John Corcoran is a recovering attorney, an author, and a former White House writer and speechwriter to the Governor of California. Throughout his career, John has worked in Hollywood, the heart of Silicon Valley, and ran his boutique law firm in the San Francisco Bay Area, catering to small business owners and entrepreneurs.
Since 2012, John has been the host of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, where he has interviewed hundreds of CEOs, founders, authors, and entrepreneurs, including Peter Diamandis, Adam Grant, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Marie Forleo.
John is also the Co-founder of Rise25, a company that connects B2B businesses with their ideal clients, referral partners, and strategic partners. They help their clients generate ROI through their done-for-you podcast service.
Here’s a Glimpse of What You’ll Hear:
- [01:45] How a behind-the-scenes West Wing book rekindles John Corcoran’s White House memories
- [05:41] Transforming dense documents into accessible, searchable resources using custom GPT tools
- [07:14] The power of mentorship and its lasting impact on one’s career
- [10:04] How pausing alcohol transformed John’s clarity and health
- [11:51] Why waiting for a “unique angle” can delay podcast creation
- [14:55] The unexpected ways childhood experiences can influence adult careers
In this episode…
Launching a podcast, navigating a complex industry, or managing personal growth can feel overwhelming, especially with the pressure to stand out or address a dense workload. For many, the quest for uniqueness delays action, while balancing creativity with clarity remains a persistent challenge. In an era of limitless tools and information, finding strategies to streamline efforts while fostering authentic connections is more vital than ever.
John Corcoran shares invaluable insights on overcoming these challenges, emphasizing the importance of simplicity and purpose. He reveals how custom GPTs can transform dense documents into efficient, searchable resources, offering a practical solution for saving time and effort. Drawing from his own podcasting experience, John advises aspiring hosts to focus on authenticity, asserting that the uniqueness of a podcast lies in the host-guest dynamic, not a perfect concept. Additionally, he credits mentor Rob Castaneda with inspiring him to pause his drinking, demonstrating how personal growth can enhance professional focus and clarity.
Tune in to this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast as Chad Franzen interviews John Corcoran, Co-founder of Rise25, about harnessing past experiences for personal and professional growth. They discuss how John’s involvement in The West Wing inspired storytelling, the transformative potential of custom GPT tools, and how a pause on drinking improved his productivity. This episode is a treasure trove of wisdom for those seeking to enhance their podcasting journey and personal growth.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Special Mention(s):
- Rob Castaneda on LinkedIn
- WHATS NEXT by Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack
- ChatGPT
- David Hasselhoff on Instagram
- The West Wing Weekly
- EO San Francisco
Related episode(s):
Quotable Moments:
- “A little bit of overcommitment to having a unique angle doesn’t serve you as well as you think.”
- “You can create custom GPTs on any topic and give it specific instructions.”
- “Rob has been a friend, mentor, inspiration, and a leader.”
- “Sometimes the uniqueness is you. The uniqueness is the conversation that will unfold between you and your guest.”
- “I was a huge fan of Knight Rider; definitely the highlight of my childhood, my lifetime, probably of all time.”
Action Steps:
- Start with what you know: John Corcoran emphasizes that sometimes the uniqueness of a podcast comes from the host’s personal experiences and insights. Leveraging your background and familiar topics allows for genuine conversations and can help overcome the fear of needing a never-before-heard angle.
- Utilize custom GPTs for content preparation: John discusses the innovative use of ChatGPT to create custom tools for handling dense documents and generating content ideas. This approach helps streamline the preparation process, allowing podcasters to focus more on the quality of their discussions.
- Network for inspiration and growth: John shares how his connections, such as Rob Castaneda, influenced his personal and professional growth. Engaging with a network of mentors and peers can provide new ideas, support, and motivation, enhancing content creation and personal development.
- Focus on consistency over perfection: John warns against delaying podcast creation in search of a perfect, unique angle. Instead, the focus should be on starting and maintaining a consistent schedule, as the unique interaction between you and your guests will naturally develop over time.
- Evaluate and adapt health habits: Inspired by his pause on drinking, John highlights the importance of making health-conscious decisions to improve personal well-being and mental clarity. Podcasters can benefit from adopting healthier habits, which can enhance their creativity and focus in both recording and editing sessions.
Sponsor: Rise25
At Rise25, we’re committed to helping you connect with your Dream 100 referral partners, clients, and strategic partners through our done-for-you podcast solution.
We’re a professional podcast production agency that makes creating a podcast effortless. Since 2009, our proven system has helped thousands of B2B businesses build strong relationships with referral partners, clients, and audiences without doing the hard work.
What do you need to start a podcast?
When you use our proven system, all you need is an idea and a voice. We handle the strategy, production, and distribution – you just need to show up and talk.
The Rise25 podcasting solution is designed to help you build a profitable podcast. This requires a specific strategy, and we’ve got that down pat. We focus on making sure you have a direct path to ROI, which is the most important component. Plus, our podcast production company takes any heavy lifting of production and distribution off your plate.
We make distribution easy
We’ll distribute each episode across more than 11 unique channels, including iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. We’ll also create a copy for each episode and promote your show across social media.
Cofounders Dr. Jeremy Weisz and John Corcoran credit podcasting as being the best thing they have ever done for their businesses. Podcasting connected them with the founders/CEOs of P90x, Atari, Einstein Bagels, Mattel, Rx Bars, YPO, EO, Lending Tree, Freshdesk, and many more.
The relationships you form through podcasting run deep. Jeremy and John became business partners through podcasting. They have even gone on family vacations and attended weddings of guests who have been on the podcast.
Podcast production has a lot of moving parts and is a big commitment on our end; we only want to work with people who are committed to their business and to cultivating amazing relationships.
Are you considering launching a podcast to acquire partnerships, clients, and referrals? Would you like to work with a podcast agency that wants you to win?
Contact us now at [email protected] or book a call at rise25.com/bookcall.
Rise25 Cofounders, Dr. Jeremy Weisz and John Corcoran, have been podcasting and advising about podcasting since 2008.
Episode Transcript
John Corcoran: 00:00
All right. Today we are talking about a couple of different topics. So we have four different topics. Today we’re talking about a book that I would recommend, a little known tool that I would recommend for you to use as well. Someone in my network has had a big impact on me, and I want you to know all about them.
And then finally, a big issue that’s affecting my industry, which is the podcasting world. My guest today is actually Chad Franzen, who’s going to be interviewing me in this episode. So stick around.
Chad Franzen: 00:26
Welcome to the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, where we feature top entrepreneurs, business leaders, and thought leaders and ask them how they built key relationships to get where they are today. Now let’s get started with the show.
John Corcoran: 00:43
All right. Welcome, everyone. John Corcoran here. I’m the host of this show and we actually have a different format today. Now, you know, from past episodes that every week I interview smart CEOs, founders and entrepreneurs, all kinds of companies.
We’ve had Netflix, we’ve had Grubhub, we’ve had Redfin, Gusto, you name it. But today we’re going to switch things around and Chad Franzen is going to be interviewing me. And of course, this episode, before we get to that, is brought to you by Rise25, our company where we help B2B businesses to get clients referrals and strategic partnerships with done-for-you podcasts and content marketing. Go to Rise25.com or email us [email protected] and we’ll tell you all about what we do. All right Chad, I’m excited for this format.
I’ll turn it over to you.
Chad Franzen: 01:25
All right. Sounds good. Today we’re going to talk about a recent book that you have read or listened to, a little known tool that you use, someone in your network who has impacted you and an issue in your industry. So let’s start out with the book. What’s a book that you’ve either listened to or read recently that’s kind of been memorable for you?
John Corcoran: 01:45
Yeah. So I heard about this book a couple of months ago, and it’s called What’s Next? A backstage pass to The West Wing, its cast and crew, and its enduring legacy of service. It’s by Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormick, who were both on the show. They were actually actors on the show, and it was really cool to go back and hear the whole history of that show.
I was a big fan of it at the time. We’ll link to I don’t Need to Tell it again, but we’ll link to a story about how I was involved in the original creation of the show. But it was really cool to go back and hear kind of behind the scenes, behind the scenes stories about what that show was like. And it’s, you know, the show premiered 25 years ago now. It was just such an exceptional, high quality television.
And the book also highlights some of the public service work that the members of the cast and crew actually engaged in. So beyond just being kind of a salute to public service as far as entertainment goes, they also talked about some of the work that they did behind the scenes, whether it was like charitable events that they did, showing up, volunteering their time. A lot of different stuff that they did that wasn’t really highlighted, I didn’t know about. So that was cool as well.
Chad Franzen: 03:05
Yeah. So you were on staff in the White House in the 90s with Bill Clinton. Did it spur memories for you?
John Corcoran: 03:14
Yeah, definitely. I mean, you know, it’s fiction. And they filmed it on a soundstage in Los Angeles. So, you know, it did spur memories to, like, watching the shows at the time. So they talked about some of the individual episodes.
There’s also a podcast called West Wing Weekly that Josh Malina, another actor on the show, created starting back in 2016. And they did it for a number of years. I think they still sometimes put out other episodes as well. And they go through every single episode of The West Wing. So yeah, it definitely did spur some memories going back and thinking about those episodes.
And, you know, the first year of the show. I was still at the White House and it was a huge hit. It was a huge hit nationwide, but it was also a huge hit for everyone in the white who was working in the White House at the time to have this show that was on television. This was back when people watched television, not just streaming, but, you know, people would show up and watch it on the night that it was on. But yeah, it was really it definitely brought back some memories of that.
Chad Franzen: 04:17
So you kind of alluded to you being part of maybe a small part of the creation of the show. Can you give us the Reader’s Digest version of that?
John Corcoran: 04:25
Sure. So I had worked actually in Hollywood, in the entertainment industry before I went to work at the white House. So it was a little bit unusual. And I knew someone who knew someone who was working on a show about politics. This was before The West Wing came on.
This was 98 or 99, something like that. And of course, I knew the person because he’d written a show called The American President, and it was Aaron Sorkin. And so she connected me with him. And I told him what my life was like. This was when he was in the research phase before the show was on the air.
And, you know, I didn’t give away any state secrets. I didn’t have that high level security clearance or anything like that. But I told him what my life was like and I’ll leave it at this. There were episodes that brought pieces of my life and my experience, and that were the inspiration for those episodes. As a result of that information.
So we have a podcast episode, I think that was titled How I Got Rob Lowe to Play Me on TV. Rob Lowe, of course, was one of the characters played by Sam Seaborn on The West Wing, so people can go check that out. Check out that episode if they want.
Chad Franzen: 05:28
Nice. Very nice. So our next topic is going to be a little known tool that you use. ChatGPT is not a little known tool, but you use it in a unique way. That’s been helpful to you.
John Corcoran: 05:41
Yeah. So I just started doing this recently, but you can create custom GPTs on any topic and you can give it specific instructions. So if you have like a 200 page contract that you need to reference over and over again and you need to, you know, read little pieces of it or understand it in some better way. You can upload that, create a custom GPT and then bookmark it and go back to it again and again. Of course, as a lawyer, I am not practicing anymore.
But I would say you shouldn’t just rely on that. You should go back and read the actual source. But is it a great way to get, you know, a summary or to, you know, get into some kind of understanding of the meat of the document when a lot of these things are so dense that people just don’t take the time to read through them. So it’s a wonderful tool as far as that’s concerned. And it doesn’t just have to be a contract, it can be other things you can create, you know, different GPTs for marketing.
Like you could say, I’m going to create a GPT for my LinkedIn posts and you can feed into it other LinkedIn posts that you’ve done or others have done and say, I want you to draft me a post on, you know, this new topic. You could say, like, the Super Bowl is coming up, so I want you to write me a post that talks about my industry in the context of the Super Bowl. So it’s timely, but I want you to use as inspiration these other LinkedIn posts that someone else has created, because I want it to be in the same style and the same tone, and then you can just keep that. It’s almost like you’re, you know, your aide that’s going to help with that particular task whenever that task comes up. So that’s something that I’m really excited about.
Chad Franzen: 07:14
Very nice. What kind of sparked you. What kind of sparked that idea in terms of that kind of use of ChatGPT?
John Corcoran: 07:20
I knew that that was a capability, and I had tested it when GPT first came out. I had tested them a little bit, but I hadn’t quite figured out what I would use it for. And then just more recently, I had a couple of instances where I had a very long, dense document contract type type of document where I just knew I would need to be referencing it over and over and over again, and I wanted to be able to find information quickly in it rather than wading into it, you know, 200 page document. And I thought, oh, and I don’t remember. Maybe I listened to a podcast episode and someone else gave me this idea, but I just kind of like the light bulb moment.
I was like, oh, I could create this, create these GPTs and then like, bookmark them and come back to them over and over again. And so I started doing that and it’s been really helpful. And then you can share it with other people, you know, you can, you know, give it to someone else and say, here you can you can reference it here as well, you know. So if it’s something that, you know, people come to you and ask you requests all the time, you know, like, what’s that piece of information or something? Well, if you create, you know, a resource like this, then you can share the link with them and they can go ask the questions that they have and can drill down and ask follow up questions and things like that.
Chad Franzen: 08:31