Building Excellence

#227: Steve Lutz is the head coach of the Oklahoma State men’s basketball program. A San Antonio native, he made stops as an assistant coach at Incarnate Word, Garden City CC, Stephen F. Austin, SMU, Creighton, and Purdue. 

During his career, Lutz has worked under some of the most respected names in college basketball, gaining invaluable experience along the way. He spent seven seasons at Creighton under Greg McDermott, helping the Bluejays to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances, and later served four years at Purdue on Matt Painter’s staff, where the Boilermakers consistently ranked among the nation’s best. Those experiences, along with earlier roles at Stephen F. Austin and SMU, shaped Lutz into a tremendous head coach winning at the highest levels. 

His first head coaching opportunity came at Texas A&M–Corpus Christi, where he engineered a remarkable turnaround, leading the Islanders from a five-win season before his arrival to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and the school’s first-ever tournament victory.

Lutz went on to guide Western Kentucky to a Conference USA championship and an NCAA berth in his lone season with the Hilltoppers. He has established himself as one of the most respected coaches in college basketball as he leads the Oklahoma State Cowboys. 

For more on Coach Lutz check out social as well as www.okstate.com 

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#226: General Stanley McChrystal, a retired four-star general, is best known for his leadership as commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan and as head of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), where he reshaped counterterrorism efforts and interagency collaboration. Over his decorated military career, he commanded elite units such as the 75th Ranger Regiment and spent more than six years deployed to combat following 9/11. In 2009, he was appointed Commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan and NATO ISAF, leading over 150,000 troops from 45 allied nations until his retirement from the Army in 2010.

After retiring from military service, McChrystal founded the McChrystal Group in 2011, a leadership advisory firm that works with global businesses to help them navigate complexity and build stronger, more adaptive teams. He has also served as a senior fellow at Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, where he taught courses on leadership. In addition, he sits on the boards of several major companies, including JetBlue Airways, Siemens Government Technology, and Navistar International, and is a highly sought-after public speaker on leadership, organizational culture, and team dynamics.

McChrystal is also a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, with works including My Share of the Task, Team of Teams, and Leaders: Myth and Reality, Risk, & On Character. A strong advocate for service and veteran affairs, he chairs the Board of Service Year Alliance, promoting national service opportunities for young Americans. A graduate of West Point and the Naval War College, McChrystal has also completed fellowships at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and the Council on Foreign Relations, further shaping his perspective on leadership, strategy, and civic responsibility.

His newest book On Character: Choices that Define a Life can be found in the link below as well as www.mcchrystalgroup.com, Amazon, and where all books are sold. 

For more on General McChrystal check out www.mcchrystalgroup.com 

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#225: Larry Kindbom is the former Wash U head football coach. His a highly respected figure in collegiate athletics, recognized for his remarkable career as a football coach and mentor spanning more than four decades. A former standout defensive back and baseball player at Kalamazoo College, Kindbom began his coaching career at Ohio State with Woody Hayes before serving as an assistant at the University of Akron. He earned his first head coaching opportunity at Kenyon College in 1983, where he led both the football and baseball programs, before taking the helm at Washington University in St. Louis in 1989.

Over the next 31 seasons, Kindbom transformed Washington University’s football program into a model of consistency and excellence. He retired as the winningest coach in school history with a record of 192–119, capturing 12 University Athletic Association championships, a Southern Athletic Association title, and leading the Bears to three NCAA Division III playoff appearances. His teams produced 33 All-Americans and 15 Academic All-Americans, including Brandon Roberts, recipient of the prestigious Draddy Trophy, known as the “Academic Heisman.” 

In 2016, Kindbom reached the distinguished milestone of 200 career victories, finishing with 220 wins showing a testament to his longevity and sustained success. He is one of only a handful of coaches in all college divisions to ever reach 200 plus wins. More than just the wins Coach Kindbom spent his career investing in the lives of his players on and off the field. 

Check out his new book Winning and Losing Are Imposters: Leadership Lessons from the Sidelines, as well as his social in the the links below. 

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#224: As an award-winning keynote speaker, eleven-time New York Times bestselling author, host of the top-rated Corporate Competitor Podcast, executive leadership coach, and longtime Associate Editor for Sports Illustrated, Don Yaeger has built a career as one of America’s most compelling and influential thought leaders.

Widely sought-after for his powerful insights on achieving greatness, Don draws from first-hand experiences working alongside some of the most legendary figures in sports and business.

 He has been engaged by leading organizations to coach executives on cultivating a culture of excellence, leveraging his proven framework developed through an extensive study of “Great Teams” in both athletics and corporate life. Known as a world-class storyteller, he has earned high praise from leadership icons such as John Maxwell and Simon Sinek, who have called him the best storyteller they have ever worked with. His expertise and charisma have earned him invitations to every major talk show—from Oprah and Good Morning America to Fox Business News and CNN.

In 2020, Don launched the Corporate Competitor Podcast, which Podcast Magazine named one of America’s Top 50 Podcasts. By 2022, Spotify ranked it among the top 5% of the most followed and shared podcasts worldwide. 

His guest list reads like a who’s who of leadership and innovation, including former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, along with CEOs from Disney, Delta Airlines, Bank of America, Hendrick Motorsports, KPMG, FanDuel, Chick-fil-A, Insight Enterprises, Topgolf, Mayo Clinic, BET Media, and The Ritz-Carlton.

Don’s newest book The New Science of Momentum shares how the best coaches and leaders build a fire from a single spark. You can find the book across all platforms where books are sold and also the Amazon link below. 

For more on Don check out social media as well as donyaeger.com 

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Book:

https://www.amazon.com/New-Science-Momentum-Coaches-Leaders/dp/1400247136/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=ZjHup&content-id=amzn1.sym.0fb2cce1-1ca4-439a-844b-8ad0b1fb77f7&pf_rd_p=0fb2cce1-1ca4-439a-844b-8ad0b1fb77f7&pf_rd_r=147-1714889-6514833&pd_rd_wg=KNm2d&pd_rd_r=6bb490c6-f2ca-4cd2-9107-756b3e2e3e2f&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk 

#223: Brian Smith has served as Missouri’s head wrestling coach leading the Tigers for over 27 years. Under his leadership, Mizzou’s program has transformed into a national powerhouse through the establishment of the “Tiger Style” culture. During his tenure, he has guided the team to 23 winning seasons, including three undefeated dual campaigns, coached over 192 NCAA qualifiers and nearly 70 All-Americans, and mentored six individual national champions who collectively won ten NCAA titles 

Smith is the winningest coach in program history, with a career dual record at Missouri around 334‑120‑3 (about a .734 win‑rate), and remains one of the most decorated leaders in collegiate wrestling. He’s earned national recognition twice—winning Dan Gable Coach of the Year in 2007 and NWCA Coach of the Year in 2017—as well as multiple conference Coach of the Year awards across both MAC and Big 12 affiliation. Beyond competitive success, his wrestlers have consistently excelled academically, earning more than 150 academic honors. Coach Smith also serves on national wrestling committees and has made lasting contributions to the broader sport at both the collegiate and Olympic levels

A native of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, he was a decorated Michigan State wrestler before embarking on a coaching career that included stints at Western High School (FL), Cornell, and Syracuse.

For more on Coach Smith follow him on all social media platforms, as well as the Mizzou Wrestling Program at mutigers.com 

You can find his book Tiger Style: Eight Steps to Create a Winning Culture on Amazon in the link below. 

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Insta: @smithbq126

Amazon link:

https://www.amazon.com/Tiger-Style-Create-Winning-Culture/dp/B0DN1PN5LM 

#222: Mark Batterson serves as the Lead Pastor of National Community Church (NCC) in Washington, DC. NCC also owns and operates Ebenezers Coffeehouse, The Miracle Theatre, the DC Dream Center, the Capital Turnaround, and Culture House as gathering places for the community and funding for Kingdom causes. Mark also serves as Lead Visionary for The Dream Collective, which equips and supports dreamers who long for revival in the church, reformation in the kingdom, and renaissance in culture.

Mark holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Regent University and is the the New York Times bestselling author of 25 books including The Circle Maker as well as In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, Wild Goose Chase, Double Blessing, Whisper, and, most recently, A Million Little Miracles and The Best Worst Day Ever, a children’s book he wrote with his daughter, Summer.

For more on Mark visit markbatterson.com as well as all social media platforms. 

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#221: Josh Pastner is the current head coach of the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels men’s basketball program, bringing with him over two decades of collegiate coaching experience and a reputation for program-building and player development. 

A member of the 1997 NCAA National Championship team at the University of Arizona, Pastner began his coaching career as a graduate assistant under Hall of Famer Lute Olson. He later served as an assistant at Memphis under John CaliPERRY before being promoted to head coach in 2009 at the age of 31, where he compiled a 167–73 record and earned Conference USA Coach of the Year honors in 2013. His tenure included four NCAA Tournament appearances and consistent national rankings, establishing him as one of the youngest and most promising coaches in the country at the time.

Following his success at Memphis, Pastner took over at Georgia Tech in 2016, leading the Yellow Jackets to an ACC Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament berth in 2021, and earning ACC Coach of the Year in 2017.

After two years as an analyst for ESPN and other networks he is now at the helm leading the Runnin Rebels. 

You can find him on social media @coachjpastner as well as the UNLV men’s basketball program @runninrebels 

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#220: Mike Beckham is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Simple Modern, a global producer of premium drinkware and lifestyle products. Founded in 2015 and based in Oklahoma, Simple Modern currently generates a nine-figure annual revenue and is committed to generosity, donating at least 10% of annual profits to nonprofit organizations. Under Mike’s leadership, the company has grown into a category leader for Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Sam’s Club, serving more than 20 million customers worldwide.

Mike is a teacher, leader, and entrepreneur at heart. Before founding Simple Modern, Mike began his career working for the worldwide Christian ministry CRU. Equipped with a deep understanding of the nonprofit sector, Mike transitioned into the business world and helped found and operate several e-commerce businesses, which cumulatively generated more than $1 billion in revenue. Mike graduated with a degree from the University of Oklahoma Price College of Business, where he currently serves as the senior entrepreneur-in-residence.

For more on Mike you can find him on social media platforms, mikebeckhamblog.com as well as simplemodern.com 

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#219: Dwight Perry is the head coach of the Wofford Terriers men’s basketball program. A walk-on at the University of Kentucky from 2006 to 2009, Perry played in 19 games and earned SEC Academic Honor Roll distinction.

He began his coaching career interning at the Stanford’s men’s basketball program for 2 years and soon moved to VCU as a graduate assistant and video coordinator from 2011 to 2014, during which the Rams posted an impressive 82–26 record and made three NCAA Tournament appearances. Perry then spent five seasons as an assistant at Furman, contributing to three 20-win campaigns and a shared Southern Conference regular-season title.

Perry joined Wofford’s staff in April 2019, was promoted to associate head coach in September 2021, and stepped in as interim head coach on December 5, 2022. After guiding the Terriers to signature wins—including victories over Texas A&M and UNC Greensboro, and finishing 17–16—he was officially named the permanent head coach on March 21, 2023 

In his second full season (2024–25), Perry led Wofford to a Southern Conference Tournament championship and their sixth-ever NCAA Tournament berth.

On the show he shares his story of growing up, playing at Kentucky, getting into coaching, buy in, a walk on mentality of invisibility and visibility, building a culture of resilience, being authentic, the importance of family, and much more. 

You can find Coach Perry on social as well as Woffordmbb on instagram. 

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#218: Randy Alcorn is the founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries (EPM), a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching biblical truth and drawing attention to the needy and how to help them.

EPM exists to meet the needs of the unreached, unfed, unborn, uneducated, unreconciled and unsupported people around the world.

A New York Times bestselling author, Randy has written over sixty books, including Courageous, Heaven, The Treasure Principle, and the Gold Medallion winner Safely Home. His books have been translated into over 70 languages and have sold over 12 million copies.
 
Before starting EPM in 1990, Alcorn co-pastored for fourteen years Good Shepherd Community Church outside Gresham, Oregon. He has ministered in many countries, including China, and is a popular teacher and conference speaker.* 

Randy has written for many magazines including EPM’s issues-oriented Eternal Perspectives as well as articles for The Gospel Coalition and Desiring God Ministries.  He blogs, is active daily on Facebook and Twitter, and has been a guest on more than 700 radio, television and online programs including Focus on the Family, FamilyLife Today, and Revive Our Hearts. 

For more on Randy and his books check out EPM.org as well as where books are sold. 

Enjoy the show!