Debbie Qaqish on Why You're Not Busy, You're Just Distracted

Nir Zavaro, the Business Storyteller and Amazon #1 bestselling author of F*ck the Slides, explains how to align brand, marketing, and sales by defining one consistent brand character, reviewing it every two months, and using a brand guardian to keep teams aligned. He also shows why a sales pitch should run about three minutes and lead with emotion before data. Learn more at https://nirzavaro.com/

Kate Jones, Founder of Neon and author of the forthcoming book Deeply Human, explains how leaders can fix a broken world of work by replacing the hamster-wheel paradigm with five core capabilities: clarity of purpose, connection, consciousness, creativity, and care. She argues that self-care is a prerequisite for leading well and that people who feel well perform well. Learn more at https://www.deeplyneon.com

Beth Mazza and Victoria Sivrais, Co-Founders of Female Mavericks and co-authors of Entrepreneur Like a Mother, explain how moms build 7-figure businesses without venture capital by setting personal non-negotiables before choosing a business model, calculating a financial freedom number that includes runway, and building a kitchen cabinet of champions, connectors and compensators instead of attending networking events. They also share why 80% of running their firms was selling and why sales never equals profit. Learn more at https://femalemavericks.com/

Olivier Roth, Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer at The Swarm, explains how relationship intelligence helps B2B sales teams turn hidden network connections into warm introductions. He shows how mapping investors, advisors, customers, and former colleagues surfaces paths CRM records alone can't reveal, and why treating LinkedIn as an audience rather than a network changes how teams should prospect. Learn more at https://www.theswarm.com/.

Josh Troy, Founder & CEO of Curvion Blue, explains how companies scale revenue by fixing the system around the sales rep, not just hiring better reps. He shows how his keystone metric, collected dollars per booked call, reveals each rep's true ROI, and where AI actually helps in sales. Learn more at https://curvionblue.com/.

ICF-certified coach and author Sarah Oelschig explains how to recover from burnout by subtracting commitments, reconnecting with what matters, and rebuilding through small, repeatable habits. She also shows HR leaders and managers how to spot hidden burnout and build the psychological safety that keeps teams healthy. Learn more at https://sarahoelschigcoaching.com/.

Ryan Englin, Founder of Core Matters, explains how frontline managers can use AI to eliminate busywork — drafting reminders, scripts, and performance reviews — so they focus on the human side of leading. He breaks down why generic AI produces "slop," why documented SOPs make it reliable, and why the professionals who learn the tool become more valuable, not replaceable. Learn more at https://corematters.com/

Dr. James Maisiri, an AI and society researcher at the University of Johannesburg, explains how Africa can shape AI on its own terms by demanding human accountability, training models on African realities, and uniting all 53 countries behind shared AI trade agreements. He breaks down where imported Western AI already harms African economies and cultures, and where local innovation lifts farmers and entrepreneurs. Learn more: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-james-maisiri-7b8069281/

Nasir Ali, Managing Partner of Rise360 Ventures, explains how to build a manufactured housing investment business that scales without you by acquiring underperforming communities, filling vacancies, and earning passive income from lot rent. He shares how to start with limited capital, why he targets communities of at least 50 units, and how owning the land instead of the homes removes typical landlord headaches. Learn more at https://rise360ventures.com/

Debbie Qaqish, Founder of The Growth Factor, explains why human performance is the real competitive advantage in the age of AI, and how sales and marketing leaders can build it. She shows how to replace always-on burnout with space to think, why buyers now reward proof and authenticity, and how EQ and positive psychology help teams thrive through constant change. Learn more at https://www.growthfactor.us