DSN Relaunches Its Shift Podcast as "What's Working in Direct Selling" With Rob Sperry
Direct Selling News is retooling one of its most popular podcasts, retiring the Shift brand after nearly 100 episodes and three years on air. Industry coach, consultant and author Rob Sperry takes over hosting duties for the successor show, What's Working in Direct Selling.
From Shift to a New Format
Direct Selling News (DSN) is overhauling one of its most popular podcasts. The program previously known as Shift will continue under a new name, What's Working in Direct Selling.
Shift ran for three years and produced close to 100 episodes. The show was originally launched by Blake Mallen, a longtime industry leader, who said in the closing episode that the goal had been to give top performers a place to share the strategy shifts behind their work.
Mallen framed the timing of the relaunch as significant, noting that the industry is moving through a period of rapid transformation.
A New Host and a 'Rule of Three'
The new host is Rob Sperry, an industry coach, consultant and author who has spent more than two decades coaching leaders and advising direct selling companies. Sperry is also a former top field leader.
Speaking about the handoff, Sperry described the transition as an emotional episode.
The new podcast takes a practical, application-focused approach: each guest is asked to concentrate on the single thing they do exceptionally well. Sperry also applies what he calls the 'rule of three,' with every episode surfacing three actionable takeaways, strategies or systems.
Continuity for Listeners
Stuart Johnson, founder and CEO of DSN, said Shift built a strong foundation and that the new podcast carries the company's mission forward.
Existing Shift subscribers will automatically receive episodes of What's Working in Direct Selling across all major podcast platforms, with no action required on their part.
The announcement appeared in the July/August/September 2026 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.
