Alex Strathdee is the founder of ShelfLife, where his team helps authors get their books in the hands of real people.

After working on over 1,000 books in over 50 nonfiction niches, Alex wanted to know what advice he could give his authors whose books weren’t selling about why they weren’t selling and what they could do to get books in the hands of real people. Current and past clients include Mike Michalowicz, Allan Dib, Michael Bungay Stanier, Tony Fadell, Krista Mashore, Katrina Ubell, Gay Hendricks, Brendan Kane, Lewis Howes, and Oren Klaff.

Although everyone seems to have two podcasts, Alex still just has one podcast, Before the Bestseller. He interviews authors who have sold more than 10,000 copies of their books, which includes conversations with authors Dan Pink, Kim Scott, and Bessel van der Kolk.

An Aussie by birth, Alex now lives in San Diego, CA, where he surfs, plays chess and travels to warmer climates every chance he gets.

Nicole Gebhardt is the founder of Niche Pressworks and creator of the Breakthru Canvas — a strategic framework that helps purpose-driven experts become go-to authorities in their field.

Backed by a remote core team of three and a trusted network of 17 expert partners, Niche helps high-trust leaders clarify their message, publish powerful books, and transform their expertise into scalable authority assets, custom AI tools, and new income streams.

Nicole’s spent over 26 years guiding CEOs, consultants, and visionary entrepreneurs — including billionaire influencers, CEOs, and movement-makers — from fuzzy idea to influential brand. Known for turning complexity into clarity, Nicole helps leaders package their expertise into frameworks that drive income and impact.

Nicole and her newly empty-nester husband live by a small lake in Indiana, where she draws, paints, and negotiates with a clingy dog who believes all travel plans should include him.