Mitch Axelrod's BIO:

A 47 year entrepreneur, speaker, trainer, advisor and 5 time #1 Wall St. Journal, Barnes & Noble and Amazon best-selling author of The NEW Game of Business™, The NEW Game of Selling™ and the forthcoming book, The NEW Game of Service™.

Mitch has delivered 4,000 seminars, workshops, keynotes, executive briefings, webinars and coaching clinics to a million people on business, entrepreneurship, sales, leadership, values, life skills and intellectual property. His clients include IBM, AT&T, Citibank, Prudential, MetLife and thousands of small, medium and home based businesses, professionals and solo practitioners. They have generated $4 billion of revenue.

Mitch shared the stage with Jack Canfield, Les Brown, Denis Waitley, Brian Tracy, Mark Victor Hansen, Jay Abraham, Barbara Corcoran, Michael Gerber and Dan Kennedy.

Featured on media including WABC, Best-Seller TV and Sales Talk Radio, Mitch has taught at NYU, USC, Notre Dame and is faculty at Harvard's Executive Leadership Conference.

In 2020 Mitch suffered a stroke and brain aneurism that left him paralyzed on his right side. He had to learn to walk and talk again. His inspirational story of resilience, rebound and recovery has been written about in books and featured on TV shows.

In this episode, Virginia and Mitch talked about

• How Mitch got into selling
• The new game of business
• Big shift in how successful people sell
• How to turn service into a profit center
• Marrying sales & service as a holistic system
• Rejection-proof networking

Takeaways:

1. Be the trusted voice of choice

2. Sell them the BEST solution for THEM

3. Your job is to find the hungry fish

4. Your qualified buyer is either ready or getting ready

5. The most important question: Why did you buy from us?

Connect with Mitch Axelrod on his social media accounts to learn more about his work and insights into networking effectively:

LinkedIn URL

https://linkedin.com/in/mitchaxelrod

Facebook URL

https://www.facebook.com/mitchaxelrod

Instagram URL

https://www.instagram.com/mitchellaxelrod

Connect with Virginia:

https://www.bbrpodcast.com/

Leah Kuhlmann's BIO:

Leah Kuhlmann, RDN, is redefining what it means to thrive—365 days a year.

As the founder of YouThrive365, Leah brings over two decades of clinical expertise and entrepreneurial drive to the forefront of health and wellness. She's not here to promote fad diets or temporary fixes. Her mission is clear: to help individuals take back control of their health through practical, personalized nutrition rooted in real food, functional science, and long-term results.

Leah's approach is deeply personal. After witnessing loved ones battle cancer, she made it her life's work to empower others to prevent and even reverse chronic disease—not with band-aid solutions, but by addressing the root causes through food, lifestyle, and mindset.

Her philosophy is simple but powerful: Food is medicine, and optimal health is possible—without restriction, confusion, or overwhelm. Through her signature non-diet, holistic framework, Leah has helped thousands improve their energy, manage chronic conditions, and elevate their quality of life. She combines evidence-based nutrition with compassionate coaching to create strategic, sustainable health transformations.

Whether she's speaking to teams, consulting with clients, or leading wellness workshops, Leah's message is clear: health is your greatest asset—and you deserve to thrive.

In this episode, Virginia and Leah talked about

• Leah's motivation for starting her business

• Leah's passion for education and personal transformation

• Top tips for transformation in life + business

• Creating long-term transformation through simple habits

• Growing confidence through networking and visibility

Takeaways:

1. Surround yourself with people who have already walked your path
2. Start small and build better habits one step at a time
3. Stay hydrated! Hydration is key to energy and focus
4. Know your "why" before making any change
5. Keep taking consistent action and the results will follow

Connect with Leah Kuhlmann on her social media accounts to learn more about her work and insights into networking effectively:

LinkedIn URL

https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-kuhlmann-rdn-ld-74236915/

Facebook URL

https://www.facebook.com/leah.kuhlmann.7

Instagram URL

https://www.instagram.com/youthrive_365/

Connect with Virginia:

https://www.bbrpodcast.com/

Dr. Ivan Misner's BIO:

Dr. Ivan Misner is the Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of BNI (Business Network International), the world's largest business networking organization, with more than 11,000 chapters in 76 countries worldwide. Widely recognized as the "Father of Modern Networking," he has dedicated his life to helping business professionals build meaningful, relationship-driven networks that create both profit and impact.

He holds a PhD from the University of Southern California and is a New York Times bestselling author who has written numerous books on networking, business growth, referrals, and leadership. His work has influenced millions of entrepreneurs and professionals around the world, and his teachings continue to shape how people think about relationship marketing, collaboration, and legacy.

In addition to founding BNI, Dr. Misner co-founded the BNI Charitable Foundation and has been honored internationally for his humanitarian efforts, leadership, and lifelong commitment to service. His message centers on the power of long-term relationships, contribution, and living a life of intentional legacy.

In this episode, Virginia and Dr. Ivan talked about

• Why networking is a marathon, not a sprint
• The value of following a proven system
• Legacy and living intentionally
• Scaling a business through delegation
• Relational vs. transactional networking

Takeaways:

1. Success comes from repeating what works
   
   
2. Deep relationships generate bigger results than shallow networks
   
   
3. Giving and receiving must work together
   
   
4. You cannot scale if you refuse to let go
   
   
5. Your legacy is how you show up in people's lives

Connect with Dr. Ivan Misner on his LinkedIn account to learn more about his work and insights into networking effectively:

Connect with Virginia:

https://www.bbrpodcast.com/