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Pub. DateTitleDuration
24 Jul 2019Episode 49: Real Things That Really Make a Difference, with Tom Carmazzi00:52:31

Tom is the CEO of Tuthill Corporation, a privately held and 4th generation manufacturer of industrial products. His role is to bring to life the COMPASS of the corporation. The COMPASS is Tuthill’s version of a vision and mission statement, however, it is radically different from the norm. Their version is all about “ALIVENESS” with a “Purpose to Wake the World.” This HUGE undertaking requires a culture where folks want to live into their full potential not only for the company, but for their families, their communities, and the world.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

  • Tuthill CEO Tom Carmazzi’s journey
  • The implications of making decisions from your heart first
  • How Tom Carmazzi shifted his focus from numbers to people
  • Tuthill Corporation’s history
  • The 4 sticks of leadership,
  • How to quantify a unique system like ‘people first’
  • ‘Authenticity’ from Tom Carmazzi’s perspective
  • The significance of coaching your employees instead of managing them

Additional resources:

04 Mar 2020The Key to Being Invaluable Without Being Most Valuable, with Mark French, Jr.00:33:03

Mark French, Jr, is a senior point guard on the Men’s Basketball team at Texas A&M University where he will receive a degree in Marketing and a concentration in Professional Selling. He has been instrumental in helping the program transition from former coach Billy Kennedy to first-year head coach Buzz Williams. After appearing in only eight games total his freshman and sophomore season, Mark earned a scholarship under Billy Kennedy during his Junior season and experienced his first career start while playing in 16 games. Then, at the end of the 2018-19 season, Coach Kennedy was let go and Mark had to start from scratch as a walk-on with the new staff as a senior. As a result of Mark’s work ethic, leadership, selflessness, and commitment to being invaluable without being most valuable...Mark earned a second scholarship from Buzz Williams as he proved himself to be indispensable.

Prior to walking on at Texas A&M Mark enjoyed a highly successful high school basketball career in which he finished his prep career at Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano, TX, and helped the school capture the 2016 State Championship and earned 2016 TAPPS all-state honors and all-district selection. Mark spent his first three years of high school at Briarcrest High School in Eads, TN, earning back-to-back TSSAA all-region team honors. Mark surpassed 1,200 points, 440 assists, and 120 steals.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • What it took for Mark physically, mentally, and emotionally as a walk-on to earn a scholarship from two different head coaches at Texas A&M
  • Mark’s four keys to being invaluable without being most valuable
  • How Mark was able to find a way as a walk-on for a second time with a new coach, new culture, and a team full of newcomers to make himself indispensable
  • What it means to ‘see the unseen’
  • What qualities in a leader resonate with Mark and how he tries to emulate them
  • Why it is just as important, if not more important, for Mark to be a coach off the floor to his teammates as it is to be a coach on the floor
  • Mark shares the value of playing for two different coaches at Texas A&M who are both givers

Additional resources:

27 Oct 2021Pour Passion Into the Process, Part 1 with Phil Wall00:35:52

Phil Wall is an award-winning filmmaker. He has written, produced, directed, filmed, and edited three feature documentaries, and is currently in post-production on his fourth. His documentary feature, THE STANDARD, debuted at #4 on the iTunes documentary chart in September of 2020. It's currently available on Hulu in the US, and will have its international rollout in late-2021--most notably on Discovery+ in Latin America and Brazil. 

THE BOOK KEEPERS is his third documentary. It premiered with the Austin Film Festival in October 2020, where it won both the Jury Prize and the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature. It's an official selection for 10 other US film festivals, including SCAD Savannah, Napa Valley, and Twin Cities. The film will be available for special events in early 2022, with distribution to follow. 

His professional career began in 2008, when he began work on THE PASSING GAME, which is a documentary feature currently in post-production about the career and philosophies of legendary prep-school basketball coach, Fletcher Arritt. Wall played for Arritt's Fork Union post-graduate squad in 2002-2003 before heading to Williams College (MA). 

At Williams, he played 4 years of varsity basketball, and was honored with the Matthew Godrick Award for Leadership in 2007. A coach's son, Wall played for his dad at Roanoke Catholic High School. The team won 3 straight Virginia Independent School state titles, as well as back-to-back Virginia State Catholic championships. Wall traces his filmmaking journey back to creating highlight videos for those championship seasons. 

He lives in Brooklyn, NY, where he works on independent and commercial narrative content.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • How Phil discovered his passion for filmmaking when he was playing high school basketball
  • What his Mom’s experiences as a writer did to shape his expectations as a filmmaker and what it would take to be successful
  • Why playing basketball for his Dad in high school was so rewarding in addition to the three state championships
  • What did his Dad tell Phil were the three most important words a coach could say
  • What were Phil’s biggest takeaways from his work on the VCU Men’s Basketball Documentary
  • How his legendary prep school coach, Fletcher Arritt, taught Phil that to have the biggest impact you do not need to be on the biggest stage

Additional Resources:

23 Oct 2024The Champion Sports Parent with Dr. Jerry Lynch & John O'Sullivan01:04:04

Youth sports are more than just games—they foster personal growth and shape future success. They teach values like teamwork and resilience that impact both personal and professional development. For parents, it’s a balancing act between supporting their child and trusting the coach’s role in building character. These shared experiences strengthen family bonds, while also preparing young athletes to navigate challenges both on and off the field.

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Jerry Lynch and John O'Sullivan, the authors of The Champion Sports Parent. 

Our Guests

John O'Sullivan is a TEDx speaker and founder of the Changing the Game Project, which he launched in 2012. He's the author of two bestselling books, Changing the Game and Every Moment Matters, and hosts the popular Way of Champions podcast.

A former collegiate and professional soccer player with over 20 years of coaching experience, John has worked with top organizations like the US Olympic Committee and USA Soccer. He serves on advisory boards for the Positive Coaching Alliance and the National Association for Physical Literacy.

Dr. Jerry Lynch is a former Nike-sponsored athlete and national champion who transformed his experience into a career coaching elite athletes. He has worked with NBA teams, Major League Soccer, and top universities like Duke and Stanford.

Dr. Lynch, author of 15 books, founded the Way of Champions, a performance consulting group. Recognized as one of the top in his field, he focuses on leadership, culture building, and personal growth in sports and life.

What You’ll Learn in this Episode:

  • Key lessons from the book "The Champion Sports Parent"
  • The importance of allowing children to experience failure
  • The power of self-awareness and reflection in parenting
  • How to balance discipline and enjoyment
  • How to navigate pressure and expectations in youth sports
  • The crucial role of trust and communication with coaches
  • How sports can drive personal growth and  family bonding

Resources & Links

John O'Sullivan and Jerry Lynch

 

Ed Molitor

 

23 Sep 2020Episode 95: The Psychology of Coaching, with Ed Molitor, Sr.00:50:47

Ed Molitor, Sr. has 42 years of experience as an educator, coach and motivator. A firm believer that life and athletics is a “Frame of Mind Game”, Ed has presented to hundreds of coaches and student-athletes at clinics and sports camps throughout the Midwest. He also taught graduate classes to teachers and coaches on such topics as peak performance, leadership, team building, sports motivation and mental strength training. Inducted into the I.B.C.A. Hall Of Fame in 1997, Ed also serves on the All-State selection committee. A consummate motivator, he has developed a unique plan for athletes of all ages to reach their potential. When applied, his insights into motivation and thought management will certainly make a difference in a person’s life. He has helped a countless number of athletes learn to balance the stress of competition and the other areas of their lives. They are able to transfer what they have learned into a life of self-discipline, self-control, self-confidence and peak performance.

Coaching Resume:

  • Head Basketball Coach Palatine High School, Palatine, Illinois 1976 – 2008
  • Head Basketball Coach Marist High School, Chicago, Illinois 1969 – 1976
  • Assistant Basketball Coach Marist High School, Chicago, Illinois 1968 – 1969
  • Assistant Basketball Coach DePaul Academy, Chicago, Illinois 1966 – 1968
  • Assistant Basketball Coach AA Illinois North All-Stars 1979 and 1992
  • Head Basketball Coach AA Illinois North All-Stars 1993
  • Assistant Coach for the Illinois Select AAU Team that defeated the Russian Junior National Team in 1988
  • Served on the Basketball Advisory Board for the I.H.S.A. 1985 – 1988
  • Serves on the I.B.C.A. All- State Board 1981-present
  • Inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1997
  • Conducted Basketball Camps throughout the Midwest 1973 – 2007

Teaching Resume:

  • Physical Education, Palatine High School, Palatine Illinois 1976 – 2008
  • Continuing Education Instructor for Pearson Professional Development, St. Xavier University, Chicago, Illinois 1990 – 2006
  • Biology, Health and Physical Education, Marist High School, Chicago, Illinois, 1968 – 1976
  • Biology, DePaul Academy, Chicago, Illinois 1966 -1968

Memberships:

  • Member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches
  • Member of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  1. What makes quotes so powerful
  2. How Coach would use quotes as a teaching tool for his teams
  3. What he means by breaking down their resistance with his persistence
  4. What are three things that shape a person and which two are controllable
  5. What are the steps Coach gave his players to help change their attitude
  6. What does it mean to feed your mind on a daily basis
  7. How is a team like a fist

 

17 Jul 2019Episode 48: Leveraging Your Strengths, with Justin Copie00:58:55

As CEO of Innovative Solutions, Justin Copie is leading the bold move forward: instilling growth in employees and inspiring change well beyond the four walls of Innovative. Yet the 65 people working at Innovative don’t work for him. He works for them.

As CEO and leader, Justin provides safety and direction: safety in voicing opinions, trying new things, and failing, and direction in where to go on the path to success. He serves others in cultivating a culture where people can come to work every day feeling safe and free to do what they love to do, and in turn help Innovative reach its vision.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

  • What it’s like to onboard as the youngest employee and only millennial
  • The potential drawbacks of having a ‘winning’ mindset in a leadership role
  • Developing an evolving sense of self-awareness as new challenges arise
  • How to create an environment of self-selection to increase self-awareness among your employees
  • The role of an outside coach in your success as a business leader
  • Justin’s journey from intern to CEO of the company he started at
  • What it is like to be the catalyst for making meaningful connections
  • How breaking down the existing company culture can create windows of opportunity

Additional Resources:

17 Oct 2018Episode 12: From Elementary Teacher to Leadership Expert, with Brandi Plunkett00:54:46

Brandi Plunkett is the Executive Director of the Center for Executive Development in Mays Business School at Texas A&M University where she is responsible for the overall financial performance and operations of the center as well as the strategic growth and quality of the Global Programs within the center. Throughout her 28-year career in the education and training field, Dr. Plunkett has developed programs or championed the expansion of programs across multiple areas. Her last 17 years working within the university system include graduate, administrative, and leadership roles at the system and college level, including graduate work with the Summer Seminar on Academic Administration for the College of Education and Leadership Development for the Institute for School-University Partnerships at the Texas A&M University System. As Program Director for the Emergency Services Training Institute, a division of the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service that trains more than 85,000 students annually worldwide, Dr. Plunkett created and led the enterprise-based Leadership Development Program. In addition, her responsibilities included oversight of the division’s internal operations including the Curriculum Development, State and National Certification and Evaluation Programs as well as direction over the division’s marketing strategy and capabilities.

Dr. Plunkett’s other professional activities include lecturing in the Mays Business School for the Department of Management, working with student groups, public speaking in her community and executive coaching. She served on the Board of Examiners for the Texas Award for Performance Excellence in 2004 and became a member of Leadership Texas in 2008. She currently serves on the Council of Advisors for the Crestview Retirement Community in Bryan, Texas and the Advisory Board for the VETTED Foundation. Dr. Plunkett was a public school teacher for 10 years, during which time she also trained teachers on the use of continuous improvement tools in the elementary classroom in both Texas and the US. She returned to Texas A&M in 2000 earning a Master’s and Ph.D. in Educational Human Resource Development in 2006. She is currently in the process of becoming an ICF certified executive coach.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Brandi's intent and purpose in her role as Executive Director of the Center for Executive Development, at Mays Business School at Texas A&M University
  • Why Brandi believes in the importance of continual learning for the development of effective leaders
  • How Brandi's unconventional career path began as an elementary school teacher and led her to a career in executive development
  • How Brandi used mission statements and coaching even as a school teacher and how she segued those skills into the business world
  • Why it is critical to be clear in your objectives and how clarity empowers you to be flexible.
  • Why it is crucial to look outside current pressures to long-term consequences and use that understanding in decision-making
  • Why leadership, trust, and communication are the key to making major changes within your organization
  • What challenges Brandi has had to face in her career and how she overcame them through patience and self-confidence
  • How Brandi's "Leading Champions" program partners with the Texas A&M athletics department to explore the overlap between athletics and business
  • What lessons Brandi learned from developing the Leading Champions program
  • How to learn more about the upcoming Leading Champions program

Ways to contact Brandi:


Website: www.tamuexec.com

 

01 Sep 2021Episode 128: Partnerships are About the People with Mike Rabil00:43:11

Mike Rabil is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). Founded in October 2018, PLL is now wrapping up its third season, with the semifinals in Philadelphia on September 5th and the Championship in D.C. on September 19th. The PLL was named Sports Breakthrough of the Year in 2020 by the Sports Business Journal. In December 2020, the PLL and Major League Lacrosse (MLL) announced a merger with subsequent season operations and activities to formally exist under the PLL. The league’s exclusive media rights agreement with NBC Universal is a first for the sport, bringing lacrosse closer to millions of fans across the country.

In his role, Mike is responsible for the long-term vision of the company as well as oversee all day-to-day operations of the league. This past year, Mike has successfully used his lengthy entrepreneur background in Silicon Valley with his keen sports knowledge to spearhead the launch of PLL.

Previously, as the VP of Sales and Partnerships, Mike led revenue and built Funding Circle’s US sales and BD teams from scratch. Mike was on the founding team at Endurance Lending Network, which was acquired by Funding Circle in 2013. In 2012, Mike co-founded Endurance Companies, an investment holding company based in San Francisco, and served as CEO and co-founder of Turnstyle Cycle, now Boston’s largest boutique indoor cycling company. Mike first dipped his toes in entrepreneurial waters in 2010 when he co-founded Endurance Fitness 247, which he manages with David to this day. Mike began his career in consulting at Jones Lang LaSalle, the world’s largest real estate services company. He graduated from Dartmouth College with a BA in Government, where he was captain of the football team.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • How defining your values can help set your direction
  • How Mike and Paul dealt with the resistance they faced 
  • The advantages of the tour based model and how they are using it to expand the game and attract new people to the sport as fans
  • How being naive can play a role in developing confidence and success as a business owner
  • What they did to earn trust during their first year as a new league and how they strengthened that trust and established credibility during the second year through the pandemic.
  • The key role that partners play in the success of a business and what they are doing to create partnerships that align with their organization’s values
  • How they emerged as one of the first organizations to go back to live events in the midst of the COVID pandemic
  • What’s ahead for the Premier Lacrosse League for the rest of the season and in 2022

Additional resources:

22 May 2019Episode 42: The Right Attitude for Success, with Brent Novoselsky00:52:50

Brent is a Vice President of Wealth Management with GCG Financial, having been a member of the firm since 1995. He has been serving clients, their families and their businesses since 1989 with a particular knowledge and focus on the accumulation and preservation of assets along with risk management. Brent meets his clients’ financial needs through the use of the extensive resources and professionals at GCG, as well as through trusted outside advisor offices.

Brent received his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated with honors with a concentration in entrepreneurial management. He received his Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) designation in 1999.

Brent played seven seasons in the NFL. He was with the Chicago Bears in 1988 and the Minnesota Vikings from 1989-1994. In a career that included over 100 special teams tackles, Brent retired after a serious neck injury. He is a member of the Chicago Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Active in many charities and organizations, Brent serves as the President for the NFL Players Association Former Players Chicago Chapter. He is also the Treasurer of B’nai B’rith Sports Lodge and the Chair for their scholarship program.

Brent and his wife Andrea live in the northwest suburbs with their three children, Alec, Zachary, and Mackenzie. Brent is a brown belt in Taekwondo, enjoys softball and family time, and is an avid, bad golfer.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Brent shares his career journey and how he came to work at GCG Financial, and how his career took an unexpected turn thanks to an injury and chance encounter
  • How Brent’s time with the Minnesota Vikings came to an end after a career-ending neck injury, and how he discovered a new purpose after his NFL career
  • How Brent transitioned from professional football to a career in the business world by using internships to learn what he didn’t want to do
  • How the competitive lessons Brent learned on the football field helped him approach the business world with the right mindset
  • Why Brent believes the most important skill he has picked up is networking and the ability to connect people with others who can help them with their needs
  • How Brent’s mindset and attitude allowed him to succeed in football, and how he worked to make himself valuable enough that the coaches couldn’t cut him
  • How GCG Financial works to bring in the right people who fit the culture, and how it helps to add companies who already have a strong culture
  • How Brent has found LinkedIn to be a powerful and useful networking tool, and why personalizing your outreach is the key to successful interactions on LinkedIn
  • Why Brent believes that the important thing people need to do to find success in business is to take action and keep doing the things that work for them

Additional resources:

21 Aug 2019Episode 53: Reinventing Yourself in the Face of Adversity, with Billy Douglass00:43:26

With over 20 years of experience working in capital markets, Billy Douglass started in the financial services industry in 2007 and joined Merrill Lynch in 2011. His focus is on developing strategies for individuals, families, and businesses to help preserve and grow their wealth, investments and retirement plans. By gaining a deep understanding of each client’s unique goals, needs and risk tolerance he is able to customize a financial strategy tailored specifically to that individual. Douglass graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1992 with a BBA in Business. Prior to entering the financial services industry, he spent 15 years trading commodities at The Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Douglass lives in the town I grew up in, Lake Forest, Illinois, with his wife Sondra and four children, Jackson, Olivia, Halle and Ava. In his spare time, Douglass enjoys coaching youth basketball.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

  • Billy Douglass’s journey into a career at Merill Lynch
  • The advantage of being an athlete in trading
  • The difficult transition from floor trading to electronic
  • How Billy Douglass reinvented himself to pursue a career in financial services
  • Douglass’s client niche and his role at ML
  • Transactional vs. transformational relationships
  • How Douglass’s coaching experience prepared him to be a financial advisor
  • Balancing compassion and competitivity in the financial services industry

Additional resources:

25 Aug 2021Episode 127: Forged in the Fires with Rob Verhelst00:56:10

Rob Verhelst, otherwise known as Fireman Rob, has established himself as an inspiring voice for following and defining your passion, then putting it to action. He lives and speaks on the principle of Action Based Living through Engaged Passion. His life experiences range from performing 8 days of search and recovery after the September 11th attacks to being a 15 year career firefighter in Madison, Wisconsin to having served in the United States Air Force.  In 2015, Fireman Rob became the Guinness World Record Holder for the Most Ironman 70.3 Triathlons in one year, while inspiring tens of thousands by doing each run portion in his full fire gear.
 

Since 2011, Fireman Rob has solidified himself as a key motivational influencer worldwide through doing over 18 Ironman, 28 Half Ironman, and numerous endurance races in his 50 lbs of firefighter gear for all of the running portions of each race. Along with motivating others along the way, his passion is about his children and others.  In 2013, the Fireman Rob Foundation was created to help children in hospitals throughout the world with a SMILE by delivering Gund Teddy Bears.  Fireman Rob understood the simple act of putting a SMILE on a child’s face dealing with illness or depression is medically proven to strengthen their immune system & create a positive effect on their minds… if even for a moment.  He has created a movement in which people from all walks of life are finding their passion and paying it forward through their own positive actions. The mission of Fireman Rob is clearly defined by his speaking, his actions, and his drive: "Your strength is in your passion, now go and make your life ABLE.”
 

  • Selected member of The National Society of Leadership and Success
  • In Business Magazine, 2014 Top 25 Most Influential People in Dane County
  • Jefferson Award Winner, April 2015 WKOW
  • Ironman, 2012 Performance of the Year
  • Guinness World Record, Most Ironman 70.3 triathlons in one year
  • 2015 Globe Turnout Feets of Strength (Athleticism category) 
  • World Record for Most Ironman triathlons in Full Firefighter gear

 

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • Why purpose and passion is such an important catalyst when forming an Elite Mentally Tough Leadership Mindset
  • Why ownership is just as much about what you don’t do as it is what you do
  • How Fireman Rob’s Foundation brings to life the acronym SMILE-Simple Moments Impact Lives Everyday-with the best stuffed bear for disadvantaged kids throughout the world
  • How to develop faith in yourself over the fears in front of you
  • What Tolerance Training is and why it is so significant
  • How Rob has navigated the waters of sever PTSD and high-anxiety that are a result of numerous events in his life including his search and recover work on 9/11
  • What drove Rob to wear his full firefighter gear (50 lbs.) while running 1,022 miles in dozens of Full Ironmans and 70.3’s

 

Additional resources:

23 Jun 2021Episode 122: Ideation and Innovation for Sports Marquee Events from the Super Bowl to Olympics, with Molly Mazzolini00:44:21

Molly Mazzolini is Partner and Brand Integration Director at Infinite Scale, responsible for promoting not only the Infinite Scale brand, but also the multifaceted brands of its clients. She lends her branding knowledge to all projects that add to the layering or collaborative philosophy that drives all team members at Infinite Scale.

Molly Mazzolini is a hands-on branding expert, working directly with the clients and the creative council to integrate the team, venue, and sponsor brands seamlessly throughout the venue. As a founding partner, Molly brings this insight and expertise to every project from conception throughout the life cycle of a project to ensure consistent and on-message brand integration.

The Creative Council™, a collaborative approach to providing creative consultation to Clients, was first implemented during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games where Molly Mazzolini set up a brand-management department that worked closely with 70+ sponsors and suppliers of the US Olympic Movement. Prior to that she was at the University of Kentucky Athletics Department specializing in media relations as a liaison between coaches and the media.

Molly Mazzolini’s love of sport runs deep and began at an early age, and her passion for branding is a driving force at Infinite Scale. Molly understands the fans’ fervor for their teams and works tirelessly to ensure that every brand touch-point both enhances the fan experience and furthers brand loyalty and recognition. Molly ensures every voice is heard, every concern abated, and every aspiration met.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How Molly’s work with the US Olympic Committee for the 2002 Olympic Games shined a spotlight on the need to develop a corporate partnership between the sponsors and the athletes
  • Why it is so significant to get all the stakeholders at the table together
  • How Infinite Scale was borne out of Molly’s experiences and the relationships she built at the 2002 Winter Olympics
  • How Molly and her co-founders launched Infinite Scale with leftover office supplies from the Olympics
  • What it was about Infinite Scale’s creative capabilities and solution-oriented deliverables that aligned so perfectly with all of Elevate Sports Ventures Goals
  • How Infinite Scale’s work with the San Francisco 49’ers eventually led to them forming an amazing partnership with Elevate Sports Ventures

Additional resources:

Twitter: @mollymazzolini

View more of Molly Mazzolini work at Infinite Scale. 

Connect with Molly on LinkedIn.

12 Feb 2020Episode 66: The Undeniable Value of Investing in the Growth of Your People, with Cody Foster00:53:24

Cody Foster is one of the Founders of Advisors Excel. In 2004, after leaving a corporate job to partner with David Callanan to be independent financial advisors, they realized the support system for independent advisors was dramatically insufficient. So, in 2005, along with Derek Thompson, they formed Advisors Excel with a goal of building a world class support structure for independent financial advisors across the country. Today they have over 500 employees and are responsible for over $7 Billion in annual sales. Their success in achieving this has led to their story being featured in Success Magazine, Darren Hardy’s book “The Entrepreneur Rollercoaster” and Tony Robbins’ #1 New York Times bestselling book, “Money, Master the Game.”

Cody graduated from Washburn University in 1999 and has made Topeka his home ever since. He is a big believer in the future of the Capital City of Kansas, and has been a lead investor and developer in quality of life initiatives including The Cyrus Hotel, The Pennant, and Iron Rail Brewing. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Greater Topeka Partnership and was one of the five founding investors in Top Tank Topeka, a unique entrepreneur challenge patterned after the successful TV show, Shark Tank. As much as he enjoys business, his real love is family. Cody and his wife Jennifer, a Topeka native and fellow Washburn graduate, have been married for 16 years and have two children, Dylan and Ella.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Cody talks about 2019 being his best year professionally and his most challenging year personally, the challenges this presented, and how his team responded
  • How he and his partner intentionally developed their team to be able to carry-on if something were to happen to them
  • Why it is so significant to prioritize our health
  • Why it is important to figure out what is most important to you and then invest the most in it
  • How to be conscious of not taking time for granted
  • 70% of AE’s workforce consists of millennials and Cody explains why he embraces this and how they let their people know that they are valued, that the work they do is important and that he and his partner are committed to their long-term growth.
  • How they have grown from just over 47 employees on January 1, 2010 to 651 on January 1, 2020 and why Cody feels like they are now finally ready to realize the massive success they are capable of
  • The rewards of their organization putting in over 7,000 hours of community service in Topeka and the rewards that brings each team member personally and professionally
  • How consistency doesn’t mean that their vision doesn’t evolve, but that they stay true in the process to the core values and convictions that they built the company around

Ways to contact Cody:

19 Jun 2024The Coaching Effect - Creating Complexity for Growth with Sarah Wirth00:56:52

Sarah Wirth is the President of Ecsell Institute and the Amazon best-selling author of "The Coaching Effect." With over 20 years of experience in employee assessment, leadership development, executive coaching, and customer service, Sarah has a proven track record of driving growth and excellence.

 

She began her career as a talent analyst, coaching leaders in diverse organizations, and later led a consulting firm to a 65% revenue increase. As Vice President of Client Services at Ecsell Institute, she boosted client retention to over 94% before becoming President in 2019.

 

Sarah is passionate about leadership and its impact on team performance, bringing an analytical approach to high-performing sales leaders. She is a sought-after presenter for global executives from top companies like Mercedes Benz, Estee Lauder, and Ritz Carlton.

 

Holding a B.A. from the University of Nebraska and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School, Sarah combines her legal expertise with her leadership insights to drive innovation and success at Ecsell Institute.

 

What You’ll Learn on this Episode:

  • The significance of understanding and improving leadership behaviors

  • What the Coaching Equation is and how it drives performance

  • The importance of creating complexity for growth and development

  • What are the four key coaching activities for effective and high-impact coaching

  • The impact of  building strong and trusting relationships with team members

  • How the practice of leadership helps leaders increase their self-awareness

  • The significance of ongoing career discussions and feedback in fostering growth and improvement

  • Why leaders should take time to understand their team member's career goals and personal interests

 

Additional Resources: 

 

14 Jul 2021Episode 123: The Business of Sports00:39:37

Abraham Madkour brings more than 20 years of experience covering the business of sports and serves as Executive Editor of Sports Business Journal, Sports Business Daily/Global. He is responsible for shaping the editorial direction of the publications while managing the entire editorial staff. He also oversees the editorial content for the various conferences produced by the Sports Business Group, including the prestigious World Congress of Sports, Sports Business Awards and Forty Under 40 awards. Madkour writes weekly editorials and pro le features of the management and leadership strategies of leading industry executives. He is a frequent industry speaker and serves as the lead moderator and editorial spokesman at all of the company’s events.

Abe joined Sports Business Daily as a Senior Staff Writer when the publication launched in August 1994 and was named Editor-in-Chief in September 1996.

Prior to joining Sports Business Daily, Abe was a Legislative Assistant for U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont. He also had stints working for the Washington Bullets and the Baltimore Orioles in 1993 and 1994.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How Abe’s business is about relationships and information, secrets and trust, breaking news, and educating the industry
  • How SBJ grew through the Covid crisis by adding a number of new offerings
  • How significant the return of humans to their events and conferences and what it means to the SBJ business model
  • What makes the SBJ 40 under 40 so legendary and how it can be a huge career making award
  • What role SBJ plays in helping to influence the industry for years to come
  • What the characteristics and traits are of the 40 under 40 recipients

Additional resources:

Twitter: @madkour

View More of Abe Madkour's work at Sports Business Journal

Connect with Abe Madkour on LinkedIn

25 Mar 2020Reinventing Effective Leadership for Disruptive Innovation, with Mike Steep00:39:41

Michael Steep has been at the forefront of technology for the last 30 years. He is the author of the newly released book, “First Light of Day: A Cautionary Tale of Our Future”, and the founder and executive director of Stanford University School of Engineering’s Disruptive Technology and Digital Cities Program.

In his current role, Mike has built a bridge between Stanford’s disruptive technologies labs and 30 corporate partners—including Amazon, Cushman & Wakefield, Hitachi, Visa —to create new opportunities for innovation and monetization.

In addition to his work at Stanford, Mike is an Adjunct Professor of Digital Business at the Imperial College London, and serves on the Smart Cities Board of London advising commercial clients on the impact of emerging technology in their industries.

Earlier, Mike held management positions for the world-renown tech research firm, PARC (formerly Xerox PARC), and for tech giants including Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Microsoft, and Apple. In the process, he has witnessed first-hand some of the greatest technological breakthroughs and transformations and worked with companies such as BMW, Google, P&G, L’Oreal, AirBus Amazon, Cushman & Wakefield, Hitachi, and Visa, to develop disruptive technologies for new lines of business.

A frequent keynote speaker, Mike is an active venture investor in disruptive technologies. He earned his MBA from the University of Virginia, and his BA from the University of Pennsylvania.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How disruptive technology is growing at an exponential rate, but few people know how to transform disruptive technology into opportunity
  • What led Mike to found Stanford’s Engineering Center for Disruptive Technology and Digital Cities
  • Why the culture of most large technology companies is what kills innovation as they continue to reward mediocrity
  • How to change the culture starting at the top
  • The three things that serve as major roadblocks to innovation
  • Why it is so powerful to not have any preconceived notions of what you cannot do
  • Why the Maverick Model doesn’t work when you are trying to change a culture
  • How much time you should spend networking
  • When you network, why it is important to identify both navigators and experts and how to leverage them
  • How to create value for others when you are networking and need help from them

Additional resources:

14 Nov 2018Episode 16: Team Building and Innovating in a Joyful Business Culture, with Rich Sheridan01:06:09

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How Rich entered the software industry in high school by creating an award-winning computer game for his friends to enjoy
  • How a difficult period in his career almost led Rich to leave the industry, and why he chose to persevere through the challenges
  • How the spark of an idea early in Rich's career became the joyful culture of Menlo Innovations almost 30 years later
  • How Menlo's unique business structure supports developing leadership skills and a culture of teamwork
  • What steps Rich takes to foster a joyful workplace environment and grow leaders within his organization
  • Why Rich believes storytelling is one of the most important components supporting his business culture
  • Why Menlo's joyful culture doesn't prevent turnover but does encourage the right people to stay
  • Why Rich wrote his bestselling book "Joy Inc.", and why its success led him to write his upcoming book "Chief Joy Officer"
  • Why the elimination of fear has been instrumental in unlocking the potential of Menlo's employees
  • Why allowing employees to experiment and innovate can be a powerful catalyst for cultural change

How to contact Rich Sheridan:  

Website: www.menloinnovations.com

 

27 Sep 2023Compete Every Day with Jake Thompson00:48:37

Jake Thompson is a leadership consultant and the Chief Encouragement Officer at Compete Every Day, a brand he started in 2011 by first selling t-shirts out of the trunk of his car.

Jake has spent more than a decade working with leaders and organizations all over the world on how they can get better results for themselves and their teams.

He has been featured in Forbes, hosts a podcast in the top 1% globally, and has directly impacted over 75,000 ambitious leaders.

Through his entrepreneurial sales experience, client work, and research, Jake has built a proven framework that helps leaders improve their mindset, habits, and team development to create more influence as impactful leaders in their organization.

Jake lives in Dallas/Fort Worth with his wife, Elena, and their dogs, Sugar & Donut.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • The concept of competition as pursuing excellence vs. domination
  • How competing with oneself drives continuous self-improvement and goal clarity
  • The transformative power of collaboration as an essential element of success
  • The vital role of peer groups and masterminds in personal and professional growth
  • How intention and daily action lead to progress and momentum in personal and professional goals
  • Preparation strategies for continuous improvement in storytelling and keynote speaking
  • The importance of knowing where you are leading yourself before leading others
  • The impact of personal values and unwavering convictions in shaping your path to success
  • How learning from others can boost performance

Additional Resources:

Websites:

Get 15% off any order at CompeteEveryDay.com with code ATHLETICS15
21 Oct 2020Episode 98: Develop the People Around You, with Pat Murphy00:48:33

Patrick Murphy was named the Director of Athletics and Recreation at Marywood University in September 2019. Murphy became the Pacers' first new Athletics Director in 28 years. For the 2020-21 academic year, Murphy will serve on the Atlantic East Conference Athletic Director Executive Committee as Vice-Chair.

Pat came to Marywood with 25 years of athletics experience at the NCAA Division I level. Most recently, he spent 18 years as an associate athletics director at Fairfield University in Connecticut.

Prior to that Pat was the Director of Athletic Business and Financial Affairs at DePaul University in Chicago from 1997-2001. He served as Associate Director of Athletics at Iona College in New Rochelle, New York between 1993 and 1997. Murphy began his athletics administration career in 1991 as the Director of Athletics for Marketing and Development for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, Maryland

Throughout his career, Murphy developed a winning bid and proposal to host 12 NCAA Championships events. He served as the tournament director for men's basketball, women's basketball and men's ice hockey regionals. Murphy was the tournament director for the 2014 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Frozen Four in Philadelphia.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • What has been the keys to communicating with his coaches and athletes during the pandemic
  • Why has it proven so critical to embrace their current situation and to be very conscious of delivering all communication to their athletes in a positive way
  • How the coaches and administrators at Marywood University have created the best sense of normalcy in an abnormal situation
  • What the three keys to a successful career in the athletics administration industry (any industry for that matter) are according to one of his valued mentors
  • How he got his start in the industry
  • How saving a rejection letter landed him a significant job years later
  • Why he views his ultimate responsibility as developing the people around him and what that looks like

Additional resources:

Facebook Profile: pmurphy

Twitter Name: prmurphy

Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pat-r-murphy22/

03 Apr 2024The Transformational Power of Coaching Influence with Anthony Bonifazio00:55:46

Anthony Bonifazio is Vice President of Market Development and Reimbursement at Iveric Bio, part of Astellas Pharma Inc., a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering and developing innovative treatment options for retinal diseases.

With a rich background in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, he has extensive expertise in launch execution, leadership, and team building. Before joining Iveric Bio, Anthony’s journey included executive roles in Novartis, Santen, and Genentech where he worked for nearly 20 years, starting as a Senior Manager of Commercial Training and Development and growing to the role of Director of Oncology Field.

Anthony's athletic journey is nothing short of remarkable. Inspired by the legendary Bo Jackson, he demonstrated exceptional versatility and dedication by excelling in a diverse range of sports including tennis, golf, soccer, basketball, football, and baseball.

During his time at the University of Arizona, Anthony successfully navigated the demanding responsibilities of football and baseball while balancing academic responsibilities and adjustments to social dynamics of collegiate life at a young age. This is a testament of his adaptability, mental toughness, sharp decision-making abilities and resilience.

Anthony has applied lessons from his athletic background to lead in business. He excels in assembling innovative teams for market access and patient services, particularly in complex environments. He is dedicated to driving success and growth, skillfully navigating through the industry's challenges.

 

What you’ll learn on this episode:

  • The significance of clear expectations and accountability
  • The role of mentorship in developing an impactful leadership skillset
  • How to navigate innovative ideas and adapt to unforeseen challenges
  • The essential value of gratitude in personal and professional growth
  • How to craft coaching strategies for improvement through observation and reflection 
  • How to harness the power of feedback, self-awareness, and vulnerability in leadership
  • The significance of continuous learning, adaptability, and open communication in leadership roles

Additional Resources:

09 Nov 2022Episode 162: Entrepreneurship in Paradise with Sue Cooper00:45:45

Sue Cooper quit her corporate job at 28 years old to follow her dream of living on an island, opening her own business, and rescuing a dog in need. 26 years later her business, Lazy Dog Adventures, is about to celebrate its 25th year of operation in Key West. 

Sue is also the author of 4 books, winner of the Athena Awards for Leadership, and a prominent thought leader on building a business, brand, and life. 

Her next big move is to use the tech advancement of the last 25 years to share all of her lessons learned. There was no Google or Youtube to share everything when Sue got her start, and Sue is ramping up efforts to share her wisdom. 

She will be getting busy on her YouTube channel to share lessons she’s learned along the way, as well as any new developments in her professional life.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

Sue’s successful rec and tourism operation in Key West provides a unique perspective for business leaders. Here are a few of the relevant ideas we cover in this conversation:

  • Your fundamentals like preparation, communication, and adaptation translate well between industries and positions. Sue is an example of how much skill overlap there is when hopping from finance, sales, or management into entrepreneurship. If you’re good at one thing, you’ll likely succeed elsewhere. 
  • Unexpected circumstances dictate more than you think, both positively and negatively (ex: Destructive hurricanes vs. Jimmy Buffet loves your business). Your resilience and values have a big say in your ability to roll with the punches.
  • Building a business on your terms isn’t easy. Sue’s success wasn’t an accident…it sprang from a deep desire, commitment, and willingness to take a massive risk on a new idea.

Entrepreneurs, managers, and other visionaries would be wise to hear what Sue has to say about running a business in paradise. 

Additional Resources:

13 Sep 2023Partners in Leadership: Doing The Right Thing Together with Matt and Suzanne Monahan00:59:01

Matt and Suzanne Monahan have an incredible partnership. They are a remarkable couple, parents to two wonderful children, and forefront leaders in challenging industries such as pharmaceutical and healthcare consulting. 

Suzanne is a former collegiate athlete and two-time cancer survivor. She is passionate about the power of mindset, teamwork, and performance. Currently, she holds a commercial leadership position at Shionogi Inc., a biopharmaceutical company that leverages a science-based heritage to develop and commercialize pharmaceutical products to treat unmet medical needs. 

She dedicates her time at Shionogi to building and leading the sales team for the US. Suzanne is committed to “raising up” cohesive and resilient teams both at work and on the field. 

She believes in family first and enjoys giving back, serving as a girl’s lacrosse coach, an advocate for patient-focused cancer care, and a mentor to future leaders. 

Matt joined Genesys Health as Chief Strategy Officer in 2020 after leading the way as the National Practice Leader of an Insurtech benefits consulting firm where he was responsible for sales, service, and insurance operations for over 500 employers across the United States. 

To know Matt is to be in the presence of an infectious energy. Matt sees the world differently; where others see a dead end, he sees an opportunity to connect, perfect, and solve. Matt isn’t afraid to ask hard questions and challenge the norm, taking pride in disrupting systems before building them back stronger and more successful.

Prior to that, he spent 15+ years at Aetna and GE, where he held multiple senior leadership roles at Aetna. Matt worked closely to bring innovative solutions to the market.

In a consulting business where service and support are incredibly subjective, regardless of the situation any action he takes is making sure it is the right thing for that person on the other end.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • Strategies for balancing thriving careers while nurturing a thriving partnership, all while staying true to your values
  • How to  turn challenges into opportunities and maintain a positive mindset, even in the face of adversity
  • The crucial role of communication in balancing individual careers, partnerships and relationship-building
  • Strategies for compartmentalizing and focusing on controllable factors
  • The importance of continually reassessing choices for personal and professional growth
  • Why leaders should focus on the well-being of the people they serve and lead
  • How to address conflict including giving space for perspective and resolution.
  • The value of caring for others, solving problems, and maintaining a positive mental state

Additional Resources:

20 Jan 2021Episode 111: Caring More in Our Current Reality, with Ed Molitor00:20:43

In the last 26 years, Ed Molitor has developed his leadership skills in both athletics and business. From working as an NCAA Basketball coach at Texas A&M to becoming the Vice President of a national recruiting firm, Ed has taught countless athletes, coaches, and business leaders how to THINK, ACT, and EXECUTE at an elite level. Ed has a unique set of skills to deliver leaders across the country a purposeful, positive, energetic, and refreshing experience to unlock their true potential.

In 2016, Ed launched his company, The Molitor Group, in order to reach and add value to a larger sphere of ambitious individuals and help them achieve their goals every day. Through The Molitor Group, Ed has guided all types of leaders to achieve success. From entrepreneurs and executives to teams and companies, The Molitor Group specializes in empowering individuals and groups to achieve at the next level. Through Leadership Performance training, coaching, and speaking, Ed’s goal is to supply people and organizations with the necessary tools to move forward from where they are now to where they want to be.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Why it is so important for us to care more about people during these times instead of less
  • Why it is so important to understand that everyone has a story
  • Why how you treat others is a direct reflection of your character
  • What was the experience Ed had almost 30 years ago that taught him the significance of getting to know people so you can impact their life in a positive way
  • How coaching college basketball opened Ed’s eyes to the challenges some of his players went through and how he could have a positive impact by opening his heart
  • What was the powerful message that Coach Greg McDermott shared on equality

Additional resources:

Email: ed@themolitorgroup.com

Website: www.themolitorgroup.com

Instagram: @edmolitor

 of my new eBook, ‘Growing Through Crisis’ and learn why vulnerability can be a powerful leadership asset.

 

 

 

26 Aug 2020Episode 91: Living Beyond Limits Part II, with Bonner Paddock Rinn00:41:06

In 2008, Bonner Paddock summited Mount Kilimanjaro, the world’s tallest freestanding mountain. Four years later, he earned the elite triathlete title, Kona Ironman. Thousands have done each individually. Bonner is the first person with cerebral palsy to do both.

When Bonner was born, his umbilical cord had coiled twice around his neck, depriving him of oxygen, causing parts of his brain to die. That cord didn’t take his life, but it changed it forever.

Diagnosed in his youth, Bonner swore he wouldn’t let this neurological disorder limit him, and for twenty-nine years he guarded the truth about his health. But the sudden death of a friend’s young son who also suffered from CP forced Bonner to re-evaluate his life. No longer would he be content striving for normal. Instead, he would live life to its fullest, pursuing one breathtaking experience at a time—while raising money for special needs children along the way—and never turn down a challenge for fear of his physical limitations.

His monumental climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro was documented in the film Beyond Limits and helped raise money for the construction of a new childcare center in Orange County, providing early treatment for children with all types of physical disabilities. Bonner took his vision global and has been building more centers around the world to help children live better lives. When he completed the Kona Ironman… which is 140 miles of racing…. in 16 1/2 hours, he raised over $560,000 for special needs children.

His is a remarkable journey that has taken him across the globe and introduced him to a fascinating cast of characters who have supported his inspiring quest. An athlete, adventurer, and philanthropist, Bonner is today no longer defined by his limits, but by the moments that pushed him past them. One More Step shows us that we can all conquer our own challenges and embrace every moment life has to offer.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How the work Bonner first did in Tanzania showed him what wisdom and intelligence mean and what having a purpose in life is.
  • How the idea for the OM Foundation popped in his head when he was in Tanzania to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.
  • What it was like when he and Dr. Aminian first traveled to Tanzania to see patients and met Juliana.
  • How mentally challenging it was knowing that he had to have an almost perfect race to complete the Kona Ironman in the required 17 hours.
  • How viewing the “Magic Hour” the year before helped Bonner prepare for the Kona Ironman.
  • How Bonner controlled the conversation in his head while training and on race day.
  • What advice Bonner gives people with self-limiting beliefs due to circumstances beyond their control.

Additional resources:

Your Facebook Profile: @OMFoundation

Your Twitter Name: @OMFoundation

Instagram: @om_foundation_global

Your Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bonner-paddock-rinn-95086b5/

https://1man1mission.org/

 

15 Apr 2020Episode 75: Managing the COVID-19 Crisis with Mindfulness, with Rob Dube00:46:15

From Blow Pops to Forbes Best Small Companies, Rob started his first business in high school selling Blow Pops out of his locker. For the last 28 years, he’s served as President and Co-founder of imageOne, ranked as one of the Top 25 Small Businesses in America on the 2017 list of Forbes Small Giants.

Throughout Rob’s entrepreneurial journey, he’s developed an unwavering passion for delivering the X - genuine care that consistently drives extraordinary energy, actions and experiences to every one, every day, every time. A unique approach to business that has driven the company to success in its industry, and as a top workplace. imageOne is simply the best at helping clients optimize and manage print, automate business processes, and secure documents and is well-known as an exceptional company, receiving local and national recognition for its multi-award-winning culture.

Rob is an avid meditator of 15 years, the author of a best-selling book, donothing,™ The most rewarding leadership challenge you will ever take, and host of the donothing leadership retreat and the donothing podcast.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How the team at imageOne collaborated to come up with a plan for managing the COVID-19 crisis and had the mindset that they had to be open to change because the situation was so fluid
  • How they’re taking advantage of this unique situation by helping their people learn this new way of thinking, giving them the proper guidance and holding them accountable to what they need to accomplish in a series of short term sprints
  • What they’re doing to inject a social element to remote working
  • What was different when they reacquired the company and how they focused on making their good culture an unbelievable culture
  • Why it is so important to find your rallying point, come together, and then communicate, communicate, communicate
  • How Rob developed his mindfulness and meditation process which has led to his best-selling book, donothing: The most rewarding leadership challenge you will ever take, as well as the donothing Leadership Retreat and the donothing podcast.

Additional resources:

24 Oct 2018Episode 13: Twenty Years Later, with Jason Boeker00:39:57

Jason Boeker summarizes his life in a simple but impactful way “I have been provided opportunities through others taking chances on me. I wouldn't say I have always earned or deserved these opportunities, but I was taught to never waste them, earned or not.”

Jason is President at Benchmark Houston Builders where he began working in 2012 as Senior Project Manager. In 2013 he was quickly promoted to Vice-President of Operations in which role he helped BHB navigate their way through the oil and gas market crash of 2014-2015. In January of 2018 Jason took over as President and is now leading BHB through a significant growth period.

Prior to joining Benchmark Houston Builders, Jason was with Swinerton Builders where his last position was Senior Project Manager.

Jason graduated from Texas A&M University in 2000 with a Construction Science degree and was a leader on the Men’s Basketball Team. At the conclusion of his senior season he was the recipient of the Captain’s Award, the Aggie Spirit Award, and the Senior Award.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • What valuable lessons Jason Boeker learned playing on a basketball team under coach Ed Molitor
  • Jason's post-athletic career journey through construction, project engineering, project management, and business ownership
  • How Jason weathered an industry crash and a 90% revenue loss but turned things around and returned to profitability
  • Why Jason's varied career path prepared him for a leadership position as president of his own business
  • How Jason's business culture and recruiting strategy inspire self-confidence and career growth for his staff
  • Why Jason believes failure is a stronger catalyst for growth than success and how he leads growth for his team
  • How an experience with challenge and failure in high school changed Jason's understanding of personal growth
  • Why a strong sense of competition has helped Jason rise to every challenge he has faced
  • What advice Jason has for people who are seeking to become successful in their personal and professional lives
  • Why humility, respect, and gratitude are some of the important cornerstones of Jason’s success

How to contact Jason:

 

19 Dec 2018Episode 21: Military Service and Business Values, with J.J. Konstant00:51:39

J.J. Konstant was a 2003 graduate of St. Ambrose University, where he was an all-academic conference basketball player and member of the Dean’s List. He attended Marine Corps Officer Candidate School in October of 2003. After being commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant on December 12, 2003, he spent the next 8 months in Quantico, Virginia training to be an Infantry Officer.

In September of 2004, he was assigned to the 2nd Battalion of the 3rd Marine Regiment in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. As the Rifle Platoon Commander for Fox Company’s Third Platoon, he deployed to eastern Afghanistan in June of 2005. There he led his Marines in conducting operations aimed at disrupting Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and other associated terrorist personnel operations. In September of 2005, he received the Purple Heart from the Commandant of the Marine Corps.

In January of 2006, J.J. received The Bronze Star with Combat Distinguishing Device from the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps. Both awards were the result of his actions from August 12-19 as part of the now famous “Operation Whalers.”

In September of 2006 1st Lt. Konstant deployed as a Mobile Assault Platoon Commander and Joint Terminal Attack Controller to Iraq’s Haditha Triad in Al-Anbar Province. There he led his Marines in conducting counterinsurgency operations and was again wounded by two separate roadside bomb attacks. He received his second Purple Heart for wounds received on November 9, 2006.

Other military honors J.J. has received include the: Combat Action Ribbon with gold star in lieu of a second award, naval unit citation, meritorious unit citation, national defense service medal, Afghanistan campaign medal, Iraq campaign medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, sea service deployment ribbon with bronze star in lieu of second award, a certificate of appreciation, and two certificates of commendation for his service in each theater of battle.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • What J.J.'s college plans were, and how his career deviated from his plans in unexpected ways
  • How J.J. found his sense of purpose, selfless and desire to be a part of something bigger than himself came from his parents
  • J.J.'s personal experience in Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan, which led to the book "Victory Point" by Ed Darack
  • How J.J.'s exceptional military distinction led to him being awarded numerous medals for his service
  • How J.J. transitioned the skills and training he learned in the military into the business world
  • Why J.J. uses his position as a mentor to help give the same drive and teamwork he learned to other business leaders
  • Why J.J. believes in appreciating and supporting everyone who is a part of his business team
  • What leadership qualities J.J. believes are critical for successful and authentic business leaders
  • What advice J.J. offers to people who are changing industries, positions or work environments
  • Why J.J. doesn't promote himself on social media or have a website to promote his speaking and consulting

How to contact J.J. Konstant and additional resources:

 

12 Jun 2019Episode 44: How Managers Can Get the Most Out of Their Employees, with Ed Molitor00:23:22

In the last 26 years, Ed has developed his leadership skills in both athletics and business. From working as an NCAA Basketball coach at Texas A&M to becoming the Vice President of a national recruiting firm, Ed has taught countless athletes, coaches, and business leaders how to THINK, ACT, and EXECUTE at an elite level. Ed has a unique set of skills to deliver leaders across the country a purposeful, positive, energetic, and refreshing experience to unlock their true potential.

In 2016, Ed launched his company, The Molitor Group, in order to reach and add value to a larger sphere of ambitious individuals and help them achieve their goals every day. Through The Molitor Group, Ed has guided all types of leaders to achieve success. From entrepreneurs and executives to teams and companies, The Molitor Group specializes in empowering individuals and groups to achieve at the next level. Through Leadership Performance training, coaching, and speaking, Ed’s goal is to supply people and organizations with the necessary tools to move forward from where they are now to where they want to be.

What you'll learn from this episode:

  • How to deal with excellent employees who seem to struggle as managers, and who seem to lose control of their team.
  • Why being a manager is extremely similar to being a coach, in terms of responsibilities and skills.
  • What needs to be done to motivate and train underperforming managers; managers who have the aptitude and intellect, but may not have developed the skills.
  • Which questions you need to ask to begin to properly know your employees and managers, and to begin to motivate them.
  • Why it's important for managers to focus on getting to know their employees, including figuring out what drives them.
  • How managers can get better performance from employees by making sure that their employees have well-rounded lives.
  • How to deal with a workplace that now includes four or five generations of employees.
  • What is expected of a manager, to ensure that a business (and its employees) are ultimately successful.
  • How making people feel as though they are a part of something greater can motivate them to do their best.
  • Why Ed's favorite saying is, "When I changed the way I looked at things, the things I looked at began to change."
14 Aug 2019Episode 52: The DNA of a Great Coach, with Ed Molitor00:29:57

In the last 26 years, Ed has developed his leadership skills in both athletics and business. From working as an NCAA Basketball coach at Texas A&M to becoming the Vice President of a national recruiting firm, Ed has taught countless athletes, coaches, and business leaders how to THINK, ACT, and EXECUTE at an elite level. Ed has a unique set of skills to deliver leaders across the country a purposeful, positive, energetic, and refreshing experience to unlock their true potential.

In 2016, Ed launched his company, The Molitor Group, in order to reach and add value to a larger sphere of ambitious individuals and help them achieve their goals every day. Through The Molitor Group, Ed has guided all types of leaders to achieve success. From entrepreneurs and executives to teams and companies, The Molitor Group specializes in empowering individuals and groups to achieve at the next level. Through Leadership Performance training, coaching, and speaking, Ed’s goal is to supply people and organizations with the necessary tools to move forward from where they are now to where they want to be.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • The habits, traits, and behaviors that make a great coach
  • Creating a cornerstone for great coaching relationships
  • The three major results that skilled coaches can produce in the workplace
  • How to become a coach in every aspect of your life
  • How to develop trust with honesty, integrity, diligence, discretion, vulnerability, and consistency
  • The benefits of having an environment where your employees are able to disagree
  • Book Recommendation: Trillion Dollar Coach by: Bill Campbell
  • Using controlled freedom to leverage your team’s strengths

Additional Resources:

  • Email: ed@themolitorgroup.com
  • Website: www.themolitorgroup.com
22 Jun 2022Episode 154: The Power Of Caring00:30:17

In the last 26 years, Ed Molitor has developed his leadership skills in athletics and business. From working as an NCAA Basketball coach at Texas A&M to becoming the Vice President of a national recruiting firm, Ed has taught countless athletes, coaches, and business leaders how to THINK, ACT, and EXECUTE at an elite level.

As a result, Ed has a unique set of skills to deliver leaders across the country a purposeful, positive, energetic, and refreshing experience to unlock their true potential.

In 2016, Ed launched his company, The Molitor Group, to reach and add value to a larger sphere of ambitious individuals and help them achieve their goals every day.

Through The Molitor Group, Ed has guided all leaders to achieve success. From entrepreneurs and executives to teams and companies, The Molitor Group empowers individuals and groups to achieve at the next level.

Through Leadership Performance training, coaching, and speaking, Ed’s goal is to supply people and organizations with the necessary tools to move forward from where they are now to where they want to be.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • Why caring is the most powerful lesson I’ve learned from my dad
  • How the power of caring can be transformational for your life and your team member’s lives, and therefore key to your success
  • How all the lessons learned from my dad have impacted and forged my leadership
  • Why it is important to let your people know that you genuinely care and how to show it
  • Why asking the right questions and listening to more than words is crucial to connecting with your team
  • How to make impactful connections through virtual meetings
  • How genuinely caring drives psychological safety and boosts risk taking and creativity

Additional resources:

14 Dec 2023The Power of Authentic Connections in Recruitment and Leadership with Jon Denny00:41:04

Jon Denny has been a National Executive Sales and Marketing Recruiter for over 24 years in the Pharmaceutical, Biotech, Medical Devices, and Medical Diagnostics Industries with leading national recruitment firm, Buckman Enochs Coss & Associates (BEC Search).

Established in 1979, BEC Search specializes in helping the best Healthcare and Life Science companies find the best people for every level of their organization, Commercial, Med Affairs, Sales, and Marketing Executives - for Projects and Retained.

They have partnered with leading companies such as Allergan/Abbvie, Biodesix, Amgen, Apellis, Cardinal Health, Dompe, Genentech, Lantheus, Shionogi, Inc., Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Takeda, Travere Therapeutics, Vertos Medical, and many others. 

Before joining BEC, Jon spent over two years in Accounting and Finance Recruitment for a leading staffing firm and 4 years in College/University Recruitment. 

In the last two decades, Jon has helped countless individuals in healthcare sales, marketing, and clinical roles find employment opportunities that have been life-changing and he has several current clients he helped early on in their careers.

Jon attributes his transformative approach to a unique blend of business acumen, strong work ethic, empathy, and ability to connect with individuals. These traits find their roots in his competitive collegiate athletic background, where he played football for four years at his alma mater, Ohio Northern University.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • The importance of human connection in leadership and recruiting
  • The crucial role of preparation in the recruiting process, for both the candidate and recruiter
  • Reasons why people leave their jobs and how they often relate to issues with management or a lack of development opportunities
  • The impact of a transformational approach in recruitment for greater success
  • How understanding a candidate's story and motivation reveals insights into their suitability
  • The necessity of understanding a candidate's purpose and its connection to career aspirations
  • The high value placed on intangible qualities such as character, integrity, and work ethic in potential hires

Additional Resources: 

13 May 2020Episode 79: Performance Excellence in the Face of Uncertainty, with Mark Heidersbach00:37:29

Mark Heidersbach is an accomplished leader in biopharmaceutical sales and marketing with a reputation for integrity, empowerment, and a commitment to excellence. He is passionate around building inspired teams based on trust, purpose, and accountability. Experienced in providing focus and direction to navigate complexity/change, coaching and developing to leverage people’s strengths for broader success, and delivering superior results through innovative business solutions. Mark is currently the Senior National Sales Director at ACADIA Pharmaceuticals.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Why it is so important to appreciate where everyone is at mentally, physically, and emotionally
  • How to be empathetic and also provide reassurance in the face of uncertainty
  • How to provide clear direction to your people so that you can continue to be purposeful and productive
  • How ACADIA pivoted quickly and retained nimble and continues to do so
  • Why it is so critical to provide structure and clearly communicate expectations
  • How the leadership team at ACADIA focuses on staying connected and continues to add value to their people and their customers
  • Why this is such an optimal time to focus on personal growth and how the team at ACADIA is focusing on that
  • How ACADIA is leaning into the key components of their culture; trust through transparency, performance excellence, and kindness and fun
  • How ACADIA is dialing in to controlling the controllable as they focus on what they can do

Additional resources:

19 Jun 2019Episode 45: Transformational, Not Transactional, with Ed Cheatham00:51:37

With over 30 years of experience inside the financial industry, Ed Cheatham believes wholeheartedly that it’s possible to do well by doing good. As a family man first, a proud husband and father to five children, his family focus has shaped his approach to advising by allowing him to create life-long relationships with clients before, during and after retirement. The successes of Ed’s past and the accomplishments of his future can be attributed to the notion that you win or you learn, but you never lose!

 

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Ed discusses his work as a wealth advisor and shares how his time on the trading floor was every bit as competitive as his time as an athlete
  • How conversations with Ed Molitor reshaped Ed's thinking about his business, his career, and serving others
  • How Ed struggled with transitioning his career from the trade floor after 24 years, and how he worked through the challenge
  • How Ed learned to start conversations with others about the work he does, without allowing it to feel too "transactional" and awkward
  • How, through conversations with Ed Molitor and other eye-opening experiences, Ed was able to see his work in a new light as transformational for his clients
  • Where Ed still finds a strong sense of teamwork through the support staff he works with, and why it helps him do his best work
  • Why vulnerability, honesty, authenticity and integrity have been vital components of the work Ed does for his clients
  • Why Ed chose to focus on retirement planning, and why he decided to join Lakeside Wealth Management to help him with his development in that area
  • What advice Ed would offer to younger people who are considering going into wealth management and financial advisor careers
  • Why the way you treat others invariably comes back to you, and why doing your work with selflessness and giving can be enriching

 

Additional resources:  

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/edcheatham/

Website: www.lakesidewealth.com

23 Nov 2022Episode 163: Triathlons, Big Clients, and Luxury Cars with Jayne Edwards00:44:03

Jayne is the Account Director on the BMW Group at Wasserman leading on creating unique brand experiences and activating partnerships that deliver the brand's objectives and values.

Wasserman is a premier agency that handles some of the world’s most iconic athletes, artists, brands, properties, broadcasters, coaches, sports executives and influencers. Jayne recently finished up with a highly successful promotion for the NFL game at Allianz Arena in Munich. 

When she’s not designing branding events on a world scale, Jayne is busy training for competition. Jayne completed her first triathlon in 2016, but she eventually shifted from completing triathlons to competing in triathlons. 

This year, she’s qualified for the European and Ironman Age Group World Championships (3.8km swim, 180km bike, 42km run). Her triathlon kit has had a few upgrades, and her career is getting more dynamic and impactful. It’s gonna be a great year for Jayne!

We’re lucky to get to hear Jayne weigh in on branding and brand activation. She works where the rubber hits the road, and has deep insight about branding, events, and handling clients. Our conversation not only reveals current trends in the industry, but it also gives listeners a peek into what it’s like working behind the scenes at one of the premier agencies in the world (while also putting up savage times in triathlons). 

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • How to plan and execute events to make meaningful connections 
  • What to do to turn interpersonal connections into growth
  • Ways to prepare for a major competition/project/endeavor 
  • Strategies and systems for how to respond creatively to adversity 
  • Ways to improve communication with clients, superiors, and subordinates
  • Keys to building lasting relationships in fast-moving industries

Additional Resources:

18 Mar 2020Creating a Lifestyle of Consistent Success, with Mo Dadkhah00:53:35

After he opened his real estate law firm in the tough market of 2009, lawyer Mo Dadkhah thought it might be a good idea to earn his real estate license, too. One thing led to another, and now he runs both a law firm and a real estate brokerage.

Dadkhah, broker-owner at Main Street Real Estate Group, works with all categories of buyers, from entry level to luxury. During the past year, on the legal side, his team worked on a very large condo deconversion. The sellers were happy with the outcome, a big accomplishment considering they came to Dadkhah’s team after they were unhappy with the previous company they worked with and had lost faith in the process. “We advocated on behalf of the sellers and were able to get them to a closing within 60 days, a feat in and of itself,” he says.

A Chicago Association of Realtors Top Producer, Dadkhah has been featured on the cover of Top Agent Magazine, named a Power Player by CS magazine and included on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S. Most of his clients describe him as compassionate and hardworking. “I understand everyone’s search is a little bit different,” he says. “I tailor my attention to exactly what they need and work all hours of the day to get them the results they need.” Always accessible, Dadkhah knows a client’s home search is not happening only during business hours.

Being a lawyer affords Dadkhah the luxury of understanding the ins and outs of the process from both the real estate and legal sides. “I have always said that selling real estate is not rocket science,” he says. “Some agents will lead you to believe that you have to have some ‘it factor’ or some level of salesmanship. It really is about having a strong work ethic and the ability to stay consistent with your effort.”

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How and why as a young lawyer, Mo got into the real estate business in 2009...of all years
  • How a failure with a bad business partner drove Mo to create Main Street Realty
  • How Mo figured out that at Main Street they could do business better than most in the industry by doing good by the agents with coaching, training, and an incredible value proposition
  • Why self-awareness is so significant and how you can leverage it to plug your weaknesses in the hiring process
  • How Mo builds trust through leading by example, letting his people know that he cares about them, and coaching to their strengths
  • How one of the keys to Mo’s growth is the willingness to be continually improving through relationships, books, and studying the best which includes the incredible guests he has on his podcast/netcast AE Wheelhouse
  • How they drive a culture with an abundant mindset at Main Street which in turns empowers agents to help other agents
  • Why it is so important to figure out “The One Thing” that drives the individual Mo is coaching and how he breaks their goals down in such a way that they can focus on “Winning the Week.”
  • How focusing on time blocking has allowed Mo to be so successful in business, continue to serve his people, and pursue his passions of Jujitsu, auto racing, triathlons, and philanthropic endeavors
  • Why the key to being great in anything you do is consistency

Additional resources:

20 Oct 2021Episode 134: ​​Recruiter by Trade, Connector at Heart with Charlie Saffro00:45:14

Charlie has over 14 years of direct recruiting experience within the Logistics, Transportation and Supply Chain space and started CS Recruiting from the ground up over a decade ago. Today, she leads a team of over 25 and manages a multi-million dollar organization. As the President and Founder of CS Recruiting, she focuses on making meaningful connections to empower others to discover their full potential. Charlie has worked with many small to medium-sized businesses, as well as with Fortune 50 companies to help them identify the right talent for their organizational needs. Clients have included Third Party Logistics providers (3PL’s), Asset Based providers, Shippers (Manufacturers and Distributors) and Vendors to the industry (transportation technology/fleet solutions). CS Recruiting’s goal is to partner with clients and candidates to develop long-lasting relationships and make appropriate and time sensitive career matches. Charlie’s team of dedicated recruiters have experience filling positions of all levels; including C Level and Executive positions, Management roles and Independent Contributor seats.

Charlie is a dedicated yogi and encourages her clients and team to practice mindfulness in the workplace and beyond. She is also the mother of three boys and active in her community, volunteering with local organizations to support and empower females in the workforce.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • How to make your talent your competitive advantage
  • How you can drive loyalty with three simple steps
  • What the five core values are that drive everything CS Recruiting does
  • How their core value ‘Win Together’ helps celebrate the individuals’ victories while fueling the team’s overall success
  • What experiences helped shape Charlie’s leadership style
  • What the keys to retention are
  • Why Charlie believes it is so important to get to know your candidates on a personal level

Additional resources:

09 Jan 2019Episode 24: Finding Wisdom in Failure, with Sam Mallikarjunan00:50:54

Sam Mallikarjunan is Head of Marketing at BirdEye.com, a SaaS startup enabling small businesses to win at online marketing by leverage their most powerful content of all -- their happy customers. Sam is the former Head of Growth at HubSpot Labs and has taught Advanced Digital Marketing at Harvard University as well as Innovation Management and Marketing Analytics right here at the University of South Florida. With his energetic approach as a digital marketing instructor for multiple universities, Sam strives to provide students with a curriculum focused on frameworks for building modern growth engines. As a consultant, he brings an outsider's fresh perspective to guide seasoned teams to identify areas of opportunity and develop specific plans with attainable goals.

Sam is also co-author of the book How To Sell Better Than Amazon which is, thanks to the publisher, ironically available for purchase on Amazon.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How Sam's career path led him to his current position as the head of marketing at BirdEye
  • Sam shares the amazing story of his unconventional application to his previous employer, HubSpot
  • Why Sam chose to leave his great job with HubSpot because he felt he "had it way too easy"
  • What defining moments in Sam's life shaped his career path and his personal drive to succeed
  • Sam's thoughts on the controversial Nike marketing campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick
  • How hunger and desperation caused Sam to buy a "$36 burrito" before he found financial freedom
  • Why Sam wrote and shares an article, "A Horrendous Record of Failures You Won’t Find on My Resume"
  • Why Sam values the mistakes he's made throughout his career and the lessons he learned because of them
  • How Sam began helping Syrian refugees go into business selling their own handmade crafts
  • Why Sam attributes his successful career to developing the skills of simplification and focus

Additional resources:

 

05 Jul 2023Being Cowboy, Driving Resilience, and Embracing Accountability the PBR Team Series Way with Matt West00:49:34

With a passion for rodeo sports and a voice that is not often forgotten Matt West has worked diligently over the years to become a well-known personality in the Western sports world.

The native Oklahoman first began his career with the PBR in 2007 and quickly made a name for himself within the sport's Velocity Tour and Touring Pro Division. West's talent rapidly moved him along to work on the league's premier tour and the milestone of announcing his first PBR World Finals in Las Vegas in 2010.

Today, Matt is an integral part of the PBR team including appearing on RidePass, the sport’s 24/7 western sports digital network, and representing PBR in Canada, Australia, and other international markets.

In 2017, Matt fulfilled his lifelong dream of opening his own gym.  Westfit is a 24-hour fitness facility, located in his hometown, Nowata, Oklahoma.  Westfit’s primary focus is to provide a clean, fun, & positive environment to help people become the healthiest versions of themselves, possible.

When not on tour with PBR or at the gym, West announces a variety of notable rodeos and has expanded into non-rodeo events and broadcast work including his own unique podcast... As the host of the "Matt West Now” podcast, he dives into the lives of personalities from all walks of life, sharing life lessons and more with fans.

 

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • How the PBR Team Series has elevated the PBR Brand
  • How being part of a team and the accountability it brings impacts riders' performance
  • The values associated with cowboy culture such as hard work and respect
  • Why leading by example and working towards a collective vision of success is so significant
  • How the art of storytelling has impacted the sport and the individuals involved
  • The impact of overcoming self-limiting factors
  • How the resilience and determination of bull riders fuel their ability to overcome tragedy and continue competing
  • The new Amazon Original series "The Ride" and its portrayal of top bull riders balancing family, faith, and the cowboy lifestyle

 

Additional Resources:

27 Feb 2019Episode 31: Brain Chemicals and Business Leadership, with Mike Simonsen00:55:36

Mike co-founded Altos Research in 2005 and serves as the company’s CEO. He has 15 years of experience with software development and marketing of enterprise applications, and security products. In developing the Altos product offerings he applied his expertise in analytical systems development to a personal interest in the real estate market.

Prior to founding Altos Research, Mike was Vice President of Marketing and Product Management at network systems vendor Nevis Networks where he led the team from initial product concept through the company’s launch into the market. Before joining Nevis he led product management at Inkra Networks, and helped build the company’s innovative product line and contributed to the company’s successful sales into the largest datacenters in the world. Mike previously founded Potrero Networks and was director of product management at Lucent Technologies/INS VitalSuite division. He has a BS from the University of Nevada and an MBA from Chicago’s DePaul University.

Specialties: Real Estate Data, Real Estate Technology & Marketing
Startups and Entrepreneurship- Internet, software, and information

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How Mike’s career path started with a love for software, and how his real estate price model he created for himself turned into a successful company
  • How Mike realized the potential of his home price trend software and decided to begin selling it, and how far his software’s reach has gone
  • Why Mike realized that he wanted and needed more joy in his work, and what changes he made to his life to achieve joy
  • How the neurochemicals serotonin (confidence), dopamine (reward), oxytocin (love) and cortisol (anxiety) mix in your brain to change your mood
  • How Mike learned to control his levels to alter his mindset, and how his self-control has impacted his work
  • What your brain’s “default mode network” is, when it activates, and how it affects you and your behavior
  • How journaling helps Mike control his cortisol levels and better understand his feelings at the moment
  • How neurochemicals affect communication, and how communication, in turn, can alter your neurochemicals
  • How gratitude helps suppress your cortisol and allows your “good” neurochemicals to flow
  • What advice Mike has to offer to business professionals looking to start the internal process of taking control of their brain chemicals

How to contact Mike Simonsen:

23 Jan 2019Episode 26: The Importance of Leadership and Teamwork, with Tiffani Bova00:47:50

Tiffani Bova is the global customer growth and innovation evangelist at Salesforce and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Growth IQ: Get Smarter About the Choices that Will Make or Break Your Business Portfolio). Tiffani has appeared on MSNBC and Yahoo Finance and is a regular contributor to Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Marketing Matters on Wharton Business Radio - SiriusXM and HuffingtonPost in addition to a variety of industry-leading podcasts. She is a top influencer in Customer Experience, Digital Transformation, the Future of Work, and Sales, and she was recently recognized as one of Inc. Magazine’s 37 Sales Experts You Need to Follow on Twitter, a LinkedIn Top Sales Influencer, a Brand Quarterly Magazine Top 50 Marketing Thought Leader, and one of the most Powerful and Influential Women in California according to the National Diversity Council.

Tiffani also hosts the podcast What's Next! with Tiffani Bova which has featured guests from Arianna Huffington to Dan Pink, continues to rank as one of the top 100 business and marketing podcasts on iTunes, and won top Sales and Marketing Podcast by Top Sales Magazine in 2017.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How Tiffani started her career in sales before moving to marketing and customer service
  • How Tiffani's "super power" helps her understand the market and communicate with others effectively
  • What areas of communication Tiffani focused on when transitioning from sales to marketing
  • Why it's important to focus on what the customer wants, rather than what you and your company want
  • Why there needs to be teamwork between the sales and marketing teams, and why both are necessary
  • Why it's important to allow your staff to sometimes fail without feeling their jobs are at risk
  • Why a solid team requires not just excellent leadership, but also requires time and the desire to work together
  • What challenges Tiffani faced transitioning her career from sales, and how she overcame those challenges
  • How Tiffani uses "airplane time" to get caught up and to allow herself time to think and strategize
  • The process Tiffani used to write her book "Growth IQ", with the idea of being easily digestible and full of solid information

How to contact Tiffani Bova:

 

10 Mar 2021Episode 115: Impact, Inspire, Empower, with Holly B. Hunt00:44:59

Holly B. Hunt was raised in a rural North Georgia town, Elberton, Georgia, which is also known as “The Granite Capital of the World.”  The oldest of four children, she felt a natural inclination to take on the role of leader and caretaker from a young age.  A self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur, Holly has always looked for ways to grow and develop outside of her current circumstances.

She has 15 years of experience in telecommunication sales, sales management & operations, and more recently in sales strategy and programs for Comcast Business.  Holly joined Comcast in 2012, and currently serves as the Director of National Partner Programs for the Indirect Sales Channel for Comcast Business.  She graduated Cum Laude from the University of Georgia where she obtained two degrees, a Bachelor of Journalism in Public Relations and a Bachelor of Science in Education in Sports Studies.

Prior to Comcast, Holly spent time in sales roles at Cingular Wireless, AT&T, Wholesale Carrier Services, and Windstream.  She has also launched and operated a few small businesses including Athena Network Solutions, Your 180 Fitness, Hollywood’s Couture, and most recently her own personal brand, Holly B. Hunt.

She has served on the board of the Comcast Women’s Network ERG at HQ in the role of National Liaison for the past 2 years, and recently took on the Co-lead position. Holly is an active member of the Junior League and has held leadership roles in the Miami, Atlanta, and Philadelphia chapters.  She is currently serving as Chair for All Member Leadership Training in the Junior League of Miami.  She also volunteers with Back on My Feet Fort Lauderdale as a Career Coach and has spent time with other non-profits over the years.

Holly is passionate about motivating and inspiring others to achieve their full potential and make the most out of life.  She dedicates time mentoring several women and men at Comcast as they navigate their career journeys.  She frequently speaks with groups and organizations on topics such as building their brand, goal setting, and finding their purpose.

As we found ourselves forced into a challenging situation with quarantine due to COVID, Holly decided to be pro-active in keeping her co-workers and friends motivated and in a positive mindset.  She launched a “Mindfulness with Holly” call series for Comcast employees to get a dose of motivation and inspiration while working from home.  She also launched her own blog and brand, Holly B. Hunt, where she blogs about topics such as Building Resilience, Gratitude, Finding Focus, and Creating Balance.  You can follow her on her journey at www.hollybhunt.com

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How she turned the negativity of the pandemic into a positive for her career and her brand
  • Why it is so important to continue to invest in yourself
  • How she helped her Comcast family stay motivated and positive with her ‘Mindfulness with Holly’ series
  • What it meant to her when someone took a chance on her and how she was committed to not letting them down
  • What her gratitude journal does for her and how it helps drive her resiliency
  • How her upbringing empowered her to never doubt herself
  • What the great work she does with the Comcast Women’s Network means to her and all the members

Additional resources:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollybhunt/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holly_b_hunt/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hollybriannahunt

02 Dec 2020Episode #104: Developing a Powerful Coaching Philosophy, with Ed Molitor Sr. Part III00:56:32

Ed Molitor, Sr. has 42 years of experience as an educator, coach and motivator. A firm believer that life and athletics is a “Frame of Mind Game”, Ed has presented to hundreds of coaches and student-athletes at clinics and sports camps throughout the Midwest. He also taught graduate classes to teachers and coaches on such topics as peak performance, leadership, team building, sports motivation and mental strength training. Inducted into the I.B.C.A. Hall Of Fame in 1997, Ed also serves on the All-State selection committee. A consummate motivator, he has developed a unique plan for athletes of all ages to reach their potential. When applied, his insights into motivation and thought management will certainly make a difference in a person’s life. He has helped a countless number of athletes learn to balance the stress of competition and the other areas of their lives. They are able to transfer what they have learned into a life of self-discipline, self-control, self-confidence and peak performance.

Coaching Resume:

  • Head Basketball Coach Palatine High School, Palatine, Illinois 1976 – 2008
  • Head Basketball Coach Marist High School, Chicago, Illinois 1969 – 1976
  • Assistant Basketball Coach Marist High School, Chicago, Illinois 1968 – 1969
  • Assistant Basketball Coach DePaul Academy, Chicago, Illinois 1966 – 1968
  • Assistant Basketball Coach AA Illinois North All-Stars 1979 and 1992
  • Head Basketball Coach AA Illinois North All-Stars 1993
  • Assistant Coach for the Illinois Select AAU Team that defeated the Russian Junior National Team in 1988
  • Served on the Basketball Advisory Board for the I.H.S.A. 1985 – 1988
  • Serves on the I.B.C.A. All- State Board 1981-present
  • Inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1997
  • Conducted Basketball Camps throughout the Midwest 1973 – 2007

Teaching Resume:

  • Physical Education, Palatine High School, Palatine Illinois 1976 – 2008
  • Continuing Education Instructor for Pearson Professional Development, St. Xavier University, Chicago, Illinois 1990 – 2006
  • Biology, Health and Physical Education, Marist High School, Chicago, Illinois, 1968 – 1976
  • Biology, DePaul Academy, Chicago, Illinois 1966 -1968

Memberships:

  • Member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches
  • Member of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • What are four components that help drive your coaching philosophy
  • How your coaching philosophy helps shape the culture of your team, program, and organization
  • How Ed studied other coaches and built a coaching philosophy that was his own, so he was ready to go when he became a head coach
  • Why Ed believes that all behavior is meaningful, purposeful, and needs fulfillment
  • How your coaching philosophy needs to evolve over time while holding true to your values and never compromising what you stand for
  • Why it is so significant to not coach everyone the same way, yet treat them the same way
  • What are the four basic needs of every human and why is it so important to know which ones your people value the most on an individual basis
  • What are the key questions you can ask yourself as you build your coaching philosophy

 

 

04 Sep 2019Episode 55: Innovation in Cybersecurity, with Ray Rothrock00:47:10

In addition to CEO at RedSeal, seed investor mostly in cyber companies. Those include Area 1 Security, Synack, Tala, dTex, NS8, Mark43, Qwilt, RigUp, Planet, LumaHealth, Unbound Tech, Virgil, Cybrary, Halo Tech, and others.

Also, Rothrock is the author of “Digital Resilience” published by Harper Collins. It is a non-technical book for management, leaders and really just about anyone interested in getting control of their cyber threat and response in this age of the bad guys are in, now what?

What you’ll learn from this episode:

  • How Rothrock found a mentor at Texas A&M who helped him change industries and pursue technology in CA
  • Rothrock’s journey and the career path he ended up taking
  • How to become a leader in anything you do
  • The importance of tenacity, camaraderie, and celebrating together
  • Education’s role in Rothrock’s life, and how he is trying to pay it forward
  • Ray’s motivational keynote speech, Compound Interest
  • The importance of cybersecurity and how Red Seal is taking it a step further
  • Rothrock’s book, Digital Resilience, and what resilience means to him
  • What it takes to leave a legacy

Additional resources:

16 Feb 2022Episode 144: Psychological Safety In Leadership with Ed Molitor00:18:05

Ed Molitor discusses the importance of psychological safety and how cultivating a positive team climate will help you succeed as a better coach and business leader.

In the last 26 years, Ed Molitor has developed his leadership skills in athletics and business. From working as an NCAA Basketball coach at Texas A&M to becoming the Vice President of a national recruiting firm, Ed has taught countless athletes, coaches, and business leaders how to THINK, ACT, and EXECUTE at an elite level. As a result, Ed has a unique set of skills to deliver leaders across the country a purposeful, positive, energetic, and refreshing experience to unlock their true potential.

In 2016, Ed launched his company, The Molitor Group, to reach and add value to a larger sphere of ambitious individuals and help them achieve their goals every day. Through The Molitor Group, Ed has guided all leaders to achieve success. From entrepreneurs and executives to teams and companies, The Molitor Group empowers individuals and groups to achieve at the next level. Through Leadership Performance training, coaching, and speaking, Ed's goal is to supply people and organizations with the necessary tools to move forward from where they are now to where they want to be.

 

Psychological Safety (1:22)

Success in business and athletics is determined by consistently performing at a high level. When they wake up, leaders and coaches operate under extremely high pressure to perform, produce, and keep everyone depending on them happy. Every day, they have to figure out a way to be the voice and face that everyone on their team needs to see and hear. 

For some folks, it is a hard reality. This could be because they lack the skill set, confidence, or experience to meet the standard. When we feel that pressure, we can't project that onto our team members. As leaders, we have to find a way every day to translate the expectations and strategies into process and execution. 

One of the core ways to do this is to focus on value and psychological safety. Psychological safety is being able to show and employ oneself without fear of negative consequences for one's image, status, or career. It knows the team is safe from interpersonal risk-taking, and members feel accepted and respected. They can challenge the status quo without fear, producing a team-driven toward innovation. 

 

Building Psychological Safety (6:02)

Psychological safety starts with building the right mindset and behaviors. The key is to establish a positive climate where teammates value one another's contributions, care about each others' wellbeing, and input how the team carries out the work. As a team leader, you can catalyze by empowering other leaders in your organization and fellow teammates by reinforcing the behaviors expected by the rest of the team. 

As coaches, we have to remember that there are eyes on us at all times, and people who look up to us will see how we respond in certain situations, especially in conflict. They need to know they can trust us in times of adversary, and we're not going to turn our backs on our values the moment a situation turns heated. When you can create psychological safety, they know that they can trust you, even in moments of adversary, and you'll have their back. 

 

Take Action (13:40)

The best recruiters are the people you have right now. Psychological safety drives trust and trust drives everything else, including energizing your recruiting and extending your retainer. If people are happy, feel valued, and are doing work with value, they'll stay with you longer than anyone else. 

Psychological safety isn't the same as being soft. We model the leadership and values of our leaders, so your team is going to work smarter, harder, and as a more cohesive unit because they feel safe. Not to mention, they're going to have a lot more fun. When you stay committed to psychological safety, even in times of adversary or growth, it becomes a way of life.

 

Additional resources:

  • Email: ed@themolitorgroup.com

 

29 Aug 2018Episode 6: From Lineman to Businessman, with Hunter Goodwin00:55:41

Hunter Goodwin is an owner of Oldham Goodwin Group, LLC and currently serves as President and Chief Operating Officer. Hunter also serves in the capacity of Director of Hospitality.

Hunter is responsible for implementing the company’s business strategies, launching new ventures and initiatives, overseeing ongoing company operations, and developing synergistic business relationships. Hunter specializes in the asset management and development of commercial, multifamily, and hospitality properties utilizing his extensive experience in construction management and business operations. Hunter is responsible for the asset management and operations of all hospitality properties in his role as Director of Hospitality.

Prior to real estate, Hunter was a professional athlete for eight years and was a team captain for the Miami Dolphins from 1999-2000. He served as a Miami Dolphins representative to the Player’s Union from 2000-2001. Hunter served as a Fox Sports College Gameday Analyst in 2005 and was also a consultant commentator for the 2003 NFL Draft for KVET—Austin, Texas.

Hunter enjoys fishing, hunting, and lives in College Station, Texas, with his wife, Amber and two children.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Hunter’s playing career that included being an offensive lineman at Texas A&M from 1993 to 1996, being drafted by the Minnesota Vikings, and playing for the Miami Dolphins until a hip injury ended in his career in 2005
  • As “the best blocking tight end in the NFL,” Hunter focused on being a team player and devoting himself to each play
  • Hunter brought his focus and his team to hotel operations, as the president and COO of the Goodwin Group, a Texas commercial real estate company
  • The constant feedback and criticism Hunter experienced in the NFL that taught him to tackle problems head-on rather than stress over possibilities
  • How team sports create a level of accountability and transparency that’s also critical in the management of a successful business
  • Doing a job that society might have deemed as beneath you in order to be successful in business
  • The hard work Hunter had to do after his hip injury to not be seen as just an athlete and to be taken seriously in business
  • Why it’s less about intelligence that denotes success and more about consistency and drive
  • How a significant portion of business lies in mental strength: in the ability to turn feedback into effective change
  • How being around other successful people can teach you things that you didn’t first expect, about a variety of things
  • Why sometimes it requires tough love to get to where you want to be, especially if you have handicaps that you need to work through

Ways to contact Hunter:

01 Jul 2020Episode 85: Be Extraordinary - Make Them Believe, with Scott Davenport01:02:46

Coach Scott Davenport began his coaching career as a graduate assistant coach under Denny Crum at Louisville in 1984. He then moved on to VCU for one season as an assistant to Mike Pollio. He returned to the Louisville area as a high school head coach at Ballard High School where he'd stay for 10 seasons from 1986–1996. Davenport won a 1988 state championship team and later coached future NBA players DeJuan Wheat and Allan Houston.  Davenport returned to the Cardinals under Crum in 1996, and would stay on as an assistant coach for Rick Pitino until 2005, when he accepted the head coaching job at Bellarmine.

Since joining the Knights, Davenport has become the all-time wins leader at the school, and has led the team to six Great Lakes Valley Conference regular season titles and five conference tournament titles, along with 12 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament which includes four Final Four appearances (2011, 2012, 2015, 2017), and the 2011 national title.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • What the difference is between a vocation and an advocation
  • Why it is so important for your players to be your best recruiters
  • How it was coaches who shaped his life after he lost his father as a Nine-year-old.
  • What was it about him that convinced Rick Pitino to keep him as an assistant after Denny Crum retired
  • Why he believes it is so important to treat your people first-class
  • Why it is so important to pay attention to detail as a leader and what the impact will be on your people
  • Why, in his first team meeting after taking over at Bellarmine, he excused the four seniors and how that helped build the powerful culture which has helped them sustain an elite level of success
  • What it takes to create a culture where your people think “this is where I want to be.”
  • What the one thing is that extraordinary teams do

Additional resources:

20 Apr 2022Episode 149: Unwavering Commitment to Your Why with Steve White00:45:34

How does a poor kid from the housing projects make it to the corporate boardroom? For Steve White, it’s the result of an uncompromising attitude and work ethic.

President of Comcast’s West Division for eleven years, Steve launched his career in 1996 as Regional Vice President.

A commitment to his why and the influence of mentors enabled him to demonstrate consistent growth for his teams and divisions, which led to increasing leadership responsibilities.

Driven by continuous learning, radical responsibility, and unwavering commitment to excellence, Comcast’s West Division became a pacesetter by delivering industry-leading results.

Steve White was responsible for all Comcast Cable operations in the Western U.S., leading nearly thirty thousand employees, serving almost eleven million customers, and driving annual revenue of nearly $18 billion. If the West Division was a stand-alone company, it would be one of the top 150 companies in America.

Today, Steve serves the role of Special Counsel to the CEO of Comcast Cable, the largest division of Comcast Corporation and one of the top 20 companies in the U.S.

Giving back and paying it forward are two of Steve White’s life values. He has lived in Denver for more than ten years and champions causes related to family and education, such as the Denver Scholarship Fund. He serves on the board of directors for New Leaders, which focuses on the development of public school principals.

Steve recently published his masterpiece of a book, Uncompromising: How an Unwavering Commitment to Your Why Leads to an Impactful Life and a Lasting Legacy. Inspired by the lessons from every stage of life, and the people who influenced him along the way, form the basis of his overarching message: An uncompromising life is one where you stay true to what is important to you, what you believe in, and what you love.

An uncompromising approach to life means you are fiercely independent, radically responsible, scrappy, and possess an undistracted mindset. It also means you have an unwavering commitment to your fight, which is defined by your core values, passion, and purpose.

You uphold the courage of your convictions, stay locked in on your goals, get up when you fall and continue to forge ahead.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • Why finding your purpose is so important
  • How Steve’s hardships influenced his life and business core
  • How positive influence and reinforcement are essential to unleash potential 
  • How setting the bar of expectations right can be a powerful driver for growth
  • How to best support your team during leadership development
  • Why defining success is key before developing a plan
  • What the “7 Pathways” to success are

Additional Resources:

Website: https://www.stevewhitespeaks.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevewhiteinc/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SteveWhiteInc/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SteveWhiteInc 

 

Steve’s Podcast Appearances: https://www.stevewhitespeaks.com/appearances/ 

New Leaders Organization: https://www.newleaders.org/members/steve-white 


Uncompromising Book: 

Buy on Website 

Buy on Amazon

03 Oct 2018Episode 11: Taking Your Athlete Mindset Into the Business World, with Chris Smith00:46:10

Chris Smith, founder of Athlete Network, started Athlete Network with the belief, “Once an athlete, always an athlete.” The challenge some athletes face is the realization that they may not always be on a team or involved with a competitive athletic pursuit, However, their athlete mindset never shuts off. Athlete Network’s goal is to help their members understand and leverage their athlete mindset throughout all aspects of life. They do this by connecting athletes to the right employers, mentors, and motivating content, which allows them to stay focused, leverage their athlete mindset, and keep competing in life.

Born and raised in Hawaii, Chris not only grew up in one of most beautiful places in the world, but one of the most diverse as well. The Aloha Spirit of being friendly and willing to help anyone is in his DNA. Chris played football for the University of Hawaii and was part of their championship season in 1999, as well as for Missouri State University where he earned his degree in Entrepreneurship/Management.

Prior to Athlete Network, Chris gained extensive operational and sales experience within the pharmaceutical, finance, and investment banking industries. Still a competitive athlete, he recently completed his first Tough Mudder race. Chris founded Athlete Network because he believes athletes are at their best when constantly immersed in a challenge. Today’s online platforms are too generic and fall short at inspiring athletes to push past the status quo. By focusing on the right athlete attributes, Athlete Network is able to inspire and fuel the members’ driven lifestyles.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Chris Smith’s story of growing up in Hawaii and playing football for Missouri State University
  • How Chris handled the end of his football career and entered the business world with a Fortune 500 company
  • Why overconfidence led Chris to make changes in his career life and helped him better understand his wants and expectations
  • How Chris helps younger athletes define their own goals and recognize their talent and work ethic
  • What steps Chris took to mentally prepare himself to become an entrepreneur and how he started his business despite experiencing self-doubt
  • Why Chris became a mentor to his former teammates who were struggling to find their place after college
  • Why Chris had to face the difficult decision of replacing his staff as his business grew and changed
  • Why “Athlete Mindset” is a double-edged sword that can provide a drive for success but create problems in your personal and professional life
  • Why negativity and self-doubt are so destructive and why it’s important to channel your athlete mindset into more positive outlets
  • How faith and mentorship have helped Chris find success in his career, and why he in turn mentors others

Ways to contact Chris:

07 Aug 2019Episode 51: Live Every Moment, Love Beyond Words, and Laugh Every Day: Business Leadership Principles, with Claude Royster00:47:26

At Synchrony Financial, Claude Royster is the VP of Emerging Markets where he is responsible for driving dealer enrollment, sales growth and credit integration. In this role, Royster Provides innovation and thought leadership to drive profitability through managed portfolio industry segments, develops segmented sales, marketing and servicing strategies, and negotiates multi-year contracts for key programs. He also leads and develops teams of sales managers (direct reports) and matrix management.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

  • Claude Royster’s role as VP of Sales at Synchrony
  • How his background in college football formed the foundation for a business career
  • Why moving out-of-state and pushing the boundaries of his skillset helped paved the way to a leadership role
  • How Synchrony Financial is able to build leadership within their organization
  • The value of diversity and inclusion at Synchrony, and how it creates an environment for growth and development
  • How Royster facilitates a collaborative environment in client meetings to discover their true needs
  • The parallels between sports coaches and business mentors

Additional resources:

19 Feb 2020Episode 67: Empowering Your Leaders to Solve Problems and Help People, with Ron Alvesteffer00:43:45

During his tenure, Ron Alvesteffer has helped Service Express define its market and create a unique performance driven culture for employees. Service Express’s Core Value “to work with our employees to help them achieve their personal, professional and financial goals” creates opportunities for employee achievement and has led to outstanding individual and team performances resulting in individual and company success.

As a result, Service Express has been named one of the Best & Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation 5 years in a row. Service Express has also been named to the Inc. 5000 List of Fastest Growing Private Companies in America 10 of the past 11 years as well as one of the Top 25 Best Small Companies by Forbes Magazine.

Under Ron's leadership, Service Express has averaged double-digit revenue growth year over year and has expanded the geographic footprint nationally.

Ron implemented Service Express’ Performance Measurement System (SR5) which tracks monthly and quarterly goals and results.

A company focus on delivering exceptional customer service is the basis for Service Express’s industry leading Net Promoter Score of 84.

Ron authored the eBook, The Service Express Way – values and principles of a growing company. In it Ron shares the beliefs and philosophies, along with real-life stories from the field that have driven these remarkable results.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How Service Express’s BHAG OF $500 million in revenue makes them self-assess constantly in everything they are doing and…
  • How the BHAG is not about the #, rather it is about the opportunities the number presents
  • How Service Express develops their bench and why it is so important
  • Why it is so powerful when the leaders in the one hour Monday morning executive huddle share leadership lessons, best practices, and priorities for the week
  • Why he stresses to his leaders to get away from their laptops and get around their people to coach, teach, and mentor
  • How the way Dean Smith did things with the Carolina Way and John Wooden did things at UCLA ties into The Service Express Way and mission. Their focus wasn’t on winning games—the focus was on playing the game the right way, executing the fundamentals and then winning was a by-product.
  • How getting to know his people helps him decipher between a bad month and a trend and what action he takes based on what he figures out
  • Why he believes it comes down to solving problems and helping people
  • Why vulnerability is so key and the moment he finally bought into the value of asking for help
  • How you are actually robbing your people of the opportunity to show you they can help solve the problem when you keep the problem all to yourself as a leader....thinking you are protecting them
  • Shares a great Juwan Howard leadership story as told to him by a manager who was on the receiving end of that lesson

Additional resources:

19 May 2023Episode 172: Defying Limits and Inspiring Change with Bonner Paddock Rinn00:55:15

In 2008, Bonner Paddock summited Mount Kilimanjaro, the world’s tallest freestanding mountain. Four years later, he earned the elite triathlete title, Kona Ironman. Thousands have done each individually. Bonner is the first person with cerebral palsy to do both.

 

When Bonner was born, his umbilical cord had coiled twice around his neck, depriving him of oxygen, causing parts of his brain to die. That cord didn’t take his life, but it changed it forever.

 

Diagnosed in his youth, Bonner swore he wouldn’t let this neurological disorder limit him, and for twenty-nine years he guarded the truth about his health. But the sudden death of a friend’s young son who also suffered from CP forced Bonner to re-evaluate his life. No longer would he be content striving for normal. Instead, he would live life to its fullest, pursuing one breathtaking experience at a time—while raising money for special needs children along the way—and never turn down a challenge for fear of his physical limitations.

 

His monumental climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro was documented in the film Beyond Limits and helped raise money for the construction of a new childcare center in Orange County, providing early treatment for children with all types of physical disabilities. Bonner took his vision global and has been building more centers around the world to help children live better lives. When he completed the Kona Ironman… which is 140 miles of racing…. in 16 1/2 hours, he raised over $560,000 for special needs children.

 

His is a remarkable journey that has taken him across the globe and introduced him to a fascinating cast of characters who have supported his inspiring quest. An athlete, adventurer, and philanthropist, he is no longer defined by his limits, but by the moments that pushed him past them. Bonner's book, One More Step, shows us that we can all conquer our own challenges and embrace every moment life has to offer.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • The importance of finding the courage to move forward
  • Retrospecting life at every turn
  • Prioritizing your energy and time for people you value
  • How to continually challenge yourself toward improvement
  • The importance of seeking what your heart really wants
  • How life teaches you to face your fears

Additional Resources:

Learn more about Project Possible on:

Connect with Bonner Paddock on: 

03 Apr 2019Episode 35: Learning Life Lessons from Sports, with Dan Rioux01:01:24

Dan, originally from New Hampshire, attended Texas State University while on a baseball scholarship and graduated with a degree in Engineering Technology. After two years of playing professional baseball, Dan worked in the field of engineering and industrial sales but ultimately found his calling through a community friend in the Financial Services Industry with New York Life / NYLIFE Securities. He started as a Financial Services Professional in 2001 achieving Council for three consecutive years and was promoted to Partner in the Austin General Office in 2005. Dan was then promoted to Senior Partner in 2011 because of the hard work and dedication of the advisors he served. In March of 2014, Dan accepted the opportunity to become the Managing Partner of the Tacoma General Office for New York Life. After four successful years, the Rioux family decided Texas would be home for getting the kids through High School also starting his own firm, Synergy Partners Wealth Strategies – a firm of Financial Advisors for Advisors. Dan enjoys playing music and golf and is active in his community mainly through his commitment and leadership with the Rotary Club of Lakeway/Laketravis. Dan and his wife, Kristy, live in Lakeway, Texas and have three children, Taylor (15), Hunter (13), and Addison (10).

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • What valuable and difficult lessons Dan learned early in life that have served him throughout his career
  • Why Dan learned early in his baseball career to do whatever it takes to be a part of the team
  • How Dan struggled with anger and frustration in his last year of baseball and quit, and why that led him to depression and sadness for a few years afterward
  • Why Dan believes that the organization and structure of children’s sports today can hold kids back from the positive aspects of playing
  • What topics Dan covers in his upcoming book and how they relate to the “business” of kids’ sports
  • What advice Dan would offer to a parent concerned that his or her child is falling out of love with sports
  • How children can learn to deal with adversity through sports, and why those formative lessons are important to allow kids to learn
  • How Dan’s company, Synergy Partners Wealth Strategies, hires people in large part based on whether they’re coachable
  • Why creating a “safe” environment allows people to make mistakes, learn, and take ownership of their work
  • What Dan’s podcast is about, why he decided to start it after writing his book, and what high-profile guests he’s been able to have on his podcast

Additional resources:

04 Aug 2021Episode 125: Managing the Worry Circle, with Ted Simendinger01:00:07

Ted Simendinger, President and CEO of Ocean Palmer and Associates is a globally experienced leadership coach with expertise in behavior-based talent development, executive and Millennial coaching, change management, sales problem-solving, and sales excellence. He has extensive global experience solving complex organizational and performance challenges that enable quick, relevant repositioning for greater success. Ted utilizes strategic planning, private coaching, and classroom facilitation at multiple levels to explain, teach, and develop high-performance diversity talent and inclusionary cultures.

Ted is also the founder of the No Bats Baseball Club which is a baseball-related charity organization that has raised over $2Million with an incredible group of good men, doing good things, for the right reasons.

A former #1 salesman with Xerox and top senior instructor at the Xerox International Training Center for Management Development, Ted has extensive experience in designing and updating curriculum.

An accomplished and respected award-winning author and speaker, Ted has guested on network TV talk shows coast-to-coast and has been featured on over 3,500 global radio stations.

Considered one of the world's foremost teachers on the subject of "Worry," Ted's popular life skills book "Managing the Worry Circle: How to Improve Your Life by Worrying Less" -- written under his pen name "Ocean Palmer" -- is utilized around the world. He is also an expert on The Impact of Technology on Behavior & Happiness.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  1. What exactly is the 'No Bats Club'.
  2. How he built a baseball-related charity organization that has raised over $2Million with an incredible group of good men, doing good things, for the right reasons.
  3. What surrounding himself with the best during his time at Xerox did for him professionally.
  4. How identifying his true north drove Ted to teach vital business concepts in a life skills format.
  5. How he became a worry expert.
  6. What are the three types of things we worry about.
  7. Who is Ocean Palmer.
  8. What type of learning resonates with adults and how do you make the teaching help them do a deep dive into their heart.
  9. How he helps others get to a good place between their head and heart.

Additional resources:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ted-simendinger-b346316/

https://oceanpalmer.com/

http://www.nobats.com/

01 Mar 2023Episode 168: Coaching Is Hard: Applying the Spirit of Competition to Business00:19:22

Ed is a coach down to the very smallest molecule of his DNA.

Whether he's a husband and father at home or working with a client in the business world, he is an energized, passionate, and near-obsessive coach who is fully invested in showing up with all he's got to help you show up with all you've got. His approach is one that insists on presence. He knows no other way to catalyze change except by getting on the court with you, playing side-by-side, and encouraging you to keep pushing, especially when the going gets tough.


In the last 29 years, Ed has developed his leadership skills in both athletics and business. From working as an NCAA Basketball coach at Texas A&M, DePaul NIU, and Lewis University to becoming the Vice President of a national recruiting firm, Ed Molitor has experienced the potential and pitfalls of leadership at every level.
As the founder and CEO of The Molitor Group, today Ed guides emerging and established leaders across biopharma and biotech to apply the proven lessons of coaching in their pursuit of inspiring and driving their team’s performance.


Through personalized training, workshops, keynote speeches, his writing, and as a podcast host, Ed seeks to empower individuals and their organizations to achieve victory through a focus on transformation, fundamentals, compassion, mental toughness, and vision.


Ed graduated from St. Ambrose University with a B.S. in Business Administration and a minor in Economics where he was a member of the Men’s Basketball team serving as the co-captain his Senior year. Before St. Ambrose, he studied business at Creighton University where he played on the Men’s Basketball teams which included a 1989 MVC Regular Season and Tournament Champions, NCAA Tournament, and a 1990 NIT Tournament.

What you’ll learn in this episode:
  • How to turn a hatred for losing into a strategy for winning
  • Why it is important to face losses and recover from emotional setbacks
  • What are the benefits of being brutally honest with yourself
  • How to analyze your failures
  • How to communicate positively regardless of the conversation’s difficulty
Additional resources:
30 Jan 2019Episode 27: The Critical Skill of Persistence, with Rob Emrich00:40:48

Rob Emrich is a serial entrepreneur and the CEO of Gimbal Inc. Gimbal Inc. is a marketing technology that unites the physical and digital worlds. The company counts over 10,000 end customers, from global giants like Ford, Citibank, Walgreens to small neighborhood businesses.  Gimbal has received over $90 million in investment from institutions like Qualcomm, AEG, Zebra Technologies, and SK Group.

The company was recognized for its remarkable growth #66 on the Inc 500 and #34 on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500. Before Gimbal, Rob started five other ventures and has a lifetime record of 4 wins and 1 loss. Rob has been featured in the The New York Times Bestselling book The Lean Entrepreneur & 21 Questions for 21 Millionaires. He has been recognized by the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and ‘Forty under 40′ (at age 25).

He is an active member in the Young Presidents’ Organization and a member of the Digital Advisory Committee at The Alliance for Audited Media. Rob has done more community service than courts demand of white-collar criminals. In addition to serving on corporate boards, Rob has sat on nonprofit and community boards of various Jewish organizations, The Tobacco Public Policy Center, The Alliance for Nonprofit Insurers, the PBS Documentary on Pediatric Cancer A Lion in the House, and continues his philanthropic work with his family through The Emrich Foundation, a donor-advised fund at The American Endowment Foundation.

Rob received a scholarship to attend The Ohio State University Honors Program, and graduated with Research Distinction. He loves adventure travel and backcountry camping and has walked over 1,000 miles of the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to New York.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How the loss of his sister at a young age to pediatric cancer altered the person Rob would become later in life
  • How a terrifying experience overseas taught Rob an important lesson on the value of persistence
  • Why Rob's entrepreneurial interests cause him to keep going back to the crazy life of startups
  • What lessons Rob has learned from his wins and losses he has experienced throughout his career
  • How stubbornness and resilience helps drive Rob, and his views on competitiveness and fear of failure
  • How Rob works to maintain focus on his goals, and how he course-corrects when he does lose focus
  • Why it's important to rise to your challenges, to be willing to learn new things, and to adapt to changes
  • Why Rob had to overcome the mindset he was raised with, where finances were never discussed aloud
  • How to familiarize yourself with a subject well enough to operate, without expecting yourself to become an expert
  • Why Rob considers, "The Hard Thing About Hard Things" by Ben Horowitz to be essential reading

How to Contact Rob Emrich and Additional Resources:

11 Aug 2021Episode 126: How to Be Where Your Feet Are with Scott O'Neil00:43:11

Scott O’Neil is the formerChief Executive Officer of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, an organization with the mission of building passionate, high-performing teams that inspire people to enhance the communities where its teams live, work, play and win.

With more than 20 years of experience in the NBA, NHL and NFL, O’Neil has earned a reputation as a leader of leaders and is one of the most connected, dynamic and driven executives in the industry today. Previous executives whom he has mentored and managed run many of the top organizations in sports and entertainment today; those he currently manages are poised to lead the industry into the next generation.

O’Neil’s reputation for authentic leadership, unparalleled drive to innovate and emphasis on the importance of corporate culture has placed him at the forefront of the industry vanguard. In merely six years overseeing operations for the properties in HBSE’s portfolio, O’Neil led the Philadelphia 76ers to sign the first jersey patch sponsorship in “Big Four” sports history; construct the most technically advanced training complex in professional sports, the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex; establish an industry-leading Innovation Lab, and become the first U.S. professional sports franchise to acquire a world-renowned esports team. In that same period, under O’Neil’s ambitious and aggressive leadership, Prudential Center has become a top seven and top five most-played venues in the U.S. and the world by Billboard and Pollstar, respectively, and welcomes over 1.75 million fans and event attendees through its doors annually.

As former President of Madison Square Garden Sports, O’Neil was the key architect in some of the largest venue sponsorship deals in history while overseeing iconic sports properties including the New York Knicks (NBA) and New York Rangers (NHL). O’Neil spent seven years as the Senior Vice President of the NBA’s renowned Team Marketing and Business Operations group, where he advised NBA, WNBA, and NBA Gatorade League teams on all business operations, CRM Department and NBA Canada business. Earlier in his career, O’Neil served as the President of HoopsTV.com and held positions with the Philadelphia Eagles (NFL) and New Jersey Nets (NBA).

For almost a decade, O’Neil has served as an Alternate Governor for the NBA and NHL. In 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 the Philadelphia Business Journal named O’Neil to their “Power 100” list of the “most influential people” in the greater Philadelphia region; he additionally received Philadelphia Business Journal’s “Most Admired CEO” honor in 2018. In 2019, The Hockey News named O’Neil No. 37 on their list of “100 People of Power and Influence.” In 2019, Hashtag Sports honored O’Neil with an award for “Leadership in Supporting Diversity in Sports.” Sports and technology outlet, SportTechie, named O’Neil as 2017’s “Most Innovative Executive”; in 2016, Philadelphia Magazine declared him one of the “Most Innovative Leaders” in Philadelphia. He has been twice named to The NJBiz “Power 100” list. As a young executive, O’Neil was thrice recognized at Sports Business Journal’s acclaimed “Forty Under 40” Awards; launching him into the publication’s renowned “Hall of Fame.” He additionally received “Forty Under 40” honors from Adweek and Sporting News in 2006 and 2005 respectively.

O’Neil’s influence and experience have earned him a place at the podium at some of the largest industry conferences in the world, delivering keynotes at events such as: Leaders in Sport, Beyond Sport, Sports Business Journal’s World Congress of Sport, the IEG Pivot Conference, the Ivy Sports Symposium, Sports Marketing Association’s Conference and more. O’Neil’s leadership practices have been chronicled and applauded in The Outward Mindset by the Arbinger Institute, publishers of The New York Times Best Seller, Leadership and Self Deception, The Orange Revolution by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton, and Potato Chip Ticket Sales by Kathy Burrows. He has made numerous appearances on CNN, CNBC, FOX Business Network, and has twice co-hosted Bloomberg television’s Bloomberg. He also interacts daily with his nearly 20,000 Twitter and 35,000 LinkedIN followers. He serves on the boards for the March of Dimes, Zoomi Inc., the Sixers Youth Foundation and the Sixers Innovation Lab.

O’Neil earned his bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Villanova University and his master’s in Business Administration from Harvard Business School. He currently resides in Pennsylvania with his wife, Lisa, and three daughters.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • What went into Scott’s decision to step down as CEO at Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment
  • What the event was that drove Scott to start writing and how that eventually turned into his incredible book ‘Be Where Your Feet Are’
  • How Scott came to embrace being a builder and a change agent 
  • What holds the most meaning for Scott from his time at HBSE
  • How you can accomplish anything in your organization when you have incredible people and an extraordinary culture
  • Why the trip Scott took to Mozambique with his daughter to help build schools was so powerful
  • Why it is powerful to recognize when the people you have hired have developed greater expectations of the culture than you have for it and to step back and let them take things to the next level

Additional resources:

Scott O’Neil’s book- Be Where Your Feet Are

Scott O'Neil's LinkedIn

Scott O'Neil's Twitter

 

26 Jan 2022Episode 142: Falling in Love with the Process with Paul Shirley01:04:34

Guest Bio:

A National Merit Scholar and engineering major at Iowa State University, Paul Shirley played for 17 professional basketball teams in a nine-year career, including stops in Spain, Greece, Russia, and three teams in the NBA. 

He's the author of three nonfiction works: Can I Keep My Jersey?, Stories I Tell On Dates, and The Process is the Product. His first novel, Ball Boy, came out in February of 2021. In addition, Paul is the founder of The Process, which helps workers find structure, accountability, and community online and in person.



Show Notes:

Getting Started in Sports (2:20)

Paul got his start in Engineering because it seemed like a practical way to show he was taking something seriously. He was raised in Kansas in a small town, and his family set up a basketball hoop outside the house, and Paul found this meditative state when out there playing. Basketball allowed him to be or act however he wanted as a free expression. 

When he got to Iowa State, he realized he was behind many of his teammates. It was a great team, and his best chance of getting on the court was to be the hustler. He didn't do much shooting in his college days, which contrasts significantly with the end of his professional career. Adaptation is critical, and he attributes his success in sports to his ability to be what the team needed at the time.

 

Finding a Passion for Writing (13:40)

Before he got into sports as a kid, he was a big reader, and it never occurred to him he could write his own stories. He started writing emails and blog posts for the Suns and found a way to communicate with people that allowed him introspection. He struggled in his post-basketball career with being himself, and it took him years to get in touch with what he values. As he ages, there's a lack of caring that comes with it that makes being himself easier. 

When working on the TV adaptations of his writing, he found that there were a lot of changes made to the story, and it became increasingly hard to stick to the one he'd hoped to tell. In many ways, his instincts were correct, but he started to cave in areas because of a lack of confidence. 

 

Embracing Change (30:00)

We all fall victim to a tendency to lose steam around our self-belief. To grow and self-modify, we need to be open to new information and criticism. But if we're too receptive, it can turn into self-doubt. That war is just part of it, and it won't ever go away. But, as you continue on your path, you'll get better at it and develop more effective coping mechanisms. So, when you fail, give yourself time to wallow and then rebuild your strategy. 

There are so many opportunities for failure in sports, which was a great training ground for Paul's post-career. Getting cut from teams, going to countries that didn't work out, and last-minute fall-throughs were a constant battle, but it gave Paul the chance to wallow, regroup, and prepare for the next step. The baseline systems we have in our daily lives carry us back to stasis after a big failure, so it's vital we have those systems in place. There's no one way to do it: it's finding the routine that works best for you as an individual. 

 

Falling in Love with the Process (44:54)

What we have to have is an everyday sense of satisfaction. We're all searching for a deeper meaning, but the truth is that day-to-day is all there is, and we'll never get away from it. There's no number of wins or milestones that will make us happy; if we can't figure out what we love about our day-to-day, we're in trouble. But hard work and joy don't have to be mutually exclusive. 

The truth about life is that where you're going is constantly changing, what you initially set out to accomplish might not always be realistic for who you are or what you're good at, and that's okay. In his books, Paul hopes his readers achieve demystification and build the systems and routines necessary to set themselves up for success. It's not as hard as it can seem.

Listen to Paul Shirley now and start falling in love with your process today!

 

Additional resources:

16 Mar 2022Episode 146: Building a Solid Career Path with Joe Allen00:56:28

Joe Allen comes from a background of athletics, he played a very unique position that demanded a lot of character and selflessness as an offensive alignment. At a young age, he developed a solid work ethic and a passion to build people as a leader. 

Joe graduated from the University of Notre Dame and one year after, in a not-so-great job market for graduates, he started his first job at CCC Intelligent Solutions as a part of the first estimating product team, and ever since has held numerous leadership positions across CCC markets in management, product, and national account roles. 

Today, he is General Manager and Senior Vice President of the Automotive Services Group (ASG) where the company is powering automotive repair facilities, suppliers, and independent appraisers through connected solutions that deliver real ROI.

He is responsible for leading strategic growth of the ASG segment while aligning business goals to meet customer needs through CCC’s advanced cloud-based SaaS platform of digital and data service solutions leveraging the latest in AI, IoT, telematics, customer experience, and digital workflows.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • How the mentality of trying to make everybody else successful aligns the business.
  • The power of embracing your position to move forward.
  • What the fundamentals are of value articulation.
  • Why a career path is more like a zig-zag than a straight line and how to look forward while being present.
  • How to get team members to take voluntary ownership.
  • How to pull the untapped potential from your team members.
  • Why Joe is so committed to transforming managers into coaching leaders.
  • What the transcendental benefits are of creating learning environments.
  • How to increase your talent retention in times of crisis.

Additional resources:

CCC Intelligent Solutions: www.cccis.com

St. Rita Of Cascia High School: www.stritahs.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-allen-5a77147/ 

Christmas Without Cancer: www.christmaswithoutcancer.org

24 Aug 2022Episode 158: Facilitating Action and Creating Change with Laura Waters-Brown00:48:50
  • Women in sports – as participants, fans, and consumers – face inequities that demand new solutions from all angles of the industry. Laura Waters-Brown works daily to connect challenges to solutions, and build a career around creating tangible, positive change.

    Laura is responsible for the day-to-day relationship development, strategic planning, and project coordination of The Collective Think Tank: a global consortium of academics, brands, and properties committed to using research to make sustainable progress for women in sports.

    Prior to joining Wasserman, Laura worked for the PGA TOUR from 2016 to 2020. During those five years, her responsibilities included: identifying and monitoring digital trends and social media platforms to increase tournament ticket sales and revenue; and overseeing website communications, social media presence, and digital advertising for the TOUR’s flagship tournament, THE PLAYERS Championship.

    She also spent three years with the Cleveland Browns as a Digital Business Coordinator, where she oversaw website and social communications, as well as sponsorship development and digital revenue generation. Recognized as a digitally savvy professional – fluent in multiple media and social platforms – Laura has earned the trust of her peers, colleagues, and teams based on her ability to reimagine and energize engagement levels within global environments and communities.

    Fueled by her mother’s involvement in public service and civic engagement, Laura has a strong faith and passion for equity and inclusion. She’s involved in several professional and community groups and associations, including her Chair duties on the National Sports Forum’s Business of Diversity in Sports and Entertainment (BDSE), of which she has been a member for more than 5 years.

    An Ohio native, Laura received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing from South Carolina State University and an MBA and Master’s degree in Sports Administration from Ohio University. She enjoys music, and sharing love and laughter with family, friends, and her dog EZ. Laura, inspired by the scripture Mark 9:23, believes that anything is possible to those who believe.

    What you’ll learn in this episode:

    • How to identify who you need on board to create positive change
    • How you show your purpose through your actions
    • Why it is so powerful when you don't care who gets the credit
    • How to encourage your team members to bring their most honest and authentic selves 
    • How The Collective Think Tank drives positive changes for equity among women in organizations
    • What is the biggest challenge event marketers face today for Gen Z
    • What is the key element that helped Laura excel in her roles as the Digital Business Coordinator of The Browns and with the PGA Tour
    • How Laura uncovered her career path

    Additional resources:

    Connect with Laura:

    About The Collective at Wasserman:

30 Sep 2020Episode 96: Always be Evolving, with Mark Simendinger00:48:45

Kentucky Speedway Executive Vice President and General Manager 

Mark has served as General Manager of Kentucky Speedway since it was acquired by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., in 2009. As President under the original track ownership, he played a primary role in the planning, development and operation of the facility dating back to the track’s inception and first race in 2000. He is the former president of Turfway Park Race Course, a Thoroughbred track in Florence, KY. Mark also served as President of Carroll Properties, a commercial real estate development company and was a long-time associate of speedway founder Jerry Carroll. Mark has owned and bred several Thoroughbreds in partnership with Hall of Fame jockey Steve Cauthen. Mark graduated with a degree in accountancy from the University of Notre Dame. He and his wife, Lori, reside in Edgewood, KY and are the parents of five children and six grandchildren.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  1. Why it is so critical right now to figure out how do we do things better than we did before
  2. How he came to find the perfect location for Kentucky Motor Speedway
  3. How the ability to constantly being able to evolve and change has been such a significant factor in Mark’s amazing career
  4. How your professional career can sometimes be like a punt return and you have to make the most of catching a good break
  5. What are the three non-negotiables that the team at Kentucky Speedway have which enables them to be such a successful team
  6. What were some of the forced changes at Kentucky Speedway and how did Mark and his team do the best they could with those situations

Additional resources:

Your Facebook Profile: Msimendinger

Your Twitter Name: @msimendinger

 

25 Nov 2020Episode 103: Celebrate What You Have, with Ed Molitor00:25:18

In the last 26 years, Ed Molitor has developed his leadership skills in both athletics and business. From working as an NCAA Basketball coach at Texas A&M to becoming the Vice President of a national recruiting firm, Ed has taught countless athletes, coaches, and business leaders how to THINK, ACT, and EXECUTE at an elite level. Ed has a unique set of skills to deliver leaders across the country a purposeful, positive, energetic, and refreshing experience to unlock their true potential.

In 2016, Ed launched his company, The Molitor Group, in order to reach and add value to a larger sphere of ambitious individuals and help them achieve their goals every day. Through The Molitor Group, Ed has guided all types of leaders to achieve success. From entrepreneurs and executives to teams and companies, The Molitor Group specializes in empowering individuals and groups to achieve at the next level. Through Leadership Performance training, coaching, and speaking, Ed’s goal is to supply people and organizations with the necessary tools to move forward from where they are now to where they want to be.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Why perspective is so important during adversity
  • How to operate from a place of gratitude during adversity
  • How gratitude helps us work through anxiety
  • How Thanksgiving Day his freshman year at Creighton forever changed the way he approached gratitude….how to feel it, how to express it, how to share it, and what impact it has on our relationships
  • Why those who come from a place of gratitude experience greater success growing through adversity
  • What does it mean to be All-In on expressing gratitude
  • How to take gratitude to the next level

Additional resources:

21 Jun 2023Creative Leadership: Thriving in a Changing Industry with Tim Hogan00:44:38

Tim Hogan is a creative leader that helps companies find their voice in the connected world, adapting to the ever-changing media landscape, always seeking new ways to enhance brand experiences. 

He is currently the CCO of Tim Hogan Creative. His most recent role was as executive creative director of WundermanThompson’s Los Angeles office, where he headed up creative for some of the agency’s largest clients: including Microsoft and Snapchat.

Tim specializes in building diverse, cross-disciplinary teams, tailored to the needs of business and has done so at agencies like Ogilvy and R/GA, where he brought a systems-focused approach to activating global brands including Kimberly Clark, Unilever, SC Johnson and Constellation Brands. 

For ten years, Tim was partner in a startup cross-media agency called The Royal Order of Experience Design. The digital-first agency focused on human-centered design before it had a name, connecting the dots between digital and retail by creating solutions for Patagonia, Kohler, Crate & Barrel, Orvis, NatureMade, Gogo and many more.

 His work has been recognized by award shows and publications including the American Institute of Graphic Arts, Graphis, Communication Arts, Strathmore, W3, Print Magazine and South by Southwest Interactive.

As a member of the American Institute of Graphic Arts and the Society of Typographic Arts, he is a frequent competition judge, student portfolio reviewer and guest speaker. He has served on the board of The Boulevard, an organization committed to breaking the cycle of homelessness in Chicago, EPIC (Engaging Philanthropy, Inspiring Creatives) which pairs creative professionals with nonprofit clients, and Mudlark Theater which allows young people making real theater.

He lives in Evanston, IL with his wife and three children, and when not working can usually be found riding one of his bicycles or coaching youth sports.

 

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • How to embrace and implement sound creative leadership for impactful results
  • How to stay resilient during difficult times by relying on trusted individuals and reframing situations creatively
  • Why it is important to prioritize a clear brief for sharper, faster, and targeted ideas
  • How to navigate the challenges of identifying your value proposition and differentiating yourself from others
  • How to distill problems into simple truths and how this leads to bigger ideas
  • Why it is important to pressure-test ideas before committing to them
  • How to establish an emotional connection and trust with customers and build long-term business relationships
  • How to achieve the delicate balance between standing up for creative ideas and maintaining good business relationships

 

Additional Resources:

 

31 Jul 2024Building a Legacy Through the Little Details of Leadership with Mike Buddie00:55:43

Mike Buddie is in his fifth year as the Director of Athletics at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Buddie leads the athletic department's mission to develop leaders of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country, supporting Cadet-Athletes' 47-month experience at West Point. Under his leadership, Cadet-Athletes have achieved four Rhodes Scholars, 10 conference championships, NCAA postseason appearances, and 12 Patriot League Coach of the Year honors.

In December 2023, private funding was secured to begin the Michie Stadium Preservation Project in Spring 2024, expected to complete in Summer 2026, preserving Michie Stadium’s 100-year history. Buddie played a key role in Army's move to the American Athletic Conference for football only in 2024, enhancing the program's opportunities.

In September 2023, Buddie introduced the "Fruits of Victory" strategic plan, focusing on competitive successes, a premier Division I athletic experience, public engagement, revenue generation, and sustainability. He also announced contract extensions for six Army head coaches, including Jeff Monken for football.

AWPAA extended its partnership with CBS Sports Network for Black Knights football home games and continues facility enhancements, including the $95 million Michie Stadium Preservation Project. Buddie, also NCAA Baseball Committee Chair, has built national relationships leading to an extension with Nike and Bowl partnerships.

Before West Point, Buddie led Furman University’s athletics, achieving significant successes, including a balanced budget, major financial gifts, and 26 Southern Conference Championships. Previously, he spent a decade at Wake Forest University. Buddie, a former MLB pitcher, played for the New York Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers.

A native of Berea, Ohio, Buddie and his wife, Traci, have two children, Zachary and Zoe.

What You’ll Learn in this Episode: 

  • The labor of love being done through the Michie Stadium Preservation Project
  • The value of authenticity and consistency in leadership
  • How Mike’s athletic background instilled a strong work ethic
  • The impact of genuine actions and attention to small details
  • The importance of constantly seeking knowledge and improving skills
  • How clear and honest communication helps build strong relationships and trust
  • How having a clear purpose and being driven by it provides motivation and direction
  • The value of adapting and responding positively to setbacks and turning challenges into opportunities
  • Mike’s mission to create a lasting impact in the lives of athletes through meaningful experiences and memories

Additional Resources: 

28 Jul 2021Episode 124: VICTORY Defined, with Ed Molitor00:31:51

In the last 26 years, Ed Molitor has developed his leadership skills in both athletics and business. From working as an NCAA Basketball coach at Texas A&M to becoming the Vice President of a national recruiting firm, Ed has taught countless athletes, coaches, and business leaders how to THINK, ACT, and EXECUTE at an elite level. Ed has a unique set of skills to deliver leaders across the country a purposeful, positive, energetic, and refreshing experience to unlock their true potential.

In 2016, Ed launched his company, The Molitor Group, in order to reach and add value to a larger sphere of ambitious individuals and help them achieve their goals every day. Through The Molitor Group, Ed has guided all types of leaders to achieve success. From entrepreneurs and executives to teams and companies, The Molitor Group specializes in empowering individuals and groups to achieve at the next level. Through Leadership Performance training, coaching, and speaking, Ed’s goal is to supply people and organizations with the necessary tools to move forward from where they are now to where they want to be.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • What Giannis Antetokounmpo’s perfect answer was to a question about how he keeps his ego in check
  • What lesson you can learn from Bryson DeChambeau’s response to his struggles off the tee during The Open
  • What we can learn from the current state of college athletics as it pertains to success being measured differently by individuals in the same organization
  • Why it is so important for you to clearly define what VICTORY means to you
  • What the seven pillars of VICTORY are and what each one means
  • What the five fundamentals of a high-impact coaching are and how they go hand-in-hand with VICTORY
  • Why VICTORY undefined is VICTORY unfulfilled

Additional resources:

26 Jun 2019Episode 46: Tax Planning Strategies for Pro Athletes and Professionals, with Robert Raiola00:33:30

Robert Raiola is the Director of the Sports and Entertainment Group and has over 20 years of sophisticated tax experience in both the public and private sectors. He provides tax planning strategies and business consulting to high net worth individuals and their families in the sports and entertainment field. Robert is widely known as the “Sports Tax Man” and has a following of approximately 50,000 on Twitter where there is a lively exchange of various sports, entertainment and tax topics.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Robert’s background and how he knew he wanted to be in the sports entertainment industry
  • How Robert keeps up within the fast-paced industry of sports and all the laws in different states
  • How Robert rose to become an expert in the sports industry and building his platforms
  • Best opportunity Robert received due to his marketing strategy
  • How Robert educates his clients and athletes around finances through social media and as a client relationship
  • The lack of education for high-profile athletes around their finances
  • Importance of understanding the taxes broadcasters have to pay from state to state
  • Different requests that Robert used to receive as tax write-offs
  • Challenges California pro sports teams have to maneuver to bring in top athletes at the top dollar
  • Benefits of getting money up front and not into your salary as a pro athlete
  • How much lobbying goes on within the state government form pro franchises to try to shape the tax laws
  • The two states Robert believes are the best states for pro athletes
  • An example of why a gross paycheck may not be the best net paycheck
  • How much time Robert spends on Twitter
  • An overview of how Trump's new tax laws change how expenses are written off
  • Advice Robert would give to upcoming graduates about

Additional resources:

02 Oct 2019Episode 58: Shifting the Paradigm from Manager to Coach, with Ed Molitor00:23:29

In the last 26 years, Ed has developed his leadership skills in both athletics and business. From working as an NCAA Basketball coach at Texas A&M to becoming the Vice President of a national recruiting firm, Ed has taught countless athletes, coaches, and business leaders how to THINK, ACT, and EXECUTE at an elite level. Ed has a unique set of skills to deliver leaders across the country a purposeful, positive, energetic, and refreshing experience to unlock their true potential.

In 2016, Ed launched his company, The Molitor Group, in order to reach and add value to a larger sphere of ambitious individuals and help them achieve their goals every day. Through The Molitor Group, Ed has guided all types of leaders to achieve success. From entrepreneurs and executives to teams and companies, The Molitor Group specializes in empowering individuals and groups to achieve at the next level. Through Leadership Performance training, coaching, and speaking, Ed’s goal is to supply people and organizations with the necessary tools to move forward from where they are now to where they want to be.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Shifting the paradigm from a management mindset to a coaching mindset
  • The three key things that establishing trust in a coaching relationship will allow you to do
  • How to maximize your impact on the people you lead
  • The importance of showing genuine care for your team members
  • Impacts of great coaching in the long run
  • What it truly means to love what you do and who you’re doing it with
  • How to be intentional in identifying everyone on your team

Additional Resources:

02 Aug 2023Lessons from Ironman 70.3: Embracing Challenges and the Power of Preparation with Ed Molitor00:39:12

Ed is a coach down to the very smallest molecule of his DNA.

Whether he's a husband and father at home or working with a client in the business world, he is an energized, passionate, and near-obsessive coach who is fully invested in showing up with all he's got to help you show up with all you've got. His approach insists on presence. He knows no other way to catalyze change except by getting on the court with you, playing side-by-side, and encouraging you to keep pushing, especially when the going gets tough. 

In the last 29 years, Ed has developed his leadership skills in both athletics and business. From working as an NCAA Basketball coach at Texas A&M, DePaul NIU, and Lewis University to becoming the Vice President of a national recruiting firm, Ed Molitor has experienced the potential and pitfalls of leadership at every level. 

As the founder and CEO of The Molitor Group, today Ed guides emerging and established leaders across biopharma and biotech to apply the proven lessons of coaching in their pursuit of inspiring and driving their team’s performance. 

Through personalized training, workshops, keynote speeches, his writing, and as a podcast host, Ed seeks to empower individuals and their organizations to achieve victory through a focus on transformation, fundamentals, compassion, mental toughness, and vision.  

Ed graduated from St. Ambrose University with a B.S. in Business Administration and a minor in Economics where he was a member of the Men’s Basketball team serving as the co-captain his Senior year. Before St. Ambrose, he studied business at Creighton University where he played on the Men’s Basketball teams which included a 1989 MVC Regular Season and Tournament Champions, NCAA Tournament, and a 1990 NIT Tournament. 

 

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • Ed’s journey in his pursuit of completing an Ironman 70.3 race
  • The importance of perseverance and self-discipline in achieving goals
  • The immense power of preparation, hard work, and selflessness in achieving success
  • How Ed overcame the challenges leading up to the race while balancing training with other commitments, such as work, family, and travel
  • The impact of reframing and prioritizing inspiration over motivation for sustainable success
  • The multiple lessons learned from his race and how they apply to leadership and business
  • The importance of self-awareness, positive thinking, and staying focused and committed to the plan

 

Additional resources:

10 May 2023How to Show Up in Extraordinary Ways with Ed Molitor00:10:13

Ed is a coach down to the very smallest molecule of his DNA.

Whether he's a husband and father at home or working with a client in the business world, he is an energized, passionate, and near-obsessive coach who is fully invested in showing up with all he's got to help you show up with all you've got. His approach is one that insists on presence. He knows no other way to catalyze change except by getting on the court with you, playing side-by-side, and encouraging you to keep pushing, especially when the going gets tough. 

In the last 29 years, Ed has developed his leadership skills in both athletics and business. From working as an NCAA Basketball coach at Texas A&M, DePaul NIU, and Lewis University to becoming the Vice President of a national recruiting firm, Ed Molitor has experienced the potential and pitfalls of leadership at every level. 

As the founder and CEO of The Molitor Group, today Ed guides emerging and established leaders across biopharma and biotech to apply the proven lessons of coaching in their pursuit of inspiring and driving their team’s performance. 

Through personalized training, workshops, keynote speeches, his writing, and as a podcast host, Ed seeks to empower individuals and their organizations to achieve victory through a focus on transformation, fundamentals, compassion, mental toughness, and vision.  

Ed graduated from St. Ambrose University with a B.S. in Business Administration and a minor in Economics where he was a member of the Men’s Basketball team serving as the co-captain his Senior year. Before St. Ambrose, he studied business at Creighton University where he played on the Men’s Basketball teams which included a 1989 MVC Regular Season and Tournament Champions, NCAA Tournament, and a 1990 NIT Tournament. 

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • Why just showing up is not enough
  • A different perspective on what being extraordinary means 
  • The importance of being committed and reliable to one’s team
  • How coaching leaders can better impact and inspire their team members
  • The impact of being intentional about having the right frame of mind every day, even when it's not convenient
  • How our willingness and our ability to transform as coaching leaders can inspire and transform our people

Additional resources:

 

Click here to learn more about our Coaching Programs!
27 May 2020Episode 81: Tapping Into the Powerful Strengths of Millennials, with Nick Sarillo00:43:23

Nick Sarillo is the founder of the Trust & Track Institute and Nick’s Pizza & Pub – the sixth busiest independent pizza company in per-store sales in the United States. Founded with the purpose of providing the community with an unforgettable place where families could relax and have fun, Nick’s Pizza & Pub was recently named one of the Top 25 Best Small Businesses in the country by Forbes Magazine.

Nick credits his company’s success to his purpose-driven culture, which is the focus of his book, A Slice of the Pie: How to Build a Big Little Business (Portfolio; 2012). Nick is a regular speaker at entrepreneurship and HR conferences, and his insights have been featured in The New York Times, The Economist, Inc., Fast Company and Investor’s Business Daily.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How to drive a trust that helps you grow through the tough times
  • How to build systems around purpose and values
  • Why it is so significant to shift from the mindset of a manager solution to a purpose and value solution
  • How Nick views millennials and what has been the key to being so successful with 70% of Nick’s Pizza and Pub’s workforce being under the age of 25
  • Why Trust and Track is so powerful and how it is the complete opposite of command and control leadership
  • How Nick defines culture
  • Why it is so important to be explicit in defining your purpose
  • The three keys to effective communication
  • Why Nick does not want people coming to him seeking permission at work

Additional resources:

13 Jan 2021Episode 110: Like Your Life Depends on It, with Ed Molitor00:28:23

In the last 26 years, Ed Molitor has developed his leadership skills in both athletics and business. From working as an NCAA Basketball coach at Texas A&M to becoming the Vice President of a national recruiting firm, Ed has taught countless athletes, coaches, and business leaders how to THINK, ACT, and EXECUTE at an elite level. Ed has a unique set of skills to deliver leaders across the country a purposeful, positive, energetic, and refreshing experience to unlock their true potential.

In 2016, Ed launched his company, The Molitor Group, in order to reach and add value to a larger sphere of ambitious individuals and help them achieve their goals every day. Through The Molitor Group, Ed has guided all types of leaders to achieve success. From entrepreneurs and executives to teams and companies, The Molitor Group specializes in empowering individuals and groups to achieve at the next level. Through Leadership Performance training, coaching, and speaking, Ed’s goal is to supply people and organizations with the necessary tools to move forward from where they are now to where they want to be.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • What personal resilience is and why it requires something different during the second wave of the COVID
  • What the psychological stamina requires and what the benefits are
  • What the three keys are to psychological stamina
  • How to build psychological stamina when things are going well
  • How to get your team back to moving in the right direction together during bouts of boredom,
  • fear, struggle, and personal adversity
  • How Ed painted a picture for his team with a story that fostered emotional buy-in and
  • empowered them to solve their issues on their own
  • Why it is so important to find a way to show up every day like your life and your team members’
  • lives depend on it

Additional resources:

Email: ed@themolitorgroup.com

Website: www.themolitorgroup.com

Instagram: @edmolitor

of my new eBook, ‘Growing Through Crisis’ and learn why vulnerability can be a powerful leadership asset.

Episode 79: Mark Heidersbach- Performance Excellence in the Face of Adversity

HBR- How To Lead When Your Team Is Exhausted- and You Are, Too

ESPN : Texas Longhorns' Andrew Jones hits game-winner 3 years after leukemia diagnosis

21 Dec 2022Episode 165 - Modern Leader: Human-Centric Decision Making with JeVon McCormick00:55:16

JeVon McCormick was born the son of a pimp father and a single mother on welfare. Poverty, abuse, eviction, and discrimination were a daily part of his life. 

Today, he’s the CEO of Scribe Media, a multi-million dollar publishing company awarded the #1 Top Company Culture in America by Entrepreneur Magazine. 

JeVon’s journey gives us a peek into a world rarely seen by those sitting around a boardroom table. His outsider upbringing and his tremendous success in investing, writing, and corporate leadership offers us an unapologetic, regret-free view of life and leadership. 

JeVon’s leadership style is the opposite of exploitative. Human-centric principles drive every decision he makes. Hiring, coaching, and business development are all handled with a deeply personal affectation cultivated over a lifetime of hard work, learning from mistakes, and taking care of his people. 

Modern corporate leadership increasingly requires a more nuanced new skill set. But what does that really mean?

It means there is a different way leaders can act that gets better results. JeVon shows us the value of supporting and serving your team. His people-first leadership attracts and develops talented people, and that’s had a huge impact on the bottom line for his operations. 

Be like JeVon: Support and serve your team so you can enjoy your leadership role more and compound your team’s successes.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • How accountability and responsibility can turbocharge your career path
  • Why doing the right thing is a competitive advantage
  • Why the language you use is EXTREMELY important
  • How to attract (and develop) the most talented people in your industry
  • Why mistakes are valuable
  • How to inspire through teaching, coaching, and mentoring (not training)

Additional Resources:

02 Mar 2022Episode 145: Building Positive Student-Athlete Experiences with Will Kloefkorn00:54:29

Will Kloefkorn joins Ed Molitor to discuss building a more positive student and athlete experience through connection, psychological safety, structure, skill development, communication, and challenges. 

Will has been in the sales industry his entire career. He served as a sales manager with the EcSell Institute team since the company's inception. As VP of Sales, Will is responsible for leading EcSell Institute's worldwide sales growth strategies and business development initiatives. Will brings an unparalleled passion to the EcSell Institute. His belief in the effect of coaching, leadership, and management on the performance of sales teams and athletic teams has been recognized on many levels.

 Will's background includes business development jobs across the board with recognized organizations such as ESPN and Enterprise and time spent with a smaller start-up organization. In addition to his business development activities, Will is a popular speaker at EcSell Institute events as he can articulate the needs and solutions our clients encounter daily. He brings a refreshing approach when presenting to sales leaders where he challenges his audiences to think about their impact on sales producers. 

Since he is a student of leadership and coaching, he knows firsthand how those talents and skills can help take a producer from simply good to extraordinary. Will has created a highly informative presentation based on EcSell's "Through the Eyes of the Sales Rep" research titled What You Are Not Hearing from your Sales Producers is Losing You Sales.

Crucibles That Led To EcSell Institute (3:15)

EcSell Institute teams up with athletic directors and coaches to build a more positive student and athlete experience. They build around six themes: connection, psychological safety, structure, skill development, communication, and challenges. 

Psychological safety is specifically important, and it isn't the same as being soft. Fun and hard work don't have to be mutually exclusive, and there are ways to make practice fun. Hard work can be achievable, and recognizing achievement is fulfilling.

We make time for people we respect and care about, even when we're busy. So having that relationship with your team means they will show up for you because they know you'll show up for them. So you've established that connection. Coaches see things in us that we don't see in ourselves, and they create opportunities to earn confidence. And that's why we often see youth coaches having the most impact. 

Overcoming Pushbacks (17:52)

If you don't have the data and the right metrics, you risk cutting funding for things like leadership development, which will make the numbers on the ledger worse. That's when it becomes short-sighted.   

When people fail to improve, they either don't have the skill or desire to be a coach. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but people like that can't be responsible for the livelihood of an entire team. They're better off as individuals. The idea of extreme ownership through self-awareness is essential. 

EcSell Sports (30:45)

EcSell Sports aims to ensure school athletes have the best experience possible at their respective schools or teams. They focus on the coaches and the ADs to ensure every athlete gets the support they need to thrive. When coaches improve, the environment, success, and trust all improve. Becoming self-aware is integral to the process. 

We're all human beings before we're athletes, and the complex concept to grasp is that not everybody loves their sports. It's what they're good at, they like it okay, and it makes them money, but some of these athletes are playing at a very high level without passion. So knowing those environments exist, it's up to the coaches to control the climate and culture to support those players. 

The Coach's Role (47:50)

We care about ourselves most. If we can tap in and understand what an individual cares about, on the field and off, it will create an environment that allows them to achieve their goals on their own. 

A team is a direct reflection of their coach, and if we can find a way to be a direct reflection and voice of what the team needs before you know it, you're going to have coaches in the places you need them to be. They'll be able to commit. When things get complicated, those are the moments where you earn your credibility and reputation. 

Additional resources:




01 Apr 2020Habits of a Champion: Nobody Becomes a Champion By Accident, with Dana Cavalea00:37:02

Coach Dana Cavalea is a High Performance & Executive Leadership Coach. He is the former Director of Strength & Conditioning and Performance for the New York Yankees.

Coach helped lead the New York Yankees to a World Championship in 2009. That same year he was awarded the Nolan Ryan Award given to the top Strength & Performance Coach in Major League Baseball as voted by his peers.

In addition to his on-field coaching, Coach Dana works as a performance coach and consultant to Fortune 500 Companies, Organizations, CEO's, Executives, Wall Street Fund Managers & Traders - helping them to optimize performance, productivity and sales.

Coach is also a Keynote Speaker who travels all over the country speaking to leading companies and teams.

He is a best selling author. His first book, "Habits of a Champion: Nobody Becomes a Champion By Accident", has been a must read for Top Leaders in Business - many of whom credit him to being their behind the scenes 'secret' to success.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How Dana’s ability to foster deep relationships fueled his career with the New York Yankees at an early age
  • Why consistency of daily habits and routines is so important for champions
  • How champions go about their business
  • The difference between focusing on the emotion and the action and what the results will be with each
  • What advice Mariano Rivera gave to him about focus
  • Why it is so important to trust the process
  • What champions do in times of struggle that separate them from the ones who continue to struggle

Additional resources:

07 Dec 2022Episode 164 - Executing The IMPOSSIBLE: Mastering Human Connection with Suzanne Monahan00:59:52

Suzanne Monahan is a wife, mother, and leader in the health sciences industry.

As a former collegiate athlete, two time cancer survivor, and now a leader, she is passionate about the power of mindset, teamwork and performance. Currently, she holds a commercial leadership position at Shionogi Inc, a biopharmaceutical company that leverages a science-based heritage to develop and commercialize pharmaceutical products to treat unmet medical needs. 

Today, she dedicates her time at Shionogi to building and leading the sales team for the US. Suzanne is committed to “raising up” cohesive and resilient teams both at work and on the field. 

She believes in family first and enjoys giving back, serving as a girl’s lacrosse coach, an advocate for patient-focused cancer care, and a mentor to future leaders. 

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • Knitty-gritty advice and tips for Pharma Sales leadership in the post-pandemic era
  • How to handle a high-value employee leaving your team
  • How to adapt to higher and higher levels of competition as your career develops
  • Why being vulnerable is a competitive advantage
  • The value of unorthodox methods (from the unofficial Queen of Unorthodox)
  • Novel career paths in Pharma for uniquely talented individuals

Additional Resources:

15 Sep 2020Episode 94: ABCD - Always Be Connecting the Dots, with Bryan Gillis01:06:27

EXECUTIVE PRACTICE LEAD, QUALITY SOLUTIONS & CUSTOMER ANALYTICS

Bryan is a proven business leader with more than 20 years of experience developing and leading executive-level account strategy, building and leading high-functioning teams and practices, and identifying and delivering technology solutions that meet the demands of an ever-changing marketplace. Bryan’s success in selling and delivering diverse technology solutions to Fortune 100 companies can be attributed to his clear, persuasive communication style and keen ability to relate complex solutions to stakeholders at varying levels. Prior to joining The Northridge Group, Bryan has held senior management positions at market-leading technology companies includes IBM, Apple, and AT&T.

As the Executive Practice Lead of The Northridge Group’s Quality Solutions and Customer Analytics team, Bryan leads the organization’s delivery of actionable, data-driven customer insights for our clients and is responsible for developing new service offerings to address evolving market opportunities. Bryan holds a B.A. in Psychology from Creighton University where he was a  pitcher on the baseball team and team captain both his junior and senior season.

Father of 3 Strong-willed Daughters Maddie (16), Mia(15) and Samantha (12)!

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How finding people who have a framework to better themselves and others have helped The Northridge Group build a sustainable culture
  • Why it is so important to get comfortable with failure as soon as possible
  • As The Northridge Group scales their Executive Advisor Space, what are some of the things they are looking for, questions they are asking and how they are a tell for how prepared you are and what skills you possess
  • How circumstances and adversity early in his life changed the path of his athletic career and motivated him to be the best Father he could be
  • Why it is so important to have a personal Board of Directors and how do you go about building one
  • What are the three principles that he lives by and how can they improve your professional and personal life immediately
  • What does he look for in people when he is on a video call with his team members or interviewees
  • What are the tools, resources, and practices that Bryan has used to develop the ability to be present

Additional resources:

Personal

Your Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/bryan.gillis.146/

Your Twitter Name: https://twitter.com/bryanmgillis

Your Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryangillis/

The Northridge Group

northridgegroup.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-northridge-group/

https://www.facebook.com/NorthridgeGroup/

Operations Made Better Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/operations-made-better/id1445454626

09 Sep 2020Episode 93: Be Brilliant with the Basics - The Amazon Way, with Jon Derkits00:53:59

Jon is the founder of AUXO eCommerce, a consultancy that helps brands launch and grow on Amazon. Prior to AUXO, Jon was a leader at Amazon, managing a $2+ billion business and recruiting over 25k third-party sellers to the marketplace. 

At AUXO, Jon teaches brands how to think like Amazon and be "brilliant at the basics." He works with both large brands (including the #1 third-party seller on Amazon) and small brands to tap hidden growth opportunities, improve operations, and gain a share of voice through Amazon Advertising. He is a recognized expert in Amazon and eCommerce marketplaces and is regularly quoted in Bloomberg, Business Insider, CNBC, and the WSJ.

Jon is also an active advisor to, and investor in, early-stage digital start-ups. He's a mentor at Chicago-based tech incubator, 1871, and recently joined the advisory board of Vexpo, a technology company that has created a wedding marketplace designed for today’s digitally centric couples.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • What the shopping cart test is and where he learned that lesson
  • What it takes to succeed in a fast-moving and high-pressure environment like Amazon
  • Why the first 100 days at Amazon are so critical and how they revealed what was already inside of him
  • Why he chooses to focus on three long-term systems instead of goals and what those systems are
  • What are the two mental models he leans into when making big decisions
  • Why good intentions do not work in business
  • Why the white-belt mentality is so critical
  • What are the three things he looks for in a startup

Additional resources:

https://www.auxoecommerce.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-derkits/

13 Feb 2019Episode 29: Being Invaluable, Without Being ‘Most Valuable’, with Ed Molitor00:20:20

In the last 26 years, Ed has developed his leadership skills in both athletics and business. From working as a NCAA Basketball coach at Texas A&M to becoming the Vice President of a national recruiting firm, Ed has taught countless athletes, coaches, and business leaders how to THINK, ACT, and EXECUTE at an elite level. Ed has a unique set of skills to deliver leaders across the country a purposeful, positive, energetic, and refreshing experience to unlock their true potential.

In 2016, Ed launched his company, The Molitor Group, in order to reach and add value to a larger sphere of ambitious individuals and help them achieve their goals every day. Through The Molitor Group, Ed has guided all types of leaders to achieve success. From entrepreneurs and executives to teams and companies, The Molitor Group specializes in empowering individuals and groups to achieve at the next level. Through Leadership Performance training, coaching, and speaking, Ed’s goal is to supply people and organizations with the necessary tools to move forward from where they are now to where they want to be.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Why Matt Heldt's performance in the recent Marquette Golden Eagles victory over the Xavier Musketeers is inspiring
  • Why Matt's story is a great example of the idea of making yourself invaluable without being "most valuable" in business
  • Hear Coach Wojciechowski's post-game press conference comments about Matt Heldt that brought the coach to tears
  • How to relate Matt's teamwork, ethic and drive to your own life as a business leader
  • Why valuing the members of your team will increase their loyalty and strengthen your culture
  • Why it's impossible to know when the moment of your calling is going to come, and why you need to be prepared every single day
  • Ed shares the story of a memorable teammate who chose to sacrifice his own career in favor of the team's success
  • What questions to ask yourself about your team to create a culture in your business worth fighting for

Additional resources:

 

04 Nov 2020Episode 100: Talking Above the Storm, with John Sabatalo00:40:36

John Sabatalo is the President of Planes Companies – a global moving, warehousing, transportation, and logistics firm – located in Cincinnati, Ohio.  He is also President of Global Workplace Solutions (or GWS, for short), a subsidiary of Planes that delivers global project management and workplace services to corporations, healthcare and lab facilities, hospitality companies, governmental agencies, and educational institutions. As one of 13 members of the board of UniGroup – a $1.7 billion transportation company – John plays a key role in transforming the industry. John has been with Planes and GWS since 1991 and has served as President since 2003.

Prior to becoming a leader at Planes and GWS, John enjoyed a very successful career in athletics. In high school, he was a four-year baseball varsity starter and captain and a three-year football varsity starter and captain. He then attended the University of Massachusetts on a football scholarship. Even after he hung up the pads, John’s love for the game never left him: his coaching career began at the University of Cincinnati, where he was recruited to be part of their graduate assistant program. He then spent six years as the offensive coordinator of local powerhouse St. Xavier High School before becoming the school’s youngest-ever athletic director. Following this success, he spent five years coaching football at Lakota High School, where he earned the accolade of the Division I Coach of the Year.

John’s passion for athletics is a fundamental part of his character, as he is affectionately still called “coach” by many to this day. His leadership style mirrors that of a true motivator, as his presence visibly energizes those around him. John’s competitive spirit and his uncanny ability to align business acumen and strategy to the x’s and o’s of the sports world resulted in the birth of the Planes/GWS TEAM culture in 2016. Originally introduced to 50 business unit leaders as part of a six-month leadership series, TEAM rolled out to the entire company in 2017. The success of the rollout – evidenced by the organization being voted a Top Workplace in Cincinnati by its own employees for seven years running – has led leaders of businesses and teams all over the country to seek John’s coaching on the creation of high-performance teams. John is a passionate believer in the importance of culture in transforming teams of people to work with a shared mindset and win together.

John and his high school sweetheart, Lynn, have been married for 41 years. They have two sons, Brian and Stephen, and three beautiful grandchildren. Beyond athletics and business, John’s passions lie in spending time by the ocean and making memories with family and friends.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • What the Huddle means to Planes and GWS and how this has proven so significant during the Pandemic
  • How John navigated the beginning of the Pandemic even though it seemed similar to flying a plane at night without any instruments
  • What the four points on the Compass of Communication are
  • How the TEAM at Planes and GWS capitalized on the opportunity to connect with their customers more than ever with the help of technology
  • What were the biggest challenges to their ability to bring it…..their positive energy and effort….every day
  • What did the leaders of Planes and GWS do creatively to provide consistent guidance and motivation to their people during this time, especially when they were working remotely
  • Why it was so critical to show compassion while figuring out each individual new normal and what that meant to them

Additional resources:

www.planes-movingstorage.com

www.gwscorporate.com

www.planes-specializedlogistics.com

www.planes-commercialservices.com

LinkedIn: John Sabatalo

Bill Curry video https://www.secsports.com/video/29272835/power-sports-unite

08 Aug 2018Episode 3: The Lactic Burn of Long-Term Success, with Stephen Woessner00:58:16

Stephen Woessner is the Founder and CEO of Predictive ROI and the host of the Onward Nation podcast, a top-rated podcast for learning how business owners think, act, and achieve success. Onward Nation is listened to in more than 120 countries around the world. He is the author of three bestselling books including the Amazon #1 Bestseller Profitable Podcasting. He is also a speaker, trainer, and his digital marketing insights have been featured in SUCCESS, Entrepreneur, The Washington Post, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and other media.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Consistency and the importance of failure in long-term growth.
  • Why business growth is similar to muscle growth, in terms of enhancing one’s resilience
  • Why as time passes, challenges in your business should get harder
  • Why current business “systems” can actually hinder growth—as opposed to promoting it
  • How to push through the “lactic burn” of professional struggle
  • Stephen’s approach to client feedback that is nutritious, giving him painful, but necessary, insight to grow his brand
  • Why football is particularly relevant to business growth in the face of adversity and the the concept of “crossing the line”: a concept birthed from getting the ball to the touchdown, even when your energy is sapped
  • How good habits can become bad habits
  • The importance of constant growth to refine and redefine the practices which have made previous successes worthwhile — yet not worth hanging onto as end-all examples
  • Why the power of predictive analytics is much more than it appears to be
  • Why team risks are both important but risky when authenticity isn’t prioritized
  • How to embrace risk while keeping a business’ members safe for long-term success

Ways to contact Stephen:

06 Nov 2019Episode 61: Building a Family Culture in Your Organization, with Ed Molitor00:24:06

In the last 26 years, Ed Molitor has developed his leadership skills in both athletics and business. From working as an NCAA Basketball coach at Texas A&M to becoming the Vice President of a national recruiting firm, Ed has taught countless athletes, coaches, and business leaders how to THINK, ACT, and EXECUTE at an elite level. Ed has a unique set of skills to deliver leaders across the country a purposeful, positive, energetic, and refreshing experience to unlock their true potential.

In 2016, Ed launched his company, The Molitor Group, in order to reach and add value to a larger sphere of ambitious individuals and help them achieve their goals every day. Through The Molitor Group, Ed has guided all types of leaders to achieve success. From entrepreneurs and executives to teams and companies, The Molitor Group specializes in empowering individuals and groups to achieve at the next level. Through Leadership Performance training, coaching, and speaking, Ed’s goal is to supply people and organizations with the necessary tools to move forward from where they are now to where they want to be.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • What benefits your business and your team can experience from having a strong sense of family in your team culture
  • Why it is important as a leader to serve the people around you and to demonstrate that you are fully committed to your team
  • Why a sense of family extends beyond a work relationship and can survive beyond people joining and leaving an organization
  • What important steps you can take to create a family atmosphere and culture within your own organization
  • What “collective awareness” means, why it’s important for leadership teams, and how to facilitate a collective awareness in your own team
  • Why the books “Trillion Dollar Coach” and “It’s My Company Too!” are great, must-read resources for helping you build a family culture in your organization
  • Ed shares several examples of how companies turned a commitment to causes and charitable volunteering initiatives into a strong sense of family
  • Why tracking each other’s lives, milestones, and significant events and taking time to recognize those important moments is a powerful step toward creating a family
  • What positive changes will happen within an organization as the team moves closer to becoming a family

Additional Resources:

11 Oct 2023The Confidence Playbook: Coaching Beyond Competence with Maureen Monte00:52:54

Maureen brings a "Moneyball" meets "Ted Lasso" approach to high-performing teams, including 2,000 athletes and coaches. She uses the Clifton StrengthsFinder to measure talent that helps leaders and teams reach their full potential. 

Her latest book, "Win Like a Girl: Coaching Female Athletes to Become Confident at the Game of Life" provides sorely needed bravery training that takes women from the locker room to the corporate board room.

Maureen has a B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and an M.S. in Leadership and Business Ethics, and is a Gallup-certified StrengthsFinder subject matter expert

She provided leadership development training for executives as an adjunct professor at Cornell and is part of the University of Michigan’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Rochester University’s Masters in Sports Leadership.

What you’ll learn in this episode >> 

The importance and significance of: 

  • Understanding your strengths and weaknesses to facilitate meaningful conversations
  • Asking questions and sparking dialogue to encourage learning
  • Focusing on individuals' strengths rather than just statistics and world rankings
  • Choosing conversation and action over silence and inaction
  • Reshaping the concept of winning to prioritize personal and team growth
  • Cultivating a team culture with clear boundaries
  • Being intentional in training, playing hard, and being a great teammate
  • Acknowledging each player's unique strengths and traits, and valuing their contribution to the team
  • Accountability, addressing mistakes, and measuring the ripple effect of positive actions

Additional Resources:

23 Oct 2019Episode 60: Purpose, Service, and Leadership, with Lou Schager00:46:19

Lou joined the national franchising company, Mosquito Joe (a Neighborly Company), as Chief Operating Officer in the spring of 2017, and was named Brand President in October of 2017. He leads all aspects of marketing, operations and franchise sales for the Brand, which has quickly grown to 145 franchises in 36 states since 2013. Prior to joining Mosquito Joe, Lou served as Vice President of Strategy for Reinvent Hampton Roads, a non-profit designed to drive business development through economic cluster analysis as part of Growth and Opportunity Virginia (GO Virginia).

Lou retired from the Navy after 27 years of Naval service in 2017. A graduate of the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN), he served as the Commanding Officer of “VFA-34”, an FA-18 squadron which earned the “Estocin” Award in 2012, representing the best FA-18C squadron throughout the US Navy in all areas of operations and safety performance. His military career culminated as Commanding Officer of Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Virginia, leading a staff of 1,500 military and civilian members in support of 16,000 personnel working daily on the base.

During his Navy Career, he accumulated over 4,200 flight hours and 815 arrested landings on aircraft carriers and completed 110 combat flying missions. His awards include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (two awards), Individual Air Medal, Strike-Flight Air Medal (five awards), Navy and Marines Corps Commendation Medal (two awards), Navy and Marines Corps Achievement Medal, and numerous campaign medals and deployment ribbons. He was the first to be recognized 3-times for the peer selected Navy and Marine Corps Association Leadership Award for the East Coast FA-18 Naval Aviation community.

Lou graduated with merit from the U.S. Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mechanical Engineering and earned a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies at the Naval War College. He completed the Hampton Roads CIVIC Leadership Institute course in 2015 and serves on the Boards of the Chesapeake Bay Academy, the Navy League of Hampton Roads and the Virginia Beach Military Economic Development Advisory Committee.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

  • How Lou graduated from TOPGUN and served 27 years in the US Navy, ending his military service career as CO of Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, VA
  • How Lou completed 110 combat missions, and which impressive commodations Lou earned during his military service, before moving into civilian life with Mosquito Joe
  • How Lou’s 27 years in the Navy helped him develop the leadership skills, commitment and appreciation for customer service that he brings to his role at Mosquito Joe
  • How Lou transitioned from his military career to a career as a business executive, and what led Lou to work at Mosquito Joe as COO and President of the brand
  • Why Lou’s military service in the Navy was so influential over his positive outlook and drive, and why it helped him develop a hunger to succeed
  • Why following the Mosquito Joe franchise process is critical for new franchisees, and why some franchisees struggle to follow the process due to impatience
  • How Lou dealt with the incredible challenge of his four-year-old son’s battle with a stage-four cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma
  • What steps Lou takes to help the members of his staff and franchisees find success and maximize their potential
  • Why Mosquito Joe bright colors, fun approach, and unique culture set them apart from other companies in the mosquito control industry
  • How Lou works to lead by example, set the right vision for Mosquito Joe, and promote purpose and accountability within his team

Additional resources:

01 May 2024Triple 7 Leadership: Strategies for High-Impact Coaching with Mike Sarraille01:02:12

Mike Sarraille is the founder and CEO of Talent War Group, Legacy Expeditions, ATTA, and head of the Men’s Journal Everyday Warrior Nation.

Mike is a two-time best-selling author, globally ranked leadership speaker, documentary filmmaker, entrepreneur, and extreme adventurer. 

 He is a former Recon Marine and Scout-Sniper, and retired US Navy SEAL officer with 20 years of experience in Special Operations, including the elite Joint Special Operations Command.

 What you’ll learn on this episode:

  • Leadership lessons from Navy SEAL training principles
  • The importance of mental toughness and discretionary thinking
  • The importance of discomfort for character development and overall growth 
  • How accountability in teamwork drives individual growth and collective excellence
  • How shared hardship and adversity can help to build trust and strong relationships
  • The impact of prioritizing preparation over execution to build resilience and readiness
  • Dive into Triple 7 and how it honors the legacy of service and sacrifice of U.S. and Allied troops 

Additional Resources:

About Mike: 

Get Mike’s Books:

 About Triple 7:

10 Jun 2020Episode 82: Never Stop Trying, with JJ Gottsch00:58:07

JJ Gottsch is the longest-tenured employee with Ryan Sanders Sports & Entertainment and has played a key role in the development of both the Round Rock Express (Houston Astros Triple-A) and Corpus Christi Hooks (Astros Double-A). He was promoted to his current position, COO, in January 2015. In this role he oversees all business operations for the Express, RS3 Turf, RS3 Strategic Hospitality as well as the company’s growing entertainment division. Gottsch was president of the Hooks for the club’s first five years, where his leadership and experience helped them draw more than two million fans in their first four seasons. Previous to his position in Corpus Christi, Gottsch served as assistant general manager for the Express during the first six years of the organization’s existence. Gottsch helped lead the franchise to record-setting attendance numbers, establishing a new Double-A home attendance record with 660,110 fans in the club’s first year, eclipsing the old attendance mark that had stood for 20 years. The franchise would proceed to break its own attendance standard in each successive season with Gottsch on board as a steadying influence.

A former player, Gottsch’s professional career included time with the Butte Copper Kings in the Pioneer League and the Perth Baseball Club in the Western Australia Baseball League. At the collegiate level, Gottsch played for Creighton University as well as TCU, where he was a member of the Horned Frogs1994 Southwest Conference Championship and NCAA Regional team. He transferred to TCU after spending three years at Creighton, where he was a shortstop on the 1991 Bluejay team that advanced to the College World Series.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How the values of the Ryan and Sanders family…which include trust, honor, and respect….drive the decisions and behavior of Ryan Sanders Sports and Entertainment.
  • How they turned a consistent customer complaint about their experience at the ballpark into a new and prosperous line of business.
  • Why JJ believes so strongly in the sharing of best practices with others
  • How Ryan Sanders Sports and Entertainment got creative by having their employees wear different hats and do different jobs so they could execute on cutting expenses and creating additional revenue
  • How they focused on continuing to add value to their sponsors in as many creative and unique ways as possible
  • When COVID-19 hit, how they were able to serve their people as well as the community by identifying what they had (five major sports venues stocked with food and beverage) and what they needed (people’s inability to get what they needed at the grocery store) that could fulfill.
  • How all of their service to the community has resulted in a tremendous amount of pride in working together to be a part of the solution to a major crisis.

Additional resources:

Will Ferrell Pitching for Round Rock Express – Promotion with Will supporting his Cancer for College charity - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haHlFA_bDkI&t=

Truckin & Buckin – A two-day simultaneous Monster Truck and Bull Riding Event in 2016- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-cWDZiXPa0

Fear the Walking Dead – We rented our stadium out to AMC Studios for six months (before our 2018 season) so they could shoot the first season of Fear the Walking Dead - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPYH7WMKPrs&t=103s *You’ll need to rewind back to beginning, it seems to be opening ½ way through

Home Run Dugout – A new startup in Austin basically a baseball version of Top Golf - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnkjqByAnO0&t=

05 Aug 2020Episode 88: Humor, Honor, and Resilience, with JJ Gottsch00:41:29

JJ Gottsch is the longest-tenured employee with Ryan Sanders Sports & Entertainment and has played a key role in the development of both the Round Rock Express (Houston Astros Triple-A) and Corpus Christi Hooks (Astros Double-A). He was promoted to his current position, COO, in January 2015. In this role, he oversees all business operations for the Express, RS3 Turf, RS3 Strategic Hospitality as well as the company’s growing entertainment division. Gottsch was president of the Hooks for the club’s first five years, where his leadership and experience helped them draw more than two million fans in their first four seasons. Previous to his position in Corpus Christi, Gottsch served as assistant general manager for the Express during the first six years of the organization’s existence. Gottsch helped lead the franchise to record-setting attendance numbers, establishing a new Double-A home attendance record with 660,110 fans in the club’s first year, eclipsing the old attendance mark that had stood for 20 years. The franchise would proceed to break its own attendance standard in each successive season with Gottsch on board as a steadying influence.

A former player, Gottsch’s professional career included time with the Butte Copper Kings in the Pioneer League and the Perth Baseball Club in the Western Australia Baseball League. At the collegiate level, Gottsch played for Creighton University as well as TCU, where he was a member of the Horned Frogs1994 Southwest Conference Championship and NCAA Regional team.  He transferred to TCU after spending three years at Creighton, where he was a shortstop on the 1991 Bluejay team that advanced to the College World Series.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Why resiliency is not an option for JJ
  • How being raised in a household full of problem-solvers helped shape him into the leader he is today
  • Why it is so important to look at who all of your stakeholders are and what they need before making a big decision
  • How to navigate the cancel culture and the social media firestorm and figure out who it is you need to be listening to
  • How this time during the pandemic has proven that you do not know how much you can do until you are forced to do it
  • How Ryan Sanders Sports and Entertainment continues to find creative ways to serve their customers without the MiLB season
  • What was one of the greatest lessons he learned from his legendary college coach at Creighton, Jim Hendry

Additional resources:

Will Ferrell Pitching for Round Rock Express – Promotion with Will supporting his Cancer for College charity – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haHlFA_bDkI&t=

Truckin & Buckin – A two-day simultaneous Monster Truck and Bull Riding Event in 2016- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-cWDZiXPa0

Fear the Walking Dead – We rented our stadium out to AMC Studios for six months (before our 2018 season) so they could shoot the first season of Fear the Walking Dead – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPYH7WMKPrs&t=103s *You’ll need to rewind back to the beginning, it seems to be opening ½ way through

Home Run Dugout – A new startup in Austin basically a baseball version of Top Golf – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnkjqByAnO0&t=

UFC Watch Partyhttps://www.milb.com/round-rock/fans/ufc-252

Recap of the Granger Smith / 4th of July Concert -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6wRtwFkARA

RR Hairy Men Pagehttps://www.milb.com/round-rock/fans/hairy-man

09 Aug 2023Building a Caring and Collaborative Leadership in Biotech and Pharma with Mike Campbell00:47:23

Mike Campbell has 30 years of pharmaceutical and biotech commercialization leadership experience with P&L responsibilities across Marketing, Sales, Market Access, Business Development, and Operations with 20 years within Ophthalmology and Ophthalmics. 

Prior to Joining Oyster Point Pharma – VIATRIS, he served as Vice President, Biologic Commercialization for Novartis, Vice President of Ophthalmics Business Unit for Shire, Sr. Director for Genentech across Ophthalmology, Oncology, Rheumatology, and Respiratory business units. 

He has created commercial infrastructures within startup Bio Pharma and established BioPharma companies/brands at various levels of lifecycle management. 

Mike has experience in BioPharma business development including mergers and acquisitions, startup to IPO to FDA approval – to exit, whole company acquisition, commercial infrastructure/business unit divestiture, multiple product licensing agreements, and Ex US licensing. Mike has served on advisory board positions for both BioPharma and Medical public and private companies.

He holds his Bachelor of Science from Auburn University and Executive Education in Healthcare Management from the University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School. Prior to Mike's 30-year professional BioPharma career, he played professional football for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL and his college career as a scholarship football player for Auburn University. While at Auburn University, Mike played in the Sugar Bowl, Hall of Fame Bowl, the Peach Bowl, and won 2 SEC Championships.

Mike is blessed with a beautiful wife (Sherrie) of 28 years and 4 children. He's involved with Auburn University's Football Letterman Association, Georgia High School football athletics, and volunteers at his church. His personal and professional life quote: "No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care". Mike is a continual student of Servant Leadership.

 

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • How Mike’s career journey evolved by applying the same principles he learned in college and in the CFL to his role in the  business world
  • The significance of caring leadership in fostering commitment and effort from team members.
  • The impact of authenticity and vulnerability in building open and honest relationships with others.
  • Finding fulfillment in investing in others and witnessing their success as a rewarding accomplishment.
  • Strategies for motivating individuals with untapped potential by understanding their true motivations
  • Strategies for fostering collective collaboration within a team.
  • The value of seeking feedback, diverse perspectives, and fostering a culture of trust, transparency, honesty, integrity, vulnerability, and authenticity.

 

Additional Resources:

07 Nov 2018Episode 15: Lessons From the Titans of Sport, with Don Yaeger00:50:55

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Don's career journey from college graduate to Sports Illustrated writer, to celebrated speaker and best-selling author
  • What traits set the best athletes apart from their competitors, and how that knowledge affected Don and his own habits
  • How the time Don spent interviewing UCLA legend Coach John Wooden profoundly changed Don's perspective and outlook
  • Don's three strategies for team building (product impact, community impact, and teammate impact) and how they help businesses unify their teams
  • Why learning to be a better teammate can make you invaluable to your organization
  • Why being a great teammate is a learned behavior, and why David Ross of the Chicago Cubs is a perfect example
  • Why working hard and having fun can go hand-in-hand, and why both can make you the best you can be
  • How David Ross and the Cubs did things differently and kept fun and engagement as cornerstones of the team
  • How Don balances his speaking engagements and business travel with family time with his children
  • How Don developed his thirty-day Journey to Greatness course, what it offers, and how to get lifetime access

How to contact Don Yaeger:  

 

26 Feb 2020Trust, Positive Energy and Making Yourself Indispensable, with Randy Eccker00:35:11

Randy Eccker is one of the leading digital media and technology figures in the sports industry. Eccker has founded, led, managed or advised over 30 properties or groups across the industry and has participated in over $350M in corporate transactions. His experience as a Founder, CEO, Chairman, Board Member or Advisor has been instrumental in the success of many of these companies and has provided him with a powerful view of the industry and extensive relationships with many of its leaders.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How he is working with Homefield USA to disrupt the youth sports experience
  • How, without planning it, he became involved in the technology side of sports as a result of choosing between two career paths after he graduated from Creighton….coaching college basketball and law school
  • What it means to Randy to make yourself indispensable
  • How the fear of failure drove Randy to realize that his true ability as an athlete was not necessarily his athletic ability, but rather his smarts, toughness, selflessness, and work ethic and how that has shown up throughout his amazing professional career
  • How he made his bones as a player has translated into how he made his bones as a leader in the sports industry
  • Why trust is so important and it has to be earned and not given at face value
  • What the process is when a company engages Randy in conversation about joining them as an advisor, board member, or a similar role
  • What the keys and benefits are to generating your own happiness

Additional resources:

01 May 2019Episode 39: Building a Better Team, with Jason Bey00:46:32

Jason Bey is an experienced leader with a demonstrated history of working in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry. Has held numerous positions including: sales, sales leadership, marketing, operations, business development, training, and executive roles. Skilled in building & leading teams, strategic planning, leading innovation & change, collaborating across departments and driving executional excellence. Jason is currently the Vice President and Franchise Head at Dompé.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How Jason came to work with Italian company Dompé, and how he has been building an effective team
  • Why Jason looked for people with an entrepreneurial spirit for his team, and why an alignment of values is key
  • How Jason connects with his team members, and why a startup is a great opportunity to build a culture together
  • Why it is important for entrepreneurs and startups to celebrate the small successes and build momentum
  • Why a strong culture and a sense of teamwork and family helps everyone establish trust and accountability
  • Why a genuine sense of excitement for one another’s successes is the key to building a strong team
  • Why athletics has been a core experience that shaped Jason’s philosophies in his career and throughout his life
  • What early struggles Jason had to face in his career in the pharmaceutical industry, and how he overcame them
  • Which mentors have had the biggest influence on Jason’s life, and why his father was his first mentor

Additional resources:

03 Feb 2021Episode 112: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, with Deon Thomas00:47:17

University of Illinois' all-time men's basketball scoring leader Deon Thomas joined the UI development team as Associate Director of Development. Thomas works out of the Illini Center in Chicago.

Thomas starred for the Illini from 1991-94 and continues to rank as the school's all-time leading scorer with 2,129 points. He earned All-Big Ten honors all four years as a player and was selected as a part of the University of Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2019.

In his role, Thomas cultivates and solicits Chicago area donors, communicates DIA fundraising efforts and helps expand the Illini network in the Chicagoland area. He also serves as a liaison to the Fighting Illini men's and women's basketball alumni.

Thomas has served as a radio analyst for the Fighting Illini Sports Network and as a studio analyst for the Big Ten Network the past two seasons and intends to continue in both roles.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How compassion can help us not be so judgmental
  • What the impact was on Deon’s life growing up on the West Side of Chicago in The Village neighborhood
  • Who the five big influencers were in Deon Thomas’ life
  • What some of his Grandma’s most powerful quotes were that he still uses today
  • Why he loves giving working in development for the University of Illinois
  • Why diversity and inclusion are so important to our organizational and societal success
  • How he came to embrace the power of meaningful relationships
  • What his first memory of Coach Jimmy Collins was and how it impacted his future

Additional resources:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deon-thomas-844377a/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deon.thomas.25/
Twitter: @deonthomas25
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deon.thomas.940
Mom’s Book: I Climbed Out of The Belly of The Beast

Podcast: Champaign on Ice podcast

29 Sep 2021Episode 132: Find a Way with Brian Barone00:44:53

Brian Barone is in his third season as the SIUE's men's basketball coach after taking over the position in March 2019. Barone had been an assistant coach for the Cougars the previous two seasons.

The highlight of Barone's first season came with a historic 79-69 win on the road at Belmont. It was the program's first-ever win over Belmont and came among five Ohio Valley Conference victories. The Cougars also won road OVC games at Eastern Illinois and UT Martin during the season. SIUE also triumphed over Southeast Missouri and Eastern Kentucky at home. 

Even before coming to SIUE, Barone boasted previous NCAA Division I experience as an assistant as well as stints as an assistant and head coach in the junior college ranks.

Barone’s most recent Division I experience came at Green Bay under current Bradley head coach Brian Wardle. In five years on the Green Bay staff, Barone helped guide the Phoenix to a 95-65 overall record. In 2014-15, Green Bay posted a 24-7 record and claimed the Horizon League’s regular season championship.

While at Green Bay, Barone was instrumental in the recruitment and development of two-time Horizon League Player of the Year Keifer Sykes and second round 2015 NBA Draft Pick Alec Brown. More than 10 Green Bay players from Barone’s tenure went on to play professionally.

Prior to his time in Green Bay, Barone was on staff at Indiana University as the Hoosiers' director of basketball operations/video coordinator where he worked under his college head coach Tom Crean. He began at IU in 2008 after serving the 2007-08 campaign as the coordinator of basketball operations and video coordinator at Marquette.

Barone's first Division I coaching experience came at Illinois State. He spent four seasons (from 2003-04 through 2006-07) as an assistant coach for the Redbirds where he helped resurrect a program that had just eight wins the year prior to his arrival.

As a player, Barone played his first two seasons at Texas A&M, playing for his father Tony Barone, Sr. He earned honorable mention all-Big XII accolades as a sophomore following the 1997-98 season when he finished among the league's top five in assists and steals. He also received GTE Big XII Academic All-Conference accolades as well.

He transferred to Marquette. Barone made his debut in 1999-00 after sitting out one season as a transfer. He served as team captain during his tenure and was also named to the Conference USA All-Academic Team.

Barone earned his bachelor's degree in communications from Marquette in 2000 and completed his master's in communications at MU in 2002.

Barone and his wife, Mimi, have a son, Carson, and three daughters, Ava, Gianna and Cecilia.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • What ‘Find a Way’ means to Brian and the SIUE Basketball program 
  • Why it was so important to add ‘Family’ to the end of ‘Find a Way’
  • What locking into the beliefs that everything is better together and to never do it alone helped SIUE Basketball grow through all the adversity they faced
  • How Brian leans into each players’ story to put them into the best position to be successful on and off the court
  • What it was like to play 19 games in 43 days, have a 33 day break in mid-season without a game and to only have five team practices after December 21st during the 2020-21 season
  • What it is so important to know your role, embrace your role, and be a star in your role
  • How his players protect the locker room

Additional resources:

24 Feb 2021Episode 113: Engage with Energy and Purpose, with Scott Garrett00:46:08

Cleveland State University announced the appointment of Scott Garrett as its seventh Director of Athletics on April 8, 2019. Garrett was formally introduced at a press conference in Cleveland State’s Student Center by CSU President Harlan M. Sands.

Garrett came to CSU after nine years at Kansas State University, where he served as Executive Associate Athletics Director with responsibilities in fan experience, fundraising, business operations, sport supervision and more. At CSU, Garrett will provide leadership and oversight for all of CSU’s 18 NCAA Division I sports, $13 million operating budget, and over 330 student-athletes. 

“Scott Garrett is a very successful leader who has had a tremendous impact at every level of athletics administration he has touched. He is all about building a winning culture with integrity and values – both on the field and in the classroom,” CSU President Harlan M. Sands said at the time of Garrett's hiring. “We are very excited that he will be joining our team, and I look forward to working with him as we build upon the athletic and academic achievements of our student-athletes.”

“I am privileged and honored to be named Cleveland State University’s next Director of Athletics,” Garrett said upon taking the position. “Throughout the search process I have been extremely impressed with President Sands’ vision for CSU, the positive energy around campus and the numerous opportunities to move CSU Athletics forward.”

In his first year with CSU, department accomplishments under Garrett’s leadership included: 

  • Six head coaching hires (Sinisa Ubiparipovic in men’s soccer, Hannah Burandt in swimming and diving, Dennis Gates in men’s basketball, Andy German in lacrosse, Taylor Riggs in women’s golf, and Amber Williams in track & field) 
  • Nearly 30 individual staff hires, including Deputy Athletics Directors Tyler Jones and Kelsie Gory. 
  • The department launched the Viking Fund, an annual giving program which attracted nearly 100 members in its’ first year of existence. 
  • Donors set a new record of giving with over $290,000 in donations on CSU Giving Day 2020.   
  • Men’s basketball attendance at the Wolstein Center improved by over 50% year-over-year.  
  • Developed the new Athletics Directors’ Leadership Council, an exclusive leadership program for a collection of student-athletes nominated by head coaches in each sport. 
  • Women’s basketball set a school-record with an eleven-game winning streak, leading to a 21-11 overall record and a run to the Horizon League semifinals.
  • Men’s basketball outplayed expectations with its’ first three-game win streaks in non-conference play since 2011-12 and conference play since 2014-15 – earning Head Coach Dennis Gates a Horizon League Coach of the Year award.
  • 2ndplace conference finishes for men’s and women’s swimming and diving.
  • Women’s golf setting the school record for an individual round.
  • Men’s lacrosse earning their first-ever victory over a ranked opponent, a 12-11 win over No. 16 Air Force. 
  • Andy Tulleners was named Midwest Fencing Conference Men’s Coach of the Year.
  • Cross country, women’s basketball, women’s golf and women’s fencing received the Division I Academic Progress Rate (APR) Public Recognition Award, each posting multiyear APR scores in the top 10 percent of all NCAA teams in their respective sports.
  • Individual Viking student athletes were recognized with 35 all-conference awards in 2019-20, highlighted by senior wrestler Evan Cheek’s qualification for NCAA nationals and senior tennis student-athlete Nico Mostardi’s program-record ranking of 93rdin the nation.  
  • In the classroom, student-athletes earned 19 all-academic conference team recognitions and the department finished with school-record term GPA’s in both the fall (3.31) and spring (3.66). 
  • For the first time in school history, all 18 of Cleveland State’s varsity programs earned a term GPA of at least a 3.00 during the spring 2020 semester.
  • In the community, student-athletes organized a number of service initiatives including a SAAC food-drive during Bleed Green Week and an Adopt-a-Family holiday gift program. 

 

Prior to arriving at CSU, Garrett served as Executive Associate Athletics Director for External Operations and Chief Revenue Officer at Kansas State, where he was responsible for various aspects of department administration, including strategic revenue generation initiatives and fan experience programming. In his nine years at Kansas State, Garrett provided leadership that generated 46 sellouts in football, national Top 25 attendance rankings in men’s and women’s basketball, women’s soccer, volleyball and baseball and a 40 percent increase in overall ticket revenue. Garrett’s duties at Kansas State also included management of a donor portfolio accounting for over $1.5 million in contributions annually and over $2 million in major capital gifts over a two-year period. Garrett also spearheaded the department’s strategic planning efforts on three separate occasions, while his duties also included sport administration oversight, including coaching personnel evaluations and search management.

Garrett’s previous stops in intercollegiate athletics include serving as Assistant Athletics Director at Wichita State University from 2008 to 2010 and Director of Sales and Ticket Operations, with fellow Horizon League member University of Illinois at Chicago, from 2003 to 2008.

Garrett graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing from Illinois State in 2002 and proceeded to earn a Master’s in sport management and athletics administration from Indiana University in 2003.

A native of Channahon, Ill., Garrett and his wife Kristy have two children, Matthew (13) and Audrey (9) and reside in Avon, Ohio. 

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • What three things Scott looks for when hiring a head coach
  • How he adjusted his leadership when COVID hit
  • Who were his biggest mentors and what are the biggest lessons he learned from them
  • Why vulnerability is so critical and how it helped the leaders in the athletic department at Cleveland State respond to the crisis
  • Where developed his passion for leading a college athletic department
  • What is the Athletic Director’s Leadership Council and how powerful of the experience has been for the CSU student-athletes

Additional resources:

Twitter: @scottmgarrett

Twitter Athletics: @CS_Athletics

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottmgarrettks/     

LinkedIn :   https://www.linkedin.com/school/cleveland-state-university/

Twitter - @csu_athletics, @scottmgarrett

IG - csu_athletics, scottmgarrett

FB - Cleveland State University Athletics

05 Sep 2018Episode 7: The Power of Positive Energy, with Ed Molitor00:16:39

In the last 26 years, Ed Molitor has developed his leadership skills in both athletics and business. From working as a NCAA Basketball coach at Texas A&M to becoming the Vice President of a national recruiting firm, Ed has taught countless athletes, coaches, and business leaders how to THINK, ACT, and EXECUTE at an elite level. Ed has a unique set of skills to deliver leaders across the country a purposeful, positive, energetic, and refreshing experience to unlock their true potential.

In 2016, Ed launched his company, The Molitor Group, in order to reach and add value to a larger sphere of ambitious individuals and help them achieve their goals every day. Through The Molitor Group, Ed has guided all types of leaders to achieve success. From entrepreneurs and executives to teams and companies, The Molitor Group specializes in empowering individuals and groups to achieve at the next level. Through Leadership Performance training, coaching, and speaking, Ed’s goal is to supply people and organizations with the necessary tools to move forward from where they are now to where they want to be.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • The difference between positive energy and high energy and why the former is crucial for anyone in a team leadership position
  • Making the choice every day to have the right attitude and create positive habits & actions that ripple to your interactions with others in your workplace
  • Bringing positive energy into your personal life to strengthen your relationships with your family
  • “Listening to understand” by showing empathy, kindness and appreciation for the people around you
  • How Ed channeled positive energy into his professional career through three different industries as a college basketball coach while he was in the mortgage industry and as a VP of operations with a recruiting firm that placed former military in jobs throughout the country
  • Combining passion with purpose to create positive energy throughout your life
  • The moving stories of people in Ed’s life who exude positive energy and how it shaped Ed’s own outlook
  • Maximizing your contributions to your work team, your family, and all your relationships
  • The difference between eulogy virtues and resumé virtues, and why eulogy virtues are so important to your success

Ways to contact Ed:

06 Oct 2021Episode 133: Commitment to Excellence with Peter Farmakis00:44:52

On Sept 7, 2018, Dr. John Alverdy and The University of Chicago founded Covira Surgical – a biotech company focused on novel therapeutic alternatives to prevent postoperative (surgical) infections. In Feb of 2020, Peter Farmakis joined Covira as the Chief Executive Officer, during a time when our work to prevent infections has never been more important.

Peter is an accomplished executive with diversified leadership experiences in the life science industry including; biotech/pharma, medical devices, and diagnostics/molecular diagnostics.

Throughout his career Peter has held multiple commercial leadership positions with two large industry leading diversified life science organizations Johnson & Johnson and Abbott Laboratories, and five privately held early-stage/start-up companies including Covira Surgical, VitaHEAT Medical, OraPharma, Unimed Pharmaceuticals, and DynaSplint Systems.

Peter completed the General Management Executive Development Program from Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management. Peter attained his MBA in Marketing and Strategic Management from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and his BA in Pre-Physical Therapy and Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Peter's board experience includes Co-Chairman of the Board for Covira Surgical, CEO Leadership on the Ops Team for Smart Health Catalyst, and multiple Boards of Director roles including VitaHEAT Medical, Three Squared, and Health Industry Supply Chain Institute.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • How Peter learned vicariously through others success and failures
  • What the best piece of advice was he received from one of his mentors
  • How Peter has gone about creating a comfortable environment for his teams
  • Why having the ability to admit what you don’t know is so important
  • Why a turnaround job was more pressure at times than a startup
  • How Peter learned the hard way that when you experience a high level of success people will begin to take shots at you
  • How Peter stays grounded by focusing on fitness, friends & family, and fun

Additional resources:

13 Apr 2021Episode 117: Leading with Contagious Tenacity, with Kane Ma00:47:22

Kane Ma is Co-Founder/Chief Technology Officer of Kamo Digital Solutions.

An entrepreneur and business development professional with strong industry knowledge in software development, web and app dev/design, campaign automation, data analysis + SEO, and digital advertising. Experienced in the development and implementation of emerging digital technologies. Blockchain enthusiast. Received Bachelor's in Computer Science and Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill while as a Varsity letterman in the Men's Basketball Program after starring on the JV team for three years.

Upon graduating, he went to work for Fidelity Investments as a software engineer but knew he wanted to continue playing so he began reaching out to anyone he could for direction and ended up spending a week in the summer with Guangzhou Long Lions (CBA).


In attendance that week was the GM of the Macau Black Bears (ABL) and two months later signed Kamo to a contract where he spent the year in SE Asia and traveled to 9 different countries to play games.

That offseason he was the target of a hate crime committed by three white male dental students at UNC who proceeded to assault him leaving him with multiple injuries including a fractured skull. The results of that attack put an end to his playing career.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How Kane focuses on mastery, autonomy, and purpose for his people as he builds the team at Kamo
  • What it meant to fulfill his life-long dream of playing on the varsity at University of North Carolina
  • How he gets his team at Kamo to put relentless energy into the things that matter most which are energy, focus, and effort
  • How being a victim of a hate crime by men who were targeting Asians impacted his life
  • Why Kane is so conscious of ego, motivation and knowing what his people want to achieve when he manages his team
  • Why winning is so important to Kane and what it means to him

Additional resources:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kane-ma-810801138/

IG: @kanye.ma

Twitter: @kane_ma
12 Dec 2018Episode 20: Reaching the Highest Peaks, with Mark Pattison00:44:53

Former NFL Player now Climbing the Seven Summits. Will become the first player to do so.  Vinson Massif this January, Everest March 2020.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How Mark transitioned from his 5-year career in the NFL, and what he did after he retired from football
  • How an entrepreneurial spirit pushed Mark to start multiple successful businesses
  • Why Mark decided to tackle the Seven Summits challenge and become the first NFL player to climb the tallest mountains on each continent
  • What Mark considers to be the qualities of a great teammate, and who he considers his best teammates from his football days
  • How perseverance and commitment have been the secrets to Mark's business success as well as to his mountain-climbing
  • What message Mark tries to convey to his audience at speaking engagements
  • Why Mark keeps a vision board, what goals he keeps on it, and how he prepares to achieve his goals
  • Why taking action and making the first step is crucial for success in any part of your life
  • How Mark mentally prepares himself for getting to the top of a mountain peak, and what happens once he reaches the top
  • Why Mark believes it's important to be the best you can be to maximize your contributions to your team

How to contact Mark Pattison:

 

26 Dec 2018Episode 22: The Powerful Culture of the Service Express Way, with Ron Alvesteffer00:49:12

During his tenure, Ron Alvesteffer has helped Service Express define its market and create a unique performance-driven culture for employees. Service Express’s Core Value “to work with our employees to help them achieve their personal, professional and financial goals” creates opportunities for employee achievement and has led to outstanding individual and team performances resulting in individual and company success.

As a result, Service Express has been named one of the Best & Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation 5 years in a row. Service Express has also been named to the Inc. 5000 List of Fastest Growing Private Companies in America 10 of the past 11 years as well as one of the Top 25 Best Small Companies by Forbes Magazine.

Under Ron's leadership, Service Express has averaged double-digit revenue growth year over year and has expanded the geographic footprint nationally.

Ron implemented Service Express’ Performance Measurement System (SR5) which tracks monthly and quarterly goals and results.

Ron authored the eBook, The Service Express Way – values and principles of a growing company. In it Ron shares the beliefs and philosophies, along with real-life stories from the field that have driven these remarkable results.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How Ron's education and career path resulted in his current position as President and CEO of Service Express
  • Why Service Express has experienced double-digit revenue growth every year, as well as a 98% customer retention rate and an NPS of 84
  • Why Service Express's company culture focuses on employees even more than customers, and how that has fueled their growth
  • Why Service Express's hiring process involves actively searching for people who fit the culture
  • What Ron looks for in hiring new employees to determine whether a new person will match the culture well
  • How Service Express works to help its employees achieve their personal and financial goals
  • How Service Express handles the challenge of hiring someone who doesn't end up fitting the organization
  • How Ron handles the difficult separation conversation, which he calls the "Danger Zone"
  • Which business leaders and mentors have been the strongest influence on Ron's career and leadership style
  • What goals Ron is aiming for in the future of Service Express and "The Service Express Way"
  • What advice Ron would give to other entrepreneurs looking to create their own powerful culture and values

Additional resources:

 

03 Mar 2021Episode #114: Building Winning Teams, with Maureen Electa Monte00:58:02

Maureen Electa Monte builds winning teams that unite, overcome obstacles, and achieve big goals.

She has a B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, an M.S. in Leadership and Business Ethics, and is a Gallup-certified StrengthsFinder expert. Maureen has 30 years of corporate experience and was Engineer of the Year for IBM. She has launched two companies and provided consulting services to 20,000 professionals on global teams in hi-tech, healthcare, food science, banking and education.

She has also worked with over 1,400 athletes and coaches, including an Olympic team, headed to Tokyo in 2021.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Why building a winning team requires a shift in thinking
  • Why every team needs a human glue guy
  • How she helps people and teams accomplish what they were put on Earth to achieve
  • What are the benefits of hiring female athletes
  • What drove Maureen to begin working on the ‘Win Like a Girl Project’
  • What are the benefits of identifying three things you can control and then prioritizing them

Additional resources:

Facebook: @MaureenElectaMonte @DestinationUnstoppable

Twitter: @MaureenEMonte

LinkedIn: @MaureenMonte

Molly Little- He’s Not the Sun You Are

15 Jul 2020Episode 86: Embracing the Opportunity to Make a Positive Impact, with Jon Denny01:03:52

Jon Denny has been a NATIONAL Executive Sales & Marketing Recruiter for over 21+ years in the MEDICAL, DIAGNOSTIC, PHARMACEUTICAL & BIOTECH Industries with a leading National Recruitment firm Buckman Enochs Coss & Associates established in 1979. Specialize in Medical Device, Medical Diagnostics, Pharmaceutical and Biotech Sales & Marketing Executive Search. 

BEC partners in finding talent for leading Healthcare Companies such as: ACADIA Pharmaceuticals, Allergan/Abbvie, Ambry Genetics, Amgen, Boston Scientific, Cardinal Health, Dompe, Genentech, and many others. Prior to joining BEC Jon spent over 2 years in Accounting and Finance Recruitment for a leading staffing firm and 4 years in College/University Recruitment. In the last Two Decades, Jon has helped countless individuals in healthcare sales, marketing, and clinical roles find employment opportunities that have been life-changing and he has several current clients he helped early on in their careers. 

He attributes his Business Acumen, Strong Work Ethic, Empathy and Connecting with Individuals from his competitive collegiate athletic background playing 4 Years of Football at his alma mater, Ohio Northern University.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How a dinner conversation at a client’s awards event helped him understand the enormous impact he could have on the lives of the people he placed.
  • Why humility is such a critical skill and the different coaches an experiences that taught him that lesson.
  • What really motivates people when they are evaluating new career opportunities.
  • How past performance is a measure of future success.
  • What positives opportunities have showed up in his life during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • What are the characteristics that top companies in the Medical, Diagnostic, Pharmaceutical, and Biotech industries are looking for when they are hiring front-line leaders.
  • Why mental toughness is so critical in growing through adversity and how those lessons help you persevere.

Additional resources:

Company Website: www.becsearch.com 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondennybec/

Company Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/becsearch/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/becsearch

Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/buckman-enochs-coss-&-associates/

Your Twitter Name: Personal: @denny_jon

Company Twitter Name: @becsearch

Your LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondennybec/

Charity Fundraising for Cancer Research: https://pelotonia.org/ *Founded in 2008, Pelotonia was established with the objective to fund life-saving cancer research. Through the first 11 years, the Pelotonia community raised more than $207 million for cancer research. Thanks to its generous funding partners, Pelotonia is able to direct 100% of every participant raised dollar to cancer research at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute.

27 Jul 2022Episode 156: Never Be Afraid To Bet On Yourself with Kosha Irby00:50:03

Kosha Irby (CO-Shay ER-BEE) currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer for Professional Bull Riders (PBR). He is responsible for all aspects of PBR’s consumer marketing and live event efforts.

Before joining PBR, Irby was Team President of the Memphis Express. In this role, he oversaw all business functions for the professional football club. Before that, Irby led live event marketing and sales for various domestic and international markets on behalf of WWE, a publicly-traded (NYSE: WWE) global media company.

Before joining WWE in 2011, Irby served in various senior marketing positions at Georgia State University, Saint Louis University, and the University of South Florida.

Irby attended the University of Memphis (1996-2001) and earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports science in 2000 and his MBA in Marketing in 2001.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • What is the one motto that has allowed Kosha to take the risks that helped him achieve each new level of his career
  • Kosha shares a two-question framework you can use to decide if the next career or business opportunity is right for you
  • What are the three traits that make someone a cowboy in leadership and life (it’s not Wranglers, boots, or bull riding!) 
  • How Kosha faced the toughest management challenge during COVID and how it strengthened him as a leader
  • How to be at your best during times when your energy is low
  • Ways to use real time feedback to improve connectability and make your team stronger 
  • What was the big risk that caused trouble with the NCAA that ended up teaching Kosha the role he wanted to play in his career

Additional resources:

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