Right Idea. Wrong Business.

Posted on by Ciara Pressler
Yellow I, Acrylic on Canvas, 48_ x 36_

About 5 (ish) years ago I was invited to one of the first masterminds I had ever attended. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, this is usually a gathering of entrepreneurs in which everyone comes to the table with a problem and the group works in concert with each person to find solutions. This problem-solving method is often referred to as a “hot seat” because one person is sitting and listening to feedback from everyone else in the room and sometimes it can feel a bit intense like having a fire lit under your… well, you […]

Michael Roderick on Becoming a Stronger Connector and Building Trust

Posted on by Pregame Magazine
Michael Roderick

In The Interview: Episode #21, Ciara Pressler interviews Michael Roderick, the ultimate people connector. Michael and Ciara talk about: His thoughts on the ‘return back to normal’ Creating strong and memorable ideas as a thought leader Staying relevant in the digital space Driving referrals through brand and relationships Michael Roderick is the CEO of Small Pond Enterprises which helps thoughtful givers become thought leaders by making their brands referable, their messaging memorable, and their ideas unforgettable. He is also the host of the podcast Access to Anyone which shows how you can get to know anyone you want in business […]

The Art of the Jedi Mind Trick

Posted on by Michael Roderick
Carlo Proietto, Carrie Fisher, 2018 Pyrography, 31_ x 30.5

This is a transcript from my “Story Slam” presentation for IDEO U. It’s an excerpt from my longer talk.  I’ve wanted to give this talk for years! Actually, it’s been percolating since I first began teaching. I thought about all my favorite things and realized that I could use my love of Star Wars to teach Personal Branding. I even foreshadowed this talk at the conclusion of my first TEDx “The Price of Pleasing.” So What is the Art of the Jedi Mind Trick?   Before I get to that let’s go back A Long Time Ago….  to 1978. I was three […]

Tales from the Script

Posted on by Kevin Urban
Carlo Proietto, Pericoli Nascosti, 2007 Pyrography, 39.5_ x 47.5

When I was a kid I used to stay up late to watch the show Tales From The Crypt.  For those of you who are unfamiliar, it was a series on cable hosted by a character named The Crypt Keeper who looked like a cross between Skeletor and David Spade in the movie Joe Dirt and featured many well-known actors. Every episode was a different story that focused on the idea of twist endings which I really loved and most of the time the story involved a character who thought they were getting one over on someone or something (the show […]

Jeffrey Madoff on Self Reflection, Creative Journeys, and Risking Failure

Posted on by Pregame Magazine
Jeff Madoff

In The Interview: Episode #15, Ciara Pressler interviews B. Jeffrey Madoff, filmmaker, brand strategist, and author of Creative Careers. Jeffrey and Ciara talk about… His work with legendary brands like Ralph Lauren and Victoria’s Secret Exploring and staying curious Staying true to your brand Myths of entrepreneurship The benefits of having a team, structure, and support behind success Building and expanding a network The discoveries and themes of a successful creative career B. Jeffrey Madoff is the founder of Madoff Productions, based in New York City. His company produces branded content for major brands such as Ralph Lauren, Radio City […]

My Career Story: Michael Roderick, SuperConnector

Posted on by Pregame Magazine
michael roderick

Name: Michael Roderick Current Job: Founder of Small Pond Enterprises LLC and host of the Access To Anyone Podcast Current Place: New York City  Hometown: Providence, Rhode Island Age: 41 What I wanted to be when I grew up: A Teacher College degree: Double Major in Theatre Performance and Secondary Ed. English from Rhode Island College, then a Masters in Educational Theatre from New York University.  What do you love about what you do? I love helping people see more in themselves and finding new and innovative ways to help them spread their message.  What is the biggest challenge? Entrepreneurship […]

Join Pregame: Virtual Membership Now Open!

Posted on by Pregame Magazine
Pregame Virtual Workout

Pregame is all about helping you achieve your goals with the support of a team. We’re excited to open Pregame Membership to players everywhere. [learn more] Virtual membership has always been part of our long term game plan, but thanks to the coronavirus, we stepped up and moved everything online overnight. The silver lining? Now we can welcome you to our team, no matter where you are. For the past four years (plus five years of events before that), we’ve exclusively held our daily workshops in person. Nothing matches the magic of live interaction… or so we thought. It turns […]

Performative Reciprocity

Posted on by Michael Roderick
performative reciprocity

I have a friend who really loves to do calls where we get into the weeds of relationship-building methodologies. He enjoys digging deeper into the frameworks I’ve developed and in all our calls he gets me to go even deeper into the work that I do. And before I get into the topic he brought up, I’ll also add that having someone like this in your circle can be incredibly valuable to the rigor of your work. There are those who will take your ideas at face value and then there are those who will challenge your ideas with questions. […]

Owning a Third Place

Posted on by Michael Roderick
Pregame PDX Clubhouse 2016.08 (1)

When I was in high school, a large portion of the focus of the funding was on sports. Our teams always had new uniforms and the best equipment, we had pretty big pep rallies, and there was always money for trips, etc. The English Department was another story entirely. We had books that were reused year after year, very few actual trips, and even fewer actual supplies, so as a student I decided to do something about that. At the time, I had a band that I was singing in and I knew a lot of great musicians and other […]

Culture Guru: Be Authentic. Also Culture Guru: But Not Like That.

Posted on by Uma Kleppinger
authenticity

Have you ever looked in the mirror and been surprised that the person staring back at you was so much OLDER than you feel inside? That cognitive dissonance could be the result of a poorly defined self-image, but more often that not it’s because our core being doesn’t really age. Even as time passes and life presents new challenges and opportunities, who we are at our core remains unchanged, timeless. I call this the Authentic Self. The term authenticity is overused and hackneyed, yet it has always been and continues to be the bedrock of my ethos. My work as […]