Go to www.LearningLeader.com for full show notes

The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk

This is brought to you by Insight Global. If you need to hire 1 person, hire a team of people, or transform your business through Talent or Technical Services, Insight Global's team of 30,000 people around the world have the hustle and grit to deliver. www.InsightGlobal.com/LearningLeader

Ryan Petersen is the founder and CEO of Flexport, a technology-driven global logistics company. He's a leading voice in supply chain innovation and has been at the forefront of solving major trade and shipping challenges worldwide.

Notes:

• "Arrogance is its own form of stupidity."
• The Tweetstorm That Saved Christmas: Ryan shares the now-legendary story of how he rented a boat, brought tacos, and took another high-powered CEO with him to tour the Port of Long Beach during the supply chain crisis. His viral Twitter thread sparked immediate action, California Governor Gavin Newsom called within hours, and the policy changed shortly after. A masterclass in "doing the thing."
• Frontline Obsession & Gemba Walks: Why Ryan frequently travels the world (visiting 19 countries last year) to meet employees and customers. He explains the power of Gemba walks, being physically present on the frontlines, and how it shapes his leadership.
• How He Runs Flexport: Ryan's leadership playbook includes:
  • Managing through writing. Every one of his 26 teams writes a six-page memo monthly, followed by deep conversations.
  • Daily conversations with 30-40 employees to stay connected.
  • Living Flexport's values: Empower Clients, Play the Long Game, Act Like an Entrepreneur, Commit to the Vision, Ask Why 5 Times.
• Leadership & Decision-Making: He shares his "must-haves" for hiring leaders:
  • Relentless Work Ethic
  • Intellectual Curiosity
  • Humility ("Even wise people are wrong 30% of the time.")
  • Reliability
  • Charisma
• Lessons from Mentors: Ryan talks about advice from Paul Graham (Y Combinator) and Brian Chesky (Airbnb), including how gathering your top leaders in person sparks innovation and alignment.
• Hard Decisions & Mistakes: He candidly discusses Flexport's CEO transition gone wrong, hiring Dave Clark from Amazon, and what he learned from that difficult chapter.
• Personal Growth & Life Philosophy: Ryan shares his approach to lifelong learning, inspired by Charlie Munger and René Girard. He emphasizes reading widely, asking questions, and choosing role models wisely.
  • "We're all imitative people. Choose your role models wisely."
• "We're making global trade as simple and reliable as flipping a light switch."
• "Even wise people are wrong 30% of the time. You must stay humble."

Go to www.LearningLeader.com for full show notes

The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk

This is brought to you by Insight Global. If you need to hire 1 person, hire a team of people, or transform your business through Talent or Technical Services, Insight Global's team of 30,000 people around the world have the hustle and grit to deliver. Go to www.InsightGlobal.com/LearningLeader

Guest: Blaine Anderson is a dating coach and matchmaker. She's helped more than 3,000 happy clients attract and build long-term relationships. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and she earned a deal with Mark Cuban on Shark Tank.

Notes:

• Someone asked Charlie Munger… How do I get a great wife? Deserve one. The best way to find a good spouse is to deserve one, he often said. In business, this translates to working hard and behaving with integrity consistently over time. "To get what you want, you have to deserve what you want."
• What is the #1 reason you don't get a second date? You talk about yourself too much.
  • When you go out to eat with someone, what percentage of the time are you talking? Aim to talk 30% and listen 70%. The reason we don't get the second date or the follow-up meeting with the prospect is because we are talking too much.
  • Pull conversational threads: Avoid rapid-fire questioning by following up on answers with related questions. Share brief personal connections to create dialogue rather than interrogation. "You want to pull the conversational thread... ask a follow-up question about that same thing. That's where you can start having a conversation."
• Marketing your trajectory matters: People want to know you're going places. Share your goals, dreams, and aspirations authentically to demonstrate upward momentum. "You want to find the balance of sharing things about yourself that indicate you are on an upward trajectory... from a place of getting to know one another."
• Nice guys need boundaries: Being overly accommodating to people you barely know signals weakness. Hold boundaries and don't put others before yourself too quickly. "The general problem with the nice guy is he's putting other people before himself, including people he doesn't know very well."
• Confidence must be genuine: Authentic confidence comes from actually becoming confident through mastery, not just faking body language. Get genuinely good at something. "You have to become that... get really good at something... picking something in your life and getting really good at it is gonna help you build confidence."
• Don't rush to the close: Whether in dating or sales, focus on building connection and trust before asking for commitment. The close is the period at the end of a long sentence. "If you approach a woman or you approach a deal and you're just trying to get to the final step... you're going to rush through a lot of the important and essential steps."
• High-value people are in demand: Present yourself as someone others want to be around. People are naturally drawn to those who appear sought-after by others. "We want the thing that's in demand. We want the thing that other humans recognize as high value."
• Genuine curiosity creates connection: Being authentically interested in others' experiences is a powerful form of respect and love. Ask questions that take conversations deeper. "Your underlying emotion is important... becoming a genuinely curious person who is interested in meeting another human."
• Physical fitness affects confidence: Looking and feeling good about yourself impacts how you show up in every interaction. Invest in your physical health. "You gotta feel good about how you look... who wants to partner up with a slug? Nobody."
• "You should always be dating your partner, whether it's your first date, your 40th date, or you've been married for 40 years."'
• "The close is the period at the end of a very long sentence."
• "Deserve one." - Charlie Munger's advice on getting a great spouse
• Women want 3 things - social status, to be desired, flirty/fun… They want an optimist.
• If things aren't going well, look in the mirror. Take accountability.
• Her Twitter profile picture. Show the whites of your eyes. Smile. She has two tattoos. Omega is her middle name. Cactus for Tucson, AZ.
• How to build genuine confidence? Get good at something. Become an expert. Work really really hard. Be in great physical shape. It's hard to be confident if you don't like how you look. Sounds harsh, but it's true. Confidence comes from evidence. Create some evidence for youself by consistently working hard and getting great at something. That confidence will ooze out of you wherever you go.
• Shark Tank. Scary, anxious, nervous. Did a deal with Mark Cuban.
• Advice - If you're building a business, listen to what your customers want. What does your ideal client want? Build that.

Go to www.LearningLeader.com for all show notes

This is brought to you by Insight Global. If you need to hire 1 person, hire a team of people, or transform your business through Talent or Technical Services, Insight Global's team of 30,000 people around the world have the hustle and grit to deliver. Go to www.InsightGlobal.com/LearningLeader

Anthony Scaramucci served as the White House Director of Communications for President Donald Trump from July 21 to July 31, 2017. He was at Harvard Law School with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. He's the founder and managing partner of SkyBridge Capital. And he's the founder and Chairman of the SALT conference.

• Leadership through service: True leadership isn't about personal glory but about making others better and helping them succeed in their roles. Derek Jeter exemplified this by never caring about personal statistics, only team success. "If you're on the team, it's not about me, right? It's about you. How am I gonna make you better? Or how am I gonna make you feel good about your role? How am I gonna get you to think that I'm here to help you?"

• Flexibility and decision-making under pressure: Football taught Scaramucci the importance of reading situations quickly and making audibles at the line of scrimmage - skills that translate directly to business and life leadership. "You can't just say, okay, here's the game plan, right? Because that's what Mike Tyson says, right? You have the plan until you get punched in the face, or all battle plans go by the wayside with contact with the enemy."

• Resilience through adversity: Getting "your ass kicked" early in life builds the resilience needed for future challenges in business and politics. Early defeats teach you how to bounce back from failure. "That's called resilience, right? You gotta get over that... That's how you gotta get your ass kicked. Here I was... and I just remember feeling so puny... So how you gotta get over that."

• The confidence battle starts within: The first fight in life is with yourself - believing you're good enough and worthy to compete. Henry Ford's principle applies: "If you think you can or you can't, you are right." "The first fight is with yourself. Am I good enough? Am I worthy? Can I get to the game? Can I believe in myself enough so that I'm standing next to someone else who believes in themselves that I compete?"

• Accountability in relationships: When Scaramucci's marriage was in crisis, taking full accountability for his mistakes rather than deflecting blame was crucial to rebuilding the relationship. "I owe my wife Deirdre, a debt of gratitude for actually really loving me because I was off the rails on a few things... she's like, Hey, I'm not having this, so if you love me, get your shit together."

• Life coaching vs. therapy approach: Life coaching focuses on progression and future action ("What are we doing today to be better?") rather than regression into past issues. "I feel that therapy is a regression. Life coaching is a progression... forget about the past. What the hell are you gonna do? What are we doing today to make yourself a better person?"

• Forgiveness as liberation: Choosing to forgive both others and yourself removes the "millstone of regret" that weighs you down and prevents forward progress. "I can take that millstone of regret and leave it behind me, take it off of my neck and leave it behind me... human frailty and not judging it is not just you judging others, but also yourself."

• The comfortable outsider advantage: Being comfortable with your outsider status while still being able to operate in elite circles provides authentic confidence and relatability across all social levels. "I am a comfortable outsider. I'm not an insider... but I'm comfortable with it. You know, like guys like Trump or Rudy, they're uncomfortable. Outsiders... But I'm a comfortable outsider. I don't need to do that."

• Intellectual curiosity + neuroplasticity: Combining genuine curiosity about others with the ability to adapt and change allows you to move successfully between different social and professional circles. "Find your superpower... I think your superpower is very similar to my superpower... intellectual curiosity. And so if you can blend intellectual curiosity with neuroplasticity, meaning you can adopt and change... then you can move in various circles."

Pivot for survival: Successful businesses and careers require constant reinvention. SkyBridge's conference business and pivot to Bitcoin were survival strategies that became major successes. "We were going outta business... This was an accidental survivor strategy. This was a pivot that we were making in order to stay in business. This was not some mastermind plan."

Go to www.LearningLeader.com for full show notes

The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk

This is brought to you by Insight Global. If you need to hire 1 person, hire a team of people, or transform your business through Talent or Technical Services, Insight Global's team of 30,000 people around the world have the hustle and grit to deliver. Go to www.InsightGlobal.com/LearningLeader

Jim Murphy is a mental performance coach for some of the most accomplished professional athletes in the world. Formerly a professional baseball player, he now focuses on helping others. You may have heard of him if you were watching the Philadelphia Eagles' playoff run last season, and star wide receiver AJ Brown was reading Jim's book Inner Excellence on the sideline between offensive series.

Notes:

• The first 11 days of 2025, Inner Excellence (originally published 16 years ago) sold about 25 copies… What happened on January 12? AJ Brown was shown on TV reading it in between offensive series. It then sold 200,000 copies in 20 days.
• Fear is a concern about the future.
• Give the best of what you have today. Be present.
• Heart, will, spirit = the deepest part of you
• When we're at our best, there's no thought of self.
• 5 greatest needs
  • That we have value
  • Love and acceptance
  • Integrity
  • Purpose beyond self
  • Growth
• Dick Vermiel's coaching style - Coach the person first. Then the sport (or the thing you're doing). The same is true for any leadership role. People won't care what you think unless they know you actually care about them.
• 4 Daily Goals
  • Give the best of what you have today
  • Be present. Fear is a future thing.
  • Be grateful
  • Focus on what you can control
• Anxiety is a mind with too many thoughts and concerns. Need to face our fears.
• 3 Key Areas:
  • Belief - expand what you think is possible.
  • Freedom - play like a kid (let it rip).
  • Focus - Be fully present
• Status vs amazing experiences. Love is the most powerful force in the universe. Joy comes from love. Love can come from weaknesses.
• Ego - Always comparing, creates a fear of screwing up
• Rory McIlroy – Didn't care if he made the cut at the US Open. Played free and made a few birdies at the end of the second round and made the cut.
• Jim's Dedication: "My father, Donald C. Murphy. The one who greatly influenced me to think deeply about what to love and what to let go of. I love you. See you soon." His dad worked on the Apollo 11 mission. The first lunar landing.
• Grade yourself on presence. 4 daily goals. Rate them 1-10. Anxiety is a sign that someone isn't present.
• Jim has always struggled with being self-centered.
• Be non-judgmental. Share unconditional love.
• Ricky Scruggs - Former teammate and roommate in pro baseball. He invited me to the desert in 2003. Led me to take the risk to leave the safety of family and friends to pursue a meaningful life.
• What about for those people who say your stuff is "woo-woo?" "I get paid to help people perform better. And that's what happens when you work with me."
• "My whole life, I obsessed about being a superstar, being rich and famous. What I now realize is what I've always wanted was to feel fully alive. I've realized since that what I always really wanted was to feel fully alive. That's what Inner Excellence is about. Pursuing a full life and letting everything else be added. We're created for relationships."
• Among Jim's strengths is that he listens and doesn't judge. That's what many people want. "I have this one client, a pro athlete. He said, 'Jim, I smoke, I gamble, I drink. I do all these things, but I don't think you do all those things. Do you think we can work together?' I said, 'If you don't judge me for not doing those things, I won't judge you for doing those things.' We became great friends."
• Resonance Key #3 - Love Your Opponent. "The opponent is not the enemy– they're our partner in the dance." – Phil Jackson

The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk

Go to www.LearningLeader.com for full show notes

This is brought to you by Insight Global. If you need to hire 1 person, hire a team of people, or transform your business through Talent or Technical Services, Insight Global's team of 30,000 people around the world have the hustle and grit to deliver.

www.InsightGlobal.com/LearningLeader

Larry Connor is an entrepreneur, non-profit activist investor, and adventurist. In business, he is best known for founding The Connor Group, a real estate investment firm, and growing it from $0 to $5 billion in assets. Outside of work, Larry lives an adventurous life. Within a 12 month period Larry did something that had never been done before. He completed 3 dives to the deepest part of the ocean (the Mariana Trench) AND traveled to the International Space Station as an astronaut. In addition to that, Larry is a private pilot and was part of a Le Mans racing team that has won championships.

• "At The Connor Group, we don't have, and never will have, a mission statement. We have culture. When you have the latter, the former is not necessary."
• The culture is built on 5 core values, on which we don't compromise:
  • Do the right thing
  • People count
  • Live the Circle of Success
  • Think long-term, not short-term
  • Relentless pursuit of excellence
• "We exist, quite simply, to be the best."
• "We don't hire for experience. We don't hire for knowledge. We don't care where you went to school. We hire for personality traits. Especially in leadership roles. You have to have the big 6. You have to have all 6. They are:
  • 1. Be able to motivate and inspire others.
  • 2. Self-accountability and ability to hold others accountable in an honest, direct manner.
  • 3. Organizational multi-tasking. The speed of the game is fast.
  • 4. Cultural fit.
  • 5. Grit. Doing the thing that others say are impossible.
  • 6. Work orientation. If you want to come in at 8:30, take a 90-minute lunch, and leave at 4:30, The Connor Group is not for you.
• "People never outperform their own self-image. So aim high!"
• "Mediocre people don't like high achievers and high achievers don't like mediocre people."
• "By definition, if you want to be exceptional, you have to be different. If you're like everybody else, you're going to end up like everybody else."
• In 2008, Larry said, "We simply decided we weren't going to participate in the global recession."
• 3 P's - People, Plan, Process
• People's performances are measured through daily, weekly, and monthly IAMs (Individual Accountability Meetings). Clear expectations and clear management.
• When I asked him about becoming a billionaire, Larry immediately jumped to the impact he's having on others. "There are far more important standards than money. How well have you treated your associates? Have you made them better people? How much have you done to help other people? Have you made a difference?" All of that is available to all of us regardless of us being a billionaire or not.
• The company headquarters are next door to a hangar that houses a working model of the "Wright B Flyer" - The Wright Brothers' first production airplane.

Go to www.LearningLeader.com for full show notes

The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk

​The Arena​ gives you direct access to some of the most respected coaching minds in the world. Led by HOFer Sherri Coale, Brook Cupps, Geron Stokes, and Eli Leiker. Leaders who have built winning programs, led at the highest levels, and shaped the next generation of elite performers. The Arena is a Learning Leader Circle for Coaches only. We are opening applications now for our first cohort. If you'd like to be part of it, ​CLICK HERE to apply​. Once the cohort is full, we will be pausing applications.

This is brought to you by Insight Global. If you need to hire 1 person, hire a team of people, or transform your business through Talent or Technical Services, Insight Global's team of 30,000 people around the world have the hustle and grit to deliver.

www.InsightGlobal.com/LearningLeader

• In Patient Pursuit of Greatness – In the spring of 2012, General McChrystal was teaching a leadership class at Yale. That's when he met Tony Reno. He said about the meeting, "Not many things materially affect my trajectory. But this time was different. What was different? Coach Reno."
• The goal of the program: "Leave the jersey better than you found it."
• The team creed, a pledge written by players on Team 142 (the 2014 squad), as they do at the start of every practice: "I vow to believe in the process, I am mentally and physically tough, I compete with passion and overcome any challenges. I stand tall alongside my family at all times, I challenge my brother, believe in him, hold him accountable. As I create my own path I always put team before myself, I strive for excellence on and off the field, I hold myself to a higher standard. I am a Yale football player."
  • Standards - Every player must recite the creed. The younger players are coached by the older players.
• The brick tradition - At each practice, one player presents his brick, then adds it to the others in the tunnel-- a visual reminder of the team's solidarity. Reno instituted the tradition to build camaraderie through candid reflection.
  • Hero, Hometown, Hardship, Highlight. Someone who has impacted you. One word for the season.
• His players went to bat for him. On December 28, Casey Gerald '09, a cornerback, and 63 other former players sent a letter endorsing Coach Reno's candidacy to athletic director Tom Beckett, and later to president Richard Levin and provost Peter Salovey. 12 days later, he earned the job.
• Gettysburg Retreat: Yale's football team takes an annual retreat to Gettysburg with McChrystal to focus on leadership, bonding, and team culture.
• Presidential Leadership - Lead people, but don't do it for them.
• When his players host recruits, they will tell Coach Reno if their character aligns with being a Yale football player.
• Coach Reno names a player of the day for each practice. The one who lives out their values and the Yale football player creed.
• Life/Career advice - Help you become the best version of yourself in all you do. Make you an elite leader. Maximize you as a football player. Help you find your passion.

The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk

Go to www.LearningLeader.com for full show notes

This is brought to you by Insight Global. If you need to hire 1 person, hire a team of people, or transform your business through Talent or Technical Services, Insight Global's team of 30,000 people around the world have the hustle and grit to deliver.

www.InsightGlobal.com/LearningLeader

Katie Gatti Tassin is the author of the "Money with Katie" newsletter and podcast, both acquired by Morning Brew in 2022. Katie provides fresh personal finance advice with a unique outlook, coupled with deep, self-taught knowledge. Before founding Money with Katie in 2020, she worked professionally in marketing and user experience design for Southwest Airlines, Dell Technologies, and Meta. She's the author of Rich Girl Nation: Taking Charge of Our Financial Futures.

Notes:

• If you're not curious about it, you're not going to give it your all. But if you are, you can become relentless. Chase your curiosity and obsessions with great rigor. That passion and love for whatever the thing is can lead to big opportunities in your life.
• Do you want 100% of a grape or 25% of a watermelon? Advice Katie got when she was considering accepting the offer to be acquired by Morning Brew.
• The importance of having a coach. Katie talked about the life-changing impact her coach, Elizabeth, has had on her. Ambitious, motivated people who have high standards need help, too. In fact, maybe as much as anyone. It's worth it to invest in yourself and find a person to talk with 1 on 1.
• Parents - High expectations, straight A's or bust. Driven, hard to turn it off.
• The Morning Brew acquisition - Money with Katie. Worked at Meta and did Money with Katie at the same time. Left for the acquisition. Austin Rief (CEO) DM'd her on Twitter and made an offer during their first 30-minute conversation.
  • Big lesson - Your IP is everything.
• Book Dedication - "To the anonymous guy who 'works in finance' that used to relentlessly comment on my nascent website in 2018, urging me to quit writing about money and 'keep it to myself. I hope you're well."
• Acknowledgments - "Mom, for all those quiet days spent sitting on the floor of the Lents branch library or wandering the stacks at Barnes & Noble. Dad, for spending your time after work at the kitchen table with me every time my homework involved numbers, and for being my number one fan."
• How much money do you need to be financially free? Katie breaks down the 4% rule, why it works, and how it can be personalized and optimized for each person's retirement needs.
• High Standards Can Be a Double-Edged Sword – "I am an incredibly driven person because of the people who raised me... But I also have a really hard time with turning it off. I can become very narrow-minded and obsessive about the things that I'm doing."
• Turn Critics Into Fuel – Katie dedicated her book to an anonymous finance professional who told her to "quit writing about money" and "keep it to herself." Sometimes the best fuel comes from those who doubt you.
• Money Transparency in Families Creates Advantages – Katie's parents openly discussed finances, including sharing their income. "I never really thought of it as something that was taboo... made it a lot easier for me now as an adult."
• The Power of Life Coaching for Entrepreneurs – After initial skepticism, Katie found a life coach who told her, "You are way too in your head. You are way too concerned with the minutia. You don't even know where you wanna go yet."
• Intellectual Property is Everything in Negotiations – "Your intellectual property is the most valuable thing that you are negotiating over... The primary value of the thing that I'm spending 60 hours a week working on needs to be accruing to me."
• The 25x Rule for Financial Freedom – Based on the 4% withdrawal rule: "Once you have accumulated 25 times your annual spending... You should theoretically be able to use 4% of that amount every year, withdraw it, and live on it."
• Marriage Changes Everything Financially – "Marriage is the most legally significant thing you will do in your life other than die, and you don't get so much as a leaflet about how your rights have just changed."
• Prenups Aren't About Distrust – They're about legal protection, especially for anyone who might leave the workforce. "If you spend decades out of the workforce... You need to ensure that if your partnership ends someday... You will have a certain amount of income."
• Desire Drives Excellence – "If you're not curious about it, you are not going to give it your all... There is such a difference in outcomes. If I am really into something that I'm working on, it's gonna be second to none."

Go to www.LearningLeader.com for full show notes

This is brought to you by Insight Global. If you need to hire 1 person, hire a team of people, or transform your business through Talent or Technical Services, Insight Global's team of 30,000 people around the world have the hustle and grit to deliver.

www.InsightGlobal.com/LearningLeader

Kirk Herbstreit is the voice of college football. A former Centerville High School and Ohio State University Quarterback, Kirk has been the lead Analyst for ESPN's College Gameday since 1996. He calls the biggest games in college football on Saturday nights, and he broadcasts the college National Championship. Beyond college football, Kirk is also the lead analyst for Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime Video. Kirk has been nominated for 19 Sports Emmy Awards and has won 5 times. This conversation was recorded in front of about 300 people in Centerville, Ohio. Kirk's dog Peter was with us on stage when he wasn't wandering around in the audience.

• Kirk's emotional moment after Ohio State's national championship was about his authentic connection to Coach Day, his son (who was on the team), and all the players. "I try so hard to be impartial. I try so hard to be just objective and fair. It's almost like the culmination of just a release."
  • Showing authentic emotion and humanity makes leaders more relatable and trustworthy, not weaker.
• Bob Gregg and Ron Ullery's impact: "They didn't tear your knees out, but they just made sure as a 16, 17, 18-year-old that you knew this ain't about you. It's about us." This foundation created a work ethic that translates across all of life.
• The most prepared broadcaster in the world - "When I started in 1996 on college game day, unless you were a Big 10 fan, you had no idea who I was. So my idea of trying to build my brand was they're gonna know me from my work ethic."
• "They're gonna know me from my work ethic. They're gonna know me like, damn, I don't know who that dude is, but he seems to know what he's talking about."
  • "I prepare a hundred percent, and I use 20% for all three shows." Over-preparation creates confidence and the ability to handle any direction conversations might go.
  • When you're not the most naturally gifted, becoming the most prepared person in the room creates a competitive advantage.
• High School Football Builds Life Skills – "I'm such an advocate for high school football because of my own experience... It's about what these guys are doing... simple old school values, like hard work and perseverance and facing adversity."
• "I could choose to be embarrassed of who I was on national TV, or choose to have a bit of a chip on my shoulder. And I was kind of a chip on my shoulder guy my whole life."
  • Feeling underestimated can fuel extraordinary preparation and performance when channeled constructively.
• Deal with Imposter Syndrome when he started broadcasting NFL games for Amazon on Thursday nights: "I didn't even go to an NFL camp, and here I am calling NFL Games as the expert game analyst. And so, and I'm working with freaking Al Michaels."
  • "I don't deserve your respect in my brain until I earn it."
• College Football's Current Crisis – "The players went from our era. You had no say to now they have all to say... It's like the world is upside down right now when it comes to that aspect of it."
• "Who fixes it? The NCAA doesn't fix it... No one's worried about the global view of the sport. They're worried about their region... who's in charge? No one's the boss."
  • "They're great players, but they're a dime a dozen. Like you're on a conveyor belt as a player. There's other players coming right behind you."
• Kirk supports true name, image, likeness marketing but opposes pay-for-play: "I am a fan of, if Jeremiah Smith becomes Jeremiah Smith after he gets there... if he can make money in marketing... But not, a guy is over at Bowling Green... and LSU needs a left guard and they're just like, Hey, how much does it take?"
• "These coaches are a little bit hesitant on how hard they're gonna be on these guys because they don't wanna believe. Imagine being a coach and you're worried about, is this guy gonna leave if I really do what I want to do with him?"
• Mental Health Through Faith – "For me, it's my faith... daily devotional prayer and really trying to connect helps me... having very honest conversation with family and friends and opening up."
• The Value of Chosen Hardship – My perspective: "I think you gotta keep doing that stuff... choose to do really hard things every day to prove to myself that I can keep doing hard things so that when adversity strikes, I'm prepared."
• Generational Empathy – "This generation, I can't imagine going through what they go through, whether it's Snapchat and middle school... just everybody being in your business and everything online."
• The Lee Corso Legacy – "He was hot takes before we knew what Hot Takes were... our relationship really changed was off air... he was a really good listener... like Yoda or like Don Corleone."
  • The best mentoring relationships evolve from one-directional learning to mutual care and support.
• The Lunatic Fringe - "There's 90% of Ohio State fans that whether they win or they lose, they're proud of 'em... every fan base has that 10% that we're all embarrassed of."

The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk

Go to www.LearningLeader.com for full show notes

This is brought to you by Insight Global. If you need to hire 1 person, hire a team of people, or transform your business through Talent or Technical Services, Insight Global's team of 30,000 people around the world have the hustle and grit to deliver.

www.InsightGlobal.com/LearningLeader

Tom Ryan is the head wrestling coach at Ohio State University. In college, he wrestled for perhaps the greatest wrestling coach of all time, Dan Gable, at Iowa, where he was a two-time Big Ten champion and a two-time NCAA All-American. As a coach at Ohio State, he's won numerous national coach of the year honors, has coached more than 75 All-Americans, and led the Buckeyes to a national championship in 2015. We filmed this in his office in Columbus, OH, after spending the morning watching some of his championship wrestlers practice. It was one of the coolest days I've had in a long time.

Notes:

• "My first workout after driving from Syracuse to Iowa was a soul-cleanser. I collapsed in my car outside the arena. I couldn't stop crying."
  • "It was a line in the sand moment for me. Where are you going or staying? Because I could have turned around, I could have went right back. But it was this sense of knowing that you were in the right place."
  • It's amazing that Tom decided to leave Syracuse with no guarantee of even making the team at Iowa, let alone a scholarship. He shows up on day 1, and Coach Gable didn't even know who he was! Crazy. And then he goes on to earn his spot and become an All-American.
• Competitive Spirit from Early Age: "There's certainly an element of competitive spirit... even in second grade, we were on the playground... if you lose, you're fighting somebody. You just wanna win, you wanna win everything you do."
• Why go to Iowa?
  • The Will to Be Great – "I wanted to be elite at something. And by trial and error, it was almost trial and error... I wasn't gonna end my career with not knowing how high I could climb."
• Key Learnings from Dan Gable:
  • Emotional Control – "He wasn't a yeller. He wasn't a screamer... The reason why he didn't need to yell was his competence."
  • Focus on Situation, Not Person – "It was never personal... He would focus on the situation and not you as a person. You never felt attacked. It was just bluntly, your single leg needs improvement."
  • Balance of Freedom and Accountability – "Too much freedom. Not good... You can drive someone crazy with discipline and rituals and rules... It's just this happy medium."
• One of the most emotional moments in my 10+ years of recording this podcast, Tom shared the story of the day his 5-year-old son, Teague, had a heart attack and tragically passed away. The room went silent. And Tom went deep into the impact that it has had on him and his family. This is something I cannot imagine happening. I am grateful that Tom was willing to share and be so vulnerable. I love Tom Ryan, and I am lucky to have been in Columbus with him.
• The interview with Ohio State: "I wasn't their first choice... But ultimately, I was a leader that had learned. I learned under the best." He prepared extensively, attacked his weaknesses proactively, and wasn't afraid to discuss his faith.
• Chosen vs. Unchosen Suffering – The concept of "chosen suffering" came after experiencing unchosen suffering (losing Teague). "Wrestling has never brought me to my knees... I never got there in wrestling... but when I lost Teague in 2004, that I referred to as unchosen suffering."
• Chosen Suffering = Deep Love – "Chosen suffering is a fancy word for love because you will suffer the most for the things you love the most." The willingness to endure difficulty stems from profound love for what you're pursuing.
• Traits of Elite Performers:
  • Ungodly Effort – "In all studies ever performed on elite behavior... one is an ungodly effort. And I think effort stems from... effort over time is a byproduct of deep love."
  • High Capacity to Learn – Elite athletes have exceptional skill development abilities
  • Living in Truth – "The capacity to live in truth. To really be honest with yourself and be okay with it... really strong self-assessment."
  • Daily Discipline – "The discipline to do it daily... to work on your shortcomings and really be good enough to look in the mirror and say, I love you, but you got some problems."
• Being Coachable – "Most people wanna be coached until they're getting coached." Great performers actively seek feedback, while good ones want to be left alone.
• Three-Pronged Leadership Philosophy:
  • Example – Walk the walk and display the behaviors you want to see
  • Truth in Love – "Too much truth can demoralize someone... too much love, you're patronizing me. Stop it. Gimme the truth."
  • Embracing Pain and Suffering – "We're gonna make decisions that weren't right... and we're gonna accept them and we're gonna grow from them."
• The 3 Success Pillars:
  1. Your Mind - Internal you. Where your thoughts originate.
  2. Your Relationships - Who you allow to influence your decisions.
  3. Your Environment - The setting that will build you or break you.
• The world doesn't care what we're after, nor does it care about our principles. It doesn't care about you or me, nor will it change for us. It doesn't owe us anything. The world is heading in a direction, spinning on its axis, and there's little we can do to change that. What we can change, however, is what we do. We can control our direction. We must continuously develop our core and worldview to help us navigate the temptations of the world.
• What happened on the morning of April 23, 2024? Coach Ryan had been on his way to OSU for an early morning workout with colleagues when his SUV, traveling at about 65 miles per hour, struck the semitrailer.
  • Physical Trauma vs. Emotional Trauma – "When we lost Teague, I was healthy, I was physically healthy, I was mentally healthy... when I hit this tractor trailer at full speed... the physical trauma that occurred was surreal. And I wasn't ready."
  • "I went into a terrible depression... I was sad when I lost my son, but I wasn't depressed... But in this, I was suicidal for a little bit." Coach Ryan openly shared his mental health struggles with family and got help.
• The #1 indicator of sustained success is emotional control.
• Two-word mantra — keep working.
• Physical Suffering as Mental Training – "Every single time I bike, there comes a moment in the bike ride where I realize I'm a sissy... there's a humbling, there's humility piece that you get from suffering."
• Choose the Hard Thing - "I can always come up with an excuse why I'm not gonna do squats... And then I have to pause and say, dude. Get under the bar... getting under the bar... builds confidence for everything else in life." (that was from me)
• Discipline as a Superpower – "Discipline is a superpower. It's available to everybody." The transferable skill of choosing difficulty when you don't want to.

Go to www.LearningLeader.com for full show notes

This is brought to you by Insight Global. If you need to hire 1 person, hire a team of people, or transform your business through Talent or Technical Services, Insight Global's team of 30,000 people around the world have the hustle and grit to deliver. Go to www.InsightGlobal.com/LearningLeader

William von Hippel grew up in Alaska, got his B.A. at Yale and his PhD at the University of Michigan, and taught for a dozen years at Ohio State University before finding his way to Australia, where he is a professor of psychology at the University of Queensland. He's the author of multiple books. A few months ago, he published The Social Paradox: Autonomy, Connection, and Why We Need Both to Find Happiness.

Notes

• Why do people who have comfortable lives filled with freedom and abundance still feel unhappy? Need two things… Connection and autonomy.
• Are leaders born or made? Yes. Like most things, it's not a black and white answer. The key is to use your unique strengths to effectively inspire others to do the work that must be done to achieve the goals of the team or company.
• How happy is Bill? He scores high on the genetics polygene(?) score. Some people are more genetically wired to be happy than others.
• You can fight against your genes and win. It's just harder for you than others with better genetics. What's my path of genetic least resistance? If you have low willpower, get the potato chips out of the house. Know yourself.
• Be yourself plus 20%. Overconfidence can be a good thing. Especially earlier in your career.
• Fake it til you make it. It can be good a lot of the time. He was overconfident as a new assistant professor, and it helped him.
• How you receive feedback is critical.
• Be honest, be kind
• His dad moved the family to Alaska because he didn't love being told what to do. He was a heart surgeon.
• Bill moved to Australia. A hard place to make friends because they don't move around much. He made connections with others who had moved there from out of the country.
• Life/Career advice: Too many choices can be bad. What are the elements of a job that I enjoy? What are my strengths?
• Leaders - It's lonely at the top. You need a group you can trust and enjoy their company. Google study - They do everything in teams. What's needed? Psychological safety. You need to be able to disagree with each other. Give feedback. It's on the leader to create healthy disagreement. And receive feedback in a way that encourages more of it.
• I was surprised by how much of our happiness, health, and strength were based purely on our genetics. Some people are just born happier, healthier, and stronger than you. It doesn't mean you can't be happy, healthy, or strong. It just means that you need to work harder to make it happen. That's life!