Follow The Brand Podcast with Host Grant McGaugh

Hosted by Grant McGaugh CEO 5 STAR BDM

Business Entrepreneurship Marketing Education

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Episodes

265

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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EN-US

About the show

Are you ready to take your personal brand and business development to the next level? Then you won't want to miss the exciting new podcast dedicated to helping you tell your story in the most compelling way possible. Join me as I guide you through the process of building a magnetic personal brand, creating valuable relationships, and mastering the art of networking. With my expert tips and practical strategies, you'll be well on your way to 5-star success in both your professional and personal life. Don't wait - start building your 5-STAR BRAND TODAY!

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60 recent

June 14, 2026Episode 2833 min

Five More Steps with Jason W. Gallo

Send us Fan MailA lot of leaders talk about resilience. Far fewer can explain how to turn resilience into something a whole team can actually use when the pressure is on. Grant McGaugh sits down with Jason Gallo to trace that shift from a “power through it” mindset to authentic leadership built on tools, trust, and empowerment, shaped by Jason’s Brooklyn upbringing and a Grand Canyon moment where the only goal was “five more steps.” From there, we zoom out to the biggest workplace shift many of us will ever live through: artificial intelligence. Jason lays out why AI will surpass the impact of the internet and cloud, how agentic AI changes the way work gets done, and why trust infrastructure matters as much as technical infrastructure. We talk candidly about the anxiety people feel when new tools show up overnight, the adoption curve that follows every major platform change, and what leaders can do right now with training, communication, and the humility to say, “We don’t have all the answers.” Jason also shares a practical story from inside Cisco: “corporate camouflage,” the stuffed elephant that gave a room full of executives permission to be heard, and how that kind of vulnerability can unlock real innovation. We dig into mentorship as a “board of directors” (including devil’s advocate mentors), representation in tech, and how Cisco is transforming its ecosystem through the Cisco 360 partner program using co-design with roughly 35,000 partners worldwide. We close with a personal reminder on prostate cancer awareness and prevention. If you found this helpful, subscribe, share the episode with a leader navigating AI change, and leave a review. What’s one trust-building move your team needs to make this month?Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Follow The Brand! We hope you enjoyed learning about the latest trends and strategies in Personal Branding, Business and Career Development, Financial Empowerment, Technology Innovation, and Executive Presence. To keep up with the latest insights and updates, visit 5starbdm.com.And don’t miss Grant McGaugh’s new book, First Light — a powerful guide to igniting your purpose and building a BRAVE brand that stands out in a changing world. - https://5starbdm.com/brave-masterclass/See you next time on Follow The Brand!

June 7, 2026Episode 2742 min

The Invisible Gap: Why Prevention Is the Next Healthcare Revolution with Corlette Deveaux

Send us Fan MailA stroke or heart attack rarely happens in a doctor’s office, it happens on an ordinary day when nobody is watching the subtle warning signs. We sit down with healthcare innovator and RM2.ai CEO Corlette to talk about the invisible gap between appointments and why that gap is where preventable crises quietly build. If you’re caring for aging parents, managing chronic disease, or simply trying to stay independent longer, this conversation is a practical look at how prevention can finally come before panic. We get personal about caregiving, the “sandwich generation,” and the cost of waiting until there’s a fall, a missed medication, or a sudden ER visit. Corlette explains how an early warning health intelligence platform integrates with select wearables to pull vitals like blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen, and temperature and then turns those readings into trend-based visibility and alerts. We also dig into how a shared care team dashboard can assign different alerts to different family members, plus why geofencing and location monitoring can be life-saving for loved ones at risk of wandering with dementia. We also tackle the big question: should people be afraid of AI in healthcare? Corlette makes the case for AI as an enhancement, not a replacement for human care, and introduces live vital intelligence for telehealth so clinicians can see real-time vitals during a virtual visit and review months of trends without relying on handwritten logs. Along the way, we connect prevention back to everyday lifestyle choices and why “know your numbers” matters for hypertension and other chronic conditions. If this resonates, subscribe, share this episode with a caregiver or family group chat, and leave a review so more people find tools and ideas that help prevent the next crisis before it starts.Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Follow The Brand! We hope you enjoyed learning about the latest trends and strategies in Personal Branding, Business and Career Development, Financial Empowerment, Technology Innovation, and Executive Presence. To keep up with the latest insights and updates, visit 5starbdm.com.And don’t miss Grant McGaugh’s new book, First Light — a powerful guide to igniting your purpose and building a BRAVE brand that stands out in a changing world. - https://5starbdm.com/brave-masterclass/See you next time on Follow The Brand!

June 1, 2026Episode 2640 min

Men Die in Garden Moments with Derek Jackson

Send us Fan MailMost men don’t collapse all at once. They drift, they numb out, they get busy, and then one day they realize they’ve been “fine” for years while quietly losing their edge, their joy, or their family. Grant McGaugh sits down with Derek Jackson, a longtime healthcare leader and the author of Men Dying Garden Moments: The Hidden Crisis of Masculinity and the Journey Back to Life, for a direct conversation about men’s mental health, masculinity, and what accountability actually looks like when nobody’s watching.Derek introduces the idea of “garden moments,” those decision points where the consequences outlast the emotion. We talk through the four areas where men often start to check out: stature (how we respond to changing roles and expectations), spirituality (having an anchor and core beliefs), physical health (including lifestyle and finances, not just the body), and relationships (the growing friction and mistrust between men and women). Along the way, we dig into authenticity, the influence of algorithms and culture, and why “perform, provide, protect” isn’t enough if you never learn to process.We also get practical: how to build a safe circle of men, Derek’s “board meeting,” where mentorship happens and accountability becomes normal. If you want to lead better, love better, and live with fewer regrets, this conversation is a strong starting point. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review. What’s one “garden moment” you’re facing right now?Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Follow The Brand! We hope you enjoyed learning about the latest trends and strategies in Personal Branding, Business and Career Development, Financial Empowerment, Technology Innovation, and Executive Presence. To keep up with the latest insights and updates, visit 5starbdm.com.And don’t miss Grant McGaugh’s new book, First Light — a powerful guide to igniting your purpose and building a BRAVE brand that stands out in a changing world. - https://5starbdm.com/brave-masterclass/See you next time on Follow The Brand!

May 27, 2026Episode 2657 min

Closing the Authority Gap in the AI Era

Send us Fan MailIf your content is consistent but your opportunities are not, you might be dealing with a problem most leaders cannot name: the authority gap. I define it as the distance between looking visible online and being genuinely trusted by the people who can hire you, fund you, or partner with you. After 30 years in healthcare technology and now building an AI-powered business accelerator for underserved entrepreneurs, I keep seeing the same pattern: brilliant experts and founders with real solutions still get overlooked because the market cannot quickly recognize their authority signals. AI is accelerating that pain. Tools can produce polished marketing in seconds, which means the internet is filling up with generic ideas and copycat expertise. Buyers are responding with tougher reputation due diligence: they search your name, scan your LinkedIn, review podcast appearances, and look for proof that holds up. Trust is becoming the scarce resource, and digital discoverability is now inseparable from leadership reputation, personal branding, and business brand growth. I break down my Brave Authority Index, a practical authority-building framework built on five connected pillars: Boldness, Resilience, Authenticity, Vision, and Execution. You will hear how to sharpen a specific market position, build durable credibility across platforms, show real human coherence without oversharing, publish future-facing ideas your audience can use, and create follow-up systems that turn visibility into revenue. I also walk through a case study where a B2B firm moves from commodity IT vendor to inbound demand by connecting thought leadership to clear next steps and measurable pipeline. If you want to stop sounding like everyone else and start getting believed, subscribe, share this with a friend who is “visible but stuck,” and leave a review so more leaders can find it.Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Follow The Brand! We hope you enjoyed learning about the latest trends and strategies in Personal Branding, Business and Career Development, Financial Empowerment, Technology Innovation, and Executive Presence. To keep up with the latest insights and updates, visit 5starbdm.com.And don’t miss Grant McGaugh’s new book, First Light — a powerful guide to igniting your purpose and building a BRAVE brand that stands out in a changing world. - https://5starbdm.com/brave-masterclass/See you next time on Follow The Brand!

May 17, 2026Episode 2537 min

Why Storytelling Is the Antidote to AI-Generated Sameness with David Ebner

Send us Fan MailAI can generate a thousand posts before lunch, but it cannot manufacture empathy. That’s the tension we dig into with David J. Ebner, founder of Content Workshop, as we talk about what actually makes brand storytelling work when buyers are skeptical and content feels interchangeable.We break down the practical difference between story-first marketing and content-first output. A strong brand story doesn’t spotlight the company, it makes the customer the hero and gives them a believable path from problem to progress. David explains why emotional connection is the real driver of recall, how testimonials capture a transformation arc, and why better word choice and tighter editing can separate you from the sea of sameness that AI has amplified.Then we zoom out from words to full brand experience. We talk about where stories live (especially on your website), why mismatched web experiences weaken even great messaging, and how experiential marketing at events can create memorable moments without relying on expensive gimmicks. Finally, we land on leadership: setting values, living them visibly, and using a simple filter for every deliverable: who does this help and how does it help them?Subscribe for more conversations like this, share this with a founder or marketer who needs a sharper brand voice, and leave a review with the one story you think your audience actually remembers.Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Follow The Brand! We hope you enjoyed learning about the latest trends and strategies in Personal Branding, Business and Career Development, Financial Empowerment, Technology Innovation, and Executive Presence. To keep up with the latest insights and updates, visit 5starbdm.com.And don’t miss Grant McGaugh’s new book, First Light — a powerful guide to igniting your purpose and building a BRAVE brand that stands out in a changing world. - https://5starbdm.com/brave-masterclass/See you next time on Follow The Brand!

May 12, 2026Episode 2432 min

THE VILLAGE DOESN'T WAIT FOR PERMISSION

Send us Fan MailAI is already deciding who gets surfaced, summarized, and recommended, and that reality changes personal branding and business development in a way most leaders have not fully faced. I walk through the moment that broke something in me, when a preventable delay in a broken healthcare system cost my father his life, not because doctors lacked skill, but because the system could not coordinate fast enough. That experience became my lens for seeing the same failure pattern in leadership, hiring, entrepreneurship, and community growth: when people cannot find the right expert at the right time, outcomes suffer. From the Rebuilding the Village work I witnessed across cities like Omaha, Durham, Kansas City, Tulsa, and Minneapolis, I outline three architectures that compound impact: civic infrastructure that aligns partners, economic ecosystems that create pathways for entrepreneurs to learn, fund, and scale, and the missing layer I focus on, trust infrastructure. Trust infrastructure is what makes founders and leaders findable and verifiable so customers, investors, and even AI systems can confirm authority without guesswork. Then I get practical. I define trust infrastructure as promise, proof, and presence, and I explain why AI will not invent your authority for you. I introduce my Brave Blueprint Strategy and a seven-day sprint you can start tomorrow to build visible authority with real receipts: a one-sentence introduction, proof points, an origin story, consistent content, a short proof video, and testimonials you collect with permission. If you want to be the automatic choice when it matters most, subscribe, share this with someone building a brand, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Follow The Brand! We hope you enjoyed learning about the latest trends and strategies in Personal Branding, Business and Career Development, Financial Empowerment, Technology Innovation, and Executive Presence. To keep up with the latest insights and updates, visit 5starbdm.com.And don’t miss Grant McGaugh’s new book, First Light — a powerful guide to igniting your purpose and building a BRAVE brand that stands out in a changing world. - https://5starbdm.com/brave-masterclass/See you next time on Follow The Brand!

May 5, 2026Episode 4843 min

The Authority Gap: Why Your Expertise Isn’t Worth What It Should Be

Send us Fan MailCold outreach is louder than ever, yet most of it still feels like cardboard in the mail. Host Grant McGaugh sits down with mortgage professional, networking coach, and speaker Sarah Hubbard to get real about what actually drives growth in a crowded sales market and why old school “spend money to make money” tactics can leave you stressed, broke, and disconnected from the people you’re trying to serve.Sarah shares her origin story: a high-achieving athlete who thought she’d become a physical therapist, got rejected from multiple programs, then unexpectedly fell into mortgage financing. When she moved into origination, she followed the playbook she was handed: heavy direct mail, big spend, little personalization, and wound up $60,000 in credit card debt. That low point becomes a turning point as she discovers a better path: intentional networking built on real conversations, trust, and clear next steps.Together, we unpack Sarah’s MAPP framework for networking ROI: Mindset and Intention, Authentic Presence, and Precise Messaging, plus how to use AI tools to research rooms, create smarter icebreakers, and make limited time count. We talk about authenticity without performative branding, why introverts can be elite networkers, how to stop saying “I help anybody,” and how to make your message simple enough that people can confidently refer you. If you want more referrals, a stronger personal brand, and business development that feels good, not salesy, this one is for you.Subscribe, share this with a friend who hates networking, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Follow The Brand! We hope you enjoyed learning about the latest trends and strategies in Personal Branding, Business and Career Development, Financial Empowerment, Technology Innovation, and Executive Presence. To keep up with the latest insights and updates, visit 5starbdm.com.And don’t miss Grant McGaugh’s new book, First Light — a powerful guide to igniting your purpose and building a BRAVE brand that stands out in a changing world. - https://5starbdm.com/brave-masterclass/See you next time on Follow The Brand!

April 28, 2026Episode 4731 min

AI-Ready Nonprofits Will Outscale Everyone Else. The Window to Act Is Now with Sharon Elefant

Send us Fan MailA nonprofit can have the purest mission in the world and still fail if it’s run like a hobby. We sit down with Dr. Sharon Elefant, CEO of The Nonprofit Plug, to talk about what it really takes to operate a “business with a cause” with the same seriousness you’d bring to a for-profit company.We dig into the real differences between nonprofit vs for-profit organizations, why tax reporting matters, and how transparency can become an advantage. Sharon explains why nonprofit branding is not a logo project. It’s mission clarity, a specific community you serve, a plan that actually solves the problem, and the ability to answer the question every funder is thinking: “If I gave you $50,000 today, exactly how would you spend it?” We also talk proof of impact, building early wins, and why listening to community needs beats performative charity every time.Then we get tactical on nonprofit financial management and compliance: financial literacy, budgeting, reading a P&L, and how Form 990 filings influence trust, grant readiness, and even public ratings on platforms like Charity Navigator and GuideStar. We close by reframing “sales” as outreach, pitching, and donor cultivation so your programs can grow without losing integrity.If you got value from this conversation, subscribe, share it with a nonprofit founder, and leave a review so more mission-driven leaders can find it.Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Follow The Brand! We hope you enjoyed learning about the latest trends and strategies in Personal Branding, Business and Career Development, Financial Empowerment, Technology Innovation, and Executive Presence. To keep up with the latest insights and updates, visit 5starbdm.com.And don’t miss Grant McGaugh’s new book, First Light — a powerful guide to igniting your purpose and building a BRAVE brand that stands out in a changing world. - https://5starbdm.com/brave-masterclass/See you next time on Follow The Brand!

April 19, 2026Episode 2958 min

Why Founders Miss the Moment with Craig Elias and Brandy Old

Send us Fan MailMost founders don’t lose deals because they lack hustle. They lose because they show up at the wrong moment, pitching someone who is still “happy enough” with the status quo. We sit down with Craig Elias, creator of Trigger Event Selling, and Brandy, startup builder and coach, to map the moments that actually make buyers move and how to be first in the door when they do.We break down what a trigger event is, why the “window of dissatisfaction” is where buying decisions quietly begin, and how founders can stop wasting outreach on people who won’t change. You’ll hear practical startup sales frameworks like finding a motivated market beyond TAM SAM SOM, validating demand with Problem Bingo, and the painkiller vs vitamin test. We also dig into RIPES, the five-part logic buyers use to justify spend in B2B, plus how to clarify your ideal customer profile with bifurcation and a tight seven-second sales message.Then we get tactical about go-to-market strategy: building a marketing moat with simple SEO plays like owning the domain language customers repeat, and how AI tools can speed research and planning without hiding behind tech. The big theme stays human, though: relationships, propinquity, and personal branding on LinkedIn so you’re known before the buyer is ready.If you want better timing, cleaner positioning, and a startup sales process that doesn’t feel like begging, hit play. After you listen, subscribe, share it with a founder who needs it, and leave a review. What’s the trigger event that made your last big purchase happen?Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Follow The Brand! We hope you enjoyed learning about the latest trends and strategies in Personal Branding, Business and Career Development, Financial Empowerment, Technology Innovation, and Executive Presence. To keep up with the latest insights and updates, visit 5starbdm.com.And don’t miss Grant McGaugh’s new book, First Light — a powerful guide to igniting your purpose and building a BRAVE brand that stands out in a changing world. - https://5starbdm.com/brave-masterclass/See you next time on Follow The Brand!

April 12, 2026Episode 2315 min

The Authority Asset Sprint Build the Sales Tool That Works While You Sleep

Send us Fan MailYour personal brand is already selling for you or silently costing you deals. In a world where B2B buyers can compare options instantly and AI can generate endless content, the only way to stand out is to be unmistakably real, specific, and proven. Grant McGaugh, founder of 5 Star BDM and host of the Follow the Brand podcast, joins us to explain how executives and founders turn reputation into a revenue engine, and why authenticity plus a clear point of view becomes the true differentiator in 2026.We get practical fast. Grant walks us through his “authority asset sprint,” a five-step play you can execute in a week: pick one ideal client win, run a 20-minute “win story” call, transcribe it with AI, and turn the exact language into a one-page case study built around before-and-after outcomes and key metrics. Then we talk about how to use that asset immediately in sales conversations, referrals, and warm outreach to shorten cycles and spark a qualified pipeline.We also challenge a popular personal branding myth: posting every day. If your content doesn’t reinforce your position, tell a concrete customer story, or lead to a clear next step, you’re just adding noise. The bigger advantage, especially with agentic AI and automation, is clearing back-end work so you can spend more time in human-to-human conversations, where trust is built and deals actually happen.Subscribe for more simple wins, share this with a founder who needs stronger authority, and leave a review if you want more tactical B2B growth strategies. What’s one client result you could turn into a one-page asset this week?Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Follow The Brand! We hope you enjoyed learning about the latest trends and strategies in Personal Branding, Business and Career Development, Financial Empowerment, Technology Innovation, and Executive Presence. To keep up with the latest insights and updates, visit 5starbdm.com.And don’t miss Grant McGaugh’s new book, First Light — a powerful guide to igniting your purpose and building a BRAVE brand that stands out in a changing world. - https://5starbdm.com/brave-masterclass/See you next time on Follow The Brand!