Brand Building 101: Content Strategy, Storytelling, Positioning and More with Donald Miller

More from The ONE Thing

1. 

   E560 · 1 Jun 2026 · 24 min

   The Isolation of High Achievers: Why All Entrepreneurs Feel Lonely (And How to Fix It)

   High performers are often great at building businesses, serving clients, supporting families, and chasing big goals. But there’s one thing they tend to neglect: friendship. In this episode, Jay shares the story of a lonely night in a Nashville hotel room that became a wake-up call. He realized he had been leaning on too few people and needed to intentionally rebuild his support system. With the help of his coach, Jay began “re-engineering his village” by identifying the qualities he wanted in close friends, reaching out more often, and saying yes to the right opportunities. That journey…

2. 

   E559 · 25 May 2026 · 36 min

   High-Stakes Communication: How to Negotiate Confidently, Ask Smarter Questions, and Build Influence with Phil Jones

   Have you ever walked away from a conversation wishing you could go back and say it differently? According to Phil Jones, that doesn’t mean you have a communication problem. You may have a moment problem. Phil, author of the bestselling book Exactly What to Say, joins Jay to talk about the word choices, principles, and preparation that help people show up better in high-stakes conversations. He shares how a simple body of work grew into a global brand, why so many people give up on their greatest hit too early, and how boredom can become a path to deeper mastery. Jay and Phil also unpack the…

3. 

   E558 · 18 May 2026 · 42 min

   The Habit Lab: How to Build Consistency in Business & Life with Kim Zuroff

   High achievers aren’t held back because they don’t know what to do. The challenge is always consistency. Habits are so powerful because they are automatic - and in this episode, you’ll learn how to harness the power of habit to help you hit your most elusive goals. Today, Jay sits down with Kim Zuroff, Director of Growth and Executive Coach at The ONE Thing, to talk about the art and science of habits. Kim walks through the habit loop of cue, craving, response, and reward, and explains why habits are often a design problem, not a discipline problem. Jay and Kim discuss how distractions like…

4. 

   E556 · 4 May 2026 · 31 min

   The Making of The ONE Thing: What We Cut From the Book (And Lessons We’d Add Today)

   Before The ONE Thing became the bestselling book readers know today, it was a much bigger manuscript, more than 400 pages long. In this episode, Jay Papasan goes back to the final stretch before publication to unpack the hard decisions that shaped the book and made it stronger. Jay shares the lessons behind what got cut, including the idea that low hanging fruit can be a distraction and how maintenance can quietly steal time from the work that matters most. Then he turns to what 13 years of teaching, coaching, and living these principles has taught him since the book came out. He walks…

5. 

   E553 · 27 Apr 2026 · 39 min

   The Psychology of Hope: A Blueprint for a More Hopeful Life with Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe

   When the world feels heavy, hope can feel fragile, or even out of reach. In this episode, Jay sits down with award-winning behavioral psychologist Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe to unpack what hope really is and why it matters so much in difficult seasons. Dr. Robyne explains that hope is not the same as optimism. Optimism is often tied to a specific outcome, while hope is the steady belief that no matter what happens, we will find a way through. Together, they explore the psychology of hope, the role of agency and environment, and why small daily habits can help us stay grounded when life feels…

6. 

   E554 · 20 Apr 2026 · 39 min

   Should Business Leaders Get Political? A Framework for Speaking Up

   When something bad happens in the world, every business leader has a difficult decision to make - the decision to speak up, or to stay silent. In the past, silence was the safest option - today, that’s no longer the case. In such a chaotic world full of conflict, inequality, and political polarization, it’s never been more important to get this question right. In this episode of The ONE Thing Podcast, Jay Papasan tackles the modern leader's biggest dilemma: The choice to speak up. Whether it's a global crisis, a political movement, or social turmoil, the pressure to "say something" is at an…

7. 

   5 Oct 2026 · 38 min

   Stop Trying to Find Your Purpose. Ask This Question Instead | Tom Rath | Ep. 578

   StrengthsFinder 2.0 author Tom Rath on why the hunt for purpose makes people anxious, and the questions he asks instead. His new book is named after it: What's the Point? You've been told to find your purpose since high school. You're still waiting for it to show up. The word is the problem. Most of us hear it and tense up, as if purpose has to descend from the heavens on a sunny day every ten years. Tom's books have sold more than 10 million copies. Five months before his newest book launched, he called his publisher and dropped its working title, Purpose Unlocked, worried readers would be…

8. 

   E577 · 28 Sep 2026 · 30 min

   Before You Set New Goals, Decide What to Let Go Of

   How to simplify your busy life before setting new goals. You raised your hand for a committee years ago, and now it’s just draining time and energy every week. It’s out of alignment - and it’s almost goal-setting season. That work project that seemed like a great idea at the time is still eating your week, and nothing new fits. Before you add another goal to the list, you have to pause and find the space for it. On August 1st, Jay Papasan left Keller Williams after almost 26 years, and he’s still in what he calls a season of addition by subtraction. Are you living your own definition of…

9. 

   E576 · 21 Sep 2026 · 42 min

   15 Truths for Business & Life: Inbox Zero, Hustle Culture & More

   Winners never quit. Clear the inbox. Outwork everyone. You've followed rules like these for years without checking them. Charlie Munger kept a latticework of mental models so he'd make better decisions. Jay Papasan keeps his own in a notes document he carries around. About 88 entries so far, written down so he's less likely to keep repeating the same mistakes. You're most likely to hurt yourself, Jay warns, when you're anchored to a truth that may not be true. So he puts fifteen of his own on the table, then one he's abandoned. He expects you to disagree with a few. The ones that make you…

10. 

    E575 · 14 Sep 2026 · 32 min

    Why Your Business Feels Unpredictable (and how to fix it) w/ Jordan Freed

    You work all day and your results still swing month to month. One month you're unstoppable, the next the pipeline is empty and you can't understand why. Jordan Freed says your business has a first down: one repeatable action that makes everything after it predictable, and most of us have never named ours. In this episode, Jay sits down with Jordan Freed - head coach at The ONE Thing and Jay's own former coach. He says he has never coached a real estate professional who hit their listing number every single month and missed the rest of their goals. Just in time for football season, Jay and…

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