How do you turn rejection into a revolution? Oliver welcomes the legendary Steve Blank – co-creator of the Lean Startup movement and recognized as one of the "Masters of Innovation" by Harvard Business Review.  Steve's bestselling book "The Four Steps to the Epiphany" distinguished startups that search for business models from existing companies that execute them – launching the modern entrepreneurship movement. The conversation dives deep into why communication is a force multiplier for...

In this special moments episode with Eric Partaker, one of the fastest growing creators on LinkedIn, he shares his approach to ideating and creating engaging content that provides value to his audience of over 500,000 followers.  Eric emphasizes the importance of living a multidimensional and holistic life, moving away from the "hustle" mindset and finding balance across health, wealth, and relationships. He advises being intentional about allocating time and energy to high-value activities...

Do you want to learn the secrets of effective communication? Join Oliver for an insightful conversation with Howie Chan, a renowned branding expert, on "The Healthy Brand" podcast.  In this episode titled "The Secrets of a Master Communicator - How to Speak and Persuade like a CEO," Oliver delves into the art of persuasive communication, dispel three common myths about communication and share the five essential skills every leader must possess to communicate effectively. We also discuss...

Total content overload or 15 hour workweeks – what will AI bring? In this eye-opening conversation, Oliver speaks with Dr. Léa Steinacker, an award-winning social scientist, AI expert, podcaster and bestselling author.  Co-authored with Miriam Meckel, her new book on AI, ”Alles überall auf einmal" became an instant bestseller in Germany.  Léa explains that AI will likely have as much of an impact on our communication landscape as the internet had on our information landscape. She provides...

Reflecting on 2024, Oliver shares his 7 most important ideas and learnings of the year to date.  Understanding these helps you not just navigate the fast-moving world of 2024, but enjoy it more.  Oliver discusses how to develop ‘charisma on tap’, the 7 Deadly Sins of Speaking, how to build million-dollar companies, and much more. Welcome to Speak Like a CEO, hosted by communications expert and bestselling author Oliver Aust. On this podcast, you’ll hear how to communicate like the top 1%...

What makes a company invincible? How do you know if a company takes innovation seriously? Alexander Osterwalder has the answers.  Alex is an entrepreneur, leading author, and in-demand speaker, and one of the world’s most influential strategy and innovation experts. Ranked no. 4 of the top 50 management thinkers worldwide, his work has changed how established companies do business and how new ventures get started. His books include the international bestsellers «Business Model Generation»,...

A brand is not a logo or a misspelled word. “It's the perception someone has about a company.”  In this actionable episode, Howie Chan breaks down his step-by-step process for building a powerful brand in just 15 minutes.  Howie is a sought-after branding expert, the founder of Healthy Brand Consulting, and the creator of Legend Letters, one of the fastest-growing newsletters out there.  We discuss how you can define your brand's "organizing idea", identify what makes you truly...

Our guest today is the inventor of FOMO. Patrick McGinnis is an international venture capitalist, the host of the hit podcast FOMO Sapiens, startup coach and the author of two books: "Fear of Missing Out" and "The 10% Entrepreneur." Patrick coined the terms FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and FOBO (Fear of a Better Option) in a 2004 article he wrote for the Harvard Business School student newspaper. In this wide-ranging conversation, Patrick shares the origin story of FOMO, why it has become a...

In this two-part series, I interview 9 thought leaders about the impact of AI on all aspects of communications. These thought leaders are world-renowned CEOs, business school professors, company builders and crisis communications experts. With their combined expertise, my aim is to give you the most complete and actionable overview on the topic.  In this episode we will discuss how AI can be rocket fuel for your internal communication, how you can use it to boost recruiting and employer...

Who has all the answers when it comes to AI and communications? In my view: no single person.  Which is why I asked not one, but nine thought leaders about the impact of AI on all aspects of communications. They are world-renowned CEOs, business school professors, company builders and crisis communications experts. With their combined expertise, my aim is to give you the most complete and actionable overview on the topic in this two-part special.  Our four guests this week:  Matt Abrahams...

A society of innovators makes the world a better place. That’s according to David Rhotert, the CEO and founder of Companisto.  Based in Berlin, Companisto has pioneered digital angel investing at scale. They have already facilitated the investment of over 150 million Euros in startups.  David and his team achieved this by building a tech company and at the same time building one of the largest networks of Angel investors anywhere in the world.  We talk about how they created a community of...

One of Oliver’s predictions has been that your own story and unique voice become even more valuable this year because of AI.  We already see more “social CEOs” and “creator CEOs” – business leaders who become thought leaders thanks to content creation, social media and podcasts. That’s why we invited Laura Lewandowski, founder of SmartChiefs, and top CEO advisor Julius Bachmann to talk about career sovereignty, creator practices and how CEOs can integrate creation and creativity into their...

Julian Treasure is a world-renowned expert on speaking and listening and a bestselling author. His 5 TED talks have amassed over 150 million views worldwide. His talk "How to speak so that people want to listen" on powerful speaking alone has garnered 100 million views, making it the 6th most popular TED talk of all time. As the author of “Sound Business” and founder of The Sound Agency, he is also one of the world’s leading thinkers on audio branding.  In this wide-ranging conversation,...

The world suffers from a human energy crisis. Meet the man who brings back the energy.  Simon Alexander Ong is a celebrated author, speaker and award-winning life coach. His 2022 debut book, Energize, became an instant bestseller.  In this wide-ranging episode, we discuss how you shift your own energy and the energy of your team towards a more positive state, how to deal with energy vampires, and how energy management, not time management, is the key to productivity. He shares how you can...

Netflix has “No Rules Rules”. Caroline Kroll has “Nø Rules”.  Caroline is the impressive young founder and CEO of Nø Cosmetics, a disruptor in the clean beauty realm that is taking the retail world by storm.  In her very first podcast interview in English, Caroline shares why Nø Cosmetics breaks the rules of branding and marketing.  We go deep on her social media strategy, especially Instagram and TikTok, which Nø Cosmetics use for community building, market research, and even the...

Lubomila Jordanova is an Obama Leader, MIT Under 35 Innovator and the CEO & founder of Plan A. She is also the co-founder of the Greentech Alliance. Together with her team, she helps 1500 businesses including many global brands become more sustainable. Expect to learn how to create 100x partnerships, how companies can become more sustainable and avoid accusations of greenwashing, and what kind of storytelling can be a catalyst for change. At a more personal level, we also talk about...

What’s the future of advertising, branding and performance marketing?  To answer these questions, Dimitri Gärtner kicks off the year on Speak Like a CEO. Dimitri is the founder and CEO of Framen, a fast-growing media tech scale-up based in Berlin that is rapidly becoming one of the major players in advertising and creating communities around the world.  Dimitri’s insights into the future of advertising and marketing are particularly valuable right now. Customer acquisition costs keep rising...

2024 will be the year AI gets real for many businesses. It is also the biggest election year ever as the US, the EU, the UK, India and many other countries head to the polls.  Against this meta backdrop, I am sharing my 10 Predictions for 2024. They cover AI, memes, video, deep fakes, what happens to CEO communications, the state of marketing and mission-driven companies.   I will be right on some and wrong on others, but it does help me to enter the new year with a clear hypothesis of...

Based in Berlin, born in India, and educated at Harvard – Naren Shaam is a unicorn founder once rejected as a call center agent.  The CEO of global tech & travel company Omio has two superpowers: patience, and not recognizing a 'no' for a 'no'.  He moved to Berlin after graduating from Harvard, not knowing anyone, and without speaking the language, determined to pursue his mission to make world travel seamless for everyone.  Naren has a talent for active listening and understanding the...

“The human species thinks in metaphors, and learns through stories.”  Mary Catherine Bateson The best leaders and companies in the world use metaphors deliberately. Think Apple and Amazon – a nourishing fruit and the world’s longest river respectively.  Metaphors are a crucial part of the language of leadership, yet few of us use them deliberately.  Stories appeal to the emotional brain, which is why they are so effective.  But metaphors appeal to the instinctive brain – the oldest and...

When investor and entrepreneur Jörg Rheinboldt was a student, he managed to convince Bill Gates to speak at a student conference in Germany.  Jörg was bored of “just studying”, and joined a student organization putting together conferences. They called Microsoft, and asked if Bill Gates would be interested to speak.  Of course, it wasn’t that simple. But sometimes you just have to dare to make the call! This is a Moment from episode 25, one of our most popular episodes ever.  Jörg...

Can we apply FBI persuasion techniques in business? Even in high-stakes negotiations? Absolutely, say a former FBI hostage negotiator and a top DC publicist. Adele Gambardella and Chip Massey have just published an original and insightful book entitled "Convince Me: High-Stakes Negotiation Tactics to Get Results in Any Business Situation.“  In our conversation, they introduce the FBI-inspired concept of forensic listening, explain different types of convincing styles, and share advanced...

What differentiates the top 1% of founders and CEOs from the rest? What makes them excellent in leadership and communications?   To find out, Oliver has interviewed more than 200 CEOs, founders and world-renowned experts on this podcast. To celebrate 5 Years of Speak like a CEO – we started out in November 2018 – in this episode he breaks down 10 of his favorite lessons. Expect to learn what the hallmark of a great speaker and leader is, how you can make your story perfect, why authenticity...

This week, we sit down with Arne Schepker, the visionary CEO behind language-learning powerhouse Babbel. The company has become synonymous with language mastery. With millions of subscribers and over 16 million users so far, Babbel has revolutionized the way we learn languages.  In this episode, Arne dismantles language-learning myths and unveils his personal growth into a dynamic leader. Discover the power of storytelling, the ROI magic in marketing, and the art of building global brand...