Revenue Mind

From selling cars to two decades in SaaS, Nikki Ivey turned a writer’s love of words into a sales career—and a conviction that the people most skilled at moving others should be creating culture, not just complaining about it. A writer first, a LinkedIn Top Voice, and co-founder of SDRDefenders, Nikki joins Jolie to get honest about the parts of sales that don’t make the highlight reel: the wigs she spent years suppressing as the only Black woman in the room, the narratives that walk in before she does, and the extra work it takes to reach the same baseline of confidence a typical seller starts from. Along the way she reframes the meritocracy debate, separates structural exclusion from the interpersonal kind, and offers a way through the DEI backlash that asks nothing of your politics—only that you care how your behavior lands on someone else. Her throughline: you can criticize culture or you can create it, and sellers are built to create.
Key Takeaways• Three frameworks that explain her: words, wigs, and women in charge• “Put the wig on, girl”: the years she spent suppressing hair-as-accessory as the only Black woman in the room• Writing as a hard sales skill—“teach the computer to talk like you, not instead of you”• Mr. Nelson, the seventh-grade English teacher who handed out prompts asking kids who they think they are• How the isolation of 2020 spawned online sales communities: Thursday Night Sales, SDRDefenders, and the one she’s most proud of, Sales for the Culture• The “external ERG” that gave Black and brown sellers a place to be vulnerable when it was needed most• “Nothing happens until something gets sold”: why sellers underestimate their power over culture• The meritocracy trap: nobody asks for the ROI case on hiring the same young white male out of college• Structural vs. interpersonal exclusion—and why your interpersonal experience still counts• Do’s and don’ts vs. wills and won’ts: a path through the backlash that skips shame and asks only that you care how your behavior lands• Permission to say the clumsy thing—create the safe space, then grow in the same direction
LinksConnect with Nikki Ivey on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nikki-iveySDRDefenders (acquired by Pavilion): joinpavilion.comConnect with Jolie Shapiro on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jolieshapiroFollow Revenue Mind on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/revenuemind

Somewhere past 500 podcast episodes, hosting and guesting combined, and nobody had ever asked Richard Harris what talking about his mental health has cost him. Founder of The Harris Consulting Group, creator of N.E.A.T. Selling and author of The Seller’s Journey, Richard joins Jolie to trace it back to one morning in San Francisco when he woke up in the fetal position and physically could not move. What follows: the phone call to his mom, the sentence that kept him from getting on the plane, 20+ years with the same therapist, and imposter syndrome that shows up live on the recording. His throughline: you do you, and don’t be afraid to make the phone call.
Key Takeaways• Imposter syndrome as a lifelong companion, and what to say to it in real time.• The San Francisco morning he woke up in the fetal position and could not move.• “If I do that, the city wins”: why he stayed, and how he found the therapist he kept for 20+ years.• Depression described as walking around with 10 pound weights on each leg.• What staying quiet cost him, and what talking about it has cost him since.• “I thought only crazy people took medication.”• Therapy in sprints: some things resolve in a session, some take six weeks.• Double chair work, literally switching seats to have the conversation with his father.• Why “whoever speaks first loses” means you asked the wrong question.• The beer with a friend who said “I don’t know what that feels like,” and why that wasn’t rejection.• His real cell number, handed out on air, and the reason nobody ever calls.
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LinksConnect with Richard Harris on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rharris415Richard Harris (cell, he means it): 415-596-9149The Harris Consulting Group: theharrisconsultinggroup.comConnect with Jolie Shapiro on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jolieshapiroFollow Revenue Mind on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/revenuemind

From 15+ years in professional kitchens to two decades in sales, James Buckley has built Say What Sales—a personal brand rooted in one line: if you're a salesperson, we're the same person. Founder of Say What Sales and host of the daily sales show Sell Better, James joins Jolie to get honest about the parts that don't make the highlight reel: an addiction that shifted from hard drugs to food, a 2006 ER visit that had his family relocated from Miami to Tennessee within 48 hours, and the 3 a.m. gym routine that's kept him steady through a recent type 2 diabetes diagnosis. His throughline: resilience isn't a personality trait, it's a choice you make over and over.
Key Takeaways• A type 2 diabetes diagnosis and a 70lb weight loss, done with no medication.• Addiction doesn't disappear, it just changes shape.• The case against group recovery: why AA and NA didn't work for him.• Comedy has a line, not because they aren't funny.• Corporate phrases banned from vocabulary: "circle back," "I'd love to."• Moving from Miami to Tennessee in 48 hours after an ER visit in 2006.• Resilience built through tough times makes sales rejection feel small.• Read on millennials, Gen Z, and the widening communication gap.• "They're not gonna be at your funeral."• Posting positivity even when he doesn't feel it and what he does to lift himself up.
Like this one? Follow Revenue Mind, and leave a review if it hit home. It's how more revenue leaders find the show, and how we keep mental health right next to the number.
LinksConnect with James Buckley on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jamessaywhatsalesbuckleyJames Buckley on Instagram: instagram.com/saywhatsalesJames Buckley on TikTok: tiktok.com/@saywhatsalesSell Better: sellbetter.xyzConnect with Jolie Shapiro on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jolieshapiroFollow Revenue Mind on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/revenuemind

From one-and-done author to accidental evangelist for a better way to work, Freddie Laker has spent a decade building Chameleon Collective, a four-time Inc. 5000 “collective” where everyone gets to be the boss and share the risk instead of one person throwing themselves in the fire. Founder of Chameleon Collective and co-author of the bestselling Collective Capitalism, Freddie joins Jolie to get honest about the parts that don’t make the highlight reel: why he preaches “no one should carry it alone” and still grabs the stressful hot potato himself, what actually scares him about AI, and the on-mic existential crisis when he realized he might be the last person who should talk about work-life balance. His throughline: there’s opportunity in chaos, but only if you stop trying to carry it alone.
Key Takeaways• Collectivism runs on “we people,” not “me people,” so no one carries risk alone.• Collaboration is approaching zero unlocking a collective business model.• Help 10,000 companies form collectives than sell and sail off into retirement.• Introvert and extrovert at once: off the clock he’s a tinkerer who can’t sit still.• Controlling your own future without carrying the risk yourself.• The system is broken, and collectivism is a way to make capitalism work.• The messy, in-flux moments are when new players make the biggest leaps.• The tech part about AI isn't scary, it's who gets left behind as wealth concentrates.• Learning to share the stressful hot potato vs. carrying it alone.• Dialing everything to eleven teaches you about (the lack of) work/life balance.
Like this one? Follow Revenue Mind, and leave a review if it hit home. It’s how more revenue leaders find the show, and how we keep mental health right next to the number.
LinksConnect with Freddie Laker on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/freddielakerCollective Capitalism: collectivecapitalism.orgChameleon Collective: chameleoncollective.comConnect with Jolie Shapiro on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jolieshapiroFollow Revenue Mind on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/revenuemind

From the number one enterprise rep at Salesforce to a self-described "functioning addict" living a double life at the top of his game, Ian Koniak traces how a 20-year work-hard-play-hard grind nearly cost him his marriage and his family, and what it finally took to get sober. Founder and CEO of Untap Your Sales Potential, Ian joins Jolie to riff on the president's-club culture he lived and loved, why "the pain of staying the same has to be greater than the effort to change," the rock bottom that turned him around, and how honesty, faith, and recovery rebuilt a life he's actually proud of. His message for anyone white-knuckling a secret: pick your poison, there's a 12-step for it, and the opposite of addiction is connection.
Key Takeaways• Ian was Salesforce's #1 enterprise rep while deep in addiction, and didn't think his life was unmanageable.• "Work hard, play hard" is a cycle: build up, build up, then blow up.• A functioning addict is still an addict: the sneaking and secrecy are the tell, not how often.• The real rock bottom wasn't a car crash or a stuck roller coaster: it was seeing the pain he'd caused someone he loves.• "The pain of staying the same has to be greater than the effort to change."• Honesty was the medicine: getting sober meant no more secrets, and the marriage got lighter for it.• Whatever your poison is (alcohol, weed, the phone, work), there's a 12-step for it. Start with the one that's unmanageable.• The opposite of addiction is connection: isolation and endless scrolling live on the same spectrum.• From greed and excess to service: his worth stopped riding on money and status.
Like this one? Follow Revenue Mind, and leave a review if it hit home. It’s how more revenue leaders find the show, and how we keep mental health right next to the number.
LinksConnect with Ian Koniak on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/iankoniakUntap Your Sales Potential: untapyoursalespotential.comConnect with Jolie Shapiro on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jolieshapiroFollow Revenue Mind on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/revenuemind

From accidentally landing in addiction counseling with “no life jacket” to building a whole career on one radical idea, that people recover better when treatment isn’t a miserable experience, Master Addiction Counselor Amber Hollingsworth traces how growing up surrounded by addiction shaped her relationship-first approach. Founder of Hope for Families Recovery Center and creator of the YouTube channel Put the Shovel Down, Amber joins Jolie to riff on why calling herself the client’s “defense attorney” instead of their probation officer earns more trust than tough love, why there’s no bad reason to get sober, and why the driven, high-performing execs who can’t turn their brain off so often drink to do it. Her throughline: stop waiting for rock bottom. You can just put the shovel down.
Key Takeaways• Not being in recovery herself became her edge: it forced her to listen deeper than most.• Whatever you grow up in feels normal: she didn’t name her own family’s addiction until she was in the field.• Counseling school barely covers addiction: one class, a couple of 12-step visits, then you’re on your own.• “Defense attorney,” not probation officer: be on the client’s side and trust follows.• Make treatment something people want to show up to (her teens got sober just to stay mentors).• There’s no bad reason to get sober: kids, marriage, even prison all count.• Drop the pressure to fix everyone: it’s why counselors burn out in ~5 years, and why she hasn’t.• Driven execs drink to shut their brain off: stop fighting your operating system instead of becoming someone else.• Ignore the doom stats: people beat this every day, and 10 tries is normal, not failure.• Stop waiting for rock bottom: put the shovel down before you burn every bridge.
Like this one? Follow Revenue Mind, and leave a review if it hit home. It’s how more revenue leaders find the show, and how we keep mental health right next to the number.
LinksAmber Hollingsworth / Put the Shovel Down on YouTube: youtube.com/@PutTheShovelDownHope for Families Recovery Center: familyrecoveryacademy.onlineConnect with Jolie Shapiro on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jolieshapiroFollow Revenue Mind on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/revenuemind

A 600kg horse landed on Hacia Atherton while she was training for international dressage. What followed: six months in the hospital, 30-plus procedures, and 117 days of work just to stand for ten seconds. She studied for her CPA exams from a hospital bed, went on to earn a master’s in positive psychology, founded an organization fighting for women in the trades, and wrote a book about the billions hiding in plain sight in workplace culture. She and Jolie get into the emotional cage the Industrial Revolution built, why telling men they’re allowed to feel means nothing without the tools to do it, and why belonging, not titles or diversity programs, is what actually moves the needle.
Key Takeaways• 1,300 lbs of horse, 30+ procedures, six months in hospital.• 117 days of work just to stand for ten seconds.• Grit got her through; curiosity unlocked the recovery.• She left rehab early for a CPA exam; they called a psychiatrist.• Breath was the one thing she controlled. It became her anchor.• Factory-era economics built the tough-it-out archetype we still live.• We told men they could feel, but never gave them the tools.• Disengagement costs the world ~9% of global GDP.
Like this one? Follow Revenue Mind, and leave a review if it hit home. It’s how more revenue leaders find the show, and how we keep mental health right next to the number.
LinksConnect with Hacia Atherton on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/haciaathertonEmpowered Women in Trades: ewitrades.comThe Billion Dollar Blind Spot: haciaatherton.com/billion-dollar-blindspotConnect with Jolie Shapiro on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jolieshapiroFollow Revenue Mind on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/revenuemind

From layoffs and COVID teaching her what’s actually controllable, to a husband’s truth bomb that finally broke a years-long pattern of “riding it out,” Heather Bell traces the line from people-pleasing grit to self-responsibility at work and at home. She and Jolie riff on why mental health is a revenue metric, not a side quest; what it actually took to land a job with her own list of non-negotiables. And why “they just hire good people” is the only diversity strategy that’s ever worked for her.
Key Takeaways• Layoffs and a shifting economy aren’t a referendum on your grit.• Grit is the #1 thing to look for, because it can’t be taught.• Write down non-negotiables before any job search begins.• Burnout’s long runway: pumping in her car, sleepless nights, still going out to sell.• Her husband naming the pattern broke years of “riding it out.”• Financial success means little if you’re not present for it.• Being wanted because she’s a woman is a red flag, not a win.• Send the prospect elsewhere if you can’t actually help them.
Like this one? Follow Revenue Mind, and leave a review if it hit home. It’s how more revenue leaders find the show, and how we keep mental health right next to the number.
LinksConnect with Heather Bell on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/heatherbell-salesVector: vector.coConnect with Jolie Shapiro on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jolieshapiroFollow Revenue Mind on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/revenuemind

From breaking down the “polished corporate box” to rebuilding identity through faith, community, and self-responsibility, Anthony Morell shares what helped him move from people-pleasing to authenticity: online and off. He and Jolie riff on why healing work is heavy (but worth it), how to catch burnout before it catches you, and what Anthony’s “hard season” operating manual looks like: get fed, get out of the house, move your body, and don’t isolate.
Key Takeaways• Faith as a filter for decisions, relationships, and healing.• Community > isolation: be for others what you didn’t always have growing up.• Authenticity is less exhausting than managing perception.• People-pleasing breaks when you take responsibility for your own wellbeing.• From external approval to internal conviction (and values-led living).• Daily anchors slip, isolation increases, heaviness compounds when burned out.• The work you do when it’s hard builds the person you become.• Hard-season playbook: treat + fresh air + movement + real conversations.
Like this one? Follow Revenue Mind, and leave a review if it hit home. It’s how more revenue leaders find the show, and how we keep mental health right next to the number.
LinksConnect with Anthony Morell on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/anthony-m-78a1b6323Connect with Jolie Shapiro on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jolieshapiroFollow Revenue Mind on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/revenuemind

Rob LoCascio (founder/former CEO of LivePerson) joins Jolie to riff on purpose, grit, and what it really takes to build for the long haul, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. From sleeping on an Ikea couch during LivePerson’s earliest days (and still keeping the couch as a reminder) to building two new AI startups, Rob shares why “certainty + control” can quietly destroy founders, and how reconnecting with God helps him cut through the noise, lead with humility, and build technology that brings families closer (instead of pulling them apart).
Key Takeaways• The couch years: two years living in an office• Helping at a homeless shelter reframed “feeling sorry for yourself.”• Grit is in everyone if you’re willing to be somewhere uncertain enough to grow.• Spiritual practice can elevate the conversation beyond your own head.• Building products that strengthen community/connection, not just utility.• Kids + screens: the “scroll” is engineered addiction; creation is the antidote.• KID’s startup philosophy: kids use AI to create stories, art, and music with parents.• If AI is getting “smarter,” it’s often because we keep feeding it our knowledge.• Certainty, control, and ego, and why letting go doesn’t kill ambition.• Rob’s deck-of-cards reality check: gratitude beats comparison.• The closing reminder: don’t follow your life, lead it.
Like this one? Follow Revenue Mind, and leave a review if it hit home. It’s how more revenue leaders find the show, and how we keep mental health right next to the number.
LinksConnect with Robert LoCascio on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rlocascioLivePerson: liveperson.comKID: kidco.aiUare.ai: uare.aiConnect with Jolie Shapiro on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jolieshapiroFollow Revenue Mind on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/revenuemind