them, stepping out of the front row, embracing them, and welcoming them. Throughout the week at the conference, people became so close because they told their private and personal stories on stage. They became vulnerable and authentic.
I sat in the audience thinking, “We have something here. Every single person on the planet wants to be seen. Everyone has a story and deserves to be heard. If we could tell the stories in a way that showed the transformation, the growth, and the learning, we could make a difference.” No matter what color you are, what gender you are, where you live or how much is in your wallet, you can relate to the human experience of that hero’s journey between, “Do I become a victim or a villain, or do I take the hero’s journey, and I go for what’s better in my life?” That was the igniting moment where I realized I have to be the person to help people tell their stories.
I have to make a difference. The difference I’m going to make is giving everyone a platform to tell their beautiful and amazing transformational story. I, too, had a story because after I divorced my first husband, I had got into another relationship. It was very abusive, and that relationship was very short but I hid that story for a long time because I was embarrassed by it, and that hiding of that story kept me down. It held me back because I was always afraid people were going to find out that I made such a bad decision.
It wasn’t until I started telling that story that other women came out of the woodwork saying that they too had a similar experience, they could relate or that they appreciated me telling their story because it gave them the courage to tell their story. There was quite a process of me realizing how powerful storytelling is. Now 700 stories and multiple international best-selling books with the hundreds of thousands of people who have read our stories, I realize how valuable that genuine heartfelt story is and how much it changes people’s lives.
Tell us about your publishing company. What is it called, and who do you ideally like to work with?
We call it Ignite Publishing, and it is about igniting lives. I love working with people who have a mission and a message, and people who want to make an impact on others. I’m not the kind of publishing house where we put words on a page, pages in a book, and books on the shelf. We walk you through a transformational experience. As a writer, especially when you are telling your own story, you toggle between the fun, joy, struggles, pains, sorrows, and agony, and then there’s this incredibly rewarding experience at the end.
I work with people who want to tell their stories and who want to make an impact. I work with people who have a mission and have a higher purpose. They want to do something that’s going to benefit others. I strongly believe in the triple win. I win, you win, and someone else wins. Someone who reads your story wins. Someone they work with wins.
The proceeds from all of our books are going towards building schools in Cambodia for underprivileged kids. The triple win is now these kids that get to find out what’s possible for them and how to step into their greatness. We did a book with Les Brown that is all about greatness and igniting the hunger in you. I’m so passionate about the fact that these children who may not know what’s possible for them or may not ever have that deep desire and passion to go after their greatness will now have an environment to do so. That’s the whole thing that Ignite is all about.
Are you looking for people that have a story but don’t know how to tell it or are you looking for people that are already established writers and are looking for a platform? Tell us more about who you are looking for.
I love those people who want a better way to get to the experience. I like people who are potentially not authors but they know they want to be authors. They are people who have a story and want to write it but they want to do it in the most efficient, practical, rewarding, enjoyable, affordable, and pleasurable way possible. I want it to be a maximum experience.
It is people who want to be a part of a community. If you are in an Ignite book, you step into a community of like-minded people. Every book has a theme, so you are with people who are of your peers, and then you use the collaboration of the peers to elevate, encourage, and create great partnerships that are going to benefit you and the whole purpose of the book.
I’m always looking for people who have a story, who want to make an impact, and who understand that there are these incremental ways to do things, and I help you get to the finish line because there are a lot of people who don’t know how to get to the finish line. It’s no different than if I wanted to fly an airplane, I would have to sit in the cockpit, and someone would have to teach me how to use the dials. That’s what we do. We do all the heavy lifting for you, and we show you how to do it. Ultimately because I want you to succeed. We show you how you can do it with your own solo book and with your books to come. I really teach you the business of being an author.
Now I’m seeing a little better. In the background behind JB are Ignite Recovery and a couple of others.
They are a group book, so it would be like a theme, and then if you have a story about recovery, health, or different things, then you would go in that particular book with a group of other authors that are similar.
Our new book coming out is Ignite Your Wisdom, so it’s all about Ignite stories around wisdom. These are people who are thought leaders, inventors, and who are into the mindset and who have had incredible experiences where something has opened up their lid and evolved their thinking, and broke down their limiting beliefs. They are people who are in that mind space or in that marketplace, so they want to write a book that has other people doing the same thing that would attract a customer that wants the answers to that problem.
Ignite Lives: Give everyone a platform to tell their beautiful and amazing transformational story.
Do we get multiple stories per book?
Yes, and action steps. Every single author puts not just their story, but then they put in the action steps that they took to get themselves there. As a better way person, I’m like, “Give me the baseline or bottom line of what do I need to do consistently every day to get myself to success,” so every single author writes their action steps at the end of their story.
If there’s somebody that’s reading and says, “I really want to connect with JB. I want to learn more about her books. I want to write a book. I want to be part of this,” what’s the best way to get in touch with you?
Come to IgniteYou.life. That’s our website. You can go there. You can always find me on Facebook and Instagram. I’m the only JB Owen. I would love for you to reach out to me directly. I’m so accessible because I believe like a magnet, all the right and perfect people come to me to tell their stories. When somebody steps into my Viewfinder or into my world, I know that they are ready and that this is their time.
They just need me to help be the midwife to move them through the process. It’s easy to find me. Go to IgniteYou.life. You can go to Amazon and see all of our books are in a series. You can reach out to us that way, and you can get our books on our website. Please reach out to me. I would love to help you share your story.
I didn’t ask you the most obvious question, and that is what does JB stand for?
It’s such a great story. It’s all I’ve got. It’s all my parents gave me when I was born in a small town. My mom was not allowed to leave the hospital without giving me a name but my dad happened to be in Mexico racing riverboats. My mom put JB on the birth certificate, thinking that when my dad came back, they would call me Julie, Barbara, or Brenda. For the whole month that he was away, they called me baby JB because they didn’t know what my name was going to be, so when my dad came home after being in Mexico, he said, “JB. That’s cool. Let’s go with that.”
Thank you so much for taking the time to be here. It has been awesome talking to you. I love what you are doing. I’m excited to read your books, and hopefully, there are people that are reading that are right in line with what you want to do, and they will connect with you because you’ve got a great mission. I’m excited for us to stay in touch as we move along.
Thank you. I would love to reward your authors. I love giving things away, so if they would DM me or send something to me and put the word, “Why,” or we talked about on this episode, I happily will send anyone a link to any one of our books so that they can read the stories and be inspired. I would love to give them a book for free so that they can enjoy it.
Thank you. You have been a treat to speak with. You are a blessing. I can’t wait to go forward, knowing the why so clearly. It’s beautiful.
Thank you.
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It’s time for our new segment, which is Guess Their Why. For this one, I want to pick Elvis Presley. What do you think Elvis Presley’s why is? When you think about his life and the journeys that he has gone on, how he was an unknown, very successful, and then went off the deep end a little bit? He ended up a different person in a different place with a different set of struggles before he passed away.
What do you think Elvis Presley’s why is? I’m going to guess that his why is to challenge the status quo and to think differently. Even the way he danced was different. Everything about him was different. He created so many new things and brought them to the forefront of many people around the world. He did things differently. People loved it and loved him.
What do you think his why is? I would be curious to see what you think. I want to thank you for reading. If you have not yet discovered your why reading this show, knowing your why will be so much more powerful for you. Go to WhyInstitute.com. You can use the code PODCAST50 and discover your why for half the price. If you love the show, please don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review or rating on whatever platform you are using to tune in. Thank you so much. I will see you.
JB Owen is a world-class speaker, 17-time bestselling author, accomplished publisher, and global business owner. She is the Founder and CEO of the Ignite Publishing, the leaders in empowerment books; publishing over 700 authors to date. She owns Ignite Moments Media where she produces transformational television, inspirational content, and life-changing events.
“Because answers exist only to questions…” -Mungara Tarou Krishnamurti
If you are in a relationship with someone with the WHY of Clarify that quote probably hits home. Those with the WHY of Clarify need to be completely clear and need to have answers to their questions if they are going to move forward. Although making sure they are clear is important, hence the questions, they also need to make sure you fully understand as well. This is very important to them in order to keep everyone on the same page and avoid upsets.
Now, we all knew that person in class who asked endless questions and we wished they would just let the teacher, the class, and everyone move on. Looking back, they probably had the WHY of Clarify. Now, dating this person can be tricky at times because if you don’t need a lot of information to move forward – like Simplify or Make Sense – then this may be frustrating for you. This is when you must ask your Clarifying significant other what they actually need from you to be clear. Knowing your significant other has the WHY of Clarify is important because they often go above and beyond in explanations with metaphors, analogies, and stories to make sure you understand. If you don’t see this quirk as a positive then it may be overbearing.
Being in a relationship with someone with the WHY of Clarify has a lot of positive as well. In making sure you both are clear, they are making sure you are both on the same page, they are making sure you are a team. This can lead to little misunderstandings and the ability to move forward within the relationship both positively and confidently. As well, you will always know where they stand, that they are clear on the relationship, their decisions, and they’ve thought everything through. If they haven’t you’ll know – because there will be questions!
One would assume being in a relationship with someone with the WHY of Simplify would result in… a simple relationship. But just because their WHY is Simplify – doesn’t mean that will jive with your WHY. It does not mean it will be simple.
If you have seen the movie Inside Out, do you remember the part at the beginning when they say, “Do you ever look at someone and wonder what is going on inside their head?” I often find when interacting with someone with the WHY of Simplify – it is hard to tell what they are thinking when they give such short, direct, and simple answers. As someone with the WHY of Trust and building relationships, I find myself wanting a little more substance than a “yes” or “no” response. If you don’t have the WHY of Simplify, you may find yourself wanting a bit more information as well.
It is important to understand that your significant other isn’t being rude, short, or unwilling to open up. They just simply live life in a simple format, including how they speak. It doesn’t mean that they don’t care either, they just believe it is the most effective way to communicate and that “fluff” isn’t necessary.
There are many positives to being in a relationship with a Simplify as well. There is usually minimal drama, and a minimal need for attention as that can often feel too excessive and extra. They are happy with the simplicities in life and finding joy in the small things. They are generally easy going and find it easy to agree on decisions. Date nights will be simple, fun, and all about the two of you!
Your WHY is your Purpose, Cause, or Belief. It is the essence of your existence. It is the reason you get out of bed every morning. A WHY is something you cannot control or choose. Once you have discovered your WHY, you will look back on your life, your habits, your compulsions, and it will all make sense.
Your Business also has a WHY- it is the reason it exists and what drives it forward. When you make your business’ WHY known, your clients and customers connect with you on a different level.
Is a WHY another personality test?
While a WHY can tell us a lot about who we are – including our personality – a WHY is more than that! It is not just traits, tendencies, strengths, weaknesses etc. A WHY can be used to choose a career path or even help pick/understand a spouse! Did I mention you can build your company’s culture, branding, marketing and team around your WHY!? Nothing else like this exists! While your WHY can be used in conjunction with a personality test, the WHY app exceeds a personality assessment.
Why do you need to know your WHY?
Have you ever found yourself wondering why your friend, family member, or significant other does things a certain way? Why they do them differently than you or think differently than you? Wouldn’t you want to know how they’re programmed and for them to understand how you are programmed? When you know your WHY and the WHY’s of those most important to you, you can answer these questions and change the course and trajectory of the relationship!
I know in my case, knowing my WHY and the WHY’s of others has greatly impacted my life. I can’t imagine going through life without the ability to understand both myself and others in a deeper, meaningful way. The WHY Institute strives to change this “WHY-less” world. One WHY at a time. One Business WHY at a time.
Knowing your WHY, the WHY’s of those close to you, the WHY of your company, and the WHY of your coworkers is vital to having deeper connections, deeper understanding, and a leg-up on your competition! When your company is centered around your WHY, your whole team is aligned with the same goal and your external branding matches your internal drive.
Mitch Russo started a software company in his garage, sold it for 8 figures and then went on to build a company to over $25M with Tony Robbins and Chet Holmes. Nominated twice for Inc Magazine Entrepreneur of the Year.
JB Owen is a world-class speaker, 17-time bestselling author, accomplished publisher, and global business owner. She is the Founder and CEO of the Ignite Publishing, the leaders in empowerment books; publishing over 700 authors to date. She owns Ignite Moments Media where she produces transformational television, inspirational content, and life-changing events.
Listen to the podcast here
Discovering Financial Wisdom: Key Insights from Bob Castellini on Beyond Your WHY
Ever wondered what it takes to achieve real financial wisdom? Meet Bob Castellini, a financial expert who grew up influenced by two very different financial philosophies—his wealthy grandfather’s and his less affluent father’s. Bob’s journey shaped his unique approach to financial stewardship, and in this episode of Beyond Your WHY with Dr. Gary Sanchez, he shares his invaluable insights. Let’s dive into the major takeaways from this enlightening conversation.
The Value of Financial Stewardship
Bob Castellini learned early on the importance of financial stewardship, seeing firsthand the consequences of both good and bad financial management. This episode dives deep into how financial stewardship can guide your financial decisions and set you up for long-term success.
Humility and Learning from Failure
Failure isn’t just a stepping stone; it’s a crucial part of the journey. Bob discusses how humility and learning from failure have been key to his personal and professional growth.
The Power of Mentorship
One of the standout points in Bob’s career has been the mentors who have guided him along the way. This episode explores the vital role mentors play in achieving success.
Wealth and Purpose
What’s wealth without purpose? Bob highlights the significance of having a life plan and purpose beyond financial success.
Role of Recovery in Life
Bob shares insights from his recovery journey, emphasizing how serving others and having an abundance mindset contribute to fulfillment.
Delegation and Teamwork
Bob discusses the importance of delegating responsibilities and empowering others, which leads to greater productivity and personal satisfaction.
Life-Long Learning
Continuous learning is crucial, and Bob maintains that one should always pursue education and knowledge both within and outside of professional settings.
Holistic Approach to Wealth
Managing wealth involves more than just finances; it includes physical, emotional, and mental health.
Bob Castellini’s insights offer a blueprint for achieving financial success while maintaining personal fulfillment. His approach to financial stewardship, humility, mentorship, and holistic wealth management provides valuable lessons for anyone looking to improve their financial and personal well-being. Listen to the full episode of Beyond Your WHY with Dr. Gary Sanchez to dive deeper into these transformative insights. Don’t miss out on the wisdom that could change your financial future!
About Bob Castellini
Get ready to meet Bob Castellini, a powerhouse in both the financial and sports worlds! As Managing Director of Investments, Bob identified the critical need for proper wealth stewardship to prevent poor financial decisions. He and his team provide infinite opportunities to help you feel confident and secure through their innovative virtual family office approach.
Bob holds impressive credentials: he’s a Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®), Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist℠ (CRPS®), and Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®). He earned his bachelor’s degree from Denison University and an MBA from Babson Graduate School of Business.
Beyond his financial expertise, Bob is a community leader involved with the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and more. A true Cincinnatian, he lives in the area with his wife Jenn and their two sons, Luke and Alex. Bob’s passion for the city is also reflected in his limited partnership with the Cincinnati Reds. In his free time, he loves downhill skiing, horseback riding, and hiking.