The Expert Method is a podcast about learning from people who have spent years developing their knowledge, skills, and expertise.
Hosted by Ian Gatzke, the show features conversations with authors, entrepreneurs, coaches, and experts from a wide range of fields.
Each conversation explores the experiences that shaped their thinking, the lessons they've learned along the way, and the ideas that can help us better understand ourselves, our work, and the world around us.
We explore everything from entrepreneurship and personal development to psychology, philosophy, and the questions that shape how we live.
The conversations are driven by genuine curiosity, thoughtful questions, and a desire to learn.
The goal is simple: to discover valuable ideas and find ways to put what we learn into practice.
A great idea is only the beginning. The real challenge is turning that vision into a business that can actually execute, grow, and operate without depending on you to do everything.
In this episode of The Expert Method, Ian Gatzke sits down with Derek Fredrickson, founder of The COO Solution, to explore the difference between the visionary who creates the future and the operator who makes it real.
They unpack why so many entrepreneurs become bottlenecks in their own businesses, how to build systems that create consistent results, and why learning to let go might be one of the most important skills a founder can develop.
Derek also shares a practical framework for measuring how independent your business has become, starting with stepping away for six hours and eventually building toward six months.
If you're building a business and starting to realize that your own involvement might be limiting its growth, this conversation will give you a different way to think about your role as the founder.
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Derek’s Links:
- Website: https://thecoosolution.com/ (https://thecoosolution.com/)
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekfredrickson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekfredrickson)
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/derekfredrickson (https://www.instagram.com/derekfredrickson)
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecoosolution (https://www.facebook.com/thecoosolution)
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Download the Program Execution System Toolkit:
https://implementgpts.com/pestoolkit (https://implementgpts.com/pestoolkit)
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- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-gatzke (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-gatzke)
- Schedule Free Blueprinting Call: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/implement-ai-blueprinting (https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/implement-ai-blueprinting)
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Highlights:
0:00 Episode Highlight
0:54 Visionaries Create, Operators Execute
4:09 When the Founder Becomes the Bottleneck
7:53 Should You Still Be Doing This?
12:25 Buy Back Your Time
15:27 Delegate Outcomes, Not Tasks
17:26 Do It For, With, Then By Them
20:48 Build a Process-Driven Business
23:08 Fix the Process Before the Person
29:10 Stop Documenting Everything Yourself
33:14 The Craft and Art of Sales
34:49 Separate Yourself From the Business
42:41 Define Your North Star
45:23 Build a Business You Can Leave
10 Nov 2026
How to See What Others Miss
Most people spend their lives becoming experts in one field. But what if the ability to see what others miss comes from learning to think across many different disciplines?
Charlie Sheppard has spent over 40 years studying human behavior, leadership, organizational culture, and the patterns behind exceptional performance. His approach is built on what he calls infinite curiosity: the willingness to explore unfamiliar ideas, challenge existing assumptions, and recognize connections that others overlook.
In this conversation with Ian Gatzke, Charlie explains how his work led him to develop 750 distinctions and 1,500 questions across roughly 40 domains of knowledge. What started as a project to teach artificial intelligence how to ask better questions became the foundation for a book exploring how humans can expand their own thinking.
They explore why specialization can create blind spots, how curiosity helps us recognize patterns, and why asking better questions may be one of the most valuable skills we can develop.
The conversation also moves into human intuition, the difference between our constructed and expanded selves, and Charlie's belief that some aspects of human experience may remain difficult for AI to replicate.
At its core, this episode explores a compelling question: What becomes possible when we learn to notice the distinctions that other people don't see?
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Charlie’s Links:
- Website: https://www.sheppardpartners.com (https://www.sheppardpartners.com)
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliesheppard (https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliesheppard)
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/energyadvantagethe (https://www.instagram.com/energyadvantagethe)
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SheppardPartners (https://www.facebook.com/SheppardPartners)
- X: https://x.com/sheppardpartner (https://x.com/sheppardpartner)
- YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@sheppardpartners (https://www.youtube.com/@sheppardpartners)
Pre-order Seeing What Others Miss:
https://www.amazon.com/Seeing-What-Others-Miss-Patterns-ebook/dp/B0HQFZYDZ1 (https://www.amazon.com/Seeing-What-Others-Miss-Patterns-ebook/dp/B0HQFZYDZ1)
Other Books by Charlie:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0F2W7FJ5N/allbooks (https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0F2W7FJ5N/allbooks)
===============
Download the Program Execution System Toolkit:
https://implementgpts.com/pestoolkit (https://implementgpts.com/pestoolkit)
===============
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-gatzke/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-gatzke/)
- Schedule Free Blueprinting Call: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/implement-ai-blueprinting (https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/implement-ai-blueprinting)
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Highlights:
0:00 Episode Highlight
1:35 Learn to See Patterns Faster
8:23 More Domains, Better Thinking
11:28 Stay Curious Across Disciplines
13:08 Train Your Intuition
18:06 The Constructed Self
25:23 Access the Expanded Self
28:41 Reconnect Through Love
32:49 Rethinking Cancer Treatment
35:56 What Humans Still Have Over AI
36:12 Teaching AI to Ask Better Questions
41:02 A Word for Human Oneness
7 Nov 2026
How to Tell Fear From Intuition
How do you know when your gut is warning you that something is wrong, versus when fear is simply trying to keep you comfortable?
That distinction matters, especially when you're building a business, making difficult decisions, or trying to become someone you've never been before.
In this episode of The Expert Method, Ian Gatzke sits down with Amy Sanders to explore the relationship between fear, intuition, identity, and personal growth. Amy explains why doing something new can feel wrong even when it's aligned with what you want, and how learning to recognize your internal signals can help you move forward with greater self-trust.
They also unpack Amy's Default Identity Loop, a framework for understanding how the meanings we attach to experiences reinforce subconscious patterns and shape who we believe ourselves to be. From imposter syndrome and self-doubt to the role of faith and taking action without certainty, the conversation explores what it actually takes to move beyond old patterns and create a new sense of identity.
Because sometimes the thing holding you back isn't a lack of ability. It's an old version of yourself trying to keep you safe.
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Amy’s Links:
- Website: https://amysanders.co (https://amysanders.co)
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsamysanders (https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsamysanders)
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/its.amysanders (https://www.instagram.com/its.amysanders)
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amysanderscoaching (https://www.facebook.com/amysanderscoaching)
- YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@its.amysanders (https://www.youtube.com/@its.amysanders)
Unblocked: See It. Shift It. Become Magnetic.
https://amysanders.co/book (https://amysanders.co/book)
The Unblocked Woman Podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/show/3Ad4HEpa8lumyiGC4VlPv4 (https://open.spotify.com/show/3Ad4HEpa8lumyiGC4VlPv4)
===============
Download the Program Execution System Toolkit:
https://implementgpts.com/pestoolkit (https://implementgpts.com/pestoolkit)
===============
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-gatzke (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-gatzke)
- Schedule Free Blueprinting Call: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/implement-ai-blueprinting (https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/implement-ai-blueprinting)
===============
Highlights:
0:00 Episode Highlight
1:47 Fear vs. Intuition
5:01 The Cave You Fear Holds the Treasure
6:34 Build Evidence for a New Identity
11:02 Notice the Patterns Keeping You Stuck
14:12 The Default Identity Loop
18:20 Shift Into the Aligned Loop
20:10 Become Who You Already Know You Can Be
25:03 Growth Feels Uncomfortable
28:32 Faith Requires Action
31:56 Learn to Trust Your Intuition
35:47 When Your Faith Gets Tested
39:58 You Can
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