ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Most founders have 20 years of stories and still answer "what do you do" with a job title.
Ghostwriter and author Joey Himelfarb joins Deevo Tindall to talk about the questions that pull a real story out of a career, and why so many leaders keep hiding behind their credentials.
If you have ever felt like you have nothing worth sharing, this one is for you.
What we explore
- Why "when you pass away, a library goes with you" changed how Joey listens to people
- The three questions Joey asks every person: where were you, where are you, where are you going
- The teeth trick that keeps you quiet long enough to actually hear someone
- How a SWOT analysis on a person opens up the story they forgot they had
- Why so many accomplished people hide behind their resume, and the emotional risk of being seen
- Where Joey draws the line on AI in his writing process
About Joey Himelfarb
Joey Himelfarb is an author, speaker, ghostwriter, and founder of Narrative Partners LLC. He calls himself a conversational challenger. Trained in physics and mechanical engineering, he built his career in sales, wrote a book to help job seekers sell themselves, and has spent 20 years presenting to people in career transition. Today he helps people turn the life they have lived into a story in their own voice.
Guest Links
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/himelfarb/ (Joey: "I think I'm the only Joey on LinkedIn")
- Joey's book for job seekers: https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Paint-Your-Kitchen-Yourself-ebook/dp/B0B61YH2NJ?ref_=ast_author_dp&th=1&psc=1
Chapters
00:00 Cold open
00:43 Meet Joey Himelfarb
01:48 An unemployment networking group in 2003
03:53 When you pass away, a library goes with you
04:12 Where were you, where are you, where are you going
05:04 Be interested before you're interesting
06:41 Is curiosity a skill?
07:09 The topper problem
08:38 Why people struggle to listen
09:27 The teeth trick
09:42 Guardrails as a host
11:48 The signs he saw as a kid
13:07 To thine own self be true
14:59 Positive beats negative
17:50 The four D's of the news
19:26 What he loves most: the conversations
20:00 Imposter syndrome
21:22 Being the catalyst
22:57 We always choose how we respond
23:20 Joey in 20 seconds
24:33 Why are you writing, and who is it for?
25:41 Your story, my words, your voice
27:01 The IP belongs to the client
28:42 Where Joey stands on AI
31:41 What is worth turning into thought leadership
34:04 A SWOT analysis on a person
35:21 Deevo's keynote in Tampa
37:46 Hidden Figures and the stories we never hear
38:39 Why people hide behind their credentials
39:59 The emotional risk of being seen
40:39 Advice or a question?
41:38 Thomas Edison
43:25 Writing and self-awareness
45:01 The thread through past, present, and future
47:13 From engineer to salesperson to problem solver
48:58 For anyone who thinks they have nothing to share
51:52 Where to find Joey (and what his name means)
52:15 Deevo's close: a library of stories
54:35 Outro
About The Branding Laboratory
The Branding Laboratory is where founders and leaders bring the business, decision, or tension they are actually wrestling with and put it on the table. Deevo Tindall, Founder Business Architect and Strategic Advisor, follows the thread underneath the obvious problem to explore how identity, leadership, operations, positioning, relationships, and strategy shape what happens next.
