Momentum Podcast: Sports to Business W/ Tanvir

Shannon "The Cannon" Hudson, founder and CEO of 9Round Franchising, LLC, is a former IKF Light Middleweight Kickboxing Champion of the World. After over 70 bouts in the ring, Shannon could not find a place where the average person could be exposed to the "Top Secret" training of some of the best fighters in the world. That is where his vision for 9Round began. He knew that if he could take the gruelling workouts he did in the ring, and create a non-intimidating, convenient circuit workout format, then the average person could enjoy the benefits of boxing and kickboxing only available to professional athletes. Shannon and his wife, Heather, opened their first 9Round studio in 2008 in Greenville, SC. Since then, the brand has grown to more than 600 locations across 41 states and 18 countries, plus many more in various stages of development – all delivering on the promise of making members stronger in 30 minutes, physically and mentally. In this episode, we discuss: Shannon's story on founding 9Round fitness How different teams across functions come together to drive growth Shannon's framework to leading at the highest level, and why taking care of yourself must be a priority Importance of strong execution, and how Shannon aligns his team to metrics How to measure and track progress for a unified vision 9Round fitness franchising and its competitive advantage compared to other fitness brands

Carla Rosenberg is Senior Vice President of Charity & Events Management for global sports marketing agency SPORTFIVE and is part of the leadership team. Based in Dallas, Carla runs the Charity and Events Management practice and offers additional event and production capabilities alongside Rooftop2 Productions, the agency's New York-based experiential marketing and production division. Carla's team also provides philanthropic expertise to many of SPORTFIVE'S more than 250 athlete clients looking to build or enhance their charitable activities. Prior to joining SPORTFIVE, Carla founded Matchpoint Agency and served as Chief Visionary Officer, working with athletes, professional sports teams and nonprofit clients to achieve their philanthropic goals. In May 2018, Matchpoint Agency joined Lagardère Plus, the global partnership marketing agency of Lagardère Sports and Entertainment, which was rebranded to SPORTFIVE in May. Carla's first entrée into the agency setting was as Sports Marketing Director for SCA Promotions. Before that, she spent eight seasons in the professional sports industry. Carla began her career working for the President of the Texas Rangers Baseball Club and later served as Senior Director of Community Marketing for the Dallas Stars Hockey Club and Executive Director of the Dallas Stars Foundation. These experiences, along with her natural business acumen, introduced her to new people, big ideas and winning strategies that helped inspire the evolution of Matchpoint. While helping athletes manage their Foundations and having her finger on the pulse of the professional sports landscape and philanthropic scene, her ability to maximize revenue opportunities and execute championship-level charity events has earned her notoriety as a game changer in the industry. From professional tennis tournaments to galas, she and her team have planned and executed some of the nation's highest-profile events. In 2019, Carla was selected as a recipient of Sports Business Journal's Game Changers Awards, which honors a select group of women who are having a major impact in transforming the sports business industry. Carla currently serves as President on the board of Dallas Influencers Sport & Entertainment (DISE) and sits on the Board of Directors for PwC SMU Athletic Forum, Nancy Lieberman Charities, and The Sandlot Children's Charity. She is on The University of Dallas MBA Advisory Board and The Dallas Stars Hockey Hall of Fame Nomination Committee. She volunteered her time as a former Board of Trustee member for ten years with The National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Born and raised in South Africa, Carla holds a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she played four years of tennis on an NCAA Division-I Athletic Scholarship. She graduated with highest honors, as well as Academic All-American and All-Big Ten accolades. She also achieved her Master of Business Administration in Marketing/Sports & Entertainment Management from the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas. In this episode, we discuss: - Carla's love of tennis and her journey through NCAA as a D1 athlete - How Carla began her business journey in sports marketing while completing her MBA - Why saying yes to the hard things has the biggest results - How Carla started her own agency, and why saying "no" to certain projects allowed Matchpoint to scale - Story behind Matchpoint acquisition, and key takeaways for current business leaders - How Carla leveraged the pandemic to rethink and come out stronger

Sean McCall is the Managing Vice President at Pariveda Solutions. With 25+ years of experience across various roles within consulting, Sean has deep experience in human performance, small teams, and purpose-driven leadership. An elite athlete as well, Sean draws on his experience as a player, captain, coach, and architect to help organizations create clarity in purpose, the connection amongst team members, forward-looking vision, member autonomy, active retention, and brave spaces to accelerate the development potential of the team. Sean is a well-respected speaker and visionary who can inspire teams to greatness. Sean played various youth sports before committing to swimming full time in high school and college, representing his teams at the highest levels possible (state, NCAA, respectively). Following a decorated swimming career, Sean went on to play a nearly 30-year Ultimate Frisbee career as a former semipro athlete being selected to three USA National Teams, captaining twice, earning three World Championships and achieving over 30 “caps” for international game appearances. In this episode, we discuss: - How Sean stays young, both from a physical and mental standpoint - How the challenges that Sean faced as a kid shaped his future - How to not let metrics and data drive wrong behaviours in your organization - Why failure makes winning that much sweeter - How Sean deals with failure both as a parent and as a leader - Why the best advice for leaders is to be authentic and to not be afraid of being vulnerable - Why the experience in sports is regarded highly by employers - How Pariveda is redefining the consulting and implementation space

Paul Fioroni, a Mississauga native, is a former pro-hockey player and is currently the CEO of Matador Medical Management LLC. Matador currently works with the best air tech in the market- partnering with IVP, Aerobiotix, UV Angel and Kontrol Technologies who have brought the BioCloud to market. Paul is now working on launching his first 2 IP's with Matador which will revolutionize the personal and real-time air we live in. We discuss: - Paul's hockey beginnings that brought him to Texas - Paul's beginnings in sales, and what made him successful - How humans and lobsters share the same serotonin levels, and why these matter in business - How to compete with your teammates, but win together as one team - How Paul found opportunities during COVID, and insights into his mentality - Why sometimes a leader needs to give tough love when issues continue to persist - Paul's journey at Stryker, Spineart, and building his own company - Why sales are all about networking and relationships

Sam Sebastian is the President & CEO of Pelmorex Corp., the parent company of The Weather Network. Pelmorex is a market leader in operating multi-platform TV, Web and Mobile services in weather-related information categories under the leading brands; The Weather Network, MétéoMédia, eltiempo.es and Clima. The company also operates Canada's National Alerting Aggregation and Dissemination System, Alert Ready. Before joining Pelmorex, Sam was the VP & Managing Director of Google Canada, from 2013 - 2017, where he was responsible for Google's Canadian operations. He joined Google in 2006 in Chicago and held a variety of executive-level roles in the U.S. before moving to Canada. Prior to Google, he was a General Manager and Senior Vice-President at a large online classified business, Classified Ventures (cars.com, apartments.com), and started his career at Arthur Andersen as an accountant and consultant. Sam is a member of the Business Council of Canada and a Director on several Boards including Tennis Canada and Bridgit, a Kitchener-Waterloo internet start-up in the construction industry. Sam graduated from The Ohio State University and holds an MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg Graduate School of Management. At Ohio State, he played Division I NCAA tennis, where he was a two-time Captain, Big Ten Champion and Academic All American. We discuss: - Why Sam gets more done and is more confident when he has more going on (and why that works) - How Sam led Pelmorex during the Pandemic: two things he told the team when the Panemdic struck - Why a great strategy and a great team that works together towards the same goals allow you to become a powerhouse - Why being authentic is the most important trait for leadership today - Why you need to fail, and how a big failure allowed Sam to grow into his leadership roles - How leaders can encourage failure, and why it's important - Why we need to pay it forward, in order to win as an individual and as a collective team

Emily is a Vice President, Product Manager at Franklin Templeton, a global investment firm with ~$1.5 trillion under management. Prior to that she held various marketing roles at BlackRock, worked in investor relations at a small-cap medical technology company, and worked on a major political campaign. 

Emily has also built a successful freelance career in admissions consulting, where she coaches applicants targeting top-ranked MBA programs. Additionally, she is the author of the #1 Amazon Bestselling Book, No Drama First-Time Mama: A Practical Guide to Living Your Best Life as A New Mother, and an advocate for maternal mental health. 

Emily obtained an undergraduate degree from Princeton University and an MBA from the Haas School of Business, University of California – Berkeley. She was a two-year letter winner in swimming while at Princeton and is a five-time marathoner (New York x3, Boston, and Chicago). A proud Montana native, Emily now lives in Salt Lake City with her husband and two children. We discuss: - Emily's journey to Princeton and athletic career - How Emily is able to get 8 hours of sleep despite working full time, being a consultant, an author, a mom of two, and never misses a workout - The story behind Emily's bestselling book, and her message around prioritizing your health and wellbeing as a mom, is something that doesn't get enough focus - Why being efficient and doing a few things really well results in the biggest gains - How empathetic leadership is important, and caring about your people - How we assign our self worth to our work, and how Emily was able to move forward when she decided to leave the swimming team - Networking with others and why it's even more important when working remotely

Luke Mohamed is the Director, Partnership Sales for the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Vandergrift, PA native joined the team in February 2020 and is responsible for generating new corporate partnerships. He also self-appointed himself somewhere on the emergency goalie depth chart. Prior to the Penguins, Luke spent five years with Major League Soccer's D.C. United. At D.C. United, he managed a sales team responsible for the Club's non-ticket revenue streams, including the 2018 opening of their new stadium, Audi Field. During his tenure, the team grew from last in MLS partnership revenue to a Top 5 club. Luke spent the remainder of his time in the nation's capital as an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown, a member of DC SCORES' Advisory Council, and reminding locals that the Penguins had won four more Stanley Cups than the Capitals. Before D.C. United, Luke had partnership roles with the Tampa Bay Sports Commission and IRONMAN Triathlon, and the DICK'S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon. Luke earned an MBA/MS in Sport & Entertainment Management from the University of South Florida in 2015 and his Bachelor's degree in Sport Management and Accounting from The Robert Morris University in 2010. In this episode, we discuss: - The amazing story behind Luke's career in sports management - What he learned from Wayne Rooney at D.C. United - How putting in the work and taking on tough roles allowed Luke to land his dream job - What it's like to be in the same organization as Sidney Crosby - The amazing work that Luke and the Penguins are doing for the community - Why we need to strive for greatness, and why that's different than being good enough

Scott is the CEO of Ren's Pets, a former captain and football player for Simon Fraser University, and an experienced marketing and sales executive. In this episode, we discuss: - Scott's football days at Simon Fraser University, and how he battled back from a really bad knee injury - How those principles of hard work have carried through in his career - How the hard things Scott did prepared him for his executive career - Scott shares why every leader must understand their "WHY", and how to stay focused as an executive on what truly matters for you personally and your business - Ren's Pets story - how it grew from a few stores to 40+, and the leadership lessons behind the brand's success

Brian Vahaly is Chief Executive Officer, YouFit Gyms, the nationwide chain of affordable, personalized fitness clubs. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his more than 10 years in the fitness industry as a successful private equity executive and former professional tennis player. Prior to YouFit, Vahaly was CFO for the boutique fitness group [solidcore], where he grew the business from ten studios to eighty in just over two years. He served as COO for venture capital firms, Venturehouse Group and NextGen Venture Partners, and began his finance career with McLean Capital, a private equity fund. A lifelong athlete, Vahaly was an internationally ranked professional tennis player, retiring in 2007, with wins over several top ten ranked players such as French Open champions Michael Chang and Juan Carlos Ferrero. He is currently the only gay player in history to ever come out on the ATP tour and serves on the board of directors for the United States Tennis Association. He earned his BS degree in Finance and Business Management from the University of Virginia, where he was a three-time All-American. Vahaly lives with his husband and two children in the Washington D.C. area. In this episode, we dive into: - Brian's love for tennis, and how he managed school and tennis at the same time - Brian talks about how he handled failure as a player, and how he handles it now as a CEO - Brian discusses how playing in the Australian Open against Andre Agassi - the pressure - actually prepared him to take on business roles in uncertain and high-pressure environments - Why sleep is a great remedy to shaking off failures - How to focus in distracting environments and why Brian turns his phone away from time-to-time - Brian talks about being the only gay player in the history of the ATP tour, and the work that he is doing today in his business and with the US Tennis Association - How Brian manages his team, especially in the health and wellness space during the pandemic - Why it's important to surround yourself with great people - a recipe for success in Tennis and as a CEO

Quinton Porter, Vice President of North America for Pico - Get Personal, has been scaling startup tech companies and sales teams for 10 years since retiring from football. He played quarterback at Boston College where he completed his MBA, played 2 years in the NFL with the Houston Texans and Carolina Panthers, and 5 years in the CFL with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. As a native of Portland, Maine, he has created a community initiative that maximizes the benefits of athletic training and wellness through a state-of-the-art indoor sports complex and programming in partnerships with the local university. Pico - Get Personal: Pico's SaaS technology turns brands and sports teams from data renters intro data owners by identifying anonymous Digital audience members, progressively gathering actionable data, and leveraging it to efficiently drive their business objectives. In this episode, Quinton dives into: - His transition from football to executive within the tech space - Why during the toughest moments - it's only up to us to make it happen - How Quinton's morning practices made him a better business leader - Why the "keep going and pushing mentality" will win over talent alone - How Quinton, during moments of pressure and failure was able to remove himself from the results - All that there is, is right now - how to live - Why Quinton hires in pairs!

Embrace failure. I failed a few times over the past few months. I tried some new things. Some worked out well, and a few not so well. But it was from these failures that I learned what to change, iterate, and adapt for the next time around. If we stop taking risks, we'll stop failing. But we'll also stop growing. Embrace failure - seek it - welcome it. Learn from it. Keep marching on.

Matt Rogers is a Director of Recruitment for a Wealth Management Firm in NY, and a Career Tour guide at Matt Rogers Consulting. He has over 20 Years of Coaching and Strength Training experience with youth, High School, Master's, NCAA, and Olympic Trial Level Athletes. As a “Career Tour Guide,” Matt works with NCAA and elite-level athletes to help them transition from sports or different careers. In this episode, we discuss: - Matt's experience as an athlete in university and his transition to a coach - How to find your passion and build a career you love - The recent rule change that allows NCAA students to monetize their name, image, and likeliness - Strategies for student-athletes to better prepare for the world after sports - Skillsets that allow you to take on a completely new role with no experience - How to network the right way to maximize future opportunities

Align your actions to where you want to go - not where you were. I learned this the hard way. Oftentimes we keep doing things that used to add value, but now are doing us more harm than good. Here's a quick story. What are you training for?

The Fast Pace of your business is relevant to your Speed of Execution. For a high school hockey player, the pace of the NHL is "fast." And for an NHL Player, the pace of a college hockey game is slow. Hence - to better manage and gain control of a fast-paced, chaotic business environment - focus on increasing your speed of execution. Streamline your processes and collaboration - the faster you get, the slower the game (business) becomes.

Femi is a former NFL player, founder of Health Reel, NASA Technology partner, a human performance expert and a certified nutritionist. After graduating from San Diego State University with a BA in Psychology, Femi played 11 amazing years in the NFL, was a member of the Ravens 2000 Super Bowl Championship Team, and was voted NFLPA representative by teammates in Arizona from 2005-2007. From 2010 to 2014, before founding HealthReel and right out of retirement, Femi co-founded a fitness facility as a personal trainer, nutrition specialist and speed/agility coach. Femi then entered the MBA program at Johns Hopkins with an emphasis in Digital Health. This is where the idea for HealthReel started. He graduated from Hopkins in 2016 and formed HealthReel in late 2017. HealthReel is a digital Self-Health assessment and education platform. HealthReel views customers holistically and understands the interconnected relationship between mental, emotional and physical health outcomes. The proprietary blend of algorithms generates personalized health information in minutes via any smart device from any location the customer desires. The HealthReel report generates over 20 data points covering mental health, physical fitness, healthy weight recommendations, metabolic performance and nutritional guidance. Last but not least HealthReel supplements reporting with video content. This “user journey” experience is designed to deploy one new video a week covering HealthReel's four levers of Self-Health as well as addressing misinformation about nutrition, exercise, fad diets and many other hot button topics. In this episode, we dive into: - Femi's journey from the NFL to entrepreneurship, and becoming the first NFL player NASA Tech Partner - Why Femi believes you need to always be building your tool box - Story behind founding HealthReel during his MBA - How Femi deals with naysayers - How Femi's early childhood growing up influenced his NFL and business career

We need to celebrate more - just like this defence did on the weekend. Projects take too long to wait until you're done before you celebrate. Failing fast is part of the game, and these failures must be celebrated. As long as the effort is there, regardless of the results - celebrate the small wins!

Anna Foli is a Senior Director in the Power & Renewable Energy practice at FTI Consulting, a $4.8 billion global management consulting firm, where she leads business transformation initiatives focused on performance improvement and Mergers & Acquisitions. Ms. Foli has held various senior strategic and operational roles in private equity-held and publicly traded international companies, where she's driven $40 million of revenue and profit growth through comprehensive business plans for countries, local markets, and global product lines. Ms. Foli has completed over $100 million of M&A ventures across all phases of a deal cycle and built enterprise M&A programs. Ms. Foli was recently the VP of M&A Integration at United Site Services, a $1 billion privately held US market leader in portable sanitation, as part of a private equity turnaround. Previously as VP of Customer Experience with the firm, Ms. Foli transformed the 250-employee customer service, inside sales, and order support teams through a full organizational redesign. Prior to United Site Services, Ms. Foli spent 8 years at Aggreko, a global £2.2 billion public organization in the temporary power generation and temperature control rental space. She served as a strategic advisor to multiple Managing Directors for large business units and global product lines. Ms. Foli began her career as a Continuous Improvement Black Belt leading global operational excellence initiatives. Ms. Foli holds an M.B.A. and a B.S.B.A from The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business. She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. She is also part of the Project Management Institute (PMI) and an honorary member of the International Women's Forum (IWF). Ms. Foli was born in Poland, grew up near Paris, France, speaks three languages, and is an accomplished world traveler. She is a former elite international volleyball athlete, Team Captain of The Ohio State Women's Volleyball Team, and French National Team where she competed in 16 International Tournaments in 10 countries including the University Olympic Games in Bangkok. In this episode, we discuss: - Anna's journey to the French national volleyball team and Ohio State - How she handled captain duties at Ohio State while obtaining a dual degree, including her MBA - How focusing on giving back and focusing on others will help you during your toughest moments - The importance of a strong support system - Why it's all about getting better every day - Why feedback needs to be objective and immediate vs. in 6-month chunks - How can leaders increase accountability by owning up to mistakes

Here's part 2 of Pivoting and Adjusting - an exercise to assess your readiness to pivot. Something we're working on with many of our clients. I walk through three questions that you can answer today to prepare to pivot and adjust in chaotic, uncertain environments.

Pat Woodcock is a former NFL and CFL player turned entrepreneur. During his 8-year playing career, he won a Grey Cup Championship, was named Most Outstanding Canadian Player and was named a Division All-Star. Pat joined Momentum Elite in 2021 as a keynote speaker and coach. Pat is a respected and sought-after speaker and presenter for conferences, organizations, and companies. Some of the companies he has worked with include Football Canada, CBC Hockey Nation, Royal Bank of Canada, Mackenzie Investments, and the Catalyst Conference. Pat is also a strength, speed, & conditioning coach, personal trainer, and nutrition/supplement coach. He has coached professional athletes in football, basketball, lacrosse, and soccer, won a Grey Cup Championship as the Head Strength Coordinator of the CFL's Ottawa RedBlacks, and is a multi-year nominee as Ottawa's Top Personal Trainer. Pat was also named to Ottawa's Top 40 Under 40 Business People as the owner of Elite Performance Academy, one of the premier Health, Fitness, and Human Performance facilities in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Pat also helps Entrepreneurs, Executives, CEOs, and busy Dads all over the world build the Lean & Muscular Physique they've always wanted, while they Optimize Health, Energy, & Productivity, to match their high-performing status and help them DOMINATE every aspect of their life. Pat earned his Bachelor of Science from Syracuse University, and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA, a National Level 3 Performance Specialist through the Poliquin Group, a Level 1 Certified Precision Nutrition Coach, a Level 1 Certified Hormone Specialist through the Nutritional Coaching Institute, and is Titleist Performance Institute Certified. We discuss: - Pat's journey from a small town in Canada to one of the top NCAA Football programs - The learning curve Pat experienced when he went from NCAA to the NFL - How Pat transitioned from football to entrepreneurship and started his business - The keys to pushing through failures, and tips that Pat used during his career - Advice for everyone working hard and putting in the long hours in the new uncertain future

Here's a concept that we're coaching many of our clients on - Pivoting and Adjusting. The reality of business today is that disruption, chaos, and uncertainty are here to stay. These things are inevitable. Therefore - leaders and businesses must learn how to pivot and adjust as part of their playbooks.

Chris is a master high-performance coach, facilitator, and keynote speaker in taking achievers to the next level. For more than two decades, Chris has been passionately teaching, training, and coaching the modern skills for success and fulfillment. He brings a profound understanding of what drives human performance and sustainable behaviour change combining insights from the fields of leadership, sport, and modern science. As Founder and Principal Coach of The Ignition Company and its group of brands, Chris has traveled over 1,000,000 km to facilitate workshops and events in more than 30 countries across The Americas, Europe, Asia, Middle East, and Australia. He has been a highly-regarded advisor and performance coach for some of the world's top-performing companies including Apple, eBay, Vodafone, Boston Consulting Group, General Electric, EA Games, Microsoft, BBC Worldwide, Rogers, and Goldman Sachs plus has been a contributing expert to CNN, ESPN, Runner's World and Active.com. He was named runner-up as Trainer/Speaker of the Year and Mover/Shaker of the Year by the Association of Professional Coaches, Trainers, and Consultants and serves as a Trainer & former Elite Results Coach for the internationally renowned Anthony Robbins Companies, a recognized authority on leadership and peak performance. In this episode, we discuss: - The proven principles that separate peak performance athletes from others - The #1 thing that people need to perform at their best is A Manager or A Leader that cares about them at an individual level - Why most business teams are spending 85-90% of their team only at 30% effectiveness; too many meetings with no agendas - Why you should add an agenda first to a meeting invite, before scheduling a meeting - Growing up in a small town, Chris had to change his perspective about his ability to accomplish a lot more than what he gave himself credit for - Chris' personal Mantra - Leading a team, but managing individuals - Why coaches always go back to basics when a team or player is struggling - The importance of recovery in business and what we can learn from the best athletes - When to take the shot as a leader, and when to let the team take the shot

Dan Hannigan-Daley is the CEO of Sports Info Solutions (SIS), a company that provides in-depth, and timely baseball, football, and basketball data, including cutting-edge research and analysis, striving to educate teams and the public about sports analytics. Dan is an experienced and passionate Product and Business Leader with a focus on sports data, consumption, and sports gaming. Prior to SIS, Dan spent over 5 years DraftKings as a Director of Sportsbook Product and also as a Product Management Consultant. Dan also worked oversees with BD Sports in London, UK. Dan is a former 2 sport college athlete. He played Varsity Soccer at Brock University and was an OUA All-Star. He also played Hockey for the Port Colborne Sailors Junior B Hockey Team during University. In this episode, we discuss: - Dan's early life playing hockey and soccer and love of sports - How he handled University Varsity Soccer and Hockey as a two-sport student-athlete - Dan's career beginnings in sports management and his one way trip to London - How Dan handled the ups and downs and carved his own path - Some exciting stuff that he's doing today at Sports Info Solutions as their new CEO

Here is another concept that we've seen boost client performance: Short Memory - Rebounding (Part 3) Here are the 4 steps to shaking off a bad play and continuing to move forward.

Here is part two on our concept "Short Memory"- Rebounding after 'failure' and how to stay focused. I explain the two types of failures that exist, and why failing isn't bad, but not moving forward IS.

Marques Ogden is an inspirational keynote speaker and marketing leader. Growing up in a single-parent home with a father that inspired perseverance and fairness, Marques learned how to define his values and set goals. Ogden attended Howard University from 1998-2002 where he played Division I football. Ogden then followed his dream and his brother Jonathan's footsteps, eventually getting drafted into the NFL in 2003. Overall, he played for five years as an offensive lineman with the Titans, Bills, Ravens, and Jaguars. Following his NFL career Ogden started Kayden Premier Enterprises, a construction company in 2007 which quickly escalated to being a multi-million dollar construction firm. 2013 it all crashed down around him when Ogden got involved with a bad business deal, he ended up losing everything. Ogden became a speaker to help others succeed where he failed. As a keynote speaker, executive coach, and corporate trainer his passion is to create value for every client. Ogden's clients consist of AXA Advisors, The Home Depot, JP Morgan, and Chase, to name a few. In this episode, we dive into: - Marques' journey from high school to NFL - The biggest change from university football to NFL - How Marques built a very successful business after the NFL but then lost it all in a matter of a few months - How Marques rose back from hitting rock bottom and the key lessons he learned - Why it's all about being servant leaders and every business needs to be about culture

I discuss the importance of celebration in business. This is the 5th and final concept in our stage 1, foundational stage, of our PRO Mindset, required to maximize team performance so that you can deliver results in fast-paced, digital environments. The celebration is enjoying the journey, breaking it up into digestible chunks, and rewarding each other for the effort. Rewarding yourselves as a team. It also means celebrating the efforts, not necessarily the results; this is a big one that most leaders undermine.

Here's a concept from our playbook that we've seen improve execution: Short Memory - Rebounding after 'failure' and how to stay focused. As teams and individuals, it's about focusing on the learnings. And focusing on the next play.

How often do you say "we have no capacity" or "our team doesn't have the resources...?" Here is Part 2 of the 80/20 video given the positive response last week. A concept we've seen do wonders for our clients. Here's how to get more done when we have limited resources, time, people, and capacity.

Seth Anderson is a Director at Telus and a former GM of Junior B team Wainwright Bisons. Currently, he is passionately driving a digital transformation program, actively supporting his team on mental health and wellness and mentoring other leaders on how to achieve their career goals. He has also gone on a personal journey over the past two years where he has taken his personal health more seriously and taken steps to build new habits. In that process, he has lost +80 pounds, become a much more present father and husband, and found new inspiration to become a better leader for the teams he supports at work. You can read Seth's story and learn more about his podcast here- https://www.thebizdojo.com/index.php/the-biz-dojo-about-the-podcast/podcast-host-seth-anderson/) In this episode, we discuss: - Seth's early life and love of sports - Creating spaces where people can be open and honest - Seth's story on rising through the ranks in a corporate environment - Inspirational story about his time with the Wainwright Bisons as GM - How sports have had a positive impact from all aspects

The 80/20 execution rule. Focus on the few key things that directly impact your high-level objectives, and keep your eyes on the prize.

Drew is Co-Founder and CEO at Acorn Biolabs. He has a diverse background including biomedical engineering and molecular biology, healthcare venture investing, and professional athletics. He attended the University of Michigan where he did his bachelor's and also his Masters in Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Biology, where he also played baseball. He then completed his PhD with the University of Toronto in Biomedical Engineering while playing professional minor league baseball as a pitcher for both the Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies. Acorn is a Toronto-based healthcare technology company focused on giving everyone access to the future of cell-based medicine with the world's first non-invasive follicle-based cell collection and cryopreservation service. Acorn's services are offered directly to consumers via at-home and in-clinic collections, with availability across Canada through our network of clinic and pharmacy partners. It also offers cell banking services as a part of employee benefits programs for a growing list of businesses and organizations. Some of the things we discuss in this episode: - Drew's early life and baseball career - The influence his dad as an MLB player had on Drew's baseball career - How Drew managed to complete his PhD while playing for the Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies - How Drew hires and manages his team as a CEO - How he founded Acorn and how it's changing the landscape for future medicine

What do you ask in your interviews? Tell me about your accomplishments? or How would you solve this problem? In a world full of change, disruption, and skills commoditization, we as leaders must hire for potential and adaptability, maybe even more so than past success.

How do you remove chaos from a fast-paced business? You look inwards. Here's a short video from our CEO on how your processes and teams can make a fast-paced environment more balanced.

Lauren Lee is a VP at JPMorgan Asset Management and a former NCAA Field Hockey Player. A tech innovation, transformations, and operations leader, Lauren is motivated by data-driven decisions that enable businesses to run more efficiently, reliably, and sustainably. Lauren focused on strategy and transformation, including regional and global target operating models, large-scale technology innovation, and industry change. Prior to JP Morgan Asset Management, Lauren was a VP at Goldman Sachs. In this episode, we discuss: - Why Lauren chose field hockey as her favourite sport coming out of high school - How she made the decision to choose Hofstra University when deciding on her NCAA playing career - Why Lauren believes digital transformations are all about people - One trick we can all use when we feel like not giving our best in a certain role - How Lauren hires her team in a large organization - And one thing every executive can do to come out of this pandemic stronger

Fast Pace and Chaos are not the same. Tanvir walks through competitive rivalry as a driver of chaos, and how leaders can still move fast without sacrificing balance.

Fast-Paced and Chaos are not the same thing. Chaotic environments are usually fast-paced, but not all fast-paced environments need to be chaotic. Speed and chaos are a result of, and can be controlled by addressing: 1- The Customer: A highly volatile environment with fickle customers 2- Competitive and Industry environment: A disruptive environment with the threat of new entrants 3- Internal Process: Subpar internal response and gaps in operations from a company standpoint

Alan Stein Jr. teaches proven strategies to improve organizational performance, create effective leadership, increase team cohesion and collaboration, and develop winning mindsets, rituals, and routines. A successful business owner and veteran basketball performance coach, he spent 15 years working with the highest-performing athletes on the planet (including NBA superstars Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Kobe Bryant). In this episode, we discuss: - Alan's upbringing and the key ingredients that built his value system over the years - How he found a niche in performance coaching and worked with superstars such as Kevin Durant and Steph Curry - Importance of positive self-talk and advice on dealing with self-doubt - How we as leaders must separate the results from the process and be objective - How to deal with failure in your journey - What you can learn about enabling teams from the sport of basketball

In the world of chaos and ever-changing environments, how can we as leaders of tomorrow take ourselves and our teams to new heights? Focus on the promise lands. Here's a short story about a coach and a team that turned around their performance because they simply set their eyes on the peak of the mountain. It's all about where you want to go, not where you are today. [Music provided by bensound.com]

Everyone has become "digital-first," and the playing field is leveled, tech continues to grow exponentially. Consumer demands continue to rise. AI continues to commoditize tech and skill-set. What does the future of digital transformations entail? It's about constant change and people-first leadership. [Music provided by bensound.com]

Kyle Blaney is a professional ice hockey player, who most recently played for the Kalamazoo Wings in the ECHL. He is a graduate of Ryerson University where he played 4 seasons in the CIS. In this episode, we discuss: - His younger years growing up playing hockey and some street hockey stories - How Kyle was cut 3 times from 3 different teams, and always found a way to battle every single time and become a leading goal scorer - Lessons Kyle learned when he found himself in the face of adversity - Why setting goals and being vocal about them will boost your performance - The influence Kyle's family and support system have had on his career

What can leaders do to stop constantly "transforming" the business due to tech and disruption, in a never-ending loop? Instead go to a "people-centric, adaptability" model? It all starts with shifting our perspective on our business models. Business models are driven by consumers, and everything else should be supporting the business model, not the other way around.

Jessica Kuepfer is the Director of Communications at Home Hardware and an endurance athlete. She was named top 40 under 40 in public relations and 2018 PR professional of the year. She started her career as a PR coordinator shortly after university, and worked her way up to Director at the prominent national retailer, while also fulfilling the duties of being a New Balance Athlete and Brand Ambassador. Jessica went to the University of Waterloo, where she was also part of the Varsity Cross Country Team. In this episode, we discuss: - How Jessica got started in running, and how she found success despite starting a lot later than most - How the chaos theory is responsible for her current career - How staying fit has helped her perform well in corporate - How she manages her team by leveraging the same principles from adventure racing - Why we need to reimagine the new way of working, whether remote, at the office, or hybrid

In this audio, I walk through the evolution of digital transformations, why it all started, and how the pandemic has truly accelerated digital transformations, but with a surprise - it's never been technology that pushes us to transform, it's the unmet needs of consumers.

Mike Weaver, is the CEO and Co-Founder of CoachThem, a web app that has revolutionized how coaches are teaching the game of hockey. A native of Brampton ON, growing up literally minutes away from where Tanvir grew up, Mike is also a former NHL player, with a 15-year career that included Montreal Canadians, Florida Panthers, St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks, LA Kings and Atlanta Thrashers. In college, Mike acquired a scholarship with the Michigan State Spartans in 1996 and spent four very productive years in the CCHA that included two NCAA West Second All-American Team nods, two CCHA Best Defensive Defenseman, two CCHA First All-Star Team awards & one CCHA All-Tournament Team. In this episode, we discuss: - Mike's early life playing hockey and his journey to NCAA scholarship - Why he chose to play NCAA hockey over junior - How he became a tech entrepreneur while playing in the NHL - Making websites on planes! - How he founded CoachThem and its success - What he believes is the most important advice for athletes transitioning from sports to business. Remember to follow Mike on all social platforms and also check out CoachThem at coachthem.com

Alexandra Orlando is the Director of Marketing at Panam Sports, a 5x Canadian National Champion, and an Olympian. She's also a Commonwealth Games record holder with 6 gold medals at a single event and 3x gold medalist at Pan Am Games. Orlando won every rhythmic gymnastics event at the Canadian National Championships in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. She won all six rhythmic gymnastics events included as part of the gymnastics program at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.[2] She joined Graham Smith (1978, Edmonton), Susie O'Neill (1998, Kuala Lumpur) and Ian Thorpe (2002, Manchester) as the only competitors to win six gold medals at a single Commonwealth Games.[3] After her sports career, Alex made a successful transition to corporate as a sports analyst at CBC, Senior Manager at Rogers Communications, and then taking on the role of Director at Panam Sports. Some of the things we discuss in this episode: - Alex's career growing up and story behind almost becoming the youngest athlete to ever go the Olympics - Failures, adversity, and drive behind her world success and record-holding performances - The motivation behind always striving to improve in a single person sport - Transition to business and how being humble is the best strategy - Representation gap today across all major industries and what we need to do to make positive strides - How to thrive in a fast-paced, disruptive culture, by simply aligning your team to the mission

Javier Glatt is the Co-Founder and CEO at @CadMakers, CFL Grey Cup Champion and All-Star, and a 3 time CIS All-Canadian. He played college football for UBC and was the Canadian West Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2002, and a 3 time CIS All-Canadian. He was drafted 15th overall in the 2003 CFL Draft by the BC Lions. He was the starting middle linebacker in 2006, while also helping the Lions win the 94th Grey Cup that year. Javier has played in a total of 143 CFL games recording 444 tackles, 14 sacks, and 11 Interceptions (including 1 he returned 56 yards for a TD) over his 8-year career. Javier went on to co-found CadMakers in 2014 - Digital Construction Twin and Digital Fabrication Twin solutions for construction. Some things we discuss include: - Javier's drive to battle adversity despite 3 consecutive injuries - The principles he learned in junior football and how those still apply today - How he founded CadMakers and recent success - 2 ways of building and executing with a team - system led vs player-led - Importance of curiosity and networking - How young leaders can differentiate themselves in a noisy world

System buy-in means making sure your team is bought into your vision and your mission. For your team to deliver results in times of hardship, the 1 thing that will increase resilience and adversity will be how bought in are they. Let's go back to our football example 1 -From a team standpoint, in college, we had to buy into the following 3 things 2 -Believing in the off-season workout; it was a gruelling of-season and we had to buy in to stick it out and believe that it will be worth it 3 -Buying into the plays and systems our coaching staff ran; was big. Once we bought into the coaching staff's ability, it didn't matter what play they called, we had full faith. We would execute to the best of our ability and do the best thing for the greater team. 4 -Believing in the football team and family; buying into the understanding that no matter what happens - everyone on that field is your family and we have each other's backs. Application to business 1 -Your leadership; your team needs to buy into your vision and into your capability as a leader. It doesn't mean you know all the answers. It simply means you're open, honest, can show vulnerability, and will find a way to get things done 2- Buy into the company; your team must believe in the company's leadership, and direction 3- Buy into each other; believe that they are part of a team that has more at stake than just a paycheck

Cedric Clark is the VP of Operations for Sam's Club, one of the largest retailers in America and a Walmart Company. He also hosts ‎The DäBU Podcast. He is a former NCAA D1 Basketball Player and played for Washington State University. He started his career at Walmart and over the years, worked his way up to the role of a Regional VP. He was then appointed to VP of Ops at Sam's Club. In this episode we dive into: - Cedric's early life growing up and love of basketball - How Cedric willed his way to D1 NCAA career by embracing the opportunity to practice with U. of. Arizona's Women's basketball team - Why the pain of discipline is better than the pain of regret - How tech and ops teams can work together in retail businesses - How Cedric's past allowed him to build a strong corporate career - Why leaders must develop internal talent and focus on strengths over weaknesses - How Cedric took the concept of mission to milestones from the court to business Remember to subscribe to Cedric's ‎The DäBU podcast and don't forget to leave your reviews for the episode.

D'Arcy McConvey is a Director at Greybrook Realty Partners and former NCAA Hockey Academic all-American and Pro player. He also hosts the podcast - Venture and Gains. He played Hockey for Bowling Green State University where he received Academic All American Honours, and then went on to play pro hockey in ECHL and in Europe. He then did his MBA from the London School of Business and a few years later began his career at Greybrook Realty Partners. "As a communicator and for something a little more concrete, I have been tagged as an “Adaptor” – A person who is focused on goals and is interested in opportunities to expand their world" D'Arcy McConvey In this episode, we discuss: - Convincing yourself that you're going to make it before you make it - willing yourself. - D'Arcy's hockey career growing up and love of skating - Drive behind Academic All American honours in NCAA - How a simple scheduling tactic helped D'Arcy juggle multiple priorities - How he made the transition from hockey to MBA, and then Greybrook & private equity - Why the least risky, comfortable path can oftentimes be the riskiest track

Building a superstar team, not a team of superstars - means building a team that is able to work together and deliver results with maximum output and productivity. In other words, building a strong, lean, change-loving team aligned to your key goals for the next 2-4 years. What can we learn about this concept from the world of sports? I discuss that in detail in the podcast

TJ Galiardi is a former NHL player who played 8 seasons in the NHL. Post NHL, he co-founded Outcast Foods, a sustainable food tech company that makes beautiful food out of ugly produce and is currently in major retailers across Canada. TJ was drafted 55th overall in NHL's 07 drafted by Colorado Avalanche. He played junior hockey in Calgary and also played collegiate hockey at Dartmouth College. Some things we dive into on this episode include: - TJ's early life growing up and playing Hockey - How to build a good working relationship with your teammates, despite differences - Why life gets better when you are grateful vs. having a big ego (even at NHL Level) - How TJ founded Outcast Foods and success - Why TJ believes networking is so powerful at any stage of your career - Advantage that student-athletes have when it comes to business Remember to follow TJ on all social platforms and check out his company at outcastfoods.com