For the past three years, Daniel Wagner has joined the podcast at this time of year to “reflect forwards” on the past year and into the next. This is that episode for 2020-2021 and there is a lot to discuss from Covid, to the USA, China, Brexit, the Middle East to some reflections on what the craziest year in recent memory means for our thinking about risk and uncertainty.
Show notes:
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Our free course module “How to Set Up Any Decision for Success” from our upcoming course How to Make Decisions With Calm and Confidence
Imagine a fantasy world in which there is endless abundance, a world in which risk and uncertainty don’t exist and a world in which all you have to do is think positive thoughts, do what you’re told, and – provided you do it – all your dreams will come true. You might be surprised to hear that millions of grown adults believe or have believed in this fantasy world – and in the process have lost fortunes, friends, marriages and in some cases, even their own lives as the fantasy crumbles and reality sets in.
This is exactly what happens to many people who get involved in multi-level marketing schemes (MLMs) or their cousins, ‘gifting’ schemes. And yet, the purveyors of these fantasies are legal, billion-dollar companies like Amway, Herbalife, Nu Skin, Arbonne, and others. Why does that happen how is this legal and possible?
Meet this episode’s guest, Robert FitzPatrick. Robert is a world-renowned expert in examining and revealing deception and fraud in bogus, home-based businesses. He is a recognised authority in MLMs and pyramid scheme fraud and has been featured in the programme 60 minutes, ABC World News and NBC Dateline in the USA, the BBC in the UK and the CBC in Canada. Robert’s latest book is called Ponzinomics – The Untold Story of Multi-Level Marketing.
The book describes how MLMs were created in the USA, escaped criminal and civil prosecution and spread all over the world. It explains how the legitimate business of direct selling was turned into pyramid selling, and how a business can become a delusional belief. We get into all of that in the episode, discuss why only a fraction of a fraction of 1% ever make any money in an MLM (hint – unless you started the scheme, then it’s not you), what you can do if a friend or loved one is involved in an MLM, and much more.
Show notes:
Betting on Zero – Netflix documentary on Herbalife
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Like what you heard?
Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/1PjLmK
Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast
Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo
Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings
Drop us a note: allthingsrisk@gmail.com
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Our free course module “How to Set Up Any Decision for Success” from our upcoming course How to Make Decisions With Calm and Confidence
How are you? This is a question we all regularly ask and answer on a daily basis. And in doing so, we rarely, if ever, expect or deliver a genuine response. As we are finding out – this is a huge problem, particularly amongst so-called high achievers – leaders in organisations, entrepreneurs, and others. The coronavirus pandemic seems to have only exacerbated that.
This is something that frustrated my guest and his collaborator so much that he decided to look deeply into it. Jonny Miller – who you will get to know in this episode – and Jan Chipchase were both frustrated at the impact that burnout was having on their peers, family, friends, and themselves. So, they set out to explore the common triggers to burnout, how extensive the problem is, and what we can do about it. They set up a survey which was completed by 261 people, a follow-up survey during the covid pandemic, interviews and a literature review. The result is the Emotional Resilience in Leadership Report, which offers a fantastic analysis of what’s happening, including the hidden stressors that can cause burnout.
Jonny is the founder of Curious Humans, an independent consultancy that helps leaders ask better questions. He operates a coaching practice for founders and executives, hosts his own podcast and was one of the co-founders of Maptia. In this conversation, we cover tons of ground on emotional resilience, burnout, hidden stressors, and what we can do to prevent and combat burnout.
Show notes:
Emotional Resilience in Leadership Report - summary deck, full report
Curious Human podcast including Breathwork episode with Edward Dangerfield
Some resources on emotional resilience
“That Discomfort You’re Feeling is Grief” by Scott Berinato
Ep. 149 of All Things Risk with Lan and Harlan Cao
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Like what you heard?
Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/1PjLmK
Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast
Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo
Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings
Drop us a note: allthingsrisk@gmail.com
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Our free course module “How to Set Up Any Decision for Success” from our upcoming course How to Make Decisions With Calm and Confidence
This is our first-ever mother and daughter guest combination on the podcast. I am delighted to bring you this conversation with Lan Cao and her daughter Harlan Cao, co-authors of an amazing book entitled Family in Six Tones.
Lan Cao is an acclaimed author who was born in Saigon, Vietnam in 1961, a turbulent time in that country’s history – which would only get more turbulent. During this time, she found solace in books and stories. In 1975, as South Vietnam fell to North Vietnam, Lan was adopted by an American officer and went to live in the United States. Her parents followed several months later. Lan began American high school and her initial time in the USA coincided with loneliness, loss of country and at times hostility. In that, she again found solace in reading. So, it is perhaps not surprising that - during and after a career in law – she became a writer.
Family in Six Tones is a dual person memoir by Lan and Harlan. Harlan is 18 years old and starting university. She obviously has a very different upbringing from Lan. The contrast in cultures and personalities makes this book incredibly interesting through its interwoven chapters written by both Lan and Harlan. Lan describes struggling to find her place in the USA as a 13-year old refugee through to being a mother, and the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Harlan describes her own struggles and challenges which are different to that of her mother.
In all of this, there is something quite universal that fits many of the themes of our show around dealing with uncertainty, risk and setbacks. We cover so much ground in this episode – Lan discusses her life in Vietnam, moving to the USA, geopolitics. Harlan and Lan discuss cultural differences – particularly between the individual and the collective, we focus on uncertainty, and tons more.
Show notes:
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Like what you heard?
Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/1PjLmK
Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast
Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo
Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings
Drop us a note: allthingsrisk@gmail.com
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Our free course module “How to Set Up Any Decision for Success” from our upcoming course How to Make Decisions With Calm and Confidence