Light Hustler: Making Your Mess Into Your Message

I told Chris Joseph years ago that his book would lead to a coaching career. He told me absolutely not. He meant it.It took about two years for him to tell me I was right.Chris was diagnosed with stage three pancreatic cancer in 2016, and seventy percent of people with that diagnosis are dead within a year. He quit chemo, fired his oncologist with no Plan B and is now about to turn 70.He wrote his memoir, Life is a Ride, because the story was in his head and he had to get it out, not because he had some grand business plan.But the book became his business card, his credibility, his foot in every door. People found it and kept asking the same thing: tell me what you did.He threw himself into new projects (at one point he was doing five podcasts). He did a book tour with a musician friend because he was smart enough to know not that many people show up for an author alone. And eventually, all those "tell me what you did" conversations became Terrain Navigators, the health coaching practice he now runs for peopl

If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Kelsey Chittick wrote a book about her husband dying at a trampoline park while she was on a spiritual retreat in Jamaica, and somehow it's one of the funniest books I've ever read. But what I really wanted to talk to her about is what happened after.Because the book, Second Half, became the thing people hand to someone when the worst has happened. It led to Zibby Owens inviting Kelsey to co-host a podcast about sex that lasted five years. It led to a grief group in her basement that ran every two weeks for

If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Alex Mandossian sold 87 copies of his book and made $2.5 million from it, which is either the best argument for publishing a book or the best argument against caring about sales numbers (or both).I've known Alex for years, and what makes him fun to talk to is that he'll just say the thing most authors won't admit: the book was never the product. It was the thing that got him in the room. He gave signed copies away on stages across six continents and every single one of his high-ticket consulting clients ment

If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Brian Kurtz spent decades helping build Boardroom into a billion-dollar business through direct response marketing, which means he knows more about what actually makes people buy things than almost anyone I've ever talked to.So when he finally wrote his book Overdeliver, he didn't do what most authors do (cross his fingers, pray for a bestseller list, then move on). He treated the book like a business asset that would keep working for years, and that's exactly what it's done.What I wanted to get into with Br

If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Richard Lawson has spent 50+ years in Hollywood acting, teaching and mentoring people like George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer, so writing a book could have been a victory lap—a way to package the lessons and put a bow on everything.That's not what happened. Writing The Artist's Roadmap: Navigating Your Career in SHOW Business didn't just organize what Richard already knew. It woke something up. It led to a Substack, a memoir in progress, a series of children's books and an entirely new creative chapter tha

If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Justin Breen is living proof that writing a book can literally transform your entire existence. The co-founder and CEO of The Epic F.I.T. Network (named one of the top five masterminds on the planet) went from charging $500 for his PR services to commanding $30,000 a client—all thanks to the power of authorship.His journey from journalist to bestselling author reads like a business fairy tale: after his salary was cut in half, he reached out to 5,000 people to find his first five clients, then documented the

Christos Garkinos has lived several lives—and nearly lost one along the way. From a lonely childhood as a gay Greek kid in Detroit to running marketing for Virgin Megastores, launching fashion lines on HSN and becoming Bravo’s “Robin Hood of Fashion,” Christos seemed unstoppable…until addiction, financial collapse and grief brought everything crashing down.In this episode, Christos and I talk about what happens after you lose everything—and how rebuilding can become more powerful than the original dream.We dive into the making and launch of his memoir Covet the Comeback, including how he orchestrated a book rollout that looked more like a rock tour than a traditional publishing plan: celebrity-filled dinners, sold-out events across the country, a five-month LA billboard that landed directly above an ATM from his darkest days and a community that showed up in ways he never imagined.Christos opens up about sobriety, ego, surrender and the surprising emotional weight of being seen—by strangers, by longtime fans

Walter Clarke has spent more than 30 years advising wealthy families—and he’s seen firsthand how money can quietly destroy relationships, identity and mental health when people aren’t prepared for it. A former investment manager turned financial educator, Walter didn’t set out to write books to build a brand. He wrote them because he’d lived the consequences of not understanding risk.In this episode, Walter and I talk about what happens when success arrives before education—and how one catastrophic business failure reshaped his philosophy on wealth, parenting and legacy.We unpack his first book, The Big Risk, which chronicles a painful chapter involving regulatory action, bad advice and the moment Walter lost his firm—and why owning the narrative was the only way forward. He shares how writing the book transformed shame into authority and positioned him as someone who teaches from experience, not theory.We also dive into his second book, 401Kid, and the radical idea that financial education should start at bi

When we published Right for the Role, I figured John would sell a few books, make a couple of actors cry and call it a day. Instead, the four-time Emmy-winning casting legend turned it into a full-blown second act. His memoir didn’t just tell the story of his decades casting ER, The West Wing and Shameless—it completely rewired his creative life.After decades shaping other people’s performances, John finally stepped into the spotlight. The book sparked a podcast, packed acting schools, earned a spot in the Studio City Barnes & Noble window and somehow made him Instagram-famous (his words, not mine). At 78, he’s directing plays in New York, reconnecting with old collaborators and discovering that telling his own story was the most powerful casting choice of all.In our conversation, John opens up about how writing forced him to drop his trademark privacy, what it’s like to relive your life with a co-writer on Zoom and how Right for the Role became both a calling card and a creative revival. He says the book

Dan Nicholson is just the founder and CEO of Nth Degree CPAs.He’s also one of my favorite Legacy Launch Pad clients.One of the reasons for this favoritism is that I had the privilege of watching him go from being just another CPA to becoming the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of Rigging the Game. As a result of the book, he now commands up to $20,000 a speaking gig and has generated over seven figures in revenue from the ripple effects of authorship.How did he do it? Well, he had a system—and you could say he rigged it.First, he pre-sold hundreds of copies to his network before the manuscript was even complete, ensuring the project would be profitable before it launched. Then he started circulating the book with a focus on speaking and watched his speaking fees skyrocket. Masterminds and conferences have even built entire events around his book!Now prospects arrive at his CPA firm already pre-sold on hiring them, referrals flow in at record levels and his close rates have jumped signific

I had a front-row seat to Bonnie Habyan’s transformation. A seasoned CMO with over 20 years in financial services, Bonnie wrote The World According to Bess—a book about her mother's wisdom that we released on her mom's 91st birthday, just months before she passed.In our conversation, Bonnie walks me through all that the book opened up for her: she landed a TEDx talk that now has 350,000+ views, launched her podcast This Is How SHE Did It and became a keynote speaker on resilience and personal brand power. We dive into the unexpected wins—Barnes & Noble book signings, knowing her book is available at Target and having strangers sharing intimate stories about their own mothers after hearing her speak. She also reveals how the writing process helped her understand her relationship with her mom better. In the end, she explains how the book scratched an itch that no CMO title ever could—giving her something authentically hers that will outlive her while also teaching her that her superpower is tenacity.She ope

From the outside, it looked like Darren Prince had it all—a phenomenally successful sports and celebrity agent, his client roster overflowed with legendary names like Magic Johnson, Muhammad Ali and Charlie Sheen.  But behind the scenes, he was battling an addiction that nearly cost him everything.When he finally shared his story in his memoir Aiming High, it didn’t just change his life—it created a movement. This book also had a massive impact on me because it was the first book I ever published and is in fact what made me start Legacy Launch Pad.In this conversation, Darren and I laugh, get a little teary and reflect on all that his book led to—from spokesperson deals and keynote speeches to appearances on shows hosted by Tucker Carlson and Jay Shetty to a non-profit that saves lives...and so much more.Episode HighlightsHow the loss of his father and a conversation with Magic Johnson inspired Darren to finally tell his storyThe moment I convinced him his addiction—not his celebrity roster—was the real story

Matt George isn't just a Harvard Business School executive leadership coach.He's also one of my favorite Legacy Launch Pad clients. Yes, I say that a lot but I only have my favorites on this show.I've had the privilege of watching Matt go from being a longtime nonprofit CEO to becoming a three-time #1 bestselling author who leveraged his book into a multimillion-dollar portfolio of speaking, consulting, media and coaching opportunities. As a result of his books, he now works at Harvard Business School, hosted his own prime-time TV show for four years and has generated over a million dollars in revenue from the ripple effects of authorship.How did he do it? Well, he treated the book we published, Non-Profit Game Plan, like a "business card for life"—he never stopped networking with it.First, he carried copies everywhere, giving them out on flights, at conferences and to nonprofits across the country. He even packed a full suitcase with 50-60 books for a John Maxwell conference and refused to bring a single one

Calvin Bagley spent his childhood dodging the school bus and adulthood building business empires. The founder of multiple eight-figure Medicare companies and a self-proclaimed “big fish in a very specific pond,” Calvin went from growing up in rural isolation with nine siblings and no formal schooling to becoming one of the most respected names in his industry.His memoir Hiding from the School Bus doesn’t teach you how to scale a business—it shows you how to survive one hell of a childhood and still come out kind, successful and grateful.In this episode, Calvin and I cover everything from family feuds to Kirkus raves to what it’s like when people you barely know suddenly know all your darkest secrets. He talks about writing 1,000 pages during a bout of shingles (because of course he did), taking his co-writer back to the “scene of the crime” to really feel the trauma and throwing a Vegas book launch complete with goats, carrot cake and cocktails named after his childhood pain.It’s equal parts therapy session,

Ethlie Ann Vare has lived through every incarnation of the media machine—from the era when editors and agents were true gatekeepers to today’s age of algorithms and the “wisdom of the crowd.” A journalist, TV writer and author, Vare built a career on talent, timing and serendipity. She went from covering rock shows in 1980s Los Angeles to penning biographies of Stevie Nicks and Ozzy Osbourne then spent 15 years writing for television shows like Renegade, Silk Stalkings, Andromeda and CSI.In this episode, Vare reflects on how the publishing world she once knew—where publicists flew authors to The Today Show and books stayed in print for decades—has vanished, replaced by a firehose of content and a marketplace where visibility often trumps talent. She laments that authors are now the product, forced to become their own marketers and brands while readers drown in choice.A savvy observer of both life and the publishing industry, Vare has proven that good work finds its way. Her New York Times–noted Mothers of Inv

Jamie Rose is proof that reinvention can be a superpower. After decades as a working actress, she did what most in Hollywood never dare: she pivoted.First came writing. She landed a Penguin deal for her memoir Shut Up and Dance, diving headfirst into the brutal world of publishing. Then came coaching, where she transformed her 37 years of training with psychiatrist Phil Stutz (of The Tools and Jonah Hill’s Netflix doc Stutz) into a career helping others unlock their potential.Now she’s tackling her boldest project yet: Facing Madame X: An Initiation into Feminine Power (out March 2026). Part memoir, part self-help, the book distills Stutz’s groundbreaking tools through Jamie’s uniquely female perspective, weaving hard-won lessons of resilience, humor and creativity.Jamie had to figure out the system for herself. She rode the highs (landing a book deal with a major publisher) and the lows (refreshing Amazon rankings until she nearly lost her mind). She discovered that success wasn’t about fame or money alone—i

Mark Ebner has lived every journalist’s dream.  He’s a New York Times bestselling author, Hollywood insider and the guy behind some of the most notorious exposés in entertainment history. But behind the bylines and book deals is a story about an industry that chews up even its most fearless voices—and a writer who found a way to keep telling the truth anyway.In this conversation, Mark and I talk about everything the publishing world doesn’t want you to know—from missing royalty checks and botched releases to what happens when AI starts scraping your life’s work. He opens up about his unlikely friendship with Andrew Breitbart, the chaos of the book business and how he went from bestselling author to private investigator—while somehow staying one of the funniest, most unflinchingly honest people I’ve ever met.Episode HighlightsThe truth about what it really means to hit the New York Times list (and why it doesn’t make you rich)How HarperCollins mishandled his biggest book deal—and what it taught him about the i

Tom Zoellner has no illusions about fame, sales or the myth of the “life-changing book.” A National Book Critics Circle Award winner and New York Times bestselling author, Zoellner has written nine acclaimed works of nonfiction including Island on Fire: The Revolt that Ended Slavery in the British Empire, which also became a finalist for the Bancroft Prize and the California Book Award. But despite the accolades, he’s learned to see writing not as a climb toward visibility but as a lifelong meditation on curiosity and craft.In this episode, he and I had a lively debate about such things as whether technology is the death knell of creativity or an amazing opportunity, if one should be writing to build authority or to simply to experience the satisfaction of delving deeply into a topic and even how to pronounce BISAC (not to mention his last name).We also talk about how I once said a sentence to him summarizing how I feel about book publishing that he quotes back to me all the time.Tom may be my polar opposite

Dennis Hensley was the very first real writer I ever knew—back when getting a book published felt like spotting a unicorn in 1990s LA.His debut novel Misadventures in the (213) came out in 1998, and I thought it was the coolest thing imaginable.Years later, we'd find ourselves sweating through Ben Allen's dance classes together, proving that creative people really do wear all the hats.Dennis has written for everyone from Joan Rivers to Wondery podcasts, created party games and somehow made more money dancing in commercials than writing this year.Our conversation (recorded the day before his 61st birthday) goes deep on resilience, disappointment and figuring out how to keep creating when the scoreboard stops making sense.Topics Discussed:The 1990s writing gold rush: When Gen X believed you could actually make a living as a writer, gift bags overflowed at parties. and  magazines paid $1 per wordBreaking in: How an audition rejection for Madonna's Blonde Ambition tour became Dennis's first published article, lea

Heather Wood Rudulph has done many things in the publishing world, including co-writing Sexy Feminism: A Girl's Guide to Love, Success and Style with Jennifer Keishin Armstrong (a title that very much captured a specific moment in feminist evolution but makes Rudulph give a tiny cringe now).We met back in the New York media heyday when things like "readings and rub downs" (yes, book readings with massages) seemed totally normal.Heather's spent over a decade writing about culture and entertainment for everyone from Cosmo to Rolling Stone and now wears many hats in the words world (including as an occasional editor for my company!) This conversation digs into the realities of traditional publishing: the battles you pick, the dreams that get dashed and why understanding business matters as much as loving words.Topics Discussed:Fighting for your title: How Heather and her co-author battled their publisher five times to keep Sexy Feminism as their title and why picking your battles matters when you have so little