Intentional Performers With Brian Levenson

Dan Grunfeld is a former professional basketball player, an accomplished writer, and a proud graduate of Stanford University. An Academic All-American and All-Conference basketball selection at Stanford, Dan played professionally for eight seasons in top leagues around the world, including in Germany, Spain, and Israel. Dan’s writing has been published more than 40 times in media outlets such as Sports Illustrated, The Jerusalem Post, and NBC News. Dan earned his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2017 and lives with his wife and son in the Bay Area, where he works in venture capital. In this episode, we discuss Julie Elion and how she has impacted Dan’s career (9:10), if his dad was an analytical player (10:38), why his dad could transition to this other side of his career (12:39), if his analytical mind helps him in the venture world in the way that it hindered him on the basketball court (13:45), how he thought about expectations (15:49), why he went down the venture route (17:42), more

Ethan Kross is one of the world’s leading experts on controlling the conscious mind. An award-winning professor in the University of Michigan’s top ranked Psychology Department and its Ross School of Business, he is the director of the Emotion & Self Control Laboratory. Ethan has participated in policy discussion at the White House and has been interviewed about his research on CBS Evening News, Good Morning America, Anderson Cooper Full Circle, and NPR’s Morning Edition. His research has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, The New England Journal of Medicine, and Science. In this episode, we discuss controlling thoughts (5:44), the difference between thoughts and thinking (8:10), how feelings and emotions can drive behavior (9:13), how we know when thoughts are serving us vs. getting in our way (12:46), quick decisions and thinking in sports performance (18:44), thinking about fear and anxiety as an expert (23:35), self-leadership (26:21), what Ethan tries to i

Kevin DeShazo is an author, podcaster, and founder of “Fieldhouse Media,” which helps college athletes, coaches, and administrators be better on social media. Kevin also helps leaders and teams to create a championship culture with his company “Culture Wins.” In this episode, we discuss what comes to mind when Kevin thinks of the word “culture” (5:36), what qualities positively impact culture (7:01), why Kevin is drawn to sports (8:28), how he got interested in organizational development (11:21), his persistence (12:45), the values passed down to him by his parents (14:45), working in health care (15:49), why he changed course in his career (18:26), working for others compared to working for yourself (21:05), investing in others (22:34), getting bored and Keep Chopping Wood and how they play together (25:54), how to know when to stop chopping wood (27:24), what sparked his desire to form Fieldhouse Media (29:54), what we should know about social media (32:15), Twitter (34:47), his process in using social med

Damon West is someone who believes in inside-out transformation. Today, Damon is a college professor who is nationally known keynote speaker and best-selling author. He travels the country sharing his message. But, it wasn’t always as bright for Damon as it is today. At 20 years old, he was a division one starting quarterback at the University of North Texas, when he then suffered a career ending injury, turning to hardcore drugs to cope with the disappointments of his life. After graduation, he worked in the US Congress where he was a national fundraiser on a US presidential campaign. He eventually trained to be a stockbroker for UBS, one of the premier financial institutions in the world. It was at UBS where he was introduced to meth, becoming instantly hooked. While you hear these highs and these bright spots and what society often deems a success, Damon looked the part. And yet, he actually battled demons and battled severe substance abuse. As a result, he impacted lives of many innocent people from choi

Ed Offterdinger is Co-founder and Chairman of AO People Partners, a leadership development and people strategies firm. Ed is a strategic advisor and leadership coach with more than thirty years of leadership and client service experience as managing partner and CEO of large advisory companies. Prior to co-founding AO, Ed was Executive Managing Partner of the national advisory firm, Baker Tilly. Ed helps CEOs and other leaders improve their performance and do what’s best for their team, their business, and society. As cofounder and chair of the Washington, DC, chapter of Conscious Capitalism, Ed has been helping spread the message about the power of business to do good. Catherine Allen is Co-founder and CEO of AO People Partners. Catherine is passionately dedicated to helping leaders and organizations lean into the power of developing people to drive business success and meaningful social contribution. Catherine brings over 25 years of experience working collaboratively with industry leaders helping them and

Managing Partner McChrystal Academy. David Livingston leads a team of subject matter experts, learning designers, and dynamic facilitators who develop and deliver custom learning courses and programs that leverage a variety of experiential learning methods to drive individual growth and higher performance for teams and organizations. In this episode, we discuss what David notices with regards to polarity when working with organizations (5:45), cultures of confrontation (7:23), leaders (10:04), how he balances wanting to be liked with having to make difficult decisions (12:32), balancing holding people accountable with knowing one’s roster is not very deep (15:56), why people struggle with paradox and instead like things to be neat (21:13), resilience (26:15), values (30:50), what led David to explore this field (33:43), where he starts when working with teams (35:39), how many teams have clarity on their purpose (36:32), what the military doesn’t do well that certain businesses do well (40:02), the relations

Sean Magennis is the CEO of Capital 54, where he contributes 30 years of experience to entrepreneurs and growing professional service businesses, domestically and all throughout the world. He helps them with growth strategies, turnarounds, acquisitions, and financing. Sean supports the Capital 54 portfolio company CEOs, the investment resourcing, screening, and due diligence. He also is involved with all of their growth and exit processes. Prior to Capital 54, Sean led a global and diverse team, serving over 30,000 CEOs in 138 countries with combined annual revenues of 9 trillion US dollars. He was the president and COO of Young Presidents Organization (YPO). Prior to that, Sean began his business career in management at Dow Chemicals. He ran a professional services firm for 14 years focused on organizational development, consulting, people assessment, and executive search which grew to encompass operations in Canada, the US, and Mexico, where he and his team served several thousand clients. He has experience

Marques Colston is in the record books with the New Orleans Saints for being on their all-time best wise receivers. He was recently inducted into their hall of fame, finishing his ten-year career atop the Saints reception list, their receiving yards list, their scrimmage yards list, and their receiving touchdowns list. During those ten years, he also helped lead them to a Super Bowl Championship. Marques was a 7th round pick when he entered the NFL. Prior to that, he only had 2 offers coming out of high school to play collegiate football, eventually going to Hofstra University. Today, Marques uses the skills and mindset he has developed over the years to serve as an executive coach. In this episode, we discuss Marques getting drafted by the Saints (5:16), what life was like for him as a kid (6:37), how his father’s passing impacted him as a high schooler (7:52), his siblings (10:24), raising his kids (11:48), his shared vision with his father (13:03), why he went to Hofstra instead of Missouri (15:03), balan

This episode of the podcast is a little bit different. This is the 250th podcast episode! We’re going to celebrate that milestone by talking about curiosity. Curiosity is what got me here, got me in front of this microphone, and forced me to hit the record button. I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers. Thanks for listening. -Brian

Brad Stulberg is the bestselling author of The Practice of Groundedness and Peak Performance. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, TIME Magazine, and many other outlets. In his coaching practice, he works with executives, entrepreneurs, and physicians on their mental skills and well-being. In this episode, we discuss handling cancellations (5:31), when Brad first became interested in coaching (6:50), the distinction between consulting and coaching (8:47), the mistakes he made when he first started coaching (9:44), how he thinks about age for himself (11:06), what makes him feel alive (13:29), scheduling (17:17), priorities (20:54), how he thinks about speaking (22:22), when he realized how much he valued autonomy (24:31), more on speaking gigs (27:37), what he’s learned going through mental health challenges (29:22), his wife’s reaction when he said he wanted to seek the help of a mental health professional (36:08), the line between healthy

Tom Ripley is a Partner and Co-Founder at Ames Watson, a private equity firm that acquired more than a dozen companies in the defense, retail, light manufacturing and service sectors. Over the past 22 years, Tom has developed extensive operating experience across more than two dozen different companies. Today, Tom serves as the Chairman & CEO of Lids Sports Group, South Moon Under, and several smaller holdings. Tom started his career as an infantry and special operations officer in the United States Marine Corps. Tom graduated from the Virginia Military Institute with a BA and an MBA from the University of Chicago. In this episode, we discuss why Tom is nervous for this conversation (6:25), viewing threats (7:42), what he’s learned from raising autistic twins (9:02), how similar and different their twins are (10:59), how he thinks about nature and nurture (11:58), what he’s learned from his daughters about communication (13:42), the pros and cons of his experience in the marine corps (15:47), a mistake h

Bernard Muir is entering his 10th season as the Director of Athletics at Stanford University. Stanford has one of the best programs and departments in the country. During Bernard’s tenure, he has seen 25 NCAA Championships and 34 national titles. He also has been involved with the Learfield IMG College Director’s Cup, which recognizes the best athletic department in the country. Stanford has won it 7 times. In this episode, we discuss what’s different about being an Athletic Director today than what Bernard imagined it would be like as a kid (6:53), why he was drawn to being an AD from a young age (8:35), what drew him to basketball (10:36), if people thought he was too serious when he was younger (13:12), where his belief in himself to dream big and be proactive came from (14:52), what he’s learned from loss (17:02), Jamaican culture (20:35), how he thinks about his kids as a father when it comes to academics, athletics, and striving for excellence (23:21), if it’s a blessing or a curse to know what you wan

Scott Mordell most recently served as the CEO of YPO from 2011 through December 2020. His extensive background in varying industries, geographies, types of organizations and business disciplines has helped him develop important leadership lessons and collaboration skills for success. Prior to YPO, Scott’s experience includes Chamberlain Group, Arlington International Racecourse, HeathCo, Duchossois Industries, Deloitte and KPMG. Scott is currently leveraging his experience providing strategic counsel for leaders through Forrader Group LLC. In this episode, we discuss connecting in real life (6:19), why a lot of people don’t follow through with in-person meetings (7:54), following through and doing what you say you will (10:21), why Scott seeks out connections intentionally (12:31), what he does to manage energy throughout the day (16:22), what he’s noticing with regards to the impact of the pandemic on humans (19:31), happiness (22:39), legacy (25:02), spirituality (26:23), being and becoming (28:37), where

Quin Snyder was a McDonald’s All-American coming out of high school, eventually going on to play basketball at Duke, where he went to 3 Final Fours as a player. Upon graduation, he thought about pursuing a professional career playing basketball, but instead decided to pursue a law degree. While doing that, he fell back in love with the game of basketball. This conversation is going to be about his journey to falling back in love with and enjoying basketball. At the age of 32, Quin became the head coach of the University of Missouri Men’s Basketball Team. It looked as if he was the next bright star in coaching, and then that came crumbling down when he got fired. He then found himself coaching in the D-League with the Austin Toros, who were part of the San Antonio Spurs organization. Quin bounced around quite a bit and learned a ton along the way, and that is where he really fell back in love with the game and with coaching. Today, he’s the head coach of the Utah Jazz, a perennial playoff team in the NBA. Quin

Lars Tiffany is the Head Coach of the University of Virginia Men’s Lacrosse Program. They have won back-to-back National Championships. Lars has also spent time coaching at his alma mater, Brown University, which is where he played and had a great career. He coached at Brown from 2007-2016 and then took the leap to the University of Virginia, which is a storied lacrosse program, in 2017. He led Brown to 3 Ivy League Championships. In this episode, we discuss life for Lars as a kid (6:54), where his dad’s desire to be in the restaurant industry came from (7:51), if he was involved in the restaurant himself (11:41), why he became a vegetarian when he was the son of a steak house owner (13:37), his dad’s reaction to saying he would become a vegetarian (14:24), if his family ever served bison (18:01), vegetarians in sports (19:00), protein (21:51), losing his father (25:22), if he’s religious (29:19), his dad’s funeral (30:18), misconceptions about lacrosse (34:21), when lacrosse became a private school thing (3

Joanna Bernabei-McNamee, Head Coach - BC Women's Basketball, became the eighth women’s basketball coach in Boston College program history on April 11, 2018. In 2019-20, her second season at BC, Bernabei-McNamee was named the Coach of the Year in the Atlantic Coast Conference. She led BC to an impressive 20-12 overall record and a fourth place finish in the conference with an 11-7 record. The 20 victories were the most in program history since the 2010-11 season. The team also set a new program record for the most ACC victories with 11. With Bernabei-McNamee at the helm, senior forward Emma Guy flourished as she led the ACC in field goal percentage throughout the season and finished 10th in the country (.594%). Guy also earned an All-ACC First Team selection, the first for a BC player since 2011. Sophomore Taylor Soule was not only named to the All-ACC team but earned the Most Improved Player in the conference. Both Guy and Soule were named to the Blue Ribbon Panel All-ACC Second Team. In her first season

Annelie Schmittel serves as Vice President of Player Development for the Philadelphia 76ers. Schmittel is responsible for creating, managing and overseeing the holistic development and implementation of programs that support the professional and personal growth of 76ers players, staff and families. Prior to joining the 76ers, Schmittel was a member of the Oakland Raiders player engagement staff. While responsible for strategy, planning, oversight and execution of player development, Schmittel successfully implemented and managed various programs such as the Raiders Family Boot Camp and the team’s Rookie Academy. Among her many responsibilities with the Raiders, Schmittel also specialized in innovative programming and the creation of various initiatives for the continued development of both current and former players on the roster, significant others and family members. Prior to joining the Raiders, Schmittel worked as an instructor and researcher at the University of Florida while completing her doctorate de

Chris Singleton is a former professional athlete drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2017. Following the loss of his mother in a racially motivated mass shooting, Chris has now become an inspirational speaker and best-selling author who has shared his message of unity and racial reconciliation with clients such as: Microsoft, Biogen, Houston Texans, Washington Wizards, etc. He shares with over 50 organizations and over 30,000 students annually and resides with his spouse Mariana, his son CJ and his younger brother who he cares for Caleb in Charleston, SC. In this episode, we discuss the Nats Park shooting (6:55), PTSD (7:44), what got Chris from being neurotic and anxious at an unhealthy level to a more comfortable place (8:44), faith and being a believer (10:12), what allowed him to go towards faith rather than run away from it after experiencing tragedy (11:40), more on believing (14:49), how he thinks about his purpose (17:35), unity (19:54), peace and sports (22:!7), what he thinks his mom’s murderers punishm

Joe Ferraro is currently entering his 23rd year as an educator, teaching 12th grade English. Joe also teaches public speaking and creative writing. In addition to his work in the classroom, he is the founder of damngoodconversations.com. Damn Good Conversations is a company whose mission it is to teach you repeatable ways to have the best conversations in your life and work. His flagship service is a weekly personal growth podcast, which is called “One Percent Better.” In this episode, we discuss being and becoming (8:01), the word “enough” (9:00), if damn good conversations and interviews are separate or the same thing (12:00), if there is a time Joe has to turn off the curious, interviewer mind inside of him (15:59), high velocity questions (18:05), bringing curiosity and questions into the classroom (19:56), fitting in in high school (24:14), why he decided to share his podcast with his students (27:58), if middle schoolers are more curious than high schoolers (30:28), cultivating curiosity in his childre

Lindsay Kaplan is the co-founder and Chief Brand Officer of Chief, a private network designed specifically for women leaders — rising VP level through CEO — to strengthen their experience in the C-suite, cross-pollinate power across industries, and effect change from the top-down. She is an award-winning marketer and communications strategist who previously served as VP of Communications and Brand at Casper. Lindsay was named a New York Times DealBook Groundbreaker, Brand Innovators 40 Under 40, and Business Insider's Most Innovative CMOs in the World. In this episode, we discuss landing on the word “chief” (6:59), clients’ and customers’ reactions to hearing the word “chief” (9:24), the word “badass” (10:41), why she is desirous of challenging the status quo (11:43), how her parents nurtured her to make sure her uniqueness wasn’t stifled (15:00), parenting advice for defiant children (17:15), belonging (19:22), why she doesn’t think imposter syndrome is a real thing (22:04), being the “only” (25:13), the jo