The Growth Project

How do you unlock your authentic self? Dr. Milt Lowder explores this idea with Joe Cummings, a former lacrosse legend and current lacrosse coach at Christ Church Episcopal School. Joe shares the key lessons that helped him discover his true life's purpose and passion, including separating who he is from what he does, developing a growth mindset, and being intentional and thoughtful with the language he uses not only with others, but with himself.

It often takes years of hard-earned experience filled with success and failure to develop a clear sense of purpose in life. Despite enormous success at a young age - signing a record deal with Sony at the age of fifteen, recording three studio albums, earning eight top forty singles on the Billboard Country Music Chart, and touring with the biggest names in country music - Blaine Larsen found his true passion outside of the music industry at Search Ministries. Dr. Drew Brannon and Blaine talk about Larsen's roller coaster journey in the music world and the path that ultimately led him to finding his true purpose.

Every leader wants to build a passionate and engaged team, but this comes with some potential drawbacks. High performance is often linked with more stress, which can lead to burnout and puts leaders at risk of losing their most motivated and hard-working people. To avoid this, it's important to not only maximize engagement, but also help people maintain a healthy work-life balance. Drs. Milt Lowder and Katie Nichols explore this topic and provide tips to help leaders optimize performance and well-being.

Widely recognized as one of the most iconic and accomplished journalists in sports broadcasting, Bonnie Bernstein has reported on some of the biggest events in the sports landscape for ESPN and CBS over the last two decades. Among her many accomplishments, she more recently has leveraged her skills to create Walk Swiftly Productions, serving as Founder and CEO. She has paved the way in multiple facets and is a true pioneer in her field. Dr. Drew Brannon and Bonnie discuss the key elements that helped her achieve personal and professional success, including redefining what failure meant to her, meeting the day with intention, and the importance of a strong inner belief.

How do you define and measure success? What does it take to compete at the highest level while maintaining balance and perspective? Dr. Milt Lowder explores these topics with professional golfer, Ben Martin, who reflects on the key lessons he's learned through his life and career, including practicing with purpose, the power of incremental changes, and judging success based on the quality of commitment to the process.

Each year millions gather to watch the cultural phenomenon that is the Super Bowl. Beyond the spectacle of the game itself, there are often compelling stories linked to the big game that highlight important principles that apply to life beyond the Super Bowl. Drs. Drew Brannon and Cory Shaffer explore the biggest stories of Super Bowl LVI featuring the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals, including the youngest head coach matchup in Super Bowl history and the limitations of defining success solely on winning the NFL's top prize.

What does it take to create a high-performing team with an excellent culture? Reflecting on their experiences working with teams in collegiate sports in recent years, Drs. Milt Lowder, Drew Brannon, and Cory Shaffer share the key ingredients that led to these teams successfully reaching the ultimate goal of becoming national champions, specifically Clemson Football for the 2016 and 2018 seasons and Clemson Men's Soccer and Georgia Football for the 2021 season. As is always the case with sports, the lessons learned transcend the game and can be applied to help enhance life, both personally and professionally.

Hit NBC television show The Office was must-see TV during its run from 2005 to 2013 and continues to stay relevant thanks to streaming, its timeless humor, and relatable characters. One of the main characters in the show, Michael Scott - played by Steve Carell, is the often inappropriate, yet affable branch manager of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. Michael certainly has his quirks, but he applies some real and important leadership principles that can be applied to your own teams. Dr. Cory Shaffer and Dr. Katie Nichols explore how, in his own unique way, Michael Scott may actually be the World's Best Boss.

What does it mean to have grit? How do you bounce back from adverse events? Dr. Katie Nichols explores these ideas with Dr. Lea Walsh, soon-to-be Lieutenant Commander Select and OSCAR psychologist for the United States Navy. They discuss the key distinction between grit and resilience, the role culture plays in developing growth-minded Marines, and what we can learn about post-traumatic growth.