Nick Barba: From Full Page Thrasher Ads to Saving Lives Without BS
Spirit of the Deal
Listen the hell up because we’re done playing small. Most people spend their lives marinating in their own excuses, waiting for a permission slip from the universe that isn’t coming. They think "getting your shit together" is a slow, painful crawl through a desert of boredom. It’s not. It’s a quantum leap fueled by the realization that you are the one standing in your own goddamn way. In this episode of The Spirit of the Deal, Brandon G. Handley sits down with Nick Barba—a man who was once so committed to his own destruction he landed a full-page ad in Thrasher just to prove he could...
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Expand Your Bandwidth
Spirit of the Deal
The deal isn't closed by force; it's closed by clarity. Most enterprise leaders are currently white-knuckling the steering wheel, treating AI like a basic search engine while their competitive advantage evaporates. This episode shifts the perspective: AI is not just a tool; it is a mech suit for your mind designed to expand your capacity and regulate your output. We navigate the transition from manual friction to bio-electric leverage. You will learn how to move beyond simple queries to engage AI as a strategic thought partner. This allows you to iterate faster, fail forward in private, and...
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Your strategy is fine. Your hardware is the problem. W Dr. Ron Stotts
Spirit of the Deal
The Diagnostic: Why Your "Success" Hardware is Glitching Out Most high-performers think they have a strategy problem. They don't. They have a system failure. In this session of Spirit of the Deal, systems architect Ron Stotts breaks down why your current "success" is actually a high-speed collision with a glass ceiling. Stotts isn't here to hold your hand or talk about your "journey"; he’s here to tell you that the survival hardware you installed as a child is currently sabotaging your quarterly returns. The Biological Bottleneck The central insight is simple: You are grinding yourself into...
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Upgrading Your Executive Operating System
Spirit of the Deal
The new year has arrived, and with it, the predictable surge of "system noise." While the rest of the world is busy scrubbing the movie screen with Windex—trying to fix external results through sheer force and 3:00 AM ice baths—we are going into the projection booth. In this episode, we diagnose why most high-performers are trying to run enterprise-level software on fried hardware. The "Spirit of the Deal" isn't about finding your inner peace; it’s about system maintenance. We are bridging the gap between the boardroom and biology. If your nervous system is screaming "unsafe" during a...
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The ROI of Coherence: Translating Inner Signals into Strategic Clarity W/Michael McAdams
Spirit of the Deal
The deal isn’t closed by force; it’s closed by clarity. In the high-stakes environment of global enterprise, we are trained to monitor external metrics: ROI, market volatility, and competitive leverage. However, most leaders are operating with significant internal friction, drowning out the very signals they need to navigate complex terrain. Michael McAdams, author of An Angel Told Me So, joins the show to reframe our understanding of guidance and high-performance coherence. This episode is a masterclass in expanding your internal bandwidth to receive the strategic intelligence already...
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From Commercialism to Connection: Redefining the Holiday Experience
Spirit of the Deal
summaryIn this conversation, Brandon G Handley reflects on the true spirit of Christmas, emphasizing the importance of giving and creating meaningful experiences. He discusses his journey towards embracing the holiday season positively, moving away from commercialism. Handley also shares insights on how AI has influenced his creativity and the development of new tools for personal growth, including a gamified approach to self-improvement. He encourages listeners to embrace the spirit of giving and to explore new ways to track their goals and habits in the coming year. takeaways The spirit of...
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Glenn Poulos - Compounding Voltage
Spirit of the Deal
Stop hiding behind the glass screen. Your nervous system knows the difference between a pixel and a handshake, and so does your client’s. In a world sedated by the comfort of remote work, we are seeing a massive System Error in how deals get done. You cannot test drive a private jet on Zoom. If you want the signature, you need to be in the room where the oxygen is. In this episode, we sit down with Glenn Poulos, a veteran operator who doesn’t just play the game; he writes the code. With forty years of tenure and multiple eight-figure exits, Glenn isn’t offering fluff. He is offering a...
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Your Subconscious Thinks Success Is A Threat: Prove It Wrong
Spirit of the Deal
Let’s be honest for a second. Most people aren’t selling from their vision; they’re selling from survival. That tightness in your chest or that hesitation before you pick up the phone? It isn’t a flaw—it’s biology. Your brain is wired to protect you first and expand you second. But here’s the hard truth: you cannot stay in survival mode and expand at the same time. When your income is tied to your safety, your creativity flatlines, your risk tolerance vanishes, and you suffocate the deal before you even walk into the room. In this episode, we are stripping down the "hustle...
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The ROI of a Radical Yes.
Spirit of the Deal
Summary In this conversation, Chris Dyer shares insights on leadership, company culture, and the importance of saying yes to opportunities. He discusses his current projects, including AI in social media management and environmental initiatives in the wine industry. Dyer emphasizes the significance of positive leadership and the seven pillars that contribute to a thriving workplace culture. He reflects on his personal growth journey and the transformative power of embracing new experiences. Takeaways Successful people do not focus on their weaknesses. The spirit of the deal is about shrinking...
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The Hero’s Journey Isn’t Fiction, It’s Your Business Blueprint
Spirit of the Deal
Honest Overview Let’s cut the small talk and get straight to the marrow. Brandon Handley isn’t just wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving; he’s handing you the blueprint to your own evolution. We’re sitting here discussing the Hero’s Journey—not because we’re writing a screenplay, but because it is the undeniable architecture of high-stakes sales, addiction recovery, and relentless personal growth. You think you’re just hitting a wall in your business? You think that burnout is random? It’s not. It’s a pattern. Campbell identified it, Hollywood monetized it, but you? You have to...
info_outline1. Introduction and Context
* Purpose of the Podcast/Discussion
* Association with "Superhuman Selling" and Elyse Archer
* Speaker's (Brandon Handley's) role: Running a men's mastermind
* Current theme: "Grounding the Leap"
2. Understanding the "Leap" and its Challenges
* Definition of the "leap": A breakthrough, a new baseline, a significant shift.
* The problem: Leaps can fade into memory without grounding.
* The goal: Locking in the leap, stabilizing the "new you" to become the new baseline.
* Breakthroughs are exciting but initially unstable.
* The nervous system, mind, and body need time to adapt to the new state.
3. The "Being" vs. "Doing" Paradigm for Grounding
* Common misconception: Securing a leap through more efforting, habits, and hustling.
* The speaker's past experience: Stuck in the "doing more" mindset.
* The key principle: 95-98% of locking a leap is "being," only 2-5% is "doing."
* The importance of understanding what it means to "live in this new state."
4. The Union of Heart and Mind (Kokoro)
* An ancient principle from other cultures.
* Concept introduced: Union of heart and mind.
* Historical influences: Alan Watts and the concept of "mushin."
* The Japanese term: "Kokoro" (written with the character for heart).
* Definition of Kokoro: The union of heart and mind, working as one, not in competition.
* Western civilization's separation of heart and mind:
* The head as the CEO.
* The heart ignored or relegated to a passive role.
* Consequences: Leaps don't stick, trying to live breakthroughs in the mind while ignoring the body and emotions.
5. Scientific Basis for Heart-Mind Connection
* The heart's intelligence: Not just a blood pump.
* Heart's neural network: Approximately 40,000 neurons.
* Information flow: Heart sends more information to the brain than vice-versa.
* Pre-cognitive reactions: The heart reacts milliseconds before conscious thought.
* Research backing: Harvard, University of California, and others.
* Implication: The body "feels" the terrain before the brain maps it.
* Ignoring the heart/intuition leads to reverting to the old baseline.
* Tuning into the heart and mind together makes the new terrain familiar.
6. Alignment and States of Being
* The principle of "alignment first, action second."
* Transition from "contraction" to "expansion."
* Defining "contraction":
* Physical sensations: Chest caving in, shallow breath, racing mind, heaviness.
* Psychological association: The old baseline, fear of the unknown.
* Defining "expansion":
* Physical sensations: Open chest, deep diaphragm breathing, relaxed shoulders, clear mind.
* Psychological association: The new terrain, confidence in the new identity.
* Leading with expansion allows "doing" to flow naturally.
7. Practical Exercise: Locking in the Leap
* Purpose: To ground the leap in the present moment.
* Step 1: Identify Contraction.
* Think of things put off since the leap.
* Feel bodily sensations of tightening (contraction).
* Recognize this as the "old you" trying to keep you "safe."
* Step 2: Imagine Expansion.
* Visualize the desired outcome of the task being done.
* Notice bodily sensations of opening and softening (expansion).
* Recognize this as the leap being grounded.
* Step 3: Future Action Protocol.
* Do not act from contraction.
* Pause, find expansion.
* Then, move forward.
8. Reinforcing and Stabilizing the Leap
* Keeping the leap "unshakable."
* Training the mind to spot evidence of the leap.
* Recognizing new responses vs. reactions.
* "Proving the leap in real time" (Price Pritchett's concept).
* Looking for proof while living it, not waiting for external validation.
* Past leaps may have been unrecognized.
* Opportunities appearing in unexpected ways ("ways that you know not of," referencing biblical phrasing).
* "Trusting the unknown" (Price Pritchett's concept).
* Recording and acknowledging this evidence in real time.
9. Anchoring the New Frequency (Heart-Mind Lock-In)
* A guided breathing exercise.
* Technique: Slow, easy breaths through the nose, belly expansion, shoulder softening.
* Focus: Calling up the feeling of already living the leap and expansion.
* Anchoring the feeling through bodily checks (shoulders, neck).
* Establishing the new "home frequency" as living from expansion.
10. Making Choices for Stability
* Every choice either stabilizes the leap or slides back to the baseline.
* Key check-ins:
* Feeling state: Contraction or expansion?
* Heart and mind connection: Working together or split?
* The power of choice: Choosing expansion, choosing Kokoro, choosing to live in the new state.
11. Invitation to Further Support and Community
* Offering help with grounding leaps, experiencing leaps, and identifying leaps.
* Mention of the "Superhuman Selling" mastermind.
* Format: Bi-weekly, within groups and communities.
* Benefits: Support from others and the opportunity to support them.
* Concept: "A whole rising tide lifts all ships."
* Call to action: Reach out and check it out.
* Ultimate goal: Making leaps "sticky" and establishing them as the new baseline/reality.