Welcome to the Ziglar Show, I’m your host Kevin Miller and we are here today for one reason only…to inspire your true performance. What are you doing here? One of my daughters is attending a Taylor Swift concert this coming weekend at The Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. It seats 18,000 people. It’s sold out. Zig Ziglar routinely spoke to audiences of well over 20,000 people. Friends, you are tuning into a show now, that within 30 days, over 30,000 people will have listened to right alongside you. Ultimately over 50,000 people will tune in. On one hand, it’s these numbers that make us one of the top business podcasts on the planet. On the other, it makes you one of a very, very small percentage of the world who is actively striving to be at the top. To be more. To not merely exist, but to thrive. To live and leave a legacy. The world deserves your best. Thank you for being here and striving to give it. I’m honored.
Today I bring you episode #336, a very special edition of the Ziglar Show. Why? Because I’m betting that Zig, up in heaven, has put aside a few saint related endeavors just to be in attendance for the show today. We are interviewing the daughter of one of Zig’s primary mentors for his life. She is carrying on the legacy very much like Tom Ziglar is today. And there is much to be learned and gleaned on many levels.
Today I bring you Brenda Smith. Daughter of Fred Smith Sr. His bio reads like this - "He mentored executives and professionals. Prior to this, he was vice president of Operations for Gruen Watch Company, consultant to Mobil, Caterpillar, and GENESCO before establishing his food packaging brokerage firm in Dallas, Texas. His speaking career spans 60 years in 50 states and in several international venues for business, the academy, and Christian audiences. For twenty years he has been a contributing editor for Leadership Journal and is the author of three books: You and Your Network, Learning to Lead, and Leading with Integrity. Fred and his wife, Mary Alice, were married sixty-five years. He has three children, six grandchildren and five great grandchildren."
HIs last book, I believe published the year of his death at the age of 91, was titled “Breakfast with Fred.” You can find it anywhere you shop for books, and the website is http://www.breakfastwithfred.com/. Check out the book description: "Fred Smith's 6:30 A.M. breakfasts have become legendary. Now you can join those whose lives have been stretched and enriched by his words of wisdom. You'll find a collection of 52 inspiring thoughts from Fred on a variety of topics that include leadership, perseverance, success, character, faith, friendship, family, and excellence. Following each entry is a thoughtful reflection from one of Fred's 52 good friends (including Zig Ziglar, John Maxwell, Pat Williams, and Ken Blanchard) who credit him with having a significant life and ministry influence. Thought-provoking questions, one-liners, and Scripture references personalize the impact, so grab a cup of coffee and get ready for a life-changing Breakfast with Fred."
Folks, Fred Smith was a giant of a man. It’s said that Zig Ziglar influenced a nearly unprecedented 250 million people. But if Fred radically influenced the likes of John Maxwell, Pat Williams, Ken Blanchard and even just the 47 other “friends” in his book, then did Fred actually impact maybe…500 million? A billion? We’ll never know, but suffice it to say, Fred is more than a legend.
Brenda Smith is Fred’s daughter and currently the President of the Breakfast with Fred Project, Inc., a non-profit organization designed to archive and relevantly communicate the lifework of her father, Fred Smith, Sr. Her background includes business ownership, corporate management, and public relations. A national speaker and writer, her articles have been published in magazines and professional and ministry newsletters. She is the author of Divine Confinement: Facing Seasons of Limitation.
Before we start, Tom Ziglar, what have Fred and Brenda meant to your own life and where Ziglar is headed today?
> > Hear Tom's answer and the entire show right here!
Connect with Brenda:
- BreakfastWithFred.com
- bwfli.com (Breakfast With Fred Leadership Institute)