Advertise on podcast: 10 Lessons Learned

Host Diana White interviews Ali Parnian, founder of ImpactDelivered, who shares his background from investment banking to DJing, helpinggrow his family’s business, and later consulting leaders on scalingorganizations. Reflecting on what he’d tell his 30-year-old self, Aliemphasizes living with more balance and not taking work so seriously. Heexplains Lesson 1, “money replenishes, time does not,” describing how realizinghe had limited summers left with his kids pushed him to prioritize experiences overincome and status. In Lesson 2, he argues most leaders have a business strategybut no life strategy, and encourages building life first and designing abusiness to support it. Lessons 3–5 define success as control of your time withthe people you choose, distinguish money from freedom, and frame health andrelationships as the highest-compounding investments. The episode ends byteasing Part 2.00:00 Part 1- Ali Parnian - Build the community you need00:04 Introduction03:50 Lesson 1: Money Replenishes, Time Does Not10:41 Lesson 2: Build Your Life First, Then Build Your Business18:20 Lesson 3: Success Is Doing What You Want With the People You Want21:58 Lesson 4: Having Money Is Very Different From HavingFreedom22:57 Lesson 5: Health and Relationships Are Your GreatestInvestments

Vincent Van den Broeck shares how surviving a near-fatal accident and coma rebuilt his mindset, resilience, and success.In this episode of 10 Lessons Learned, host Siebe Vanderzee interviews Brussels entrepreneur and restaurateur Vincent Van den Broeck. After surviving a near-fatal collision in October 2024 that resulted in severe fractures and major brain trauma—leaving him in a coma for weeks—Vincent underwent three months of intensive rehabilitation. In this conversation, he details how he transformed a devastating tragedy into a daily mission anchored in perspective, gratitude, disciplined non-negotiables, and mental toughness.Exploring the core principles behind his book, Everything Feels Impossible Until It’s Done, Vincent breaks down practical strategies for personal growth, financial freedom, daily habits, and self-improvement. Discover how to build a resilient mindset, surround yourself with an empowering circle, and construct a life aligned with your true goals—even when facing seemingly impossible obstacles. Episode Notes 00:00 - Vincent Van den Broeck: Surviving a Near-Fatal Crash 04:50 - Lesson 1: Why Health Is Your Ultimate Foundation 06:43 - Lesson 2: How to Do What Feels Impossible 09:41 - Lesson 3: Stop Finding Yourself—Start Building Yourself 12:17 - Lesson 4: Protecting Your Only Nonrenewable Asset: Time 15:17 - Lesson 5: Financial Freedom & Creating Real Choices 20:01 - Lesson 6: The Circle of People That Shapes Your Destiny 22:50 - Lesson 7: Why Consistency Always Beats Intensity 24:31 - Lesson 8: Shifting Perspective to Overcome Adversity 27:29 - Lesson 9: Finding Deep Purpose Through Service 30:30 - Lesson 10: Designing a Life Aligned With Your True Goals

Host Siebe Vanderzee interviews career strategist Curt Sassak, a former award-winning chef who lived and workedin seven countries and reinvented his life around age 40 after losing passion,feeling bored despite “success on paper,” and turning to excessive alcohol.Curt explains how identity can outlive its usefulness, and how COVID—while he was running a wine and spirits company—pushed him to become “unf*ckwithable” by building skills, hiring coaches, and creating more self-sufficiency. He shareslessons including the Jurassic Park effect (repeating the same career move expecting a different result), the Olive Garden effect (looking polished externally while feeling empty), the Blockbuster Video effect (what made you successful can keep you stuck), treating career transitions like a recipe with interdependent ingredients, and that staying put can be the biggest career risk. He also discusses self-awareness, overthinking, and using AI as a thinking partner rather than for judgment calls.  00:00 Curt Sassak - Career -WIP 09:15 Lesson 1: The Jurassic Park Effect 11:38 Lesson 2: The Olive Garden Effect 13:21 Lesson 3: The Blockbuster Video Effect 17:13 Lesson 4: The Recipe Effect 24:43 Lesson 5: The Biggest Career Risk

Annet Monster has worked across corporate and government roles in Europe, Africa, and the US for over two decades, developing a deep understanding of how change and culture shape behavior. This experience allows her to support, motivate, and inspire others in meaningful and practical ways. Two years ago, she started her own business as a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified Personal Trainer. She is also a Behavior Change Specialist, and NLP Master Practitioner.Through her work, she guides clients in building sustainable habits that enhance both their health and mindset. Herapproach blends evidence-based practices with practical, real-life strategies. Authenticity and a growth mindset are at the heart of how she connects with others, creating environments where people feel empowered to share, collaborate, and grow."   Episode Notes   00:00 Annet Monster - The Key To Happiness Is To Detach 06:59 Lesson 1: Respond vs. React 10:42 Lesson 2: Don't Judge, Be Curious 13:50 Lesson 3: When Nothing Goes Right, Go Left 16:33 Lesson 4: When You Learn, Teach 21:05 Lesson 5: No Pain, No Gain 24:06 Lesson 6: Travel, Travel, Travel 28:41 Lesson 7: You Become Who You Surround Yourself With 31:41 Lesson 8: Your Cravings Reveal Something Deeper 34:52 Lesson 9: The Key to Happiness is to Detach 37:14 Lesson 10: Quality of Life = Quality of Thoughts

Host Robert Hossary interviews Matt Formston, a blind Australian surfer, cyclist, author and Order of Australia recipient, about his book “Why Not?” and 10 lessons learned. Matt recounts being diagnosed at age five with macular dystrophy and later struggling through bullying, illness, losing sport, a friend’s suicide, and a decade of rebuilding his identity. He explains key frameworks: using “why not” to break down problems; shifting consciously between strategy and execution; treating values as standards with clear consequences; conducting a confronting “b******t audit” of unfiltered behaviour; building capacity by choosing the hard way; making the future “already real” through sensory visualization and self-identity; using empathy to understand people without lowering standards; “owning every hat” with focused time and context-specific behaviours anchored by consistent values; separating diversity from inclusion and avoiding quotas; and a trust formula—trust = standards × consistency × time—as both foundation and amplifier of performance. Episode Notes 00:00 Matt Formston - Why Not? 04:54 Lesson 1: Why Not? 08:09 Lesson 2: Two Gears, One Engine 10:59 Lesson 3: Standards Without Consequences Are Just Wishes 15:36 Lesson 4: The B******t Audit 19:46 Lesson 5: The Hard Way Is The Easy Way 22:50 Lesson 6: The Future Is Already Real 27:24 Lesson 7: Empathy Is A Superpower 33:34 Lesson 8: Own Every Hat 39:28 Lesson 9: Diversity And Inclusion Need A Divorce 46:06 Lesson 10: Trust, The Bedrock And The Amplifier

10 Lessons Learned with Zoe Fragou: Negotiation, Strengths, Consistency & Speaking Up Guest: Zoe Fragou Zoe Fragou is an Organisational Psychologist with an MSc in Human Resources Management, a clinical psychologist license, a diploma in Business Coaching & Mentorship and a Certificate in Agile Leadership. At the moment, she is a PhD Candidate at Panteion University and her research is mainly focused on the psychometrics of the corporate culture. Alongside her academic interests, she is operating professionally in the full spectrum of her science, taking over projects of culture transformation, employee training and development, business coaching, personal branding, public speaking, and writing, for both private and corporate clients globally.  Zoe shares her 10 lessons: everything is a negotiation; everyone is a mess; focus on strengths; don’t swipe issues under the carpet; pettiness stalls careers; be the person you needed when younger, including negotiating harder and addressing the pay gap; connections matter; stop starting and start finishing; consistency is showing up; and always be the last to speak. She emphasizes speaking up clearly about needs and learning from every conversation. 00:00 Zoe Fragou - Stop starting, start finishing05:56 Lesson 1: Everything is a negotiation08:04 Lesson 2: Everyone is a mess. Some hide it better11:12 Lesson 3: Focus on your strength15:39 Lesson 4: Don't sweep it under the carpet19:00 Lesson 5: Pettiness stalls your career20:51 Affiliate Break20:51 Lesson 6: Be the person you needed when you were younger26:37 Lesson 7: All we have is the connections that we make28:24 Lesson 8: Stop starting and start finishing31:05 Lesson 9: Consistency is about showing up32:11 Lesson 10: Always be the last one to speak

About Conan Higgins Dr. Higgins is an international business attorney, crisis leadership consultant, and Amazon #1 Bestselling author who has spent his career operating where most people only theorize. Before embarking on his illustrious academic journey, Conan served as a Joint Terminal Attack Controller with U.S. Air Force Special Operations—including parachuting into enemy-held territory in Iraq—earning two Bronze Stars for Valor across combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. After more than 25 years of military service, he became a Washington State Trooper and SWAT team leader before transitioning to international crisis management, where he oversaw projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars across six continents, from the Middle East and Eastern Europe to West Africa and Latin America. Today, Conan serves as President and General Counsel of TSI Legal Enterprises, advising clients on complex international transactions, defense contracting, and export control compliance. He has consulted for the Government of Qatar, contributed to the World Bank/IMF's "Doing Business" report covering 189 economies, and held leadership positions in the American Bar Association's international law committees. His book, The Maverick's Blueprint: Crisis Leadership for an Unstable World, distills decades of operational experience into practical frameworks for leaders facing high-stakes decisions. He also writes the Princess Gumdrop children's book series—proof that even operators have a softer side. Episode Notes 00:00 Conan J. Higgins - WIP 10:17 Lesson 1: The Signal Was Always There 14:10 Lesson 2: The Plan Dies on First Contact 15:59 Lesson 3: Calm Is Contagious 17:31 Lesson 4: Crisis Does Not Build Character 18:59 Lesson 5: Decide Who You Are Before the Phone Rings 23:03 Lesson 6: Give People a Job 27:45 Lesson 7: Train for the Day, Not for the Drill 31:24 Lesson 8: Relationships Are the Only Currency That Compounds 34:20 Lesson 9: Read the Room Before You Read the Brief 36:17 Lesson 10: Authority Is Not the Same as Judgment

About Elena Colmenero   Elena Colmenero is a People & Culture executive, organizational transformation leader and executive mentor with more than 25 years of international experience helping leaders, teams and organizations navigate growth, reinvention and change. As leaders move into bigger roles with larger budgets and responsibilities, they can become increasingly disconnected from what’s really happening on the front line and across the organization. The speaker explains how executives often receive filtered or biased perspectives from a shrinking circle of trust, losing a true pulse on both business and organizational realities. They argue it’s strategically valuable to stay connected at all levels—listening directly to people and hearing what they have to say—because many insights gained from lengthy HR surveys could be learned quickly through simple conversations. Maintaining open ears, an open mind, and relationships throughout the organization provides practical insight, new ideas, and meaningful perspective that goes beyond merely addressing internal “noise.” Episode Notes 00:00 Intro 07:57 Lesson 1: The People Are the Work 11:48 Lesson 2: Stop Talking, Start Hearing 14:33 Lesson 3: Loyalty Is Not Obedience 19:08 Lesson 4: Talent Needs Witnesses 22:17 Lesson 5: Authentic Doesn't Mean Unfiltered 27:17 Lesson 6: Power Does Not Change People, It Reveals Them 31:46 Lesson 7: The Climb Doesn't End When You Reach the Top 36:23 Lesson 8: Not Every Promotion Is Progress 38:54 Lesson 9: History Is Borrowed Experience 42:49 Lesson 10: Impact Is Not What You Control

About Our Hosts Diana White has over 30 years in sales and retail experience, leading stores with revenues of over 10 million and a staff of 200. Consumer psychology, marketing, operations, and leadership are just a few of her skillsets. Seeing a need for startup and operations assistance within the local business community, Diana established D.E.W. Business Solutions, LLC, to provide consulting to small businesses. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Small Business Administration from Northern Arizona University, holds a green belt in Lean Six Sigma, and is a certified Agile Scrum Master. She is committed to helping businesses and non-profits as well as the community at large. Siebe Van Der Zee is President of Vanderzee & Associates, Executive Search & Coaching. He has served as an international management consultant for over 25 years. For 28 years, Siebe has served as Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Arizona. He holds a Master's Degree in International Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management and he is a current member of the International Leadership Council at GPEC (Greater Phoenix Economic Council). Robert Hossary has been involved in the not for profit/charity sector for the past 12 years. Robert also has an excellent knowledge in international business. Since 2011 - 2018, Robert was the General Manager for the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia (AmCham) and helped advise many Australian and US companies about their international expansion requirements. Prior to that, Robert was Regional Vice President for the Americas for a technology manufacturer. He has also worked in Taiwan with responsibility for Asia Pacific and the Middle East. With a background in Technology, Transport, Fashion and Healthcare, Robert has a wealth of experience to share. Episode notes: 00:00 Special - International Lessons 00:21 Introduction 02:33 Guests' International Backgrounds 08:04 Biggest Challenges Working Abroad 16:14 What Is Culture? 17:45 Accepting an International Position 21:29 Family Considerations 26:56 Being a Citizen of the World 30:04 Empathy Through Cross-Cultural Experience 36:22 How to Acclimate to a Dominant Culture 42:48 Final Advice & Takeaways

About Codie Comeau Codie works in Sales at EF Education First as a Tour Consultant. He is a first-generation college graduated where he thrived, earning a Bachelor’s in Communication, Media & Design with a minor in Psychology. The journey did not stop there as he would later earn an Master’s in Business Administration with a focus on Innovation and New Venture Management.    Although young, Codie has plenty of experience over many different industries including Engineering & Manufacturing, Entertainment, Education and start-ups. He takes on many passion projects, his most notable was the Tennis program at Clarkson University. Under his leadership, the organization thrived growing in members and budget as well as gaining USTA membership.    Codie has a goal to be a global citizen and explore what the world has to offer. He believes that every new place he visits or new culture he experiences helps him to grow as a person and share new perspectives. Codie loves developing new skills and keeping a student mentality. He is excited to begin this new chapter in life and experience what lies ahead. If he’s not busy at work you can find him on the tennis court or golf course, where he still has plenty to learn.   Codie Comeau has joined the 10 lessons learned team as the episode producer    Episode Notes  There is no one answer, extremely frustrating!   You need experience… even before your first job  Specialization is becoming more and more necessary  Show your metrics

About Lukas Hefti   Lukas Hefti is the founder of www.speachers.com , where he has helped 100+ events across the globe find a great keynote speaker, connects great personalities with podcasts and the news, and supports speakers in their journey to improve. Currently, he manages the former Deputy Administrator of NASA, the Chief of Science at NASA, an astronaut, the former Head of HR for Elon Musk, a Nobel Prize Laureate, a YouTuber with 20+ million followers and more. After failing at computer science, he studied English and Geography at the University of Zurich, failed to become a musical actor, joined an IT company as a communicator and then built his own company to 2+ million USD in revenue over 3 years at age 27. In his free time, Lukas sings, dances, and performs close-up magic. Recently, he won the DanceCup Switzerland.   Episode Notes 00:00 Intro 08:07 Lesson 1: Be Visible in Public 10:21 Lesson 3: Make It Easy to Book You 12:11 Lesson 2: Be Memorable and Easy to Share with Others 15:45 Lesson 4: Stay After Your Talks to Mingle 20:05 Lesson 5: Tell Stories Even When Your Topic Is Technical 23:10 Lesson 6: Pause and Summarize 27:42 Lesson 7: Use Language Your Audience Understands 30:29 Lesson 8: How You Say Things Is More Important Than the Exact Words You Use 34:30 Lesson 9: Don't Make Your Audience Waste Their Attention on Why They Should Listen to You 40:13 Lesson 10: Specificity Breeds Trust and Interest 43:41 Lesson 11: Not Everything You Say Has to Be on Your Slides

About CJ Cornell Host Diana White welcomes returning guest CJ Cornell —entrepreneur, engineer, former Arizona State University professor who helped start its entrepreneurship program, mentor/advisor, and author of The Age of Entrepreneurship and new children’s books—to share 10 life lessons: finish what you start because completion creates results; knowing who you are and what you want outweighs being smart or ambitious; understanding the problem beats delivering a solution; hands-on expertise can become a curse if it prevents delegation; self-awareness and being present are rare superpowers; persistence isn’t always heroic and endurance can mask futility, so learn when to pivot; patience isn’t inaction and timing matters (illustrated by waiting for better AI tools to complete children’s books); listen for what isn’t said, including body language; most people aren’t thinking about you; and most fears aren’t real, illustrated by the “Scars Experiment.” Cornell shares current projects: two children’s series (entrepreneurship books and the Bailey Bear life-lesson books) plus an upcoming mentorship book, The Startup Brain Trust. CJ Cornell is the author of the bestselling book The Age of Metapreneurship – A Journey into the Future of Entrepreneurship, and The Startup Brain Trust – A Guidebook for Startups, Entrepreneurs, and the Experts that Help them Become Great, and coauthor of the textbook Media Innovation and Entrepreneurship. CJ Cornell holds undergraduate degrees in engineering, a master’s in management and a Ph.D. in marketing and strategy. Outside of business, CJ has practiced martial arts for 21 years and has been an instructor for eight years. He holds advanced black belts in Karate, Jujitsu, Aikido and in other disciplines. The Smithsonian recognized CJ as one of the influential teachers and mentors of 1999. ranked in the top 50 most influential websites for entrepreneurship and startups. Episode Notes 00:00 Leadership - Intro 02:54 Lesson 1: Complete Things 04:07 Lesson 2: Knowing Who You Are 08:36 Lesson 3: Understanding the Problem 10:51 Lesson 4: Hands-On Skills 12:55 Lesson 5: Self-Awareness 15:13 Lesson 6: Persistence 19:16 Lesson 7: Patience 22:10 Lesson 8: Learn to Listen 26:07 Lesson 9: People Aren't Thinking About You 28:17 Lesson 10: Your Fears Aren't Real

Rebroadcast in Memory of Eddie Grobler About Eddie Grobler In July 2019, Eddie established Commerce 2040. The main objective is to use Commerce 2040 as a “platform” for engagement with different stakeholders in the payments value chain with the key focus on payment flows in a dynamic and changing environment. He is currently involved is a number of explorative engagements with stakeholders – mainly start-up organisations and entities who are interested in entering the Australasian market. Eddie Grobler was the Executive Vice President: Australasia Division from 2008 and in August 2016, he was appointed as Executive Vice President: Realtime Payments. Based in London, he was responsible for the development and execution of Mastercard’s real time payments strategy. Part of this strategy was to acquire a UK real time payments company. Eddie was part of the due diligence team. After the successful acquisition of Vocalink he took responsibility for the integration of the company into Mastercard. This project was successfully completed in November 2018 after which he returned back to Australia. Eddie retired, after 20 years, from Mastercard on 31 December 2018. Prior to 2008 Eddie was Based in Johannesburg, as the Senior Vice President: Sub-Sahara Division Eddie was responsible for all the Mastercard Africa business operations, in particular, the development of the Mastercard franchise in Africa, sub-Sahara. He was instrumental in the opening of the Mastercard offices in Nigeria, Kenya and Morocco. Eddie holds two Master's Degrees: one in Business Leadership the other in Psychology. Episode Notes 00:00 Intro 05:15 Lesson 1: The Answer Is in Your Hands 08:11 Lesson 2: Culture Matters and Always Will 11:16 Lesson 3: Writing in the Snow 13:33 Lesson 4: What's Your Decency Quotient? 16:51 Lesson 5: Your Mindset Matters a Lot 21:47 Lesson 6: Far or Fast, You Choose 23:53 Lesson 7: Make Recognition Your Job 29:57 Lesson 8: Reverse Mentoring 36:12 Lesson 9: Your Career Is Not a One Day Game 39:30 Lesson 10: Don't Jerk the Knee or Shoot the Mouth

About Chelle Johnson Chelle is a first-generation college graduate who grew up with limiting beliefs, fear, and dysfunction. Through faith, resilience, grit, and determination, she achieved executive leadership roles in Talent Acquisition and Human Resources at Fortune 50 companies including Comcast, Lockheed Martin, Quest Diagnostics and Honeywell. She has lived and worked in Asia and Latin America, acquired her MBA, and speaks Spanish and English. Through her agency Best You Talent Advisors, she now helps high achievers and diversity allies discover and amplify their strengths and purpose and realize abundance in their careers and lives. Chelle is a career ally, change maker, and positive mental fitness authority who helps people be their best. She loves guiding people to get crystal clear on who they are and what they want and building the courage and confidence to achieve those personal and professional goals. She is known for coaching and advising people to listen to their inner wisdom, take risks, build their bravery and have the courage to seek their best lives. Episode Notes 00:00 Intro 11:25 Lesson 1: Learn the Business Deeply 16:17 Lesson 2: Relationships Matter 22:00 Lesson 3: Stay Curious and Keep Learning 30:44 Lesson 4: The Most Important Person to Impress is Yourself 38:04 Lesson 5: Admit and Learn from Failures

About Samir Domah Samir spent over 15 years climbing the ladder in FMCG and data, helping brands win space on Tesco shelves and leading multi-million-pound insight and media portfolios for retailers like Booker, John Lewis and global CPGs. On paper, he had the classic "good job" story: senior roles, a growing team, and industry recognition including a Top 30 Under 40 Loyalty Royalty award. But after bad job role landed him hospital, he sought to make a change and within 12 months had become an Amazon #1 Best-Selling Author, Speaker on Men's Mental Health and taken his musings to stage with Stand Comedy. He now coaches others to make their life count. Episode Notes 00:00 Intro 03:13 Lesson 1: Make It Count 07:05 Lesson 2: Your Value Isn't Define by The Position You Are In Now 12:36 Lesson 3: Even Your Toughest Foe, Is Soft Somewhere Else 17:13 Lesson 4: Clarity Beats Complexity 20:25 Lesson 5: It's Easy To Overcomplicate Your Customer 25:25 Lesson 6: Do Pre-Mortems, Not Post-Mortems 29:56 Lesson 7: You Can Learn As Much From The Little Guys As The Big Guys 32:56 Lesson 8: Data is King, Humans Are Still The Queen 35:34 Lesson 9: Treat Your Sales Cycles like A Love Marriage 39:18 Lesson 10: The Best DEI Programs Have An Exit Plan