Why Not Now? With Amy Jo Martin

In this episode Julia Cheek, Founder and CEO of EverlyWell, discusses leaping into innovation, believing in your ideas and filtering criticism, the biggest misconceptions about becoming an entrepreneur and Julia's time management tips. If you are trying to decide whether or not you want to make a leap from something that, may not be a bad situation but isn't your life's work, Julia's experience and insights will be invaluable for you. Julia talks about being in that situation and having to untangle navigating that leap, all the while ignoring the naysayers.  Julia talks about the fact that she wouldn't be where she is now if she had listened to anyone. She has learned how to filter criticism and who she listens to. Julia has now raised over $5 Million in venture capital, which is something very few female entrepreneurs have done, and is innovating the healthcare industry.  Her vision is to make healthcare services like lab testing more accessible and she's democratizing this industry by making it more simple

In the 100th episode of the Why Not Now? Show, host Amy Jo Martin gets real and raw. Amy Jo shares how one of the darkest periods in her life led her to exiting her company, how she discovered her true purpose and why she started the podcast. Amy Jo also shares the Top 10 lessons she's learned from her guests, audience and community. You may have also noticed we have a new look! Thank you for voting on the new album cover art for the podcast. You can see the new album art on our brand new Instagram page - @WhyNotNow. Lastly, you can now join other Why Notters? on their journey from idea to action, in our new Why Not Now? Private Facebook Group. It's an exclusive place for people who listen to this podcast, for people who enjoy taking action on ideas and it's quite the community. We help one another, we hold each other accountable and share tips and tricks. So look for the Why Not Now? private Facebook group on Facebook. Just type in the search area on Facebook - "Why Not Now? Private Group", request to become

Sarah Robb O'Hagan has been described as Superwoman, undercover. She's been named one of Forbes' most powerful women in sports and one of Fast Company's most creative people in business. This woman is unmatched. She's been the global president of the $5,000,000,000 sports brand, Gatorade, where she led the business through a major repositioning and business turnaround. She has also held senior positions at Nike, Virgin Atlantic, Atari, served as the global president of Equinox and currently she's the CEO of Flywheel Sports. If there was such a thing as a resume-off, Sarah would win. There aren't too many people, if anyone, that has a portfolio of brands of this caliber that they've led, but it hasn't always been a smooth ride for Sarah. In fact, she gets squirmy when people read bios because she knows they're not the whole truth. Sarah keeps it real in this episode. She is very candid about her career, what's gone wrong, why it went wrong, how you can leap frog her lessons and everything in between. She gives

Songwriter, CEO and host of the "Don’t Keep Your Day Job" Podcast, Cathy Heller, is a “Yes and...” person. She's added layers to her career and her livelihood over time; adding things that she loves to do. Rather than just switching gears and completely changing paths, she's actually just added certain things and been able to have a portfolio of different tracks as her career. One of the things this allows us to understand is that you don't have to necessarily choose just one career focus anymore. You can have a variety of different layers to diversify your skills, passion and interest. When you hear from Cathy in this episode, you will notice that she has such a zest for life and has a lot of valuable advice when it comes to identifying what you are assigned to do in this lifetime, what you're here for and how to find that thing, or that set of things.   Learn more about Cathy: https://www.cathyheller.com/ Follow Cathy: https://www.instagram.com/cathy.heller/   To learn more about monday dot com, and for a f

Cindy Eckert has built and sold two pharmaceutical companies and she's the creator of the Little Pink Pill. Cindy exited that company for more than a billion dollars, and in total has $1.5bn worth of exits, but who's counting? Right? Cindy writes her own rules and defines what it means to be a renegade. The woman is unapologetically true to herself and it's serving her very, very well. Over the last couple of years, Cindy has created and been running The Pink Ceiling, which is the cross between a VC fund, an incubator, and a consulting firm with a focus on women and female entrepreneurs. Cindy was recently quoted in Entrepreneur magazine saying “The injustice I'm fighting with The Pink Ceiling is not only women's limited access to capital, but also their limited access to mentors.” She's also been quoted in Fortune Magazine saying that her investment strategy is to quote "Make other women really f'n rich" end quote. The renegade mentality that this woman has can help anyone, and the things that Cindy shares i

Tony Hawk is quite possibly the most well known and innovative professional skateboarder on the planet. Tony turned pro when he was 14 and went on to experience more success than he could’ve ever dreamed of. One unexpected aspect of Tony is that he's an entrepreneur. He has had his own company, Birdhouse, for many years and has a licensed video game that's become a billion dollar franchise. We talk about business. We talk about how Tony refers to having gone through three generations of haters in the physical and online worlds and his lessons as a parent. The through line for all of this conversation though is that Tony always comes back to skateboarding. That's his passion. That's the transcendent thread here and it's what's allowed him to do really well in other areas. Tony truly sticks to what he loves, which is inspiring in itself.   Learn more about Tony: http://www.tonyhawk.com/ Follow Tony: https://www.instagram.com/tonyhawk/   To learn more about monday dot com, and for a free trial, go to http://hey.

Shauna Harrison has her PhD in public health, she's a self proclaimed nerd, hip hop head and yogi. She's basically a movement expert. After Shauna received her PhD and finished years of college, she decided not to pursue the expected route. She did something completely Renegade and switched career paths, but that didn’t mean starting again. Shauna is one of the original fitness influencers on social media and for those of you who might be feeling like you're not quite sure if you even want to be on social media anymore, you're questioning if it's bringing you any good and if you really struggle with it, this is a really good conversation for you to listen to. Shauna has a philosophy that you'll find very healthy and helpful.   Learn more about Shauna: https://www.shaunaharrison.com/ Follow Shauna: https://www.instagram.com/shauna_harrison/   To learn more about monday dot com, and for a free trial, go to http://hey.monday.com/amyjomartin   To learn more about the Renegade Accelerator, go to http://renegadeacc

Miki Agrawal has one of the most intense Why Not Now? moments we’ve ever heard on the show. Miki worked as in investment banker on Wall Street right across from the World Trade Center, and when 09/11 happened, she was supposed to be at work, but slept through her alarm clock. After all of this took place, she decided to pursue her dreams and finally confronted the reality that she was living a life of supposed to instead of meant to. From that point on, Miki became an entrepreneur developing a variety of different products and innovations. This woman is a true innovator. She's the founder of THINX, Wild & Tushy. Miki created a restaurant concept (Wild) that revolved around gluten free pizza way before anyone was ever talking about gluten free. She also created a product within a category that had only seen three innovations in the 20th century and completely disrupted the category. You'll get a glimpse into Miki’s process, how she vets ideas and why she thinks business is like a burpee. You'll feel her en

Amy Porterfield is an online wizard. Truly. She's an online marketing expert, entrepreneur, a podcast host and you're going to want to write down a lot of things she says in this episode. Amy talks about being plagued with the chronic cases of second guessing and shiny object syndrome and that feeling of not enoughness during the phase when she was going out on her own for the first time. She refers to when she was working with the big brands as being a yes girl, always wanting to please, desperate for approval, and then everything changed. She's become the go-to expert in the online training courses, and email list building fields. It's amazing how much value she offers up in this episode. There are a lot of things that she says that you can take away and do literally today.   Learn more about Amy: https://www.amyporterfield.com/ Follow Amy: https://www.instagram.com/amyporterfield/   To learn more about monday dot com, and for a free trial, go to http://hey.monday.com/amyjomartin   To learn more about the R

We really put ourselves out there when we share creative ideas and our creative work. The topic of creativity can often times feel heady and wishy washy, because everyone has their own definition of creativity. In this episode we talk through the more tangible aspects of creativity like what to do when you're in a rut or uninspired, the literal tricks for how to keep fresh eyes and change things up, plus unique ways to look at, and deal with, success and failure. Bryan Danielson and I review the book “Creative Quest” By Questlove. It was this month's pick for the Why Not Now? Read A Book Club. If you haven't read “Creative Quest”, no sweat. You actually don't need to have because Brian and I share all of the highlights and key takeaways, so consider this your cliff notes.   To learn more about monday dot com, and for a free trial, go to http://hey.monday.com/amyjomartin   To learn more about the Renegade Accelerator, go to http://renegadeaccelerator.com   Get Amy Jo’s newsletter: https://amyjomartin.activehos

Imagine working towards something for the first couple of decades of your life and that's all you knew. Then at age 22, it all ends. That path has gone and you have to reinvent a new path. That's what happened to Nastia Liukin. Nastia was born a gymnast and went on to win an Olympic gold medal in 2008. Then four years later, she decided to make a run for the 2012 Olympics. After a critical fall from the uneven bars, Nastia had a Why Not Now? moment that will give you chills. Nastia reinvented the vision she had for herself and took action. This woman has grit. She's the entrepreneur of a new mentoring app for female athletes called Grander and she's become quite the online influencer and blogger with a following of more than 2 million people. In this episode, Nastia shares her story and we talk about everything from navigating a 180 degree turn in your career to the topic of quitting, body shaming and mentoring. She also tells us something that her Mom always used to say to her when she wanted to quit, which

Oprah has said Martha Beck is one of the smartest women she knows. Martha has three degrees from Harvard including her PhD in sociology and she’s the author of countless best-selling books.    In this episode, Martha talks through the process she uses to make decisions, why it’s untrue that working hard leads to success, how to shift out of the ego operating system to stop grasping, how to transcend the victim, villain hero drama triangle and many other topics.    Many years ago as I was going through a challenging season, both personally and professionally, and I had a life coach suggest that I read a book by Martha Beck titled Finding Your Own North Star. This woman is something else. Martha has a blue print for stress free living. Who doesn’t want to hear more about that?   Learn more about Martha: https://marthabeck.com/ Follow Martha: https://www.instagram.com/themarthabeck/   Super Coffee is hooking up Why Not Now? listeners with an exclusive 25% discount on all products! Head to DrinkSuperCoffee.com a

Marie Forleo was named by Oprah as a thought leader for the next generation. She’s the creator of the award-winning online show MarieTV with over 38 million views on YouTube with an audience in 195 countries. Marie is an entrepreneur, author and she’s the founder of B-School, an online business school for modern entrepreneurs. One of Marie’s mottos is “Start before your ready.” which is wildly appropriate for the Why Not Now? concept. This episode is jam packed with tactical and practical pieces of wisdom that you can apply to your life right now.   Learn more about Marie: https://www.marieforleo.com/ Follow Marie: https://www.instagram.com/marieforleo/   To learn more about monday dot com, and for a free trial, go to http://hey.monday.com/amyjomartin   To learn more about the Renegade Accelerator, go to http://renegadeaccelerator.com   Get Amy Jo’s newsletter: https://amyjomartin.activehosted.com/f/21   Join the Why Not Now? Private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/whynotnowpodcast/   Follow A

Captain Liz Clark has done what many of us could only ever imagine to do. She's chosen a journey far from comfort and security, and in this episode she shares what she learned from her internal and external voyage of 20,000 nautical miles in search of surf and self. More than 10 years ago, Liz Clark set out from Santa Barbara, in her boat "Swell", and she headed south. When Liz was nine, she and her family sailed down into Mexico for seven months and that's when she knew what she wanted to do with her life. When she got older, she followed that dream and she tells this story in her recent book swell, and in this episode.   Learn more about Liz: https://swellvoyage.com/ Follow Liz: https://www.instagram.com/captainlizclark/   To learn more about monday dot com, and for a free trial, go to http://hey.monday.com/amyjomartin   To learn more about the Renegade Accelerator, go to http://renegadeaccelerator.com   Get Amy Jo’s newsletter: https://amyjomartin.activehosted.com/f/21   Join the Why Not Now? Private Faceb

At age 18, on the day before his freshman year final exams, Alex Banayan, author of the acclaimed new book "The Third Door", hacked the TV game show The Price Is Right, won a sailboat, sold it and used the prize money to fund his quest to learn from the world's most successful people. Alex went on a seven year journey tracking down people like Bill Gates, Maya Angelou, Steve Wozniak, Jessica Alba and many others. Alex was on a mission to uncover how these individuals broke through and launched their careers. He even chased Larry King down in a grocery store and snuck into Warren Buffet's shareholders' meeting. In his book, "The Third Door" Alex shares all of his lessons. In this episode we talk about what he learned from all these fascinating people, but what I took away the most is that his story is just as fascinating, and what he has to share is just as valuable, as all of the big names he interviewed. Alex has been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, and The Business Insider's Most Powerful People Under

Alison Levine went from climbing the corporate ladder to climbing the highest peak on each continent and skiing to both the North and South Poles. She was the captain of the first American women's Everest expedition, and the list of her adventurous accomplishments goes on and on. Alison is a New York Times bestselling author, an executive producer and when you listen to Alison, you'll understand why she is one of the most in-demand keynote speakers in the world. The parallels she draws between mountaineering and business are thought provoking. In this episode, we do a deep dive into leadership, failure and the life threatening danger of standing still.   Learn more about Alison: https://alisonlevine.com/ Follow Alison: https://www.instagram.com/levine_alison/   To learn more about monday dot com, and for a free trial, go to http://hey.monday.com/amyjomartin   To learn more about the Renegade Accelerator, go to http://renegadeaccelerator.com   Get Amy Jo’s newsletter: https://amyjomartin.activehosted.com/f/21

What do you get when you combine a professional wrestler who loves to read, and me who knows nothing about wrestling, but also loves to read? You get the Why Not Now? Read a Book Club. Several episodes back, Bryan Danielson was on the show and he mentioned that he reads a book a week. Well, I jokingly suggested starting a book club and we've done it. The first book that we review in this episode is Factfulness by Hans Rosling: 10 Reasons Why We're Wrong About the World and Why Things are Better Than You Think. I love how books can build bridges so you don't have to have read this first book in order to get value from this conversation. We basically give you the cliff notes. Follow Bryan on Twitter, and use the #WhyNotNowReadABook hashtag to join the club and have your say about what book we will review next.    To learn more about monday dot com, and for a free trial, go to http://hey.monday.com/amyjomartin   To learn more about the Renegade Accelerator, go to http://renegadeaccelerator.com   Get Amy Jo’s

Widely considered to be the best big wave surfer in the world, Laird Hamilton is known for having successfully surfed the heaviest waves on the planet. He’s a pioneer in the world of action water sports and the primary influence behind many surfing innovations like tow-in surfing, stand-up paddle boarding, and hydrofoil boarding.  In this episode we dissect how Laird makes decisions, his relationship with fear, his parenting style, how he has dealt with nay-sayers all of his life and the advice he would give you on all of these topics.  Laird is also a businessman. He has a variety of apparel and product lines. I took so much away from this conversation with Laird. It made me re-evaluate my relationship with fear and put some of the things I’m scared of into perspective.   Learn more about Laird: https://lairdhamilton.com/ Follow Laird: https://www.instagram.com/lairdhamiltonsurf/   To learn more about monday dot com, and for a free trial, go to http://hey.monday.com/amyjomartin   To learn more about the Rene

In this episode I talk about what you want to talk about and answer your questions. We cover everything from where to start with Personal Branding to how to identify your Why Not Now? idea and many other topics. I also sprinkle in some of my own personal stories, share my Golden Rule for social media and do a Rapid Fire Round with myself (yep!). Here are the questions:  How would you find inspiration if you're a complete solo act? What would you do in your why not now moment if you had no real support that understood what you're doing? Where do I start with personal branding? I have zero steps so far besides mentally picturing what it should include. When tempted to get down on yourself, what's your go-to means of pulling up and out of that? I don’t know what my Why Not Now? idea is, where do I start? Where did you get the idea for your 'pirates vs. ninjas' question during the rapid fire round in each podcast? I’m going to be doing this more often so if you have any questions reach out on social media (I’m @A

At age 23, Jenna Kutcher realized she was climbing a ladder that was leaning against the wrong wall and she left her comfy corporate job. Jenna took $300 Craigslist camera and turned it into a 7-figure business. She’s a photographer, podcaster, educator and online influencer. In this episode you’ll hear exactly how Jenna navigated her Why Not Now? moment of leaving her corporate job and starting her own business. She also shares her thoughts on influencer marketing, where it’s going and her top tips for instagram among many other things.   One of the things I really appreciate about Jenna is that she’s seemed to have found harmony between hustling, being scrappy and truly enjoying life’s pace without getting burnt out. I came across Jenna after a recent situation where a simple photo of her and her husband went viral. It spread like wildfire across the internet from People Magazine to Fox News and every media outlet in between. Her following has nearly doubled to over a half a million on Instagram. What was i