
Welcome to the Blue Shirt Leadership Podcast. I interview blue-collar business owners who are building their leadership house. On this podcast as they share their insights into their lives and businesses. These 30-45 minute conversations are packed with fun stories, helpful insights, and more. I ask every guest to share one insight (or more, of course!) with my listeners that, when applied over time, the listener will experience massive change for their future! Tune in every Tuesday to learn powerful communication, leadership, and business insights. If you’re not careful, you might just become a SAGE Leader!
Episodes

Tuesday Jan 31, 2023
Jerry Macnamara- Grow your Business and Still Make it Home for Dinner
Tuesday Jan 31, 2023
Tuesday Jan 31, 2023
Today’s guest on the Blue Shirt Leadership Podcast is Jerry Macnamara. For 25 years, Jerry’s fearlessly positive approach to business led to massive success. He’s led five companies in five different industries in B2B and B2C and in both products and services. Jerry has been selected as Business Journal’s Ultimate CEO and Business Journal’s 40 under 40. He runs Proven Chaos, a company driven to help CEO’s create compelling companies that outperform…and still make it home for dinner. His mission is to positively impact 5MM people in the next five years through better business.
On today’s podcast, Jerry Macnamara and Kyle discuss the importance of good communication in leadership, of listening well, and of looking at your employees as whole people. Jerry tells stories from his own experiences and encourages business owners to lead with intention, to set clear and realistic goals, and to invest in themselves as leaders.
Notable Quotes:
“The most important thing that I can do as a leader is send my people home on the weekends with clear minds and whole hearts to go be with their families.”
“If we recognize our people as whole people, if you're good at work, you have the potential to be great at home and if you were good at home, you have the potential to be great at work.”
“You have to live your life on your terms. That's the most important thing that you can do as a human being.”
“Patience comes from having a plan and then you have to take action.”
“Failure is simply feedback of what is working and what's not working.”
“There's no better investment than in yourself, because it allows you to invest in all of the people around you.”
“Treasure collaboration over conflict.”
00:00-01:15- Welcome to the podcast and brief description of the purpose of the podcast
01:16-02:12- Introduction of guest and summary of Jerry’s accomplishments and achievements
03:03-05:13-Jerry tells a story about regularly working 100hr weeks until he ended up in the hospital thinking he was having a heart attack at 26 yrs old, and he shares a revelation he had while laying there.
05:42-06:29-Learn from other people. You don’t have to learn all of life’s lessons yourself.
06:30-07:46- Jerry talks about doing what he’s doing because people should enjoy their work.
07:47-10:45 Jerry talks about how the people who are good at ‘doing’ often get promoted to positions of leadership but they aren’t always good leaders and what can be done to help them.
10:46-12:33 Jerry provides an example from his life about a time when he did not lead well, and how poor communication and poor leadership led to a vacation in Paris where he still had to report to work every day.
12:34-15:00 Jerry talks about the importance of communication in businesses and gives real-life examples of how this can be done.
15:01-16:29 Jerry makes the point that we are whole people, and being great at work can make you great at home and if you are great at home, you have the potential to be great at work.
18:37-21:04 Jerry and Kyle discuss how business owners can easily spiral out of control and the importance of conscious intention in leadership.
21:05-24:30 Jerry and Kyle discuss how to be patient in growing your business and how setting goals plays into business growth.
24:31-26:10 Jerry talks about failure as being feedback on what is working and what’s not working.
26:10-29:12 Jerry reminds listeners about the importance of listening to understand, as opposed to listening to respond.
29:12-31:09 Jerry talks about why he does what he does and what his primary goal is for his work.
31:10-33:00 Jerry reminds us that it is possible for our business to outgrow our skills and encourages business leaders to build a community around them to help them grow in their leadership.
Connect with Jerry at provenchaos.com or on Facebook and LinkedIn.
#leadershipdevelopment #leadershiptips #leadershipmatters #leadershipgoals #growthmindset #management #professionaldevelopment #realisticgoals #listenwell #buildcommunity #businessgrowth #consciousintention #entrepreneur

Tuesday Aug 23, 2022
Adam Vibe Gunton - From Chains To Saved (A Story of Recovery)
Tuesday Aug 23, 2022
Tuesday Aug 23, 2022
Adam Vibe Gunton is the #1 Bestselling Author of From Chains To Saved and the founder of Recovered On Purpose. After overcoming homelessness and iv drug addiction, Adam set out on a mission to share his story powerfully with the world and inspire other addicts in recovery to do the same.
In today's episode, Adam shares powerful personal stories about his past and how his life has changed. His inspiring story has led to him writing a book and helping 1000s of recovering addicts overcome their addictions and tell new stories about their lives.
Listen in as Adam shares insight and wisdom that could change your life! To connect with Adam and his ministry, visit FromChainsToSaved.com

Tuesday Jul 26, 2022
Jeff Cohen - Are you Count-On-Able?
Tuesday Jul 26, 2022
Tuesday Jul 26, 2022
This episode will make you question your perspective on accountability and communication among several other leadership challenges and pillars.
Jeff Cohen is my guest today and he is a founder of six businesses, has worked with 300 business leaders to develop and test his Count-On-Able method of leadership.
Jeff shares what effective communication really looks like, how saying what you are NOT count-on-able to is key to helping you thrive, and the importance of taking action on the lessons you learn.
To connect with Jeff and learn more about his method, visit www.countonable.com

Thursday Dec 30, 2021
SAGE Coaching Conversations - Battling The S-Word (Sales)
Thursday Dec 30, 2021
Thursday Dec 30, 2021
In part 2 of my interview with Barby Ingle, we dive into her mindset around sales. We discover through the call the great value she has to offer to the world and that when she leans into this value, the influence she has to achieve her larger goals increases significantly.
Listen in on this powerful coaching call as Barby and I dive into the struggle that many of us deal with in our businesses - the S-Word (Sales).

Tuesday Dec 28, 2021
Kelli Calabrese - Creating The Highest Possible Good From Your Situation
Tuesday Dec 28, 2021
Tuesday Dec 28, 2021
After Kelli Calabrese's excruciatingly painful divorce, she got certified as a Divorce Coach to get healed and help others do the same. Kelli founded Intentionally Fabulous and began her mission to help women going through any stages of separation and divorce go from fearful to fearlessly pursue what sets their soul on fire.
She takes a spirit, mind-body approach to help women redefine themselves to live an extraordinary bonus life filled with peace, joy, gratitude, self-love, and celebration.
In today's episode, we get an inside look at how she came to help so many women going through a divorce and the methods she uses to help them. She shares the importance of forgiveness for others and yourself. Limiting the judgemental and critical spirit many of us can have.
Finally, she makes the point that she wants to help others see what the highest possible good could in the situation.
To connect with Kelli, visit https://kellicalabrese.com/

Tuesday Dec 14, 2021
SAGE Insights - The Leaders Secret Weapon To Unlocking Employee Potential
Tuesday Dec 14, 2021
Tuesday Dec 14, 2021
We all love tips, hacks, or tricks to help us run our businesses better. In this episode, I share a secret weapon that will help you unlock the potential of your employees. It's at the heart of everything that I do with my clients.
I share why you need to learn this secret and the practical steps to apply this practice to your leadership. Using a coaching mindset and the specific skills that come with will begin to feel like magic for your business. You will need to stay disciplined but it will help your culture. It will help your stress levels go down. Most importantly, it will help your bottom-line go up!
Check out this episode and get out a pen because these tips will be immediately helpful for you.
If you'd like to learn more about the SAGE Mindset or connect with the SAGE community, please visit our Facebook Group or the new SAGE Mindset website.

Tuesday Nov 30, 2021
Tuesday Nov 30, 2021
Jessica Tietjen, J.D., is a spouse, mother, leader, lawyer, talent management professional, technology enthusiast, Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, and now both a writer and consultant. Jessica’s purpose is to help people live exceptional lives and believes workplaces can and should contribute. She wrote her first book The Exceptional Life R-Evolution to share key insights, learning, and practices to help individuals in any role, location, and place evolve to peak performance.
Jessica is the owner of Evolving to Exceptional which provides training, resources, and tools for individuals, and partners closely with workplaces to evolve them from good to exceptional!
To connect with Jessica, visit https://www.evolvingtoexceptional.com

Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
Barby Ingle - From Wheels To Heals: A Journey of Health, Healing and Overcoming
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
Barby Ingle is President of International Pain Foundation (iPain), Amazon best-selling author, and Reality TV Personality sharing her powerful story about life-changing events that forced reflection and sprouts her journey from Wheels to Heals.
Barby has an amazing story of triumph and healing after a car accident triggered an autoimmune response in her body that put her in a wheelchair for 7 years. She battled her way through those challenges and shares some great insights on today's show.
To make it through her challenges she shares the importance of 5 key ideas.
Stay organized.
Advocate for yourself.
Journal.
Share your strengths.
Drink more water!
To connect directly with Barby, please visit http://barbyingle.com/

Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
Heather Salsbury - Bringing Adventure, Fun, and Balance Into Your Business
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
Tuesday Nov 16, 2021
Heather Saulsbury is the owner and co-founder of PNWBUSHCRAFT, a family business she started with her husband in 2014. They focus on creating amazing handcrafted outdoor gear that you can depend on. They want you to be able to pass it onto the next generation, so each product is made with care and an eye for detail.
It’s very important to them that they introduce a sustainable product that will help create years of wonderful experiences and not end up in a landfill after a couple of uses. The family lives on 11 acres in the beautiful foothills of Mount Baker in Washington State where their shop is just a short walk from the house and the forest is their backyard.
Heather has always been an adventurous spirit with a creative streak. She’s been creating as long as she can remember and is the illustrator and author of three children’s books, a mixed media artist, and a photographer. All of her self-taught skills have allowed her to develop and grow her current business.
Her latest adventure has been starring in her own show, PNWBUSHCRAFT ADVENTURES, which is streaming on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and is available on Youtube.

Tuesday Jun 22, 2021
Interview: Louis Marchman - How Are You Satisfying The Need Of A Future Client
Tuesday Jun 22, 2021
Tuesday Jun 22, 2021
Louis Marchman has had an amazing journey to opening his accounting practice. From some jail time for youth indiscretions to a stint being homeless. It took a very important look in the mirror for Louis to recognize there was so much more for him to give to the world.
As a result, he serves his clients to help them relieve the anxiousness and fear that can sometimes come with the financial side of running a business. He has been serving his clients for almost 7 years now and won't be slowing down any time soon!
Louis shared some powerful tips on how to lead well.
He shares find your faith. Find something bigger than you to believe in. Be physical. Discipline your body so you can discipline your mind. Allow creativity to flourish in your life and business. Finally, don't stop moving forward. Even the little steps count.
If you'd like to connect with Louis and learn more of his story and see how his business can help relieve you of some of that unneeded stress, connect with him by visiting www.marchmanaccounting.com

Tuesday Apr 20, 2021
Top Episodes: How To Harness Your Strengths Part 1 of 3
Tuesday Apr 20, 2021
Tuesday Apr 20, 2021
Learning how to harness your strengths is a challenge most of us struggle with. With all the resources available to us we can get lost in the sea of options and never really move forward.
In this 3 part series, I focus on a simple three-phase process to build a foundation for your strengths, begin to grow them, and then lastly empower others to do the same.
In this episode, I help you give your strengths a firm foundation by showing you the EXACT 4-step process you can follow. The foundation starts with these three items:
- Know Your Strengths
- Show Your Strengths
- Grow Your Strengths
Once you work through these areas, you'll find your strengths are immediately being challenged, growing, and more ready for you to use.
Music On This Episode:
We Feel by tubebackr | https://soundcloud.com/tubebackr
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com

Tuesday Sep 22, 2020
What Does Serving Have To Do With Your Confidence?
Tuesday Sep 22, 2020
Tuesday Sep 22, 2020
In this episode, I talk about how we all struggle with confidence and how to overcome that little by little.
We learn about how Contribution, Compassion and Competence, even with such things as washing the dishes, can help build that confidence.
How can serving help you feel more empowered? How can action keep the fire going? And how can someone with little experience in something become competent?
To learn more about how to grow your confidence as a leader in your business and on your team, check out the SAGE Leadership Assessment by visiting gillettesolutions.com.

Tuesday Feb 04, 2020
Interview: Chiropractor Dr. Tran Talks About Inner Awareness And Healing
Tuesday Feb 04, 2020
Tuesday Feb 04, 2020
Richard Tran, D.C. has dedicated his life to a Pro-Active approach in the healing arts since 2004 when he obtained his Doctorate in Chiropractic from Southern California University of Health Sciences. Dr. Tran’s primary vision is focused on the removal of nerve interference which will help the body to do what it is fully capable of doing – healing Itself.
In this episode, Dr. Tran and I discuss the many ways that chiropractic care can help in the natural healing process of the body and the parallels to life coaching.
From his multi-layered approach to his patients to his amazing depth of knowledge, enjoy learning from someone who is truly passionate about their craft and the people they serve.
How to reach Dr. Tran: https://colorchiropractic.com/
Author mentioned on episode: https://www.heidihaavik.com/
Music on this episode
We Feel by tubebackr https://soundcloud.com/tubebackr

Tuesday Jan 07, 2020
Tuesday Jan 07, 2020
In this episode, I interview Jennifer Larsen who helps us understand what it means to honor and respect others in our relationships and gives us some powerful tips to make it happen!
Jennifer is Assessments 24x7’s in-house VP of Certification, Coach/Mentor, professional Values Analyst, and instructional designer for client customization and resource development. She specializes in helping clients, coaches and facilitators understand unique assessment results, and assists individuals and groups in personal and professional development.
Through educating others in improving communication, understanding critical thinking, embracing learning styles, evaluating emotional intelligence, and aligning behavior and values, Jennifer seeks to infuse others with a passion for learning and growing, encourage self-awareness, and impart simple, practical and applicable knowledge to help grow relationships and increase personal and professional effectiveness.
Her career path has included individual and organizational development, secondary and adult education, customer service, corporate finance, and investor relations.
She holds a Washington State Secondary Education Teaching Certificate, a Bachelor of Arts in English with an emphasis in Composition & Rhetoric, a Master of Arts in Adult Education and Training, a Master of Science in Psychology, and a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Human Resource Management.
She is also certified in a variety of training courses and development workshops with many well-known vendors. She’s traveled all over the world sharing her passion and expertise, and training and certifying others to make a difference.
Jennifer has delivered intimate and large-scale, public and private presentations since 2001 to corporate, educational, and professional development audiences on topics such as leadership development, self-awareness and personal growth, relationships between men and women, building effective communication, and quality training programs.
Jen is an avid painter, a professional singer and an active mom.
Music on this episode:
We Feel by tubebackr
https://soundcloud.com/tubebackr

Tuesday Dec 31, 2019
How To Create BALANCE In Your Life Part-1: Your Behaviors And Habits
Tuesday Dec 31, 2019
Tuesday Dec 31, 2019
Welcome to this 7-part series on creating consistent balance in your life.
Did you know that 2 out of 3 people believe their lives were out of balance? That is not a fun statistic. As someone that can get out of balance and put too much focus on work, this statistic hits home for me.
Because of this, I think it's important to me to keep a pulse on how I'm doing at maintaining a reasonable balance in my life. Realistically, we will never be fully balanced for long periods of time, but we can be aware of where things are off.
In this 7-part series, we will look at seven ways to create consistent balance in your life. Realistically, I understand there will always be ups and downs, highs and lows but I expect of myself (and hopefully you do for yourself as well) a moderate level of consistent balance in my life.
I use the word BALANCE to give you seven topics to think about and for you to focus on to help you maintain a reasonable balance in your life. The first is behavior.
B is for Behavior
If you want to improve balance in your life improve your behavior. The problem is most people really struggle with self-awareness. In fact, research shows 95% of those surveyed believed they had great self-awareness but when this was evaluated only 10-15% actually have great self-awareness.
But this can be fixed. It starts by asking great questions. For great self-awareness, you have to ask yourself great questions. I want to show you how to do this.
There are many ways to do this but I want to share two with you. The first way is to focus on the WIN. This first approach to paying attention to your behavior helps you to reflect on specific situations in the moment or shortly after.
How To Create A WIN In Any Situation
How does WIN work? I'm glad you asked. It's simple. WIN is another one of those wonderful acronyms that I love so much.
- W - What went well?
- I - What could be improved?
- N - What could you do differently next time? Or Where can you apply the new learning?
It only takes 2-minutes to ask yourself these questions. But the impact is life-changing. For example, the next time you're hanging out with a friend and get irritated by their behavior and then say something stupid, take some time to reflect. Turn the loss into a WIN (credit to Dr. Keith Webb for this concept).
What went well? Don't dwell on the fact that you said something stupid. Evaluate yourself. What went well? Find a nugget of good in the situation. Then ask yourself, what could be improved? Finally, ask yourself, what could you do differently next time?
You can also use this in a situation that went well. For example, you leave a business meeting and the meeting went smoothly, people were civil, and there are clear action steps. Okay great, now take 2-minutes to review and make this an even bigger WIN.
Using this approach is for in the moment type reflection. Now I want you to learn about weekly reflection to help you modify your behavior and work toward more balance in your life.
Modifying Your Behavior With Weekly Reflection
A simple way to make a huge impact on balance in your life is to do a 30-minute weekly reflection. How do you do that? Great question!
Every Saturday I do a weekly review. I look at my to-do lists, my goals, and also complete a MOLO. I want to teach you the MOLO. The MOLO is a powerful set of questions that have literally changed my life in just a few weeks.
Here are the 5 questions.
- What do I need to do More of?
- What do I need to do Less of?
- What do I need to Start doing?
- What do I need to Stop doing?
- What do I need to keep doing?
Take 30-minutes every Saturday (or your day of choosing) and reflect on the behaviors of your week and what changes need to be made. I can tell you that after 5 weeks or so of this, you will see some amazing changes.
I created new habits, stopped old ones, got new clients, improved relationships, and more. It's not too good to be true. It's just smart behavior modification.
Improve Your Behaviors - Improve Balance
Remember, to improve balance you have to improve your behaviors. The best way to do this is to do self-reflection but this self-reflection needs to be done right.
These two steps I shared with you give you an opportunity to evaluate your experiences in an almost unbiased way. Evaluated experience is the work we need to do to create the wisdom in our lives to maintain balance.
As we go through this acronym, each letter will give you simple ideas you can immediately apply to your life. I want to encourage you to start today with using the WIN and MOLO. You'll be amazed at how simple and effective these questions are for your life.
Music in this episode by:
We Feel by tubebackr
https://soundcloud.com/tubebackr