Dr. Sharon Livingston, best-selling author, speaker, and thought leader in qualitative research and career psychology, joins us to unpack how power and influence have evolved in the modern workplace. With over 30 years of experience interviewing more than 64,000 people---including executives at Fortune 100 companies---Dr. Livingston brings an unparalleled understanding of human behavior at work. Her latest book, Power Dynamics: How to Master the Hidden Forces That Shape Your Career, explores how relationships, not résumés, increasingly drive success.

In our conversation, we trace the shift from the "company-as-family" era to today's fluid, network-driven workplace---where visibility, empathy, and adaptability matter more than tenure. Dr. Livingston reveals how remote work and AI are rewriting the rules of influence and shares practical ways to build authentic relationships in a hybrid world. Her insights remind us that confidence isn't just spoken---it's embodied in how we listen, pause, and connect. Above all, she urges us to see this uncertain time not as a threat, but as an opportunity to reinvent how we thrive together.

The Biggest Helping: Today's Most Important Takeaway

Things are changing, and the most important thing is to stay flexible. Allow yourself to evolve in ways that are good for you and for those around you---seeing life as a shared adventure makes it a win-win for everyone.

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Thank you for joining us on The Daily Helping with Dr. Shuster. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube to download more food for the brain, knowledge from the experts, and tools to win at life.

Resources:

Read Power Dynamics: How to Master the Hidden Forces That Shape Your Career by Dr. Sharon Livingston

Visit Dr. Livingston's website

Visit Dr. Livingston's Substack: careerpowerdynamics.substack.com

Produced by NOVA

Claude Silver, the world’s first Chief Heart Officer at VaynerX, joins us to share how leading with empathy transforms teams and culture. Partnering with Gary Vaynerchuk for 11+ years, Claude has scaled “the honey empire”—kindness first, results second—and now distills her approach in her new book, Be Yourself at Work, out tomorrow.

We explore Claude’s journey from struggling student to 93 days in the wilderness, where a guide’s challenge—“get another song in your head”—helped her shift from external to internal locus of control. That moment became the cornerstone of her people-first leadership. Claude later built teams across VaynerX and reimagined hiring from “culture fit” to “culture addition,” even removing degree requirements to widen the door for talent.

Her book guides us through three arcs: know yourself (“You are the CEO of you”), know how you show up on teams (radiator or drain), and lead culture every day—with practical tools like a personal roadmap and her L.I.E. exercise to tackle impostor syndrome. It’s a pragmatic playbook for bringing more humanity, tenderness, and emotional intelligence to work—one intentional choice at a time.

The Biggest Helping: Today’s Most Important Takeaway

Remember everyone is carrying something—and most people’s intentions are good. Lead with that assumption.

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Thank you for joining us on The Daily Helping with Dr. Shuster. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube to download more food for the brain, knowledge from the experts, and tools to win at life.

Produced by NOVA

Corporal Todd Nicely of the U.S. Marine Corps is one of the few modern veterans to survive catastrophic blast injuries that cost him both hands and both legs. Six months into his second deployment, an IED changed his life on March 26, 2010. Todd lets us in on what came next—first the grit of rehab fueled by a mission mindset, then the hard truth that life after the hospital brought isolation, grief he hadn’t processed, and a suicide attempt in 2016. What ultimately turned him around was a question he encountered at Focus Marines Foundation: “You knew what you were willing to die for—do you know what you’re willing to live for?”

Today, Todd is a mentor with Focus Marines and a devoted husband and father who’s learned to build structure, set boundaries, and ask for help. We explore how living for yourself first equips you to serve others, why purpose must be rebuilt—not remembered—and how paying it forward restores dignity. A forthcoming book will share more of his story, and donations to Focus Marines (focusmarines.org) help put other veterans in that lifesaving seat.

The Biggest Helping: Today’s Most Important Takeaway

Never give up—and always pay it forward. When we focus on doing good for others, the good in our own lives grows and the darkness loses its hold.

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Thank you for joining us on The Daily Helping with Dr. Shuster. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube to download more food for the brain, knowledge from the experts, and tools to win at life.

Resources:

• Focus Marines Foundation
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/todd-nicely

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We sit down with Joe Pardavila—radio veteran with more than 10,000 hours behind the mic on New York’s 95.5 PLJ’s Scott & Todd Morning Show and author of the bestseller Good Listen: Creating Memorable Conversations in Business and Life. Now a creator and producer of entrepreneur-focused podcasts, Joe brings a storyteller’s toolkit to modern communication: curiosity, humility, and genuine care for the person across from us.

Joe shows us why great conversations start with comfort, not ego. He shares how a misstep with a superstar guest taught him the cardinal rule: it’s not about the host—it’s about making the other person feel at home. We explore simple, repeatable moves—open with a short, relevant story of our own to let guests breathe; listen for the human behind the résumé; and use “boomerasking” (asking about something we also have experience with) to reveal real, two-way dialogue. In a selfie-first culture, Joe reminds us that everyone has a story worth hearing—and our job is to help them tell it.

The Biggest Helping: Today’s Most Important Takeaway

Give everyone grace. When we “give an inch,” it doesn’t mean they’ll take a mile—it can bring us one inch closer to each other, especially across differences.

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Thank you for joining us on The Daily Helping with Dr. Shuster. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube to download more food for the brain, knowledge from the experts, and tools to win at life.

Resources:

• Learn more at joepardavila.com
• Read Good Listen: Creating Memorable Conversations in Business and Life by Joe Pardavila
• Follow Joe on Instagram: @joepardavila
• Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: Joe Pardavila

Produced by NOVA

John O’Leary returns to The Daily Helping with a timely reminder born from extraordinary adversity. Burned across 100% of his body at age nine and given less than a 1% chance to live, John has since inspired millions as a keynote speaker and the bestselling author of On Fire and In Awe. Now, his story reaches the big screen in Soul on Fire, a feature film shot in the very St. Louis places where his life unfolded—starring Joel Courtney, John Corbett, and William H. Macy.

We explore how John’s recovery was never a solo act: it was powered by everyday heroes—family, broadcasters, nurses, custodians—whose ordinary courage changed everything. John challenges us to “say yes to being used for good,” to vote for hope with our attention and our dollars, and to recognize our own agency in a cynical age. What’s new here is the cinematic proof: real locations, real people, and a real throughline that our small, faithful actions matter. As he honors his late father’s example, John models humble leadership, grateful living, and a contagious belief that our best is still ahead.

The Biggest Helping: Today’s Most Important Takeaway

This too shall pass—both the mountaintops and the valleys. Stay grounded, choose to be used for good in this moment, and trust that the best is yet to come.

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Thank you for joining us on The Daily Helping with Dr. Shuster. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube to download more food for the brain, knowledge from the experts, and tools to win at life.

Resources:

• Learn more at johnolearyinspires.com
• Read On Fire: The 7 Choices That Will Ignite a Radically Inspired Life
• Read In Awe: Rediscover Your Childlike Wonder to Unleash Inspiration, Meaning, and Joy
• Watch: SoulOnFireMovie.com
• Listen: Live Inspired Podcast by John O’Leary
• Follow John on Instagram: @johnoleary.inspires

Produced by NOVA

Ranae Van Roekel never imagined the word felon would be part of her identity. Yet after serving 36 months in federal prison for mail fraud, she refused to let that label define her. Instead, she used it as a turning point. A mother, grandmother, wife, and dog lover, Ranae is also the founder of Connecting to Cope, a platform designed to empower individuals with the tools, community, and support they need to heal from trauma and grow—no matter what’s in their past. Through her coaching, speaking, and advocacy for justice reform, Ranae has become a powerful voice for second chances.

Her journey to incarceration began long before the courtroom. When the weight of her choices became unbearable, Ranae reached a breaking point where she contemplated suicide. Instead, she chose to turn herself in, beginning a path toward accountability and healing.

Prison, rather than breaking her, became the place where Ranae finally confronted the pain she had buried for so long. With the help of therapy and a new dedication to self-care, she came to understand that everything in life is a choice—and that choosing to face trauma is the only way forward. Today, she channels those hard-won lessons into Connecting to Cope, encouraging others to uncover the roots of their pain and take small, consistent steps toward recovery.

The Biggest Helping: Today’s Most Important Takeaway

“I think the biggest thing that I tell people when I'm speaking to them, and I guess I'm speaking to all your listeners today, right, is that do the work. Find what is causing you pain in your world, whether that be trauma, sexual abuse, drug addictions, spousal abuse. There's so many things in our world today…that can cause PTSD and trauma for so many people in our country. Do the work. Go out, find out what's wrong with you, get help, whether it's by calling somebody like me on my platform and having me help you find the people who can help you, or if I can help you, I'd be glad to help you. But we do both avenues. And again, do the work, put the work in, make yourself healthier, find some good coping skills, and dedicate some time to self-care.”

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Thank you for joining us on The Daily Helping with Dr. Shuster. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube to download more food for the brain, knowledge from the experts, and tools to win at life.

Resources:

• Connecting to Cope Website
• Connecting to Cope on Facebook
• Connecting to Cope on Instagram

Follow Ranae Van Roekel on Instagram: @connectingtocope

Produced by NOVA

Margaret Andrews—leadership expert and longtime Harvard instructor—joins us to share the MYLO framework: Manage Yourself to Lead Others. Her executive program has run for years with a loyal waitlist, and she’s distilled those lessons into her book, Manage Yourself to Lead Others: Why Great Leadership Begins with Self-Understanding. We explore her journey from hard feedback about “self-awareness” to building a practical approach leaders can apply immediately.

At the heart of Margaret’s work is a simple truth: before we can lead anyone, we have to understand ourselves—our values, emotions, and the gap between our intentions and our impact. She offers six deep-dive reflection questions to surface what shaped us, what success really means, and which behaviors need to change. We also discuss her “best boss” exercise, where participants consistently prioritize interpersonal behaviors over IQ or technical skill—evidence that trust, clear communication (especially listening), and growth-minded feedback are what people remember and follow.

The Biggest Helping: Today’s Most Important Takeaway

We judge ourselves by intentions, but others judge us by behaviors—so align the two by building self-understanding and managing how you show up.

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Thank you for joining us on The Daily Helping with Dr. Shuster. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube to download more food for the brain, knowledge from the experts, and tools to win at life.

Resources:

• Learn more at margaretandrews.com
• Read Manage Yourself to Lead Others: Why Great Leadership Begins with Self-Understanding by Margaret Andrews
• Connect with Margaret on LinkedIn
• Follow Margaret on Instagram: @themargaretandrews

Produced by NOVA

We sit down with Wes Adams—CEO of SV Consulting Group and positive psychology researcher at UPenn—and Tamara Myles—speaker, author, professor, and researcher at UPenn—to unpack their new book, Meaningful Work. Together, they argue that what makes work feel worthwhile isn’t a lofty mission on a wall; it’s the daily experience we create. Their research shows leaders and environments account for nearly half of our sense of meaning at work, and they translate that into a practical playbook we can use right away.

We explore their three sources of meaning—community, contribution, and challenge—and how small actions compound. Ask about life outside of work and remember the answers to build real community. Tell impact stories so every teammate can see how their efforts help others. Pair stretch assignments with high support to create growth without burnout. And don’t overlook gratitude: a sincere “thank you” once a week can dramatically cut disengagement and burnout. This episode is a reminder that when we design for meaningful moments, performance follows.

The Biggest Helping: Today’s Most Important Takeaway

Meaning isn’t abstract—it lives in small, repeatable moments: connect with someone, notice the impact of your work, and seek growth; then amplify it with specific, weekly gratitude that tells people why their work matters.

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Thank you for joining us on The Daily Helping with Dr. Shuster. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube to download more food for the brain, knowledge from the experts, and tools to win at life.

Resources:

• Learn more at meaningfulwork.com
• Read Meaningful Work
• Connect with Tamara Myles on LinkedIn
• Connect with Wes Adams on LinkedIn

Produced by NOVA