unleashed with Rick Simmons

In the conclusion of Rick's conversation with legendary open water swimmer, Lynne Cox, Lynne shares her renowned 'babushka' story and the inspiration for her new book, Tales of Al: The Water Rescue Dog.

This week, Rick welcomes the legendary Lynne Cox, who is internationally famous for swimming the world's most difficult waterways without a wetsuit. In part one, Lynne talks about how she fell in love with swimming, and what inspired her to be the first person to swim between the United States and the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War.

In the conclusion of Rick's conversation with Alan K. Nevel, SVP & Chief Equity Officer of the MetroHealth System, Alan shares his thoughts on what makes a great leader and why we should all appreciate one another's journey in this thing called life.

Rick welcomes Alan K. Nevel to the podcast. Alan is the Senior Vice President & Chief Equity Officer of the MetroHealth System. He's spent the last 20 years guiding Fortune 500 organizations through large-scale cultural transformation and is currently leading diversity, inclusion, cultural competency and work-life strategies to empower employees at MetroHealth. In part one, Alan discusses the importance of being visible as a leader and what separates MetroHealth from other healthcare systems.

In the conclusion of Rick's conversation with André Gremillet, the President & CEO of The Cleveland Orchestra, André talks about the experience of leading the orchestra during the pandemic and some of the surprising challenges of running a world-class orchestra.

Rick welcomes André Gremillet to unleashed. André is the President & CEO of The Cleveland Orchestra, which was founded in 1918 and is recognized as one of the world's finest by the likes of the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. In part one, André shares how a conservatory-trained pianist from Quebec went on to run orchestras in New Jersey, Melbourne, and Northeast Ohio and what he's learned along the way.

In the conclusion of Rick's discussion with Thomas Haught, the Founder of Sequoia Financial Group, Tom talks about how his decision-making process has evolved, why he's a proponent of employee ownership, and the most rewarding part of his job.

Rick welcomes Thomas Haught, the President and Founder of Sequoia Financial Group. Tom's team manages over 10 billion in assets and has been recognized by Barron's as one of America's Best Investment Advisors. Sequoia builds and maintains strong relationships that emphasize long-term planning to help clients reach their financial and life goals. In part one, Tom shares why he walked away from a good job to become an entrepreneur, the liminal moment in 1995 that changed the course of his company, and when he knew he got the culture right at Sequoia.

In the conclusion of Rick & Joe's conversation with Melody Wilding, the author of Trust Yourself: Stop Overthinking and Channel Your Emotions for Success at Work, Melody talks about the ways 'sensitive strivers' can avoid imposter syndrome and how to teach people how to treat you.

Can a person be highly sensitive and high achieving?  Melody Wilding answers that question on unleashed this week. Melody is an executive coach, human behavior expert, and the author of Trust Yourself: Stop Overthinking and Channel Your Emotions for Success at Work. In part one, Melody shares what makes 'sensitive strivers' an asset to any organization and the liminal moment that triggered her awareness of her own sensitivity.

Rick and Joe wrap up their conversation with Alan Stein, Jr., the world-renowned coach, speaker, and author. In part two, Alan shares his process in dealing with change, what inspired his transition from working with elite-level athletes to working with corporate leaders, and the #1 coaching mantra he learned in his career.

Rick welcomes his old friend Alan Stein, Jr. to the podcast. Alan is a world-renowned coach, speaker, and author. He spent over 15 years working with the best basketball players on the planet, and now he teaches folks how to utilize the same strategies in business that elite athletes use to perform at a world-class level. In part one, Alan talks about the impact of sharing stories, what he learned from the legendary Kobe Bryant, and the importance of self-awareness.

Rick and Joe conclude their conversation with Seth Streeter, the Co-Founder and Chief Impact Officer of Mission Wealth, which manages over $4.6 billion across over 2000 clients. In part two, Seth talks about what separates Mission Wealth from other wealth management companies and why he believes money is a 'byproduct of the karma of our actions.'

This week, Rick welcomes Seth Streeter, the Co-Founder and Chief Impact Officer of Mission Wealth, a nationally recognized wealth management company known for providing caring advice that empowers families to achieve their dreams. In part one, Seth shares his journey from subject-matter expert to a life-changing business leader, why he expanded the definition of wealth, and how he helps clients maintain a healthy relationship with money. 

Rick and Joe wrap up their conversation with Dr. Theresa Larson, a healthcare and fitness expert and combat veteran. In part two, Theresa talks about her work with wounded warriors, the importance of companies hiring more Veterans, and how Movement Rx combines world-class physical therapy and mindfulness expertise.

Rick welcomes Dr. Theresa Larson to the podcast this week. Theresa is a healthcare and fitness expert, a former Marine Corps Engineer Officer and combat veteran, physical therapist, and the founder of Movement Rx, a company that treats patients with time, care, and movement education. In part one, Theresa discusses why change is good and healthy, why writing a memoir was a cathartic experience, and the importance of 'abandoning the perfect.'

Rick and Joe conclude their conversation with Paula Davis, the Founder & CEO of the Stress & Resilience Institute, and the author of Beating Burnout at Work: Why Teams Hold the Secret to Well-Being and Resilience.  In part two, Paula discusses some of the ways she prevents burnout for herself, the importance of effective storytelling, and how businesses are currently improving their systems to beat burnout.

Burnout is recognized by the World Health Organization as a diagnosable condition and can cause feelings of irritation, frustration, cynicism, and emptiness. Joining Rick this week is Paula Davis, the Founder & CEO of the Stress & Resilience Institute, and the author of Beating Burnout at Work: Why Teams Hold the Secret to Well-Being and Resilience. In part one, Paula shares why burnout isn't just an individual problem, the differences between stress and burnout, and the inspiration for writing her book.

Rick concludes his conversation with Laurence Gonzales, the award-winning writer and bestselling author of numerous books about the psychology and neuroscience of survival. In part two, Laurence shares how people can become more resilient, how groups can work together in high pressure situations, and what business leaders can learn from his books.

There's a quote that is often attributed to Charles Darwin: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” And the theme of this week's episode is survival. Joining Rick on this episode is Laurence Gonzales, an award-winning writer and bestselling author of Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why and its sequel Surviving Survival: The Art and Science of Resilience. In part one, Laurence discusses what inspired him to study survival, the twelve traits of survivors, and why 90% of people freeze or panic in certain situations.

We wrap up our chat with YouTube star and founder of Bark and Jack, Adrian Barker. In part two, Adrian (and Rick) talk about the fascinating subculture of wristwatch lovers, the meaning behind his motto "Drinking coffee and exploring the world of watches," and how you can turn a side hustle into a fulfilling career.

Change is scary. We fear change because it means that outcomes are unknown. We're wired to find peace in knowing. And this week, Rick welcomes an entrepreneur that embraces change, Adrian Barker. Adrian went from working at Apple to creating a highly successful YouTube channel, Bark and Jack, that has amassed nearly 130,000 subscribers and over 15 million views. Adrian talks about how he went from working at one of the biggest companies on the planet to becoming a YouTube star, why a dream job isn't a dream job for everyone, and why collaboration has been the key to his success.

Rick concludes his conversation with swimming legend and 12-time Olympic medalist, Dara Torres.  In part two, Dara shares how she deals with traumatic moments inside and outside the pool, how she handled overnight fame, and the importance of being a great mother.

We define perseverance as the continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties or failure,  and this week Rick has the pleasure of welcoming the human embodiment of perseverance,  Dara Torres to the first episode of Unleashed.  Dara is a legendary 12-time Olympic medalist and the first swimmer to represent the U.S. in five Olympic Games, including the time she became the oldest swimmer to earn a place on the U.S. Olympic team at the age of 41. In part one, Dara talks about her amazing comeback during the 2008 Summer Games, how she's handled moments of volatility in her life, and what was it liking competing mentally in her 40s.