Suiting Up With Paul Rabil

Christian Fuchs is a starting left back and captain for the Austria National team and Leicester City Football Club. In 2016, he helped lead the LCFC to its first ever English Premier League Title – beating out the thoroughbreds of Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, and Manchester City. Christian and LCFC's odds of winning that year? 5,000 to 1.  Put it this way, the Cleveland Browns have a 200 to 1 chance of winning the Super Bowl this year. The #16 seed in the NCAA Basketball Tournament – which, until UMBC did it this year, has never advanced past the first round – has a 5,000 to 1 chance of winning the NCAA Championship. The aforementioned basically means zero chance. Yet,  Leicester City did it. Christian shares the stories of team, culture, and profound coaching that led to the infamous club championship. Christian's also an entrepreneur – we talk about his youth soccer academies, his fashion company, his latest investment into esports, and his YouTube Channel. Hosted by professional athlete and ent

Alan Stein Jr. is a high performance coach, consultant, speaker, and author. He’s spent 15+ years with the highest performing basketball players on the planet. And with the NBA Finals now in full-swing, I felt like there was no better time to bring in an industry expert to anecdotally talk about the habits of the greatest – from Kobe Bryant, to LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant. Additionally, he has experience working with the Nike Skills Academies, McDonald’s All-American game, Jordan Brand Classic, NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp, and the CP3 Elite Guard Camp. Important to mention all of the above as he's so articulate with framing the conversation from youth to pro. On the show we discuss the soft skills of basketballs top talents – which are shared talents of industry leaders in Fortune 500 companies. Topics include: -       Gathering and processing feedback -       Positive empathy -       Practice strategies -       Leadership -       Habits and fundamentals Alan’s a tremendous sp

Kyle Harrison is one of the greatest lacrosse players on the planet. He was a multiple time All-American, National Champion, Tewaaraton winner, MLL All-star and Champion. He was the first black player to win the Tewaaraton award -- where Kyle's father, Dr. Miles Harrison, played on the first all-black NCAA lacrosse team in the during the 1970's. Our interview took several shapes from start-to-finish. We discussed Kyle's relationship with his father, what it's like to be a minority player in a predominantly white sport, the legacy he's leaving with his efforts to diversify participation at all levels, and where he sees the game evolving globally and culturally. We dive into his work ethic, both as a multi-sport athlete in high school, to his learnings and captainship with the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays. Finally, we discuss his evolution as a pro lacrosse player, his increased performance and veteran leadership, to the endorsement game, event partnerships he's built, and his recent role with Charm City Youth La

Dave Meltzer is an entrepreneur, author, humanitarian, and current CEO of Sports 1 Marketing, a global marketing agency. On this episode, we sat down and discussed his approach to business, how he bounced back from bankruptcy, and the strategies he developed to reinvent his success. Meltzer's current projects: 1. The Super Bowl 2. The Master’s 3. Pro Football Hall of Fame 4. The Unstoppable Foundation Meltzer was 2016's Variety Magazine’s “Sports Humanitarian of the Year”, he's a two-time #1 best-selling author (Connected To Goodness and Compassionate Capitalism), and has been recognized as a Top Keynote Speaker by Forbes and Entrepreneur. Most recently, Meltzer took on a producing role, is a judge, and host of Entrepreneur's original show, and #1 Digital Business show, Elevator Pitch. Since launching, they've scored over 20.8 million views. Finally Meltzer is the host of the Top 5 business podcast on iTunes, The Playbook. Hosted by professional athlete and entrepreneur, Suiting Up Podcast is a show th

Jim Scherr was a decade-long Olympic and World Champion wrestler. After his international competition years, he decided to pursue the business of sports, becoming the Executive Director of USA Wrestling, then worked his way into becoming the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). As such, Jim oversaw, operated, and led the performance of all USA Olympic sports for a 10-year span. Enter lacrosse. Today, Jim's the CEO of the Federation of International Lacrosse -- the governing body that oversees 58 internationally sanctioned countries who compete for prominence in global lacrosse competitions.  And at this moment, Jim's job is mainly focused on getting lacrosse back into the Olympics. Today's episode was recorded live at this year's US Lacrosse Convention. My good friend and business leader at Inside Lacrosse, Terry Foy, set the conversation up in front of packed house at their company's annual Industry Summit (thank you, Terry). Jim and I discuss his athletic chops as an O

Adam Grant has been Wharton's School of Business's top-rated professor for the last six years. He’s a 3x NYT bestselling author, with a focus on how we can find motivation, meaning, and live more generous and creative lives. Adam's been recognized as one of the world's 10 most influential management thinkers, he's a Fortune 40 under 40 member, has 2 viral TED talks (we discuss them in the pod), and has recently launched his own podcast with TED, called WorkLife with Adam Grant. Adam also works, advises, and consults with organizations like Facebook, Google, The NBA, BCG, AMEX, Disney, Army, Navy, and others. Not too shabby… I first learned about Adam several years ago through his books. Many of my long-time listeners might recall interviews where I both recommend and call-out Adam's book with Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook’s COO), Option B — Facing Adversity, Building Resilience and Finding Joy. Just over one year ago, Adam reached out to me via email to say “Thank you for the book callout”. I was shocked — as

"In my business, I'm not a point guard. I'm a shooting guard. It's my job to go out and be a passionate advocate for my clients." David Falk is considered by many to be the second most powerful man in basketball -- behind David Stern. He negotiated professional sport's first $100 million dollar deal for Alonzo Mourning, and closed over $400 million dollars in free agency deals during a 6-day period. Falk's road to success in professional sports stemmed from a blue collar upbringing, where hard work and goal achievement sat at the forefront of daily rituals. His mother instilled in him to "Always shoot for the stars and never settle for anything less."  On the show, we talk about what it was like to sign Michael Jordan, represent him in negotiations with the Chicago Bulls, Nike, McDonalds, and Gatorade, as well as how Falk and his team restructured many of the rules in the current NBA Player Handbook, to prevent the cannibalization of player image/likeness by the NBA.   If you're in (or aspire to be) the b

"If you work hard, and you continue to fight through, and you continue to push, that there's something waiting for you in the end that's really big...that you can't even imagine." Randy Foy jump started the Villanova Wildcats dynasty run we've seen these last handful of years. He was Jay Wright's first Big East Player of the Year, and his first NBA lottery pick. Today, still an active NBA player, Randy's a mentor for many of the current Villanova players, and remains closely tied with Coach Wright. Our conversation, however, goes far deeper than the chronicles of Villanova men's basketball.  Randy Foye lets us in on the origins of his life. He grew up in Newark New Jersey, without his parents, and a debilitating biological disorder. His perspective, strength, perseverance, and love jump through the audio file, articulately and authentically. Very few of us -- if any -- have experienced even a fraction of what Randy has in his short 34 years thus far. But we can all be better off in modeling his work ethic,

"I remember seeing all the Olympic athletes, standing in the corner as a Paralympic swimmer and thinking, 'one day, these athletes are going to know who I am'." Jessica Long is a global icon. She's a 23-time medalist, the holder of 14 world records, has won 2 ESPY awards, is soon-to-be bestselling author, and was recently named to Forbes' prestigious 30 under 30 list.  I walked away from our conversation amazed by Jessica's resilience, determination, and courage. Her origin story began in Russia, where she was put up for adoption at an early age. Her American parents were her caretakers through her over 25 surgeries during her adolescent years. Then she found swimming. She's the ultimate competitor, wrapped in compassion and empathy. Hosted by professional athlete and entrepreneur, Suiting Up Podcast is a show that explores the psychology, playbook of tools, and strategies of the most influential people in sports, entrepreneurship, and entertainment. Special thanks to this episode's sponsors Saxx (Pro

"The reason why there are so few professional athletes, is they're people who can endure so much pain."  Founded back in 1858 in Melbourne Australia, today there are roughly 2 million active participants playing "Footy", with sold out stadiums hosting the professional leagues, and millions of viewers worldwide. Dane Swan is one of the greatest Australian Rules Footballers in the modern era, and on the show we talk about his rise to the top, training, producing, responding to injury, and elongating your career. In the early stages of his career, Dane said, “we eat, we drink, we party hard – we're pigs.” Of course, the fans and picked up on this, commercialized it, and the lads were dubbed "the rat pack". Toward the back half of his career, he's become more focused and entrepreneurial, writing a book about his journey, starting an event business in the US called the Dane Swan Tour, created a clothing line called Ratbagg, owns a bar and tattoo shop, and makes regular TV appearances and speaking engagements.

"I operated under this belief that there was no such thing as a nice defenseman." A Princeton University grad, Dave Morrow was a National Champion, two-time defensive player of the year, two-time Team USA player, and two-time world champion.  As decorated of an on-field resume as his, Morrow's greatest impact on the sport has been what he's created off of it. He built Warrior Sports -- now the largest sporting goods manufacturer in lacrosse -- from his dorm room his junior year in college.  To fund the company, Morrow raised a seed investment from his father and college roommate, and immediately used it to generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue in year one. His biggest challenge? He was a starting defender for the USA national team, playing in overtime of the world championship game, trying to defend the best player in the world (Gary Gait), with a gold medal on the line, and the future of his business -- Warrior was the team sponsor. On the show, we talk about what it's like to be a young e

"At some point, your opportunity will hit. At the time when you're least expecting it. You have to be ready. You have to jump." Tiki Barber is one of the best all-purpose running backs in NFL history. He was undersized, under-recruited, and was given his first opportunity to play when the starting running back at UVA got injured. He never looked back. He grew up with his twin brother Ronde (also an NFL star and future hall-of-famer) and single mother who worked two jobs, and taught them what hard work, resiliency, and passion looked like. At UVA, Tiki studied business, and was quick to jump into media after being taken in the 2nd round of the NFL Draft. Like all athletes, Tiki knew that his playing career would end, but life after football could be huge -- as long as he worked hard and took advantage of the league's platform. Quickly, Tiki became versed in media, co-hosting the Today Show and Fox & Friends, while making appearances on a dozen other major properties. While rushing and catching for almos

"Rook...you've gotta be able to laugh at yourself."  Steve Nash is one of the greatest on-floor playmakers in NBA history. He's won back-to-back MVP's, and modernized the way the 2-man game is played. Pretty amazing given his two favorite sports as an amateur were soccer and hockey. Pre-social media era, Steve's one of the few athletes that ventured into entrepreneurship and media while he was still playing. Today, he's part of the Vancouver WhiteCaps and RCD Mallorca ownership groups, he's a consultant for the Golden State Warriors, GM for the Canadian Senior National Team, and architect of the Steve Nash Foundation. On the podcast, Steve and I talk about why and how he became one of the game's greatest players, what he characteristics he looks for in the greatest competitors, and his secret sauce to success (...define "resilience"). His advice to any athlete or entrepreneur? "Declare your intention. Say it out loud and write it down. Then go for it." This is a great show. Hosted by professional athlete

Randy Hetrick is a fierce competitor. He’s driven to perform at the highest level — in whatever he does. After college, he entered the Navy and joined SEAL Team One, where he had a 14-year career, ending as a Lieutenant Commander, leading a squadron at the SEAL special missions unit. On a mission in Southeast Asia, Randy took his old Jiu-jitsu belt, anchored to a backdrop, and started what we now refer to as "Suspension Training". After his time as a SEAL, he applied and got into the Stanford Graduate School of Business where he learned how to start a company, raise money, and grow. Having learned how to sew as a SEAL, to modify gear, he spent the summer of Stanford perfecting his prototypes and shortly after graduating, incorporated TRX Systems. Today, TRX is in over 40,000 gyms worldwide, and is used by all professional sports leagues and teams. Randy's a dear friend of mine. We went the distance on starting a company, managing people, dealing with failure, acknowledging "gaps", and leaning into the "go

"Have a passion for the business, have a great management team, and then search for real opportunity." Scott O'Neil is the CEO of Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment (HBSE), a group that manages the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils, and English Premier League's Crystal Palace. Their ongoing vision is to focus on acquiring sports franchises, sports venues, and sports and entertainment properties. Scott and I talk about the state of the teams in his current portfolio, then dive deep into the operational team at HBSE, the culture they've built, and the sales metrics (or what he calls "touches") they study to improve things like season ticket sales, digital impressions, and sponsorship opportunities.  I asked Scott two questions that I'm constantly working through, as well as observing others' management techniques. First, what does he look for in a qualified candidate, and second, how he balances oversight of multiple properties, strategy, and interpersonal relationships at the office. What he disclos

Kelvin Beachum was born into a blue collar family in Texas. He was a studious undergrad, carrying both a graduate and master’s degree, while setting onfield records at SMU. It didn't stop there, though. Kelvin went on to deliver his collegiate commencement speech, then was drafted to the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL.  Kelvin's been through as many depth chart challenges as injuries, but he kept his head down, and quickly became one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL. Not wasting his stellar academic career, Kelvin is long on LinkedIn -- different than most athlete's choice of platform's on social media. He shares musings on portfolio companies he's been pitched to invest in, and shares his experiences from big tech conferences. Kelvin's a limited partner with Next Play Capital, a member of One Team Collective, and has a running list of charitable endeavors that include Bread for the World, World Vision, Feeding America, and STEM. Hosted by professional athlete and entrepreneur, Paul Rabil, Suiting

Andrew Hawkins was a top slot receiver for the Cleveland Browns, having just retired in 2017 while on the roster of the New England Patriots. If you don’t know who @Hawk (twitter) is, type in his name on YouTube and watch his one-on-one highlights against NFL cornerbacks. If you’re an athlete at any level, and want to emulate great dodgers or route runners, very few do it better than Hawk. That said, his physical attributes and on-field talent are only a part of why he’s a guest on our show. More impressively, Hawk spent most of his NFL career working on his developing his business and media acumen. He received his masters from Columbia University in Sports Management, and took unpaid internships with the Detroit Lions and Uninterrupted. A grueling offseason schedule that included roundtrip flights to NYC for classes and exams (he graduated with a 4.0 gpa), gym and field workouts down in Florida, and most importantly, raising his family.  He has an incredible motor. Today, he hosts ESPN’s SportsCenter show

Cameron Porter was a four-year all-everything soccer player and computer science major at Princeton. He was drafted to Major League Soccer and immediately made an impact on the pitch, scoring a dramatic final-minute goal, sending his club (Montreal) into the CONCACAF Champions League Semifinals. Uniquely positioned as an top forward in the MLS, Cam also works for MLS's front office -- as a full-stack engineer. A true pro athlete and entrepreneur, Cam writes code and helps the fastest growing team sports league in the world buildout their digital, iOS, and Android platforms. I decided to upload this episode to kickoff our 2018 guest list because of two reasons: 1. Cam’s incredibly thoughtful and articulate. I learned new tactics around sports psychology (like how to dig yourself out of a funk -- or poor play), as well as how a macro trend in new media is not only impacting soccer, but the rest of the field (including lacrosse). 2. Cam’s so talented, that he’s already reached a place in his career where he’

When we concepted and launched the podcast, I knew it would be fun to engage with my professional peers, but underestimated the value I would receive from sitting back and listening to their expertise and tips. Every guest I've hosted has experienced a certain degree of failure, loss, or trauma, causing them to either "bottom out" or hit "reset". However with every guest and each circumstance, there's been an amazing rebound; a success that they've credited from their learnings in failure. On today's show, we highlight some of the best moments from Suiting Up Podcast guests. It's Part 3 of my Reflection Series, and it's a great one. You'll hear from: 1. Jay Williams 2. Myles Chamley-Watson 3. Matt Hasselbeck 4. Dave Pietramala Enjoy -- and take notes!

When I concepted and launched the podcast, I knew it would be fun to engage with my professional peers, but underestimated the value I would receive from sitting back and listening to their expertise and tips. Every guest I've hosted has been -- at one point or another -- a captain, coach, or seasoned senior executive.  Leadership is not for the faint of heart. It's a job on top of another job. There's a commitment to setting a standard, building culture, and most importantly, working to understand, relate and improve your team. The commonality shared between leaders? Humility. By far and away. In Part 2 of my 3-Part Suiting Up Podcast Series, I'm highlighting 6 guests from 2017's class of interviewees, telling you my bottom line to their best sound bites on leadership. You'll hear from: 1. Sam Walker on the captain class 2. Dhani Jones on a leaders core characteristics  3. Jay Williams on the importance of communication 4. Bill Belichick on management, culture, and preparation 5. Mike Rabil on the