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Today's installment of #GemSessions is actually a snippet from an upcoming course that I'm releasing called the Gen Z Playbook. The Gen Z Playbook is an interactive course designed to help coaches learn how to better serve, lead and impact the emerging generations by closing the generational gap. The context behind today's installment is how to deal with the free agent mentality that so many individuals in the younger generations have.

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Another major challenge you may be faced with when working with a Gen Z athlete is the Free Agent Mentality. This is similar to the Shiny Object Syndrome in the previous lesson, but much more specific to relationships, commitment situations and loyalty.

A 2018 study from the National Student Clearinghouse estimates that 39% of all undergraduates who initially enroll in a four-year institution transfer schools at least once.

True story, I once trained a high school senior that attended four different high schools in four different states.

Mind-blowing, yes. But I don’t know that there is an inherently right or wrong way to look at this situation. Everyone has their own unique life and circumstances, I could never judge someone for doing what they feel is in their best interest.

This does, however, illustrate the Free Agent Mentality. We are talking about the most empowered and connected generation ever. Years ago, you chose a school and rode out the decision, but those days are long gone because the emerging generation knows they have more say-so than any crop of athletes ever before.

Things that used to be nice to have, bonus perks or out of the ordinary benefits are now expectations in many cases. This, again, has driven many athletes to have shorter attention spans, less loyalty and more fluidity when choosing programs, coaches, trainers, etc. Athletes have the resources and info, and were born with it, when some coaches still can’t grasp the concept of an emoji.

The tough pill to swallow is that this is our fault. If we lose an athlete to another program (barring all family or medical emergencies), it’s because we did not provide a captivating and enjoyable experience full of value for that athlete. Plain and simple. If we did, they wouldn’t have left.

And to be clear, the reason you should be upset about losing an athlete is not because it will cost you games in the win/loss column. It’s because it will cost you the opportunity to make an impact in a young man or woman’s life.

The recipe for fixing this Free Agent Mentality is to provide value with the TEAM model — Transparency, Evaluation, Advice, Management.

In the course, I go into details on the TEAM Model and how it can help us more effectively communicate with different athlete archetypes. This also applies to non-athletic settings. If you're interested in this content and want updates on the course release date, head to www.genzplaybook.com for more info!

Episode 6 Show Notes

0:00 - 06:15 - Introducing Matthew Ibrahim

Introducing Matt, who is a strength coach, business owner, adjunct professor & massage therapist in the Boston area doing great things in the fitness industry!

6:15 - 18:03 - How Justin & Matt first met

How writing for STACK brought Matt & Justin into contact, and how Matt was able to leverage his writing into speaking engagements, clinics, keynotes and so much more.

18:03 - 23:45 - Why communication & relationships trump X’s & O’s

Matt discusses the importance of communication strategies and authenticity when you’re at any stage of your career. “If you have to eat dog shit to get to where you want to be, then you better go get your shovel…”

23:45 - 31:07 - Forgetting where you came from is the worst thing you can do

Justin and Matt get into some of the frustrating parts of getting started in your career when leaders in the industry may not give you the time of day. How to pay it forward with a growth mindset. Success leaves clues.

31:07 - 41:00 - Rants, Rants, Rants

Justin and Matt both go deep on several topics revolving around self-care and mindfulness. Matt touches on the fact that coaches are “stress managers” and we need to manage that stress both physically and mentally.

41:00 - 55:00 - They Key to Exercise Variations

Matt goes into his training philosophies on exercise selection, progressions and regressions. “A lot of people fall in love with exercises. I think a much more intelligent & strategic approach is to fall in love with adaptations.”

55:00 - 58:30 - Putting the ‘social’ in social media

How to show others you care about them beyond exercise, athletics and #gymlife.

58:30 - 1:04:00 - Matty Ice vs. Tim DiFrancesco

Who is better at basketball, golf, beer chugging contests and more!

1:04:00 - 1:15:00 - The FIRE ROUND!

You know what time it is! Time to throw Matt into the fire round and have some fun. Learn more about Matt and his work here!

Full article at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/gemsessions-progress-rarely-linear-justin-ochoa

If you were to draw a graph of what the majority of people think it takes to be successful, it would look like a diagonal line going slightly uphill from left to right.

Now, if you were to draw a graph of what it truly looks like, it would look like a bunch of jagged lines going up and down in different spikes, from left to right.

What’s funny is that the second version, reality, looks like an active heart beat while the first graph looks like a flatliner. To be successful, you need those peaks and valleys. That’s what keeps your entrepreneurship “heart” beating.

I believe that success and progress is rarely linear. Whether we’re talking about gym results or business, it makes no difference.

If it were linear, everyone would be equally successful. It would be easy to get strong, ripped, rich, famous, successful or whatever your goal is. There are all kinds of ups and downs along the way, which make up the journey towards whatever you’re chasing.

You have to love that journey more than you love the actual destination. You have to love the process of getting to success more than the actual success itself.

The journey makes things really hard just to weed out the people who don’t deserve that prize at the end.

So next time you hit a rough patch in your journey, remember that success is rarely linear and that you’ll appreciate your wins so much more because of all the lessons you learned from the losses along the way. Keep that “heartbeat” going...

Episode 5 Show Notes

00:00 - 03:20 - Introducing our guest, Dr. Jordan Burns

Jordan is a chiropractor based out of the Indianapolis / Fishers area and is part-owner of his practice, ProWellness. Jordan is a former Indiana University track athlete who found his way to this profession through his own injuries and experiences.

03:20 - 07:50 - What are you grateful for in the midst of COVID-19?

Dr. Burns is grateful for the GUT CHECK that this pandemic has given him because it has allowed him to focus on the basics, providing value to others and really focusing on his personal development. Justin & Jordan detail some of the actual positives of the COVID-19 pandemic.

07:50 - 19:40 - Becoming a Chiropractor!

Jordan goes into detail on his journey to becoming a chiropractor and why other professions would benefit from an educational approach similar to what chiro’s have to go through.

19:40 - 32:15 - The myths & misconceptions of the Chiropractic industry

What is chiropractic care and who is it for? Dr. Burns goes in-depth on the details on what makes chiropractic care such an impactful service and who may benefit from seeing a chiro.

32:15 - 37:00 - Jordan’s personal philosophies on LIFE!

Have you ever had a paradigm-shifting event happen in your life that shapes the rest of your life for you? Jordan talks about that moment and how such a negative event made a positive change in his life.

37:00 - 46:00 - Standing out on social media platforms

How Gary Vee books stimulated a “personal branding” mission for Jordan and how he’s been able to effectively educate his followers online with hilarious marketing.

46:00 - 51:30 - The best compliment you can get…

When someone says they love something you do, “because it’s so YOU.” The keys to being authentic and how it helps you find success!

51:30 - 59:38 - The FIRE ROUND!

Rapid-fire questions for Jordan that provide some laughs! Make sure to follow Jordan at @DrJordanBurns on all platforms today!

#GemSessions is a weekly LinkedIn blog series sharing hidden gems & lessons learned from the gym, and how they can apply to other aspects of life. I hope you enjoy these quick reads and it sparks some great conversation & thoughts! This is the audio component to that written text!

SOURCE: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/gemsessions-more-better-justin-ochoa/

There was a point in time where I, like many others, believed that more of something was always better.

More of what?

Well, depending on what stage in life I was in at the time, that could be any number of things. And those continue to vary over the years.

The truth is… more is NOT always better. Better is better.

The earliest time I can remember realizing this came in my mid-twenties, when I thought more weight on the barbell was always a better thing. It was probably the surgery I had on my spine at age 27 that was my lightbulb moment for realizing how wrong I was about that mindset.

Carrying that simple lesson over to business, relationships and life was a no-brainer. This is also something I think can be a crucial lesson to learn in the current state of our society. You know, in the midst of a global pandemic and all…

Here are some examples to paint a picture.

30 minutes of nonstop playing with my kids is better than 2 hours with my kids as they watch a movie and I browse LinkedIn from across the room.

1,000 Instagram followers that enjoy & engage in my content is better than 25,000 followers that I purchased and have zero interaction with me or my business.

Setting 5 meetings with really promising prospects that understand how your product/service can benefit them immensely is better than setting 20 meetings with random prospects that may not even have a use for your business.

Scoring 15 points in a basketball game that you win is way better than scoring 50 points in a basketball game that you lose.

You get the nuts and bolts of it.

So, my point is that during this time of isolation, uncertainty and stress it may not be the best time to start to pile on all of these side projects that you have had on hold because you think more is better. Yes, we have a lot of spare time now compared to two months ago but recklessly taking on all kinds of new tasks and spreading yourself too thin during an already stressful time probably won’t allow you to get the absolute best out of those projects. Taking it a step further, adding projects to your life that you have the time for now, but know you won’t have time for when things go back to “normal” is setting yourself up for failure.

With that being said, it’s not a time to sit around and feel sorry for ourselves either. Getting nothing accomplished is also not a great option. So, we apply the better is better method.

Here is my current strategy. Addition by subtraction. I’ve audited my time and removed all things that are not in line with my long term vision. If I see a task or project that does fit that vision, I’ve added it to replace what I removed. If not, I’ve left that time open or allotted more time to the tasks I chose.

Now my energy is targeted towards less items, but that energy is laser-focused on those things that I decided really mattered. This is providing much better quality to those things. I feel awesome clarity and optimism in a really dark time, which is why I wanted to share this message and will continue to share these #GemSessions weekly.

Hopefully this motivates or inspires you in some way and helps you get the most out of this COVID-19 situation and beyond.

Episode 4 Show Notes

0:00 - 08:00 - Introducing Taylor Tannebaum

Get to know Taylor Tannebaum, a sports reporter currently working in Indianapolis, covering HS, college and pro sports for the NBC affiliate, WTHR.

08:00 - 14:30 - Taylor’s Journey to Sports & Reporting

From 5th grade morning announcements, to playing high school football, to covering Alabama Football and now to covering the Indianapolis Colts… learn all about the journey of how Taylor got to where she is now in her career.

14:30 - 22:30 - The Importance of Being In The Trenches

Justin and Taylor discuss the parallels between their industries when it comes to formal education versus hands-on education. A lot of great nuggets in this segment!

22:30 - 35:00 - Challenges & Misconceptions of Being a Woman in Sports

Taylor shares stories of adversities and successes during her career in sports, including being the first ever female sports broadcaster for almost every station she's worked for!

35:00 - 38:00 - What is the End-Game for a Sports Reporter?

Taylor looks at the options within the career of a sports reporter, including news, hosting shows, network deals and more.

38:00 - 52:00 - Mental Health & Athletes

Awesome stuff from Justin & Taylor discussing the importance of mental health, which is often neglected by athletes, teams and organizations. Taylor tells stories of getting to know athlete’s on a personal level through her job and realizing her mission to tell people’s stories to help athletes overcome mental health hurdles.

52:00 - 01:00:00 - The “I Need Answers” Segment

Uncovering sketchy old tweets by Taylor and trying to figure out what the hell she was talking about. Spoiler: Taylor dips her pizza in soda.

01:00:00 - 01:09:00 - THE FIRE ROUND!

Rapid Q&A with complete and utter randomness, including Taylor’s impression of Justin.

0:00 - 3:00 - Intro

Introducing Jeff Bramhall, the Chief Operating Officer of Reflexive Performance Reset (RPR) and the Owner of Just Breathe Manual Therapy. Jeff talks about his previous and current experiences in the field.

3:00 - 4:30 - What the heck is RPR?

“RPR is a system of daily self-care techniques that help you feel and move your best.” Jeff dives into what RPR is, who can use it, why one would use it and more!

4:30 - 14:40 - How RPR started and why...

Jeff tells us the behind the scenes stories that led Chris Korfist (track coach), Cal Dietz (hockey strength coach) and JL Holdsworth (champion powerlifter) to come together as business partners and founders of what we know as RPR today.

14:40 - 20:00 - Discussing the optics of actually doing RPR

For those that don’t know, RPR is a lot of self-administered drills that involves rubbing, poking or scraping yourself with your own hands. At times, it can look very silly to the untrained eye. Justin and Jeff talk about some of the misconceptions of the optics of RPR.

20:00 - 29:00 - The current state of the health & fitness field

Has the COVID-19 pandemic actually helped some of the deeper layers of the fitness industry? “It’s not about what you do, it’s about how you do it, and who you are when you do what you do.”

29:00 - 40:15 - Going in-depth on HOW you do RPR methods

A well-rounded approach to the who, what, when, where, why and how behind RPR methods. This is a really useful segment with some freebies that come along with it!

40:15 - 47:15 - Knowing your audience, and your audience’s audience

Continuing the conversation of RPR and how to teach it, communicate it to others and empower others to understand it.

47:15 - 1:04:00 - The Light Bulb Theory

In our body, the muscles are lightbulbs, the tendons/bones/fascia are lighting fixtures and our nervous system is the electricity. RPR is how we help people find the light switches. Rather than trying to “fix” the lightbulb or fixtures, simply flip the light switch…

47:15 - 57:00 - The Light Bulb Theory

In our body, the muscles are lightbulbs, the tendons/bones/fascia are lighting fixtures and our nervous system is the electricity. RPR is how we help people find the light switches. Rather than trying to “fix” the lightbulb or fixtures, simply flip the light switch…

57:00 - 1:20:00 - Advanced thoughts and methods of RPR, including mental health

Jeff discusses his own personal mental health journey and relates it back to everything we’ve talked about in the show up to that point. Really cool stuff in this segment! Justin also hits on return-to-play experiments with RPR and the principles that allow us to use RPR in so many unique ways.

1:20:00 - 1:30:28 - Where to learn more!

Hit up RPR’s website, Twitter or Instagram to learn more! You can also learn level 1 of RPR online here. Lastly, make sure to show Jeff some love and give him a follow here.

0:00 - 3:00 - Intro

Introducing Adam Menner, the Director of Performance at Varsity House Gym, located just outside New York City. Adam shares his background, his current projects and some of the things he has in the works.

3:00 - 10:30 - Interning with Joe DeFranco, Cam Josse and the major takeaway from that.

Adam breaks down what he learned from his robust internship experiences and how it prepared him for where he is now and what he’s doing in his career.

10:30 - 17:00 - Becoming a coach at Varsity House Gym.

In this segment, Adam talks about what led him to Varsity House and why it was the match made in heaven for the next level of his career.

17:00 - 25:00 - Dropping crazy knowledge bombs about SPEED TRAINING.

“Speed training is the hierarchy of athletic development because it is the only exercise in the world that utilizes 100-percent of your motor units. It’s the only exercise that generates up to 6-8 times your bodyweight per stride once you go 10-15 meters.” Adam breaks down his entire speed training programming from the ground up. Must listen!

25:00 - 32:45 - Debunking the biggest speed training myths.

Adam shares a nugget passed down to him from a mentor that will help you debunk nearly any speed training myth; Short to Long, Slow to Fast, Soft to Hard.

32:45 - 38:45 - How you can LEARN from Adam.

Coach Menner talks about becoming a partner in an educational company, launching online courses and explains how you can join his platforms for free career development resources.

38:45 - 1:00:00 - The MARCH MADNESS Segment

Justin takes Adam through a hypothetical March Madness tournament of NBA players, rappers and fast food chains. MAJOR HOT TAKES in this segment!

1:00:00 - 1:08:33 - The Fire Round

Rapid-fire awkward interview questions to wrap up the interview! Make sure you follow Adam on the ‘gram @AdamMenner!

Episode 1: Talking Business, Goals & Mindset with Kevin Warren

Show Notes Below

0:00 - 7:00 - Intro

Intro to I Need Answers & introducing my guest, Kevin Warren, a personal-trainer-turned-civil- engineer living in Houston, TX with tons of knowledgeable advice to share.

7:00 - 10:30 - Making the switch to an entirely different industry.

Kevin discusses some of the challenges, advantages and the overall experience of going from the engineering field to the personal training field, and then back to the engineering field within a 5-year span.

10:30 - 17:30 - What the hell is a civil engineer?

Kevin dives deep on what exactly an engineer does and how his experience in the fitness industry has made it a smooth transition. “How you do one thing is how you do everything.”

17:30 - 22:30 - Why communication matters.

Justin and Kevin talk about several of the key communication skills that help in business, training, relationships and more.

22:30 - 32:00 - The mindset rollercoaster of feeling like you settled or failed a goal.

Kevin opens up about the mindset and emotions involved in changing careers multiple times. Justin and Kevin draw similarities to pro athletes who change teams or retire early, and how we really never know what a person is going through privately.

32:00 - 51:00 - Things I learned from Kevin over the past 3 years of friendship.

Kevin gives amazing advice on how to be mentally organized, develop processes and protocols for success, how to reverse engineer goals (BIG TIME MAJOR KEY) and why most people don’t accomplish their goals. “People overestimate what they can do in a year and underestimate what they can do in a day.”

51:00 - 59:30 - Start One, Bench One, Cut One

Justin puts Kevin through the ringer with a Start/Bench/Cut segment including Houston Texans legends, rappers and office phrases that he hates.

59:30 - 1:04:00 - The Fire Round

Rapid-fire awkward interview questions to wrap up the interview! Make sure you follow Kevin on the ‘gram @KevinMWarren!