*This episode originally aired in August 2025

Michael Aaron Flicker, founder of XenoPsi Ventures and co-founder of the Consumer Behavior Lab with behavioral scientist Richard Shotton, joins John Jantsch to explore how psychology shapes the world's most successful brands. Drawing from their book Hacking the Human Mind, Michael shares insights into the hidden science behind consumer decisions and brand loyalty. Listeners will learn how to apply behavioral science to create more effective campaigns, craft memorable messages, and drive real business growth.

Today we discussed:

00:00 Start
01:03 Meet Michael Aaron Flicker
01:46 Hacking the Human Mind
02:47 Do Brands Know Psychology?
04:05 Challenging Marketing Myths
05:57 Behavioral Science Lab Work
07:43 Apple's iPod Memory Trick
10:41 Why 17 is Magic
12:09 Surprising Brand Psychology
13:37 The Peak-End Rule
16:23 Ethics of Mind Hacking
18:19 Getting Started Guide

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John talks with Ashley Herd—founder of Manager Method—about why top performers often struggle when promoted into management and what organizations can do differently. Using real-world examples, Ashley breaks down how clear expectations, practical feedback, and better one-on-one conversations can transform team performance. She also shares her "career quilt" approach and a simple framework managers can use to make better decisions. If you want to build confident, effective leaders without burning people out, this conversation delivers the tools and long-tail strategies you need.

Today we discussed:

00:00 Introduction
00:33 Meet Ashley Herd
01:07 Accidental Managers Problem
02:52 The Manager Method
04:38 Training Gap Reality
05:50 Setting Clear Expectations
09:05 Career Quilt Concept
10:43 One-on-One Best Practices
13:08 Pause, Consider, Act
15:40 Coaching vs. Managing
16:53 Simple Management Tips
18:28 HR Perception Myths
19:57 Resources & Templates

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With over two decades of experience helping small businesses thrive, John dives solo into this episode to explore how AI is revolutionizing the buyer's journey. He breaks down the stages of his signature "Marketing Hourglass" framework and shares how businesses must adapt their strategies in an AI-driven world. Tune in to learn how to future-proof your marketing by aligning with evolving customer behavior, embracing self-service tools, and doubling down on authenticity and trust. Today we discussed:

00:00 Introducing Christine Perkett

00:09 The evolved buyer journey

02:29 Reintroducing the Marketing Hourglass as a flexible customer journey mode

03:43 How AI interrupts and reshapes journey stages like know, like, and trust

04:55 Recommendation engines and the rise of self-service experiences

06:12 The need to rethink SEO: focus on questions, not keywords

06:50 Combining digital efficiency with emotional, human-centered marketing

08:33 The journey is already changing—are you adapting?

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