The Growth Project

In this episode, Dr. Drew Brannon sits down with Coach Scott Fountain, Special Teams Coordinator at the University of Georgia. With 28 years of coaching experience, Coach Fountain has been a key figure in the Bulldogs’ recent success. He shares the story of how his passion for football took root, the intentional vision he set for his life and career, and the strategies he uses to navigate the demanding world of Power 5 college football. Through it all, Coach Fountain reflects on the deep rewards of mentoring athletes and helping them grow both on and off the field.

In this episode, Drs. Drew Brannon and Cory Shaffer define purpose and take a deep look into how having clarity on why you do something influences how you do it and what you will sacrifice for it. Drew and Cory want to challenge you to revisit your purpose - your 'why' - so that you can live your life with more meaning and intent.

In this episode, Dr. Drew Brannon sits down with Ron Courson, Senior Associate Athletic Director and Director of Sports Medicine at the University of Georgia. Ron is a world renowned expert who has cared for elite level athletes for nearly 30 years. In this discussion, Ron talks about lessons learned over the course of his career and his observations of how setbacks such as injury can play a significant role in the growth and development of people. He also offers insight on how people can manage adversity moments well so that they become formative life experiences. 

In this episode, Drs. Drew Brannon and Cory Shaffer discuss a topic that everyone is familiar with as we flip the calendar to a new year: personal growth. Specifically, Drew and Cory will focus on obstacles to growth - some of the main reasons why change does not occur despite our best intentions and why many goals fail. They will highlight three main obstacles to individual development: an unwillingness to acknowledge the truth, a poor understanding of what growth actually takes, and an inability to fail forward.

In the final episode of the Project Aristotle series, Drs. Drew Brannon and Cory Shaffer discuss the remaining variables that Google found to be characteristic of their most effective teams: meaning and impact. Listen in to learn about how having a 'why' drives meaning, and how coaches and managers can help their players and team members feel the impact and purpose of their contributions.

Picking up where they left off in Part 1, Drs. Drew Brannon and Cory Shaffer dig deeper into Project Aristotle and discuss two additional variables that Google found to be present in their most effective teams: dependability/structure and clarity. They define and discuss these terms, talk about how coaches and leaders can develop these traits within their teams, and explore what happens when dependability and structure and clarity are not present on teams.

For the first part of a three part series, Drs. Drew Brannon and Cory Shaffer discuss Google's Project Aristotle - an internal investigation into what separates the highest performing teams at Google. This research has produced insights into a concept known as psychological safety, which Drew and Cory expand on throughout their discussion, including what it's like to be on a psychologically safe team and the role of coaches and team leaders in developing a psychologically safe environment within their teams and organizations.    

Join Drs. Drew Brannon and Cory Shaffer for a thought provoking episode as they dive into the often overlooked but essential piece of the high performance equation: recovery. The conversation examines how recovery is an essential component of creating lasting growth, how to identify when you need recovery, what recovery is and is not, and why recovery is vital for everyone, regardless of your occupation. Tune in to learn more about how to improve your recovery to achieve more consistent peak performance. 

On July 2, 2018, Belgium defeated Japan in the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup. Despite the heartbreak of a last-minute loss, a photo soon surfaced that captured global attention — a spotless Japanese locker room, carefully cleaned by the players before they left. It was a powerful reminder that character shows up most clearly in moments of adversity. In this episode, Dr. Drew Brannon and Dr. Cory Shaffer reflect on this moment and explore what it means to live and lead with integrity. They discuss how individuals, teams, and organizations can pursue excellence by being guided by standards and values rather than emotions or circumstances. Topics include being a principle-driven person, staying present in challenging moments, living out your core values, and taking ownership of your actions. Whether you're leading a team, developing your mindset, or striving for growth in your own life, this conversation offers a compelling framework for building accountability, discipline, and lasting character.

In this exciting episode of the Growth Project, Dr. Cory Shaffer speaks with author and strategist Ryan Holiday. Their conversation explores Ryan's path to success, from dropping out of college to becoming the director of marketing at American Apparel, to writing best selling books, including The Obstacle is the Way and Ego is the Enemy.  Holiday highlights the impact of being mentored by Robert Greene, the significance of process and routine, and the key principles of Stoicism, an ancient philosophy that has greatly influenced his personal and professional life.