In this Business Blast Podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews Heather Ann Havenwood, a veteran of the information‑marketing industry who coaches coaches, experts, and service providers on modern online marketing and sales. Heather shares a personal story about taking a comedy class to confront her fear of rejection, illustrating the power of moving directly toward fear. She identifies chatbots and AI as the next enduring tool for direct‑response, human‑to‑human (H2H) marketing, emphasizing that they enable highly personalized conversations. Her core business mantra is a daily question: “Does it feed my confusion or strengthen my clarity?” which guides decision‑making. When asked for advice to her younger self, she urges hard work over the myth of a carefree beach retirement, stressing the importance of creating something meaningful. Heather argues that true happiness comes from entrepreneurship and invention rather than passive retirement or government work. She recommends Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, specifically chapter 12 on sex transmutation, as a pivotal yet under‑read lesson. Her favorite quote is the clarity question itself, which she uses to generate momentum and power. Finally, she directs listeners to her chatbot at askheatherann.com and her website heatherhavenwood.com for further engagement.
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Welcome to the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite provides you with all the resources you need to become a successful author. You can learn more about Authors Unite and join the free community at authorsunite.com. Now let's jump into the episode. Alright everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner, and today I have Heather Ann Havenwood with us. She teaches coaches, experts, and service providers current online marketing and sales strategies to close the right clients anytime they want. So welcome to the show, Heather.
Thank you, thanks for having me.
Of course, thanks for joining us, and we'll dive in. The first question I have for you is, what's the best story from your life that has an underlying underlying valuable message?
Well, that's interesting. One of the best stories is actually something I'm going through right now. I am taking a comedy class where I'm learning how to stand up comedy. It's because I'm not funny and it scares the hell out of me. And the most underlying valuable message right now that I'm like literally right now dealing with this myself, I'm going through it, is this massive fear of rejection. Like, I can get on stage all day long or do podcasts or radio all day long, but when I'm on a stage where it's just me and a microphone and a bunch of lights and I'm having to make you laugh It's challenging. So the valuable message I've learned is that we all have this massive fear of rejection. And if you move right towards it and past it, it opens up all these doors instead of just like moving around it or under it or underneath it. It's like move right in the middle of it. You know, it's like going towards the shark. And that's right now, I think the most valuable message that I'm learning in my life and I'm teaching others.
Yes. And I love that you're taking a comedy class. I think that's a lot of fun. What's the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
Sure. I've been in the information marketing industry since 2001. One of the most valuable pieces that is not going away right now is chatbots. I'm dealing with that in the background myself. Chatbots is not going away because it's new AI. It's a new way to do direct response marketing if you understand direct response principles. Because at the end of the day, it's what I call H2H. We as human beings haven't changed that much. It's still a human-to-human conversation. AI adds a different element. It adds that, hey, you show up at my page, my Facebook page, whatever. I know your name, I know who you are, I know all this data already, and I can serve up to you what you want. It's a whole nother level of H2H direct response marketing.
And what's your best piece of overall business advice and not necessarily industry specific?
Sure. Awesome. So one of the best business advices that was ever given to me is asking myself the question, does it feed my confusion or strengthen my clarity? And I live by that. Question every day.
I love that question. Thanks for sharing that. If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
Can I cuss?
Yeah, go for it.
Work your ass off and stop playing. I would say that. Yeah, I think that one of the things that— I mean, I love our industry and I love what I do, but the whole like, I can do nothing and sit on the beach thing is kind of overrated. I think I've lived on the beach. I actually was retired and lived on a beach And it was really boring. So I think that, I think we're here to create something and here to have fun and to work and kind of just have a great life. You know, I don't think it's about sitting on a beach and staring off to space all your whole life.
And well, that kind of leads into the next question then. So in your opinion, what's the key to happiness?
It goes back to that year I was living literally on the beach with a bunch of 80-year-olds because the average age was 80 and I was 35. I learned that the people that have the most happiest at the end of their life, they're the ones who are entrepreneurs and they're inventors, they create something like they were, they felt they were leaving something here on the planet. The ones that weren't happy were what I call the government employees who are pissed off at the world. And so I really realized it's not about the retirement, it's about what you create and what, what you did while you were here.
And what's the best book that you've read? And what's the number one thing you learned from that?
I have so many good books. Wow. Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill. I'm rereading that for the fourth time right now. And chapter 12, yeah, chapter 12, which is the 11th step towards riches, which is sex transmutation. It's the number one under-read chapter in that book. I highly suggest you read it. So Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill, sex transmutation chapter.
And I'm actually very familiar with that chapter. And I think, I'm not sure if I'm on my fourth or fifth time reading that book as well. Anybody listening to this, highly, highly recommend that book. What's your favorite quote and why?
It's kind of that one earlier. I know I'm stating it again, but what feeds— I ask myself the question, "What feeds my confusion, strengthens my clarity?" It's a quote slash a question. It's more about when we are clear, we can move. When we move, we can actually have momentum. When we have momentum is when we have power. If we're not clear, we're just spinning. So it's quote/question. That's my favorite.
Yes. And thank you so much for coming on, Heather. The last question I have for you before we let you go is where's the best place for people to find you online?
Well, they can find me on my chatbot. They can go to askheatherann.com, askheatherann.com, or they can just go to my website, heatherhavenwood.com.
Perfect. Thanks again, Heather. We appreciate it.
Thanks.
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