148. Dr. Danny Brassell - helps executives tell stories that win clients and inspire action

First one that I thought of is kind of as a play on the title of my show here.

When you hear the phrase people in transition in their careers, what does that mean to you personally?

Sounds like my autobiography.

If I was gonna write an autobiography, Bob, it would probably be called Pivots because I feel like I've already lived nine lives.

30 years ago, I was a journalist covering President Bush Senior in the 1992 presidential election.

I loved my job.

I got to meet every editor of every major daily, and one editor offered me the city beat for $16,500 a year.

Meanwhile, a friend told me they were hiring teachers in South Central Los Angeles for $25,000 a year.

So I became an educator for the noblest of reasons, Bob, for the high pay, and I actually fell in love with teaching.

I've taught all age levels from preschoolers all the way up to rocket scientists.

I can make that claim because I used to teach English as a second language to engineering students at the University of Southern California.

And in 2005, my wife and I attended a real estate seminar, which turned out to be a scam, and we lost everything financially, and I could give you the woe is me story, but I'm a positive person.

I learned a lot from that experience.

First of all, I learned that my wife is my soulmate.

I put her through the wringer and she stood right by me.

She's a pretty incredible human being.

Second of all, I learned that money's not everything, Bob, 'cause you can lose money just like that.

Third, I try not to judge other people, 'cause if I was somebody who saw what I had done, I would've said, "Well, you deserve that." But now I realize unless you know everything about a person, you really don't know anything about a person.

Fourth, I became Christian, which I'm always embarrassed to confess it took a catastrophe, but the more I read the Bible, I realize I'm not the first screw-up to find Jesus.

And fifth, and probably most applicably to what we are doing today, I didn't wanna file bankruptcy, and my accountant said, "Well, you have to earn this much more money this year." And so I started speaking on the side, and I hit that number right on the number.

Well, the next year, Bob, he gave me a much higher number, and I hit that number right on the number.

So in year three, I thought, "Well, maybe I should set a higher number." And basically, during one of the worst economic downturns in world history, I was able to build up a highly lucrative speaking business, which eventually attracted the attention of some pretty famous people and companies who asked me to coach them.

And I have to admit, I really resisted coaching for a long time, Bob, 'cause you need to know this about me, I am obsessive compulsive.

I will not let you fail.

I will be on your back holding you accountable until you succeed.

First one that I thought of is kind of as a play on the title of my show here.

When you hear the phrase people in transition in their careers, what does that mean to you personally?

Sounds like my autobiography.

If I was gonna write an autobiography, Bob, it would probably be called Pivots because I feel like I've already lived nine lives.

30 years ago, I was a journalist covering President Bush Senior in the 1992 presidential election.

I loved my job.

I got to meet every editor of every major daily, and one editor offered me the city beat for $16,500 a year.

Meanwhile, a friend told me they were hiring teachers in South Central Los Angeles for $25,000 a year.

So I became an educator for the noblest of reasons, Bob, for the high pay, and I actually fell in love with teaching.

I've taught all age levels from preschoolers all the way up to rocket scientists.

I can make that claim because I used to teach English as a second language to engineering students at the University of Southern California.

And in 2005, my wife and I attended a real estate seminar, which turned out to be a scam, and we lost everything financially, and I could give you the woe is me story, but I'm a positive person.

I learned a lot from that experience.

First of all, I learned that my wife is my soulmate.

I put her through the wringer and she stood right by me.

She's a pretty incredible human being.

Second of all, I learned that money's not everything, Bob, 'cause you can lose money just like that.

Third, I try not to judge other people, 'cause if I was somebody who saw what I had done, I would've said, "Well, you deserve that." But now I realize unless you know everything about a person, you really don't know anything about a person.

Fourth, I became Christian, which I'm always embarrassed to confess it took a catastrophe, but the more I read the Bible, I realize I'm not the first screw-up to find Jesus.

And fifth, and probably most applicably to what we are doing today, I didn't wanna file bankruptcy, and my accountant said, "Well, you have to earn this much more money this year." And so I started speaking on the side, and I hit that number right on the number.

Well, the next year, Bob, he gave me a much higher number, and I hit that number right on the number.

So in year three, I thought, "Well, maybe I should set a higher number." And basically, during one of the worst economic downturns in world history, I was able to build up a highly lucrative speaking business, which eventually attracted the attention of some pretty famous people and companies who asked me to coach them.

And I have to admit, I really resisted coaching for a long time, Bob, 'cause you need to know this about me, I am obsessive compulsive.

I will not let you fail.

I will be on your back holding you accountable until you succeed.