Advertise on podcast: It Ain't Rocket Surgery Podcast

Having been in business for 37 years, Lori Rehn has a plethora of experience to pull from.  She’s turned what she has learned into a best-selling book, build a Better Business: Work Smarter, Not Harder.  When she sold her businesses at age 48, she found that the company had become her whole life, and without it, she fell into a depression. Having a midlife crisis, Lori turned to mindset and personal development.  She realized that while she had been successful in business, her habit of not dealing with things wasn’t a good long-term plan.   Once she got to a better place, Lori realized everything she has gone through could be used to help others become the best version of themselves.  Starting business coaching seemed like the logical next step for Lori. She uses a proactive business and leadership development process to help others realize their full potential. Lori refuses to let her clients remain status quo.    What You’ll Learn:  What Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) is. How Lori’s company survived the pandemic. What Lori believes is her biggest opportunity for improvement.  How to approach difficult conversations.   Favorite Quote: “Everything in life is mindset.” -Lori Rehn

Despite never having played a down of high school football, John achieved his ambition of playing in the National Football League. Following his retirement from sports, he applied his skills, mindset, and abilities to the fitness training sector. John Madsen is now the founder and CEO of Supra Human Inc. He is a well-known consultant who teaches high-performing individuals and executive teams how to achieve mind-body excellence so they may operate at their best. His clientele includes Olympians, MLB players, and NFL players, as well as business leaders and regular Joes who want to win in life. His podcast, The Show with John Madsen, will help you go from being a contender to a champion with his outstanding guidance. In this podcast, John explains to Brian how he transforms humans into “Supra Humans” and the customized strategy he employs. His one-of-a-kind coaching program will help you enhance your health, mind, and business, allowing you to make a big difference in your life.  Listen in to find out what it takes to be one of the select few who’s willing to become a WINNER in all aspects of life. What You Will Learn: How to get into elite shape without putting in a lot of time at the gym or following a rigid fitness plan. Why do we choose to settle for mediocrity when we know we are capable of more. Why mastering your mindset is critical to your success, be it in business or fitness. And much more! Favorite Quote: “I believe that having absolute clarity on what you want your life to look like is crucial for everyone.” John Madsen How To Get Involved: Visit the Website to learn more about John Madsen, or connect with him on LinkedIn and Instagram. Here's a link to The Show with John Madsen, his podcast. You may learn more about your host, Brian McKittrick by visiting his Website or connecting with him on LinkedIn and Facebook. It Ain't Rocket Surgery, his book, is available on Amazon. Make sure you never miss an episode — check out It Ain't Rocket Surgery on Apple Podcasts and don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review!

Serial entrepreneur John Highley is known as the Marketing Savage, and has a book by the same name.  Launching his first legit business back in 2001 in the automotive industry, John hasn’t looked back since.  He was an early adopter of YouTube which he used to get leads.  His videos were a big hit and he gained quite the following. He decided if he was getting paid for fixing cars, he might as well get paid again for teaching others how to fix them.  His how-to YouTube videos turned into a whole educational system. He didn’t stop there, he moved into tool manufacturing and even website building software. Having built quite the enterprise, John has since sold most of his companies in that industry. He now focuses 100% of his efforts into the marketing savage movement. His book goes over how to become the best version of yourself and touches on different marketing strategies.  To get real in depth guidance, John’s mastermind classes are truly the backbone of the marketing savage enterprise. John attributes much of his success to his growth mindset and having no fear of failure. What You’ll Learn: What a majority of John’s marketing strategies come down to. How the Tactical tool line spread across the world. What a marketing savage is and how to become one. How to tap into God’s blessings. Favorite Quote: “If I put something out there and it doesn’t work, that’s just data.” -John Highley

Brian and guest, Jessica Dennehy, sit down and talk about the benefits of becoming an entrepreneur.  Both grew up being taught that corporate America was the safe way to go.  Jessica followed that path and became a lawyer, but felt like there wasn’t any room for growth.  She recognized that as an entrepreneur, the sky's the limit. She realized that the business strategies she had learned could be applied in many industries. She finds great enjoyment in seeing opportunities in front of her, and entrepreneurship provides many opportunities. As a best-selling author, Jessica shares her tips and tricks for empowerment through her book, Pivot & Slay: The Ultimate Guide to Mindset Mastery.   What You'll Learn: What stops people from pursuing entrepreneurship. How to know if entrepreneurship is right for you. How to keep yourself innovated and learning. Why everyone should write a book. Favorite Quote: “As soon as I gave myself permission to dream a little bigger, my life started to change in ways I never thought possible before.” - Jessica Dennehy

As an executive coach at Apex, Brian gives a speech on personal development. One area we could all improve upon is work-life balance.  It’s a concept dating back to 1817 that really took off in the 70s and 80s. At the end of the day, one thing we can all do, is to be intentional with the hours we do have, both at home and at work. Brian is a big believer in building a strong foundation. He says if you can do that, there’s no telling how high you can go. One thing is for sure, you’ll have to believe in yourself. Then it’s all down to reverse engineering your goals into small, daily steps.  Don’t forget to track your progress and build a community of like-minded people.  If you follow this framework, you’ll be on top before you know it. What You’ll Learn: What 4 things make up the G Code. What BEAMS stands for and how it pertains to personal development. How your beliefs affect your finances. How to be more intentional with your time. Favorite Quote:  “Always break the action items down into as small as steps as possible, preferably daily, if not hourly.” - Brian McKittrick  

Kirstin Smith went from unhappy housewife to owner of Kirstin Smith Fitness.  Recently she penned the best selling book, Confessions Of An Unhappy Housewife, where she details her comeback story.  After being a stay at home mom for the better part of a decade, Kirstin found herself resenting her husband's growth outside the home.  After her 4th child was born she realized no one was going to fill her empty cup.  So, she looked into ways to do it for herself.   Kirstin got really into fitness and nutrition.  She utilized discipline and habit building to change her life.  Slowly but surely, once she got herself in order, everything else started falling into place.  She’s since started her own business where she gets to help other women every day.  Looking back now, she realizes she also had great worth as the CEO of her home.   What You’ll Learn: How resentment can grow in a marriage. How to fill your own proverbial cup. What is required to build better habits. Why being the wife of an entrepreneur is difficult.   Favorite Quote: “I have a lot of stories in my head that I accepted as true, that kept me stuck.” -Kirstin Smith

He’s a former Super Bowl champion, has been named NFL’s fittest man twice, and hosts The Steve Weatherford Podcast.  That’s right, we have Steve Weatherford in the studio today to tell his story.  Starting with a childhood that had him questioning whether he was good, Steve struggled to define himself.  At 11 he accepted Jesus into his life, and 6 months later, after being molested by a teacher, he questioned whether Jesus could love him. Steve turned to sports for validation and found it was the one place he felt like he made people proud.  He learned to operate out of trauma and excel in football.  Life was good for Steve, but he still struggled to know who he was.  Just 5 years ago, he had a God moment.  From that day forward he began to figure out who he was and whose he was. Knowing these two things allowed him to begin to live on purpose.  Now he’s his best self and is ready to help others to achieve the same. What You’ll Learn: The difference between theoretical teachers and transformational teachers. The two things you need to know in order to live a life of purpose. How father’s shape who we think that we are. What it means to operate out of trauma. Favorite Quote: “Mentorship is just seeing or pursuing someone that has something you want, and believing they can help you get it faster than they got it.” -Steve Weatherford

Owner and founder of Winrate Consulting, Mike Claudio, is here to talk about goals and the process of achieving them.  It all starts with being very intentional, and ends with giving yourself time to acclimate to your new level of success.  Coaching mostly companies in the home construction space, Mike takes it a step further by offering free advice via his podcast, the Big Stud Podcast   Placing everything into 3 main categories (things for me, things for the business, things for others), Mike reverse engineers everything into a daily plan.  He’s a firm believer in taking the time to look back and reflect on what you’ve accomplished.  He says it’s the fuel that keeps him going.   What You’ll Learn: What Mike’s goal process looks like. Why people are afraid to dream big. How to get the highest level employees. How to select the right coach for you.   Favorite Quote: “People try to solve immediate problems without considering how the solution they put in place plays out in 2-3 years.” -Mike Claudio

Break Free Academy is an online education provider for entrepreneurs, salespeople, business owners, and executives. Drewbie Wilson started three and a half years ago as a support specialist before moving up to Vice President.  He was a good fit for the company, having gone through a wonderful transformation himself.  From not finishing school, doing and selling drugs, and being 100+ lbs overweight, Drewbie embarked on a journey of personal development, and came out on top.  He definitely has practiced what he preaches. As someone who understands the value of time, Drewbie is very intentional with his.  He lives a life of habits that are designed to support the life he wants.  He’s big on business, but family and fun are also non-negotiables.  He knows how to get creative to fit in everything that is important to him. We all have the same number of hours in a day, and he’s intent on doing the most with his. What You’ll Learn: How to be intentional with your time. What it means to be fulfilled. Why personal development is the foundation for success.   How clarity comes with discipline. Favorite Quote: “If I’m going to have any level of success, I have to utilize the time I have in the day.” - Drewbie Wilson

Brian sits down to have a conversation with his guest Dustin Johnson.  The two met through the Apex community and have become fast friends. After living out of hotels for a couple of years, and then touring the US living in a bus for a couple more, Dustin has recently settled in Frisco, TX with his wife.  Now he’s ready to put down some roots and start a family.     As the best-selling author of Strength Through Struggle, Dustin discusses everything from faith and family to finances and fitness.  Having found a church that feels like home, Dustin’s faith has grown exponentially.  He credits that faith with how everything in his life has been falling into place.  He’s been exploring the world of fitness coaching and thoroughly enjoys helping people to become their best selves.     What You’ll Learn: How to invite God into your life. Why who you surround yourself with matters.   How Dustin wrote a best selling book in 48 hours. What the experience of living on a bus was like.   Favorite Quote: “I needed God and people in my life.” -Dustin Johnson

Inside the Apex community, Brian is part of a group called the Goon Squad.  It’s 6 members, all authors, that are in the business of speaking, coaching, and training.  At an event in February, Brian gave a speech about leadership and overcoming fear.  Today, he shares that speech with his listeners.   What You’ll Learn: How fear and leadership go hand in hand. What it means to be a leader.   What the artistic and scientific sides of leadership entail. How to overcome challenges. Favorite Quote: “It takes courage to implement goals and stand up for what you know is right.” - Brian McKittrick

Today we’re talking about making good choices.  Brian has his fitness coach, Mark Zalmonoff, in the studio to talk about consciously creating a happy life.  In addition to being a fitness coach, Mark is the host of the Make Good Choices podcast and has written a book by the same name.   Too often, people think they’ll be happy when they have X amount of money, achieve a certain job title, etc.  The truth is if you’re not happy now, you won’t be happy then.  Happiness is a daily choice that is available in the here and now.  Mark is excited to be launching a program that he says will teach people to be happy.   What You’ll Learn: How to choose happiness daily. How technology negatively affects our lives. How stoicism inspired Mark’s book. What the G-code challenge is. Favorite Quote: “There’s validity in the simplicity of life.” - Mark Zalmonoff