Intentional Performers

Jake Sherman is a senior writer for POLITICO and co-author of POLITICO’s Playbook, the most indispensable morning newsletter for the biggest influencers in politics. Jake is the top congressional reporter on Capitol Hill and has built a career on landing hard-to-get scoops. Since 2009, Jake has chronicled all of the major legislative battles on Capitol Hill, and has also traveled the country to cover the battle for control of Congress.  In this conversation, Jake discusses his mindset, his journey, and how he thinks about the complexities of his job. Jake is a hard worker, a go-getter, and someone who has become an expert at the craft of reporting.  Jake is extremely active on Twitter so make sure to give him a follow there as well: @JakeSherman and in the future check out his book A Hill to Die On, which will be out in 2019.  Please share this episode on social media and remember to subscribe and write a review for the podcast on itunes!  Thanks for listening. 

Today, we talk with Rebecca Scritchfield. Rebecca is a well-being coach, registered dietitian nutritionist, and certified health and fitness specialist. Through her weight-neutral Body Kindness practice, she helps people create a better life with workable, interesting self-care goals. She has influenced millions through her writing, podcast, and appearances in over 100 media outlets including NBC Nightly News, CNN, the Today show, the Washington Post, O Magazine, Health, Shape, and many others.  Rebecca also wrote the book, Body Kindness, which takes a holistic approach to nutrition. The book really reflects Rebecca's philosophy that health transformation occurs from the inside out.  In this conversation, we discuss the mentality of an athlete, what it means to live a healthy life, and we explore Rebecca's journey and career. Rebecca's journey blends small town values with big city dreams. She is extremely hard working, very well educated, and someone who cares deeply about helping people be their best self. She also talks about the importance of being useful and valued to people and how that has influenced her career. You will enjoy Rebecca's energy, vulnerability, and creativity as she shares her knowledge on nutrition.  Rebecca is also active on social media. You can follow her on Twitter: @ScritchfieldRD, on Instagram: @Rebeccascritchfield, and her website. Thanks to Rebecca for coming on and thanks to all of you for listening!                

On this episode I chat with Adell Harris. Adell is a strong woman who has not just survived adversity, but thrived from her adversity. Adell has been a victim of sexual abuse, was raised in a chaotic household, and has lost a number of important people in her life. But, that's just part of her story. Adell played division 1 basketball at Wake Forest University and had a 14 year coaching career that led her to become the head coach of UNC Wilmington at the age of 31. She recently resigned from her post as head coach to pursue her dream of being a public speaker where she leverages story to help people make adversity their advantage. There are a number of labels that Adell could use to describer herself, but as you will find in this conversation, using just one word would not do justice to who she is. She is authentic, passionate, inspiring, and fearless. I truly enjoyed this conversation with Adell and I know you will too. To learn more about Adell check out her website: http://rtladell.com and follow her on Twitter:@RTL_AdellHarris. If you enjoy this podcast, please make sure to subscribe on Itunes and share on social media. Thanks to Adell and thanks for listening!  

Today we chat with Justin Su'a. Justin is a mental performance coach with the Cleveland Browns and Boston Red Sox. Justin also was a division 1 baseball player at Brigham Young University.  This conversation gets into the power of ambition, self-belief, and how mindset impacts performance. Justin has an incredible way with words and is a tremendous story-teller. He leverages stories to help others create clarity around how to achieve their dream. At his core, Justin is a teacher.  Justin is the type of person who you feel like you know from the moment you meet him. He's warm, caring, and extremely thoughtful. That will come across in this conversation. He is one of the most respected people in the world of Sport Psychology and he is extremely generous with giving back to the field. In this conversation, we dive into faith, culture, business, and human performance and I know you will enjoy hearing Justin's story.  Also, Justin has a great podcast called Increase Your Impact. He is also a great follow on Twitter and Instagram @Justinsua.

Ron Paul is someone I have always admired and looked up to. Ron is a classy man, a terrific father, and an extremely successful businessman. Ron is a humble man but his accomplishments include being named “Community Banker of the Year” for the Eastern Region, by the Independent Community Bankers of America, Named by Washington Business Journal as a member of the Washington, DC area “Power 100”, and being inducted into the “Washington Business Hall of Fame”. Yet, while his accolades in business are many, he brims with pride when talking about his family and the philanthropic work he has done to fight kidney disease and different forms of cancer. Ron is a high character human who has faced all kinds of set-backs in his life, yet he maintains a strong sense of self and understanding of his values. If you want to learn more about his work in fighting kidney disease you can check out the Ron & Joy Paul Kidney Center here. Thanks to Ron for the time and being so open.  

This week's podcast was with a longtime friend, Martin Bahar. We went to elementary school and grew up playing sports together. Martin has always been someone who valued hard work and improvement. As a kid, every year he got better and better at basketball. Today, he is a charismatic guy who can connect with just about anyone. Martin is an assistant coach with the men's basketball team at the University of Southern California. Martin has been coaching for over a decade and his coaching journey has taken him all over the country. Because I am in the basketball community, I am constantly meeting people who know and love Martin. He's a special guy. In this conversation, we talk about building relationships, dealing with distractions, and team culture. Martin is also a great follow on Twitter: @MShoneBahar. Lastly, Martin is very involved with the Leukemia Lymphoma society where he raises money in honor of his late sister (Maddie). Thanks so much to Martin for coming on!

Today we go beyond the surface with Dave Smith. Dave was the Canisius College men's ice hockey coach for 12 seasons. At Canisius, he built the Men's Ice Hockey program to a number 25 ranking among Division I NCAA Men's Ice Hockey teams. Dave guided Canisius to a 21-11-7 record this season and was named the Atlantic Hockey Coach of the Year after winning the program's first regular-season title. He led the Golden Griffins to three straight trips to Atlantic Hockey Championship weekend for the first time in school history, including consecutive appearances in the title game and the team's first crown in 2013. The program has also received national attention with its graduates having unprecedented success at the professional level. Dave recently took the job at RPI and this episode will give you great insight into what he values, looks for, and hopes to build at RPI. Dave also had a long professional hockey career which took him all over North America. Dave and I talk about mindset, leadership, growing and developing. You can learn more about Dave and the RPI hockey team by following him on Twitter: @RPI_hcky_Coach.    

Today we go beyond the surface with Joanna Lohman. Joanna is a professional soccer player with the Washington Spirit. Lohman was captain of the Penn State Nittany Lions from 2002–2003 and was the first four-time First Team All-Big Ten selection in the school's history. She earned a 3.98 GPA while obtaining her business degree at Penn State, resulting in her also being a four-time Academic All-American. In 2004, she was named Pennsylvania's NCAA Woman of the Year. Joanna also helped launch an organization called GO! Athletes that aims encourage schools to create safer spaces for lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and questioning athletes. Joanna is Vice President of Tenant Consulting, LLC, a commercial real estate firm in the Washington DC area. She helped create the first "carbon neutral calculator" for office buildings, resulting in an invitation to meet former Vice President Al Gore. As you will hear, Joanna is extremely thoughtful and passionate about her professiona career. She believes in serving others by inspiring them to be the best version of themselves.  I also recommend giving Joanna a follow on twitter: @JoannaLohman. Thanks so much to Joanna for coming on the show!        

Today I go beyond the surface with Darris Nichols. Darris is an assistant coach with University of Florida Men's basketball. Darris has also coached at many other schools. Before coaching, he was a standout guard at West Virginia Universit where he was a four-year letterwinner under legendary coaches, Bob Huggins and John Beilien.  Nichols, a native of Radford, Va., shined as a player in the Big East. He scored 993 career points and dished 399 assists while shooting at a .375 clip from 3-point range. He averaged 10.7 points per game as well as 3.2 assists per game as a senior on the way to WVU’s Sweet 16 run. He was also a member of the 2007 NIT Championship, 2006 Sweet 16 and 2005 Elite Eight teams and finished his collegiate career as a top five most winningest player in Mountaineer history. As you will hear, Darris has been greatly impacted by people in his life who worked hard and he takes that work-ethic with him as a coach. He also values relationships and the ability to connect with the players he serves. Darris is adaptable, warm, humble, and extremely intentional with his decision making. Darris is a great follow on twitter: @CoachNice14.  Thanks to Darris for coming on the show.

Today we go beyond the surface with Ethan Zohn. Ethan has many chapters in his story. He played professional soccer, won $1,000,000 on the hit TV show Survivor, and is a cancer survivor, or thriver as we discuss in this episode. Ethan’s journey starts in the Northeast but has taken him all over the world. One of the places that has had a big influence on his life is Afirca, as he spent time there as a professional soccer player and a competitor on Survivor. That time inspired him to co-found Grassroots Soccer, who’s mission is to "mobilize the global soccer community to combat the AIDS epidemic in Africa.” Ethan will discuss how his experiences have greatly impacted how he sees the world and given him tremendous purpose in his life. Thanks to Ethan for being so vulnerable, especially with a stranger, and sharing your journey.  If you want to follow Ethan on Twitter feel free to do so @EthanZohn and check out all the great work Grassroots Soccer is doing https://www.grassrootsoccer.org/.