Mastering Risk
Risk cannot be eliminated, disasters cannot be prevented and you cannot purchase your way to an insulated life. You can identify, codify, judge and mitigate risk in your professional and private life.
Non-apocalytpic evidence-based risk and preparedness education, for individuals, families, solo-entrepreneurs, businesses and communities.
Your host, Dr. D is a veteran, professor, author and entrepreneur.
No one is coming to help, so you and you alone are responsible for your outcomes. The choice is yours, choose wisely.
Episodes
394 episodes
Prepare Your Family for 2026 Chaos: 100% Free, Evidence-Based Strategies
In a world of fractured systems, economic uncertainty, and cascading disruptions, your family's safety shouldn't depend on money, government help, or expensive gear. In this powerful episode of Mastering Risk, Dr. Jeff Donaldson (P...
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Season 17
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Episode 3
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32:10
Why Most Small Businesses Will Fail in 2026 – The 4 Risks You're Probably Ignoring
As we kick off 2026, the world feels more unpredictable than ever, political shifts, economic pressures, tariffs, cyber threats, and global chaos are hitting small businesses hard. If you're a solo entrepreneur, side hustler, or th...
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Season 16
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Episode 2
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32:51
How to Launch a Profitable Side Hustle for Under $300 in 2026 (No Experience Needed)
Tired of watching economic uncertainty chip away at your financial security while you sit on the sidelines? 2026 is shaping up to be even more unpredictable, but here’s the truth: you don’t have to be a victim of it.In this episode of M...
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Season 16
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Episode 1
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27:02
I Run a 100% Digital Small Business – Here’s Exactly How I Stay Operational During a Prolonged Power Outage
What happens to your small business when the power goes out… and stays out for days or even weeks?Most small business owners assume it’ll only be a minor inconvenience. But prolonged grid-down events cost the U.S. alone $90–150 billion ...
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Season 15
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Episode 25
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30:35
Forget Goals in 2026: The Exact Daily System I Use to Grow My Business Consistently
Tired of setting ambitious goals every January… only to feel stressed, overwhelmed, or like a failure by March?In this episode, I explain why traditional goal-setting often backfires for entrepreneurs and side-hustlers and why a repeata...
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Season 15
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Episode 24
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38:15
I Ditched New Year’s Resolutions and Did This Instead… My Life Changed Forever
Why do 92% of New Year’s resolutions fail? Because most people never pause long enough to ask the real question: “Am I even on the right track?”In this raw, no-BS 2025 year-in-review video, I walk you through the exact three-step proces...
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Season 15
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Episode 23
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27:06
How I Went From Losing $28,000 to a Profitable 5-Figure Business – The 4 Trust Hacks You’re Missing
In this eye-opening episode of Mastering Risk, Dr. D(Jeff) reveals the brutal truth most new entrepreneurs never hear: trust isn’t assumed, it’s earned, and without it, no one buys from you.After losing $28,000 and failing twice, Jeff re...
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Season 15
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Episode 22
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29:41
The Top 6 Preparedness Mistakes Most Entrepreneurs are Making (And How to Fix Them Fast)
Are you unknowingly setting your business up for failure?In this eye-opening episode, Dr. D reveals the Top 6 Preparedness Mistakes that most entrepreneurs make—and exactly how to fix them before disaster strikes.You’ll discover why 91%...
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Season 15
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Episode 21
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30:35
Embrace the Suck in 2026: The No-BS Survival Strategy for Real Small Businesses
Is your small business ready for the chaos of 2026?Political upheaval, economic swings, supply-chain disruptions, and natural disasters are coming and most side hustles won’t survive them. But you can. In this episode of Ma...
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Season 15
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Episode 20
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22:29
The Hidden AI Danger Every Small Business Owner Is Ignoring (And It Could Destroy You)
Is AI secretly putting your small business at risk?You’re using ChatGPT, Grok, or Claude to save time, writing proposals, summarizing data, generating ideas and it feels like a superpower. But there’s one massive danger almost every sid...
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Season 15
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Episode 19
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31:58
90% of Small Businesses Get Hit Every 90 Days: Here’s My Near $0 Cyber Defence That Actually Works
Your entire business can vanish tomorrow morning One ransomeware email, one fake invoice, one missed update and poof:Shopify gone, Stripe locked, courses deleted, customer list encrypted.90% of SMB face a significant di...
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Season 15
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Episode 18
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29:25
2026 Is Coming: How Small Businesses Survive the Next Global Shock
Are you ready for what’s really coming in 2026? Most business owners aren’t—and that’s exactly why so many solopreneurs, micro-businesses, and small companies get blindsided. In this episode of Mastering Risk, Dr. D breaks down the global turbu...
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Season 15
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Episode 17
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34:19
The Ultimate Differentiator: Honesty in a World of Business BS
In a world overflowing with hype, half-truths, and “million-dollar-in-90-days” promises, Mastering Risk cuts through the noise with something radical: honesty.In this powerful episode, Dr. D takes you inside the real engi...
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Season 15
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Episode 16
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33:26
Why “Million in Your First Year” is a Lie – A Realistic 5-Figure Business in 2026 Instead
Tired of gurus promising you’ll be a millionaire in 12 months? Let’s talk reality.According to official stats, only 5% of businesses ever hit 7 figures… and 75% stay under six figures. The good news? A profitable five-figure business ($10K–...
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Season 15
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Episode 15
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32:31
The 5 Strategies I Use to Protect My Business in 2026
What if your business was gone tomorrow – fire, flood, ransomware, or a simple power outage? 60% of SMBs that suffer a major disruption without a tested plan close forever within 12 months. In 2025, one bad day can erase everything you...
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Season 15
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Episode 14
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34:27
Why Solo-Entrepreneurs Win with a Risk Community
Every quarter, 90% of small businesses get blindsided by a major disruption—cyberattack, supply-chain meltdown, reputational firestorm, or a strategic curveball they never saw coming.Of those that get hit hard, 40% never reopen their doors....
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26:03
4 Steps to Crisis-Proof Your Small Business
In this no-fluff episode, Dr. D reveals the exact 4-step framework he uses to keep his fully digital small business running when the world goes sideways, whether it’s a week-long blackout, a nationwide internet outage, a cyber attack, or any ot...
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Season 15
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Episode 11
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28:49
10 Reasons Why a Start-Up Fails
If you're considering starting, or just have started an entrepreneurial adventure, listen to these ten reasons why new businesses fail.Time tested, taken from the graves of over 1000 ventures, this list will provide in depth insight to ...
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Season 15
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Episode 10
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31:22
8 Free Ways to Dominate 2026
Imagine the coming year, more economic, political and natural disasters, interfering with your business and personal plans.From evacuation to mental health, building reflection muscle and becoming prepared to be fired tomorrow.A...
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Season 15
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Episode 9
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33:36
Top 3 Risks for SMB and Solo-Entrepreneurs in 2026
2026 will see incredible disruption. How can the solo-entrepreneur or SMB be ready?These top 3 risks reflect what is likely to occur, from a tariff tsunami, to AI phishing / spoofing to a race to tax corporations, chasing them across the gl...
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Season 15
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Episode 8
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32:09
AI Employment Tsunami - Is it Coming for You?
Is your position, field or employer ready for the coming AI onslaught?We breakdown the stages of AI adoption rollout, across which markets are primed for penetration and what role cultural preference plays in acceptance of AI automation...
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Season 15
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Episode 7
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27:00
Placing Order Into Chaos - The Purpose of Risk & Resilience Education
The why - because we exist in a time of increased political, economic and natural disasters, all of which are out of our control. They influence and impact our lives, yet we have such little say in their why.Chaos loves uncertainty - th...
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Season 15
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Episode 6
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24:22
3 Free Ways to Win at Life and Business
Seize the Day, choose to be responsible for your outcomes and dominate this world.We hear that all the time, but how?Three free ways:First, own your life - your physical, mental and financial health are all your responsibility, ...
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Season 15
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Episode 6
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29:03
Managing Risk in the Age of AI
The pressure is relentless, to adopt even the most unique offerings of AI, under the symbolic - or real - threat of corporate irrelevancy. Whether presented in the form of the latest influencer YouTube video, an offering to learn AI in 28 days,...
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Season 15
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Episode 5
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25:03
Entrepreneurship Costs $72 Per Year
Creating your own business and generating income is your get to be resilient in a world of AI business and employment disruptions.There are only three ways to earn an income. First, a profession with its rules, regulations, training sta...
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Season 15
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Episode 4
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43:33