Intentional Performers

Morag Barrett on Cultivating Allyship at Work

Morag Barrett is a sought-out executive coach and leadership expert who helps leaders achieve outstanding results through the power of their professional relationships. At last count Morag and her company SkyeTeam have supported the development of more than 10,000 leaders from 20 countries and on 6 continents. She’s the award-winning author of three books: Cultivate: The Power of Winning Relationships; The Future-Proof Workplace; and her latest book You, Me, We: Why we all need a friend at work (and how to show up as one!) which has received NINE book awards! She’s recognized by Thinkers360 and PeopleHum as an HR Thought Leader to Watch and a member of the Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coaches organization.

 

Morag had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include:

“When it comes to SkyeTeam, our values and why we do it is to have fun, to do great work, to have fun, to work with great clients, and to have fun” (8:00).

“The game of work is a team sport” (9:15).

“Our ability to be better together, that’s our mantra at SkyeTeam, comes through the courage and vulnerability to do this with others” (9:40).

“It’s all about the relationships that we have at work and in life that determine our health, happiness, and success” (10:25).

“The world of work is the biggest team sport you can participate in” (13:10).

“Nobody gets to the pinnacle of fame and success on their own” (15:05).

“The work we do is all about how do we help others make their life and work lighter and easier” (17:15).

“Life is short, and if it’s like a millstone we’re doing it wrong” (19:20).

“Everything that people remember is heart-led, the way they made me feel” (29:55).

“I am a master at asking questions and turning the focus from me to you” (36:40).

“What did I learn from that moment of burnout? That I can only run so fast for so long and I need to be prioritizing myself and self-care so that I can be stronger and better positioned to help others” (39:40).

“Can I be a friend and ally for you even if I don’t like you?” (57:00).

“How do we work respectfully together in spite of our differences to enable us to be better together because of our differences?” (57:15).

“What I am learning at the moment is how to better articulate my boundaries” (1:00:35).

“10 years from now I want to be inspiring others… firing up the individual and collective mindset in a way that just leaves a legacy and ripple effects across the world” (1:03:15).

 

Additionally, you can find the SkyeTeam website here and connect with Morag on LinkedIn. You can all purchase all of Morag’s books wherever books are sold.

Thank you so much to Morag for coming on the podcast!

I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers.

Thanks for listening.

Jack Green on Wellbeing and High Performance

Jack Green is a Double Olympian, a formal global wellbeing lead, and a performance coach. He has this unique perspective on what it takes to achieve high performance, and he also knows about the dark side of sport, elite sport, and high performance. He knows how some of the mindsets that he cultivated for himself professionally to get to some of the highest levels in his sport were also some of the mindsets that really led to him living an unhealthy life and getting into some mental health challenges that really did derail not only his career, but his life in general. His philosophy has become simple: if you are thriving personally, you will no doubt thrive professionally. He’s on a mission to help as many people as possible to be the best version of themselves. He retired from elite sport at the age of 28 after winning World and European medals. We talk about medals in today’s conversation, and also why finishing 4^th were some of the proudest races and competitions that Jack had. He has a passion for high performance and he has continued to step into that world as a coach, as a speaker, as a mentor, and he really does believe in the power of the mind to drive performance and to drive wellness. You’re going to love my conversation with Jack; he’s thoughtful with his words, he’s wise beyond his years, and it’s a conversation that we all need to hear.

Jack had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include:

“Luck doesn’t have any ownership over it, and so I don’t think it’s repeatable” (6:35).

“I’m very big on let’s get repeatable success” (6:40).

“I could outwork anyone” (8:05).

“Athletics became my kind of escape and the thing that was going to give me opportunities in life” (8:20).

“I was fueled by insecurity. I was fueled by a fear of failure” (9:10).

“No one ever took the time to find out who I was” (10:45).

“Let me learn about you as a human being” (11:25).

“I believe I’m a very good coach” (17:30).

“I really enjoy doing it. It doesn’t feel like a chore coaching. Sometimes running did” (17:40).

“I like seeing people develop and grow” (18:10).

“I’m really passionate about trying to win the right way” (19:10).

“Sport is not healthy. Let’s stop trying to make it healthy; let’s try to make it healthier” (24:00).

“Anyone can get to high performance, but elite performance is different” (24:30).

“Be aware, don’t compare” (27:00).

“When I retired, the only thing I dropped was running” (33:00).

“I’m going to expect that bad things might happen, but I’m going to help you in getting through that” (40:35).

“If an athlete leaves me and isn’t a better person, what am I doing with my time?” (41:20).

“To understand what it takes to keep winning is absolutely incredible” (42:40).

“I retired at 28 because I wasn’t willing to pay what was required” (46:20).

“We like shiny, we like new, we like easier” (55:35).

“Be efficient” (56:05).

“Wellbeing is very basic and not very exciting” (59:15).

“I’m trying to give something practical, I’m trying to help people” (1:02:40).

“I think people should share because they want to help other people” (1:02:50).

Additionally, you can connect with Jack on LinkedIn.

Thank you so much to Jack for coming on the podcast!

I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers.

Thanks for listening.

Pablo Torre on Following Curiosity

Pablo Torre is thoughtful. He’s smart, he’s intelligent, and he’s funny. Today’s conversation we get into all of that; we get into his personality, how he approaches media, how he approaches storytelling. At his core, he is someone who deeply wants to tell stories that range in emotions, that make you laugh, that may make you cry, that may make you cringe, but mostly will make you think a little bit differently than you thought before digesting the story that Pablo is sharing. His background involves deep journalism at Sports Illustrated as a staff writer and a fact checker. His work there won awards. He then went on to work at ESPN as a senior writer for both its website and its magazine. He will say in today’s conversation that he got his start really in the magazine space and that shapes a lot of how he thinks about storytelling. But you will probably recognize Pablo if you’re interested in sports because he has appeared on air quite a bit, whether it’s on the show Around the Horn as a regular contributor, or The Sports Reporters (which is what I grew up watching), or Pardon the Interruption with Tony Kornheiser, or even Outside the Lines or The Dan LeBatard Show. So, he’s made his bones on air in a lot of ways, and in audio. He’s going to talk about his current podcast and how they use video and audio to storytell with Meadowlark Media. It is a company that was founded by his former colleague Dan LeBatard, where they try to blend humor with wisdom and thoughtfulness, try to go deep but also live on the surface, and really at their core they’re trying to entertain you but also make you smarter when you listen to them and when you digest their information and their content. Pablo is great, I really loved this conversation because it’s about polarity, it’s about range, it’s about things that I really care a lot about, and Pablo embodies all of that and more.

 

Pablo had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include:

“If I find something authentically interesting, maybe you do too” (7:15).

“Sports Illustrated taught me that the world of magazines is, in retrospect, at its best, an un-algorithmic world” (8:40).

“Sports is the biggest tent in American life” (9:20).

“You can do smart and funny. Those two things are key” (12:50).

“I’m going to melt some cheese on your broccoli. You’ll learn something, you’ll get nourishment, but you’ll enjoy it” (13:15).

“I want to make sure the stories I do have some element of humor” (15:20).

“I believe fundamentally that we all contain multitudes” (19:15).

“I love complicated things” (19:55).

“I want someone who doesn’t find this topic interesting to keep listening to the end” (20:55).

“If I find the right angle on a story, that can be a skeleton key into something that no one presumed they wanted to get into” (22:40).

“I value my curiosity even more than my conviction” (28:45).

“The product that I’m making is many different products in one” (39:35).

“I’m here to tell you a story” (43:35).

“We have forgotten how good it feels to be around people who make you better in person” (53:45).

“So much of my show is about human nature” (56:20).

“So often, nostalgia is a lie” (1:10:25).

“The NFL is selling you gladiators” (1:14:30).

 

Additionally, you can check out Pablo’s podcast, Pablo Torre Finds Out, on any podcast platform. You can also subscribe to Pablo’s newsletter here.

Thank you so much to Pablo for coming on the podcast!

I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers.

Thanks for listening.

Steve Shenbaum on Communication

Steve Shenbaum is the Founder and President of Game On Nation. For over 27 years, we’ve been helping sports teams, high performance organizations, government, and military personnel improve overall communication and relationship building by combining game-based exercises with practical techniques. Our end goal is to simplify the process and put words into action - moving from good to know to good to do - to enhance workplace behaviors, develop authentic connection, and improve overall team success.

Steve had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include:

“Are we practicing what we’re sharing out into the world?” (9:25).

“We always say know your audience, but we rarely put our most important audience first: [our family]” (14:20).

“Tone is key” (16:50).

“Laugh with, not at” (17:10).

“Tone is the most important thing that I’m aware of when I’m talking with my children” (17:55).

“I know my children’s learning styles” (19:30).

“Everyone is a presenter” (23:40).

“All speeds are very valuable, it’s just a matter of knowing and having discernment as to which speed you want to bring into the situation” (25:30).

“Change speeds” (26:40).

“We have to make sure we don’t go to extremes” (28:00).

“Every interaction we have is an opportunity to naturally develop these muscles” (28:30).

“We try our best to always have a sense of common sense, critical thinking, and emotional control… when you’re teaching improv” (33:00).

“No one in their right mind is like ‘I cannot wait to get negative feedback.” We’re not wired that way” (40:10).

“You cannot take someone’s feedback as a personal attack” (40:25).

“Say what you saw and say it with grace” (42:25).

“We have to make sure we don’t chase what I call the statistical anomaly” (44:25).

“We always go to the negative” (45:00).

“Surround yourself with a good advisory team” (48:40).

“The most important feedback is from the people that have earned the right, that know you well, that actually speak true life into you” (49:15).

“We have to be aware that when you’re on stage there is that high, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but we have to protect ourselves and make sure there’s a nice combination of empathy and authority on stage” (54:05).

“You’re presenting with the audience” (56:35).

“We need to humble ourselves as presenters and make sure we’re not just going in and high-kicking” (58:45).

“When we present, what’s one positive word that we’re trying to make the audience feel?” (1:02:55).

“If we only stay in the feelings, we’re going to be in a really difficult place” (1:11:35).

“We very rarely argue good behaviors” (1:14:05).

“Relationships are key. You have to build that trust. And there’s no quick fix” (1:16:50).

“Do not rush relationships” (1:17:15).

Additionally, you can find the Game On Nation website here, as well as their program guide here. You can also follow Game On Nation on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook @gameonnation, and you can follow Steve directly on those same platforms (plus Twitter) @steveshenbaum.

Thank you so much to Steve for coming on the podcast!

I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers.

Thanks for listening.

Jon Tuteur on Starting Over

Founder & CEO of Triple P Consulting LLC also a member of the Strong Skills team! Jon Tuteur is an Executive Coach, Facilitator, Speaker, Author, and Management Consultant with over 20 years of experience working across numerous industries including the U.S. Federal Government, State & Local Government, Nonprofit, Higher Education, Financial Services, Hospitality, Retail, Healthcare, Real Estate, High Tech, and Consulting.

Jon had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include:

“We’re not connecting in the ways that we used to” (9:40).

“It’s so important for me in the work that I do to create that safe space for people to open up about whatever it is that’s going on” (11:55).

“A lot of what drives disconnection is assumptions” (12:55).

“When we’re just judging people based on behavior, there’s a lot of assumptions that go along with that” (13:20).

“There’s a way to go deep and be vulnerable at work that isn’t inappropriate” (16:50).

“Vulnerability is power. There is strength in vulnerability. It is not a weakness at all” (21:00).

“It’s been an incredible journey, but writing a book is not for the faint of heart” (26:00).

“For me, so much of [decision making] centers around emotion” (31:30).

“What is my heart saying? What is my head saying? What is my gut saying?” (32:00).

“Our body tells us so much that we aren’t even aware of” (32:20).

“Having gone through this has given me a new sense of being able to put myself in other people’s shoes that are struggling” (39:20).

“Having 3 brain surgeries was the hard option, it was the hard road, and it was starting over” (44:20).

“My focus this year is leaning into the spotlight because I’ve spent so much of my life shying away from it, trying to let other people take that spotlight. But no one wins who’s afraid of losing” (45:20).

“I don’t allow myself to go down rabbit holes very often” (50:15).

“One of the reasons I’m drawn to emotional intelligence is it comes naturally to me” (50:25).

“Adversity is much more comfortable than it was when I was 29” (52:35).

“[My book, Starting Over: From Seizures to Seizing Life] is a firsthand vulnerable account of how a completely unexpected life change impacts someone” (1:00:25)

Additionally, I’d encourage you to check out the website for Triple P Consulting here, a replay of Jon’s ABC 7 Good Morning Washington interview here, and to pre-order Jon’s upcoming book, Starting Over: From Seizures to Seizing Life, here. You can also follow Jon on Facebook and LinkedIn. Lastly, you can find the website for the Federal Executive Institute here, where Jon teaches a class about EQ.

Thank you so much to Jon for coming on the podcast!

I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers.

Thanks for listening.

Amy Edmondson on Psychological Safety

Amy Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School, which is a Chair established to support the study of human interactions that lead to the creation of successful enterprises that contribute to the betterment of society. And in today’s conversation we certainly talk about Harvard, what it’s like to work on a college campus, and what it’s like to be specifically at that college campus during this time in 2023 as we record today’s conversation. Amy has been recognized by the Biannual Thinkers50 Global Ranking of Management Thinkers since 2011, and recently was ranked #1 in 2021. She’s received that organization’s Breakthrough Idea Award in 2019 and Talent Award in 2017. She studies teaming, psychological safety (which is going to be a core concept and competency that you’ve probably heard about at some point if you study environments and teams and groups), and we’re going to talk about the famous Aristotle study that Google did that found that psychological safety was the #1 factor in determining team success, so this is definitely a deep dive into that concept and something that hopefully you can take with your teams and organizations. She also studies organizational learning and her articles have been published in numerous academic and management outlets, including Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, Harvard Business Review, and California Management Review. She’s written many books, so we’re going to talk about The Fearless Organization, which she wrote in 2019, we’re going to talk about her latest book, The Right Kind of Wrong, so a lot of this conversation is about mistakes and failures, and I highly recommend you check out that book. She’s also written books around this concept of teaming, including Teaming to Innovate and Extreme Teaming. At her core, you’re going to find Amy to be humble but brilliant, you’re going to find her to be nuanced and thoughtful when it comes to psychology and the science of humans, and she is someone that I feel as though, even though she’s got all these accolades, I feel like I could’ve talked to forever. 

Amy had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include:

“A mindset is something that happens inside your head. It’s an approach. It’s an orientation” (6:35).

“A psychologically safe environment in the classroom is mission-critical for learning and learners” (9:30).

“Safe spaces and psychological safety are almost at odds, almost two opposing ideas rather than compatible ideas [in an educational space]” (12:20).

“Classrooms can be environments where people can take risks and occasionally failures will happen… and through those we will learn and grow and get to be better versions of ourselves” (14:40).

“Psychological safety for me has always been about helping people take their foot off the brakes” (15:05).

“The day you decide you don’t need to learn anymore, and your mind is made up and your opinions about various people and groups is made up, is the day you cease to grow (16:35).

“It starts with a recognition that other human beings are just as important as you are” (21:10).

“We all want to feel that we matter” (23:15).

“The meaningful memories [on our death beds] have to do with other humans” (29:10).

“There’s an asymmetry [to psychological safety]” (30:35).

“Vulnerability is a fact” (33:00).

“If I’m unwilling to confront my vulnerability, then I’m at risk for unhappy surprises” (33:30).

“Neuroscience research suggests that some of the same neurons are firing when we get a psychological assault or harm, like being rejected by a group of friends…, as for a physical harm” (36:20).

“Emotions are incredibly important, incredibly powerful in shaping our human experiences (45:20).

“Probably the most important capacity people can learn, in sports and in life, is how to tame their emotions” (45:55).

“Your emotions can simply be data” (46:40).

“The more expert we get in any given field or domain, the more we can effortlessly process context and take it into consideration” (56:25).

“The best students, the unusually good students, are curious” (59:40).

“To cultivate curiosity and collaboration, you have to truly believe that it’s in your interest to do so” (1:00:35).

“A mistake is an unintended deviation from a known process… A failure is an undesired outcome” (1:03:15).

“There’s no such thing as a mistake in new territory” (1:03:55).

“It’s about creating the safe conditions in which [your kids] can fail” (1:14:30).

Additionally, you can find all of Amy’s information on her website, and also follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn. 

Thank you so much to Amy for coming on the podcast!

I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers.

Thanks for listening.

 

Brian Levenson, Grace Aduroja Kolker, and Miranda Holder on Collaboration

Today’s episode is going to be a little bit different than our past episodes: I’m actually going to interview two friends of mine, two colleagues, that are going to share their perspective on collaboration.

Miranda Holder is an Executive Coach (and my own personal coach) that has a background in sport. She was a three-sport athlete in High School and then she found Rowing in College where she competed at an elite, high level. She then became a Rowing Coach and ended up becoming the Head Rowing Coach at Georgetown University. That journey of becoming a Rowing Coach ended up leading her to become an Executive Coach. Today, she spends a lot of time working with people in all walks of life in the corporate space, and she considers herself to be an insight wizard. She helps people see themselves in their situation more clearly, and for the people brave enough to do the work, there’s an incredible leader, person, and idea ready to surface. She loves to work with people on being the best leader or CEO that they can be while also taking risk to start a company or refusing to settle into a career path that doesn’t elicit joy and excitement. She loves helping people unlock their potential and at her core, she loves coaching.

Grace Aduroja Kolker is a friend of mine, someone I look up to, and someone who I consider to be a mentor. Grace is a coach and someone who is extremely wise when it comes to things like communication, emotional intelligence, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and decision making. She is someone who I personally have sent many friends to to get coached. She is someone who facilitates dialogue with me on a regular basis and helps me be the best version of myself. Grace is a lawyer by trade, but she also has a journalism background. She is somebody who has had to ask questions for legal purposes, had to ask questions as a journalist, and as somebody who is just ridiculously curious. Grace is amazingly inquisitive and is a leadership coach. She is someone who holds space for people, develops people, and also facilitates conversations in group experiences. Grace is someone who I look up to, someone who makes me wiser and better at my job, and we often co-facilitate together. Additionally, she has a high-potential accelerator where she will work with individuals one-on-one.

 

Here's a quick summary and some key takeaways from this conversation: In today’s episode, Brian, Grace, and Miranda discussed the paradox of autonomy and collaboration, the importance of collaboration, and its challenges and benefits. Additionally, they emphasized the importance of vulnerability, fulfillment, and clear communication in collaboration. Brian acknowledged his struggle with receiving help and understanding others' strengths. The group also discussed the need to work on aspects of collaboration to enhance teamwork and productivity.

More specifically, Grace and Miranda had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include:

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together” (12:00) – Grace

“The question of ‘Why?’ is less important to me than ‘Where do we go from here?’” (17:20) – Miranda

“I work on my own because I don’t like working for other people” (18:10) – Miranda

“Being in that energy of receiving can be really difficult” (22:45) – Miranda

“One of my weaknesses is I don’t allow people to contribute to me” (25:15) – Grace

“There is a vulnerability [to collaboration]” (26:40) – Grace

“I love being accountable and there’s a lot I’m accountable for. But I don’t want to be responsible for it all” (29:10) – Grace

“People who deliver excellence deliver excellence across the board” (32:50) – Grace

“The body [has] the ability to sense and be with the complexity of multiple experiences and multiple feelings and sensations” (48:215) – Miranda

“I want to be tested and see if I’m good enough more than I want to avoid the discomfort of the challenge” (49:40) – Miranda

“As you mature, you start from a place of dependence” (1:02:55) – Grace

“That ability to sink into interdependence is so powerful” (1:05:35) – Miranda

“The relationship matters to me more than anything else” (1:17:40) – Grace

“You’ve got to do you own work first” (1:18:10) – Grace

Thank you so much to Grace and Miranda for coming on the podcast!

I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers.

Thanks for listening.

Anson Dorrance on Human Development

Coach Anson Dorrance is the Head Coach of the University of North Carolina’s Women’s Soccer Team. He’s the only Head Coach in program history, having coached 45 seasons as the Women’s Head Coach. He graduated from North Carolina, he spent his time there, he actually coached the Men’s team and the Women’s team when he first got there. He’s won over 1000 games and he’s won 22 National Championships. He has coached some of the best soccer players of all time and won a World Cup with the Women’s Soccer Team. So, in women’s soccer coaching history from a legacy standpoint, Coach Dorrance is the cream of the crop. He’s on the Mount Rushmore of coaching in general, but especially in women’s soccer. He’s in the Soccer Hall of Fame, he’s been named Coach of the Year seven times, the resume just goes on and on and on. He is someone who obviously knows a lot about what it takes to build a team, to build a roster, to develop character, and to develop a competitive spirit. We’re going to talk a lot about collaboration and competitive spirit in this conversation, we’re going to discuss leadership ad nauseam and at length, and you’re going to find really quickly that Coach Dorrance has intentional values that he uses and leverages with his team that are constantly evolving. So, this is someone who has built a program and he will continue to lead that program for the next 5 years, as we get into in today’s conversation. At the end of the day, this is someone who loves to develop humans and he cares deeply about developing humans and he thinks about developing humans all the time. He is truly a lifelong learner. It was a pleasure, it was an honor to learn from him; I hope you pull out a pad of paper and a pen and start taking notes because there are just a ton of gems throughout today’s conversation.

 

Coach Dorrance had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include:

“It’s not really a sports season unless there’s some sort of crisis you’re dealing with” (7:20).

“I just like to play sports and read books” (16:50).

“The truly extraordinary business leaders construct a business that can basically last forever” (18:40).

“My main job is human development” (23:10).

“The key is to be falling forward” (34:40).

“What’s critical is the way you construct your own narrative” (35:25).

“We still want to be responsible for our failures” (35:50).

“There’s nothing wrong with failing” (36:25).

“What’s critical for the leaders is to embrace their role” (37:10).

“The ideal form of leadership is someone who will lead verbally” (39:25).

“[The most critical element for success in all of the team’s I’ve had] is good leadership” (40:15).

“If you don’t have the capacity to lead yourself, you’re not going to be in position to lead anyone else” (40:40).

“I treasure the leaders I’m given, but I don’t take any credit for them” (46:15).

“We all live on a leadership continuum” (50:15).

“The kids I’m recruiting know where they’re coming” (57:20).

“The truly elite players want to know where they stand” (57:45).

“I love the accountability of data for your performance” (1:05:05).

“The truly great competitors have to understand that if you truly want to win it’s not about you winning in a team sport, it’s about the team winning” (1:06:25).

“Self-belief is something I’m not going to touch” (1:20:50).

“Energizing is a form of collaboration” (1:21:20).

“I believe in leading a principle-centered life” (1:25:05).

“I believe in governing without rules” (1:27:25).

“I believe in trying to get everyone’s personal narrative to the truth as fast as possible. And how do we do that? With data” (1:27:30).

 

Additionally, you can purchase Coach Dorrance’s books, Training Soccer Champions and The Vision of a Champion, anywhere books are sold. You can also find Coach Dorrance’s website here.

Thank you so much to Coach Dorrance for coming on the podcast!

I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers.

Thanks for listening.

Jack Easterby on Decision Making

Jack Easterby is a respected figure in sports management and leadership. Currently, he is a consultant based out of Charlotte, NC. 

Throughout his career, Easterby has contributed to various organizations, including the National Football League, the Kansas City Chiefs, the New England Patriots, the Houston Texans, the Southeastern Conference, the University of South Carolina, Clemson University, and the United States Olympic Teams. He has also been involved in head coaching searches for different sports at universities. Most recently he held the title of Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the Texans. 

Easterby is known as a trusted advisor to players and coaches and has experience as a speaker at universities, graduations, and charity events.

Apart from his professional life, Jack Easterby is a family man, married to Holly, and has two daughters, Houston and Harriet. He is also passionate about his community and has established The Greatest Champion Foundation, focusing on curriculums, team-building strategies, and sports ministries nationwide. His approach to leadership emphasizes "Kingdom Ethics," incorporating faith into different aspects of life, leaving an impact on sports and leadership ethics.

 

Jack had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include:

“Sports franchises have evolutions” (8:10).

“Every franchise is not going to evolve at the same rate” (8:35).

“No organization is one thing away” (9:10).

“We’ve got to be able to create a culture where everything is examined; everything matters” (9:30).

“Any good system, any good program, has evaluated all of the downsides. Evaluate the risk” (12:45).

“There’s a lot of fake deadlines out there now where people feel the need to answer things or do things in an expedient fashion where maybe they could delay a little bit and make time for themselves to get all of the facts on the table” (15:40).

“People feel a need for speed, and that’s not always a good thing” (16:50).

“If you want the empathy of those around you, if you want the empathy to be pervading emotion if you will, I think you need to be able to admit you mess up” (19:45).

“Sometimes a leader has to fall on a sword even though it may not be directly their fault” (21:50).

“One of the things that is absolutely cornerstone to good leadership is creating emotional stability in your group” (24:55).

“I have always looked at organizations as a team of teams” (31:45).

“It all matters” (32:50).

“Anyone in leadership can fall prey to mantras and phrases that have emptiness in them” (36:35).

“When I’ve looked back on the really good decisions I’ve made, they’ve been the ones I’ve vetted on every level” (39:10).

“The best decisions are made with multi-factorial inputs” (44:55).

“Sometimes a step forward is a step back” (49:00).

“Most organizations right now are realizing the need for a comprehensive database” (57:15).

“There is no greater action in the current climate, with sports or with business, than creating a unified database” (58:05).

“Our country in general is in the greatest need in the history of our country of high character people to be in leadership” (1:02:55).

“The most sustainable, long-term attribute of great leaders is they have consistent character” (1:04:05).

“We have to think about what we think about” (1:15:30).

 

Additionally, you can follow Jack on Twitter and find The Greatest Champion Website here.

Thank you so much to Jack for coming on the podcast!

I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers.

Thanks for listening.

Dusty May on Building a Contender

Dusty May is the Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Florida Atlantic University. You may have heard of Dusty and his program based on last season’s success in college basketball. They won 35 games and they became a darling during the NCAA tournament when they made it to the Final Four in an incredible run. What’s interesting about that run is Dusty took over the program 5 years ago, and since taking over they have not had a losing season. But Florida Atlantic has had plenty of losing in their past; they actually have only been around since the 90’s as a program. So, Dusty is really in the process of building something and there are high expectations for this upcoming season as well. So, we’ll talk about expectations in this conversation. We’ll also talk about why he decided to stay at Florida Atlantic. He obviously had other opportunities to go elsewhere, to go to bigger programs with bigger budgets and more opportunities to recruit, and Dusty decided to stay at Florida Atlantic, he loves it there and he really is in the process of trying to build something special at that campus, and I wouldn’t put it past him to be able to do so. In this conversation, we talk about the culture that he builds, the staff that he wants to surround his players with, we talk about things like loyalty and teamwork, and what it takes to build a consistent winner. Dusty is an enthusiastic guy. He’s going to talk about likability in this conversation, and he’s one of the most likable people I’ve had the good fortune of having on this podcast. 

 

Dusty had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include:

“At different times of our life and stages of our career, we all want something different” (7:50).

“Growing up in this business, loyalty becomes something that’s almost ingrained in you” (10:50).

“We didn’t expect our guys to come back out of loyalty, we expected them to make the best decisions for them, their families, and their futures” (11:10).

“Imposter syndrome is much more common than people realize” (13:25).

“I’m very comfortable in my own skin” (15:30).

“Sometimes doing too much can actually backfire and take you in reverse” (17:40).

“I love being a coach, it’s a big part of my identity because I have so much respect not only for the profession, but for the impact my coaches had on me” (18:50).

“Any time you see your parents do something that they absolutely love to do, you’re probably inclined to at least give it a shot” (22:45).

“As long as we’re surrounded with a great staff who’s committed to helping our players, and as long as our players are committed to being the best they can be… then it’d be very difficult for me to be unhappy” (25:45).

“We spend a lot of time trying to read the room and tailoring our messaging to what the team needs” (34:45).

“I got most of my satisfaction, personally, during the [Final Four] run from seeing our players and their families and the joy it brought so many people together” (36:10).

“I’m process-oriented; the outcome is not what drives me” (36:15).

“I would be very disappointed if our players didn’t think practice was enjoyable most of the time” (41:30).

“There is joy in the work” (41:50).

“I know how difficult it is to be the coach’s son” (48:50).

“What I love to do doesn’t have to be what [my kids] love to do” (50:20).

“It’s not basketball. You’re coaching life; you’re coaching people” (52:20).

“A big part of my job is teaching” (59:50).

“It’s the joy of competing, it’s the joy of the work, it’s the joy of doing it together; those are the things I love much more than being the only one standing at the end of the season” (1:02:55).

 

Additionally, you can follow Dusty on Twitter.

Thank you so much to Dusty for coming on the podcast!

I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers.

Thanks for listening.

Matthew Dicks on Storytelling

Matthew Dicks is a bestselling author of fiction and non-fiction books. His fiction books are Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend; Something Missing; Unexpectedly Milo; The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs; 21 Truths About Love; and The Other Mother. And he also has non-fiction books which is how I came to really find out about him through his work around storytelling. His book Storyworthy, which is about engaging, teaching, and persuading to change your life through the power of storytelling, and Someday is Today: 22 Simple, Actionable Ways to Propel your Creative Life. So, at his core, Matthew is a storyteller and he’s going to tell great stories in today’s conversation. He uses storytelling to really create and leverage philosophical beliefs and wisdom and ideas to help us live a better life. He’s also a teacher. He’s won awards as a teacher, he has won awards as a storyteller, he is the author of a rock opera called The Clowns and the musicals Caught in the Middle, Sticks and Stones, and Summertime. He’s also a wedding DJ. His content has been featured and published in Reader’s Digest, The Huffington Post, Parent’s Magazine, and more places. He is someone who is multi-faceted, as you’re going to find out in today’s conversation. But once again, he is a storyteller and a storytelling champion. He’s won a record 56 times from The Moth Story Slam Championship. We’re going to talk about competing in this conversation, we’ll talk about parenting and teaching. He teaches fifth grade and it’s interesting to get his perspective on his mindset when he’s teaching, when he’s doing TED Talks, when he’s writing, as he’s podcasting in today’s conversation. You can tell that Matthew, I think, shows up very similarly in all of those spaces because he believes in storytelling as a thing and a tool and a skill that we can use in our daily lives. He’s also the Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Speak Up, which is a Hartford-based storytelling organization that produces shows throughout New England. Matthew’s also a Yankee fan, so we’ll talk about sports in today’s conversation. And, once again, I think you’re just going to love Matthew’s approach to life, his desire to continue to make conversations and interactions more intentional, more thoughtful, and with storytelling in mind.

 

Matthew had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include:

“I want to have the story” (6:25).

“Storytelling, for me, is a way of making sense of my life” (6:50).

“The most important audience for any story you tell in your entire life is yourself” (6:55).

“When I tell stories about my life, my life gets better both in the moment and in reflection” (7:10).

“I’m so deeply curious about why I am who I am” (8:00).

“Everything that’s happened in the past is essentially who we are now” (10:05).

“I try to bring in every possible element of life to my classroom that I can” (10:55).

“What you have now does not define your future” (11:45).

“When I’m writing fiction, it’s a little scarier because I don’t know what the end is, and I don’t know if there is an end” (16:20).

“One of the things I love to do is talk to kids about unsung heroes” (19:50).

“I seek to ensure that kids know how much I care about them as quickly as possible” (22:35).

“As a teacher, I give positive feedback relentlessly” (28:35).

“Everyone wants some validation, everyone wants some appreciation, everyone wants to know that some of the stuff I did was good” (29:35).

“Every time you’re going to say something critical to someone, there should be 6 positive things that are accompanying it” (29:50).

“Statistics collapse when fear arrives” (39:25).

“Every single day, the third slide I show my kids is a message that says, ‘mistakes are valuable.’ We celebrate mistakes” (42:00).

“I want to see [my students’] mistakes. I love their mistakes. We’ll learn from them” (43:00).

“Schools should be fun. The number one thing should be that schools are fun” (45:25).

“Choice is a way to entertain kids” (46:15).

“Every single day, every lesson I teach, there has to be a reason why kids are excited to do it. And that is the only reason I have been successful as a teacher” (46:30).

“I make kids love coming to school and it solves all my problems” (46:50).

“In my mind, there is always a competition” (52:00).

“My competition in the classroom, and there is a lot of it, is almost always centered around effort and kindness” (53:55).

“Constantly look to expand rather than contract” (58:10).

“Whenever someone invites me to do something new, I always say yes even if it sounds terrible because it’s an opportunity to expand my life, and if I don’t like it, I’ll just close that door and move on to something else” (58:15).

“I’m shameless” (1:02:55).

 

Additionally, you can find all of Matthew’s info, including links to purchase all of his books, on his website. You can also go to storyworthymd.com to find courses and other free materials to learn how to become a better storyteller.

Thank you so much to Matthew for coming on the podcast!

I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers.

Thanks for listening.

JP Nerbun on Embracing Pain to Embrace Culture

J.P. Nerbun is a bestselling author, leadership coach, and founder of TOC Culture Consulting, a leading global sports consulting and leadership coaching business. His mission is to help leaders and their teams achieve their full potential through 1:1 coaching, consulting, and community.

Nerbun has an impressive track record of guiding leaders at esteemed institutions such as Stanford University, Harvard University, the University of Texas, the USGA, PWC, and Chick-fil-A. His work spans across sports, education, healthcare, and business.

Nerbun is also the author of two acclaimed books: Calling Up: Discovering Your Journey to Transformational Leadership (2019) and The Culture System: A Proven Process for Creating an Extraordinary Team Culture (2022). In 2023, he launched The Culture System Online Training Platform, which has been praised for being the most comprehensive online coach education available. His podcast, Coaching Culture, is one of the top sports leadership podcasts globally.

Nerbun lives in Ireland with his wife and their three children.

 

J.P. had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include:

“In every step of my training [for running ultra-marathons] I kept failing massively, but I kept learning from those failures” (10:30).

“When you’re doing hard things, looking for help [and] asking for help is actually strength, it’s not weakness” (12:05).

“Our brain works against us often times as leaders” (17:10).

“Sometimes pain, reaching those rock bottoms, becomes the foundation upon which you can build” (25:30).

“Those painful moments teach us a lot, but they also make us desperate to try new things, to experiment with new things” (25:40).

“You don’t have really strong relationships with people, there’s not high levels of trust, if you don’t actually treat each other well, work hard, hold each other to a high standard” (30:50).

“[Good culture is] the connected group that works hard” (31:25).

“People want to show up to a place where they feel seen, heard, and loved” (39:15).

“[Trauma research shows that potentially] more healing than therapy itself is just being part of a connected group” (47:10).

“Can you continue to invest in your people knowing that in the long term, but maybe not the short term, the results are going to have a better chance of being what you want them to be?” (47:30).

“Character is really hard to assess, probably even harder to assess than talent” (52:15).

“I think the real quality of a coach or leader is their ability to reach the unreachables” (53:45).

“Without awareness, we can’t take ownership. We can’t make change” (58:00).

“I’m so okay with failure” (1:01:10).

“[My ability to let go of fear] came from experiencing it enough and knowing that those were the greatest moments for growth in my life” (1:02:50).

“I’m looking for where’s the next way to stretch myself, where’s the next way to enter into some of that discomfort?” (1:09:20).

 

Additionally, you can connect directly with J.P. via email (jpnerbun@tocculture.com) and on Twitter. You can also purchase J.P.’s most recent book, The Culture System: A Proven Process for Creating an Extraordinary Team Culture, anywhere books are sold, and you can find The Culture System website here.

Thank you so much to J.P. for coming on the podcast!

I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers.

Thanks for listening.

Nita Farahany on Cognitive Liberty

Nita Farahany is one of those people that I get the pleasure of interviewing that when I read her bio or hear her speak or read her stuff, I’m thinking to myself how the heck am I going to interview this person who is ten times smarter and more accomplished than I am. And that is the truth, I’m not just lowering my intelligence for the sake of this conversation or this introduction; it is how I feel. I get nervous and anxious talking to people like Nita. And so, I’m going to give you Nita’s bio, and then I want you to listen to this conversation. And more than the bio and more than the information and knowledge and wisdom that she shares, what I appreciate about Nita is how down to earth she was. And I’ve seen her in person on stage, I’ve watched TED Talks, I’ve read her book, and I think if you’re sitting back and receiving that content when she’s in performance mode, it is awe inspiring. She’s someone who’s brilliant and shares her brilliance in an efficient, profound way, which I really struggle with. And once again, this conversation is about as authentic, genuine, real, vulnerable, as any that I’ve had. And so, her capacity to share her knowledge and wisdom in a setting where she’s expected to do so, at a level that is just extremely high, as a world-class thinker, is incredible. And then her ability to bring it down to earth and share it with people like myself is really what I’m truly grateful for.

So, here’s her bio: she’s a pioneering futurist and authority on laws, ethics, and technology. She’s a distinguished professor of law and philosophy and founding director of Duke University’s Science and Society Initiative. In her book, The Battle for Your Brain, which we discuss quite frequently in this conversation, she champions cognitive liberty, which is really at the core of today’s conversation. And a lot of Nita’s work is around this framework, this ideology, this thought, this concept, of cognitive liberty and how that shakes up and shows itself in a digital era, a digital environment, that we are all living in. Her insights shared from TED stages to global policy forums, guide responsible advancements in science and technology. Her background educationally: she received an AB in Genetics, Cell, and Development Biology from Dartmouth, an ALM in Biology from Harvard, a JD and MA from Duke University, as well as a PhD in Philosophy.

You’re going to love this conversation. We go into parenting, we go into philosophy, we go into ethics, we really run a broad range of subjects, and I love people with range, so I know you’re going to love Nina too.

 

Nita had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include:

“Everything gets filtered through a lens for me of kids” (8:30).

“I have girls, and I [want them to see] it’s okay to have a career and it’s okay to have times that are about developing that career” (10:40).

“I say no a lot to external opportunities, especially when my kids are young” (11:20).

“For any working parent with children, we feel that struggle all the time of how do you show up for your kids in ways that are meaningful and impactful and how do you have the impact you want to have on the world, which also could change the world you’re creating for them, not just at the micro level but at the macro level as well?” (12:10).

“When I say that I arm myself with knowledge, that doesn’t come just from books” (14:05).

“A parent who thinks they know everything is quickly schooled by their children that they know nothing at all” (15:25).

“The biggest thing I’ve had to grapple with as a parent is being less of a control freak” (16:05).

“I hope my kids feel like they have the freedom to figure out who they are and what they’re passionate about and know that no matter what I’m there behind them” (24:05).

“Sometimes we become so comfortable in our lesson plans that we forget what we’re trying to teach” (26:15).

“Ultimately what we’re trying to teach is people thinking freely so they can navigate the world” (27:05).

“Cognitive liberty is the right to self-determination over our brain’s mental experiences” (29:45).

“The ability to have an inner monologue, a space of mental reprieve, a place where you can figure out who you are or what you like or don’t like or choose what you share with people or don’t share with people, I think matters so much more to people than they really realize” (35:40).

“Your right to cognitive liberty should be what governs your choices, not somebody else making the choices about what your brain and mental experiences will look like and feel like and be shaped by without any input that you might have otherwise” (38:20).

“Choosing to erase a memory has consequences, and those consequences include developing the resilience to overcome a breakup and to learn from it, to incorporate and understand and refine what it is that you’re looking for and to learn from your mistakes and to learn from your hurt and to learn that you can survive heartache and that you’re strong enough to get through each of those things” (42:10).

“To enable advances in mental health more generally, we need to give people the tools and techniques to be able to see into themselves much better” (49:50).

“If we want humans to emerge from the digital age both having any capacity for freedom of thought and also any capacity to flourish, we have to realign technology with human values” (55:55).

“What we’re doing all day every day is developing a theory of mind of other people and trying to persuade them” (1:00:40).

“Modern technology is being designed to have you check out” (1:01:45).

“Every person when you peel back the layers, I think has an interesting set of complexities” (1:08:30).

“My legacy I hope for people is to be able to think freely in an era in which if we don’t it could go disastrously badly for us, for our children, for the human species, for the planet” (1:10:00).

 

Additionally, you can purchase Nita’s book, The Battle for Your Brain, anywhere books are sold. You can also check out Nita’s website and follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn. Lastly, I’d encourage you to watch Nita’s most recent TED Talk.

Thank you so much to Nita for coming on the podcast!

I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers.

Thanks for listening.

Joe Alberici on True Toughness

Joe Alberici is currently the Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach at Army – West Point. We could just have a conversation on lacrosse and that would be fascinating and how he leads, but being at Army and experiencing West Point, he’s going to bring a lot of the leadership principles that exist on that campus, and it is a unique special place and he’s going to take us behind the curtain as far as what makes Army – West Point so special. He’s going to talk specifically around captainship and leadership in this conversation. If Joe sounds familiar to you, he gave a speech that went viral recently about this notion of being a tough guy at life and how important it is to be inclusive and rethink about how we often think about toughness. And when I think about our military and I think about cadets that might go through West Point, we certainly think of them as physically tough, but Joe’s going to talk about in this conversation how much he values mental toughness and emotional toughness. I think you’re going to find Joe to be pretty holistically sound. We talk about culture, we talk about leadership, and how proud and how fortunate he feels to have the opportunity to coach at Army. And look, Army Lacrosse has become a contender. They beat the University of Maryland lacrosse team last year in the NCAA tournament; Maryland had won the National Championship the year before. So, he is coaching high level lacrosse players who also have a pride and a determination and a desire to serve our country. So, if I think about the type of people I would want my children to be coached by, I think about Coach Joe and I think about how he leverages his own faith, how he leverages his own philosophy, his upbringing, and his experience to pour into the student athletes that he surrounds himself with. So, this is a masterclass in humility, in confidence, in belief, and in having values and principles and being led by those.

 

Joe had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include:

“I’ve got a couple of built-in things to keep me humble” (6:15).

“I need to serve [my student athletes]. They deserve the best” (7:25).

“I look at [greatness] as something to aspire towards” (9:25).

“The way we honor the tradition is by building upon it” (11:30).

“We embrace [tradition], but we are always looking for better ways to do it” (12:50).

“There’s so many important things you do at the United States Military Academy… but what I’m of firm belief of… is there’s nothing more impactful than their time in our lacrosse family” (18:00).

“So much is made of the challenges here at West Point. The untold story is… there’s no place that supports you more than West Point” (20:45).

“When they accept you at West Point, they’re not telling you you’re good enough to get in, they’re telling you you’re good enough to graduate” (22:15).

“There’s a vulnerability that myself and my staff, we’re the first to model, and it permeates through our organization” (23:30).

“We tend to gravitate towards what we love the most; often what we love the most is what we do the best” (30:35).

“Our mission is to become a West Point man” (31:10).

“One of our pillars is being unrelenting towards excellence [in all that we do]” (31:40).

“You get to show up in this locker room with some of the greatest people you’ll ever know” (40:25).

“We’re above moral victories in this program. That’s not what we’re showing up to do against anybody” (47:00).

“It doesn’t really matter if we’re the better team than them. It only matters that we’re better for those 60 minutes” (47:15).

“Any time I have young people to speak to, I deliver the exact same message, and it is about being a tough guy or a tough girl” (54:00).

“It’s really important to give 100% 100% of the time” (56:20).

“One of the ways you demonstrate toughness is by being inclusive” (58:10).

“That decision to [bring others in] will make you better” (59:00).

“Don’t wait for the thank you, the appreciation. Just do it because it’s right” (1:03:35).

“If the leadership model is to bring everyone in, you’ve got to be humble enough to not have your stamp on it” (1:16:10).

“Be the model” (1:17:15).

“We want a team full of leaders. But part of being a great leader is you have to be humble” (1:17:55).

 

Additionally, you can follow Joe on Twitter and you can follow the Army Lacrosse Team on Twitter and Instagram.

Thank you so much to Joe for coming on the podcast!

I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers.

Thanks for listening.

Tim Chi on Lessons from Entrepreneurship

Tim Chi is the Chief Executive Officer of The Knot Worldwide. After getting married in 2005, Tim set out to make wedding planning less stressful and frustrating. Together with his co-founders Jeff, Lee and Sonny, they threw four desks into his empty living room in Chevy Chase, Maryland and created WeddingWire, which became a leading global vendor marketplace serving the wedding industry, helping millions of engaged couples plan, execute and celebrate the most important day of their lives. WeddingWire grew to 1,000 employees worldwide and owned leading wedding brands in North America, Europe, South America and India. In 2019, Tim became CEO of The Knot Worldwide following the merger of XO Group Inc. (parent company of The Knot) and WeddingWire Inc. Previously, Tim co-founded Blackboard Inc. in 1998. While at Blackboard, Tim pioneered many of Blackboard’s flagship products and strategic initiatives, bringing technology into the classrooms of colleges, universities and school districts across the world. During his tenure, the company raised over $100 million in capital and was taken public on the Nasdaq in 2004.

Tim holds a B.S. in operations research and industrial engineering from Cornell University and an M.S. in engineering management from Tufts University. He resides in Maryland with his family and is based out of The Knot Worldwide’s Chevy Chase headquarters.

 

Tim had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include:

“I actually do try to separate the idea of video game time from screen time” (7:20).

“Video gaming time [for my kids] is generally done with me” (7:30).

“We’re trying to create an intentional balance around exposing [our kids] to different things” (10:35).

“A lot of dedicated athletes do really well in any occupation I think because of that discipline and because of the team winning mentality” (12:10).

“I just know I’m not good at a lot of things” (13:25).

“In order to really excel, you need to have complementary skillsets at the table” (13:35).

“My chance of success is much improved if I’m working with partners” (14:05).

“Everything starts with relationships because that’s where trust gets built” (14:35).

“I tend not to take up as much headspace thinking about things that I’m not an expert in or I can’t connect with” (21:20).

“Disruption is natural” (22:15).

“Everybody has really good ideas, the difference is entrepreneurs do something about it; they’re willing to take a risk” (22:25).

“I like to think of myself as a realist with slightly rose-colored glasses on everything” (35:20).

“Video gaming is one of my escapes” (36:05)

“Everybody is entitled to make mistakes. It really is what did you learn from it?” (37:30).

“We know people are going to move on [from our company] and that life circumstances change. But what would be great is if people that left here said ‘I learned something, I took something away that helped me move to that next thing…’ That to me is success” (42:30).

“The how and when you implement it, those tend to have to get pessimized a lot” (47:30).

“I’m sort of just generally bullish on the idea that access to information and knowledge is a good thing for the world” (52:30).

“Start with a problem statement. What are we trying to solve here?” (56:00).

“Culture sits there as a broad-based thing, norms are how it shows up daily” (59:10).

“I do try to be very self-reflective about things and just in my own mental model always learning” (1:01:05).

“My personal development has really come from other people who I trust who I’ve built relationships with pushing me forward” (1:02:30).

 

Additionally, you can connect with Tim himself on LinkedIn here, and also follow The Knot Worldwide on LinkedIn here.

Thank you so much to Tim for coming on the podcast!

I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers.

Thanks for listening.

Dr. Stefanie Johnson on The Power of Inclusion

Dr. Stefanie Johnson is an author, a professor, a keynote speaker, and she studies the intersection of leadership and diversity. And you’re going to hear intersections and polarities in today’s conversation. And I think what is really fascinating about Stef is that, in a world where we talk about things in leadership and things in diversity as soundbites, and we try to put them into labels and think in very black and white ways, Stef in her research and her findings and her theories really does speak in nuance. She focuses on how unconscious bias affects the evaluation of leaders, and also on strategies that leaders can use to mitigate bias. Stef has a great book called Inclusify, which is all about harnessing the power of uniqueness and belonging to build innovative teams. She thinks that inclusify, this idea of inclusion, is really about both uniqueness and belonging; so how do you let people have the autonomy to express themselves, while also understanding that they’re part of something bigger than themselves. She is a well-established researcher and scholar. She works with some of the best companies in the world to help them create more inclusive leaders; we’ll talk about her work with NASA and with the NFL. She also brings up her work in healthcare, she has extensive consulting experience, and she’s created and delivered leadership development trainings with an emphasis on evidence-based practices. She’s a fellow in the Society of Industrial Organizational Psychologists and the American Psychological Society. She’s also passionate about disseminating her work more broadly and has taught two LinkedIn learning courses on how to increase diversity and inclusion in corporations. She’s written for the Harvard Business Review and she’s an in-demand keynote speaker; she’s presented her work at over 170 meetings around the world, including at the White House for a 2016 summit on diversity in corporate America on National Equal Pay Day. She’s been feature in the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, CNN, ABC, NBC, and more. At her core, I think you’re going to find her to be extremely approachable, extremely curious, and someone who’s not necessarily judgmental, and open to finding ways to collaborate with others to make our world a little bit better.

 

Stef had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include:

“We use stereotypes as quick methods of making sense of the world” (11:00).

“You hear a lot ‘We want someone who’s going to fit our culture.’ I like to take a spin on that and say, ‘Who’s going to add to our culture?” (14:20).

“Having people who are all the same means we’re probably missing out on a huge percentage of our customer base because we’re only going to appeal to a certain type of customer” (15:05).

“In conversation, when everyone sees things the same way, we make much less innovative, and even accurate, decisions. You’re way better off having people who are really different from each other, even if they know less, than having a really similar group of experts” (15:20).

“When you try to make people the same, the reality is people are just hiding their differences” (17:40),

“The way that I describe inclusion… is this idea that you can be your unique self and at the same time you can belong” (23:00).

“If [your employees are] going in [to work], provide opportunities to really benefit from that” (25:40).

“Those little decisions about who’s likely to get what opportunity are likely to be influenced by stereotypes” (32:00).

“If you’re only interviewing a small demographic… I can guarantee you you’re never going to have any diversity. It’s not possible. So, I love the idea of diverse slates because that means you might spot someone who could really be a game changer” (40:10).

“You need white men to create diversity. You need all people” (42:30).

“We need everyone working together, collaborating, to create an inclusive environment where everyone can be successful” (42:55).

“If you really want a diverse background, you’ve got to think broadly about what that means” (48:05).

“There are way more differences within generations than there are across generations” (49:00).

“I seek to understand where people are coming from and how did they get there” (52:45).

“Everyone got to where they are based on their life experiences” (53:15).

“We can always be learning and growing, and we should always maintain that curiosity. And really, the best leaders are those who maintain humility, at least intellectual humility, to think they still have things to learn from others” (1:00:05).

“Before you tell anyone the answer, ask questions” (1:00:35).

“We all have headwinds and tailwinds, we all have privilege and things that slowed us down, and recognizing those in yourself, acknowledging them, I think allows you to be more curious about other peoples’ experiences” (1:06:25).

“We know curiosity is at its least when we feel attacked or threatened” (1:07:15).

 

Additionally, you can learn more about Stef on her website, learn more about Inclusify on the Inclusify website, and also learn more about the Center for Leadership at Colorado Boulder here. Lastly, you can connect with Stef on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Thank you so much to Stef for coming on the podcast!

I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers.

Thanks for listening.

Trevor Ragan on Learning to Learn

Trevor Ragan is the founder of The Learner Lab - an educational website designed to unpack and share the science of learning and development.

He spends his time with thought leaders and researchers from the worlds of psychology and developmental science, consumes their research, connects the dots, and shares it with anyone that will listen.

He's worked with professional, college, and Olympic sports teams, Fortune 50 companies, prisons, and in hundreds of schools across the country. These workshops are designed to help people understand and apply important principles of development, in order to become better, more resilient learners.

 

Trevor had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include:

“Learning is underrated” (6:20).

“Learning is a skill. You can’t argue with that. It is something that you can get better at” (6:30).

“If I’m good at learning, that’s going to benefit me in any scenario” (6:50).

“You don’t have to love a loss. You don’t have to love getting rejected. You don’t have to love getting cut. But we can appreciate that within those setbacks, there are opportunities” (18:10).

“I look at learning as a treasure hunt. If I get to learn a new a topic, I get really excited” (22:35).

“We live in the best time ever for learning right now” (23:15).

“Curiosity is super underrated” (26:10).

“Listening is a skill. Can you get better at listening? Yes” (31:15).

“The machinery in our brains that controls learning is plastic. Every time we choose to be intentional about a new skill and practice it, try to build it, yes we’re going to get better at that skill, but we’re also becoming a better learner in the process” (32:55).

“At its core, growth mindset is the belief that I can change and grow and get better at stuff… That idea should be taught to anybody anywhere” (36:25).

“The mindset of the leader is more important than we realized” (38:00).

“A growth mindset is a belief in our capacity to change, it has nothing to do with how we feel” (39:05).

“We can all change. We can all get better at stuff. That’s the magic of being human. That’s the magic of our brain” (43:10).

“There are differences on the surface we see between people. We think it’s generational, but more times than not it’s something else” (49:40).

“I’m going to [create content in the way] I would like to consume it, and I’m going to talk about the topics that are interesting to me. And if I do it in a way that I would like it and I would be interested, I think that’s good enough” (58:50).

“Play with the right scoreboard. What’s the game you’re trying to win here?” (1:04:15)

“Make stuff that you think is cool” (1:04:25).

“[I’m most curious about] storytelling [right now]” (1:08:30).

“[Cold calling] is going to work more times than you think” (1:14:45).

“You’re never going to completely turn [fear] off” (1:17:15).

“When you care about something that involves uncertainty, you’re probably going to feel something” (1:18:10).

“People can perform well and not feel great. You can perform well and feel nervous. You can feel well and perform crappy” (1:19:00).

 

Additionally, you can follow Trevor on Twitter and Instagram, and you can also find the website for The Learner Lab here.

Thank you so much to Trevor for coming on the podcast!

I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers.

Thanks for listening.

David Linn on Striving for Fearless Living

David Linn is the co-founder of Cycle for Survival, the movement to beat rare cancers. Cycle for Survival has raised more than $340 million to support pioneering research and lifesaving clinical trials at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), bringing new and better treatment options to people around the world.

In addition to David’s active involvement with Cycle for Survival, he is an EVP and Board Member at Oak Point Partners. Prior to starting Oak Point in 2004, David worked at both McKinsey & Company and CenterPost Communications. During his years at McKinsey, David had a unique arrangement whereby he took a 5-month leave of absence every year to play soccer professionally with the Chicago Stingers Professional Soccer Club.

David holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He has a BA, with highest distinction, from Northwestern University. At Northwestern, David was elected Team Captain of the varsity soccer team, and he received the Director's Award for Best Academic Performance by a Northwestern Student-Athlete.

 

David had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include:

“One of the most special things in life is being part of a team” (7:35).

“When are [those] fears holding me back? How can I put them aside?” (12:00).

“Fearless for her wasn’t the absence of fear, it was recognizing we all have these fears, but don’t let them hold us back” (15:10).

“[Adversity] makes us stronger” (16:50).

“Whatever life throws at me, I can handle” (17:20).

“We all have adversity… but we have a choice in how we react to those challenges” (17:30).

“We make our own luck” (21:10).

“Leadership is about helping any type of group achieve their maximum potential” (24:35).

“Positive energy can be contagious” (25:20).

“I’ll never expect from any teammate or colleague more than I’m willing to put in” (29:30).

“Everybody grieves differently” (31:45).

“We felt like we had to start [Cycle for Survival] because there was such a clear need” (46:15).

“Spend your time on stuff that you want to do” (49:40).

“One of the most special things in life is creating something from nothing” (54:05).

“Get involved in something that’s bigger than yourself” (1:01:30).

“There’s so much joy that you get from actually helping other people” (1:01:35).

 

Additionally, you can find more info about Cycle for Survival on their website. You can also follow Cycle for Survival on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Additionally, you can personally follow David himself on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Thank you so much to David for coming on the podcast!

I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers.

Thanks for listening.

Susan Chapman-Hughes on Empathetic Leadership

Susan Chapman-Hughes has quite an impressive resume. Currently, she consults with several Fortune 1000 C-Suite leaders as they embark upon transformation and try to change their organization. She’s the co-host of “Navigating the Work Compass” every Wednesday at Noon EST on LinkedIn Live, and is the author of the upcoming book Why Should I Follow You, which is a primer on connected leadership. And today’s conversation really dives into what Susan thinks are best practices when it comes to leadership, specifically around empathetic leadership and the power that comes with empathy. She’s an Independent Director of the JM Smucker Company, where she serves on the Compensation Committee. She’s also an Independent Director of Toast and chair of the Compensation Committee over there. Previously, she served as an Independent Director at Potbelly Corporation, where she led both the Compensation and Audit Committees. She most recently was the Executive VP and GM of Global Digital Capabilities, Transformation, and Operations in the Global Commercial Services Division at American Express, where she led the digital transformation of customer experience and drove the use of big data, predictive analytics, and machine learning to power business strategy.

 

Susan had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include:

“Writing a book is probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life” (5:55).

“The power of growing great leaders was really the key to success for me in business” (6:45).

“I always had to lean on the talents skills of the people around me” (7:05).

“Being an empathetic leader gave me this leg up” (7:15).

“Everybody’s role is important, and I think sometimes we forget that” (9:05).

“The bigger your organizations get, the more you realize the key to leadership is really around how you connect with people, how can you galvanize them around the strategy and the ideas that you want to work towards, how can you empower them to go and execute, can you have shared goals and shared interests, and can you create a situation where conflict can be resolved constructively for the good of the organization? And that all starts with trust” (9:15).

“Well-meaning doesn’t always translate into empathetic” (10:00).

“The pandemic showed us the difference between leaders who connect with their folks and leaders who don’t” (10:55).

“[Going towards hard things] is a part of who I am” (12:35).

“Being a black CEO of a company was not a thing when I was young” (13:40).

“[I do hard things] because I have a passion for learning” (15:00).

“When you push yourself out of your comfort zone and you try to work on things that you’re not good at, in situations where the stakes are really low, it actually creates a tremendous opportunity for growth in a way that’s not hurtful to you” (17:45).

“What can I give to be impactful with the things I’ve been gifted with?” (20:45).

“I have to role model what integration looks like for [my daughter] so that as she gets older and wants to pursue her passions and her dreams, she feels like her choices don’t have to be binary” (30:20).

“My role as a parent is not to inform or impose my will on [my daughter], it is actually to help figure out what it is she wants and help her to guide that in a way that will impact the world” (31:40).

“Motherhood is the hardest job I’ve ever had, and it changes every day” (34:20).

“Being a parent forces you to have to be flexible” (36:25).

“The tenets of leadership aren’t hard, but the commitment to doing it takes effort and engagement” (42:30).

“Come as coachable” (46:50).

“I’d much rather have someone who’s pretty good who’s willing to learn and grow, who’s open and coachable, who’s always going to be thinking about the team, than somebody who’s just brilliant and can’t get along with anybody” (47:15).

“The leaders who I respect the most are the ones who saw me, who understood who I was, what I was trying to accomplish, were not intimidated by that, could appreciate who I was as a person, and really worked hard to help me” (48:00).

“The reason why I’m self-aware is because I seek [feedback], I’m always looking for [it]” (48:50).

“The more you can prepare an organization to be a change absorber and to integrate, the more likely you’re going to be to have people who connect and want to be there” (51:45).

“Staying humble but being decisive is very important [as a CEO]” (52:30).

“You can be [compassionate to people] and yet not know what they actually need” (1:00:50).

 

Additionally, you can find Susan’s website here and follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn as well.

Thank you so much to Susan for coming on the podcast!

I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers.

Thanks for listening.

Les Snead on Building a Team

Les Snead is the General Manager of the Los Angeles Rams, a position he’s held for 11 years. He was hired in 2012, and we’re actually going to talk about how to create sustainability and longevity in that position and handling the ups and downs and the stresses that come from losing, and also the accolades and the adulation that come from winning and the rollercoaster that is sports. In his role as General Manager, he partners with Head Coach Sean McVay to direct all personnel decisions for the football team. He hired Sean McVay when he was a 30-year-old, and we’re going to talk about that decision and what went into hiring a Head Coach at such a young age. Snead coordinates all aspects of the club’s football operations with Coach McVay and joins forces with COO, Executive Vice President of Football Operations Kevin Demoff, and Vice President, Football and Business Administration Tony Pastoors to direct the team’s business ventures. Les is going to talk about in this conversation how he works with Kevin to also impact and to have communication lines open with ownership. We talk a lot about in this conversation the power of alignment and how important it is for Les to work hand in hand with his Head Coach and also the ownership group. His tenure has been marked by strategic, aggressive moves that have created a strong core nucleus of talent and depth throughout the roster. We use those words like talent, strategy, and aggression throughout the conversation today, and we talk about when to be aggressive and when not to and how strategy impacts decision making. We also talk about the importance of creating a team and not just assembling talent. If you follow the NFL, you know that the LA Rams have had a lot of success lately; Under Les’s leadership, they went to the Super Bowl in 2019 and they won the Super Bowl in 2022. It’s interesting to talk to Les about those experiences and the duality that comes with finishing second, which he’ll call almost like winning a Silver Medal, compared to what it’s like to win a Gold Medal and win a Super Bowl. This conversation is deep; you’re going to love the nuance in which Les speaks with. He loves to read, he loves to learn, he’s a super curious guy. During our entire conversation he was taking notes, and I could see him taking things from our conversation that he was going to bring back with him. We didn’t talk about it, but he also likes to journal, and he loves to read; those are big parts of who he is and what his identity is and how he leads an organization that’s had some success lately for sure, but that he’s trying to build into a contender year after year.

 

Les had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include:

“It’s probably the hardest thing in sports; there’s always going to be change, and when do you maybe move on from a veteran player who provides a lot of those leadership type skills, a lot of the wisdom that age actually provides?” (11:45).

“Every year the team is going to change. The art form is trying to figure out what pieces of the puzzle do you keep, what pieces do you let go?” (12:45).

“The General Manager and the Head Coach have to be aligned. It doesn’t necessarily mean we have to agree on every decision, agree on every philosophy, every paradigm, but the important thing is for us to be aligned on who we hire, who we bring in, the systems that are in place to allow the people that we do bring in to work together and do their part to make the Rams better” (17:00).

“If it comes down to one thing [to get done during the day], it would be working on that relationship with [Head Coach] Sean [McVay]” (17:45).

“In sports, especially football, it’s such a sophisticated collaboration of a lot of human talent, from players to coaches to staff” (27:10).

“If you can not worry about the offseason headlines, and just focus on whatever you do in the offseason… there’s a good probability that what you did in the offseason is going to lead to some semblance of progress during the season” (30:00).

“Our self-esteems are probably unhealthily associated with the Rams record. That’s our scarlet letter: our record” (42:10).

“The teammate who supports, pats on the back, you’d rather have that than the other” (47:35).

“Usually when you have alignment and continuity, even though there’s going to be ebbs and flows in the cycle of life of a sports ecosystem… usually they’re going to be a very competitive team” (50:35).

“Let’s keep the main thing the main thing” (54:20).

“We’re blessed, we’re fortunate, or we’ve earned, whatever you want to call it, this variable of continuity” (1:00:05).

“Could we be intentional about using continuity as an edge, but also being very aware that there is stress and drudgery involved” (1:01:35).

“To prevent burnout, you can’t be result oriented” (1:02:55).

“I often tell our younger leaders the best thing you can do is onboard people that can execute really well-too-do engineered systems that you’re no longer needed” (1:08:10).

“What is your not to do list?” (1:08:50).

“[When you win a Super Bowl], you’re more happy for other people than yourself” (1:14:55).

“I was fathered by football” (1:20:25).

 

Thank you so much to Les for coming on the podcast!

I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers.

Thanks for listening.