Best Aphorism Podcasts (2024)

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S2E48: Aphorisms 22:45

29d ago22:45

22:45

Aphorisms are the end result of the hard work of distilling truths and principles into a message that is concise and clear. Your legacy building follows a similar process. Listen to learn how developing your own aphorisms will enhance your legacy.By Ronald L. Fong

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Ep. 349 – Managing Expectations (Two Words When I Saw Plymouth Rock) 14:48

3h ago14:48

14:48

A recent “ice cream” incident at a restaurant got me thinking about my immediate reaction when I first saw Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts. Spoiler alert: my two words were, “that’s it?” In this episode, I talk about managing expectations as a deliberate communicator. The post Ep. 349 – Managing Expectations (Two Words When I Saw Plymouth Rock) appe…

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S3E1: Autumn, a time for legacy reflection and renewal 17:38

6h ago17:38

17:38

Autumn marks the end of the carefree endless days of summer. The air grows colder and the nights longer as responsibilities quicken. Autumn is a time to take stock of your legacy's harvest.By Ronald L. Fong

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S2E51: Legacy lessons from backup catchers 23:08

10h ago23:08

23:08

How have you prepared for the time when you are called to mentor those who are to take your place? Are you willing to mark success based on the growth and development of others? Listen to appreciate the legacy building lessons from the responsibilities of being the backup catcher.By Ronald L. Fong

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Ep. 348 – Three questions to improve your next one-on-one 13:56

14h ago13:56

13:56

Do you find it a struggle to engage in formal, one-on-one conversations at work? For many managers and subordinates, these scheduled exchanges can seem stale, fruitless and stiff. By approaching them as a pointed and personal conversation with specific questions in mind, we can make them memorable and impactful on both sides. The post Ep. 348 – Thr…

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S2E50: Succession planning 20:22

12d ago20:22

20:22

As you design and build your legacy, have you given thought to who will be entrusted with it when you are gone? Organizations and families take steps to ensure that assets and values are passed down to the next generation. Listen to incorporate this important step in the care of your legacy.By Ronald L. Fong

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Ep. 347 – Do you do deep work? 15:20

4d ago15:20

15:20

Going deeper can be quite difficult, especially when there’s so much competing for our attention. Our value and impact are greatly diminished by impulsively skimming the surface and chasing the least important thing and most tempting text. In this episode, I share insights from three profound business books that might help you answer this question …

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S2E49: Journaling 21:20

22d ago21:20

21:20

A journal is a studio of solitude where your thoughts have the space to roam and to explore. Begin a journal and you will be able to see where you have traveled. Reflect on your entries and you will blaze a trail to where you want to go. A journal is map for the mind and a compass for the soul.By Ronald L. Fong

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Ep. 346 – Defining your most pressing priority (MPP) 13:30

11d ago13:30

13:30

Are we spending enough time thinking about what’s critical for us today, this week, or this month? Are we talking about it in clear and concise terms? And are we actually getting our MPP done consistently. In this episode, I make the connection between deliberate preparation and predictable execution. The post Ep. 346 – Defining your most pressing …

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Ep. 345 – Why does BLUF frequently turn into BLAB? 14:28

22d ago14:28

14:28

The term bottom-line-up-front (BLUF) is widely known in military and governments circles. Regardless of how many people are familiar with the acronym, most end up delivering the bottom line at the bottom (or BLAB). This isn’t what busy, attention-starved audiences really want yet are forced to accept. The post Ep. 345 – Why does BLUF frequently tur…

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Ep. 344 – How you might abuse a few minutes of free time 13:53

29d ago13:53

13:53

What would you likely do if given a few extra minutes while waiting for someone to arrive? Or standing in line? Or in-between meetings? In this episode, I discuss how our impulsive tendency to grab our smartphone or keep on consuming information is what makes us squander magic moments of quiet and settle for more noise. The post Ep. 344 – How you m…

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S2E47: Jubilee 20:21

1M ago20:21

20:21

Jubilee marks the time to hallow a year to return to one's land and family. This period of rest and restoration is needed to reflect on the direction and steps of our lives. Listen to learn how to incorporate jubilee into your legacy.By Ronald L. Fong

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Ep. 343 – Three Lies about Collaboration 14:30

1M ago14:30

14:30

Professionals often overemphasize the value of collaborative work. Time spent together is frequently less valuable because we buy into underlying falsehoods without question or deeper critical concern. In this episode, I highlight three lies we believe that hurt how we work together and alone. The post Ep. 343 – Three Lies about Collaboration appea…

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S2E46: The legacy of tears 21:01

1M ago21:01

21:01

We will cry tears of joy and sorrow. Tears will mark our celebrations and times of mourning. How you respond to your own tears and the tears of others will be clear messages of your legacy.By Ronald L. Fong

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S2E45: Building the bridge from empathy to compassion 20:58

2M ago20:58

20:58

Burnout is the washing out of the bridge between empathy and compassion. We can be moved to tears while not moving to help someone stop crying. A legacy of empathy is nothing compared to a legacy of compassion. Listen to build and maintain a bridge that tells a story of edification and connection.By Ronald L. Fong

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Ep. 342 – Giving Bad Advice 14:04

2M ago14:04

14:04

What if your words of “wisdom” turn out to lead others to damaging results. Many people inadvertently and impulsively blurt out a “you should” or a “you shouldn’t” without really thinking through the recommendations, guidance and counsel they are dishing out. The post Ep. 342 – Giving Bad Advice appeared first on Just Saying.…

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S2E44: Legacy branding 21:10

2M ago21:10

21:10

Companies spend a great deal of time and money on building their brand, then protecting it. They do so because it establishes their identify and personality, which helps distinguish them in markets. Branding speaks to customers to foster trust and value. You should take a similar approach in building your legacy. Listen to strengthen the brand of y…

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Ep. 341 – Adages, Aphorisms and Epigrams 14:30

2M ago14:30

14:30

A few words can pack a punch. As you look to add tools and techniques to become an elite communicator, you need three flavors of a short saying in your toolbox. In this episode, I share three versions of concise sayings that can be memorable, impactful and brief. The post Ep. 341 – Adages, Aphorisms and Epigrams appeared first on Just Saying.…

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S2E43 Accountability 23:45

2M ago23:45

23:45

How will you respond when matters go awry and you are left to answer for them? How we prioritize our accountability defines our character and how others define our reputation. Keep your story and legacy honest by being accountable.By Ronald L. Fong

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Ep. 340 – I don’t believe you 14:39

2M ago14:39

14:39

What really happens when your credibility is lost? Finding inspiration from a memorable audition scene in the movie “Walk the Line,” I isolate three different moments when people’s trust in us seriously erodes. In none of these instances should we lay blame on our audience, but need to take a look in the mirror to understand what we did to provoke …

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S2E42: How will your legacy be defined by success? 19:25

2M ago19:25

19:25

We strive for success, but do we plan on how to wield the power that comes with it? If we do not prepare ourselves for success, its arrival will overwhelm us and leave our legacies tattered. Listen to design a path from success to your intended legacy.By Ronald L. Fong

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Ep. 339 – Managing the clock like a pro 14:57

2M ago14:57

14:57

Time matters and when we lose track of it, we can devalue it and cause others to start to tune us out. Keeping track of time not only is what professionals do, but also what elite communicators know how to master. In this episode, I cite five distinct moments to zero in on the precious seconds and minutes that will set us apart. The post Ep. 339 – …

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S2E41: Elevation and edification 17:03

3M ago17:03

17:03

Building your legacy is important. Just as important is why you want to share your legacy. Your legacy becomes long-lasting when its purpose is to elevate and to edify others. Listen to ensure that your message spans the generations.By Ronald L. Fong

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Ep. 338 – Five insights to run a tighter meeting 14:50

3M ago14:50

14:50

Poorly run meetings are often a bi-product of people repeating bad habits they have experienced over time. Creating meetings that drive collaboration and connection – either in-person or online – means following a few best practices. In this week’s podcast, I share five key considerations that will help you facilitate better discussions, no matter …

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S2E40: The creativity of jazz 51:29

3M ago51:29

51:29

I interview musicians Jonathan Fong and Isaiah Sidouang to discuss their perspectives on the creative process of jazz. Moreover, I ask these two entrepreneurs how playing jazz has influenced their business pursuits.By Ronald L. Fong

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Ep. 337 – When your messengers can’t deliver 14:44

3M ago14:44

14:44

When you have something important to announce, do you take more time thinking about the messages you want to deliver than the people you’re empowering to deliver them? Critical information may never get through to the right audiences because leadership teams are too concerned about framing the right words and not spending enough time arming people …

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S2E39: Fatherhood and legacy 19:37

3M ago19:37

19:37

Your children are your children, not your legacy. Design your parenting to inspire them to tell their own stories while providing support for each stage of their development.By Ronald L. Fong

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Ep. 336 – What happens when you’re confused 14:44

3M ago14:44

14:44

If something doesn’t make sense, how does that feel? As you endure a long and confusing explanation, what is likely to happen next? When you expect clarity yet dive deeper in the weeds, what chaos will likely ensue? In this episode, I create a laundry list of the real struggles that your audience is forced to endure when the point is buried or miss…

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S2E38: Commencement for Class of 2024 22:50

3M ago22:50

22:50

Congratulations to the Class of 2024 and your parents. Now is the time to write your story and design your legacy. This applies to the graduates and their parents. Listen for encouragement as both of your begin new chapters of your stories.By Ronald L. Fong

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Ep. 335 – Flagging, Flagging, Flagging 13:25

3M ago13:25

13:25

Flagging is a simple, powerful and predictable technique to get people’s attention and keep it. Earlier in my career, I learned it from a media trainer and was mesmerized by its immediate impact. In this episode, I not only explain what flagging is but also provide three ways to use it to capture and captivate an elusive audience. The post Ep. 335 …

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The Matter With Things: A Conversation with Iain McGilchrist and Julia Friedman 1:03:47

3M ago1:03:47

1:03:47

Iain McGilchrist is the author of The Matter with Things: Our Brains, Our Delusions, and the Unmaking of the World and The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World. He has said that "‘Our talent for division, for seeing the parts, is of staggering importance – second only to our capacity to transcend it, in ord…

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S2E37: The creativity crisis of childhood. 22:56

4M ago22:56

22:56

The playground or sandlot is the laboratory, workshop, and studio for children in developing their innovation, leadership, and decision-making skills. When they lose access and adults structure their playtime, this interference impacts their maturation as adults. This deters them from writing their own stories and confides them to penning the seque…

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Ep. 334 – Why Don’t You Make Any Sense? (When You Think You Do) 14:30

4M ago14:30

14:30

Every executive or leader I’ve encountered all think that they are clear. Nobody thinks to themselves, “wow, was I so confusing in that last conversation!” What seems perfectly logical and reasonable in your head, often sounds confusing when it’s said aloud. This week, I share four distinct possibilities that might contribute to your tendency to ba…

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S2E36: Setting up the meeting with your past and future selves. 24:21

4M ago24:21

24:21

We associate boredom and waste with meetings. The key to better meetings is better design through storytelling. One of the most important meetings for legacy building is with your past and future selves. Listen to arrange this meeting to align vision with execution and to ensure you are on the path to building the legacy you want.…

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Ep. 333 – How to Survive an Awkward Silence 14:50

4M ago14:50

14:50

Imagine the odd feeling of standing in silence on a long elevator ride filled with a mix of friends and strangers. Enduring silence can be a momentary reality in conversations, interviews, meetings and presentations. It can feel uncomfortable, strange and even embarrassing. Rather than look at it as cringeworthy, we need to manage and even embrace …

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Ep. 332 – Three Ways to Communicate Like a Boss 14:25

4M ago14:25

14:25

You expect a leader to talk like one. However, in a variety of moments professionals talk like amateurs. They speak over and for their subordinates, dilute their own words, and pull punches with weak, apologetic language. In this episode, I share three simple practices that can make you sound like you really run the place. The post Ep. 332 – Three …

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S2E35: The important difference between designing and planning 22:04

4M ago22:04

22:04

There is a distinct and powerful difference between designing and planning. This applies to meetings, weddings, your future, and your legacy. Listen to find out how to shift your perspective from planning to designing. This shift will enrich your outlook and yield fruit of your choosing.By Ronald L. Fong

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The Asian American Renaissance: A Conversation with Mai Wang 30:52

4M ago30:52

30:52

Mai Wang is an assistant professor of literature at UT Dallas, where she teaches Asian American and Chinese diasporic literature. Her first book project, The Asian American Renaissance, examines the imaginative alliances formed between diasporic Asian American authors and their nineteenth-century American predecessors. In this conversation: How Asi…

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S2E34: Leadership lessons from Toy Story 23:49

4M ago23:49

23:49

Leadership lesson are not limited to the workplace or classroom. Daily life provides us with ample opportunities to grow our leadership skills. The original Toy Story had many moments of leadership lessons. I discuss how you can discuss these with your children to help them with their leadership growth.…

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Ep. 331 – Reframing a Message to Regain Focus 13:14

4M ago13:14

13:14

Like a picture hanging on a wall, any message must periodically be adjusted, cleaned, and even rehung entirely. Communication can easily get tired, out-of-date, and unattractive. Our opportunity is to first notice this is the case, then to step in and reframe the message that is deliberately organized, undeniably appealing and clearly explained. Th…

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The Legacy of Vesuvius: A Conversation with Michael Thomas 36:09

4M ago36:09

36:09

Michael Thomas is curator of The Legacy of Vesuvius: Bourbon Discoveries on the Bay of Naples at the Meadows Museum, Dallas, as well as From Texas to the World: Common Ground at UT Dallas and the Dallas Museum of Art. In this conversation: What the Bourbons discovered in 18th-century excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum; the effect of the Grand T…

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Ep. 330 – It Doesn’t Matter 15:58

4M ago15:58

15:58

If something doesn’t matter, why do we keep talking about it? As you sit in enough meetings and conversations, you can easily conclude that people spend a lot of time mindlessly doing this. It not only wastes tons of time, but also induces professionals to feel helpless, unfocused, and fruitless at work. In this episode, I challenge you to define w…

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S2E33: Celebration as a reflection of legacy 24:36

4M ago24:36

24:36

Bar mitzvah. Quincenera. Graduations. Weddings. How we celebrate the milestones of life is a reflection of our legacies. When we celebrate with others, we strengthen the bonds of community. Post-pandemic life calls us to renew our sense of communal purpose by reaching out and sharing our voices with encouragement and compassion.…

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S2E32: The legacy of Steve Jobs 24:12

5M ago24:12

24:12

Steve Jobs was an innovator, an entrepreneur, and a visionary. He ran Apple, NeXT and Pixar. His legacy is defined by his storytelling abilities and how he placed technology in the hands of people in order that they can tell their stories.By Ronald L. Fong

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Call Back Episode – Ep. 274 – The social media time warp 15:16

5M ago15:16

15:16

Recent research indicates that spending time online, especially on social media, fundamentally changes our perception of time. If asked how much time do you think you actually spend online each day, would your answer be accurate? In this episode, I challenge you to rethink the time you allocate online (versus what you get in return), while not argu…

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Aristophanes and Timeless Comedy: A Conversation with A.M. Juster 41:24

5M ago41:24

41:24

Gerytades: An Aristophanes Play... sort of, by poet and translator A.M. Juster, is out now from Contubernales Publishing. In this conversation: How Gerytades was lost and found; what makes for great comedy; timeliness and timelessness in human nature; how to approach a play that survives in fragments; the fate of light verse; literature, humor, and…

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Dragon Eye: A Conversation with Thomas Riccio 44:25

5M ago44:25

44:25

"Dragon Eye," Thomas Riccio's immersive video installation documenting the culture of the Miao people of China, was recently on view at the SP/N Gallery at UT Dallas. In this conversation: The process of visiting and doing research with the Miao people in remote mountain villages; cultural preservation in the face of modernity; "Form Fatigue"; an e…

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Views of L.A. and Medellín: A Conversation with Thomas Locke Hobbs 55:58

5M ago55:58

55:58

Thomas Locke Hobbs is a photographer whose books include L.A. Vedute, which was shortlisted for Aperture Photobook of the Year, and Rampitas. In this conversation: Cities in the U.S., Peru and Colombia; domestic architecture, density and class division; negative space in the built environment; Eugène Atget and photo history; season, climate, and mo…

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Aphorisms for Artists: A Conversation with Franklin Einspruch 48:50

5M ago48:50

48:50

Franklin Einspruch is the editor of Aphorisms for Artists: 100 Ways Toward Better Art, by Walter Darby Bannard, and the proprietor of Dissident Muse Journal. In this conversation: Why the aphorism?; the significance of abstract art and of Clement Greenberg; the place of commitment in art; how to teach art; the relationship between creativity, intui…

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S2E31: Courage, the building block for virtures 21:39

5M ago21:39

21:39

Courage is not a singular act, but a process of overcoming fear. It is the sacrifice of personal comfort to address the needs of others. It is road not often traveled, but the one guided by your True North. Is courage building a foundation of your legacy?By Ronald L. Fong

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