This episode of the podcast is a little bit different. This is the 250th podcast episode! We’re going to celebrate that milestone by talking about curiosity. Curiosity is what got me here, got me in front of this microphone, and forced me to hit the record button. 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

Intentional Performers with Brian Levenson

Return to Curiosity with Brian Levenson

Brad Stulberg is the bestselling author of The Practice of Groundedness and Peak Performance. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, TIME Magazine, and many other outlets. In his coaching practice, he works with executives, entrepreneurs, and physicians on their mental skills and well-being. In this episode, we discuss handling cancellations (5:31), when Brad first became interested in coaching (6:50), the distinction between consulting and coaching (8:47), the mistakes he made when he first started coaching (9:44), how he thinks about age for himself (11:06), what makes him feel alive (13:29), scheduling (17:17), priorities (20:54), how he thinks about speaking (22:22), when he realized how much he valued autonomy (24:31), more on speaking gigs (27:37), what he’s learned going through mental health challenges (29:22), his wife’s reaction when he said he wanted to seek the help of a mental health professional (36:08), the line between healthy and harmful (39:10), cultivating tools (44:21), groundedness, religion, and spirituality (46:30), the most helpful thing he discovered when working on his book (49:50), how he would describe and define his own roots (51:46), life and love (53:23), wisdom and maximizing (54:34), how he helps to make sure the people he coaches are grounded (56:27), what his clients’ rationale is for working with him (1:00:01), stress + rest = growth and its connection to groundedness (1:01:52), and why he decided to write this book on his own and not with Steve (1:03:50). I encourage you to check out Brad on Twitter, as well as purchase his book The Practice of Groundedness and Peak Performance here! Thank you so much to Brad 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

Brad Stulberg on Groundedness

Tom Ripley is a Partner and Co-Founder at Ames Watson, a private equity firm that acquired more than a dozen companies in the defense, retail, light manufacturing and service sectors. Over the past 22 years, Tom has developed extensive operating experience across more than two dozen different companies. Today, Tom serves as the Chairman & CEO of Lids Sports Group, South Moon Under, and several smaller holdings. Tom started his career as an infantry and special operations officer in the United States Marine Corps. Tom graduated from the Virginia Military Institute with a BA and an MBA from the University of Chicago. In this episode, we discuss why Tom is nervous for this conversation (6:25), viewing threats (7:42), what he’s learned from raising autistic twins (9:02), how similar and different their twins are (10:59), how he thinks about nature and nurture (11:58), what he’s learned from his daughters about communication (13:42), the pros and cons of his experience in the marine corps (15:47), a mistake he made early in his career (20:22), change management (23:03), the downsides of having a young leader (24:53), self-determination theory (28:32), what he would change about the marine corps (32:04), 9/11 (35:37), what he feels reliving his 9/11 experience (37:39), when he was in the marine corps (38:39), comparing being in New York for 9/11 and being overseas with the marine corps (39:05), lacrosse (40:50), how he pushes back on the stereotypes of lacrosse (46:13), what it’s been like to coach his son (49:10), the values different and similar to those of the marines that he has tried to pass down to his kids (50:52), competition and selflessness (54:09), how he and his business partner Lawrence met (57:06), what was attractive about Lids (1:01:01), negotiations (1:06:48), leading during the pandemic (1:07:59), what it’s been like for him in 2021 (1:10:46), business partnerships (1:14:31), how many employees he manages (1:16:20), how he trains store managers (1:17:27), and intermittent fasting (1:19:34). Thank you so much to Tom 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

Tom Ripley, CEO of Lids, on Change Management

Bernard Muir is entering his 10th season as the Director of Athletics at Stanford University. Stanford has one of the best programs and departments in the country. During Bernard’s tenure, he has seen 25 NCAA Championships and 34 national titles. He also has been involved with the Learfield IMG College Director’s Cup, which recognizes the best athletic department in the country. Stanford has won it 7 times. In this episode, we discuss what’s different about being an Athletic Director today than what Bernard imagined it would be like as a kid (6:53), why he was drawn to being an AD from a young age (8:35), what drew him to basketball (10:36), if people thought he was too serious when he was younger (13:12), where his belief in himself to dream big and be proactive came from (14:52), what he’s learned from loss (17:02), Jamaican culture (20:35), how he thinks about his kids as a father when it comes to academics, athletics, and striving for excellence (23:21), if it’s a blessing or a curse to know what you want to do with your life at a young age (25:01), what he’s most curious about as the Stanford AD (27:33), how he leverages the university so that his student athletes at Stanford can thrive (29:27), how he thinks about greatness (32:06), what qualities he looks for when hiring people (33:16), if he notices anything in particular when he makes a mistake in hiring someone (34:55), advice for when you have to fire someone (36:01), who he serves and how he serves so many people (38:19), how he says yes and no to things (41:19), what he’s most passionate about in the role he’s in (43:09), Katie Ledecky (45:21), how he helps athletes think about their identities as athletes and beyond the sport (51:15), what he does to make sure he’s healthy, good, and well so that he’s best able to serve others (53:22), the business side of collegiate sports (55:41), how he’s gotten through a strenuous and eventful last 18 months (1:00:23), and how he thinks about leadership and developing leaders (1:04:12). You can check out Bernard on Twitter @Stanford_AD. Thank you so much to Bernard 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

Bernard Muir on Passion and Leadership

Scott Mordell most recently served as the CEO of YPO from 2011 through December 2020. His extensive background in varying industries, geographies, types of organizations and business disciplines has helped him develop important leadership lessons and collaboration skills for success. Prior to YPO, Scott’s experience includes Chamberlain Group, Arlington International Racecourse, HeathCo, Duchossois Industries, Deloitte and KPMG. Scott is currently leveraging his experience providing strategic counsel for leaders through Forrader Group LLC. In this episode, we discuss connecting in real life (6:19), why a lot of people don’t follow through with in-person meetings (7:54), following through and doing what you say you will (10:21), why Scott seeks out connections intentionally (12:31), what he does to manage energy throughout the day (16:22), what he’s noticing with regards to the impact of the pandemic on humans (19:31), happiness (22:39), legacy (25:02), spirituality (26:23), being and becoming (28:37), where his spirituality came from (30:24), Catholicism (32:30), more on religion (36:42), podcasts (37:49), when leadership became a passion of his (38:46), what leadership aspects he didn’t have when he became a CEO at the age of 33 that he does have now (40:57), more on leadership (42:34), what he learned about being young as a CEO (45:18), his introduction to Young President’s Organization (47:32), YPO (50:22), what’s changed at YPO in the last 10 years (51:52), what led him from just being a member to wanting to be a leader of the organization (53:58), where to start out if you’re trying to change the world (56:27), what he did on his sabbatical (58:12), interacting with others (59:21), his principles (1:00:36), why he decided to leave YPO and what he’s up to now (1:02:38), how 9/11 impacted him (1:05:05), and massive changes (1:08:58). You can check out the Forrader Group website here, as well as follow Scott on LinkedIn and Twitter. Lastly, Scott recommends you check out the websites for Women Leaders in Data and AI and The Knowledge Pledge. Thank you so much to Scott 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

Scott Mordell on Leading with Principles

Quin Snyder was a McDonald’s All-American coming out of high school, eventually going on to play basketball at Duke, where he went to 3 Final Fours as a player. Upon graduation, he thought about pursuing a professional career playing basketball, but instead decided to pursue a law degree. While doing that, he fell back in love with the game of basketball. This conversation is going to be about his journey to falling back in love with and enjoying basketball. At the age of 32, Quin became the head coach of the University of Missouri Men’s Basketball Team. It looked as if he was the next bright star in coaching, and then that came crumbling down when he got fired. He then found himself coaching in the D-League with the Austin Toros, who were part of the San Antonio Spurs organization. Quin bounced around quite a bit and learned a ton along the way, and that is where he really fell back in love with the game and with coaching. Today, he’s the head coach of the Utah Jazz, a perennial playoff team in the NBA. Quin has been integral in creating an incredible culture and an incredible core of young players in Utah. In this episode, we discuss Dr. Jerry’s impact on Quin as a coach (6:31), if Quin’s father coached with joy (10:15), if his mom was someone who cared deeply about joy or if joy was something Quin fell upon later in life (13:42), his perspective as a coach when he was younger (17:28), how he thinks about success and failure (22:28), what he gets from coaching that he wouldn’t get in another profession (25:06), being part of both Duke and the Spurs (27:43), how he thinks about balance between coaching and home life (35:05), values and culture in Utah (41:26), what he’s built and is building in Utah (47:56), and if he has a mission statement or coaching philosophy that guides him as a coach (52:05). Thank you so much to Quin 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

Quin Snyder on Coaching with Joy

Lars Tiffany is the Head Coach of the University of Virginia Men’s Lacrosse Program. They have won back-to-back National Championships. Lars has also spent time coaching at his alma mater, Brown University, which is where he played and had a great career. He coached at Brown from 2007-2016 and then took the leap to the University of Virginia, which is a storied lacrosse program, in 2017. He led Brown to 3 Ivy League Championships. In this episode, we discuss life for Lars as a kid (6:54), where his dad’s desire to be in the restaurant industry came from (7:51), if he was involved in the restaurant himself (11:41), why he became a vegetarian when he was the son of a steak house owner (13:37), his dad’s reaction to saying he would become a vegetarian (14:24), if his family ever served bison (18:01), vegetarians in sports (19:00), protein (21:51), losing his father (25:22), if he’s religious (29:19), his dad’s funeral (30:18), misconceptions about lacrosse (34:21), when lacrosse became a private school thing (39:19), winning his first National Championship (43:34), the differences in leading and creating a strong culture in a pandemic and in normal times (47:11), if his experience in 2019 or 2021 is more reflective of his life and journey (52:28), his pregame routine and if it’s the same as when he was a player (53:53), what book he has his whole team reading for next season (1:00:02), leadership and captainship (1:04:27), if he was a leader as a player (1:05:02), what it means to be a man (1:11:10), how fatherhood has impacted him as a coach (1:13:50), his mission statement (1:17:14), what he does to continue to grow (1:21:14), where he sees himself in the next 10 years (1:24:29). Thank you so much to Lars 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

Lars Tiffany on Coaching and Complexity

Joanna Bernabei-McNamee, Head Coach - BC Women's Basketball, became the eighth women’s basketball coach in Boston College program history on April 11, 2018. In 2019-20, her second season at BC, Bernabei-McNamee was named the Coach of the Year in the Atlantic Coast Conference. She led BC to an impressive 20-12 overall record and a fourth place finish in the conference with an 11-7 record. The 20 victories were the most in program history since the 2010-11 season. The team also set a new program record for the most ACC victories with 11. With Bernabei-McNamee at the helm, senior forward Emma Guy flourished as she led the ACC in field goal percentage throughout the season and finished 10th in the country (.594%). Guy also earned an All-ACC First Team selection, the first for a BC player since 2011. Sophomore Taylor Soule was not only named to the All-ACC team but earned the Most Improved Player in the conference. Both Guy and Soule were named to the Blue Ribbon Panel All-ACC Second Team. In her first season at the Heights, Bernabei-McNamee led the Eagles to a 14-16 record. The 14 wins were the most for the program since the 2015-16 season. The 2018-19 team opened the season with eight consecutive victories and won the St. Joseph’s Thanksgiving Classic Championship. BC went 11-3 in non-conference play before taking on the toughest conference in the country – the ACC. After two losses at home BC defeated Wake Forest and Pitt on the road. It was the first time since the 2012 season in which BC had two consecutive ACC road wins. The Eagles third ACC win came in a double-overtime victory against Duke on Jan. 31. Bernabei-McNamee’s impact was immediate as the Eagles averaged 73.5 points per game, 14.3 more points than the 2018-19 season. BC also averaged 16.1 assists a game and shot 42.6 percent from the floor. Junior Emma Guy thrived in the new system as she averaged a career-high 14.1 points and 6.7 rebounds a game. She shot 59 percent from the floor for the season, a new career-high. Guard Makayla Dickens emerged as a scoring threat as a freshman and was named to the All-ACC Freshman team. Dickens averaged 11.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists a game. Fellow freshman Marnelle Garraud was fourth in scoring for BC with an 8.1 average. Garraud was named the St. Joe’s Thanksgiving Tournament MVP after she scored 28 points in the championship game. She was named the ACC Rookie of the Week for her performance. Sophomore Sydney Lowery improved her numbers as she played in 30 games and averaged 22.9 minutes and 6.7 points a game. Junior Taylor Ortlepp averaged a team-high 30.3 minutes and averaged 10.3 points and 3.3 assists a game. Bernabei-McNamee arrived at the Heights after two seasons as the head coach at Albany. She led Albany to a 45-20 record over the two seasons. In 2016-17, she guided the Great Danes to the American East Tournament Championship and a spot in the NCAA Tournament. In 2017-18, Bernabei-McNamee led Albany finished 24-8 overall and a WNIT berth. In addition to leading Albany to consecutive 20-plus win seasons, Bernabei-McNamee was named the 2017 Women’s Division I Coach of the Year by the Basketball Coaches Association of New York. Bernabei-McNamee, a native of Weirton, West Virginia, was named head coach at Albany in April of 2016 after three seasons as the head coach of the University of Pikeville in Pikeville, Ky. There, Bernabei-McNamee racked up 63 wins and led the program to back-to-back national tournament berths, including a program-record 26 victories and an NAIA Final Four appearance in 2016. She was named the 2016 Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) NAIA Regional Coach of the Year, and also earned Mid-South Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2015. Prior to Pikeville, Bernabei-McNamee coached in both the ACC and BIG EAST. She served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Maryland for four years from 2003-07, and was an integral part of the Terrapins’ 2006 National Championship season. Maryland beat Duke 78-75 in overtime for the title at TD Garden in Boston and finished with a record of 34-4. During her tenure, she brought in four straight nationally ranked recruiting classes, including three in the Top 10. Bernabei-McNamee spent two years at West Virginia as an assistant coach where she was a scout, position coach and recruiting coordinator. Before her time in Morgantown, McNamee had a two-year stint at Eastern Kentucky where she was responsible for scouting and individual player development, as well as serving as the recruiting coordinator. The West Virginia native began her head coaching career in 1998 at West Virginia Wesleyan where she compiled an 18-9 record and a third-place finish in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC), while also acting as the school's Senior Women's Administrator. She attended West Liberty State and was named a Division II All-American and a four-time, first-team All-WVIAC selection as a point guard.   The 1997 WVIAC Player of the Year, Bernabei-McNamee still holds the NCAA Division II career assists record of 1,107 and the record for assists in a game with 24. She is one of only four players in NCAA history to record more than 1,000 points and 1,000 assists, finishing her stellar career with 1,317 total points. Bernabei-McNamee holds the NCAA record for average assists per game (9.5), and the school and conference marks for assists in a game, season (294) and career. She led her team to an 80-36 record over four years and is listed on West Liberty's Top 20 all-time Best Athletes list. She was the first woman to be named first-team All-West Virginia Athletic Conference for four years and was inducted into the West Liberty State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Hall of Fame in 2011. Bernabei-McNamee earned her bachelor's degree in exercise physiology in 1997 from West Liberty and a master's degree in sports administration from Eastern Kentucky in 1999. Bernabei-McNamee and her husband Joe McNamee have two sons, Luke and Caden. McNamee took a nearly four-year hiatus from coaching (2009-13) to focus on raising her children. In this episode, we discuss Joanna’s connection with Brenda Frese (6:39), what Brenda does to stay connected to people (7:26), being a stay-at-home mom (9:41), having kids (12:02), working with kids (14:25), her upbringing and her relationship with her mother (16:03), the upsides and downsides of independence as a young child (17:26), being a Tom Boy (19:03), if she got her aggressiveness and intensity more from her mom or her dad (20:14), what she does to put herself first, her marriage second, and her kids third (24:17), how to make sure she’s healthy as she still aspires to do great things in her profession (28:32), if there is anything she doesn’t want to be great at (30:24), what it’s been like for her as a leader during the pandemic (34:06), family (39:42), flipping the switch (43:08), feeling alive in different roles (44:27), if love is a two-way street (47:13), if there was a coach she played for that she modeled her focus on love after (50:07), how she intentionally communicates with her team (51:26), respect, trust, and communication (57:15), handling losses without anger (57:51), if she looks for people that are more even-keeled or more intense like her (1:02:08), who helps her make sure she is developing and growing (1:04:57), if she felt like she was missing a part of herself while she was on sabbatical (1:08:04), what she missed most about basketball when she was being a stay at home mom (1:11:16), what changed for her (1:12:31), and her vision for the BC program (1:15:39). You can check out the BC website here, as well as follow BC Women’s Basketball on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Thank you so much to Joanna 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

Joanna Bernabei-McNamee on Building a Program

Annelie Schmittel serves as Vice President of Player Development for the Philadelphia 76ers. Schmittel is responsible for creating, managing and overseeing the holistic development and implementation of programs that support the professional and personal growth of 76ers players, staff and families. Prior to joining the 76ers, Schmittel was a member of the Oakland Raiders player engagement staff. While responsible for strategy, planning, oversight and execution of player development, Schmittel successfully implemented and managed various programs such as the Raiders Family Boot Camp and the team’s Rookie Academy. Among her many responsibilities with the Raiders, Schmittel also specialized in innovative programming and the creation of various initiatives for the continued development of both current and former players on the roster, significant others and family members. Prior to joining the Raiders, Schmittel worked as an instructor and researcher at the University of Florida while completing her doctorate degree, earning a PhD in sports communication. In this episode, we discuss celebrating other people (6:13), if Annelie would rather be in the spotlight or in the shadow (7:47), if she finds that women are more comfortable in the shadows (9:18), how she thinks about shining and sharing herself (11:01), what caused her to say yes to coming on the podcast (11:55), her German upbringing and if that culture comes out in her as she navigates the US (12:51), how being raised in Germany affected how she sees the world from a social justice standpoint (16:52), humanity (24:48), her decision to stay in the US (32:14), if girls were encouraged to play sports in Germany (33:05), soccer and talented athletes (35:20), her mom’s reaction when she said she wanted to come to college in the US (37:10), injuries (38:51), what is key to a good transition (43:31), how mission shows itself in the work she does (48:34), her core values and mission (51:29), how to build great relationships in a transactional environment (53:16), how she makes sure she’s at her best so that she can serve others (58:25), what she’s learned about herself in therapy (1:01:12), blending different aspects of life (1:05:40), being “enough” (1:11:02), happiness (1:17:16), comparisons (1:20:29), her journey (1:22:02), and what her day-to-day looks like (1:28:05). You can check out Annelie on Twitter and LinkedIn! Thank you so much to Annelie 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

Annelie Schmittel on Caring for Others

Chris Singleton is a former professional athlete drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2017. Following the loss of his mother in a racially motivated mass shooting, Chris has now become an inspirational speaker and best-selling author who has shared his message of unity and racial reconciliation with clients such as: Microsoft, Biogen, Houston Texans, Washington Wizards, etc. He shares with over 50 organizations and over 30,000 students annually and resides with his spouse Mariana, his son CJ and his younger brother who he cares for Caleb in Charleston, SC. In this episode, we discuss the Nats Park shooting (6:55), PTSD (7:44), what got Chris from being neurotic and anxious at an unhealthy level to a more comfortable place (8:44), faith and being a believer (10:12), what allowed him to go towards faith rather than run away from it after experiencing tragedy (11:40), more on believing (14:49), how he thinks about his purpose (17:35), unity (19:54), peace and sports (22:!7), what he thinks his mom’s murderers punishment should be (23:21), Rais Bhuyan’s story (28:44), if he considers himself a motivational speaker (30:23), experience and perspective (32:49), his mission (34:26), how he thinks about guns (38:03), his mom’s impact on him (39:03), his dad (41:25), what he learned when he transitioned from big brother to parental figure (43:06), who has his back and makes sure he’s good (44:09), the state of our country (46:25), the future of religion in America (55:25), Obama singing (57:55), his mindset when he’s speaking (1:00:14), what his coaching commitment looks like (1:03:20), what he does now (1:04:55), and what he intentionally does to make sure he’s at his best (1:06:29). You can check out Chris’s website here, as well as follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Thank you so much to Chris 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

Chris Singleton on Forgiveness and Impact

Joe Ferraro is currently entering his 23rd year as an educator, teaching 12th grade English. Joe also teaches public speaking and creative writing. In addition to his work in the classroom, he is the founder of damngoodconversations.com. Damn Good Conversations is a company whose mission it is to teach you repeatable ways to have the best conversations in your life and work. His flagship service is a weekly personal growth podcast, which is called “One Percent Better.” In this episode, we discuss being and becoming (8:01), the word “enough” (9:00), if damn good conversations and interviews are separate or the same thing (12:00), if there is a time Joe has to turn off the curious, interviewer mind inside of him (15:59), high velocity questions (18:05), bringing curiosity and questions into the classroom (19:56), fitting in in high school (24:14), why he decided to share his podcast with his students (27:58), if middle schoolers are more curious than high schoolers (30:28), cultivating curiosity in his children (32:24), the distinction between teaching and podcasting (34:50), growth (37:00), if anything in the educational system holds teachers back (40:26), why he teaches (43:52), questions he receives from alumni (45:07), why he podcasts (47:22), communication advice (50:42), why we like to put people into either/or boxes (55:25), what makes a great teacher (59:21), how he makes his classroom different from other classrooms (1:00:21), curious environments (1:01:56), what 17-year-old Joe would say to Joe today (1:05:36), and what his classroom will look like in 5 years (1:06:28). You can check out the website for Damn Good Conversations here. Also, I highly recommend following Joe on Twitter @FerraroOnAir. 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. -Brian

Joe Ferraro on Leveraging Curiosity

Lindsay Kaplan is the co-founder and Chief Brand Officer of Chief, a private network designed specifically for women leaders — rising VP level through CEO — to strengthen their experience in the C-suite, cross-pollinate power across industries, and effect change from the top-down. She is an award-winning marketer and communications strategist who previously served as VP of Communications and Brand at Casper. Lindsay was named a New York Times DealBook Groundbreaker, Brand Innovators 40 Under 40, and Business Insider's Most Innovative CMOs in the World. In this episode, we discuss landing on the word “chief” (6:59), clients’ and customers’ reactions to hearing the word “chief” (9:24), the word “badass” (10:41), why she is desirous of challenging the status quo (11:43), how her parents nurtured her to make sure her uniqueness wasn’t stifled (15:00), parenting advice for defiant children (17:15), belonging (19:22), why she doesn’t think imposter syndrome is a real thing (22:04), being the “only” (25:13), the journey of “chief” (26:48), entrepreneurship (30:05), how she’s evolving her concept (31:57), balancing keeping true to what her company does while also expanding to reach others in need of her mission (35:58), global domination (38:20), what she does to make sure she’s saying yes and no to the right things (40:30), giving (44:06), the people that support Lindsay (45:06), what men don’t know about being a woman in the workforce (48:18), what Chief does to support parents (51:01), the core values at Chief (52:57), the workweek (54:14), executive coaching at Chief (57:34), and core groups (1:00:50). You can check out the Chief website here! You can also follow Lindsay on Twitter here. Lastly, if you’d like to reach out to Lindsay, feel free to do so by emailing her at chief@moxiegrouppr.com. Thank you so much to Dan 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

Lindsay Kaplan on Empowering Chiefs

Dan Simons is the Co-Owner of the innovative Farmers Restaurant Group — majority owned by American family farmers — with a mission to earn farmers a larger share of the food dollar while delivering thoughtfully-sourced, scratch-made food, and exceptional hospitality. Farmers Restaurant Group operates 7 restaurants and 1 distillery throughout the DC, MD, VA, and PA area, and most recently pivoted their business model to include a Founding Farmers Market + Grocery- selling everything from prepared dinners and hand sanitizer made in their DC distillery, Founding Spirits to homemade chocolates and bottled cocktails. Passionate about the health of the planet, Simons founded the non-profit Our Last Straw, a business-led coalition working to reduce our reliance on single-use plastics, and is on the Advisory Board of Conscious Capitalism DC. In this episode, we discuss past failures and successes (7:18), more on success (8:53), conscious capitalism (10:54), if he loved wrestling (13:40), what it was like competing in an individual sport that also had a team component, and how that impacted the way he sees the world (15:15), what he thought his future would be while in college (16:68), his family history’s impact on his life (19:56), parallels between wrestling and business (22:25), where he gets peace of mind in his life (24:50), 168 hours in a week (28:12), discipline (31:20), how to say no (32:59), saying yes (41:50), the restaurant industry as a business (45:13), what he loves about the restaurant business (47:17), how the pandemic has affected his business (50:49), company constitutions (54:15), if the pandemic changed the company constitution (56:20), partnership (57:35), if others have replicated his model (1:00:34), mental health in the workplace (1:01:56), getting people back to work from the pandemic (1:06:27), and dining in at restaurants (1:09:18). You can check out Dan’s website here! You can also follow him on Twitter @DanSimonsSays. Thank you so much to Dan 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

Dan Simons on Allocating Time

Dr. Kensa Gunter is a licensed psychologist & a Certified Mental Performance Consultant based in Atlanta, GA. She provides services to individuals, teams, & organizations and describes her work as being at the intersection of mental health, mental performance, culture and sport. Dr. Gunter also currently serves as the President of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. In this episode, we discuss the symbolism in Dr. Gunter’s “tree of life” (6:37), how she uses that metaphor with her clients (9:26), gratitude (10:49), if she makes a distinction between spirituality and religion (12:14), if her connection to Christianity has changed over time (13:11), her favorite quote (15:53), perfectionism (18:57), if there is a dark side to striving for excellence that can bleed over to a client’s overall wellbeing (21:58), what she would tell her 12-year-old self (26:05), how to preach patience in a sports world that is so transactional (32:52), how she’s worked to be patient and present over the past year (35:23), what can get in the way of performers (38:48), growth mindset (42:18), what she’s struggled with over the past year and a half (45:10), psychological safety and security (52:02), navigating her career in the world of sport psychology (58:59), what advice she would give to people looking to break into the field of sport psychology (1:03:59), the gifts that exist alongside being unique (1:08:19), being an entrepreneur (1:12:10), the transition to private practice (1:18:00), the future of sport psychology (1:21:56), where she sees herself in 10 years (1:24:59), what she intentionally does to make sure she’s at her best (1:26:54), and being dauntless (1:29:38). You can check out Dr Gunter’s website here! You can also follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn by searching for Dr. Kensa Gunter. Thank you so much to Dr. Gunter 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

Dr. Kensa Gunter on Psychological Safety

Steve Mesler is the Co-Founder and CEO of Classroom Champions, a non-profit that brings together children and the world’s best athletes to mentor and teach kids the skills they need to succeed in and out of the classroom. After winning an Olympic Gold Medal in the 4-man bobsled at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, Steve was inspired to bring the values, lessons, and experiences he and his fellow Olympic and Paralympic athletes had gained through sport into classrooms. Since creating Classroom Champions in 2009, over 200 athletes have taught more than 1 million students about goal setting, perseverance, and teamwork to support their mental health, wellness, and academic achievement. Steve has written for or been featured in the Washington Post, Sports Illustrated, Inc, NBC’s Today Show, and dozens of other news, sports, and education outlets. Steve is a member of the Board of Directors of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), was a finalist for the International Champion for Peace award, and was named one of Sports Illustrated “Athletes Who Care.” He is a sought-after presenter at education and other conferences around the world, including Dubai, Sochi, Tel Aviv, Guatemala, and across the U.S. and Canada, and has collaborated with the likes of TED, Big Think, and others to increase awareness of the importance of social and emotional learning (SEL) in young students In this episode, we discuss dual citizenship (6:52), Americans training in Canada (8:26), what it was like flying on an F-16 plane (11:08), a champion or hero Steve looked up to as a kid and why (18:44), the impact his parents had on he and his sister (22:16), how he thinks about education differently than his parents did (26:30), his parents’ reaction to him pursuing bobsledding (31:35), the thinking as he transitioned to bobsled (36:06), the first time he got into a bobsled (37:05), his relationship with fear while bobsledding (41:58), if he loved bobsledding (44:35), if he loved track and field (46:47), loving sports (49:56), the various psychological tolls sports can take on an athlete (53:50), mental health (1:03:47), your profession being a part of who you are (1:08:08), if he still competes (1:11:08), learning how to become a leader in his new role (1:13:10), and Classroom Champions (1:17:21). Make sure to check out Steve’s website and also to check out his content on Medium, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Additionally, you can check out Steve’s blog here, as well as the Classroom Champions website and the Willie documentary website. Thanks 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. -Brian

Steve Mesler on Being Bigger than Sports

I created this podcast because I believe that much can be learned from digging deep with interesting and successful people. You can learn more about me at www.blevenson.com.

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Intentional Performers with Brian Levenson

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