Rise From The Ashes
"Burnout to Brilliance: Great CEOs, No Burnout"
Leadership is tough. Burnout makes it tougher.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Rise From The Ashes is the ultimate podcast for visionary CEOs and executives who refuse to let burnout rob them of their brilliance, legacy, and impact.
Hosted by Baz Porter, this show isn’t just about surviving leadership it’s about transforming it. Each week, we delve deep into the art and science of thriving at the top, combining actionable strategies, spiritual alignment, and raw truths that reignite your purpose and optimize your energy.
Here’s what you’ll get:
- Bold Frameworks: Learn the exact steps to conquer decision fatigue, streamline your mental energy, and reclaim control of your leadership.
- Spiritual Awakenings: Explore the intersection of purpose, alignment, and success to lead with clarity and connection.
- Transformational Insights: Hear unfiltered stories and practical wisdom from world-class leaders who’ve turned their burnout into brilliance.
This isn’t just a podcast it’s a revolution for leaders ready to rise, inspire, and leave a legacy that outlasts them.
Rise From The Ashes
Success felt like failure - when winning meant everyone lost connection
What happens when you achieve everything you set out to accomplish, but it feels like you've failed at what really matters? Phil Herrington built exactly what he envisioned - a thriving network, 300 members, successful connections happening daily. By every metric, he was winning.
But something was devastatingly wrong.
"I noticed no one's connecting," Phil realized. "Why are they not connecting?" He'd created the perfect system, followed all the rules, hit all his targets. Yet the very people he'd brought together to build relationships were still sitting alone, isolated, unable to truly connect with each other.
The crushing truth hit him: he'd built another version of his old "rhino" self - a network that looked successful on paper but left everyone feeling empty and disconnected. His 1.0 version was a beautiful failure disguised as achievement.
Discover how a man who thought he'd evolved from relationship destroyer to relationship builder had to face the hardest truth of all: sometimes your greatest success is just a more sophisticated version of your original failure. And why the most painful part of growth isn't admitting you were wrong - it's admitting you weren't right enough.
Timestamps:
[01:24] The moment he realized "no one's connecting" despite his success
[03:01] Why his 1.0 version was a beautiful failure
[04:35] The crushing weight of building something that looked right but felt wrong
[08:03] When achievement becomes another form of isolation
[12:58] How to evolve when your success feels like sophisticated failure
If You’ve Been Hooked on These Episodes… This Is for You
If this podcast has been landing deep… if each story feels like it’s peeling back something raw and real in you… then don’t ignore that.
Every guest you’ve heard made the same decision: to stop performing and start healing.
Now it’s your turn.
Take the Silent Collapse Diagnostic. It’s not a quiz. It’s a wake-up tool for women who are done pretending they’re fine.
No fluff. No journaling prompts. Just a straight-up mirror into where you’re silently collapsing behind the mask of success.
If you're serious about reclaiming your energy, your clarity, your life start there.
Because breakthrough doesn’t begin with doing more. It begins with finally seeing what’s been stealing your power.
Learn more about Baz Porter at www.bazporter.com
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another episode. This is part two of Rise from the Ashes podcast. On part one, we spoke with Phil, who is a connector, and he's also about connecting you with the right people around the world. He isn't just small fry. He's had the experience of sales in entrepreneurship and now scaling his business to the next level. And he's of service to build your relationships with your ideal people. Phil, we spoke last time about your journey and how you got here. What's the big vision of what you're building?
Speaker 2:Oh, great, I'm so glad you asked. Our big vision is to be the next LinkedIn, but with direct access to all the members. So imagine a space where everyone's vetted because they all come through referral. So I'm meeting amazing people because I always tell people you're not going to send me a jerk, right? So you're going to send me someone that's awesome. So you're going to send me someone that's awesome. And so I'm meeting amazing people through the introductions and we're building this movement of people that are ready to. People is where it's at right, because you got to meet the people in order to do business, but these aren't cold. You get to use basically my Rolodex, if you will. So I'm networking all the time and meeting awesome people and then bringing those back to the community.
Speaker 2:So the ultimate goal we want to be 1 million members by the end of 2030. And we feel very strongly we can do that. We're currently at about 300 members, but we know once we hit that 5 to 1,000, it'll start building itself right, as long as we have all the systems in place, and we want to do heavy on automation to get to this, the one-to-one right. So let us do all the find the strategic partners, put them on your calendar. You show up and be awesome. You love us because you're making sales. You keep going right.
Speaker 2:Then the reverse we want to be your Google. So if you need any service, I want you to come into the connector community and ask for it. You will have brokers. We're going to call them business brokers. I guess we'll say that That'll service three to 500 members, and their job will be to reach out every quarter, make sure that you're getting the connection, you're getting the experience you need, and then do you need anything else else. So by us continuously asking that we know people, one will stay, and then two, as we get bigger, people will start asking for certain services. We envision twofold right Finding you opportunities, strategic partners, but then also people looking you up down the road.
Speaker 1:You just reminded me of a similar group of people, people in the Chamber of Commerce, like here in Denver, moldova, my nearest Chamber of Commerce is in Aurora and I'm a part of that. I'm like, yeah, I still am a part of that, and a lot of these networks that are built on referral, like you're doing. When you started this project, how has it changed from what it once was into what it's becoming now?
Speaker 2:Oh, I love it. Thank you for the question. So I refer to that. When we first started our 1.0 version right, we had one membership type and I made the assumption my bad. I made the assumption that everyone thinks like me, so I thought people would want to join so they could go through the list, meet all the people and make sales. So then I noticed no one's connecting. Why are they not connecting?
Speaker 2:And somebody gave me an idea and this is why you always want to do one-to-ones and share vision back and forth and not put people in a position where they feel like you're there to sell them something because they don't open up. So I had a meeting with somebody and she's what, what's your ultimate vision? And I was like I want to. I want to get to a place where we're just putting people on your calendar that are good strategic partners. And she goes what would you charge for that? And I'm like I'm thinking and so she became my first client and she's still my client from that idea.
Speaker 2:And then we went and got 10 or 20 more and then we figured we needed a middle program. So we have our middle program, as we introduce you to two people every week and you do the work of putting them on the calendar. So now we have our DIY done with you, done for you. That's when things started to really speed up for us, because now that we're building your network for you, then people don't leave because they never know who they're going to meet.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so what's your biggest success story? Because I love success stories.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this older gentleman joined us about four months ago and he's just awesome. He's an efficiency coach. He always says I'll get you an hour back, that type of thing. And just by educating, within two months he had three clients and I call those accidental sales. Those are the ones, if you're educating properly and let the person raise their hand. We were talking about in the last episode how people were like I got to get sales, I got to get sales. Just do so many one-to-ones and meet so many people that you let the people raise their hand when they're ready and they're not ready now, but they may be ready six months, a year from now, whatever. So he's doing twofold right. He's finding that low-hanging fruit that are ready for him and then he's going to continue to stay in touch with all those power partners so they can send him referrals. So that was super exciting. And he was stuck in a B&I group Nothing wrong with B&I, Amazing. But he had to go to that meeting every week and meet the same people. But he didn't have enough time to go to another meeting and meet more people. And that's one of people's biggest challenges is time.
Speaker 2:Right Now, after COVID, we have the opportunity to do four times as much, and now we think we should. So we're literally spread super thin. We're like go, people are, some people are involved with six networking groups or whatever, and they're just spreading their seat out and they'll never be heard because of that right. So we're yes, we'll go, do all the big, bring all the massive people in and just bring you strategic partners that are awesome, so you don't have to do all that work. It took us a while to figure that out, but now we really got something. People will see our model and go oh so you're a matchmaker. I'm like, yes, we're a business matchmaker for strategic partners.
Speaker 1:I love that. What? What's the main problem people come to you with? I know it's networking specifically, but is there a common question or a common ailment of a better word that people come fill? I having this is what I can't do, this and I'm having trouble do this.
Speaker 2:They need to speed up building their network. So a guy that just came on last week, he's a CFO, he's in London right now and he wants to move to the US, but he doesn't want to come over here until he's got a good base of customers or strategic partners. So he joined us because we have a great foothold in the US and we're going to start introducing him to the right people. So that was one. Another lady just doesn't know how to sell and she knows that. She's very aware that I just I do very good with educating and whatever, but I just don't do great with sales and I'm like, boom, she needed a network.
Speaker 2:So I think people are like I think a lot of people that are either have just switched positions or they're not naturally salespeople, which I'm finding is a ton of people really. They just need to be in a network where people are. We're forcing them together and giving them a reason for them to meet. Then when they have a conversation they're relaxed, they can be their true selves, all that stuff. Because when a non-salesperson tries to be a salesperson it comes off super weird and hokey. But if they can just show up and educate, then we're basically finding the right people, because we know they both work with the same avatar. If you will, then it becomes. It's beautiful, it's a thing of beauty.
Speaker 1:I love that. What was the thing that actually changed the transition of when you realized all of this? Because you've got a hell of a trajectory. One million members by 2030 is a substantial growth from where you are right now, and you're correct in saying they start to refer themselves and it becomes an active network at a 300 plus. I don't know they're coming over the math, but it's about 300 to a thousand plus. I think you would know better than me. But what was the switch for you in that? Oh my God, this is not just a business. This is something much, much more like I'm gonna use a Russell Brunson term culture.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, and I read that because I love that. He they all became funnel hackers and stuff like that and I'm like and so I love, love, love that. But what was the switch? Real quick, god gave me the name the connector. So I actually went to a men's retreat. This is six, seven years ago. He there's a process in this deal where they take all the names the world has given you, liar, cheater, all those things, and they take those away. Because I was a terrible salesperson back in the day, just told whatever I had to do to get make the sale. He replaced all of my names with four names Mouthpiece of God. I'm like, please don't make me a preacher. Fearless, because I deal with a lot of fear. Honorable, to replace all the negativity I've put out in the world. And then the connector. And so now this is my marketplace ministry, where I get opportunity when opportunity arises, to encourage people and also to create a platform where we can put more eyeballs on your business so you don't go out of business because most people are not salespeople.
Speaker 2:So, because they're not salespeople and they don't know what to do. They get an inheritance, they cash out their 401k. Now they got whatever 200 grand and they go hire a marketing firm to go market everything and they have no idea who they are. So I just say, if they meet me first early on, the reason they would need me is because one you probably don't know who you are yet. If you do know who you are, that's fantastic. Let's just get the word out more and faster. And, of course, everything grows faster through referrals because they close 90% of the time. It's like why would you put your efforts in something that closes 20% of the time when you could do referrals? But I didn't know the sweetness of that until this whole seven-year journey. So what they're really getting is all that background of all the mistakes that I made.
Speaker 2:When I first started networking, I was selling websites and I was in this MLM called Mel Luca and I was all hey, do you want to buy Mel Luca? Oh, you're here, watch the video. And guess what I did? I destroyed my name. For the first couple of years. People started not meeting with me and then, when they stopped not meeting with me, then I started to figure out. Hey, I'm doing something wrong here.
Speaker 1:Anyways, I love that, because what you I don't know whether you realize this and you're aware of it I think I'm pretty sure you are but you incorporated your values in with a business and that is key to not just owning what you do as a person, but and also believing in it. But it's the key to scaling it to that next level, because psychologically and emotionally and all that other energy stuff that I won't bore you with you can't do something if you don't believe in it. Now you mentioned, you said it there, you've put it into your, the value system into it, but what you're also doing is making sure people are aligned with your values before they come into your network. There's no alignment and most people marketer years listen up, because I'm talking directly to you. I've had experience with this.
Speaker 1:I spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on marketing. It doesn't fucking work, and the reason it didn't work is quite simple. They didn't know who I was. There was no value alignment there and they were trying to throw shit to a wall and hope it sticked. Now that's 99% of marketeers. There are only two or three people in the world that I know of. You're one of them that don't do that, because you're doing a different model and it's not throwing stuff to the wall and hoping it sticks.
Speaker 1:I will introduce you to this group of people here and then you can have conversations and understand that network and see if that can grow in the partner JVs there. But it took you seven years to realize that and the value system, the value alignment as in your personal values and your business values align congruently. What was the key component after that retreat? Because I love that mental retreats of any kind are amazing because you have time on your own time and space to be with yourself. What was the key component, like that light bulb moment after that retreat for you? Was there just one or was there just a journey like, oh my god, this is happening and it just propelled?
Speaker 2:you, yeah, yeah, great question. Two things happened in 2018. I said one I was a your traditional salesperson where I didn't follow up. I might have followed up one time. 54 of the sales people follow up one time and it's like then it gets way down when they fall up two times.
Speaker 2:So I set out for two things. One I just trusted and believed and put the connector on all my cards going forward, and I worked with three other companies until I created this one. So I took this long journey that I didn't need to take, but I learned a bunch, anyway. So I also learned that a partnership is the only ship that doesn't float. So, anyways, do joint ventures, don't do partnerships. Okay, another thing, but I also set out to create the best follow-up system ever. I said I will master follow-up, and what that's led me to is our course that we're developing called Never Lose a Prospect Again the Fortunes and the Follow-Up.
Speaker 2:So imagine someone entering your ecosystem, no matter what it is that you're creating, and they never leave your ecosystem until they opt out. But it's in such a gentle way that all you have to do is go meet people. Then all the stress is off. You're just having a good time You'll be able to come forth with your vision, come forth and share what you're trying to change in the world, all that type of stuff. And then it gets exciting because you're selling without selling. It's very powerful.
Speaker 2:But I guess that was it when I set out to have a master follow-up and then I just trusted. So I got this message right and I wrote those names down. I could have done nothing with it, but I just decided to take the connector and put it on every single one of my cards. And then a buddy of mine gosh, this was four years ago or so Will Green. He said when are you going to stop? We're having a one-to-one. And he's like when are you going to stop selling other people's crap and just be the connector? And I was like well, I don't know what you mean, cause I lived in this role of being a salesperson. I always had to be offering something. I figured that was my offer. If you will and he goes, you can. You just need to be the connector. So it wasn't.
Speaker 2:It was maybe a year after that I started doing it and forgotten that he had told me that. So words are so powerful. Because he placed it in my mind and then we went and created it and now he's my marketing guy because I'm like well, you get the vision. Obviously you came up with it. So I went back to him and said now I'm ready to hire you because I've now fulfilled the vision. We're just getting started, which gets so fricking exciting. Right? Imagine just coming into a network and all of a sudden they're at our 3.0. I get excited. So I'll just tell you, here's our 3.0. It's coming next week we're probably going to start.
Speaker 2:The implementation of this is we found a guy that built a software where you can list what you pay for referrals. That way they can read about you. They've met with you and they go oh, you pay 20%, perfect, I'm going to send you that referral. It tracks everything and then you get paid out, and so just by visually seeing it, people will go, oh, I want to be a part of something like that, because the bigger the network, the better. Anyways, so that's our next 3.0 version, which is getting paid from people, or offering your service with your affiliates and all that stuff, all that your affiliate pay and getting more referrals because of that. So that I mean I love that and I will have you on that system, don't worry.
Speaker 1:There's a lot of compatibility with what we're both doing, I think. Nice, but that's a completely different topic You're launching very soon. Where do people go? What do you want to offer? Who do you want to get? What's your ideal? We know you spoke a lot about the business. Who are you after? Where can they find you this? Is up to you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, perfect, I love it Just go to and we'll put that below theconnectorcommunitycom theconnectorcommunitycom. We chose to call it that so that eventually I'll just be the face of the business and I'll have a bunch of connectors in there. Right, if we're going to get to the big scaling numbers, it can't be called build the connector, so now it's the connector community. Go there, you can book a tour. There's no cost to that. You're going to get on a call with maybe 10 or 20 other people so you can meet some other business owners and in our model that's the one time we meet. After that we understand everything you do and then, once we understand what you do, then we start introducing you. So super simple model. But people need to come and see it so they can see the vision of where we're going and what we've created and everything. But yeah, we're excited. Come to the connectorcommunitycom and book your tour.
Speaker 1:I'm going to second that. If you're interested in getting your face known for the right people for the right reasons, go and have a tour with phil. I have a conversation with me, or whatever. Wherever else I'm in there, there are plenty of people willing to help you. If you're only to do one thing and that's ask for help, every single entrepreneur around the world no, no matter where they are right now started from one place and that's not knowing a fucking thing, no matter what they tell you now where they are in the world and I know seven, eight, ten-figure business owners they started from one place and that's not knowing anything. We've all been where you are, but we've all lived the journey and we've asked been where you are, but we've all lived the journey and we've asked for help.
Speaker 1:So, if you want the help from somebody that actually does the thing that says on the tin, go and speak to phil, go and have a conversation, go and have a tour and then come back and thank him. Not me, he's providing the service. Just say hi, I saw it in my podcast and thank you very much. That's all you need to do, phil. Lovely to have you, you're awesome. This will be going out. Don't know when it will go out.
Speaker 2:When it goes out, because I never can remember, it goes out when it's supposed to go out Exactly my audience.
Speaker 1:Thank you very much. You're amazing. Please share this. Inspire someone, inspire someone's life. This is Rise From the Ashes podcast. I'm Baz Porter, and that was our amazing guest, phil Harrington. Myself have an amazing day on purpose and I'll see you very soon.
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