Listen "From Wiener Hats To Wisdom"
Episode Synopsis
In this episode, celebrated meeting design expert and corporate trainer Brian Walter joins the show to share his journey from retail beginnings to becoming a nationally recognized speaker and CEO of Extreme Meetings. Brian reveals the lessons learned from the sales floor, the art of customer service, and how retail shaped his approach to engaging meetings and corporate training. With humor and insight, he discusses the importance of creativity, adaptability, and “projectile enthusiasm” in both retail and professional life. Listeners will discover why retail is a source of “commercial joy” and how Brian’s unique storytelling continues to inspire leaders to make meetings matter.Guest Bio:Brian Walter is a nationally recognized meeting design expert and corporate trainer with over 20 years of experience transforming how organizations communicate and engage their teams. Starting his retail career at Broadway Department Store—where he created training videos and led team development—Brian sharpened his skills before moving to Seattle’s The Bon Marche to deepen his expertise in retail leadership training. As CEO of Extreme Meetings, Brian helps organizations escape “death by meeting” by designing purposeful, engaging sessions that drive measurable outcomes. He is a celebrated professional speaker, honored with the Cavett Award by the National Speakers Association, and inspires leaders to reimagine meetings as powerful tools for alignment and motivation.Timestamped Show Notes00:00 – Introduction to Brian Walter00:41 – Early Retail Experience: From Wiener schnitzel to Broadway Department Store02:57 – Learning Customer Service: Life lessons and customer stories06:04 – Life Lessons from Retail: The customer isn’t always right, but…11:54 – Transition to Training Videos: From retail to video production and training22:29 – Developing Communication Skills: Humor, persuasion, and “projectile enthusiasm”28:07 – Extreme Meetings and Corporate Training: Making meetings matter31:07 – The Joy of Retail: “Commercial joy” and the magic of in-person shopping
More episodes of the podcast Tell Me Something Good About Retail
Scaling Resale with Franchising
25/09/2025
From Flat Sales to Record Breaking
19/08/2025
Retail’s Secret? Greeting Cards
17/07/2025
Finding Ways to Say Yes Always
12/06/2025
Wisdom Behind the Windows: The Greatest Challenge in Retail is Merging Technology with Human Touch
10/04/2025
Wisdom Behind the Windows: How Can Retailers Build Stronger Connections with Their Customers?
13/02/2025
Wisdom Behind the Windows: How Can Retailers Foster Genuine Human Connections in a Digital Age?
17/01/2025
Building Community Through Comics
05/12/2024