In this special in-person episode recorded at The George Washington University, Anthony Shop sits down with Dan Simons, co-founder of Farmers Restaurant Group, to explore what it truly means to lead with influence in today’s complex and fast-moving world. Known for building a mission-driven hospitality brand that connects American family farmers to the urban table, Dan shares how success is not built on polished narratives—but on embracing the full picture, including failure, struggle, and growth.Throughout the conversation, Dan challenges traditional notions of leadership, advocating for radical transparency, operational excellence, and a deeply human approach to business. From navigating criticism and scaling culture, to prioritizing mental health and aligning purpose with performance, Dan offers a candid and practical blueprint for leaders who want to build organizations that are both high-performing and deeply meaningful.Takeaways:Don’t lead from the highlight reel—lead from the full story: Influence comes from authenticity. Sharing struggles and failures builds trust and creates a deeper connection with your team and audience.Operational excellence is the ultimate marketing strategy: Before investing in messaging, fix the fundamentals. If the product or experience fails, no amount of marketing can compensate.Start with internal influence before external impact: You cannot build brand advocates externally without first creating alignment, trust, and belief inside your organization.Treat criticism as data—not a personal attack: Filter feedback to identify the root issue. Remove emotion, find the signal, and use it to improve systems and performance.Humanize your business to stay relevant: Today’s audiences connect with people, not logos. Leaders must step forward and give their organizations a voice.Align mission with reality: Purpose matters—but it cannot come at the expense of sustainability. Strong businesses balance values with operational discipline.Coaching in the moment builds culture faster than policies: Real-time feedback, grounded in trust and relationships, drives performance and reinforces shared standards.Quote of the Show:“If your business doesn’t have a voice, then by definition it can’t be in a conversation.”Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dansimonssays/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dansimonssays/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dsimonssays YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe9opWoLOjjTr7MlXOrooSAFounding DC Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/founding-dc/id1800509479  Website: https://www.farmersrestaurantgroup.com/ 

What does it take to build influence when the stakes are deeply personal—and the audience is scattered across the globe? In this episode, Anthony Shop sits down with Mike Graglia, Founder and CEO of Cure SYNGAP1, to explore how one father turned a devastating diagnosis into a global movement accelerating research, building community, and driving toward a cure.Mike shares how he leveraged authenticity, relentless communication, and a willingness to experiment to create a powerful platform that connects families, researchers, and industry leaders. From launching a low-production video podcast to becoming a trusted voice for a rare disease community, Mike demonstrates how leaders can “punch above their weight” by showing up consistently, building trust, and turning their personal story into collective action. This conversation is a masterclass in influence for anyone looking to mobilize stakeholders, build credibility, and lead with purpose.Takeaways:Use your authentic voice—even if it’s not polished: Mike’s “low to no production value” podcast works because it’s real. Leaders don’t need perfection—they need trust.Communicate relentlessly (and repeat yourself): Influence isn’t about saying something once. It’s about reinforcing key messages in different ways until they stick.Turn one-to-one conversations into one-to-many platforms: Instead of repeating himself to hundreds of families, Mike scaled his impact through a video podcast—saving time while expanding reach.Build trust before asking for action: Whether it’s participating in research or supporting a cause, people act when they feel connected and informed.Be willing to experiment—and iterate quickly: Mike didn’t overthink launching his podcast. He tested, learned, and refined—embracing progress over perfection.Become a magnet by consistently showing up: By flooding the space with valuable, relevant content, Mike ensured families and stakeholders could find him when they needed help most.Leverage community to punch above your weight: With a small team, Mike mobilized volunteers, families, and partners—proving influence is about activation, not headcount.Quote of the Show:“When you’re a small army trying to influence a huge and disparate population, I always tell people: start a podcast. It’s such a potent tool for amplifying your voice right now. And even though there’s so much noise out there, we all have our own niches—and rare disease is about as niche as it gets.”Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/graglia/ Podcast: https://curesyngap1.org/podcasts/syngap10/ Website: https://curesyngap1.org/ 

In today’s fragmented and fast-moving influence landscape, what does it mean to lead with principle—and still drive real impact?In this episode of Chief Influencer, host Anthony Shop sits down with Peter Goettler, President and CEO of the Cato Institute, to explore how principled leadership can be a powerful force for influence in Washington and beyond.Peter shares how he has guided one of the nation’s most influential think tanks by staying grounded in core values—while evolving its strategy to meet the demands of a digital, decentralized world.From expanding Cato’s reach beyond the Beltway to building a national network of over 20,000 educators, Peter offers a compelling look at how influence is earned through credibility, consistency, and connection.Takeaways:Principle as a Competitive Advantage: In a world where positions shift quickly, Peter makes the case that consistency builds trust. Influence isn’t just about persuasion—it’s about credibility. When audiences know where you stand, they’re more likely to listen.Influence Through Common Ground: Rather than avoiding disagreement, Peter embraces it. By focusing on areas of alignment across political divides, leaders can move ideas forward without compromising core beliefs.Incremental Change, Strategic Direction: Big change rarely happens overnight. Peter shares how effective leaders pursue incremental progress—while staying aligned with a clear “north star.”Expanding Influence Beyond Traditional Channels: The think tank model has evolved. Instead of relying solely on white papers and policy elites, Cato now prioritizes distribution—leveraging digital platforms, real-time engagement, and viral moments to reach broader audiences.Investing in the Next Generation of Influence: Through its nationwide educator initiative, Cato is helping rebuild civic culture—equipping teachers and students with tools for civil discourse, critical thinking, and respectful disagreement.Leadership Without Imitation: Peter challenges the idea that leaders must follow the same playbook. Whether it’s skipping social media or redefining outreach strategies, authentic leadership means focusing on what drives the greatest impact—not what others are doing.Preparation Creates Breakthrough Moments: A viral exchange featuring a Cato expert wasn’t planned—but it was possible because of deep preparation, expertise, and clarity of conviction. Influence favors those who are ready.Quote of the Show:“Being rooted in principle, being seen as having a high level of integrity and credibility, is a very important element in having influence, exerting influence, and ultimately persuading people.”Links:Website: https://www.cato.org/ 

In this episode of Chief Influencer, Anthony Shop sits down with Paul R. Lawrence, Ph.D, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, to explore what it means to lead and influence at a massive scale. With responsibility for serving over 17 million veterans, Dr. Lawrence shares how his transition from private sector consultant to government operator required a shift from advising to executing, all while navigating the complexity of one of the largest organizations in the world. From improving benefit delivery timelines to simplifying access and modernizing digital experiences, he emphasizes the importance of clarity, accountability, and continuous improvement.A central theme of the conversation is the power of listening as a leadership tool. Through in-person town halls and direct engagement on platforms like LinkedIn, Dr. Lawrence gathers unfiltered feedback that directly shapes policy, communication, and innovation. He also highlights how leaders can extend their influence by embracing modern channels, creating content that educates, resonates, and drives action. Ultimately, this episode reveals that influence isn’t about visibility; it’s about delivering meaningful value, building trust, and ensuring the right message reaches the right people at the right time.Takeaways:Turn Listening Into Strategy: Great leaders don’t just listen—they operationalize what they hear. Identify recurring themes from conversations, town halls, or feedback channels, and use those insights to drive decisions, prioritize initiatives, and shape communication.Translate Complexity Into Clarity: If your audience can’t easily understand your message or process, they won’t engage. Break down complex systems into simple, actionable steps and continuously refine the experience to meet rising expectations shaped by the private sector.Meet People Where They Are: Different audiences require different communication channels. Combine digital platforms, in-person engagement, and traditional outreach to ensure no one is left out—especially when serving diverse or underserved populations.Leverage Personal Platforms for Mission Impact: Your personal brand can be a powerful extension of your organization’s mission. Focus on sharing insights, answering real questions, and providing value—positioning yourself as a trusted source, not just a spokesperson.Start With What You Already Do Well: You don’t need to reinvent yourself to succeed on modern platforms. Identify your natural strengths—whether it’s teaching, storytelling, or simplifying ideas—and adapt them to formats like video, social posts, or short-form content.Make the Ask, Not Just the Awareness: Awareness alone rarely drives change. Clearly articulate what action you want your audience to take—whether it’s applying for a benefit, supporting a cause, or checking in on a colleague—and make it easy for them to follow through.Humanize Leadership: People connect with authenticity, not institutions. By showing up as a real person—sharing perspective, context, and even small personal touches—you build trust and make your message more relatable and memorable.Quote of the Show:“We’re trying everything we can to get veterans the information they need that helps them access what they’ve earned. If you care about this issue passionately — if you think it's important, what are you doing with it? Don't be shy. Tell everybody about it."Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drpaullawrence/ Website: https://www.va.gov/ 

In this episode of Chief Influencer, host Anthony Shop speaks with Amy Martin Ziegenfuss, Chief Marketing Officer of Carnival Cruise Line, about how she's redefining cruise travel marketing. Amy walks through Carnival's shift toward mindset-based segmentation, moving beyond demographics to understand what travelers truly want, and how that approach can be applied across industries. She shares how Carnival uses a mix of external micro-influencers, employee-generated content, and live activations to bust cruise myths and bring the onboard experience to life for potential guests. The conversation also touches on the critical role of internal alignment, ensuring marketing promises match what the business can actually deliver, and closes with Amy's evolved view of influence as less about pushing ideas and more about building bridges.Takeaways:Ditch pure demographic targeting. Move beyond age and income to understand your audience's mindsets and passions. Two people who look identical on paper can want completely different things from your brand.Go deep with niche influencers. Mega-influencers are great for big launches, but smaller, specialized creators, like a food blogger or a fitness expert, can tell a more credible, detailed story to the exact audience you're trying to reach.Look inside for your best storytellers. Your own team members are often natural content creators who already have authentic stories to tell. Formalizing that and giving them a little guidance can be more powerful than any paid campaign.Align internally before you publish. Before you promote something externally, make sure the teams responsible for delivering it are on board. A great marketing moment can quickly backfire if operations can't keep up with the demand it creates.Influence is about building bridges, not battering rams. The most effective leaders don't force their ideas through; they bring the right data, emotion, and empathy to create environments where great work can happen. Persuasion through collaboration almost always outlasts persuasion through pressure.Quote of the Show:“So that’s what mindset does, right? To me, mindset segmentation unlocks the people who are most likely to want your brand, product, or service based on a whole range of factors.”Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-martin-ziegenfuss-9573382/ Website: https://www.carnival.com/