Today's guest first joining us on the Join Up Dots show, helps executives navigate the waters of what to do, in the right order, to help them harness the power of vulnerability and authenticity to build a better, more relatable and more profitable brand. He knows that the key to building connections and ultimate profitability is allowing clients to see behind the curtain of perfection. Let's tell you about him.... He grew up in Huntington Beach, California. As he says "I was the freckle-faced kid at school who got made fun of, not only because of my freckles and sun-bleached hair but I think my favorite my red suspenders flagged me as a “nerd”. To make matters worse, both of my parents were principals. Thankfully not at my school, otherwise live would have even more miserable. But, I still felt like an outcast and struggled with fitting in. I was an eager student, which was great for teachers, but not so great for making friends. My neighbor hated me so much that he kicked me and bit me on many occasions. It was terribly painful! I was always the outlier, the easy-target, the kid who never got picked for sports teams. My mom felt so bad for me that she bought me a basketball of my own, but it didn’t change the fact that I had no one to play with. He knows that you have to use your failure, mistakes, and vulnerabilities to fund your success. He speaks across the globe, inspiring everyone that he meets by stories of screw-ups and reality. His book, co-authored by Leonard Kim, is called Ditch the Act: Reveal the Surprising Power of the Real You for Greater Success. It takes a strategic approach to this little-known secret to help you build an authentic, long-lasting personal brand. He explains why exposure is important and how it helps cultivate more durable connections than any polished persona can, and how to use stories of failure and weakness in ways that build trust and loyalty from large audiences. It is a proven guide to building a powerful personal brand through the fearless admission of just being human. The problem: People are getting weary of—and, frankly, seeing right through—the oversized egos dominating the business world today. The solution: By building a personal brand that is honest and authentic and that reveals personal struggles, you can build stronger, longer-lasting relationships—and achieve greater success. My Market: Business professionals who are finding it harder and harder to break through the noise, who want to gain more respect and more followers by being their natural, flawed self instead of pretending to be perfect. Love this... So why do people still keep on posting pictures of Learjet's and selfies in front of photo shopped thousands? And why does he keep on drawing stick people and posting everywhere. Well lets find out as we bring onto the show to start joining up dots with the one and only Mr. Ryan Foland