Magic in the Middle

Today I sit down with Berekk Blackwell - franchise executive and collegiate national champ.   The restaurant industry, arguably, has been forced to deal with the most Covid 19 disruption, but this experienced executive is cool as a scoop of ice cream. Drawing from his time, growing cold stone ice cream in japan and scoring a golden goal in one of his two collegiate soccer championships Berrekk Blackwell has a lot to share about the current economy and his journey as President of growing restaurant chain - The Daily Jam.  We discuss the use of training as a differentiator and a competitive advantage. We also discuss how it feels to win a sports championship and what you can do to create that same feeling in your company.  Training [at The Daily Jam] and practice in sports is really where you separate yourselves as a business, as a team. It's not practice until you get it right. It's practice since you can't get it wrong. Then you get into the game and you realize mentally cannot get it wrong. We overtrain in our restaurants. We over prepare. Berekk Blackwell

Today I run through the playbook of Brian Baxter, a Sports Psychologist and founder of Amplify Sport Psychology. Brian also founded a multi-sport summer training program in Portland Oregon. What I love about this conversation is the simplicity of Brian’s expertise. Anyone can take his philosophy and leverage it for growth. Sports or business, you can control the controllable. “I recognized how important the mental game was and how no one  ever really talked about it. Besides, hey, you get past that mistake or forget about it… move on. The big stigma and myth is that there's gotta be something wrong with you to do sports psychology. It's for someone who's weak and weak minded when those things are both just really not true at all.” Brian Baxter

Nat Parker is a CEO that has been through the wringer, acquisitions, rapid growth, lawsuits and mergers. Listen and learn how his mental practice and personal philosophy made him not only stay afloat but thrive in such an ever changing role. We were able to attract some of the best talent, not because of our competitive. A package or even the generous equity that I doled out. But because we were changing the world. And that's something I believe a lot of. Nat Parker - CEO

Actively managing momentum is one of the top themes between great coaches and great CEO’s. Jessi Roberts, founder of https://cheekysboutique.com/ and author of Backroads Boss Lady, has a simple strategy to manage momentum for individuals employees from the day they start. Magic in the Middle is now available on APPLE PODCAST. When it comes to like mental toughness for work, I'm constantly wanting my employees to educate themselves. I'm always asking them to read different things. And if I don't feel like they're reading it, I actually read it to them because I know that a lot of people just don't read anymore, which is super sad.  -Jessi Roberts

Whole Life Meditation was inspired by a rough moment in my life. I am a filmmaker so when I heard this metaphor it really made sense. Films are made 24 frames per second. When strung together each individual frame creates an amazing story. But if you tried to watch a movie one frame at a time, you would go mad. Life is similar, each day, each month is like the creation of one frame. When life is hard it forces you to watch things unfold one frame at a time. What we need to do is step back, grab a bowl of popcorn and watch the whole movie. Whole Life Meditation is designed to do just that!

Whole Life Meditation was inspired by a rough moment in my life. I am a filmmaker so when I heard this metaphor it really made sense. Films are made 24 frames per second. When strung together each individual frame creates an amazing story. But if you tried to watch a movie one frame at a time, you would go mad. Life is similar, each day, each month is like the creation of one frame. When life is hard it forces you to watch things unfold one frame at a time. What we need to do is step back, grab a bowl of popcorn and watch the whole movie. Whole Life Meditation is designed to do just that!

Event + Response = Outcome one of the many nuggets I learned in this interview with Barry Davis. Listen up to hear how the coaches perspective changes you you mature. Magic in the Middle is now available on APPLE PODCAST. “I can get the players to do anything. But I can't get them to do everything. So that's something I've taken from other people because I can get them to do a lot. I get to do just about about anything, but I can't get them to do everything. Sometimes they have to take it upon themselves.” Dr. Barry Davis Barry Davis is a lifelong student of America’s Past Time. Barry has been coaching baseball at the collegiate level for thirty-one years, the last sixteen of which have been with Rider University at the Division I level.  Armed with a PHD in Sports Leadership, with an emphasis on transformation and culture change, Barry gives his uniquely educated perspective on the importance of a growth mindset, different coaching philosophies, and how to develop leaders. He has over 900 wins with Rider University, could his tips help you create a winning team?

This is the first episode of Magic in the Middle. I have interviewed CEOs and professional sports coaches to identify the magic in the middle between sport and business leadership. I also incorporate my own story as co-founder and CEO of Brandlive, which quickly rose to one of America's fastest-growing companies. My goal is to unlock the potential for a sustained growth strategy by exploring the sport to business analogy. Through my interviews and research, I’ve identified ten major topics that strike a chord with both coaches and business leaders. With each interview, I uncover lessons from substantial people, and show you how to use their wisdom to your benefit. From performance techniques to management styles, there is plenty to be learned from Magic in the Middle.