The Mindset Advantage

Don Yaeger is an 11-time New York Times bestselling author, award-winning speaker, and longtime associate editor for Sports Illustrated. Over the past 30 years, he’s interviewed and profiled the greatest athletes, coaches, and leaders in the world — from Michael Jordan and John Wooden to Nick Saban and Pat Summitt. Today, Don is one of the most trusted voices on high performance, championship culture, and leadership, working with Fortune 500 companies and elite sports programs alike. He’s also the host of the popular Corporate Competitor podcast, where he explores the intersection of sports and leadership with world-class performers.Reflection questionsDon shared the powerful story of Warrick Dunn's journey to forgiveness. Reflect on a time when you struggled to forgive someone who wronged you. What steps could you take to move toward forgiveness, and how might this transformation impact your leadership and personal growth?  In our conversation, Don emphasized that great athletes "hate to lose more than they love to win" while taking complete ownership of their results. How do you currently respond to failure or setbacks? What specific changes could you make to embrace radical ownership while maintaining a healthy competitive drive? We discussed how the best leaders and athletes understand their success depends on who they surround themselves with. Evaluate your current "inner circle" - both professionally and personally. Who elevates you, and where might you need to make changes to better support your goals and values? Don highlighted the importance of celebrating "great teammate behaviors" rather than just individual achievements. What specific actions could you implement in your team or organization to recognize and reward those who make others better? The concept of "coaching beyond the scoreboard" was central to our discussion. What does this mean to you personally? Identify three ways you could focus more on process over outcome in your leadership approach this week.Download my FREE 60 minute Mindset Masterclass at www.djhillier.com/masterclassDownload my FREE top 40 book list written by Mindset Advantage guests: www.djhillier.com/40booksSubscribe to our NEW YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MindsetAdvantagePurchase a copy of my book: https://a.co/d/bGok9UdFollow me on Instagram: @deejayhillierConnect with me on my website: www.djhillier.com

Download my FREE 60 minute Mindset Masterclass at www.djhillier.com/masterclassDownload my FREE top 40 book list written by Mindset Advantage guests: www.djhillier.com/40booksSubscribe to our NEW YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MindsetAdvantagePurchase a copy of my book: https://a.co/d/bGok9UdFollow me on Instagram: @deejayhillierConnect with me on my website: www.djhillier.com

Coach John Tauer is a distinguished basketball coach at St. Thomas University with a doctorate in social psychology which provides him a unique blend of academic expertise and coaching prowess to the hardwoods.  Coach Tauer has recently led St. Thomas's transition from Division III to Division I, he has established himself as an authority on sports psychology, particularly focusing on the dynamics between parents, coaches, and young athletes. Coach Tauer is also the author of a book addressing the concept of "WASP" (Well-Intentioned Over-Involved Sports Parent), drawing from his extensive experience running basketball camps and his academic research on motivation in sports. Reflection Questions1. How might your own expectations and involvement in your child's or athletes' sports experience be impacting their ability to develop resilience and cope with failure?2. In what specific ways could you reframe your definition of success in youth sports beyond winning to focus more on character development, teamwork, and personal growth?3. When was the last time you allowed your athlete to experience a natural consequence in sports without intervening, and what did you observe about their growth from that experience?4. How are you currently balancing the desire to protect your child/athlete from disappointment with the need to help them develop coping skills for future challenges?5. What role are you currently playing in your child's or athletes' sports experience (coach, parent, or fan), and how might shifting your approach in that role better support their development of autonomy and intrinsic motivation?Download my FREE 60 minute Mindset Masterclass at www.djhillier.com/masterclassDownload my FREE top 40 book list written by Mindset Advantage guests: www.djhillier.com/40booksSubscribe to our NEW YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MindsetAdvantagePurchase a copy of my book: https://a.co/d/bGok9UdFollow me on Instagram: @deejayhillierConnect with me on my website: www.djhillier.com

Download my FREE 60 minute Mindset Masterclass at www.djhillier.com/masterclassDownload my FREE top 40 book list written by Mindset Advantage guests: www.djhillier.com/40booksSubscribe to our NEW YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MindsetAdvantagePurchase a copy of my book: https://a.co/d/bGok9UdFollow me on Instagram: @deejayhillierConnect with me on my website: www.djhillier.com

Dr. Amy Edmondson is the Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School, a world-renowned expert on psychological safety, and the pioneering researcher who first identified and defined the concept. She is a #1 ranked management thinker by Thinkers50 and the award-winning author of several groundbreaking books including "The Fearless Organization" and her latest work "Right Kind of Wrong: Why Learning to Fail Can Teach Us to Thrive." Her research on team learning, psychological safety, and organizational innovation has transformed how leaders approach building high-performing teams across industries worldwide.Questions for personal reflection & journalingWhat specific moments in your life have shaped your relationship with failure, and how might these experiences be limiting your growth today? Consider the learning opportunities you might be missing by avoiding certain risks.What elements create psychological safety for you in your most comfortable environments, and how might you recreate these conditions in teams you lead or participate in?How do you typically respond when someone shares a mistake or failure with you, and what would a more curiosity-driven response look like in practice?What language patterns do you use when addressing setbacks with others, and how might you better separate events (failures, mistakes, losses) from a person's identity or worth?What specific questions could you introduce in your next team meeting to invite diverse perspectives, and how might these questions shift your team's dynamic toward greater psychological safety?Download my FREE 60 minute Mindset Masterclass at www.djhillier.com/masterclassDownload my FREE top 40 book list written by Mindset Advantage guests: www.djhillier.com/40booksSubscribe to our NEW YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MindsetAdvantagePurchase a copy of my book: https://a.co/d/bGok9UdFollow me on Instagram: @deejayhillierConnect with me on my website: www.djhillier.com

Download my FREE 60 minute Mindset Masterclass at www.djhillier.com/masterclassDownload my FREE top 40 book list written by Mindset Advantage guests: www.djhillier.com/40booksSubscribe to our NEW YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MindsetAdvantagePurchase a copy of my book: https://a.co/d/bGok9UdFollow me on Instagram: @deejayhillierConnect with me on my website: www.djhillier.com

Coach Matthew Mitchell is the all-time winningest coach in University of Kentucky women’s basketball history, leading the Wildcats to over 300 wins, three Elite Eight appearances, and securing SEC Coach of the Year honors three times. Known for his dynamic leadership and culture-driven approach, Mitchell built Kentucky into a national powerhouse during his 13-year tenure. After a life-altering brain injury and successful recovery, he’s returned to coaching as the head coach at the University of Houston, bringing renewed purpose and elite-level experience. Coach Mitchell is also the author of two best selling books including his latest, Ready to Win: How Great Leaders Succeed Through Preparation.Topics-Lessons learned from a traumatic brain injury -Excellence vs. Perfection in coaching-Define success in coaching-Challenges that come with standout players-Teaching accountability in a team-The importance of honesty & optimismDownload my FREE 60 minute Mindset Masterclass at www.djhillier.com/masterclassDownload my FREE top 40 book list written by Mindset Advantage guests: www.djhillier.com/40booksSubscribe to our NEW YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MindsetAdvantagePurchase a copy of my book: https://a.co/d/bGok9UdFollow me on Instagram: @deejayhillierConnect with me on my website: www.djhillier.com

Download my FREE 60 minute Mindset Masterclass at www.djhillier.com/masterclassDownload my FREE top 40 book list written by Mindset Advantage guests: www.djhillier.com/40booksSubscribe to our NEW YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MindsetAdvantagePurchase a copy of my book: https://a.co/d/bGok9UdFollow me on Instagram: @deejayhillierConnect with me on my website: www.djhillier.com

David Burkus is a highly sought-after international speaker and bestselling author. Since 2017, Burkus has been ranked multiple times as one of the world’s top business thought leaders. His insights on leadership and teamwork have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, USA today and many more. David also has a Ted Talk that has over 2 million views.Topics-How to create culture beyond core values -Strategies to create buy-in and common understanding -David’s go-to team building exercise-Why and how to become a question asking leaderDownload my FREE 60 minute Mindset Masterclass at www.djhillier.com/masterclassDownload my FREE top 40 book list written by Mindset Advantage guests: www.djhillier.com/40booksSubscribe to our NEW YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MindsetAdvantagePurchase a copy of my book: https://a.co/d/bGok9UdFollow me on Instagram: @deejayhillierConnect with me on my website: www.djhillier.com

Download my FREE 60 minute Mindset Masterclass at www.djhillier.com/masterclassDownload my FREE top 40 book list written by Mindset Advantage guests: www.djhillier.com/40booksSubscribe to our NEW YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MindsetAdvantagePurchase a copy of my book: https://a.co/d/bGok9UdFollow me on Instagram: @deejayhillierConnect with me on my website: www.djhillier.com