343: Breaking Barriers at the NFL with Authentic Leadership

343: Breaking Barriers at the NFL with Authentic Leadership

343: Breaking Barriers at the NFL with Authentic Leadership

What does it take to lead in a world where the odds are stacked against you? Jennifer Langton’s remarkable journey from being the only girl on an all-boys lacrosse team to becoming the NFL’s first Vice President of Player Health and Safety is filled with lessons on courage, authenticity, and strategic visibility.

Her early sports experiences taught her the value of letting your work speak for itself and knowing when to step forward—or step back—to build trust and credibility. Those lessons became the foundation for her “Connect, Trust, Grow” leadership model, which she’s applied at the highest levels of professional sports and business.

Jennifer shares stories of resilience, innovation, and determination, from overcoming personal loss and career-ending injuries to pioneering concussion prevention initiatives that transformed the NFL’s approach to player safety. You’ll hear how she’s led groundbreaking projects, navigated male-dominated environments with confidence, and inspired teams to embrace change—even when resistance was high. Her insights will challenge you to rethink how you lead, influence, and create lasting impact.

Jenny is an award-winning strategic executive who’s known for her ability to drive innovation and positive change. She was an executive with the NFL for 15 years, where she spearheaded initiatives that revolutionized sports safety, including the development of an AI platform to predict injuries, impacting not only football but all sports and several other industries. She’s now focused on delivering keynote speeches and providing advisory services to companies.

You’ll discover:

  • Why authenticity can build trust quickly
  • How “strategic visibility” can accelerate your influence
  • Jennifer’s three-part model for leadership
  • Ways to overcome resistance and inspire innovation in any setting
  • How to turn adversity into a catalyst for growth and success

Watch the episode:

Connect with Jennifer

  

Jennifer’s Website

Jennifer Langton, Inc.

Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Apple Podcasts
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Spotify
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Leader-team communication and character skills

Grow Strong Character

Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D.

Connect with Your Team Book - Grow Strong Leaders

Connect with Your Team

Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D.,
and Meredith M. Bell
Connect with Your Team Book - Grow Strong Leaders

Peer Coaching Made Simple

Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D.,
and Meredith M. Bell

341:  Live & Lead with Passion and Purpose – Not Caution

341: Live & Lead with Passion and Purpose – Not Caution

341: Live & Lead with Passion and Purpose – Not Caution

Are you holding back in ways you don’t even realize? In this candid and inspiring conversation, Dr. Tom Olson invites you to take a hard look at how fear of change and a need for safety can quietly run your life. He shares powerful stories from his own journey, including the leap that led to his PhD, and offers practical ways to shift from playing it safe to making bold, intentional choices.

We talk about what it really means to lead—at work, at home, and in your own life. Tom explains how to stop giving away your power, how to support others without fixing them, and why emotional intelligence makes all the difference in leadership. You’ll walk away thinking differently about risk, responsibility, and what’s truly possible when you take the helmet off.

With over 30 years of global experience, Tom is a highly sought-after coach, trainer, and researcher who has transformed lives through his dynamic, innovative approach to personal and professional development. He’s affectionately known as Dr. Tom by his clients throughout the world, with a stellar reputation for providing impactful coaching and training to leaders and teams. His work empowers clients to unlock their potential and overcome their greatest challenges.

Tom is the author of the acclaimed book, Don’t Die With Your Helmet On, which has inspired leaders and professionals to embrace purpose, resilience, and action.

You’ll discover:

  • What Tom means by “don’t die with your helmet on” (and why it matters)
  • Why fear often shows up looking “reasonable”
  • The questions that help you take back control
  • A healthy way to challenge team members stuck in victim thinking
  • How strong leaders build engagement through shared power

Watch the episode:

Connect with Tom

  

Related Podcast Episodes

149: Becoming a Highly Effective Leader

 

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Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Spotify
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Amazon
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Pandora
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on YouTube
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on iheartradio
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340: Equip First-time Managers to Lead

340: Equip First-time Managers to Lead

340: Equip First-time Managers to Lead

 

What can you do to set up your frontline leaders for success from Day 1? This episode with Matt Gjertsen explores the essential skills and strategies new managers need to transition smoothly from individual contributor to effective leader. Find out how to help them shift from being the “answer person” to empowering their teams, asking better questions, and building trust that leads to stronger results.

Matt shares specific ways to guide new leaders in interviewing and hiring, holding meaningful development conversations, and setting realistic expectations around career growth. Whether you’re supporting first-time managers or looking to strengthen your leadership pipeline, you’ll gain actionable tools to help them thrive and positively impact their teams.

Matt is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and a former Air Force Instructor Pilot with 2500 flight hours. After leaving active duty, he spent over 4 years at SpaceX, leading the training and development team, before founding Better Every Day Studios in 2021. Matt has continued his career in the U.S. Air Force Reserves as a Lt. Colonel supporting Space Systems Command.

Matt’s 20 years of experience working with and leading high-performing teams all over the world have given him a unique perspective on what it takes to lead teams in this ever-changing world. He and his team at Better Every Day Studios are on a mission to train better managers, build better companies, and create a better world.

You’ll discover:

  • What new leaders need to navigate the shift from individual contributor to manager
  • How to coach them on interviewing and hiring using the 70-30 rule
  • Why development conversations should focus on growth, not just tasks
  • How to set clear expectations around promotions and career development
  • Ways to help new managers balance reinforcing and redirecting feedback

Watch the episode:

Connect with Matt

Matt’s Website

Better Every Day Studios

Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Apple Podcasts
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Spotify
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Amazon
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Pandora
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on YouTube
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on iheartradio
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339: Transforming Your Stress into a Strength

339: Transforming Your Stress into a Strength

339: Transforming Your Stress into a Strength

How can you effectively manage stress and stay composed in high-pressure situations? In this episode, Dr. Susan Bernstein dives into the power of somatic leadership, offering insights on how you can use body signals to transform your responses to time pressures and unexpected changes. Drawing from her extensive experience working with top companies like Cisco and Google, Susan shares practical techniques that foster self-awareness, reduce stress, and enable you to create a sense of calm in chaotic environments.

By learning to tune into your body’s signals, you can improve decision-making and enhance team dynamics. Susan discusses six common nervous system response patterns—fight, flight, freeze, fawn, fade, and fix—and shows how leaders can shift from a reactive, “fight” mode into a more grounded, mindful approach. This shift not only alleviates stress but also boosts resilience and fosters a healthier workplace culture.

Susan is the CEO of a boutique consulting firm called Powerful Under Pressure. As the name implies, she helps leaders and teams at companies like Cisco, Google, and Uber excel under the most demanding conditions.

Susan combines her past experiences in leadership roles at Intel and Accenture with an MBA from UC Berkeley and a PhD in Somatic Psychology in her work with clients. Susan developed the Powerful Under Pressure framework to help organizations strengthen operational capacity by increasing the resilience and clarity of the people leading them. This emphasis equips teams to navigate complexity with sound judgment and sustained performance.

You’ll discover:

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  • The six nervous system response patterns and how they impact your decisions
  • Simple somatic techniques you can use to enhance self-awareness and relaxation
  • How self-awareness can help you navigate high-pressure situations with calmness and clarity
  • Strategies for supporting your team in managing stress and building resilience

Watch the episode:

Connect with Dr. Susan Bernstein

Dr. Susan Bernstein’s Website

Powerful Under Pressure

Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Apple Podcasts
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Spotify
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Amazon
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Pandora
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on YouTube
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on iheartradio
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338: The Inner Shift That Changes Everything

338: The Inner Shift That Changes Everything

338: The Inner Shift That Changes Everything

What if everything you experience—stress, conflict, even judgment—is not about what’s happening out there, but what’s going on within you? That’s the powerful lens Townsend Wardlaw offers as he guides us into a deeper understanding of consciousness and how it shapes every aspect of our lives. Through personal stories, vivid metaphors, and hard-won lessons, he shares how shifting your perspective can completely transform how you lead and live.

You’ll walk away with a new awareness of how unconscious scripts and internal projections influence your decisions, relationships, and company culture. Townsend draws a clear distinction between traditional consulting and true coaching, where the goal is not to give answers, but to help others access their own wisdom. His insights offer practical ways to release control, lead from higher consciousness, and move from judgment to curiosity. This is a conversation that has the power to change how you see the world—and yourself.

Townsend began his professional journey at 27, rapidly rising from outbound cold-calling for a small, long-distance reseller to the role of vice president of a Fortune 500 technology company in under six years. In 2002, he ventured into entrepreneurship, founding a sales consulting and outsourcing company that grew to $3 million in revenue.

After closing the company in 2009, Townsend dedicated himself to serving founders on their journey to growth and exit. He has coached 100s of leaders, and his efforts have generated over $1.5 billion in revenue and created more than $1 billion in generational wealth for their founders. What Townsend holds in the highest regard is his role in mobilizing over $7.5 billion in capital and contributions towards social and environmental organizations.

Currently, Townsend serves as the trusted advisor to a select group of founders and the world’s top coaches. In his spare time, he leads The Coach’s Operating System, a community that serves the top 5% of coaches in the world.

You’ll discover:

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  • How unconscious scripts quietly shape your choices and relationships
  • The difference between giving answers and creating transformation
  • How leaders can release control and build more resilient cultures
  • A fresh way to see challenges as invitations for growth

Watch the episode:

Connect with Townsend

    

Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Apple Podcasts
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Spotify
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Amazon
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on Pandora
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on YouTube
Listen to the Grow Strong Leaders Podcast on iheartradio
Leader-team communication and character skills

Grow Strong Character

Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D.

Connect with Your Team Book - Grow Strong Leaders

Connect with Your Team

Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D.,
and Meredith M. Bell
Connect with Your Team Book - Grow Strong Leaders

Peer Coaching Made Simple

Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D.,
and Meredith M. Bell