Jeff Sherman is in his fourth year as Director of Athletics at Central Methodist University, following a remarkable 37-year Hall of Fame career as Head Men’s Basketball Coach. The winningest coach in CMU history, Sherman amassed 668 victories, ranking fourth among active National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) coaches at the time of his retirement and sixth all-time among Missouri’s four-year college coaches. His teams earned 12 twenty-win seasons, four conference titles, and five NAIA National Tournament appearances. A four-time Hall of Fame inductee, Sherman’s impact extends far beyond the court, having mentored more than 75 former players who have gone on to coaching careers at every level. Also an Associate Professor and former Department Chair in Physical Education, Health, and Sport Management, Sherman is known for his leadership, mentorship, and lifelong commitment to Central Methodist University, where he and his wife Julee have served for over four decades. You can learn more about Sherman here: Central Methodist University Athletics

Cory Holen is a seasoned staffing and search consultant with nearly 14 years of experience at Preference Employment Solutions in Fargo, North Dakota, where he leads the Professional Search Division and plays a key role on the leadership team. A proud University of Jamestown (ND) graduate and former Jimmies football player, Holen brings the discipline, competitiveness, and team-first mindset he developed as a student-athlete into his career helping businesses find and grow great talent.

Passionate about connecting people with opportunities, Holen thrives on understanding what makes organizations tick and helping candidates step into roles where they can truly succeed. He’s a Certified Search Consultant through the American Staffing Association, DiSC certified, and a Dale Carnegie–trained leader who’s always looking for ways to keep learning and improving.

Outside of work, Holen is a dedicated husband and dad who loves coaching, mentoring, and supporting his two sports-loving sons, Kason and Brooks. He’s also active in the Fargo/Moorhead community, serving as Workforce Readiness Director for FMHRA and contributing to The Chamber’s Business Training Committee. Known for his energy, integrity, and genuine care for others, Cory brings both expertise and heart to everything he does. More on Cory here:

Our Team - Preference Employment Solutions

Our guest for this episode is Gordon MacFarlane. He is a Performance Mindset Coach, best-selling author, and Human Behavior Specialist with more than four decades of experience in professional sales, business development, and elite athletic coaching. A Senior Master Trainer and certified DISC consultant, he has worked with NCAA, junior, and professional sports programs, guiding teams to multiple championships, including Colby College’s first-ever NESCAC title. His approach blends practical strategies with behavioral science, helping leaders, athletes, and organizations unlock resilience, confidence, and consistent high performance.

As a keynote speaker and trainer, Gordon engages audiences with a unique mix of storytelling, research, and actionable tools. His proprietary Performance Engagement Model—centered on awareness, empowerment, and application—equips leaders and coaches to inspire lasting growth. Drawing on his own entrepreneurial journey of founding and running eight businesses, he offers insights grounded in real-world leadership and relationship building. His work spans sports, business, and education, with an emphasis on communication, trust, and purposeful influence.

Gordon is the author of several books, including Increase Your GRIT and Mental Toughness, COMMUNICATE to CONNECT: The Power of Words, and Performance Influencer: The Human Behavior Approach to Leadership, with a forthcoming release on mental wellness in leadership. Whether coaching one-on-one, leading workshops, or addressing large audiences, his mission is consistent—to help people believe in themselves, connect meaningfully with others, and perform at their best when it matters most. You can learn more about Gordon by visiting his website: Performance Mindset Coach

Our guest for this episode is Tim McCarthy. He founded The McCarthy Consultancy in 2016 to offer confidential Executive Coaching, Business Consultancy, and Communication Coaching. His mission is to help individuals and organizations unlock their full potential and achieve lasting success.

McCarthy brings a rare blend of experience from the executive, sports, and media worlds. He has held top leadership roles in major organizations, including Ulster Bank Group, An Post, BUPA Ireland, and Hello.ie, building several successful direct-to-consumer businesses in finance and insurance. A graduate of National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG; Executive MBA) and University College Cork (UCC; Training & Development), he is also a Qualified Financial Advisor and experienced board member across both commercial and nonprofit sectors.

In sport, he represented Ireland over 100 times in basketball, serving as both national team captain and coach. He has also coached Gaelic football and hurling at senior club and county levels. He also is a member of the Irish Basketball Hall of Fame.

McCarthy is a seasoned international speaker on leadership and performance. His media credentials include five Olympic Games as a basketball commentator for RTÉ, GAA coverage for The Sunday Game, and interviews with global icons like Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan.

More on McCarthy can be found here:

About the McCarthy Consultancy - Lead with intelligenceThe McCarthy Consultancy

The Big Interview with Timmy McCarthy: 'My mortality had been challenged - then my humanity was'

For this special 55th birthday episode, we welcome Tony Rice, my twin brother and an extraordinary individual whose life and leadership have made a lasting impact. With 31 years of experience in the power line industry, Tony has spent over 15 of those years as a crew chief at Baldwin EMC, where he continues to mentor and guide the next generation of linemen.In 2006, Tony and his colleague Kenny Foley saved a man’s life on the public beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama, using an AED. For this act of courage and quick thinking, he was honored with the Touchstone Energy Power and Hope Award, a prestigious recognition for those who go above and beyond in service to their communities through electric cooperatives. He also represented Baldwin EMC at the 2019 State of Alabama Lineman Appreciation Ceremony, underscoring his role as both a professional and community leader. He is considered a safety expert at Baldwin EMC.Born at Fort Rucker, Alabama, and raised in Robertsdale, Tony is the son of Bill and Judy Rice, as well as Carol K. Rice. He has been married to his wife Tracy since 1995, and they are proud parents to Kristin and grandparents to Dane. A former member of the Army National Guard, Tony has long invested in his local community by coaching youth sports across South Baldwin County. Even today, he remains active and competitive, regularly participating in half marathons and marathons.

Our guest on the Holding the Ladder in Sport and Leadership podcast is Samba Johnson, the Associate Head Coach for the women’s basketball program at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, CA. Since joining the staff in 2022, he has played a key role in revitalizing the team, tripling their win total in his first season and guiding them to a 17-14 record and Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) berth in his second season. Under his leadership, several Mustangs have earned All-Big West honors, including Natalia Ackerman, who was named First Team All-Big West and to the All-Defensive and All-Academic teams.
A Pittsburgh, PA native and former standout at NCAA Division II Chaminade University, Johnson has coached at nearly every level, including National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), NCAA Division I, II, III, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and high school, across both men’s and women’s programs. His résumé includes stints at Lynchburg College, Longwood University, Friends University, Casper Community College, McCook Community College, University of Charleston, Cleveland State University, Ohio University, Stetson University, and Duquesne University, as well as head coaching roles at Penn State-New Kensington, La Roche College, and East Hill Christian Academy. Known for his mentorship, energy, and character, Johnson is praised by Cal Poly head coach Shanele Stires as a servant-leader who deeply impacts student-athletes both on and off the court.

You can learn more about Johnson here:

https://gopoly.com/staff-directory/samba-johnson/397

Our guest is Professor Adam Nicholls, a leading expert in sport psychology whose research focuses on doping behaviors in youth athletes, coping and emotions in sport, and whistleblowing in the face of wrongdoing. He is based at the University of Hull in Hull, UK. With over £1.5 million in research funding, more than 85 published articles, and three books- including Psychology for Coaches, translated into Arabic and Hungarian- Nicholls also leads the Sport Psychology and Coaching group, shaping research strategy and mentoring future scholars. You can learn more about Professor Nicholls here:

Professor Adam Nicholls | University of Hull

Dave Niland is our guest for this episode. He is the head men's basketball coach at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Penn State Behrend in Erie, PA. He just completed his 30th season guiding the Behrend Lions program. He comes from a family of legendary Buffalo (NY) sports leaders.

Niland has produced 29 winning seasons in the last 30 years to rank 20th among NCAA Division III programs for winningest teams of the decade. The Lions also have earned an NCAA or Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) postseason bid in 26 of the past 28 years. Niland is the all-time leader in men's basketball coaching victories with 580 entering the 2025-2026 season. The Lions have advanced to the NCAA Tournament eight times and has made 17 appearances in the ECAC South Region Tournament, winning the title in 1998-99 and 2009-10. 

Niland has been named the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Coach of the Year seven times- a league and college record. His teams have won seven regular-season league titles and six conference tournament championships. In 2008-09, the men's basketball team forged a record of 18-10 and earned its third ECAC Tournament bid. The previous year, Niland led the Behrend Lions to an impressive 24-5 record, as the team captured the regular-season AMCC championship and the conference tournament before eventually falling in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament in Rochester, New York. That squad's defensive prowess was recognized for the second time in four seasons, as Behrend led NCAA Division III in scoring defense, limiting the opposition to a measly 54.6 points per game.  

During the 2006-07 season, Niland's team posted an impressive 21-8 mark and advanced to the ECAC Southern Region Tournament Championship Game. The year before, Niland's program received the Schoenfeld Award, the highest honor the Collegiate Basketball Officials Association (COBA) bestows each year. This coveted award is presented to the team identified as having "the highest degree of sportsmanship, character, and ethics among their players, coaches and spectators."

His 2003-04 team led all of NCAA Division III in scoring defense and posted a 22-3 record entering the NCAA Division III Tournament. The 1999-2000 team had the best season in school history, setting the school record for wins with 26 while advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight- the first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance for men's basketball. Also, in 1998-99, his squad earned the ECAC Southern Region Championship. 

Niland came to Behrend after spending four seasons as an assistant coach at Canisius College and one season at Elmira College. He was a four-year letterman and captain during his senior year as a basketball standout at LeMoyne College. He earned his master's degree in physical education from Canisius and is now also a lecturer in health and physical education at Penn State Behrend.

Dave and his wife, Debra, who has over three decades of service at Erie Homes for Children and Adults empowering individuals with intellectual disabilities through volunteerism and exploration, are the proud parents of Andy, Sara, and Matt.

Todd James is our guest for this episode. He has been a sports missionary in Ireland for over 40 years. He is a Southern California native who coached and taught in that area for 10 years before leaving for the mission field. He and his wife Celesta have planted churches and helped to develop sports ministry as a tool for churches to do evangelism throughout the country. Discipleship and evangelism are the main emphases of their ministry. James is now retired but continues to impact others through teaching basketball skills at local schools and has authored materials like "Meet My Head Coach," which has been translated into many languages and used by organizations such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Athletes in Action. Celesta was the head of the Humanities Department of a local university. Her area of expertise is in social care, and she has authored a textbook on the subject which is being used throughout Ireland. 

Ken Crenshaw is our guest for this episode. He is entering his eighth season as the Director of Sports Medicine and Performance after serving 12 years as the Head Athletic Trainer for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Crenshaw was the head athletic trainer for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays from 2003 to 2005 and served as the assistant athletic trainer for the Rays from 1998-2002. While with the Rays, Crenshaw shared “Major League Baseball Athletic Training Staff of the Year” honors in 2005 and the “Dick Martin Athletic Training Staff of the Year” honors in 2004 with Ron Porterfield. He also served as the organization’s Minor League athletic training and conditioning coordinator for the 1996 and 1997 seasons.

Prior to joining Tampa Bay, Crenshaw worked for seven years as a professional athletic trainer, including four years as Minor League conditioning coordinator for the Atlanta Braves from 1992 to 1995. He also served as an athletic trainer in the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system from 1989 to 1991, working with affiliates in Princeton, WV., and Welland, Ontario. A native of Carrizozo, N.M., Crenshaw received an undergraduate degree in sports medicine from New Mexico State University in 1990. He is a certified member of the NATA and the (NSCA) National Strength & Conditioning Association. In his spare time, Crenshaw coaches youth football, basketball and baseball programs. Crenshaw, his wife, Robyn, and their sons, Wacy, Wyatt, and Dustin, reside in Chandler, AZ.