“A business strategy course in my senior year stands out. I had maintained a 4.0 average all the way through, and I wanted to graduate with a perfect average. It came down to the final exam, and I had spent many hours studying and memorizing formulas to do calculations for the case studies.
Episode 163: Bret Burchard, former G-League Coach
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Bret Burchard is the co-founder of the mindset development company ChampionShift and co-author of “Catching Confetti: Developing the Mindset of a Champion.” He helps athletes and coaches tap into mental states to improve their confidence and resilience. He coached in the NBA for 10 seasons, all with the Phoenix Suns, most recently as the head coach of their minor league affiliate.
Click here for Bret’s Wikipedia page.
- Ignoring Justin Timberlake
- Why some players are in the NBA and some aren’t
- What makes a great coach
- How athletes can have a championship mindset
- What “catching confetti” means
- … and so much more!!!
100 Favorite Books
“The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.” (Mark Twain)
I love to read but it wasn’t always that way. We were made to read in 1st grade and I hated it. However, all that changed in 2nd grade.
Episode 131: “The Bus Trip”
Today’s episode is a celebration of “The Bus Trip” being released on 11/25/2019. It is a modern-day sports leadership fable that chronicles a particular bus trip that a team takes. The season has been very challenging and the situations that occur that day help nudge the players to change how they do things. Even though it is a work of fiction, “The Bus Trip” presents very real issues and solutions. The first five minutes of this episode involves the author, Jamy Bechler, talking about why he wrote the book. The next five minutes has him interviewing a current college athlete, Lexis Garcia, who read the book.
Episode 106: Greg Tonagel, Indiana Wesleyan University Basketball Coach
Greg Tonagel is the head men’s basketball coach at Indiana Wesleyan University. Tonagel and the Wildcats have won three NAIA Division II National Championships in a five year spans with titles in 2014, 2016, and 2018. Since Tonagel took over the program in 2005, he has become the winningest coach in program history both in total wins and winning percentage. Prior to coming to IWU, Tonagel served as Director of Basketball Operations at Valparaiso University, where he also played for legendary Homer Drew and appeared in four NCAA Tournaments as the starting point guard. He also led his LaPorte High School team to the last single class state finals in 1997. Much of the unprecedented success of the Wildcats can be attributed to the culture Tonagel built at IWU. The IWU culture is built around two Biblically transforming principles; I am Third and Fearless. This has helped the influence of IWU basketball to extend far beyond the court. Tonagel and his staff have been committed to using basketball as a platform for discipleship.
- What any coach can do to create a better culture
- Why IWU is so good year in and year out
- How he convinces great players (including DI transfers from IU and Kansas) to come to IWU
- … and so much more!!!
Episode 103: “Evidence That Demands a Verdict” with Josh McDowell
Josh McDowell has spoken to approximately 35 million people, in 140 countries. Josh has written or co-authored more than 150 books in over 100 languages including More Than a Carpenter with over 27 million copies distributed and Evidence That Demands a Verdict, named one of the twentieth century’s top 40 books and one of the thirteen most influential books of the last 50 years on Christian thought by World Magazine. Evidence That Demands a Verdict also just won the 2018 Evangelical Christian Publishers Association award in the Bible reference book category.
In 1991, Josh founded Operation Carelift to meet the physical and spiritual needs he discovered in orphanages, hospitals, schools, and prisons in the countries of the former Soviet Union. Josh has received two significant honors from the Russian people because of these efforts. He is the only non-Russian to receive an honorary doctor of pediatrics degree from the Russian Academy of Medicine — in recognition of his work among the children of Russia. Also, Josh is the only foreigner to become a member of the prestigious Russian Club of Scientists. Operation Carelift, which has grown into in one of the largest humanitarian aid organizations based in the United States, is now a part of Global Aid Network (GAiN USA). In addition to many other awards, Josh has been nominated 36 times for the Gold Medallion Award and has received that award on four occasions.
- Trying to prove that Christians were wrong when he was a college student
- How Christians should approach politics
- What it was like to have a movie made about his life
- Advice when talking to teenagers
- … and so much more!!!
Episode 100: Jon Gordon, New York Times Best-Selling Author
Jon Gordon is a best-selling author, motivational coach and motivational speaker. His books and talks have inspired readers and audiences around the world. His principles have been put to the test by numerous Fortune 500 companies, professional and college sports teams, school districts, hospitals, and non-profits. He is the author of 16 books including six best-sellers: “The Energy Bus,” “The Carpenter,” “Training Camp,” “You Win in the Locker Room First,” “The Power of Positive Leadership,” and “The Power of a Positive Team.” Jon and his tips have been featured on The Today Show, CNN, CNBC, The Golf Channel, Fox and Friends and in numerous magazines and newspapers. His clients include The Los Angeles Dodgers, The Atlanta Falcons, Campbell Soup, Dell, Publix, Southwest Airlines, LA Rams, Miami Heat, Pittsburgh Pirates, BB&T Bank, Clemson Football, Northwestern Mutual, Bayer, West Point Academy, and more.
- Getting rejected by more than 30 publishers
- Writing a book in 3 weeks
- Being positive in the world today
- Working with high-level sports teams
- … and so much more!!!
Episode 083: USA Football Keith Grabowski
Keith Grabowski is the Director of Football Operations for USA Football. As the sport’s national governing body and member of the U.S. Olympic Committee, USA Football partners with leaders in medicine, child advocacy and athletics to support positive football experiences for youth, high school and other amateur players.
As the host of USA Football’s “Coach and Coordinator” show, Keith interviews the most knowledgeable head coaches, coordinators, and position coaches from professional, college, and high school football. Keith and his guests discuss the philosophy, concepts, schemes, and strategies that they have learned throughout their careers. Each show includes a specific idea that can be applied to help coaches at every level find the winning edge.
In today’s episode, we discuss:
- Advice for parents of athletes
- How to make football safer
- Changes in football through the years
- What makes a good coach and leader
Episode 080: PGA Caddie Paul Tesori
Paul Tesori is the caddie for professional golfer Webb Simpson. Paul was on the bag when Webb won the 2012 U.S. Open and 2018 THE PLAYERS Championship. In addition to Webb Simpson, Paul has caddied for some of the best golfers in the world including former #1 player Vijay Singh. In total, he has more than 20 wins as a PGA caddie.
We caught up with Paul between THE PLAYERS and the Open Championship (to be held at Carnoustie, Scotland). The memories of the record-setting performance at THE PLAYERS was still fresh in his mind (especially since it is played at TPC Sawgrass, which is Paul’s home course). Webb led THE PLAYERS Championship from start to finish. Along the way, he equaled the course record with his 2nd-round 63, and also the 36-hole and 54-hole PLAYERS scoring records. With the win, Webb became just the 9th player to have won THE PLAYERS and a U.S. Open. The victory also made Webb World Golf Hall of Fame eligible in the future.
Paul is a Florida native and attended the University of Florida. He grew up loving sports and played golf and baseball. He was such a good golfer that he even played 21 events on the PGA Tour himself. Paul and his wife Michelle run the Tesori Family Foundation, which was founded in 2009. The foundation helps supports various charities throughout the country with focuses ranging from childhood homelessness to battered women’s shelters, from children battling disease like cancer to animal rescue charities like the Jacksonville Humane Society.
In today’s episode, we discuss:
- Webb’s runaway win at the 2018 Players Championship
- Why mental toughness is important in golf and life
- What he says to a golfer during a round
- Caddie-Golfer relationships, especially after breakups
Episode 075: Show Hope’s Emily Chapman Richards
Emily Chapman Richards is the vice president of Show Hope, an organization whose mission is to care for orphans and reduce barriers to adoption. Show Hope was founded by Emily’s parents Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman. If those names sound familiar, it is because her mother is a New York Times Best-Selling author and her father is a 5-time Grammy Award Winning recording artist.
Born and raised in Franklin, TN, Emily has enjoyed watching Show Hope grow from a dream in her parents’ heart to an organization that has helped thousands of children come to know the love of a family. Emily met her husband, Tanner, on a blind date at a local Starbucks. Married in 2008, Tanner and Emily are the proud parents to three beautiful ladies—Eiley, Della, and Verity.
After earning her BA in International Studies and Religion from Baylor University (‘07), Emily continued her education while living abroad, graduating from Queen’s University Belfast (‘12) with a Masters of Theology. Emily enjoys traveling and talking theology over a cup of coffee. She is a visionary and a dreamer, and has long remained a passionate advocate for adoption and orphan care efforts.
In today’s episode, we discuss:
- Growing up as the daughter of a Grammy-Award winning artist
- Persuading her parents to adopt a child
- The origins and mission of Show Hope
- The fun story of how her parents met
- Dealing with tragedy