522 Ron Stotts

[00:00:00]

Meet Ron Stotz

Jeffrey Feldberg: Ron Stotz has lived leadership when the stakes were real, immediate and unforgiving. Long before coaching executives and founders, Ron learned about trust, pressure, and accountability in environments where mistakes were not theoretical, they were personal.

His early career forged a deep understanding of what it means to lead when uncertainty is constant, and clarity is earned, not given. What makes Ron's work resonate today is how seamlessly he bridges two worlds. Most people keep separate the intensity of elite performance and the humanity required to sustain it.

He's advised CEOs, founders and senior leaders who look successful on paper but privately struggle with decision fatigue, isolation, and the weight of responsibility. Ron does not teach motivation. He teaches ownership. His philosophy centers on personal agency. Discipline thinking and the courage to confront blind spots before they become [00:01:00] liabilities.

He challenges high performers to stop outsourcing their sense of control and start leading themselves with the same rigor they expect from others. His journey is not about becoming fearless, it's about acting with intention while fear is present for leaders navigating complexity. Growth and internal conflict.

Ron brings a grounded voice shaped by experience, reflection, and a deep respect for what leadership actually demands over time.

Deep Wealth Sponsor Break

Jeffrey Feldberg: And before we start the episode, a quick word from our sponsor, Deep Wealth and the Deep Wealth Mastery Program. Here's Bill, a graduate, who says, the Deep Wealth Mastery Program has transformed the KPIs we're using to accelerate growth and profits.

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The Deep Wealth Mastery program, it's the only one based on a nine figure deal. And that deal, that was my deal. You know my story. I said no to a seven figure offer. I created a system that we now call Deep Wealth [00:03:00] Mastery and that's exactly what helped myself and my business partners welcome from a different buyer, a different offer, a nine figure deal.

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Podcast Welcome and Leadership Stakes

Jeffrey Feldberg: Deep Wealth Nation, welcome to another episode of the Deep Deep Wealth Podcast. Deep Wealth Nation, when it comes to your future, to your legacy. Whether you're planning on growing your profits today, keeping the company forever, even growing your profits today and in the very near term, looking to have some kind of liquidity event.

How is your leadership? How are you the team? If it's just you? Well, we gotta have another conversation. If it's you and the team, what that's looking like, if an investor or buyer, Deep Wealth Nation were to come in and they were to put you under the microscope, what would they be saying? Because here at Deep Wealth, our saying is, show us your leadership team and we'll tell you your future.

And I know all kinds of questions are for you. We have a very special guest in the House of Deep Wealth. You heard the [00:05:00] official introduction. Ron, welcome to the Deep Wealth Podcast. It is truly a pleasure to have you with us. And you have quite the story. There's always a story behind the story. What is your story?

What got you from where you were to where you are today?

Ron’s Marine Corps Turning Point

Ron Stotts: Yeah, thanks for having me on the program, Jeffrey. I appreciate it. I got out of the Marine Corps. I, say that as if I did it gracefully. I stumbled out in a total mess, suicidal and manic depressive and everything else. Just, it was a really terrible experience for me, but it also was the best experience I could have had because it really forced me to, if I was going to thrive in the world, forced me to become more aware of who I was and what I wanted and what I was capable of.

And so I really went on that inner journey back in the day. And that inner journey took me into a great deal of clarity. A lot of self-acceptance and self-awareness, and. The ability to understand myself as I've moved through the world, and that's really turned out to [00:06:00] be the most amazing gift I could have given myself because as your mind gets quieter, you neurologically rewire your brain in ways that allows you to access higher levels of thinking.

You're just work with a bigger picture perspective. And then it's a matter of, well, okay, do I become a spiritual guru or do I really focus on living and working in the world and making this a better place? And that ladder is the way I chose. and I find leaders are really the ones that can really have the most significant impact on society.

since I have the ability to help leaders transform their lives and become capable of moving into high level leadership, that's the way I've gone and so far, so good.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Well, firstly, Ron, a heartfelt thank you for your time in the service, doing what you did, allowed us to do what we do, so thank you for that sacrifice. Very much appreciated with that and Deepal Nation, a few things. Please go to the show [00:07:00] notes. There's a, a whole number of resources there for you. One of the links is going to take you to Ron's books.

Yes, he's a very accomplished author and in particular, you can start with Overscheduled By Success, A Guide for Influential Leaders. Too busy to create their next dream, and it'll help lay the foundation for what's ahead for you. And Ron, I am curious, we'll talk about the book in just a moment. Very high level.

I'm gonna ask an unfair question because it's too general of a question, and I know that going into it. 

Common Leader Patterns and Inner Work

Jeffrey Feldberg: But that said, when you're working with leaders, is there a certain pattern that you're seeing? Is it the good old PTOs law, the 80 20 principle? Yes, Jeffrey. 80% of leaders that I work with have challenges with the same 20% of these issues here.

And these issues are A, B, C, and D. Are you seeing any patterns like that that you can share?

Ron Stotts: yeah. Across the board, what I watch is they're very bright people. They're very capable people. and when as a child, they were very smart and they got rewarded for being smart. And [00:08:00] so they really developed that part of themself and that got 'em into the right schools, that got 'em in the right companies, the right jobs, positions, and they felt like they had it made.

And what happens is, is they've progressed in their success and they get to a place where all of a sudden that's not enough. And they. Overemphasize trying harder. They overemphasize looking outside of themself at what the issues are and looking for the solutions outside of themself. And that's when they come to me because they get frustrated, they get frightened, they get uncertain.

know, that glass ceiling seems to be not something they're capable of moving through. And . Lo and behold, what we always find is, that within a few questions after I hear their story it turns out that it's not an outer problem. It's an inner challenge, an inner opportunity. And for me, that inner opportunity is nothing but an indicator that they're ready to evolve and grow.

It's not like they've [00:09:00] done something wrong and now they're failing. , they've done the best they could with what they were accessing from themself, and now they need more. And so I'm gonna support them and guide them on that journey of accessing that more from within themself.

And so, yeah, basically simplified, I could say they're stuck in their left brain with a full-time editorial staff about determining what they think about and what they say, and that allows them to feel like they're in control. And I very gently and supportively point out that that actually puts them completely out of control because they're not accessing higher levels of thinking.

They're not present, they're not breathing.

Jeffrey Feldberg: And De Nation as we're talking about this, you may be saying to yourself, okay, Ron, Jeffrey, sure I hear both of you. You seem like terrific individuals. Come on, what does this have to do with my profit and loss? And the short answer to De Nation is everything offline. Ron was sharing with me how prospective investors are buyers.

Well bring Ron on board to [00:10:00] meet the founders of the companies that they're thinking of either investing in or having some kind of a purchase for a liquidity event and exit. So again, people nation, it goes back to that question, if you're under the microscope, maybe you're speaking with Ron now because a prospective investor brought him on board.

Hey, I want you to speak with Jeffrey. We're thinking about buying his company or investing in his company, but we really wanna know beyond the profit and loss statement, beyond the balance sheet, what are we getting in reality? You might find yourself speaking to Ron. So this is all incredibly pertinent when it does come to mindset.

Breath as a Leadership Tool

Jeffrey Feldberg: And speaking of mindset, Ron. When it came to your book, overscheduled By Success, I was very pleasantly surprised. I may be off with the, the chapter number. It was maybe chapter five or six. It was, I think, step two, you can call me out on this. It was the power of the breath and I had to stop myself and say, wait a minute, this is a leadership book.

And Ron's a smart guy, the power of the breath, what's he talking about? And I know all about breathing and meditation and mindfulness, [00:11:00] everything else, but when I saw that actually in the book, I was like, wow, I absolutely love this. So for Deep Wealth Nation that not, they haven't had the privilege yet of going through the book over schedule by success, what would you want us to know about step two, the power of breath?

What's going on there?

Ron Stotts: Breath is really what gives us life. We know that it's the first thing we do , as a child we take that first breath and then everything's fine. And of course the end of the road we take our last breath and move on and it's in between. Really the more fully and deeply we can breathe, the healthier and more conscious we'll be.

, A child wants love and acceptance more than anything else. And so as a child they take a look around and go, well, who do I need to be to maximize that, love? And all the parts that don't feel acceptable. Maybe particular emotions or particular ways of thinking or particular ways of being, initially in their family, they kind of stuff those down.

They stuff those [00:12:00] emotions into that inner cave that we talk about And they develop those outer tendencies. They develop their intelligence, that left brain ability and they act a certain way. They squelch certain emotions and allow themself to express others. And so it's really a matter of when somebody hits that glass ceiling, they need to access more of who and what they are. And ironically, the parts that they hid away and stuffed into that inner cave are the parts that they now need to access so they can become more self-accepting, more a whole person. And in that wholeness, you find your confidence and that wholeness, you find your authenticity in that wholeness.

You find levels of thinking quite literally because the subconscious isn't, , rambling around and sub sabotage in your life, you find levels of thinking that allow you to be more present and capable of, of being a high level of conscious leader [00:13:00] who is really working with ease rather than struggle, which is usually often the case when they come to me, they're exhausted or burned out from pushing and struggling and efforting.

And by the time they leave, not only are their personal and professional relationships greatly enhanced, but the ease that they go through life, the comfort that they access. Solutions and gain ideas and insights into how they can move their business into more productive directions. So it is just very, very easy for them to to work with.

Challenges as Hidden Opportunities

Jeffrey Feldberg: And Ron in the book, what I really enjoyed reading about and couldn't agree more. Chapter three, you talk about, okay, what you're calling challenges or what some people call problems. And I'm right here with you. There are actually opportunities in disguise and I know for myself, looking back some of the biggest so-called problems, and I'm using air quotes around problems or challenges, did become my biggest opportunities.

And if I'm not mistaken, it was in your preface that you said [00:14:00] life is interesting. Are you living it? Like the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray where it's. In the movie, he wakes up. It's always the same day. But taking that now to our lives, how many times as leaders, it's perhaps not exactly the same situation, but it is the same situation, just a different day.

How are we responding to both nation? Are you responding the same way that you did yesterday and the day before and really your life is Groundhog Day? Or are you taking some time out? And maybe it's the power of breath or the kind of mindfulness or being in the present moment that Ron is all about of, Hey, yeah, I remember this.

I'm not gonna do what I did last time. Let me approach it from a, a different perspective, Ron, that's easier said than done with your wisdom, with your insight, with your years of,

practice. 

Ron Stotts: It, is easier said than done if you haven't taken the time to become more self-aware. If you haven't become more emotionally intelligent, if you haven't taken the time to recognize, I mean, [00:15:00] all the things that we did to protect ourself as a child we're great. I mean, I really am totally impressed what an infant and a young child does to protect themselves.

It's always perfect, but the problem is we get attached to those ways of being those perspectives of life and later in life, what protected us. As a child becomes exactly what sabotages us. And so , we're only aware of about five or 10% of our thoughts and so, , what's the other 90% doing?

, That's all that subconscious stuff. That's all the stuff we weren't willing to look at. And so if you haven't learned to breathe and, really look deeper within yourself and become more self-aware, you haven't. Shifted. You haven't become aware of what's in that subconscious package so that you can become conscious of it.

And as you become conscious of it, of course you can heal it and move forward with it. I mean, I see literally in life everything that comes into my life as an opportunity. [00:16:00] Everything if I'm feeling an emotion that I might have pushed away when I was a young man, I'll now get curious about it and breathe into it and see what's going on within myself or in my environment so that I can really gather information and see what my best next step is so that I can move forward in life.

I don't see anybody ever doing anything wrong. It's just all of these things that come into our life, all of those challenges, all those things that people see as problems are really what's next for you to, , that's going to serve and support you to grow, , and so , whether it's an emotion or an outer challenge or whatever it is, that's your opportunity.

That's the gift that you're being given, that if you can handle that, then you're gonna access the part of yourself You need to continue to evolve and grow and become better at what you do.

Breathing Into Success Program

Jeffrey Feldberg: And so let's talk about that because I know you have a number of different training programs that you offer, and I'm fascinated with them all. But at the very [00:17:00] beginning, you start with breath and your program is breathing into success. And Ron, at least in my experience. Breathing, the breath and sleep are the two most underrated superpowers that we have.

Forget entrepreneurs or founders as people, and it is just a given. Most people think, oh yeah, I know how to breathe, or I know how to sleep. And well actually, Jeffrey, you don't, you're not doing it properly and you don't know what you're missing because you don't know what you don't know. So let's start with breath.

What is proper breathing? How do I get the most out of life out of my business? On the personal side, with the right kind of breathing, what does that look like? I.

Ron Stotts: well look at why you don't breathe. it's interesting for me, even on a discovery call, let alone when I'm starting to work with somebody, I recognize they're just not breathing most of the time. Anytime an emotional challenge comes up, anytime something they're uncomfortable with comes up, anytime they have to think about something and reframe something, so they feel more in control, they [00:18:00] stop breathing.

And the irony of that is, is I, worked with enough people and asked them, , everybody wants to be in control of their life. That makes sense. when I ask them what they do to be in control, they recognize, okay, well I stop breathing. I go up in my left brain, I calculate and edit and figure out what the perfect thing to say is, or next step is to take.

And I said, okay. So from my perspective. You were just putting yourself out of control. So in other words, your definition of being in control from my perspective is one of being out of control. Because if I'm not breathing, I'm literally shutting down my nervous system, or at least significant parts of it.

I'm cutting off my ability to access higher levels of thinking. I'm putting my mind, giving my mind, , my subconscious thoughts are going to just take over and sabotage whatever I'm doing within, the moment or within the few weeks. And so what I share with them is they learn to breathe, then [00:19:00] whatever comes up, they can be curious about it and see what needs to be handled.

But that also gives them access to higher levels of thinking so that they can find solutions that are optimally going to resolve any issues that are coming up. So you want to be able to breathe so that you're really. More connected to yourself so that you're more, literally, more conscious, more aware of what you're thinking and feeling, so you're not reacting, you're responding to what's coming into your life.

And , for me, neurologically, we're wiring the brain is what we need to do to become capable leaders. You know, , Because we don't wanna be having our amygdala sabotaging into the emotional center sabotaging everything that we wanna do. 

AT&T Divestiture Leadership Lesson

Ron Stotts: When I was working, I was executive VP for Inter Game Corporation.

I was helping AT&T through the divestiture back in the eighties. We were developing all these amazing programs because they were going from Monopoly to [00:20:00] five for-profit organizations businesses. And so we were helping them. Prepare their people to go into that new arena. And you know,, the one thing that became very clear that anybody in a management position on up knew that you don't stick your neck out.

You don't come up with ideas. You don't, , think outside the box because you'll only be criticized and if you fail, , that'll be your story for the next 20 years until you retire. , I was having dinner, I'd been working with her for about a year. I'd been traveling all over the us working with all the different levels of leaders and managers, that kind of thing.

 I was sitting with the top three folks there, guys from at and t and we were having dinner and I don't drink much and I'd had a drink, and so maybe I was a little looser than I shoulda have had. But , they said, well, so Ron, what are you noticing?

And I said, well, , the truth of it is you three, are dad. And the managers are mom and everybody else is the [00:21:00] kids and mom and the kids are just scared to death of you. And so, , if you're gonna put them in a position of leadership or give them options to think, they're not going to be able to do it.

So all of what we're doing, unless you implement, , this huge transition transformation, if you will, it's not going to work, it's gonna fail. And they were. Quite taken back by that because they saw that their leadership was old style fifties developed, , mentality of leadership and , micromanaging over controlling their ego spewing throughout the organization.

And unfortunately they, even though they understood that fully, they watered everything down so fully because they wanted to still be in control or, , have that sense of that, that I could tell it wasn't gonna work. And that's when I, , left that position and opened up my own organization.

Case Study Transforming a Control Leader

Ron Stotts: , there's a fellow I worked with about five or six years ago. He is got five, nine figure businesses at the time, international [00:22:00] businesses. And, he had been referred to me by the, love of his life. I had worked with her extraordinarily successful entrepreneur.

And she had. Was gonna leave it. And he, he kind of called me, , he is just a bull of a guy. He is like, not no touchy feely at all. And he called me and , he actually, I live up on an island in Washington and he rented a place for a couple months up here because he really wanted to jump in full force.

And so, , I remember he just was very hesitant. He just didn't understand any of what I was doing or trying to get him to do, or, , breathing what, you know,, being present. What. And it was interesting to watch him within a month really fall in love with himself. He became more aware of himself.

He saw his old patterns. He saw how they were sabotaging not only his individual personal relationships with his, love of his life, but with his two adult sons who are now [00:23:00] drifting away from him. But he also saw that, oh, those traits are, I'm losing really high quality people in my five organizations all the time because of that.

, Because he was a controlling kind of guy. It was always top down management style. And within a month, I watched him literally restructure his organizations or begin to, I watched him really coming from a. Entirely different place because as he became more self-accepting and comfortable with himself, that relationship with himself was mirrored in his relationship with others.

You know, , He started sending me some of his C-suites that he wanted to be CEOs of his organizations. And, , he literally within a year, he had doubled the value of three of those organizations. I still work with him from time to time, and he flew me down to the Bay Area and I was helping him for a few days in a massive transition that he is going through.

I mean, I have no idea what the value of his organizations are now. It'd be, hugely, different than it was back [00:24:00] then. But , it was really a matter of him. As well as he is doing, , the love of his life came back. He is married, his two sons are working with him. He is got these fellows or key people that he sent to me and now they're running the companies he is got all these wonderful ideas.

But what's happening is he is getting to an elevated state where all he really needs to do when he is going through one of these huge transitions where he is launching something internationally is. Recognize that he's okay. You know?? And it was really three days of helping him to trust that what he had created was going to work.

Trust that the people that he was working with, , that he had really developed their leadership skills, that they could handle what was coming up. Trusting that he was able to go through this transition without falling back into old controlled ways. And as he did that, it was, it was so interesting.

A couple [00:25:00] weeks later after, he'd really launched these new programs and everything, it was just like. He had literally shifted himself into a higher state of awareness, which all just means that he is able to access higher levels of thinking so that everything even becomes easier. , Less left is effortful, as , which is his norm.

And so, I'm watching this guy just not only double, triple, quadruple the value of his organizations, but everybody in the organizations is now much more cooperative and collaborative and so the values of the organizations have gone up considerably.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Absolutely. 

Breathing Basics and Modern Leadership

Jeffrey Feldberg: And so as you're going through that let's take a step back for just a moment. Because it's being present, it's going within, and I liked what you said earlier, it can be effortless. It doesn't have to be hard, it doesn't have to be a grind. Even saying those words tires me out.

So that said, how are we breathing? what do you recommend in terms of the breath pattern that we. [00:26:00] Optimally our breathing and getting it all. Maybe it's coherent breathing or other kinds of techniques. What is that like? What's the secret sauce here For breathing properly? To get the most out

Ron Stotts: Not there is a secret that misnomer there. Secret sauce. To heal. What's keeping you from breathing

Jeffrey Feldberg: Mm-hmm.

Ron Stotts: so that you naturally breathe? I mean, that's the one thing this body of ours does better than and more comfortably than anything is, is breathe it. It can breathe. And so it's a matter of, well, what's keeping you from breathing and whatever is keeping you from breathing is the next thing that you need to heal.

The next thing you need to explore, the next thing you need to take a look at and and heal so that you can become more of who and what you are. But , I mean, I teach a lot of different breathing styles and everything, but basically if I can just get somebody so they're breathing fully and deeply on a regular basis, , which the body knows how to do.

Incredibly well then that's a win because when [00:27:00] you're breathing, you're communicating to your body. You're not in fight or flight, so your nervous system's capable of taking care of you. When you're breathing and you're not in fight or flight, all of a sudden you're literally chemically, gates are opening so that you can access higher levels of consciousness.

The left brain, that logical part that they've already developed the skills in are certainly still available, but the right brain, that bigger picture, emotionally aware, spontaneous capabilities of the right brain come into play. And so not only do you see much bigger picture of what's going on in your life and in any given circumstance, you've got that left brain coming in with the optimal path to the success that you're looking for. , That forebrain, the, frontal cortex begins to, in that quieter brain develop, and that becomes your conscious CEO. So all of a sudden you're literally reaching levels of thought that you just wouldn't have had. You're seeing opportunity rather than [00:28:00] challenge.

So your life is completely changed literally within a year. A couple of months gives you the foundation, but then the rest of the year, just neurologically, the rewiring system is, is taking place.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Okay. And it's interesting because as babies, you're right, there's no training. As babies, we know how to breathe, and if we look at a baby breathe, it is that deep belly breathing, it's the full breath. Yet as adults. We somehow lose that along the way. It seems as though we quote-unquote forget how to breathe, and we have to retrain ourselves to get back to those deep breaths, to be in that moment, to take it all fully in with that.

And what's amazing with what you're sharing with us and Ronnie, you can say Jeffrey OnBase are off base, being present, having that mindfulness, dealing with those issues that perhaps I can use the word scary, feel scary to me. They are keeping me literally up at night when we're dealing with that. We can get back to basics, get back to, okay, I feel safe, I feel good.

Let me take my God-given gifts to the world [00:29:00] and really make a difference out there that in the case of this one client that you're sharing with us, it was, lemme use the word overnight. It really wasn't overnight, but in a very short period of time. It was a tremendous difference, a tremendous difference for the better.

Ron Stotts: And I see it every time. I mean, the breathing is a matter of The reason you're holding your breath so often is because you're trying to control what you're thinking. You're trying to control what you're feeling. it's all just mixed in there. And so once you heal what you're trying to control, then you don't have to control those things anymore.

You can be present, you can be curious, you can just be yourself. , Back in the day, I remember, , fifties, sixties, and , and back then you top down, leadership was the way to go because you could reach a certain level of success. You could make a lot of money. But the problem was, the cost was in your life, your personal life, and your relationships with others in both your personal and professional life.

and you had [00:30:00] a organization where people weren't happy. You know, , You were pushing and, forcing and, and just , not a good way for anybody to live, including the leadership. And so nowadays with a rapid change and increased complexity of the work area, the business field, you can't do that.

You'll get burned out. have to heal what's keeping you up in that left brain so that you can access all of who you are so that you can really become that leader who's. Conscious enough to guide a business into the levels of success it's capable of, , and back to the basics of, , your, your business value reflects your leadership capacity.

, And external strategy builds growth, but internal evolution really builds sellability and developmental ability.

What Buyers Look for in Founders

Jeffrey Feldberg: And so talk to us about that. For the founder who is saying, okay, you know what? It is time for me to move on to the next chapter of my life. That may be bringing in an investor or [00:31:00] having a full on exit when you're working with the buy-side of the equation here. Okay, Ron, want you to come on in, take a look at this company and see what Jeffrey is doing and what's happening over here in there.

What are the buyers really looking for? What's the investor looking for? What are the red flags that they don't wanna see that they're hoping? You're not coming back and saying, okay, here's what I'm seeing. You're probably not gonna like this, or, here's what I'm seeing. You're really going to enjoy this.

Ron Stotts: I think buyers wanna buy a system, not a personality. , Buyers are evaluating leadership maturity, even if they don't recognize it or say anything about it, a builder for example, , they're gonna grow through effort and control. They're kind of a mid-level leader that as I would identify in that one book.

, And they're really, their identity is closely tied to the business and success depends on, heavily on, on that person, , doing their job. So that early success does come from that builder energy, but it doesn't really lend itself to being a [00:32:00] company that you, you want to be buying, , a leader's gonna build through people and systems, and so there's gonna be.

Kind of just the, , they're gonna tend to delegate authority. They're gonna create the structure that's, , beyond their own personal efforts. And, , just think of it in terms of leaders grow internally, they naturally create more independence within the company. But what you're looking for, if you're buying a company as a somebody who's a true steward, it's a long-term value and legacy is their focus.

Builder vs Steward

Ron Stotts: , The business becomes independent of the founder. The, they're making decision in a calm, centered way without all the complexity, it's a company that's exit ready because it's being led by a steward and not a builder. So your business scales to the level of your internal capacity is a good way to see it.

Does that make sense? Yeah.

Jeffrey Feldberg: It absolutely does. And for the benefit of Deep Wealth Nation. So for starters, I know it's so easy to say leader and manager [00:33:00] interchangeably. It really isn't. It's a world of difference. And Ron, in what you're doing in your world, I love how you differentiate. Okay? Perhaps it's being a steward, perhaps it's being a leader.

Perhaps it's being a builder. And that makes a difference. That makes a difference if I plan to grow my profits and keep the company forever. And it also makes a difference if I plan to grow my company, grow my profits, and have in the very near future an exit, some kind of liquidity event. So for the benefit of Deep Wealth Nation builder steward leader, what does that mean for you?

What would you want us to know?

Leader Not Manager

Ron Stotts: As , we're in the one-on-one in person. So that's where we get down pretty deep. And I'm listening to his business strategy, what he is doing, very successful, multimillion dollar organization and having fun with it doing well. But as I'm listening to what he does, I recognize that he's not a leader, he's a manager.

he is really managing the organization. And I'm suggesting to [00:34:00] him, well, what if, you weren't doing that? , he is in the health, area, so it's like all of his clients need to buy other health things. And so, , and suggesting that he share with me other things that he could be doing, , he, he'd had a Rolodex of ideas that, , would make him millions more dollars every year.

But the odd thing was, is he recognized, well, the reason I can't do that, even though he'd explored many of those, was he didn't have. Well, of course he didn't have time. He is managing the company. A leader is really somebody who is bringing out the best in everybody so that they're running the organization.

, A leader, this sounds counterintuitive, but I am really the leaders that I'm working with. I'm always supporting them and, , ironically putting themself out of a job. In other words, whatever they're doing, they need to find somebody else to do that so that they are really, have that bigger perspective where they can come up with new ideas, where they can really anticipate challenges ahead of [00:35:00] time so that doesn't throw everybody off track so that they can come up with ideas that it's going to take the company into the next level.

, That's a leader and everybody in the organization is, feels like they're bringing out the best of in them. They feel like they're contributing and they're part of a important, , valuable experience in the organization. , They become leaders. , I don't care where you look in an organization, there's gonna be somebody down in some division who knows more about that division than anybody else.

And if they're not telling you how to improve it, if they're not looking at it in those kind of leadership responsible ways, then it's sabotaging the organization. So, with more aware conscious leadership, you see people really creating more cooperative, collaborative organizations that, , I mean, there's 50 years of research and let alone my own experience where it increases both productivity and profits by at least [00:36:00] 50%.

I'll be honest with you, my clients oftentimes kinda laugh at that because they see far beyond that. I mean, they're doubling and, and more the values of their organization. They're having fun.

Jeffrey Feldberg: The F word, the famous F word. Fun. Absolutely love that. 

Fire Yourself to Scale

Jeffrey Feldberg: And deep Deep Wealth Nation. I hope you're hearing what Ron is sharing because again, it is not just gold is platinum, as I like to say here on the Deep Deep Wealth Podcast. Essentially, Ron, we're asking the founder to fire him or herself from what they're doing, and not only fire themselves, but bring on the right team of people.

And we're not saying to completely abdicate and walk away. Not at all.

Ron Stotts: No. No.

Jeffrey Feldberg: We're having the right people with the right mindset. Hopefully the right breathing is well around. We should be having that in the interview. Hey, let see how you breathe under pressure here. And what's going on with that? We're surrounding ourselves with the right kind of leadership, with the right kind of mindset that it allows us to take to the world our God-given gifts of what we're meant to do in the first place.

Because once upon a time, we did start the business for a very [00:37:00] specific reason. We later got bogged down as the business grew, perhaps intentionally, perhaps unintentionally, usually both. And now we find ourselves in a completely different situation. 

Breath to Inspired Life

Jeffrey Feldberg: And what I find fascinating with your methodology here with your sister Ron, you start with being in the present moment, starting with the breath.

And before we even move on to, well, let's talk about growth, let's talk about profits, let's talk about KPIs as well. Hey, Jeffrey, not so fast because I know in your training program it's all about, okay, let's get the breath down now, Jeffrey, let's talk about what your inspired life looks like. And there is a definite.

Methodology here of how you're doing this. So we go from breath. Again, inspired life for most people. You may tell me, Jeffrey, actually that's not the case for me when I think of inspired life business perhaps is part of it. It may not be. There's a whole lot more besides the business that's going on with that.

So why don't you share with you both nation the inspired life, where that's coming from, what that's all about, why that's [00:38:00] important in this specific order.

Highest Intention Shift

Ron Stotts: I think creating your inspired life is what your life's about. Why do anything less? ? And I mean, I frequently ask people, well, what's your highest intention? And it's usually a personal, , I wanna make more money, or I wanna be a better parent, or whatever variation of that is. And it's like, well, that's great.

It really is. But that's coming from a very. Small focus in terms of the bigger picture of who you are, what you're capable of doing in your life. I mean, I watch within two months of, , just that foundational entry program. I watch them, , at the end of that I go, so what's your highest intention?

And it's always about other, it's always about more than just themself. And the beauty of that is, is if it's you are just part of a bigger picture, then all the challenges, all the literally stumbling blocks, literally is, euphemism. You those stumbling blocks litter to become stepping stones.

I mean, because you're focused on where you're [00:39:00] going, not just, , being at the effect of over effort or a bad day or all the little things that go on in life and, , so it's, it's really a matter of. it literally takes two months to create the foundation that we need to build the life that we're capable of building.

, It takes two months to really clean up the clutter learn to be more present and conscious, and it takes about nine months. To neurologically rewires you so that you're capable in accessing the best of who and what you are. And , then the sky's the limit because your highest intention then becomes even more about, what is your highest or greatest aspiration?

, Highest intention is kind of what you're capable of creating now with who you are, your highest aspiration. You have to look at, well, who do I need to become to create that, to do that? And so your life becomes as it should be about evolving and growing, [00:40:00] rather than being stuck in a comfort zone that's gonna end up killing you.

? Yeah. I mean, people let fear run their life, run their organizations, run everything that, , their decision making. And that fear, unfortunately, is really old fear that is easily resolved and taken care of so you can move forward and, and create from a place of passion and excitement that's creating your inspired life.

When you become this whole confident, authentic human being who loves and accept themselves, what you want, what you're moving towards in your life, and that allows you to continue to access more and more of who you are. 

Retirement and Purpose

Ron Stotts: Well, I'm just saying at my age, I'm still, , I mean, people ask me, , I'm out playing golf with the guys, you know,, I'm 78 and be 79 pretty quick here, you know,, and they ask, well, what about retiring?

I go, well, why would I do that? I love doing what I'm doing. , I get plenty of time for boating and golfing and walking with my wife in the [00:41:00] forest and stuff. But yeah, I love what I'm doing. , And all the research shows that most of us, especially for the guys, , within a couple years of retiring, they die, ?

And I have a little brother who's 10 years younger than me. He died several years ago. He retired from a, , career. And two years later, he was gone. And that is not uncommon. if you're really looking for the best of who you are, then take care of the basics and build that foundation that you wanna build your life on and go for it.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Nation, you do not have the benefit of seeing Ron as I do, as we're seeing one another. On this call, and I gotta tell you, he does not look anywhere near his age. And there really is something to breathing into success being present in the moment. He looks a good 20, 30 years his junior. And I'm not joking when I'm saying that that is the absolute truth.

And Ron, when we have our vision of what we want our inspired life to be like for myself, I didn't have that, even Postex exit. It took me a while to get that offline. I was [00:42:00] sharing with you in the ninth step roadmap, it's actually step 10 is right in the introduction. One of my biggest mistakes was not preparing for the post exit life.

And there's a big difference when you have that preparation because when you do. It's okay. I have a purpose in life, and it's not just the business. And actually my ambition is more now than it ever has been because of that. And to what you're saying, Hey, I have a long runway, God willing ahead of me, I have plans and yes, I can still do the boating or the golfing or all those relaxation kinds of activities, but I enjoy what I'm doing.

Why would I stop that? And you're absolutely right with that. 

Negotiating From Strength

Jeffrey Feldberg: And Ron, as you're talking about that, what's going through my mind is the whole process with the Deep health operating system, whether it's about your health, whether it's about the business and intermingling of the two. Especially when it comes to the business side though, when we have our health, we can do a whole number of unlimited things on the business side because we have the energy, we have the focus.

And when you go through the nine step roadmap. For preparing [00:43:00] your profits, whether you wanna keep the company forever or you want to have an exit, what I really respect about that is coming out of it, I'm gonna use the F word, we're having fun again. And it goes back to that old saying, who wins the negotiation?

Well, it's the one who cares the least. And so if as a business owner, I can keep my company forever. Or I can sell it tomorrow. I'm really good either way. It's not just me running the company. I have a terrific team that's in place. I'm in more of a board of director role. I'm acting as a mentor. The team's doing what they're doing.

Are they better than me? Yeah, in some areas they actually are. In some areas are not. But you know what? It's more than good enough. In fact, it's great. And now I can choose how I spend my time or how I invest my time. And so I can take this offer, but it's gonna be on my terms and my way. And if you don't want that, that's okay.

I'm going back to a great business that's coming from strength. And what's interesting, Ron, as we're talking about this, I've had investors, I've had private equity, I've had buyers on the phone or on the podcast, [00:44:00] and they all share the same thing, Jeffrey. When we smell blood in the water, as they say, this is their words, not mine.

When we smell blood in the water, there's two reactions. One, we're gonna go in for the, kill their words, not mine. We're gonna go in for the kill. There's something going on here. I'm going to get a super discount on this particular deal. Or the other reaction is I'm simply walking away. I don't need that kind of excitement in my life.

My full-time job is not running your company. I already have another full-time job. It's called my company, not your company. And so back to your point, when I'm present, when I'm in the moment, when I can be doing all the right things, my business is going to naturally follow, especially with your system.

It's natural for an investor or buyer to want to have that because the business is in the right place doing the right things. I, I would love your thoughts on that.

Ron Stotts: Yeah. 

Exit Readiness Starts Within

Ron Stotts: I mean, I feel like I just help founders evolve internally so their business becomes more scalable and transferable and valuable. , That's the sim simple way to say it. It is. I think that in truth, , that [00:45:00] exit readiness really starts internally long before the deal.

, So you don't wanna wait, , you wanna do it now, , you don't wanna put off living your life until some later point start now, ? And it is really, to me, I see so many, you asked earlier in the beginning, what's a common thing I see? And that is, I see leaders who are building a life, building this structure on a sandy foundation.

, I mean, I've built enough homes and that type of thing that I know the foundation is crucial. you don't have a foundation that's gonna handle the structure It's gonna crumble, it's not going to work. And yet I see people building on and they've got amazing ideas and they've got some money and they're doing, they're building these, , incredible environments, but they don't have a foundation.

So they get to a certain level and all of a sudden everything starts to fall apart, , so what I support them in doing is. Create that foundation. And if you really [00:46:00] know, , have this higher vision, then create a deeper foundation. if somebody comes to me and they just kinda wanna live, , they wanna run a drugstore or a, , a smaller business, that's fine.

They don't need the foundation that somebody, like the fellow that I just was talking about earlier, where he is got five international organizations that are worth billions of dollars. , They just don't need the same foundation. So it's like, who do you want to be, , what level do you wanna play on?

That's the question I often ask. What level of consciousness, what level of, awareness, what level of success and success, , defined by what's most important to you? what success do you want to have? For me, I'm 36 years into a marriage that's the most incredible experience of my entire life.

I've got a body that allows me to still run and walk 18 holes with my clubs and go for walks through the woods and do pretty much anything I wanna do. That's [00:47:00] success. I went to a doctor I was about six months ago, and my wife supported me in doing that for my annual checkup, which I have every five years.

And they said, oh, you've got this and you've got that. And , they just kept identifying all these things and referring me to five other doctors and, , end of the road I didn't have anything wrong, literally, , and all the stats were as healthy as I could be healthy as I was 20, 30 years ago.

So what is success in your life if you want to get to a retirement and die in a couple years or. Some sort of sta that makes you feel like you've accomplished something. That's fine. Do that. I'm not criticizing that. But if you wanna discover who you are and what you're capable of and live your dream, if you want to really create, , that inspiring life that gives you and your family and those around you meaning, and, , do that.

And if you wanna do that, then gimme a [00:48:00] call. ' that's what I do is I guide people into that level of play. , I help 'em upgrade that internal operating system so that their personal and professional life really, , become what they're capable of creating, what they truly want.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Well, Ron, you're clearly walking the talk as the saying goes on, that with your health, with your outlook, and for someone in Deep Wealth Nation, a founder who is hearing us talk. And Ron, I wanna be clear for Deep Wealth Nation, when you're talking about exit, it's not necessarily an exit of selling the business.

You can still own the business, but time is now your own. Because you set this up in a way that if you choose to, you can be in the business, or if you choose not to, you don't have to actively be in the business. I know in the deep health community. Some founders, it might be just a few hours in a very profitable scaling growth business that they're putting their time into. And the rest of the time it's they're choosing of what they want to do. So exit for you when you're using that. It's not, Hey, [00:49:00] I'm selling now and that's it. I'm out forever. It's giving you options.

One Step to Start Today

Jeffrey Feldberg: So if there's one thing that a founder could begin to do today coming outta this conversation to be more quote-unquote, exit ready, whatever that looks like for them, keep the business forever. Go on to other things, sell part or all the business. What would be that one thing that they can start doing?

Ron Stotts: Understand what they want, understand what's important to them,

understand what they want the rest of their life to look like, and then, , be bold enough, be courageous enough to take a look at, well, what's keeping me from doing that, keeping me from being that and take care of those things. it all comes down to that inner work.

It really does. if you're willing to do that inner work, then your outer life is going to flourish, , and I see it time and time again. , everybody comes to me cause they wanna go from here to CEO or they wanna, do something in business.

But literally down to, I can't think of [00:50:00] anyone that isn't the same. They start recognizing how they feel about themself, how they feel physically, how they feel mentally. They start recognizing that how their relationship with their kids, with their significant other is changing. And they start recognizing how they feel in their work environment and how their relationships are.

, Everybody's starting to cooperate and collaborate. They feel more comfortable, and all the stress is diminishing. if that's all you want, that's great, do that. , what I watch is people making decisions out of fear. they only see what they think they're capable of.

I mean, and, and I tell you, it, it's.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Okay.

Ron Stotts: Whatever you aim towards, even if you don't get there, like my highest aspiration is to create a more conscious and caring world. Well, I don't think I'm gonna, you know, , necessarily get there in my lifetime, but it's certainly a, a worthwhile journey for me to enjoy while I'm here and I [00:51:00] watch it, , I mean, sometimes I'm working with somebody who's got a couple thousand people under them in their organization, and I'm watching all of those lives be enhanced by the shifts , that that leader is going through so it's really. , Quit blaming outside things. Be willing to breathe and look within yourself. Be willing to breathe and take responsibility for creating an inspiring life. And , it's up to you. nobody else. It's up to you. And if you're not willing to do that, that's just because you're afraid.

And I appreciate that. But boy, I can't think of anyone who started this journey, who didn't start off somewhat with some trepidation, some level of fear, but within hours they recognize, oh, the only thing I'm have to be afraid of is I'm going to get to know myself better. Oh, well, that's just allowing me to free myself from all the things that are holding me [00:52:00] back.

Oh, well, gee, maybe I don't have to hold myself back. Maybe I can just handle all these things Now that I see how to do that and move forward in my life, and all of a sudden I can dream bigger, I can be bigger, I can, , open up my heart and, and love my wife and kids in the way that I'd like to, and that I wish I'd been loved.

And whatever variation of that it is, yeah, go for it.

Jeffrey Feldberg: It is amazing preparation, as we say here at Deep Wealth and our Deep Wealth Mastery programs preparation. It's the gift that keeps on giving and it's ensuring that we give the preparation of priority because the ROI is like compound interest. Once we put it in motion, it's tremendous what can come from that.

Who Do You Want Be

Jeffrey Feldberg: And Ron, I am wondering before we go into wrap up mode, is there an important question that we haven't yet covered that you'd like to get out there for Deep Both Nation.

Ron Stotts: Well, I think you've done a great job, to be honest with , I think the question should be asked by each of the members of our audience, , who do you wanna be? What [00:53:00] level do you wanna play on? those are, . Make that decision, ? And once you recognize what level you wanna play on, it's like, okay, now create the foundation so you can create that life on that, create that inspiring life that you're envisioning.

Everybody, everybody sees things in their mind. Everybody sees what they'd like to be doing, who they'd like to be, what they feel like they're capable of. Well, those aren't just fantasies. those are parts of you, beckoning. Those are parts of you saying, yes, you are capable of this. Let's clean up anything that's keeping you from really living that life, die with no regrets.

If you don't love yourself, for God's sakes, be courageous enough to do that.

Jeffrey Feldberg: That is words to the wise. 

Back to Future Advice

Jeffrey Feldberg: And speaking of words to the wise, as we do go into wrap up mode now, it is a tradition here on the Deep Deep Wealth Podcast, Ron. It's my privilege and honor where every guest I ask the same question. Let me set the question up for you. It's a fun one. When you think of the movie [00:54:00] Back to the Future, you have that wonderful DeLorean car that can take you to any point in time.

So Ron, it's tomorrow morning and you look outside your window. This is the fun part. Not only is the DeLorean car curbside, the door is open waiting for you to hop on in which you do, and you're now gonna go to any point in time. Ron is a young child, but teenager, whatever point in time it would be. What would you tell your younger self in terms of life wisdom or life lessons or, Hey Ron, do this, but don't do that.

What would it sound like?

Ron Stotts: It would look more like me embracing that little boy. It would look like me letting him know how amazing and loved he is. It would look like giving him permission, to continue to his journey with confidence that there is no such thing as failure. And the worst of times those will turn out to be the best of times.

Be honest with you, I, was an incredible little kid. I look back on who I was and other than [00:55:00] some stuff about not feeling like I could do things good enough because of the way my dad raised me, , I would leave the house and go into the woods across the street and be there all day with my friends and just have adventures and, , and, , somewhere, I don't think I've ever stopped doing that.

yes, I've had challenges. You know,, I was a. US rowing champion. And then I went in the Marine Corps and my entire life fell apart. But then that led me into the creating the perfect life that I am so grateful that I was able to, to open up to, you know, I probably would've, and I'm not criticizing it, but I probably would've been a, worked with Coldwell Banker, commercial real estate.

, That was an opportunity that I had and it's like, I'm sure that would've been wonderful. And the guys that I knew that were inviting me into that were, were great guys, but a life of introspection, a life of personal development, a life where you get to know yourself and become [00:56:00] yourself and create the uniqueness of who you are throughout your life.

There's nothing more fulfilling than that. Nothing.

Jeffrey Feldberg: It is really words of the wise. And so with that in mind, and it's a terrific narrative that you shared with us, if you could encapsulate that into a sentence or two to your younger self, what would you be telling your younger self in regards to that? How would you be saying that?

Be You in Two Months

Ron Stotts: Be you.

Jeffrey Feldberg: I love that. Be you. It's very simple. Not overthought, not complicated. And Ron, isn't that the truth? How many times we want to be ourselves? We're about to. Put our best foot forward or say something and yet that fear to what you circled back earlier on or that intimidation or what will they think of me?

Or this just sounds crazy, or who am I to say that? That we doubt ourselves and in the process we're not only robbing ourselves or robbing those around us of the gifts that we can bring to them and the world. It's the biggest tragedy when we're not ourselves. So Deep Wealth [00:57:00] Nation be you hit

Ron Stotts: And, and literally within two months, literally, it only takes two months to overcome all of those things. It doesn't mean everything's taken care of, but you've got the tools, the ability, the curiosity to handle whatever comes up in your life. So yeah, to not take those eight weeks and explore who you truly are, it's the most transformational experience you'll ever have, and it's the most worthwhile experience that you'll ever create for yourself.

How to Reach Ron

Jeffrey Feldberg: And speaking of experiences and transformation, the Deep Wealth Nation, they're hearing this. A member wants to get in touch with you. They want to go through your programs, they want to have a call with you, learn a little bit more. Where would be the best place online to reach you?

Ron Stotts: I would just go to ron stats.com. That's my website. There's materials they can download that can help them begin that inner journey. They can explore blogs and books and [00:58:00] programs and, , there's just tremendous amount of information there that is really all there to support people in waking up and becoming themself, inspire them.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Deportation. It doesn't get any easier because all of this is in the show notes. Go to the show notes is a point and click reach out to Ron. Have that conversation with him. Pick up one or all of his books. It will do so much to take you to the next level, not just in the business, but in your, not only your life, in your inspired life.

Well, all of that said Ron, it's official. This is a wrap and as we love to say here, deep, both may you continue to thrive and prosper while you remain healthy and safe. Thank you so much.

Ron Stotts: Thank you.

Final Wrap and Subscribe

Jeffrey Feldberg: So there you have it, Deep Wealth Nation. 

What did you think? 

So with all that said and as we wrap it up, I have another question for you.

Actually, it's more of a personal favor. 

Did you find this episode helpful? 

Have you found other episodes of the Deep Wealth Podcast empowering and a game changer for your journey? 

And if you said yes, and I really hope you did, I have a small but really meaningful way that you can actually help us out [00:59:00] and keep these episodes coming to you.

Are you ready for it? 

The dramatic pause. I'll just wait a moment. Drumroll, please. Subscribe. Please subscribe to the Deep Wealth podcast on your favorite podcast channel. When you subscribe to the Deep Wealth Podcast, you're saving yourself time. Every episode automatically comes to you, and I want you to know that we meticulously craft Every one of our episodes to have impactful strategies, stories, expert insights that are designed to help you grow your profits, increase the value of your business, and yes, even optimize your post exit life and your life right now, whatever you want that to look like.

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The Deep Wealth Podcast, it's your reliable source for the next big idea that could literally revolutionize your business. So once again, please hit that subscribe button, stay connected, inspired, and ahead of the curve. And again, your next big breakthrough moment, it might just be one episode away. Maybe it was even this episode.

So all that said. Thank you so much for listening. And remember your wealth isn't just about the money in the bank. It's about the depth of your journey and the impact that you're creating. So let's continue this journey together. And from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for listening to this episode.

And as we love to say here at Deep Wealth, may you continue to thrive and prosper while you remain healthy and safe. 

Thank you so much. 

God bless.