Of all the motivational buzzwords out there, the term ‘character’ is thrown around a lot. Hiring managers looking for people with ‘high character,’ managers say that random exercises ‘build character,’ so on and so forth. But what does character actually look like? What does it mean? Coach Melissa Kutcher knows the importance of character. It’s how she led the University of Denver Women’s Gymnastics team to 22 consecutive NCAA finals appearances, 2 NCAA individual championships, the 2021 Big 12 Championship, and 5 team NCAA appearances. Since her appointment to head coach at University of Denver’s Women’s Gymnastics in 1998 she’s been awarded the 2019 National Coach of the Year Award, a 2x Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year, 2002s WGC’s Coach of the Year, and a 6x recipient of the North Central Region Coach of the Year. Every year Coach Kutcher is tasked with creating a high performing team while constantly letting go of one batch of her star athletes, while also welcoming a brand new class of student athletes. She gets the importance of building a strong culture, and the importance of recruiting people who can develop character. In a time where the members of your workforce can fluctuate more rapidly than ever, knowing how to develop a winning culture amongst the ups and downs of recruiting and losing people is an invaluable skill, one that Coach Kutcher has mastered during her tenure at University of Denver. This is another episode you won’t want to miss, so with that…let’s bring it in!

Any time you look to the news today, it seems that things are pretty bleak: struggling workers and businesses, inflating cost of living, political strife. But to quote our guest, Joe De Sana, “It could be worse.” Joe is the CEO and Founder of Spartan Race, the premiere obstacle course group in the nation. Joe has been a lifelong entrepreneur, from starting a pool cleaning business as a teen, to a stint at Wall Street, to creating the entire Spartan Brand. Joe’s deep passion for intense, long distance running has turned the Spartan Race into a philosophy and brand that spans the globe. From books like “Spartan Up! A Take-No-Prisoners Guide to Overcoming Obstacles and Achieving Peak Performance in Life” and his podcast Spartan Up! And now a full fledged show on CNBC titled No Retreat: Business Bootcamp. Joe understands the necessity of being able to persevere under pressure, a skill that everyone involved with business from the CEO to frontline workers needs to have. You’re not going to want to miss Joe’s insights to building grit and resilience, so with that…let’s bring it in!

Managing a team is always challenging. Balancing the individual needs of each member, with the greater objectives of the group is never easy, especially for a workforce where burnout is at a record high. Coach Jeff Graba is the Head Women’s Coach of the Auburn Tigers Gymnastics Program, who also coaches gymnastics all-stars such as Caitlin Atkinson, Samantha Cerio, Derrian Gobourne, Cassie Stevens, and most recently, welcomed Olympic Gold medalist Suni Lee to the team. In nine seasons, Coach Graba has led his student-athletes to 16 All-American Honors (both NACGC/W and NCAA) and 22 All-SEC recognitions, including their first trip to the NCAA Championship Super Six in 2015, their first in 22 years. In 2014 and 2015 he was named the SEC Coach of the Year, a title he earned through his unique coaching philosophy that focuses on gaining courage (not losing fear), on “aiming for a rising average,” and on preparing his players to fight against something they know they can’t win against: gravity. In a sport where a team is made up it’s members completing dangerous routines alone, Coach Graba is able to give it’s individual players the confidence to perform, while guiding the whole team in the right direction. WIth that…let’s bring it in!

"The answer to filling a skills gap or for upskilling for the future is not always going to be another degree." There’s approximately 4,000 degree granting institutions across the United States, offering hundreds of thousands of different credentials. Each of these institutions offer the promise of secure and fulfilling employment after graduation, but in a rapidly changing working landscape, how is someone supposed to know what credential is going to best suit their needs? More importantly, who can afford the cost, both in time and in finances, to attend these institutions? These are just some of the areas that our next guest, Michelle Weise, focuses on. Author of the book "Life Long Learning: Long Life Learning: Preparing for Jobs that Don't Even Exist Yet", and Chancellor of Strategy and Innovation at the International University System, Michelle has dedicated her professional career to creating an educational system that’s better suited for a workforce that is expected to work longer, emphasize soft skills, and be more strapped for time. With the value of college being questioned more than ever, The Great Resignation showing no signs of slowing and the future of work in more flux than ever before, Michelle’s strategies are more important than ever. This is another episode you’re not going to want to miss, so without further ado…let’s bring it in!

The U.S. Women’s National Soccer team boasts one of the most impressive dynasties in all of sports, with numerous World Cup Wins, Olympic Gold Medals, and more under their belts. Many elite players such as Mia Hamm, Allie Long, Crystal Dunn, and Jessica McDonald all went through the same Soccer program at the University of North Carolina under the leadership of today’s guest, Anson Dorrance. Coach Dorrance has been at the helm of the UNC’s Women’s Soccer program since its inception in 1979. Over his 45 years, he has achieved over 1000 career wins, 22 National Titles, and 22 ACC Titles, the first coach to ever win 20 titles in a single sport. In 1991 he led the U.S. Women’s National Soccer team to victory in the first-ever Women’s World Cup, and set the standard for the U.S. Women’s Soccer domination. For these accomplishments and more, he was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2008. Currently, of every game he has ever played, Coach Dorrance holds a 90.5% win rate. It’s safe to say he knows a lot about creating high-performing teams. We sat down today with Coach Dorrance to take a deep dive into the three components of his program that he focuses on, to create high-performing and high-character team players that win. This is another episode you’re definitely not going to want to miss, so with that...let’s bring it in!

Barbara Oakley, author and professor, reveals that most educational institutions are scams. She discusses the benefits of 'Uncommon Sense Teaching' and game-changing techniques like the Pomodoro technique and retrieval practice. The challenges faced in implementing retrieval practice in education and improving online learning are also explored.

March Madness is always a time to see individual talent shine on the hardwood, but at the end of the day, it’s always a team that comes together to win the day. And behind every great team is a great coach. Todd Simon has been the Head Coach for the Southern Utah University Thunderbirds since 2016. He has consistently broken school records for wins, points, and more, leading the Thunderbirds to their first Big Sky Conference win in 2020. What did it take to lead the team to their first win? Coach Simon’s process of staying focused on the controlables, the “main thing” and relentless enthusiasm. Coach Simon knows what it takes to get his people motivated and focused on a goal, something that managers everywhere could learn a thing or two about. This is another episode you’re not going to want to miss, so with that…let’s bring it in!

The restaurant industry is one of the biggest providers of jobs in America, employing over 15.6 million Americans and had an economic impact of over $2 trillion pre-COVID. These employees give millions of others amazing dining experiences year in and out, and many can find lifelong careers in this lucrative industry. So, why are so many young people told “Be careful in school, otherwise you’ll end up flipping burgers?” Why are restaurants struggling with churn and burnout in record numbers? George Donahue is well aware of these issues and is totally focused on changing that narrative. George is the Director of Training at Sixty Vines and Mexican Sugar, two up and coming restaurants that focus on both the highest quality food and customer experience. Before this, he spent over a decade in charge of learning and development at Zoe’s Kitchen, where he hired all of the brands staff and increased catering sales by 200%. It’s safe to say that George knows a thing or two about what it takes to build a world class restaurant team, from the managerial level, to the workers at the front and back of house. From prioritizing employee wellness, to ensuring constant communication, George’s strategies and beliefs are more important than ever. As George says “Any restaurant out there not thinking about the work environment and the culture, you're going to be so behind, because people are over it.” This is another episode you’re not going to want to miss, so with that…let’s bring it in!

The American restaurant industry employs approximately 15.6 million people, about 1 in 10 Americans. When COVID hit and decimated the hospitality industry, it also damaged one of America’s reliable sources of jobs for our workforce. In an era where big tech companies talk about innovating the most, the humble restaurant arguably had to innovate the most during the height of the pandemic in order to survive. Julie Frans is the Chief People Officer of Doral Yards, and was recently promoted to Chief Operating Officer. She’s spent years in executive positions across the hospitality space, including Executive Chef positions at The Palms Hotel & Spa and Circa 39 in Miami Beach. So needless to say, she knows a thing or two about this industry. In her time at The Doral Yard, she led her team to grow at the height of COVID and championed practices to not just attract workers, but to keep them engaged, keep them growing, and keep them safe. There’s a lot to learn here from Julie so with that…let’s bring it in!

Imagine being one of the most decorated and elite swimmers ever. You retire, but after a while, you decide to come back, and the first words your coach says to you is “You need to learn how to swim again.” That’s exactly what Dara Torres went through, right before she proceeded to win a medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, her 12th career medal. Boasting one of the longest careers in Olympic swimming, starting in the 1984 Los ANgeles Olympics at the age of 15, to her 2008 Beijing victory at age 41. Dara had retired numerous times during her swimming career, to pursue numerous ventures. First, in 1992 to 1998 where she beame a successful model career and commercial spokesperson. She retired again after the Sydney 2000 Olympics, where on top of continuing her modeling career,  began a career as a motivational speaker, author of her book “Age Is Just a Number,” and most importantly to Dara, became a mother. With a career as long, varied, and successful as Dara’s, she understands the value of embracing change, and diving into challenges head first. With workers, managers, and leaders everywhere still facing challenges from the pandemic, and a rapidly changing world, Dara is one of the best people to speak about embracing change, challenges, and being the best at something. This is definitely an episode you don’t want to miss, so with that…let’s bring it in!