Todd Gongwer is the best-selling author of “LEAD…for God’s Sake. The book has been called a “game changer” by national championship football coach Urban Meyer. It has been credited with having a huge impact on Coach Meyer’s decision to come out of the broadcast booth and take over the reigns of the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Todd is first and foremost, a husband and father. His expertise in leadership and cultural dynamics comes from a broad range of experiences in the world of business and athletics, spanning over 25 years. He has held numerous executive positions in companies ranging from entrepreneurial start-up to public entity, while also serving as an assistant college basketball coach for over a decade.
Following the successful launch of the Need to LEAD program, a systematic approach to shaping team culture, Todd wrote LEAD…for God’s Sake, A parable for finding the heart of leadership. As the popularity of the book grew, stories of its powerful impact surfaced in such noted publications as ESPN Magazine, Yahoo Sports, ESPN.com and Forbes.com. Testimonies from high profile coaches, business leaders, and educators from around the country continued to stream in, affording Todd the opportunity to work directly with some of the most successful leaders, teams and organizations in America.
Today, when Todd isn’t coaching his own children, he travels throughout the country speaking, teaching, and coaching on the topics of leadership, purpose and cultural dynamics. He lives in Indiana with his wife Traci and their three children; Kaden, Kira, and their newest arrival from Haiti, Wadson.
In today’s episode, we discuss:
- Writing a best-selling novel
- Working with Urban Meyer and other famous coaches
- Leadership and culture in organizations
Amy Morin is the author of “13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do” and “13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don’t Do.” Her TEDx talk, “The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong”, is one of the top 30 TEDx talks of all time with more than 6 million views. 
Darrin Gray serves as President and CEO of The Lions Lead. Darrin has more than 25 years of executive leadership experience in communications, media, branding, sports philanthropy and non-profit sectors and has managed annual budgets as large as $40,000,000. Based upon his work with All Pro Dad, the national non-profit founded by Tony Dungy, Darrin is recognized as a thought leader and speaker on the topics of family, fatherhood, mentoring and leadership. Darrin co-authored The Jersey Effect, Beyond the World Championship, and supports his community by serving on non-profit boards and as the President of the Center for Serving Leadership at the Sagamore Institute, an action-oriented think tank. Darrin has a unique window into the National Football League by virtue of his day-to-day involvement with All Pro Dad, Family First’s national fatherhood program cofounded by Tony Dungy and Clyde Christensen. Darrin interacts with NFL athletes, coaches, and alumni that serve as spokesmen for All Pro Dad, and he has conducted programming with over half of the NFL franchises. He develops innovative partnership strategies to reach families via special events, broadcast, and new media with the assistance of media partners and corporate sponsors. He conceptualized The Jersey Effect years ago when he wondered what motivated some athletes like Tony Dungy to use their professional platform in sports, their jersey, to make a positive impact both on and off the field. A few years later he invited NFL punter Hunter Smith, while he was still playing in the NFL, to coauthor the book and to help him explore the many ways that sports shape culture, with the help of his world champion teammates and coaches. 
Aaron Walker is a successful businessman and life coach. He has inspired many through his leadership, mentorship, and consistent pursuit of excellence. He enjoys helping others and believes experience is a great teacher. Aaron started his first business at 18 and sold it to a Fortune 500 company just nine short years later. Aaron has started, bought, and sold eight successful companies over the past 37 years. Having a strong desire for personal development has kept Aaron in a weekly mastermind group for more than a decade with Dave Ramsey, Dan Miller, Ken Abraham and many other notable Nashville people. Aaron has enjoyed a 36-year marriage with his beautiful wife Robin. Today, Aaron spends the majority of his time helping men grow in success and significance as the President and Founder of VIEW FROM THE TOP, a premier life and business coaching resource. Aaron’s new book is entitled “View From The Top: Living a Life of Significance” and in it, he shares insights from the lessons he has learned along the way to help others find hope and inspiration. Aaron’s interview on John Lee Dumas’ Entrepreneur on Fire is in the Top-10 most popular EOF episodes! He is one of only 20 guests who were invited back for a second appearance.
Matt Morse is the author of the #1 best-seller “Mental Game VIP” and co-author (with Brian Cain) of “Mental Conditioning for Baseball.” He is a former NCAA Division-I baseball player turned innovative entrepreneur, author, speaker, consultant, and coach who equips top businesses, authors, speakers, coaches, athletes, and teams with the tools and strategies needed to maximize their impact. Matt is also the founder of Kaifect, a full-service impact agency that specializes in online marketing, branding, web development, social media, content creation, copywriting, graphic design, audio/video production, product creation and launches, live events, Facebook Ads, affiliate marketing, research and reporting, and digital strategies.
Dr. Cory Dobbs is the Founder & President of The Academy for Sport Leadership. A former basketball coach, Cory’s coaching background includes experience at the NCAA DII, NJCAA, and high school levels of competition. Cory has worked with collegiate athletic programs and high schools teaching leadership and team building as a part of the sports experience and education process. Cory is an accomplished researcher of human experience–a relentless investigator of team building and leadership behavior. A skilled researcher, Cory actively engages the process of naturalistic inquiry seeking in-depth understanding of social phenomena such as leadership and team building in their natural setting. A “teamologist,” Dr. Dobbs is an author, speaker, teacher, trainer and a consultant. Cory has been a recognized educator teaching at institutions such as Northern Arizona University, Ohio University, and Grand Canyon University.