Built Not Born

Michael Lombardi is the author of "Gridiron Genius: A Master Class in Winning Championships and Building Dynasties in the NFL".

Michael is a former NFL general manager and 3-time Super Bowl Champion. Michael shares what he learned working with coaching legends Bill Walsh of the 49ers, Al Davis of the Raiders, and Bill Belichick of the Patriots, during his three decades in the NFL.

Michael and I also discuss the modern NFL and how the game is evolving.

Michael is the host of the "The GM Shuffle" and creator of the The Daily Coach with the legendary Coach George Raveling.

Connect with GM Michael Lombardi:

• Book: "Gridiron Genius: A Master Class in Winning Championships and Building Dynasties in the NFL"
• Podcast: The GM Shuffle
• Website: The Daily Coach
• LinkedIn: Michael Lombardi

"Life is Built, Not Born."

Joe Ciccarone

Tom Garvey is the author of The Secret Apartment: Vet Stadium a Surreal Memoir. The book tells the story of Tom secretly living inside of Veterans stadium, the home of the Philadelphia Eagles & Phillies, for almost 3 years. 

Our conversation starts off by what made Tom storm out of a college classroom at Widener University, walk down to the post office and volunteer for the Army Airborne during the Vietnam War. 

Tom become an Army Ranger, then leader of a special forces "A"-Team on the Cambodian border during 1969.

It took 40+ years and meeting his wife Peggy before he was able to write his first book Many Beaucoup Magics, a memoir about his experiences in Vietnam.  

From rollerblading around the 600 level at night, to sleeping under the stars in centerfield, to hanging with Phillies Legend Tug McGraw, Tom's stories keep coming. 

Thank you for listening!

"Life is Built, Not Born."

Joe Ciccarone

Andreia Torain is a classically trained musician. Andrea teaches violin in Philadelphia. She is also a student of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Andreia describes the connection between classical music and jiu jitsu.  Andreia discusses what it is like being a women training in a mostly male dominated combat sport like Brazilian jiu jitsu.

We discuss our shared experience of suffering knee injuries only few months apart, what it was like spending months watching class while rehabbing our injuries (sometimes together) and then finally breaking that fear factor of stepping back on the mat to train again. 

Andreia tells us why a teacher’s first job is to teach their students to become good human beings.  We end with why Andreia has read Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mocking Bird" over 15x and the lessons that we can still learn from the book.

Thank you for listening!

"Life is Built, Not Born."

Joe Ciccarone

Jim Trunick is the author of the acclaimed book The CORE of Leadership™, keynote speaker and leadership consultant.

Jim describes the life lesson's he learned after the untimely death of his first wife from leukemia that left him to raise his 3 children while trying to keep his career going. We also talk about how Jim overcame the odds and recovered from a bicycling accident that left him in a coma during the spring of 2020.

Connect with Jim Trunick:

Website: www.JimTrunick.com

Book: The CORE of Leadership

LinkedIn: Jim Trunick

"Life is built, not born."

Joe Ciccarone

David Kaplan is Chief Operating Officer of WatchBox, the largest buyer, seller, and trader of pre-owned luxury watches in the world.

David discusses building trust as a marketer, how leaders must learn from past failures and what baseball can teach our kids about life.

Connect with David Kaplan:

Website: www.WatchBox.com

LinkedIn: David Kaplan

"Life is built, not born."

Joe Ciccarone

Shawn Nesbit is the CEO of Good Karma Cafe, a chain of cafes in Center City Philadelphia.

Shawn discusses growing up in foster care, spending 20 years in corporate America before "Going for Now" as an entrepreneur in Philadelphia. Shawn speaks to what it's like to lead a small business through a global pandemic and social unrest.

We also cover lessons learned from training Brazilian jiu jitsu, his favorite failure, and one of our favorite books.

Connect with Shawn Nesbit:

Website: Good Karma Cafe

LinkedIn: Shawn Nesbit

IG: Good Karma Cafe

"Life is built, not born."

Joe Ciccarone

Trent McEntire was born with Class 1 Cerebral Palsy, which created many physical restrictions he had to overcome. Trent is the creator of "Fire Up Your Brain" which teaches proprietary techniques and strategies worldwide to help improve brain performance.

Connect with Trent McEntire:

• Website: Fire Up Your Brain
• LinkedIn: Trent McEntire

"Life is Built, Not Born."

Joe Ciccarone

Kuri Yasuno is the author of Autism with a Side of Sushi: A Story of a Japanese Mother and Her Son on the Spectrum.

Connect with Kuri Yasuno:

Website: Kuri Yasuno

IG: Kuri Yasuno

Amazon: Autism with a Side of Sushi

"Life is Built, Not Born."

Joe Ciccarone

Marsha Redmon is an expert in teaching professionals worldwide how to fix their presentation skills so they can speak with confidence and make an impact. Marsha has reinvented her career three different times.

Marsha is a former practicing attorney at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and was an award-winning consumer and investigative reporter on CBS television in major markets. She also taught MBA students at the Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland.

Connect with Marsha Redmon:

·     Website: Marsha Redmon

·     Website: www.PresenceTips.com

·     LinkedIn: Marsha Redmon

"Life is built, not born"

Joe Ciccarone



Naketa Ren Thigpen is the Best-Selling author of the book Selfish: Permission to Pause, Live, Love, and Laugh Your Way to Joy.  Naketa is the CEO of ThigPro Balance and Relationship Management Institute.

Her work is focused on how to heal traumas while balancing work/life and LOVE.

Connect with Naketa Ren Thigpen:

·     LinkedIn: Naketa Ren Thigpen

·     Website: www.ThigPro.com

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“Life is Built, Not Born.”

Joe Ciccarone