Unmuted is the show where real voices get loud.
Hosted by Jeffery Ross, Michael Silvers, and Sandy Grigsby, this podcast brings raw conversations with leaders, entrepreneurs, and change-makers who refuse to stay silent. Expect bold ideas, honest stories, and powerful insights designed to help you lead, influence, and make an impact.
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Jeff Ross & Sandy Grigsby, Michael Silvers, Michael Silvers, Jeff Ross & Sandy Grigsby
UNMUTED — Episode 29 Be the Messenger, Not the Message: 30 Years of Leadership Lessons with Jay Forston
🔥 Episode Summary
What separates those who build lasting success in network marketing from those who give up before they find their feet?
Recorded in Dubai, Jeff Ross sits down with direct sales veteran Jay Forston for an honest conversation about three decades of experience, mentorship, personal responsibility and the power of human connection. From his early days in ACN to the uncomfortable leadership lessons that shaped his career, Jay shares why success isn't about shortcuts — it's about showing up, getting the reps in and learning to lead yourself before you lead others.
💡 Key Takeaways
1. Human Connection Never Goes Out of Style
Technology changes, but the fundamentals don't. Jay explains why genuine relationships, face-to-face conversations and community remain the foundation of successful direct sales.
2. Invest in Yourself — There Are No Shortcuts
Events, mentorship and experiences all come at a cost. But the right investment in personal development can accelerate your growth and help you avoid repeating costly mistakes.
3. Leadership Starts With Self-Leadership
Before committing to an opportunity, have an honest conversation with yourself. Are you genuinely prepared to do the work, sacrifice your time and remain consistent?
4. Be the Messenger, Not the Message
Jay shares a memorable lesson from a mentor who taught him to stop talking over the expert during a three-way call. Sometimes your greatest contribution is making the introduction, passing the baton and allowing someone else to deliver the message.
5. Growth Happens Outside Your Comfort Zone
After 90 days of mentorship, Jay's leader deliberately left him to deliver a presentation alone. It wasn't perfect, but the experience changed his confidence and helped him recognise he was more capable than he realised.
💬 Memorable Quotes
“If you try to shortcut the system, the system will end up shortcutting you.”
“All you have to do is be the messenger.”
“You cannot put a price on experience or experiences.”
⏱️ Key Moments
Opening – Jeff and Jay connect in Dubai
Early conversation – Jay's childhood, education and first sales opportunity
Career beginnings – From Nextel to ACN and network marketing
Building community – The impact of Jay's first major convention
Human connection – Why technology is a tool, not the foundation
Investing in growth – Mentorship, events and the cost of experience
The truth about turnover – Why honesty and commitment matter
Self-leadership – Accountability, ownership and responsibility
The three-way call – Learning to be the messenger
The leadership test – When Jay's mentor didn't show up
Finding the right mentor – Values, relationships and shared goals
Closing – Final reflections from Dubai
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13 Oct 2026
UNMUTED — Episode 28 The Hidden Cost of Success: Fame, Family & Leaving a Legacy with Skip Martin
🔥 Episode Summary
What happens when you've achieved worldwide success, won an Emmy, performed for hundreds of thousands of people — and realise the greatest legacy isn't about you?
In Episode 28 of UNMUTED, Jeff Ross, Michael Silvers and Sandy Grigsby sit down with legendary musician Skip Martin of Kool & The Gang and the Dazz Band. Skip shares unforgettable stories about music, an Emmy-winning collaboration, surviving serious health challenges and why he's now focused on giving back, preserving stories and spending time with the people who sacrificed for his success.
💡 Key Takeaways
1. Legacy Is What Outlives You
Skip believes our greatest contribution is documenting experiences, creating something meaningful and leaving wisdom that future generations can learn from.
2. It's Not About Me — It's About Us
Skip shares how his collaborative recording of People Get Ready brought together 29 performers and went on to win an Emmy. His lesson? The greatest rewards often come when you make others the priority.
3. Turn Your Pain Into Purpose
After surviving serious heart problems and discovering prostate cancer, Skip became passionate about encouraging men to get regular health checks. His message: “Go get your oil checked.”
4. Music Can Change Lives
Skip recalls performing in Nairobi before an estimated 500,000 people at a concert encouraging HIV testing. Seeing people singing together across language barriers showed him the extraordinary power of music.
5. Success Has a Hidden Cost
After decades of touring, Skip is choosing to spend more time with family and friends.
His powerful reminder:
“The people closest to you pay the biggest price for your success.”
💬 Memorable Quotes
“It's not about me, it's about us.”
“One completed idea is more valuable than a thousand dreams.”
“Success is a double-edged sword. The people closest to you will pay the biggest price for your success.”
⏱️ Key Moments
00:00 – Welcome to UNMUTED
01:24 – Introducing music legend Skip Martin
02:55 – What legacy really means
04:30 – Creating the Emmy-winning People Get Ready project
08:50 – A new musical legacy: If Not Now, Then When?
11:53 – Music, charity and giving back
12:55 – Skip's life-threatening heart experience
13:43 – Prostate cancer and regular health checks
16:13 – Advice for younger generations
17:43 – Why human connection still matters
26:13 – Performing before 500,000 people in Nairobi
28:30 – Why Skip stepped away from touring
31:21 – Skip's C words for success
33:04 – Sharing a lifetime of wisdom
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
6 Oct 2026
UNMUTED – Episode 27 The Authority Gap: Why Expertise Alone Isn't Enough to Get You Known
🔥 Episode Summary
You can spend 10 or 20 years becoming exceptional at what you do and still remain the world's best-kept secret.
In Episode 27 of Unmuted, Jeff Ross and Michael Silvers unpack The Authority Gap™ — the distance between the value and expertise you already possess and what the marketplace actually recognises. They explore why relationships, trust, proximity, platforms and servant leadership can be just as important as expertise when building real influence.
💡 Key Takeaways
1. Expertise Alone Isn't Enough
Being great at what you do doesn't automatically mean people know, trust or recognise you.
There's often a gap between your actual capability and your perceived authority.
That's The Authority Gap™.
2. Trust Is Earned When Someone Else Passes You The Mic
You can tell the world you're an expert.
It's much more powerful when somebody who already has trust introduces you, recommends you or gives you their platform.
Relationships can open doors that credentials alone cannot.
3. Become Known, Trusted & Connected
In an increasingly noisy world of AI and social media, getting attention isn't enough.
Real influence comes from becoming:
Known.
Trusted.
Connected.
4. Get In Rooms Where You're Not The Smartest Person
Jeff and Michael discuss the importance of intentionally surrounding yourself with people further down the road.
Become the small fish in the bigger pond.
Listen. Learn. Serve. Build relationships.
5. Lead With Service
Influence isn't simply about becoming more visible.
Michael's message is grounded in servant leadership:
Go out and make a difference for one person today.
The bigger your voice becomes, the greater your opportunity to use it to elevate others.
💬 Memorable Quotes
“Trust is earned when someone else passes you the mic.”
“It's the story people talk about you when you're not in the room.”
“You have a voice. And because you have a voice, you have a place.”
“How can I help? How can I serve?”
⏱️ Key Moments
00:01 – Welcome back to Unmuted
03:14 – Why you should be the small fish in the big pond
05:26 – Why expertise alone doesn't open doors
06:37 – Becoming known, trusted and connected
07:21 – Trust is earned when someone else passes you the mic
08:26 – How relationships create opportunities
08:56 – The real work begins after the event
10:40 – Branding: what people say when you're not in the room
11:41 – Servant leadership and using your voice
13:46 – Understanding The Authority Gap™
16:04 – The power of relationship capital
17:59 – Mentors who understand entrepreneurs
21:52 – How to get closer to people you want to learn from
23:13 – Ask two questions: “How can I help? How can I serve?”
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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