EP766 - Dain Dunston on how to access the Essential Self

In this episode of Chasing the Insights, I talk to leadership expert and author Noel Massie.  Noel talks to us about instilling value based leadership development into your frontline leaders. Noel Massie began working for UPS part time during college and rose through the ranks to become vice president for UPS’s US Delivery Operations. Before his retirement in 2019, he oversaw 140,000 employees who were led by 12,000 supervisors. In this role, Noel supported and guided the package delivery and logistic services in the United States. He continues to mentor young leaders and supervisors. Noel is currently a member of numerous boards: The Annenberg Foundation, which holds a $1.7 billion endowment and where Noel serves on their investment committee that guides the foundation’s investment strategy; The Los Angeles Urban Leagues Executive Committee, where Noel served as chairmen for nine years; Chapter ONE US, an organization that seeks to enhance elementary school literacy; and the Asian American and Pacific Islander Legal Center. He has received over a dozen awards, including The Peter Drucker School of Management leadership Award, The Whitney M. Young Award, The Admiral Samuel L. Gravely Award,The Civic Leadership Award of Los Angeles, and The Civic Leadership Award of Chicago for serving for five years on the Chicago Workforce Board. He currently mentors young leaders and private organizations on values-based leadership principles.

In this episode of Chasing the Insights, I talk to author and advisor Dain Dunston.  Dain talks to us about how to access the Essential Self. Dain Dunston has spent 30 years as an advisor and coach to leaders, helping them frame the foundation of their personal and professional journeys. He is author of Being Essential: Seven Questions for Living and Leading with Radical Self-Awareness. Other books include Nanovation: How a Little Car Can Teach the World to Think Big and Act Bold with Kevin and Jackie Freiberg, The Downside of Up: A Comic Novel of Outrageous Fortune and The Straight Dope: A Novel of Sex, Death and Rock & Roll. He is a frequent speaker on leadership, culture and coaching topics. Dain is the founding partner of Reservoir LLC, a highly respected consulting and advisory firm designed to bring deep resources to leaders.

In this episode of Chasing the Insights, I talk to digital marketing expert John Horn.  John talks to us about why businesses should be taking Google Ads seriously. John Horn is the CEO of StubGroup, a Premier Google Partner marketing agency that specializes in helping businesses grow through data-driven digital marketing strategies. With a passion for teaching, John has shared his expertise with over 100,000 students through online courses and reached millions more through the vast audience of StubGroup's YouTube channel. His ability to simplify complex digital marketing concepts has made him a trusted resource for both aspiring marketers and business owners alike. When he’s not leading his agency or educating the next generation of marketers, John enjoys spending time with his wife and two young sons, exploring the beautiful Texas countryside that he proudly calls home. His blend of professional success and dedication to family makes him a well-rounded leader in the digital marketing space.

In this episode of Chasing the Insights, I talk to sales guru Dr. Deepak Bhootra.  Dr. Deepak talks to us about how AI on top of a bad process just scales the garbage. Dr. Deepak Bhootra is a business growth strategist, sales performance coach, and founder of Jabulani Consulting LLC, where he blends behavioral psychology, structured sales systems, and coaching frameworks to help high-performing professionals and organizations scale with clarity and conviction. With deep roots in the Sandler Selling Methodology and a relentless focus on human-centered growth, Deepak empowers sales leaders, entrepreneurs, and founders to build process-driven, emotionally intelligent teams. He is best known for helping clients reframe their relationship with performance, coaching them beyond tactics into the realm of identity, belief, and self-concept. His work lives at the intersection of coaching, consulting, and change management—where burnout, ambition, and personal growth collide. Deepak is also a vocal advocate for ethical and effective use of AI in sales and leadership. His emerging body of thought addresses the risks of “lazy prompting,” the dangers of applying AI to broken processes, and the urgent need to develop salespeople who use AI as Augmented Intelligence, not artificial replacement. He frequently consults with technology and services companies to help build sales messaging, frameworks, and talent development models that align with both revenue goals and human wellbeing. His coaching is particularly relevant in today’s shifting economic climate, where salespeople face rising uncertainty, shrinking teams, and the encroaching influence of automation. In the latter half of this year, Deepak will release his upcoming book, RiseUp: Reclaiming Your Career, a practical guide for professionals navigating career transition, identity reinvention, and leadership in an AI-enriched world. A trusted advisor to startups, sales teams, and creatives alike, Deepak brings honesty, energy, and systems-level thinking to every room he enters. His mission remains clear: to help ambitious people sell more, lead better, and live well, without losing themselves in the process.

In this episode of Chasing the Insights, I talk to rare earth expert Louis O Connor.  Louis talks to us about how can we profit from the "path of progress". Louis O Connor is the founder of Strategic Metals Invest. Born in Ireland. Fluent in Irish, English, German, and Spanish. Lived in Germany for 10 years, 20 years in the Americas, and now back in Europe after creating the first marketplace for private investors to trade rare earth metals. As the world shifts from oil to metals, rare earths are emerging as the new frontline in geopolitical decisions. Investors are profiting from scarcity and growth by owning rare earths as physical assets.

In this episode of Chasing the Insights, I talk to best-selling author Jerry Jamison.  Jerry talks to us about the process of writing a book. Jerry Jamison is a highly accomplished, award-winning advertising copywriter with over 40 years of experience in the industry. Throughout his illustrious career, he has received more than 60 national writing commendations for his work, showcasing his ability to craft compelling and impactful campaigns. As the principal of a California-based advertising agency, Jerry played a pivotal role in creating and guiding successful marketing strategies for a diverse range of clients across the United States, earning a reputation for his creativity and effectiveness. In addition to his advertising success, Jerry is also a prolific author with more than 30 fiction titles to his name. His popular Tales of Suspense series has captivated readers, demonstrating his talent for storytelling and his ability to keep audiences on the edge of their seats. With a unique blend of expertise in advertising and fiction writing, Jerry Jamison continues to inspire and entertain through both his professional endeavors and literary works.

In this episode of Chasing the Insights, I talk to the Side Hustle Samurai Bart Merrell.  Bart talks to us about how to identify your ideal side hustle. Bart Merrell is an International Entrepreneur, Author and Monetize Your Mindset Presenter. Helped take the first commercial Bungee Jump to Japan. He is not sure if he is proud of it or not but he jumped off the bungee tower just hanging on to the bungee cord with his hands. He has been a serial entrepreneur since before he could drive. Legally anyway, cause he did crash his parents car when he was eight. He will get us thinking about creating financial security by monetizing what we already know so we have the resources do deal with what happens, when it happens, because it will happen. Becoming self-sufficient and financially secure, regardless of the economy, is a global problem with a personal mindset solution. Bart Merrell is the Author of the book Monetize Your Mindset. He believes everyone needs a side hustle or two or three. They can create financial security by monetizing what they already know or do if just they pay attention to opportunities that exist all around them – and act upon them.

In this episode of Chasing the Insights, I talk to Dr. L. Ayu Saraswati.  Philippa talks to us about how to live with pain differently, in a way that is more life-sustaining and enchanting. Dr. L. Aya is the author and co-editor of five books, including Scarred: A Feminist Journey through Pain, which won 2024 Association of American Publishers PROSE book award for Biography/Autobiography, 2024 Next Generation Indie Book award co-winner, and was included in Library Journals Best Books of 2023. Her first book, Seeing Beauty, Sensing Race in Transnational Indonesia, won 2013 National Women’s Studies Association Gloria Anzaldúa book award. Her work has been included as one of Meridians journal’s most impactful works in the past twenty years, and mentioned in The Economist, Aljazeera, Deutsche Welle, Ms. magazine, Publishers’ Weekly, Vogue Australia, SBS Radio Australia, among others. She is also an acquisition editor at Biography: An Interdisciplinary Quarterly Journal, a board member of WSQ (Women’s Studies Quarterly), and associate consultant at “EVERYBODY consulting.”

In this episode of Chasing the Insights, I talk to Analytics expert Philippa Gamse.  Philippa talks to us about effective use of web analytics. Philippa Gamse has clocked over 25 years in digital marketing strategy and analytics, consulted with nearly 500 clients, and worked with websites that have cumulatively generated hundreds of millions of dollars. Owners and decision makers hire Philippa to find new insights in their web analytics that will grow their business and cut wasted spending, because many are missing those “hidden gems”. She has helped clients in N. America, Europe and the Middle East to translate the numbers into transformational ideas that move the business forward, reveal opportunities for new markets, products and services, and maximize return on investment. Philippa is the author of “42 Rules for a Website That Wins”, endorsed by Guy Kawasaki, and has taught at three international business schools. A past 20+ year member of the National Speakers Association, and now a frequent podcast guest. Philippa has a new book called Website Wealth: A Business Leader's Guide to Driving Real Value from your Analytics which is an absolute must for any business owner or entrepreneur.

In this episode of Chasing the Insights, I talk to David DeCelle.  David talks to us about Value Acceleration and Exit Planning for Business Owners. David DeCelle is the CEO and driving force behind Model FA, a consultancy devoted to helping financial advisors scale their practices, and the co-founder of The Exchange, an exclusive peer-to-peer forum for top-performing advisors. With years of hands-on experience as a financial advisor himself—and as a coach to multi-billion-dollar AUM firms—David knows what it takes to move the needle in a competitive industry. Under his leadership, Model FA has guided dozens of advisory teams through every stage of growth: from refining their value proposition and deepening client relationships to streamlining back-office operations for maximum efficiency. His data-backed frameworks have helped teams boost client retention, elevate service standards, and unlock new revenue streams without sacrificing the personal touch that clients value most. As co-founder of The Exchange, David created a community where high-net-worth advisors can swap best practices, benchmark performance metrics, and troubleshoot challenges in real time. His facilitation style is part strategist, part facilitator—always pushing members to question assumptions, test new approaches, and pursue sustainable, long-term growth.