Lead. Learn. Grow.

Buddy Biancalana is one of approximately 1,600 players that have been drafted in the first round since the draft began in 1965. With the weight of expectations, pressure to perform, and the demands of being a professional athlete, Buddy quickly rose through the Kansas City Royals minor league system - from Rookie League to the Major Leagues - in five years.

As a part-time player, Buddy was what the baseball world calls a "good field-no hit" player, playing the demanding shortstop position. Then, late in the 1985 season, Royals manager Dick Howser inserted him in the lineup late in the year, and he played the best baseball of his life. He was a key contributor in helping the Royals win their first World Series.

As he shares in our conversation, the pressure of the World Series was immense. Literally, the entire world was watching. Yet, as you'll hear, Buddy says he was as calm as he'd ever been. And he played flawless defense and hit better than he'd ever hit before. Later, he realized that he'd had an "In the zone" experience.

This experience, along with a childhood incident that Buddy shares in our conversation, led him to begin to study the brain-body connection. Now, as the founder of Zone Motion, he helps athletes and executives have "in the zone" experiences in a more intentional way, rather than by chance.

You can buy Buddy's book, The 7 Secrets of World Class Athletes, here.

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You can contact Robin Green at [email protected].

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If you live in Richmond, VA, you know Jeff Katz. The host of an award-winning talk show on WRVA during afternoon drive time, he has a long and storied career. In this fun conversation, you'll hear tales of going from a police officer to selling radio ads and finally hosting his own show. Regardless of where in the country he was working, two things have been a constant. One, his talent behind the mic and his ability to connect with his audience have been recognized repeatedly. Second, he cares about his community.

Jeff is a master storyteller who spins many yarns in our time together. A master of his craft, Jeff shares some of the lessons he has learned through his long and successful career.

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If you'd like to learn more about Jeff and his work, you can visit jeffkatz.us. There, you can learn about Jeff's consulting, coaching, and speaking services. If you'd like to listen to his show or learn more about the broadcasting pursuits, visit thejeffkatzshow.com.

Jeff even invites you to call him at 804.596.6596 or use toll-free at 888.334.JEFF.

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To learn more about Sandler Training or to connect with Robin, email him at [email protected].

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To sign up for our growing leadership newsletter, The Huddle, visit green.sandler.com/huddle.

Join me as I speak in a great conversation with Jenn Drummond of Park City, UT.

A car accident in 2018 left Jenn awestruck and emboldened. Rescue workers couldn't imagine any scenario where she came out of it alive, but she did. That's when she realized you don't get to choose when you leave this life…but you sure can choose how you live it. Strengthened by this awareness, she set out to live in a more authentic and adventurous way.

Inspired to climb a mountain for her birthday, her son raised the stakes by suggesting Mount Everest. Not one to back down from a challenge, she accepted the pursuit. During her training, her coach upped the ante and proposed that she go for a Guinness World Record and become the first woman to climb the 7 second summits. The pursuit matched her desire to live a life of significance, not just success.

Today, Jenn is a world record holder who elevates others to master their own summit in life. She's a successful business owner and mom of seven kids who, as you will hear, inspire and brazenly challenge her.

She's also an international speaker, author, and host of the "Seek Your Summit" podcast, which focuses on inspiring others to go beyond success to a life of significance.

You can find out more about Jenn at jenndrummond.com. Details of her soon-to-be-released book are here.

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You can contact Robin Green at [email protected] with questions or if you know someone that would make a great guest on the podcast.

Join my conversation with Tracy Hupko, Executive Director of the I GOT THIS Foundation, as she talks about how her organization is changing lives through golf.

By providing golf instruction, playing opportunities, and organized events, the Foundation strives to teach people with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities to play golf, paving the way for them to compete in leagues with typical peers, join high school teams, and enjoy the many social benefits of golf.

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In our discussion, Tracy shares how her career evolved from Disney to the LPGA Tour, to meeting Amy Bockerstette. Amy was the first person with Down's Syndrome to receive a college athletic scholarship. In one remarkable moment, Amy was invited to join Gary Woodland and Matt Kuchar on the 16th at the Waste Management Open. Amy hit her tee shot in the bunker in front of thousands of fans. Asked did she wanted to hit it out of the bunker, she said, "I got this!" She got it out of the bunker and made the putt for a par!

Gary Woodland cited Amy's as an inspiration for him as he tried to hold it together on the back nine en route to his first major championship. He said that he kept remembering Amy and telling himself, "I got this!"

It's a beautiful story and this group is doing terrific work. Tracy does a great job talking about the mission and impact of this organization.

Find out more about the I GOT THIS Foundation here.

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Tracy and I first met after she read of my re-telling of the story in my weekly leadership newsletter called The Huddle. You can subscribe here.

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You can connect on LinkedIn with Tracy Hupko here.

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Contact me at [email protected].

Brian Edmonds has a long and distinguished career in sports and entertainment marketing. A UNC graduate, Brian shares interesting stories from his career, ranging from working with superstar athletes at a prominent agency to his present-day company The 288 Group.

Brian has worked for the University of Virginia, Front Row Marketing, and Colonial Athletic Association.

Listen in as Brian gives us a bit of a behind-the-scenes look at the sports world, and shares some lessons and insights from a successful career.

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To contact Robin about training and coaching questions, email him at [email protected].

George Forsythe joins the podcast to talk about his journey in the world of public accounting.

Starting at WellsColeman when he was a senior at the University of Mary Washington, George has risen through the ranks to now lead the firm.

He shares insights about his early days, where he was allowed to pursue ideas and initiatives, which allowed him rapidly grow his skillset. He talks about how he learns and stays relevant, and how technology is shaping the future of the firm.

George shares how he thinks about work-life balance and the concept of 4-way wins.

You can connect with George on LinkedIn here. You can learn more about WellsColeman here.

Follow George's adventures on Instagram.

You can download WellsColeman's free business guide for entrepreneurs here.

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To sign up for Robin Green's free leadership newsletter, The Huddle, click here.

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If you'd like to talk to Robin about training and coaching services, you can reach him at [email protected].

Richmond Times-Dispatch writer Eric Kolenich joins Robin on episode 41 of the Lead. Learn. Grow. podcast.

After a short stint working for the FBI, Eric joined the RTD staff and hasn't looked back. He has written about high school sports, higher education, business, health, and real estate in his nearly 15-year career.

Eric is a professional storyteller and it's obvious in our conversation. Midway through, he gives a masterclass on how to put together a written message to communicate with impact. It's really good.

In the introduction, I mention that I met Eric a few years ago when he did a full-length story on my son and youth baseball injuries. You can read that story here.

I asked Eric if he had a couple of favorites, stories that he liked writing or had an impact. He shared the stories of Andrew Nelson, a former Mills Godwin HS soccer player, and his battle with addiction. Next, he shared the story of Adam Oakes, a VCU student who tragically died during pledge activities with the Delta Chi fraternity.

You can connect with Eric on LinkedIn here.

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You can receive Robin's weekly leadership email, called The Huddle, by subscribing here.

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Contact Robin at [email protected].

In Episode 40, Robin has a great conversation with Brad Eure of Eure Consulting.

Brad learned business the hard way, through 30+ years of experience in the small and family business world. Now he's sharing what he learned with clients so that their companies have a smoother ride. Brad's three decades of operations and management experience have given him a sharp eye for what it takes to succeed in today's business world. After having successfully run, grown, and sold several radio stations in the Richmond, Norfolk, and Charlottesville markets of Virginia, Brad is now an expert consultant to companies seeking to improve their management and build their success.

A graduate of The College of William and Mary with a BS in Business Administration, Brad is proud to have served as President of the Virginia Association of Broadcasters and a member of the National Association of Broadcasters, as well as on the board of many local organizations including the Charlottesville Chamber of Commerce and the Salvation Army. Brad is the past Chairman of the Bank Board of Union Bank & Trust, now Atlantic Union Bank.

Brad and his daughter Clay help companies develop to their full potential by having a focus on people, strategy, and execution.

You can contact Brad here.

You can subscribe here to The Huddle, a weekly newsletter for leaders.

If you'd like to contact our host, Robin Green, you can email him at [email protected].

Richard Coughlan, Ph. D., is an associate professor in the Robins School of Business at the University of Richmond. In addition to being an award-winning educator, he has consulted and advised many Fortune 500 companies.

Dr. Coughlan also hosts the highly-acclaimed "C-Suite Conversations" at the University. A master interviewer, he has interviewed notable leaders from all parts of the business, non-profit, education, and sports world. You can find recordings of past interviews here. They are highly recommended. As he shares during our discussion, he puts in many hours of preparation for each, and it shows. He says his aim is to ask questions of his guests they have never been asked before.

Richard and I have a wide-ranging discussion where he shares keen insights on decision-making, negotiation, and other areas that business owners are sure to benefit from.

You can learn more about Richard here.

Contact Robin Green at [email protected].

To sign up for The Huddle, a weekly leadership email, sign up here.

Thanks to Jay Smack for the introduction, voiceover, and editing.

Andres Marquez-Lara is the Founder & CEO of UFacilitate, a leadership development and facilitation training organization that helps leaders be more effective. He has developed his growing company through a methodology that is a dynamic and inclusive blending of design thinking, improv theatre, and systems thinking. He and his team host workshops that help groups connect, collaborate, create, and complete their projects.

He is Adjunct Faculty at the Executive Master in Policy Leadership and Master of Policy Management at Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy, Adjunct Faculty at Georgetown's Institute for Transformative Leadership, and a Guest Lecturer at the Center for Excellence in Public Leadership at George Washington University. He is also an Advisor at the Emergence Project for Purposeful Entrepreneurship at Stanford University.

Andres has a fresh and unique take on leadership and he shares a number of them in our conversation. On the day we recorded, he released his first book, Facilitating Leadership. I found it interesting that the book's co-author was....ChatGPT! He wrote the book in thirty days and he shares what that process was like.

You can download a copy, in ebook format, at no charge here.

You can connect with Robin Green at [email protected].

Sign up for Robin's weekly leadership newsletter, The Huddle, here.