Intentional Performers

Nick Hill is the Head Football Coach at Southern Illinois University, where he also played football earlier in his life. Nick also played professional football. The crux and meat of our conversation today is about what he’s building at Southern Illinois. He’s had 3 winning seasons after plenty of losing seasons at Southern Illinois, and he’s going to talk about the culture that he is embedding into the program and why he loves coaching football.   Nick had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include: “You can still be young and not entitled and work your way up” (10:45). “It’s a people business, and that’s [true] in any business” (15:00). “If you want to make your way up in this profession, you have to be able to communicate verbally” (16:50). “Number 1, what are your values and what do you want this thing to look like?” (19:45). “How you’re hiring your staff, the people you put in place, your player/personnel people, it’s really the difference I think between elite teams and good teams” (21:45). “We have to be invested deeply in relationships” (22:50). “When you build a true team, it’s about development, it’s about overcoming” (26:20). “Humility is such a huge thing, but we mistake humility a lot. It’s not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less” (25:50). “Even as a coach, you have to have a confidence, your team has to feel that as well” (30:40). “There’s nothing like walking into a winning locker room” (49:00). “There’s that pursuit of that feeling, knowing that that is out there if you put in the work and you become that” (49:30). “It’s not what we know, it’s what the players know out there, on the field” (56:30). “There’s a core belief system here about how we’re going to go about things” (1:03:15). “This is my dream job… I love being here” (1:07:30).   Additionally, make sure to follow Nick on Twitter @17NickHill and to follow the team @SIUFootball. Thank you so much to Nick 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

Dave Phillips believes in living life with passion, curiosity, and purpose. Described as "a visionary thinker with a passion for high-performance coaching," Phillips co-founded the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI). A member of the Professional Golf Association (PGA) of America since 1993. Dave has been a Golf Magazine Top 100 teacher since 2000 and is a Golf Digest Top 50 teacher in America. He currently coaches world number one golfer Jon Rahm and is part of hall of fame golfer Phil Mickelson's team. In 2004, Dave Phillips and Dr. Greg Rose developed TPI, the world's first golf performance facility that looked at every aspect of a player's game, from equipment fitting to biomechanics and the human body. As TPI developed, it became evident that we should pass on the information obtained from working with the game's best through education, and the TPI Certified Brand was born. The TPI-certified brand is the largest of its kind globally, and those accredited experts have helped hundreds of thousands of recreational golfers enjoy the game. Since the start of the educational seminars in 2006, over 27,000 TPI-certified experts are now in 65 countries worldwide. Dave appeared on the Golf Channel as co-host of the Golf Fitness Academy and Titleist Performance Institute Television shows, broadcast in 77 countries over an eight-year time frame. Dave has also written articles for Golf Magazine, Golf Digest, Sports Illustrated, Men's Health, and The Wall Street Journal; he is a sought-after public speaker who has lectured worldwide on sports performance and business.   David had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include: “We dive a little deeper. We heavily look at the physical attributes of athletes first, because that kind of unlocks how they work” (8:00). “There’s a lot of people trying to be the best golfer in the world, but they’re trying to be somebody else because that’s their idol. And that’s not necessarily who they are” (8:15). “My expertise is taking what I get, and then figuring out that puzzle… You’re trying to put the pieces back together so they can perform at their best” (8:30). “I see a lot of younger players struggle because they’re trying to be someone that they’re not” (8:35). “How can I do better with what I already have?” (11:30) “It doesn’t matter what you look like. It matters can you perform” (13:20). “I like to see unusual golf swings, I like to see unusual looking athletes, because if they’re competing at the same level as what people consider the model, then I’m way more interested in them than the normal” (13:35). “Great athletes are willing to do the things that others aren’t willing to do” (14:30). “Curiosity is that natural instinct we have to want to learn and to want to get better at something that we’re passionate about” (16:20). “What great athletes have in common is they have a love for the game that they’re playing” (16:30). “That’s the danger of being curious, you don’t know how to assemble the pieces. And that’s where great coaching comes in” (17:00). “I think there’s a lot of us that are curious, but it does affect our ability to perform in competition” (17:15). “If we can learn how we are, how can we then take that into a coaching model” (18:15). “People think they’re going to get worse before they get better if they take a golf lesson. That’s a problem that the PGA of America should be addressing and needs to address” (28:15). “If the door swings half open, I’m going through it” (33:20). “One of the beautiful things about understanding the body is it’s just common sense” (36:30). “It all starts [with movement]” (37:15). “Movement, to me, is everything” (37:30). “We’ve impacted hundreds of thousands of golfers, and I think we’re just scratching the surface” (40:25). “We need to develop a well-care instead of a health-care society. People need ways to take better care of themselves and not rely so much on the system to take care of them” (41:45). “I love what I do every day. I love trying to find out how to make players that are working with me better” (44:15). “If you’ve got all this knowledge but you can’t get it out there, that to me is dangerous” (45:30). “Having partners that have a like-minded mentality allow you to get to where you want to go much faster than you have before” (48:50). “I very rarely say no because of my curiosity” (56:30). “It’s really easy today to be judgmental… but be curious. Try and ask yourself the question ‘Why do they think that way’” (1:00:45). “You need to end your day watching or listening to something funny. Don’t go to bed mad or upset” (1:03:00).   Additionally, make sure to follow TPI on all forms of social media @mytpi, and to check out the TPI website here! 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. -Brian

Mike Deegan is the head baseball coach at Dennison University, where he is entering his 10th season. Coach Deegan has had tremendous success at the Division III level, winning 3 National Championships. He has also played in 2 National Championships as a player.   Mike had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include: “For a while I would make fun of people for being arrogant, but secretly I would surround myself with arrogant people because that’s what I was missing” (6:15). “I’ve been beat over my head in my life to be humble so much so that I think it affects my performances” (6:30). “You have to look at yourself as a coach ask how my behavior is affecting our team’s performance” (7:30). “Being humble has served me very well. It makes me relatable and people enjoy me for the most part. But now I have found myself in rooms where I’m humble and I’m listening and I’m curious, but there is this small moment where I would probably be the expert and I don’t throw myself in the arena. And to me, that’s when humility can be hedging” (10:30). “When those moments arise, I want to take it from a place of confidence to a place of arrogance” (11:20). “You do everything you can within the rules to win the game” (14:30). “We’re competing, but afterwards they shake your hands” (14:45). “You can see culture” (15:20). “What fills me up, where I think I can make the most impact, is by trying to be a transformational coach and preparing them for things outside of sport” (18:45). “Why I love sports is because when the ball goes in the air, or the umpire says play ball, color of skin, religion, socioeconomic status, none of that matters. I feel that as a steward of sport, I have to hold onto that” (20:45). “I have to be curious in order to keep up” (25:30). “I want to be able to achieve, I want to be one of the best. The only way to do that is to keep learning and to keep growing” (25:50). “I started not attaching my identity as much to performance as I used to” (28:00). “At the center of everything for us is the relationships and joy” (31:00). “If you were to see us play, I hope you see us with big smiles on our faces” (31:15). “If you play in a great program, the star revolves” (33:35). “You need to reflect and understand what do I want out of this experience” (43:50). “The success that we’ve had, the growth that we’ve had, has been a long time of maximizing those training opportunities” (58:30). “I used our budget this year not to buy bats to buy books” (59:45).   Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter and to check out his website as well. Additionally, you can buy Mike’s book, Let it Rip: Life Lessons Learned Through Sports, anywhere they sell books. I would also encourage you to check out The Coach’s Clinic Podcast. Lastly, please feel free to reach out to Mike if you would like via email: mike@coachmikedeegan.com. Thank you so much to Mike 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

Gavin McClurg is no stranger to adventure and exploration. He is a 2015 National Geographic “Adventurer of the Year” for his unpowered paragliding expedition across the Canadian Rockies (documented in the Red Bull Media House feature film “The Rockies Traverse”). He became the first person to traverse the full length of the Alaska Range by foot and paraglider (unsupported) in 2016 (documented in the Red Bull Media House feature film “North of Known”). He is the owner, founder and Captain of “Offshore Odysseys”, a global kitesurfing/surfing/sailing expedition. He has twice circumnavigated the world by sail, living at sea for 13 straight years, including short-handed roundings of both notorious capes (Horn and Good Hope). Gavin holds the former North American record for foot launched cross-country paragliding, a flight of 240 miles deep into Montana from his hometown of Sun Valley, Idaho. Gavin is the first American (and only 3rd non-European) to complete the “toughest adventure race on Earth”, the Red Bull X-Alps a paragliding / foot race across the Alps from Salzburg to Monaco. In ten days, Gavin flew 1560 kilometers, walked 498 (12+ marathons) and scaled 52,000 meters of vertical ascent on foot (Everest 5 times). Gavin competed again in 2017, 2019, and 2021. Some more of Gavin’s career highlights include: 2015 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year; 8th place Red Bull X-Alps and the first American to reach goal in Monaco in the race’s history; Former World Mountain Distance record holder in paragliding (387 kilometers, 240 miles); 2 X circumnavigations by sail, including short-handed rounding of both Capes (Horn and Good hope). 160,000 total miles; Created, founded, captained and current CEO of Offshore Odysseys, an ocean-based expedition company based around kitesurfing, surfing and paragliding; Former US Alpine Ski Team member; Several first descents (kayaking) in Central America (class VI); Published author, countless magazine features   Gavin had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include: “He was an explorer in terms of his entrepreneurial spirit. He was always trying stuff that was 10 years too far in the future” (21:30). “Most people go to security when they have that kind of background, and for me it was the opposite” (22:25). “For whatever reason, I’ve always been drawn to speed and risk” (23:40). “When you’re letting your subconscious do the work and you’re so embedded in the moment, then all of this frivolous stuff that drives life, that’s distracting and stressful and sometimes painful, goes away” (24:50). “It’s a battle against your own mind” (27:35). “The risks are enormous, and I think eventually for everybody the luck’s going to run out” (30:25). “Until that day, I hadn’t understood death” (33:00). “Death is a fascinating animal” (36:15). “I feel celebratory, in a sense, towards the concept of death. To me, it’s a driver. It’s kind of like fear. Fear is a really good thing; it keeps you alive” (36:30). “The inevitability of death is a really good thing because it reminds me every day of how important and how precious every day is” (36:50). “We’ve all got to figure out how to replace that rush with something else” (40:30). “That’s what I want to do. I want to have the most fun” (41:55). “The more we separate ourselves from attainment, and the more we can be present, then we’re winning” (42:20). “Just being who you are is good enough” (42:35). “Sometimes, you have to be dumb enough to launch. Otherwise, life is pretty gray” (44:00). “If you’re not falling, you’re not pushing hard enough” (44:25). “That’s my New Year’s resolution every year: to be more present, to be here, and to be grateful and thankful for that” (46:00). “That’s what my daughter has taught me: to be more curious” (49:15). “Wow we are lucky. Wow we are fortunate” (52:45).   Make sure to follow Gavin on Instagram and Facebook. Additionally, you can purchase Gavin’s book, "Advanced Paragliding,” wherever books are sold. Gavin has also written hundreds of magazine articles and been part of many films. Lastly, you can find Gavin’s recent TedXTalk here! Thank you so much to Gavin 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

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 who is extremely wise when it comes to things like communication, emotional intelligence, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and decision making. I personally have sent many friends to to get coached by her. Grace and I work together often as facilitators and she is my go-to when I need help with a tricky situation. Grace is also a lawyer by trade, so she’s going to talk about her background in law and why she didn’t continue down that path of being a practicing lawyer. 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 is 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.   Grace had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include: “People always want breakthroughs, but what I found is that breakthroughs don’t usually come without breakdowns” (5:50). “I loved being in the thick of things” (10:20). “I’m just a performer” (12:45). “I just perform. Your racism is not my problem, it’s not my business” (12:50). “Whatever it is, I’m going to perform” (13:15). “If I have the ability to turn out and produce a result, I’m absolutely going to do it” (21:20). “I wanted to go to law school to think like a lawyer” (21:45). “I didn’t have a sense of identity outside of achievement” (22:15). “Our thoughts are that automatic, they’re like our nails growing or our heart beating… You don’t have to give into those nasty thoughts” (32:30). “I have a fulfilling life now, but it’s because I’m not trying to counteract some negative programming that I wound up with because I’m a human being” (41:25). “What I want is to make a difference. What I want is for people around me to be empowered. What I want is for women to discover their leadership and get that it doesn’t have to be the old conversation of what leadership is” (41:40). “When you have achievement for achievement’s sake, it will feel good and you’ll keep chasing the carrot. There will come a point where there’s some silence and stillness and you realize that it’s not fulfilling” (46:20). “Their impression of you is not your business” (57:30). “When I read an article, my favorite part is always the comments. How are people actually reading it and responding to it?” (1:06:05). “We sit down, and we just envision: if this was the best year of our life, what would we have?” (1:10:05).   Thank you so much to Grace 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

Celeste Headlee is an award-winning journalist, professional speaker and author of We Need to Talk: How To Have Conversations That Matter, and Do Nothing: How to Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing, and Underliving. An expert in conversation, human nature, reclaiming common humanity and finding well-being, Celeste frequently provides insight on what is good for all humans and what is bad for us, focusing the best research in neuro and social science to increase understanding of how we relate with one another and can work together in beneficial ways in our workplaces, neighborhoods, communities and homes. She is a regular guest host on NPR and American Public Media and a highly sought consultant, advising companies around the world on conversations about race, diversity and inclusion. Her TEDx Talk sharing 10 ways to have a better conversation has over 26 million total views, and she serves as an advisory board member for ProCon.org and The Listen First Project. Celeste is recipient of the 2019 Media Changemaker Award. Her new book, Speaking of Race is available now. She is the proud granddaughter of composer William Grant Still, the Dean of African American Composers.   Celeste had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include: “I try to constantly remind myself while I’m doing whatever I’m doing that I need to just take a pause, take a moment, at any point” (11:05). “Stop and think first” (11:15). “I try to judge the action and not the person” (13:00). “What worked for you may not work for me” (14:00). “I try to be as honest as possible because I don’t want people to, when they stumble, or when something doesn’t work for them, I don’t want them to give up. I want them to figure out what does work for them” (14:50). “What works for you? What makes you a good person? (17:35). “Buddhism doesn’t have a holy book; it has a library” (18:00). “You’re going to feel this, and whatever it is that you’re feeling, that’s okay” (19:00). “We need white guys to be leading these conversations [on race]” (29:30). “This is the dichotomy of America. We can be both full of high ideals and admirable values, and yet vote with our feet and make the wrong decision over and over and over again” (32:50). “Fame can also mean there’s lots of people who feel like it’s their right to comment on your choices and interfere” (35:40). “Fame doesn’t seem to me like it’s something I would ever strive for” (36:50). “It always confuses me when people say they want to be famous. Why? For what reason?” (37:00). “To be a singer, you have to learn how to let your body respond at every moment to the emotion you’re feeling” (38:30). “I always wanted to stand on my own two feet. I was either going to make it or I wasn’t” (39:45). “Music has the power to transcend our thoughts. It has the power to touch us on a visceral level” (40:00). “I don’t believe in doing stuff if you’re going to half-ass it” (41:00). “If I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it 100%” (41:15). “I’m not going to do anything that causes harm” (44:45). “There’s nothing better in the world than to feel like you’ve been useful” (46:10). “Any conversation about race and identity is emotional” (52:00). “If you’re having a conversation about race, it’s entirely emotional” (52:10). “Race is real because racism is real” (52:35). “One of the ways I have patience for strangers is by imagining they were one of my relatives” (55:00). “All of us have too many unconscious biases lurking underneath that leak out of us, that are ready to make our decisions for us, and so we need a posse, we need a group of people, and that needs to be the people around you, so you need to understand each other, you need to talk about it, you need to find the limits of your bias and your compassion, and just make it an absolutely open discussion” (59:15). “You have to create a culture of correction. Meaning you’re creating an environment in which it’s expected that people are going to screw up, and therefore you train in how to respond when someone says the wrong thing or does the wrong thing” (1:01:35). “In a culture of correction, mistakes are not exceptional, they’re expected” (1:02:10). “That’s a lesson that can serve you in every aspect of your life is learning how to let go” (1:12:45).   Additionally, make sure to follow Celeste on both Instagram and Twitter. Thank you so much to Celeste 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

Todd B. Kashdan, Ph.D. is Professor of Psychology at George Mason University, a leading authority on well-being, psychological flexibility, curiosity, courage, and resilience. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles and his work has been cited over 35,000 times. He received the Faculty Member of the Year Award from George Mason University and Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contributions from the American Psychological Association. He is the author of Curious? and The Upside of Your Dark Side, and his latest book is The Art of Insubordination: How to Dissent and Defy Effectively. His writing has appeared in the Harvard Business Review, National Geographic, Fast Company, among other publications, and his research is featured regularly in media outlets such as The Atlantic, The New York Times, NPR, and Time Magazine. He's a twin with twin daughters (plus one more), with plans to rapidly populate the world with great conversationalists.   Todd had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include: “If the goal is to keep someone on task for your teachings and your precepts of a religion, a doctrine, whether it’s an anti-racism unit, whether it’s a well-being unit in an organization, as soon as you make something taboo, you’ve just raised the stakes in terms of people exploring, discovering, and finding out that there are lots of holes in the argument” (8:45). “How can we use all of these tools for positive, healthy causes to move society forwards, to move our personal development forward” (12:20). “The stronger ideological convictions are, the less space there is to be curious” (12:30). “Curiosity makes you find flaws in people’s arguments” (14:30). “The reason we have a 3-pound brain in our head is that we are trying to make a more predictable, less uncertain environment as we walk through the world” (17:20). “There’s something really valuable about having precise language to describe ourselves to other people” (19:30) “The best way to effectively communicate if you are in the minority position is to be incredibly consistent with your message” (23:00). “I really like the term consistency over conviction. The message is the same, but I’m listening to what you have to say” (28:30). “Fail quick. Fail often. Let’s innovate” (41:40). “The best way to move away from being called the pejorative term of being called a flip-flopper and to move towards the virtuous act of constantly growing and evolving is to be as objective as possible in doing a problem audit of where you made mistakes before” (48:15). “That’s what people want. They want predictability. They want to reduce uncertainty” (50:15). “One of the emotions that I use in my own life that I harness extremely well is envy” (54:05). “I’m harnessing the negative, uncomfortable experience of envy to actually improve my own strengths and my own skills as a public speaker” (55:25). “That is psychological flexibility. Harnessing your negative emotions in pursuit of a valued aim” (55:45). “That’s psychological flexibility as well. Transitions between our different life roles as opposed to letting those life roles merge so tightly together that we feel as if we’re not on top of being a parent, a worker, a lover, a son, or a daughter” (57:30). “You have to think less about the job and more about what about you made you want to do that job in the first place” (1:03:15). “Assume that everyone is incredibly intelligent, and that includes young kids” (1:18:15). “Mental simulations of alternative possibilities are an incredible way to increase curiosity” (1:21:00). “Just by posing these mental simulations of alternative realities allows us to think with a level of curiosity of there’s not one way to do something. There’s not one answer” (1:22:00). “Try to create groups where people are able to speak because you are open-minded and curious. They’re willing to speak what they actually think because you’re willing to work with the material” (1:23:30).   Make sure to follow Todd on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok @toddkashdan. Additionally, I would encourage you to follow Todd on Facebook and LinkedIn. Also, feel free to email Todd if you’d like to reach out: todd@toddkashdan.com. You can order Todd’s latest book, The Art of Insubordination: How to Dissent and Defy Effectively, here as well! Lastly, you can find Todd’s publications of over 200 articles here! Thank you so much to Todd 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

Sian Beilock studies how performance anxiety can be exasperated or alleviated in the simple strategies we use to ensure success under pressure. In addition to that, Sian is the president at Barnard College at Columbia University. Barnard is one of the most selective academic institutions in the US. Barnard is devoted to empowering exceptional women to change the world and the way we think about it. Prior to her appointment as President, she served as the University of Chicago Executive Vice Provost. She also worked in the Psychology department. Sian is a cognitive scientist by training and is one of the world’s leading experts on the brain science behind choking under pressure.   Sian had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include: “One of the hardest parts of learning how to become a successful leader is learning how to delegate and that you can’t do everything” (5:45). “We’re limited capacity people. We can only focus on so many things at once” (6:00). “My favorite part of being in a leadership position is when other people have really good ideas and I get to help propel them forward” (8:40). “When you have different perspectives at the table and people can speak openly and honestly without fear of retribution, you get the best ideas” (9:00). “We are teaching students at Barnard how to think. Not what to think, but how to think” (14:10). “The greatest performers sometimes aren’t the best coaches. It can be hard for them to understand the mistakes of someone who is a novice or someone who’s not as skilled as them” (19:20). “I’m a big proponent of having multiple selves. All of the research is pretty clear on that having multiple aspects of your own identity that you can enjoy and focus on is really a good mental health buffer” (23:50). “It’s hard not to be able to do everything” (25:20). “For me it’s about having the best people at the table” (28:05). “There’s something special about having women leading and teaching you, and about debunking the stereotype that women can’t do it” (29:00). “Our students come out being willing to speak their minds and being willing to be uncomfortable” (31:15). “The classroom is a brave space, not a safe space. It’s totally okay to feel uncomfortable in the classroom” (31:20). “We want you women who have failed, who feel okay taking risks and knowing it’s not going to be perfect” (32:00). “Everyone can feel like an imposter, it’s not just women” (34:45). “Where I get the most satisfaction is when something is stressful, and I don’t know if I can do it all, and I figure out what route we need to take to get there” (35:30). “Figuring out what you don’t know is so important for success” (36:50). “Pressure can be both internal and external” (44:00). “If you’re going to lead an institution, you have to understand what values that institution holds (46:00). “You can’t come in from the outside and just impose your values on a place. You’ve got to understand what they ethos is and where you can have an impact” (47:00). “I don’t think you can do well academically if you don’t feel well outside of the classroom” (50:40). “No one can do anything alone anymore. We all need that support” (51:50). “It’s got to be fun to work hard in whatever you’re doing” (56:00).   Make sure to check out Sian’s website, in addition to watching her TedTalk and buying her book “Choke” anywhere you can buy books! You can also follow her on Instagram @PresBeilock and on Twitter @SianBeilock! Thank you so much to Sian 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

Nick Tasler is an internationally acclaimed thought leader on the science of decisions and their impact on the growth of leaders, teams and organizations. He is also a leadership columnist for the Harvard Business Review and the #1 best-selling author of The Impulse Factor: An Innovative Approach to Better Decision Making and Domino: The Simplest Way to Inspire Change. Nick’s work has been featured by The New York Times, Fast Company, Bloomberg, Fox Business, NPR, BBC, NBC, CBS and other leading media outlets all around the world.   As an organizational psychologist and keynote speaker, Nick has helped tens of thousands of leaders apply a simple decision framework for transforming seasons of change into periods of unprecedented personal and professional growth at the world’s most respected organizations ranging from Microsoft, JP Morgan Chase, and Target to 3M, Accenture, the Wharton School, Yale University and more.   Nomadic by nature, Nick and his wife and their four kids live in…lots of places, ranging from Minnesota to Puerto Rico.   Nick had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include: “The right decision in the moment is not nearly as valuable if isn’t tied to some overarching purpose and direction” (7:00). “Every good business needs to have an overarching, strategic direction. A statement of where we are trying to go that is deeper than a mission statement” (7:30). “We all want health, wealth, and happiness. We all want to make a difference... But quite often these things will come in conflict with each other. What do you do then?” (8:30). “As human beings, we have somewhere between 8-10 universal values” (11:45). “Your decision pulse is something that you choose, and at different times we’re going to put different things higher” (13:30). “The core of my definition of freedom is I want to be free to think about what I want to think about when I want to think about it” (21:15). “This is what I’m wanting to do and I’m willing to take any risk to make it happen” (27:45). “We need to start stepping out of our comfort zone and just playing for the next week” (33:30). “It’s all about testing your gut, rather than blindly trusting your gut” (37:25). “We can take risks, but we don’t have to bet the farm every time” (37:30). “Of course, we want to keep our customers happy and make money… but for our business, given our unique strengths in this particular marketplace, what is going to be OUR focal point?” (43:30). “It’s ok to take a risk as long as it’s directionally correct” (44:10). “Cognitive ability is important, up to a certain level, in leadership” (47:00). “What is the flow state? It’s a situation where the rest of the world just melts away and you can focus on the task at hand” (52:05). “There’s value in presenting an idea to somebody that gets them to think different about the way that they’re thinking, behaving, and relating to other people. That’s what inspiration is” (55:30). “I firmly believe that you can accomplish anything you want this year. But you can’t accomplish everything you want this year” (1:02:00). “You have to make a decision on what you’re going to shoot for and what you’re going to quit” (1:02:15). “You haven’t made a decision until you’ve decided NOT to do something else, to quit something else” (1:03:30).   Make sure to check out Nick on Twitter, as well as on LinkedIn and Instagram. Thank you so much to Nick 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

April Dunford is the world’s leading expert on product positioning. She works with fast-growing tech companies helping them clearly articulate the value they alone can deliver to customers. She is the author of the bestselling positioning book Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get it, Buy it, Love it.   April had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include: “My calling is more as a teacher than anything else” (8:00). “In the work I’m doing right now as a consultant, really my job is to be a teacher” (8:18). “As a teacher and a facilitator, I’m teaching the team and I’m facilitating the team to come up with the answers themselves” (14:25). “When we’re doing positioning work, we’re very focused on customers, problems, solutions… how do we actually tell the story of this product in a way that really helps customers make a good purchase decision?” (15:24). “When you’re inside a big company, you have to fight really hard to get a promotion, to move your way up” (17:00). “You need to influence people that don’t work for you and don’t have to do what you say” (22:40). “In the work I do with positioning, we always have sales executives in the room because if they don’t understand the positioning, it won’t be reflected in the way they talk to customers” (34:14). “How do we take positioning and translate it into a sales pitch that really works for the sales team?” (35:55) “We need to be ruthless about asking if this is a good fit for us or not? And if it’s not, we shouldn’t try to sell to those people” (37:55). “We need to arm sales reps so they have the confidence to be able to say this one wasn’t a good fit. They didn’t care about these 3 things, which are the 3 things we focus on and care about”. (41:20). “The goal of positioning is to make it really clear what I do and what I’m awesome at in a way that attracts a pipeline full of these best-fit people” (45:19). “Just because you’re doing something doesn’t mean you’re doing it with any sort of repeatability” (51:50). “We’re positioning whether we’re doing it consciously or not” (53:30). “The first thing we have to answer in the minds of customers is what is this thing? The second question is is it important to me?” (55:00).   Make sure to check out April on Twitter, as well as her website here! Thank you so much to April 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