By Jeff Newkirk
We hear the term “game changer” often, but what does it mean? According to Merriam-Webster, a game changer is a newly introduced element of or factor that changes an existing situation or activity
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The podcast currently has 82 episodes available.
We all have good days and bad days. The good days are easy, but the bad days can be challenging. What constitutes a "bad day?" And, why don't we handle bad days with the same attitude as the good days?
In this episode of Game Changers, Jeff talks with Matilda Marie, who is a walking medical miracle. Matilda Marie is a highly regarded makeup artist whose work includes projects with national brands such as Hulu, Netflix, Under Armour, and MSNBC. Her thriving career in makeup nearly came to a grinding halt when she was diagnosed with kidney failure. She needed a kidney transplant. And, after a terrible car accident, she needed a second kidney transplant. She was on a transplant list for nine years. Yes, nine years!
With such challenges, many of us would just give up. We might ask "Why me?" and throw in the towel. Not Matilda Marie though. She persevered. She had to undergo daily dialysis, which required her to live a very structured life. But she did what she had to do to survive and thrive. And she gives all the credit to her unshakable faith. Her belief that God would see her through never wavered.
Today, Matilda Marie continues to grow as a professional makeup artist. Her career is flourishing and she wants to share her story of faith and perseverance with the world. She is a living miracle who is proving that faith can lead you to a better life. Faith can save you. Faith can make you a new person.
For inspiration on how you can live a better life with a stronger faith, give this episode of Game Changers a listen.
Learn more about Matilda Marie.
Learn more about Jeff Newkirk.
Do you have any game-changers in your life? Be sure to let me know so we can celebrate their story and contribution to our world. Go to https://gamechangerswithjeff.com to enter your name to be on the podcast
Welcome to Game Changers with Jeff Newkirk, where we speak with people who have done something to make this world a better place. It’s simple: inspire, educate, and let’s go change this world!
On today’s episode, Jeff welcomes guest Laura Wilkinson, a three-time Olympian and Olympic gold medalist. She started diving in her freshman year of high school and was told she was too old to start a new sport. She won the US's first national title in diving and overcame great obstacles in 1998 to win the Goodwill Games as the only US diver to ever achieve this. Laura shattered her right foot in three places and only had 3 weeks back in the water before she tried out and made her first Olympic team. She beat impossible odds by starting in 8th place and then ending up winning in first place. She won the 2004 World Cup, 19 US National trials, and won the Olympic Spirit Award. She had been inducted into five different Hall of Fames and qualified for the 2021 Olympic Trials with her four children and husband cheering her on. Laura now has a podcast called Pursuit Gold, and she helps coach athletes to overcome roadblocks, compete confidently, and fall back in love with their passion.
First, Laura talks about how she wanted to compete in the Olympics as a little kid in 1994 and wanted to be a gymnast. She realized at 13 that she was not at the right level to go to the Olympics for gymnastics, so she searched for another sport. She had coaches tell her she was too old to switch and that she was a waste of space. Authority figures are people you are supposed to look up to and trust. You can either believe them and cave in on yourself or defy them.
She realized it was their issue and not hers, so it lit a fire inside her. She now has caution with the words she says and the impact they carry. She has had amazing coaches, but the best ones are when they create an atmosphere where you can do the very best that you can and achieve your dreams. They make it fun and know their athletes with how they think and how to mold them.
After Laura shattered her foot, she went through mental training and preparation for the Olympic trials. She did that through visualization where she started imagining the actions and steps to go through for a dive. Her coach, Kenny, said she couldn’t look back and think about the what-ifs, but she had to look forward and make a new plan. She studied video, visualized the actions of her dive, hobbled up to the diving board on one leg, and imagined every scenario with made-up competitions and her competitors.
She was prepared for any given situation and was more prepared than she ever could have been without training physically. When she started to doubt, her teammates cheered her on, wouldn’t let her quit, and believed in her too. We are sometimes so close to success when we are about to give up. After talking to so many athletes who have overcome incredible odds, she says the one thing they all have in common is a belief that it is going to work. Everyone believed in what they were doing and thought it was going to be successful.
Next, they discuss faith in God and how God can use anything for His purpose and His good. Sometimes we have to go through the fire to refine us and make us better than before. She grew up in the church, left it, and came back to church during her sophomore year in college.
Learn more about Jeff Newkirk.
Do you have any game-changers in your life? Be sure to let me know so we can celebrate their story and contribution to our world. Go to https://gamechangerswithjeff.com to enter your name to be on the podcast
Welcome to Game Changers with Jeff Newkirk, where we speak with people who have done something to make this world a better place. It’s simple: inspire, educate, and let’s go change this world!
On today’s episode, Jeff welcomes guest, Judge Echo Hutson, who serves in Montgomery County in Texas in Law 4. Echo has experience in misdemeanor criminal cases, along with domestic violence and mental health court. She has a strong passion for these fields and loves to speak on domestic violence and mental health. One event she helps lead is called, “Flowers on the Lake.” Every October at sunset, they lay down carnations on the lake for the number of the year (so this year will be 2,024). They partner with multiple centers and these flowers represent the number of victims and survivors of domestic violence in their community. 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men will be affected by domestic violence in their lifetimes. Echo lives in the Montgomery area with her husband and youngest son, and her oldest son, Austin, is a cyber-security engineer in the army. For fun, she likes to sing and play in a band called, “Benny and the Montague!”
First, Echo shares how she started in the district attorney’s office and had to learn about victims of domestic violence and co-occurring mental health issues. The goal is to find the correct punishment, to see that justice is done, and to find the right thing for these individuals. The first hearing for individuals is at 9 AM every day and they look for evidence or flags of a mental health disorder. The state of Texas is present along with a probation officer. She is not a licensed mental health professional, but she has learned many facts about mental health on the job. The worst thing that could happen is they incarcerate someone with a serious condition or do the opposite. She has had major disagreements, but they always involve a licensed mental health professional for their professional opinions.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness and a recent presentation from Echo, 1 in 5 Americans live with a mental health condition. 21.1% of people experiencing homelessness have a serious mental health condition. 33.5% of US adults with mental illness also experience a substance abuse disorder. 8.3% of adults have a major depressive episode and 19% of US adults have an anxiety disorder. Suicide is the 12th leading cause of death in the US, and 90% of people who die by suicide may have had a mental health condition. 79% of suicides are males and suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in 10-14 year olds. Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death in 15-24-year-olds. 2 in 5 people who are incarcerated have a history of mental health issues and out of 50,000 veterans in local jails, 55% have a mental health disorder.
Mental illness is a wide range of things that can affect mood or behavior, but mental disorders are more severe conditions. There is an overrepresentation of mental disorders in the criminal justice system among those in the general population. For example, schizophrenia is an overrepresentation in the criminal justice system but is present in less than 1% of the general population. 2.8% of the population has bipolar disorder and 3.6% has PTSD. People come from traumatic situations and i
Learn more about Jeff Newkirk.
Do you have any game-changers in your life? Be sure to let me know so we can celebrate their story and contribution to our world. Go to https://gamechangerswithjeff.com to enter your name to be on the podcast
Welcome to Game Changers with Jeff Newkirk, where we speak with people who have done something to make this world a better place. It’s simple: inspire, educate, and let’s go change this world!
On today’s episode, Jeff continues his conversation with guest Mr. Darrell Guthrie. Mr. Guthrie is a retired U.S. Army Major General and is now a Senior Peace Fellow with the Public International Law and Policy Group. He is also an attorney and co-founder of the Advanced Dynamic Defense Directorate, a national security think tank and business incubator. He is a proud father of four and grandfather of six.
Today, Mr. Guthrie shares about leadership philosophy. To begin, he outlines the 5 key points of his leadership philosophy: be optimistic and proactive, address challenges at the lowest level possible, take administrative and logistic functions seriously, be willing to think and look at things differently, and be okay with imperfection.
The greatest reward as a leader, he and Jeff agree, is to see those you are responsible for move on and up in their careers. The power of thanking people who have done a job well should never be underestimated. Having a well-rounded perspective often leads to making better decisions overall. Mr. Guthrie’s favorite point is recognizing that he is not perfect, and neither are other people. Humility is key to being a strong and effective leader. He also explains the difference between chasing perfection vs. chasing excellence.
These 5 points for leadership began to take shape in Mr. Guthrie’s mind as he continued to gain more and more experience in leadership. As a lieutenant, which he claims he wasn’t great at, he was able to step outside of himself and find his strengths and weaknesses.
The Army is a great place for developing leadership skills because it introduces you to so many different roles and challenges. An important lesson Mr. Guthrie learned in the military is the importance of letting other people do their jobs on their own. If it’s not up to standard, then you may have a conversation with them about how they may do better. As a commander, he actively maintained a calm and focused persona who was ready to help soldiers work through problems. But he wasn’t always perfect, and shares about the time he let go of his ego and apologized for his previous words and actions. Today, it’s rare to see leaders and politicians publicly apologize, because apologizing is often equated with weakness. However, there is a huge difference between being weak and being humble.
Then, Mr. Guthrie shares his view that many corporations and the military are still following these 5 points, though their demands and expectations continue to evolve. He would like to see business leaders and CEOs embrace humility by making profits and benefits more equal for their employees. Treating people nicely and being positive and proactive about the future is the best way to bring up the organization and the people around you. Before cloning out, he discusses the differences between being proactive vs. reactive, especially in leadership roles. Interacting with other people from a place of humility and sincerity goes a very, very long way.
Learn more about Jeff Newkirk.
Do you have any game-changers in your life? Be sure to let me know so we can celebrate their story and contribution to our world. Go to https://gamechangerswithjeff.com to enter your name to be on the podcast
Welcome to Game Changers with Jeff Newkirk, where we speak with people who have done something to make this world a better place. It's simple: inspire, educate, and let's go change this world!
On today’s episode, Jeff welcomes guest Mr. Darrell Guthrie to discuss national security. Mr. Guthrie is a retired U.S. Army Major General and a Senior Peace Fellow with the Public International Law and Policy Group. He is also an attorney and co-founder of the Advanced Dynamic Defense Directorate, a national security think tank and business incubator. He is a proud father of four and grandfather of six.
To begin, Mr. Guthrie shares that he received an ROTC scholarship during the Raegan buildup in the mid-80s. His first deployment was to the first Gulf War. After nine and a half years in active duty, he served 28 years as Commander in the Army Reserve. He explains that being in the military is a lesson on how to be a good leader. Oftentimes, people will follow the movement and actions of a quality leader without even having to hear their commands. After finishing his time on active duty, Darrell decided he wanted to get a law degree.
Then, the conversation shifts to discussing national security and how Darrell found success with his startup. He gives the U.S. a "C" grade for its national security. This grade is made up of several components, including our safety from external threats as Americans. The last significant security threat the U.S. experienced was on 9/11. While we have been safe from threats of this magnitude since then, other factors have not been as positive.
The Army, Navy, and Air Force are facing crisis-level challenges in recruiting enough young people to join. The way to address this problem is by communicating an optimistic method about why it's important to serve our nation. Darrell also explains that our military is not paying significant attention to terrorist groups in Africa, the impact of the cartels in Mexico, and the gangs in Central and South America. Although the world still follows the United States as a world leader, that perspective is becoming more unstable. We must work together to set a positive example and strengthen the reputation of the United States in the eyes of the world. This could be as simple as an American company conducting good business in a foreign country, a soldier who behaves properly in a foreign city, or not letting bad players get away with evil actions. Since the U.S. is a superpower, we must be sure that we are doing this responsibly.
Before wrapping up, Darrell discusses the U.S.’s decision to leave Afghanistan and the problems at the Mexican border, both of which set poor examples of America. The key to restoring our reputation is through quality leadership and keeping our word.
Learn more about Jeff Newkirk.
Do you have any game-changers in your life? Be sure to let me know so we can celebrate their story and contribution to our world. Go to https://gamechangerswithjeff.com to enter your name to be on the podcast
The podcast currently has 82 episodes available.