The ONE Thing

Have you ever walked away from a conversation wishing you could go back and say it differently? According to Phil Jones, that doesn’t mean you have a communication problem. You may have a moment problem.

Phil, author of the bestselling book Exactly What to Say, joins Jay to talk about the word choices, principles, and preparation that help people show up better in high-stakes conversations. He shares how a simple body of work grew into a global brand, why so many people give up on their greatest hit too early, and how boredom can become a path to deeper mastery.

Jay and Phil also unpack the four cornerstones of conversational excellence, including why the worst time to think about what you’re going to say is while you’re saying it. The real challenge is learning to identify your critical conversations, those small moments that have an outsized impact on your results.

Challenge of the Week:

Identify one critical conversation in your personal life, one as a leader, and one that affects your income. Pick a hyper-specific moment inside each conversation and add more intention to how you show up.

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To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: the1thing.com/pods.

We talk about:


[00:00] How Phil Jones Built a Career Around Knowing Exactly What to Say


[05:02] How Repeated Questions Revealed Phil’s ONE Thing


[08:01] Why People Give Up on Their Greatest Hit Too Early


[13:45] Why the People You Serve Keep You Committed


[19:14] The Four Cornerstones of Conversational Excellence


[30:48] The ONE Thing Challenge 

Links & Tools from This Episode:


Exactly What to Say by Phil Jones


Magic Words by Phil Jones


Phil Jones’s Website


Free Resources

Produced by NOVA

High achievers aren’t held back because they don’t know what to do. The challenge is always consistency. Habits are so powerful because they are automatic - and in this episode, you’ll learn how to harness the power of habit to help you hit your most elusive goals.

Today, Jay sits down with Kim Zuroff, Director of Growth and Executive Coach at The ONE Thing, to talk about the art and science of habits. Kim walks through the habit loop of cue, craving, response, and reward, and explains why habits are often a design problem, not a discipline problem.

Jay and Kim discuss how distractions like phone notifications and inbox checking can derail your ONE Thing, why tracking your time creates awareness, and how to start small enough that you can keep going even on your worst days. They also explore habit stacking, evening routines, and why the 66-day journey matters when building lasting change.

Challenge of the Week:

Pick one habit you want to build. Identify the cue, the craving, the response, and the reward. For the best chance of success, attach it to something you already do automatically, such as “After I brew my coffee, I will…”

***

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: https://the1thing.com/pods.

We talk about:

[00:00] Why High Achievers Struggle With Consistency

[02:59] The Habit Loop Reveals What Drives Behavior

[07:45] How Habits Show Up in Coaching

[11:03] Why the First Domino Has to Be Small

[15:22] How Email Becomes Someone Else’s Agenda

[20:37] Better Mornings Begin With Better Evenings

[39:12] The ONE Thing Challenge

Links & Tools from This Episode:

The ONE Thing Operating System: https://the1thing.com/os

Kim Zuroff’s previous episode on The ONE Thing Podcast, “Is Your Serial Achievement an Addiction?”: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/is-your-serial-achievement-an-addiction-heres-how-to/id1191482456?i=1000678146322

Free Resources: https://the1thing.com/free-resources-v2

Want to be a guest or share feedback? Email [email protected] or send us an audio note at https://www.speakpipe.com/the1thing.

Produced by NOVA: https://novapodcasting.com/

Entrepreneurs know they need to create content, build trust, and stay visible. The hard part is knowing what to say, how often to say it, and how to make sure your message actually leads people toward your business.

In this episode, Jay Papasan sits down with Donald Miller, author of StoryBrand, for a practical masterclass on brand building for entrepreneurs. Donald breaks down how to use content to create curiosity, build familiarity, and guide customers toward commitment. He also explains why the strongest brands are built around a specific problem, a clear promise, and a founder or leader who knows how to show up with both empathy and competence.

From personal brand strategy to storytelling, positioning, social proof, and video content, this conversation gives business owners a clearer path for becoming known, trusted, and chosen.

Challenge of the Week:

Own a specific problem. Identify the negative, painful, or annoying thing you want people to call you for, then start saying it clearly. The more specific the problem, the easier it is for customers to understand why they need you.

***

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: the1thing.com/pods.

We talk about:


[00:00] Your Brand Is Holding You Back


[04:01] Avoid the Biggest Mistake Entrepreneurs Make


[11:41] Share the Right Stories to Stay Top of Mind


[17:22] Build Trust Before You Ask for the Sale


[21:49] Use Proof to Make People Feel Like They Know You


[28:45] Own the Problem You Want to Solve

Links & Tools from This Episode:


Donald’s Book, Building a StoryBrand 2.0


Donald Miller’s Website


Free Resources

Produced by NOVA

Before The ONE Thing became the bestselling book readers know today, it was a much bigger manuscript, more than 400 pages long. In this episode, Jay Papasan goes back to the final stretch before publication to unpack the hard decisions that shaped the book and made it stronger.

Jay shares the lessons behind what got cut, including the idea that low hanging fruit can be a distraction and how maintenance can quietly steal time from the work that matters most. Then he turns to what 13 years of teaching, coaching, and living these principles has taught him since the book came out.

He walks through the concepts he would add back today, including core values, the someday letter, taking a bigger view of time with a paper calendar, and the origin story behind the focusing question.

Challenge of the Week:

Take the biggest project on your plate right now and ask yourself: what is one thing I can subtract to make this simpler, more manageable, and more elegant? Play the subtraction game.

***

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: the1thing.com/pods.

We talk about:


[00:00] We Cut 50% of The Book


[04:39] Low Hanging Fruit is a Trap


[08:56] Maintenance Can Quietly Become a Thief of Productivity


[13:59] Thirteen Years Later, Jay Knows What He Would Add Back


[18:02] A Bigger View of Time Leads to Better Planning


[22:37] The Focusing Question Came From a Need for Real Accountability


[28:18] The ONE Thing Challenge

Links & Tools from This Episode:


The ONE Thing Operating System


Get the ONE Thing Book Here


Free Resources


Want to be a guest or share feedback? Email [email protected]  

Produced by NOVA

When the world feels heavy, hope can feel fragile, or even out of reach. In this episode, Jay sits down with award-winning behavioral psychologist Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe to unpack what hope really is and why it matters so much in difficult seasons.

Dr. Robyne explains that hope is not the same as optimism. Optimism is often tied to a specific outcome, while hope is the steady belief that no matter what happens, we will find a way through. Together, they explore the psychology of hope, the role of agency and environment, and why small daily habits can help us stay grounded when life feels uncertain.

They also talk about toxic positivity, the people who hold hope for us when we cannot hold it ourselves, and how leaders can create honest, steady environments in challenging times.

Challenge of the Week:

Ask someone, “What are you hoping for right now?” Then follow it with, “May I hope with you for that?”

***

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: the1thing.com/pods.

We talk about:


[00:00] A Timely Conversation About Hope


[01:08] Hope Is Different From Optimism


[12:10] Leading With Honesty in Hard Seasons


[15:24] The Four Building Blocks of Hope


[22:43] Hope Habits That Still Work on a Bad Day


[34:26] The ONE Thing Challenge

Links & Tools from This Episode:


The ONE Thing Operating System


Read I Hope So by Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe


Free Resources


Want to be a guest or share feedback? Email [email protected]  

Produced by NOVA