Episode 21: The Fifth Industrial Revolution with John Peragine

Ron begins by introducing this week’s guest, John Peragine, asking him to describe his career, and how he got to his career

• John says he has had a couple of careers throughout his life, but looking back everything seems to coincide with a certain time in his life. He started off back in college as a musician playing in the symphony for 26 years, and in the middle of that obtained a degree in psychology and was a social worker for about 14 years. He realized during that time that he always wanted to write, and had imagined himself being an author or writer. He quit his job as a social worker in 2007 and started writing books for small businesses. He then followed another path as a journalist, writing periodicals and articles for Reuters, the New York Times, Bloomberg, and a bunch of other publications.
• After completing 12 books, he had questions from others about how he was able to write so many books. He realized there was a space for him to help others write books as well by becoming a ghost writer.
• This came as a culmination of all of his other past careers. Melding those roles allowed him to help entrepreneurs and CEOs to write books that they had been wanting to write for 10 years or more.

John thought about this interview and how they would be talking about the Fifth Industrial Revolution, and how we live in a world of data.

• Data, from his perspective, is about stories and connecting to other people through those stories. In his mind connecting to others stories through our own stories goes right along with the Macklin Method. His job now is largely to figure out how to get others to connect with certain businesses or services.
• John gives an example of how a pen he got at a renaissance festival has a large story behind it, which caused him to want to not only buy the pen, but value that pen greatly because of the story behind it. He says a lot of people are connected to things that have a story behind them, and expresses the importance of delivering these stories in a way that people can connect to them.

Ron says that part of what they hold as part of the Fifth Industrial Revolution is being able to notice what the other person’s story is. He then asks what advice John has for listeners around how to learn about someone else’s story and represent that story in a way that maintains that person’s voice.

• John says the best way is to just “shut up and listen” and stop trying to interject our own thoughts and opinions at the first available opportunity.
• The biggest goal is to move slower and truly listening so that you can ask the right questions is also an important step.
• He then describes how people reach out to him all the time on LinkedIn and rather than trying to form a genuine, valuable connection, they instead give him a sales pitch. He advises against doing this, as it is a terrible way to connect with others.

Ron agrees and recalls a saying from an old cohort who used to say, “the hurrier you go, the behinder you get.”

• He took that and spun it to his own saying which is, “slow down to speed up.”
• Ron continues by saying following this principle allows the space to ask relevant questions to get deeper into that story, and truly connect and create that meaningful, valuable connection that allows for collaboration instead of competition.

Michelle asks John, as a ghost writer who works with multiple authors at a time, how can he convey their voices?

• John describes his process which allows him to maintain a certain person’s voice throughout the piece.
• Ron recalls a time when John wrote something for him and after Ron read it back he thinks how much it does sound like his own voice.

Ron asks how the Fifth Industrial Revolution and capturing those stories and voices has impacted his life, as well as how and why John and his wife Kate have started a publishing company.

• John says that while large publishers are only focused on the bottom line, their small publishing company started to capture underrepresented voices.
• He explains how he was helping people to write books, but then those customers often times weren’t sure where to go or what to do with their finished product, and he saw an opportunity to help.
• Ron asks John about what the hardest thing was and the most fun thing was about quitting his stable job and pursuing a new career.
• John remembers how when he started off in the new career, he had only written one article for $100. However, he knew that’s where his passion is, so he just had to find the money to match the passion. He recalls that there was still fear of whether taking that step was the right move.
• John says that now if he were to make another move, there would be much more planning involved.
• John describes the story he had in his own head about what it meant to be a successful adult. He eventually realized that story wasn’t true and he can look at success in many different ways.

John thinks through these thoughts more also realizing the most:

• Follow the passion with a plan.
• Have confidence in what you are capable of, and if you see an opportunity that matches your capability, go for it.
• A support system and network of family and friends to not only celebrate the highs, but pull you through the lows, is also vitally important.
• Michelle works through John’s thoughts, realizing what an opportunity the Fifth Industrial Revolution is providing people. John and his wife are able to work from home and run a successful business by listening to what others want and need and providing a service to match.
• John follows this up describing what his process looks like and how that is delivering value to other people.
• A lot of publishing now is more than just the story being written. They want to connect directly with the authors themselves.

Ron thanks John for going through the MacklinConnection program. He then asks John, as a former participant, what questions he has for Ron and Michelle.

• John asks them how they connect with people, and package that experience for people in a way that they desire that change in their lives without having yet experienced that change for themselves?

Ron addresses the question: How does he connect with someone?

• Majority of the work is clearing away the stories in your head before you get started in building the connection with that person.
• Creating yourself to be someone that can connect with people is the first step. He then gives a high level overview of how accomplish that through their course.

Michelle adds on to Ron’s ideas with her own.

• She wanted to be at peace with her life, and recognized that it was going to take work to get to that place. Realizing that has helped her work to open that space in her life, which has in turn helped her help others to do the same.

Ron then addresses how most people think there is something wrong with them because they have fears.

• Ron says that having fear is okay and natural.
• The more powerful people he knows are open and willing to talk about their fears rather than trying to shelter themselves.
• John acknowledges how recognizing your own fears is such a powerful story.

John observes that by the time we reach adulthood, we have so much baggage.

• He then details how having a program teaching these principles to children would be very beneficial.
• He continues, stating that if started early enough, you’re able to clear the cobwebs before they are even created. He ponders what this would look like in 10-30 years for children that are able to go through a program at a much younger age?
• Ron agrees that this is a great idea and that it is in the road plan for the future.

John wraps up by describing how he is writing a second book for his child, discussing how he writes non-fiction, so all of the ideas and stories came from real life.

• You can buy John's books here.
• For those interested in hiring John as a ghost writer – visit: https://johnpwriter.com/

Join us to hear how understanding the idea of “self talk” — and what you can do about it — could change your relationships and life for the better.

‍