Guest: Whitney Johnson wants to help you disrupt yourself. She is the CEO of WLJ Advisors and one of the 50 leading business thinkers in the world, as named by Thinkers50. She is an expert in helping high-growth organizations develop high-growth individuals. Whitney is an award-winning author, world-class keynote speaker, frequent lecturer for Harvard Business School’s Corporate Learning, and an executive coach and advisor to CEOs. She is a popular contributor to the Harvard Business Review, has 1.7 million followers on LinkedIn, and was selected as a Top Voice in 2018. Her course on Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship has been viewed more than 1 million times. In 2019, she was ranked #3 on the Global Gurus’ Top 30 Organizational Culture Professionals. In 2017, she was selected from more than 16,000 candidates as a “Top 15 Coach” by Dr. Marshall Goldsmith.

Episode in a Tweet: Dare to disrupt yourself by mastering change, speeding up your learning curve, and creating a better life.

Quick Background: I met Whitney at a YPO Colorado event, where she led us through her Personal Disruption Framework. I enjoyed the course so much that I asked if she would come on Reflect Forward. Whitney is an inspiring speaker and an incredible human being. She and I talk about how to disrupt yourself in significant ways, like changing careers or moving to a new city, and in small ways like practicing a new hobby just a few minutes a day. We discuss the power of making lists and how focusing on your top priorities can shift your life and be more successful. We also talk about how individuals can make changes in their thinking, actions, and commitments to fix some of the world’s biggest problems.

At the end of the show, she shares her top piece of advice for leaders looking to be exceptional at what they do. She says, “Own your strengths. When you lean into what you do well, you can make a significant contribution within your sphere of influence. When you own your superpowers, you start to create powerful change.”

If you like this interview, make sure to check out her Disrupt Yourself podcast and her popular weekly newsletter, which you can find on her website here. I get a lot out of her newsletter and think it’s one of the best out there.

Like this? Check out my blog on how to get out of your comfort zone.

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