TOUGH TALKS: Conversations on Mental Toughness

From Physical Therapist to Co-Owner of the Philadelphia 76ers NBA team to Zen Monk, our guest today is NOT TYPICAL! He IS, however, something very few people ever achieve which you can argue is far less likely than any of the above. He is a Philadelphia LEGEND! His name is Pat Croce and I have known about him for most of my life (having grown up in the Philly area and being a Philly sports fanatic). As a serial entrepreneur, Pat has created many business ventures including my former favorite bar in Key West, Florida (he sold it off and I am not one bit pleased about that!) as well as restaurants and museums in St. Augustine. FL. He's always been fascinated with Pirate Life! He even wrote a kick-ass book on it entitled, The Pirate Handbook. About eight years ago, Pat embarked on a deep inward journey where he unplugged and immersed himself in reading, woodworking, Chinese calligraphy and stillness. A cancer diagnosis inspired his reemergence and we got him back now. And our wildman Philly Boy ain't the same! He's a Zen Master now! He's The Philly Buddha! Imagine THAT! Well, you don't have to imagine. I'm bringing him to you. And you're gonna love him! Tune in as we explore the distinction between pain and suffering, the wisdom of following your enthusiasm, and how to strengthen your "Let It Go Muscle."

Who has won MVP of The Super Bowl AND had a movie created about his life story? My latest Tough Talks Podcast guest, that's who. Kurt Warner. Kurt's Cinderella story is easily one of the best in NFL history (that's why they made the movie, American Underdog, about it). Through countless trials and tribulations, Kurt and his remarkable wife, Brenda, continuously chose to believe in his passion and his dream until he pulled it off. From food stamps to the Hall of Fame. And according to him, they're just getting started!

Who says that real personal growth and healing need to be gradual?! Well, not this guest. Today we have World Renowned Therapist and Best Selling Author, Marisa Peer, on the show. Marisa is the founder of Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT). RTT is a massively disruptive approach to helping people heal and grow. Because it's - well - RAPID! She explains to us how our suffering arises from weak thinking and the terrible stories (that are lies) that we tell ourselves all day long. AND, how to stop doing that by reauthoring profound stories and replaying those over and over to become our truths. She also tells us about a beautiful project she started to help youth create and keep confidence for themselves (this is dear to my heart). I am beyond thrilled to be able to share Marisa and her expertise with you today! About Marisa: Website: https://marisapeer.com Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMarisaPeer Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marisapeertherapy --- Link to the episode: https://christopherdorris.com/rapid-transformational-therapy/ --- If you enjoyed this content and you are not getting notifications of new posts, then I invite you to sign up to my list. Please also share this with the people in your world that would also dig this post and benefit from it. --- https://christopherdorris.com/lists

What do you do when the wolf knocks on your door? What if the wolf is already inside?? In light of the mass layoffs rippling through the economy, it's particularly important for us all as leaders, employees, business owners, and coaches to be in the practice of Mental Toughness. This week my team and I have put together a special highlight reel. This collection of poignant and practical tools from world-class leaders and coaches can help us (remember) to use our minds to survive THRIVE during these times. As William Arthur Ward said, "The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails." Let's start adjusting. Here are all the guests from this highlight reel and the links to their full episodes: Garry Ridge CEO & Chairman, The WD-40 Company Iyanla Vanzant Author & Spiritual Life Coach Jon Hunter CRO, Advisor, Coach, Podcaster Helen Appleby Author, Speaker & Coach Reggie Marable Head of Sales, CMT, for Slack Phil Gallagher CEO at Avnet, Inc. Dr. Debbie Crews Founder/Director of Better Your Best® Mental Cross-Training Program Dr. Alan Thompson Artificial Intelligence Expert Dr. Alison Arnold Peak Performance Coach https://christopherdorris.com/best-of-tough-talks-8

Have you ever met someone who is perpetually driven by both the creation of excellence AND fun?! Well, whether you have or you haven’t, you’re about to. His name is Reggie Marable and he is a big-time Sales Exec with a fan base larger than the Atlanta Braves! (He's from Atlanta, aka the ATL.) Reggie truly gets what Mental Toughness means. He has applied Mental Toughness practices to everything he's done in life. He played professional football. He was recently named to the prestigious 100 Black Men of Atlanta organization which creates educational and economic opportunities for African American youth in the ATL. And after Salesforce (where he has been a sales leader for the last 6 years) acquired Slack for $27B (yes, with a "B") in the summer of 2021, they offered Reggie the enormous responsibility to run one of its largest orgs, CMT (Communications, Media, and Technology). For good reason. In our convo, we discuss some of the practices that he uses to keep himself perpetually inspired and some stellar leadership practices that he relies upon to keep his team inspired as well - especially in challenging times, like now. Reggie is also an inspirational quote dispenser! Which is awesome. And what’s more awesome is he lives by them – he walks his talk. We open up the convo today to explore some of the greatest fears in today’s economic climate, as well as some of the greatest Mental Toughness practices and disciplines you can use to create excellence in some really challenging times. More about Reggie:   Website: https://www.slack.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reggie.marable.3 LinkedIn Company page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tiny-spec-inc/ LinkedIn Personal page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reggiemarable/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reglove49/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ReggieMarable   This is the Amazon link to his book ‘The Blue Print: The Keys to Making BIG Money in Professional Sales’: https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Print-Making-Money-Professional/dp/1770974415  Link to the episode: https://christopherdorris.com/attitude-and-effort-the-2-things-we-can-totally-control-with-reggie-marable/  ---  If you enjoyed this content and you are not getting notifications of new posts, then I invite you to sign up to my list.   Please also share this with the people in your world that would also dig this post and benefit from it.  ---  https://christopherdorris.com/lists

Attracting and retaining top talent, helping that talent be and stay clear on their "WHY", maintaining a "healthy paranoia", and demonstrating authentic humility are a few of the most important things that the CRO of Black Swan Data, David Delnero, identifies as keys to success in these challenging times.   I have had the privilege of watching David ascend in the ranks over the course of the last decade and it came as no surprise when he was chosen to lead the sales organization at Black Swan. He is as high as they get when it comes to integrity and you don't need to be in the tech sales industry to benefit from the wisdom he drops here.   More about David:   Website: https://blackswan.com/  Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-delnero-48b99a/  Business LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/black-swan-data/mycompany/  https://christopherdorris.com/tough-talks-sales-leadership-gold-with-silky-d/  ---   If you enjoyed this content and you are not getting notifications of new posts, then I invite you to sign up to my list.   Please also share this with the people in your world that would also dig this post and benefit from it.   ---  https://christopherdorris.com/lists

People in the industry make a pretty convincing argument that the Enterprise Software Industry is the most competitive industry on the planet at the moment. And that means, if you’re interested in creating excellence in that realm, Mental Toughness is mighty handy.   Just canned my latest episode of the Tough Talks Podcast with guest, Larry Shurtz, Chief Revenue Officer at Confluent.   Larry is an icon in the industry known for his firm, predictable and supportive leadership style.   We take a good deep dive into what some of the most important things are these days for sales leaders and salespeople to be practicing these days – both professionally AND personally.   More about Larry:   Website: www.confluent.io/  LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/larryshurtz/  ---  Link to the episode: https://christopherdorris.com/tough-talks-mindset-the-1-variable-in-sales-success-with-larry-shurtz/ ---  If you enjoyed this content and you are not getting notifications of new posts, then I invite you to sign up to my list.   Please also share this with the people in your world that would also dig this post and benefit from it.  ---  https://christopherdorris.com/lists

Have you ever heard (or said), "There's just not enough time in the day." Or, "I just wish I had more time." Or, "There's a time for work and a time for play."   Our Tough Talks Guest today, Joe Perrone, Time Wizard (as I like to call him), is here to debunk all of that. Joe made the decision several years ago after a medical emergency to reorganize and reprioritize the way he uses time. Now Joe NEVER complains about not having enough time for the things that matter most. In fact, tomorrow he has a 9:30 am appointment on a Tuesday morning to rake and play in leaves with his 3 year old son.   More about Joe:   Website: https://joeperrone.biz/ Facebook:www.facebook.com/joe.perrone.jr  LinkedIn business page:www.linkedin.com/in/joeon34/   Link to 'The 5 Keys To Time Freedom Free Download': joeperrone.biz/5keys   Link to 'Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing Paperback': https://www.amazon.com/Top-Five-Regrets-Dying-Transformed   Link to the full episode: https://christopherdorris.com/tough-talks-time-wizardry-for-dads-with-joe-perrone/ ---  If you enjoyed this content and you are not getting notifications of new posts, then I invite you to sign up to my list.   Please also share this with the people in your world that would also dig this post and benefit from it.   ---  https://christopherdorris.com/lists

This week we have put together another highlight reel from 8 more of our amazing guests who blessed us with their presence and amazingness on the show. Have a look/listen, and take some tools or tips or reminders away from it that can help you continue to strengthen your mind and build more Mental Toughness. Guests in this Highlight Reel: Dan O'Brien John Kriesel Sam Calagione Greg Head Jon Hunter Jonathan Keyser Mary Bea Porter-King Troy Melendez, PhD --- Link to the episode: https://christopherdorris.com/best-of-tough-talks-7/ --- If you enjoyed this content and you are not getting notifications of new posts, then I invite you to sign up to my list.   Please also share this with the people in your world that would also dig this post and benefit from it. --- https://christopherdorris.com/lists

"Demolish what you've created!" "Demolition is messy!" "Discover where you suck!" "Settle into the fact that you're not in control!" These are just a few of the wisdom bombs that our repeat guest drops for us today. Welcome back to Jonathan Keyser, Founder of KEYSER Commercial Real Estate. This is JK and CD do Tough Talks 2.0. And in our episode, we discuss how - specifically how - JK reinvented his thriving business in the midst of the pandemic AND how he reinvented himself as well! KEYSER 2.0 and JK 2.0! "We are in constant disruptive innovation. And we are asking ourselves, where do we need to break something?!" More about Jonathan: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jonathankeyser/ LinkedIn business page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/keyser/ --- Link to the episode: https://christopherdorris.com/tough-talks-destroy-what-you-have-created-with-jonathan-keyser/ --- If you enjoyed this content and you are not getting notifications of new posts, then I invite you to sign up to my list. Please also share this with the people in your world that would also dig this post and benefit from it. --- https://christopherdorris.com/lists