Kevin Anderson was running a tutoring company staffed by Harvard master's and PhD students when a self-publishing company asked for high-level editing help. He saw the opening, split the businesses, and in 2014 rebranded as Kevin Anderson & Associates, now a ghostwriting firm with offices in New York, Los Angeles, and London. In this episode of Unpacked with Ron Harvey, Kevin joins Ron to talk about why every leader has a book inside them, what a ghostwriter really does, and how to turn your expertise into a book that keeps working for you.

In this episode:

• How Kevin built a publishing business with no industry background, and why being an outsider became his superpower
• Using slow seasons to take a fresh look at your website, sales calls, offer, and competition
• The undercover boss habit: why CEOs need to experience their company the way a customer does
• Scaling without losing yourself: hire for your weaknesses and protect the work that energizes you
• Why anyone with two or three years of experience has wisdom worth putting in a book
• How a book builds authority, opens doors to podcasts and local TV, and works as marketing that never switches off
• The biggest first-time author mistake, and why getting help early saves time, money, and pain
• Spotting overpriced book-in-a-box offers and scams
• Why AI-written books fall flat: rounded edges, no authentic voice, and an echo chamber of one
• What a ghostwriter is and isn't, and why the author stays 100% the author
• What separates a book that sits on a shelf from one that sells year after year

Kevin Anderson is the editor in chief and CEO of Kevin Anderson & Associates, a ghostwriting and publishing firm serving entrepreneurs, executives, and celebrities across business books, memoirs, and fiction. He did his graduate work at Harvard, and his editors include former publishing executives.

Learn more and book a free consultation: kawriting.com Email Kevin: kevin@kawriting.com

Unpacked with Ron Harvey is produced by Global Core Strategies and Consulting, a leadership firm based in Columbia, South Carolina.

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Impact Leadership: A Strategic Guide to Sustainable Leadership, Enhancing Team Engagement, and Leading with the Principle that People Always Matter

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Disclaimer:

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any organization or entity. The information provided in this podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice. Listeners should consult with their own professional advisors before implementing any suggestions or recommendations made in this podcast. The speakers and guests are not responsible for any actions taken by listeners based on the information presented in this podcast. The podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice or services. The speakers and guests make no representations or warranties ...

On his first day leading a 300-person in-house creative team at Boeing, Wayne Barringer got a blunt mandate from the CMO: we have tried to fix this group for 20 years, and if you can't, we are shutting it down. Employee satisfaction sat at 52 percent. When he left, it was 90 percent. In this episode of Unpacked with Ron Harvey, Wayne joins Ron to break down how he did it, what a near-failure on Mount Kilimanjaro taught him about leadership, and why people don't actually resist change.

In this episode:

• Walking into a role that was nothing like the job he expected, and why he didn't head for the exit
• Listening first: meeting with 180 of his 300 people across 12 cities in his first 90 days
• Why everyone wanted change until it was their turn to change
• Proving humility first, and becoming an empathetic detective instead of an expert implementer
• Suspending judgment: trading black-and-white thinking for objective assessment
• The Kilimanjaro guide who took his backpack and said, follow my footsteps
• Leading with confidence when you only know 60 percent of the answer, without self-judgment
• Confusion exhaustion: what burnout and change fatigue really are
• Own your calendar or it will own you, and how to win back hours of strategic time each week
• Why people resist confusion, not change
• How constant screens and distractions are eroding trust at work
• The weekly kill the rumor mill meeting that built trust with 300 people
• Why leaders need to take the S off their chest and be relatable

Wayne Barringer is the founder of The Jaro Group, named after Mount Kilimanjaro. He helps creative, marketing, and communications teams inside corporations stop being order takers and become strategic advisors. He previously led Boeing's in-house creative team and spent years in ad agencies and global PR firms. He is based in Seattle.

Email Wayne: wayne@jaro.win Connect with Wayne Barringer on LinkedIn for leadership and team tips.

Unpacked with Ron Harvey is produced by Global Core Strategies and Consulting, a leadership firm based in Columbia, South Carolina.

Connect with Ron

Impact Leadership: A Strategic Guide to Sustainable Leadership, Enhancing Team Engagement, and Leading with the Principle that People Always Matter

Learn more about Global Core Strategies

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Disclaimer:

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any organization or entity. The information provided in this podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice. Listeners should consult with their own professional advisors before implementing any suggestions or recommendations made in this podcast. The speakers and guests are not responsible for any actions taken by listeners based on the information presented in this podcast. The podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice or services. The speakers and guests make no representations or warranties ...

Michelle Pollack built a career most people would envy, from Broadway with the producers of Rent and Avenue Q to network television in Hollywood. Then she caught herself doing exactly what she swore she never would: giving up her integrity to climb the next rung. Today she is an executive leadership coach and the creator of compassionate command, a framework for leaders who feel successful and stuck at the same time. In this episode of Unpacked with Ron Harvey, Michelle and Ron talk about the ladder, the lies high achievers tell themselves, and how to lead with both clarity and care.

In this episode:

• The two lies high achievers believe: "I'll breathe when I get there" and "I have to blow it all up to change"
• Why most of Michelle's clients who come in ready to quit end up staying and making small shifts instead
• Slow down to speed up, and why busy leaders don't have time to skip the inner work
• Ron's pit stop analogy: why rest has to be a full stop, not a slowdown
• Treating change like a science experiment so one failed attempt doesn't make you abandon ship
• The Hollywood moment Michelle realized her integrity was five rungs below her on the ladder
• How fear and sunk cost keep leaders silent when they know something is off
• Why curiosity beats assumption in conflict and in leadership
• What a real coach does, and why the best athletes lean on their coaches more as they rise
• Compassionate command explained: why clear is kind, and why compassion is not the same as being nice
• How to give tough feedback and leave room for the other person to respond instead of react

Michelle Pollack is an executive leadership coach who works with high achievers one on one and inside corporations on leadership, clear communication, and healthy conflict. Before coaching, she worked on Broadway and spent years as a network television executive in Hollywood.

Learn more: michellepollock.com
Connect with Michelle on LinkedIn. She answers every DM.

Unpacked with Ron Harvey is produced by Global Core Strategies and Consulting, a leadership firm based in Columbia, South Carolina.

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Just Make A Difference: Leading Under Pressure by Ron Harvey

Learn more about Global Core Strategies

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Disclaimer:

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any organization or entity. The information provided in this podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice. Listeners should consult with their own professional advisors before implementing any suggestions or recommendations made in this podcast. The speakers and guests are not responsible for any actions taken by listeners based on the information presented in this podcast. The podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice or services. The speakers and guests make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the information, products, services, or related graphics contained in this podc...

Julien Godbarge was the CEO of a fast-growth company, stacking acquisitions and pulling every lever for value creation. Somewhere along the way he stopped taking care of himself and, in his words, ended up a broken man. His recovery became a book and a framework of ten blind spots that lead to burnout. In this episode of Unpacked with Ron Harvey, Julien joins Ron for an honest conversation about the warning signs leaders ignore, the pressure they put on themselves, and how to perform at a high level without running on empty.

In this episode:

• The first warning sign Julien couldn't ignore: waking up at 3 a.m. on the dot, night after night
• The Atlas syndrome: why leaders isolate themselves and carry every risk alone
• How the Stockdale paradox gives you the language to be honest with your team
• Why breaking burnout habits means changing how you see yourself
• Zooming out: why chasing daily balance fails and planning by the week, month, and quarter works
• How Julien runs his whole life on OKRs, from his marriage and kids to his fitness
• The big rocks principle for putting what matters on the calendar first
• The confidence pendulum: catching imposter syndrome and hubris before they cost you
• Why talking it out and journaling slow your thinking, and why sometimes you have to slow down to accelerate
• Building a personal dashboard, from heart rate variability to date nights
• Completing the stress cycle so your baseline stress stops climbing toward burnout

Julien Godbarge is the founder of GEM Consulting Solutions and a former CEO of a lower middle market company. He is the author of Crash, Burn, Learn: A Business Tale, which lays out the ten blind spots that lead to executive burnout. Originally from France, he now helps leaders accelerate their business without sacrificing their health.

Get the book on Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook. Learn more and book a free consultation: tenblindspots.com Connect with Julien Godbarge on LinkedIn.

Unpacked with Ron Harvey is produced by Global Core Strategies and Consulting, a leadership firm based in Columbia, South Carolina.

Connect with Ron
Just Make A Difference: Leading Under Pressure by Ron Harvey

Learn more about Global Core Strategies

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Disclaimer:

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any organization or entity. The information provided in this podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice. Listeners should consult with their own professional advisors before implementing any suggestions or recommendations made in this podcast. The speakers and guests are not responsible for any actions taken by listeners based on the information presented in this podcast. The podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice or services. The speakers and guests make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the information, products, services, or related graphics contained in this podc...

Celeste Warren spent almost four decades inside global corporations, including her last ten years as chief diversity and inclusion officer at Merck. Her take on leadership is refreshingly practical: most failures are not complicated. Leaders skip the basics, chase their own careers, and forget that people, not production lines, run the business. In this episode of Unpacked with Ron Harvey, Celeste and Ron talk belonging, trust, influence, and what equity looks like when you treat it as a leadership responsibility instead of a political debate.

In this episode:

• The one habit that builds belonging: regular one-on-ones that go deeper than status updates
• Why so many managers never learn to lead, and how ego and career climbing get in the way
• Equity in plain terms: meeting people where they are so they can perform at their best
• How to win over leaders who disagree with you using data, storytelling, and ideas from the people doing the work
• Why you should always bring two or three options, each with a timeline and pros and cons
• Building relationships up, down, and across your organization
• The fastest way for a new leader to earn trust: do what you say you are going to do
• Why vulnerability is not weakness, and why no leader is supposed to have all the answers
• The umbrella principle: shielding your team from executive noise when the pressure is on
• Moving company values off the wall and into hiring, promotion, and training so a third-shift supervisor knows what to do at 3 a.m.

Celeste Warren is a consultant, speaker, and author of The Truth About Equity: What It Really Is, What It Isn't, and Why Everyone Wins When We Get It Right. After retiring from corporate life, she launched her own firm to help organizations and universities build inclusive cultures, fair practices, and stronger leaders.

Get the book on Amazon or at Celeste's website: [URL TO CONFIRM]
Connect with Celeste Warren on LinkedIn.

Unpacked with Ron Harvey is produced by Global Core Strategies and Consulting, a leadership development firm based in Columbia, South Carolina. People always matter.

Connect with Ron
Just Make A Difference: Leading Under Pressure by Ron Harvey

Learn more about Global Core Strategies

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Disclaimer:

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any organization or entity. The information provided in this podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice. Listeners should consult with their own professional advisors before implementing any suggestions or recommendations made in this podcast. The speakers and guests are not responsible for any actions taken by listeners based on the information presented in this podcast. The podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice or services. The speakers and guests make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the information, products, services, or related graphics contained in this podc...

Bron Watson spent decades at the bedside as a nurse and nurse educator, then built a marketing business helping small business owners grow online. Then she became the patient. A breast cancer diagnosis in 2017, followed by a blood cancer diagnosis in 2023, forced her to rethink everything she believed about success, hustle, and what it means to lead. In this episode of Unpacked with Ron Harvey, Bron joins Ron from Australia for a candid conversation about leading through adversity, managing your energy, and why the strongest leaders are the ones willing to bend.

In this episode:

• The moment Bron looked in the mirror after chemotherapy and shut down her mastermind overnight with no plan B
• Why acknowledgment beats fixing when someone on your team is going through something hard
• The "compass of capacity" and how Bron rebuilt her business around clarity, energy, and healing instead of relentless output
• The biggest lie business owners tell themselves about doing it all
• How to lead a team by strengths: box tickers, row followers, and blank-page strategists, and why you cannot teach initiative
• A simple practice for leading through uncertainty: name the emotion, control the controllable, pause, reflect, then respond
• Why unspoken expectation leads to unresolved resentment on a team
• The gum tree and the willow tree: a metaphor for the difference between relentless and resilient
• Why self-care is not a luxury, and the five-minute "serenity moments" that build resilience
• The advice Bron would give her younger self: be true to yourself, be true to your people, and get rid of your ego

Bron Watson is a nurse educator turned marketing strategist who has helped small business owners and entrepreneurs grow online for more than 14 years. She is the founder of The Serenity Project and author of the upcoming book Be Where Your Feet Are.

Connect with Bron: message her on LinkedIn, or visit the Bron Watson and The Serenity Project websites.

Unpacked with Ron Harvey is produced by Global Core Strategies and Consulting, a leadership firm helping leaders take better care of the people who get the work done.

Connect with Ron
Just Make A Difference: Leading Under Pressure by Ron Harvey

Learn more about Global Core Strategies

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Disclaimer:

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any organization or entity. The information provided in this podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice. Listeners should consult with their own professional advisors before implementing any suggestions or recommendations made in this podcast. The speakers and guests are not responsible for any actions taken by listeners based on the information presented in this podcast. The podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice or services. The speakers and guests make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the information, products, services, or related graphics contained in this podc...

When a civil war reduced her dean's office and 17 years of research to ashes, Fay Niewiadomski was left with a briefcase and one question: who am I when the title is gone? That reset became the foundation of her book Decisions That Matter: Rethink, Reimagine and Reset Your Life, and of a coaching career built on one belief: you have power, so stop giving it away. In this episode of Unpacked with Ron Harvey, Ron sits down with Fay, a Jamaica-raised, Lebanon-based leadership coach and former university dean, for a candid conversation about decisions, trust, and what leadership costs when it isn't real.

In this episode:

• The difference between a decision and a choice, and why saying "I have no choice" surrenders your power
• Why knowledge and competence are not the same thing, and why making money is not the same as creating value
• The courage gap: why leaders won't hold their teams or themselves accountable, and why leadership is not a popularity contest
• How Fay earned trust in a war zone by treating everyone fairly
• Rebuilding trust: look in the mirror, admit your mistakes, and be the brand that keeps its promise
• The hidden cost of ineffective leadership: people forget you the moment you lose the title
• Communication as the wiring that powers a business: speaking at, to, and with someone
• The four journeys of a leader: the Personal Odyssey, Walking with Lions, the Ascent of the Warrior, and the Dance of the Magician
• Why putting yourself first is not selfish, and how character becomes destiny

Fay Niewiadomski is a leadership coach, strategic communication consultant, and author of Decisions That Matter: Rethink, Reimagine and Reset Your Life. A former university dean who lived through 15 years of civil war in Lebanon, she coaches leaders one on one and works with organizations on strategic communication and business emotional intelligence. She publishes two blog posts a week on leadership dilemmas and staying irreplaceable in the age of AI.

Get the book: Decisions That Matter is available on Amazon, Amazon UK, IngramSpark, and Kindle Connect with Fay: LinkedIn and YouTube (links in the show notes)

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Just Make A Difference: Leading Under Pressure by Ron Harvey

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Disclaimer:

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any organization or entity. The information provided in this podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice. Listeners should consult with their own professional advisors before implementing any suggestions or recommendations made in this podcast. The speakers and guests are not responsible for any actions taken by listeners based on the information presented in this podcast. The podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice or services. The speakers and guests make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the information, products, services, or related graphics contained in this podc...

Adam Roach had the franchises, the SaaS company, and the income. Then he stood at his father's funeral, looked out at 500 people whose lives his dad had shaped, and realized he had been chasing the wrong scoreboard. Within months he sold every business he owned. In this episode of Unpack with Ron Harvey, Adam joins Ron for an honest conversation about trust, influence, and what it actually costs to lead people instead of just running a company.

In this episode:

• Why Adam walked into three franchises on the same day and told his partners to buy him out or be bought out
• The moment at his father's funeral that redefined what legacy means to him
• Why leadership is nothing more complicated than influence, and influence is getting people to take action
• How Adam uses AI as a leadership tool, and why we are in an implementation age instead of an information age
• The four levels of audience every leader moves people through: unknown, known, like, and trust
• The seven trust mechanisms ranked from paid ads up to the keynote stage, and why it takes 48 minutes to turn a stranger into someone who trusts you
• The trust ledger: how to make deposits through presence and recognition long before you ask for a withdrawal
• How Adam turned an unprofitable office of 80 agents around in eight months using the appreciative inquiry 4D model and framed magazine covers
• Why walking your halls and knowing everyone beats everyone knowing you
• The values and beliefs test that makes a leader trustworthy, and why being neutral on everything makes people doubt you
• The wound, lie, and vow equation that exposes the pose most leaders are standing in
• Two pieces of advice for new leaders: stop making it about you, and stop modifying behavior when you should be going after hearts

Adam Roach is the founder of the I Love Coaching Community, a coaching organization serving coaches across four continents. A longtime friend and student of John Maxwell, he is a former collegiate tennis player, tennis pro, and real estate franchise owner based in Charleston, South Carolina.

Find Adam: @AdamRoach on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Facebook Free tools for coaches: ilovecoachingcode.com

Connect with Ron
Just Make A Difference: Leading Under Pressure by Ron Harvey

Learn more about Global Core Strategies

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Disclaimer:

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any organization or entity. The information provided in this podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice. Listeners should consult with their own professional advisors before implementing any suggestions or recommendations made in this podcast. The speakers and guests are not responsible for any actions taken by listeners based on the information presented in this podcast. The podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice or services. The speakers and guests make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the information, products, services, or related graphics contained in this podc...