Do you actually have a sales process — or are you just winging it? If you can't explain your sales process step by step, you're leaving money on the table. Control in your business starts with a clear, defined, and repeatable sales process — one that's been written down, tested, tracked, and measured. Whether you're a solopreneur just getting started or you've been at this for years, this episode will challenge you to get honest about where your process stands and give you the tools to improve it starting today.HighlightsIf you don't have a sales process, you don't have control — and most business owners mistake a process problem for a sales problemEvery business, regardless of size, needs a consistent and documented sales process to get consistent resultsYou must track every step of the sales process — not just total sales — so you know exactly where things are breaking downYour process will evolve over time, and that's a good thing — but you can't improve what you haven't definedThe real shortcut in sales is completing the sales process, not skipping steps in itA real estate company with a 33-step sales process shows just how powerful a thorough follow-up system can beA documented sales process makes it possible to coach a new salesperson and pinpoint exactly where they need helpMarketing and sales are not the same thing — marketing brings people to the door, sales takes them through itYou already have a sales process; it just hasn't been written down yetChapters0:34 — Welcome and Big Question1:47 — Why Sales Needs Process3:01 — Track Every Step3:46 — Evolve and Follow the System6:13 — Real Estate 33-Step Example7:47 — Scale With Coaching and Systems8:33 — Define Your Process10:35 — Sales vs. Marketing12:22 — Final Challenge and WrapWant to get more help from Lee with your business? Visit her website: https://leegray.actioncoach.com/This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network. For more information, visit ictpod.net.

What do fire, bison, and star bonds have in common? They're all part of this week's conversation about the Flint Hills — and honestly, it's one of those episodes that makes you want to book a trip to Manhattan, Kansas immediately. We sat down with Stephen Bridenstine, Director of the Flint Hills Discovery Center, to talk about what it really takes to understand one of the most unique — and misunderstood — landscapes in America. Stephen came to Kansas by choice (his words), and 12 years later, he's still here and still learning. HighlightsA young sports broadcaster from Quinter, Kansas is going viral for taking audience-submitted phrases and slipping them seamlessly into live play-by-play — and it is absolutely worth your timeStephen Bridenstine moved to Manhattan, Kansas sight unseen, driving a moving van down Highway 177 with everything he owned — and the first thing he saw was the Flint Hills Discovery CenterThe Flint Hills Discovery Center isn't just a history museum or a nature center — it intentionally tells an interconnected story spanning 13,500 years of human and natural historyRanching in the Flint Hills actually mimics what bison did for thousands of years — and it's essential to the health of the tallgrass prairie ecosystemFire isn't a threat to the Flint Hills. It's a tool. Stephen once had to explain this live on the Weather Channel.The Discovery Center's star bond project was so successful, the bonds were paid off years ahead of schedule — which funded a second museum right across the streetThe Flint Hills Festival draws over 9,000 attendees and is the one day per year the Discovery Center is free to the publicThe Flint Hills covers 4 million acres — roughly the size of New Jersey — stretching from the Nebraska border to OklahomaSydney went to boarding school in Missouri, where a third of her class was international students. Gus's claim to fame was "most likely to do something sciencey."Chapters0:00 – Hilarious Sports Broadcaster from Quinter2:42 – Podcast Intro & Guest Tease3:15 – Meet Stephen Bridenstine3:48 – Kansan by Choice: Stephen's Story5:34 – Life in a College Town8:15 – From the Park Service to Museum Work11:13 – Inside the Flint Hills Discovery Center11:49 – Exhibits and Visitor Flow15:42 – From Educator to Director19:33 – Learning the Flint Hills22:35 – Flint Hills Festival Highlights25:55 – How the Discovery Center Was Built28:29 – Downtown Redevelopment Wins30:22 – Planning a Flint Hills Trip31:33 – Public Prairie Access Tips33:43 – Stay Overnight and Explore34:36 – Ranching Mimics Bison37:13 – Fire as a Tool38:14 – Discovery Center Events40:07 – Kid-Friendly Highlights at the Center41:10 – Celebrity Guessing Game (Kansas Edition)49:20 – Scholars Bowl Deep Cuts51:38 – Final Thanks and PlugsResources MentionedFlint Hills Discovery Center — Manhattan, KansasTallgrass Prairie National Preserve — Strong City, Kansas (National Park Service & The Nature Conservancy)From the Land of Kansas — Kansas-made products program (featured in Episode 53)SB Mowing — Spencer, Kansas-based viral mowing content creatorBlank.in.a.ship — TikTok account of the Quinter sports broadcaster featured at the top of the episodeJim Richardson on Episode 20 of Ask A KansanLearn more about the podcast at askakansan.com!This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net

What does it actually take to wake up, choose differently, and become someone new?Whether you're staring down a milestone birthday or quietly sensing it's time for a change, this conversation with Damon Young will meet you right where you are. Damon is a civic leader, executive mentor, public speaker, and founder of DK Young Consulting — and he sat down to talk candidly about what it looked like to go from heads-down in construction to stepping fully into his purpose as a connector of ideas and people. We covered the grief of letting dreams die, the power of writing something down with a shaking hand, and why 10% improvement might be the most radical thing you can do.HighlightsThe "roots before fruit" framework — why focusing on the fruit actually prevents it from growingWhy 10% improvement is more transformative than trying to nail it 90% of the timeThe real cost of living with intention — and what you have to let go of to get thereHow the 12 Week Year changed the trajectory of Damon's life and careerThe shaking-hand moment: writing down a buried dream for the first time in 15 yearsWhy regret is a powerful motivator — if you let it illuminate instead of sink youLetting fantasies and alternative lives die so you can fully choose the one in front of youWhat Damon's son said at his rehearsal dinner that made all the intentional living worth itThe Kia story: a small, symbolic decision that said everything about who Damon was becomingChapters0:00 – Choosing to Wake Up1:18 – Meet Damon Young2:58 – Turning 40 and 504:30 – Kids Grow Fast7:38 – Roots Before Fruit (don't focus on the fruit — get in the soil)11:22 – Shiny Objects and Grace13:37 – The Power of Ten Percent16:17 – Advice for Your Forties19:42 – Damon at Thirty-Five27:40 – Stress and Self-Soothing31:13 – The Cost of Intention33:54 – Letting Dreams Die35:48 – Marriage and Becoming24:57 – Facing Regret in New Decades25:56 – Regret and Finite Time26:42 – Heidi and the 12 Week Year27:52 – Writing Down the Dream29:34 – From Baby Steps to Paid Speaking31:15 – Assessments and Finding Your Magic33:57 – Regret as Motivation and Experiments36:28 – Letting Go of Comparison42:35 – The Kia Identity Shift44:30 – Kids Notice Your Growth45:52 – Where to Find DamonResources MentionedThe 12 Week Year by Brian Moran & Michael Lennington — the goal-setting framework that helped Damon write down his dream for the first time: https://www.12weekyear.comArthur Brooks — author and social scientist; Damon references his concept of the "reverse bucket list": https://www.arthurbrooks.comWhen Everyone Leads — https://kansasleadershipcenter.org/when-everyone-leads/Designing Your Life — Stanford framework referenced for experimenting and "renting" ideas before committing: https://designingyour.lifeDK Young Consulting — Damon's boutique consultancy focused on vision casting, executive mentoring, and public speaking: https://dkyconsulting.comLead Wichita — civic leadership organization where Damon serves as contract CEO: https://leadwichita.orgWant to learn more?The ThreadBe sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedInThis show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.

What if the reason your side hustle isn't growing has nothing to do with your skills — and everything to do with what happens after you deliver great work?Your Google listing is a ghost town. Two reviews, one of them your uncle. Sound familiar? The good news: getting five-star reviews isn't about being pushy or salesy. It's about timing, simplicity, and a system that takes less than 30 seconds to use. This episode breaks down exactly how to ask for reviews the right way — and how to make it so easy that people actually follow through.HighlightsReviews are the social proof that bridges your side hustle to a real, inbound businessThe #1 mistake people make is asking at the wrong moment (like when the invoice is due)Ask when the dopamine is hitting — when your client is experiencing the winReal examples: asking after a studio session, sending a first mix, or including a handwritten note with an Etsy orderIn-person ask tip: explain why reviews matter for small businesses — don't just casually throw it out thereEliminate all friction by using a direct review link from your Google Business listingA QR code by the door is a game-changer for in-person businessesTreat your review asks like an email drip — identify 2–3 moments in the client journey and ask at each oneHomework: generate your direct review link, create a QR code, and write an email template with the link already in itChapters0:00 — Why Reviews Matter2:16 — Ask at the Peak Moment3:03 — Real World Timing Examples6:14 — Make the Ask In Person7:41 — Remove Review Friction8:52 — Use Links and QR Codes11:53 — Follow Up Without Nagging13:23 — Homework and Simple System15:24 — Wrap Up and Next StepsBe sure to subscribe and leave us a review!For more information about The Side-Hustle Dad, visit our website at https://thesidehustle.dadRemember, build the business, but be the dad!This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net.

In this bridge episode between Parts 1 and 2 of the Leading Health book, we pause to recap where we've been and preview what's coming. We revisit the core arguments from our first five episodes — from capital H Health versus lower h health, to the 30,000 Kansans who hold civic authority and why they matter — before revealing the central thesis of Part 2: Kansas's health gap is not a health challenge. It's a leadership challenge. And until we frame it that way, we'll keep arriving at the same dead ends.HighlightsKansas fell from #8 to #31 in America's Health Rankings — and treating this as a health problem is exactly why progress has stalledThe 30,000 Kansans in roles of civic authority — elected officials, pastors, school principals, nonprofit executives, and community-minded CEOs — are the key to changeAmerica's Health Rankings serves as the "North Star" for measuring progress toward Kansas becoming the #1 healthiest state in the nationPart 1 describes the symptoms, Part 2 delivers the diagnosis, and Part 3 will outline the prescriptionPassionate people working for change are often their own biggest enemy — the real challenge is frequently different than it first appearsImproving population health is an adaptive challenge, not a technical one — meaning there are no easy answers, and it involves risk, loss, and ongoing explorationLeadership is rare, and it's an activity, not a position — we prefer to talk about people exercising leadership rather than simply holding the titleEven if every healthcare expert, public health professional, nutritionist, and researcher does their part, the health gap will remain — because it is first and foremost a leadership challengeChapters1:28 – Recap of the First Five Episodes2:13 – Capital H vs. Lower h Health2:29 – Meet the 30,000 Civic Leaders2:57 – America's Health Rankings as Our North Star3:13 – The Symptoms → Diagnosis → Prescription Framework3:55 – Passionate People and Hidden Challenges5:44 – It's Not a Health Problem — It's a Leadership Problem6:38 – Adaptive Challenge and the Rarity of Real Leadership8:59 – Why This Lens Changes Everything9:31 – Experts Matter, But Leadership Must Lead10:48 – Wrap-Up and Next Episode PreviewLeading Health is an invitation to move the needle on Health in Kansas, and we invite you to join us in leading the way. Don’t have a copy of Leading Health? Claim your copy and learn more about the movement at kansashealth.org/leadinghealthAnd be sure to subscribe, and drop a comment to let us know what you think.