This Author of 16 Romance Novels is Business Savvy and Shares Her Actionable Insights
Release Date: 03/30/2025
Why “Perfect” Image-Making Fails — and What Works Instead
Monday Morning Radio
Monica Ballard knows why so many marketing campaigns fail. It’s not for lack of clever slogans, talented spokespeople, or catchy jingles. Surprisingly, the cause is trying to project “perfection” rather than authenticity, which includes acknowledging the struggles and risks inherent in running a business. Monica is a veteran marketing strategist, storyteller, and one of the elite Partners. Drawing on her background in theater, radio, and live performance, Monica explains why empathy and emotional honesty create bonds with customers and prospects that no discount or gimmick ever could....
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Chasing Gold Beyond the Finish Line
Monday Morning Radio
Ruben Gonzalez, four-time record-holding Olympian, bestselling author, and sought-after keynote speaker, returns to Monday Morning Radio for a wide-ranging, deeply practical conversation about perseverance, belief, and the wisdom of following proven leaders. Ruben’s story is anything but conventional. He didn’t begin competing at an elite level until his mid-20s, and has never used his lack of natural athleticism as an excuse for falling short. His career — on the luge track and beyond — has been built on desire, discipline, and a stubborn refusal to quit. Now in his 60s, he offers...
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A Christmas Day Miracle
Monday Morning Radio
This week, hosts Dean and Maxwell Rotbart offer their third annual holiday treat for Monday Morning Radio listeners: a reading of the inspirational adult Yuletide tale, , by Dean and Talya Rotbart. Since the book was first published in 2021, it has become a perennial holiday favorite. A Christmas Day Miracle tells the true story of one man, Riyaz Adat, on death’s doorstep, his devoted wife, Margaret, and Riyaz’s miraculous survival and recovery. It’s a poignant reminder for people of all faiths of the wonder and power of life’s unexpected blessings. This is a once-a-year...
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‘Tis the Perfect Season to Make A Short List of Key Connections
Monday Morning Radio
David Ackert is making a list and checking it twice — but he’s no Santa Claus. The gifts he brings are practical, powerful insights for professionals who want to grow their businesses and advance their careers. As co-founder and CEO of Ackert, Inc. and its subsidiary, , David challenges the long-held belief that success depends on building a massive network of connections. In his view, quantity is a distraction. What truly matters is cultivating a small, carefully curated list of 9 to 30 “high-value” relationships — the people who have the greatest likelihood of helping you reach...
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Small Business Role Models: As Ken and McKenzie Lain Eye Expansion into New Markets
Monday Morning Radio
Ken Lain’s father-in-law, Harold Watters, opened a garden center in semi-arid, mountainous Prescott, Arizona, in 1962. Six decades later, garden centers aren’t exactly giving e-commerce companies and Big Box home improvement centers much in the way of competition, and countless brick-and-mortar retailers have gone out of business. Yet Ken, his wife, Lisa, and their daughter, McKenzie, have continued to make their third-generation family business, , bloom. Now, the Lains stand at the cusp of an ambitious expansion into new markets. This week father and daughter share the nutrient-rich...
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Discovering Your Inner Octopus
Monday Morning Radio
What animal has nine brains, eight arms, three hearts, adapts rapidly, and possesses exceptional intelligence? Yes, the description applies to octopuses. But according to Stephen Wunker, managing director of , it is also an apt description of business owners and CEOs who harness artificial intelligence to transform their companies into super-high-performing organizations. Steve and his colleagues advise companies and organizations, including Microsoft, Meta, Nike, and the World Bank, on innovation strategy and capabilities. His latest book, co-authored with futurist Jonathan Brill, is ....
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Eveline Shen’s “Operating System” is For Leaders Who Want to Be Changemakers
Monday Morning Radio
Eveline Shen, an award-winning leadership and social change strategist, is the principal at , a for-profit company where she teaches her “Courageous Operating System” to help leaders of color face their challenges with courage, confidence, and strength. Previously, she spent 22 years as the executive director of , building it into one of the country’s largest multi-issue organizations led by women of color. Eveline, who goes by “Ev,” helps leaders rewire the limiting patterns that hold them back — including perfectionism, imposter syndrome, and people-pleasing — and replace...
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Top Global Financial Manager Rates This Approach to Management a ‘Strong Buy’
Monday Morning Radio
Sébastien Page is the Chief Investment Officer of T. Rowe Price, overseeing an astounding $500 billion of the firm’s $1.79 trillion in assets — a sum on par with the market caps of Exxon Mobil, Mastercard, or Netflix. Widely acknowledged as a global investment expert, Sébastien is also a deeply informed thinker on leadership. Managing a “portfolio” of high-performing analysts, investment managers, and support staff has taught him that the traits behind exceptional investors closely mirror those behind exceptional people managers. Drawing on research across positive psychology,...
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The Keys to Digital Marketing Supremacy: Authenticity and Alignment
Monday Morning Radio
Visitors to a Vi Wickam-crafted website may not immediately see what sets it apart from an ordinary e-commerce or informational site. But they feel it. They stay longer, engage more deeply, and are far more likely to become — and remain — loyal customers. A master of the digital domain, Vi is among the elite global , celebrated for more than two decades of helping business owners achieve remarkable revenue growth. Whether optimizing keywords, managing pay-per-click campaigns, or reimagining a company’s web presence, Vi takes a holistic approach that goes far beyond surface-level...
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Sweet Success: How Two First-Timers Revitalized a 110-Year-Old Chocolate Brand
Monday Morning Radio
When Brian and Sally Krichbaum bought in 2012, they had zero experience making or selling candy. Brian was a seasoned automotive engineer and consultant, while Sally was a freelance writer and stay-at-home mom. What they shared was a taste for challenge — and for good chocolate. Founded in 1893 and beloved by generations of Jackson, Michigan, residents, Gilbert Chocolates was a hometown treasure in need of fresh energy. The Krichbaums took on the task of modernizing operations and expanding distribution while preserving the small-batch, Belgian-style quality that defined the brand. Their...
info_outlineWhen it comes to late-career transitions, Gigi Meier’s reinvention is nothing short of remarkable. After three decades in banking — reaching the boardroom level of a multi-billion-dollar Texas institution — Gigi has reinvented herself as a successful romance writer.
She has self-published 16 books, some quite steamy, across three ongoing series.
The cover of her books — not for every taste — typically feature a shirtless, ripped stud and a one-word title: Paolo, or Hamilton, or Giovanni.
One of Gigi’s best-selling books is her first, Tomlin, the tale of a small-town romance between a foul-mouth car restorer and a determined Judo Olympian who refuses to take no for an answer.
While you might expect Gigi to draw on her extensive banking experience to fuel her publishing success, as she explains on this week’s episode, she’s discovered valuable insights as a romance publisher that would have been useful during her banking career — and they offer actionable lessons for any business or entrepreneurial venture.
Whether or not you’re a fan of romance novels, you’ll want to cozy up to this week’s podcast for some sexy business ideas.
Monday Morning Radio is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.
Photo: Gigi Meier, Author
Posted: March 31, 2025
Monday Morning Run Time: 42:18
Episode: 13.42
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