In this Business Blast podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews Paul Brodie, an 11‑time bestselling author who transitioned from a teaching career to full‑time author coaching. Paul shares personal stories emphasizing the importance of taking bold risks, noting how leaving teaching to coach authors gave him freedom and control over his schedule. He argues that publishing a book can dramatically transform a person’s life by establishing authority, growing a business, and fulfilling a bucket‑list goal, citing a New York Times statistic that 81% of people want to write a book but fewer than 1% actually do. His broader business advice centers on enjoying one’s work and recognizing it’s never too late to change careers, illustrated by his own shift at age 41. When asked about advice to his younger self, he stresses patience and healthier habits. He defines happiness as doing what you love as a career while spending time with loved ones. Paul highlights Randy Pausch’s “The Last Lecture” as his favorite book, emphasizing the lesson to not take life for granted. His favorite quote is “What the mind of man and women can conceive and believe, it will achieve” by W. Clement Stone, linking it to his personal development. The episode concludes with a promotion of his website BrodieEdu.com, where listeners can access free resources, including his newly released second‑edition guide “Book Publishing for Beginners.”
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All right everyone, welcome back to the Business Blast podcast. This is your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have an extremely very special guest, Paul Brody. He's an 11-time best-selling author. 3 years ago he was a teacher and now he works for himself full-time helping others publish their books. So welcome to the show, Paul. Happy to have you.
Hey Tyler, always a pleasure.
So we'll dive right in. The first question I have for you is, what's the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Don't be afraid to take the plunge. Don't be afraid to take risks, 'cause the biggest risks that I ever took have worked out brilliantly. And I think the worst thing that can happen is if you don't take risks in life, because you never know where it's gonna take you. A year ago, I left teaching to take this huge risk and be able to coach, and now I get to be my own boss, set my own hours, and I can do this job from anywhere in the world. And there's nothing better than having that type of freedom.
And what's the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
The main thing is that getting your book published can change your life, as having your own book is going to help you build and grow your business. It's going to make you an authority in your area of expertise, and it's going to check off a big item off your bucket list. You know, we talked about regret on the previous question. That's another thing. You have 81% of people, according to New York Times, that want to write a book, but less than 1% actually do it. So it's just getting that book published, getting it out there. You know, that's how I changed my life, and I know it can change many other people's lives as well.
And you know, if anybody agrees with you, it's me. So I'm with you on that. Um, the next question is, is what's your best piece of overall business advice? So not necessarily like industry specific.
Yeah, I think the main thing is that you have to enjoy what you do for a career, and it's never too late to change your life. I left teaching to run my own business, and I was 41 at the time. So don't be afraid to take risks. Don't be afraid to take the plunge because you never know what's going to happen.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
So for that one, it's, um, well, I was thinking about that. I'm like, well, I think the main thing, you know, as we get older, we get wiser. So I would say to have more patience, and most importantly, don't eat burgers and fries after 2 AM after enjoying a night out with your friends at the local watering hole. I love that answer.
Um, and in your opinion, what's the key to happiness?
The key to happiness in my view is doing what you love as a career because we spend so much time with building our careers so we can, you know, take care of our families and have a house and a car and all that good stuff. So it's doing what you love as a career and spending time with the people who are the most important to you in your life.
And, oh, this will be a great question for you. So what's the best book you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from it?
So I was actually thinking about this over the past week, and those several, but the one that really stood out was the last lecture by Randy Pausch. And the main thing with that is to not take things for granted in life because you never know if today could be your final day. I mean, you and I have talked in the past, you know, I've had a couple of health scares, and the biggest lesson that I've learned is don't take things for granted. And so the last lecture really resonated with me.
And what's your favorite quote and why?
What the mind of man and women can conceive and believe, it will achieve. W. Clement Stone. And I share that story because he was actually the president of Combined Insurance. He was both my mom's boss and my dad's boss. And literally, I wouldn't be where I am without some of the teachings I've learned from Mr. Stone over the past few decades.
Well, thanks so much for coming on, Paul. The last question I have for you just before we let you go is, where's the best place for people to find you online?
Well, you can get more information about me and my coaching services by going to BrodieEdu.com. It's just short for education, so BrodieEdu.com, B-R-O-D-I-E-E-D-U.com, as I do have several free gifts on the website, including my first book publishing book, and we actually relaunched it back in January. It's a second edition, and it's called Book Publishing for Beginners. So I want to invite everyone in your audience Go to my site, check it out. It's a free download and it's really going to help you start the author journey.
Amazing. Thank you so much for that. And for anybody listening, I highly recommend getting it. I mean, Paul's an 11-time bestselling author, so if anybody knows how to help somebody out who's just starting in the publishing industry, it's definitely him. So thanks again for coming on, Paul. I appreciate it.
Thanks, Tyler. Pleasure as always.
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