Make Your Mark

“The biggest epidemic of 2021 isn't Covid. It is mental health, trauma and addiction”- Theo Fleury  I've had plenty of Make Your Mark podcast guests and Clubroom events that have focused on victory of bad over good, overcoming hurdles, challenges and struggles. Plenty of laughs too. But having both Theo Fleury and Eric Kussin in the Clubroom to talk about mental health issues as we continue our march through Covid was worth every second of this event. Each suffered through significant trauma, and as you listen to this podcast you will not only hear their life experiences, but also the ways that you can change your day-to-day, your outlook and your mindset towards better days ahead.  We all have faced extraordinary challenges over the past 18 months, some more than others, and this is an episode worth listening to, whether over a morning coffee or an evening curled up on the couch.   “We think if I'm messed up in this place and I need to get better by sleeping more, sleeping will be the healing agent for me, and we have to resist that urge. Stagnation breeds stagnation. The more I lay down and I wait for it to get better, the less chance I am going to get up.” - Eric Kussin  Multitudes of thanks to both Eric and Theo for baring their hearts and souls for us, they truly are making such a positive impact, and make sure to catch their podcast as well, "We're All A Little “Crazy”." Here are just a few of the examples of wisdom and knowledge that Eric and Theo shared. Make sure to listen for the rest! “I hate the word addiction because it has so much shame attached to it, and really what this is all about is emotional pain management. We all take different avenues and different paths to either suppress or numb out from that emotional pain, because emotional pain is mental illness.” - Theo Fleury “I had no idea it was related to my past life events. Once I found a doctor who helped me put that together…”Eric, your central nervous system, everything involved from a biological perspective, there's an explanation for everything that has happened to you, and that has been built up cumulatively over time.”  The best analogy I can make is how plaque builds up in our arteries and can cause a heart attack. That buildup of stress and trauma over time does the same. It looks slightly different in each of us, but it's the buildup of all this stuff that leads there.” - Eric Kussin     “We have the highest suicide rates in the history of our planet, so whatever messaging has taken place up to this point isn't working.” - Theo    Some Topics we talk about in this episode:    2:00 - Intro  3:00 - Eric Kussin & Theo Fleury  5:40 - The biggest epidemic of 2021 isn't Covid 8:10 - The Media's corrupt code of ethics  9:00 - The case of Vincent Jackson  11:50 - It's not a silver bullet answer  12:00 - I hate the word addiction  14:00 - You should see the reaction when they hear I've been raped by my coach 17:00 - There's an explanation for what's happened to you 19:20 - A magical conversation Theo and Eric had  20:30 - The start of the We're All A Little “Crazy” Podcast  23:40 - The individual words matter  24:00 - School shootings don't have to do with mental health?  25:10 - We have the highest suicide rates in the history of our planet  27:00 - Honesty, Openness and Willingness  29:00 - Our brain Chemistry is out of whack   34:00- Laying in bed does not equal rest - Sleeping is not the healing agent  36:00 - Medications are not cures 38:50 - Getting that trapped energy out  40:30 - The Scale App  51:00 - Recalibrating    53:00 - 6 by 6 cell  57:30 - Creating a safe space is not the fluff you're thinking  60:30 - Trauma before the NHL   65:50 - Our mental health is impacted 68:00 - Handling trauma before it's too late  70:00 - Your mental health toolkit 75:00 - We're all a little crazy! 80:00 - Wrap up    How to get involved   Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly.   If you would like to be a guest on the Make Your Mark podcast and/or know someone else who has either been an athlete, in a role within the sports industry, or a military veteran, and have made a successful transition into a new role, I'd love to hear from you! Just send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and we'll discuss!   If you would like more information on how I can get you unstuck and moving forward with your transition, let's talk. We can see whether it makes sense to work directly with me, or I can give you other options, but don't let your transition wait another day, let's connect!   Be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!   How are YOU going to Make Your Mark today? Go get ‘em!

Clint Malarchuk's life can't be summarized in a few words. But I'll try. Very successful NHL career as a goalie. Great sense of humor. Strength, kindness, and a huge heart. Rancher. Tougher than nails. Mix in severe mental health illness, anxiety, crippling OCD, depression, alcoholism, rehab centers, and a suicide attempt.   “I've had a lot of surgeries, a lot of physical pain. I tell you what. The most painful thing in the world is mental illness. I'd rather have my jugular vein cut again. If God gave me the choice “Hey Clint, want to have your vein cut again and get rid of this mental illness?” I'd say ‘Sign me up, God!'”   Each one of us is a puzzle, with each of the pieces representing a part of us; our health, emotions, work, play, interests, and so on, and we do our best to keep that puzzle as close to being solved as possible.   Wait until you hear all about the pieces in Clint's puzzle, and you'll want to know so much more about him, his message of hope for all who suffer through the pain and darkness of mental illness, and how his story can open up new doors and return the light to the darkness you or anyone in your circle is going through.   “The book really started the whole thing. I was so terrified when I wrote the book because I didn't know how it would be perceived. I threw it all out there. It was pretty honest, pretty raw. It's not just a hockey book, or a book about an athlete. It's more of a book on life – a life with mental illness and alcoholism and childhood trauma.”   Yes, we recorded this live at his Canuck Ranch in Nevada, with dogs wrestling, the wind started howling and honestly not the best audio sound recording. But it was an incredible experience. I can't wait to hear from you once you've listened to this episode. Happy listening.   “Wow there's a lot of Clint Malarchuks out there. I'm helping people, and it's turning into a good career as a speaker. I love it because I know when I give a speech, and there's a line at the book signing, and people in tears and hugging me and saying ‘I'm going to get help' and ‘You're the first person that's been so honest and open'. So what we do is suffer in silence because of the stigma surrounding mental illness, so I think I'm trying to knock down that door.”   Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   0:55 – Intro 1:55 – Welcome from the Canuck Ranch in NV! 3:30 – Hockey kept me out of my head 5:00 – Clint's book one of best athlete autobiographies 6:35 – Bernie Parent was my favorite player 9:20 – Undiagnosed severe OCD as child 12:35 – First NHL game 19:15 – Anxiety, depression and OCD combo 20:15 – Horrific injury to jugular vein 24:05 – Reliving the trauma, sleepless nights 24:30 – Self-medicating with 25 beers / day 25:35 – Horses on the golf course with Dale Hunter 27:00 – Joking with Ronald Reagan 28:45 – Mom - “You should be proud that someone wants your autograph!” 31:00 – Relapse started after Zednick jugular injury 32:00 – Spiraling down and attempting suicide 34:45 – The “Alcatraz” treatment center 37:15 – Public speaking about PTSD 38:30 – There's a lot of Clint Malarchuks out there 39:45 – You're Not Alone! 40:35 – A lot of people say “Me Too!” 42:00 – Why this tattoo? 45:00 – Outro   How to get involved:   Connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly.       If you would like to be a guest on the Make Your Mark podcast and/or know someone else who has either been an athlete, in a role within the sports industry, or a military veteran, and have made a successful transition into a new role, I'd love to hear from you! Just send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and we'll discuss!       If you would like more information on how I can get you unstuck and moving forward with your transition, let's talk. Don't let your transition wait another day, let's connect!       Be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help us reach more people with ways to make your mark in your life, business and career!       How are YOU going to Make Your Mark today?   Let's Do This!

What's more impressive than two accomplished women's soccer players? How about if they are both successful entrepreneurs scoring goals in the business world! "You have to be willing to accept the information, you have to be willing to work hard. You have to be motivated to go to practice with an open mind. You have to be willing to be criticized. Only you can do those things." - Brandi Chastain Another big time coup for #TheClubroom and the Make Your Mark podcast to have both Brandi Chastain AND Haley Rosen discuss their path from the pitch (field) to the pitch (boardroom)! Brandi and Haley each scored big in this Make Your Mark podcast recording of our recent Clubroom event as we covered so many important topics, including a blueprint on growing the visibility of women's sports, how to leverage your athletic career to business success, and so much more!   “In business you can fight and advocate for yourself, and you should speak up and raise your hand” – Haley Rosen   Brandi Chastain - (USA Women's Soccer World Cup and Olympic Champion | Partnership Acquisitions - CityCheers Media) Haley Rosen - (US and overseas professional soccer | CEO & Founder - Just Women's Sports)   “It is an unforeseen future when you do have some type of injury, to be honest with you I wasn't ready to retire, I was retired.” – Brandi Chastain Both Brandi and Haley are not only fantastic speakers, but clearly serve as role models for all who seek to become successful entrepreneurs once their playing days have ended.   You will absolutely love this conversation I had with them both, truly inspiring, motivating and a ton of advice and insight – make sure you give this one a good listen – twice!   Some Topics we talk about in this episode:    6:35 – Injury and affordability pushed Hayley out of soccer   9:28 – Brandi's retirement wasn't a choice, coping with this harsh reality  10:52 – Athletes accept feedback and pivot in and out of sports  16:30 – Changing the paradigm of women's sports 19:10 – Exposing the Title IV fallacy 28:22 – Building media exposure of women's sports 36:40 – Who gets media attention, and when do they get it? 37:18 – Women's sports is a tremendous business opportunity 46:57 – Investing resources and growing interest in women's sports 47:47 – Team first mentality fuels successful businesses 52:55 – Amplifying voices in women's sports   How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly.   If you would like to be a guest on the Make Your Mark podcast and/or know someone else who has either been an athlete, in a role within the sports industry, or a military veteran, and have made a successful transition into a new role, I'd love to hear from you! Just send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and we'll discuss!   If you would like more information on how I can get you unstuck and moving forward with your transition, let's talk. Don't let your transition wait another day, let's connect!   Be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!   How are YOU going to Make Your Mark today? Let's Do This!

Obstacles are inevitable, whether you run a business, hold down a job, or simply just try to get through your day. Who would want to face them if we didn't need to? Well, I know a few people who can't wait! Spartan Founder and CEO Joe De Sena is one of them! My #MakeYourMark Podcast guest is the true definition of a badass! “Rather than wrapping the kids up in bubble wrap like most of us parents do, you wrap them up in barbed wire. You give kids obstacles and make it harder for them. You make them take the stairs and walk to school. We’re not looking to put them in danger but we are looking for them to learn how to navigate the world. Because once we’re gone they are expected to have the tools necessary to know how to survive.” Barbed wire, mud, medicine balls, burpees, climbing, and sprinting are just some of the obstacles you will face as a participant in a Spartan race. It goes without saying that once having completed a Spartan race course you will feel nothing short of a badass yourself! “If business were a sport it would be rugby. Our goal is to keep growing, because if you aren’t growing you’re dying! I want it to be a healthy growth, and anything we bolt onto the Spartan brand has to be rugged and has to be hard.” Make sure to catch the next Spartan Race in your neck of the woods, sign up, and find that moment where everything lines up, and you’ll have a new level of excitement you’ve never felt! Go here to get all the info you would need about the races, and my favorite barbed wire-loving guest, Joe De Sena! Go here: https://www.spartan.com/en If you see Joe tell him I say hiya! Thanks Mat Guido and his Decibel Studios for hosting the podcast, top of the field sound studios! “I decided to start my own business, and it didn’t work on the first try, because you know at some point the student thinks they're smarter than the teacher, and I thought I knew too much. I made some fatal mistakes but recovered, and then built a thriving business for the following decade.”   Some Topics we talk about in this episode:    2.00 - Welcome to the Big Kahuna 2:20 - The first time recording a podcast in a studio  4:40 - My mom was the original Spartan! 8:40 - “Going to the Army” in a mob neighborhood  9:40 - Fireworks and gasoline on the street! 12:00 - The mobster was killing the architect because he asked for money 12:30 - Had 700 customers from Brooklyn all the way to the Hamptons 16:00 - The journey to Wall Street  17:00 - Taking on multiple roles in the finance world 17:30 - Starting my own business didn’t work on the first try 19:00 - The first version of a Spartan race 21:00 - The first “the real survivor”- Sports Illustrated 22:45 - If business was a sport it would be rugby 26:30 - That incomparable top of your game feeling 27:50 - It has to be tough! 29:15 - I like to suffer  29:45 - Huge Surprise for the Listener Here! 30:30 - How to train like a Spartan 32:15 - Celebrities in Spartan  34:30 - Launching Deka in the cities 37:30 - Favorite places to live 41:00 - Did the Iditarod by foot through Alaska 42:15 - Doing a full feature film 45:00 - Wrap your kids in barbed wire 45:50 - Mom locked me out of the house 48:00 - Society today has made us weak, we are learning helplessness 49:00 - Hit Your Mark!  How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly.   If you would like to be a guest on the Make Your Mark podcast and/or know someone else who has either been an athlete, in a role within the sports industry, or a military veteran, and have made a successful transition into a new role, I’d love to hear from you! Just send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and we’ll discuss!   If you would like more information on how I can get you unstuck and moving forward with your transition, let’s talk. We can see whether it makes sense to work directly with me, or I can give you other options, but don’t let your transition wait another day, let’s connect!   Be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!   How are YOU going to Make Your Mark today? Go get ‘em!  

A dramatic pivot from sport to a totally different career is what truly excites me about the potential of athlete transition, and today’s guest on my #MakeYourMark podcast, Dale Moss, has become an impressive entrepreneur, and oh, did I mention, one of the first professional athletes to become a professional model? Hundreds try to sign with world-renowned Wilhelmina Models, and Dale has made the cut!   “The biggest thing I can say to any athlete who is 100 percent into their sport and doesn’t have or has not begun the process of building outside of that, is to start building a team. You have to focus and put extreme effort, mindfulness and consciousness into everything that you’re doing in your profession. It’s not your job to be an expert of all things because if you try to you’ll be a master of none.”    Dale and I had the chance to sit down in between all of the other events during Super Bowl week in Miami and have a chat, and I was truly impressed with his composure, his plan, and his ability for himself and his team balancing his variety of ventures and projects!    “I think we’re in this day and age now that if you can get that brand recognition and reach, but you also understand the marketing and advertising on the other side, and the collaborations, you can do anything. That forms numerous streams of revenue that can all come back into your LLC or whatever enterprise you’re building.”    Dale has been on magazine covers and on TV, but he’s just scratching the surface. Make sure you give this episode a listen to hear so much more about a truly inspiring story of athlete transition!   “I was actually one of the first NFL athletes to sign with Wilhelmina models, which is a big time modeling agency. I knew that this wasn’t the end game, but I could see a shift in the trend coming with fitness, athleticism, and athletes were becoming at the forefront of all things sports, wellness and entertainment. I knew that would be an in to get me in the right circles, the right places, and I knew that it was an advantage being an NFL athlete.”  Some Topics we talk about in this episode:    2:30 - Welcome to Miami, Dale Moss!  3:45 - The start of an athletic mindset in Brandon, South Dakota 4:30 - My uncle Johnny Rogers won the Heisman Trophy 7:35 - If they can do that I can do that 9:00 - I’m doing exactly what I want out of life 10:00 - The transition from the Bears into the next chapter 10:45 - A new perspective of the game  13:00 - I recruited Wilhelmina  13:45 - Remained persistent towards a deal 14:00 - Trail blazing into modelling 15:00 - Nike was the low hanging fruit 15:30 - It’s critical who you align with  16:30 - A vision from Day 1  17:00 - TV Host - production, docu-series  18:30 - Understanding the power of media  19:30 - Michael Strahan is doing it right 20:00 - Advice for athletes  21:00 - Build a team and play to your strengths 23:00 - Financial consciousness created financial freedom  26:00 - Gratitude  27:00 - Coming around full circle  28:30 - Hit your Mark  How to get involved   Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly.   If you would like to be a guest on the Make Your Mark podcast and/or know someone else who has either been an athlete, in a role within the sports industry, or a military veteran, and have made a successful transition into a new role, I’d love to hear from you! Just send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and we’ll discuss!   If you would like more information on how I can get you unstuck and moving forward with your transition, let’s talk. We can see whether it makes sense to work directly with me, or I can give you other options, but don’t let your transition wait another day, let’s connect!   Be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!   How are YOU going to Make Your Mark today? Go get ‘em!  

Dancing grandmas? Baseball players skydiving to their positions? Just a normal day at the office for one of the most exciting, interesting, and big-picture thinking owners in sports, and my guest on the Mark Your Mark podcast, Jesse Cole. Oh, did I mention the yellow tuxedo and top hat that he wears more often than not? “I found out only 200 fans were coming to the games, and the team had been there for seven years. I made ten phone calls out to the community. The first seven phone calls no one had even heard of the team, the next two wouldn’t work with us, and the last one hung up on me. That was my first day in the office.” Jesse has completely transformed how baseball fans experience the game at the ballpark, and he’s just scratched the surface! If you stopped going to games for any reason, you have to hear this episode! “As a kid I never would’ve said yeah one day I want to be the owner of a baseball team. I just wanted to play the game. I was a kid who was hungry, who was in love with practicing, playing batting practice with my dad, fielding ground balls.”  Jesse and his Bananas will make you laugh, his team will make you cheer, and you’ll have a great time watching baseball again! This was a rollicking episode to record, laughs at every turn, and lessons learned throughout! Happy listening! “I believe if you aren’t upsetting anyone you aren’t doing anything. We embrace criticism, we’re ok with it. That means we are doing something that’s interesting, different, and exciting. If you play it safe you’re in trouble.”  “I tore my shoulder Junior year in college, and that was the end of that. In that moment it was realizing that you’ll never do what you always thought you would do the rest of your life. I broke down and was emotional, I thought about the advice my dad gave me with staying positive, and it was tough, and at that moment I had no idea what I was gonna do. But also was the best thing that ever happened to me.” “I learned then that I fell in love with playing the game, but I didn’t love watching the game. When you get injured and you have to sit and watch the game you realize the game wasn’t as executing as when you used to play.” “I heard over and over again that people didn’t like baseball, they didn’t want to take their company to a baseball game. They all thought it was too long, too slow and too boring. After the calls, and meeting with potential fans, I realized we could no longer be a baseball team. I called the team’s owner and told him we can’t be a baseball team, it needs to be like a circus. Our players need to have choreographed dances, we need to have grandma beauty pageants, I need to get in the dunk tank, we need to have Salute to Underwear nights, we need to make it ridiculous.”  “We stand against that boring game of baseball that so many people hate, and that we are going to try to make non-stop fun and exciting. We are standing for the fan. The fan deserves the game back. It’s not just about the players, the money, the owners revenue, it’s about the fan experience.”   Make sure to catch the Savannah Bananas live starting on May 28, 2020 vs. the Macon Bacon! Go here to get all the info you would need about the team and my favorite team owner Jesse Cole!  https://thesavannahbananas.com/ If you see him tell him I say hiya!   Learn how to put your company’s customers into fans with Jesse’s Fans First University https://fansfirstu.com/. His model truly works, make sure you give this a look, you’ll be thrilled you did!   Some Topics we talk about in this episode:    2.35 - Welcome  3:00 - The man in the yellow tux  4:25 - A shared passion for the fans first experience  5:10 - 42 page spread in entrepreneur magazine  6:00 - The spark for baseball  7:00 - A new perspective of baseball  8:00 - The injury  9:35 - That’s where it all changed  11:45 - Just start! 12:05 - I fell in love with the idea of getting people excited  13:35 - The internship  14:50 - I never questioned what I am doing  15:10 - People didn’t like baseball so I changed that  15:40 - We need to make the game a circus  16:55 - Our game is not a game, it’s a show  17:15 - Measuring the success in moments  18:10 - The best show in sports  19:45 - Proposing marriage at the Gastonia game  21:25 - Taking over in Savannah 23:00 - We embrace criticism!  23:20 - This is who we are and it’s outrageous  25:40 - What do you stand for? We stand for the fan.  26:15 - Making it interactive, against the traditionalists of baseball  28:40 - Already a waitlist for 2021 30:50 - The idea book 32:00 - We put ourselves in the customer’s shoes and go undercover   33:45 - Test things and consider your next at bat  36:00 - Fans first experience workshops 36:30 - Your fans are your biggest marketers  36:45 - PFT - Perfect Fan Testimonial 40:45 - Bringing fan first to the world 42:20 - What’s the leadership style of the post office?  42:50 - Hit Your Mark  43:10 - Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez 43:50 - First time booed on a podcast! 46:15 - How I want to be remembered 47:00 - Thousands of thank you letters 47:45 - Caller ID Unknown was Simon Sinek 49:30 - Play the long game, don’t reach out to ask 50:40 - The human connection How to get involved   Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly.   If you would like to be a guest on the Make Your Mark podcast and/or know someone else who has either been an athlete, in a role within the sports industry, or a military veteran, and have made a successful transition into a new role, I’d love to hear from you! Just send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and we’ll discuss!   If you would like more information on how I can get you unstuck and moving forward with your transition, let’s talk. We can see whether it makes sense to work directly with me, or I can give you other options, but don’t let your transition wait another day, let’s connect!   Be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!   How are YOU going to Make Your Mark today? Go get ‘em!

Hurtling down a mountain on ice skates at 50 mph in 35 seconds! Pitching his sport for the next Winter Olympics! Starting his own all-natural CBD company. And Jack Schram, this week’s #Make Your Mark guest, gives me advice on staying fit while sitting behind my computer screen, no easy task!   “After awhile working at what I thought was my dream job originally on Wall Street, I decided I really couldn’t see myself doing this long term. I went back to what I would’ve liked to have done as a kid and I wanted to get back into the fitness industry. I just figured life is too short to not be pursuing your passions, and decided I wasn’t going to let fear of what will or won’t work out hold me back.”   OK, so I’ll be honest. I play ice hockey, and skating is hard enough, but can you imagine sharing the same few square feet with three other skaters, all trying to outskate and outmaneuver each other over a ½ mile sheet of ice straight down a mountain? It takes a certain mix of bravery, balls, and insanity to do this, and you’ll hear all about that from Jack! We also discuss Rooted Athlete, his company that produces cold pressed CBD products meant to relieve pains associated with sports.    “I’m very strict with what I put into my body, so when I started this company, I told myself I wasn’t going to deliver a product that I didn’t think was the best in the world.”    We cover a lot of ground in this episode, including the importance of Progress Over Perfection, and keeping in motion! Happy Listening!   “People have this view in their mind of where they want to go and it seems so unattainable, So I always tell people to focus on progress over perfection, and I really try to do this with everything I’m doing. When it comes to exercising, if your goal is to run a marathon, start by running one mile, or just walking around the block.”   “It’s important to stay focused on what you’re going to do during the race, vs. looking at everyone else around you and their styles. That goes the same for life. You have to stay on your path, and not let other things dictate where you’re going to go.” Some Topics we talk about in this episode:    2.20 - Welcome 3:15 - Born in Canada and Skating Since 2 Years Old 3:50 - Rutgers Hockey 5:18 - A completely different path 7:00 - “Fail Fast, succeed faster.” 8:00 - Side Hustles 10:30 - Ice cross downhill by Red Bull 13:07 - Incidental Contact  15:15 - The normal course Duration 16:00 - Bonding with the team 17:00 - Staying focused 19:00 - Money made is Performance based 21:00 - Extreme Tennis 23:45 - The Future of Ice Cross 25:00 - New features added to the courses 25:20 - The Rooted Athlete 28:45 - Standing Out From The Noise 31:40 - How to use 33:00 - Athletes Using CBD 37:00 - Powerful Testimonials 40:00 - The Power of LinkedIn 44:00 - Progress Over Perfection 46:15 - Comes Down to Movement 47:30 - Hit Your Mark How to get involved   Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly.   If you would like to be a guest on the Make Your Mark podcast and/or know someone else who has either been an athlete, in a role within the sports industry, or a military veteran, and have made a successful transition into a new role, I’d love to hear from you! Just send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and we’ll discuss!   If you would like more information on how I can get you unstuck and moving forward with your transition, let’s talk. We can see whether it makes sense to work directly with me, or I can give you other options, but don’t let your transition wait another day, let’s connect!   Be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!   How are YOU going to Make Your Mark today? Go get ‘em!

The Quote Machine! One pearl of wisdom after the next, and my guest on today’s #Make Your Mark podcast, Lauren Brill, shows very clearly why she was such an impressive sports reporter, and why she is making such a positive impact with her new company, The Unsealed. It’s hard enough to put it out there that you have gone through a traumatic event, but she’s made it easier to make those small steps towards recovery by creating a forum and a community, and you will hear all about how she got it going and where she’s heading with it!    “Starting your own business is like being dropped in the ocean and being told to go find land - it’s a roller coaster! But if you’re passionate about it, it's a fun ride, but there are days when I’m like ‘What am I doing?’, and then there are days when I’m like ‘I got this!’.”   What you will appreciate about Lauren is her sheer honesty, her transparency about what happened to her, and her mission to help others who have suffered through trauma. She is shedding a light on those who want a voice to speak with and creating a revolutionary platform to create bonds, growth and awareness.   “I think when people are really honest and truthful, those are the best stories. Not necessarily the most famous player or most high profile, biggest personality, it’s the people who are the most authentic and real that stand out. Their story doesn’t need to be really unique or unusual to be compelling...they just need to speak from the heart.”   This is one episode you will want to listen to all the way through, you’ll not only benefit from Lauren’s special insight, but you will be thrilled to hear about her efforts and how they are making such a positive impact with whoever she touches. Happy listening!   “I asked her what made her decide to come forward and talk about something so publicly and powerful, and she said, ‘I realized it was the silence of victims who allowed predators to continue with their predatory behavior,’ and I realized, there I was asking her to share her story, and I’m silent about my own...so I felt like a hypocrite.”   “Cleveland picked me and I say that because it’s such a hard industry you don’t get to just say I’m going to go work in L.A or Charlotte or Buffalo, it’s where the opening is…and that’s the nature of the business. You don’t get to pick where you want to go, it picks you based on openings and opportunities.”   Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   2:00 - Intro  3:00 - A spark for sports at 10 years old 4:22 - College in the City 5:40 - Live Sportscasting  6:22 - Telling a Story that’s Meaningful and Powerful  7:08 - Cleveland Picked Me  7:45 - The First Job in TV 8:30 - Can I call my Dad? 9:50 - Learning on the Air  12:45 - Interviewing the Athletes  15:30 - Authenticity  16:45 - The Unsealed  18:34 - I Was Assaulted  19:25 - An Open Letter  20:45 - Being Vulnerable is Not Easy  23:00 - Everyone Has a Story  24:27 - The Future of The Unsealed  27:29 - People’s Hearts, Pain and Triumphs  28:30 - Starting Your Own Business  30:20 - Even if you Fail, You have to Enjoy the Journey  31:36 - Before the “Me Too” movement  32:45 - Not going to Judge You 39:42 - Sink or Swim  40:48 - Maintaining a Balance is Key  44:00 - Sports Built Me  46:18 - Hit Your Mark  How to get involved   Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly.   If you would like to be a guest on the Make Your Mark podcast and/or know someone else who has either been an athlete, in a role within the sports industry, or a military veteran, and have made a successful transition into a new role, I’d love to hear from you! Just send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and we’ll discuss!   If you would like more information on how I can get you unstuck and moving forward with your transition, let’s talk. We can see whether it makes sense to work directly with me, or I can give you other options, but don’t let your transition wait another day, let’s connect!   Be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!   How are YOU going to Make Your Mark today? Go get ‘em!

Nearly 20 Years strapping on an NFL helmet. Several NFL records. A right foot that accounted for over 2000 points in his career! But today’s guest on my #MakeYourMark podcast, Matt Stover, is just getting started. He’s taken his deep interest in philanthropy and is channeling it into his company, helping charities raise money for great causes with fewer challenges. And he was ready for all of this even during his rookie year!   “Right at the very beginning I understood that I needed to start thinking about the fact that my career will come to an end one day, and I will be a young man when that happens.”   Matt was never sure which season, much less game, would be his last, and he felt a strong sense of responsibility in being fully prepared for his next career. Winning a Super Bowl at the age of 42 was the perfect send off, and he did it on his own terms, which in football, happens all too rarely.    “As an athlete, if the financial piece is what motivates you to be great, it will let you down. It has to come from your heart and be a passion of yours for you to be the greatest for your team.”   You’ll hear about Matt’s transition, his company, outworking and outsmarting, and so much more! Score some points and give this a listen! “With the NFL you’re constantly evaluated, even in practice, and then you’re evaluated in public every time you go out on the field. But you take that on because we’re in the entertainment business.”   “When you look at how it turned out for me, it was based on the understanding of what my limitations were, and then refining what talents I did have, and then I just outworked everybody.”     “I always planned financially on what amount I would have to make if my career was over that year, and what did I have in the bank to replace the expenses that I had.” Some Topics we talk about in this episode:    2:00 - Introduction   3:56 - A short spark to a nearly 20-year career  5:37 - “Give me the ball, Coach” 6:59 - The punting technique   7:00 - Outworking & Outsmarting  8:00 - Injured reserve  9:40 - Developing a lot of grit  10:29 - Mistake by the Lake  11:00 - Browns Move to Baltimore  12:50 - Everyone thinks being in the NFL is so glamorous   14:30 - Never missed a game  17:29 - A deep snapper  19:00 - The athlete transition  19:40 - Why not me?  22:00 - Understanding your worth 24:00 - Doing what you love  25:00 - A revolutionary program  26:45 - The Player’s Philanthropy Fund  30:30 - The goal is to get more funds into the market   33:50 - Creating relationships in the market  35:43 - There to protect the individual, the athlete and the brand  37:00 - Utilize the funds  39:00 - Educating the athletes  41:00 - When the reality hits  43:00 - You’ve got to want it  44:35 - Hit Your Mark - the # 2004? 45:30 - 38 straight games with a field goal  How to get involved   Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly.   If you would like to be a guest on the Make Your Mark podcast and/or know someone else who has either been an athlete, in a role within the sports industry, or a military veteran, and have made a successful transition into a new role, I’d love to hear from you! Just send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and we’ll discuss!   If you would like more information on how I can get you unstuck and moving forward with your transition, let’s talk. We can see whether it makes sense to work directly with me, or I can give you other options, but don’t let your transition wait another day, let’s connect!   Be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!   How are YOU going to Make Your Mark today? Go get ‘em!  

One of the hardest things to do in sports is to shoot a puck into a net, while skating fast, wearing a bunch of equipment, all while being pursued by your opponent looking to hit you into the boards. Hockey players need to have extraordinary peripheral vision, and my guest on this #MakeYourMark podcast, TJ Galiardi, shows us how that vision has extended into his company that he co-founded once his NHL career ended.   “It’s really about walking before you run. But if you want to run, you need to have all the available pieces. You can only do so much on your own. You really want to find people that can help you grow and scale.”   TJ underscores the importance of preparing for life after your athletic career ends while you are still playing, while you still have that feeling of invincibility. It’s commonly said, you have a 1% chance of making it into the pros, and a 100% chance that your career will end. You will hear about TJ’s hockey career, playing in Russia, getting started in real estate investment, and how his company, Beyond Food, will stand out in a crowded industry!   ”I just started to learn more about other things other than hockey. I think I always knew my career was going to end at some point, so I was just trying to figure it all out by starting to dip my toe in everything to see what I actually enjoyed, and at the time it was real estate.”    Whether you are a hockey fan, an athlete of any sport, and/or a businessperson, you will learn how to leverage your athletic mindset into business. Take it from TJ, he’s done a great job with it! Happy listening!    “My wife is vegan, and my stubborn ways started to unfold. The more animal products I took out of my diet the better I felt, and I always did things around performance. So if I felt like I was recovering faster, I did it. I eventually went cold turkey, and I haven’t looked back since.”  Some Topics we talk about in this episode:      2:00 - Introduction 4:00 - the start of a passion for hockey/ hearts in hockey  5:54 - a Flames fan  6:52 - Dartmouth freshman 8:30 - Got the call to play  9:30 - My first goal  11:00 - Almost a fifth assist!  12:00 - From the NHL to Europe 13:21 - The only Canadian guy on the team  14:31 - The benefit of tearing my MCL 15:14 - Fulfilling my childhood dream  16:05 - Experience in the KHL  19:52 - Ready to move on 20:59 - Preparing for life after Hockey  23:30 - Going vegan  25:50 - The start of a new company  27:50 -  Nobody else was doing it  29:47 - It’s all about transparency  31:07 - Beyond Food & TDF Sports Nutrition  34:21 - Understanding the process  36:00 - Growing the visibility of Beyond Food  40:41 - Walking before you run 45:00 - The importance of LinkedIn  51:40 - Hit Your Mark    How to get involved   Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly.   If you would like to be a guest on the Make Your Mark podcast and/or know someone else who has either been an athlete, in a role within the sports industry, or a military veteran, and have made a successful transition into a new role, I’d love to hear from you! Just send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and we’ll discuss!   If you would like more information on how I can get you unstuck and moving forward with your transition, let’s talk. We can see whether it makes sense to work directly with me, or I can give you other options, but don’t let your transition wait another day, let’s connect!   Be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!   How are YOU going to Make Your Mark today? Go get ‘em!

“My near death experience…” When you hear those words from today’s guest on the #MakeYourMark podcast, Zane Schweitzer, you’ll see how it renewed his sense of purpose, and as a 15X World Champion across several water sports, Zane has travelled the world many times over, happens to have a vibrant non-stop energetic personality, all packed into his 26 years! Zane has so many incredible stories, messages of hope, things you can do to save the environment, and how to ride 60 foot waves, all in one episode!   “Not many people look out at what’s in front of them and see the potential of what it can bring to their life. Most look out at an ocean and see a pool of water, of emptiness. I see a church, a playground, a place of refuge that’s open 24 hours, 7 days a week!”   Zane filled an hour + with great advice, deep insight, and a perspective I have yet to have experienced on this podcast! He probably set a record for quotes I could have used, and he truly is a remarkable young man who’s been riding the waves for years!   “With big wave surfing you don’t have that moment to stop and think ‘Oh I’m not ready for this.’ The ocean is always going to keep coming, and you have to know the time to fight and the time to surrender.”   Zane will stir something inside of you, and lead you to positive action, whether it’s for yourself, your friends and family, or the environment that surrounds you. I really look forward to you tuning in to this, you’ll be thrilled you did. Mahalo!   “Swimming was something my parents had me doing before I could walk because I was surrounded by the water.”   “One of my biggest motivations to do well in school was that my parents wouldn’t let me compete or travel if I didn’t have good grades!”   “My near death experience...was a driving factor to not only be the best I can be for my craft, but also consider the actions I’m taking, and the ripple effect they cause. It gave me a much more grounding sense of purpose overall, to leave a positive footprint wherever I go.”   “I want to challenge you to embrace the power of choice, and to make choices through your day that not only benefit yourself, but the people around you and your environment.” Some Topics we talk about in this episode:     2:00 - Intro 3:00 - Stoked for Zane Schweitzer  4:40 - It all started in Maui, a strong presence of Hawaiian culture  6:40 - One with the waves  8:04 - A Maui funeral, we bring them back to the ocean  9:27 - Winning a competition at just three years old  10:34 - School vs. The Ocean  13:00 - 11 years old and on tour for two months  17:15 - What fueled the fire behind “Beneath the Surface”  19:10 - The Attitude of Gratitude  20:15 - My grandma’s honor  21:30 - Paving the way of stand up paddle surfing & hydro foiling  25:15 - The danger related to the sport  26:41 - When preparation meets opportunity you have success  27:22 - Embracing growth or defeat  28:00 - The big wipe-out scenario 31:00 - It’s the uncertainty that eats you up  33:30 - Turning on that switch  37:50 - The impact zone  40:13 - I was lifeless for almost 8 minutes: a near death experience  44:25 - A newfound revelation to leave a positive footprint wherever I go 45:23 - Struck with compassion  47:00 - The impact one action can make on a person 48:40 - What you can do right now for the environment 56:00 - Bamboo straws 60:10 - Still going strong  67:31 - Challenge you to embrace the power of choice   How to get involved   Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly.   If you would like to be a guest on the Make Your Mark podcast and/or know someone else who has either been an athlete, in a role within the sports industry, or a military veteran, and have made a successful transition into a new role, I’d love to hear from you! Just send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and we’ll discuss!   If you would like more information on how I can get you unstuck and moving forward with your transition, let’s talk. We can see whether it makes sense to work directly with me, or I can give you other options, but don’t let your transition wait another day, let’s connect!   Be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!   How are YOU going to Make Your Mark today? Go get ‘em!

When I heard that someone had written a book on advice for athletes transitioning out of their sport, I had to speak to him, after all, it’s what I do! And today’s guest on my #MakeYourMark podcast, Phil Costa, does not disappoint! Between snapping footballs to Dallas Cowboys QBs including Tony Romo, struggling after retirement from the game, witnessing hundreds of heart procedures, and spending a year in Madrid, Phil certainly has so much he brings to the podcast!   “I was speaking with a former NY Giants player, and I said to him, ‘You’re making it all look so easy, now you’re professional commentator, what’s the trick?’ And he said the three words to me that completely changed things. He said ‘I struggled too’. He’s a tough-as-nails guy, and he made me realize that it’s okay to be vulnerable.”   Phil and co-author Rob Curley have written The Transition Playbook for Athletes, pulling together 100+ athletes who give their insight and advice into how to make the transition smoother and less stressful. I’m excited to be sharing the stage with Phil in the upcoming Tackle What’s Next Summit in the DC area, as any athlete who is looking for a more targeted focus post-playing days, a reason to get excited to win again, but this time in the business world, should join Phil and I.   “When you go to these events, don’t show up as a celebrity, show up as someone who wants to network and meet people.”   So much advice packed into this episode, make sure you give it a listen, twice!   “People are receptive, people want to help other people, especially if they think they’re being true and their values align. Just (start by) sending a message on LinkedIn, an email on any social platform. We’ve reached out over time to build our network. We heard a lot of yes, a lot of no, but it’s a numbers game.”   Some Topics we talk about in this episode:     3:30 - Friendly competition with his brother  4:36 - I think I can do this professionally 5:12 - University of Maryland  6:20 - started off with criminal justice in mind  8:00 - a balancing act  10:00 - I was the one calling the agents 11:11 - plan B sounds like failure  12:15 - playing for the Cowboys  13:30 - knowing my time was up  14:27 - didn’t know what was next  15:48 - watching 100s of heart procedures  17:48 - getting an MBA at Columbia University 18:42 - speaking Spanish and writing his first book  19:00 - most important 3 words - “I struggled too” 21:30 - reaching out to athletes  22:25 - the athlete transition  25:00 - the power of shared experience  27:35 - the #1 goal now  29:15 - getting the word out  30:00 - the importance of being humble  34:30 - so much more to advice to offer  37:45 - people are receptive  40:00 - short and sweet 41:48 - Hit Your Mark      How to get involved   Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly.   If you would like to be a guest on the Make Your Mark podcast and/or know someone else who has either been an athlete, in a role within the sports industry, or a military veteran, and have made a successful transition into a new role, I’d love to hear from you! Just send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and we’ll discuss!   If you would like more information on how I can get you unstuck and moving forward with your transition, let’s talk. We can see whether it makes sense to work directly with me, or I can give you other options, but don’t let your transition wait another day, let’s connect!   Be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!   How are YOU going to Make Your Mark today? Go get ‘em!

“I am more than just a tennis player!” exclaims today’s guest on my #MakeYourMark podcast, Kady Pooler. This is a common refrain from the majority of the athletes who I have met, coached and interviewed, and for non-athletes, it can be hard to understand. Kady lays out why it’s so critical for an athlete to expand their identity, to develop other areas of interest, as this will be crucial to an easier transition out of their game. Getting your head in the right position to succeed is the most important step in being able to run with the “how” of getting to your next career!   “Athletes need to realize - for 100% of them, their sport will come to an end one day. What that looks like is going to be different for everyone, maybe it’s an injury that’s career ending, maybe you’re retiring in debt or with $100M in the bank, whatever it is, your career is going to come to an end. I think understanding and accepting that is the best place to start.”   Kady and I share advice on how to make a successful career transition, how to be positioned for less of a steep dropoff that most athletes face when they leave their game, and how to leverage that athletic mindset into great value. Oh, and let’s not forget, Kady started playing tennis at the age of 4 and never looked back!    “When I reflect now on why didn’t I make it, I don’t think it had to do with my athleticism, and my tennis game was there, but I think it was the mental side. I never came out with that killer mentality and the confidence that goes with it.”   You’ll really enjoy this episode, as you’ll hear about her growth within professional tennis, her adjustment and success off the court, and so much more! Happy listening!   “I had never given thought to life after tennis, I pushed it off to the side. For me dreaming as a child meant be like Steffi Graf, winning multiple grand slams, be at the US Open, and that was it, that was the end picture. I wasn’t ready for it and I think I dissociated, and just started going through the motions, not really accepting the full reality that it was over.”  Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   2:30 - Intro  4:36 - California born and raised  6:45 - 7 years old and knew her talent  9:37 - similar to a child TV star  11:45 - tennis was the focus...something had to give  13:26 - fitness training started young  14:07 - going pro  15:55 - the confidence wasn’t there  17:00 - knowing it was time to hang up the racket  18:19 - life after tennis  20:30 - preparing for life after sport 25:00 - HS Math teacher  26:55 - the coaching hat didn’t come off even when not teaching 28:15 - the road after college  32:20 - Kady’s coaching company  35:20 - getting athletes back on their feet  37:21 - the toughest teaching hurdle  38:48 - the humble ones vs. the egotistical  44:44 - the importance of a call to action on a LinkedIn post  46:42 - Hit Your Mark   How to get involved   Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly.   If you would like to be a guest on the Make Your Mark podcast and/or know someone else who has either been an athlete, in a role within the sports industry, or a military veteran, and have made a successful transition into a new role, I’d love to hear from you! Just send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and we’ll discuss!   If you would like more information on how I can get you unstuck and moving forward with your transition, let’s talk. We can see whether it makes sense to work directly with me, or I can give you other options, but don’t let your transition wait another day, let’s connect!   Be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!   How are YOU going to Make Your Mark today? Go get ‘em!

Imagine it’s your major league baseball debut, and you’re batting 2nd in front of Sammy Sosa. You’ve been told to swing hard in your first at bat, but you get quick-pitched, and you roll a grounder to second base. But your next time up, you hit a ringing double to right-center. Today’s guest on my #MakeYourMark podcast, Brendan Harris, tells us how he was able to play several years in MLB in a variety of roles, and after earning his Executive MBA from Wharton, is ready to make big strides in his next career!   “You get to spring training and you see 250 guys, and you think that you have to beat them all out, and you’re not even in big league camp up the street where there is another 60 guys. But you focus on what you can control, work on getting better, narrow it to each at bat each day and be consistent, put up some numbers and move up a level. Just get a little bit closer every day.”   Brendan and I share advice on how to make a career transition, in his case from a professional athlete towards a career in finance, and also thoughts on how to be prepared as an athlete, how to focus as a student, and plenty of baseball stories along the way!    “Find some of your contemporaries or your favorite players and watch the way they prepare, and get the fundamentals down so you can do it over and over again. You create a neural pathway so you can repeat it over and over again. I also recommend that you develop yourself physically and monitor your fitness, nutrition and sleep, and especially balance your studies as a student.”   You’ll really enjoy this episode, as you’ll hear about his ascent into MLB, some of the struggles he’s been through, and so much more! Happy listening!   “When people say that you need an approach or get yourself mentally ready, know what that means for yourself. Be able to know what it means to be mentally strong. When you go into a game, it’s important to know how to visualize various scenarios, especially as a young athlete.”   Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   1:30 - Intro  4:05 - Basketball was my favorite sport  7:05 - From I probably can get drafted to I will get drafted 8:42 - Getting the call 10:00 - 20 years old at Low A 11:00 - The right mindset  12:00 - I knew bigger things were coming  13:10 - Mixing in with major leaguers  15:06 - My first hit  17:30 - Realizing that the iconic big leaguers are people just like you 19:55 - Career highlights  21:29 - Best advice for baseball and softball players  24:10 - Being traded was a frustrating experience  26:24 - Hanging up the spikes 29:00 - Life after the game  30:55 - A new scene: business school  32:30 - Dealing with adversity 34:15 - A man of many trades  35:45 - The game day experience  40:13 - Accessing information on the athlete transition 43;43 - Networking  48:50 - Talking points  52:30 - Tips for the 25 year old athlete  54:15 - Clark Griswold in real estate!  55:55 - Hit Your Mark  How to get involved   Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly.   If you would like to be a guest on the Make Your Mark podcast and/or know someone else who has either been an athlete, in a role within the sports industry, or a military veteran, and have made a successful transition into a new role, I’d love to hear from you! Just send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and we’ll discuss!   If you would like more information on how I can get you unstuck and moving forward with your transition, let’s talk. We can see whether it makes sense to work directly with me, or I can give you other options, but don’t let your transition wait another day, let’s connect!   Be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!   How are YOU going to Make Your Mark today? Go get ‘em!

Every elite athlete knows how hard it is to reach the pinnacle of their sport, the amount of training, effort, time and commitment necessary to get there. My guest on today’s #MakeYourMark podcast, Chris Hale, is a great example of how you can overcome tremendous odds to make it onto the big arena that is professional sports. What those of us who may watch the game from the stadiums or on TV don’t realize is what the athletes have to go through to be ready for those few moments on the field, and Chris shines a spotlight on that, and so much more!    “An athlete never says it’s time to go, there’s about 1 percent that say that. The league says it’s time to go.”   This episode flows so well: you’ll get great guidance and advice from Chris and I on what you can do to be prepared for life after sport, and how important it is to have a plan B while you are in the midst of plan A!     “The brain is like a sponge, you can do what you set your mind too. You can do anything you think you’re capable of, you just have to do it.”   Make sure to give this a listen, as you’ll also hear how you can end up with a free copy of my job search playbook for athletes, Win Again! Chris is an awesome guy with a super personality, this is a super episode to tune in to! Happy Listening!   “You have to set your priorities to what’s happening in your life, where you want to be. What younger people don’t realize is those high school years are years that go by fast as heck, so your focus can’t be on what’s going on at the high school, it has to be what’s happening beyond that school.”   Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   Intro - 2:00 Being in LA - 3:00 A 9-Year old with Big Dreams - 6:47 It seemed like there was no chance - 9:05 I had to Fight my Way in Football to Prove I could do it -11:59 I Quit for a Year - 14:00 Decided to give it One More Shot - 15:00 An all-American in Junior College - 16:00 Ended up with America’s Team - 16:50 A Lot of Luck involved - 19:04 Advice for Current Student-Athletes - 21:00 Make it your Priority - 25:41 The Moment I found out I was Going To Be a Pro - 28:02 Even when you Make the team it’s a Constant Battle - 33:00 I was the only one to make the team on defense - 34:00 Fueled my fire - 35:47 An athlete Never Says It’s Time to Go - 38:20 Out of Football Forever - 41:00  Preparing for Life After the Game - 44:47 When the Obstacles Come - 48:07 Go Back to your School - 49:50 The Skills an Athlete Has Over Others in the Business World - 51:52 Broadcasting - 53:42 Hit Your Mark - 59:11 How to get involved   Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly.   If you would like to be a guest on the Make Your Mark podcast and/or know someone else who has either been an athlete, in a role within the sports industry, or a military veteran, and have made a successful transition into a new role, I’d love to hear from you! Just send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and we’ll discuss!   If you would like more information on how I can get you unstuck and moving forward with your transition, let’s talk. We can see whether it makes sense to work directly with me, or I can give you other options, but don’t let your transition wait another day, let’s connect!   Be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!   How are YOU going to Make Your Mark today? Go get ‘em!

The Big 5-0! And who better to be my 50th guest on the #MakeYourMark podcast than Kevin Dineen, NHL star player and head coach, Canadian women’s gold medal winning coach in 2014, and the list goes on and on. I was thrilled to hear from him a few weeks ago as he had seen a couple of my how-to interview videos via the NHLCA, used my tips and strategies, and has just accepted the head coaching job with the San Diego Gulls, the AHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks! But will he trade in his skates for a surfboard?   “The fact is that the actual percentage of the guys who are going to make a living out of the sport is extremely low, so you find (like you say) something you’re passionate about. I’ve been incredibly lucky to make a living out of hockey. I’ve tricked some people for a long time!”   I’m a big time hockey fan, and had the chance to dig deep into the sport with Kevin. He shares great advice for up-and-coming hockey players, and tons of stories, including how he nearly punched out his brother when he was told he was drafted by the Hartford Whalers!   “Find what your strength is and don’t say ‘Ok, I know that is my strength I have to work on other areas of my game.’ If you’re a skater continue to work on your skating, if you have a great shot, you make sure that shot stays lethal.”   We could have gone on for hours, and we will over golf and dinner later this summer. But you can get a head start on it all by sharing less than an hour with us, you’ll be glad you did!   “The moment that I realized the skill was just not there, it was hard to get out of bed some mornings, it's not an easy transition, I would say the majority of players really dread when it;s time to hang up the skates and decide what's next, and like a lot of things I went through a real funk when i retired.”   "Scotty Bowman called me up out of the blue and said, 'When you retire it’s almost like you lost an appendage, the game is so much a part of you, you’ve lost your identity.' From saying ‘Oh yeah I’m a hockey player’, well, no you aren’t. So what are you? You go through that, and then you go through what I call this 2-year mourning period of ‘What’s next? Where am I going?’. Until it hits you personally, you just go about like you think you’re a big strong guy, but when you're in that funk, it’s no fun.” Some Topics we talk about in this episode:    Intro - 2:45 There’s a New Coach in Town! -  4:05   Kevin’s Story - 7:04 Always on the Go - 10:45 Academics Vs. Athletics - 14:26 Future of Sports - 16:00 Being Drafted - 21:11 The Hartford Whalers - 22:00 Claim to Fame with the Whalers - 27:05 Canadian hockey- will do absolutely anything to win - 30:28 Time to Hang up the Skates - 33:33 Not an Easy Transition - 36:00 Portland, ME - 39:00 Involved with Women's Hockey - 41:36  It was like Stepping on a Fast Moving Train - 44:12 The Coach does not get a Medal, It’s all about the Players! - 46:31 A New Chapter - 48:00 Prime Pieces of Advice from a Renowned Coach- 50:10 Coaching the American Hockey League - 55:20 What to do during the Downtime - 57:50 The Influence One Video can have - 1:01:00 Hit Your Mark - 1:01:04 How to get involved   Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly.   If you would like to be a guest on the Make Your Mark podcast and/or know someone else who has either been an athlete, in a role within the sports industry, or a military veteran, and have made a successful transition into a new role, I’d love to hear from you! Just send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and we’ll discuss!   If you would like more information on how I can get you unstuck and moving forward with your transition, let’s talk. We can see whether it makes sense to work directly with me, or I can give you other options, but don’t let your transition wait another day, let’s connect!   Be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!   How are YOU going to Make Your Mark today? Go get ‘em!

My first reaction was - holy cow, I have a General on my #MakeYourMark podcast! Even better was getting to know today’s guest, Major General Jeffrey Milhorn, Commanding General of the US Army Corps of Engineers for the Northeast, Europe and Africa. The MG brings 29 years of military experience to bear as he oversees a critical group of military and civilians. He is an avid environmentalist, and yes, an impressive surfer!   Oftentimes when people join the military, it’s never about ‘me’ or ‘I’, it often is service. The word service itself is indicative of joining something bigger than one’s self. You’re serving with and for others.   Jeff and I share a passion for helping veterans once they leave the service and make the often challenging transition into civilian life, and in this episode you will hear him not only describe the great work that the Army Corps of Engineers is doing, but also the importance of service to our country and how we need to educate and encourage men and women from all backgrounds on the far-reaching benefits of joining the military, and the 150+ functions and roles that can be pursued.   “As a young lieutenant at 22 or 23 years of age you’re now responsible for 30 other soldiers in this case, and their families, and so you grow up pretty quickly because now you realize it isn’t about you, it’s about the team and how you build that team and move down towards whatever objectives are set before you.”   Make sure you give this one a listen - Jeff’s nearly 30 years of service to our country has truly  made an indelible mark wherever he has served, and his focus on partnering with Mother Nature to help save our environment through his work with the Army Corps of Engineers is inspiring!   “I know what we need to do to continue to prepare ourselves and protect lives and property as best we can, and we’re doing those things but still, we’re just scratching the surface.” Some Topics we talk about in this episode:    2:50 “You get less focused on yourself and start thinking, ‘how do I contribute to something much bigger than myself?’” [Initial interest in the military]   4:45 “I was kind of supplementing gas and pizza money on the side” [University of Florida and early military experience]   6:10 “You raise your right hand and pledge the oath to support and defend the Constitution of The United States and then you’re off and running” [Transitioning after graduation]   7:21 “Now, you’re not only responsible for yourself, but everyone else around you” [Challenges of a young leader]   9:38 “You’re constantly assessing people in terms of their ability to accomplish what they’ve been tasked to do” [Moving up the ranks]   10:35 “You still do have an opportunity to express your desire in terms of what you want to do”  [Individual freedom within the military]   12:58 “Bollywood to Hollywood, polar bears to penguins” [Being stationed in Hawaii]   15:03 “Everybody’s gotta give way together… if the majority do, and others don’t, you’re going to still have problems” [Capability of sustainability efforts]   19:15 “It is real, and just look at the last couple of years...” [Climate change and recent natural disasters]   26:50 “It’s really about meeting people wherever you go, and that’s what I enjoy most about what I’m doing” [Favorite military station]   28:56 “How do you protect them as they transition from your organization into the world again?” [Life after the military]   35:18 “You see the opportunity to give back and thank this nation” [Passion for military service]   42:29 Hit Your Mark How to get involved   Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly.   If you would like to be a guest on the Make Your Mark podcast and/or know someone else who has either been an athlete, in a role within the sports industry, or a military veteran, and have made a successful transition into a new role, I’d love to hear from you! Just send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and we’ll discuss!   If you would like more information on how I can get you unstuck and moving forward with your transition, let’s talk. We can see whether it makes sense to work directly with me, or I can give you other options, but don’t let your transition wait another day, let’s connect!   Be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!   How are YOU going to Make Your Mark today? Go get ‘em!

If you are a current or retired athlete, this is the episode to listen to! The #MakeYourMark Podcast focuses on guests who are inspiring and are making an impact. My guest today @Grant Clitsome is using his NHL experiences to help build a program designed for athletes to transition out of their sport easier. Talk about finding my sweet spot! We could have gone on for hours on such a critical topic!   “I remember at the end of the camp, Hitch [Ken Hitchcock] pulls me into his office and he says, ‘Grant, you’re gonna be an NHL defenseman, you just need to go back to Clarkson and keep doing what you’re doing.’ So that was pretty inspiring, and that was a moment where I said to myself, ‘okay maybe I can do this.’”   Grant had to retire earlier than he had hoped because of a back injury, but he has taken advantage of his athletic mindset, and been able to recreate the daily structure that was such a critical part of his athletic career and turn it into the After The Game program.   I’m excited to collaborate with Grant and elevate the athletes that he’s working with, showing them all that they have an incredibly bright future ahead of them after they leave their sport. Make sure you give this episode a listen, especially if you are closing in on the end of your career, or have retired from your sport. Send me your experiences, would like to hear from you!   “I had no idea what was going to happen with hockey and I didn’t anticipate to make a career out of it. That was my goal, but if it didn’t work out or I had an injury or whatever I wanted to make sure I had a backup plan and I had my education. So, that was the big selling feature for me.”   “After the surgery, I came back and played a little bit the following season, then re-herniated the same disk. I had a second surgery and that’s when it just didn’t heal the same way and the doctor’s recommended I stop playing.”   “When you’re playing in the NHL you have a schedule every month that’s handed to you and tells you where to be and what to do at every second of the day. Your meals are all lined up and ready for you, your travel is all lined up and ready for you. There’s just so much structure. Then you go from that environment to just the complete opposite, which is no structure and you’re the one now having to create your own structure. (you can end here for website quote if that helps) It’s challenging but I think the biggest thing for me was to stay busy. If I was just sitting doing nothing I would go crazy, and that’s when you start to get into that dangerous spiral of depression and mental struggles.”   “I think if we can help players prepare for this [life after hockey] before they’re even close to retiring, I think it does so many things for them. From simply a mental health standpoint, I think it gives you a very healthy distraction during the season. There’s so much pressure associated with performing at such a high level throughout the season. It gives you something else to focus on, and channel your energy, and grow and develop as a person outside of just the athlete.”  Some Topics we talk about in this episode:    4:29 “When there was no snow on the whole lake you could just skate for miles and miles” [Growing up in northern Ontario]   8:02 “I was woken up by my mom knocking on my door saying, ‘the Columbus Blue Jackets are on the phone’” [NHL draft experience]   10:37 “The pep bands and the whole student section - it was love at first sight...I wanted to make sure I had a backup plan and I had my education” [Decision to play college hockey]   12:43  “It came down to opportunity and the ability to play and be able to develop” [Attending Clarkson University]   16:18 “That was kind of a moment where I said to myself, ‘okay maybe I can do this’” [Realizing that pro hockey was within reach]    19:35 “I didn’t sleep for a second. There was no way I was falling asleep” [First NHL call up]   21:57 “Wrist shot top corner on Roloson...it was pretty cool having everyone there to see it” [First NHL goal]   24:38 “I was looking forward to a fresh opportunity and being able to re-establish myself” [Trade to Winnipeg]    26:34 “It just didn’t heal the same way and the doctors recommended I stop playing” [Conclusion of hockey career]    29:28 “You kind of go from feeling totally sheltered and supported to just feeling like ‘okay, now what’” [Adjusting to new life]   31:06 “I like wine a lot, and I like to learn. So I thought, ‘what better thing to learn about’?” [Post hockey endeavors]   37:45 “Every athlete goes through some sort of major adjustment” [Involvement with the After the Game Program]   45:46 “It can always be better. There can always be more engagement and more awareness” [Resources provided by the NHL]    50:10 “Get them working on it while they’re still playing, to me that’s the ultimate goal” [The objectives of the ONE Sports’ transition program]    52:25 “An athlete brings so much more to the table than they often realize” [Leveraging your athletic background]   53:53 Hit Your Mark How to get involved   Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly.   If you would like to be a guest on the Make Your Mark podcast and/or know someone else who has either been an athlete, in a role within the sports industry, or a military veteran, and have made a successful transition into a new role, I’d love to hear from you! Just send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and we’ll discuss!   If you would like more information on how I can get you unstuck and moving forward with your transition, let’s talk. We can see whether it makes sense to work directly with me, or I can give you other options, but don’t let your transition wait another day, let’s connect!   Be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!   How are YOU going to Make Your Mark today? Go get ‘em!

“That sound wasn’t an electric fly swatter. It was a gunshot!”  Wow! Most of my guests on my #MakeYourMark podcast have great stories, but when you hear of ex-NFLer @Hakeem Valles’ ordeal in Haiti, you’ll be drawn right in. Hakeem and special guest Max Valles jam so much entertainment and stories in less than an hour!   “It was amazing just getting that phone call, it really didn’t feel real! You watch it on TV, you watch everybody else get the call, those emotions just immediately hit you. That was definitely the best moment of my life so far!” - Max   Hakeem’s story impresses me because he made the bold move to retire from the NFL early mostly because he was doing so well in real estate development, and it was too challenging to balance learning his playbook while looking at leasing opportunities and multi-family building. Max is still playing football, and we get to hear both brothers’ experiences surrounding football, and where both are headed going forward.   It will be hard to find two nicer guys, and you’ll truly enjoy hearing (and watching) this episode beginning to end! Enjoy!   “I’m part of a church group called the First Haitian Baptist Church, its missionary part called “all hands together”. They go to Haiti, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, but most of the people are Haitian, and we went there three days after our graduation with nurses from Villanova University, and our mission was to give medicine to different churches and orphanages across the country.” - Hakeem   “Three missionaries and I were playing a card game called spades, we were using electric fly swatters all week because it is kind of a muggy country, and in the middle of the night there was a storm. We did not have an air conditioner, so we opened our steel door to let the breeze in, all of the sudden we heard this sound and I was thinking “who’s hitting flies all this time” and was completely frozen.  The guy who was at the table across from me lunged over the table and pushed me out of my chair. The sound was a gunshot, and after the gunshot I saw a foot go through the screen door, eight people ran into the house, and that guy across the table saved our lives.” - Hakeem   “I have a four-plex in Arizona, a duplex in Michigan, I own other land in Michigan, and on Friday we closed a deal for seven-unit apartment building in Iowa. Now, we are building teams in different markets that we want to focus on. You need a solid broker, in every market you need an appropriate management team. You need to meet them, compare their properties, compare how they manage, how’s the percentage they take on a lease, and those types of things. Then I usually find a former player from the NFL that lives in that market, and try to connect with them as well, so if we do projects in that market there will be a potential investor.” - Hakeem Some Topics we talk about in this episode: 4:23 “We were always on the sidelines watching” [Growing up in Sicklerville, NJ]   7:37 “Monmouth was the only school that stayed faithful to me” [Hakeem’s recruiting process]   9:25 “They had us lifting weights when I was in the eighth grade before I even went to the school” [Max’s high school football experience]   10:45 “It was a blessing in disguise” [Playing at the University of Virginia]   11:45 “Five slices of pizza at the end of every meal” [Hakeem’s switch from wide receiver to tight end]   14:18 “We were playing volleyball every night with a jump rope we tied to a clothing line” [Missionary work in Haiti]     18:21 “That sound wasn’t an electric fly swatter. It was a gunshot” [Haitian bandits’ attack on the compound]   22:27 “Both of my shoulders feeling like they’re almost popped out because my arms were tied so tight behind my back” [Aftermath of the attack]   24:42 “That was definitely the best moment of my life so far” [Max’s NFL draft day]   26:25 “When they didn’t draft me I was pretty happy” [Hakeem’s free agent signing]   28:17  “At the end of the day you’re a puppet controlled by 32 of the wealthiest people in the world” [Lack of job security in the NFL]   33:35 “I’m looking at my in-season playbook and half of the page is Dallas Cowboys who to scout this week, and the other half of the page is investors to call, brokers to call, properties to check out” [Hakeem’s transition from football to real estate]   37:36 “We couldn’t fit the stairwell through the front door, but the window was big enough on the second floor” [From house flipping to property managing]   44:14 “It’s a big humbling experience … but I like Tim Horton’s” [Max’s move to the CFL]   48:25 Hit Your Mark   How to get involved   Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly.   If you would like to be a guest on the Make Your Mark podcast and/or know someone else who has either been an athlete, in a role within the sports industry, or a military veteran, and have made a successful transition into a new role, I’d love to hear from you! Just send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and we’ll discuss!   If you would like more information on how I can get you unstuck and moving forward with your transition, let’s talk. We can see whether it makes sense to work directly with me, or I can give you other options, but don’t let your transition wait another day, let’s connect!   Be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!   How are YOU going to Make Your Mark today? Go get ‘em!

It was a stroke of luck that Dan Hunt, head football coach of Colgate University, my alma mater, was happy to be meet with me for a live #MakeYourMark podcast recording on campus. As you will hear in this episode, he’s a successful coach, a great guy, and just about the best hire a storied team rich in tradition and history could hope for.   “As far as football goes, the biggest thing right now about the sport is that it’s a little bit under attack, and one of the messages that I would love people to understand is that football did not invent the concussion. This would be the best time, if you have young kids, for them to play football. There is awareness. Was there a time when playing football was not smart, was not safe? Yes, but I think those days are over.”   Hearing how Dan approaches recruiting, finding not just solid football players, but young men who are respectful, smart, and exhibit clearly the long term potential of success in whatever they end up doing. Over the course of this podcast, there were so many pearls of wisdom and advice that clearly make an impact that I had trouble whittling them down for this summary!   “With Tradition Comes Responsibility. A lot of kids choose to come here because they want to be part of a program that’s a winner, and they want to be part of all that comes with that. What they have to understand is that they are signing on to take the responsibility to continue that. We use the term culture a lot. The freshmen, their biggest thing is they have to understand the culture, you have to get caught up in it, it’s like a big sticky wheel. Here it comes for you, and you have to stick to it and keep rolling. The biggest part of being here is that you have to give the boys the confidence they can do it, they have to understand that we would not have recruited them if we did not think they were good enough. Admissions wouldn’t have let them in school if they did not think they could do the work, that is a big part too here, balancing the academic load.”     Dan and I shared a ton of laughs, this is what happens when you put two Seinfeld fans in the same recording studio! Meeting the Beatles, avoiding concussions, we covered it all! A top 3 episode easily, give this a listen!   “I think athletes in general really have some traits that allow them to be successful. One thing with football in particular, I might be biased, but I think football is the ultimate team game, you look at an offense, almost half of those players would go out and never touch the football, they’re on the offensive line, but yet they still play. I think being coachable, being a teammate, being able to see goals through adversity, I think all those things that athletes do really lend themselves to life after football. The good thing about being in a school like Colgate, all of my guys want to go to NFL! The fact that they chose a school like Colgate, they already understand there is life other than the NFL that they need to be ready for.”   “When you meet Colgate alums from all over, it is kind of a common trait in them, they are just interesting people who are trying to be successful, almost like a common gene. The same type of people are like, whether they play football or basketball, rugby or hockey, it does not matter, you can kind of tell that’s a Colgate person. I think that’s what is special about this place, it is like a blood line.” Some Topics we talk about in this episode: Introduction - 02:35 Growing up in Canajoharie - 3:40 Being a Three-Sports Athlete - 4:04 A Coach for sure! - 6:00 Choosing Colgate - 7:54 Becoming a Head Coach - 8:45 You Have to Work to Win - 9:50 That Is a Colgate Person! - 12:03 What Makes a Better Recruitment Experience? -13:25 With Tradition comes Responsibility - 15:05 Screaming Loud in the Fargodome - 21:50 Running into the National Champs - 22:35 Weather vs Climate - 26:37 Not Everyone Goes to the NFL - 31:53 Be Someone They Can Trust! - 36:25 Life After Football - 38:45 Hit Your Mark - 42:30 Favorite Seinfeld Episode - 44:05 Football Under Attack - Concussions - 45:40 Dispelling Football Stereotypes - 47:10 Wish I Had Invented the Keurig - 49:00 Hanging out with Jimmy Buffett - 51:10 Meeting Ringo Starr - 53:00 Wrapping Up - Read Win Again! 57:45   How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly.   If you would like to be a guest on the Make Your Mark podcast and/or know someone else who has either been an athlete, in a role within the sports industry, or a military veteran, and have made a successful transition into a new role, I’d love to hear from you! Just send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and we’ll discuss!   If you would like more information on how I can get you unstuck and moving forward with your transition, let’s talk. We can see whether it makes sense to work directly with me, or I can give you other options, but don’t let your transition wait another day, let’s connect!   Be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!   How are YOU going to Make Your Mark today? Go get ‘em!  

Play ball! Having a career in baseball for over 30 years just sounds like a great way to earn a living, and my guest today on the #MakeYourMark podcast, Jeff Idelson, has been the President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown NY for 11 years! Not only has he presided over an exciting time in baseball history, but he’s made his impact on America’s pastime, and he has great stories to tell! “I got the Yankees job in December of ‘88, and I go to a kick-off cocktail party before the team is going to spring training in ‘89, I was 24 years old and he is there, and I walked right up to him and said, ‘Hey Mr. Steinbrenner, I want to introduce myself to you. I’m Jeff Idelson, I’m your new assistant PR Director.’ He puts his hands on my shoulders, and says ‘Good to have you! You’re that young man from Detroit, aren’t you?’  I said ‘No sir, I’m the young man from Boston!’ and he said ‘Great to have you on board, I have three words of advice for you. Rent, don’t buy!’. I nodded my head, you know, the sage advice from your new boss. Working for him was incredibly rewarding, very difficult guy to work for, a guy who was focused on winning, focus on putting together a product, and we were terrible when I was there. But I learned a lot from him about just being ahead of the curve, how to anticipate, how to manage relationships, it was tough love but it was perfect for me at that age.” Jeff’s career in baseball has spanned from selling hotdogs in Fenway Park, to working for the Boss, George Steinbrenner, and 25 years in Cooperstown, and we cover a wide range of baseball topics, including the chances of Pete Rose along with those suspected of steroid use to be inducted into the Hall, and the incredible HOF Class of ‘19! “I remember having a conversation with a guy named Seymour Siwoff, who bought the Elias Sports Bureau 60 years ago, in fact he still runs it, he’s like 98 now, great guy, but you want to talk about a different era. He calls me on a Saturday morning 7 o'clock and I was like, why is my phone ringing, I don’t work for the team anymore! He says ‘Hi Jeff, it’s Seymour!’ This was in 1994, the internet was just being born and he says, ‘You know I've donated every day-by-day for every player in the history of baseball to your library’ and these are giant ledger books, it’s the statistics for every guy, and he says, ‘I understand you’re going to put all those things on the internet.’ And I said, ‘Seymour, that’s the furthest thing on my mind! All that I am trying to do is to drag people to Cooperstown!’ and he says ‘Good! The internet is a fad, it’s like the hula hoop, it’s going to be gone in a few years!’” This episode was special for me as it stirred up some great memories I have within baseball, including Little League, trading baseball cards, and attending the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. This is a perfect listen for the season! “Pete Rose is a good example. When I came to the Hall in 1994, the big topic was Pete, who back in ‘91 had been banned by baseball. Arguably one of the top hitters of all time, and here you have a Hall of Fame without the all-time hits leader! But baseball’s rules for election don’t consider players who are on the ineligible list, which Pete was on and is still today, and he did nothing to show he belonged in the Hall. As you walk into every clubhouse, as I have done, and the first thing you see is, ‘Don’t Gamble on Baseball’, and Pete admitted to gambling on baseball. Now you have legalized gambling on baseball, you have casinos involved on a tangential level, yet I don’t see his candidacy changing.” “I am trying to make sure the game remains relevant to the younger generations, and it’s challenging, because you have a sport that is tried and true to its traditions, we don’t like to change things very often, and the game is a game of beauty.  But as we talked about growing up, and we wondered why we love baseball so much, well, the reality is that we did not have a lot of choices, and kids and adults today have a lot of choices, and that’s why you see maybe the interest in baseball waning.” Some Topics we talk about in this episode: Introduction - 2:03 Gravitating into Baseball - 3:13 Landing with the Red Sox - 5:37 Working With the Enemy, the Yankees - 8:46 Taking Advice From The Boss - 11:58 Changing My Lifestyle - 13:37 The Hall of Fame! - 14:58 I Am The Baby Boomer - 17:01 Becoming President - 20:14 Old Timer's Game - 23:18 Should Pete Rose be in The Hall? - 29:23 What would you change in Baseball? - 30:59 It’s All About Power! - 32:31 Wrap-up and Takeaways - 37:50 How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away.   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!

When you think of an NFL player, it's 6’5” and 240 lbs or more. Imagine being barely 5’10”, not even 160 lbs, and playing a 9-year career! My guest on today’s #MakeYourMark podcast, JJ Birden, discusses his unexpected rise into the NFL, lessons learned from Joe Montana, and his successful sales and speaking businesses. Throw in a house full of kids, and you have quite the episode! I was always thinking about life after football, I was always thinking about the transition, planning ahead. I graduated from Oregon, and I always thought the NFL was providing me an amazing opportunity, but also what about the network, what about the opportunities afterwards, and quite frankly I never thought I would play for 9 years. When I got to year 2, year 3, I was like let’s see if we can make it to year 4, year 5, so by the time I got to my ninth year I was thinking, here I am 5’10’ and 157, one of the smallest players in the NFL, I am relatively healthy, I can stop now and be able to live a life physically well.  At the same time I created some really nice relationships in the business world that made me ready to make the transition. What stands out about JJ is his passion to teach his audience about the critical importance of seizing opportunities when presented, of taking the leap and going for your dreams. We’ve all heard of those who we wonder “How did that person get there, that makes no sense?!”...JJ teaches us how to become that person! I was not the kid who was raised thinking I wanted to be an NFL football player, it never really crossed my mind, and when I got drafted by Cleveland, even then I was still thinking about getting ready for the Olympic trials. It wasn’t something I expected, I did not believe I could play for the NFL at that point. We had a superb conversation, and JJ is one of the truly nice guys who wants the best for whoever he interacts with! You’ll get plenty of advice from both of us in this episode, happy listening! This is probably the biggest thing I tell people about speaking: I want you to take your laptop and just start writing all of the different things that have happened in your life, the memories, the stories, because we all have content.  You have to take time to think what happened throughout your life, what were the experiences, and collect all those moments so when you figure out your messages and what your audience is, then you can start building what that signature keynote is going to be. Not everyone is going to agree with your path, your choices and every thing that you do, it is not for them to understand your mission, your direction, your goals, it’s for you to understand it and to believe it. That’s what I’ve always focus on in different stages in my life. Some Topics we talk about in this episode: Introduction - 02:05 Born and raised in Portland - 4:15 The Buzzing Program - 5:35 Let’s try The Long Jump! 7:25 Embracing the opportunity - 10:35 Proving them wrong - 12:13 Getting injured - 17:30 Meeting Joe Montana - 20:05 Life After Football - 22:27 Being an Entrepreneur  - 24:49 Running my Own Business - 26:45 Building the Signature Key Note- 29:20 You’ll Do Whatever it Takes! - 32:00 Believing in your Mission and Journey - 35:20 Speaking from the Heart - 37:59 Getting to Know People - 44:05 A Family of Eight! - 46:13 Wrap-up and Takeaways - 52:05 How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away. If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!  

I’ve been a big fan of Front Office Sports and its newsletter almost since its debut, as it delivers daily content covering the convergence of sports and technology, along with other sports-related articles and excerpts. I was happy to capture an hour for my #MakeYourMark podcast with Russ Wilde, the very busy COO of Front Office Sports, and schoolmate of founder Adam White. “Like any sport or activity, once there's enough eyeballs and sponsorship dollars, it just opens up the floodgates, and the only ceiling is how many people will watch this stuff, which seemingly continues to grow.” What I appreciate about the strategy that Russ and Adam are following is how they are looking past the horizon, realizing that some of the big fish they are starting to catch now will only lead to a bigger bounty in the very near future. Russ and I had a very lively chat, covering a variety of topics including the Kentucky Derby controversy, why millennials might continue to attend baseball games, and the dramatic growth of FOS. “I think going to a game is still an experience that people want to have. It is becoming more corporate, and a family of 5 or 6 going to baseball game costs a lot of money. Millennials spend money on experiences. I just went last week to to a ballgame with a few of my friends. So I don't think that's necessarily going away, but I think what is going to go away is you'll have less fans buying tickets for personal use. It's no longer a family of four buying season tickets, it's Wells Fargo or Morgan Stanley or a law firm. So that's the one thing that I think is changing the most.” At 26, Russ has a super bright future ahead of him, and the direction he’s helping steer Front Office Sports will impress you. Give this a listen, you’ll see how natural of a guest Russ is! Happy Listening! “For us the biggest thing is our newsletter because we feel that’s one of our best products, and it’s a way for us to have one to one relationship with our audience. A lot of media companies want to have an app, and there are benefits to that, including the data perspective. One of the main reasons why you build an app, outside the data, is to be able to push content to people. So for us when we draw people to our newsletter, typically they stick, and that’s a way for us to keep in the news feed every day with that platform.”   Some Topics we talk about in this episode: Introduction - 0:50 College life and sports in Miami - 5:20 The Creation of Front Office Sports  - 9:58 Morning Brew style - 11:26 Kentucky Derby controversy - 13:36 Betting in sports! - 15.35 Brands diving in - 17:10 Streaming or Live sports? - 17:63 A smart way to save money - 21:10 It is not just about selling out! - 23:10 Crawling before you walk - 24:67 Two Passion Points: Sports and Business - 28:22 Sponsoring and Media Companies - 29:25 The Only Competition is Ourselves - 30:13 FOS Production - 32:54 Growing the audience - 33:41 Target Market - 35:30 Living your dream - 36.43 Wrap-up and Takeaways - 38:15 How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away. If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!

Whenever I think I have a plate that is completely full, I have a guest like Otis “Hoop” Hooper on my #MakeYourMark podcast to remind me how accomplished some people can truly be! Hoop not only has served our country for almost 20 years as a pilot, but has some many other accomplishments under his belt, and wait until you hear about being on American Ninja Warrior! And that’s just the tip of the iceberg...   I had no desire to be a pilot, but what I did enjoy was leading and inspiring others, affecting change. So while I was there over the 4 years we listened to many different leaders, learned about the military history, and what I observed was those in the Air Force who would affect change the most were the leaders of the organizations, they were pilots, so I figured out that for me the fastest way to affect change and to lead was to be a pilot, and so that’s why I decided to become a pilot.   What really stands out about Hoop in my mind is his ability to focus, to put a beacon on what he wants to achieve, and once he’s set his mind to it, it gets done. Just imagine not wanting to necessarily become a USAF pilot, but doing so in order to lead. Think about how hard it is to swim with 3000 other swimmers starting an Ironman Triathlon, and hear how Hoop got through it.   While I was deployed I had my first son in 2003, and so during that period I realized I was not the kind of father I wanted to be, just absent all the time, so I decided to make a shift from active duty to National Guard, I didn’t know anything about the guard, it was on of the best kept secrets in the military, so I started talking to some guard guys and they explained me how it works. I found a Guard Unit in D.C. that also flew airplanes, had a similar mision, so I transferred and applied for an instructed pilot position. They had a VIP mission, so I started doing that and I really enjoyed it, and starting in 2005 I flew those for 12 years.   Hoop and I covered a ton of ground, and offer up advice not just for servicemembers looking to transition into civilian life, but for anyone who feel like they’re in a bit of a rut. Give this episode a good listen, Hoop truly impresses!   Recruiting command was out in San Antonio, Texas, and they were specifically trying to increase the African-American representation at pilot training, because the statistics are not good, including women as well. So they asked me to come on board and target specific conventions, different seminars and to help the process, and the ones who were interested in flying to get into the program.   You’ve trained for this moment, just trust your training, and I got through it. I think a lot of those things can apply to military.  We trained for a long time, and doing what we’ve done, it is just about translating the skills that we have into where we are today, and just taking the first step.  Once you start doing that process and get into the rhythm, you just go for it. So for me the event itself was not the hard part, it was getting in my own head.   Afterburner is a group of what we call elite military professionals, Air Force Pilots, Navy Seals, Army Rangers, VIP pilots as myself, and what we do is we go and talk to both big and small businesses, and we just talk about the process that we use in the military to accomplish a mission. It is not complicated, but we explain how we plan in the military, how we brief the plan, we’re going to execute and most importantly at the end of that we debrief, and we debrief for the process and the purpose of accelerating future performance, and we repeat that cycle. And we talk to businesses about the importance of doing those steps in that order, to do it efficiently. Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   Introduction - 02:23 Born and raised in Virginia - 05:58 Living in a Karate School - 6:20 Leading, inspiring and affecting change - 8:08 The hard task of refuelling - 12:53 Being part of the 09/11 afterwards  - 15:28 Transition into Instructoring - 16:03 Flying for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama - 18:25 Increasing African-American representation  - 21:15 The Challenge of Recruitment - 22:30 Serving the Country through the Military Life - 24:43 Being part of American Ninja Warrior - 26:00 Watching behind the scenes 29:53 The Ironman - 31:21 Training hard to execute well - 35:28 Beating the time - 37:68 Afterburners league - 40:44 Incorporating personal story into the speech - 44:21 Sky rocking it - 45:26 Mastering Yourself in Acting 48:31 Wrap-up and Takeaways - 51:20 How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away.   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!

The “Get Out of Arkansas” Plan! Nothing against Arkansas, but my guest today on the #MakeYourMark podcast, Derrick Furlow Jr., made a commitment to overcome a severe injury in football, attend a top college program, and be able to provide for himself and his family for years to come. Hear about the obstacles he has overcome to become a leader in helping athletes transition out of their sport.   “Getting out of the operating room, I had this brace on my left leg, and when I touched it I asked, ‘Hey doc what’s this brace on my leg?’. His reply changed my life forever, ‘the brace is for your ACL’. It wasn’t even torn! In that moment I became obsolete on the football landscape; my dreams, my goals, everything I’ve been working on had been taken away. I remember one day crying, sitting on my bed, using this machine to rehab, and I heard this voice saying ‘I gave you this football stage for the glorification of my kingdom and you are using that stage for your own purposes, so I had to take it away to get your attention’, and that moment my life changed forever, because it gave me a different perspective.”   If you join Derrick and I in a room full of current and former athletes, we’ll show you how to leverage your athletic skill set into business success. Derrick can show you the mindset needed using his college football background experiences, and I’ll follow it up with the how to’s on getting in front of the right people in business and entrepreneurship to get you to that higher level. Make sure you give this one a listen, it’s non-stop energy and advice!   “The crazy thing is that I was with the number one recruiting class in the country. I had to prove why I was there.  This was not the road I thought I was going to take, there were a lot of undefined things I had to redefine. I hadn’t played a game in a year, the stadium seats 107,000 people, and I have to prove this to myself and to the coaches. I didn’t have the easy route. I knew what I had to do to get to that point, I had to do what I expected to do, and I exceeded it.”   Derrick is such an engaging, funny, caring and knowledgeable guy, and has lots of great advice for you, happy listening!   “I sat down and asked myself, ‘What made me a leader in sports? What did I do to make me one of the best of the best?’ And I thought, we learned our playbook and we studied our opponents. So we’re going to see different scenarios and we’re going to practice it, and it is going to be recorded. While we watch it we’ll make adjustments and corrections, and then we’re going to go back and practice again. So the next day we know what to say, or not to say. I started doing this on a regular basis, I became really good at selling, and I could duplicate it. Sure enough my sales started to go up, my sales team started to go up, and it became really easy.”   “Sports gives you the opportunity of controlling the environment. You watch it and you can take things from it. Athletes who people look up to and admire, you can take things from them and apply them directly to your life and achieve the same level of success in your life and your business.” Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   Introduction - 01:24 Growing up in Georgia - 03:23 Rapper or Sports? - 06:35 Rush for 2200 Yards, and Live Happily Ever After - 09:40 To control Freedom and Control my Happiness - 12:50 Junior to Senior year - 14:35 Obsolete on the Football Landscape - 16:38 A Different Perspective in Life - 17:50 Deciding My Future after the Injury - 20:45 Taking the Difficult Route - 21:54 Focusing on Something Bigger than Me - 26:26 Start Preparing Before the Moment Hits - 32:55 Torn ACL Leads to Uncertain Future - 36:19 Relevant tools, from Sales to Real Life - 38:00 What the Game Taught Me vs What I Gave the Game - 40:35 Decode Your Own Message - 44:45 Struggling After Sports - 47:48 What Athletes Bring to the Table - 49:13 Wrap-up and Takeaways - 52:24 How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away.   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!

One hit and an awkward fall into the boards was all it took to end an NHL career. My guest today on the #MakeYourMark podcast, Jesse Winchester, had just signed a two year deal with the Colorado Avalanche, and was looking forward to a great season with his new teammates before a severe concussion in the pre-season took that all away. And I don’t think I’ve had a more grateful and appreciative guest! You’ll hear about his less traditional entry into the NHL, backyard rinks, and the year + recovery needed to rebound from his injury.   Because the symptoms persisted, it was a little bit depressing, but with time I got better. It sucks that I cannot play hockey anymore, but I’ve been able to transition into coaching because I still have that love for the game. I probably missed out on a year of earning potential, but I had a pretty good run. Once I got through that darkness, I have great memories, and I am healthy now, excited for what's ahead.   Jesse and I spoke about how a concussion leaves you injured in ways that are not visible to teammates and others, how visiting a grocery store was almost impossible, and life after the NHL. We focus on the need for further resources for retired athletes, along with the importance (and difficulties) of preparing for life after sport while you are still playing.   I was fortunate to receive a full scholarship from Colgate. My first year was really rough, but going into my second year, my body and my skills all came together, and I started to become an impactful player at that level and received some recognition and scouting advice from people. I realized I might be able to have the chance one day to play somewhere professionally.   This was a special episode as we dove deep into how an injury can be mentally and physically traumatic, and how family and friends play such a pivotal role after retirement. Please give this a listen, especially if you are a current or retired athlete, you’ll be glad you did.   My mentor was one of my best friends and coach at the time, and we had a real chat about whether or not I thought I could still improve at the college level, or if I was ready to embark on a professional level. I made the decision to come back to Colgate, graduated with my buddies - my teammates - and tried to focus on really preparing myself for a pro career in my senior year. After that I had pretty much pick of the litter, probably over a dozen teams to choose from, and I chose Ottawa because they were going to put me in a game right after my collegiate season was over.   When my buddies were finishing senior spring and I had to balance the workload there, honestly it was a fantastic experience.  I had tons of support, my teammates from college trekked on the bus and watched my first game, and it was very, very special. You know, those are memories I will have for the rest of my life, and they are also a big part of helping me to reach my goals and dreams!   I was that kind of guy just driven to compete and play, and there was the frustration of not getting better on my time. Being around the guys and trying to not feel like you're hiding something, and you look like you´re fine, but you´re not. I think it’s important to have a solid network of family and friends. I wasn't able to connect with my teammates, they were on the road and I had to stay back. But the sun comes up in Denver, and that’s where we enjoyed exploring the mountains. I tried my best to get back to playing, and made the best decision ultimately.  I don´t wanna go through that again, but it is part of my journey, and minus that year, I have pretty nice memories of hockey to look back on, and that what I choose to focus on now.   I was never super secure, I was replaceable in the NHL. Looking back probably I wish I could have spent more time looking ahead, but I don't know how that would have worked out for me. There are guys who are super established, they are going anywhere they want, and are able to develop other interests.  I would have loved to recognize that sooner, but I don't know if I would have been able to change it because I was so focused on skating. The opportunity is there. Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   Introduction - 0:40 Getting into hockey - 2:50 It might lead to something - 6:20 Colgate University and Scholarship - 7:50 Getting the balance in a young age - 10:40 Wanted to play professionally - 14:00 Finland-bound - 18:20 Coming back to the NHL - 20:10 Contract with Colorado - 22:10 Suffering a severe concussion - 23:00 What the symptoms were - 25:45 Facing the symptoms - 27:20 Advice for other concussion sufferers - 28:50 What's next - 32:25 What the NHL offers for career planning? - 35:40 Resources from the Player’s Association - 41:40 What athletes bring to a business - 48:25 LinkedIn as a networking tool - 50:25 Hit Your Mark - 55:20 Wrap-up and Takeaways - 56:40 How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away.   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!

Running my business for nearly a decade now, I can certainly attest to its challenges. My guest today on the #MakeYourMark podcast, Darrah Brustein, makes it so much easier to navigate those entrepreneurial waters. Her attitude is so positive, energetic, infectious, engaging, and she’s hitting her stride big time. Oh, should I mention that one of her free guides has been downloaded over 1.2 million times! You really need to listen to our conversation - it’s chock full of knowledge!   “We all want to buy stuff, but we don’t want to feel sold to. If you’re just coming out of the gate launching some BS at me, I’m already on the defense, and I have no interest in furthering this conversation. So if you can come in and be introduced by someone whom I trust, or you can come to an event I’m throwing, or you can start following me online and start contributing to what I am doing, and demonstrate to me that you’re someone who actually cares, then I might be interested.”   Darrah and I really got on a roll, offering one piece of advice and wisdom after another, and you will hear how our chat was a continuous stream of ideas, guidance and helpful tips that will help everyone who tunes in. We all have a tendency to admire and yearn to be like those we see on social media, and yet Darrah preaches the notion of creating the life that you love, of living your life by design, not by default. Amen!   “I realized, if I can take some of this stuff that I’ve been accumulating, and this knowledge base that I’ve been collecting, maybe this could be helpful to people,  So about a year ago I set into motion this passion project to write a new book, and create a ton of free resources and content for people who want to intentionally design their lives and build businesses to fund, and networks to support it.”   This was an episode that absolutely flew by, and as you listen, you won’t be able to hit the pause button...I like t pull a few quotes from my guests, and honestly, there were way too many here to transcribe. Thanks Darrah!   “I didn't grow up thinking I’m going to start a business, and the first one is going to be credit card processing, and then I didn’t think two years into building this business, where we’re super heads down, that I'm going to start this other business, and then I didn’t think ‘Hey I'm going to write a children's book’ - I don't even have children! There were things that just evolved because I felt like the current was taking me that direction.”   “Desperation stench is real, and we can feel it, and it doesn’t work. You’ve got to treat people as people”   Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   Introduction - 2:25 Talking about Atlanta and New York - 4:25 Highlights on current activities and plans - 5:50 Networking and young professionals - 6:15 Knowledge collecting throughout the years - 7:45 Darrah’s background - 8:45 Behind the curtains - 10:00 Experience as a Skier - 14:10 Going into corporate organizations/ Entrepreneurs - 16:00 Play the cards the best you know and make the best of it - 19:25 What is it that you want to develop? - 23:25 Doing online courses 28:15 What do you? Such a hard question - 29:25 The 55 questions to ask someone to get to know each other - 30:25 Your inner circle of friends 37:25 A gracious way to say someone “no” - 42:35 The psychology of buying - 47:25 Had to jump off the hamster wheel - 51:15 Focus on customer needs - 56:25 Wrap-up and Takeaways - 64:00 How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away.   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!

Turning dirt to gold. That is what Brian Doyle, today’s guest on my #MakeYourMark podcast is doing. As a professional rugby player, Brian was keenly aware of the physical struggles it took to endure to be successful for so many years. But it was a serious injury years ago that created that light bulb moment that is quickly becoming the go to exercise equipment for core training and recovery.   “Tearing my ACL was my first introduction to a real injury, and there’s a whole mental aspect of that, but also the physical demands that you go through if you want to return to play. I was able to make it back in about 5 months, which is pretty quick for an ACL.  First you get the knee fixed, you do the repair, and then is the physical therapy. I became really tight with my physical therapist, and I had to spend time actually getting mobility back in my knee. While I was transitioning out of physical therapy into a more strength and conditioning program, I had this concept at the top of my head, and I really just wanted to build a tool that helped recreate all of these motions. This is how I ended up launching this product called Axius Core as I was transitioning out of the rugby world.”   Brian has combined his keen understanding of the importance of maintaining balance in your core, increasing your endurance and stamina, and developing a product that is easy to use, transport, and get used to, along with a stellar support system to create Axius Core. Just a few minutes a day using it’s wide variety of capabilities will lead to a dramatic improvement in your foundational strength and healthier joints.   “I think people are willing to spend money on things that are going to give them the outcome that they want, and that’s our job as a brand to help you achieve your outcome.  We are going to do whatever we can within our power to make it as easy and convenient as possible for you as my customer to accomplish your goal.”   Brian and I covered his switch from basketball to rugby, what brought him into the incredibly competitive world of exercise equipment, and how he hopes to have a product in the same league as Peloton and others, and I’m certain that Axius will get there. Make sure you listen to Brian’s transition from athlete to entrepreneur!   “I was a decent student but I fell in love with rugby. I remember the first game I played I realized how incredibly difficult it was just to feel like you’re doing anything, like I was so unfit! I remember looking at the other guys who were so impressive, how are they not so tired? So I wanted to see if I could do it. There are training elements that are necessary to play rugby well. You have to be strong, as there are contact and tackle situations, and just the fitness and the endurance required to be able to do both. There is running around like a soccer player, but having to be able to deliver contact like a football player.  It was a challenge, I started getting into the training, going to the gym, to make myself better; I think that was more the hook for me.” “One of the cops I used to work out with all the time was a rugby player for Brockport College, he was very good. He said ‘Oh, you’re going to URI, you gotta play rugby!’ and I answered ‘I’m not gonna play rugby with you, are you nuts? It is not what I’m going to do at all!’ So he started getting in my ear about it, then I ended up going to URI, and actually the first week I was there I received a package with rugby boots and an impassioned note basically saying ‘Go to rugby practice now!’. I played basketball just for fun, but rugby got me hooked, and that was it!” Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   Introduction - 0:30 New York state (born and raised) - 1:09 Basketball background - 3:23 Basketball to Rugby transition - 4:27 First game experience - 8:30 The hook: Can I do it? - 9:38 Being part of a real team - 10:20 Culture of the game - 10:40 Still a new professional game - 15:20 After graduating, now what? -16:34 Receiving the first cap in Rugby - 18:30 First injury - 20:17 Launching the product-Axius Corp - 22:49 Building the product - 28:40 Opening up market possibilities - 31:20 Business development - 32:12 Helping people achieve their goals - 34:45 Creating different models of the product - 36:00 Explaining the “why?” instead of the “what?” - 40:35 Associate long-term health with Axius product - 42:00 Commercial Market - 43:50 Different outcomes - 45:00 Being an entrepreneur and rugby athlete - 49:26 Wrap-up and Takeaways - 53:03 How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away.   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!

I was convinced that there must be 36 hours in a day for my guest on this week’s #MakeYourMark podcast, Santia Deck. How could anyone pack so much into 24 hours? Santia not only is trying out for the US National Rugby Team, but also plays flag football, runs her own fitness company, is a fitness model, appears on TV shows, and oh, right, has 300,000 followers on Instagram. “I play USA Rugby, a lot of my time is training, traveling for games. I am also a business owner. My business has taken off quite a bit this last 3 months. I am traveling out of the country almost every month now, I am doing TV work, and I will possibly be on another competition show. I have a talk show that we'll be filming this month. I am doing a lot of things!” So I was pleased when she was able to give me one of those 36 hours to record this episode! You will truly be inspired by her story of overcoming the bullies, finding her confidence, becoming a collegiate track and field athlete, and trying out for the USA Rugby team, not necessarily by accident! She is the reigning Queen of Abs, and can show you how to transform your body right away! And Santia is only getting started! “A friend challenged me saying she would get more followers than me. So I started posting all my videos of me working out onto Instagram. People started commenting ‘You have really defined abs for a girl’! That’s when I started posting more pictures and videos of my workouts. My mom said I should start my own brand, and she asked me what I wanted to call it. I said “Princess of Abs” and she said, ‘Why would you be a Princess when you can be a Queen?’? And that’s how it became Queen of Abs!” Santia and I cover lots of ground, with advice on being a business owner, the power and responsibility of influencing others, and so much more, give this episode a good listen! “I ended up speaking with a company from Hawaii, and they had a shirt I really liked.  I said ‘I would love to promote your shirt on my platform’ and I had maybe 6,000 followers. They hired me, and that’s how I went from being a broke college student to getting everything for free. That's when I realized I could make a living from this!” Some Topics we talk about in this episode: Introduction - 0:45 What's keeping you busy right now? 3:45 Growing up in Houston 6:45 Publishing the First book 7:20 What's the book about? 9:00 Writing in High School: 10:00 Life after graduation 11:30 Queen of abs 12:35 Missing the national championship 14:10 Getting involved in Rugby 17:00 First time in Vegas for the tournament 22:15 Traveling around the world and exposing to different cultures 24:25 Social Media view internationally 26:40 Steve Austin's challenge 27:20 A message to teenagers 29:25 Traveling to Costa Rica 33:30 What is something that someone can do that would  be strengthening? 36:40 Wrap-up and Takeaways -37:50 How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away. If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life, business and career!

Can you imagine only having enough money to afford a one-way bus ticket, and going someplace you’ve never been, with no idea if you’ll be welcomed when you get there? Today’s Mark Your Mark podcast guest, Corey Jackson, not only was in that spot, but has turned what little he had at that point twenty years ago into playing in the NFL and running a successful business. And this is one journey you’ll want to listen to!   “When I was working at Walmart I was miserable because I was not living the life I wanted to live. One day I was just sitting there, on this pity party where my life sucks and this thing gets on my head, "Who did this to you? Whose fault is this?”. And what I realized in that moment was that no one did it to me, but I also realized nothing was stopping me, so I did what I always did, I was creative, and made things happen.”   Corey has truly made the most of his opportunity, and as you will hear in this episode, he shows how focusing completely on basketball, becoming a top collegiate player, and almost by complete accident jumping into football, led him to starting his own company, Qwerkz. He has created an App that makes it easy for athletes to have access to products and service providers that can be trusted. Corey is everywhere on LinkedIn and other social media, offering inspirational messaging and advice for entrepreneurs and athletes making that transition into business.   “This is how the things that you struggle with actually help you. I struggled academically, I was slow, and it took me longer to understand things.  I was still behind, and because I had to come back to campus, one one of the football coaches told me I was his favorite player, but that I was playing in the wrong sport!  He told me I should be playing football. I ended up getting through the season, and one of the coaches called and told me “You need to come over here because we have 30 NFL scouts asking about you. They want to know who the basketball player is.” I just went and killed the workouts, and suddenly had agents calling me.”   Corey has jumped over hurdle after hurdle along the way, and you’ll really enjoy this episode filled with his uplifting story of beating the odds to get to where he is today, making him the ideal guest for the Make Your Mark podcast! Happy listening!   “It was overwhelming, one of the greatest feelings. You come out of this tunnel, and this is something you have watched your entire life, and all these people screaming. I am nobody, but they know me. Amazing experience walking out on that field. That was one of the most remarkable feelings that I’ve ever had. It makes you think anything is possible!”   Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   Introduction - 0:40 Growing up in south carolina - 5:10 Going behind the scenes - 7:45 Losing is the hardest thing to do/learning how to lose - 8:35 Academic Difficulties - 9:15 Figuring out how to do it, and how to get things done - 12:05 Not living the life you want to live - 13:45 Applying for school - 15:00 How are you gonna pay for it - 17:25 We want you on the team-Life changing - 18:45 Training the whole team - 20:40 I became a leader - 22:00 You're my favorite player but you're playing the wrong sport - 23:35 Long story, short - 25:00 I'm nobody but they know me (getting out on the field) - 27:05 Anything is possible - 28:10 I took off like a rocket - 29:15 I'll go there and kill it - 34:15 Giving up the half million - 35:15 The transition - 36:15 Trying to fund my lifestyle - 38:25 Talking about retired athletes and how to help them - 43:15 Starting a new company - 44:40 Where do you wanna take it in the next 5-10 years? - 46:10 Staying on top of the game - 49:15 Follow on social media - 50:30 Hit Your Mark - 51:35 How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away towards taking your business and career to a much higher level!   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life!

Reaching the pinnacle in your sport or profession is an amazing achievement, but to do it in two separate ones is truly remarkable! How many former NFL athletes do YOU know who also happen to be internationally acclaimed opera singers? Well, until today, likely none. Here’s your chance to hear the incredible story of my guest today, Ta’u Pupu’a, on the Make Your Mark podcast. You will hear about the challenges, hurdles, and ultimately, successes that Ta’u went through to be where he is today. “There are a lot of times when you’re on that stage, and you're singing with other artists but you feel alone, because in football you play as a family, as a team, but in opera what I've noticed is everyone wants to be the quarterback, everyone wants to throw that touchdown pass,  everyone wants to be in the spotlight. But luckily I’m 6’5”. In my mind I look at the opera as a family, as a unit, and I look at the conductor as the coach making sure the plays are all running smoothly.” If you’ve been following this podcast, you know that a common thread throughout is the story of the transition from either the playing field, court, rink, or even battlefield into a venture creating a lasting and positive impact, and Ta’u fits perfectly into that mold. It took a full year of being depressed and without direction for him to answer the calling of being a singer, and taking a giant leap of faith towards NYC. “After the injury I struggled. I made the decision to go home, and driving from Baltimore to Utah was a two day drive.  I had a lot to think about. What was I going to do? What was my life going to be? I was depressed for about a year, I couldn't watch football, couldn’t watch my teammates be out there playing while I was sitting at home. I thought about  what was my true calling in life, and I remember looking outside, and said step left, move forward, and go and sing. I thought, this is crazy, I’ve been playing football since I was 10, and now I’m going to go sing. I decided to do that, so I packed my one suitcase and moved to New York.” Ta’u is such a positive guy, with commitment, drive, perseverance all rolled up into a 6’5” body that can belt out an aria with the best of them. You will be inspired by the his determination to succeed on two big stages, performing at the top of his game, and leaving any doubters behind. Happy listening! “How do you meet people in the music industry? I got a job across from the Metropolitan Music Hall, the greatest opera house. I walked into this restaurant and said “Hey I’d like to work here”, and soon enough became the maitre d’! I picked that location because I knew that all the opera singers would cross the street to eat there, and Julliard was also across the street, and that's how I met my current colleagues! All these big opera singers would come into the restaurant, and I learned a lot by just watching. The same method applied to football, you learn by watching, and you go out and do it. You learn by examples - good examples.” “For me I had to go back to God and believe that things are going to work out no matter what. And that’s when that voice popped into my head to keep going, but that we’re going to go into a different chapter in my life.” Some Topics we talk about in this episode: Introduction - 0:40 The Move to America - 3:50 A Football Star on the Rise - 5:35 I just had to show up and Deliver - 8:25 6’5”, 290 lb and Killing it - 9:30 Polynesian Pioneers - 12:10 A Different Kind of Treatment - 14:15 Behind the Curtain - 15:25 The Baltimore Ravens - 18:45 A Serious Injury - 20:00 A Life-Changing Decision - 20:30 One Suitcase and I was On My Way to New York. - 24:25 Hustling in the City - 25:25 You Learn By Watching - 26:30 Strong Ties Between Opera and Football - 28:30 Breaking The Mold - 31:00 What it Takes to be an Incredible Opera Singer - 34:25 “You have a God-given talent.” - 36:45 Amazing Benefits of being Bilingual - 40:00 For Me I’m just Ta’u from Tonga - 43:15 Our Body is our Instrument - 44:25 When Injuries Hit You in the NFL, It’s a “Tough Luck” Type of Deal - 48:30 Hit Your Mark - 54:10 How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away on your path to success! If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to Make their Mark in life and business!

There are so many pathways to becoming an Olympian that began in a different direction, and today’s guest, Garrett Klugh, certainly never set out to be at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. He had his sights set on collegiate volleyball before realizing that his path to athletic success was rowing a boat. I am always impressed with what someone does after they leave their sport, and Garrett has continued his athlete’s mindset into entrepreneurship with great success! “I’ve always been fascinated by people who start something from nothing, this whole idea of entrepreneurship, where it’s ‘I have this idea and it doesn’t exist that I know of and if it does I’m gonna do it better and I’m gonna take nothing and build something.’” Garrett and I go back a ways, as we have a shared interest in helping athletes take their next steps, especially as entrepreneurs, and giving others those a-ha moments that lead them to success. Between Athens and NYC he has been a policeman in San Diego, a professor in Colorado, continued services to his fellow Olympians, all leading to his current work with Falk Ventures, and of course, the Huddle. “Like most new business school grads, I thought ‘I’m going to go work in finance, this will be the first time I can get a stamp on my resume that says you can work for a big company that shows you can work and play well with others’ and it was a time in my life where I needed to do that, except for one thing… I was 39 years old and I was entering the workforce in a different way in New York than a 25 year old was, no one knew what to do with me.” We include numerous tips for athlete-entrepreneurs - give this one a careful listen, and be prepared to take notes! Happy Listening! Some Topics we talk about in this episode: Where it all began - 3:45 Rowing wasn’t even on my mind - 7:00 The Spark of a Passion - 8:30 Gaining an advantage - 12:45 Rowing His Way to the Olympics - 15:00 Hustling for an Income - 21:00 Understanding the Competition - 26:30 How to take the Programs to the Next Level - 33:25 Every Day I felt like I was Putting on a Costume - 38:35 Nobody Knew What to do with Me - 44:25 How to Identify your Next Passion - 51:45 The Huddle - 57:10 Hit Your Mark - 60:40   How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away on your path to success! If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life!

“The HBL is a college basketball league that has been developed to eliminate the inefficiencies that exist in the traditional system. We are striving to become the premier destination for college basketball talent across the globe.” (Ricky Volante) You will soon hear so much more about the new HBL, a league that will change the face of college basketball completely. I had the chance to speak with co-founder Ricky Volante and 15-year NBA veteran David West at length in the new #MakeYourMark podcast about the new league that they have started, and it is turning heads big time! What?!! Paying college athletes to play their sport? That has been taboo….until now! “There’s nowhere you can go where you can watch guys who are not in the NBA play by the NBA’s rules. This will make it a much faster game, and I’m interested to see how fast these young kids can actually play at that pro pace.” (David West) Ricky and his team have figured out the best way to pay college age athletes to play basketball in preparation for a career in the NBA, at the same time offering them the ability to attend a college of their choice without having to be constrained by current NCAA rules. What they are proposing in the HBL can make all sides satisfied, and benefit the student-athletes and their families. “With the HBL what we have set out to create from Day 1 is the best model that is suited for the athletes themselves, eliminating that false choice between compensation or education, and instead bringing a model together that allows them to have both compensation and education” (Ricky Volante) David lays out the basketball operations side of things, and Ricky describes how investors can be directly involved in operating the teams. We cover almost everything you can think, and I challenge you to think of any holes that they may have missed. Jump onto the HBL bandwagon, it’s going to be a great ride! “We want to talk to guys about the importance of leading the charge, being a leader at their university, and not being a follower.” (David West) “I used to wrestle with the decision of whether or not to go right back into basketball, whether or not I wanted to coach, but I think what the HBL has provided is an opportunity to work on the executive side which I’m really interested in, on the corporate side of the group, the development of the business, these are the things I’m definitely interested in. I guess I’m killing two birds with one stone. I get to stay in basketball and engage in something I know well, and love being part of the basketball family, but also have the opportunity to engage in the business side of things, and help grow the business.” (David West) Some Topics we talk about in this episode: Introduction - 0:40 Ricky Volante - 4:50 David West - 5:25 Rookies Unprepared for the NBA - 8:00 What is the HBL? - 9:10 Options going into College Basketball - 10:20 HBL advantages - 11:00 The HBL game - 12:30 HBL Coaching - 14:30 NCAA can’t Control Students - 16:00 Recruiting Process - 18:40 HBL Season Structure - 20:20 Less Than 2% Go Pro - 24:20 Front Office Perspective - 25:50 In Support of Superteams - 29:30 List of 20 Potential Team Markets - 32:20 Expansion Plans - 34:50 Developing Your Own Identity - 35:50 Preparing for After Basketball - 37:20 Investor Operator - 40:20 HBL Foundation Initiatives - 42:20 From HBL to the NBA - 44:20 HBL Revenue Streams - 46:20 Digital Streaming - 48:10 International Players - 52:50 Another Choice for Young Athletes - 54:35 Wrap-up and Takeaways - 57:20 How to get involved: Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away on a faster path to success! If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life!

“The biggest thing is understanding who you are, understanding your identity outside of being an athlete, what are you other passions, what do you value, what kind of lifestyle do you want to live once you’re done playing, and really get your ‘brand’ in order.”   There are numerous athletes working on helping other athletes make that challenging transition from the game to their next career easier. The catch is that most of them focus on motivation and old school tips that mean well, but are not effective. My guest today, Malcolm Lemmons, uses his experiences as a professional basketball player and entrepreneur to guide athletes to discovering their true purpose, and leveraging their skill set into a productive and fulfilling career.   “Patience is so crucial in life. Living in the world we are in today, my generation is so used to instant gratification, we want things to happen so fast, and nothing happens overnight”   Yes, Malcolm and I preach the very same messages from different perspectives, and is a big reason why I wanted to have him on the Make Your Mark podcast and hear how he likes to deliver his message, how he takes what he picked up as an athlete and advises others about how to go through the same. His book “Lessons From The Game” lays out a variety of principles that everyone should read and repeat, and his humble personality truly helps deliver that guidance.   “So many of the skills that you gain and the intangibles that athletes learn can be applied to anything else that you want to do.”   If you are an athlete at any point in your career, make sure to give this episode a listen as both Malcolm and I deliver tips and strategies that will position you to be fully prepared once you leave the game. Happy Listening! Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   Introduction - 0:45 Born and Raised in D.C. - 3:35 Sports as an Escape - 5:20 Stay Focused on Life’s Vision - 7:45 Car Crash Changes Perspective on Life - 8:50 Last Minute to Niagara University - 11:30 All American at Cal State - 14:45 Playing in Japan - 15:30 Lessons From The Game - 19:30 Getting past Setbacks - 21:00 Patience is Crucial in Life - 26:15 Understanding Your Identity - 28:50 Confidence Comes From Repetition - 31:50 The Importance of Structure - 33:00 Hit Your Mark - 34:00 Wrap-up - 39:00 How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away.   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life!

“Create that game within the game, that underdog mindset, when you’re starting. Most people look at it as freedom, but I look at it as that you have to play that game within the game and push yourself. If you aren’t a self-starter and self-motivator, regardless of how good your idea is, it can be tough to win.” Having been an avid sports memorabilia collector since I was a kid, I have known of my guest today, Brandon Steiner, for 20+ years, and as head of Steiner Sports, he’s been a pioneer within the sports marketing and promotion space, creating a new vehicle for athletes to grow beyond their sport. I was thrilled to have corralled Brandon for this episode, as he shares so much advice on being an entrepreneur, how to be a truly successful athlete, and so much more!     “Don’t settle for doing something just well, but do it extraordinary, that’s the goal. Do something different and more unique than anyone else has done. What are you going to do to differentiate yourself, especially if someone else is already doing what you’re doing? What are you doing to get better, and are you willing to climb those rough hills and get through those tough climbs? Because that’s how you’re going to become significant and extraordinary.” We dug into his current book, “Living On Purpose”, drawing from his three decades of experiences within the sports industry. In the book, Brandon covers what he considers to be the three “foundational pillars of a satisfying and fulfilling existence: Faith (in yourself and others), Fortune (dreaming BIG and following it through), and Fitness (making positive lifestyle changes)”. You’ll hear about Brandon’s rise from his childhood in Brooklyn, hurdling nearly insurmountable odds to study at Syracuse University, and parlaying what he developed with sports bars and more into what became a multi-million $ company. “I convey this heavily in the book; the more good you can do leads you to doing more well, most people are just worried about doing as well as they can, and we weren’t all put here so we could just do well. We are put here on this Earth to help each other, and that has to be part of the deal. It’s the joy, not the burden. The JOY.” Brandon has faced the challenges of running a company with true grit, and has understood that the highs can be temporary, that you need to keep on grinding. You will learn so much from this advice and inspiration-packed episode! Happy Listening! “Try to start every morning with acts of kindness. Would you help someone if they couldn’t help you back? That’s the real joy. I think a lot of people do good things, but a lot of it is premeditated with the emphasis that you’re going to get something back. Helping people is not a burden, it’s an opportunity. When you do a lot of good, the by-product is you will do a lot more well. Acts of kindness circulate, a lot of people I’ve touched in small ways, and I feel a lot of joy from that. You remember people who do something nice for you, and you want to surround yourself with those kind of people. Why wouldn’t you do it?” Some Topics we talk about in this episode: Introduction - 0:00 Don’t Settle for Ordinary - 3:45 “Nobody who was as Poor as Me had the Balls to even apply to Syracuse” - 9:15 Business Grind - 12:30 Three things to be a Successful Entrepreneur - 15:38 A Strict Money Grab - 20:00 Turn it up a Notch - 22:00 Thinking Ahead, Thinking Big, Thinking Different - 26:30 A Big Risk and a Huge Break - 28:00 The Experience is Bigger than just the Game - 32:30 The Best of the Best Stadiums - 34:30 Starting your Day with Significance - 36:37 Players aren’t Educated about their Brand - 40:40 The Reality of a Player’s Life - 44:45 The League Has Got to Get Its Act Together - 47:30 If you Live Your Life in the Past your Life will be History - 49:40 Helping People is not a Burden, It’s An Opportunity - 53:55 Take Care of Yourself First - 56:50 Hit Your Mark - 59:14 How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away. If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life!  

“Because I have such a deep interest in business, and have done so much in terms of hiring and building teams, I think very differently. I have all these myths I’m debunking, the myths that are causing a whole bunch of fear in these athletes.”   Helping athletes make the transition out of their sport and into their next career, whether starting a new business, or working for a company, is a core element of what I do. This is why it brings a big smile to my face to find a kindred spirit in today’s Make Your Mark guest, Kathryn Ducey, as she is becoming one of Canada’s foremost experts in working with athletes, both current and retired.   “If you think about athletes and their worlds within sport, they have a coach who helps them manage their mind within the environment that they’re in, and once they leave that environment, everyone just kind of goes and disappears.”   Kathryn digs deep into her childhood and uses her experiences to drive progress with each athlete she works with, helping them manage their minds within the worlds that they exist in, allowing them to get their perspective in a good space before moving towards the next step in their career. You will see throughout this episode that Kathryn is a warm, engaging, funny and smart as heck professional with hundreds of hours of speaking (and more importantly, listening) to athletes, their coaches, and family members. I really like her style and approach, and you will to!   “We have 60,000 thoughts every day, and half of them are negative. 2500 of those negative thoughts happen every hour, and we don’t think any of that is impacting us? So let’s get to the bottom of what those thoughts are. What are the circumstances, what are the thoughts that you had, what are the feelings that they created, the action, inaction, reaction, and that creates your results.”   We had a rollicking good time with this episode, all the while dispensing some very important advice for all athletes, make sure to check it out!  Happy Listening! Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   Introduction - 0:45 Founder of Higher Athletes - 4:35 Fill the Gap with Coaching - 5:10 Parents had Messy Stuff going on - 7:00 Dad was Controlling Every Move being made - 10:00 He took his Last Two Breaths and Died - 12:10 Nobody is Immune to Bad Thoughts - 14:10 Lied on My Resume - 15:00 Giving Athletes Confidence - 17:00 Athlete’s Advantages - 21:30 5% Conscious, 95% Subconscious Focus on Thoughtwork - 25:45 60,000 Thoughts / day - 27:20 Teaching Amateurs to be Great - 29:00 Imposter Syndrome - 31:20 F-Up Night - 31:40 Coaching Athlete’s Minds - 37:40 Athletes Deny Retirement - 41:10 Taking Advantage of Down Time - 45:00 Lack of Empathy in the Corporate World - 46:30 Met with 150 Athletes over 100s of Hours - 50:00 Hit Your Mark - 51:30 Wrap Up - 56:10 How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away.   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life!

Not too many people get the chance to present their ideas in front of Daymond John, but today’s guest, Anthony Gair, had that opportunity, and he nailed it.  When Anthony first reached out to me via LinkedIn, I was truly impressed by all he had accomplished at such a young age, and realized that his story should be a model for all student-athletes making the transition from their sport into their next career..   Anthony was one of the very few student athletes who was able to balance his academics, social life, and football playing in college, all while developing and growing Track Slides, his patented product designed to protect athletic cleats from damage. Not only was his product one of the winning presentations in University of Iowa’s business pitch competition, but he was offered guidance and support from Daymond John, not too shabby! His entrepreneurial spirit remains strong, as he has developed another business, Puzzle Greetings, and all of this while maintaining a full time job at a Fortune 500 technology firm!   Anthony and I dish out plenty of advice for student-athletes, and I give Anthony some pointers on how to increase his products’ exposure using social media, especially LinkedIn. You will certainly be inspired by Anthony’s journey, and can see how the sky's the limit for him! Happy listening!   Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   Introduction - 2:00 Born and Raised -3:00 A Man of Many Trades -5:50 Level Up - 7:56 I O W A  -9:27 Thinking Ahead, Fueling that Entrepreneurial Spirit -10:48 Stick to the Schedule -14:00 Daymond John -15:30 Track Slides -18:07 Getting a Patent- 20:00 Looking Toward the Future- 22:30 Puzzle Readings  -25:40 Present Day Endeavors -26:20 Wise Words- 28:20 Only 24 and Going So Far- 32:30 Hit Your Mark- 35:50   How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away.   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life!

For those born with a disability, the race of life can begin much farther back than the start line. But it’s how that race is run that truly separates people, and my guest today, Dave Stevens, is a clear winner in every sense. Dave has faced adversity every day of his life, and not only has he shown grace, humility, toughness and grit throughout, but has done so with a smile on his face. After all, how many of us can say we’ve accomplished what he has in the last year alone?      Dave was born without legs, and incredibly is the only athlete to ever play college football or minor league baseball as a congenital amputee. He has overcome obstacles that you and I would never have to consider, and on top of his amazing athletic achievements, has also won seven (yes, 7!) Emmy awards for his work as a sports broadcasting professional!   This episode is especially important if you have connections within the diversity and inclusion space, as Dave underscores how critical proper education is to understanding diversity, starting with our youth and continuing into the corporate world. Dave has such a warm personality, you will learn so much from this episode, and will leave it inspired, and certainly feeling more comfortable understanding the perspective of those with a disability. I’m thrilled I had the chance to have Dave on….happy listening!     Some Topics we talk about in this episode: Introduction - 0:00 Who is Dave? - 3:35 Adopted Into an Incredible Family - 6:10 I’m going to play sports despite physical adversity - 8:40 I wanted to play professional baseball and I wanted to be on TV - 11:00 “That’s Incredible!” TV Show - 13:00 Personality / Reputation Goes A Long Way - 20:00 Disability Channel - 23:18 Education is Key to Understanding Diversity - 26:30 I’m A Normal Guy - 30: 37 DaveStevensSpeaks.com - 33:30 Grow Your Network - 37:00 The Future of Sports - 44:20 You know what you're in for with the NFL, but they need to develop a lifetime warranty - 48:20 Hit Your Mark - 49:20 How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away.   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life!

“I’ve always had encouragers in my life. Mainly it was coaches. And when I was a knucklehead, there were people that would keep me on track.  And then belief...belief that you can do what people don’t think you can do..”   I speak a lot of the virtues of just asking, regardless of what it is you are seeking. I asked Scott MacGregor if he would include me in his incredible anthology, “Standing O”, and he said yes, which led me to meeting today’s incredible podcast guest, Robert Hamilton Owens. Rob has been proving to himself and others that there almost no limits to what you can accomplish, regardless of age, as long as you put your mind to it.   “My kid one day says “You’re pretty old at 50…” and I said “WHAT?”! I thought “You know what, I think I’ll make a comeback, and put these kids at the finish line!”  And so I did an Ironman at 50, and I found out I liked it and thought it was really fun. So I started doing it every year after that!”   This past year, at the age of 65, Rob completed the World Marathon, running 7 marathons on 7 continents on successive days, and hearing his story of just getting through the first day on Antarctica will leave you truly amazed. But my friends, that only scratches the surface! Rob has been competing in the Ironman Triathlon for years, was a USAF Pararescueman, which is harder to join than the Navy Seals, Army Rangers, Green Berets etc. As he says, “We’re the ones who get sent in to rescue the other special ops servicemen!”   “Did you get your win today?” Every day you ought to have a win, and program a win. One less cigarette, one less calorie, one less anger issue. Habits develop habits and wins give confidence for more wins. It's those little steps every day to say no to something or say yes to something. I get people every day who message me and say they got a win today. “I am gaining confidence because that which used to be impossible is happening.”   It was challenging to squeeze so much accomplishment into one episode, along with tons of advice on how to be mentally and physically prepared for all obstacles, but you’ll be able to get so much out of this, give it a listen! Soon you’ll be competing in your own World Marathon Challenge, you’ll see! Some Topics we talk about in this episode: Introduction - 2:00 Encouragers in Robert's Life- 4:11 Growing Up Average -  6:00 Becoming a Lifeguard - 11:08 Joining The Military - 15:40 Air Force Pararescue Courageous Acts - 18:11 Ready to Run/ Pivoting to Extreme Competition - 22:20 Time For a Comeback - 24:00 Killing Time with Incredible Occupations - 25:37 Mental Toughness - 31: 20 Did You get Your Win Today - 33:30 Being Polite Goes A long Way - 35:20 777 - 36:40 The Whole Thing Was Insane! - 43:48 They Give You 8 Hours - 48:23 What You’re going Through is not Unique to You - 49:30 Write It Down - 52:06 Hit Your Mark - 54:00   How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away.   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life!

“When I started to dig more into the research I found that the #3 topic in 2016 was self esteem- which was exciting because I felt like there was this hole in the market where everyone was consuming that type of content but nobody wanted to talk about the fear of failure, fear of rejection, being laid off, all of those things. I thought maybe this is something I can talk about and share my experiences.”   Wow, what a great way to start Season 2! I could have gone on for hours with my guest this week, Michaela Alexis! You will be impressed with her story of transformation and success, from bartending in a new town, to running social media campaigns before anyone really knew what that meant, to becoming a LinkedIn influencer with over 130,000 followers! Best of all, she is going to #MakeYourMark in 2019 by continuing to show everyone how easy it is to use social media, especially LinkedIn, to dramatically grow their network and be seen and contacted by the key influencers and decision-makers that matter.   “I was social media marketing without realizing I was doing social media marketing, which got the attention of the company that owned all of these properties. They were wondering how a 23 year old who had no social circles with these college kids was getting so many of them to come in every night. They brought me in and asked if I wanted to run their social media department, which of course ended up being just me! This was back in the day when if you even had a Facebook page you were considered cutting edge as a company.”   Michaela is a perfect example of someone who developed an expertise without realizing that she was truly becoming an expert within social media marketing. When you do something that nobody else can do as well, you are now an expert, and Michaela is staying ahead of the curve with her advice and guidance, and whether you are looking to bolster your career or grow your business, I urge you to listen to this episode and learn!   “There are a lot of meeting planners that struggle when it comes to the millennial market. Many of the events I go to I think ‘Oh my gosh, a millennial was not even considered throughout this whole process!” because you see all the same stereotypical things. You have the photo booth and the selfie station, and you know there's more to millennials than just selfies!  It’s been such a pleasure for me to be able to add my voice and my experiences into the conversation of what works, and how you can leverage social media platforms like LinkedIn to really engage attendees.”   We covered so much ground, and between the two of us, shared tons of advice and content that will be valuable to you. Oh, mixed in were dog appearances and coffee mugs! What a great way to start Season 2! Happy listening! Some Topics we talk about in this episode: Intro- 1:00 She never thought she’d be doing what she does best-3:36 L.A. bound - 6:00 A HUGE turning point - 8:30 Being the only female in an all-male boardroom and developing a thick skin- 12:20 Show them, don’t tell them- 14:30 You are an expert!  15:45 I found this incredible niche- 18:20 A meeting mentor- 20:17 Think video- 22:10 An ode to my mother in “Standing O” -24:45 First keynote speech- 29:45 Just show up-  32:16 Drop the facade -37:00 LinkedIn is key - 38:30 You have no idea the benefits LinkedIn has to offer- 45:00 Optimize that network- 50:00 You can’t imagine the connections you will make- 53:00 Crucial company page- 57:20   New LinkedIn features: - 63:26 Connect with me -69:05 Hit Your Mark- 70:00   How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away.   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people like you with great ways to make your mark in your life, business and career!

It’s been an amazing experience interviewing 24 fascinating and compelling people over the past four months, hearing stories of courage, giving, athleticism, and humor all mixed together.  Speaking with them has allowed me to grow in so many different ways, and we have managed to provide you, the listener, with so much advice, insight, tips and strategies that will allow you to succeed in your life, career and business!   Thanks to everyone who participated, including my podcast guru and overseer of the behind the scenes stuff, Bryant Urich. He truly is a podcast expert, and you need to look him up and work with him to launch your own podcast. Everything that you see being done creatively happens as a result of the tremendous efforts of my right hand superstar, Kalli Scherlis, helping turn what may have been some rough edges during the earliest episodes into some amazing production work on the episodes you listen to now. We will also soon be releasing several episodes via video on YouTube in early 2019, keep an eye out for those!   I’m excited to launch Season Two with Michaela Alexis, LinkedIn Influencer, 130,000 followers, and creator of top level content for all to see. She is an expert in all that is Linkedin, helping you take your network and content to a whole new level. You’ll never look at a coffee mug the same again!   Thanks again to all of you who have supported me throughout, and please enjoy this episode...a look back at Season One, a preview of the Michaela episode, and a rebroadcast of Episode 1 with Theo Fleury, one of the most compelling interviews of all!   Happy Listening!   How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away.   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life!

“It’s all about the start line. It does you no good to be thinking of what may happen at the finish line. That is just energy that is taking away from what you could use in your moment in which you have the opportunity to be good. Start lines are these magical moments in the space of being present, aware, humble, and being grounded and overall grateful.”   Speaking with Olympians as part of my Make Your Mark podcast is always an honor, as they exemplify sportsmanship and the competitive spirit. It can be hard to imagine how four years of preparation will decide whether you end up on the podium or not, but getting there is such an achievement. My guest today, Joe Jacobi, not only won the first ever gold medal for the USA in his sport, but has taken that victory and turned it into a mindset that has helped countless people move forward in their pursuits.   “What whitewater does: so often we think of what we are doing in terms of roles. I am the chief executive officer or I’m the janitor - I’ve never met a force of nature like a river that wipes those roles out of the way.  We have to get in the boat, figure out ways to work together, work with the water, and figure out how to handle the obstacles in front of us.”   Joe has been coaching and inspiring professionals and entrepreneurs to become not only better leaders, but more importantly, better colleagues, honing their skills at collaboration in order to get to the finish line with the best results. I’m really impressed with his ability to level the playing field by bringing co-workers out on the river and letting them learn how to work best as a team.   “At the end of the day we didn’t race against each other. We competed against the river, a wild, fierce force that doesn’t know how to stop. That was the bond of the relationships.”   As you will hear, Joe is so easy-going, and our episode flowed so well, with tons of leadership and networking advice from both of us throughout, definitely an hour worth your time, you will learn so much! Thanks Joe!   “When I talk about culture, I’m not focused on what people are doing between the time they arrive at work and when they leave work. I am really interested in the time they leave work and when they come the next day. I am very big on simplification, traction, less is more, not just in words but what that looks like in practice.”   Happy listening! Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   Intro- 2:04 Start your Canoes - 4:25 Training with the Champions- 7:40 International competing- 9:30 “I just wanted to keep getting better” -14:30 Qualifying for the Olympics/ More Than Just a River- 17:30 THE Olympics - 21:00 Two Race Runs and Done -23:30 Crossing the finish line- 27:00 The Competitors- 29:00 Medal Mentality - 30:40 Incredible Lessons Learned carrying on into being a Performance Coach- 34:35 Bringing Business execs to the river-  36:00 Correcting Mistakes- 39:00 The Point of it all- 40:00 The Transition from Athlete to Business- 45:00 Hit your Mark- 49:25 How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away.   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life!

“You just keep busting your butt and showing up, and good things are going to happen. I had this insane work ethic and the ability to work past everyone else. It raised everyone else's game, and if they couldn’t do it they just fell off.” There are thousands of retired professional athletes, many who struggle with the transition into their next careers. A big part of my Make Your Mark podcast is to shine a spotlight on those who are making a positive impact after they leave their sport, and today’s guest, Cory Procter, is a superb example of that, as his story of becoming a truly inspirational speaker and financial manager will inspire you. “If any athletes are listening to this right now this is important. So many guys hang onto the dream. I’m not saying not to, but when you hang onto the dream you will pass up so many other opportunities because you’re holding onto something that will potentially happen. (This is what I tell guys who are either playing right now or holding out ) Work on your side hustle, work on your side passion, work on something that you want to do after football is over, because at some point it’s going to be over whether it’s now or in 10 years and you’re going to want to  do something with your life and us as men we identify with our work so much that when our work is taken from our lives we have identity struggles. So work on that side passion right now.” Cory has been a hard worker, a grinder, since he was a young boy, seeing the results pay off eventually into an NFL career. But the big reward for Cory (and his audience) has been his message of making yourself accountable for your actions, that you truly control your outcome, and treating everyone with respect can earn you a spot on your team (sports, corporate, and anywhere else) that may have otherwise gone to someone else. “When I went to training camp I made sure to introduce myself to the entire training staff; equipment managers and the rest of the staff, not just the head coaches, and at the end of the camp I thank them all. Then an equipment guy tells the coaches ‘We need Cory Procter on our team’!  That’s not something to be taken lightly because you are having an impact on every place you enter. If you come in and you’re respectful, happy and uplifting while showing gratitude, you’re going leave imprints wherever you go. You never know where those connections might lead.” This was one of my most enjoyable podcasts, as we could have gone on for hours. Cory is such a genuine guy, calls it like it is, and treats us, his audience, with the understanding that with just a few words, we can be inspired to greater things. We talk about being a Grizzly, earning the respect of Bill Parcells, and playing drums in metal band! Give this one a listen...it will fly by, as our conversation was just that, with plenty of advice for athletes and others spread throughout. Happy listening!  Some Topics we talk about in this episode: Intro- 2:04 Igniting Cory’s flame - 3:55 Montana is Calling- 8:00 Having an Impact- 12:30 NFL Career- 19:20 Not Many Choose to Step Away/ Injuries- 24:20 Preparing for the Future - 29:20 Critical Keys of Networking- 33:00 Speaking - 37:05 Organizations Have Similar Problems- 39:30 Financial Management - 45:00 What it Takes to Have a Will- 49:00 Hit your Mark- 52:00 How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away. If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life!  

“I want to help people get to know what they really want to do in life. I struggled with it, and most veterans have a lot of issues transitioning. Whether it’s one person a day or one person a month, I just want to be able to help people.”   As a civilian, it can be truly difficult to understand what our nation’s veterans and first responders have in their DNA that compels them to run towards danger to help, that makes them want to give everything they can for the common good. I had the honor of having Chris Jackson, US Army veteran and law enforcement officer, on my Make Your Mark podcast, and to hear his story and how he’s looking to improve the lives of veterans and civilians every day.   “I didn’t feel like I was fulfilling my need to give back in any way while I was in the trucking industry -  you know when you’re in the military you’re serving your nation. Trucking was lonely and a lifestyle I didn’t want to be in anymore. I realized I wanted to get back into law enforcement, and I wanted to get back into something that helps people.”   Chris was one of thousands of young men and women who were compelled on 9/11/01 to join the military, and soon after his 18th birthday, he enlisted in the Army. Eight years in the service, including a year in Iraq, cemented his continued interest in service. He tried his hand at trucking, but shifted back into service, this time for several years as a deputy in the Sheriff's office in Ohio. Now he is taking his life lessons, along with his experience with running businesses, and is working with veterans to get them the guidance that is so often lacking.   “The only thing you’re concerned about when you land is ‘I want to go home’. You’ve spent a year in Iraq and all you can think is ‘I want to see my family’. But once you settle back down, you immediately think, ‘What do I do next?’”   Chris and I cover so much ground in our episode, including the importance of being prepared for the transition between military and civilian life. This episode may have been the most advice ever offered to our listeners, you should catch it in its entirety!   Happy listening!   “If you get into business, learn how to be a leader - not just for yourself but for other people. You know you have to provide solutions in business. For veterans and athletes, you’ve got a certain set of skills. Define what your passion is and how to offer solutions to other people.”   Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   Introduction — Competitive spirit from the start- 4:05 A spark to serve our country - 5:20 Training hard- 6:35 Sent overseas - 8:00 Into Iraq - 8:53 Challenging conditions- 10:30 Post service options- 13:06 Ready to get back into the game- 15:10 The start of trucking- 16:14 Wait a second- 19:45 Not fulfilling my need to give back- 21:30 Sheriff’s Deputy- 22:20 Keeping an eye on the bottom line- 24:42 Warrior Wealth sSolutions- 28:44 Masterclass Series- 30:53 Uniform 2 Suit- 33:40 Hit your Mark- 38:00 How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away.   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life!

“As athletes in general we are not very good at asking for help. We’ve had a coach who has always stepped in to see when we needed help if we had an injury etc… but other than that it’s not in our nature. We fight, and even if we keep banging our head on the same wall or knocking on the same door, at the core we know to fight, go for it and push. Asking for help is not one of our strengths.”   Yes, there are lots of Olympians out there, those who have competed in a variety of games and sports, many we can speak about. But I had the specific privilege of speaking with Anja Bolbjerg, who as today’s #Make Your Mark podcast guest, did not necessarily dominate the medal stand at the Olympics, but more importantly, has impacted former athletes and executives in how to find the right physical and mental balance to truly make an impact going forward.   “They asked what size I was in case I qualified for the Olympics. I said, “What, I can qualify for the Olympics?”. That really ignited something in me! Even though I didn’t qualify for the Olympics in ‘94, I wasn’t at the level yet - it set me off saying “ok” in ‘98, I’m going to be at the Olympics and I’m going to be competing. I took a step back and started competing in a lower level in the Euro Cup, and I rented books in the library on sports psychology, and tried to do it the real way. I have this mantra I said all the time-  “I will, I can, I dare.” and I started to win some competitions. That’s when I knew that even though I didn’t have as many kilometres in my legs as my competitors, I had something else to my advantage.”   Anja is such a fine example of the competitive spirit that burns inside of all Olympians. Imagine the pressure of performing at your all time best in that one-minute time span at the Olympics after four grueling years of training. Every Olympian faces that, and with Anja, she has leveraged that competitive spirit to her new endeavor, reaching out to other Olympians and other elite athletes in Europe and elsewhere to get their minds and bodies in the right place to be elite performers once again!   “I felt like i was going uphill trying to push and push. Putting in so many hours and it wasn’t getting me where I wanted to be. I started to look back and reevaluate where is it that people come to me for advice, and that I am the most useful and helpful. That’s how this whole “Athlete Story” was born! I knew I had a lot to offer a lot of value.”   Anja and I cover so much ground in our episode, including the importance of being prepared for the transition between an Olympian and a career after your sport, how random and luck played a big part in becoming an Olympian, and how pivoting at a later age can be instrumental in your career success.  Anja is such a wonderful person to speak with, and for those of you who deal with her directly, lucky you, as she is inspiring and supportive at the same time. Happy listening!   Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   Introduction - 0:00 The start of Anja’s skiing passion- 3:05 Moguls- All in for the challenge -7:28 A whole lot of squatting- Training time- 9:48 A pivotal moment, igniting Anja’s  career -10:45 1998- 13:20    Qualifications- 14:00 Olympics- Going for the gold despite a setback -16:00 Competing for your country- 19:20 A competitive college educated skier -20:03 The transition into a business career- 22:30 Return to Anjas first passion- 23:44 I am a conditioning coach- Athletic training & Fitness- 26:00 The Athlete’s Story -28:00 You change and you adapt to get where you want to go- 30:51    The realization of your value - 32:00 You need something to fall back on -34:00 Where do you find guidance? -36:40 Applying an athlete’s skills -39:34 Hit Your Mark 42:00   How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away.   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life!

“I’ve had a thousand songs recorded, The Carpenters, you name it, and there’s only one person in my whole career who ever asked me how I felt about what they did with my song, and it was Elvis Presley.”   He recorded a song for Elvis Presley. Yes, that Elvis. The King. At just the age of 21 to boot. But my guest today, Chris Christian, didn’t stop there. 2000 songs, 100 albums, discovering Amy Grant, and a Wikipedia page chock full of accomplishments has led Chris to release a collection of his experiences titled “A Grandmother’s Prayer”. Mixed in with all these stories are valuable lessons that we should all heed!   “I decided to go to L.A, and if you go to L.A and make it, you’ve really competed with the best in the world. The first guy I met was Robert Kardashian.. And he gets me a record deal with Boardwalk Records. Sure enough we had a top 10 record with that.”   Chris has recorded music with an enormous array of musicians, owned a TV / movie production studio, and oh, right, happens to be a co-owner of the WNBA’s Dallas Wings. This man has accomplished so much so far, and he’s still going at it, 40+ years after Elvis recorded his song. The timing couldn’t be better, as “A Grandmother’s Prayer” is available on December 10th, a book filled with one great story after the next, and lessons learned and advice offered!   “I like blue jeans, t-shirts and a guitar. I am a small town guy. All the other things that happened...it just kind of comes and you deal with it the best you can. But at the core I just want to sit on a stool and write a song.”   So many amazing stories in this episode! How about having lobster for breakfast courtesy of Wayne Newton? Sharing a 5 hour flight with George Harrison? How Robert Kardashian (yes, dad to the you know who’s) was his best friend, manager, and signed him to a new record contract. Best of all, how Elvis sought his approval. I can’t express how much of a pleasure it was to have Chris as my guest!  Happy listening!   “Elvis was a character. There was him, and then there was the real Elvis, not the guy he was playing- just like an actor. He seemed to be always searching for the why. Why he has all this fame and why his character has done so well? I think a lot of us when we have big success wonder “why?”. Why was I chosen / why did this happen to me and not everyone else?”   “What I really want to do when we do this tour is have an Adopt A Grandchild Foundation.  There are so many children who do not have a grandparent or they are estranged from their grandparents, and we want to find people who have some expendable time and are willing to invest that time in a grandchild at least once or twice a week. We want to even connect grandparents that can't afford to see their grandchildren and pay for the flights etc. So I think this Grandmothers Prayer is not just a book, it’s a movement.” Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   Intro/ Chris Christian in the building - 2:00   A Grandmothers Prayer -3:30 The beginning of an incredible journey- 4:20 The first encounter with the King of Rock and Roll- 6:25 “What did you think about what I did with your song?”- Elvis Presley - 8:39 Just the beginning -10:30 A Man of Faith-12:00 Elvis didn’t want to miss heaven on a technicality- 13:00 Why me? - 14:00 The Answer to my Grandmother's Prayer- 15:00 Contemporary Christian music - 17:30 Signing Amy Grant at 16 years old- 20:10 Chris Christian the Producer - 24:00 Robert Kardashian and L.A- 25:04 I just want to be creating/ A small town guy at heart-26:10 PSA: Book release- 27:12 Wayne Newton: the greatest performer- 29:00 Kids came into the picture- 32:30 Buying a movie studio- 33:34 A call from Radio Shack to an integrated media company- 35:20 Not a book but a whole movement- 37:00 Only one real regret- 39:20 Other amazing encounters - 41:00 Definition of Success- 43:12 Hit Your Mark - 43:53 How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away.   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life!  

“Every day you have the mentality of one foot in, one foot out, at least that was my mentality. I always thought of keeping myself on the edge, because you have to be ready to go. The transition (as an athlete)  is hard regardless, but if you are not even thinking about it, you’re really putting yourself in a bad position.”   I’m easily impressed with athlete’s accomplishments on the field of play, but not so much once they leave the game, as many tend to wait too long to get their post-career steps going. My guest today, Corey Mays, is quite the opposite, as he immersed himself fully into being prepared for the eventuality of retirement, and has become a role model for current athletes to emulate.   “Monday you feel like a genius and Friday you feel like an idiot, that’s the day to day as an entrepreneur. It’s an emotional roller coaster - you have to keep your balance and realize it’s for the long haul, not the short term.”   Corey was fortunate enough to play football at Notre Dame, signed as an undrafted free agent and played four years in the NFL, and prepared himself for his post-playing days by enrolling in business and finance-related classes and working in internships while in college. He launched his angel investment firm, A-Maysing Enterprises LLC in 2013, through which he invests in a variety of businesses, including uStadium (a sports social media app), BuildMyStay (a travel concierge software platform), Vice District Brewing in Chicago, Heritage Link Brands (a wine importer), and Love Cork Screw (a wine brand). Corey also took the step of pursuing his MBA, graduating this past May from Notre Dame once again.   “(As a retired athlete), you have all the skills. It's just building that confidence back up, step by step. One foot at a time and we’ll get up this mountain, but it takes patience!”   You’ll learn so much from our talk, especially if you are considering jumping into the waters of entrepreneurship, or you are an athlete wondering how to start preparing for your life after the game. Corey has a great personality, is funny and engaging, and offers superb advice throughout. Happy listening! Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   Intro- 2:00   What sparked Corey’s interest to play football- 2:41   Notre Dame - 5:30 Preparing for all outcomes - 7:21 Corey’s next step- 8:10 Something's got to give- 9:21 Realizing your worth as an athlete- 10:30 The point Corey realized he could go pro- 12:30 Playing for Bill Belichick- 14:15 Recognizing the end is near- 15:28 Ready to let go- 16:28 Staying sharp in the corporate/ entrepreneurial space -17:22 Corey’s got the energy- 18:34 Smart Cities- 19:36 What’s on the horizon for Corey Mays- 22:00 Advice for the Entrepreneur- 24:05 Expenses and Networking- 25:00 Everyone brings something different to the table- 28:00 NFL Players Association- 30:06 Head Trauma in Sports- 33:00 Helping Athletes Win Again- 37:00 How to peak Interest- 40:30 Don’t sell yourself, allow yourself to be bought- 42:00 Hit Your Mark- 43:14 How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away.   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life!

“There is no such thing as normal. We all go through sh*t, and we all face different challenges, so We’re all a little bit crazy!”   There’s nothing that stops us in our tracks than a sudden illness or injury, but sometimes going through a steady decline without knowing it can be even worse. In today’s episode with Eric Kussin, we cover the very serious and increasingly relevant topic of mental health, and how the stigma attached needs to be lifted and tossed aside. Eric is doing wonders in this space, and I’m thrilled to be shining a spotlight on what he’s doing.   “No matter how many people of influence speak up, if the message that continues to be delivered is just through the mouth of the media, which just wants the salacious story, we aren’t going to get anywhere. We need to connect on a human level of what our actual day to day is like.”   As a great benefit to getting to know Theo Fleury, NHL All Star and Olympian, he invited me to attend the official launch last November here in NYC of “We’re All a Little Crazy”, the global mental health alliance founded by Eric Kussin, bringing together athletes and entertainers from around the world to increase awareness of the mental health struggles that so many people face quietly. In just one year, Eric has made the simple yet powerful sign language for “Same Here” an international symbol, and it’s only getting stronger and bigger!   “Same here are two magical words that can change the conversation between two people”   This is an episode you need to hear, especially if you know anyone (including yourself) who has gone through any sort of mental trauma. Eric walks us through his years in the sports industry, his harrowing account of his descent into his depths of mental health, and his subsequent recovery. Please do what you can to support his movement, and take what you can out of this uplifting and inspiring episode!   Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   Introduction - 2:00 The beginning of Eric’s Journey- 3:55 An intern at the NBA- 7:50’ Leveraging an expertise - 9:00 Working for specific teams/ learning the team business- 10:26 A shift in gears/ a sudden curveball - 13:29 The struggle to get out of bed- 16:00 There is no magic pill 17:00 Just a body, with no reaction- 22:10 A wake up call - 23:26 Healing your system- Integrated Psychology -25:10 Spreading the word -30:49 A story gone VIRAL -32:00 Everyone has something-34:00 We’re All a little Crazy- 35:00 Theo Fleury- 36:00 Athletes Supporting the cause- 38:30 The Power of the words Same Here- 40:00 The Future -42:00 Closing Remarks- 44:00   How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away.   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life!

“I just want to be remembered for being a great human being, we all have different walks we go on, but if I can just be a good person and help others on their journey that’s worth it in the end”   It’s one thing to make your mark on the field of play, but when you can transition into a venture that can help millions of people globally, now you’ve got my interest. Today’s guest, Gus Frerotte, happened to have a 15 year NFL career as a quarterback, and has a long list of accomplishments. But none may stand out as much as the company he is involved with now, and the work they are doing to make an impact within brain health.   “If you’re good at what you do and have a lot of passion, they’re going to find you no matter where you are. I came from a town of 4,000 people and ended up playing 15 years in the NFL.”     Brain health? How on earth can we measure that? Just ask Gus, and he’ll show you how RC21X, and the “Roberto” app will transform how athletes and anyone else who is going through brain trauma or cognitive decline, or are simply curious to know how healthy their brain truly is, can simply spend just a few minutes on the app on your phone or laptop/ desktop, play a few games that measure a variety of data points, and after just a few days you now have a benchmark that you can use going forward, instrumental in showing any doctor where you stand.   “RC21X is a Consumer friendly tool- to gain measurement and knowledge of our brain that can better our health for the future- there is one thing I have never been able to check and thats my brain performance until now. We can impact our children and the world of sports with this tool. We can be proactive.”   In this episode you will be amazed at the level of excitement, interest and passion Gus has for this cause, as he has personally seen the after-effects of a contact sport on the brain, and he can’t wait to get this into the hands of his NFL brethren, and so many other athletes and non-athletes too. Gus and I discuss ways to get more of the word out, and yes, we do talk some football along the way.  You’ll enjoy this episode, give it a listen! Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   Introduction - 2:28 What Peaked Gus’ interest to get into Football- 3:19 location change/ Getting out of the bubble- 6:22 Draft Day-8:55 Advice to players overcoming injury- 12:17 Changing Your Mindset-15:30 Retiring in the world of professional sports- 17:35 RC21X- 22:30 The Mission Behind Gus’ Company- 25:00 The tools behind RC21X - 29:12 The way of the future- 32:56 Getting RC21X into the medical field- 35:30 In the App store- 38:00 4View- 41:40 Meet Your Mark- 47:45   How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away.   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life!

“When you have this big moment of failure - when you don’t accomplish what you were going after, you have to take time to re-evaluate your strategy for the next time!” I am so impressed with Olympians, and it doesn’t matter if they medal or not. The amount of time and dedication needed to compete once every four years, often for just a few seconds, is an extraordinary example of perseverance, determination and grit. My guest on the Make Your Mark podcast today, Grace Luczak, is a prime example of a high achiever who adopted a new sport, set a world record, and has transitioned into the corporate world. “The simple gestures in life when doing something good and selfless for somebody else without expecting anything in return can be the most impactful moments.” As a young teen I dreamed of competing for the Egyptian Ski Team (not a typo, and a story for another time!), but happily for all, I went a different direction. Grace had heard that many schools were looking at young ladies with her physical and mental skills to become rowers on collegiate crew teams.  Both during and after her time at Stanford University, and years of hard work, Grace set a new world record, and qualified for the Rio Olympics! But best of all, she understood that she needed to be prepared for her post-Olympic life, and was able to land an impressive job where she is today. “Sometimes your biggest weakness can be your greatest strength” You will truly enjoy this episode, as Grace is such an easy-going person to speak with. We talk about all the training she went through, the successes that started to pile up, the ups and downs of being an Olympian, and how grit plays a big part in life. You will also appreciate Grace’s volunteer work with an organization that brings rowing to kids coming from neighborhoods that would never see any sort of rowing. Sit back and listen to an uplifting and inspiring episode! Some Topics we talk about in this episode: Introduction - 2:00 What peaked Grace’s interest to start competitive rowing-  4:00 A disciplined sport- 5:47 Stanford University rowing team beginnings - 7:00 Defining the Varieties of Rowing Competitions 8:10 Duration of training- 11:25 Realizing your potential 15:08 Grace setting a world record catapulted her career- 17:00 Timing is everything- 17:40 Continuing to train- 22:00 How to sustain yourself- 23:00 Full time dedication- 25:00 How Grace discovered she made the Olympic team 27:54 The Rio Olympics- 30:42 Moving forward after the Olympics-35:00 The work Grace does now -37:18 An advocate for great causes - 40:00 What an athlete brings to the table - 42:00 Wrap-up and Takeaways - 43:00   How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away.   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life!

  “For me it was about the entertainment value; but with that comes the responsibility to tell it honestly, truthfully, and with energy. And when you can do all of those things, it’s something that people want to listen to.” Having the guts to make a complete transition isn’t easy, and Rudy Reyes, host of The Rudedog Show radio show, can tell you all about it, and much more. And I really mean much more, as Rudy has recorded several hundred episodes, interviewing a wide array of sports and entertainment celebrities, including Jerome Bettis, Nadia Comaneci, Michael Phelps and Sinbad too! “This is not something that I learned overnight. It’s taken me a long time, and many free hours and free time to really put the hammer to the nail in order to get me to where I am right now. It’s not easy, it’s time consuming, but it’s very rewarding.” Most of us do not realize the amount of time, energy, effort and real world education it takes to be in front of a camera or microphone, and how many things you need to have going through your brain along with what you are trying to say, all happening at once! What we hear and see is a polished finished product, and Rudy’s is very impressive, as you will see when you tune into his show! “You have to stay driven, stay focused, you have to have an endgame. If you don’t have an endgame, in other words, the end answers to everything you’re trying to accomplish, you’re wasting your time.” In this episode you will learn from Rudy what it takes to get a truly successful radio show / podcast up and running smoothly, how networking is essential in getting top guests, and we share a ton of laughs throughout, including the lifestyle change from the shiny lights of LA to the early snow in Cheyenne. This episode will fly by, you’ll love it, including the Hit Your Mark segment. Happy Listening! “I want to be able to inspire others who are struggling. I understand wanting to be noticed. To take a look at the hard work you’ve been doing and let others comprehend there is an end to this despite the “no’s.” “I’ve had a trillion “No’s” in my lifetime and received the generic email of denial but you have to realize you can persist. You must stay passionate, aggressive and never take NO for an answer.” Some Topics we talk about in this episode:   Introduction - 0:52 How Rudy got Started with his Radio Show - 3:40 The Responsibilities of a Reporter - 7:00 DJ Voice - 8:58 Richard Nixon Impression - 11:15 Life in Cheyenne - 12:20 Recruiting Radio Show Guests - 17:50 Podcast / Radio Show Rewards - 21:20 Favorite Guest Lenny Dykstra - 22:40 When guests bring up the unexpected- 25:54 Making an impact on every episode - 32:15 Funniest athlete ever spoken to- 35:37 Don’t get discouraged by the word NO - 41:25 Wrap-up and Takeaways -   How to get involved Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away.   If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life!