In this episode of the Better Life Better Business podcast, host Shawn Ellis interviews Chip Eichelberger, a longtime collaborator of Tony Robbins, about how to "get switched on"—a state of high energy and focused performance in both personal and professional life. Chip explains that most people operate in a "switched off" mode and shares practical methods to shift into a more energized state. He emphasizes the power of asking better quality questions to reframe mindset, using a simple 0‑to‑10 self‑energy rating to trigger immediate action, and changing physiology through movement such as jumping jacks, push‑ups, or a mini‑trampoline. Chip also discusses his extensive journaling practice, treating the journal as a scrapbook of life lessons, photos, and parenting reflections, which helps him track growth and correct mistakes. Throughout the conversation, Chip provides concrete tools—question cards, a mini‑trampoline, workout and smoothie routines, and a website (GetSwitchedOn.com)—that listeners can adopt. He notes that only a small percentage of people actively pursue such continuous improvement, but those who do benefit greatly from these incremental "arrows in the quiver" strategies. The episode concludes with a call to explore Chip’s resources for further personal and team development.
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Hello everyone and welcome to the Better Life Better Business podcast presented by The Speakers Group. I'm Shawn Ellis, founder of The Speakers Group, and if you're feeling like you may have lost your spark lately, or if you're looking for some strategies to help you perform at a higher level, today's guest is an expert at helping people get switched on in both life and in business. And you know, in the challenging conditions that most of us face today, it's easy to start making excuses and focusing on what's not working, to go from the mindset of success to a mindset of simply survival. And for almost 20 years now, Chip Eichelberger has been helping people and organizations shift the focus back to what is working and to what is possible, to help them clear clarify their vision and set a game plan for the future so they can achieve the results they're looking for. So I'm going to be asking him for some of his best advice to help you do just that today. So Chip, welcome and thank you for being with us.
Hey, thanks Shawn, appreciate it.
Sure. Well, starting out, tell us a little bit about helping people get switched on and maybe what switched on means to you when you say that.
Sure. It's almost a funny story. You know, I've always tried to help people manage their energy better and center their time and just how to really make an impact on other people. I was working with Anthony Robbins for about 6 years and one of my assignments was to go ahead of him to Australia to teach the promoters down there how to fill the room. I was down there living on and off for about, I guess that first assignment, 2.5 months. My mates would say after I got done speaking to them, they'd say, "Oh mate, you got me switched on. I feel better. I'm switched on." I had never really heard that term, and it's just kind of like turning on that light switch. My belief is that most people out there that we run across in business, and I'll be able to prove it here in a second, I think are switched off. I mean, if you think about it, how often do you run across somebody, let's say when you're out at a restaurant, where that server comes up to the table, great energy, switched on, and immediately makes an impact? Or it could be somebody over the phone, or it could be a dentist, or it could be anybody you're dealing with. How often does that happen? It's rare. So I just try to help people tap into the best part of themselves so they can have more high-energy days, high-energy relationships, so they can switch on others. But first, you know, you've got to switch yourself on. So how do you consistently do that is kind of the struggle. And so when I'm speaking to an organization, for example, they want me to come in and switch on their team and help ignite their team and kind of transform the energy within that room, whether it's walking out at the end of the convention or starting off the convention.
Very good. Yeah, you know, I still remember— I don't know if you remember this— several years ago, probably over 10 years ago now, for another company I worked for, I still remember when you came into the office there in our little conference room, our small team.
Yeah, I remember that. Yeah.
Yeah, I still remember the exercises you led us through. And actually, I've got right here on my desk pinned up at my desk. I've got the Get Switched On questions that I still look at. So it's really great practical stuff. And let's talk a little bit about that. You've been in the business at a high level for 19 years now. So what are some of your success secrets and especially some things that other professionals can model or implement to be switched on in their life and business?
Okay, good segue. It really comes down to two things. The questions, for example, you can change the way you're feeling with the quality of a better question. So if you ask a better quality question and you honestly come up with a better answer, like, you know, what, what can I be most excited about today? What impact can I have on others today? There's people out there who ask bad questions. You know, I think about one of my heroes. I was in San Diego when I worked with Tony for those many years, was there for 9 years, got to meet several times, especially at his restaurant, Sei House. Junior Seau. And Junior Seau was a guy, you know, gregarious guy, you think, and he had the world by the tail. Recently committed suicide. And you're thinking, how could somebody wired the way you thought Junior Seau was— and obviously he was just focusing on horrible things. He didn't focus on, okay, I'm having a great day, who could I go call right now can help me feel differently? What could I be doing right now to help myself? I mean, that's an extreme example, But that really is the power, how one question at the right time can change everything. So part of it is getting yourself to consistently ask better quality questions, come up with better answers. And that's one of the reasons, like on that little card, 'cause you know, in this business it helps to be memorable. So it's one of those little cards. I've got a really cool one now, probably a couple different versions since you have that one, but the basics are there. To ask that question differently. But the other thing is, how can you change your physiology? Motion creates emotion. One of the main reasons that so many people struggle with depression and just not feeling good is we just don't move. They're not getting enough aerobic exercise. They're not changing the way they're using their body. Therefore, you feel a limited number of emotions. If you can change the way you're moving, so for example, I talk to people, you know, if you have a big phone call coming up or a big conference call, You got to ask yourself, where am I now on a scale of 0 to 10? I mean, if you're at a 2, don't start the call. Don't make the phone call, right? Stand up, change your physiology, whether you do 10 jumping jacks or 10 push-ups. Or I've got right here, if you can hear it squeaking, I've got one of these. Ah, it's pretty quiet. I've got a little mini trampoline in my office that I just jump on to change my energy throughout the day. Because if you're a busy professional or you're a busy working mom, I mean, it's hard. It's hard. How do you stay engaged? How do you keep your energy level up and not let the little things get to you? Part of it is change your physiology. Get outside, take a 10-minute walk. You can't sit there for 8 hours, 9 hours at the office and stay engaged. You've got to take some little breaks, whether you're working out in the middle of the day for that thing. So that's the key thing. Change your questions, change your physiology, and know when you're not at your best. Asking that question, where am I now, 0 to 10? Am I at a 5? What do I need to do? How can I change it right now? And as you teach yourself to ask that question, you realize, you know, you thought you were at an 8 most of the time. No, you're at a 4. Right.
That's powerful and it's so practical. I mean, you mentioned the trampoline just to get up and do that or whatever you choose to practice, but it doesn't have to be some complicated thing.
Well, these are great. I mean, you know, for $40 at any store, you can get this thing and it stands up, goes right in the corner, pop it down. Anybody's got room for this thing.
Yeah, awesome. Well, one of the other things I wanted to ask you about, I know that you keep a journal. Can you tell us a little bit about that and how that fits into your day and your routine?
Well, it's quite a library right now. When I started back listening to Jim Rohn, the master Jim Rohn, R-O-H-N, you know, Jim's belief was, "If life is worth living, life is worth recording." And I heard that and I said, "Man, that makes a difference," because you think about all the little times you wrote stuff down on little pieces of paper. You know, what happened to all that stuff? So I think it was my first program with Tony back in '88, I got my first journal. A journal's a hardbound book, a little bit bigger than 8.5 by 11, could have lines, could have no lines. I've got, oh, I don't know, gosh, about 19 of them down here since I started since '88. And a journal for me is a scrapbook. A journal, I could go to church, bring my journal, If there's a little fill-in-the-blank, I might fill it in there and tape it into my journal or keep my notes there. If it's pictures, that's one of the challenges now. We all take more pictures, right, because of digital photography, but almost nobody, we don't develop them like we did, right? So they're all sitting in cyberspace. So periodically, taking some of those great little gems, put them in your journal. Could be an editorial, could be a little cartoon, could be ticket stubs, could be a card from a restaurant, So it's kind of really documenting your life, all the good stuff, but sometimes it's the tough stuff, what were the lessons. So I go back and it is fascinating how much we forget, especially when I go back, our kids now are 15, 12, and 8, and you go back and you look at all those little early parenting lessons. I just actually started to be a better parent. I started a separate parenting journal. That when good things happen or tough things happen, I made a wrong decision, for example, I'm writing it down in my journal about every other night. So I'm catching myself when I'm making a mistake. At least I'm cognizant of it and I'm trying to improve and get better.
Yeah, that's great stuff. And I keep a journal myself too. I haven't actually gone to put the pictures in it. I love that idea to add to it. Oh, it makes it easier.
You know, what do they say, picture makes a thousand words.
And it's true.
When you add the pictures there, it comes alive.
Yeah, totally. Well, that's awesome. Well, Chip, this has been great, some really good stuff here. And if you'd like to learn more about Chip and learn more from Chip and how he can help you and your team get switched on, check out his website. It's GetSwitchedOn.com. And you can also follow Chip on Twitter @ChipE, the letter E. And Chip has all kinds of great stuff you'll find on his website, from workout routines, he's got a smoothie recipe there. That's one of the things I love is that this, you really take a kind kind of a 360-degree approach to this. It's about life, it's about business, and getting switched on all the way around. So check Chip out there. Of course, he's also here at thespeakersgroup.com. Any closing remarks you want to add, Chip, before we go?
Well, you know, it gets back to the basics that if you can consistently add a little arrows to your quiver where, you know what, for example, like that smoothie recipe, I've got thousands and thousands of people drink that thing every day and it's making a big difference in the quality of their health. But some people thought, you know, I never thought of that combination right there. It sounds strange, but boy, I sure feel a lot better. Or keeping that Get Switched On Energy schedule. She's tracking my workouts on the mirror in my bathroom. Ooh, that's a great idea. Recording myself doing a conference call and reviewing it, or recording myself making a presentation. So it's those little nuggets because, you know, let's be honest, the people who are trying to get better out there It's not 100% of everybody, right?
Right.
It's a small group. It's maybe 10% or 15%. So those 10% or 15% who want to get better, when they hear that one thing, it's like, "Oh, I wish somebody would have told me that 10 years ago." That's the kind of information I try to give people.
Perfect. Well, thank you, Chip. Glad to have you here with us today. Again, make sure you go check out Chip's material like Get Switched On. And thank you again for listening to the Better Life, Better Business podcast. We'll see you next time.
