292: From Winning Athlete to Thriving Entrepreneur

292: From Winning Athlete to Thriving Entrepreneur

292: From Winning Athlete to Thriving Entrepreneur

If you’ve ever gone through a major transition from one career path to another that’s totally unfamiliar, you may have felt disoriented and unsure of your identity. That often happens to college and professional athletes when they leave the sport that’s been a central part of their identity.

This episode’s guest, Jay Dixon, specializes in helping these athletes discover how they can transfer the skills they already have to the business world. You’re going to hear ideas that you can apply to your own role as a leader.

Jay is an expert at the intersection of sports and business. He was a student-athlete at the University of Nevada, where he played football. Since then, he’s cofounded three companies and consulted or participated in more than 50 transactions. After these experiences, Jay started an elite accelerator for athletes called SuccessCoach.com. It blends the mindset strategies of elite CEOs and an actionable playbook to transition their athletic talents into thriving business ventures.

He’s the author of a new book, After the Game: Bridging the Gap from Winning Athlete to Thriving Entrepreneur. It’s an excellent book for anyone in business.

You’ll discover:

  • Jay’s personal journey from athlete to entrepreneur
  • The unique strengths athletes have that serve them well in the business world
  • Why a growth mindset is the first piece in the 10 mindset elements that Jay teaches
  • Tips for optimizing your time and energy
  • The distinction between expectations vs agreements

Watch the episode:

Connect with Jay

  

Jay’s Resources

Website

Success Coach

Book

After the Game: Bridging the Gap from Winning Athlete to Thriving Entrepreneur

Connect with Your Team

Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Order from Amazon

Peer Coaching Made Simple

How to Do the 6 Things That Matter Most When Helping Someone Improve a Skill

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291: A CEO’s Vision for Creating Healthier Communities

291: A CEO’s Vision for Creating Healthier Communities

291: A CEO’s Vision for Creating Healthier Communities

Did you know that two communities only 5 miles apart can have a 20-year difference in life expectancy? That’s a reality in the United States, and Dr. Jean Accius is committed to changing that drastically so everyone has the same opportunity for a longer, healthier life. This topic is just one of many we explored in this deep, meaningful conversation with an exceptional CEO and human being. You’ll be fascinated with Jean’s journey and the compelling stories he shares that illustrate his brilliance as a leader.

Jean came to the United States as an immigrant from Haiti when he was four. Today, he is the President and CEO of CHC: Creating Healthier Communities. Before that, he spent more than 15 years at AARP, the nation’s largest nonprofit, where his most recent position was Senior Vice President of International Affairs and Global Thought Leadership.

Throughout his career, Jean has focused on addressing barriers to health and health equity and creating solutions that ensure people have longer lives with more time to learn, earn, and be with their loved ones.

You’ll discover:

  • Jean’s experiences in his leadership journey that shaped his approach today
  • The distinctions Jean makes between drive vs driven and success vs significance
  • How leaders can step back to allow others to step up
  • Effective ways to get buy-in for a project or a vision
  • The importance of understanding Interdependence in getting things done

Watch the episode:

 

Connect with Dr. Jean

        

Website

CHC: Creating Healthier Communities

 

Connect with Your Team

Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Order from Amazon

Peer Coaching Made Simple

How to Do the 6 Things That Matter Most When Helping Someone Improve a Skill

Order from Amazon
290: Leadership Lessons from a Lifetime in Public Health Service

290: Leadership Lessons from a Lifetime in Public Health Service

290: Leadership Lessons from a Lifetime in Public Health Service

How did Dr. Antonia (Toni) Novello become the first woman and the first Hispanic to hold the position of U.S. Surgeon General in 1990? Hers is an inspiring story and compelling read as described in her book with Jill Tietjen, Duty Calls: Lessons Learned from an Unexpected Life of Service. In this conversation, we discuss Toni’s career path to that position as well as her role during 9/11 as the New York State Commissioner of the Department of Health.

Toni and Jill are both highly accomplished women, extraordinary leaders, and trailblazers in their respective fields, so it was a real honor to have them as guests.

Toni was born in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a B.S. and an M.D. She completed her residency and internship in pediatrics at the University of Michigan and a fellowship in pediatric and adult nephrology at the University of Michigan and Georgetown University. Also, she received a Master’s and a Doctor of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.

In 1990, Toni was sworn in as the 14th Surgeon General of the U.S. Public Health Service and became the first woman and the first Hispanic to hold this position. From 1999 to 2007, she was the New York State Commissioner of the Department of Health and served in this position during 9/11.

Jill S. Tietjen, PE, is an author, international speaker, and electrical engineer. After more than forty-five years in the electric utility industry, her professional focus is now on women’s advocacy worldwide. Her fifteen books include the bestselling and award-winning Her Story: A Timeline of the Women Who Changed America and Hollywood: Her Story, An Illustrated History of Women and the Movies. She has been inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame and the Colorado Authors’ Hall of Fame and has been elected to the National Academy of Construction.

You’ll discover:

  • How Toni and Jill met and decided to collaborate on writing this memoir
  • What Toni learned from her mother in her early years that influenced her throughout her life
  • The experience that taught Toni to under-promise and over-deliver
  • Why loyalty is a core value of Toni’s and how it served her in her various roles
  • How always being prepared opened doors for Toni’s next position

Watch the episode:

Connect with Antonia

  

Connect with Jill

  

Resources

Website

Jill Tietjen

Book

Duty Calls: Lessons Learned from an Unexpected Life of Service

Connect with Your Team

Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Order from Amazon

Peer Coaching Made Simple

How to Do the 6 Things That Matter Most When Helping Someone Improve a Skill

Order from Amazon
289: Why Strong Character Matters

289: Why Strong Character Matters

289: Why Strong Character Matters

I’ve been hosting my podcast for more than five years, since June 2019, and have never done a solo episode. That changes with this episode! Many of my listeners have requested that I share some of my thoughts about leadership, so I’ve decided to devote one episode each month to speaking directly with you.

For this episode, I focused on the topic of character—what it is and two specific areas that show why it’s essential for leadership. My business partner Denny Coates and I have been immersed in this aspect of leadership development for decades, and even more so in the past two years as Denny has worked on his latest book, Grow Strong Character, and the two of us have created content for our new self-paced leadership development program, GSL SkillBuilder.

I’m the co-founder and president of Grow Strong Leaders, a company that publishes software tools and books to help people build strong relationships at work and at home.

You’ll discover:

  • What strong character consists of
  • The role of character in leadership
  • Why character development strengthens emotional intelligence
  • The importance of helping people live into an organization’s core values
  • Resources that can help you strengthen your own character

Watch the episode:

 

Connect with Meredith

        

Meredith’s Resources

Website

GrowStrongLeaders.com

Books

Connect with Your Team: Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Peer Coaching Made Simple

Connect with Your Team

Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Order from Amazon

Peer Coaching Made Simple

How to Do the 6 Things That Matter Most When Helping Someone Improve a Skill

Order from Amazon
288: Inspiring Others to Achieve Their Potential

288: Inspiring Others to Achieve Their Potential

288: Inspiring Others to Achieve Their Potential

One of the most important skills a leader can develop is the ability to help others expand their vision of themselves. Ilias Simpson has been practicing this skill for decades; and in this conversation, he gives a masterclass on how to do it effectively. You’ll be mesmerized by the stories he tells to illustrate what he does, and you’ll learn ways to build a culture where people perform at high levels and feel valued at the same time.

Ilias is a highly accomplished leader who transforms companies into profitable growth engines through operational excellence, lean improvements, and instilling a culture of success. With a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, Ilias ensures that employees at all levels feel heard, valued, and supported.

Previously, Ilias served as President of Modivcare Mobility, President and CEO of Radial Inc., CEO of PaLo Na, and Senior Director of Operations at Ryder System, Inc. Ilias graduated with a Master of Business Administration from the University of Dayton and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of North Texas. Additionally, Ilias is a decorated veteran of the United States Air Force.

You’ll discover:

  • How Ilias built trust and credibility at the age of 18 when he was put in a leadership position in the military
  • The experiences from his youth and from sports that shaped his leadership style
  • What Ilias does to help others expand their vision of themselves
  • Why Learning Agility is a crucial skill to develop for success in business
  • The benefits of having diversity of thinking on a team

Watch the episode:

Learn more about Ilias Simpson here

  

Resources

Website

Savoy Network

Connect with Your Team

Mastering the Top 10 Communication Skills

Order from Amazon

Peer Coaching Made Simple

How to Do the 6 Things That Matter Most When Helping Someone Improve a Skill

Order from Amazon