411 | Encore: The Magic Connection Method With Brandon Fong
Release Date: 01/26/2026
423 | The Science Of Success: Why Confidence Comes After Action With Sara Connell
Small Business Straight Talk
Is a fear of taking action holding you back? Sara Connell reveals the neuroscience behind why you freeze and how to take strategic action before you feel ready. In this week's episode of the Small Business Straight Talk Podcast, I sit down with 5x bestselling author and founder of Thought Leader Academy, Sara Connell, to flip everything you thought you knew about confidence on its head. Spoiler: it does not show up first. What You'll Discover In This Episode: ✔ Why Your Brain Is Wired For Safety, Not Success ✔ The Three A's That Move You From Frozen To Free ✔ How To Build Confidence By...
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422 | Holding The Line: When Growth Is Not The Most Strategic Move
Small Business Straight Talk
Business growth isn't always the right move! But how do you know when not to grow your business? In this week's episode of the Small Business Straight Talk Podcast, I'm breaking down how to honestly assess whether your business is in a growth season or a hold the line season, why holding the line is active work not passive maintenance, and the six specific activities that keep your business intact while you do it. What You'll Discover In This Episode: ✔ When Growth Is Not The Most Strategic Move ✔ How To Recognize The Signals That Should Make You Assess Your Capacity ✔ The Honest...
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421 | The ADHD Brain In Business: Why You're Not Broken With Diann Wingert
Small Business Straight Talk
If you're an ADHD business owner who feels broken, you're not. In this episode of the Small Business Straight Talk Podcast, I sit down with ADHD business coach Diann Wingert to discover why your wiring isn't the problem and how to build a business that works with your brain. What You'll Discover: ✔ Why The Fastest Growing Group Being Diagnosed With ADHD Might Surprise You ✔ The "Default Yes" And How It Quietly Sabotages Your Boundaries And Commitments ✔ How To Tell The Difference Between A Real Opportunity And A Distraction Dressed Up As One ✔ Why Radical Self-Acceptance Has To Come...
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420 | The Real Reason I Created The Decision-Making Series
Small Business Straight Talk
Making hard business decisions hits different when you're changing something that already works. In this episode of the Small Business Straight Talk Podcast, I'm pulling back the curtain on the real reason I created the three-part decision-making series. While I was teaching you the framework, I was using it myself on a major business decision. Tune in as I share what held me back, which tools actually moved me through, and the moment I finally trusted what I already knew. What You Will Discover: ✔ The Big Business Decision I Was Working Through Behind The Scenes ✔ The Fear-Based Delays...
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419 | Decision-Making Part 3: You Have The Answer
Small Business Straight Talk
Trusting your gut in business decisions isn't reckless. It's your expertise distilled down to a feeling. So why do so many business owners keep overriding it? In this week's episode of the Small Business Straight Talk Podcast, I'm wrapping up the Decision-Making series with the one thing no framework can hand you, and it's been with you all along. What You'll Discover In This Episode: ✔ Why The Real Problem Was Never About The Decision ✔ How Seeking More Opinions Can Actually Work Against You ✔ The Difference Between Preparation And Outsourcing Your Own Authority ✔ What To Do When You...
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418 | Decision-Making Part 2: Stop Delaying, Start Deciding
Small Business Straight Talk
You know the decision you've been avoiding. The one that keeps showing up on your mental list week after week. Today we fix that. In this week's episode of the Small Business Straight Talk Podcast, I'm sharing practical, immediately usable tools for every decision-making delay pattern: fear-based delays, thinking traps, calibration problems, and avoidance patterns. Plus a framework I created to help you match your effort to what each decision actually deserves. What You'll Discover In This Episode: ✔ How To Counter The Fear Story Your Brain Keeps Telling You ✔ The Question That Reveals If...
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417 | Decision-Making Part 1: The Hidden Cost Of Delaying
Small Business Straight Talk
If you’re drowning in unmade decisions, it’s costing you more than time. In this week's episode of the Small Business Straight Talk Podcast, I'm breaking down what's really going on when you can't seem to pull the trigger and why "just decide already" has never helped anyone. What You'll Discover In This Episode: ✔ The 4 Categories Of Decision Delay And Which One Is Likely Your Default ✔ Why Fear Shows Up In More Ways Than You Think ✔ How Your Brain Lies To You About What Deserves Your Attention ✔ The Hidden Cost That Follows You Home And Sits At The Dinner Table ✔ Why Treating...
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416 | Exploring The Effect Of Emotional Intelligence On Your Success With Alex Resnick
Small Business Straight Talk
Can't hold a boundary without getting frustrated? You're not alone. One of the biggest struggles I see with business owners is setting and holding boundaries with their team, their clients, and their time. And here's what most people miss: you can't hold a boundary effectively if you can't manage your own emotions. In this week's episode of the Small Business Straight Talk Podcast, I'm bringing back one of my favorite conversations with Alex Resnick, Founder of Evolve Leadership. We dig into why emotional intelligence isn't soft skills fluff — it's actually the skill that allows you to...
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415 | Strategic Thinking: What's Getting In Your Way And How To Fix It
Small Business Straight Talk
Do you ever feel like you're so buried in the day-to-day that you never get a chance to zoom out and think about where your business is going? In this week's episode of the Small Business Straight Talk Podcast, I'm breaking down what's really getting in the way of strategic thinking - and it's probably not what you think. What You'll Discover In This Episode: ✔ Why Thinking Time Feels Like Slacking And How To Shift That Mindset ✔ The Science Behind Why Your Brain Resists Strategic Thinking ✔ How Stress Actually Changes The Type Of Thinking You Can Do ✔ A Simple Framework To Set...
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414 | Encore: Building A Company Culture Of High Performers Who Never Want To Leave With Yuri Elkaim
Small Business Straight Talk
Ever feel like you're spinning your wheels with your team? Too much back and forth, unclear expectations, and you're wondering if it's them or if it's you? In this week's episode of the Small Business Straight Talk Podcast, I'm bringing back my conversation with Yuri Elkaim because he gets real about being the source of his own team's chaos AND explains exactly what he did to fix it. What You'll Discover In This Episode: ✔ The Two Leadership Skills That Matter Most When Building A High-Performing Team ✔ Why Your Company Culture Is A Direct Reflection Of You As The Founder ✔ How To Build...
info_outlineWhat if you're just one connection away from your biggest breakthrough? In this encore episode of the Small Business Straight Talk Podcast, I'm bringing back one of my favorite interviews because the message is just as powerful now as when I first aired it.
Brandon Fong, creator of the Magic Connection Method, shares the exact 5-step framework he used to land a dream opportunity as a college senior... and how you can use it to build relationships that open doors for your business.
What You'll Discover In This Episode:
✔ Why You're Just One Connection Away From Anything You Want
✔ The 5-Step Framework To Connect With Anyone
✔ How To Make An Irresistible Offer That Gets Busy People To Say Yes
✔ What Most Business Owners Get Wrong About Networking
✔ How To Find Anyone's Email And Craft Subject Lines That Get Opened
✔ So Much More!
To access resources and links from this episode, visit AmberDeLaGarza.com/411
P.S. Not sure what's holding you back from taking your business to the next level? Take my free Next Level Business Owner Quiz and get a personalized playlist to help you solve your biggest pain points. Head to AmberDeLaGarza.com/QUIZ
And… If you're realizing that the connections you need won't happen unless you make time for them, let's talk. I'm currently at capacity but still taking discovery calls. Schedule yours at AmberDeLaGarza.com/Call