What's in the Words

Building on the principles found in his father’s best-selling book (The Four Agreements) Don Miguel Ruiz Jr. invites us to gauge how attached we are to our own viewpoint.  In The Five Levels of Attachment, we gain awareness of agreements implicitly made across the years – agreements that shape our reality and affect our future.  We are further shown how to release those which no longer reflect who we really are.

There are few topics that can get AJ and Steve riled up a bit... but the marketing of the KKK and the selling of hate - at the expense of millions of black and brown people being killed... is a surefire way to ruffle feathers.

In this episode, we pull the covers back on the KKK, their stronghold in Atlanta (which was KKK Ground Zero) and how PR and publicity along with the racist fabrics woven into America was the perfect combination for what has been a thorn in the sides of black and brown people for over a century.

This controversial book shed light in ways we never imagined.

It's definitely worth the read, especially in today's politically charged climate where the GOP has openly embraced hate as a tactic.

Selling Hate by Dale Laackman is definitely intriguing - to put it lightly.

Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher and William Ury is a practical guide to negotiating more effectively whether you’re haggling over a price, negotiating for a pay increase, or debating how to divide the housework. The authors propose an alternative to traditional adversarial bargaining, which often results in unfair agreements and strained relationships. Principled negotiation, by contrast, aims to reach wise and fair agreements efficiently and civilly. In addition to walking you through their method, the authors offer numerous tips and techniques for handling challenging negotiations. Anyone can use their method, under any circumstances.

Listen to today's episode as @stevecanal & @ajjoiner break down The Way of the Superior Man by @daviddeida.live. This book presents the ultimate challenge—and reward—for today’s man: to “unify heart and spine” through the full expression of consciousness and love in the infinite openness of the present moment.   Are you up to the challenge?

Author Anna Nyakana takes you on a journey with Niya Zuri as she leads her friends on a breathtaking and exciting trek through time as they take on dinosaurs, help ancient princes, and evade suspicious royal guards.

The children learn to problem solve, lean on each other and deal with adversity  - all skills every child needs in our world today.

Check out this engaging conversation between @stevecanal, @ajjoiner and the author @niya_zuri - on today's episode!

First, the book is structured as a dialogue between the Napoleon HIll and the devil — that’s a unique conversation without a doubt! Hill gets the devil to agree to share with him all the various ways that people allow themselves to go astray. The book was written in 1938, it was not published until 2011, because it was deemed too controversial for his family. It’s an incredibly easy, incredibly fast, and incredibly captivating read.

Check out @stevecanal & @ajjoiner as they peel back the layers of the amazing read.

HOW TO WIN WHEN SH*T HAPPENS is brilliantly organized in a flow that over the course of 30 days moves the reader from the core of self-doubt through layer after layer of fear, uncertainty, and doubt, to emerge as a stronger, more self-assured individual. 

In this work, Christal Jordan has penned a transparently captivating tome that will touch your soul and regenerate your spirit to embrace each new day with energy, confidence, and most importantly, a renewed sense of worthiness. 

The book is based on affirmations that Jordan has pulled from some of society’s most notable inspirational leaders and used to guide her personal journey to rich and rewarding life experience.

Check out @stevecanal & @ajjoiner's interview with @enchantedpr!

Your personality is merely a by-product or a reflection of where you are emotionally. If you maintain suppressed emotions, you’ll develop a personality to either cope with or avoid them.

That quote pretty much sums up todays. book review, but there are so many layers to the story.

Check out @stevecanal and @ajjoiner's review and tag your favorite reading partner.

In 'Messy', Tim Harford explores how the human qualities that we value—creativity, collaboration, resilience—can benefit from disorder and confusion as soon as we decide to embrace the constraint instead of resisting it.

Listen up to @stevecanal & @ajjoiner as they break down how chaos can create a work of art if given the chance.

​In My Grandmother's Hands, Resmaa Menakem touches on centuries of white body inflicted trauma on white bodies in Europe before colonization of the Americas. He talks about white inflicted trauma on black bodies during slavery and to the present day.

He talks about intergenerational trauma and about intergenerational resilience.​

This book is a MUST READ if you want to understand how we are at this critical juncture from a human perspective.

Check out @stevecanal & @ajjoiner as they break down this incredible read - and share the best jewels from this book.

The Warmth of Other Suns is the story of America. A nation built on immigration. @isabelwilkerson gives us a birds-eye view of the mass exodus of African-Americans from the South to Northern and Western US cities dating from approximately 1914-1970. The book traces the history of racism in the Jim Crow South as well as the reasons, successes, and failures of those African-Americans who left the place of their birth in order to seek better economic and social opportunities elsewhere in the United States.

Check out @stevecanal & @ajjoiner as they share their review.

Think And Grow Rich is the bible for successful people in general.

Napoleon Hill spent the majority of his life studying successful people and their habits, and the 13 most prevalent ones are the ones he shares in this book.

Check out @stevecanal & @ajjoiner as they unpack the successful habits of brilliance shared in this book.

Everyone should have a side hustle – a part-time business you run to generate additional income without giving up your day job. Why?

• A side hustle gives you job security.
• You can use the skills you already have to generate more income with a side hustle. No additional training is required.
• Having more than one source of income will give you more freedom and more options.
• A side hustle can allow you to do more of what you love to do with no added financial pressure.

Check out @stevecanal & @ajjoiner's review of 100 Side Hustles on this weeks episode!

In today's podcast Steve & AJ unpack Simon Sinek's book - "The Infinite Game."

Simone has one resounding message in the book: The biggest implication is that business people need to play a very long game, and pretty much ignore the “next quarter is all that matters” game plan that way too many leaders follow.

Check out this episode and get a breakdown of exactly why this book is important to anyone in business.

In today's podcast, @stevecanal & @ajjoiner review - When Things Fall Apart - by Pema Chodron.

Tibetan Buddhist Pema Chodron provides a guide to thriving in the face of a fundamentally painful world... We think that the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved.

They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again.

Just like that.

This week @stevecanal & @ajjoiner review - BORN A CRIME - by Trevor Noah.

You’ve seen him behind the desk of The Daily Show. But you might not know that talented comedian Trevor Noah has an inspiring back story.

Trevor was born in apartheid South Africa. As if that wasn’t hard enough, his very existence was a crime because he was the child of a white father and a black mother. His mother had to go to extraordinary measures to protect him.

Trevor Noah’s funny and heartfelt stories of a his life in a dangerous time only equipped with humor and wit will give you a whole new appreciation for him.

This week @stevecanal & @ajjoiner review: Defining Moments in Black History - by Dick Gregory. 

In “Defining Moments,” Gregory in effect tells black readers that he knows what their lives are like — and tells white readers what they don’t know.

In sketching out the civil rights movement of the ’60s, he notes that although dinosaurs are long gone, equally ancient turtles remain with us. The moral:

“The turtle just makes his way along, real slow. And that’s how we won the civil rights movement — we took on the mightiest nation in the history of the planet with no guns, and we did it by becoming turtles: hard on the outside, soft on the inside, and willing to stick our necks out.”

Tune in and leave us a review on iTunes.

This episode of The What's in the Words Podcast is special.

It's special for two reasons.

One, it's featuring a face that's similar to @SteveCanal & AJJoiner, but MORESO because we have our first live guest - KJ Rose!

KJ's energy pulsates throughout the interview and one of the best quotes to date, don't focus on the energy in the room, BRING YOUR OWN ENERGY to the room... completely encompasses everything about her.

Her new book - The Rose Effect - shares her journey through college, her rise to fame - working with some of the top entertainers in the game, and the big wins, and heart-stopping pitfalls that come with being in the entertainment industry.

Listen to the episode and SHARE with anyone who needs a dose of energy.

Tim Grover helped Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, and other Basketball champions get to the top – and most importantly, stay at the top.

He’s worked with hundreds of top athletes and is an international authority when it comes to sports performance and motivation. As Kobe says, he knows more about the mental side of sports than anyone else.

In his book Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable, he shares his insights into the mindsets of the most successful and accomplished athletes of our time. He shows us what it takes to go from good to great to unstoppable.

Check out @stevecanal and @ajjoiner's review of RELENTLESS in this episode.

48 Laws of Power details the laws for gaining power in life, business, and more, and gives historical examples of each law as well as examples of those who do not respect these laws.

On first read, you can perceive the laws as manipulative, and some are. That said, they are all grounded in the reality of human nature, and it's more important to understand them, and then choose how, when, and which to apply, than to just remain ignorant of them and refuse to acknowledge they exist.

Check out @stevecanal and @ajjoiner as we break down this amazing, must-have book... well, we see it as more of a reference manual, but either way, let us know your thoughts.

The 10X Rule breaks down the anatomy of extraordinary success by first pointing out what’s wrong with shooting for average, why you should for ten times more when tackling your goals and how to back up your new, bold targets with the right actions.

Check out this episode with Steve and AJ dissecting it in 15 minutes - so that you know exactly why you need this book... or even IF you need this book.

When faced with an obstacle, most of us get angry, fearful and frustrated. We think it will derail our plans and hinder our progress. But obstacles can actually become advantages, and far from limiting us, they can lead us to success.

Check out Steve & AJ as they break down "The Obstacle is the Way" by Ryan Holiday.

After college, Tim Ferriss took a soul-sucking sales job at a tech firm. Then, he left to start his own business.

He went from working 40 hours a week for somebody else to working 80 hours a week for himself.

He hated it. The pay was good, but the business left him drained.

After learning about the Pareto Principle (more commonly known as the 80-20 Principle), Ferriss had a revelation: he streamlined his business, eliminating distractions and automating systems until it was not only more profitable but also took less of his time.

Much less.

He took a “mini-retirement”, and then decided to write a book about “lifestyle design”, about creating a life that balances work and play, while maximizing the positives of both.

The 4-Hour Workweek describes the specific actions Ferriss took to implement these steps.

Check out this synopsis of Never Eat Alone by AJ & Steve Canal.

This book is TOTALLY is a guide to establishing and managing some of the most important relationships in your business life. 

These relationships can be used to open up new doors and opportunities, achieve great success and reach your goals. 

Ferrazzi emphasizes the importance of networking, meeting new people and reaching out to people beyond your usual social circle.

Check out the new episode of the "What's In the Words Podcast" where we share all the success nuggets in Jon Gordon's perennial bestseller, The Carpenter.

In The Carpenter, Gordon shares an entertaining and enlightening story of Michael and a carpenter who changes Michael’s life.  Michael’s business is failing, and so is his health.  He’s in danger of losing everything he has and everything he’s worked for.

What Michael learns from the carpenter is goes well beyond woodwork.  It’s deep wisdom and some of the greatest strategies to build a better life, a better career, and make each moment his masterpiece.

In the final episode of 2019 - @stevecanal & @ajjoiner review: Shoe Dog by Phil Knight.

Shoe Dog is a memoir by Phil Knight, the founder and board chairman of the athletic company Nike.

Unlike most books that paint the picture of 'successful genius', Knight tells his story of great struggle and frequent failures which took a very long time to eventuate in a successful story.

The biggest takeaway in this highly inspirational story of overcoming failure after failure on the road to eventual success is the importance of a growth mindset in business and self-development.

Take a listen to the summary, and do yourself a favor - get the book.

This episode of What's In the Words Podcast is a deep dive into Talking to Strangers, by Malcolm Gladwell.

In this awesome book, he assures us of a few things.

We think we can understand people. We think that by meeting someone, shaking their hand, looking into their eyes, we can get a grasp on who they are, how they feel, and what their motives or intentions are. We think that a little bit of personal knowledge gives us a big insight into their character – a job interview shows us if they’ll be a good employee, a first date can indicate the likelihood of compatibility.

We’re wrong. Strangers are complex.

In summary, Malcolm highlights just a few of the things that make strangers particularly hard to understand: Truth Default Theory, Transparency, Coupling.

@stevecanal & @ajjoiner break down this awesome read - and recommend you get a copy so that you can dig even deeper.

This week, Steve Canal & AJ review, Between the World & Me - by Ta-Nahesi Coates.

Between the World and Me is a book-length letter from author Ta-Nehisi Coates to his fifteen-year-old son, Samori. It was written shortly after his son learned that Michael Brown's killers would go free—the same year that Tamir Rice and Eric Garner were killed by police officers. Coates wanted to explain to his son what it means to be a black man in America.

In this episode Steve Canal and AJ discuss Man's Search for Meaning by Dr. Victor Frankl.

Originally published in 1946, Man’s Search for Meaning details the harrowing experiences of author and psychologist Viktor Frankl during his internment in Auschwitz concentration camp during the Second World War. 

It offers insights into how human beings can survive unsurvivable situations, come to terms with trauma, and ultimately find meaning.

This episode - Steve & AJ review Becoming - by our favorite first lady - Michelle Obama.

She's a lawyer.

She's a businesswoman.

She's an educator.

She's a wife.

She's a mother.

She's the former first lady.

This is an intimate snapshot into her life.

She walks us through each phase of her life, leading up to her meeting President Obama.

But... to be clear, this is a book about Michelle Obama - with Obama sprinkled throughout.

It feels like we're literally on a ride across country and she's taking us through each phase of her life.

Listen to the podcast, buy the book and leave us a comment.

Every human has needs. 

Today, four companies – the author Scott Galloway refers to them as the Four Horsemen – seek to satisfy them all.

Google has supplanted God. Instead of directing questions to an ever-silent deity on high, we now type them into Google’s search engine and receive answers instantaneously.

Apple shores up our sex appeal. The iPhone and the MacBook aren’t technically superior to other smartphones or laptops. But they’re undeniably sexier.

And Amazon, the temple of consumption, is there to bring us everything our heart may desire, be it fiction, food or fashion.