In this episode of I Dare You, I’m joined by author, keynote speaker, and executive educator Adam Kingl—co-author of the wildly fresh new book, EXECUTIVE EATS: The Cookbook for a Better Working Life.

Here’s the big idea: your leadership doesn’t start with what you know—it starts with how you feel. Your energy. Your focus. Your mood. Your ability to stay steady under pressure. And Adam makes the case (with real research + real-life practicality) that one of the most overlooked performance tools isn’t another productivity hack… it’s nutrition—and the act of cooking itself.

We talk about why so many high performers are running on fumes, why “powering through” eventually backfires, and how the creative arts—especially culinary art—can train you to become more innovative, adaptable, and mentally sharp. This conversation will challenge the way you think about food, leadership, and what it really means to show up as your best self for the people who depend on you.

If you’ve ever hit that 2pm crash, struggled to concentrate, felt your mood hijacked by stress, or wondered why you can’t sustain the level you know you’re capable of… this one’s for you.

In this episode, we cover:

About Adam:

Adam Kingl is the author of Next Generation Leadership and Sparking Success (shortlisted for the Business Book Awards). He teaches and advises globally, with faculty roles at University College London, Hult Ashridge, London Business School, the University of Cambridge, and Imperial College London. He trained at Le Cordon Bleu in California, cooked in a professional kitchen, and now blends leadership development with performance science in a way that’s both inspiring and ridiculously actionable.

Get the book: EXECUTIVE EATS

Learn more about Adam: https://adamkingl.com/

Stop trying to do it all. This Father’s Day episode is your wake-up call—how to be the kind of dad, spouse, and leader who shows up when it matters.

My special guest is Jay Bilas. You know Jay as one of ESPN’s most trusted basketball voices. He joined ESPN in 1995 and has spent decades on the biggest stages in the sport, from College GameDay to the top men’s college matchups every week, plus NBA Draft coverage and major studio shows. He is also the New York Times bestselling author of Toughness: Developing True Strength On and Off the Court.

Jay was a four-year starter at Duke under Mike Krzyzewski from 1982 to 1986. His 1986 Duke team set the NCAA record for the most wins in a single season with 37. While Jay was an assistant coach under Krzyzewski, the Blue Devils won back-to-back National Championships in 1991 and 1992.

Jay has also distinguished himself on Twitter, having been named to Sports Illustrated’s “Twitter 100” for being among the 100 most essential Twitter follows in sports, and one of the 25 Most Powerful People in Sports Media by The Big Lead.

Since 1992, Jay has been a licensed attorney with the law firm of Moore & Van Allen, PLLC, where he has specialized in commercial litigation. He serves on the National Board of the Coaches vs. Cancer Organization, the Board of Advisors of the Duke Brain Tumor Center, and the Board of Directors of The V Foundation for Cancer Research.

This conversation isn’t about basketball.

It’s about presence, priorities, and the quiet power of doing the right things when nobody’s watching.

In this episode, Jay gets real about:

This is your Father’s Day wake-up call. Listen—and then make one change your family will feel this week.

Follow Jay: @jbillis on X and Instagram.

Summer is where routines go to die.

Later nights. More travel. More “we’ll get back on track Monday.” And then it’s Labor Day… and you feel worse than you did in June.

In this episode, I’m giving you a Summer Fundamentals Reset—a simple, no-drama way to stop drifting and get back to basics without turning your life into a giant self-improvement project.

Because the truth is: when life gets loud (and summer gets loose), even high performers start handing themselves permission slips:

Skip the workout. Stay up late. Drink more. Eat like a teenager. “I’ll lock in later.”

And later becomes never.

So here’s what we’re doing instead: fundamentals.

You’ll learn:

This isn’t about being perfect. It’s about feeling clear, energized, and present again—so you can actually enjoy your summer.

Don’t use summer as an excuse. Use summer as your reset.

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Grab your FREE, custom-designed PDFs (inspired by Start With Why by Simon Sinek) at idareyoupod.com:

Connect with Darrin Johnson:

www.idareyoupod.com

Instagram: @idareyoupod

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IDareYouPod

TikTok: @idareyoupod

What does it really mean to win in life—and why do so many high-achievers still feel like they’re falling short?

In this episode of I Dare You, I’m joined by Chip Pugh, Team Chaplain for the Tennessee Titans and author of Made to Win: Six Practices of Jesus for Life on Mission. 

Exclusive for I Dare You Podcast listeners, you can get your FREE copy of Made To Win and you only cover the cost of shipping. Click the link to get your copy!https://oakspress.com/dare

Chip has spent decades developing athletes, coaches, and leaders—serving in collegiate athletics, strength and conditioning, and leadership development roles (including at Tennessee Tech University)—and he brings a clear, practical framework for maximizing your potential.

You’ll learn why so many people never experience the joy of winning (because they were never trained to win), how to quiet the “distracting voices” that derail your calling, and why community isn’t optional if you want a life that’s strong, resilient, and mission-driven. Chip also shares a simple daily prayer and challenge that can change how you see people—and how you show up in the world.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

Chip’s message is direct, practical, and deeply encouraging—whether faith is central to your life right now or you’re simply searching for what you were made for.

Here’s the prayer you pray (the “one daily prayer” from your Chip Pugh episode script):

Lord, give me the eyes to see what You see today.

Prepare my hands to do what You have designed me to do.

Prepare my feet to go where You send me.

Please send me to the one who is ready to follow You…

and fill me with the skill to win them to You.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Connect with Chip:

X (Twitter): @Chip_Pugh

Instagram: @Chip_Pugh

Facebook: @ChipCPugh

Website: www.MadeToWinBook.com

You’re doing “pretty well”… so why do you still feel restless?

In this solo episode, I go straight at the quiet ceiling that keeps high performers from becoming who they know they’re capable of being—not more famous, not more followers… bigger in your leadership, health, relationships, impact, and purpose.

I break down two traps that shrink your thinking without you noticing:

Then I give you a simple, practical framework to break through the ceiling:

The Bigger Flywheel: Reference Point → Resolve → Risk 

This one will challenge you, encourage you, and push you to choose the stretch—because comfort is a liar, and “ready” isn’t coming.

In this episode, I cover: 

If you thought of someone while listening, send them this episode with one line:

“I thought of you when I heard this.”

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Remember, as discussed in E218, grab your FREE, custom-designed PDFs (inspired by Start With Why by Simon Sinek) at idareyoupod.com:

Connect with Darrin Johnson:

www.idareyoupod.com

Instagram: @idareyoupod

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IDareYouPod

TikTok: @idareyoupod

Recording artist and Broadway sensation Kelsie Watts joins The I Dare You Podcast for a candid conversation about what it really takes to build a career that lasts—onstage and online.

Kelsie is making waves again with new original music, including her latest release “Made for Your Love,” and has become a viral singing phenomenon with 250M+ views and 3.5M+ followers across TikTok and Instagram. In this episode, she takes us behind the curtain on her journey from Lubbock, Texas (singing in church and studying music) to Belmont University in Nashville, to grinding through the “unseen years” that most people never hear about.

We talk about:

Plus, Kelsie shares her simple “I Dare You” challenge—one small act that can change someone’s day.

Follow Kelsie: @kelsiewatts (TikTok) | @kelsiewattsmusic (Instagram)

Listen to her music everywhere you stream.

Remember, as discussed in E218, grab your FREE, custom-designed PDFs (inspired by Start With Why by Simon Sinek) at idareyoupod.com:

Scott Scovill’s story is what happens when you stop negotiating with fear.

He’s the founder of Moo TV (a global live-event video powerhouse), a creative force behind massive tours and TV specials, and the author of Tenacious: The Art of Relentlessly Pursuing Your Wildest Dreams—but this conversation isn’t a highlight reel. It’s the real roadmap: flunking out, rebuilding confidence, taking bold swings, and learning how to keep going when doubt is loud.

In this episode of I Dare You, we talk about:

If you’ve been stuck, hesitant, playing small, or waiting for the “right time”… this is your nudge (and your challenge): What would make the next chapter more interesting—and are you willing to do it?

Listen now, then take the dare.

Connect with Scott:

https://www.scottscovill.com/.

https://www.instagram.com/scottscovillcreative 

https://www.facebook.com/scottscovillcreative

https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-scovill-943a4022/

In this solo episode, I’m pulling a surprisingly powerful leadership lesson from Dr. Seuss’ Oh, the Places You’ll Go!—specifically the part most people skip right past: The Waiting Place. That grown-up trap where I’m not lazy… I’m just delaying. Waiting on clarity. Waiting on confidence. Waiting for life to slow down.

Graduation season isn’t just for 18-year-olds in caps and gowns.

It’s for me. It’s for you. It’s for anyone stepping into a new chapter that didn’t come with a ceremony—just more pressure and responsibility.

Here’s what I’ll walk you through:

This one is fresh, fun, and practical—with the kind of warm, direct “let’s go” energy that will get you moving before the episode ends.

Because you don’t have to know the whole chapter.

You just have to turn the page. Hit play and let’s get after it.

Remember, as discussed in E218, grab your FREE, custom-designed PDFs (inspired by Start With Why by Simon Sinek) at idareyoupod.com:

Connect with Darrin Johnson:

www.idareyoupod.com

Instagram: @idareyoupod

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IDareYouPod

TikTok: @idareyoupod

Dr. Dana Sinclair is back—and this is a big one.

Dana is a world-class performance psychologist, and the author of Dialed In: Do Your Best When It Matters Most—now an international bestseller. 

Dana works with high-level executives and leaders in a wide range of businesses and industries. She also works with professional teams and athletes in the NFL, MLB, WNBA, NHL, MLS, IndyCar, PGA, and the Olympics.… but here’s the point: the same pressure principles that help a pro athlete in a championship moment also help you in your meeting, your interview, your hard conversation, your parenting moment, or your next big swing.

This is Dana’s second time on the I Dare You Podcast—and her first episode became one of our most downloaded episodes ever, which tells you everything about how much this message resonates.

In this conversation, we go deeper into the exact tools that help you “shift when you drift,” get “calm-ish” on demand, and stop waiting to feel confident before you take action.

Dr. Sinclair is a licensed psychologist with doctorates from the University of Cambridge and the University of Ottawa, is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia, and is a specialist lecturer with the Royal Institue of British Architects. 

Press play if you want to learn how to perform better—right when it matters most.

Connect with Dr. Dana Sinclair:

Instagram: @drdanasinclair

www.drdanasinclair.com

You can feel it: the rules of work have changed. Careers aren’t linear anymore. Everyone’s building something on the side. And if you’re trying to grow a business, grow an audience, or just grow yourself… you need a strategy that actually fits the world we’re in now.

In Episode 222, I’m joined by Brianna Doe — Founder & CEO of Verbatim, a top-ranked influencer marketing agency, co-creator of let her cook, and the author of The Unapologetic Professional. Brianna is one of the sharpest voices I’ve heard on digital culture, leadership, and building a career that feels authentic (not just impressive on paper).

We talk about:

If you’ve ever felt stuck, scattered, or like you’re doing all the “right” things but something still feels off—this conversation will give you clarity and a practical next step.

Hit play on Episode 222 now.

Connect with Brianna:

Verbatim Agency

Website: www.weareverbatim.com