The Silver Lining Phoenix

Dana Cavalea, former conditioning coach of the New York Yankees, joins us on this week’s episode to talk about his mentality behind coaching. In this episode, Coach Dana shared with us how we went from Yankee waterboy to Yankee coach. 

He also shared with us lessons he learned along the way like the importance of fighting to be yourself - regardless of what others may think of you, grinding out hard work - regardless of pay, and choosing to be a winner and not a victim - regardless of circumstances. 

We learned more about how Coach Dana’s background in professional baseball is critical to his mission of helping others know who they are and pursue greatness, and how loving what you do allows you to be relentless in doing it.

Listen to the Coach’s episode, and be sure to follow his mission by clicking on the links below.

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danacavalea/
• Podcast: Becoming a Champion
• Website:  https://danacavalea.com

Nathan Childs, Chief Marketing Officer of Otterbox, joins us on this week’s episode to talk about hardship and humbling yourself so you can be molded by God and those around you. In this episode, Nathan discussed with us the loss of his brother to drug addiction, the mentors in his life, and how he excelled through life by the gifts of those around him.

We learned more about Nathan’s background in his church and how this has helped shape his mission in helping lift others up through compassion in the workplace. He talks with us about helping motivate others to see their own potential. From his perspective, he believes that we are called to care for one another, especially in the workplace.

Dr. Jen Welter, first female coach in the NFL, joins us on this week’s episode to talk about living a life of tenacity regardless of difficult circumstances. In this episode, Dr. Welter discussed taking on the final frontier within sports by shooting for the stars and becoming a coach in the NFL. 

Not only has she already paved the way for other women in sports, we learned more about how Dr. Welter is actively working to push limits and challenge cultural norms in an effort to include others who may not have a voice. From her perspective, she believes that we all have a voice that needs to be heard.

Dr Jen Welter also shared with us her book series “Gritter Fitter”, and its focus on empowering children within the Covid-19 pandemic. On this point, she mentioned, children change their behavior more readily through empowerment rather than through punitive measures.

Listen to Dr. Jen Welter’s episode, and be sure to follow her mission by clicking on the links below.

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/welter47/
• Twitter: @jwelter47

Glen Grunwald, President and CEO of Canada Basketball, joins us on this week’s episode to talk about the importance of values. In Glen’s case, his values have guided him through his basketball journey from his days playing for Indiana, to being drafted by the Boston Celtics, to becoming a lawyer, making his way back to the NBA, and becoming the President and CEO of Canada Basketball. In this episode, Glen discussed with us everything from his friendship with Isaiah Thomas, trading for Vince Carter, drafting Chris Bosh, putting in a word for Jeremy Lin the night Linsanity began, and more.

Glen also shared with us how one of his biggest life lessons he has learned in his career is how important it is to surround yourself with people of great character. 

Listen to Glen’s episode, and be sure to follow him by clicking on the links below.

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glen-grunwald-aa058612/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/grunwald_glen
• Website: https://www.basketball.ca/

Frank Johnson III, President of Elite Athletes for Christ, graduated college intending to become a teacher and a coach. He taught math at a Baltimore public high school and tutored two five-star recruits to make sure they passed the SAT. The simple act of tutoring those high school athletes forever changed the trajectory of his life and moved him from being a high school teacher to being a respected agent for professional athletes. 

Frank believes that it isn’t enough for athletes to be great players - they have to be great people, because most of their lives are lived off of the court, away from the field, and outside of the spotlight. He joins us this week to share how his faith has taught him that the mark of a great agent is what happens to the players they represent long after they’ve finished playing.

Listen to Frank’s episode and be sure to follow his mission by clicking on the links below.

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eacglobal/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-johnson-iii-14595344/

Jonathan Javier joins us this week to talk about how the company he founded, Wonsulting, helps turn underdogs into winners. As someone who graduated from a non-brand-name college that top companies did not recruit from directly, he had to change his networking and job seeking strategies, and it paid off. He got jobs at Snapchat, Google, and Cisco without ever applying for them. 

Jonathan believes that all we need is one ‘yes’ and when it comes, we need to be prepared to make the most of it and show off all the skills we have - not just in our careers but in every area of our lives.. 

Listen to Jonathan’s episode, and be sure to follow his mission by clicking on the links below.

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathanwordsofwisdom/?hl=en
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-wonsulting/
• TicToc: Wonsulting
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb2zTR6nmPZ8wVgEJKGhuHA
• Website: https://wonsulting.com

Phil Weber is the epitome of a renaissance man. Not only has he been an NBA Assistant Coach with the Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks and the New Orleans Pelicans, but he’s also a published poet, the author of “How Do You Make ‘Em Thirsty?”, and a man who will challenge and inspire you in this week’s episode. 

‘Drill Phil’, as he is affectionately known, has coached and worked with some of the best to ever play the game: LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Dwayne Wade, Steve Nash, Chris Bosh, Jalen Rose, Amar’e Stoudemire, Baron Davis, Danny Ainge, Raja Bell, and Boris Diaw to name a few. But the one player who wowed him with his work ethic was Kobe Bryant. He shares an incredible story of his interactions with Kobe and why he truly believes that successful habits create successful people. 

This is an episode full of deep insights on leadership, mindfulness, and continuous improvement that will stick with you for a very long time. There is so much here that you’ll want to listen to it more than once!

Dan Hawley joins us this week to talk about his journey from working soccer, football, basketball, and volleyball games and wrestling matches as a sports marketing intern to joining the Denver Broncos as their Senior Director of Corporate Sponsorships. 

He shared how growing up in Spain, Germany, and Italy as a military brat helped him learn to relate to people easily. That relational ability has served him well throughout his marketing and sales career and has helped shape his mission to create a culture of humility, hunger, and smarts in the workplace.

He also talked about the valuable lesson he learned while working at Boise State with Athletic Director Mark Coyle - live in truth always, because people aren’t just buying the goods or services you sell, they’re buying you. 

Listen to Dan’s episode, and be sure to follow him by clicking on the link below.

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-hawley-broncos/

Leo Rautins, TSN broadcaster for the Toronto Raptors, former professional basketball player and the former head coach of the Canadian men's national basketball team, joins us for this week’s episode and shares how legendary coach Jack Donahue took him on when everyone else told him he was too young, and how this event changed his life forever. 

He speaks about why he thinks he shouldn’t have had the career he did, but he had a goal that allowed him to stay locked in and focused, even when he was forced to deal with countless knee and back surgeries. 

Listen to Leo’s episode, and be sure to follow his mission by clicking on the links below.

• Instagram: @twineandwinewithleo
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeoRautins

NFL tight end Jake Butt joins us this week to share his thoughts on what it means to be resilient, accept challenges and how to overcome them. In this episode, Jake discusses how some of the things that knock us down can be the best things to happen to us if we choose to get back up.

We learned about Jake’s background in taking ownership of his name and how this has led him to owning each situation life throws out at him. After getting back up after four knee injuries during his career with the Denver Broncos, he is the definition of resilience.

Listen to Jakes’s episode, and be sure to follow his mission by clicking on the link below.

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/JakeButtTE
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jbooty80/