Everything we think you (and your field) should be reading, listening to and utilizing in order to stay engaged, informed and one step ahead.
Podcast / How I Built This
hosted by Guy Raz
How I Built This is a renowned podcast featuring well-researched interviews with founders who built iconic brands from the ground up. Guests share how they scale trust and culture, sharpen strategic thinking, stay resilient through growth seasons and lead with empathy. Raz’s background in global business, economics and storytelling allows him to draw out not just what worked, but why—making each episode a masterclass in leadership.
AI Tool / Lumio AI
Instead of a generic chatbot, Lumio AI builds custom AI “workers” around real, day-to-day business workflows. It securely connects existing tools, including CRMs, ecommerce platforms and spreadsheets, then cleans and structures that data. Lumio combines rules with adaptive AI to drive decisions and push actionable next steps back to teams, making AI practical and dependable for non-technical businesses, allowing you to track performance, spot emerging sales trends and trigger timely follow-ups automatically.
Book / Human Edge in the AI Age: Eight Timeless Mantras for Success
by Nitin Seth
In a time when AI is rapidly reshaping how businesses operate, Human Edge in the AI Age offers a clear, human-centered approach to navigating AI disruption. Rather than focusing on what AI can replace, this book explores how we can maintain our human edge by cultivating eight uniquely human qualities. Seth reframes disruption as an opportunity for a new “Era of Entrepreneurs,” a renaissance where adaptability and purpose-driven leadership drive growth.
App / BePresent
from Screen Detox, Inc.
Our time and attention is being stolen by Big Tech—fueling distraction, addiction and even the growing mental health crisis. BePresent helps users reduce phone usage and reclaim focus by turning mindful phone habits into a game. It syncs with your phone’s screen time data and uses app-blocking, points, streaks, rewards and leaderboards to increase motivation. Many users report meaningful drops in daily screen time, along with improved productivity and happiness.
Book / Never Eat Alone
by Keith Ferrazzi & Tahl Raz
Never Eat Alone is a modern classic that reframes success as the result of intentionally building genuine, generous relationships—not transactional networking. Blending personal stories with applied tactics, authors Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz show how to meet people thoughtfully, follow up with purpose and add value so trust compounds over time. For entrepreneurs, it offers a playbook for turning everyday interactions like coffee chats, conferences and even emails into long-term allies, mentors and partners.
Podcast / Daily Mastery
hosted by Robin Sharma
The Daily Mastery podcast is designed to help listeners maximize productivity, improve leadership and enhance personal growth. Hosted by Robin Sharma, bestselling author of The 5AM Club, the pod provides actionable daily insights on routines and mindset by focusing on daily habits, models and tactics. Episodes tackle topics such as growth, leadership, routine and wellbeing. Designed to deliver motivation and inspiration to entrepreneurs to help them face adversity, scale impact and grow personally and professionally.
MAKE A RECOMMENDATION! Personal and professional development is the cornerstone of direct selling. We’d love to hear from you about your essential books, podcasts and other media that keep you and your teams on track! Fill out this google form to make your recommendation. We’ll select one each issue to feature on these pages.
From the May/June 2026 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.
