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Proof Talks

Proof Talks

By: Ashley Smith
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Proof Talks is a series of conversations designed to unpack real expertise.

Hosted by Ashley Smith, each episode features an experienced professional, business owner, or subject matter expert sharing stories, case studies, lessons learned, and practical insights from years in the trenches.

These aren't polished keynotes or scripted interviews. They're candid deep dives into the messy challenges, difficult decisions, hard-earned lessons, and hidden opportunities that shape real-world success.

Whether you're looking to learn from accomplished professionals, explore different industries, or better understand how experienced people think through complex problems, Proof Talks offers a rare glimpse into proven judgment, perspective, and expertise.

New episodes feature leaders, operators, entrepreneurs, and experts from a wide range of sectors.

Real expertise, unpacked.

© 2026 Proof Talks Economics Leadership Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • From Commercial Insurance to Dystopian Fiction: How T.A. Thompson Finally Published His First Novel

    From Commercial Insurance to Dystopian Fiction: How T.A. Thompson Finally Published His First Novel
    Sep 12 2026
    Send us Fan MailWhat happens after you finally finish a manuscript — but have no idea how to publish it?In this episode of Proof Talks, host Ashley Smith sits down with T.A. Thompson, a commercial insurance professional and first-time published author, to unpack the winding path that brought his dystopian thriller, The Mark, into the world.T.A. had dreamed of writing since he was nine, but raising a family and building a career came first. When he eventually completed an earlier manuscript and queried between 75 and 100 literary agents, the result was rejection after rejection. Years later, unwilling to give up on the goal, he returned to writing and chose a different route: self-publishing.T.A. shares what happened when his first publishing provider failed to deliver the quality he expected, how he found the right editor by looking locally, why human collaboration still mattered to him in the age of AI, and what he learned about Amazon publishing, book formats, print on demand, marketing, and creative control.This isn’t a frictionless “follow your dream” story or a definitive publishing formula. It’s a candid account of learning an unfamiliar industry, making difficult decisions, asking for help, and finally putting a long-held creative ambition into the world — while continuing to work full time.Ashley & T.A. Discuss:Why raising a family and building a career delayed — but didn’t erase — T.A.’s writing ambitionsWhat he learned from querying between 75 and 100 literary agentsWhy seeing someone else self-publish encouraged him to try againThe mistake he made when choosing his first publishing providerHow he found the right professional editor and why communication matteredWhere AI does — and doesn’t — fit into his writing processPublishing through Amazon, including Kindle, hardcover, paperback, and print-on-demand optionsWhat it feels like to promote your own work when selling yourself doesn’t come naturallyHow podcast appearances became part of his book-marketing strategyThe trade-offs between self-publishing, traditional publishing, and creative controlHow T.A. defines realistic success — and the bigger outcome he still dreams aboutHis advice for professionals who have been postponing their own creative ambitionsFor anyone carrying a book — or another meaningful idea — they have never quite brought to life, T.A.’s message is refreshingly direct: you have to stop procrastinating and do it.Connect with T.A. Thompson🌐 Website and free first three chapters: https://tathompsonwriter.com📖 Buy The Mark on Amazon: https://amazon.com/dp/1969818484Episode Timestamps00:00 Bringing a Long-Held Idea to Life01:29 T.A. Thompson’s Dystopian Novel, The Mark02:42 From Commercial Insurance to Fiction05:31 Query Letters, Literary Agents, and Rejection08:51 Choosing Self-Publishing10:45 His First Publishing Mistake13:24 Why the Human Editor Mattered15:54 Launching a Book on Amazon17:46 Kindle, Hardcover, Paperback, and Print on Demand21:35 Promoting a Book When Selling Feels Uncomfortable22:44 What T.A. Would Do Differently24:32 Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing26:10 Defining Success as a First-Time Author31:03 Advice for Aspiring Authors33:13 Who The Mark Is For34:19 Where to Find T.A. Thompson and The MarkEpisode TopicsSelf-publishing • How to publish a book • First-time author • Book publishing • Literary agents • Query letters • Author rejection • Professional book editing • Human editors and AI • Amazon self-publishing • Kindle publishing • Print on demand • Book marketing • Podcast marketing • Traditional publishing • Creative control • Dystopian fiction • Writing while working full time • Creative ambition__About the Podcast Proof Talks explores the real stories, decisions, and lessons behind professional judgment. Through candid conversations, each episode unpacks a real-world scenario with experienced practitioners across business, leadership, technology, and beyond to better understand how complex decisions are made — and what others can learn from them.Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@Proof_TalksAbout the Host Proof Talks is hosted by AI Visibility Strategist and speaker Ashley Smith. As founder of Show Your Proof, Ashley helps experienced professionals turn their real-world expertise into visible online proof so they can become more discoverable, trusted, and recommended by search engines and AI tools.Learn more: 🌐 showyourproof.co 💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ashleysmithnow ▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/@ShowYourProof
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    36 mins
  • When a Well-Liked Leader Is the Bottleneck: Dale Turnbull on How to Know What a Team Needs Next

    When a Well-Liked Leader Is the Bottleneck: Dale Turnbull on How to Know What a Team Needs Next
    Aug 6 2026
    Send us Fan MailA leader can be trusted, supportive, and genuinely well-liked — and still become the bottleneck holding a team back.In this episode of Proof Talks, host Ashley Smith sits down with leadership coach and executive trainer Dale Turnbull to explore what happens when a leader’s natural strengths no longer match what a growing team needs.Dale shares the story of an experienced senior leader who had built strong relationships and made himself highly available to — and responsible for — his team. Over time, that support created an unintended culture of dependence: decisions kept coming back to him, employees hesitated to take initiative, and the organization’s growth began to demand a different way of leading.Drawing from more than 12 years of leadership training and coaching — and his experience training more than 800 people and directly managing 300 — Dale explains how he helped the leader recognize the pattern without diminishing the strengths that had made him successful.Ashley & Dale Discuss:How a well-liked leader can unintentionally become a bottleneckThe difference between supporting a team and creating dependenceHow Dale diagnosed the leadership pattern beneath the performance problemWhy raising a leadership blind spot requires trust and careful communicationHow a leader’s identity can affect their willingness to changeHow shifting company culture and maturity impact business and leadership needsWhat teams need as they move toward greater initiative and accountabilityWhy an effective leadership style may need to evolve as an organization growsHow unrecognized blind spots can limit a leader’s own professional growthThe 7 Positions of Leadership™ and the value of leadership flexibilityGood leadership isn’t about abandoning the qualities that made you successful. It’s about recognizing when your team needs something different — and expanding your ability to respond.Connect with Dale Turnbull💼 LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/daleturnbull🌐 Company website: https://leadadaptimpact.com✍️ Take The 7 Positions of Leadership™ assessment: https://7-positions-of-leadership.base44.app/Episode Timestamps00:00 When Every Decision Comes Back to the Leader01:31 How Leadership Becomes a Bottleneck During Growth03:50 The Well-Liked Leader Whose Team Depended on Him06:43 How Dale Diagnosed a Culture of Dependence09:27 Raising a Leadership Blind Spot Without Creating Defensiveness13:47 Motivation, Resistance, and Leadership Identity18:08 Moving a Team From Dependence to Accountability21:19 When Company Growth Requires a Different Leadership Style24:34 How Leadership Blind Spots Can Limit Your Own Growth27:59 The 7 Positions of Leadership™ by Dale Turnbull Explained31:56 Leadership Assessment and Where to Connect With DaleEpisode TopicsLeadership • Leadership development • Leadership styles • Adaptive leadership • Team development • Team accountability • Employee empowerment • Leadership blind spots • Organizational growth • Management development • Executive coaching • Workplace communication • Team performance • High-performing teams • Leadership assessment • Company culture • The Seven Positions of Leadership • Professional growth • Business Growth • Career Growth __About the Podcast Proof Talks explores the real stories, decisions, and lessons behind professional judgment. Through candid conversations, each episode unpacks a real-world scenario with experienced practitioners across business, leadership, technology, and beyond to better understand how complex decisions are made — and what others can learn from them.Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@Proof_TalksAbout the Host Proof Talks is hosted by AI Visibility Strategist and speaker Ashley Smith. As founder of Show Your Proof, Ashley helps experienced professionals turn their real-world expertise into visible online proof so they can become more discoverable, trusted, and recommended by search engines and AI tools.Learn more: 🌐 showyourproof.co 💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ashleysmithnow ▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/@ShowYourProof
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    33 mins
  • From Expert to Entrepreneur: Jeanne Omlor on Coachability and Building a High-Ticket Client Roster

    From Expert to Entrepreneur: Jeanne Omlor on Coachability and Building a High-Ticket Client Roster
    Jul 24 2026
    Send us Fan MailExpertise can make someone excellent at their work.It doesn’t necessarily teach them how to build a business around it.In this episode of Proof Talks, host Ashley Smith sits down with business strategist, online business coach, and certified executive coach Jeanne Omlor to explore why talented coaches, consultants, fractional executives, and other service professionals can struggle to turn what they know into consistent clients.Jeanne shares how she took her own coaching business online at 54 while navigating debt and raising two children as a solo parent — reaching $1 million in revenue within a year and a half. She also reflects on her work with an executive coach who came to Jeanne with one client after investing significantly in her professional training — and went on to build a full roster of high-ticket engagements.While her client’s experience provides one example, the conversation ranges more broadly across the mindset, judgment, and actions Jeanne believes help skilled professionals make the leap from expertise to entrepreneurship.Ashley & Jeanne Discuss:Why expertise doesn’t automatically translate into a viable businessWhat Jeanne looks for before agreeing to work with a new clientWhy coachability, grit, and a willingness to do the work matterThe value of following a proven process before trying to modify itWhat experienced professionals often underestimate when leaving corporate lifeWhy staying busy, posting content, and building an audience aren’t necessarily the same as acquiring clientsHow Jeanne distinguishes productive business-building activity from background “fluff”Why “If not now, when?” continues to shape her approach to entrepreneurshipWhether you’re leaving corporate life, developing a coaching or consulting practice, or trying to create momentum in an existing service business, this conversation offers a candid look at the work between having valuable expertise and building a business around it.Connect with Jeanne Omlor🌐 Website: https://jeanneomlor.com ⭐ Client Results: https://jeanneomlor.com/reviews 💼 LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jeanneomlor ▶️ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@jeanneomlortv5071Episode Time Stamps00:00 Why expertise doesn’t automatically create clients01:24 Jeanne’s path from debt to a million-dollar online business05:20 How one executive coach built a high-ticket client roster10:02 Coachability, grit, and choosing the right clients14:42 Recognizing the early signs of client success17:35 Mindset support without the “coachy” jargon20:15 Spotting untapped professional potential on LinkedIn24:08 From corporate executive to fractional entrepreneur28:25 Why content and busy work don’t necessarily bring in clients30:47 How to know whether you’re ready to build a business33:22 “If not now, when?” — taking the first step33:57 Where to connect with Jeanne OmlorEpisode TopicsEntrepreneurship • Business Coaching • Executive Coaching • Consulting • Client Acquisition • Organic Marketing • Business Strategy • Fractional Executives • Career Transition • Coachability • Professional Expertise • Online Business • Service-Based Businesses • LinkedIn Marketing__About the Podcast Proof Talks explores the real stories, decisions, and lessons behind professional judgment. Through candid conversations, each episode unpacks a real-world scenario with experienced practitioners across business, leadership, technology, and beyond to better understand how complex decisions are made — and what others can learn from them.Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@Proof_TalksAbout the Host Proof Talks is hosted by AI Visibility Strategist and speaker Ashley Smith. As founder of Show Your Proof, Ashley helps experienced professionals turn their real-world expertise into visible online proof so they can become more discoverable, trusted, and recommended by search engines and AI tools.Learn more: 🌐 showyourproof.co 💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ashleysmithnow ▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/@ShowYourProof
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    34 mins
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