Balancing Dream and Backup Plan

Steve Young (@steveyoung) is a Hall of Fame NFL quarterback who played more than 15 seasons, primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. Steve co-founded HGGC, which manages more than $6.9B in capital commitments. He’s also the founder and current chair of the Forever Young Foundation, which supports children’s charities globally. He is the author of QB: My Life Behind the Spiral and The Law of Love.

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TIMESTAMPS:

• [00:00:00] Start.
• [00:02:34] The full circle of Josh Waitzkin.
• [00:05:47] The Stephen Covey plane ride that changed everything.
• [00:11:38] Overcoming victimization: The hole you dig, then jump into.
• [00:14:16] How taking ownership led Steve from rock bottom to NFL MVP in one season.
• [00:21:50] Interceptions and the truest truth about accountability.
• [00:26:09] What separates good from great quarterbacks: Adrenaline alchemy.
• [00:31:21] Alex Honnold and the genetics of not panicking.
• [00:32:14] Learning to actually throw a football at BYU.
• [00:35:01] Recovering from the offensive coordinator who wouldn’t coach southpaws.
• [00:37:00] The vulnerability prerequisite.
• [00:42:45] Separation anxiety: Thriving by day, terrified by night.
• [00:48:29] Tears in the Candlestick Park training room.
• [00:52:37] The diagnosis that made the puzzle pieces fit.
• [00:58:32] Dad’s philosophy: Dream (1%) and Plan (80%).
• [01:01:14] Law school between Super Bowl parades.
• [01:02:33] Trading locker room access for venture capital deals.
• [01:08:45] Mourning old identities and heeding Roger Staubach’s transition advice: “Run.”
• [01:11:49] Rich Lawson walks out of Morgan Stanley: “I’ll be the CEO.”
• [01:19:05] 30 years of partnership: Yin, yang, and existential crises.
• [01:23:01] HGGC: The name nobody can pronounce (and why).
• [01:25:19] Faith evolution: From Boy Scout theology to something deeper.
• [01:29:41] The Law of Love: Bill Walsh’s secret weapon.
• [01:32:53] Divine humanity and the irony of losing self-interest.
• [01:43:52] Parting thoughts.

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