We discussed:

being a county councilman

national championship in wrestling

the mindset it takes to win a national championship

hanging out with Clayton Christensen and HBS faculty

being a double UNC grad

partnering with his father as an attorney

growing up in a family with multiple state champions

the wisdom of Thomas Sowell

how faith has impacted his life

operating a light-touch tech-enabled farm

fostering strength and independence in children

podcast recommendations

Tip of the Spear Foundation

We discussed:

• Latest research
• exoplanets and the search for life
• climate change
• getting attacked by a woke mob for being reasonable (begins at 29:09)
• lessons learned from his dad
• what future fathers want to know
• favorite books
• learning from failure
• best investments he's made
• reasons for optimism

Dorian on Twitter

Faculty page

We discussed: 

• managing a restaurant during Covid
• life advice from his dad
• having a man yell in your face at the Air Force Academy
• getting humbled by a strong coach to become a successful D1 soccer athlete
• being a black man in Charlottesville, VA
• his thoughts on racism in America
• opening up about learning from a failure
• advice for new dads
• helping people with second chances
• much more

Charleston Sports Pub

We discussed:

• His career delivering babies
• Changes in medicine
• Merging modern western medicine with "alternative" medicine
• Home schooling
• Making use of dinner time
• Running for US Senate 
• Corruption in local government
• limited constitutional government
• The real Kings and Queens in America
• Becoming a better person
• and much more

Greg on Facebook

Optimal Bio

We discussed:

• Coaching little league
• Screwing up in public
• Judging others based on their best days
• Selling time shares
• Favorite books
• Lessons learned as a dad
• Marriage advice
• Reasons for optimism

We discussed:

• Getting started and refining your craft in the tattoo industry
• recent tattoo trends
• cancer diagnosis and treatment story
• growing up in Lugoff, SC
• best fast food restaurants
• Being a dad
• Recent improvements as a husband
• reasons to be optimistic for the future
• and much more

We discussed: 

What healthcare administrators do

Healthy collaboration between doctors and business people

Lessons learned from his dad

Growing up in Kinston, NC

Grinding through an unpaid internship for experience

Progressing through his career

Cryptocurrency 

Jeremy on Twitter

Bruce's Consulting Firm: Vinaigrette Leadership Agility

Topics:

• entry into Cisco
• growing up in Mississippi
• being a husband and father
• much more

We discussed:

Getting started in MMA

Working for an organization without signing any contract

Comparing nut shots from kids to getting punched by a grown man

Highs and lows of his career

Musical interests

Pre-fight tradition (pizza)

Being a dad

Adopting a foster child

Marriage advice

much more...

Sam's Website

Sam on twitter

We talked about 

• his story of being diagnosed with a serious form of Leukemia right before his wedding,
• receiving a sick Standing O
• the topic of his book: Cheeto Dust
• finding happiness
• life-changing books and podcasts
• home schooling
• being a dad

Dustin's Website

Dustin's new Podcast

We discussed:

• His approach to managing a team of experienced, technical salespeople
• An incredibly embarrassing professional failure
• His workout routine
• Favorite books
• Growing up poor
• An awful grunt job as a 17-yr old
• His attitude and philosophy on life and leadership
• The joys of being a dad
• Choosing not to beat yourself up as a dad
• Why he got into MMA in his late 30's
• A good cause he is passionate about
• Writing a book on the fly in his early 20s

We discussed:

His experience as a husband with a wife very sick during her pregnancy

His daughter's health and long-term outlook being born so early

Starting a marketing firm to get more flexibility

Growing up with parents from Eastern Europe

His life story

His approach to being a dad

Mike's Podcast: Mixing Business with Pleasure

Mike on LinkedIn

Mike's firm: Proofpoint Marketing

We discussed:

his startup

cooking

poverty, wealth, and happiness

advice for other founders

and much more

Choose Your Reader

Coles Firm

We spoke about:

His career in Sales and Sales Leadership

The best and worst parts of being an executive

Growing up in SoCal

Intro to sales: competing with Xerox

Favorite books

How a significant obstacle set him up for success

An important truth very few people agree with him on

What he wishes new dads understood

Marriage advice

Lessons learned parenting teenagers

Overcoming bad days

Lightning round questions

Jeremy on LinkedIn

John has some crazy stories to tell about: 

being caught up in a third-world civil war with blow darts and bows and arrows

getting saved by the secretary of state

insane animal encounters

high-stakes teamwork and interdependency on each trek

hiking up the peak in Antarctica 1000 miles from other life forms

financing his journeys through creating self-sustaining businesses

his book that teaches kindness, courage, and grit to boys becoming men.

https://www.johnbeede.com/

We spoke about his company One Vision Productions, his role as CEO, lessons learned in small business, his life story, growing up with a very strict preacher as his father, playing basketball in college, and building his company. We also got to learn about his philosophy on life and his approach to being a dad. 

Forresttuff.com

Adam shares the incredibly journey that his family has been through with the ongoing health challenges of their youngest child. You will enjoy hearing his story and hug your kids tighter tonight. 

Connect with Adam on LinkedIn

We Discussed:

What is a SEAL, and what do they do?

What is a Troop Commander? What is Development Group?

For the average person who has watched movies about Navy Seals and Dev Group, what do we have wrong in our understanding of who you are and what you do?

What is a typical day like when you are deployed? What are some of the roles on the team?

How has your military experience prepared you for joining the civilian workforce?

In what ways are veterans ahead of the curve? Any advice for veterans who are joining the civilian workforce in the near future?  

Life Story - growing up in military family, wrestling in college

General life questions

A little about his family and an epic road trip

Becoming a better husband and father

Patriot Leadership Development

Fuss' Family Travel Blog

We discussed:

Overview of his career as a CPA, Wealth Manager, and Entrepreneur 

Becoming OK with being different

The good fortune of a positive, confident mindset

Their struggle having a child

Being a dad

and more

Jeremy on Instagram

Non-profit foundation Jeremy mentioned

We discussed:

Takeaways from his book: Can I have your attention?

The myth of multi-tasking

Practical advice (without the dogma)

Growing up with great parents

Career journey

Becoming a better husband and father

His approach to parenting

https://www.curtsteinhorst.com/

We discussed:

Open Source software

Eric's Contributor.fyi podcast

Joe Blair's Epic Human Podcast

The value of Wrestling

Career path

A little about Venture Capital

Chacos sandals

Valuing someone for their differences

Lessons learned as a father and husband

Eric's Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericmander 

Eric's professor mentioned in the show: https://twitter.com/bussgang

We spoke about: 

Primer on Azure and AI

Solutions that AI can enable

Where AI is headed in the future

Growing up in a huge family

The benefits of having amazing parents

Getting started in door-to-door sales

Going to business school and entering the tech industry

How to snap out of a bad day

Ddeveloping meaningful connections in remote settings

Creating "the best day ever" for your kids

How he's a better husband and father than 3-5 years ago

Helping kids through obstacles

We talked about:

Joining the Marines

Lessons learned in the military

Incredible stories from his 17 years in law enforcement

Why being a cop is ROUGH

Thoughts on the state of policing in 2020

Getting into tech sales

The process of reinventing yourself

Progression as a husband and father

His approach to being a dad

We discussed:

Becoming GM at AVA Security

Why he joined AVA

Building culture

His approach to management

Growing up in Boston with a stepdad

Being a decathlete

Exercise and food for longevity

Trying to hard close a car dealer

Mistakes as a young manager

An important truth very few people agree with him on

A new habit that has most improved his life

Being a better husband than 3-5 years ago

Being a better father than 3-5 years ago

Instilling accountability in his kids

We discussed: 

What it's like relocating a family of 5 to another continent with a new language

Food he is loving in Portugal, food he wishes he could get from back home

What was harder than expected about moving

Advice for others thinking about moving internationally

Lessons learned from his dad

Career journey

Mentors

Hobbies

Books that have changed his life

Being open about faith in his professional life

Why he chose a life of sobriety

Meeting his wife in a dog park

Equality, teamwork, and communication in marriage

proactively sync'ing as a couple

Sunica.org

Among other things, we discussed: 

Overview of Management Consulting and what Partners do

The importance of a human connection and being an authentic person

"No other success can compensate for failure in the home."

Husband first, Father second

Work-Life Harmony instead of work-life balance

Becoming really good at listening

Having a foundation of faith

Thoughts on raising teenagers

Reinforcing good behavior with kids

Why boundaries are good

Choosing to act rather than being acted upon

Gratitude and relationships

We Discussed: 

Overview of channel sales 

Putting the most important things in place (family) while chasing 200% of plan

His approach to managing an experienced and successful team

What does a Director of Sales operations do at Cisco?

Spotlight on the Connected Black Professionals

Founding a program called Roots in STEM kids

The importance of exposing underprivileged kids to STEM careers 

Growing up as the son of a High School principal in Louisiana

Being married to his High School sweetheart for 34 years and going

Attending Southern University and joining the  Marching Band

The value of having parents with high expectations

Working his way up from an unstructured entry-level sales job

Being there for others

In what ways is he a better husband and father than 3-5 years ago?

One thing he's nailing as a parent

Having faith in a higher being

Tips for overcoming a bad day

Good causes he's passionate about

Working for the world's worst boss

Starting a business with virtually no network and experience

Challenges consulting for large companies, nonprofits, and startups

Particularly bad workplaces

When politics trumps performance

What every startup needs: clear roles, clear expectations, balanced feedback (more positive than negative)

Why cleaning up nonprofits is way more work than for profit institutions

Why C-level leaders are herding cats most of the time: managing politics and managing stakeholders

The Hot Sauce Principle - what to do when everything is urgent all the time

What it's like being an adjunct professor

Favorite classes he's taught

Thoughts on open workspaces

Walking into other people's houses as an adventurous 5 year old

Orange Theory fitness

Favorite purchase under $100

Failures that turned into net positives

The most valuable tattoo: Purpose, Courage, and Faith with Will in the middle

Posture Work: Customized Yoga via Egoscue technique that relieved chronic back pain

Kids are like a box of chocolates

Teaching accountability and mental toughness to children

Decision Makers Pay

Ozzy Man

Make A Wish Foundation & Give Kids The World

https://theworkplacetherapist.com/

https://twitter.com/theWPTherapist

https://theworkplacetherapist.com/podcast/

What is Quillette and how did it get started?

The label-less platform for free thought

Writing 10,000 word articles full of logic and scientifically defensible arguments

Overview of his TEDx talk: Why political correctness works for no one

Thoughts on Cancel Culture, Rioting, and more

Growing up in Montreal

Intense board games

John Kennedy Toole's: Confederacy of Dunces

A failure that led to a net positive

Becoming a better father and husband than 3-5 years ago

How eating dinner together improved his family life

The value of exercise and fresh air

How wolves became an amazing species we call dogs

The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis, and Malaria

https://twitter.com/jonkay

https://quillette.com/

https://medium.com/@jonkay/latest-articles-3fe43fbdcce

https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/

Highlights:

-Growing up with a single mom

-Having a strong male role model

-Starting a nonprofit as a Dadvocate

-Receiving 30,000 essays

-Biking 2200 miles in 21 days 

-Going on Oprah

-Getting close to shutting down his 1st nonprofit

-Starting the Special Father's Network

-Hosting a podcast

-Using fear as a motivation

-Breaking the cycle of father absence

-Conversion to Catholicism

-Skydiving and bungee jumping on family vacation

-Lessons learned as a father of adult children

https://21stcenturydads.org/

http://www.4fathers.org/

As usual, we also profile his life story, including childhood, college, career, mentors, approach to parenting, and the importance of mental health. Enjoy.

He has a great system for developing trust, accountability, and even calling BS on your closest friends as they work towards becoming the best dads they can.   

I had a blast talking with Marvyn talking about not just dope black dads, but his life story and approach to parenting. 

He was very open and engaging, and he has such a positive focus and empowering message that we all need to hear. Enjoy!

The upcoming UFC fight he is most excited about

Why Toronto is awesome

His approach to working with Dana White

How he got into media production and broadcasting

Mentors and Hobbies

Lessons learned as a husband

How he has improved as a dad in the last 3-5 years

Best purchase he's made in the last year

Advice for those interested in broadcasting

Today you'll hear from The Dad Whisperer, Dr. Michelle Watson Canfield, a licensed counselor, PhD, author, and wife. She specializes in father-daughter relationships. 

Dr. Michelle shares practical takeaways for dads of daughters, including several fun, funny, and inspirational stories. 

http://www.drmichellewatson.com/

https://twitter.com/mwatsonphd

What is a prosthodontist? 

What are fake teeth made of? 

Buying and merging dental practices. 

Managing Human Resources as a first-time owner/manager. 

The surprises of being a business owner. 

The value of being an associate vs going straight to owner. 

Seeing a problem and patenting a solution. 

Advice to other entrepreneurs. 

Learning to sell a product from scratch. 

Licensing vs. building a business. 

The joys of USAF basic training for medical officers. 

Deciding on Doctor vs. Dentist. 

Getting a $66,000 punch in the gut. 

Paying off debt vs. enjoying life with the kids.

A funny story about yelling at the kids. 

Using the socratic method with kids. 

Operation Underground Railroad. (https://ourrescue.org/)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-kofford-6362b026/

https://www.smartdentureconversions.com/

https://www.caryprosthodontics.com/

What is genomics? 

Current research and the latest developments with stem cells. 

The future of injury treatments. 

Videos being stored in human cells and replayed across the world. 

How "facts" from 5 years ago are proven wrong through the scientific method.

CRISPR. 

How to fix every cell in the human body through gene editing. 

Transitioning from a role with technical expertise into leadership and business development. 

Using raw DNA files from Ancestry.com or 23andMe to get further insights through affordable DNA analysis tools. 

Why every human is genetically broken. 

Growing up in Wyoming. 

Playing Track and Football in college. 

Advice for driven college students entering the real world. 

Staying fit through exercise and intermittent fasting. 

BE AWESOME! 

Parenting and Marriage advice. 

What he's learning lately as a dad. (Patience, respect, space). 

How to snap out of a bad day. 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffsjasper/

What is Venture Capital? What is a seed fund?

Starting his own VC fund in the middle of the Great Recession

The benefits and challenges of working in a small, growing business

Barely skating by (career, family, life) in the early years of entrepreneurship

What founders have that others don't 

What motivates successful founders (hint: not just money)

What has changed in the industry during the last decade?

Background on successful investments and failures

Following "the Steph Curry Model"

What is a dragon in VC?

How often do venture investments pan out?

A very memorable first board meeting

Thoughts on starting your own company vs working for someone else

Growing up all over with two different family cultures

Investing in your family while sprinting in your career

Being open and honest about failures and not having all the answers

Causing (and avoiding/repairing) collateral damage in the family

If we forgive ourselves, we can be open to our weaknesses

Getting a lifelong chronic illness during his early 20s

Family fun with a One Wheel, Air Stream, and Flight Board

The single theme included in every great book

The importance of counseling and self-awareness

The arrogance associated with forgiving others but not yourself

Lessons learned in the past few years of parenting teenagers

The exciting world of Virtual Reality

https://www.kickstartfund.com/

https://twitter.com/gavin_kickstart

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavinchristensen/

Squatting 500 lbs and running a sub 5 minute mile in the same day

Does Crossfit lead to injuries

Working out and coaching each day with the 2015 Fittest Man on Earth

Going from High School star to the small guy in college

Battling through concussions

Getting into coaching on a whim

How "fit" can someone possibly be? (Where will CrossFit be in 10 years?)

How 8 yrs of experience has changed his coaching philosophy

Growing up a Navy Brat

Redefining the Dad Bod

Doubting yourself 

Fluctuations in discipline

Using daily goals to reach long-term goals

Weird habits and routines

Advice for new dads

Utilizing Task Management to turn around a bad day

https://www.instagram.com/adamklink/?hl=en

ebook with training plan for heavy squats and fast mile run: https://gumroad.com/l/YNxoC 

https://crossfitkrypton.com/

https://dadbodfitnessonline.com/

Who makes decisions in medicine

How Covid is impacting his practice

Changes he'd make if he were healthcare Czar

Why medical residents get shafted

Challenges of fee-for-service healthcare

Lifelong pursuit of learning

Benefits of an MBA

The Christensen family "5 to survive"

Holding family outings that aren't trainwrecks

Daily connections with each child

Rad Aid

https://twitter.com/JRadMD

How not getting money for college was a blessing in disguise

Why he switched into sales from engineering

What happens when your employer is bought by another company

Being announced as a new manager without being offered the job

A failure from his early years in management

The importance of a sleep routine

What he is doing right as a parent

Why 'follow your passion' may not be good advice

How he recovers from bad days

Why marriage is a 60/40 partnership

https://twitter.com/lpaynecisco

How he develops mental toughness in his kids

Getting 65% of his body burned as an 8-yr-old

The life-changing impact a Get-Well card can have

Sedating a bear with a syringe in your hand rather than darting it

How getting smoked by an old man in a workout changed his life

Only being able to sweat through part of your body

Playing little-league baseball when you can't raise your arm

How to get into endurance running from scratch

Why he does not stretch and does eat pizza before each race

Why Gratitude is the key

Learn more at:

https://shayeskew.com/

https://twitter.com/ShayEskew

Shay's Book:

https://www.amazon.com/Shay-Eskew/e/B07HFDGVPF%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Why baseball pitchers hit batters

Growing up in Garner, NC

Unleashing creativity to build relationships

Using his experience as a pro athlete to inform how he coaches his kids

Best purchase under $100 he he's made in the last year

JJ is a friend and role model who I always enjoy speaking to. 

We talk about getting married at 18 yrs old, 

joining the army, 

briefly dying and then recovering from a deadly helicopter crash, 

transitioning from the army to a few civilian jobs, 

including teaching high school math, and

 eventually winding up in technology sales as an individual contributor and then manager.

Bonus: Lessons learned as a dad.

After entering silicon valley as an outsider, he was inspired to start a company (careerkarma.com) that connects job seekers with qualified tech bootcamps that rapidly reskill people at little to no cost and place them in entry-level tech jobs making a good salary with benefits. 

We talk about throwing massive hip-hop dance parties in Atlanta, 

studying music at a religious school, 

disruption in the classic education model, 

how someone can go from making a meager hourly wage to earning a salary with benefits, 

Income Share agreements, 

finding mentors when you start with none, and 

being open about having faith while living in a secular world. 

Contact Ruben:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rubenharris/

https://www.instagram.com/rubenharris

https://twitter.com/rubenharris

https://careerkarma.com/

We discuss his childhood growing up as the son of a teacher, 

his time studying music, economics, and business strategy in college. 

He worked at McKinsey, Vivint, and several startups. 

We discuss the fear of failing, enjoying the journey, 

"Final 5" primaries, 

rank-choice voting, 

entering tech as a non-tech person, 

mentors, being wrong, 

lessons he's learning as a dad, 

and the best book to give virgins who are getting married.  

I think you'll love this episode with Jeff, but please let me know what you think. If you have certain questions you'd like me to ask future guests, or any other feedback, message me on LinkedIn, or write a review on one of the podcast platforms and I'll find it. Thank you!

Following in his older brother's footsteps, he became a football star, eventually being ranked as a top linebacker-DE. 

Richard chose to play college football at Clemson University, where he made numerous highlight plays during his first years on campus. 

The summer before his junior year, right as his football life is peaking, when he was projected to be a starter on a dominant team, he suffered a terrible car accident that among other serious injuries, broke his neck. 

Richard battled through a 2-yr recovery going through rehab and therapy while helping his teammates as a student coach. He briefly retired from football, and then after a surprising recovery, chose to play his senior year at Boston College in the fall of 2019. 

As he contemplates starting his career in pro football or entering the corporate world, he has stayed active. He recently founded the RY3 Foundation, a non-profit geared towards assisting underprivileged youth in South Florida.  

Richard has a beautiful fiancee and is the dedicated father of an 18 month old son. Richard has been described as an old soul, and I think that's fitting. He's one of the most thoughtful people I know. He doesn't seem like a 23 year old.  

I hope you enjoy the conversation as Richard opens up on a variety of topics. He is a good man.  I want to thank Richard for eagerly accepting the invite to join an upstart podcast and putting up with a rookie interviewer who fumbled multiple questions and gave the audience more "umms" and "you know"s than they'd like to hear.  

Neither the quality of my interviewing skills nor the audio file is where I'd like it to be. Rather than waiting for perfection to somehow arrive without experience and investment, I'm forcing myself to publish this episode as the first of many. In entrepreneur-speak, this is the minimum viable product for my new side project. It will only get better from here. I genuinely appreciate you listening. Please let me know what you think. If you have certain questions you'd like me to ask future guests, or any other feedback, message me on LinkedIn, or write a review on one of the podcast platforms and I'll find it. Thank you!