Podcast
Better Business, Better Life
Hosted by Debra Chantry Taylor · EN
You've heard the saying happy wife, happy life. This not only applies to marriage but also to business leaders.
We go into business looking for more freedom, money and happiness. But before too long you find yourself working long hours, stressed, overwhelmed and feeling like your business has a grip on you.
From the outside things look good - you've got the car, house, wife, kids, bach and toys but how often do you get freedom to do what you truly love? And is your wife loving you or leaving you?
Learn from those who have built a life they truly love, through building a better business.
We go into business looking for more freedom, money and happiness. But before too long you find yourself working long hours, stressed, overwhelmed and feeling like your business has a grip on you.
From the outside things look good - you've got the car, house, wife, kids, bach and toys but how often do you get freedom to do what you truly love? And is your wife loving you or leaving you?
Learn from those who have built a life they truly love, through building a better business.
47episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
John Munsell: How EOS and AI Can Give Your Team 10 Hours Back Every Week
2d ago00:49:37Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Better Business, Better Life, Debra Chantry-Taylor explores how EOS and AI can give your team 10 hours back every week with AI strategist, author, and CEO of Bizukka, John Munsell.As AI continues to reshape the way organisations operate, many businesses are rushing to implement new tools without the governance, training, or strategy needed to use them effectively. John explains why this approach creates significant risks and often prevents companies from achieving the productivity gains they expect.Drawing on his experience as CEO of Bizukka and creator of the AI Strategy Canvas, John introduces the concept of the 10 Levels of AI Mastery, a framework designed to help organisations build AI capability in a structured and responsible way. Rather than jumping straight into advanced automation, he argues that businesses must first develop collective expertise, clear processes, and strong AI governance.Throughout the conversation, John shares practical examples of how AI can dramatically improve efficiency when implemented correctly. One standout case study reveals how a CEO used AI to streamline complex RFP responses, reducing a three-week process to just three days and saving more than $70,000 in the process.Debra and John also discuss the growing security concerns surrounding AI, including phishing attacks, autonomous agents, and the risks of employees using AI tools without proper oversight. John warns that poor AI adoption is not simply a technology problem. It is a leadership problem that requires education, accountability, and clear policies across the organisation.The discussion covers how businesses can integrate AI into every department, the importance of upskilling employees, and why organisations that invest in training can unlock 10 to 12 hours of productive time per employee every week.John also shares insights into advanced AI tools, practical implementation strategies, and the importance of balancing innovation with governance. He introduces his AI Impact Analysis tool and explains how businesses can assess their readiness for AI before making significant investments.This episode is essential listening for business owners and leadership teams who want to harness the power of AI while avoiding the costly consequences of poor AI adoption, ensuring technology becomes a competitive advantage rather than a business risk.CONNECT WITH DEBRA: ___________________________________________ ►Debra Chantry-Taylor is a Certified EOS Implementer | Entrepreneurial Leadership & Business Coach | Business Owner►Connect with Debra: debra@businessaction.com.au ►See how she can help you: https://businessaction.co.nz/►Claim Your Free E-Book: https://www.businessaction.co.nz/free-e-book/___________________________________________ GUEST’S DETAILS: ► John Munsell – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jwmunsell/► Website: Bizzuka: www.bizzuka.comEpisode 275 Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction00:40 – Impact of AI on Businesses04:23 – Levels of AI Mastery12:54 – AI in Business Operations17:50 – Common Mistakes in AI Implementation26:11 – AI Governance and Security34:41 – Tools and Resources for AI Implementation35:00 – Practical Tips for AI Adoption35:16 – Community and Support for AI Implementation37:17 – Final Thoughts and Next Steps
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Do You Have Time to Do What You Love with Danny Mishek
4d ago00:31:05Tap to summarizeDanny Mishek is President and Visionary of VistaTek, a family owned full-service manufacturing company in the US. One of his proudest achievements is recently publishing a children's Christmas book that gets everyone talking about their fondest, warmest memories. In business, he puts innovation at the heart of VistaTek. They strive to be world-class innovators, not just competing in the Midwest, or the US. He shares how EOS has helped him delegate and elevate, freeing him up to do what he's best at & loves doing - connecting with people and discovering growth opportunities. In life, he consistently pushes himself outside his comfort zone, like riding a real bull or writing and self-publishing a book. He discusses the importance of sharing your personality and true character, which in turn opens you up to interesting conversations and deeper relationships.Find out why he wrote a Christmas book seemingly out of the blue, his experience in a family business that went through a merger & EOS implementation and what it actually felt like to ride a bull!
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Rajesh Nagjee: The CEO You Become Determines the Business You Build
1w ago00:37:31Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Better Business, Better Life, Debra Chantry-Taylor sits down with Rajesh Nagjee to explore the connection between the business you build and the life you ultimately create. Rajesh, founder of the CEO Business Growth Programme and creator of the CEO Freedom Operating System, shares his remarkable journey from working in his family business to building a 450-bed trauma care hospital that transformed healthcare outcomes in his region. Along the way, he discovered that business success is not simply about strategy, systems, or execution. It is about aligning the inner game and outer game of leadership. Throughout the conversation, Rajesh explains that while frameworks such as EOS and Rockefeller Habits can produce exceptional business results, sustainable success requires leaders to develop the mindset, self-awareness, and emotional resilience needed to drive those systems effectively. Without this inner work, many founders achieve external success while sacrificing personal fulfilment, relationships, and wellbeing. Drawing on lessons from healthcare, entrepreneurship, and decades of coaching business owners, Rajesh highlights the importance of time-criticality, intentional leadership, and creating businesses that are aligned with personal values. He shares how fear, doubt, anxiety, and limiting beliefs can quietly undermine performance, even when a business appears successful on the surface. The discussion also explores the difference between the fruits of success and the experience of success. Rajesh challenges founders to think beyond revenue, growth, and achievement, and consider whether the business they build is actually creating the life they want to live. Rajesh introduces the CEO Freedom Operating System, a framework designed to help entrepreneurs align personal purpose with business outcomes, creating both commercial success and personal fulfilment. He explains how focusing on the inner game allows leaders to make better decisions, build stronger teams, and create lasting impact. This episode is a powerful reminder that the business you build should not come at the expense of your relationships, health, or happiness. Instead, it should become a vehicle for creating freedom, fulfilment, and a meaningful legacy both inside and outside the business. CONNECT WITH DEBRA: ___________________________________________ ►Debra Chantry-Taylor is a Certified EOS Implementer | Entrepreneurial Leadership & Business Coach | Business Owner►Connect with Debra: debra@businessaction.com.au ►See how she can help you: https://businessaction.co.nz/►Claim Your Free E-Book: https://www.businessaction.co.nz/free-e-book/___________________________________________ GUEST’S DETAILS: ► Rajesh Nagjee – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajeshnagjee/► Website: LevelUp Management Consultancy: https://www.levelupmentor.ae Episode 274 Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction00:37 – Purpose of the Podcast02:47 – Rajesh Najee’s Background and Early Career06:05 – Lessons from Running a Hospital14:31 – The Inner Game of Business18:07 – Case Study: American Express Saudi Arabia23:13 – Identifying Stuck Founders25:27 – The CEO Freedom Operating System28:05 – Advice for Founders and CEOs28:50 – Conclusion and Contact Information
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How to Get Up the Pointy End with Greg Lipschitz
2w ago00:31:10Tap to summarizeGreg Lipschitz is founder & CEO of Summit Internet, a telecommunications company that owns and manages their national network. Through innovation & customer-oriented service, they’re challenging the way their competitors do business - as a result, Summit Internet is one of Australia’s fastest growing internet providers. Greg has been a business owner for over 22 years and he is most proud of growing & maintaining a high performing team. He loves seeing his team succeed & completely trusts them, knowing that he can step out of the business and they will continue to strive & achieve amazing things. Earlier this year, he actually had to take 6 weeks off due to a broken collarbone & didn't have to do a thing. He could & did walk away knowing full well that everything would run exactly as it should. In this episode, Greg shares insider tips & tricks to points hacking – being smart about where & how you spend your money to get some extra perks. “We all work so damn hard as business owners and we sometimes forget about the things that we can take out of the business that might not be financial. It might just be being able to travel in style.” So one of the things he’s focused on over the last 22 years is how he can points hack through business and get that extra value & additional benefits to enjoy life even more. And one of these benefits can be travelling up at the pointy end of the plane! He shares the differences between points and status & how you can leverage both to your advantage. Not only that, you can use these points to reward amazing staff – for example, picking up their flight costs when they go on holiday. Listen to the full episode to find out how you can change your spending habits to get you the biggest rewards. It may be something as simple as changing where you put petrol in your car!
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Adam Harris: AI & Its Implications For Companies Running In EOS
2w ago00:52:26Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Better Business, Better Life, Debra Chantry-Taylor and Adam Harris explore AI & its implication for businesses, leadership teams, and the future of EOS. The conversation dives into how AI is rapidly moving from being a “future issue” to something businesses must actively integrate into their daily operations. Debra and Adam discuss the growing role AI can play in productivity, accountability, communication, and leadership support, while also acknowledging the risks and limitations that come with it. Debra shares her personal experiences using tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, explaining how AI can dramatically improve efficiency when used properly. At the same time, she highlights the importance of human oversight, noting that AI still lacks the empathy, emotional intelligence, and human connection required for many leadership and people-focused roles. Throughout the episode, Debra and Adam explore whether AI could ever replace EOS implementers, leadership teams, or integrators. While they believe AI will continue transforming workflows and automating repetitive tasks, they argue that trust, empathy, coaching, and difficult conversations still require human interaction. The discussion also touches on the fears many employees and leaders have around AI replacing jobs. Debra emphasizes that AI should be viewed as a tool to augment people, not remove them, freeing teams from repetitive work so they can focus on higher-value thinking, creativity, and leadership. Adam and Debra also discuss the importance of businesses integrating AI intentionally, rather than simply chasing trends. They highlight the need for training, communication, experimentation, and involving the whole organization in the AI journey to avoid resistance and confusion. This episode is a thought-provoking conversation about the future of work, leadership, and EOS, and how businesses can thoughtfully integrate AI in a way that improves efficiency while still protecting the human connection that great businesses are built on. CONNECT WITH DEBRA: ___________________________________________ ►Debra Chantry-Taylor is a Certified EOS Implementer | Entrepreneurial Leadership & Business Coach | Business Owner ►Connect with Debra: debra@businessaction.com.au ►See how she can help you: https://businessaction.co.nz/ ►Claim Your Free E-Book: https://www.businessaction.co.nz/free-e-book/ ___________________________________________ GUEST’S DETAILS: ► Adam Harris – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/adam-harris-eos/ ► Website – EOS Worldwide: https://www.eosworldwide.com/adam-harris Episode 273 Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction to AI and EOS Implementation 03:49 – Debra’s AI Tools and Initial Insights 08:10 – Human Connection and AI’s Limitations 09:24 – AI’s Role in EOS Implementation 22:00 – Challenges and Opportunities with AI 31:26 – AI’s Impact on Business Culture and People 34:57 – Future of AI in Business 39:58 – Conclusion and Next Steps
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If It’s Not Working In the Bedroom… with Adam Harris
3w ago00:34:28Tap to summarizeAdam Harris is Frank and Fearless. As a leadership coach, consultant and facilitator, he applies this approach in all areas of his professional and personal life.In this episode, he discusses why so many great companies miss out on their potential and shares the important questions all business owners must ask themselves. He stresses the importance of having difficult conversations - avoiding them is a disservice to everyone involved. Despite the discomfort, disagreement and uncertainty then creates opportunity.His mission is to create the space to have the right conversations, at the right time, with the right people. Having worked with 25 businesses to implement EOS, he also tells us his favourite EOS tools and how they’ve transformed his clients.Find out how leaning into being frank and fearless has taken him to incredible and challenging new heights, both figuratively and literally!
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Peter Coppinger & Philipp Maucher: From Chaos to Clarity Using EOS and AI Together
3w ago00:47:12Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Better Business, Better Life, Debra Chantry-Taylor explores the power of EOS and AI Together with guests Peter and Philipp from Success.co. After scaling a software company to more than $40 million, Peter and Philipp share how discovering EOS completely changed the way they operated their business. Before EOS, their company was growing rapidly but felt chaotic, with leadership spending more time reacting than creating clarity and alignment. Everything shifted when they implemented EOS properly. The structure, accountability, and discipline helped them organize the business, improve communication, and scale far more effectively. But along the way, they became frustrated with the existing EOS software options, finding them clunky, outdated, and lacking the integrations modern businesses needed. That frustration led them to build Success.co, an EOS-focused platform designed to combine the simplicity and purity of EOS with the power of modern technology and AI. Throughout the conversation, Peter and Philipp discuss the importance of staying true to EOS principles while using AI to enhance execution, visibility, and accountability. They explain how their software includes features like real-time updates, mobile accessibility, AI-generated insights, and automation to help leadership teams make better decisions faster. Debra, Peter, and Philipp also explore the future of AI in business, discussing how AI can augment leadership thinking, automate repetitive tasks, improve meetings, and provide deeper operational insights. Rather than replacing people, they believe AI becomes a powerful tool for helping teams work smarter and stay aligned. The episode also highlights the importance of having an EOS implementer, trusting the EOS process fully, and separating facilitation from participation so leadership teams can focus on solving real issues instead of managing meetings. This episode is a must-listen for entrepreneurs interested in the future of business operations, leadership alignment, and how combining EOS and AI together can create more efficient, scalable, and accountable businesses. CONNECT WITH DEBRA: ___________________________________________ ►Debra Chantry-Taylor is a Certified EOS Implementer | Entrepreneurial Leadership & Business Coach | Business Owner ►Connect with Debra: debra@businessaction.com.au ►See how she can help you: https://businessaction.co.nz/ ►Claim Your Free E-Book: https://www.businessaction.co.nz/free-e-book/ ___________________________________________ GUEST’S DETAILS: ► Philipp Maucher – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipp-maucher-42747798/ ► Website – Success.co: https://www.success.co/ ► Peter Coppinger – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petercoppinger/ ► Website – Success.co: https://www.success.co/ Episode 272 Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction 00:39 – Introduction and Overview of AI and EOS 02:21 – Peter’s Journey and Initial Challenges 03:47 – Transition to Success.co and Philip’s Role 07:34 – Implementing EOS and the Role of an Implementer 10:52 – Challenges with Existing EOS Software 11:17 – Developing the Success.co Software 19:33 – Benefits of Using EOS Software 32:52 – AI and the Future of EOS Software 40:38 – Final Thoughts and Tips for Implementing EOS
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Failure Isn't a Person with CocoVinny Zaldivar
4w ago00:29:08Tap to summarizeYou will know CocoVinny from Shark Tank and The Profit - his passion for his company Coco Taps is contagious! CocoVinny Zaldivar has been an entrepreneur since 16 years old. Through his experiences, he narrowed down his three non-negotiables. Whatever he did next needed to be good for people, good for the planet, and it had to be fun. With Coco Taps he found his life-long passion, building something of value that continues to create value. In this episode, he shares his ups and downs through the pandemic and how he's never had an exit strategy. Despite the uncertainty and losing several million dollars revenue in the lockdown, CocoVinny used this time to focus on what was really important for the future of his business and stepped on the gas. He went full steam ahead on the development of a new machine, reached out to potential investors and got creative with marketing strategies. He shares that EOS helped Coco Taps respond to COVID with agility. "It's probably one of the best things that happened to us during COVID. We did everything remote, but it was still helpful to go through these processes and still learn how to pivot and learn how to adapt."Fortunately, he was able to keep all his staff. The lockdown helped his team focus and re-focus. With all their future planning, they were able to bring ideas forward and use this difficult time as an opportunity to innovate. He also shares that the way Coco Taps is run is so tied to their core values that they don't have to fire people, they just self-select out if they're not in alignment.Listen to the full episode to find out how CocoVinny approaches business, life and the beautiful future of Coco Taps!
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Debra Chantry-Taylor: Your Best Year Might Be the Start of Your Worst
May 1100:13:55Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Better Business, Better Life, Debra Chantry-Taylor explores why having your best year in business can actually become one of the most dangerous moments for a leadership team. Drawing on both her experience working with entrepreneurs and the research from Jim Collins, Debra explains how success often creates complacency, weakens discipline, and slowly introduces the behaviours that eventually lead businesses into decline. She walks through the five stages that many businesses experience after a major period of success. From arrogance built on past wins, to chasing growth without focus, explaining away problems, searching for a saviour, and eventually giving up quietly, Debra highlights how decline is rarely sudden. Instead, it happens gradually when leadership teams stop asking hard questions and start avoiding uncomfortable truths. Throughout the episode, Debra shares why the businesses that continue scaling successfully are the ones that stay humble, disciplined, and curious, even after major wins. She explains how leadership teams often begin to lose traction when meetings become too polite, scorecards are ignored, and difficult conversations stop happening. Debra also discusses the dangers of relying on “saviour hires” to fix deeper systemic issues, and why true growth comes from maintaining strong leadership discipline, accountability, and honest communication across the business. This episode is a powerful reminder that success should never reduce focus or discipline. The businesses that continue to grow after their best year are the ones willing to stay honest, challenge themselves, and keep evolving long after the celebrations are over. CONNECT WITH DEBRA: ___________________________________________ ►Debra Chantry-Taylor is a Certified EOS Implementer | Entrepreneurial Leadership & Business Coach | Business Owner ►Connect with Debra: debra@businessaction.com.au ►See how she can help you: https://businessaction.co.nz/ ►Claim Your Free E-Book: https://www.businessaction.co.nz/free-e-book/ Episode 271 Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction 00:39 – The Danger of Success in Business 02:24 – Stages of Decline After Success 05:16 – Preventing Decline After Success 06:09 – Ad Lib Questions and Answers 10:22 – Spotting Early Signs of Decline 12:12 – Final Advice for CEOs
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Creating a Human Culture with Mel Rowsell
May 900:35:12Tap to summarizeMel Rowsell is a leadership coach & facilitator, as well as co-founder of Vend, a tech startup with rapid growth. Affectionately known as camp mother, she managed People & Culture as Vend grew from 0 to 250 employees. In this episode, Mel discusses the constant feeling of imposter syndrome while wearing the many, many hats founders & entrepreneurs are required to wear. After leaving day-to-day operations to start her coaching practice, she was surprised at her own resilience and resourcefulness. She shares how she overcame imposter syndrome and the ups & downs of a founder's journey.An expert at human connection in the workplace, she also shares tried and true advice on creating a curious & empathetic workplace culture. Find out if you're inadvertently rewarding behaviour that's harming your company and how to lead in the Fourth Imagination Age.
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