Wealthy and Well-Known Podcast

What can you give before someone becomes a customer? 

Rory and AJ Vaden discuss generosity as a business strategy and a daily practice. Rory shares why teaching people what you know can build trust. AJ offers a way to examine your own giving through money, time, and information, including the form she has found hardest to give. 

Listen for a practical conversation about sharing your expertise, building relationships, and noticing what the person in front of you actually needs. 

Tyler Dickerhoof spent years responding to difficult moments by putting his head down and pushing harder. As he began to examine that pattern, he saw its effect on the people around him. 

Tyler joins Rory Vaden to discuss The Things We Hide and the four ways he says insecurity can appear in leadership: intensity, insensitivity, inactivity, and isolation. They talk about recognizing those responses, acknowledging them honestly, and asking others to help you see what you may be missing. 

Tyler also shares how he built his coaching and speaking work gradually, beginning with a book cl...

What would it take for your business to thrive after you step away? 

Rory and AJ Vaden discuss the choices founders make when they want to build something lasting. Beginning with a visit from their sons, they explore who might carry a company forward, how to prepare future leaders, and why the purpose guiding a business has to be understood beyond the founder. 

AJ shares how she communicated a new vision to their team. Rory explains the people, processes, and products a business needs to operate without its founders. Together, they consider what a sale or...

A job posting tells candidates what they'll do. Your reputation gives them a sense of who they'll do it with. 

Rory and AJ Vaden discuss how leaders can use their personal brands to attract the right people and build a team that stays. AJ shares what strong candidates ask during interviews, why she has become more visible in Nashville while hiring locally, and how she writes recruitment letters that explain the vision behind an open role. 

They also explore honest job expectations, fair compensation, and ways a smaller company can create opportunities that appeal to ta...

Maggie Berghoff built her company around the life she wanted to live. What began as a one-on-one health coaching practice grew into a multi-seven-figure business that now helps health professionals build companies of their own. 

In this conversation, Maggie joins Rory Vaden to explain how she created a high-ticket offer before she had a large audience, why she eventually focused the company around one audience, and how repeating the same proven launch helped her grow without constantly reinventing her marketing. 

They also discuss the shift from organic content to paid advertising, Maggie's decision to invest as...

Before a producer books you for television, they may have to convince an entire team that you're the right person for the segment. What can they find that helps them make that case? 

Rory Vaden sits down with Jamie Maglietta, an Emmy-nominated producer and media strategist with experience at CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC, to unpack how experts earn media opportunities. They discuss what makes a pitch relevant, why articles and podcast interviews help establish credibility, and how to build relationships with journalists before you have something to promote. 

Jamie also explains how preparing your me...

Your personal brand affects more than leads and followers when you're the person leading the company. 

In this episode, Rory and AJ Vaden talk about how a CEO's reputation influences recruiting, culture, vision, and the way people understand the organization itself. 

AJ also shares the four responsibilities she is prioritizing in her own role as CEO of Brand Builders Group and why storytelling has become one of them. 

If you're doing everything yourself because hiring feels too expensive, Rory and AJ Vaden want you to reconsider what "expensive" actually means. 

In this episode, they unpack the real cost of holding onto work too long, Rory's 30X Rule for delegation, and how fear and perfectionism keep entrepreneurs from building the capacity they need to grow. 

They also discuss underperformance, hiring for skill versus culture, when to start with contractors, and the four distinct skill sets behind a strong personal brand marketing team.

If you're good at a lot of things, choosing one audience or specialty can feel like you're closing doors. 

But the broader your business becomes, the harder it can be for someone to understand exactly why they should choose you. 

In this episode, Rory and AJ Vaden talk about why niching down makes you easier to find, remember, refer, and buy from. They also unpack why specialists can command a premium, what AI means for generalists, and how to choose a lane when you have several things you could genuinely do well.

For years, Jim Kwik believed he had a "broken brain." 

That story eventually led him on a search to understand how the brain learns, remembers, focuses, and changes. Today, he is one of the world's leading experts on accelerated learning. 

In this conversation, Jim and Rory talk about the experiences that shaped his mission, the danger of letting our limitations become part of our identity, and why learning how to learn may be one of the most important skills we can develop. 

Most people think improving sales means learning better closing techniques. 

Rory and AJ Vaden believe the foundation comes earlier: building a reputation people trust. 

In this episode, they discuss how marketing and sales work together, why relationships accelerate revenue, and why the best sales conversations are built around helping people make the right decision. They also share their approach to ethical selling and why your customer experience may be your most powerful marketing strategy. 

People want to know who is behind the business. 

In this episode, Rory and AJ explain why founder visibility can create a level of familiarity and trust that a logo alone cannot. They talk about the fear of judgment that keeps many accomplished entrepreneurs off camera and why focusing on service can change the way you think about putting yourself out there.

AJ also shares an idea that changed the way she thinks about her own role as a founder: becoming the "Chief Storytelling Officer" of the company. 

You...

A full content calendar can keep you busy without bringing you any closer to a customer. 

Rory and AJ Vaden explain the difference between managing the mechanics of content and building a strategy around the person you are uniquely equipped to serve. They also discuss why viral content and converting content require different approaches, how to identify the questions your audience needs answered, and why consistent content still fails when the message is disconnected from the customer. 

If your content is not producing results, it may be time to revisit who it is a...

What keeps an entrepreneur motivated after the money, recognition, and early goals have already been achieved? 

Rory sits down with Dan Sullivan, co-founder of Strategic Coach, to talk about the mindset and decisions that have kept him growing after more than 50 years in business.

Dan explains why successful people often feel behind, how measuring backward changes your experience of progress, and why entrepreneurs should spend more time working inside their unique ability. 

They also discuss Who Not How, hiring people who create an immediate impact, using money to buy...

Burnout can be difficult to recognize when you are still performing. 

You may be getting the work done, hitting goals, and showing up for everyone around you while your body and mind are quietly telling you that something is wrong. 

In this episode, Rory and AJ talk about what burnout looked like in their own life and marriage. AJ shares how years of sleeplessness, anxiety, physical pain, frustration, and overcommitment led to one of the lowest seasons of her life. She also explains the small warning signs she can now recognize much e...

What happens when the business you once loved becomes the thing you are trying to survive? 

In this episode, Rory and AJ talk about why fun is not just a nice bonus for entrepreneurs. It can be part of the strategy that helps you stay in the game. 

They explore the tension between hard work and rest, ambition and contentment, productivity and joy. They also talk about why so many founders burn out, why money should not be the only scoreboard, and why the work you choose matters more than most people a...

Rory and AJ are using this episode as a personal year-end review, but for listeners, it works just as well as a midyear check-in. 

In this conversation, they look back on the last 12 months and share what they learned, what they are leaving behind, and what they are taking forward. The lessons are candid and practical: leadership mistakes, sales process changes, retention challenges, team development, and the hard reality that many business problems start with the person leading the business. 

Rory shares what surprised him about the Wealthy and Well-Known book launch...

If you have ever thought about building a membership, coaching program, or recurring revenue offer, this conversation will help you see the model more clearly. 

Rory sits down with Stu McLaren, one of the leading voices in memberships and online communities, to talk about what actually makes recurring revenue work. Stu shares why getting members is only one part of the business, and why the real leverage often comes from onboarding people well, helping them experience progress, and giving them a reason to stay. 

You'll hear why closed-door launches can create more momentum than always-open memb...

10X Is Easier Than 2X: Dr. Benjamin Hardy on the Science of Scaling

AI can make content creation faster, but it can also make your message easier to ignore if you let it replace your own thinking.

In this episode, Rory and AJ talk honestly about where they use AI, where they draw the line, and why those boundaries matter for anyone building a personal brand. They explain how AI can help with research, content organization, titles, hooks, thumbnails, CTAs, and outlines without becoming the source of your thought leadership.

You'll also hear their take on AI avatars, voice cloning, disclosure, and the trust risk of letting your...

Building a paid speaking career takes more than wanting a stage.

In this episode, Rory and AJ share what it really takes to become a professional speaker. They talk about the reps, practice, strategy, and patience behind a speaking career that lasts, and why speaking for free can be one of the smartest ways to build demand when you are starting out.

You'll learn why associations are one of the best places to get early speaking opportunities, how seminars and self-hosted events can create revenue before big keynote fees arrive, and why your speech itself...

A small audience is not a weakness. For the right business model, it can be an advantage.

In this episode, Rory and AJ explain how coaches, consultants, and experts can make meaningful money without millions of followers. They break down why smaller audiences often allow for deeper access, more customized service, and higher-ticket offers that do not require mass attention to work.

You'll hear the difference between coaching and consulting, how to think about your unique framework or methodology, and why your first clients may come through your current employer, your local community, or the...

A large audience can look impressive and still fail to grow your business.

In this episode, Rory and AJ unpack one of the biggest misconceptions in personal branding: assuming more followers or more email subscribers automatically means more revenue. They explain why the real goal is trust, and why every channel should be evaluated by whether it moves the right people closer to becoming clients.

They also break down how to reverse engineer your growth from the number of clients you actually need this year. You'll hear why referrals and relationships can create revenue faster...

Most people think becoming well known means reaching everybody. Rory and AJ make the case for a better goal: becoming known by the right people, in the right niche, for the right reason.

In this episode, they unpack the strategy of micro fame and why smaller, more intentional relationships often create more business value than broad online attention. Rory shares how to think about the key people in your space, and AJ explains why becoming a connector can make you more valuable in every conversation.

They also break down what it re...

Why Less Qualified People Make More Money Than Experts

Your Logo Can't Shake Hands: Why Founders Must Be the Face of the Brand

Follower count can go up while revenue stays flat. That gap is usually a trust gap. 

In this episode, Rory and AJ break down the real formula behind brands that grow and convert over time. They explain what drives trust faster than vanity metrics, what to track if you care about revenue, and why the creators who look "effortless" often have teams, budgets, and systems working behind the scenes. 

They also answer a community question from someone who has posted consistently for eight months, hit 800 followers, and feels stuck. Rory and AJ reframe the problem, cl...

In this episode, Rory Vaden sits down with Jason Dorsey to break down why original research has become a competitive advantage for personal brands and entrepreneurs. They explore how statistically valid data builds credibility, earns media attention, and positions you as the source people cite in an era flooded with opinions and AI-generated content. 

They also walk through what makes research legitimate, why polling your own audience has limits, and how to turn one study into a long runway of assets that drive leads, speaking opportunities, and trust at scale. If you want to own a space i...

Audiobooks create a different kind of connection than print. This episode shows you how to use that connection well.

Rory sits down with audiobook creative director Tavia Gilbert to talk about what separates an audiobook that people finish from one that people feel. They break down the shift from "reading" to "performing," why emotional delivery builds trust, and how audio can deepen impact in a way that stays with a listener long after the chapter ends.

If you're writing a book and considering audio, this episode will help you make smarter decisions before you hit...

PR in 2026 runs on trust, timing, and relationships. AJ sits down with Danielle Finck to unpack what public relations actually is today, why earned media is gaining leverage as AI reshapes search and discovery, and how smart authors and founders approach PR with clearer expectations.

They also discuss the shift from transactional pitching to building cultural moments, what it takes to create a story that reporters come to you for, and how to choose the right strategy for the season you are in. This episode is a practical reset for anyone who wants long-term credibility and real...

This episode is for the person who feels discouraged and tempted to quit. Rory and AJ break down why the brain defaults to safety, how conditional commitment keeps dreams in hobby territory, and why consistency is built through work habits, not emotional momentum.

If you have been drifting or stuck in a start-stop cycle, this conversation will help you reset your mindset, tighten your commitment, and recommit to the fundamentals that compound over time.

Subscribe for weekly insights on personal branding, discipline, and building a business with integrity.

Growth changes the game for entrepreneurs. The business gets bigger, the decisions stack up, and stress starts showing up in places it never used to.

In this episode, Rory and AJ talk through why burnout often hits when the business looks like it is "working," and what to do before it becomes a breaking point. They cover the leadership shift that happens as you move from doing everything yourself to actually operating like a CEO, plus the routines and priorities that help you protect your energy and make better decisions under pressure.

This is a...

To schedule a FREE CALL with Rory's Team: https://freebrandcall.com/podcast/

In this episode, Rory Vaden sits down with YouTube strategist and author Sean Cannell to break down how smart business owners approach YouTube in 2026. They unpack why YouTube behaves like a searchable content library, why older videos can keep generating views for months or years, and why long-form attention builds trust in a way most short-form platforms cannot replicate.

They also address the frustration many entrepreneurs face after posting for a long time without meaningful growth. Sean explains why progress often comes down...

Follower Rich, Dollar Broke? The 4-Step Trust Funnel That Actually Converts

What if the biggest thing holding you back isn't your strategy… but your story?

In this episode, Rory and AJ Vaden expose three silent lies that sabotage entrepreneurs, experts, and personal brands every single day. These aren't surface-level mindset clichés. These are the deeply embedded belief patterns that quietly keep talented people stuck in amateur mode while professionals pull ahead.

You'll discover:

Why "shiny object syndrome" is really a commitment problem

How comparison fuels imposter syndrome (and how to shut it down)

The surprising difference between amateurs and pro...

What if your symptoms aren't the problem… but the signal?

In this powerful conversation, Ben Azadi, founder of Keto Camp and bestselling author of Metabolic Freedom, challenges everything we've been taught about weight loss, metabolism, and "fixing" our health.

If you've ever felt gaslit by the medical system…
If you've tried every diet but still struggle with energy, inflammation, or stubborn weight…
If you're doing "all the right things" but not seeing results…

This episode is your wake-up call.

Ben breaks down the truth about inflammation, hormones, and why obesity...

If you can't sell, you don't have a business.

It's that simple.

In this episode of the Wealthy & Well-Known Podcast, Rory and AJ Vaden pull back the curtain on one of the biggest scaling mistakes founders make: outsourcing sales too early — or worse, without a documented process.

If you've ever thought:

"I'm the only one who can close."

"Sales is the first thing I need to delegate."

"If our product is good enough, it should sell itself."

This episode will challenge everything you believe about re...

What's the real secret to building a personal brand that lasts?

In this power-packed duo episode, Rory and AJ Vaden break down why chasing trends and virality will never replace the one thing that actually grows your business: trust.

If you've ever felt pressure to go viral, post constantly, or master every new platform, this episode will set you free. Rory and AJ reveal how sustainable success comes not from algorithms—but from anchoring your brand in service, consistency, and undeniable credibility.

You'll learn:

Why viral moments rarely convert into real re...

What if the very thing you're walking through right now is preparing you for the impact you're meant to make?

In this deeply personal and eye-opening conversation, Rory sits down with real estate powerhouse and personal brand leader Dana Gentry to talk about the journey behind the success—one that started with panic attacks, addiction, and self-doubt, and led to faith-driven leadership, intentional living, and a thriving personal brand.

Dana shares how she went from being prescribed Xanax at 16 years old to leading one of the top real estate organizations in the country, overseeing more th...

What if the most devastating moment of your life became the launchpad for your greatest mission?

In this emotional and unforgettable episode, Rory Vaden sits down with Karen Mayer Cunningham—better known online as the "Special Education Boss"—whose personal journey through heartbreak, diagnosis, and systemic failure turned into a nationwide movement to change how we serve children with disabilities.

After being told her son would never speak or play with other kids, Karen refused to accept the status quo. Her raw determination led her from desperate mom to nationally recognized advocate, author of The Epic...