Todd Bertsch on Finding Gifts in Crisis: The Positive Intelligence Approach to Resilience

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Unconditional love for yourself. Unconditional. And what that does is it allows you to remove perfectionism, which is really dangerous. I know because I lived that way for so long and I led that way, which didn't allow my team to grow because there's no way they could ever reach that bar. It was set so high I couldn't reach that bar. But then I'm not releasing things. I'm holding on. And if you want to get into podcasting, you're just going to have to be okay with things not being absolutely perfect. And that's okay. But perfectionism, oh my gosh, it's a barrier. It is a barrier to growth and success.

Step into the world of success with Your Brand Amplified, the ultimate podcast designed to unravel the intricacies of thriving businesses. I'm your host, Anika Jackson, and I'm on a mission to uncover the stories, strategies, and secrets that have propelled entrepreneurs and business leaders to success. I am thrilled to have somebody who, from what I know of you, Todd Burch, is cut from the same cloth. I think there are probably a lot of similarities, maybe not everything the same, but in our backstories and how we got to our approaches in marketing, podcasting, and also mindset. So thank you for being on Your Brand Amplified today.

Yes, thanks for having me. I'm excited.

Wonderful. You are a 16-year veteran CEO, keynote speaker, PQ mental fitness coach. So, and you also host The Bolt Podcast. So I'm really excited to bring all these things together today. So I want to start with a little bit of, you know, I know you've talked about your backstory, your origin story on many other podcasts, but for my audience, Will you talk about that life-altering moment in your 20s that changed your trajectory?

Hmm. Yeah. And that's what it was. I call it a fork in the road moment, right? I think we all have those. It's just a matter of what choice do you make, right? So I'll just give a little backstory how I got to that crossing the road moment. I had started off experimenting with drugs and alcohol when I was 14. Which is crazy because I have a 14-year-old daughter and I can't even imagine her doing the crazy stuff that I did. But it was a different time. I grew up in the '70s and '80s and not saying it was right, just it was a different time. But so what started off as experimenting and having fun on the weekends, you know, like a lot of people did, slowly migrated into every single day. And that's really all I looked forward to was getting high. And it was at a point where I didn't really have any direction or any purpose or any drive. I was a janitor at the time. A lot of my friends had went off to college, and I was just doing my thing and having a good time, you know, one day to the next. And then I moved in with a couple of dudes. One guy I knew, the other guy didn't know, and it was not let's just say it wasn't a great situation.

Okay.

And I had an altercation with the one guy I didn't know one night. I had been living there about 4 months. We had a little altercation, kind of put him in his place. And then I went off into the evening with a couple other friends and we had a great time, closed the bars down. They dropped me off back at the house and they leave me. Well, those 2 roommates were still waiting up. And this is whatever, 3 3:30 in the morning. And apparently they had a plan. They had been strategizing. And no sooner than I sat down on that couch, they lunged over at me and literally beat the living crap out of me. And, you know, it seemed like it was hours. I don't know how long it was, but I feared for my life. And I was able to break away and make it out of the front door. And I called my dad and he picked me up, no questions asked. But that was the moment. So that was a moment for me. I woke up the next day at my parents' house, bruised, bloodied, and really embarrassed, full of shame, you know, like, what the hell am I doing with my life? And I had always been a very creative individual. I grew up drawing cartoons, right? That's what I did. I'd get the funnies, what a lot of people called them. Newspaper, and then I would get my notepad and try to copy it, try to mimic it. And then started, you know, eventually migrating into art classes and doing my own art. But I always had that creativity. And what was interesting was when I got back to my house, my parents' house, after that nasty situation, I went up to my bedroom, which was on the second floor, and I went into the closet. My dad never throws anything away, kind of a quarter-ish. But thankfully, there was a box full of sketchbooks and old art projects. So I grabbed one and I sit on the floor and I start flipping through the pages. And it was like something inside me came back online. It was like something clicked. And 2 weeks later, I enrolled in college. I went on to get my BFA in graphic design. And that was not easy because I had been living in fog for so many years and It was really difficult. I went to school full-time. I went to, I was working full-time. I was starting a family. I was very the non-traditional guy, but 6 years and, you know, I made it happen. And then I went on into digital marketing, web design development. I jumped on that as soon as it came out and I just kind of made that my, my forte. And so I've been designing hundreds of websites and working for different advertising agencies. And then in 2009, I started my own business, Evolve Marketing. And we've been in business 17 years. We focus on digital marketing, SEO, pay-per-click, social, and then obviously web design development, which is what I built kind of my personal brand on, if you will. But it was, it was that fork in the road moment where I had to make a choice, but I had to make it right. So I could have stayed on the same road I was on, which was foggy and no purpose direction, or I could choose change and growth. And that's what I did. And that literally changed the trajectory of my life. And I'm thankful that that happened. Honestly, I don't know if I would be in the position that I'm in today if it wasn't for that trigger. And we talk a lot about change on my show and in the work that I do, because I'm very fascinated by change and why people do and why people don't embrace change. And a lot of times, unfortunately, it takes a trigger like a traumatic event or near-death experience. You hear those people say, oh gosh, you know, I'm going to live every day like it's my last day because— but they had that reminder. But you still have to make the choice. And that was the choice that I made. But I'm thankful for that choice.

Well, and it wasn't just making the choice. It was that time that you had to reflect. If you hadn't gone home and been beaten up, you probably would have continued down the road, right? You wouldn't have had that time to go, oh, what is my life right now? And this plays really well into, you know, you made that choice. You went to university. You started business, and those who are most successful in business often have a mindset shift that's profound. So when did you realize that these two concepts or these two ideas were married, they weren't separate?

Hmm, that's a good question. I don't know that I've been asked that before. You know, I had always been a hard worker. So, you talk about going back to the roots, right? I grew up in a very blue-collar family. My parents worked two jobs to keep us doing the things that we wanted to do. And I started early. I had a newspaper route. I was a paperboy. I don't know if the younger generation knows what that is, but yeah, people actually went out and delivered the paper. Door-to-door and customer service. I'd have to collect the money. There was no online, there was no internet, so on and so forth. That was my first foray into basically I was running my own business. I mean, yeah, my parents certainly helped, but so I guess I've always had that entrepreneurial spirit inside me, you know, and I had 5 lawns, the old ladies within the neighborhood, and I'd go, I'd push my mower there and every week I'd cut their grass. And, but I was, it was a business, it was customer service and I was making some money so that I can, you know, buy some nice things that I wanted. And then I think just over time, you know, I just always kind of had that leadership entrepreneurial background. And then there was a moment where prior to the agency that I started, I was working for another agency and I had a wonderful opportunity to basically taken an older ad agency and kind of bring them up to the times and created basically a whole nother portion of their business that was focused on, you know, digital marketing and web design development. And that was very successful. And my fiancée at the time, who's now my wife, had said, you had just done this for X, why don't you do it for yourself? And it was the right time. And there was a lot of other things happening in my life, but the timing was right. And I had that support at home, which is absolutely critical to have that foundation and that support. And I said, you know, why not? I could, if it doesn't work, I'll have 1 person, 5 people, 10 people, but I'll be able to make this work at least for me. I can freelance. I have a great skill set that most people don't have and I like to work and I can work hard. So, I just went for it and that's kind of where we're at today. So, I think the mindset, the hardworking mindset had always been there and to some degree to a detriment, right? You know, that badge of honor that as we grow up and we learn like, okay, maybe that's not the best thing. But when you're, you know, in your 20s, you could burn the candle on both ends. So yeah, I hope that answered your question.

Yeah, it does. It just brings me back to entrepreneurs, I think, are people who always have that drive in them. When you're talking about this, it reminded me of when USA Today first came out. My sister had a paper route and it brought me back to like, I wanted to get some toys. So I go door to door to, you know, get people to buy greeting cards or whatever little things in this catalog. So our generation really had to learn customer service from an early age, where maybe that's something that is missing when people start going to the workforce in today's age.

Oh yeah, you want to go down that road? I wasn't planning to, but I just, you know, yeah, there's a lot of soft skills that are missing in today, and I, I I don't know. You know, I'm a helicopter parent too. So, you know, it's— we don't let our kids because we experience so much hardship, right? That we want to give our kids everything and there's nothing wrong with that. But what are they learning? And that's kind of where I'm at. I have a 20-year-old son too. And so now I have this opportunity with a child that's half his age where I can put some of these things that I've learned into practice. And I want her to experience some discomfort. And I don't mean that in getting hurt. I mean it in building resiliency, right? Like not having that protective shield. You know, the only way to grow is to experience a little bit of discomfort and you have to stretch. You have to really just get outside of yourself for a little bit. So, I think that's really important. I think that's a key element that's missing today. And, you know, we can talk about the social aspect and communication. I mean, That's just where we're at. It's, it's our phones and hell, my daughter doesn't even know how to write. They're not even teaching writing anymore. What does that tell you? You know, one of our main forms of communication. So it's interesting. It's a different time and they'll do what they have to do to survive as we all do. But I don't know. I think it comes back to just the schools and, and teaching. I know when I was a professor, adjunct teaching, I tried to bring these in because I knew that they didn't have them, you know, and let's just get back to some of this stuff. Let's get back to sketching before we get right to the computer. Let's draw. You can iterate so many ideas so quickly before you spend the time getting into an app. But now you have AI, they could just do it for you.

Well, that'll be a whole other conversation. But yeah, I have a 17-year-old and yeah, so I think we realized we went from our parents never knowing where we were, what we were doing, or giving us the confidence to apply ourselves to wherever we wanted to go. And all these different things that we were missing because our parents went the opposite direction. And then so we're going a little bit too far the other way. Yes, we're saying yes, you can achieve it all, do everything.

There's a nice middle ground there.

Absolutely. But this connects with your firm because Evolve Marketing is a firm that you treat people like family. You had great family backing. You put that into your company culture. And that probably also helps you when you do have new employees be able to know where they need to be trained perhaps a little more on other things. Maybe they're, they're amazing at SEO and other parts of digital marketing, but they do need those soft skills. And that's something that you can bring into them.

Absolutely. Yeah. And it's interesting. It's one of those topics that I think there's two sides of the fence. It's very polarized. You have the people say, "Oh, I think that's wrong. You don't call your team your work, your family." I disagree with that. That's just how I operate. You know, if I'm going to spend more time with you than my actual family, then yeah, you're my extended family. And one of the things that I've learned, and believe you me, like, I am not a saint. This came from tons of mistakes and trial and error. But is leading with empathy. And that really comes from positive intelligence, that work that I did on myself, looking inward so that I could be the leader that my team needed. And when I started leading with empathy, oh my gosh, it changed everything. It changed every conversation, every perspective. You know, that mindset really opened up a whole new world for me and my team. And that's how we operate. And it's cool to see just in our teams, you know, in our teams chats, you know, like Slack. I mean, you can see it. These people care about each other. It's really cool to see. Yeah.

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So talk about that difference because many, most of us know about mindset. We know about growth mindset, but PQ, as you mentioned, right, positive intelligence is newer territory probably for a lot of people listening. So what makes it different from standard mindset work?

Yeah, that's a good question. It's not real popular, unfortunately. You probably know about it because you're out, you know, it was created out in San Francisco by Shirzad Chamine. And he doesn't really market it. It's through the coaches that put it out there, and that's fine. That's just the business model that he chose. And he has a book, a New York Times bestselling book, but then he created an app, then created a program. But what I think about positive intelligence and PQ for short is really building the mental muscle. So unlike most things that are really insight-driven that don't have the action, you're rewiring your brain, which is crazy to think, but our brains are so plastic. Through repetition and habit, you're literally laying down new neural pathways. And that's what I did. So, I'll give you a great example. Prior to going into this, on top of all the other challenges that I had in my life, I had little to no patience and a slight temper. That is not a great way to lead anything— parents, coach, a team, a company. And it hindered me throughout my entire career. And then I go through this program, Positive Intelligence, during COVID And I mean to tell you, it transformed my life, the way that I live, the way that I lead, and my business and every relationship. And what it did was it created an internal pause button. For me because I was so reactionary. I didn't have the space. And that's what a lot of people— that's kind of the big issue is the space. When you don't have the space to pause, then you're reacting and you're saying and doing something that you'll likely regret because you're not taking in all the information and you're coming at it from negativity, likely, and elevated stress. But when you can regulate, when you can pause, regulate, take a step back, ooh, it's a whole different ballgame. So, this program built an internal pause button for me. And it honestly, it gave me freedom, gave me freedom to control my thoughts and emotions. And when you do that, everything looks a little bit different. So, there are two aspects of the program. There's what we call saboteurs that live in our survival brain. And then there's our sage brain on the right side, which is all love-based. So, the whole concept of mental fitness is building that mental muscle so that you can identify and catch those saboteurs that are in your head all day telling you what not to do, imposter syndrome, don't try that, you're going to fail, on and on. And then, quickly shifting over to your sage brain, which is all about— the foundation is love, But then you experience emotions of empathy, gratitude, peace, calm, joy, creativity. Which one do you want to live in? Right? I mean, it's a pretty easy answer, but until you understand that everybody has these saboteurs, and I've been doing this work for 5 years, I'm at mastery level, and I still have those thoughts. They never go away. It's just the self-command. And that's what this program is, being able to command, control your thoughts and emotions. And when you do that, Everything is different and you can find the gift and the opportunity in every scenario. And that, that concept alone changes the game because it's all rooted in positivity and empathy and gratitude, which is a heck of a way to live and lead.

Absolutely. And what you're talking about is exactly what I try to do when, for instance, if I'm coaching clients who want to start a podcast and get visibility. As we're going through and discussing PR strategies or podcast strategies and starting to get the first part of their business plan together, things like this come up. And they ask, how do we deal with the self-doubt? How do we deal with this? I'm an introvert. How do I get comfortable starting to be interviewed or starting my own podcast even? And so I start them out gently, but that's where I realized, oh, you also need a lot of mindset work. And so, going through tools that people can use because if you can have all the great things in the world, you can know exactly how to set things up for success, but if you don't have the mindset that tells you that you actually believe that you can do this, if you're listening to those other voices, then you're not going to find that success.

Yes, I couldn't agree more. It's all about having this— in PQ, we teach having unconditional love for yourself. Unconditional. And what that does is it allows you to remove perfectionism, which is really dangerous. I know because I lived that way for so long and I led that way, which didn't allow my team to grow because there's no way they could ever reach that bar. It was set so high I couldn't reach that bar. But then I'm not releasing things. I'm holding on. And if you want to get into podcasting, you're just going to have to be okay with things not being absolutely perfect. And that's okay. And sometimes it actually seems more authentic, right? As opposed to taking out every um or right that I say 15 times in every show. It's just, you know, it's just more real. And that's, that's okay. But perfectionism, oh my gosh, it's a barrier. It is a barrier to growth and success. And once I learned that, and that came from Positive Intelligence, because one of the saboteurs is we call them the stickler or the controller. There's two of them, two bandits. And once they get in your ear, forget about it. I mean, there's good traits too though with that, right? Because you're very detail-oriented, you're hardworking, you like good quality work, but it doesn't need to be absolutely perfect. When we focus on being more of a scientist, and that's kind of how I shift it, like let's just iterate, let's experiment. And there's a lot more fun in that. And your team loves having that psychological safety net where they say, oh, well, he's focused more on the growth, not necessarily the end result, right? So that they're not staying safe. They're playing, playing it a little bit more riskier, which is going to be more creative and more innovation.

Nice. So you started your company during the recession. Of the, you know, 2008-2009 era. So that was a really pinnacle time in world economics and everything else. You started PQ during the pandemic. When did you start your podcast, The Volt Podcast?

That was a year and a half ago. Yep.

And what prompted you to decide that you had a voice that needed to be heard and that you had things to share that you weren't hearing?

Yeah, thank you for throwing me that softball. That takes us to kind of our second fork in the road moment, which leads us to really what I'm all about right now, which is igniting your spark. That is kind of my core message. So, 2 years ago, I'm in the gym. And I'm just not feeling juiced up. My cup isn't full anymore. And a lot of it started with COVID when we came back to work and nobody came back to this beautiful office space that I pay for. And it just wasn't the same. And that's okay. I get it. And my people, they can work from home or hybrid. They come in at whatever they want to do. I didn't want to lose them. But I miss that interaction with people. That's what really lights me up. And over time, I just lost the wind in my sail. And it got to a point where I'm like really reflecting. A lot of my reflection happens to the gym. And I just had this moment of clarity where it was like, okay, I'm, you know, at the time, 53 years old. What am I going to do now? I'm not doing— I've been in the agency realm for 25 years and if anybody's in that realm or any service industry, CPA, law firm, by the hour, it's rough. Whether you're a producer or on the owner's side, it's rough and it wears on you. So, I knew that I couldn't do this another 10 years. I've always loved public speaking. I've really enjoyed Positive Intelligence and I've had some of my teammates go through it and I saw how powerful that program was from a coaching program. And I've always wanted to start a podcast. So there was this circle of kind of work and messaging, you know, an ecosystem, if you will, that just made sense. And I thought, I think I have another business here. And then going back to my wife, who fiancée at the time, supported me to start, you know, my digital marketing company said, I believe in you, you got it. You've done this before in terms of running a business. And It's been hard, but fortunately I have, you know, I still own my marketing company, but I've empowered my team. They essentially run it without me. And it's allowed me to have this runway to build kind of my speaking business, my coaching business. And then, you know, the podcast has been kind of the catalyst of getting the message out there, just meeting amazing people like you, being a guest on shows, having guests on like Podcasting has really been the biggest surprise of all the new things that I'm doing. What a great community of people. I mean, I've made like best friends across the world just because I was on their show. Then we swapped, they were on my show, we got to know each other, we stay in touch, we even text every now and then. It's cool. I wouldn't have imagined that that's what this community was going to be like. Everybody is— it's like a family.

Honestly. It really is. It's remarkable. I agree with you on all points. Now, I appreciate that you said that this is a business because to be perfectly blunt, and people who listen know this story, I started mine as part of my PR business. Then I merged my PR firm with a bigger agency, became a VP at that agency. I kept doing my podcast all along as its own entity, but I really looked at it as like just something to network and meet great people. And then finally realized it was a business And so, and I didn't even realize I'd already set up several SOPs and protocols and it was a business. I just wasn't calling it a business. And that's now why I like to help other people start it as a business from the beginning. So talk about that intentionality. And you earlier had, you know, when we were starting, talked about running, you know, juggling all these different businesses and what that looks like. Because I appreciate that you started as a business, but let's talk about the first few moments when you said, I'm going to start a podcast, right? What were the next steps that you took?

Yeah. Yeah. And I want to go back to a core moment there first, if I can, that fork, that second fork in the road moment that was all about igniting my spark. And see, this is what happens. And maybe some of your entrepreneurial listeners are experiencing this right now. You know, I started the business, my digital marketing agency, because I was a designer and I saw a gap in our region of agencies focusing on web design development. And I went after it and it was great, successful, and I was doing everything at the time, right? I was designing, developing, coding, selling. And then as we started to grow, I'm wearing this hat and HR and finances and sales, and now Todd's not doing any design work or creative work. So, you could see the through line. I've eventually started to lose my spark for the business. And that's not sustainable, right? It's never been about the money for me. Again, at that age where every day I should be lit up, I deserve that. Everybody deserves that. And we are all lit up by something. And I have a story that I share about one of my employees who's actually running my company right now so that you and I can have this conversation because we had that fork in the road moment, that conversation where she got, you know, dimmer because she had lost, you know, when she started here, she was doing something that lit her up and then it migrated into other things because she was so good at so many things. And next thing you know, she's just kind of, you know, fizzling out. And then we talk and move her into, you know, what really she's passionate about, what where she feels most alive. And that's what I love to do is, is to talk about those moments. You know, that's when we avoid burnouts. That's when we avoid turnover, avoid stress. This is what I believe the diagnosis for fixing those things is just really embracing the people that you have that you care about that are your extended family and letting them do what they love to do. It's amazing the success you'll have as a person in an organization when you just ignite that spark within people. And it's there. But oftentimes, there are smoke signals. You can see them. Energy dips, curiosity shuts down, ownership fades, right? They're all there. So, that was the moment for me where I said, I need to look inward and I wasn't happy. And I love my people and I love the clients, but it just wasn't filling my tank, wasn't filling my cup. So, that's when I decided to go this route. But it's a business. I'm starting another business and I was a little naive, had forgotten it had been 17 years, you know, the LLC and the bank account and the insurance and It's not for everybody starting a business regardless of the business, but a podcast is a business and it's a lot of work. A lot of people don't realize speaking, professional speaking and podcasting, you just see that final product up on stage for 60 to 90 minutes or that final produced show of, you know, 30 to 60 minutes. But man, behind the scenes is a lot of work that goes into it. To do it right. I've seen some shows that don't do it right, but to really, you know, do it right. Yeah.

So, well, how did you decide on your format, your topic, your name, and the intentionality you wanted to put behind it? Because it is a lot of work and, you know, there are a lot of different ways you can go.

It is. But here's— so here's the kicker. I loved it. Like, it lit me up.

Awesome.

Right? So, that's the difference. And that's the difference between, you know, burnout isn't failure. Those are the people that love, they love the mission, love the company. It's just something, there's the smoke signals are up there. You just need to intervene and reignite it. But when you do that, it doesn't feel like work. So, I don't mind doing the work. I love every aspect of it. I was learning and growing. So, I've tweaked, you know, the formats. It's changed. I started off with every week, started off with 60, 75 minutes. That seemed a little too long. I couldn't do every week. I couldn't keep up with it. I wasn't loving it as much. So, I went to biweekly, which is absolutely perfect, cut it down to 45 to 60 minutes. But the name of the show, that was easy. That was easy. So, I don't know if you can see this here.

Oh yeah. Okay. For those who are not watching, Todd has a— is it gold?

Yeah, it's a gold lightning bolt.

Lightning bolt.

So I had this, this chain as a child, not as a, I mean, as a child, as a teenager. And the lightning bolt has always been something that I've loved to align myself with. It was part of my tag as a breakdancer. I love Flash as a superhero. There was just something about the lightning bolt that's always been a part of me. So when I reconnected and ignited my spark, and so the Bolt Podcast, it just seemed like a no-brainer. It was the easiest thing of everything I've done with this new business was creating the name of the podcast and the logo for my company. Todd Burch, TB, has a lightning bolt that separates it. And that, those were the easiest things I've ever created because it was just innately always there, right? To our earlier story of that brand, like what really makes you. So this wasn't just some icon that happened to make its way into everything that I do. It has been infused in me most of my life. UnitedHealth Group is simplifying healthcare by investing in tools to help patients know more and pay less. These tools help patients find providers and compare costs and save hundreds of dollars annually. Learn more at unitedhealthgroup.com/commitment.

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I love that.

Talk about setting the goals for this business as opposed to setting goals for other businesses that you've had.

Yeah, that's a, that's a good one, man. You're asking some, some good questions, Anika. Thank you. You're stumping me here. Yeah, the goals, you know, it's a little different this time around because I have this other thing that's really putting the actual food on the table. So I don't have that pressure and stress that maybe somebody has that just went out, you know, and is now an executive or leadership coach or public speaker and they really got to hit the ground. So I have this runway. So my goals aren't as high as probably they would have been maybe 20 years ago. I don't have that pressure on myself. It's more about just getting 1% better every day. That really is the goal. Am I learning? Am I growing? And am I enjoying it? Am I embracing the journey? Those are the goals for me. And then at the end of the day, right, the full-on mission: am I helping people reignite their spark? Am I helping them see change in a different way, be the best version of themselves. You know, getting a text message every now and then from somebody or somebody listens to the show or an email, you probably get the same. Doesn't happen often, but every now and then it's like, this is why I do what I do, right? Just to help one person. So, the speaking is a way to amplify that. Podcasting is a way to amplify, right? We can really get out there and get our message out. Tenfold.

So yeah, and we hopefully are covering the cost of the podcast and all those fun things eventually. It takes a while.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you're smart about it, it's, it's, it's not too crazy once you get, you know, that first overhead cost. And, you know, you're using Riverside, great play. I'd use that for a while. I just switched to Zoom, but I used Riverside for a while.

I did the opposite.

Yeah, yeah, I, I had a little blip with Riverside with a one guest, and I'm just like, I can't.

Yeah, I can't. I understand.

Yeah.

So I'd love to hear about one campaign that made a difference that you really love doing for a client, one guest that made an impact not just on your audience but you, and one speaking engagement that was unique in some way.

Oh boy.

Yeah, I know we could be here for a long time, but yeah.

Okay, let's take one at a time. What was the first one?

One client.

Yeah, that's an easy one. In our agency, we have— we've worked with a lot of different industries over the years, but we've ended up with two industries: B2B manufacturing and nonprofits. Two total opposite ends. But if you're in the business, you know the B2B market, that they pay the bills, right? Part of the mission of the marketing company not only was to create this family environment, but also to give back to the community, to be a part of the community. And that could be through pro bono work or just doing that meaningful work. And yes, all of it's meaningful, right? But if you really dig deep, like doing nonprofit work has always been something that's been near and dear to me. So something that I wanted to infuse into the business. So working with nonprofits, definitely. Was one of the best campaigns. And there's one in particular that has to do with supporting cancer families that are going through cancer. They provide all free services. So we, when I heard that story, oh, this is great. Anika, you're going to love this. So when I first met them, it was at a networking event and nobody knew. I didn't know, never heard of them before. And here Their office was right down the street from where I live, right down the street from where I work. And I'm like, wow, this— what they're doing is incredible. And it's all free services. How have I not heard about them? And I said, you know, I'm— we're going to take them on. We are going to help them out. So we brought them in and we said, hey, we want to donate all this. So it just— it was the right time, right? And the right team. And we donated a full-on redo. Brand identity, logo, business card, messaging, letterhead, website, you name it. And what it did was it really reignited their spark. They had been around for 10 years. They wanted something that was just a little bit more mature that would allow them to be seen more by some bigger donors and by some big area hospitals. So that they would feel comfortable, right? It was that whole credibility piece. Not that they were doing anything wrong, but, you know, most nonprofits, they're just starting with what they know and Microsoft Word and Paint and, you know, free clip art. And it's totally fine. But we helped them elevate and it also rejuvenated them. And I eventually ended up joining the board and sat on the board for several years and was a donor and a volunteer. It was just cool to see the evolution of this small nonprofit and how— and I'm not taking credit for all their success, but it was, I think, definitely a part of them growing into— basically, they're a household name now. Anyone in the area knows who they are, and they still use the identity system that we created for them almost 10 years ago. That It's a no-brainer. Like, I— to me, that is the epitome of why I started the business.

I've been through those exercises with nonprofits who are looking at rebranding and even changing their name. It's not an easy process. So kudos to you. And to hear that that organization is now really well known, even better. I think all of us hope to get our clients to that point, right?

Right. Absolutely. That's always, always the goal. And with nonprofits, it's so personal. And usually it's started by somebody who had passion for the mission for some reason or another. So there usually is the family or a representative of the family that's still there. And so, yeah, when you're talking about a logo or even name change, even harder, it is, it's, it's tough when you get personal. It's tough, but when you nail it, that's a great feeling.

What's one podcast episode for your podcast where the guest really helped change something in your mindset or trajectory along with your audience?

Yeah, that's an easy one. That was, I think, episode 2 or 3. It was one of my first ones. I didn't know what I'm doing. I'm still learning. I just got this referral for this guy. And lo and behold, his name's Todd as well. And his last name starts with a B. So we have the same initials. It's like, all right, we got to talk. And it was, man, it was, it was a hard conversation for me because this gentleman was at, and I don't know if you remember, I think it was maybe 7 years ago, there was that mass shooting in Las Vegas. Somebody that was in at a country music festival and it was a massacre, right? Several, I can't remember how many people, 30, 40 people died. He was there. He was there with a large group of people and he's a very large, very tall, big guy. And he went in 13 times. He went back to get somebody, brought them back to safety, went back and back and back and back. And I'm getting goosebumps now. So he starts off by saying, you know, he was safe. He got his wife safe and most of the people they were with, their group safe. And he's sitting on the ground with some paramedics. And there was a woman whose arm was like on his leg, just because they were all kind of muddled together. Right. But he looked over and she wasn't. Alive anymore. And there was something about that moment for him that he said, I need to, I need to go back in. And he continued to do that back and back and back. It was just, he, so when I spoke with him, it was the 7-year anniversary. It was the day of, I had no idea that it was an end. So it was kind of tough for him too, because he says even after all this time and he's been through lots of sessions and help, you know, to get him to not get over that, but to deal with that crazy tragedy. But yeah, it was just a crazy conversation, one that I just didn't expect to have. I knew the story, but to have him on there and the timing of it to be at the anniversary, and then we continued to stay friends. But that was a tough That was a tough one just because of the nature and sensitivity of what happened and knowing somebody to literally illustrate that story. And he shared all the details. Like, I thought I was there and it was, yeah, it was pretty crazy. So, wow.

I just need to take a pause. But I did also want to find out about one of your speaking engagements, something that was a little more, you know, that stood out. What was something unique about what happened or what you spoke about?

I'm going to go just the opposite on that. It was one of the most challenging speaking engagements I've ever had. And this was last year, supposed to have a good-sized crowd and the venue was supposed to be vetted. And I go and it's at this restaurant that really isn't suited for a speaking venue, right? They just sold it like that. So it's open air. You can hear the music playing. I have a waiter coming in to ask these folks if they want coffee or water every 5 minutes. So I was being interrupted every 5 to 10 minutes, which was super frustrating. There was no projector. There was no cord for me to plug in my laptop. It was like every single thing that could have happened happened. And here's the thing, Anika Jackson Jackson, the old Todd before PQ would have been derailed. There's no way I could have given that talk, and I would have been upset and angry. But with PQ, I just took it all in, and I said, this is a learning experience. If this is the worst thing that could happen to me, I can handle any situation after this. And I said, these people paid to have me here regardless. So I'm not going to, you know, let it ruin, you know, their time and this presentation. And we ended up having a great conversation. We even danced. Oh, that's part of my, part of my shtick. But we had a good time. And yeah, for that reason, that one will always be buried in my head as the one that just went horribly wrong, but went right as well because it was, it was a great learning. It was a great lesson. Yep.

That is great learning. And I'm sure it was even more valuable for the people who were there because you rolled with the punches, just said everything, I'm just gonna kumbaya this and right.

Yes. They were very gracious and they knew what I was going through. And, uh, yeah.

Wow, this has been such an amazing conversation. I love those conversations where I feel like I learned a lot, everybody else learned a lot, but I also feel really calm and peaceful and like excited and happy after the conversation, right? We had— there's that just—

there's that vibe. There's the— I mean, the vibe is real, right? The energy is real. I've had a lot of people on my show that are kind of experts in that, and I, I really wasn't attuned to that until I had a few people on and they're right. There's something to be said about that. Like I was telling my wife last week, man, my energy, it was just not a good vibe last week. And just anything that was happening was not good. And yeah, this week's different, thankfully. And that's just it. You know, it's amazing what a day can do. Don't let it derail you. It's always another day. Be grateful. Start and end with gratitude, and that changes everything. Simple. But that's why most people don't do it because they take it for granted. It's so simple. It's right there. I know I can do it. It's free. It's easy. It takes 2 minutes. I'll do it tomorrow. You might just need it today. We're all grateful for something. The fact that you and I get to meet, have this conversation, that's cool. Not everybody gets an opportunity to do that in their workday.

That was such a lovely sentiment and thought, but I do have to ask if you have any other quotes do you have any quotes, mantras, poems, family mottos that help you get up and be inspired every day?

I do. And I think it goes back to positive intelligence. I think I'd have to go back to there. And it's all about finding the gift and opportunity in every situation. That changed my life, looking— because I would always find the negative. And I kind of grew up in a little negative environment. So it was easy to— oh, it was me. Nothing good ever happens to me or our family. Family. So, to be able to come into any situation and say, "That doesn't bother me. I'm going to learn from this." You know, our server went down yesterday because the winds were 70 miles per hour. So, my people who are by the hour couldn't work for a little bit, but we figured it out and we learned something through it. We didn't let it derail us because most of my team has been through this program too. And we just said, "Okay, let's find the gift." and not get derailed. And we did it in a half hour. So it allowed us to have that clear, calm presence to figure out the situation as opposed to being elevated in stress and derailed. So yeah, sorry, that was a long way around it, but finding the gift and opportunity in every situation, that's my mantra.

And Todd, we're going to have everybody go to toddbersch.com as the main source of truth.

Yes, everything B-E-R-T-S-C-H, a little wonky, but you can find it. Connect with me on LinkedIn. I'm very active on LinkedIn, but I'm also on, you know, Facebook and YouTube and Instagram. But yeah, love to connect, love to meet new people, learn about your journey, your story. Everybody's got a story, and that's one of the things I find fascinating in life is just learning about the stories. And I think you're the same way.

Very true. And with that sentiment, your homework for today, everybody who's listening, is just to find that moment of gratitude in everything that you do. Take that pause. I've been practicing this a lot over the last few months with some, you know, things going on with health and family and all the things that we usually have to deal with, maybe a little more on the extreme side than I'm used to. So It's given me a lot of that reflection time and I've been so grateful for it because in that reflection I've been able to find even more clarity. And I know that if each of you listening or watching this episode does the same, the same thing will happen for you. So thank you again, Todd, and I will be back again with another amazing guest to share their story, their journey, and some tips and tricks for you very shortly. Thanks for listening or watching to this episode. Episode of Your Brand Amplified. Don't forget to leave us a rating or review on your favorite podcast listening platform. And if you want to learn more, check us out at yourbrandamplified.com.

Few things are as uplifting as the greatest moments in sports, and nothing brings us together quite like Team USA at the Olympic Winter Games. From NBCUniversal's iconic storytelling to the innovative technology across Xfinity and Peacock, Comcast brings the Olympic Games home to America, sharing every moment with millions. When Team USA steps onto the world stage, we're not just watching, we're cheering together. This winter, we're all on the same team. Comcast, proud partner of Team USA.

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