Niiamah Ashong

Coaching an Amazon Global Director Turned Speaker to Bring Friction Back to Business | Anthony Reeves | Ep 1108

November 10, 2026 by Niiamah Ashong Leave a Comment

In Episode 1108 of the Outlier's Edge Podcast, Niiamah Ashong coaches Anthony Reeves live on air. Anthony made his way through the corporate ranks to global director inside Amazon, and now his speaking career is growing fast around one message: friction is good for people and good for business. The coaching points that growth in the right direction, toward 30 or 40 talks a year, and ends with Anthony's own insight: treat himself the way he teaches companies to act.

Episode at a glance

Guest: Anthony Reeves, speaker and former global director at Amazon
Background: rose through the corporate ranks to global director inside Amazon, worked inside WPP for Airbnb, a creative who has shot on almost every continent, from the endurance sport world
Host: Niiamah Ashong, coach to outlier leaders
Show: Outlier’s Edge Podcast, Episode 1108, released November 10, 2026
Format: live coaching conversation, 50 minutes
Topics: friction in business, growth versus optimization, from corporate leader to speaker, going deep rather than wide, working backward from the end state

What Anthony brought to the conversation

Anthony Reeves spent his career in corporate life, rising through the ranks to global director inside Amazon and working inside WPP for Airbnb, and as a creative he has shot on almost every continent. Now he's a speaker, his speaking career is growing fast, and he wants it growing in the right direction. He comes from the endurance sport world, and his message for business is that friction is good for people and good for business, because it keeps restlessness and learning alive, and companies that ask less of their people take that away. He loves to go deep rather than wide, he believes he can offer the world a lot more, and the courage he came in for is to keep saying that message.

What shifted

Niiamah heard the depth Anthony brings to everything he experiences and caught a nuance in his message: friction doesn't mean everything has to be as hard as possible, so he invited Anthony to define the spectrum from easy to easier to outrageously hard in his own thought leadership. He then moved Anthony from yes-or-no questions to higher-level ones, since he's already in the race, and Anthony set his goal at 30 or 40 talks a year. Anthony's insight was to treat himself the way he teaches companies to act: name the ideal end state and work backward from it.

If you’re a leader ready for this kind of conversation about your own work, here’s where to start: 1:1 with Niiamah | World of Difference, our coaching membership.

Questions this episode answers

Why is friction good for business?

Anthony Reeves argues that friction is good for people and good for business because it keeps restlessness and learning going. He wants employees to be happy, safe and secure, and also restless, learning and discovering, and he points to how participation in Ironman and marathons has gone through the roof because it's uncomfortable.

Can a leader optimize their way to growth?

Anthony Reeves put it plainly: "You can't optimize your way to growth." Niiamah Ashong framed it as good stress versus just stress: a life with no stress probably doesn't lead anywhere, so the aim is healthy friction.

What changes when a corporate leader becomes a speaker?

At a company like Amazon, Anthony Reeves could put a business card on the table and his world would change. As a speaker, the only thing he's selling is himself, and the change has meant keeping his name and credibility intact, following up with everyone and learning more patience.

What does "that's just the friction" mean in endurance training?

During Ironman training, when Anthony Reeves told his coach he was running out of energy hours into a session, she told him that's just the friction and showed him how to work through it. Niiamah Ashong noticed that naming it gave the friction a purpose, and that made it a bit easier.

How can a leader set personal goals the way a company sets strategy?

Anthony Reeves tells companies to define the ideal end state and work backward from there, and his insight was to treat himself the same way. Like a runner who publicly names a four-hour marathon as the goal, he can name his end goal for speaking and work backward from it.

In their words

“I'm talking about friction and how friction is good for people and good for business.”
Anthony Reeves

“You can't optimize your way to growth.”
Anthony Reeves

“I need to treat myself more as I try and teach companies how to act.”
Anthony Reeves, on his biggest insight

Key moments

00:00 – Welcome to the Outlier's Edge Podcast

01:23 – From Amazon Global Director to Speaker

02:18 – Being Truer to Yourself

07:17 – When the Business Card Did the Talking

13:05 – The Best Lessons Come From the Hardest Things

14:27 – A Speaker Who Invites You to Explore

18:02 – Going Deep Rather Than Wide

21:49 – Choosing Courage Over Comfort

24:07 – Offering the World a Lot More

24:48 – Why Friction Is Good for People and Business

32:16 – An Easier Road, Not an Easy Road

34:41 – That's Just the Friction: An Ironman Training Lesson

38:34 – You Can't Optimize Your Way to Growth

41:36 – A Foundation Built on Exploration

44:04 – The Goal: 30 to 40 Stages a Year

46:58 – Creating on Nearly Every Continent

48:14 – Anthony's Insight: Work Backward From the End State

Enter Anthony Reeves’s world

Anthony invites people to reach him through his website or on LinkedIn, where he's active a couple of days a week and tries to reply to most messages.

Instagram | LinkedIn | Website

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About Niiamah Ashong

Niiamah Ashong is a coach to outlier leaders, host of the Outlier’s Edge Podcast, and founder of the Trailblazer Collective. He coaches leaders who are creating something only they can make: a company, a body of work or a movement. The Outlier’s Edge Podcast is a live coaching show. Make a difference with your difference.

Work with Niiamah: 1:1 with Niiamah | World of Difference, our coaching membership

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Coaching a Defense Department Engineer to Reach the People in the Pews Who Are Seeking | Terry Read | Ep 1107

November 10, 2026 by Niiamah Ashong Leave a Comment

In Episode 1107 of the Outlier's Edge Podcast, Niiamah Ashong coaches Terry Read live on air. Terry is a retired engineer who had a career as a federal civilian in the Department of Defense, a director at the San Antonio Bible-Based Science Association, and a man with one message to spread: "you can believe the Bible." The coaching takes his question of how to reach the people in the pews, and explores turning the message from a push into a pull: making it safe to ask questions and showing up where the people who are seeking already listen.

Episode at a glance

Guest: Terry Read, retired engineer and director at the San Antonio Bible-Based Science Association
Background: career as a federal civilian in the Department of Defense
Host: Niiamah Ashong, coach to outlier leaders
Show: Outlier’s Edge Podcast, Episode 1107, released November 10, 2026
Format: live coaching conversation, 46 minutes
Topics: spreading a message, making it safe to ask questions, one human family, push versus pull, breaking through the noise, reaching people who are seeking

What Terry brought to the conversation

Terry Read is a retired engineer who had a career as a federal civilian in the Department of Defense, and today he is a director at the San Antonio Bible-Based Science Association. He believes the Bible should be taken the way it's written, and after years of questions he found answers that brought him peace, which left him asking where they had been all his life. His message is "you can believe the Bible," and that people should be able to ask questions when something isn't meshing. He has written articles and given presentations in churches, where the people in the pews have responded with positive comments, and he came in to take the message from church to church and reach the people who are seeking.

What shifted

Niiamah saw that Terry had been leading with information and answers, and invited him to turn the message from a push into a pull by creating safer spaces for questions to be asked. He then made it simple: Terry found his own answers on the radio, so the question is what the equivalent of that radio is today, and how to make sure the people already looking can find the message. Terry named his own insight on air: stay open, be willing to rethink things, and take the opportunity when it comes.

If you’re a leader ready for this kind of conversation about your own work, here’s where to start: 1:1 with Niiamah | World of Difference, our coaching membership.

Questions this episode answers

How can a leader turn a message from a push into a pull?

Niiamah Ashong's answer for Terry Read is to stop leading with all the answers and create safer spaces for questions to be asked. A good question invites someone to consider a different perspective and signals that questions are welcome, and that is what draws people toward a message.

How does a message break through the noise online?

Niiamah Ashong's view is that every platform, from a church to YouTube, has its own objectives, and a message travels further when it fits what that platform is trying to accomplish. He calls the algorithm a technical solution to a human problem, so the bigger question is whether the work is something people actually want to watch.

Where should someone with a message start reaching people?

Terry Read found the answers he was looking for on a radio program he came across while turning through stations. Niiamah Ashong asked what the equivalent of that radio is today, pretty much YouTube and podcasts, and suggested starting with hosts who already welcome people interested in the Bible, so the people who are seeking can hear Terry's questions and answers.

Why don't people know they want a message until they hear it?

Terry Read believes many people want to hear what he has to say but don't know it until they've heard it. Niiamah Ashong's answer is that the primary game is making sure people know the message exists, starting with the basics: can the people already looking for it find it?

What does it mean to see everyone as one human family?

For Terry Read, believing the Bible means all human beings are part of the same human family, with one race, the human race, so he and Niiamah Ashong are distant cousins. Niiamah said he could feel the warmth in it: if everyone is family, everyone should be doing the best for each other.

In their words

“I want to be able to spread that message to them that you can believe the Bible.”
Terry Read

“You and I are part of the same human family.”
Terry Read, to Niiamah Ashong

“Create safer spaces for questions to be asked.”
Niiamah Ashong, on turning a push into a pull

Key moments

00:00 – Welcome to the Outlier's Edge Podcast

00:34 – An Engineer With a Defense Department Career

01:16 – The Message: You Can Believe the Bible

02:47 – Feel Free to Ask Questions

06:33 – Where Has This Been All My Life?

08:24 – From Cognitive Dissonance to Peace

10:11 – One Human Family, One Human Race

16:03 – The One Thing: Reaching Church Leadership

19:11 – Taking the Message From Church to Church

21:02 – Available to Those Who Are Seeking

24:33 – People Are the Harder Skill

26:56 – From Push to Pull

33:41 – How Do You Break Through the Noise?

36:07 – A Technical Solution to a Human Problem

39:28 – They Don't Know They Want It Until They Hear It

43:03 – What's Your Equivalent of Radio?

45:41 – Stay Open and Rethink Things

Enter Terry Read’s world

Terry suggests that listeners start by reading the Bible themselves, and points them to the San Antonio Bible-Based Science Association website for links to its podcast and more information.

Website

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About Niiamah Ashong

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Coaching a 17-Year Podcast Editor and Coach to Make Podcasting Easy and Fun | Line Brunet | Ep 1106

November 9, 2026 by Niiamah Ashong Leave a Comment

In Episode 1106 of the Outlier's Edge Podcast, Niiamah Ashong coaches Line Brunet live on air. Line has been podcasting for over 17 years, edits and coaches podcasters who stay with her for years, and is on a mission to make podcasting easy and basic. The coaching takes the one thing she wanted to work on, visibility, and turns it toward her own version of it, as she gets ready to launch a new podcast of her own in January.

Episode at a glance

Guest: Line Brunet, podcast editor and coach, podcasting for over 17 years
Background: started live on Blog Talk Radio, launched a network for podcasters, co-owned a couple of online radio stations, runs an eight-week program for launching a podcast
Host: Niiamah Ashong, coach to outlier leaders
Show: Outlier’s Edge Podcast, Episode 1106, released November 9, 2026
Format: live coaching conversation, 53 minutes
Topics: podcasting for the long run, numbers versus relationships, engaged listeners, hosts being themselves, visibility on her own terms, freedom in business

What Line brought to the conversation

Line Brunet started podcasting live on Blog Talk Radio more than 17 years ago, to promote her coaching practice, before she had ever heard the word podcasting, and podcasting took over. She went on to launch a network for podcasters and co-own a couple of online radio stations, and today she edits and coaches podcasters who stay with her for years, with an eight-week program that walks people through launching their own show. Freedom sits at the top of every decision she makes, and she's on a mission to keep podcasting easy and basic, and to get the people who have been thinking about starting for years going. She came in to explore visibility: what it looks like for her to be more out there, her way.

What shifted

Line named visibility, and the vulnerability that comes with it, as the thing to work on. Niiamah heard how much of her picture of visibility came from what she had watched happen around her, and invited her to get imaginative about her own version instead, asking what it looks like to be visible and aligned. For someone who lives by freedom, the question became what she would want her own visibility to look like, and she named what takes her one step further out there: a new podcast of her own, launching in January.

If you’re a leader ready for this kind of conversation about your own work, here’s where to start: 1:1 with Niiamah | World of Difference, our coaching membership.

Questions this episode answers

What keeps podcasters going for the long run?

Line Brunet, who has been podcasting for over 17 years, sees people stop when they make it complicated, chase perfection or keep checking their numbers. Her advice is to keep it basic, look at the numbers once a quarter at most, and give a show at least six months to find its flow.

Why do engaged listeners matter more than download numbers?

Line would rather have 100 engaged loyalists than 10,000 listeners she never hears from. A loyal audience builds relationships, leads to things nobody can predict, and is worth more to an advertiser who can see that people follow what the host says.

What makes listeners come back to a podcast?

People come back for the host. Line compares it to late night TV, where viewers tune in every night because they like the host and a great guest is a bonus, so her advice to anyone who wants to monetize a show is to start by being themselves.

Can a podcast work as a calling card?

Niiamah Ashong described someone with so much to share that a podcast would let him stop spending every meeting making sure people understand him, and point them to a few episodes instead. Line agreed that a podcast is like a calling card, and a great way to share a lot.

What does visibility look like for a leader who values freedom?

Niiamah Ashong invited Line to stop working from the picture of visibility she had seen around her and get creative about her own, asking what it looks like to be visible and aligned. For Line, freedom means doing it her way, and the next step she named is a new podcast of her own in January.

In their words

“I'd rather have 100 really engaged loyalists than 10,000 people that I have no clue who they are.”
Line Brunet, on what matters more than download numbers

“Podcasting was a grassroots thing. It was outliers who started it because they wanted to do what they wanted to do the way they wanted to do it when they wanted to do it.”
Line Brunet

“What does it look like to be visible and aligned”
Niiamah Ashong, on Line's own version of visibility

Key moments

00:00 – Welcome to the Outlier's Edge Podcast

01:00 – Playing the Podcasting Game to the End

01:17 – From Live Blog Talk Radio to Her Own Network

02:10 – Freedom at the Top of Every Decision

03:16 – A Mission to Make Podcasting Easy

06:01 – What Keeps Podcasters in the Game

07:04 – Stop Looking at Your Numbers

09:39 – Your Podcast Is Your Calling Card

11:02 – 100 Engaged Loyalists Over 10,000 Strangers

14:01 – People Come Back for the Host

17:36 – Give It at Least Six Months

19:13 – Podcasting Was Started by Outliers

20:15 – Editor, Coach and an Eight-Week Launch Program

23:56 – The One Thing: Visibility

30:05 – Doing It Her Way

35:57 – Visible and Aligned

48:14 – A New Podcast of Her Own in January

51:21 – No Limits to You

Enter Line Brunet’s world

Line says her website is the best place to find her, with everything in one place.

Instagram | Website

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Coaching a Fortune 500 Head of Well-Being to Disrupt the Systems That No Longer Serve Us | Elizabeth Ross | Ep 1105

November 9, 2026 by Niiamah Ashong Leave a Comment

In Episode 1105 of the Outlier's Edge Podcast, Niiamah Ashong coaches Elizabeth Ross live on air. Elizabeth brings 20 years in health and well-being, including her time as head of health and well-being for a Fortune 500 company, and through her keynote Distracted by Design she helps people look at the systems around them so they can disrupt the ones that no longer serve them as human beings. The coaching turns to how she expands that awareness by being invited, through a network that already knows her work.

Episode at a glance

Guest: Elizabeth Ross, speaker and creator of the Distracted by Design keynote
Background: 20 years in health and well-being from a population health perspective, including her time as head of health and well-being for a Fortune 500 company; started Disrupt HR in her state and brought Conscious Capitalism and Mindful Employer to Maine
Host: Niiamah Ashong, coach to outlier leaders
Show: Outlier’s Edge Podcast, Episode 1105, released November 9, 2026
Format: live coaching conversation, 41 minutes
Topics: the attention economy, human-centric work, the power of pause, being invited to speak, an experience book, calling a network

What Elizabeth brought to the conversation

Elizabeth brings 20 years in health and well-being from a population health perspective, and today she shines a light on the systems that shape how people behave: first the phone and the attention economy, then work itself, with expectations of productivity she sees as overreaching and not very human-centric. Her keynote Distracted by Design draws on 20 years of research into the neuroscience of pausing and living from curiosity, and she brings it to groups of 10 or 1,000, from startups in the AI space to financial institutions. In March she traveled through 22 states and talked with people from every walk of life. She says she has started programs, companies and movements, including Disrupt HR in her state, and she brought Conscious Capitalism and Mindful Employer to Maine.

What shifted

Niiamah named what she embodies: she stands for the pause, and a conversation with her is itself an experience of a different pace. Asked for the single most important thing, Elizabeth chose expanding this awareness with people and speaking with more groups, invited through personal connections rather than a speaker circuit. The coaching moved from mechanics to the conditions for invitation: the surface area she already has in a network that knows her track record, starting with simple phone calls. Her takeaway was hearing that time with her feels like an experience, a sign the practice is working.

If you’re a leader ready for this kind of conversation about your own work, here’s where to start: 1:1 with Niiamah | World of Difference, our coaching membership.

Questions this episode answers

What is the attention economy?

In Elizabeth Ross's framing, it's the behavioral draw of the phone, the first of two systems in play around people that shape how they behave. The second is work itself, with expectations of productivity that she finds overreaching and not very human-centric.

How can a leader start a meeting with more presence?

Elizabeth Ross's practice: phones go in a basket, everyone takes one minute to arrive with a couple of deep breaths, lets go of what came before and what's next, and asks why the meeting is happening and who really needs to be there. On a weekly meeting where she tried it, she says the team shaved about 15 minutes off and excused six people who only needed an update.

What is a long table supper?

It's a shared community meal at long tables, and Elizabeth hosted one in July: three long tables outside her house, a tablecloth and wildflowers, and 33 people from four streets eating together without their devices while 12 kids played in the blocked street.

How can a speaker get invited instead of marketing hard?

For Elizabeth, speaker circuits and pitching herself don't fit who she is; she wants invitations to grow through personal connections. Where she finds the energy goes best is simple, though not always easy: calling her network to share the work she has grown into, building on a track record of starting programs, companies and movements.

What is an experience book?

Elizabeth's book in progress pairs 33 of her nature photographs with experiences of one to five minutes: music, short guided pauses, poetry and stories of people using these concepts in their work and lives.

In their words

“Where is our agency as beings? Because we're not human doings, right?”
Elizabeth Ross

“I'm more interested in being invited than I am to go off and hard market.”
Elizabeth Ross

“How do we create the surface area for more invitations?”
Niiamah Ashong, the coaching question

Key moments

00:00 – Welcome to the Outlier's Edge Podcast

01:19 – 20 Years in Health and Well-Being

02:40 – Look at the Systems in Play Around Us

04:43 – The Distracted by Design Keynote

07:02 – The Art of Being Journey Through 22 States

08:46 – 100 Years of Work and the Breaks We Lost

12:58 – Elizabeth Stands for the Pause

15:01 – We're Not Human Doings

16:52 – We Breathe In What Trees Breathe Out

21:25 – Can You Put Your Phone Down for an Hour?

22:48 – A Long Table Supper for 33 Neighbors

23:23 – One Minute to Arrive Before Every Meeting

27:46 – The One Thing: Expanding This Awareness

30:14 – Being Invited Over Hard Marketing

34:43 – A Book of 33 Experiences

36:50 – The Simple Power of Calling Your Network

39:46 – The Practice Is Working

Enter Elizabeth Ross’s world

Elizabeth invites listeners to take a step right from this conversation, such as putting the phone down for one hour of the evening, and to bring her to any team or conference that could use this conversation. She can be found on LinkedIn and on her Substack.

Website

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About Niiamah Ashong

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Coaching a 70,000-Hour Motorcycle Tour Leader to Put His First Book on Every Talk Show | Cat MacLeod | Ep 1104

November 8, 2026 by Niiamah Ashong Leave a Comment

In Episode 1104 of the Outlier's Edge Podcast, Niiamah Ashong coaches Cat MacLeod live on air. For 14 years Cat has led motorcycle tours with track time on famous MotoGP circuits, and he counts about 70,000 hours on race tracks and in the saddle. The coaching centers on the first of the many books he has in him, and on finding the perfect press agent to put it on every talk show.

Episode at a glance

Guest: Cat MacLeod, motorcycle tour leader
Background: started making motorcycle parts at 16 in his neighbor's garage; four college degrees with honors and distinction; about 70,000 hours on race tracks and in the saddle
Host: Niiamah Ashong, coach to outlier leaders
Show: Outlier’s Edge Podcast, Episode 1104, released November 8, 2026
Format: live coaching conversation, 25 minutes
Topics: motorcycle tours with track time, training and 10,000 hours, trusting instincts, writing a first book, finding a press agent

What Cat brought to the conversation

Cat has been in the motorcycle world since he started making motorcycle parts at 16 in his neighbor's garage, and his first real mentor taught him how to ride. For 14 years he has led motorcycle tours with track time on famous MotoGP circuits, and he says his team runs so organized and tight that vendors give his tours a discount every year. He holds four college degrees with honors and distinction, the last one in film, and he describes his tours as not a vacation but an escape. His teaching is simple: get licensed, get trained, keep training, then go to the track, until the skill becomes muscle memory and part of the adaptive unconscious.

What shifted

Asked for the single most important thing, Cat named publishing his book, the first of many he has in him: a combination of his life stories, funny and scary, and the songs he found inspirational. He's working from a finished outline, and his ask was for the perfect press agent and a seat on every talk show; with his degree in film, he already knows cameras, lighting and what a crew needs. Niiamah did something he hadn't done on the show before and invited Outliers to come together and help find Cat that press agent.

If you’re a leader ready for this kind of conversation about your own work, here’s where to start: 1:1 with Niiamah | World of Difference, our coaching membership.

Questions this episode answers

How does a rider develop instincts on a motorcycle?

Cat MacLeod's answer is training and saddle time: get licensed, keep training and put in the 10,000 hours until riding becomes muscle memory and part of the adaptive unconscious. Then a rider starts to know where the road will turn from the shape of the mountain.

Is intuition the same as pattern recognition?

Niiamah Ashong shared a description of intuition as advanced pattern recognition, and Cat agreed: with enough time and variety, the brain picks up things a rider isn't consciously thinking about, and the instinct comes up.

Why ride on a race track instead of the street?

In Cat MacLeod's words, the track has no dogs, no cops and no deer. His advice is to get trained, keep training, since the initial program isn't necessarily the best one, and then go to the track.

Should an author use AI to write a book?

Cat tells anyone listening not to have AI write their book. He says it mangles the grammar and spelling and the result is obvious to readers.

What goes into a first book of life stories?

Cat's first book is a combination of his life stories, funny stories and scary stories, with songs he found inspirational and thinks will inspire other people. He's writing from an outline that's already done and calls it the first of many books in him.

In their words

“You don't have to be a genius to do this. You just need to be open to the experience and trusting your instincts.”
Cat MacLeod

“It's not a vacation, it's an escape.”
Cat MacLeod, on his tours

“Please visualize me finding the perfect press agent.”
Cat MacLeod, his ask of listeners

Key moments

00:00 – Welcome to the Outlier's Edge Podcast

00:52 – 14 Years Leading Tours on MotoGP Circuits

02:50 – A Comfort Zone That's Quite Wide

05:16 – Why Vendors Give His Tours a Discount

06:21 – From a Neighbor's Garage to His First Real Mentor

08:57 – Training, Saddle Time and 10,000 Hours

09:55 – Trust Your Instincts

10:34 – Intuition as Advanced Pattern Recognition

11:26 – Get Trained, Then Go to the Track

12:34 – Get So Good It Becomes Second Nature

14:36 – Not a Vacation, an Escape

15:56 – The One Thing: Publishing His Book

16:58 – Don't Let AI Write Your Book

17:35 – Life Stories and Songs That Inspire

20:49 – Visualize the Perfect Press Agent

21:53 – Outliers, Help Find Cat a Press Agent

Enter Cat MacLeod’s world

Cat asks listeners to visualize him finding the perfect press agent. For anyone who wants to ride with him, his advice is to get a motorcycle license and get trained first, then visit leodescapes.com.

Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Website

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Coaching an International Champion of Magic to Climb His Next Mountain | Stuart MacDonald | Ep 1103

November 7, 2026 by Niiamah Ashong Leave a Comment

In Episode 1103 of the Outlier's Edge Podcast, Niiamah Ashong coaches Stuart MacDonald live on air. Stuart is a magician and keynote speaker, an International Champion of Magic who used lean and continuous improvement to invent a world-class act and fooled Penn & Teller on national television. The coaching looks for his next mountain to climb, and Stuart leaves with his own aha: competition, this time in speaking.

Episode at a glance

Guest: Stuart MacDonald, magician and keynote speaker, International Champion of Magic
Background: learned lean and continuous improvement in the corporate world; in a single year his act won the international title, People's Choice and Originality, and he fooled Penn & Teller on national television
Host: Niiamah Ashong, coach to outlier leaders
Show: Outlier’s Edge Podcast, Episode 1103, released November 7, 2026
Format: live coaching conversation, 46 minutes
Topics: lean and continuous improvement, world-class performance, keynote speaking, competition, the two percent rule, translational goals

What Stuart brought to the conversation

Stuart was a performer for about 30 years before he learned lean and continuous improvement in the corporate world, and he found that theater is really a version of it. He asked whether those techniques could invent a brand new world-class act, and an improved version of his act won the international title, People's Choice and Originality in a single year, then fooled Penn & Teller on national television. Today his keynotes carry that idea to the corporate world: when people practice lean and continuous improvement in their personal lives first, it translates to work a lot easier. He came in to grow his keynote speaking, and the coaching asked what world-class speaking would look like for him.

What shifted

Niiamah looked at where Stuart has already won: he built his world-class act while training for an Ironman, and mind and body came together for faster thinking, so his next goal isn't aspirational, it's translational. The question became what every speaker knows, the way every magician knows the top competition in magic, and which mountain is worth climbing next. Stuart named his aha himself: competition is where he needs to go back, this time in speaking.

If you’re a leader ready for this kind of conversation about your own work, here’s where to start: 1:1 with Niiamah | World of Difference, our coaching membership.

Questions this episode answers

What is the two percent rule?

It's an idea from Stuart MacDonald's keynote. In a 100 meter sprint final, the finalists all finish within a tenth of a second of each other, and the space between the finish line and that tenth of a second is where all of the winning is done, so that's where a world-class performer puts their energy.

Why should lean and continuous improvement start in a person's personal life?

Stuart MacDonald's point is that people who adopt lean at work but not at home throw it away as soon as they go home. When lean and improvement run a person's personal life, from fitness to finances, they're applied every single day and translate to work a lot easier.

How do performers and keynote speakers get booked?

From his career in magic, Stuart says it comes down to getting in front of the right people: at the top magic competitions, producers of television shows from all over the world sit in the stands taking notes. In speaking he sees the same pattern at the conferences and conventions where agencies and audiences watch speakers on stage.

What does it mean for a goal to be translational, not aspirational?

Niiamah Ashong's point to Stuart: when a leader has done it before, the next goal isn't aspirational but translational, a matter of translating what already worked and doing it again. Stuart built a world-class act while training for an Ironman, so the question is how to do that again in speaking.

Why does competition sharpen performance?

For Stuart, competing is where he likes to live, and training for an Ironman while building his act brought his mind and body together. Niiamah shared that singing with a competition goal made him sharper too, and asked what every speaker knows the way every magician knows the top competition in magic.

In their words

“Competing is really a place where I like to live.”
Stuart MacDonald

“You've done this before. This is not aspirational, in a sense it's actually translational.”
Niiamah Ashong

“The winning is in that tenth of a second.”
Stuart MacDonald, on his two percent rule

Key moments

00:00 – Welcome to the Outlier's Edge Podcast

01:08 – The Magician Who Learned Lean

02:17 – Using Lean to Invent a World-Class Act

03:39 – Winning Everything and Fooling Penn & Teller

05:21 – The Keynote: Lean Starts at Home

07:54 – You Work at a World-Class Level

10:01 – What Would World-Class Speaking Look Like?

14:02 – How a Performer Gets Booked

18:15 – Bright Spots: Where You've Already Won

20:14 – Training for an Ironman While Building the Act

21:42 – Competing Is Where He Likes to Live

27:35 – What Does Every Speaker Know?

28:30 – Not Aspirational, Translational

33:42 – Finding the Next Mountain to Climb

40:32 – The Two Percent Rule

44:09 – Stuart's Aha: Competition, Now in Speaking

Enter Stuart MacDonald’s world

Stuart points listeners to his website, stuartmacdonaldmagic.com, spelled Mac, not Mick, and to his Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube | Website

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Co-Creating with a Writer Who Takes Every Rejection as a Call to Action | Laura Cathcart Robbins | Ep 1102

November 6, 2026 by Niiamah Ashong Leave a Comment

In Episode 1102 of the Outlier's Edge Podcast, Niiamah Ashong talks with Laura Cathcart Robbins live on air. Laura is the author of the memoir Stash: My Life in Hiding, which went to auction and sold to Simon & Schuster, and the host of the podcast The Only One in the Room. The conversation explores how she holds two modes at once: writing for herself from her own internal voice, and writing for publication with feedback from others, believing her authentic voice is what helps her work sell.

Episode at a glance

Guest: Laura Cathcart Robbins, author of the memoir Stash: My Life in Hiding and host of the podcast The Only One in the Room
Background: first article, published in 2018, went viral; her memoir went to auction and sold to Simon & Schuster; she has since sold a fiction book that comes out in 2027
Host: Niiamah Ashong, coach to outlier leaders
Show: Outlier’s Edge Podcast, Episode 1102, released November 6, 2026
Format: conversation, 30 minutes
Topics: choosing to become a writer, rejection as a call to action, writing for love and for publication, riding a viral moment, discipline as a superpower, self care and comfort

What Laura brought to the conversation

Laura chose to become a writer and took class after class, night classes and online classes, thirsty for the critique so she could get better. Her first article, published in 2018, went viral and grew into her podcast, The Only One in the Room, and a connection from the podcast led her to her agent, who signed her after reading a few of her pages. Her memoir, Stash: My Life in Hiding, went to auction and sold to Simon & Schuster; she has since switched to fiction and sold a book that comes out in 2027. Teachers who saw her promise told her the story needed to be told, and she wrote the book she couldn't find, so the next person coming up behind her wouldn't face empty bookshelves. Now she's challenging herself with a new genre, a short book people can read in one sitting, which she named out loud for the first time on the show.

What emerged

Niiamah asked how she rode an article going viral so well, and Laura's answer was a life set up so she doesn't have much at stake: if her writing hit, her life wouldn't change much, and if it didn't, it wouldn't either. She keeps two modes apart. Writing for herself, she listens only to her internal voice; writing for publication, she seeks feedback from her writer's group and author friends and defers to the expertise of people in the business, while believing her authentic voice is what helps her work sell. Under both sits discipline, a practice of self care that gives her gas in the tank to write.

If you’re a leader ready for a coaching conversation about your own work, here’s where to start: 1:1 with Niiamah | World of Difference, our coaching membership.

Questions this episode answers

How should a writer handle rejection?

Laura Cathcart Robbins took each rejection from agents as a call to action. When someone told her what was missing or what she could do better, she filled it in or improved it, and she saw each one as how she gets to where she wants to go.

How does an author balance writing for herself with writing what sells?

For Laura Cathcart Robbins, writing for herself means listening only to her internal voice. Writing for publication is a business, so she seeks feedback from her writer's group and author friends and defers to people with expertise, while believing her authentic voice is what helps her work sell.

How did a podcast lead to a book deal?

Laura's first article, published in 2018, went viral and grew into her podcast, The Only One in the Room. The podcast brought her great connections in the writing world, one of whom led her to her book agent, who signed her after reading a few pages; her memoir sold to Simon & Schuster in 2021.

Why does discipline matter for creative work?

Laura calls discipline her superpower. She meditates, works out and drinks a liter of water every morning and does her admin work before she writes, so writing is the treat at the end. She talks about not letting her feelings dictate her actions, and says these practices top her off and give her gas in the tank.

What is the difference between self care and comfort?

In Laura's terms, self care is the disciplined practice, like meditation, exercise and preparing good food for the week, while comfort is the fun stuff, like movies, popcorn and dinners with friends. She needs both to write.

In their words

“I am itching to write the moment I wake up. I can't wait to sit down at the keyboard and start writing.”
Laura Cathcart Robbins

“I really took each one as a call to action.”
Laura Cathcart Robbins, on rejections before she signed with her agent

“When you practice something it makes a practice.”
Laura Cathcart Robbins

Key moments

00:00 – Welcome to the Outlier's Edge Podcast

02:15 – Choosing to Become a Writer

03:18 – A First Article That Went Viral

03:50 – Signed by an Agent After a Few Pages

05:03 – Every Rejection as a Call to Action

05:46 – A New Genre, Said Out Loud for the First Time

07:25 – Where the Choice to Write Came From

10:27 – Teachers Who Said This Story Needs to Be Told

10:50 – Writing the Book She Couldn't Find

13:52 – How She Surfed Going Viral

15:54 – What Sells Is Different

17:08 – Why She Loves Writing

21:47 – The Memoir That Went to Auction

22:30 – I Know This Book Is Good

25:20 – Her Superpower Is Discipline

27:42 – Practice Makes a Practice

Enter Laura Cathcart Robbins’s world

Laura invites listeners to find her through her website, lauracathcartrobbins.com, or on Instagram, the one social platform where she's really active, and she answers messages sent through her website.

Instagram | Website

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About Niiamah Ashong

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Coaching a Two-Time TEDx Speaker to Help Companies Stop Paying the Communication Tax | Michael Ashford | Ep 1101

November 5, 2026 by Niiamah Ashong Leave a Comment

In Episode 1101 of the Outlier's Edge Podcast, Niiamah Ashong coaches Michael Ashford live on air. Michael is a speaking and communications coach, a two-time TEDx speaker and the author of Can I Ask a Question?, and he came in to make his company, Rethinking Communication, the thing he does. The coaching finds that the marketer in him gets people in the door, and Michael the leader grows what happens next.

Episode at a glance

Guest: Michael Ashford, speaking and communications coach, two-time TEDx speaker and author of Can I Ask a Question?
Background: longtime marketer and executive and former journalist; his company is Rethinking Communication
Host: Niiamah Ashong, coach to outlier leaders
Show: Outlier’s Edge Podcast, Episode 1101, released November 5, 2026
Format: live coaching conversation, 48 minutes
Topics: communication as change, the four seasons of change, recurring corporate clients, the communication tax, a talk as a springboard, the marketer and the leader

What Michael brought to the conversation

Michael helps people communicate in ways they didn't learn in school. His thesis is that all communication is an attempt to bring about change, and that telling people what to do doesn't create lasting change; he points to John Maxwell's four seasons in which people really change. He says his business has grown every year, and he came in to make Rethinking Communication the thing he does, with more corporate clients alongside his one-to-one work. He calls the cost of cross-departmental communication breaks the communication tax, and he pictures companies that bring him in every time they promote somebody or bring in a new leader.

What shifted

Niiamah reframed the game: change isn't learning enough to no longer need a coach, it's learning enough to want to, and a one-time talk can be the springboard into a bigger game rather than the whole engagement. Michael took up the question "what's the bigger game here?" as language for his own work. When he said out loud the question he'd been circling, what would it look like to bring him into the rest of the company, Niiamah pointed out that it came from Michael himself, not the marketer. Michael's insight: the opportunity is already there, what got him the opportunity is not what will keep growing it, and he can shape that growth by showing up as himself and by how he shares the vision of the horizon.

If you’re a leader ready for this kind of conversation about your own work, here’s where to start: 1:1 with Niiamah | World of Difference, our coaching membership.

Questions this episode answers

Why is all communication about change?

Michael Ashford's thesis is that all communication is trying to bring about some sort of change; otherwise it's chitchat. As he puts it, leading, guiding and bringing about change in an organization is the entire job of a leader, and communication is the core and foundation of that.

What are John Maxwell's four seasons of change?

As Michael Ashford cites it, people change when they hear enough that they have to, see enough that they're inspired to, learn enough that they want to, and receive enough that they're able to. His point is that leaders lean on the first, forcing change, and it doesn't create lasting change.

What is the communication tax?

It's Michael Ashford's name for what cross-departmental communication breaks cost a company. He says leaders who don't work on how they communicate with their teams cost the company money, especially new leaders promoted for being great individual contributors who now have to resolve conflict between two people who were their coworkers the week before.

How can a one-time talk turn into a lasting client relationship?

Niiamah Ashong's suggestion: treat the talk as the door into the relationship, more like a lead magnet than the product, and ask what the bigger game is beyond the talk. With a one-to-one client, the next step can be as direct as asking what it would look like to bring Michael into the rest of the company.

What's the difference between marketing a service and leading the client relationship?

In the conversation, "marketer Michael" finds the right package and gets people in the door, while Michael the leader, the person who wants the best for each person, team and company, has the conversations that grow the relationship. Niiamah Ashong's point is that being genuine and present communicates more than perfectly crafted words.

In their words

“All communication is trying to bring about some sort of change.”
Michael Ashford

“The game of change is not learning enough that they no longer need you. It's learning enough that they want to.”
Niiamah Ashong

“What got the opportunity for me is not what is going to continue to grow that opportunity.”
Michael Ashford, his biggest insight

Key moments

00:00 – Welcome to the Outlier's Edge Podcast

01:10 – Communicating in Ways We Didn't Learn in School

04:20 – All Communication Is About Change

05:02 – John Maxwell's Four Seasons of Change

09:46 – Making Rethinking Communication the Thing He Does

12:14 – The Path to More Corporate Clients

17:01 – A Business That Has Grown Every Year

19:12 – Predictable, Repeatable and Sustainable

22:00 – The Game of Change

26:49 – A TEDx Talk as a Springboard

30:54 – What's the Bigger Game Here?

34:27 – The Communication Tax in Companies

37:37 – What If the Talk Is the Lead Magnet?

41:27 – What Would It Look Like to Bring Me In?

44:30 – Marketer Michael and Michael the Leader

46:30 – The Opportunity Is Already There

Enter Michael Ashford’s world

Michael points listeners to his website, michaelashford.com, the hub for his social media, coaching links and podcast.

Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube | Website | Website

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About Niiamah Ashong

Work with Niiamah: 1:1 with Niiamah | World of Difference, our coaching membership

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