What if your future success has less to do with your grades… and everything to do with how well you run the business of YOU?

In this very first debate-style episode of The SMARTA Podcast, I sit down with Marnie Stockman and Nick Coniglio, co-authors of The Business of You, to tackle one of the most important conversations for students, young professionals, and leaders navigating an AI-driven world: why soft skills, self-awareness, and character matter more than ever.

We talk about the character revolution, why 85% of success comes from human skills, how AI is commoditising technical abilities, and why every single one of us, whether we realise it or not, is already running a personal business called YOU. This episode is practical, honest, and packed with frameworks you can actually apply starting this week.

What you’ll learn:

• Why self-awareness is the #1 predictor of leadership success

• The difference between confidence and self-promotion

• How to answer “Tell me about yourself” with clarity and authenticity

• Why storytelling beats facts 22x over in interviews and leadership

• How to build resilience, confidence, and momentum through small risks

• How to future-proof your career in the age of AI

• Why failure is feedback—and how to use it to grow faster

Marnie Stockman is a former educator, leadership coach, and co-founder of Blue, a character-development platform helping young people build self-awareness, confidence, and purpose.

Nick Coniglio is a tech leader, entrepreneur, and leadership expert with a background in IT and innovation, focused on helping individuals treat themselves like startups and build careers with intention.

Together, they are the authors of The Business of You, a practical guide for students and young professionals learning how to invest in themselves, build value, and stand out through human skills.

📘 The Business of You is available on Amazon

📲 Learn more about Blue → coming soon

In this episode:

00:00 Welcome

02:34 Top 3 Takeaways

05:27 The Importance of Self-Awareness

08:43 Finding Your Stories and Superpowers

10:16 Confidence vs Self-Promotion

12:32 Creating the Business of YOU

17:00 Taking Ownership of Your Future

20:15 Leveraging Technology for Self-Discovery

23:18 The Role of AI in the Future of Work

26:24 Mastering Soft Skills for Success

28:44 Overcoming Self-Doubt and Imposter Syndrome

30:44 The Role of Failure in Personal Growth

34:28 Finding Balance Between Purpose and Paycheck

38:06 The SMARTA Podcast Traditions

48:13 End Message

49:11 Thank You

If you learned something new from this episode, do me a huge favor: double-check that you’re subscribed, follow the show, and rate this episode 5 stars. It’s the single best way to help us bring you more amazing guests and tools to help you live your best life ever. Now, go out there and make this your best year yet!

📺 Watch on YouTube: The SMARTA Podcast Playlist

📖 See Sonia’s books: www.soniamarta.com/books.

📲 Follow Sonia’s Journey linktr.ee/soniamartauthor

Music by epic_musictracks on Pixabay

https://pixabay.com/music/main-title-epic-drama-113886/