Influence Anyone

Award-winning executive coach and bestselling author of Managing Up, Melody Wilding, joins Howie Chan to unpack influence in the workplace - especially when you don’t hold the power. 

Known for her work with “sensitive strivers,” Melody reveals how high performers can stop overthinking, set boundaries, and communicate strategically to gain respect, visibility, and career momentum. She introduces her STRIVE framework, helping listeners identify their own behavioral patterns and unlock their ability to lead, persuade, and navigate complex workplace dynamics.

You’ll learn how to adapt your communication style to different personalities, why “managing up” is actually about taking control of your own career, and how to build influence without sacrificing authenticity. 

What’s Your Influence Style?

What do you do when you need someone to do something? 

This quiz will help you discover what is your most natural influence style, so you can use that strength more effectively (and know your blind spots.)

→ https://www.influencestylequiz.com/

Join 500+ leaders who've already uncovered what their style is.

Chapters:

00:00:00 The Psychology of Emotional Spirals

00:10:08 The STRIVE Framework

00:15:50 Communication Styles & Influence

00:25:25 Managing Up vs. “Sucking Up”

00:33:34 Why Boundaries Build Leadership

00:46:40 Power Mapping Stakeholders

From Melody Wilding:

Website: https://melodywilding.com/  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melodywilding  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melodywilding/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@melodywildinglmsw 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melodywildinglmsw 

Find all of Melody's career-accelerating books here: https://melodywilding.com/books/ 

Take a look at the clip that played at the beginning of this episode: https://youtu.be/VuZ3TeEeCYQ?si=VOk1DCUxrtWwNnza 

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Join the FREE Influence Anyone newsletter. Each week, I uncover a proven strategy from world experts and scientific research to influence human behavior – including your own.

📩 Go to: www.howiechan.com/sub

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This episode of Influence Anyone was produced by Ideablossoms.

In this episode of the Influence Anyone Podcast, host Howie Chan interviews Karen Eber, an award-winning author, keynote speaker, and storytelling expert who has educated and inspired more than three million people globally. They delve into why great storytelling isn’t about your origin story, why specific details beat big dramatic moments, and how subtle emotional tension can make your message far more persuasive.

Karen reveals the five “factory settings” of the brain that determine whether your message sticks or gets ignored and how to structure a compelling narrative using context, conflict, outcome, and takeaway.

Want to make influencing human behavior your company's superpower? Connect with me at howiechan.com/speaking and let's talk!

Episode Breakdown:

00:00:00 The Neuroscience Behind Storytelling

00:10:39 The Stories We Tell Ourselves

00:16:22 Identifying the Right Audience

00:19:47 The Brain’s Default Settings

00:29:44 Building a Powerful Story Step-by-Step

00:49:29 Storytelling Myths

01:00:55 Utilizing Visual Artifacts

From Our Guest:

Website

LinkedIn

YouTube

Instagram

TEDx Talk

The Perfect Story by Karen Eber

 Download the four master storytelling prompts here.

Want prospects to become customers and passers-by to become fans? Sign up for the Behavioring Blueprint, my FREE 7-day email course.

Get people to buy into your ideas and offers!

Join the FREE Influence Anyone newsletter. Each week, I uncover a proven strategy from world experts and scientific research to influence human behavior – including your own.

📩 Go to: www.howiechan.com/sub

Behavioral change expert and bestselling author of Hooked, Indistractable, and Beyond Belief, Nir Eyal, joins Howie Chan to unpack the psychology of limiting beliefs and how they silently shape our decisions, confidence, and future.

Drawing from his latest book, Nir reframes belief as a tool, not a truth. From identity labels like ADHD and personality types to cultural conditioning and media influence, he reveals how the stories we tell ourselves determine what we see, feel, and ultimately, who we become.

You’ll learn how anticipation shapes perception, why the placebo effect proves belief changes biology, and how advertising programs experience before consumption.

What’s Your Influence Style? What do you do when you need someone to do something? 

This quiz will help you discover what is your most natural influence style, so you can use that strength more effectively (and know your blind spots.)

→ https://www.influencestylequiz.com/

Join 500+ leaders who've already uncovered what their style is.

Chapters:

00:01:19 Labels become limits

00:09:14 Belief vs. fact vs. faith

00:11:55 Limiting beliefs: Helpness is our default

00:17:08 The power of anticipation & placebo effects

00:22:56 Live belief audit: “I’m not ready.”

00:31:28 Turn limiting beliefs into liberating beliefs

00:39:17 The brain’s attention filter (11 million vs. 50 bits)

00:42:03 Media, polarization & demanding nuance

00:47:18 Prayer without faith & psychological protection

From Nir Eyal:

Website: https://www.nirandfar.com/  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nireyal/  

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/nirandfar  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neyal99/ 

Stand a chance to get a free copy of Beyond Belief: https://www.howiechan.com/beliefbook  

Get people to buy into your ideas and offers!

Join the FREE Influence Anyone newsletter. Each week, I uncover a proven strategy from world experts and scientific research to influence human behavior – including your own.

📩 Go to: www.howiechan.com/sub

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This episode of Influence Anyone was produced by Ideablossoms.

In this episode of the Influence Anyone Podcast, host Howie Chan interviews Henna Pryor, a Workplace Performance Expert, a 2x TEDx speaker, a regular expert columnist for Inc. Magazine, and a best-selling author. They delve into what embracing awkwardness really entails, the  skills now being lost in the modern era that we need to recreate in the workplace, and what it looks like to make big career pivots.

Henna provides tips and insights on how to successfully navigate awkward moments and situations, build deeper connections, get better at selling, and become more confident.

Want complete influence under pressure?

Get the FREE Influence Field Guide with 5 Influence Frameworks from 5 Bestselling Authors and Experts.

Chapters:

0:00:00 How Henna embraced awkwardness

0:09:26 What you risk reveals what you value

0:11:48 Awkward confidence and how to get good at it

0:19:45 Practical tips to navigate awkward situations

0:23:21 Less perfect and awkwardness vs vulnerability

0:28:47 The story behind Henna's second career pivot

0:39:07 A sales hack for better results in less time

0:43:37 How awkwardness became Henna’s banner

0:46:07 The true value of awkwardness and small bets

0:52:26 A letter to Henna’s younger self

From Our Guest:

Website

LinkedIn 

Youtube

Facebook 

Instagram 

Get the book, Good Awkward.

Watch Henna’s 2 TEDxTalks Want to get ahead at work? Risk the awkward moments and The new way to brag in the modern world - and feel good doing it.

Get people to buy into your ideas and offers!

Join the FREE Influence Anyone newsletter. Each week, I uncover a proven strategy from world experts and scientific research to influence human behavior – including your own.

📩 Go to: www.howiechan.com/sub

In this episode of the Influence Anyone Podcast, host Howie Chan is hitting replay on his interview with Scott Walker, a veteran kidnap-for-ransom negotiator with over 300 cases under his belt. Scott has used decades of experience to develop a unique understanding of what makes people think, feel, and act – specifically in times of adversity, conflict, and uncertainty.
They delve into the art of negotiation and communication, especially when the stakes are high. Scott provides valuable insights from his successful career, along with a crash course into negotiation and communication, what it takes to be a successful negotiator, and how you can hone your skills in everyday life.
Want to make influencing human behavior your company's superpower? Connect with me at howiechan.com/speaking and let's talk!
Episode Breakdown:
0:00:00 From inquisitive child to renowned negotiator
0:17:17 Lessons from his first kidnap-for-ransom case
0:25:59 How to develop your negotiation skills daily
0:30:44 The real challenge in kidnapping negotiations
0:35:25 The 4 steps to emotional regulation
0:40:02 The wake-up call and drastic career change
0:49:33 Use negotiation skills in different settings
1:01:55 Kidnap negotiations that went south
From Our Guest:
Website
LinkedIn 
Instagram 
Get the books, Order out of Chaos and Eye of the Storm.
Sign up for Scott’s newsletter, Negotiations Essentials.
Check out Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art.
Get the kidnap for ransom negotiator’s 90-second Influence Reset Playbook. It's your FREE 4-step guide to stay in control.
Get people to buy into your ideas and offers!
Join the FREE Influence Anyone newsletter. Each week, I uncover a proven playbook from world experts and scientific research to influence human behavior – including your own.
📩 Go to: www.howiechan.com/sub
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