Wisdom Parlor

About Wisdom Parlor

Welcome to The Professional Experts Podcast, where interesting people gather to discuss important ideas in an open and in-depth format. Hosted by Jim Cathcart, a renowned professional speaker and author with 25 published books, the show features guests from various fields who set the tone for the topic before engaging in an interactive discussion with the audience. Jim also leads a year-long program called the Experts Academy, where he guides individuals towards becoming leading experts in their chosen niche through the acquisition of essential professional skills such as human relations, communication, sales, leadership, and problem-solving. Tune in to The Professional Experts Podcast for a thought-provoking and insightful experience.

Publisher

Jim Cathcart

Category

business · business · education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

12 Apr 2023

Latest episode

6 Nov 2026

Latest episodes

1 of 48 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   6 Nov 2026

   Six Literacies School Never Taught You with Bryan Orton, CPE

   I sat down with Bryan Orton, CPE, a thirty-year classroom teacher, author, and Certified Professional Expert, to explore six literacies that school rarely touches but life demands every single day. Bryan's book, The Wrong Lane, grew from decades of watching bright people struggle not because they lacked intelligence, but because nobody ever taught them how to make decisions, assign meaning, manage money, build relationships, understand identity, or contribute in a way that matters. The Six Literacies That Change Everything Bryan walks us through each literacy with the warmth of a teacher who has sat in the remedial row himself. Identity comes first, because every other skill rests on how you see yourself. Then meaning, the quiet art of choosing what a setback actually tells you. Decisions follow, and Bryan draws a sharp line between a wish and a real choice. A decision without action, he says, is just a frog still sitting on the log. We also cover money, where the Rule of 72 makes compound growth suddenly visible and personal. Relationships round out the set, with Bryan noting that most bonds don't break from one big event but from a long string of small repairs that never happened. Contribution closes the circle, asking how your growth serves the people around you. Teaching from the Inside Out Bryan spent time teaching conversational English to medical doctors in South Korea, working with incarcerated adults in Oregon prisons, and running an alternative program that brought community mentors directly into the classroom. Each experience deepened his conviction that the best teaching moves from the known to the unknown, meeting people exactly where they are before asking them to stretch. Resources Mentioned The Wrong Lane by Bryan Orton is available at bryanorton.com, where you can also find free resources under the First Literacy tab. Bryan's reading improvement program, built with partner Janelle, is available there as well. In the spirit of growth. About the Host: Jim Cathcart, CSP, CPAE is one of the top 5 most award-winning speakers in the world. His Top 1% TEDx video has over 2.8 million views, his 27 books are translated into multiple languages, including 3 International bestsellers. He is a Certified Virtual Presenter and past National President of the National Speakers Association. Jim’s PBS television programs, podcast appearances and radio shows have reached millions of Success Seekers and he is often retained to advise achievers and their companies. Even his colleagues, some of the top speakers in the world, have hired Jim to speak at their own events. Jim is an Executive MBA Professor at California Lutheran University School of Management and serves as their first Entrepreneur in Residence. He has been inducted into the Sales & Marketing Hall of Fame in London for his pioneering work with his concept of “Relationship Selling.” He is also in the Professional Speakers Hall of Fame and has received The Cavett Award and The Golden Gavel Award. Jim has written 27 books, hundreds of articles and he is always writing at least one new book. His most recent book is HI-REV for Small Business, The Faster Way to Profits. Audiences buy his books by the hundreds and he happily adds autograph sessions to his speeches. https://cathcart.com/ (https://cathcart.com/) https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathcartinstitute/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathcartinstitute/) https://www.facebook.com/jim.cathcart (https://www.facebook.com/jim.cathcart) https://www.youtube.com/user/jimcathcart (https://www.youtube.com/user/jimcathcart) Tedx: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ki9-oaPwHs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ki9-oaPwHs)

2. 

   4 Nov 2026

   Unlimited Possibilities with Kate Hancock

   Kate Hancock joined me to share one of the most remarkable growth stories I have encountered in fifty years of this work. She grew up on Camiguin Island in the Philippines, one of seven thousand islands, with no indoor bathroom, a broken television, and an ocean she could walk to in minutes. She had no map for what was coming. She just had curiosity, and that turned out to be enough. The Seed Was Always There What struck me most about Kate's journey is how consistent the pattern has been. From giving out free samples at Costco to selling a million dollars on Amazon within a year, from building a Clubhouse community of millions to speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the same qualities show up every time. She is intensely curious. She does her homework. She pays attention to detail. And she builds relationships by listening, not by talking. That combination, as I told her on this episode, is unstoppable in any field. What This Conversation Covers We walk through Kate's origin story in the Philippines and the moment Hong Kong opened her eyes to a wider world. We talk about how she built an Amazon business from a clearance-item hunch into a million-dollar operation, and how she eventually found her voice as a keynote speaker and media personality. We discuss the book she co-authored with her husband Dan Robbins, Unlimited Possibilities, published by Penguin Random House, and what it actually takes to land a deal with a major publisher. We also get into the Forbes show she and Dan are launching, the nature of introversion in public-facing careers, and why the people who know you being glad that they do is the only metric that truly matters. Resources Mentioned Unlimited Possibilities by Kate Hancock and Daniel Robbins, Penguin Random House. Intelligent Curiosity by Jim Cathcart and Lisa Patrick. Kate's website and the Forbes show What It Takes with Kate Hancock are both worth finding and following. Kate is a living reminder that the seed holds more than you can see from the outside. In the spirit of growth. About the Host: Jim Cathcart, CSP, CPAE is one of the top 5 most award-winning speakers in the world. His Top 1% TEDx video has over 2.8 million views, his 27 books are translated into multiple languages, including 3 International bestsellers. He is a Certified Virtual Presenter and past National President of the National Speakers Association. Jim’s PBS television programs, podcast appearances and radio shows have reached millions of Success Seekers and he is often retained to advise achievers and their companies. Even his colleagues, some of the top speakers in the world, have hired Jim to speak at their own events. Jim is an Executive MBA Professor at California Lutheran University School of Management and serves as their first Entrepreneur in Residence. He has been inducted into the Sales & Marketing Hall of Fame in London for his pioneering work with his concept of “Relationship Selling.” He is also in the Professional Speakers Hall of Fame and has received The Cavett Award and The Golden Gavel Award. Jim has written 27 books, hundreds of articles and he is always writing at least one new book. His most recent book is HI-REV for Small Business, The Faster Way to Profits. Audiences buy his books by the hundreds and he happily adds autograph sessions to his speeches. https://cathcart.com/ (https://cathcart.com/) https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathcartinstitute/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathcartinstitute/) https://www.facebook.com/jim.cathcart (https://www.facebook.com/jim.cathcart) https://www.youtube.com/user/jimcathcart (https://www.youtube.com/user/jimcathcart) Tedx: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ki9-oaPwHs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ki9-oaPwHs)

3. 

   7 Oct 2026

   Five Skills Every Independent Expert Needs with Ford Saeks, CPAE

   I sat down with Ford Saeks, CPAE, one of the sharpest marketing minds in the professional speaking world, to talk about what it actually takes to build a lasting expert business. Ford has been a colleague and a friend for decades. We were in Speakers Roundtable together for years. And the depth he brings to this conversation is the kind you only earn by doing the work, not just teaching it. Two Sets of Five That Point the Same Direction I opened with my own five areas every independent expert must develop: a clear value message, a strong brand identity, an optimum client profile, a sound business model, and the standards and systems that hold it all together. Ford came back with his own five, and the alignment was striking. He talks about a clear value proposition, a revenue model with multiple income streams, the ability to show up powerfully on screen, on stage, and on demand, a strong digital footprint, and a sales and marketing playbook you can actually execute. Different language, same roots. The Question That Changes Everything Ford put it plainly: what problem do you solve that people will pay to make go away? That one question cuts through years of confusion. He also made a point I think every expert needs to hear. If you front-load your offer with bonuses, modules, and extras, you are not adding value. You are adding friction. Make it easy to start. Let the depth reveal itself over time. A Story Worth Sitting With Ford shared how a payroll crisis with his sporting goods company pushed him to write a single email to 3,500 speakers. Nine people paid ten thousand dollars each. The lesson he took from that was not about the money. It was about access. People did not want the bonuses. They wanted him. That is a seed worth planting in your own thinking. We also touched on Earl Nightingale, the Strangest Secret, and the long arc of what happens when you commit to one extra hour a day over a lifetime. In the spirit of growth. About the Host: Jim Cathcart, CSP, CPAE is one of the top 5 most award-winning speakers in the world. His Top 1% TEDx video has over 2.8 million views, his 27 books are translated into multiple languages, including 3 International bestsellers. He is a Certified Virtual Presenter and past National President of the National Speakers Association. Jim’s PBS television programs, podcast appearances and radio shows have reached millions of Success Seekers and he is often retained to advise achievers and their companies. Even his colleagues, some of the top speakers in the world, have hired Jim to speak at their own events. Jim is an Executive MBA Professor at California Lutheran University School of Management and serves as their first Entrepreneur in Residence. He has been inducted into the Sales & Marketing Hall of Fame in London for his pioneering work with his concept of “Relationship Selling.” He is also in the Professional Speakers Hall of Fame and has received The Cavett Award and The Golden Gavel Award. Jim has written 27 books, hundreds of articles and he is always writing at least one new book. His most recent book is HI-REV for Small Business, The Faster Way to Profits. Audiences buy his books by the hundreds and he happily adds autograph sessions to his speeches. https://cathcart.com/ (https://cathcart.com/) https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathcartinstitute/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathcartinstitute/) https://www.facebook.com/jim.cathcart (https://www.facebook.com/jim.cathcart) https://www.youtube.com/user/jimcathcart (https://www.youtube.com/user/jimcathcart) Tedx: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ki9-oaPwHs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ki9-oaPwHs)

Inside a recent episode

The Missing Secret from Think and Grow Rich | S2E14

Published 10 Sept 2025 · Transcript excerpt

[…] And that's the subconscious mind. And it only responds to repetition. So you can see the power of feeding the succinct articulation of your desired life to yourself each day because that's also articulating the right actions. And that's why after 21 days, how do the right actions happen automatically? […]

Who has been a guest on Wisdom Parlor

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Dave Kaufman
• Les Brown
• Brian Tracy
• Don Hutson

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

132,000

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

7 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 51 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

44

Social presence

0

YouTube

86

Engagement

60

Contact Wisdom Parlor

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Wisdom Parlor