As one of seventeen children growing up in Mississippi, Quintavius “Q” Burdette learned at an early age that nothing was going to be handed to him. He achieved his goals of attending college and playing football for a division one team through sheer will power and a work ethic that wouldn’t quit. When other kids from his community went to parties, Q was on the field honing his skills. In college, he stood out to coaches and professors because he prioritized his education over football. During this time, he shifted his perspective. Everything he thought he wanted in a football career actually wasn’t the path for him. So his plan B because plan A. After graduating with an accounting degree, the first in his family to ever do so, he set his eyes on his future goals. 

Quintavius worked at one of the country’s top accounting firms before setting his sights on real estate. His choice to change careers brought out the naysayers who doubted that his dreams of being a top performer in real estate would ever come true. But Q’s mindset and determination sets him apart from others in his field. He chooses a mindset that uses challenges in the market as fuel for revising his strategy. His adaptive approach to anything life throws his way is one reason why he sold a record-breaking number of houses in his first year as an agent. He embodies the message that we can’t always control what happens around us, but we can control our mindset. Now a staple in his community, Q serves as a role model for children who want to build a better life for themselves despite the difficulties of their environment. 

Main Topics

• Quintavius’ family life as a child and how he developed his unwavering work ethic (02:20)
• Q achieved his dreams of playing college football despite odds stacked against him (05:32)
• Q’s example of breaking through walls inspires kids who look up to him (07:53)
• Q shifts his perspective to prioritize education over football (11:10)
• Transitioning from accounting to real estate (14:16)
• Q’s inspiration for succeeding in the real estate market and other areas of business (17:45)

Connect with Q:

https://www.instagram.com/quintaviusburdette/

https://www.facebook.com/quintavius.burdette.3

https://twitter.com/QMB_4

https://www.linkedin.com/in/quintavius-burdette-a82158181/

Connect with Adam:

https://www.startwithawin.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AdamContosCEO

https://twitter.com/AdamContosCEO

https://www.instagram.com/adamcontosceo/

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Having played for one of the greatest coaches in NFL history as a New England Patriot, Heath Evans knows a little something about strong leadership. Witnessing Bill Belichick’s unwavering humility despite monumental success, Heath learned to apply lessons of selflessness and service in all areas of his life, not just football. But when a scandal destroyed everything Heath had built, he turned to his faith to give him the courage to rebuild.

Resiliency in the face of suffering is imperative for success in leadership, whether on the field, at the office, or at home. Through these challenging experiences, Heath now uses decades of leadership training and fitness expertise to coach groups of men seeking optimum performance in every facet of their lives. His program Built Ready is a supportive community for men who want to push themselves physically and spiritually. Together they examine how the Bible defines manhood. Embodying integrity is the foundation on which Heath lives his life and builds his programs, helping others achieve peace, power and purpose.  

Main Topics

• Key leadership lessons from Heath’s time in the NFL (01:00)
• Heath’s overwhelm before one of his first games as a Patriot and how his team supported him through it (05:15)
• Lessons implemented from Heath’s career as an NFL analyst (07:00)
• Building resilience in leadership after a great fall  (11:40)
• Development of Built Ready, a community focused on faith and fitness for men (16:09)

Episode Links

• https://www.builtready.com

Connect with Heath Evans:

https://twitter.com/heathevans44

https://www.facebook.com/HeathEvans44/

https://www.instagram.com/heathevans44/?hl=en

Connect with Adam:

https://www.startwithawin.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AdamContosCEO

https://twitter.com/AdamContosCEO

https://www.instagram.com/adamcontosceo/

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Just as it should be for the holiday season, the whole crew is here! Listeners are invited to the office Christmas party where Adam and his team kick back and have some fun. In this episode, test your Christmas knowledge with a rousing game of trivia and enjoy spontaneous bursts of caroling. Not every day is about gains. Slowing down and enjoying the company of the people in our lives is equally important. Adam and producer Mark express their gratitude for a year of growth and for all the listeners walking the winning journey with them. 

Main Topics:

• Start With a Win’s team’s favorite Christmas movies (03:00)
• Christmas trivia game (07:32)
• Shout out to our listeners! Gratitude for the year (17:40)

Connect with Adam:

https://www.startwithawin.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AdamContosCEO

https://twitter.com/AdamContosCEO

https://www.instagram.com/adamcontosceo/

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Don't focus on looking for positive or negative—look for results! You will actually discover more positives when you are looking for results.

Connect with Adam:

https://www.startwithawin.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AdamContosCEO

https://twitter.com/AdamContosCEO

https://www.instagram.com/adamcontosceo/

Even as a child, Heath Evans knew what his future was going to look like—he believed in his dreams of becoming an NFL player and eventually being on TV. Having fulfilled those dreams, Heath now uses the experiences from his decade-long career in the NFL, the lessons taught by his parents, and his faith in God to coach men on mastering their manhood from a Biblical perspective.

As the son of a marine, Heath learned early on that believing in his dreams would only take him so far. To make them a reality, he had to work hard every day toward his goals. He learned to continually raise the bar on his own definition of excellence. When NFL coaching legend Bill Belichick told him with brutal honesty that he needed to create his own position with the New England Patriots or be dropped from the team, Heath accepted the challenge. Instead of dissolving into a victim mindset, he prioritized the needs of his team over his own. He worked hard to improve his skill set, thus earning his place alongside some of the greatest athletes in the game. 

Main Topics

• Heath’s journey to his career in the NFL (03:06)
• Battling fear and self doubt (06:30)
• How Coach Bill Belichick helped shape Heath’s success as a player (09:30)
• Advice for those who receive tough feedback (13:45)
• Facing honest reflection with courage (17:20)
• Enterprise leadership: putting the business first (20:07)

Episode Links:

https://www.builtready.com

Connect with Heath:

https://twitter.com/heathevans44

https://www.facebook.com/HeathEvans44/

https://www.instagram.com/heathevans44/?hl=en

Connect with Adam:

https://www.startwithawin.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AdamContosCEO

https://twitter.com/AdamContosCEO

https://www.instagram.com/adamcontosceo/

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Raised by immigrants who came to America to pursue the dream, Daphne received one message at home and a very different message in school. In school, she was told that as a black woman, she would not be successful in business. But at home, her mother taught her the importance of embracing a mindset that broke through limitations imposed on her by other people and broken systems. Daphne chose to reject seeds of misdirection and believed she could do anything she set her mind to. She built her own success story by learning from each experience and honing her skills for optimum performance. 

Through her own experiences of breaking through type casting and prejudice in the world of technology and business, Daphne now coaches women to serve on executive boards and excel in leadership, despite the challenges of inequality they face daily. She takes a communal approach, teaching that prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion is best for all people and businesses. When one person succeeds, everyone succeeds. In this way, Daphne’s leadership is a powerful reminder that the work being done today leaves an impact for those who come after. Transformation is a result of shifting to a mindset that embraces challenges and uses them as fuel for building a life of influence.

Main Topics

• Daphne’s humble beginnings as an administrative assistant (02:50)
• Daphne credits her success to lessons from her mother (05:24)
• Growth mindset vs. fixed mindset (07:35)
• The role of giving back in leadership (09:58)
• Daphne’s experience being a black woman in the technology industry (12:20)
• Improving equality for people in organizations (16:50)
• Four steps for changing your life as outlined in Daphne’s book (20:15)

Connect with Daphne:

https://www.daphneejones.com/

https://www.instagram.com/destinysdoor/

https://twitter.com/DaphneEJones

Connect with Adam:

https://www.startwithawin.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AdamContosCEO

https://twitter.com/AdamContosCEO

https://www.instagram.com/adamcontosceo/

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What is willpower? Focus + Energy = Willpower! It's focusing on the task at hand without getting distracted and how engaged and excited you are about the task.

Connect with Adam:

https://www.startwithawin.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AdamContosCEO

https://twitter.com/AdamContosCEO

https://www.instagram.com/adamcontosceo/

Hamza Khan believes the hardest months of the pandemic, March through May of 2020, were a portal into a new world—one that required leaders and managers to reassess old systems and start making foundational changes from the top down. As many businesses failed and others thrived, conscientious leaders began to ask hard questions about the efficacy of a leadership structure that remained disconnected from human needs. What successful leaders like Khan have found is that productivity increases when employees are encouraged to prioritize holistic wellness. 

In a world of constant change, leaders must learn to accept chaos and work within it. This requires frequent, structured opportunities for employees to provide feedback about their work environment. Leaders have to ask the hard questions to which they may not want the answers and also foster a culture that encourages honesty and vulnerability. A lack of emotional safety in the workplace has led to global burnout and mass resignations. Maintaining calm within a work environment requires conscious management of time, energy, and attention. Encouraging employees to practice wellness at home and at work is an important step in building resiliency and increasing productivity.

Main Topics:

• A brief overview of Hamza’s professional journey from education to entrepreneurship to empowerment coach (02:50)
• How the pandemic forced reassessment of leadership culture (05:55)
• Increasing levels of engagement from employees (09:26)
• Advice to leaders about accepting chaos and creating an emotionally safe work environment (13:55)
• Creating a culture of peace through intention and attention (19:17)

Episode Links

• Hamzakhan.ca
• Hamza Khan's TedTalk "Stop Managing, Start Leading”

Connect with Hamza:

https://www.instagram.com/hamzak

https://twitter.com/hamzak

https://www.linkedin.com/in/khanhamza

https://www.facebook.com/HamzaKhanAuthor

Connect with Adam:

https://www.startwithawin.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AdamContosCEO

https://twitter.com/AdamContosCEO

https://www.instagram.com/adamcontosceo/

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On this episode of the Start With A Win podcast, we are joined by Kelly Contos, which gave Mark the perfect opportunity to practice his game show host skills during a lightning round of the Newlywed Game. You may be surprised to find out who looks better in glasses and who is the better singer!

When it comes to supporting Adam as the CEO of such a large and prominent company, Kelly says that her main objective is to be there for whatever he needs. Sometimes that means making sure he stays on schedule and gets from place to place, and sometimes that means noticing when he needs some human interaction and sending him to the office. Kelly knows how important Adam’s work is to him, but most important are the people around him, so she encourages him to lean into his team.

Adam and Kelly are both thankful for their health, the people they choose to spend life with, their freedoms, opportunities, and the successes that have resulted from those opportunities and hard work. 

Connect with Adam:

https://www.startwithawin.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AdamContosCEO
https://twitter.com/AdamContosCEO
https://www.instagram.com/adamcontosceo/

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Physical energy comes from three places: nutrition, hydration and movement. If we want to show up and continue to be our best self both in our professional and personal lives, it's important that we prioritize all three!

Connect with Adam:

https://www.startwithawin.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AdamContosCEO

https://twitter.com/AdamContosCEO

https://www.instagram.com/adamcontosceo/