THE PRICE OF CIVILIZATION · EPISODE 3
How Understanding People Can Change Your Business and Your Life
With Volker “VJ” Jaeckel — FocalPoint Business Coaching · Hosted by Pietro Canestrelli
Watch the Teaser
About This Episode
In this episode of The Price of Civilization, host Pietro Canestrelli welcomes internationally certified DISC coach and business strategist Volker “VJ” Jaeckel for an engaging conversation about the power of understanding human behavior. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience in leadership development, sales, marketing, and organizational coaching, VJ explains how behavioral profiling can dramatically improve communication, hiring decisions, and business performance.
Together, Pietro and VJ explore how DISC is much more than a personality assessment. It is a practical framework that helps leaders understand how people think, communicate, make decisions, and respond to challenges. From building stronger teams to improving client relationships, they discuss how adapting your communication style can create better outcomes in both business and everyday life. Pietro also shares how DISC has become an invaluable tool within his own law practice, helping his team better serve clients navigating difficult tax situations.
The conversation also takes a personal turn as VJ shares his remarkable journey — from growing up in Germany, serving as military police during the fall of the Berlin Wall, and eventually building a successful career in the United States as a leadership coach, marketing executive, and entrepreneur. His story is a powerful reminder that understanding people is often the key to unlocking opportunity and creating lasting impact.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn
- What the DISC behavioral framework is and why it has remained effective for decades.
- How personality styles influence communication, leadership, and decision-making.
- Why hiring the right person for the right role can transform a business.
- How DISC can improve sales, client relationships, and team performance.
- The different communication styles every business owner should understand.
- Why tax professionals and business advisors benefit from adapting to their clients’ personalities.
- How better communication can strengthen marriages, families, and workplaces.
- Volker “VJ” Jaeckel’s inspiring journey from Germany to becoming a leadership coach in America.
About the Guest — Volker “VJ” Jaeckel
Volker “VJ” Jaeckel is an internationally certified DISC coach and business strategist with more than 25 years of experience in leadership development, sales, marketing, and organizational coaching. A certified FocalPoint Business Executive Coach and accredited TTI DISC analyst and facilitator, VJ works with business owners and leaders across the Temecula Valley and the Inland Empire to improve communication, hire the right people for the right roles, and build stronger, higher-performing teams. Originally from Germany — where he served as military police during the fall of the Berlin Wall — he went on to build a career in the United States as a leadership coach, marketing executive, and entrepreneur.
Have a tax matter you want to talk through?
The Law Office of Pietro Canestrelli is an IRS & state tax controversy boutique helping individuals and businesses resolve complex tax issues.